Friday, June 26, 2009

Prawn Cocktail (my fave version)

Ingredients
2 Egg Yolks
1 Teaspoon English Mustard
1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
250ml Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
A Splash of Tabasco Sauce
50g Ready to Eat Prawns (chopped to same size as peas/sweetcorn just reserve a few whole for decoration)
1-2 Tablespoons Sweetcorn
1-2 Tablespoons Peas
1-2 Tablespoons Carrots (chopped to same size as peas/sweetcorn)
1-2 Tablespoons Red Pepper (chopped to same size as peas/sweetcorn)

Equipment
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Balloon Whisk
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Metal Spoon

The Good Bit
  1. Drop your egg yolks, mustard and mustard powder into your bowl and begin to whisk, slowly drizzle the oil in and whisk at the same time, you should get to a consistency similar to that of shop bought mayo then add in the tomato and tabasco sauce. (do not add all the oil in one go, it will spoil the mayonnaise)
  2. Now stir in the prawns, peas, sweetcorn, carrot and pepper then spoon into glasses and decorate with the reserved whole prawns and serve (or have as a side in a salad)
Serves 4

Prawn Cocktail

Ingredients
2 Egg Yolks
1 Teaspoon English Mustard
1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
250ml Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
A Splash of Tabasco Sauce
50g Ready to Eat Prawns
1 Few Lettuce Leaves
2 Avocados

Equipment
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Balloon Whisk
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Metal Spoon

The Good Bit
  1. Drop your egg yolks, mustard and mustard powder into your bowl and begin to whisk, slowly drizzle the oil in and whisk at the same time, you should get to a consistency similar to that of shop bought mayo then add in the tomato and tabasco sauce. (do not add all the oil in one go, it will spoil the mayonnaise)
  2. Line 4 glasses with your lettuce leaves, then drop in the avocado, add on top a dollop of your seafood sauce and then arrange a few prawns on top and serve.
Serves 4

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Crispy Potato Skins

Ingredients
4 Large Baking Potatoes
Olive Oil
100ml Creme Fraiche
1 Tablespoon Horseradish Sauce
2 Smoked and Peppered Mackerel Fillets
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 Oven Tray
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Mixing Bowl
2 Metal Spoons
1 Pastry Brush

The Good Bit
  1. Preheat your oven too 200c 400f gas 6, scrub your potatoes and prick them, cook in the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until tender then remove and cut each into 6 to 8 wedges.
  2. In the meantime mix together the creme fraiche and horseradish and season with salt and pepper. Scoop out the centres of the wedges leaving about 1cm of potato before you hit skin, brush them with oil and stick back in your oven for 25 minutes until golden.
  3. Whilst you are waiting for that to do, break your fish into strips, dollop sauce into each of the potato skins and top with little bits of fish.
Serves 4

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Courgette and Tomato Bake

Ingredients
4 Courgettes (sliced but not peeled)
4 Large Tomatoes (sliced)
1 Clove Garlic (crushed)
110g Mozzarella (sliced)
4 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan
Small Bunch Fresh Basil (roughly torn)
A Splash of Oil
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Garlic Press
1 Large Frying Pan
1 Ovenproof Dish

The Good Bit
  1. Start by frying the crushed garlic in a little oil then add your courgette in 1 single layer in the frying pan (you may have to do a few batches here, get them golden on each side)
  2. Pre heat your oven too 190c 375f gas 5. When that is done, lay them in alternating layers in your ovenproof dish with the tomato and mozzarella, so you get something that looks like the slates on your roof. Then sprinkle over some salt and pepper, basil and the parmesan and bake for 30 minutes
Serves 4 as a starter 2 as a main

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Potato Tikka Soup

Ingredients
1 Onion
3 Tablespoons Tikka Curry Paste
750g Potatoes (cubed)
600ml Milk
1 Vegetable Stock Cube
A Splash of Oil
Coriander and Mango Chutney to Serve

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Blender

The Good Bit
  1. Cook your onion in a splash of oil for 3-4 minutes until softened, add in the tikka paste and cook for a further 2 minutes, now add in the potatoes and stir well coating them all over.
  2. Add in your milk and stock cube, bring to the boil and cover, simmer for 25 minutes.
  3. Allow the mixture to cool then pass through a blender, reheat when you are ready to serve and garnish with a sprinkling of chopped coriander and a dollop of mango chutney.
Serves 4

Friday, June 12, 2009

Omlette in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
1 Onion (finely chopped)
2 Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
4 Eggs (beaten with a pinch of salt added)
150ml Milk
1 Tablespoon Fresh Rosemary (chopped)
150ml Vegetable Stock
1x400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
75g Gruyere (diced)
Grated Parmesan to Serve
Crusty Bread to Serve
A Knob of Butter

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Frying Pan
1 Plate

The Good Bit
  1. Fry your onion and garlic in the butter for 4-5 minutes until soft and beginning to colour then add your eggs, gruyere and milk and make an omlette (leave it to cook until it is almost firm all over the top surface) lift out and roll up on your plate and cut into inch wide strips.
  2. Add the tomatoes, stock and rosemary to the frying pan and bring to the boil, allow to simmer for 10 minutes then add the omlette slices, warm through for 3-4 minutes then serve with a sprinkle of grated parmesan on top and crausty bread.
Serves 4

Italian Omlette

Ingredients
900g Potatoes (cut into thinish slices)
1 Tablespoon Oil
1 Onion (sliced)
2 Cloves Garlic (chopped)
6 Sundried Tomatoes (cut into slices)
1x400g Can Artichoke Hearts (drained and halved)
250g Ricotta Cheese
4 Eggs (beaten)
2 Tablespoon Milk
50g Parmesan Cheese
3 Tablespoons Fresh Thyme (chopped)

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Choppig Board
1 Pan (half full with boiling salted water)
1 Frying Pan
1 Spatula
1 Ovenproof Dish
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Fork

The Good Bit
  1. Pre heat your oven too 190c 375f gas 5, now cook your potatoes in the boiling water for 5-6 minutes until just tender, at the same time fry off your onion and garlic in the frying pan with a splash of oil until they just turn soft 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add the tomatoes to the onion and fry for a further 2 minutes whilst you start to place a layer of the potato slices in the bottom of your ovenproof dish, then add a layer of the onion mixture followed by a layer of artichokes and ricotta.
  3. Repeat this layering until you have run out of ingredients, finish with a layer of potato on top, beat togeter the egg, milk, half the parmesan, thyme and season with salt and pepper, pour this mixture over your potatoes and then sprinkle on the remaining cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve.
Serves 4