quick & easy - beer bread

Ever had one of those days where washing & drying your hair, putting on makeup and strutting around in a pair of uncomfortable jeans is just too much effort? Tough being a girl! So what do you do when you refuse to leave the house and you don't have a crumb of bread in the house, no more milk or yogurt... the only answer, is to make some... bread that is!

I came across this recipe for Beer Bread and was not disappointed. I used a reddish sweeter beer but I'm sure any beer with some fizz in it will be perfect! In other words, forget about Miller of Bud or Corona, go for something with a little yeast. It was perfect to dip in vegetable soup or with lots of butter and some salty cheese :o)


Beer Bread

• 3c / 470g plain flour (try find organic unbleached)
• 3 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bottle (375ml) beer, unopened, at room temperature
• 4 tbsp / 60g butter

1. Preheat oven to 190C/375F.
2. Grease a bread loaf tin with butter.
3. In a bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. Open the beer and add it all at once; it will foam up.
5. Stir briskly until just combined - about 20 strokes.
6. The batter will be slightly lumpy.
7. Place in the prepared loaf pan and drizzle with all the melted butter.
8. Bake until the top is crusty and until a knife comes out clean - 35-40 mins
9. Once ready, let it rest in the pan for 5 mins and turn out onto a rack.

week end party food - crab dip & prawn kebabs

Martin just called me. He wanted the recipe for crab dip.
So here it is.... enjoy!

Crab Dip

• 1/4-1/2 lb sea legs
• 12 oz cream cheese
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• juice from 1/4 lemon
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder

Chop sea legs in a blender. Mix all ingredients in a big bowl. Put in ovenproof serving dish and top with paprika or almonds. Cook at 175 C until bubbly and hot.




Along the seafood theme, you might want to try these skewers - wonderful for a barbecue, baste them in BBQ sauce.

Prawn Kebabs

• prawns
• scallops
• yellow pepper
• red onion

- thread unto metal skewers, brush with olive oil and grill for 8 mins

 

fishy friday - ultimate fish 'n chips

So this is Friday
And what have you done
Another week over
And a new one [almost] just begun
And so this is Friday
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very Merry Friday
And a happy Week End
Let's hope it's a good one
With yummy Fish 'n Chips :o)


So, it's Friday. Indeed. I'm sure for most of us boarding school veterans, it was the best meal of the week. After nasty Quorn stir-fry's, fried toast and deep fried Cornish pasties, more deep fried fish was about as good as it got

Along the same lines, for all the younger ones, whoever's idea it was to make pizza on Fridays deserves a chickpea award. Weeding out bones out of a mouthful of potatoes and Friday Fish was often a dreaded experience. Bring on the pizza!!!


To get to the point, with some decent quality frozen fish filets, a few potatoes and some frozen peas, and the BBC Good Food Recipe in hand, Fredrik and I had a feast! Not forgetting the tartare sauce - it's the cherry on the cake :o) I couldn't find corn flour, so we used polenta instead, tasted awesome and was nice and crunchy.




Ultimate Fish 'n Chips

FOR THE CHIPS

• 800g unpeeled potatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE PEAS

• 300g frozen garden peas
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp lemon juice

FOR THE FISH

• 650g (approx) skinless haddock, hake or cod fillet from a sustainable source, cut into 4 equal-size pieces
• 50g self-raising flour, plus 1 tbsp
• 50g cornflour
• 1 egg white
• 125ml ice-cold sparkling water
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 600ml sunflower oil, for frying

Scrub the potatoes, cut into 1.5cm thick lengthways slices, then cut each slice into 1.5cm thick chips. Tip the chips into a large saucepan, pour in enough water to just cover, bring to the boil, then lower the heat and gently simmer for 4 mins only. Drain, tip onto a clean tea towel, pat dry, then leave to cool. Can be done 1-2 hrs ahead. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put a large shallow non-stick roasting tray in the oven with 1 tbsp olive oil and heat for 10 mins.

Transfer the chips to a bowl and toss in the remaining oil using your hands. Tip out in a single layer onto the hot roasting tin. Bake for 10 mins, then turn them over. Bake 5 more mins, then turn again. Bake for a final 5-8 mins until crisp. Drain on paper towels.

While the chips are in the oven, cook the peas in boiling water for 4 mins. Drain, then tip into the pan and lightly crush with the back of a fork. Mix in the oil, lemon juice and freshly grated pepper. Cover and set aside.

The fish can also be cooked while the chips are in the oven. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels. Put the 1 tbsp of flour on a plate and use to coat each fillet, patting off the excess. Pour the oil for frying into a heavy, medium non-stick wok or wokshaped pan. Heat to 200C (use a thermometer so you can check the oil stays at that temperature). Mix 50g flour, cornflour, a pinch of salt and some pepper. Lightly whisk the egg white with a balloon whisk until frothy and bubbly, but not too stiff. Pour the water into the flour mix, gently and briefly whisking as you go. The batter shouldn't be completely smooth. Add the egg white, then lightly whisk in just to mix. Try and keep as many bubbles as you can so the batter stays light. Cooking two pieces of fish at a time, dip them in the batter to coat, let some of it drip off, then lower into the hot oil using a slotted spoon. Fry for 5-6 mins, making sure the oil stays at 200C and turning the fish over halfway through so it is golden all over. Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper. Check the oil is back up to 200C, then repeat with remaining fish. Reheat the peas and serve with the fish, chips and lemon wedges.

how to make a cow taste good - boeuf bourguignon

Now, I don't think any of us need reminding how disgusting carbonnade flamande was. I can just picture Martin's eyes welling with tears when he heard that it was on the menu. Awful. No other word for it, even though there was a whole bottle of Belgian beer in there...


The thing I hate most in a kitchen, other than washing a whole chicken - I find it feels like washing a headless little baby or something, very freaky! - but the second worst thing is cutting meat. In my perfect kitchen I would have one of those glass cases that they have when working with infectious or radioactive materials. You know the ones that you have to wear a funky white space outfit and work through two little holes in the wall? And then, best of all, it would have some kind of washing system. No more icky cutting board, no more jello-y fat pieces, no more feeling of dried meat juice on your fingers.
The first time I made this was when a cow at the farm was injured, the result: countless kilos of meat and bone piled up in the kitchen. Did it smell good? No. Did you want to eat it? No. Would someone even want to touch it? No. But anyways, mom and I started cutting through it, one knife at the time... schrimmmblllll.... no comment about the knives, sure a stone age silex would be sharper.


So anyways, a couple bottles of wine and quite a few hours later, we had a fantastic smelling big pot of boeuf bourguignon on the stove. I think Uncle Jacek had some for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have to admit, it was yummy.


I couldn't find the recipe we used when I was home this Christmas... didn't know Pani Prosze could read French... but anyways, so I used the Julia Child recipe and modified it a tad. Result: yummy :o). There are instructions for onions and mushrooms, it's up to you if you feel like adding them. I added the onions as Fredrik is not such a fan of mushrooms. Also the original recipe calls for draining the stew once it's cooked, i.e. remove the carrots and onions and only keep the sauce and meat, I think this is a waste so I kept them all in.



Boeuf Bourguignon
 
For the Stew

• 170 g bacon, solid chunk (always get more as you will probably throw out a lot as fat)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1.2 kg lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes (I use less, it makes more sauce and less meat to chew)
• 1 carrott, peeled and sliced
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups red wine (a full bodied wine like Bordeaux or Burgundy or Chianti)
• 2-3 cups beef stock (or any kind of stock cube you have handy, beef is probably better though)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, mashed (add more! – up to 4)
• fresh thyme – find a nice big branch (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 2-3 bay leaves, preferably fresh

For the braised onions

• 18-24 white pearl onions, peeled
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig thyme
• 2 sprigs parsley

For the Sauteed Mushrooms

• 1 lb mushrooms, quartered
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. First prepare the bacon: cut off the rind and reserve.
2. Cut the bacon into lardons about 1/4" think and 1 1/2" long.
3. Simmer the rind and the lardons for ten minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. – this is really important, it gets rid of that yucky pigsty smell and all the yucky white froth
4. Drain and dry the lardons and rind and reserve.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
6. Put the tablespoon of olive oil in a large fireproof casserole and warm over moderate heat.
7. Saute the lardons for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly.
8. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
9. Dry off the pieces of beef and saute them, a few at a time in the hot oil/bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides.
10. Once browned, remove to the side plate with the bacon.
11. In the same oil/fat, saute the onion and the carrot until softened.
12. Pour off the fat and return the lardons and the beef to the casserole with the carrots and onion.
13. Toss the contents of the casserole with the salt and pepper and sprinkle with the flour.
14. Set the uncovered casserole in the oven for four minutes.
15. Toss the contents of the casserole again and return to the hot oven for 4 more minutes.
16. Now, lower the heat to 325°F and remove the casserole from the oven.
17. Add the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered.
18. Add the tomato paste, garlic and herbs and the bacon rind.
19. Bring to a simmer on the top of the stove.
20. Cover and place in the oven, adjusting the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly for three to four hours.
21. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
22. While the meat is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms and set them aside till needed.
23. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet.
24. Saute over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible, without breaking apart.
25. Pour in the stock, season to taste, add the herbs, and cover.
26. Simmer over low heat for about until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
27. Remove the herbs and set the onions aside.
28. For the mushrooms, heat the butter and oil over high heat in a large skillet.
29. As soon as the foam begins to subside add the mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes.
30. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.
31. To Finish the Stew:
32. Distribute the mushrooms and onions over the meat.
33. Skim the fat off the sauce and simmer it for a minute or two, skimming off any additional fat which rises to the surface.
34. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock.
35. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency.
36. Taste for seasoning.
37. If you are serving immediately, place the covered casserole over medium low heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
38. Serve in the casserole or on a warm platter surrounded by noodles, potatoes or rice and garnished with fresh parsley.
39. If serving later or the next day, allow the casserole to cool and place cold, covered casserole in the refrigerator.
40. 20 minutes prior to serving, place over medium low heat and simmer very slowly for ten minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

TGIF! - crunchy salads for the weekend

I go through phases. Love or hate salads. At the moment, I abhore them. The last time I ate salad, two hours later I was hugging the bowl (not sure if it was 3D Avatar or food poisoning) but I can't fathom the idea of eating it yet...
AND, believe it or not, I even watched Oprah Winfrey yesterday. Well, actually, I was sitting myself down after the gym and turned on the TV and she had some kind of food show going on. So I taped it and got dinner ready and later watched it with Fredrik. Was happy we were eating vegetarian pizzas! Wow, those chicken and pig farms are absolutely revolting! Reminds me of a poem I wrote some years ago... and I was right, in the documentary, they say that the chickens can't even walk because their bones are not formed properly and they are far too heavy to support themselves... how sick is that!?


Sublime Chicken

The recipe said to use one chicken breast  
I planned to eat half and to keep the rest

But, unaware of its power to simply sublimate  
A shrunken remnant is all I ate

So this poor innocent chicken had been doped like an athlete 
Building factitious muscle till it couldn’t stand on its own two feet

And the reward for all that workout?  
The privilege to lie, fried, under my curled up snout


Haha, poor chicken! Also disturbing, was the way cows are treated. So sad! Being fed junk and being pumped with that many antibiotics, cows cannot, by any means, produce decent milk. Therefore dearest children, do your old granny sister a favour and please drink lots of milk but make sure it is organic or go for almond, rice or soya milk!

As for the meat, when I see the price of organic meat, I usually find something vegetarian to eat... so here are a few good recipes. I know there is some ham and bacon in them... but you need it for the taste... hehe!


Mrs. Falk’s Spinach Salad

For the salad:

• spinach leaf - torn
• crispy bacon – crumbled (or chop up slices of ham)
• white mushrooms - sliced
• onion (red or white) – finely chopped
• hard boiled eggs – sliced and diced

For the dressing: 

•  ¼ cup balsamic or red wine vinegar
• ½ cup oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt, pepper and sugar

Put all the ingredients for the salad in one tupperware. 
Put the ingredients for the dressing in another and shake it up (I usually make A LOT less, but follow those proportions). 
Pour the dressing over the salad, put the lid on (preferably) and shake it like a milkshake or like rotten milk to make butter.




Broccoli Bacon Salad

For the salad:

• broccoli florets
• onion – diced
• bacon – crumpled and crisp – i usually use ham cut into squares
• cucumber – peeled, seeded if you’re picky, and quartered
• shredded cheese

For the dressing:

• 4 - 6 tbsp white sugar
• ½ - ¾ cup light mayo
• 2 – 4 tbsp vinegar

Same procedure as above



 
Avocado and Chickpea Salad (for chickpea-award winners only)

• avocado – peeled and sliced
• cherry tomatoes
• black olives
• can chickpeas

Mix everything together, add little salt and pepper, the avocado gives it all the dressing it needs.




Cole Slaw

• 1 c mayonnaise 
• 3 tbsp lemon juice 
• 2 tsp sugar 
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 c shredded cabbage
• 1 c shredded carrots

Combine first four ingredients and then mix everything together.

how to impress - desert time

Righty ho, I'm really behind today... 1- mountain of laundry, 2- looking for hotel in NYC for when Fredrik's sister's family comes to visit, 3- looking for a house, 4- must go to gym, 5- must do dishes, 6- must make pizza dough for tonight... 7- eat a piece of pecan pie left over from yesterday and take a minute to chill :o)

The recipe I tried was a new one from a French Canadian magazine. It calls for corn syrup but feel free to replace it with golden syrup if you're in the UK or maple syrup for a Canadian twist. For the shell, the recipe I use is from the Vorwerk book, I'll post later, it's awesome-tasting and takes 2 secs to make. If you don't have a Vorwerk, I suggest to buy one... I hate making pie dough by hand with that ice-cold water - eek!

Southern Pecan Pie

• 3 eggs
• 1 c brown sugar sugar, packed
• pinch salt
• 1/2 c corn syrup and/or maple syrup (and a little more to brush on top)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence or pack vanilla sugar
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1-2 c pecans - I usually use enough to coat the bottom of the pie crust
 

Beat eggs with sugar, salt, syrup, melted butter and vanilla.

Line bottom of pastry shell with pecans and pour mixture over them.

Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350C or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Let cool to set.

Brush the top with a little syrup in order to make it shiny.

Next, of course, Banoffi pie. Mary brought this restipy back from her beloved boarding school and in my opinion, the only 2 grams of fat ever acquired by Andrew were probably from this.

Banoffi Pie

• 175 g digestive biscuits
• 85 g melted butter

Crush biscuits with melted butter and press onto base and sides of 20cm pie dish.

• 425 g can sweetened condensed milk

Place can in saucepan covered in water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. Cool before opening.

• 2-3 bananas
• lemon juice
• 200 ml whipped cream

Scrape out contents of boiled condensed milk into base. Slice bananas and sprinkle slices with lemon juice. Arrange over toffee center. Decorate with whipped cream. Refrigerate before serving.