Classics from Clarke - parmesan shortbreads

Mine were Nigella's easy peasy parmesan shortbreads...

150g plain flour
100g unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
75 - 100g grated parmesan

Put all ingredients in a food processor, whizz until it forms a golden clump, then split in two and make two cylinders (they should be same shape as rolls of coins). Wrap in cling film and leave in fridge for an hour (keeps for a few days). Take it out the fridge, slice cylinders into thick slices so about 40 golden 'coins' are formed.
Put in the oven at 180C for about 15 mins until they are turning golden at the edges!
Variations can be with cheddar and mustard powder or paprika...

No toadying here.. from CEL

 Toad in the Hole made with Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard flavoured batter, served with delicious French Onion Gravy.

Serves 2
100g/4oz plain flour
3 eggs
300ml/1/2pt milk
2 tsp Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp oil
4 Cumberland or other deli-style sausages

For the gravy:
2 tbsp oil
1 large onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 tbsp plain flour
1 heaped tsp tomato puree
50ml/2 fl oz beef stock
300ml/1/2 pt red wine
1 tsp Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard

Place flour in a bowl and add eggs. Using an electric beater, whisk to combine and gradually add milk to make a smooth batter. Stir in mustard and season. Whisk to incorporate. Leave to rest while you par-cook the sausages.

Heat oil in a pan and fry sausages all over just to colour. Reserve.

Put 2tbsp of oil in a square 20cm/8in baking tin. Place in the oven (Gas 6 200C 400F) until the oil is piping hot. Pour in batter which should immediately start sizzling and begin to rise up the sides of the tin. Place sausages into the batter and return to oven. Bake for around 30 minutes, or until batter is seriously risen, golden and crisp.

For the gravy, whilst the batter is cooking, heat oil in a pan and gently cook onions until softened. Stir in flour and cook a minute more. Add tomato puree. Pour in wine, stir in mustard and bring to bubbling. Simmer to reduced, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve separately.pa

Cooking with Jamie (Paddick)

CHICKEN BREAST STRIPS AND PANCETTA WITH ASPARAGUS
Serves 2
Preparation: 10 mins – Cooking: 15 mins

INGREDIENTS
• 2 chicken breasts, boned and skinned
• 10 asparagus spears, washed and trimmed
• 15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
• 70g (2½ oz) pancetta, cubed or sliced
• salt and black pepper
1. Place each breast between two sheets of clear film and flatten to a thickness of 5mm/¼ inch with a rolling pin. Cut into 2.5cm/1 inch strips diagonally. Season.
2. Boil the asparagus in salted water until just tender. Drain and set aside.
3. Put the pancetta in a large frying pan with the oil. Stir over a low heat until crispy.
4. Remove the pancetta from the pan, increase the heat and fry the chicken in the pancetta fat until lightly coloured.
5. Lower the heat. Add the asparagus to the pan, and stir thoroughly to make sure everything is coated in the oil. Carry on cooking until the chicken is done.
6. Serve immediately and sprinkle the pancetta on top.
SERVING SUGGESTION
• Steamed new potatoes make a good starchy side dish.

Impress your guests at your Barbie with this Lemon Juice!

Do you like the refreshing flavour of freshly squeezed lemon juice?
Then make this and save yourself a fortune, makes over a pint of concentrate

Lemon Juice Recipe - takes 10 mins MAX
Ingredients:
3 Lemons (un-waxed are best)
10 oz sugar
1 pint boiling water
one & half teaspoons Citric Acid (available at chemist)

Method:
Squeeze Lemons saving the skins.
Add all ingredients to boiling water making sure sugar is dissolved
Put in skins and leave in fridge overnight
Remove skins and any pips and decant into an airtight bottle - dilute to taste

Cooking with Claire

Roast chicken, sweet potato and chillies with tahini greens and coriander yoghurt
A really yummy Sunday evening supper and certainly good enough for a casual dinner with friends. The only thing I changed was I put just a small amount of the Tahini dressing onto warm steamed veg. We all agreed, including Katie, that all together it was absolutely delicious! In case you are new to Tahini, it's a bit like peanut butter but made with Sesame seeds and you can get it in Waitrose.
www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/magazine/article2862213.ece

Super healthy and delicious Autumn Salad
I changed the dessert, but aside from that this was our lunch on 28th December. The Autumn salad got a huge thumbs up from everyone and the only negative on the lamb was we ran out! We also had the wine - all from Waitrose Direct and they were delicious. You can get pheasant breasts from Pinks farm shop on Eton street. But if you don't fancy them I think this would work with duck or chicken.



CLICK TWICE ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Honey Glazed Chicken and Bacon Bites from James

Here’s a recipe SO good it will make your eyelashes curl all by themselves

Ingredients: boneless chicken breasts (one per person)
20 thin bacon slices
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp coarse mustard fresh lemon juice
Optional: salt

Directions: Cut the chicken breasts into thin strips. Not too thin, the bacon has to brown and if the chicken is too thin it’ll get dry before the bacon gets crispy. That would be a sin. Grab a bowl and combine 3 tbsp honey with 2 tsp coarse mustard. Squeeze in some lemon juice. Not too much, about a tbsp or so. I think orange juice will be great, too. Take the lovely bacon and wrap a piece around each strip of cut chicken. Place them in a roasting tray or on a cookie sheet. If you’re afraid of cleaning up, line the tray or sheet with some tin-foil first. I’m hard-core (And own a dish washing machine. It helps). Brush the chicken bites with half the marinade. Bake them in a preheated oven at 425F (225C) for 10 to 13 minutes or until the bacon is crispy. As soon as one side is done, take the tray out of the oven. Does this look good or what??? Flip them over and brush them with the remaining marinade. Put them back in the oven for another 10 to 13 minutes, until the other side is crispy as well. Keep an eye on them.

Don’t these just scream: love me, bite me, chew me, eat me, devour me? If I can give you a tip, a really useful one, it would be to fix twice the amount you think you’ll need. And then some…..

THE FAMOUS SG CHOCOLATE TORTE thanks CJO!

Chocolate Truffle Torte
400g good quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa) broken into pieces
6 large eggs
400g caster sugar
250g butter (unsalted) in pieces
100g ground almonds

* Preheat oven to 160c (fan)
* Melt chocolate and butter in bowl over a pan of simmering water - when melted allow to cool slightly
* Beat eggs and sugar with electric whisk for around 10mins until pale and thick.
* Gently fold in chocolate and almonds into the egg mixture.
* Pour into a 23cm x 7cm baking tin lined with baking parchment
* Bake in middle of the oven on a baking tray for 45mins
* Allow to cool in the tin - the cake will sink and crack
* Chill in the fridge once cool before turning out to serve.
Enjoy! Especially nice with really good quality vanilla ice cream

Ma's Meringues from CP

Meringues
(4 egg whites makes 15 - 20 meringues)
One egg white to 2 ounces of caster sugar
Put the oven on a low heat - No. 1 if possible
Line a couple of baking trays with greaseproof paper
Beat the egg white to peaks and then SLOWLY add the caster sugar..this can be done in a blender
Use about a dessert spoon of the mixture for each meringue
Put the trays in the oven for an hour..Turn the oven off and leave to cool over night

A Zesty Recipe from CP

Seville Oranges are only available for three weeks of the year. You can still find them in Sainsbury's and Morrisons Seville orange marmalade - Nigel Slater's recipe I made two batches this year. One with organic fruit, the other not. The flavour of the organic one shone most brilliantly and took less time to reach setting point. This is enough to fill about 5 or 6 normal jam jars.
12 Seville oranges
2 lemons
1.25kg unrefined golden granulated sugar
Using a small, particularly sharp kitchen knife, score four lines down each fruit from top to bottom, as if you were cutting the fruit into quarters. Let the knife cut through the peel but without piercing the fruit. Cut each quarter of peel into fine shreds (or thicker slices if you like a chunkier texture). Squeeze each of the peeled oranges and lemons into a jug, removing and reserving all the pulp and pips. Make the juice up to 4 litres with cold water, pouring it into the bowl with the shredded peel. You may need more than one bowl here. Tie the reserved pith, squeezed-out orange and lemon pulp and the pips in muslin bag and push into the peel and juice. Set aside in a cold place and leave overnight. The next day, tip the juice and shredded peel into a large stainless steel or enamelled pan (or a preserving pan for those lucky enough to have one) and push the muslin bag down under the juice. Bring to the boil then lower the heat so that the liquid continues to simmer merrily. It is ready when the peel is totally soft and translucent. This can take anything from 40 minutes to a good hour-and-a-half, depending purely on how thick you have cut your peel. (This time, mine took 45 minutes with the organic oranges, just over an hour with the others.) Once the fruit is ready, lift out the muslin bag and leave it in a bowl until it is cool enough to handle. Add the sugar to the peel and juice and turn up the heat, bringing the marmalade to a rolling boil. Squeeze every last bit of juice from the reserved muslin bag into the pan. Skim off any froth that rises to the surface. (If you don't your preserve will be cloudy.) Leave at a fast boil for 15 minutes. Remove a tablespoon of the preserve, put it on a plate, and pop it into the fridge for a few minutes. If a thick skin forms on the surface of the refrigerated marmalade, then it is ready and you can switch the pan off. If the tester is still liquid, then let the marmalade boil for longer. Test every 10 to 15 minutes. Some mixtures can take up to 50 minutes to reach setting consistency. Ladle into the sterilised pots and seal immediately.

Seville orange tart For the pastry:
8 oz (approx 250 g)
plain flour 3 oz (approx 100 g)
icing sugar 4 oz (approx 125 g)
butter 1 egg Or you can use ready-made pastry if you prefer
For the filling: 2 oz (approx 50 g)
butter 5 oz (approx 140 g)
caster sugar
2 eggs
2 Seville oranges
To make the pastry: Cream the butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Beat in the flour to form a dough. This quantity of pastry is enough for three 7-inch tart cases, so divide the dough into three and freeze what you don’t need immediately. (It’s the same pastry that I use for strawberry cheesecake). Wrap one portion in cling film or foil and refrigerate for about an hour. Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface, and line a greased tart tin about 7 inches (approximately 18 cm) in diameter. Don’t try to roll it out too thin. If the pastry breaks or tears when you lift it into the tin, don’t worry too much. Press the broken edges back together like Plasticene and you’ll probably get away with it. Bake the empty tart case in a hot oven (about 200 C) for about 15 minutes until golden brown and set. You can go through the palaver of blind-baking with the pastry weighted down with beans or marbles if you like, but I never bother. To make the filling: Put the butter, sugar and orange rind in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Remove the bowl from the heat, and beat in the juice of both oranges. Pour into the cooked tart case.
Bake at about 180 C for about 15 minutes until the filling is set. Serve hot or cold, with whipped cream if liked. The cooked tart will keep for 2-3 days at room temperature, if it gets the chance.

Grab a Slice of the Action...

Not exactly the most high-brow of offers (apologies) but 50% off at Pizza Hut for those of you that fancy it!

Click here to claim the offer.

Cal

How to use your Black Garlic from Sapphire

Below is a web site that gives you some great ideas for your Black Garlic.
http://www.blackgarlic.co.uk

X-FACTOR SPROUTS...

...from SKYE GYNGELL, Petersham Nurseries Café

I love Brussels sprouts, but not when they are overcooked, soggy and bitter. They should have a slight bite and a vibrant colour.

Cook them simply by cutting a little cross in the base, removing any outer leaves that are bruised or damaged and putting them into boiling, well-salted water for 7 minutes.

Drain and refresh under the cold tap, then warm them through in a pan with a little unsalted butter, a good pinch of sea salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. I also like a purée of sprouts with turkey or goose simply blitz cooked sprouts with a knob of butter and some crème fraîche and season well.

Ro’s Spicy Meatball Spaghetti

Serves 4 castaways, preparation time less than 30 mins, cooking time c.20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 x 400g/14oz cans tomatoes
  
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
  
• 4 tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 tsp caster sugar
  
• 500g/1lb 2oz pork mince
  
• 90g/3oz streaky bacon, finely chopped
  
• 2 tsp thyme leaves
  
• 2 tbsp flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
  
• 300g/10½oz dried spaghetti
  

Heat a frying pan when hot add the tomatoes and olive oil and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the garlic, chilli and half of the basil and cook for 10 minutes, until reduced and thickened. Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little sugar.

Place the pork mince, bacon, thyme and parsley into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Season with a little salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Divide the mixture into 16 and shape each portion into a small ball.

Place the meatballs into the tomato sauce and simmer for 5-8 minutes until the meatballs are completely cooked through.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.

Add the spaghetti and cook according to packet instructions.

Drain the spaghetti, then add to the tomato and meatball sauce. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the remaining basil.

Ro’s Rock Pool Scallops with Chorizo

Serves 8 as a starter. Preparation time less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients:
• 110g/4oz chorizo sausage
• 400g/1lb small scallops (or larger ones, halved across the middle), removed from their shells
• Juice of half a lemon
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Slice the chorizo into rounds no more than 1cm thick.

Place a pan over a medium heat and fry the chorizo (without adding any oil, as the chorizo will give out plenty of its own oil) for about two minutes, or until crisp on both sides.

Remove the chorizo from the pan and transfer to a bowl. In the same pan, fry the scallops in the oil left by the chorizo for about a minute on each side.

Return the chorizo to the pan with the scallops, add the lemon juice and let it bubble for a few seconds.

To serve, place the chorizo and scallops onto a serving plate and sprinkle over the parsley. Serves eight as a starter with a few salad leaves.

Ro's Banana-berry Crème Brulee

Serves 4 - preparation time less than 20 mins, cooking time c.1 hour

Ingredients:

• 250ml milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 large banana, sliced thinly
• small punnet raspberries, blueberries or blackberries
• Preheat oven to 140C/285F/Gas 1.

Heat the milk in a saucepan until almost boiling and turn off the heat.

Beat the egg yolks and half the sugar until the mixture is thick and pale.

Then slowly add small amounts of the warm milk, stirring occasionally, until all is incorporated.

Divide the banana and berries between four ramekin dishes, reserving 12 slices of banana and a few berries for garnish.

Pour the custard over the fruit and place in a deep-sized roasting tin, then add water to roughly halfway up the sides of each ramekin.

Bake for around an hour until just set with a golden top. Remove from the baking tray and allow to cool. When cool enough, transfer to the fridge until chilled through.

When ready to serve, top each dish with three slices of banana and then the remaining sugar. Melt the sugar under a hot grill or with a cook's blowtorch, leave to set for a few minutes then garnish with remaining berries and serve.

Anna's Chorizo Pasta at the Oasis

I ripped this recipe out of the London Paper one day and just love it. It’s very easy, and particularly useful if you forget you’ve invited friends round for a weeknight supper and have to grab ingredients quickly at the M&S at the station.

Serves 4 - ready in 10-15 minutes.

Ingredients:

• Enough penne pasta for 4 people
• Half a large chorizo sausage or all of a small one, sliced
• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 12-15 cherry tomatoes, havled
• 2-3 tbsp of pesto OR tapernade - whichever you prefer
• 1 bag of washed rocket - these are usually fairly small which is perfect
• Parmesan and black olives to garnish

Put the penne on to boil in a large saucepan. Fry the sliced chorizo in a non-stick saucepan on a low-medium heat so it cooks in its own oil, turning when slightly crisp on one side. When the chorizo is cooked, set aside and throw in the halved cherry tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar to the pan so they cook in the flavoured oil. Keep on a medium/low heat.

When the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the saucepan. Then stir in the chorizo and tomatoes, quickly followed by the pesto or tapernade.
Next stir in your rocket, which will start to wilt, and you’re ready to serve onto plates, garnishing with plenty of parmesan and a few black olives

Claire's Pork Involtini with Roasted Fennel and Potatoes

Simple and delicious dinner party dish - serves 4

Ingredients

Pork:

• 800g piece pork tenderloin, cut in half
• 200g pancetta, finely sliced
• 50g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 16 asparagus spears, blanched
• 200g Gorgonzola, cut into baton-style strips
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Roasted Fennel and Potatoes:

• 2 fennel bulbs, cut into eighths
• 550g waxy potatoes, thickly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

How to do it

To make pork involtini, butterfly the pork tenderloin pieces lengthways with a sharp knife on a wooden board, then flatten carefully with a meat tenderiser. Place pancetta on board and lay tenderloins on top, leaving pancetta showing around the sides. Brush tenderloins with the softened butter. Place asparagus and Gorgonzola on tenderloins, then season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Carefully roll tenderloins into a barrel, making sure the pancetta slices cover the outside of the tenderloins. Tie with kitchen string at 5cm intervals.

Preheated oven to 180C. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, then brown involtini for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove involtini from oven, cover with kitchen foil and rest for 5-7 minutes serving with roast artichokes and potatoes.

To make roast fennel and potatoes, preheat oven to 200C. Combine ingredients. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then transfer to a roasting dish and cook in oven for 30-40 minutes.

Vanessa's Very Easy Pesto Chicken

This really is the easiest recipe ever and great if you are having friends over for supper after work. I can get home and have supper served up and ready to go in half an hour. My mum uses it for dinner parties if she is short of time as very little prep time and only 20 minutes cooking time!

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 4 chicken breasts (preferably with skin on which can be removed later, it just means the meat stays moist)
• 1 pot of red pesto
• 1 small pot of crème fraiche (low fat one works best)
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• Basil leaves and black olives to garnish
• 1 pan, preferably a largish frying pan with a lid (very important) but a casserole pot with a lid works too, as long as it can go on the hob

Brown the chicken breasts in bit of oil or butter, skin side first. You aren’t cooking the chicken, just browning it for colour. Set aside on a plate and wipe the pan with kitchen towel to get rid of any excess fat.

In a separate bowl, mix together the red pesto, creme fraiche and chopped tomatoes. No need to season.

Put the chicken breasts back in the pan, skin side up, and pour in the sauce mixture. Put the lid on and leave on the hob, on a gentle simmering heat (so you can just see little bubbles popping on the surface, but not fast rapid bubbles, as then it will boil into nothing!)

Leave like this for 20 minutes. If you are worried the chicken will stick to the pan, then have a check half way through cooking, but it really shouldn’t.

It really does take 20 minutes for the chicken to cook, as long as you leave it simmering and keep the lid on. Garnish with basil leaves and black olives and best served with new potatoes and green veg.

Smoked Salmon at Sunset

Lynsey's Smoked Salmon Tortino - according to her it's scrum-didilly-ump-tious!

You will need:

Small shallow dishes / tart tins - depending on the size of tin you use, you can make a yummy starter or use larger dishes - 20cm / 8 inch diameter for a light main. Tins with removeable bases are great for this dish!

8 large sheets filo pastry
75g/3oz butter, melted
4 tbsp soured cream
350g/3/4lb smoked salmon, thinly sliced
450g/1lb tomatoes, skinned, deseeded, diced
basil, fresh (you can use dried)
extra virgin olive oil
salt and ground pepper
few sprigs of fresh dill

Lynsey's tip: these quantities are what the recipe suggests but I usually use more tomatoes and more smoked salmon, it all depends on the size of your dishes!

Preheat the oven to 200 C/400F gas mark 6. Lightly butter each sheet of filo pastry, fold in half (buttered side in) to make two layers. Use 2 double sheets per tortino. Place the first doubled filo sheet into a tart tin. Brush with melted butter, then top with another doubled sheet of filo and butter that, do the same with the 3 other tins and remaining filo sheets. Divide the tomatoes and basil leaves amongst the tortino tins, drizzle with olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 5-8 mins. Remove from the oven, season with salt and pepper. Divide the soured cream and slices of smoked salmon amongst the tortinos and then place in the oven for a further 2-3 mins.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle the fresh dill on top, brush with a little olive oil and serve immediately. Unless you're using tins with removable bases, serve straight from the oven but be careful of the very hot dish.

Enjoy!!

Warm Lasagne Lagoon...

A very easy, quick, and yummy lasagne for a chilly, autumn evening down at the lagoon!


Ingredients:

1 packet of dry egg lasagne sheets
1 large tub of fresh cheese sauce
1 large tub of fresh bolognese meat sauce (or your own home-made bolognese if you have time)
Grated mozzarella
Baby tomatoes (chopped in half)
Black pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees
2. In a large, rectangle casserole dish, place one layer of dried pasta sheets
3. Place a layer of bolognese meat over the pasta
4. Then a layer of cheese sauce
5. A layer of black pepper
6. A layer of grated mozzarella
7. Repeat layers again
8. Nestle the tomato halves in amongst the cheese on the top
9. Place in the middle of the oven and cook for 35 minutes

Enjoy!