Cooking & Eating Club

Molho Vinagrete (vinaigrette salsa)

2010-11-15T01:28:00.002Z

Ingredients

1 cup of chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup of chopped onions
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
2 table spoons of olive oil
2 table spoons of any lime juice (or vinegar)
Sugar
Salt (or some flavoring powder)
Black pepper

Preparation

Put the tomatoes, onions, parsley, lime juice, flavoring power and olive oil in a bow. Add a bit of water and a bit of sugar, and mix everything. (Add the pepper if you want to)

Hint: If you're using salt instead of flavoring powder, add the salt right before serving. Salt dehydrates the tomatoes in the mixture if let for long time.

Marinated BBQ Chicken

2010-11-15T01:22:00.008Z

Ingredients

750 g of Chicken Thighs/Legs/Wings (with the skin)
2 spoons of Vinegar
2 squeezed Limes
1 full spoon of Paprika
1 cup of chopped parsley
3 gloves of garlic (chopped)
Sea salt (as much as you like – if you put too much the chicken only absorbs the right amount)

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients with your hands and than marinate it for at least 2 hours.

Place the chicken on the BBQ not close to the fire and eventually turn the chicken. It’s meant to be slowly cooked.

Chocolate Mousse (Julia Childs style)

2010-10-04T00:22:00.004+01:00

Six to eight servings

6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces (170g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup (60ml) dark-brewed coffee
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup (170g), plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons (30ml) dark rum (optional)
1 tablespoon (15ml) water
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat a saucepan one-third full with hot water, and in a bowl set on top, melt together the chocolate, butter and coffee, stirring over the barely simmering water, until smooth. Remove from heat.

2. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.

3. In a bowl large enough to nest securely on the saucepan of simmering water, whisk the yolks of the eggs with the 2/3 cup of sugar, rum if using, and water for about 3 minutes until the mixture is thick, like runny mayonnaise. (You can also use a handheld electric mixer.)

3. Remove from heat and place the bowl of whipped egg yolks within the bowl of ice water and beat until cool and thick, as shown in the photo above. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until frothy. Continue to beat until they start to hold their shape. Whip in the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, but not completely stiff, then add the vanilla.

5. Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder of the whites just until incorporated, but don’t overdo it or the mousse will lose volume.

6. Transfer the mousse to a serving bowl or divide into serving dishes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm (at cooking club we refridgerated it for about an hour and it was set ok).

Storage: The mousse au chocolat can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Serving: It can be served on it's own as it really is unbelievably good. If you must, then a little dollop of cream might add a little something.

At cooking club I followed the recipe from my Julia Childs cook book but for these purposes I've uploaded the recipe from http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/05/perfect-chocola/ as it saves me having to type it all out!

Ratatouille (Julia Childs style)

2010-10-03T23:25:00.005+01:00

From Julia: A really good ratatouille is not one of the quicker dishes to make as each element is cooked separately before it is arranged into a casserole to partake of a brief communal simmer. This recipe is the only one we know of which produces a ratatouille in which each vegetable retains its own shape and character. Happily a ratatouille may be cooked completely the day before it is to be served, and it seems to gain in flavour when it is reheated.

From me: This is how ratatouille is supposed to taste. It’s amazing and in my opinion it’s worth the extra effort over simply chopping the ingredients up and putting them in the oven. Just try it, taste it and you’ll be converted!

Ingredients (for 6-8 people as a side dish)

1lb eggplant (aubergine)
1lb zucchini (courgettes)
1lb fine, ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded and juiced (to make this process easier, I get a good tin of plum tomatoes and then cut the flesh up, trying not to add to much of the liquid)
Half lb yellow onions
2 green peppers
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp chopped parsley
6-7 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
Salt and pepper to taste
You will also need a large frying pan or saucepan with a lid and a casserole dish (for use on the hob).

Preparation
In this section of the ‘method’, the aim is to cook each of the vegetables individually to soften them and to concentrate their flavour. The latter task is achieved by cooking the vegetables slowly so they ‘render ‘or give out their juices, then basting the vegetables with these juices and then evaporating the juices off. Whilst this may seem like a cumbersome task, this is what gives this ratatouille its intense flavour. I’ve done this several times now and I’ve got it down to quite a quick process. It can be done!

1.Peel the eggplant and cut lengthwise slices about 3/8 thick, 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. Scrub the zucchini, slice off the two ends, and cut into slices about the same size as the eggplant. Place the vegetables in a bowl and toss with the salt. Let stand for 30 mins. Drain. Dry each slice with a towel.
2.Meanwhile, you can start preparing your other vegetables. Thinly slice the onions. Slice the green peppers into strips. Crush or chop the garlic. Chop up the parsley. Slice the tomato pulp into largish strips (about the same as the eggplant etc.) and remove as much juice as possible.
3.Once the eggplant and zucchini are ready, sauté them in a large frying pan in hot oil for about 1 minute on each side or until they have lightly browned. Remove to a side dish.
4.In the same pan, sauté the onions and peppers slowly (you’ll need to turn the heat down) for about 10 minutes or until tender but not browned. Stir in the garlic and season to taste.
5.Lay the sliced tomato pulp over the onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes have started to render their juices. Uncover, baste the tomatoes in the juices from the bottom of the pan, raise the heat and boil for several minutes, until the juice has largely evaporated.

Now is the time to combine all the ingredients. Here the method is very similar to before. We are concentrating the flavours of the vegetables together through the process of rendering their juices, basting them and evaporating the juices. You’ll be an expert by now!

6.You need to layer the vegetables in the casserole. How many layers you do will depend on the size of your casserole dish. Ideally you should start and end with tomatoes, so adapt these instructions to suit what you have. Place a third of the tomato mixture in the bottom of the casserole dish. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of parsley over the mixture. Arrange half of the eggplant and zucchini mixture over the top. Then repeat with half of the tomatoes, more parsley, the last of the eggplant/zucchini, and tomatoes and parsley again.
7.Cover the casserole dish and and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover, tip and baste with the rendered juices. Correct the seasoning if necessary. Raise the heat slightly and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes, basting several times until the juices have mostly evaporated. Be careful with your heat, do not let the vegetables burn at the bottom of the dish.
8.Either eat it hot with a fresh baguette or as an accompaniment to a main dish. Otherwise, leave it to cool and reheat it later (or eat it cold).

Shepherd's Salad (Coban Salatasi)

2010-10-03T23:06:00.005+01:00

Ingredients (serves 6 as a side salad)

2 salad tomatoes (or equivalent of other tomatoes), finely chopped
half an onion, finely sliced. (The authentic recipe has raw onions but if you don't like them then lightly saute the onions and let them cool before adding them to the salad)
1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 pepper, seeded and finely chopped
flat-leaf parsley (quantity to suit your tastes, I put in about 4-5 stems worth), chopped
A couple of good tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Juice of three-quarters of a lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

Put all the chopped fruit and vegetables, together with the parsley, in a bowl and mix well. Make a dressing from the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. This is the typical dressing used for most Turkish salads, zingy and delicious, just make sure you have a very good quality olive oil (Turkish if possible!) that is tasty but not bitter. Just before serving, add the dressing to the salad and mix thoroughly. Feel free to splosh in some more olive oil if you think it needs a little extra.

You can always add feta cheese or other salad ingredients as you like.

This is a fantastic, quick salad to accompany any spicy or flavoursome main dish.

Source: http://www.petersommer.com/turkey-travel-country/turkish-food-cuisine/coban-salad/

Turkish Meatballs (Kofte)

2010-10-03T22:42:00.013+01:00

Ingredients (serves 6)

750 grams minced meat (lamb/mutton or beef, a mixture works well)
2 small onions, finely chopped or grated
2 slices of dry bread (without the crust)
1 whole egg
1 bunch of parsley
1 teaspoon cumin
3 teaspoons sea salt

Preparation

These meatballs (called Kofte in Turkish) are a popular food found all over Turkey. They come in many different shapes and probably have slightly different levels of spicing but the basic ingredients are the same. You can fiddle with the recipe to suit your own tastes.

1. Soak the slices of bread in water, until they’re properly sopping. Squeeze out excess water, and crumble the bread over the meat in a big bowl. (The bread can be omitted if you wish to avoid it). Then add in all the other ingredients, and knead well.

2. Scoop up egg sized pieces of the mixture. You can either flatten them into small burger shapes or roll them in your hand to form short stubby fingers. Whichever, make sure you press the mixture firmly so it stays together when cooking.

3. Heat a large frying pan and fry the meatballs on a medium heat until they are brown on both sides and cooked through. If the pan is non-stick you shouldn't need any oil. Otherwise, use a little bit to get the first batch started. If you're frying more than one batch, you might like to get rid of the oil after each batch has finished cooking.

Meatballs can be served hot with fresh bread, raw onions, salad and chillies. Rice or bulgar wheat are good accompaniments too. Turkish will often eat meatballs with natural yoghurt and a salad such as the Shepherd's salad (recipe also on this blog) accompanied with a glass of Raki.

These meatballs are also very tasty eaten cold the next day, and so make perfect picnic fare.

Source: http://www.petersommer.com/turkey-travel-country/turkish-food-cuisine/kofte-turkish-meatballs

Amaretti - Italian almond cookies

2010-10-02T12:44:00.011+01:00

Makes about 15 cookies.

3 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
(this is if you are using the thinner, american type extract, use much less for the oil based extracts you see in the UK)
2 cups almonds, ground in a food processor
(or buy them ready ground)

Whip whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually add sugar until whites are very stiff and glossy. Fold in extract and almonds.

Cover baking sheet with paper and dust it with cornflour (optional). Spoon mixture into oval shapes, about 1 inch apart. Let rest for one hour at room temperature.

Bake amaretti in 150 C oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until very slightly brown. turn off oven, open door slightly and let dry and cool for 15 minutes.

Stuffed Tomato with Eggplant

2010-10-02T12:44:00.010+01:00

We made twice this amount, to have 8 tomatoes.

4 medium tomatoes (or 2 beef tomatoes)
Filling:
1 onion, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 eggplant, cut in cubes
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tbsp basil, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese, cut in cubes
1 slice day old Turkish bread (or French or Italian), without crust, crumbled
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed pepper
Salt
Pepper

Cut off the tops of the tomatoes using a small knife. Then spoon out the
inside of the tomatoes and cut them in small pieces, put aside.

Saute the onion with olive oil in a medium sized pan. Add the garlic. When
the smell comes out, add the tomato pieces and eggplant. Saute for about 10
minutes on medium low heat. Then turn the heat off. Add the rest of the
filling ingredients and stir. Fill the tomatoes using a teaspoon.

Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Place the stuffed tomatoes in a greased
casserole dish and bake for about 30 minutes.

(Patlıcanlı Domates Dolması, modified from Binnur's cookbook, online)

japanese vegetable hotpot (mizutaki)

2010-06-07T19:29:00.004+01:00

serves 10 (generously)

SAUCE

2/3 cup lime juice (5 limes)

1 1/2 cup tamari

2 tbsp sake / sherry

1 cup finely grated daikon

4 tsp grated ginger

1 cup chopped green onions

TO DIP

2 md cabbage, cut in to ½ by 2 inch pieces (we used a variety of greens)

4 green onion bunches, cut in to 2 inch pieces

2 leeks, rinsed, narrow rings (discard dark green)

1 kg mushrooms, halved (use normal and all shitakes that we bought)

0.5 kg spinach, washed

1 tofu cake, ½ inch cubes

1 pound shrimp (should be raw, but we used cooked)

BROTH

3 cups water

8 inch konbu

Sauce: combine sake, tamari and lime juice (start with 2/3 and then add more to taste) and heat on low. Put dry ingredients in individual bowls. Add some of the sauce.

You need strong heat for this, stronger than the fondue we tried on the night. We have since done it with a table top hotplate and that rocked.

Start hotpot. Add konbu to cold water and boil, simmer for 2 minutes. Discard konbu.

With guests seated, add a little bit of each ingredient in the specified order. Then serve some people. Then repeat process. Order: leeks and tofu, then cabbage and mushrooms, then green onions, when nearly ready spinach (one minute only). Raw shrimp would have gone in first, cooked shrimp go in when serving. You can add rice to your bowl if you want to.

Sushi

2010-06-05T21:19:00.011+01:00

We made way too much on the day, so I tried to adjust the recipe for about 4 people. In the end, it is hard to guess the right quantities with sushi because it all depends on how yummy you make it, and whether you have any substantial sides.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of Sushi rice (do not use normal rice, it won't work). You need approx 1/4 cup dry rice per roll of sushi.

Sushi dressing: 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp suger, 1 tsp salt. Slowly heat vinegar and dissolve sugar and salt, do heat too much.

Step 1 (Early)

Wash sushi rice, drain in sieve and let stand for 1h
cook sushi rice, let stand for an additional 10 min
mix vinegar in and cool rice by spreading it out on a flat surface (cookie tray) and fanning it

Step 2 (Pre cooking)

make dashi (broth) from a 7 inch piece of konbu (japanese seaweed), simmer for 20 min
Cut 1 box of Portabello mushrooms in strips and fry with some garlic on medium heat.
make sushi style omelet, see below
cook edamame (young soy beans): Dump 1/2 bag frozen edamame in lg pot of boiling water, heat for 3-4 min, drain and sprinkle with salt

Step 3 (Cutting for sushi)

cut 2/3 cucumber in 4 inch strips
cut pickled 2 or 3 peppers in strips
cut 1 carrot in thin strips
cut 2/3 box of surimi (crab sticks) into strips
avocado: half, destone, strips, you probably need only half for the sushi but the rest tends to disappear anyway
cut some pickles into thin strips

Rolls that we will make:

California	Portabello	Veg	Edamame
avocado, surimi, cucumber, (sesame)	Portabello strips, (pickled bell pepper)	pickles, cucumber, avocado, daikon, sesame seeds, smoked salmon	surimi, edamame (whole)
NY - Smoked salmon	Carrot	Omelet
cucumber, cream cheese, smoked salmon	cucumber, carrot (cream cheese)	omelet, cucumber (mushrooms)

Sushi style omelet -Tamago yaki
Yield: 1 roll or sheet.

Beat four large eggs, 4 Tablespoons dashi (stock, see below), 1 Tablespoon sugar (or more to taste), 1 teaspoon mirin (sweet rice wine), 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, and salt to taste. Strain as before. In a well-oiled tamago pan, pour in about a quarter of the mixture and spread as if making a crepe. As the mixture cooks, and as it bubbles and sets, roll it and move to the back of the pan. Reoil the pan and add more mixture, being sure to get some under the roll. Again, as it cooks, roll the roll to the front of the pan, then move to the back. Repeat until all the mixture is cooked. Remove the roll from the pan and roll as if for a sushi roll and squeeze out excess liquid. It can be rolled into a round or rectangular shape, then is sliced when cooled.

Lemon Meringue Pie

2010-06-04T17:34:00.003+01:00

Ingredients for the base:
Plain flour - 200g
Butter - 100g
Sugar - 1 soup spoon
Vinegar - 1 soup spoon (not too full)
Eggs yolks - 1

Ingredients for the cream/filling:
Egg yolks - 2
Sugar - half a cup
Very thin flour - 1 soup spoon (or just do it with the plain flour)
Water - half a cup
Milk - 0.2 litres
Lemon - 1 big or 2 smaller ones

Ingredients for the meringue:
Egg whites - 3
Sugar - 90g

Base: Quickly mix all the ingredients from the base with your finger tips. Make a ball and let it rest for about 30 min. [If you wish to use a bit less butter, you might need to add another yolk.] After that time, cover a pie container with the dough. Pierce it with a fork several times and place it in a medium hot oven (c. 180C) for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Filling: You can prepare the filling while you are waiting for the base to rest. Mix the yolks, sugar, lemon juice and grated peel, milk and the flour mixed with the water in a pot ready for the hob. Turn the hob on and let it simmer until it thickens. Once it's ready, pour into the already pre-baked base.

Meringue: Whip the whites until very smooth and then add the sugar. Place it over the filling in the pie container. Spread some sugar on top and place everything in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Best served chilled.

Note: You might want to use baking beans in the oven: they help to distribute heat more evenly and keep the base flat.

Buiscuit Cake

2010-05-09T18:57:00.001+01:00

Here's the easiest 'cake' ever. Great for kids! [Unfortunately, somehow, I forgot to take a photo of the final product ;)]

Ingredients:
- Biscuits (traditionally Rich Tea, but I recommend the Malted Milk ones; you cab use other you like);
- Strong coffee (perhaps decaf is better if there are children); make it as strong as you like it but not too weak.
- 'Cream' (traditionally it is butter cream (butter and sugar), but I prefer either double cream with some (icing) sugar or even some vanilla yoghurt; not everyone is that fond of the yoghurt, though).

Start with a layer of biscuits. Place them as close to each other as possible. Soak them with coffee (use a spoon to pour the coffee on the biscuits and spread it a bit; repeat as often as necessary). Cover with a layer of your chosen cream. Repeat until you run out of ingredients, pour from extra coffee in the end, and make sure the last layer is cream. You can also put cream around it (on the sides) or decorate it with some powder chocolate, for example. Leave for a bit until everything soaks better. Keep in the fridge.

Pão de ló de laranja (Portuguese Orange Sponge Cake)

2010-03-17T19:20:00.026Z

This can be served as a light treat or as a desert. It's best to only put a couple on a plate, otherwise you'll want to eat them all!! ;)

Isso pode ser servido como um lanche levinho ou como uma sobremesa. E' melhor colocar só alguns quadradinhos no prato, senão você vai querer comê-los todinhos!! ;)

Ingredients:(Ingredientes:)

8 eggs (8 ovos)

500 grams sugar (500 gramas açúcar)

250 grams flour (250 gramas farinha com fermento)

3 oranges (3 laranjas)

2 full teaspoons of backing powder (2 colheres de chá cheias de fermento em pó)

(Alternatively, if you want to make a larger or smaller amount, the eggs and the sugar must have the same weight, and the flour should be half the weight of the sugar.)

(Alternativamente, se você quiser fazer uma quantidade maior ou menor, os ovos e o açúcar devem ter o mesmo peso, e a farinha deve ser metade do peso do açúcar.)

Method:(Método:)

1) Turn on the oven to 375 degrees (gas mark 4). (Ligue o forno a 375 graus - gás 4)

2) Lightly grease cake pan well and cut some greaseproof paper to fit on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (Unte bem o tabuleiro e ponha papel manteiga no fundo e nas laterais)

3) Seperate the egg whites from the yolk. (Separar as claras das gemas)

4) Mix flour with 2 large teaspoons of baking powder. (Misture a farinha com 2 colheres de chá bem cheias de fermento em pó)

5) Scrape off orange skin EXTREMLY thin and place into a bowl. (Raspe a casca da laranja em pedacinhos muito pequenos e coloque em uma tigela)

6) Squeeze the juice of a large orange. (Esprema o sumo de uma laranja)

7) Mix yolks with sugar and orange skins thoroughly. (Misture as gemas com o açúcar e a raspa da laranja)

8) Add sifted flour and orange juice in little quantities. (Adicione a farinha peneirada com o fermento e acrescente o sumo da laranja aos poucos)

9) Beat the egg whites until white and stiff, then SLOWLY add to the mixture. (Bata as claras até ficarem em ponto de suspiro e adicione-as DEVAGAR à mistura)

10) Pour into cake pan and place in oven. (Ponha a mistura no tabuleiro e no forno)

11) Before removing from the oven, squeeze another orange and add some sugar. (Antes de retirar do forno, esprema outra laranja e adicione açúcar a gosto)

12) Remove cake from oven when a toothpick comes out clean after inserting into cake. Add sugar + orange mixture over the cake whilst still hot. (Retire o bolo do forno depois que inserir um palito no bolo e ele sair limpo. Adicione a mistura de açúcar + laranja sobre o bolo enquanto ainda estiver quente)

13) Allow to cool and eat!!! (: (Deixe esfriar e coma!!!)

Pumpkin/Squash and Feta Gratin

2010-03-15T14:20:00.000Z

This dish can be served either as a starter or as a main course (just bear in mind that you eat different amounts during each and that squash is relatively filling; I used a medium-sized squash and it was just enough for 4 persons although we probably wouldn't have minded stuffing yourselves just a bit more :P).

I am just copying the recipe from the cooking book I used, and adding a few personal comments.

Ingredients (serves 4-8):

2 kg (4 1/2 lb) winter squash - pumpkin will do, but butternut, red kuri, crown prince or onion squash are much better;

60g (2oz) butter;

150g (5 oz) Feta cheese, drained and chopped or crumbled [I suggest you just crumble it with your hands];

85 g (3 oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

110 g (4 oz) breadcrumbs;

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil;

salt and freshly ground pepper;

AND, my own addition,

about a handful of walnuts.

Halve the squash if it is a whole one, then remove the fibrous mass of seeds. Cut into long slices about 2.5-3.5cm (1-1 1/2 inches) thick [if you are using a whole sqaush you might also want to cut it in half length-wise]. You can cut the skin from the slices now, or after the initial cooking, which I think is marginally easier and quicker [I would actually say a lot easier]. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the squash slices (you may have to cook them in two batches). Bring back to the boil and then simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until the flesh is just tender (but not soggy) [do really keep an eye on the time and test it with a fork]. Drain thoroughly, then remove the skin, if you haven't already [bleach the squash under some cold water if you want to cool it down quicker].

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Use a generous knob of the butter to grease a shallow ovenproof dish (I use a 35cm/14 inch gratin dish). Arrange the squash in it, scattering the crumbled feta over the squash as you go. Dot with the remaining butter, then season with salt and plenty of pepper [tried with no pepper at all and it was still amazing :P]. Mix the Parmesan with the breadcrumbs [real breadcrumbs are better than the ones you find in British supermarkets]and scatter evenly over the squash [my advice: the more the better :)]. Drizzle the olive oil over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, turning the dish around half-way through cooking if necessary [I have added some chopped walnuts to the recipe but I only add then half way through so they don't get too burnt], until evenly browned and crisp on top. Serve hot or warm.

2010-02-18T17:20:00.000Z

Banana pie

Dough:

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of corn flour
3 eggs
2 table spoons of butter
1 table spoon of baking powder
1 table spoon of ground cinnamon

2 and 1/2 cups of plain flour (or until the dough is ready to handle)

Filling: sliced bananas, 1 grated apple, 1 table spoon of cinnamon ground and 5 table spoons of suggar.

How to make it:
Mix all the ingredients from the dough. At the end, it should be consistent enough to handle. Using 1/2 to 2/3 of the dough, cover a buttered tray, making a base for the filling.

Then, in a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the filling and put it in the tray over the dough.

With the rest of the dough, make cords 0.5 cm thick (see pictures) to decorate the pie. Bake it for 35 minutes in 180 degrees.

Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

2010-01-31T12:19:00.000Z

Chiles en Nogada (veggie version)

2010-01-24T22:25:00.000Z

This vegetarian version of the classic Mexican dish (see wikipedia for history) is fantastic, if you ask me. The name means something like peppers with walnut sauce. Traditionally done with green peppers, so the display is like the Mexican flag (green, white, red).

A decent amount of work, but most chopping can be done while cooking, so it can be done quite fast once you have prepared it a few times.

1 tofu cake (prepared, see below)
2 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper / mild chili powder
3 lg tomatoes, chopped (or can)
2 small apples, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup almonds, chopped finely
6 large bell peppers
2 to 3 cups tomatoe juice

For sauce

1/2 cup (145 ml) sour cream
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup cream cheese
some milk
1 tsp cinnamon

Prepare tofu: Freeze it overnight, then have it thaw. Squeeze out as much water as you can, then crumble tofu by hand. You should have something that looks like a white version of shredded beef (which it is replacing).

Saute onion, garlic and spices until done. Add tomatoes, apple, raisins; simmer for 8 minutes or so, until apple is soft. Add tofu, almonds, salt and simmer 10 more minutes.

Cut peppers in length through stem (use a very sharp knife) and clean. Fill peppers, place in baking dish and pour tomato juice around them. Cover dish with lid or foil, as tightly as you can. Bake at 200C for 40 minutes approx, check peppers to see if they are done. Too long is not a problem.

Mix all sauce ingredients together, add milk to right consistency (I like it thick) and let the flavor develop a bit. Serve sauce at room temperature.

Great with rice and a green salad.

Fatias do Bispo (Bishop's Sices)

2009-12-16T11:33:00.000Z

Ingredients:
- Bread (a white baguette will do nicely);
- Eggs;
- Sugar;
- Lemon peel;
- Cinnamon;
- Water;
- Milk and Port Wine (optional).

1. Cut the bread in thick slices the day before so that it can dry a bit.

2. On the day, start by boiling some water with sugar and lemon peels. You will want quite a bit of water; I boiled probably around 3 litres and added around 200-300g of sugar to it or even more. It will be ready when it runs smoothly from your spoon [Can somebody else help me explain better how the texture looks like :) ?].

3. In the meantime, soak the bread slices in an egg mix (traditionally only the yolks would be used; I use the whole egg and usually add some Port wine in it; some people also add some milk). Turn the slices around and let them soak for a few minutes.

4. Allow the bread slices to boil in the sugary water, turning them around every now and then. 5 minutes overall should be enough.

5. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle them with cinnamon (you will want a considerably bigger bowl than the one in the big photo).

6. When all the slices have been cooked, pour the remaining water over them into the bowl until the slices are covered (so try to plan for this extra bit of water in the beginning).

7. These are better when eaten chilled. Once again, enjoy :)

Soufflé

2009-12-16T11:09:00.000Z

Here is a very simple recipe that you can do to use stale/hard bread and other left-overs. There are no fixed amounts of ingredients and you can change their proprotions based on your preferences.

- Ingredients: bread (preferably dry/hard), milk, eggs, fish or something else to put in the soufflé, seasonings (salt, pepper, lemon juice, etc.)

1. Soak smaller pieces of bread with milk until they are all wet (make sure not to put too much milk; do it progressively and don't add any more if you see there is milk in the bottom that is not being absorved anymore).
2. Then add your 'main ingredient', such as some loosely shredded fish (no fishbones) or chicken or some other leftover you may have at home (you can even add more than one). If you opt for fish (I used some tuna cans), some lemon juice might be goo on i; add the juice to the fish before you mix it with the bread. Add any other seasoning to taste.
3. Break a few eggs and separate the whites from the yolks (for a bowl like mine which was good for about 6 persons you should use 4-6 eggs but this can be left partially to your consideration but the more whites you have the fluffier it will be). Mix the yolks with the bread mix.
4. Wisk the whites aside right before you plan to put everything in the oven and fold them into the rest.
5. Put everything into a pyrex container greased with butter and leave it in a 180º/200ºC oven for about 30-40 min.

Since soufflés tend to be a bit dry, I would suggest some nice salad on the side.
Enjoy it :P

Broccoli Blue Cheese Fettuccine

2009-11-24T07:58:00.000Z

1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter
1 bunch broccoli chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped
2 large green onions chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 pound blue cheese (or other favorite crumbly cheese)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Pasta

In large pan (I like to use a wok) over medium high heat melt butter and then saute broccoli until starting to soften. Add garlic and onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add whipping cream and bring to light boil until slightly thickens (I've never had this recipe thicken on the heat, I bring to a boil and remove, it then usually thickens as you serve it). Toss with cheeses and pasta and serve.

This is a great basic recipe and you can add pretty much anything that you like that you think tastes good with cream. I usually add mushrooms and prawns.

Note: This recipe, apparently, is one of Brian Boitano's favorites.

waldorf salad

2009-11-23T17:28:00.000Z

Waldorf is a classic fruit salad with apples and oranges, and whatever else you fancy. The one I made yesterday was more or less according to the book. Many people suggest serving it over lettuce, but I just shredded some lettuce into the mix.

- juice of 1 and 1/2 lemon
- 2 slightly tart apples, cubed
- 1 celery stalk, minced
- 2 oranges, cut into small pieces
- large handful of raisins
- about a handful of nice lettuce (radaccio, lollo rosso), shredded
- about 2/3 cup firm yogurt
- dash of cream
- 1 tsp of honey
- 40g of walnut, pieces or halves

Squeeze lemon juice into the salad bowl. Cut apples (I didn't peel them) and bathe them in lemon juice so they don't turn brown. Add other fruits and lettuce. About 5 minutes before serving: Mix yogurt with cream and honey, pour over salad, top with walnuts. I tend to make this quite 'wet', ie with lots of dressing.

Cinnamon and Port Cake

2009-11-23T10:06:00.000Z

Sugar - 250g
Plain Flour - 250g
Eggs - 6
Baking Powder - 1 shallow soup spoon
Cinnamon - 2 shallow soup spoons
Port Wine - 75cl
Water - 3 soup spoons
Walnuts or almonds - as preferred (suggestion: around 100g)

Add the egg yolks with the sugar and stir until you get a creamy texture. Mix the Port wine with the water, slightly warm it, and add to the previous cream. Add the cinnamon. Mix the flour with the baking powder and the walnuts/almonds (in smaller and bigger pieces), and add this to the batter. Finally, whisk the egg whites until they are quite hard and gradually fold them into the batter.

Put everything in a tin previously covered in butter and flour and into the oven (180ºC for a fan assisted oven) for about 30-40 minutes. You may also like to add some walnut halves on the top of the cake just before it goes into the oven.

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

2009-11-21T15:23:00.000Z

3 Tablespoons butter
1 red onion (chopped)
3 large bunches of broccoli (chopped roughly)
2 Tablespoons of flour
7 cups stock
Large bunch of spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Stilton (or favorite nice melting cheese if you don't like Stilton)

In large stock pot saute red onion in butter over medium heat. When soft add broccoli and saute until broccoli begins to soften. Add flour and stir, then add stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer covered on stove for at least 20 minutes.

Take off heat, throw in spinach and then blend soup with stick blender until there are no large pieces. Spoon into bowl and add cheese.

Spinach, Feta and Pine Nut Salad (with optional extras – Butternut Squash or Chorizo)

2009-11-20T23:54:00.000Z

Serves 3-4 as main meal, 6-8 as side dish

Ingredients

1 large bag of baby spinach (about 200g)

1 packet of feta cheese (try to get the a cheese made in Greece if possible)

Roughly half to ¾ of a packet of pine nuts (I put in the whole packet when I made it at cooking club)

1 red onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

Balsamic vinegar (or sherry vinegar)

Olive oil (extra-virgin if poss)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1) Toast the pine nuts gently, either in the oven or in a frying pan, tossing from time to time so they don’t burn. They should be crisp and starting to brown. Leave to cool if desired.

2) Gently soften the onion in a frying pan over a low heat. Leave to cool if desired.

3) Crumble the feta into a bowl.

4) Add the pine nuts, onion, pepper, spinach and season to taste. Then add olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste. Give everything a good mix.

Optional extras

I’ve already adapted this salad from another recipe and you can continue in the same vein! You can add olives and/or basil leaves, and maybe a touch of parmesan to finish. I add chorizo too to make a summer salad (it’s great to lay the chorizo slices out on top of the salad and then pour over the oli/balsamic and let them soak through. Mix when you’re ready to serve). It also goes really well with roasted butternut squash/pumpkin. Just roast the butternut squash in a little oil and herbs, chop it up and mix the pieces in with the salad.

2009-11-14T23:18:00.000Z

Arabian Squash Casserole

Ingredients

- 4 cups cooked squash, either from 2 cans
or about 1.2kg butternut squash
- 1.5 cups chopped onion, about 2 or 3
- 3 medium bell peppers (2 red and 1 green), chopped finely
- 5 cloves garlic, pressed
- 150g firm yogurt or less for wet squash, can replace this
with cream if you want a heavier dish
- 1 cup feta cheese, about 120 g
- sunflower seeds for topping
- 1 tsp paprika (mild), 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional),
1 tsp chili powder

1. Prep squash: Halve butternut squash, remove seeds, spray with tiny bit
of oil and bake face down in hot oven (175 C) for 20 to 30 minutes, until
squash is soft but not mushy. it will continue to cook once out of the
oven. With a large spoon, remove flesh and discard peels. Mash it.

2. Saute onion in olive oil for about 8 min, then add peppers and garlic
and fry for 5 more minutes.

3. Add spices and pepper, continue to simmer for a few more minutes.

4. Mix squash, sauteed veg and yogurt and feta in bowl, and sprinkle with
sunflower seeds. Put everything in a 180C oven for about 30 minutes.

Gyoza (Japanese dumplings)

2009-11-12T13:17:00.000Z

Ingredients

500g / 1 pack mince pork

Half white cabbage (par boiled)

3-4 carrots (par boiled)

garlic

ginger

gyoza wrappers (defrost as usually come frozen)

Season;

1tsp sesame oil (optional)

2tsp soy sauce

Dipping Sauce;

White Vinegar

Soy Sauce

Chili oil

Combine all ingredients and seasoning well (in blender if possible)
Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of the gyoza wrapper
Dip fingers in water and put the water around the edge of wrapper
Make a semi circle by gathering front side and sealing the top
Heat oil in frying pan
Put gyoza in pay and fry for 5/6 mins / until bottoms become brown

Add 1/4 cup water and cover pan steaming the gyoza on a low heat

Make sure to check the meat is cooked through

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2009-11-11T20:33:00.000Z

Makes 12 - 14 cupcakes

Ingredients:

60g unsalted butter (room temp)
150g caster sugar
1 egg
20g cocoa powder
40ml red food colouring
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
120ml buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe;

Preheat oven 170°c (325 °F / Gas 3)

* Beat butter and sugar (medium speed if using electric whisk) until light, fluffy & well mixed.

* While whisking briskly (high speed electric) slowly add egg & beat until mixed through

*In separate bowl mix cocoa powder, food colour and vanilla extract until have thick, dark paste

*Add butter mixture to paste and mix until even (use rubber spatula to clear sides of bowl).

*Slowly whisk in half the buttermilk and beat until well mixed in.

*Add half flour and beat until well mixed through

*Repeat process until all buttermilk and flour are added.

*Whisk briskly (high speed electric) until the mixture is smooth and even.

*Slowly whisk in bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar, beating until mixed well.

* Whisk briskly (high speed electric whisk) for a couple more minutes.

*Spoon mixture in to paper cases until 2/3 full and bake in preheated oven 20-25 mins / until sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean.

* Leave to cool. When cold spoon Cream Cheese Frosting on top.

Cream Cheese Frosting;

1 quantity (recipe recommends 2 quantities for the cupcakes but we only used 1 !)

300g icing sugar

50g unsalted butter (room temp)

125g cream cheese (cold)

Beat icing sugar and butter until well mixed (medium-slow speed for electric whisk).
Add cream cheese and beat until evenly mixed through
Keep beating until frosting is light and fluffy (at least 5 mins - medium-high speed electric whisk). DO NOT OVERBEAT AS QUICKLY GETS RUNNY

Pumpkin/Squash Soup

2009-11-05T17:16:00.000Z

(Photos to follow soon)

Keeping with the Portuguese style soup, this soup has pretty much just water and vegetables.

As in the previous soup, the base/cream is made with potatoes, carrots, garlic and onion. Since it was supposed to fit in with a Halloween spirit, I added a butternut squash as the main ingredient (proportionally more than any other or almost as much as all the others together (but you can have even more)). The easiest way to do the cream then is to simply cut everything in pieces, boil it and finally 'mash' it with a stick blender. Add more or less water depending on how thick you like your soup. This cream could already be 'the soup'.

In this case however I decided to add some small bits of squash, carrot, parsley, and some couscous-shaped pasta to the soup, just to make it look nicer. Wait until this is all cooked and it's ready to eat.

Don't forget to add salt to the cream/base, and I also like to use some chicken stock.

Dan's Pea Soup

2009-10-07T21:56:00.000+01:00

Peas (Duh): About 1 - 1.5 cup(s) per serving

Vegetable stock sufficient to cook the peas, and have a bit extra

Crème Fraiche

Handful of fresh mint, finely chopped

Bacon, preferably thick, chopped into small chucks

1) Fry up the bacon, good and hot so it browns all over and starts to crisp up

2) Bring stock to the boil and add the peas

3) Cook the peas until they are almost done. They should still have plenty of bite. Don’t worry, they will keep cooking after you….

4) Drain peas – put the mint in the bottom of the colander so the hot stock drains through it. Reserve the stock

5) Mash peas with a blender / food processor. Keep them coarse.

6) Add enough stock to cover the pure and mix together

7) Taste and season – don’t forget the back will be salty, and the crème fraiche creamy!

8) Finish with crème Fraiche and top with bacon

9) Eat

Potatoes and carrot soup

2009-10-07T19:33:00.000+01:00

Hi guys

just so I won't forget to practice, I wanted to post this soup recipe for you.
It is very similar to the one Natália has already published, but it is a bit different. :-)
So here it is.

Ingredients:
- two carrots, sliced
- three to four medium-size white potatoes, in chunks
- 1 onion, chopped or grated
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 glass of milk

* Cook the carrots and the potatoes until they are very soft. Put them aside, but don't throw the water away.
* Chop or grate the onion and fry it on the butter until soft and gold.
* In a blender, put the fried onion, the potatoes, carrots with half the water they were cooked in, and the glass of milk. Mix everything together. You can add a bit more of the water if it is too thick.
* Put the soup back in the pan and simmer until it boils.

Serve with bread and a mature cheese.

Vegetable (Spinach) Soup

2009-10-06T10:57:00.000+01:00

Dear friends,

These are some guidelines that you can use to do different vegetable soups. This time we did a spinach one, but you can do it with different vegetables.
It takes about 20 minutes to peel things, 20/25 to do the base and other 15/20 for the vegetable to cook. That is, depending on your choices, it takes between 40-60 minutes.

For the base of the soup I usually use potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic. The quantities and proportions will depend on how thick you like your base/soup and the kind of vegetable you intend to add (sometimes, for a spinach soup for example, more carrots and less potatoes tastes nicer). As a guide for a 2 litre (of water) medium thick soup, you can use 4 or 5 medium/big potatoes, about 3 big carrots, 1/2 onion and 2 or 3 cloves of garlic.

I also tend to add some chicken stock (1/2 cube); add salt to taste. Bring everything to the boil and, when its all cooked (try with a fork), take it out of the hob for a few minutes and blend it all together. You should now have a nice soup base. You can also add different items to this base such as butternut squash or pumpkin.

After the base is ready, put it in the cooker again and add your 'vegetable', washed and sliced/cut in smaller pieces, if necessary. These can include spinach, cabbage, runner beans, leeks, or anything else that occurs to you. You can even use a mix. It looks nice if you also add some sliced carrots (about 1/2 or 1/3) or pumpkin, and some bits of rice or small pieces of pasta (1 small handful). Wait until everything is cooked and add some olive oil (2 or 3 soup spoons) just before turning the cooker off. Your soup is ready to eat.

If you prefer smoother soups, you can cook everything at the same time and blend it all together. You can also add water whenever necessary/desired (but it is faster to cook the base in just enough water and then add for the vegetables' part). If your soup comes out too thin, you can cheat a bit by adding mashed potatoes (flour).

4 Breads: Yeast, Corn, Loaf and Machine

2009-10-05T19:44:00.000+01:00

YEAST BREAD: Egg Bread (Challah)

3-31/4 cups flour

1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package yeast
1 cup very warm water
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg

Mix 1 1/2 c flour, sugar, salt and yeast with warm water, oil and egg. Beat until smooth. Add remaining flour until dough can be easily handled (not too sticky).

Place dough on floured surface and knead about 10 minutes until smooth and springy. Place dough in large, lightly greased bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let raise in warm spot for about an hour.

Dough can be rolled out into square, then rolled tightly and placed seam-side down in 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Or dough can be divided into 3 equal parts, each part rolled into rope and loosely braided on cookie sheet. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise another 50 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 F. Brush bread with one egg yolk to make shiny. If in loaf pan bake 30-35 minutes, if braided bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Gluten-free Corn Bread

2 cups yellow or white cornmeal
½ cup boiling water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 ¼ cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, heat oven safe skillet or medium size casserole dish. Stir together ½ cup cornmeal and the boiling water. The cornmeal will get the consistency of a thick porridge or grits. Beat the egg into the reserved cornmeal porridge. Whisk in the buttermilk (or substitute) and oil to make a thin batter. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the remaining 1 ½ cups cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisk just until smooth and immediately pour into the hot skillet (or casserole dish). Bake until the center of the cornbread is firm and the edges are golden brown, about 25 to 40 minutes.

Loaf Bread: Zucchini (Courgette) Bread

3 cups shredded courgettes
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins

Mix all ingredients. Pour batter into either two 81/2 x 41/2x21/2 or one 9x5x3 loaf pan. Bake 8 inch loaves 50-60 minutes or 9 inch loaf 1 hour 20 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Swiss roll

2009-09-29T21:31:00.000+01:00

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 7-10 mins (less for fan assisted)
Oven temperature: 220C/Gas 7

Ingredients

3 eggs
75g/3oz caster sugar
75g/3oz plain flour
4 tablespoons raspberry jam (we also tried a vanilla cream but I don't have the recipe for that - I'll update this when I have it)
caster sugar for dredging
(we also tried some self-raising flour to try to make the sponge thicker)

Method

1. Line and grease a 23x30cm/ 9x12in swiss roll tin (a normal baking tray will be fine but check the size in case you need more of the sponge mixture to fill it). Whisk the eggs and sugar until very pale and thick enough to leave a trail when the whisk is lifted out. Carefully fold in the flour using a metal spoon. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, spreading it out very lightly. Bake in a hot oven for 7-10 mins (less for fan assisted).

2. Meanwhile, place a clean tea-towel on a work surface, cover with greaseproof paper and dredge with sugar. Turn out the hot swiss roll on to the paper. Trim off the edges, spread with jam and, using the cloth and paper as a guide, quickly roll up tightly. Dredge with caster sugar and cool a wire rack.

We found the sponge was too thin and broke easily when trying to roll it. Therefore, try playing around with the ingredients or quantities. If you find a way to make this work, or a better recipe, do let us all know!

Chicken Tagine

2009-09-26T22:28:00.000+01:00

(This recipe was borrowed from http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/chickentagine_74834.shtml. Thank you BBC!)

Ingredients

125g/4½oz green olives
100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp ras-el-hanout (available in some supermarkets or specialist shops)
½g saffron threads
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large preserved lemon, peel only, chopped
3 tsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
vegetables, to serve

Method

1. Add the olives to a pan of boiling water. Bring the water back to the boil for 30 seconds, then drain and refresh under cold running water. Repeat twice more, using fresh water each time.

2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions and fry gently, stirring frequently until they are soft and translucent.

3. Add the chicken breasts and fry for a minute or two.

4. Add the garlic, ras-el-hanout, saffron, ginger, and pepper and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden.

5. Add the preserved lemon, coriander, parsley and the blanched olives.

6. Add enough water to just cover the chicken, then bring to the boil.

7. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on a low heat for about 35 minutes.

8. Serve with a selection of steamed vegetables.

Corn Cake (Bolo de Fubá)

2009-08-17T11:26:00.000+01:00

For a big corn cake:

3 whole eggs

2 1/2 cups of milk

1 1/2 cup of sugar

2 1/2 cups of 'polenta' (or corn flour, but polenta is better)

1 1/2 cup of plain wheat flour

1/3 cup of oil

2 soup spoons of baking powder

Mix everything and bake for 35 minutes at 180 degrees.

Optional: 1 spoon of ground cinnamon and 2 spoons of coconut.

Sausage Rolls 2 ways

2009-08-16T22:39:00.000+01:00

1st version - Traditional Sausage Rolls

Ingredients

375g/13oz bought ready-rolled puff pastry
about 2 tbsp either chutney of your choice, cranberry sauce, mustard, pickle, apple sauce, pesto, sun-dried tomato paste or red onion jam (I used bramley apple sauce and caramelised red onion chutney; I used about a tablespoon as I was worried about the sauce spilling out, however the apple ones could have done with more for additional flavour)
5 good-quality thick pork sausages (I used outdoor reared pork, pork and apple, and pork and red onion)
1 small egg, beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Cut the pastry into 10 rectangles, about 7x10cm/2¾x4in, and place a small spoonful of your chosen filling into the middle of each one.
3. Cut the sausages in half, making 10 smaller sausages, and then peel away the skins. Lay the sausages on top of the filling on the pastry rectangles. Roll the pastry over the sausage, brushing the join with the beaten egg to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet, sealed-side down, and brush them with the egg to give a nice shiny glaze when cooked.
4. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and crispy, and eat as soon as they are cool enough or leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

2nd version - Mini Sausage Rolls in Filo Pastry

Ingredients

dash olive oil
9 chipolata sausages
3 sheets ready-made filo pastry
30g/1oz butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the chipolatas until lightly browned on all sides. Leave to cool slightly.
3. Cut each sheet of filo pastry into three long strips and brush each strip with melted butter.
4. Place a sausage at one end of each strip and roll up in the pastry. Brush all over with more butter and place onto a baking sheet.
5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp and the sausages are completely cooked through.
6. To serve, place onto a serving plate.

Fruit Salad

2009-08-16T21:46:00.000+01:00

Easy, quick, and healthy ...

To do fruit salad all you need are a few different fruits cut into small pieces. I suggest you use the following as a minimum: apple (different varieties?), orange, banana, pineapple, and peach. Other options are: melon, watermelon, grapes, cherries, pear, etc. I would advise against strawberries since they tend to get too soft too quickly (unless you are eating the fruit salad right away). As a guide, you can try to use, at least, 1 piece of fruit per person.

One trick I always tend to use is to get at least one can of fruit (you can choose the peaches, the pineapple or a mixed fruit one) and pour some of its syrup in the salad (this is the only less healthy bit).

Leave it in the fridge for a while before serving; it will taste nicer :P But do bear in mind that the properties of some fruits deteriorate with time, so fruit salad should not be made too long before being served.

Enjoy!

Cupcakes

2009-08-08T02:59:00.000+01:00

Makes 24 to 36 cupcakes. For cooking club we cut the recipes in half. If you liked the eggy ones, cut all ingredients in half except eggs, or use normal measurements but double eggs.

Chocolate

21/4 c flour
12/3 c sugar
3/4 c butter/margarine softened
2/3 c baking cocoa
11/4 c water
11/4 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
1/4 t baking powder
2 large eggs

Yellow Cake

21/4 c flour
11/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter/margarine softened
11/4 c milk
31/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
3 eggs

Heat oven 350 F. Beat all ingredients. Bake rectangle cake pan (13X9X2 inch pan) 40 minutes, 2 round cake pans (9 inch) 30 minutes, or cupcakes 3/4 filled to top 25 minutes.

Chicken Pie

2009-07-20T23:02:00.000+01:00

Dough:
3 eggs
3/4 cup of oil
1 1/2 cup of milk
1 1/2 cup of plain flour
salt
1 table spoon of baking powder
mixed herbs (optional)

Filling: chicken or beef sauce (not so humid), cheese and ham...

Mix all the ingredients for the dough. Pour half of it in an oven-safe container, add the filling and then pour the rest of the dough.
Put in the oven for 35 minutes (180 degrees).

Three Tomato Salad

2009-07-20T21:22:00.000+01:00

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
For the salad:
30ml capers (optional)
2 ripe beef tomatoes
3 ripe plum tomatoes
125g red or yellow cherry tomatoes
40g small Nicoise olives (I used black olives)

For the dressing:
60ml(4 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
30ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp runny honey
salt and pepper

To serve:
fresh basil leaves
pecorino or parmesan cheese

Method
1. If using capers, soak them in cold water for 30mins, then drain and pat dry.
2. Remove any stalks from the tomatoes. Thinly slice the beef tomatoes and arrange them in overlapping slices on a large serving platter.
3. Slice the plum tomatoes lengthwise and arrange over the beef tomatoes. Halve the cherry tomatoes and place in the centre of the plate.
4. Stone the olives (if not already pitted), and scatter them and the capers (if using) over the tomatoes. (I cut the olives into quarters first, but that's just my preference)
5. To prepare the dressing, place all the ingredients in a screw-topped jar and shake well until amalgamated.
6. Drizzle a generous amount of dressing over the tomatoes. Cover and leave to stand for 30 minutes to infuse. Serve at once, scattered with basil leaves and topped with pecorini or parmesan shavings.

Chocolate Salami

2009-07-20T12:03:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:

Rich Tea biscuits 150g

Sugar (icing sugar preferred) 200g

Cocoa or chocolate powder 50g

Butter 100g

Whole Eggs 1

(This is the original recipe. What I did was a double recipe, but I did not double the butter or the sugar.)

Mix everything (except for the biscuits) until you get a uniform dough. Then, add the rich tea biscuits in large pieces. Mix again. Wrap this tightly in a few layers of foil (squeeze it as much as possible; you can even hit it against a table or worktop) and make it into a 'salami' shape. Put in the fridge for a few hours. Serve cut in slices.

Hints:

1 - Take the foil out before cutting it into slices, so you don't get small bits of foil in it. This is particularly important if you are giving it to children who might not notice the foil.

2 - Though you can use any type of sugar, icing sugar will give it a smoother taste.

3 - If you use chocolate powder instead of cocoa make sure to cut quite a bit on the sugar quantity!

4 - If you are in a hurry, leave it in the freezer for some hours.

Marinated BBQ chicken

2009-06-17T17:30:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
750 g of Chicken Thighs/Legs/Wings (with the skin)
2 spoons of Vinegar
2 squeezed Limes
1 full spoon of Paprika
1 cup of chopped parsley
3 gloves garlic (chopped)
Sea salt (as much as you like – if you put too much the chicken only absorbs the right amount)

Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients with your hands and than marinate it for at least 2 hours.

Place the chicken on the BBQ not close to the fire and eventually turn the chicken. It’s meant to be slowly cooked.

Quiche au Maroilles

2009-06-14T20:09:00.000+01:00

Serve with a basic salad and Le Biere Blanche de Wessant (a very good beer!!).

Ingredients (for 6 people)
1 roll of puff pastry
5 eggs
400g of Maroilles (a French soft cheese)
4 tbsps crème fraiche
2 slices of ham & 8 slices of chorizo (optional).
salt
pepper
Muscade (nutmeg)
butter

Preparation
1. Liberarlly grease an oven-proof dish with butter. Cover with the roll of pastry.

2. Cut the rind off the cheese and cut it into strips. Line the bottom of the pastry-covered dish with ham and chorizo (if using), then add the cheese.

3. Beat the crème fraiche, eggs, salt, pepper and muscade with a fork until it becomes a smooth liquid. Pour into the pastry-lined dish.

4. Cook in the oven for 30 mins at 200 degrees (180 for fan).

Alsacienne Tourte

2009-06-14T19:27:00.000+01:00

Serve with salad and a Riesling white wine.

Ingredients (for 6 persons)
600-700g lean pork or beef mince
1 small ‘pain au lait’ (lighter than brioche but a similar taste)
2 rolls of flaky pastry (if you can’t find that then use puff pastry)
butter for greasing the baking dish
2 small onions
3 cloves of garlic
2 eggs (one for baking and one for brushing the pastry top)
3 tbsps milk
muscade (nutmeg)
salt
pepper

Preparation
1. Chop onion and garlic. Fry in butter to soften. Add the minced beef or pork. Cook on a medium heat, stirring frequently, until the meat starts to cook (around 10 mins).
2. Break the bread into pieces, add milk, add one egg, salt, pepper and muscade. Mix it all together.
3. Liberally grease an oven-proof dish with butter. Line with 1 roll of pasty. Lightly score the pastry 3 or 4 times. Combine the meat and bread mixtures and add them to the pie. Cover with the addition roll of pastry and turn the edges inwards to seal the pie. Score a design on the top layer of pastry (if you would like) and create a hole in the middle about 1 inch in diameter to allow the steam to escape. Brush the pastry with lightly beaten egg yolk.
4. Put in the oven for max 35 mins on 200 degees C (180 for fan oven).

Oreo Ice-cream

2009-05-26T11:45:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
- Oreos biscuits (2 packs: around 300g)
- Double cream (2 pots; around 400ml; get the 'less fat', version if possible)
- Sugar (a few soup spoons)

Whip the double cream until it gets fluffy, and add some sugar to your taste (suggest 2-3 soup spoons; don't put too much, remember the oeros are sweet). Add the oreos broken in small pieces (leave some bigger chunks) and put in the freezer for at least 2 hours. You can change these quantities depending on your personal preferences.

Remove from the freezer 10 min. before serving.

Enjoy :P

(PS - Again, I am afraid I lost the photos...)

Tuna Salad

2009-05-26T11:32:00.001+01:00

This is a very easy and light Summer recipe but it does take a bit to do (30 min.) since you need to chop lots of things and boil a few others.

The basic ingredients are:
- tuna (I also recommend some of those canned tuna salads since they add a bit more taste and variety),
- boiled potato and eggs,
- beef tomato,
- Granny Smith apple, and
- pineapple.

Apart from this you can be creative and add lots of other things. I suggest corn, olives, some raw carrot (cut very thin), beetroot, peas. I have also tried watermelon :P
There are no fixed quantities, just use what you like most.

Start by boiling the potatoes and eggs since it takes some minutes, and let them cool down for a while before adding to the rest. Then just cut/chop everything else in medium squares and mix :)
Better served cold.

Note: this is not exactly a starter or a side dish but more of a main course salad.

(PS - I lost all the photos from that day but I'll try to add a photo later)

Coconut cakes ('coquinhos')

2009-05-11T14:46:00.000+01:00

Here is a very simple recipe.

Ingredients:
250g of desiccated/grated coconut,
3 whole eggs,
200 sugar,
Baking cases (about 20).

Mix the eggs and the sugar, and then add the coconut. Put small portions in paper baking cases. If you wish, you may decorate the top with some fruit; the traditional option is pieces of dried/cristalyzed cherry.

Place them in a tray and leave them in a pre-heated oven to 180ºC for about 30 minutes.

Do not let the cakes get too brown, for they will also get too dry.

Enjoy! :)

Apple Pie

2009-04-21T21:21:00.000+01:00

2 sweet apples (e.g., golden delicious) peeled and thinly sliced
2 tart apples (e.g., granny smith) peeled and thinly sliced
2 'baking' apples (e.g., bramley) peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 - 2/3 c (75-150 ml) sugar
1/4 c (50 ml) flour
1/2 t (1/2 ml) ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t (1 ml) salt
Pastry for two crusts

Preheat oven 425F (220C).

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and toss. Pour into pastry lined 9 inch pie plate (don't worry it will look overflowing). Cover with top pastry (use dabs of water to 'glue' pastry edges together). Cut slits into top pastry. Cover edge with a strip of foil to prevent burning and remove foil during last 15 minutes of cooking.

Bake 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown and juice bubbles through slits. Cool before cooking to allow pie to set.

Burgers

2009-04-21T20:45:00.000+01:00

'Italian' Hamburgers

1 lb (500 g) lean ground beef
1/3 c (75 ml) spaghetti sauce
1 red onion chopped
Cooking Oil
Hamburger rolls
Mix beef, spaghetti sauce and onions. Divide into 4 and shape into patties. Fry patties in oil on the stove top until no longer pink in the middle. Place on bun and enjoy.

You can add any other ingredients you would prefer, the trick is to add a sauce base to help the burgers stay moist.

Salmon Burgers

1 envelope of instant potatoes (4-5 person serving)
1 egg slightly beaten
1 c (250 ml) celery finely chopped
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 lb (500 g) salmon cooked and flaked (can use can salmon)
Cornmeal
Butter

NOTE: We found this recipe bland. Suggest adding salt and pepper and perhaps other seasonings (e.g., dill, parsley).

Prepare instant potatoes according to package. Mix potato (after cooling) egg, celery, onion and salmon in bowl.

Grease a muffin tin with butter and dust with cornmeal. Spoon salmon mixture into cups and coat with more cornmeal.

Bake at 400F (200C) for 20 minutes. For crispier burgers, pop out of tin and cook for another 5-10 minutes on cookie sheet.

Coleslaw and Beans

2009-04-21T20:15:00.000+01:00

Coleslaw

I love this recipe because it is creamy but not too mayonnaisey.

1/4 cup (50 ml) mayonnaise
1/4 sour cream
1 T (15 ml) sugar
2 t (10 ml) lemon juice
1 t (5 ml) mustard
1/4 t (1 ml) salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 a head of cabbage shredded
1 carrot shredded
1 onion finely chopped

Toss all ingredients in a bowl. The longer it refrigerates the better it will taste, however you can eat immediately.

Baked Beans

500 g of navy (haricot) beans
1 onion peeled and cut in half
350 ml maple syrup
1 T (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
1 t (5 ml) ground mustard
1 t ground ginger
1 t salt
ground black pepper to taste

1. Soak beans in water overnight.
2. Boil beans until the skin cracks when blown on.
3. Drain and rinse the beans in cold water.
4. Make sauce while beans are boiling. Combine maple syrup and seasonings with water (2 c/400 ml) and bring to a boil.
5. Place onions, beans and sauce in oven proof dish (if there is not enough sauce to cover you can add more water).
6. Bake in oven 125C for about 6 hours.

2009-03-30T09:46:00.000+01:00

Tuna Toasts

Ingredients:
- Canned Tuna;
- Mayo (preferably light) ;)
- Toasts or crackers.

Preparation:
Just mix the tuna with some mayo, trying not to leave any big pieces of tuna. The quantities of each depend on whether you like it more creamy (more mayo) or more consistent (more tuna). Put a bit of this on a toast/cracker and it is ready to eat. (Note: if you leave it done for a long time before eating, it is likely that the toast/cracker will go too soft; so don't do it too much ahead or let each person do its won.)
You can also decorate it with some slices of seafood sticks, peper, olives, or other ingredients that you fancy.
Enjoy!

2009-03-30T00:09:00.000+01:00

Sunday Roast Chicken with Lemon, Mustard and Herbs

This recipe is for a whole chicken, but you can use it for any chicken with skin (alter the cooking times, of course!).

Ingredients
Chicken (a 2.3kg bird easily fed 6 hungry mouths with at least 1 portion left over!)
3 garlic cloves (+ extra if you like garlic)
4 lemon slices
juice of 1-2 lemons
2 tsp mustard (whatever is your favourite, I used wholegrain)
4 sprigs of Rosemary
4 sprigs of Thyme
1 sliced onion
300 ml (1/2 pint) chicken stock
300 ml (1/2 pint) of dry, white wine (use as much or as little as you like!)

Preparations

Preparing and cooking your chicken
1) If you're preparing a whole bird then make sure that the giblets etc are all removed from inside the cavity.

2) Using a sharp knife, make incisions all over the bird, except on the breast.

3) Using your fingers, loosen the breast skin from the flesh so that you can put some ingredients under the skin.

4) Crush 3 cloves of garlic and mix them with the mustard, and herbs. Prepare 4 lemon slices.

5) Push the lemon slices and garlic/herb/mustard mix under the breast skin. Don't push it too far down, just as far as is comfortable to reach. Then, using your fingers, work the top of the skin to push to mix/slices further back, along the breast bone.

6) Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Get out of the refridgerator at least 30 minutes before you start cooking.

7) Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C for fan ovens, around 190 for non-fan ovens. Put the chicken breast down on a rack in your roasting tin. Slice your onion and lay the slices over the top of the chicken. Add 4 tbsps of the stock and wine and any extra garlic (optional).

8) Each oven differs slightly on cooking time but generally you'd cook chicken on the bone for c15-20 mins per 450kg (1lb). Start with the chicken breast down. After 35 mins, turn the chicken over and baste with a bit more wine and stock. If the chicken breast looks like it's starting to burn, then cover just the breast with foil for a while to slow down its cooking progress. It's usually good to baste the chicken with a bit more stock and wine (a couple of tablespoons of each) at least once during cooking.

Chicken needs to be fully cooked (ie. no pink juices). To test this, use a skewer or carving fork to prick the back legs and the back of the breast of the chicken (this is where it cooks slowest). If the juices run clear, it's done. To make doubly sure, you can cut to the bone and check there's no pink. The meat should still be moist.

When the chicken is cooked, wrap it in foil and leave it for 10 mins to let it rest. However, be aware that it keeps on cooking so it's best not to leave it for more than 10 mins or it might dry out.

Preparing and cooking your vegetables
9) Chop up whatever vegetables you'd like to roast. Generally potatoes, parsnips and carrots are British favourites. You need to parboil them before you roast them to cut down the roasting time (very useful when there's lots of stuff in the oven). To parboil, bring water to a boil and then simmer on a medium heat (add salt to taste). I generally parboil potatoes for about 15 mins, parsnips for 10 and carrots for no more than 3 mins but obviously this will depend on how big you cut them. They want to be firm but starting to flake around the edges.

10) Cooking your vegetables - you will need to roast your potatoes for around 40 mins, parsnips and carrots for around 30 mins (although vary times depending on size). Place them around your chicken (on a rack) or on a separate backing tray. Lightly oil them. Cooking along with the chicken. You should aim to have them cooked by around 5-10 mins after your chicken has finished. If they are not crisping up on the outside, then when you remove the chicken from the oven at the end, turn the oven up to around 220 degrees C. This should help them to become crispy.

Optional extras
11) A traditional Christmas roast also has sausages and bacon. You can cook these in the oven alongside your chicken and potatoes. It's best to use chipolata sausages and back bacon. You can wrap the bacon around the sausages or roll up the bacon individually.

12) To make gravy, use the grill pan you roasted the chicken in. Tip the pan to one corner and spoon off as much of the fat as possible. Then add the rest of your stock and wine and put it on a hob (in the pan) to heat up. Stir occasionally. It should reduce down but if it's still too runny, then put a teaspoon of plain white flour in a cup and add a small amount of cold water and stir. Then add this to your gravy as required.

12) Eat, and enjoy!

2009-03-30T00:06:00.000+01:00

Val's Farewell Cooking Club

Recipes to follow...

Seafood paella

2008-11-16T22:41:00.000Z

Servings: 5 servings

Ingredients:
- juice of 1/2 lemon;
- dried parsley and coriander;
- 0.5g saffron strands;
- 2 cubes of chicken stock;
- salt and pepper;
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped;
- 2 tbsps olive oil;
- 1/2 onion, chopped;
- 90g garden peas;
- 1 red pepper, chopped;
- 250g seafood selection (mussels, squid, prawns);
- 200g king prawns;
- 2 fish fillets (I used cod);
- 250g paella rice (or risotto rice).

Chop all the vegetables. Dissolve the chicken stock in 1 litre of boiling water.
Add the saffron strands and mix well. Infuse for 10-15 minutes.
Heat a very large frying pan or wok and add the olive oil.
Add the garlic, onion and pepper. Cook, stirring for a few minutes, until softened.

Add rice to the frying pan and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
Pour in a quarter of the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the stock is absorbed. Add all the ingredients, mixing well.

Add more stock and keep stirring, adding the rest of the stock when necessary.
Cook gently without a lid for about 20 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
Check seasoning, then serve.

Brigadeiro (chocolate sweet)

2008-11-16T21:33:00.001Z

Ingredients:
- 1 can of condensed milk (405g);
- 200ml milk;
- 1 tbsp butter;
- 6 tbsps chocolate powder;
- chocolate sprinkle or hundreds-and-thousands or silver balls;
- mini paper cases

In a sauce pan, add the condensed milk, milk and butter. Take it to boil, stirring all the time.
When the butter melts, add the chocolate powder.

After boiling, keep stirring for around 20 minutes or until the mixture stops sticking on the bottom of the pan. It is a very thick and sticky consistency.
Take it off the heat and set aside to cool down completely. You can put it in the fridge if necessary.

Spread the chocolate sprinkle on a plate and place the paper cases on a separate plate.
Spread butter in your hands, so the brigadeiro won't stick.
With a teaspoon, take a litte bit of the mixture and roll into small balls, truffle size.
Roll the truffle on the sprinkle plate and place it in the paper case.

It is a messy business, but everybody loves it. :)

P.S.: you can also make another version, without the chocolate powder, adding grated coconut and using granulated sugar instead of sprinkles. This version is called "coconut kiss". :)

Chocolate cake (with chocolate cover)

2008-10-28T10:56:00.000Z

Ingredients for 1 normal sized cake (or double recipe):

Butter	125g (200g) + 1 (2) tea spoon
Bitter/Dark chocolate	200g (350-400g)
Sugar	250g (400g)
Flour	100g (200g)
Baking Powder	1 (2) tea spoon
Eggs	6 (12)

Preparing the cake:

Set aside 2 (3) rows of the chocolate bar (about a quarter) for later. Put the rest of the chocolate and 125g (200g) of butter in a heat-proof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate and the butter have both melted together.
Then, separate the yolks and whites of 6 (12) eggs. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until its creamy white.
Add the melted chocolate and butter, then the flour and the baking powder and mix well. Finally, whisk up the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gently fold into the chocolate mixture until completely combined, being careful not to knock out all of the air.

Line a baking tray with butter and flour (to prevent the cake from sticking to the sides) and pour in the chocolate mixture. Cook it in a pre-heated oven at around 180 degrees for about 40 minutes (time will change depending on the oven). To check if the cake is done you can use a toothpick (or a skewer or knife): stick it in the centre of the cake and if the toothpick comes out clean, it is done; if there are bits of cake on the toothpick, leave it in the oven for a bit longer. It is not advisable to leave the cake in the oven for longer than necessary or the cake will become dry.

Meanwhile (or even just after the cake is cooked), you can prepare the chocolate coating by simply melting the remaining 2 (3) rows of chocolate with the remaining 1 (2) tea spoons of butter. Let the cake cool before you spread the melted chocolate mixture over the cake.

Tip: you can use the back of a normal table knife to spread the chocolate.

One last thing: if you cannot find bitter/dark chocolate, compensate by using a bit less than the recommended amount of sugar.

Hope you like it! :)

Beeftekia (meat balls)

2008-10-26T21:24:00.000Z

Ingredients:
500gr minced meat
1 big onion grated
1 tomato grated (only the inside)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 bowl of bread soaked in water or milk (the white part of the bread only)
Spearmint
Paprika, cinnamon or any other spice you want to add in your meat
Salt
Pepper

Preparing the meat balls:
You soak the bread for 5-10 mins in water or milk.
In a big bowl grate the onion and the tomato taking out any big pieces of onion that might fall in.
Put the minced meat in the bowl and add the bread (after you have drained the any excessive liquid), salt, pepper, paprika, spearmint, oil and any other spices you like.
Mix the ingredients to make a smooth paste and store them in the fridge for 20 min so that the ingredients blend.
Preheat the oven at 200 gr.

Shape the dough into the shape of burgers but don't make them too thick.
Place them on a tray and put them in the oven.
After 20 min turn the beeftekia and reduce the oven to 180 degrees.
The average time for cooking is 40 min but it depends on the strength of your oven.

Serving suggestions: rice, salad, potatoes

Red Onion, Feta and Olive Tart

2008-10-13T13:48:00.000+01:00

Serves 4-6
Health information - Per serving (4) - 646 calories, protein 11g, carbohydrate 53g, fat 44g, saturated fat 18g, fibre 2g, added sugar 8g (depending on how much you add), salt 4.07g (depending on how much you add)

Ingredients
-25g butter
-2 medium red onions, finely sliced
-2 tbsp light muscovado sugar (I find this a bit too much so I use 1 and a half tbsp)
-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
-flour, for dusting
-450g puff pastry, thawed if frozen
-100g feta, crumbled
-175g black olives, pitted and chopped (use as many olives as you want, I use less than this)
-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-shredded basil leaves, to garnish
-green salad, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, gas mark 6, fan oven 180 degrees. Heat the butter in a pan and add the onions. Add a pinch of salt and fry for about 10 minutes, until caramalised. Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar and cook for a further 5 mins, until the juices are reduced and syrupy. Leave to cool.

2. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and use to line a baking tray or swiss roll tin (30x22cm/12x8and a half inches). Cover with the onion mixture and scatter over the feta and olives. Season and drizzle with the olive oil.

3. Bake for 15-20 mins until the pastry is risen and golden and the base is crisp. Scatter over the basil leaves and cut into wedges. Serve with a green salad.

4. Sit back and enjoy!

Carrot cake

2008-10-13T13:18:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
- 3 carrots, peeled
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cup of sugar
- 2 cups of plain flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder

Preparing the cake:
Pre-heat the oven to 180º C.
Grate the carrots thinly, in the small side of the grater.
Add the eggs and whisk well with a whisker or a spoon.
Add the oil, sugar and flour, whisking well after each addition.
Mix the baking powder with one extra tbsp of flour, and then add to the mixture, whisking well.
Pour the mixture in an oil-greased baking tray and bake it for around 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cake rest for 5 minutes inside it. Set aside to cool down.

Chocolate sauce:
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 2 tbsps chocolate powder
- 2 tbsps butter
- 1/2 cup of milk

Preparing the sauce:
Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and take it to the boil, whisking constantly with a wooden spoon (around 15 t0 20 minutes). It is going to reduce and become sticky. It is ready when you lift the spoon and it pours as a caramel string, not as water. It also does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Pour over the cake and enjoy.

Souffléd beef omelette

2008-10-13T12:43:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:

- 3 eggs
- salt
- 1/2 tbsp plain flour
- 200g minced beef (see recipe here)
- vegetable oil to fry

Preparing the omelette:

Prepare the beef and set aside to rest.
Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, adding the whites to a bowl.
Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they become firmer.
Add a pinch of salt, and the three yolks, whisking until they are incorporated to the whites.
Add the flour and mix again.
On a frying pan, add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan completely. The omelette should float on the oil without touching the bottom of the pan.
Wait until the oil is very hot and add half the whisked eggs. With a spoon, try to make a round shape with the omelette if necessary.
Add half of the prepared beef to half the omelette, leaving half without filling.
With a spatula, fold the empty half over the filling, creating a half-moon shape.
Turn to fry a little more on the other side.
Put aside to rest on kitchen towel, to absorve the oil.

Repeat with the rest of the material.

Obs.: you can change the filling to anything you like, but bear in mind the filling cannot be too heavy, as it can pass through the egg and break the omelette.

Oats & apple muffins

2008-10-05T21:16:00.001+01:00

Ingredients:
- 125g (4oz) plain white flour
- 125g (4oz) wholemeal plain flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 50g (2oz) medium oatmeal
- 50g (2oz) light muscovado sugar
- 3 small (or 2 medium/big) dessert apples, peeled, cored and diced
- 50g (2oz) sultanas or raisins
- 50g (2oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 150ml (1/4 pint) yoghurt
- 150ml (1/4 pint) milk
- 1 egg
- 5 tbsps clear honey
- extra oatmeal for dusting
- 12-hole muffin tray filled with paper muffin cases

Preparing the muffins:
Mix all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, oatmeal, and sugar) in a bowl.
Add the apples and the sultanas.
In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients (butter, yoghurt, milk, and honey).
Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing them together quickly, but do not over mix.

Divide mixture into the paper cases, and sprinkle with a little extra oatmeal.
Bake on a pre-heated oven (200º C) for 18 to 20 minutes until firm to touch.

Enjoy.

Jamie's Ministry of Food

2008-09-30T21:47:00.000+01:00

Hi guys

Just wanted to suggest for you to watch a new show they are showing on tv (Channel 4), called Jamie's Ministry of Food.
The idea is to teach simple recipes to people who don't know how to cook and have them passing the recipes on to their friends, and these friends passing them on to other friends.
It's like our cooking club, but in a chain. :)

Take a look at his website and maybe we could try some of his recipes in our next meetings.

http://www.jamiesministryoffood.com/content/jo/home.html

The show is on at the following times:
Programme 1: Channel 4 - 30/09/2008 at 9pm
(Repeated 01/10/2008 at 11pm, shown on More 4 05/10/08 at 10pm)

Programme 2: Channel 4 07/10/2008 at 9pm
(Repeated 08/10/2008 at 11pm, shown on More 4 12/10/08 at 10pm)

Programme 3: Channel 4 14/10/2008 at 9pm
(Repeated 15/10/2008 at 11pm, shown on More 4 19/10/08 at 10pm)

Programme 4: Channel 4 21/10/2008 at 9pm
(Repeated 22/10/2008 at 11pm, shown on More 4, 26/10/08 at 10pm)

Enjoy.

Savoury muffins

2008-09-22T01:23:00.000+01:00

Ingredients to 12 pop-overs (muffins)
- 125g of flour
- 210g of milk
- 2 whole eggs
- half a tablespoon of sugar
- one and a half teaspoon of salt
- a tablespoon of olive oil
- optional: grated parsley, grated cheese

Preparing the muffins:
Put everything together in a bowl and whisk quickly with a spoon or fork. You can add grated cheese, parsley, or ham. Do not use a mixer because the mixture needs to remain grainy to cook well.
Pour the mixture in a lightly greased cup cake baking tray (fill up to 3/4 of each hole)Place in a preheated oven at 200C: the muffins will magically start to rise!

Cooking time: between 40-55 minutes, but it depends on the oven.
You need to give enough time for the inside to bake fully so that the muffins don't fall once removed from the oven. And most importantly, do not keep opening the oven before the muffins are ready!

Bread lasagna

2008-09-22T00:44:00.001+01:00

Third meeting, three more recipes. :)

The bread lasagna has three sets of ingredients.

Ingredients for the beef:
- 500g minced beef
- 1 tsp olive oil (or cooking spray)
- 1 beef stock cube
- 200g can of chopped tomatoes
- cumin, paprika and salt to season

Preparing the beef:
Add the olive oil to the pan and add the beef, cooking it in high heat until completely brown. Add the stock cube, the chopped tomatoes and season to taste.
Reduce the heat and simmer for around 20 minutes.

Ingredients for the sauce:
- 1 onion, grated
- 2 tbsps butter
- 1 glass of milk (around 250ml)
- 2 tbsps of flour, plain
- 1 can of extra thick cream (around 280ml)
- salt
- a handful of grated parmesan cheese (around 50g)

Preparing the sauce:
Melt the butter in a sauce pan and fry the onion. Add the flour mixed in the milk, the cream, the salt, and the cheese. Cook in medium to low heat until it gets thick.

Ingredients for the lasagna:
- sliced bread, no crusts
- cream cheese
- ham
- grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese
- grated parmesan

Preparing the lasagna:
Add one layer of bread in an oven-proof dish. Spread a layer of cream cheese on top of the bread, and add one layer of ham and grated cheese.
Add another layer of bread, cover with the minced beef, add a last layer of bread and cover with the sauce, making sure it goes through to the bottom of the dish.
Cover with grated parmesan cheese and take it to the oven (200 degrees) for around 20 minutes.

Greek Salad and Waldorf Salad

2008-09-08T15:58:00.000+01:00

Here are two very easy, healthy, and tasty salads! :)

1 - Greek Salad

Ingredients:
- tomato;
- feta cheese;
- cucumber (sometimes I use olives instead);
- olive oil;
- oregano.

Now the hard part: cut the tomato, cucumber and feta in cubes (not too small); add some olive oil and oregano as you wish. Mix everything and enjoy! :)
Note: I usually use about 1 large tomato and around 5 cm of cucumber for 1 or 2 persons.

2 - Waldorf Salad

Ingredients:
- celery sticks;
- granny smith apple;
- yogurt;
- walnuts.

Again, the 'hard part': first cut the celery in medium slices, then the apple in cubes and immediately add some yogurt (this will prevent the apple from getting yellow, though that is still perfectly eatable, just not as good looking). Add some chopped walnuts. Eat and enjoy! :)
Note: about 3 celery sticks and 1-1,5 apples are enough for 1 or 2 persons.

Pizza, pizza, pizza...

2008-09-07T21:44:00.000+01:00

Today, our second meeting was about pizza. Well, not only about pizza. We also had two types of salad and a lime mousse.
It was a lovelly afternoon and I hope people are getting more excited about our meetings.
Now, recipes!

Ingredients for the base (for 3 pizzas, 11 inches each):
- 500g plain flour
- 4 tbsps olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 250ml warm water
- 2 tsps dried yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar

Preparing the base:
Put the yeast, sugar and 50ml of water in a cup and mix well. Let sit for 10 minutes until it develops a foam on top.

Put the flour into a bowl, add the olive oil and salt.
When the yeast is ready add it to the flour, and add the rest of the water.
Mix with your hands and knead until you have a smooth dough that does not get stuck in your hands (In this point, you can freeze the dough and use it some other time).
Cover it with a clean, dry tea towell and let it sit for an hour.
In the meantime, prepare the sauce.

Ingredients for the sauce (to cover the base):
- half red onion, chopped
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1/2 red pepper, chopped
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1 pack of passata (500g)
- 1 tsp oregano
- fresh basil
- freshly ground pepper
- paprica

Add the olive oil to a large frying pan and fry the onions, garlic and pepper for a few minutes.
Add the passata and the carrots, mix well. Add the oregano, ground pepper and paprica, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the basil leaves, tearing them small to release the flavour. Stir well and simmer for more 5 minutes.

The dough should like like this after it has risen.
Take 1/3 of the dough and spread it with your fingers into a pizza pan. You can use a rolling pin instead of spreading if you prefer a very thin and crispy base.
Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes so it can rise again.

For the topping, start spreading the sauce all over it.
Then add your favorite toppings. Our choices were:
- parma ham with mozzarella, red onion, tomato and basil
- pancetta with gorgonzolla chesse and red pepper pesto
- parma ham, pancetta, black olives and mozzarella.

The mozzarella should be the last or next to last topping on it, as it will melt over the other ingredients.

Put into the oven for approximately 25 minutes (200 degrees if fan assisted ovens; 240 degrees if electrical ovens). The heat should come only from the bottom of the oven to cook the base properly.

Enjoy!

Lime mousse

2008-09-07T21:12:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
- Juice of 4 limes
- 1 can of condensed milk
- 2 cans of extra thick cream

Add the condensed milk and cream in a bowl and mix it with an eletric mixer until you have a homogeneous mixture.

Still mixing, pour the lime juice slowly.

Take it to the fridge for 2 hours.

Chicken stir fry with egg noodles (or how to cheat cooking Chinese food)

2008-08-28T19:58:00.000+01:00

Stir fries are usually very quick to prepare, and they can also be a very healthy meal if you prepare it properly.
They can get even faster if you cheat a little and use all the making-your-life-easy packs available at local supermarkets. And the noodles are still going to taste beautifully.

Below, I'm presenting both recipes: the original if you want to try, and the cheating version, if you wanna be quick. Both versions serve 4 people.

Original:

Ingredients
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, squashed
1 medium red green or yellow pepper(s), chopped
1 packet beansprouts
2 carrots, grated
100 g mangetout
5 tablespoon soy sauce
3 teaspoon fresh coriander
1 pouch Blue Dragon Oyster & Spring Onion Sauce
800 g chicken breast, uncooked, skinless, in cubes
4 portions Sharwoods Medium Egg Noodles

Cheating version:

Ingredients
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 packet stir fry vegetables
5 tablespoon soy sauce
1 pouch Blue Dragon Oyster & Spring Onion Sauce
800 g chicken breast, uncooked, skinless, in cubes
4 portions Sharwoods Medium Egg Noodles

Instructions

Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes.
Drain well and sprinkle soy sauce and a bit of oil, mixing well.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and stir-fry the chicken until cooked thoroughly (not pink inside) with 2 spoons of soy sauce. Add all the vegetables and stir fry for 4 - 5 minutes.

Tip the cooked drained noodles into the wok or frying pan and stir-fry over a medium-high heat for 1 minute, stirring all the time.

Add the Chinese sauce and soy sauce to the wok. Stir-fry for another few moments, until thoroughly heated. Season to taste, then serve.

Tips:
1 - You can always substitute the oil for light oil spray, if you want to maintain the calories down;

2 - Substitute the chicken for pork, beef, or prawns, or combine them the way you want;

3- Substitute the Oyster & Spring Onion Sauce for any other type. There are many different types of sauce you can use for stir fry. I definitely recommend the Black Bean sauce, the Chow Mein, and the Hoi Sin & Garlic sauce.

Enjoy!

Greek cheese pies (and how to fold a flag)

2008-08-26T09:29:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:

200 gr feta cheese
1 pack filo pastry (200 gr) (you can find it in Sainsbury' s)
2 eggs
black pepper
dry spearmint
sunflower oil
kitchen paper

Grate all the feta cheese in a deep bowl.
Add the two eggs (white + yolk) , some black pepper and some spearmint. The amount of black pepper and spearmint is your choice :)
NB: If you don't have spearmint then just add black pepper.

Fill of the cheese pies:
Mix all the ingredients together in the bowl using a fork. Don't use force. You want to mix them not flatten them!

Filo preparation:
Clean some space on a flat surface and lay the filo pastry.
NB: The filo pastry that is not being used, should be covered with a clean kitchen towel so that it doesn't become dry.
Use a sharp knife to cut the filo in half along its length so that you have stripes of 5-6 cm width and approximately 30 cm length.

Cooking:
Put some sunflower oil in a frying pan and heat it. You don't need to put a lot. Perhaps 1 mm depth.
With the fork take a small amount of the fill, add it on the edge of a filo stripe and start folding the pastry as you would fold a flag (see Fig. 1 bellow) until you have a triangle.

Fold a cheese pie:

Repeat this with each stripe and when you have the triangular cheese pies ready, reduce the fire to minimum and place them on the frying pan. Be aware as they cook very fast so you will need to turn them as soon as you see them becoming golden at the bottom. When they are ready, place them on a plate on top of which you will have laid some kitchen paper that will soak the excessive oil.

The oil in the frying pan must be quite hot when you put them to cook, but while cooking them the fire must be low. You want to make sure that the egg is cooked and that the pies are golden and not black!

It is likely that you will not use all the filo that is in the 200 gr pack. In that case, fold the remaining filo and cover it with some cling film as it was when you opened it, so that it is not in contact with air. Store it in the fridge.

Enjoy the cheese pies.

Chocolate cream with meringues

2008-08-25T23:40:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
01 litre of milk
02 cans of condensed milk (800g)
04 tablespoons of cornflour
05 tablespoons of chocolate/cocoa powder
01 can of extra thick cream (285g - extra thick double cream can also be used)

Preparation:
Simmer the milk for 5 minutes; do not allow to boil.
Add the condensed milk, chocolate and cornflour (dissolved in a bit of milk).
Keep whisking the cream so it won't burn.
When the cream starts to thicken, turn off the heat and allow to cool mixing from time to time.
After the cream is cold, add the cream, folding until you have a homogeneous mixture.
Serve cold with meringues.

Serves 8

Brazilian 'feijoada'

2008-08-25T22:15:00.000+01:00

Ingredients for the feijoada:
- 750g Black Beans
- 300g Pork (Streaky slices), diced
- 50g chorizo, diced or in round pieces
- 150g smoked Bacon, diced
- 300g British Beef, diced
- 200g Pork, diced
- 1 Smoked Sausage, diced
- 1/2 red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 pack of coriander, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 lime, juice of
- 1 1/2 tbsps tomato purée
- 4 Bay leaves
- 2 pork stock cubes
- 2 Spring onions
- Black Pepper and Salt
- 3 tablespoons of Cumin
- 2 tablespoons of Paprika
- 1 clove of Garlic, squashed
- 5 tablespoons Olive Oil/Oil

Preparing:
The night before, soak the beans in a large bowl with water to cover at least 3-4 inches (for around 12h).
Cook in a high heat until the beans are soft (around 1 1/2 hours), adding water when necessary to keep beans covered.

On a separate pan, add the olive oil and when hot, add the onions, garlic and red pepper. When the onion is gold, add all the meat, paprika, tomato purée, lime juice, and cumin. Mix well and cook for around 30 minutes.

Add the coriander, spring onions, black pepper, bay leaves, stock cubes and the cooked meat to the beans and cook for another hour and a half.

A good feijoada should have a creamy consistency when done.
Serve with white rice, sliced oranges, cabbages and 'farofa'.

Ingredients for the cabbage:
- olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 savoy cabbage, cut into thin strips
- 1 tbsp Aromat

Sprinkle olive oil on a frying pan, fry the garlic until golden brown. Add the cabbage and sprinkle the aromat on top of it, mixing well.

Ingredients for the cassava meal:
- 300g cassava (Gari)
- 2 tbsps butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 pack of parsley, chopped

Melt the butter on a frying pan, add the onions and fry a little. Add the cassava, and the parsley, mixing them well until the flour is a bit toasted.

Serves 12

Cooking club first meeting

2008-08-25T21:56:00.000+01:00

Today, our cooking club started.
The menu was a bit of a mixture of things (Brazilian feijoada, Greek feta cheese pies, and chocolate cream with meringues), but everything was lovely (thank God!). :)

You're gonna find all the recipes from our meetings here in this blog. And some of the photos as well.

Here, you can see Yvonne, Natália, and Mini trying to cook three things at the same time. On my very small kitchen. :)

It was a very pleasant meeting, and I hope we can do it again very soon.

Our next meeting will be on the 7th September, on Julie's place.
We are going to learn how to make pizza from scratch.
Hope we all can make it.

And finally, welcome to you all.