Luxury Brownies

I don't thing any recipe collection is complete without a brownie recipe.  So here's mine, simple, quick and very tasty.

Start by pre-heating you oven to gas mark 4/180c.  Although this seems a little high, the trick is keeping the mix not as deep by using a larger pan (i used the ovens grill pan lined wit baking parchment).  Also cooking it for 10-15 minutes is enough.

What you need:

• 200g 70% (or greater) plain (dark) chocolate
• 200g unsalted butter
• 100g Plain Flour
• 50g Cocoa Powder
• 4 Eggs
• 200g Caster Sugar
• 100g Dark Muscovado Sugar
• 50g milk chocolate pieces
• 50g white chocolate pieces

You will also need

1. Mixer, I use a kitchen aid, but it will need to be electric fro this message
2. 3 bowls, 1 for dry mix, 1 for chocolate mix and the last one for the egg mix
3. Baking Paper
4. hand whisk
5. Mixing spoon/ Spatula
6. Sieve

Guide.

1. start by melting all the butter and chocolate over a simmering saucepan of water.  Use the hand whisk to make sure the butter and chocolate for a thick, creamy chocolate sauce.Set this aside and allow to cool while we do the next steps.
2. Sieve together in another bowl the flour and cocoa powder ( don't get rid of the sieve you haven't finished with it)
3. in the Kitchen Aid bowl, or a bowl where you can use an electric hand whisk, place all the sugar and the four whole eggs.  Whisk this mix together until the sugar has been incorporated by the eggs, the eggs have turned much paler and when you remove the whisk blades (turned off) leaves streaks defined in the mix.
4. Add the chocolate butter mix to the eggs slowly, using the hand whisk to very slowly move the chocolate mix through the eggs.  Almost as if the hand whisk was a spoon.  Don't overdo this as you want to try and keep as much air in the eggs as possible.
5. Place the sieve over the mix and add the flour cocoa mix.  Using a spatula to fold the ingredients together.  This is a slow process so don't rush it.
6. When mixed, pour the batter into a lined tin, I use a large grill tray, then bake as above.
7. Check after 10 minutes and then every 2 minutes thereafter.  Once there is no wobble left in the mix remove and set aside to cool.  Only removing an cutting when cooled.

Wow, these are quick and very tasty.  If you want them a little thicker drop the temp and cook a little longer.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

If you don't have a lot of time, or you just want a lazy day, and you have access to a slow cooker (one of the best things you can buy) then this is an easy cheat beef stew.

Ingredients

• 1kg diced stewing beef ( shin is best for this)
• Beef stock cube
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbs Mixed herbs( bay leaf, sage, tarragon, parsley)
• 1 can of good stout
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery
• 1/2 cup finely diced carrot
• Swede cut into large chunks
• 2 carrots cut into large chunks
• 4tbs instant gravy mix( this is the cheat)
• Or make your own gravy by browning the fat of the meat etc.

Directions

1. Put all the ingredients apart from the instant gravy into the slow cooker, no need to brown the meat.
2. Make sure you add enough cold water to ensure no veg of meat is left uncovered
3. Cover
4. Turn on the slow cooker on full power for 5 hours
5. Reduce to low and add the instant gravy, stir until think consistency
6. Make the potato mash
7. Serve piping hot with fresh bread and butter.

The cheat is adding the instant gravy granular, I prefer bistro but you can also use your own gravy but make sure you heat it up first before adding it, you will then need to leave he stew on the high heat uncovered to reduce until the right constancy.

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Simple Wholemeal Loaf

 

I've been making my own bread for several years, my family now insist that I make it at least three times a week as many of their friends have started to 'borrow' a slice or three.

This recipe makes a two large 500g loaf tins or three if you want them a little smaller. The key is in the kneading. I cannot stress how important it is in the process, even when using a dough hook on a machine, the final part should be kneading by hand. This gives you the feel for when there is enough gluten (stretch and bounce) in the dough, which you can't get with a machine alone.

I do use a machine on the slowest setting for the first five minutes only, and with another 5 minutes of kneading usually gives the right amount of gluten.

One of the other tricks is to maintain the moisture as much as possible, so when kneading try not to add more flour, just enough to give a very light covering to your hands and the surface.

Ingredients:

• 700g string white bread flour
• 300g of strong Wholemeal flour
• 20g of dried yeast (40g of fresh)
• 30g of salt
• 2 tbs Olive oil

Directions:

• Put the flours in a mixing bowl with the yeast and mix, or on a clean surface if kneading by hand
• Make a well in the centre to hold the water
• In a jug add the salt then 200ml of boiling water.
• Add another 450 of cold tap water and the oil
• If using mixer, turn onto slowest setting and slowly add all the water mix
• If mixing by hand, slowly add water to the well in the centre and draw in the flour from the sides with your free hand and mix until all the water and flour are incorporated.
• Knead until the dough give a good stretch and when pressing your thumb into it the dough bounces back quickly.
• Leave in an oiled covered bowl until the dough double in size, about an hour.
• Knock back and divide into two or three loaf tins. Turn on oven to highest temp.
• Allow to rise uncovered for twenty five minutes then dust with a little flour
• Cook on the highest temp for twenty minutes then reduce to gas 4/180c fan for another twenty minutes.
• Check by banking on the bottom of the loaf to make sure it sounds hollow, if not pop back in the over for another 5 minutes.

If the bread smells like its burning, turn down the heat after fifteen minutes, bite still the overall time should be 40 minutes. Always allow the bread to cool before eating! Alright, but leave it at least 30 minutes!

 

Enjoy wit fresh butter.

 

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Three bean vegetable Chilli

This is dish hat can be used as a side to some Macho Nachos( toasted nachos with cheese, jalapeño peppers, salsa and ground beef chilli), but it also makes a great vegetarian dish.

The trick with this is to use dried beans, most supermarkets sell them and the choice of beans is entirely down to personal taste. However, I have found that a combination of Kidney beans, Aduki beans and black eyed beans. I have found that soaking these for 24 hours in a good rich vegetable stock improves the taste and the sweetness, but make sure the stock is cold or the beans go a slushy, unnatural texture.

Ingredients

• I cup each of Kidney, Aduki and Black eyed beans. If using tinned make sure you drain well.
• 1 red onion finely chopped
• 2 sticks of celery finely chopped
• 2 red chilli, finely chopped leave seed in for extra warmth
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 2 small carrots finely chopped
• 2 tins of plum tomatoes
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce( optional)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 50ml tomato purée
• 1tsp each of cumin, ground coriander and ginger
• 50g dark brown sugar.
• Juice of 1 lime

Method

1. Soak the beans for 24 hours in a good vegetable stock ( low or no salt stock) and throw away any beans that float. remove, rinse under running cold tap and drain.
2. Fry off the beans with a tablespoon of groundnut or rapeseed oil on high heat until they start to caramelise. Add in the onions, celery, garlic and carrot on a lower heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Then add the cumin, coriander and ginger
3. Add tinned tomatoes, chilli, tomato pure, oyster sauce ( if using )and paprika and bring to boil.
4. Simmer for 60 minutes and adjust flavour with salt and pepper. Add sugar and lime juice.
5. If not thick enough the follow steps 6.
6. Mix the cornflour with a couple of tablespoons of cold water then add to chilli mix.
7. Bring back to boil for a clue of minutes to cook off the cornflour and thicken.
8. Serve with rice or toasted tortillas, sour cream and salsa.

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Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb in Hay

This is a regular Sunday roast, sometimes with lamb shoulder and sometimes with a whole leg of lamb. The results are very similar, a succulent, sweet roast with a background flavour of fresh hay, mint and rosemary.

It may seem like a long process, but it's not a complex one, ensuring the hay is fresh and clean is the most important part though. Many pet shops sell hay but it's been treated with chemicals, so either spend a lot of time washing it or get your hay direct from source. It still needs a good clean, it's been growing outside!

The second important part is ensuring an airtight seal around the lamb, using a deep roasting pan with a lid is the easier option, but covering with tin foil also works well.

I tied down the lid and used tin foil to seal in the vapour. The lamb cooks on a low, gas mark 2, heat for a good 7 hours. You can do this overnight, but the smells will keep you awake all night.

Once the lamb is tender, almost falling off the bone, take it out of the oven and leave to settle for 30 minutes. Then carefully, and you really do need to be careful as the meat will just fall off, remove the hay from the top. Place the lamb in a fresh roasting pan, carefully removing all traces of hay, this takes a little patience (oooh, Take That).

Place the lamb in a very hot oven to crisp up the outside of the lamb, if using lamb shoulder you could just pull all the meat off and serve in a nice lamb gravy.

Let the lamb rest for a good 30 minutes and serve with some nice seasonal veg. Yum.

1. Lay a bed of hay on a nest made of an onion, carrot, garlic and celery
2. After the first layer of hay, lay a bed of herbs, rosemary, sage, tarragon, parsley
3. Season the meat with salt and black pepper
4. Place some anchovy fillets on top of the lamb before more herbs and the rest of the hay

Easy as 1,2,3 and 4

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Slow Braised Ox Cheek Suet pudding

Steak and kidney suet pudding, Oxtail suet pudding and a few others gave me this idea. A slow braised Ox cheek served in a suet pudding, but please don't have too much it's extremely rich, but oh so good!

The best thing about this is the richness of the sauce and the way in which the meat just flakes apart and melts in your mouth.

Ingredients for Ox Cheeks

• 2 Ox cheeks, membrane removed, fat removed and diced to 1 inch pieces
• 1 carrot
• 1 white onion
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 bouquet garni
• 250 ml red wine
• 300 ml beef stock
• 300 ml stout
• 1 star anise
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tbs plain flour
• 2 tbs olive oil

Directions

1. Make some seasoned flour to coat the Ox Cheeks
2. Heat oil in a stock pot or pressure cooker
3. Coat the Ox cheeks in flour and quickly fry to seal the juices
4. After removing the cheeks fry off the diced onions, diced carrot and diced celery
5. Add the wine and stout and boil to remove alcohol
6. Turn down to a simmer and add stock and the cheeks. Top up with water to ensure the pot is at least half full.
7. Add star anise and bouquet garni
8. If using pressure cooker, put on lid and bring to pressure before reducing heat, cook for further 150 minutes
9. If using stock pot, put on lowest heat and simmer for 6-7 hours until the meat becomes flaky but still holding its body
10. Once cooked separate the meat, I use a strainer, save the sauce and reduce to thick consistency.
11. Make the puddings, add the meat and some of the thick sauce.
12. Cover the pudding and steam for two hours.
13. Serve with more of the thickened sauce, new potatoes and fresh green beans

 

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Asparagus and Caramelised onion tart with Cornish Yarg

I've seen a few recipes for this over the past few years, and when in Dublin over the weekend I had a version that was cold in the middle, warm on the outside and burnt on the top! So when I got back to the UK I thought it was about time to make my own and see if I could do better, and yes I can.

There are three stages to making this, the caramelised onion was made the day before and the Asparagus was cooled before using.

 

I also cheated on the pasty, I used shop bought puff pasty but it's a cheat that's worth doing as I've never managed to make a great puff pastry.

 

 

 

Caramelised Onion

There is not trick to this, just good slow cooking and patience. This can be done the day before.

Ingredients

• 3 medium sized white onions
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup of water

Directions

1. Peal and cut the onions into half circles about a cm in thickness
2. Put pan onto a low heat, enough to make the water simmer but not boil
3. Add the onions and cook until the onions are a golden brown, keep adjusting the heat to ensure the onions don't burn
4. After the water has evaporated cover the pan with a lid, and continue to cook until the onions go a golden brown colour. Many people cheat here by adding sugar. If you leave the onions to slowly cook they will release their own sugars.
5. When the onions are almost done, add the balsamic vinegar ad set aside to cool.

Tart

Directions

1. Trim and boil the asparagus for about 10 minutes, just enough to make them retain their crunch
2. Allow the asparagus to cool and roll out the pastry to a couple of mm thickness, or buy the pre rolled puff pastry. About a 4 inch square
3. score a square inside the rolled out pastry and place a thin layer of the caramelised onion inside, not too thick as it will overpower the tart
4. Lay out the asparagus on top and place slices of Cornish Yarg cheese on top
5. Sprinkle some salt and pepper then cook on gas 5 for about 20 minutes

 

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