An Italian pick me up

It's not surprising that Tiramisù is the Italian for “pick me up”. 

Whilst Tiramisu is likely the most well-known and well-loved Italian dessert, it's a real pick me up in whatever language you happen to be cooking in.

Here's my twist on this favourite dessert. 

Ingredients: 

3 egg yolks

75g or 3 ounces of caster sugar 

2 x 250g/9 ounce tubs of mascarpone cheese 

85ml of Kahlua or coffee liqueur

200ml of cold strong coffee or espresso (espresso is best option)

14 boudoir or sponge finger biscuits

2 x Cadbury flakes 

Cocoa powder for dusting 

Method: 

1. Place the egg yolks in a bowl with the caster sugar and beat together until the colour is pale and the consistency is thick. An electric hand whisk works best for this. 

2. Add the mascarpone cheese tubs and whisk gently and slowly until the mixture is pale and really smooth. 

3. Add one tablespoon of the Kahlua or coffee liqueur and whisk until all combined. 

Set to one side 

4. Mix the cold coffee with the remainder of the Kahlua in a shallow dish. 

To assemble 

Dip half the boudoir biscuits into the coffee mixture until they are soaked but not disintegrating and arrange the first lot of biscuits in the bottom if four glass coffee cups, breaking them up if necessary to fit.

Add half the mascarpone mixture divided equally between the four glass cups. 

Break up the flake into small crumbly pieces and sprinkle over the mascarpone mixture. 

Repeat the layers of biscuit soaked in coffee, mascarpone and flaked flake - you will get two layers in each glass. 

Cover with cling film and refrigerate 

Serving suggestions: 

Just before serving sprinkle each one with cocoa powder

The beauty of this dessert is in the layers as well as the taste so serving in glass dishes/cups works really well. 

For party fancies make the same mixture and serve in shot glasses with extra coffee liqueur for a delicious late night sugar rush.  

Variations: 

* swap out the coffee liqueur for something like Baileys for a tiramisu twist 

Enjoy this little pick me up 

Brenda 

Xx

Easy Saturday Chicken

This one is easy like a Sunday morning (hum or play the Commodores song for full effect) 

But I recommend this as an easy Saturday dish for hearty lunch or dinner. 

Ingredients: 

8 chicken thighs 

10-12 chicken drumsticks 

5 large potatoes peeled and cut into wedges 

2 large red onions cut into wedges (or however you like as long as they are chunky pieces) 

4 large carrots cut into chunks 

1 large chorizo sausage twist cut into medium sized pieces 

6 cloves of garlic 

Salt and pepper 

3 tbsp of Olive oil 

Sprigs of fresh rosemary 

Preparation: 

It's the simplest ever and it's four steps

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C 

1. Throw all the veg and garlic onto a large roasting dish 

2. Place the chicken on top and the rosemary sprigs 

3. Season with salt and pepper 

4. Cook for hour to hour and 15 mins basting the chicken during cooking to keep it moist. 

Tips: 

Use two roasting tins if you need to as you want all the food to have loads of space to cook and caramelise 

Serve with crusty bread, creamy mash or rice with a nice glass of hearty red wine. 

(Very little clean up afterwards which is always a bonus) 

Enjoy 

Brenda 

Xx

Chorizo and bean casserole

By 28 December we were fed up of turkey so drastic measures were needed. I had loads of veg in the fridge and some chorizo sausage so I decided to try a chorizo casserole for the first time. 

Ingredients: 

1 yellow pepper

1 red pepper 

2 red onions (any onion type wil do) 

4 sticks of celery 

3 carrots 

1 chorizo sausage twist 

4 pork sausages 

1 tin of plum tomatoes 

3 cloves of garlic 

1 chicken stock cube 

1 teaspoon of cumin 

1 and a half teaspoons of smoked paprika 

1 teaspoon of dried thyme (mixed herbs will work too) 

Splash of Worcester sauce 

1 tin of baked beans or if you have a well stocked larder you might have adiki beans (never used them) 

Rapeseed or olive oil for cooking 

150 ml of red or white wine 

50 ml water 

(This is the twist of chorizo I used）

Method: 

Dice the peppers, onions, celery, carrots and fry then in a pan with the oil. Fry for five minutes. 

The chorizo sausage should be peeled and cut into generous chunks and added to the pan. 

Add the pork sausages whole to the pan 

Fry for five minutes. 

Finely chop the garlic and add it to the pan. 

Add the cumin, paprika and dried herbs. 

Stir until well mixed through. 

Add the red or white wine (I prefer red) and stir it for a while to cook off the alcohol. 

Add the tin of tomatoes and the sash of Worcester sauce. Make sure you break up the plum tomatoes in the pan. 

If you have adiki beans follow instructions as to how to cook them but I just threw in a whole tin of baked beans just before adding the final ingredient.

Finally add the chicken stock cube and add the 50 ml of water to cover the sausage. Add more volume of water if needed. 

Cover with a lid 

Cook at 200 Celsius for 30 minutes and serve with crusty bread or creamy mash potato. 

We had empty plates all round. 

Clotted cream and honey deliciousness

I had breakfast last weekend in a Greek restaurant in London. It was naughty but I needed the full English breakfast .... 

It was delicious ..... But what was most delicious was a little sweetener we had just after we sat down. 

Freshly baked and toasted bread in a basket and a little pot of clotted cream covered in honey. 

The combination of the clotted cream and the honey smeared on the crusty bread was magnificent. 

I highly recommend it for breakfast or a snack at any time of the day or night. 

I think it would also be gorgeous on a fresh scone .... And sour dough bread would work too.... 

I may be dreaming about its deliciousness for some time .. 

Give it a try. 

B xxx

PS The Christmas lights and Paddington Beat trail were great 

Good Nutrition for Cancer Recovery Cookbook

Ok so you know that I am sometimes a barefoot and not quite naked chef, but I am not sure if I mentioned that I am also a cancer survivor. Did I?

Well I was diagnosed just under eight year's ago and have been in remission ever since. The rest of the details belong to another blog. But......I found out about this book today and because this is a subject close to my heart, I wanted to share it with you.

 It's a cook book called Good Nutrition for Cancer Recovery Cookbook and is aimed at patients experiencing cancer related weight loss. It has been developed by the Nutritional Science Department in University College Cork and the Cork Institute of Technology in collaboration with Breakthrough Cancer Research. The cookbook was created by dieticians and includes information, advice and a bank of nutritious recipes to combat weight loss in those who are going through cancer treatments.

I lost four and a half stone because of my cancer treatment and would have very much welcomed something like this whilst I was going through treatment. A lot of people might welcome weight loss but during treatment for cancer it can impact on the treatment and the outcome.

The cookbook project was funded by the HRB and that has allowed for the production of 19,000 copies which will be distributed to cancer centres throughout Ireland. The book is available free of charge but a donation of €5 is suggested which goes towards postage and packaging of the book.

For more information and to order your copy please see here.

What a wonderful idea - well done to all involved.

B
xx

Brenda’s Recipe for roast spiced Winter vegetables

Ingredients:

Carrots

Parsnips

Red Onion

[You can also add squash and red pepper but it works very well with just carrots and parsnips]

Ground cumin

Ground coriander

Orange zest

Garlic (fresh or ground]

Brown sugar

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Cut and prepare the carrots and parsnips into uneven wedge/chunks about 1 – 2 inches.

Par boil the veg so as they are soft but with a little bit of resistance – you will finish them in the oven.

Cut and slice the onion into large uneven chunks – you actually break it up into layers and cut the layers.

Put a shallow dish of a decent amount of olive oil into an oven and heat until it is piping hot. (If you are saving on washing up after Christmas dinner then use an aluminium foil dish) 

The spice girls (I mean the spice mix):

While that is happening you can prepare the spice mix

Add two teaspoons of ground coriander and ground cumin to a dish/mixing bowl (I use a mug at times)

Add two teaspoons of brown sugar (light or medium rather than muscovado)

Zest a large orange and add that to the mix

Add a couple of grinds of salt and pepper from a grinder

Crush and mince one garlic clove or add half a teaspoon of dried garlic

Mix all of this together and set to one side

The smell should be fantastic

Back to the veg: 

Drain the parsnips and carrots very well – there should be no moisture as it will cool down the oil. 

Take the tray of oil out out of the oven and if you can place it over a ring of the hob turned up high so as the veg sizzle when they hit it. Then add the onion and mix around – all the time getting a good sizzle.

Finally add the mix of spices and seasoning and give it a good mix around.

The smell at this stage should be of pungent orange and garlic and spices.

Get the mix back into a hot oven and bake until the veg are all soft and caramelised and gorgeous. I always give it about 25-30 minutes.

Serving suggestion:

Serve with your Christmas turkey for a real heart warming taste of seasonal sumptuousness. K

For an even better effect, bring to the table straight from the oven and let people help themselves to large dollops. 

For larger gatherings you will have to increase the amount of veg and also adjust the spices accordingly. This is also great with roast chicken and roast beef all year round.

Brenda 

xx

Chicken Korma from scratch

This is a favourite of mine from the takeaway so I decided to have a go at making it at home. This is the recipe I used:

Ingredients:
One white onion
One red pepper
Three medium chicken breasts
Olive oil
Chicken Korman Curry Paste (available in a jar)
Fresh Coriander
One can of coconut milk
50ml water
50 ml Double Cream
1 teaspoon of sugar
Half teaspoon of dried ginger or a piece of fresh ginger

Method:
Dice the onion and cut the red pepper into strips.
In a non-stick pan fry off the onion and red pepper until they are soft.
Add half of the jar (small jar) of curry paste and cook for about 2 minutes on a medium heat. Do not burn the paste.
Add the ginger and stir in well. The smell should be amazing at this stage!
Add 50ml water and stir until it has mostly evaporated off.
Dice the chicken and add to the pan.
Stir until sealed with all the wonderful curry paste and juices.
Add the can of coconut milk and stir in well.
Add the sugar
Add the double cream
Turn the heat down to medium low and stir so as all the wonderful creaminess and flavours infuse into the chicken which needs to cook all the way through (should take about 10-15 minutes)
Chop the fresh coriander and sprinkle over the top. Turn the heat down.

Serve: 
This is a dish that needs to be placed in the centre of the table so as people can serve themselves.
Serve with pilau rice or basmati rice, some warm naan breads and for an extra treat some popadoms which you can buy and pop yourself in a pan (the younger kids will love watching them burst into life).

I forgot to take a photo of this dish but I promise you it was so delicious. Next time I make it I will take some pics.....

Brenda