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

French Toast

Ingredients:
3 eggs
3-4 slices of bread
2 tablespoons of milk
Olive oil
Knob of butter

Method:
Put the eggs and the milk into a wide bottomed bowl (so as you can dip the bread easily when you are ready for cooking) and whisk them lightly. Add pepper to taste. I never add salt to the recipe.

You must have a non-stick pan so as to avoid the French toast sticking. Heat the pan and add a small splash of olive oil.

Soak the bread in your egg mixture and place onto the pan. Turn the heat down and flip the French toast - cooking for about 2-3 minutes on each side.

The French toast should be crisp and firm.

For adults I cut the bread into halves and arrange on a plate. Serve with a knob of butter. It can also be served with ketchup or honey or anything you like! A really yummy treat is to spread a little chocolate spread on top.

For the kids, I cut the bread with a ginger bread man cookie cutter before I put it onto the pan. 

I serve it with a knob of a butter and a glass of juice and it makes for the perfect breakfast, brunch or lunch.

For a more substantial lunch, I add some beans......


Brenda