Flapjack recipe

6oz butter or margarine
3oz demerara sugar
3 tablespoons of syrup (use plenty)
8oz quick cook rolled oats
Pinch of salt

Melt the fat in a saucepan, over a gentle heat.
Mix in sugar and syrup.
Mix in oats and salt.
Stir well and put into a greased tin and press down.
Bake for 30 - 35 minutes in the centre of the oven at 375°F (this might be abit too hot).

When cooked, leave to stand for a few minutes, then cut across into squares.

Leave in tin until cold.

Beef Bolognase

200g minced beef
1 tin of tomato
Onions
Garlic
Smoked paprika
Paprika
Worcester sauce
400ml Beef stock
Tomato puree
Large squirt of tomato sauce
Italian herbs

And a mix of:
Mushrooms
Carrots
Celery
Peppers
Courgette
Bacon
Red wine

Quick Ministrone

Heat oil
Chop 2 red opinions, and add
Chop 3 cloves of garlic, and add
Make 750ml of chicken stock and add
Add 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
Add 1tsp of paprika
Add 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
Add 1tsp of mixed herbs
Add 1 tin of butter beans
Add 1 large squirt of tomato paste
When the pan comes to the boil
Add 100 of snapped spaghetti and stir (the pasta can stick)
Salt, pepper

Cook till pasta is tender, then turn off the heat, and wait 5 to 10 minutes for pasta to swell.
Add handful of frozen peas to cook in the soup (via residual heat)

Tomato Risotto

Another fool proof meal from a man that can't cook.

Tomato Risotto
Roast a lasagna dish of tomato's drizzled with olive oil, salt pepper.
In a Le Creuset dish, add 3 table spoons of rapeseed oil.
Fry 1 chopped onion
Add 225ml risotto rice, and stir until coated.
Add 3 clove's crushed garlic.
Add 750ml chicken stock (I used a chicken stock cube).
Bring to boil.
Add oregano.
Place in oven @150C for 15 minutes - check / stir, leaving the lid off.
Take out of the oven when the stock water has been absorbed, and the risotto is a rice pudding consistency.
Now stir in roasted tomatoes from the lasagna dish and add grated Parmesan, and Basil.

Prawn Noodle's

Boil kettle, for rice noodles (half a 400g packet)
Check the prawns have been defrosted.
Drain prawn water.
Add chilli, lime juice, small crushed clove of garlic.
Peel 6 carrots into strips.
Finely chop ¼ of a chili
Place carrots, noodles, prawns chili into bowl in that order.
Drizzle lime juice over (3 limes), and toss.
There should be lime juice at the bottom if you lift the mixture out.

Crunch Belly Pork - chinese style

Crunchy Belly Pork




Ingrediants
1) half a lemon
2) salt
3) baking soda
4) chinese spice
5) pork belly

Instructions
a) SCRAPE the skin of the belly of pork so it becomes "furry".
b) Spike the skin for the belly pork so that the salt/baking soda (next part) get's into the spike holes.
c) cover the sliced side of the lemon with salt, and also add touch of the baking soda so that it sticks on the lemon - then rub this into the belly of pork.
d) repeat (c) till the belly of pork skin is salted.
e) hang the belly of pork for AT LEAST 1 day for the salt to draw the moisture out of the skin.
f) after a day or so - get a large basting tray and wire rack. The rack is essential so that the meat is not stewing in any cooking fats that come out of the meat.
g) quickly preheat an oven to max (mine was a fan assisted one, max was 230 C).
h) place cured meat on rack in the tray and place in the middle of the oven for about 1hour 20mins (check after 40 minutes).
i) keep the kitchen well ventilated when you open the oven door.
j) once the meat is cooked, you could hang it up to rest before getting the meat cleaver out to chop into bite-sized portions.

Tips
If the meat is quite fatty, hang till it stops dripping.

Cook for an hour or till cooked.

Done.

UPDATE : todays attempt (18-NOV-2012)

Rick Stein Parsley soup recipe with Chive cream

Use curly parsley, chop parsley roughly including any stalks.

Melt butter in a pan and add the parsley and chopped leeks.

Sweat the vegetables.

Add cut, boiled potatoes to thicken the soup.

Add chicken stock.

As the soup is cooking, make the chive cream:-
Chop chives, and add to cream.

Back to the soup - just before it's liquidised, throw in any remaining parsley (it keeps keep the fresh green colour to the soup) in the last minute of cooking and liquidize the soup in a food processor.

Back into the pan, add double cream, salt and black pepper.

Serve with a spoon of chives-cream in the soup.

Roast crispy pork belly with egg fried rice

Information from BBC SATURDAY MORNING KITCHEN with KEN HOM

Ken Hom

Overnight preparation time

Over 2 hourscooking time

Serves 4-6 people

 

Ken Hom's classic crispy pork takes time to prepare but demands no great skill.

Egg fried rice is a great way to use up leftover rice.

 

Ingredients

For the pork

• 1.5 kg/3lb 5oz boneless pork belly, with rind
  
• 4 tbsp coarse sea salt
  
• 2 tbsp ground roasted Sichuan peppercorns
  
• 2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
  
• 2 tbsp five-spice powder
  
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
  

 

For the egg fried rice

• 400g/14oz long-grain rice, cooked according to the packet instructions, drained and chilled
  
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
  
• 2 tsp sesame oil
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 2 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil
  
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  
• 2 tbsp spring onions, finely chopped
  

 

Preparation method

1. For the pork, pierce the rind side of pork with a sharp fork or knife until the skin is covered with fine holes. Insert a meat hook into the meat to secure it.
   
2. Bring a large pan of water to a boil and, using a large ladle, pour the hot water over the rind side of the pork several times. This is best done suspending the pork above the sink. Set the pork belly aside.
   
3. Heat a wok until it is hot, then add the salt, both peppers, five spice powder and sugar and stir-fry the mixture for three minutes. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
   
4. When the mixture is cool enough to handle, rub it into the flesh side of the pork. Hang the meat to dry for eight hours or overnight in a cool place or in front of a fan. Alternatively, place the meat on a wire rack set above a roasting tin.
   
5. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place the pork on a wire rack, rind side up, over a deep roasting pan filled about one third with water and roast for 20 minutes.
   
6. Reduce the heat to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and continue to roast for two hours. Turn the oven back up to 230C/450F/Gas 8 and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the meat from the oven and allow the pork to cool.
   
7. For the fried rice, mix the eggs, sesame oil and a pinch of the salt in a small bowl and set aside.
   
8. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until it is hot. Add the groundnut or vegetable oil and when it is very hot and slightly smoking add the cooked rice and stir-fry for three minutes or until it is thoroughly warmed through.
   
9. Drizzle the egg mixture over the rice and continue to stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until eggs have set and the mixture is dried. Add the remaining salt and pepper, continue to stir-fry for two minutes then toss in the spring onions. Stir several times and turn onto a serving dish. Carve the pork into bite-size pieces, arrange on a platter and serve immediately with the rice alongside.
   

Nigella Lawson Gluten free and Dairy free Venetian Carrot Cake

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/gluten-free_and_11807

By Nigella Lawson


From Nigella Kitchen

Preparation time : Less than 30 mins

Cooking time : 30 mins to 1 hour

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

For the carrot cake

• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• 2 medium carrots (approx. 200-250g/7-9oz)
• 75g/3oz golden sultanas
• 60ml/2¼fl oz rum
• 150g/5oz caster sugar
• 125ml/4½fl oz regular olive oil, plus extra for greasing
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 free-range eggs
• 250g/9oz ground almonds
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg, or to taste
  
• ½ lemon, finely grated zest and juice

For the mascarpone cream (optional)

• 250g/9oz mascarpone
• 2 tsp icing sugar
• 2 tbsp rum

Preparation method

1. For the carrot cake, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line the base of a 23cm/9in round springform cake tin with re-usable non-stick silicone liner or baking parchment and grease the sides with olive oil.
   
2. Toast the pine nuts by browning in a dry frying pan; the oven alone is not enough to scorch out the paleness. Set aside.
   
3. Grate the carrots in a processor (for ease) or with a coarse grater, then sit them on a double layer of kitchen paper and wrap them, to soak up excess liquid. Set aside.
4. Put the golden sultanas in a small saucepan with the rum, bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 3 minutes.
   
5. Whisk the sugar and oil until creamily and airily mixed.
6. Whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs and, when well whisked, fold in the ground almonds, nutmeg, grated carrots, golden sultanas (with any rum that clings to them) and, finally, the lemon zest and juice.
   
7. Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. The batter will be very shallow in the tin.
8. Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts over the cake and put it into the oven for 30–40 minutes, or until the top is risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out sticky but more or less clean.
9. Remove from the oven and let the cake sit in its tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then unspring and leave it on the rack to cool.
10. For the mascarpone cream, mix the mascarpone with the icing sugar and rum.
11. To serve, transfer the cake to a plate. Put the mascarpone cream in a bowl to spoon alongside the cake, for those who want.
    

Nigel Slaters Black banana cake

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/black_banana_cake_52982

 

By Nigel Slater

From Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers

preparation time : Less than 30 mins

cooking time : 1 to 2 hours

Serves at least 8

 

 

Want to know how to use up overripe bananas?

Nigel Slater's banana bread recipe is just the ticket.

 

 

Ingredients

• 175g/6oz unsalted butter, softened
  
• 175g/6oz sugar (half light muscovado, half golden caster)
  
• 75g/2½oz hazelnuts
  
• 2 free-range eggs
  
• 175g/6oz self-raising flour
  
• 2 very ripe bananas (about 250g/9oz total weight)
  
• drop vanilla extract
  
• 175g/6oz good-quality dark or milk chocolate chips
  
• a little demerara sugar
  

   

   

Preparation method

• Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Line the base and sides of a 20cm x 12cm/8in x 5in loaf tin with baking parchment.
  
• Beat the butter and sugars until light and coffee-coloured. This is best achieved in a food mixer.
  
• Toast the hazelnuts, rub them in a tea towel to remove their skins, then grind quite finely.
  
• Slowly add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, then mix in the toasted ground hazelnuts and self-raising flour.
  
• Peel the bananas and chop them the small pieces. Gently fold the vanilla extract, the bananas and the chocolate chips into the cake mixture, turning gently and taking care not to overmix.
  
• Scoop the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin. Dust with a little demerara sugar. Bake for between 1 hour and 1 hour 10 minutes, covering the cake with foil if the top starts to darken too quickly.