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Showing posts from January, 2015

Jamie's Winter nights Chilli

Who doesn't like a chilli? However if you're expecting this recipe to be the usual combination of mince and a tin of tomatoes with some chilli powder you are in for a big surprise. This  is the recipe your big Le Creuset pan was made for, it  takes a bit more work and a hell of a lot more time (around 6 hours) than your average chilli but most of that time involves doing nothing and I think you'll think that in the end the effort is more than worth it. As usual Jamie brings an interesting spin to the recipe both in the ingredients and how its cooked. The photo above does not do the finished dish justice. Also do not be tempted to miss out on the apple salsa and yoghurt, the salsa alone is a little bit of genius. nb. The recipe theoretically feeds 10-12 ... we did it for 5 with loads left over Ingredients For the Chilli 30g dried porcini mushrooms 2 tablespoons fennel seeds 2 tablespoons coriander seeds 2 tablespoons smoked paprika 1 but

a little bit Tom, a little bit April ... my steak salad

This recipe is a bit of an accident. It was borne out of a combination of a lack of the correct ingredients, Martha's dislike of anchovies and a little bit of creativity.   It's a bit of a mash up of April Bloomfield's steak with watercress and chillies with Tom Kerridge's black and blue steak sandwich. I made it for a family Sunday evening meal and it seemed to go down pretty well. It was also bloody nice the day after! It would be great in a sandwich. We had a jacket potato alongside it nb do not be put off by the amount of marinade, it makes a really nice crust and doesn't overwhelm ... although if you are of a delicate culinary disposition you may find it a bit 'robust' shall we say. Worth adjusting how much you put on according to the size and number of steaks obviously ingredients the marinade 1 tsp ground coriander 2 tsp chilli flakes 1 tsp cracked black peppercorns 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp ground mace 1 tsp ground dried bay leaf (

5:2 goes retro

The new year brings a return to the 5:2 diet ( 5 days normal eating 2 days fasting) I have found it fairly easy to stick to, on the '2'days you need to have a maximum of 650 cals. At lunchtime the distractions of work and the wide choice of low-cal offerings at local delis and restaurants help the process. However come the evening a combination of starvation and the requirement to eat with the rest of the family make it a bit of a struggle. Salvation arrived last night in the rather surprising form of a recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's  1992  book'  Far eastern cookery' o ne of our favourite books way-back-when .   Lisa thought that  this blast from the past   would make a perfect evening meal for fasters and non-fasters alike. She was absolutely correct. We had it last night and I can confirm that it is still bloody delicious. it has that great thai-style combination of salty, sweet, sharp, hot, crunchy and soft. The dish also feels way more filling than the 25