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Category: Beef

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 25g Butter
• 750g Beef
• 2 tblsp Plain Flour
• 2 cloves minced Garlic
• 175g Onions
• 150g Celery
• 150g Carrots
• 2 chopped Leek
• 200g Swede
• 150ml Red Wine
• 500g Beef Stock
• 2 Bay Leaf
• 3 tbs Thyme
• 3 tblsp chopped Parsley
• 125g Plain Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 60g Suet
• Splash Water

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

For the beef stew, heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof casserole and fry the beef until browned on all sides.

Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Add the garlic and all the vegetables and fry for 1-2 minutes.

Stir in the wine, stock and herbs, then add the Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar, to taste. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cover with a lid, transfer to the oven and cook for about two hours, or until the meat is tender.

For the dumplings, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
Add the suet and enough water to form a thick dough.

With floured hands, roll spoonfuls of the dough into small balls.

After two hours, remove the lid from the stew and place the balls on top of the stew. Cover, return to the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes, or until the dumplings have swollen and are tender. (If you prefer your dumplings with a golden top, leave the lid off when returning to the oven.)

To serve, place a spoonful of mashed potato onto each of four serving plates and top with the stew and dumplings. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Category: Seafood

Area: Portuguese

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch Spring Onions
• Dash Olive Oil
• 1 finely sliced Red Chilli
• 1 clove Garlic
• 350g Prawns
• 75g Feta
• 15g Butter
• 250g Plain Flour
• 1 Seperated Egg
• 1/2 tsp White Wine Vinegar

Instructions:

STEP 1

To make the dough, rub the butter into the flour and then add the egg white and half the yolk (keep the rest), vinegar, a pinch of salt and enough cold water to make a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface until smooth and then wrap and rest for 30 minutes.

STEP 2

Heat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas 4. Trim the green ends of the spring onions and then finely slice the rest. Heat a little oil in a pan and fry them gently until soft but not browned. Add the chilli and garlic, stir and then add the prawns and cook until they are opaque. Season well. Scoop out the prawns and bubble the juices until they thicken, then add back the prawns.

STEP 3

Divide the empanada dough into eight balls and roll out to thin circles on a floured surface. Put some filling on one half of the dough, sprinkle the feta on top and fold the other half over. Trim the edge and then fold and crimp the dough together so the empanada is tightly sealed, put it on an oiled baking sheet either on its side or sitting on its un-crimped edge like a cornish pasty. Repeat with the remaining dough and mixture. Mix the leftover egg yolk with a splash of water and brush the top of the empanadas.

STEP 4

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and slightly crisp around the edges.

Category: Dessert

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 142ml Single Cream
• 25g Caster Sugar
• 100g Dark Chocolate
• 25g Butter
• drizzle Butter
• 50g Caster Sugar
• 175g Dark Chocolate
• 2 tbs Double Cream
• 4 Egg Yolks
• 5 Egg White
• 2 tbs Double Cream
• to serve Icing Sugar

Instructions:

Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 and place a baking tray on the top shelf. For the sauce, heat the cream and sugar until boiling. Remove from the heat, stir in the chocolate and butter until melted, then keep warm.
Brush 6 x 150ml ramekins with melted butter, sprinkle with the 2 tbsp caster sugar, then tip out any excess. Melt the chocolate and cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, cool, then mix in the egg yolks. Whisk the egg whites until they hold their shape, then add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking back to the same consistency. Mix a spoonful into the chocolate, then gently fold in the rest.
Working quickly, fill the ramekins, wipe the rims clean and run your thumb around the edges. Turn oven down to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6, place the ramekins onto the baking tray, then bake for 8-10 mins until risen with a slight wobble. Don’t open the oven door too early as this may make them collapse.
Once the soufflés are ready, dust with icing sugar, scoop a small hole from their tops, then pour in some of the hot chocolate sauce. Replace the lids and serve straight away.

Category: Lamb

Area: Dutch

Ingredients:

• 250 Grams Fries
• 500 Grams Doner Meat
• Topping Garlic sauce
• Topping Hotsauce
• 1 Bulb Lettuce
• 1 Tomato
• 3rd Cucumber
• 100 Grams Gouda cheese

Instructions:

Cut the meat into strips. Heat oil in a pan and fry the strips for 6 minutes until it's ready.
Bake the fries until golden brown in a deep fryrer. When ready transfer to a backing dish. Make sure the fries are spread over the whole dish.
Cover the fries with a new layer of meat and spread evenly.
Add a layer of cheese over the meat. You can also use grated cheese. When done put in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.
Chop the lettuce, tomato and cucumber in small pieces and mix together. for a basic salad. As extra you can add olives jalapenos and a red union.
Dived the salad over the dish and Serve with garlicsauce and hot sauce

Category: Chicken

Area: Jamaican

Ingredients:

• 1 whole Chicken
• 1 chopped Tomato
• 2 chopped Onions
• 2 chopped Garlic Clove
• 1 chopped Red Pepper
• 1 chopped Carrots
• 1 Lime
• 2 tsp Thyme
• 1 tsp Allspice
• 2 tbs Soy Sauce
• 2 tsp Cornstarch
• 2 cups Coconut Milk
• 1 tbs Vegetable Oil

Instructions:

Squeeze lime over chicken and rub well. Drain off excess lime juice.
Combine tomato, scallion, onion, garlic, pepper, thyme, pimento and soy sauce in a large bowl with the chicken pieces. Cover and marinate at least one hour.
Heat oil in a dutch pot or large saucepan. Shake off the seasonings as you remove each piece of chicken from the marinade. Reserve the marinade for sauce.
Lightly brown the chicken a few pieces at a time in very hot oil. Place browned chicken pieces on a plate to rest while you brown the remaining pieces.
Drain off excess oil and return the chicken to the pan. Pour the marinade over the chicken and add the carrots. Stir and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Mix flour and coconut milk and add to stew, stirring constantly. Turn heat down to minimum and cook another 20 minutes or until tender.

Category: Beef

Area: Irish

Ingredients:

• 300g soaked overnight in water whole wheat
• 2kg cut into 3cm cubes lamb loin chops
• 120ml olive oil
• 24 Skinned shallots
• 4 large carrots
• 2 turnips
• 1 celeriac
• 350g charlotte potatoes
• 150ml white wine
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 sprigs oregano
• 450ml chicken stock

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Drain and rinse the soaked wheat, put it in a medium pan with lots of water, bring to a boil and simmer for an hour, until cooked. Drain and set aside.

Season the lamb with a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Put one tablespoon of oil in a large, deep sauté pan for which you have a lid; place on a medium-high heat. Add some of the lamb – don't overcrowd the pan – and sear for four minutes on all sides. Transfer to a bowl, and repeat with the remaining lamb, adding oil as needed.

Lower the heat to medium and add a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the shallots and fry for four minutes, until caramelised. Tip these into the lamb bowl, and repeat with the remaining vegetables until they are all nice and brown, adding more oil as you need it.

Once all the vegetables are seared and removed from the pan, add the wine along with the sugar, herbs, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Boil on a high heat for about three minutes.

Tip the lamb, vegetables and whole wheat back into the pot, and add the stock. Cover and boil for five minutes, then transfer to the oven for an hour and a half.

Remove the stew from the oven and check the liquid; if there is a lot, remove the lid and boil for a few minutes.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 225g Medjool dates
• 175ml Boiling water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 eggs
• 85g butter
• 140g demerara sugar
• 2 tbsp black treacle
• 100ml milk
• 1 scoop ice cream
• 175g muscovado sugar
• 50g butter
• 225ml double cream
• 1 tbsp black treacle

Instructions:

Stone and chop the dates quite small, put them in a bowl, then pour the boiling water over. Leave for about 30 mins until cool and well-soaked, then mash a bit with a fork. Stir in the vanilla extract. Butter and flour seven mini pudding tins (each about 200ml/7fl oz) and sit them on a baking sheet. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
While the dates are soaking, make the puddings. Mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda together and beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl for a few mins until slightly creamy (the mixture will be grainy from the sugar). Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the black treacle then, using a large metal spoon, gently fold in one-third of the flour, then half the milk, being careful not to overbeat. Repeat until all the flour and milk is used. Stir the soaked dates into the pudding batter. The mix may look a little curdled at this point and will be like a soft, thick batter. Spoon it evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins, until risen and firm.
Meanwhile, put the sugar and butter for the sauce in a medium saucepan with half the cream. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stir in the black treacle, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins until it is a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the rest of the cream.
Remove the puddings from the oven. Leave in the tins for a few mins, then loosen them well from the sides of the tins with a small palette knife before turning them out. You can serve them now with the sauce drizzled over, but they’ll be even stickier if left for a day or two coated in the sauce. To do this, pour about half the sauce into one or two ovenproof serving dishes. Sit the upturned puddings on the sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce over them. Cover with a loose tent of foil so that the sauce doesn’t smudge (no need to chill).
When ready to serve, heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Warm the puddings through, still covered, for 15-20 mins or until the sauce is bubbling. Serve them on their own, or with cream or custard.

Category: Miscellaneous

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 4 meaty shanks Veal
• ½ cup Flour
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 1 medium chopped into ½-inch pieces Onion
• 1 chopped into ½-inch pieces Carrot
• 1 chopped into ½-inch pieces Celery
• 1 bulb chopped into ½-inch pieces Fennel
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 strips Orange Zest
• 1 ½ teaspoons Marjoram
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 cup Dry White Wine
• ½ cup Chicken Stock
• 1 cup chopped with juice Tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped Parsley
• 1 teaspoon minced Garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated Lemon Zest

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
Dredging the shanks: pour the flour into a shallow dish (a pie plate works nicely). Season the veal shanks on all sides with salt and pepper. One at a time, roll the shanks around in the flour coat, and shake and pat the shank to remove any excuses flour. Discard the remaining flour.
Browning the shanks: put the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a wide Dutch oven or heavy braising pot (6 to 7 quart) and heat over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted and the oil is shimmering, lower the shanks into the pot, flat side down; if the shanks won’t fit without touching one another, do this in batches. Brown the shanks, turning once with tongs, until both flat sides are well caramelized, about 5 minutes per side. If the butter-oil mixture starts to burn, lower the heat just a bit. Transfer the shanks to a large platter or tray and set aside.
The aromatics: pour off and discard the fat from the pot. Wipe out any burnt bits with a damp paper towel, being careful not to remove any delicious little caramelized bits. Ad the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pot and melt it over medium heat. When the butter has stopped foaming, add the onion, carrot, celery, and fennel. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and cook the vegetables until they begin to soften but do not brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, orange zest, marjoram, and bay leaf, and stew for another minute or two.
The braising liquid: add the wine, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, to reduce the wine by about half, 5 minutes. Add the stock and tomatoes, with their juice, and boil again to reduce the liquid to about 1 cup total, about 10 minutes.
The braise: Place the shanks in the pot so that they are sitting with the exposed bone facing up, and pour over any juices that accumulated as they sat. Cover with parchment paper, pressing down so the parchment nearly touches the veal and the edges hang over the sides of the pot by about an inch. Cover tightly with the lid, and slide into the lower part of the oven to braise at a gentle simmer. Check the pot after the first 15 minutes, and if the liquid is simmering too aggressively, lower the oven heat by 10 or 15 degrees. Continue braising, turning the shanks and spooning some pan juices over the top after the first 40 minutes, until the meat is completely tender and pulling away from the bone, about 2 hours.
The gremolata: While the shanks are braising, stir together the garlic, parsley, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool place (or the refrigerator, if your kitchen is very warm.)
The finish: When the veal is fork-tender and falling away from the bone, remove the lid and sprinkle over half of the gremolata. Return the veal to the oven, uncovered, for another 15 minutes to caramelize it some.
Using a slotted spatula or spoon, carefully lift the shanks from the braising liquid, doing your best to keep them intact. The shanks will be very tender and threatening to fall into pieces, and the marrow will be wobbly inside the bones, so this can be a bit tricky. But if they do break apart, don’t worry, the flavor won’t suffer at all. Arrange the shanks on a serving platter or other large plate, without stacking, and cover with foil to keep warm.
Finishing the sauce: Set the braising pot on top of the stove and evaluate the sauce: if there is a visible layer of fat floating on the surface, use a large spoon to skim it off and discard it. Taste the sauce for concentration of flavor. If it tastes a bit weak or flat, bring it to a boil over high heat, and boil to reduce the volume and intensify the flavor for 5 to 10 minutes. Taste again for salt and pepper. If the sauce wants more zip, stir in a teaspoon or two of the remaining gremolata.
Portioning the veal shanks: if the shanks are reasonably sized, serve one per person. If the shanks are gargantuan or you’re dealing with modest appetites, pull apart the larger shanks, separating them at their natural seams, and serve smaller amounts. Be sure to give the marrow bones to whomever prizes them most.
Serving: Arrange the veal shanks on warm dinner plates accompanied by the risotto, if serving. Just before carrying the plates to the table, sprinkle on the remaining gremolata and then spoon over a generous amount of sauce – the contact with the hot liquid will aromatize the gremolata and perk up everyone’s appetite with the whiff of garlic and lemon.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Indian

Ingredients:

• 1 tbls Sunflower Oil
• 225g Paneer
• 2 Ginger
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Coriander
• 1 Green Chilli
• 4 large Tomato
• 150g Peas
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• Small bunch Coriander
• to serve Naan Bread

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat until it’s shimmering hot. Add the paneer, then turn the heat down a little. Fry until it starts to brown at the edges, then turn it over and brown on each side – the paneer will brown faster than you think, so don’t walk away. Remove the paneer from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
Put the ginger, cumin, turmeric, ground coriander and chilli in the pan, and fry everything for 1 min. Add the tomatoes, mashing them with the back of a spoon and simmer everything for 5 mins until the sauce smells fragrant. Add a splash of water if it’s too thick. Season well. Add the peas and simmer for a further 2 mins, then stir in the paneer and sprinkle over the garam masala. Divide between two bowls, top with coriander leaves and serve with naan bread, roti or rice.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Moroccan

Ingredients:

• 6 chopped Carrots
• 1 sliced Onion
• 4 Garlic Clove
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Coriander
• 1 tbs Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice

Instructions:

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180° C.
Step 2
Combine carrots, onion, garlic, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, salt and olive oil in a bowl and mix well. Transfer on a baking tray.
Step 3
Put the baking tray in preheated oven and roast for 10-12 minutes or till carrots soften. Remove from heat and cool.
Step 4
Grind the baked carrot mixture along with some water to make a smooth paste and strain in a bowl.
Step 5
Heat the carrot mixture in a non-stick pan. Add two cups of water and bring to a boil. Add garam masala powder and mix. Add salt and mix well.
Step 6
Remove from heat, add lemon juice and mix well.
Step 7
Serve hot.