Blog

  • Beef Asado

    Beef Asado

    Category: Beef

    Area: Filipino

    Ingredients:

    • 1.5kg Beef
    • 1 Beef Stock Concentrate
    • 8 ounces Tomato Puree
    • 3 cups Water
    • 6 tablespoons Soy Sauce
    • 1 tbs White Wine Vinegar
    • 2 tbs Pepper
    • 4 Bay Leaf
    • 1/2 Lemon
    • 2 tbs Tomato Sauce
    • 3 tbs Butter
    • 1/2 cup Olive Oil
    • 1 chopped Onion
    • 4 cloves Garlic

    Instructions:

    0. Combine beef, crushed peppercorn, soy sauce, vinegar, dried bay leaves, lemon, and tomato sauce. Mix well. Marinate beef for at least 30 minutes.
    1. Put the marinated beef in a cooking pot along with remaining marinade. Add water. Let boil.
    2. Add Knorr Beef Cube. Stir. Cover the pot and cook for 40 minutes in low heat.
    3. Turn the beef over. Add tomato paste. Continue cooking until beef tenderizes. Set aside.
    4. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the potato until it browns. Turn over and continue frying the opposite side. Remove from the pan and place on a clean plate. Do the same with the carrots.
    5. Save 3 tablespoons of cooking oil from the pan where the potato was fried. Saute onion and garlic until onion softens.
    6. Pour-in the sauce from the beef stew. Let boil. Add the beef. Cook for 2 minutes.
    7. Add butter and let it melt. Continue cooking until the sauce reduces to half.

  • Chilli prawn linguine

    Chilli prawn linguine

    Category: Pasta

    Area: Italian

    Ingredients:

    • 280g Linguine Pasta
    • 200g Sugar Snap Peas
    • 2 tblsp Olive Oil
    • 2 cloves chopped Garlic Clove
    • 1 large Red Chilli
    • 24 Skinned King Prawns
    • 12 Cherry Tomatoes
    • Handful Basil Leaves
    • Leaves Lettuce
    • to serve Bread
    • 2 tbsp Fromage Frais
    • Grated Zest of 2 Lime
    • 2 tsp Caster Sugar

    Instructions:

    Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

    Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Add the sugar snap peas for the last minute or so of cooking time.

    Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan, toss in the garlic and chilli and cook over a fairly gentle heat for about 30 seconds without letting the garlic brown. Tip in the prawns and cook over a high heat, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes until they turn pink.

    Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes until they just start to soften. Drain the pasta and sugar snaps well, then toss into the prawn mixture. Tear in the basil leaves, stir, and season with salt and pepper.

    Serve with salad leaves drizzled with the lime dressing, and warm crusty bread.

  • Kafteji

    Kafteji

    Category: Vegetarian

    Area: Tunisian

    Ingredients:

    • 5 Large Potatoes
    • 2 tbs Olive Oil
    • 1 Green Pepper
    • 5 Onions
    • 1 tbs Ras el hanout
    • 500g Pumpkin
    • 24 Skinned Eggs
    • Pinch Salt
    • Pinch Pepper

    Instructions:

    Peel potatoes and cut into 5cm cubes.
    Pour 1-2 cm of olive oil into a large pan and heat up very hot. Fry potatoes until golden brown for 20 minutes, turning from time to time. Place on kitchen paper to drain.
    Cut the peppers in half and remove seeds. Rub a little olive oil on them and place the cut side down on a baking tray. Place them under the grill. Grill until the skin is dark and bubbly. While the peppers are still hot, put them into a plastic sandwich bag and seal it. Take them out after 15 minutes and remove skins.
    In the meantime, heat more olive oil another pan. Peel the onions and cut into thin rings. Fry for 15 minutes until golden brown, turning them often. Add the Ras el hanout at the end.
    Cut the pumpkin into 5cm cubes and fry in the same pan you used for the potatoes for 10-15 minutes until it is soft and slightly browned. Place on kitchen paper.
    Pour the remaining olive oil out of the pan and put all the cooked vegetables into the pan and mix. Whisk eggs and pour them over the vegetables. Put the lid on the pan so that the eggs cook. Put the contents of the pan onto a large chopping board, add salt and pepper and chopped and mix everything with a big knife.

  • Egyptian Fatteh

    Egyptian Fatteh

    Category: Beef

    Area: Egyptian

    Ingredients:

    • 1lb Beef
    • 1 Onion
    • 1 Chicken Stock Cube
    • 2 Tomatoes
    • 4 Garlic Clove
    • 1 tbs Tomato Puree
    • 2 cups Rice
    • 1/4 cup Noodles
    • 1/4 cup Butter
    • 2 cups Olive Oil
    • 1 Pita Bread
    • 1 tbs Cumin
    • 3 tbs White Wine Vinegar
    • To taste Salt
    • To taste Pepper

    Instructions:

    To prepare bread for bottom of dish: Take pita bread and rip into bite size pieces. In a frying pan, add about a 1/4 stick of butter, add bread pieces and fry until golden brown and crisp. Put these pieces in a glass baking dish, preferably a square sized dish. Set aside.
    Then add to same pan, a little more butter, salt, approximately 2 cloves of crushed fresh garlic, and a teaspoon or so of cumin stir around a bit until you can smell aroma, then add fried bread pieces to this mixture, stir to coat bread and put back into glass baking dish. Set aside.
    To prepare meat: put some butter in a pot, stir fry meat until brown, add 1 onion quartered, salt & pepper, 1 cube of chicken bouillon and water to cover meat. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer, cover and cook until tender, approximately 2 hours. After meat has cooled, take out chunks of meat and put in a bowl, set aside. Reserve soup from the meat separately.
    To prepare the rice: Put some butter into a pot, add shareya (fideo noodles) like a handful or so, keep stirring until golden brown, not too dark, but very golden. Then add two cups of rice, stir a little bit until some of the rice turns an opaque white. Add 2-1/4 cups of water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to simmer, cook until tender. Test the rice tenderness after about 35 minutes.
    Now take some of the soup from meat and add to the top of the bread pieces in baking dish to saturate.Add cooked rice on top of bread pieces. Slowly spoon remainder of soup onto rice, looking at glass dish sides to see level of soup, should reach just to top of rice, don’t worry, this doesn’t have to be exact. Now you’re ready to make the sauce and fry the meat to put on top.
    To prepare red sauce: In a pan, add a little oil or butter, crushed tomato, a half teaspoon of tomato paste, salt & pepper, 2 cloves of fresh crushed garlic and cumin. Add also approximately 3 tablespoons of vinegar, stir this until you smell aroma and it is a bit smooth. It should be a bit thick, not watery, but if too thick you can add a bit of water. Spread with a wooden spoon atop the rice to cover.
    To fry meat: In a pan add a bit of butter or oil, the meat, just a touch of tomato paste, about a tablespoon of fresh crushed garlic, salt & pepper, a teaspoon of cumin. Cook until meat is golden fried.
    Spoon this atop the rice and serve. Enjoy!

  • Shakshuka

    Shakshuka

    Category: Vegetarian

    Area: Egyptian

    Ingredients:

    • 1 tbs Olive Oil
    • 2 chopped Red Onions
    • 1 finely chopped Red Chilli
    • 1 clove Garlic
    • Chopped Coriander
    • 800g Cherry Tomatoes
    • 1 tbs Caster Sugar
    • 4 Eggs
    • Spinkling Feta

    Instructions:

    Heat the oil in a frying pan that has a lid, then soften the onions, chilli, garlic and coriander stalks for 5 mins until soft. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar, then bubble for 8-10 mins until thick. Can be frozen for 1 month.

    Using the back of a large spoon, make 4 dips in the sauce, then crack an egg into each one. Put a lid on the pan, then cook over a low heat for 6-8 mins, until the eggs are done to your liking. Scatter with the coriander leaves and serve with crusty bread.

  • Ribollita

    Ribollita

    Category: Vegetarian

    Area: Italian

    Ingredients:

    • 5 tablespoons Olive Oil
    • 1 chopped Onion
    • 1 chopped Carrots
    • 1 stalk chopped Celery
    • 1 tablespoon minced Garlic
    • 2 cups Cannellini Beans
    • 1 Canned tomatoes
    • 4 cups Water
    • 1 fresh sprig Rosemary
    • 1 fresh sprig Thyme
    • 1 pound chopped Kale
    • 4 thick slices Wholegrain Bread
    • 1 thinly sliced Red Onions
    • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

    Instructions:

    Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When it’s hot, add onion, carrot, celery and garlic; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
    Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Drain the beans; if they’re canned, rinse them as well. Add them to the pot along with tomatoes and their juices and stock, rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so the soup bubbles steadily; cover and cook, stirring once or twice to break up the tomatoes, until the flavors meld, 15 to 20 minutes.
    Fish out and discard rosemary and thyme stems, if you like, and stir in kale. Taste and adjust seasoning. Lay bread slices on top of the stew so they cover the top and overlap as little as possible. Scatter red onion slices over the top, drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with Parmesan.
    Put the pot in the oven and bake until the bread, onions and cheese are browned and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. (If your pot fits under the broiler, you can also brown the top there.) Divide the soup and bread among 4 bowls and serve.

  • Fish fofos

    Fish fofos

    Category: Seafood

    Area: Portuguese

    Ingredients:

    • 600g Haddock
    • 300g Potatoes
    • 1 chopped Green Chilli
    • 3 tbs Coriander
    • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
    • 1/2 tsp Pepper
    • 3 cloves Garlic
    • 2 pieces Ginger
    • 2 tbs Flour
    • 3 Eggs
    • 75g Breadcrumbs
    • For frying Vegetable Oil

    Instructions:

    STEP 1

    Put the fish into a lidded pan and pour over enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer and gently poach for 10 minutes over a low heat with the lid on. Drain and flake the fish.

    STEP 2

    Put the fish, potato, green chilli, coriander, cumin, black pepper, garlic and ginger in a large bowl. Season, add the rice flour, mix well and break in 1 egg. Stir the mixture and divide into 15, then form into small logs. Break the remaining eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly. Put the breadcrumbs into another bowl. Dip each fofo in the beaten egg followed by the breadcrumb mixture. Chill for 20 minutes.

    STEP 3

    Heat 1cm of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the fofos in batches for 2 minutes on each side, turning gently to get an even golden brown colour all over. Drain on kitchen paper and repeat with the remaining fofos.

    STEP 4

    For the onion salad, mix together the onion, coriander and lemon juice with a pinch of salt. Serve with the fofos and mango chutney.

  • Beef Bourguignon

    Beef Bourguignon

    Category: Beef

    Area: French

    Ingredients:

    • 3 tsp Goose Fat
    • 600g Beef Shin
    • 100g Bacon
    • 350g Challots
    • 250g Chestnut Mushroom
    • 2 sliced Garlic Clove
    • 1 Bouquet Garni
    • 1 tbs Tomato Puree
    • 750 ml Red Wine
    • 600g Celeriac
    • 2 tbs Olive Oil
    • sprigs of fresh Thyme
    • sprigs of fresh Rosemary
    • 2 Bay Leaf
    • 4 Cardamom

    Instructions:

    Heat a large casserole pan and add 1 tbsp goose fat. Season the beef and fry until golden brown, about 3-5 mins, then turn over and fry the other side until the meat is browned all over, adding more fat if necessary. Do this in 2-3 batches, transferring the meat to a colander set over a bowl when browned.
    In the same pan, fry the bacon, shallots or pearl onions, mushrooms, garlic and bouquet garni until lightly browned. Mix in the tomato purée and cook for a few mins, stirring into the mixture. This enriches the bourguignon and makes a great base for the stew. Then return the beef and any drained juices to the pan and stir through.
    Pour over the wine and about 100ml water so the meat bobs up from the liquid, but isn’t completely covered. Bring to the boil and use a spoon to scrape the caramelised cooking juices from the bottom of the pan – this will give the stew more flavour.
    Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Make a cartouche: tear off a square of foil slightly larger than the casserole, arrange it in the pan so it covers the top of the stew and trim away any excess foil. Then cook for 3 hrs. If the sauce looks watery, remove the beef and veg with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Cook the sauce over a high heat for a few mins until the sauce has thickened a little, then return the beef and vegetables to the pan.
    To make the celeriac mash, peel the celeriac and cut into cubes. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Tip in the celeriac and fry for 5 mins until it turns golden. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir in the rosemary, thyme, bay and cardamom pods, then pour over 200ml water, enough to nearly cover the celeriac. Turn the heat to low, partially cover the pan and leave to simmer for 25-30 mins.
    After 25-30 mins, the celeriac should be soft and most of the water will have evaporated. Drain away any remaining water, then remove the herb sprigs, bay and cardamom pods. Lightly crush with a potato masher, then finish with a glug of olive oil and season to taste. Spoon the beef bourguignon into serving bowls and place a large spoonful of the celeriac mash on top. Garnish with one of the bay leaves, if you like.

  • Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

    Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

    Category: Dessert

    Area: American

    Ingredients:

    • 200g Dark Chocolate
    • 100g Milk Chocolate
    • 250g Salted Butter
    • 400g Light Brown Soft Sugar
    • 4 large Eggs
    • 140g Plain Flour
    • 50g Cocoa
    • 200g Raspberries

    Instructions:

    Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 20 x 30cm baking tray tin with baking parchment. Put the chocolate, butter and sugar in a pan and gently melt, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat.
    Stir the eggs, one by one, into the melted chocolate mixture. Sieve over the flour and cocoa, and stir in. Stir in half the raspberries, scrape into the tray, then scatter over the remaining raspberries. Bake on the middle shelf for 30 mins or, if you prefer a firmer texture, for 5 mins more. Cool before slicing into squares. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

  • Cajun spiced fish tacos

    Cajun spiced fish tacos

    Category: Seafood

    Area: Mexican

    Ingredients:

    • 2 tbsp cajun
    • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
    • 4 fillets white fish
    • 1 tsp vegetable oil
    • 8 flour tortilla
    • 1 sliced avocado
    • 2 shredded little gem lettuce
    • 4 shredded Spring Onions
    • 1 x 300ml salsa
    • 1 pot sour cream
    • 1 lemon
    • 1 clove finely chopped garlic

    Instructions:

    Cooking in a cajun spice and cayenne pepper marinade makes this fish super succulent and flavoursome. Top with a zesty dressing and serve in a tortilla for a quick, fuss-free main that's delightfully summery.

    On a large plate, mix the cajun spice and cayenne pepper with a little seasoning and use to coat the fish all over.

    Heat a little oil in a frying pan, add in the fish and cook over a medium heat until golden. Reduce the heat and continue frying until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Cook in batches if you don’t have enough room in the pan.

    Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients with a little seasoning.
    Soften the tortillas by heating in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Pile high with the avocado, lettuce and spring onion, add a spoonful of salsa, top with large flakes of fish and drizzle over the dressing.