Blog

Category: Vegetarian

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 small cut into chunks Carrots
• 2 small stalks Celery
• 1 medium finely diced Onion
• 6 medium cloves sliced Garlic
• 12 ounces (340g) Brown Lentils
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 4 cups Water
• Pinch Salt
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) Apple Cider Vinegar
• Pinch Pepper
• 2 large Egg Plants
• 4 sprigs Rosemary
• 1/4 cup Pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons Parsley

Instructions:

For the Lentils: Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 450°F to prepare for roasting eggplant. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add lentils, bay leaves, stock or water, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover with the lid partially ajar, and cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. (Top up with water if lentils are at any point not fully submerged.) Remove lid, stir in vinegar, and reduce until lentils are moist but not soupy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover, and keep warm until ready to serve.

2.
For the Eggplant: While lentils cook, cut each eggplant in half. Score flesh with the tip of a paring knife in a cross-hatch pattern at 1-inch intervals. Transfer to a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, cut side up, and brush each eggplant half with 1 tablespoon oil, letting each brushstroke be fully absorbed before brushing with more. Season with salt and pepper. Place a rosemary sprig on top of each one. Transfer to oven and roast until completely tender and well charred, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and discard rosemary.

3.
To Serve: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and pine nuts in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Cook, tossing nuts frequently, until golden brown and aromatic, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to halt cooking. Stir half of parsley and rosemary into lentils and transfer to a serving platter. Arrange eggplant halves on top. Spread a few tablespoons of tahini sauce over each eggplant half and sprinkle with pine nuts. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and rosemary, drizzle with additional olive oil, and serve.

Category: Dessert

Area: Canadian

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 1/4 cup Milk
• 1 1/2 cup Maple Syrup
• 1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 cup Single Cream
• 1/3 cup Butter

Instructions:

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar till the mix is light.
Add eggs and vanilla and mix.
In another bowl, mix flour and baking powder.
Alternate flour mix and milk to the butter mix.
Pour into a 13 inch by 9 inch greased pan.
MAPLE SAUCE.
In a large casserole, bring to boil the syrup, brown sugar, cream and butter and constantly stir.
Reduce heat and and gently cook 2 minutes or till sauce has reduced a little bit.
Pour sauce gently over cake.
Bake at 325°f (160°c) about 35 minutes or till cake is light brown and when toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Category: Chicken

Area: Canadian

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs Butter
• 2 chopped Onions
• 4 qt Chicken Stock
• 1.5kg Chicken Breast
• 4kg Potatoes
• 2 tbs Salt
• 1tbsp Black Pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 10x14x2-inch baking pan.
Heat margarine in a skillet over medium heat; stir in onion. Cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook and stir until onion is very tender and dark brown, about 40 minutes more.
Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large pot; stir in chicken breasts, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is no longer pink at the center, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove chicken breasts to a plate using a slotted spoon; reserve broth.
Juice potatoes with an electric juicer; place dry potato flesh into a bowl and discard juice. Stir salt and pepper into potatoes; stir in enough reserved broth to make the mixture the consistency of oatmeal. Set remaining broth aside.
Spread half of potato mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Lay cooked chicken breast evenly over potatoes; scatter caramelized onion evenly over chicken. Spread remaining potato mixture over onions and chicken to cover.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 1 hour. Reheat chicken broth; pour over individual servings as desired.

Category: Beef

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 300g Puff Pastry
• Beaten Egg White
• Beaten Egg Yolks
• 2 tbs Vegetable Oil
• 70 ml Beef
• 200g Lamb Kidney
• 2 chopped Onions
• 30g Plain Flour
• 85 ml Beef Stock
• pinch Salt
• pinch Pepper
• Dash Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan, and brown the beef all over. (You may need to do this in batches.) Set aside, then brown the kidneys on both sides in the same pan. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Return the beef to the pan, sprinkle flour over and coat the meat and onions
Add the stock to the pan, stir well and bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down and simmer for 1½ hours without a lid. If the liquid evaporates too much, add more stock.
Remove from the heat. Add salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce and allow to cool completely. Place the cooked meat mixture into a pie dish.
Roll out the pastry to 5mm/¼in thick and 5cm/2in larger than the dish you are using.
Using a rolling pin, lift the pastry and place it over the top of the pie dish. Trim and crimp the edges with your fingers and thumb.
Brush the surface with the beaten egg mixture and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden-brown and puffed.
Serve with creamy mash and steamed vegetables to soak up the gravy.

Category: Chicken

Area: Indian

Ingredients:

• 2 Juice lemons
• 4 tsp paprika
• 2 finely chopped red onions
• 16 skinnless chicken thighs
• For brushing vegetable oil
• 300ml Greek yogurt
• large piece ginger
• 4 garlic clove
• ¾ tsp garam masala
• ¾ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric

Instructions:

Mix the lemon juice with the paprika and red onions in a large shallow dish. Slash each chicken thigh three times, then turn them in the juice and set aside for 10 mins.
Mix all of the marinade ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Give everything a good mix, then cover and chill for at least 1 hr. This can be done up to a day in advance.
Heat the grill. Lift the chicken pieces onto a rack over a baking tray. Brush over a little oil and grill for 8 mins on each side or until lightly charred and completely cooked through.

Category: Chicken

Area: Mexican

Ingredients:

• 4 – 6 Chicken Breasts
• 1 bottle Vinaigrette Dressing
• 1½ tablespoon Cumin
• 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Garlic
• 1 can Refried Beans
• 12 Hard Taco Shells
• 2 cups Shredded Mexican Cheese
• Halved Grape Tomatoes
• Sliced and Seeded Jalapeno
• Peeled and Sliced Avocado
• 2 tablespoons Green Salsa
• 3 tablespoons Sour Cream
• 1 tablespoon Milk

Instructions:

Put the uncooked chicken breasts in the crock pot. Pour the full bottle of salad dressing over the chicken. Sprinkle the rest of the ingredients over the top and mix them in a bit with a spoon.
Cover your crock pot with the lid and cook on high for 4 hours.
Remove all the chicken breasts from the crock pot and let cool.
Shred the chicken breasts and move to a glass bowl.
Pour most of the liquid over the shredded chicken.
FOR THE TACOS:
Make the guacamole sauce by mixing the avocado and green salsa together. Pour the guacamole mixture through a strainer until smooth and transfer to a squeeze bottle. Cut the tip off the lid of the squeeze bottle to make the opening more wide if needed.
Make the sour cream sauce by mixing the sour cream and milk together until you get a more liquid sour cream sauce. Transfer to a squeeze bottle.
In a 9x 13 glass baking dish, fill all 12+ tacos with a layer of refried beans, cooked chicken and shredded cheese.
Bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes just until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Out of the oven top all the tacos with the sliced grape tomaotes, jalapeno and cilantro.
Finish with a drizzle of guacamole and sour cream.
Enjoy!

Category: Breakfast

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 oz Cream Cheese
• 1 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Flour
• 2 Puff Pastry
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blackberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC), and prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until fully combined. Lightly flour the surface and roll out puff pastry on top to flatten. Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 9 equal squares. On the top right and bottom left of the pastry, cut an L shape approximately ½ inch (1 cm) from the edge.
NOTE: This L shape should reach all the way down and across the square, however both L shapes should not meet at the ends. Your pastry should look like a picture frame with two corners still intact.
Take the upper right corner and fold down towards the inner bottom corner. You will now have a diamond shape.
Place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese filling in the middle, then place berries on top.
Repeat with the remaining pastry squares and place them onto the parchment covered baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and puffed.
Enjoy!

Category: Seafood

Area: Polish

Ingredients:

• 8 Herring
• 1 sliced Onion
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Allspice
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 Bay Leaf

Instructions:

Soak herring in cold water for at least 1 hour. If very salty, repeat, changing the water each time.

Drain thoroughly and slice herring into bite-size pieces.

Place in a jar large enough to accommodate the pieces and cover with oil, allspice, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Close the jar.

Refrigerate for 2 to 3 days before eating. This will keep refrigerated up to 2 weeks.

Serve with finely chopped onion or onion slices, lemon, and parsley or dill.

Category: Lamb

Area: Greek

Ingredients:

• 25g Bulgur Wheat
• 500g Lamb Mince
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Coriander
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 clove finely chopped Garlic
• For frying Olive Oil
• 4 Bun
• Grated Cucumber
• 200g Greek Yogurt
• 2 tbs Mint

Instructions:

Tip the bulghar into a pan, cover with water and boil for 10 mins. Drain really well in a sieve, pressing out any excess water.

To make the tzatziki, squeeze and discard the juice from the cucumber, then mix into the yogurt with the chopped mint and a little salt.

Work the bulghar into the lamb with the spices, garlic (if using) and seasoning, then shape into 4 burgers. Brush with a little oil and fry or barbecue for about 5 mins each side until cooked all the way through. Serve in the buns (toasted if you like) with the tzatziki, tomatoes, onion and a few mint leaves.

Category: Beef

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs Vegetable Oil
• 500g Minced Beef
• 1 chopped Onion
• 1 tbls Tomato Puree
• 1 ½ tbsp Plain Flour
• 75g Mushrooms
• 250ml Beef Stock
• Dash Worcestershire Sauce
• 400g Shortcrust Pastry
• 1 Egg Yolks

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the beef mince for 4-5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it browns.
Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for a further minute, then add the chopped mushrooms, the stout or beef stock and a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside and leave to cool, then turn the meat mixture into a one litre pie dish.
Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface until it is slightly larger than the pie dish. Gently drape the pastry over the dish, pressing firmly onto the edges. Trim, then shape the edges into a fluted shape.
Cut some leaf shapes out of the pastry trimmings and decorate the top of the pie, sticking them to the pastry with the beaten egg yolk.
Make three or four slits in the pastry to allow the steam to escape, then brush the pie with the rest of the beaten egg yolk and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown.
To serve, slice into wedges.