Blog

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 50g Butter
• 250g Self-raising Flour
• 1 small Vanilla
• 50g Suet
• 150ml Milk
• 100g Raspberry Jam
• to serve Custard

Instructions:

Put a deep roasting tin onto the bottom shelf of the oven, and make sure that there’s another shelf directly above it. Pull the roasting tin out on its shelf, fill two-thirds with boiling water from the kettle, then carefully slide it back in. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tear off a large sheet of foil and greaseproof paper (about 30 x 40cm). Sit the greaseproof on top of the foil and butter it.
Tip butter, flour and vanilla seeds into a food processor; pulse until the butter has disappeared. Tip into a mixing bowl. Stir through the suet, pour in the milk and work together with a cutlery knife until you get a sticky dough. You may need a drop more milk, depending on your flour.
Tip the dough out onto a floured surface, quickly pat together to smooth, then roll out to a square roughly 25 x 25cm. Spread the jam all over, leaving a gap along one edge, then roll up from the opposite edge. Pinch the jam-free edge into the dough where it meets, and pinch the ends roughly, too. Carefully lift onto the greased paper, join-side down (you might find a flat baking sheet helpful for this), loosely bring up the paper and foil around it, then scrunch together along the edges and ends to seal. The roly-poly will puff quite a bit during cooking so don’t wrap it tightly. Lift the parcel directly onto the rack above the tin and cook for 1 hr.
Let the pudding sit for 5 mins before unwrapping, then carefully open the foil and paper, and thickly slice to serve.

Category: Beef

Area: Thai

Ingredients:

• 85g Peanuts
• 400ml can Coconut cream
• 4 tbsp Massaman curry paste
• 600g stewing cut into strips Beef
• 450g waxy Potatoes
• 1 cut thin wedges Onion
• 4 leaves Lime
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp Tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp palm or soft light Brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
• 1 red deseeded and finely sliced, to serve chilli
• to serve Jasmine Rice

Instructions:

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, then roast the peanuts on a baking tray for 5 mins until golden brown. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop. Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Heat 2 tbsp coconut cream in a large casserole dish with a lid. Add the curry paste and fry for 1 min, then stir in the beef and fry until well coated and sealed. Stir in the rest of the coconut with half a can of water, the potatoes, onion, lime leaves, cinnamon, tamarind, sugar, fish sauce and most of the peanuts. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 2 hrs in the oven until the beef is tender.
Sprinkle with sliced chilli and the remaining peanuts, then serve straight from the dish with jasmine rice.

Category: Starter

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 1½ kg Clams
• 50g Butter
• 150g Bacon
• 1 finely chopped Onion
• sprigs of fresh Thyme
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 tbls Plain Flour
• 150ml Milk
• 150ml Double Cream
• 2 medium Potatoes
• Chopped Parsley

Instructions:

Rinse the clams in several changes of cold water and drain well. Tip the clams into a large pan with 500ml of water. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 mins until the clams have just opened. Tip the contents of the pan into a colander over a bowl to catch the clam stock. When cool enough to handle, remove the clams from their shells – reserving a handful of empty shells for presentation if you want. Strain the clam stock into a jug, leaving any grit in the bottom of the bowl. You should have around 800ml stock.
Heat the butter in the same pan and sizzle the bacon for 3-4 mins until it starts to brown. Stir in the onion, thyme and bay and cook everything gently for 10 mins until the onion is soft and golden. Scatter over the flour and stir in to make a sandy paste, cook for 2 mins more, then gradually stir in the clam stock then the milk and the cream.
Throw in the potatoes, bring everything to a simmer and leave to bubble away gently for 10 mins or until the potatoes are cooked. Use a fork to crush a few of the potato chunks against the side of the pan to help thicken – you still want lots of defined chunks though. Stir through the clam meat and the few clam shells, if you've gone down that route, and simmer for a minute to reheat. Season with plenty of black pepper and a little salt, if needed, then stir through the parsley just before ladling into bowls or hollowed-out crusty rolls.

Category: Pork

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 8 sausages
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 100g plain flour
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 tbsp grated horseradish
• 225ml milk
• 200g cherry tomatoes

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. fry sausages in a non-stick pan until browned.
Drizzle vegetable oil in a 30cm x 25cm x 6cm deep roasting tray and heat in the oven for 5 minutes.
Put the plain flour in a bowl, crack in the medium free-range eggs, then stir in the grated horseradish. Gradually beat in the semi-skimmed milk. Season.
Put the sausages into the hot roasting tray and pour over the batter. Top with cherry tomatoes on the vine and cook for 30 minutes until puffed and golden.

Category: Lamb

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 500g Lamb Shoulder
• 1 tbls Flour
• Dash Vegetable Oil
• 1 sliced Onion
• 2 sliced Carrots
• 350ml/12fl Vegetable Stock
• 500g Potatoes
• 450g Shortcrust Pastry
• To Glaze Eggs

Instructions:

Dust the meat with flour to lightly coat.
Heat enough vegetable oil in a large saucepan to fill the base, and fry the onion and meat until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the carrots, stock and more seasoning to taste.
Bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for at least an hour or until the meat is tender. Take your time cooking the meat, the longer you leave it to cook, the better the flavour will be.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Add the drained potato cubes to the lamb.
Turn the mixture into a pie dish or casserole and cover with the shortcrust pastry. Make three slits in the top of the pastry to release any steam while cooking.
Brush with beaten egg and bake for about 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
Serve.

Category: Seafood

Area: Jamaican

Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds Red Snapper
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 clove peeled crushed Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Ginger
• 2 sprigs Thyme
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 0.5 Red Pepper
• 0.5 Yellow Pepper
• 1 sliced Onion
• 1 chopped Carrots
• 1 tbs Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Allspice
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Scotch Bonnet
• 1 Lime
• 3/4 cup Malt Vinegar
• pinch Pepper

Instructions:

Rinse fish; rub with lemon or lime, seasoned with salt and pepper or use your favorite seasoning. I used creole seasoning. Set aside or place in the oven to keep it warm until sauce is ready.

In large skillet heat oil over medium heat, until hot, add the fish, cook each side- for about 5-7 minutes until cooked through and crispy on both sides. Remove fish and set aside. Drain oil and leave about 2-3 tablespoons of oil
Add, bay leave, garlic and ginger, stir-fry for about a minute making sure the garlic does not burn
Then add onion, bell peppers, thyme, scotch bonnet, sugar, all spice-continue stirring for about 2-3 minutes. Add vinegar, mix an adjust salt and pepper according to preference. Let it simmer for about 2 more minutes.

Discard bay leave, thyme spring and serve over fish with a side of this bammy. You may make the sauce about 2 days in advance.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 25g/1oz butter
• 8 thin slices bread
• 50g/2oz sultanas
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 350ml/12fl milk
• 50ml/2fl oz double cream
• 2 free-range eggs
• 25g/1oz sugar
• grated, to taste nutmeg

Instructions:

Grease a 1 litre/2 pint pie dish with butter.
Cut the crusts off the bread. Spread each slice with on one side with butter, then cut into triangles.
Arrange a layer of bread, buttered-side up, in the bottom of the dish, then add a layer of sultanas. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon, then repeat the layers of bread and sultanas, sprinkling with cinnamon, until you have used up all of the bread. Finish with a layer of bread, then set aside.
Gently warm the milk and cream in a pan over a low heat to scalding point. Don't let it boil.
Crack the eggs into a bowl, add three quarters of the sugar and lightly whisk until pale.
Add the warm milk and cream mixture and stir well, then strain the custard into a bowl.
Pour the custard over the prepared bread layers and sprinkle with nutmeg and the remaining sugar and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
Place the dish into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the custard has set and the top is golden-brown.

Category: Dessert

Area: Polish

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Flour
• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup Milk
• 3/4 cup Water
• Pinch Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 3 tbs Butter

Instructions:

Add flour, eggs, milk, water, and salt in a large bowl then mix with a hand mixer until you have a smooth, lump-free batter.
At this point, mix in the butter or the vegetable oil. Alternatively, you can use them to grease the pan before frying each pancake.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, then pour in the batter, swirling the pan to help it spread.
When the pancake starts pulling away a bit from the sides, and the top is no longer wet, flip it and cook shortly on the other side as well.
Transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining batter until all used up.
Serve warm, with the filling of your choice.

Category: Breakfast

Area: Indian

Ingredients:

• 2 Bread
• 2 Egg
• 0.5 Salt

Instructions:

Make and enjoy

Category: Beef

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 8 slices Beef
• 12 florets Broccoli
• 1 Packet Potatoes
• 1 Packet Carrots
• 140g plain flour
• 4 Eggs
• 200ml milk
• drizzle (for cooking) sunflower oil

Instructions:

Cook the Broccoli and Carrots in a pan of boiling water until tender.

Roast the Beef and Potatoes in the oven for 45mins, the potatoes may need to be checked regularly to not overcook.

To make the Yorkshire puddings:
Heat oven to 230C/fan 210C/gas 8. Drizzle a little sunflower oil evenly into 2 x 4-hole Yorkshire pudding tins or a 12-hole non-stick muffin tin and place in the oven to heat through
To make the batter, tip 140g plain flour into a bowl and beat in four eggs until smooth. Gradually add 200ml milk and carry on beating until the mix is completely lump-free. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the batter into a jug, then remove the hot tins from the oven. Carefully and evenly pour the batter into the holes. Place the tins back in the oven and leave undisturbed for 20-25 mins until the puddings have puffed up and browned. Serve immediately.

Plate up and add the Gravy as desired.