The Don Macaroni

The Don Macaroni

I am one of the biggest lovers of MacNCheese and to say I was chuffed to bits to receive  "Anna Maes Mac N Cheese" cookbook for Christmas is an understatement.  Anna Mae has a food van and they sell Mac N Cheese, that is it, but oh my god, the variations on such a simple recipe is amazing.  I am going to work my way through the recipes and thought I would start with their most popular dish, The Don Macaroni.  I will detail the starter sauce within this post and will refer back to this when posting further recipes.  Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the cook book, visit Amazon, the book is amazing, not only a cook book but funny as well, enjoy.

Starter Sauce

• 600ml whole milk, at room temperature
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g plain flour
• A pinch of salt

Place two heavy bottomed pans over a medium heat.  Heat the milk in one pan until hot, but not boiling.  At the same time melt the butter in the second pan, then reduce the heat to low and gradually stir in the flour using a wooden spoon until you have a paste - this is a roux.  Continue to cook, stirring continuously, for 3-4 minutes, or until the roux turns golden in colour, being careful not to over brown and burn the mixture.

Add the hot milk to the roux a little at a time, stirring vigorously.  Once the mixture is fully combined, turn up the heat to medium and cook for a further 5-8 minutes, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon.  Make sure you stir continuously to keep the sauce smooth and so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Season with salt.

Now for the ingredients for The Don Macaroni

• 400g macaroni
• 1 portion starter sauce
• 230g mature cheddar, grated
• 90g Monteray Jack, grated
• 30g Parmesan, grated
• 8 rashers of dry-cured streaky bacon
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the pesto

• 75ml good quality olive oil
• 25g grated Parmesan
• 25g pine nuts
• 1 garlic clove
• 10 fresh basil leaves, plus extra to garnish
• A squeeze of lemon

Method:-

First make the pesto.  Pop the ingredients into a small bowl and blitz with a hand blender or bash in a pestle and mortar until lovely and smooth.  Set aside.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, until al denote.  Tip into a colander and leave to drain completely.

In a heavy bottomed pan make the starter sauce, then reduce the heat to low.  Stir in all the cheese and leave to melt, stirring occasionally to stop the mixture sticking to the pan.  Add the drained pasta to to the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly.

Meanwhile fry the bacon until crisp, pouring any fat that collects in the pan into the cheese sauce, mixing well.

Spoon the Mac n cheese into 4 serving bowls, drizzle the pesto over the top and place two of the bacon rashers across each dish.  Garnish with the basil and season with freshly ground pepper.

This was a truly amazing comfort food dinner, I can't wait to get stuck into more of the recipes.

Recipe courtesy of Anna Maes Mac N Cheese cookbook, well worth a buy if you are a lover!

Mexican Meatball Tortilla

Mexican Meatball Tortilla

For the tomato sauce

• 35ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 2 X 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• Pinch of sugar

For the meatballs

• 1 red onion, grated
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 red chilli finely chopped, remove the seeds for less heat
• Splash of olive oil
• 500g beef mince

• 4 tortillas
• Tbsp chopped jalapeños
• Grated mozzarella cheese
• Kankun chipotle sauce
• Kankun habanero sauce
• Thinly sliced pepper
• Thinly sliced red onion
• Sour cream
• Pea shoots

Method:-

To make the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a large frying pan then add the onion and garlic and fry over a gentle heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often until softened but not coloured.  Add the chopped tomatoes with the sugar, season well and turn the heat up so the sauce is bubbling gently, cook for 40 minutes, stirring often.

Meanwhile make the meatballs.  Put all the ingredients apart from the oil in a bowl.  Season and mix with your hands then roll into 24 walnut sized balls.  Heat the oven to 220 degrees or 200 for fan assisted.  Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat.  When hot add the meatballs, frying on all sides for 5-6 minutes until golden.  Drop them into the sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Place your tortillas onto baking trays, spread a tbsp of Kankun chipotle sauce over each base then sprinkle a handful of the grated mozzarella over the top of each tortilla.  Divide the meatballs and sauce over each tortilla and add a further handful of mozzarella over the top.  Add the peppers, red onion and jalapeño and place into the oven for around 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.  Remove from the oven, dollop some sour cream over each tortilla along with a few shakes of the Kankun habanero sauce and garnish with the pea shoots.  This is a really tasty dinner and quick and easy to make.

Tostadas Deluxe

Tostadas Deluxe

• 2 tbsp light olive oil or vegetable oil
• 400g tin pinto or black beans drained
• 1 medium clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 small red onion finely chopped
• 2 ripe tomatoes finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped jalapeño
• 1 avocado, halved, stoned, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander 
• 1 tbsp lime juice (approx half a lime)
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 ready made corn/flour tortillas
• 100g feta cheese, crumbled
• Pinch of sea salt 

Method:-

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan, add the beans and partially mash them with a fork, then add the garlic, ground cumin and jalapeño, fry for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the red onion, tomato, avocado, coriander and a pinch of sea salt.  Add the lime juice and extra virgin olive oil and toss the ingredients together.

Heat the tortillas in the microwave for a minute.

To assemble the tostadas, spread the bean mixture over the base of each tortilla, then spoon the salad mix over the top and finish with a crumbling of the feta cheese.  For an extra kick I also added Kankun habanero sauce over the top.  This is an ideal meat free Monday dinner with plenty of flavour.  

Recipe courtesy of Mary McCartney "At My Table"

Turkey Melt

Turkey Melt

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas and a happy new year, fingers crossed those hangovers are all gone.  Anyone got any leftover turkey, here is a quick and easy recipe to use it up.

• 1 French baguette 
• Turkey slices
• Salad leaves
• Blue Brie (or cheese of choice)
• Mustard & mayo (or cranberry if you still have any knocking around)
• Sliced tomato
• Fries

Method:-

Cook the fries according to instructions, I gave these French fries a good dusting with piri piri seasoning.  Cut your baguette into an appropriate size to accommodate your turkey slices and cut down the middle. 

On the bottom half lay your turkey slices and top with slices of the cheese.  

When the fries are nearly done place the baguettes onto a baking tray and place into the oven until the cheese melts.  Plate up the fries, remove the baguettes from the oven and top with salad of your choice.  

On the top part of the baguette smother with a mix of mayo and mustard (or cranberry) place on the tomatoes and place this onto the bottom portion on the baguette and enjoy.  

A quick and easy supper idea to use up that turkey!

Mexican Open Omelette

Mexican Open Omelette

• 2 tsps olive oil
• Handful of chopped jalapeño peppers
• 1/2 diced red onion
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 eggs, whisked
• Handful of chopped coriander 
• Handful of crumbled feta & cheddar cheese

Method:-
Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan.  Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes then add the garlic and tomatoes and sauté for a further 3 minutes.  Once done transfer to a plate and leave to one side.  

Preheat your grill to high.  Return the pan to the stove, add the whisked eggs and cook for around 5 minutes.  Cover the omelette with the cheddar cheese and place the pan under the grill until the cheese has melted and the omelette has puffed up slightly (remember to make sure the handle of the frying pan is outside the oven).  Transfer the omelette to a plate, scatter over the tomato and onion mixture along with the jalapeños, feta and coriander.

This was a late breakfast which was quick and easy to make and oh so tasty.  I drizzled some Kankun habanero and jalapeño sauce over the top for an extra zing.  An ideal recipe for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Avocado would be great with this as well, unfortunately the "perfectly ripe avocados " I had ordered were far from ripe!  Oh well, there is always next time.

Griddled Chicken with quinoa Greek salad

Griddled Chicken with quinoa Greek salad

• 225g quinoa
• 25g butter
• 1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 400g chicken mini fillets
• 1 ½ tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 300g vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
• Handful pitted black Kalamata olives
• 1 red onion finely sliced
• 100g feta cheese, crumbled
• Small bunch of mint leaves, chopped
• Juice and zest ½ lemon

 Method:-

Cook the quinoa following the pack instructions, then rinse in cold water and drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile mix the butter, chilli and garlic into a paste.  Toss the chicken fillets in 2 tsp of the olive oil with some seasoning.  Lay in a hot griddle pan and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked through.  Transfer to a plate, dot with the spicy butter and set aside to melt. 

Next tip the tomatoes, olives, onion, feta and mint into a bowl.  Toss in the cooked quinoa. Stir through the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and zest, season well.  Serve with the chicken fillets on top, drizzled with any buttery chicken juices. 

This is a nice light zesty dinner with scope for chopping and changing the ingredients to suit your own taste.  As an addition I added some rocket to the dish, you could also add roughly chopped cucumber.  The recipe is courtesy of BBC goodfood    

Mexican tuna nicoise

Mexican tuna nicoise

Well, originally we were due to have tuna salad this evening however it was pretty chilly out and I got to thinking what can I do to pep this up, and this is what I came up with and boy was it tasty....

• 1 red pepper thinly sliced
• 2 flour tortillas
• 2 tbsp of kankun chipotle sauce
• 1/4 block of feta cheese (cubed)
• 4 tbsp sweetcorn
• 1 jar of line caught tuna
• Couple of handfuls of pea shoots
• Handful of sliced black olives
• 2 soft boiled eggs
• Drizzle of rapeseed vinaigrette

Method:-

Spread the kankun sauce over the flour tortillas, place on a baking tray and place in the oven at 200 degrees for around 10 minutes.  Once done remove and leave to one side to cool slightly.  Bring to the boil a small pan of water and boil the eggs for 5 and a half minutes, then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.  

Scatter the pea shoots over the tortillas along with the sweetcorn and sliced peppers.  Break up the tuna and place on top of the tortilla and crumble the feta on the top and scatter the black olives over it.  Carefully peel the soft boiled egg and place on top of each tortilla.  Drizzle with the rapeseed dressing (or dressing of choice) cut into the egg so the yolk oozes out and enjoy.

I really hope you enjoy this as much as we did, was something different and spur of the moment and it worked.

Pork chops with prosciutto, apple and stilton

Pork chops with prosciutto, apple and stilton

• 12 slices prosciutto
• 4 pork chops
• 1 small red apple cored and sliced
• 75g Stilton cheese, crumbled
• 4 large rosemary sprigs, to skewer

Method:- 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Lay out 3 slices of the prosciutto so they overlap, repeat with the rest of the prosciutto so you have 4 piles.

Put a frying pan over a high heat.  Season the chops with salt and pepper then sear in the hot pan on both sides.  Place a seared chop on top of each pile of prosciutto.  Divide the sliced apple and Stilton between the prosciutto piles, on top of the pork.  Wrap the prosciutto around each of the parcels to hold it all in place and secure with a rosemary sprig.  Place the parcels in a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the pork is cooked through.  Serve with mashed potato and greens and cooking juices from the parcels.

This was a perfect dish for an Autumnal evening, homely and comforting.  Recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver.   

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Chilli Con Carne Stack

Chilli Con Carne Stack

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 red pepper finely chopped
• 2 medium vine tomatoes, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 tsp hot chilli powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 500g beef mince
• 100ml red wine
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 3 tsp tomato paste
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 240ml beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 medium cinnamon stick
• 400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 400g tin sweetcorn
• 30g dark chocolate (85% cocoa solids)

Method:-

Heat the oil in a medium pan over a low heat.  Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until translucent.  Add the garlic, pepper and vine tomatoes and cook, stirring for 6-8 minutes until the tomatoes have softened.  Make a space in the centre of the mixture then add the chilli powder, paprika and cumin.  Mix well and cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile season and cook the mince in a separate pan over a high heat until browned.  Drain the fat from the mince and add the mince to the tomato mixture along with the wine.  Stir over a high heat until the wine evaporates.  Stir in the oregano and thyme, then the tomato paste.  Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 minute.  Add the tinned tomatoes and stock.  Cook for 5 minutes, stir occasionally.  Add the bay and cinnamon, then cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the lid and stir in the beans and sweetcorn, then cook uncovered for 10 minutes.  Taste and season the chilli then stir in the chocolate until it has melted.  Remove the pan from the heat and discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick.

Whilst you can serve the chilli with rice, for this recipe I shallow fried several small flour tortillas and built a chilli stack, adding cheese, sour cream and jalapeño slices along with homemade guacamole.  This chilli has a great flavour however I do prefer a bit more heat, I therefore added a diced red chilli and a good helping of Kankun habanero sauce to give it a bit more bite. Credit to Chef Ernesto Puga Cardoso for the recipe.

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Ricotta and Parmesan fritters with mushrooms, black pudding and pancetta

Ricotta and Parmesan fritters

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 fresh red chilli
• 400g mixed wild mushrooms
• Olive oil
• 1 small knob of unsalted butter
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 400g ricotta
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1 lemon
• 40g grated Parmesan
• 4 slices black pudding
• 6 slices of pancetta
• 1/2 bunch of chopped flat leaf parsley

Method:-
Peel and finely slice the garlic, finely slice the chilli, then roughly chop the mushrooms.  Add the olive oil (few glugs), butter and garlic to a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.  Fry for 1 minute, add the mushrooms and chilli, then pick the thyme leaves and add to the pan.  Season with salt and pepper, add 100ml of boiling water, then cook for around 10 minutes or until,softened.

To make the fritters, place the ricotta into a large bowl and beat until smooth.  Add the flour, egg and a few gratings of lemon zest.  Finely grate the Parmesan and add to the bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.

Heat a good splash of olive oil in a medium pan over a medium heat, then add heaped tablespoons of the mixture, making sure you space them out.  Cook for around 10 minutes or until,golden and cooked through, turning halfway then transfer to a plate.

Whilst the fritters are cooking, place the black pudding into a small frying pan with a dash of olive oil and gently fry, turning occasionally.  Place the pancetta onto some foil on a tray and cook under a medium grill for 6-8 minutes, turning once, until crisp.

Bring to the boil a small saucepan of water and boil 2 eggs for 5 1/2 minutes, once done rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Roughly chop the parsley and add to the mushrooms, add a squeeze of lemon juice and toss well.  Divide between the plates, top with the black pudding, fritters, pancetta and the soft boiled egg.  Enjoy, this is such a tasty dish, packed full of flavour, great for a Friday night dinner at the end of a hard week.