Bloody Mac

Bloody Mac

• 1 x portion starter sauce (see The Don Macaroni)
• 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp Tabasco sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 400g macaroni
• 230g mature cheddar, grated
• 90g Monteray Jack, grated
• 30g Parmesan, grated
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 sticks celery, cut in half and slice lengthways, to serve

Method:
First make the topping.  Pop the tomatoes into a small bowl along with the Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil and mix gently so all the tomatoes are lightly coated.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

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

In a heavy bottomed pan, make the starter sauce, then reduce the heat to low.

Add all the cheese and stir until melted.

Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly.

Divide the Mac n cheese into 4 serving bowls.  Spoon the tomatoes evenly over each one along with a little of the dressing from the bowl.  Stand a couple of celery pieces in the Mac and season with freshly ground pepper and a dash more Tabasco, to taste.

Recipe courtesy of Anna Mae's Mac N Cheese

For those who know me, I am a huge lover of Mac N Cheese, receiving a copy of Anna Mae's cook book for Christmas tipped me over the edge.  I am in Mac N Cheese heaven, I seriously recommend this cook book if you are a fellow lover of the cheesy goodness!  The sauce in the dressing really sets this off, every mouthful had a kick to it, pure bliss!  Excuse me whilst I calm myself down!!!

Orzo Pasta, with Oregano, Feta, Tomato sauce and Chorizo

Orzo Pasta with Oregano, Feta, Tomato and Chorizo

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ tbsp tomato puree
• 4 fresh oregano sprigs
• Small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
• 150g black olives, pitted
• 300g orzo
• 150g feta
• 150g chorizo, sliced
• Lemon wedges to serve

Method:
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the chorizo and after a few minutes once the oils have started to release and the onion and garlic and continue to fry for around 10 minutes until soft.

Add the tomato paste and herbs and for 1 minute, stirring.

Add the plum tomatoes and olives and cook for a further 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened, crush the tomatoes in the pan with a wooden spoon until broken up.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the orzo for around 8 minutes until nearly cooked.  Rinse the orzo under warm water and drain well.  Add the orzo to the tomato sauce, season lightly and stir through.  Crumble over the feta and serve with extra herbs and lemon wedges.

This was a surprisingly light dish, I think next time I might pep it up a bit with some chillies, as you will know by now, I do like a bit of a kick to my dishes!  This serves 4 generously, however it would be a great recipe to double up on when you have people round for a bbq as would go great with a variety of meats and also roasted vegetables.  

Recipe adapted from Delicious Magazine

Pork belly with chorizo, shallot and bean stew

Pork Belly with Chorizo, Shallot and Bean Stew

FOR THE PORK

• 2 onions, thickly sliced
• 2kg free-range British pork belly, scored
• 500ml chicken stock
• 500ml dry white wine
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• A few fresh thyme sprigs 

FOR THE STEW      

• 5 shallots, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 120g cooking chorizo, cubed
• 4 large carrots, finely sliced on the diagonal
• 250ml dry white wine
• 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 250g spinach
• Small bunch fresh parsely, roughly chopped

Method:

Heat the oven to 140 degrees/120 degrees fan.  Line a large roasting tin with a double layer of foil. Lay the sliced onions in the middle of the tin along with the garlic to create a trivet.

 Sit the pork on top, skin-side up.  Generously rub all over with salt, getting it between the score marks. Pour the stock and wine into the tin around the pork, then add the thyme sprigs and a grind of black pepper.

Cook in the oven for 4 1/2-5 hours, uncovered, until the meat is fall apart tender.  Remove the pork from the oven, then turn up the heat to 240 degrees/220 degrees fan.  Drain and reserve the juices from the roasting tin, but spoon off almost all the fat from the surface (reserve 1 tbsp and cool and chill the rest for up to 3 days – it makes great roasties).  Return the pork to the oven for 25-30 minutes until the skin is crisp and crackled.

Meanwhile, heat the reserved 1 tbsp fat in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat.  Add the shallots and soften for 5 minutes over a low heat.  Add the garlic and tomato puree and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the chorizo and carrots.  Fry for a further 5 minutes over a medium-high heat, then add the wine (reserving a splash to finish) and bubble for a further 2 minutes.  Add 350ml of the reserved pork juices and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the carrots are nearly tender.

When the pork is ready, remove it from the oven and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes, uncovered.

For the last 5 minutes of the resting time, stir the beans and spinach into the stew and gently simmer.  You may need to add the spinach in batches.

Slice the pork into thick pieces.  Stir the parsley and the remaining splash of wine into the stew, then serve straight away.

Whilst there is a lot of cooking involved in this recipe it is worth it to ensure the meat is fall-apart-tender and it will also be packed with flavour.

This recipe went down a treat in our household and is definitely on the do again list!  This recipe feeds 4-6 people, I therefore reduced the ingredients down somewhat as there were only two of us!  This dish is ideal any time of year, for a stew it's not actually really heavy and is certainly perfect for a dinner party.

Recipe courtesy of Delicious Magazine          

  

Roast Beef Salad With Mustard & Horseradish Dressing

Roast Beef Salad with Mustard & Horseradish Dressing

This isn't a full blown recipe, more of a suggestion as to what to do with leftovers when you have a roast dinner.  We love nothing more than a nice bit of roast beef on a Sunday, to be fair, we don't usually have leftovers as we both love roasts and also we are both pretty greedy!  However on this occasion, having cooked a piece of beef that feeds 6 people and there were only the two of us, we found ourselves with plenty of leftovers!  Rather than snacking on the leftover beef, I decided to put it into a salad the following day, which I have to say was pretty tasty.  The only recipe to this dish is the dressing that I used.

For the dressing:

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp mustard of your choice
• 1/2 tbsp horseradish
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper

It's as simple as this, whisk together the ingredients with a pinch of salt and pepper until you create an emulsion, that is it!

For my salad I plated up some mixed leaves, radishes, green pepper, cucumber and tomato which I then topped with a warmed Yorkshire pudding, over which I then drizzled the dressing.

Such a simple dish but boy was it good!  I must make a point next time we have a roast to make sure there are leftovers as I will definitely be making this again!

Smashed avocado & goats cheese toasts

Smashed avocado and goats cheese toasts

This is such a great recipe for breakfast, brunch or lunch, ideal now summer is fast approaching
 and you can enjoy those alfresco meals!  This dish is really fresh and zingy and will be a hit with
everyone. I have never been a fan of goats cheese in the past but I am now!
This recipe makes enough for four portions.

• 1 ripe avocado 
• 100g soft goats cheese
• 2 tbsp creme fraiche
• 1/2 finely chopped red chilli
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
• 1 tbsp finely chopped mint
• Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt & pepper
• 4 soft boiled eggs
• 4 slices of sourdough bread

Method:

Bring a pan of water to a rolling boil and carefully add your eggs, cook for 6 minutes and then
tip the water from the pan and run the eggs under cold water, this will stop the eggs from
continuing to cook and should leave you with a nice runny yolk.  

Once cooled, carefully peel the eggs and set aside (remember as they are soft boiled to take more

care when peeling, you don't want to end up with runny yolk over your hands!!)

Mix together the goats cheese, creme fraiche and chives and set to one side. 

 Remove the seeds from the chilli and finely chop half, you can wrap the unused half in cling film

and freeze so it can be used at a later date.  Add the chopped mint and lemon zest to the chilli

and mix well.  

Top tip:  When chopping the mint, place each leaf on top of each other then roll into a small cigar
shape and then finely slice, it makes the job a lot easier!

Cut the avocado in half and remove the stove, peel and then cut into rough chunks and place into
 a bowl.  Add the lemon juice, season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and
then mash together the mixture, still retaining some of the lumpy texture, you don't want
it too smooth.

Top tip: After cutting the avocado in half, take a sharp knife and hit the top of the stone with it
 (watch your hands!!!) twist the knife and the stone will pop right out.

Toast your bread, spread some of the goats cheese mixture onto each slice and then top with the
avocado.  Place the egg on top of each portion and sprinkle over the chilli mix.  If you have any
remaining goats cheese you can dollop this on top of the egg, then serve and enjoy.

Launch of the London Paella School in Battersea

Earlier this week I was lucky enough to be invited along to the pre-launch of the London Paella School which is based in Battersea, the promise of a cookery demonstration, tapa, paella and wine was too good an offer to refuse.

The school aims to bring Spain’s rich culinary culture and social tradition to London through weekly cooking lessons, a monthly Sunday lunch club and corporate team building sessions at the London Cooking Project, Battersea.  A group of leading chefs from Valencia and Colombia have come together to provide students with a basic knowledge of paella and give them the tools they need to advance their skills in order to create more elaborate recipes in an environment of fellowship and teamwork.  The school has chosen the London Cooking Project as its venue for all activities.

Having arrived at the school we were warmly welcomed by Emma who works for the London Cooking Project who gave us a rundown of what the school and project are all about.  We couldn't help but be distracted however by Marlon and Javi (executive chefs) who were busy beavering away over two very large paella pans that were on the go, one vegetarian and the other paella, prepared the traditional Valencia way with rabbit and chicken.  The smells coming from the pans were enough to get our tastebuds going!

We were soon chatting with Xavi (founder) and Lana (general manager) over a glass of wine; the passion they have for the school and paella was evident, I have never met two people so enthusiastic!
Plates of tapa circulated the room including empanadas, croquetas and Spanish tortillas, all cooked to perfection and oh so delicious! It was as if we were being teased with the promise of the paella to come, which when it did, boy was it worth the wait!

Marlon, Javi, Lana and Xavi 

Chef Javi checks the paella, waiting for the critical moment
 to add the rice.

Adding the rice in a cross shape is the perfect quantity for this pan.
 Getting the rice-to-liquid ratio is critical to
make the perfect paella - not too dry and not too loose.

The finished dish! 

 Meat and vegetarian versions of the paella

Being a greedy so and so I tried both paella's, the vegetarian version included asparagus, artichokes and peppers and it was seriously packed with flavour, who needs meat!  The Valencian paella was made with rabbit and chicken, a completely different flavour to the vegetarian paella but again, the flavours were intense, I have never tasted paella like this, if this is traditional Spanish cuisine, then I am a convert.
And don't get me started on the socarrat (that's the crispy bits from the base of the paella), wow, the concentrated flavour in a crispy bite was to die for.

Whilst watching Marlon and Javi cooking the paella earlier I noticed them putting their ear to the pan, on speaking to Marlon he explained that by listening to the paella they can hear when it is cooked, it starts to make a different noise, who knew!

We had a great evening, met some truly wonderful and passionate people, and of course got to eat some pretty amazing food.  Sign me up now for a cooking class, I think I am hooked!

The classes will start from 16th May at a very reasonable cost and the Sunday lunch club will take place monthly from today, full details can be found on their website - London Paella School

Me and the chefs!

I grabbed a few minutes with the team and asked them a few questions.

• What are the essential ingredients for a good paella?

It depends what kind of paella you're planning to cook, but the Valenciana version originally has chicken, rabbit, snails, runner beans, butter beans and rosemary and of course time and care from the Chef cooking.

• For those new to cooking paella should they invest in a proper paella pan or is a frying pan suitable to cook it in?

Well that's a good question, I always recommend you get a proper paella pan, they are not expensive and they last all your life as with any cooking pan if you take care of it.  Try buying a small one to learn and then get a bigger one to cook for your friends and family.  Chefs tip - if you buy a paella pan and it states for 6 people on the label, divide it by 2 and you will have an idea to get the perfect paella at home.  Example if you want to get one to cook for 5 portions, buy a pan for 10 people, the same quantity of ingredients are used but the bigger pan will make for a completely different end result.

• Paella is a very traditional dish with recipes varying from region to region, given this, is it frowned upon in paella circles to add twists to traditional recipes?

As we say in Spain, the best paella is the one made by mum.  Original paella has its origins in Valencia, but every region in Spain then developed their own recipes.  Even in Valencia you can find 6 different varieties of Paella Valenciana, changing or adding a few ingredients, depending on what vegetables can be sourced from the specific region.  Check the differences at wiki paella.org

• Are there any ingredients that are a complete no no to put into paella?

Definitely chorizo, we NEVER add this to paella.  Try to cook them as a starter while you are cooking paella for your friends but don't add them to the paella!

• Whilst this is a new venture, how would you like to see the London Paella School develop over time?

We would like to see the different divisions of the company well developed and in the future we may expand to other cities around the world.

• Will we see the London Paella School at food markets and pop ups in the future?

We will occasionally be at markets however we want to focus on large scale events using a arroceria where you cook the more traditional and primitive forms of paella over a wood fire.

• If you could cook paella for anyone in the world both past and present, who would you cook for and why and which recipe would you make?

A creamy lobster for Cleopatra!  I would also like to cook for Mr Kahn, the new Mayor of London so we could talk about how this city can give people the opportunities to start up new businesses.

Marks Mexican Ham and Eggs

Marks Mexican Ham and Eggs

• 2 eggs
• 4 slices good quality ham
• Kancun Spicy Guacamole (see my earlier post for the guacamole recipe)
• 2 slices toasted bread
• Few dashes of Kankun habanero sauce

Method:

Bring a pan of water to the boil, gently place your eggs into the pan and boil for 6 minutes, once done run the eggs under cold water, this stops the eggs from continuing to cook and should leave you with a nice runny yolk.  Toast your bread, top with the ham, guacamole and peeled eggs along with a few dashes of the habanero sauce and enjoy!

This is such a simple dish for breakfast or brunch, just right to set you up for the day.

Tuna Fishcakes

Tuna Fishcakes

• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 jar line caught tuna
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Handful of chopped parsley
• Tablespoon chopped capers
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Method:

Peel and chop the potatoes in half and boil in a saucepan of salted water for around 10-15 minutes until soft.  Drain the potatoes and mash them in the pan with the back of a fork then set aside to cool.  Once the mash has cooled season with salt and pepper, add the lemon zest, parsley, capers and the drained tuna.  Mix together thoroughly breaking up the tuna as you mix, add the flour and beaten egg and combine together.  Divide the mixture into four portions and shape each one in your hand to form the Fishcakes and then place on a lightly flour dusted plate and refrigerate for at least and hour.

Put a good glug of olive oil into a frying pan over a medium heat, cook the fish cakes for around 3-4 minutes each side until you have a nice crispy crust, then plate up and enjoy.

This is a nice light dinner, perfect for when the days are getting warmer.  I served this with salad and dressed the fish cakes with a sundried tomato mayonnaise.

Warm butter bean salad with Chorizo

Warm butter bean salad with Chorizo

• 4 banana shallots, finely sliced
• 4 celery sticks, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 200g cooking chorizo (sliced into 2cm rounds)
• 30ml medium-dry sherry (or red wine)
• 2 X 400g cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
• Handful of fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 200g mixed salad leaves
• 60g manchego cheese

Method:

In a medium pan fry the shallots and celery in the olive oil over a medium heat until softened and translucent (about 8-10 minutes), then add the garlic and fry for another minute, remove from the pan and set aside.  Fry the chorizo for 7-8 minutes then pour in the sherry or wine and cook for 4-5 minutes until the chorizo is coated in a sticky glaze.  Return the shallots, garlic and celery to the pan with the butter beans to warm through, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parsley.  Arrange the warm mixture on a bed of mixed salad leaves and top with shavings of man hero.

This was such a simple dish to make, perfect for lunch or a light dinner.  Being a fan of heat, I would probably add some chilli to this the next time I make it, just to give it a bit of pep. Recipe courtesy of Delicious magazine.

The Spicy Juan

The Spicy Juan

• 400g Macaroni
• 1 portion starter sauce (see The Don Macaroni for recipe)
• 230g Mature cheddar, grated
• 90g Monteray Jack, grated
• 30g Parmesan, grated
• 4 tsp chipotle paste
• 1 jar red jalapeño chillies
• A handful of chopped fresh coriander
• 4 tbsp soured cream, to serve

Method:

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, until al dente.  Tip into a colander and leave to drain.  Meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed pan make the starter sauce then reduce the heat to low.  Add all the cheese and stir until melted.  Add the drained pasta and chipotle paste and stir through.  Spoon the Mac into 4 bowls and top with as many jalapeños as you like, a sprinkle of coriander and a few dollops of soured cream.

This recipe is from Anna Mae's Mac N Cheese

This was a tasty dish, comfort food at it's best and was a big hit in our household.  I tweaked the original recipe and mixed through most of the jalapeños into the pasta.  I also had some pork & jalapeño sausages, I removed the meat from the casing and fried off, breaking the sausage meat up until cooked through, I then stirred this through the pasta.