Tomato Nests

A Very easy, very cheesy starter.

Serves 4


Ingredients:

• 4 large beef tomatoes
• 4 eggs
• 75ml of single cream
• 75g grated cheese
• salt and pepper
• pinch of paprika

Method:

1. This is the tricky part; using a knife cut a circle in the roof of the tomato (like you would a pumpkin if making a face for Halloween). Then, using a spoon, carefully remove all the insides of each tomato. Try not to split the edges of the tommie.

2. Tricky bit over, leave the tommies upside down on top of kitchen paper to drain for about 5 minutes. Once drained, sprinkle some salt and pepper inside the tomato then evenly rub it into the insides.

3. Break an egg into each tomato and pure in the single cream. You'll know when you've put enough cream in each tommie when it almost reaches the top of the tomato. 

4. Now placed a handful of grated cheese on top of each tomato and sprinkle on some paprika. Place in the middle of the oven on a medium heat. A little tip, if you have one, use a Yorkshire pudding tray, this ensure the tomatoes do not topple over. Bake them lovelies for approx 20 minutes, or until the cheese has browned a little.

Now serve :) 

Goats Cheese, Baby Spinach and Chutney Pizza

It tastes so gooooood..

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 175g plain white flour
• 1/2 cup of warm water
• 1 tsp dried yeast
• 1 tsp sugar

For the topping:

• 8 black pitted olives, halved
• A handful of baby spinach leaves
• 100g goat cheese, thinly sliced
• 6 tbsp red onion chutney
• 2 tbsp tomoato puree

Method:

1. Mix the yeast, sugar and water together. Leave to sit in a warm place for about 7 minutes (until the yeast and sugar has dissolved). 

2. Add flour and mix to make a firm dough (adding extra flour if necessary). Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and now you have your pizza base.

3. Spread the tomato purée on first evenly. Then place the baby spinach leaves on (I always try to make a nice pattern)

4. Bang the goats cheese on the pizza dollop lots of small spoonfuls of the chutney on too. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at a fairly high heat, then enjoy!

Who needs a pizza take away now ey?

Rainbow Stir Fry

Packed with vegetables and a cheating sauce!.. so easy to make.

Serves 2.


Ingredients:

• 120g Blue Dragon Chow Mein Stir Fry Sauce, Tesco. (Or any chow mein sauce)
• 200g Closed Cup Mushrooms, halved
• 100g Baby Corn, cut in half lengthways
• 75g sugar snaps, left whole
• 1 red peppper, cut into strips
• 1 red onion, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 300g egg noodles
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed.

Method:


1. Follow the instructions on the packet of noodles. Meanwhile heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan then add the onions. Cook on a high heat for 1 minute.


2. Add the mushrooms, baby corn, sugar snaps, red pepper and the garlic to the onions and fry on a high heart for 3 minutes.


3. Add the chow mein sauce and the noodles and fry for a further 2 minutes. Serve.


ABC easy as one, two, three :]

Pesto Pork and Apple

This recipe was stolen from my boyfriend.. hope it's worth it :)

Serves 2


Ingredients: 

• 2 pork chops
• 2 tbsp Green Pesto
• 2 Mushrooms (any kind) stalks removed
• 30g Mild Cheddar Cheese grated
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Apple cut into slices
• Salt and Pepper

Method:

1. Get your pork chops and place in a baking tray ready for grilling them. Get a pinch of salt and rub it into the meat on both sides. Sprinkle on the pepper and drizzle on a dash of oil then bosh them under the grill for approx 6-7 minutes on a medium/high heat. Turn the bad boys over and grill for a further 6-7 minutes.

2. Take the chops out the grill and place 1 tbsp of pesto evenly on each piece of pork. Add the mushrooms on top and place back under the grill for approx 4-5 minutes. 

3. Once again remove from the grill to add the cheese evenly on the pork. Placed the apple on top of the cheese and grill for another 4-5 minutes.

4. It's ready for serving! I like to serve with salad and boiled potatoes.

Boiled 'Tats

To make my boiled potatoes cut the 'taters into quarters with the skins on. Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes then drain. Keeping the 'tats in the pan, add a large knob of butter and shake 'em about to make them nice and fluffy. Add a pinch of rosemary to the boiled babies and you're all set!

Bosh!

Very Cheesy Tagliatelle

Picture coming soon!!

Serves 4.


Ingredients:

• 75g Parma Ham, cut into thin strips
• 100g Baby Corn, diced
• 1/2 Sweet Pepper, diced
• 100g Baby Button Mushrooms, halved.
• 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
• 75ml Double Cream
• 50g Red Leicester Cheese, grated
• 1 small red onion, diced
• Knob of Butter
• 475g Tagliatelle Pasta
• Salt and Pepper to season
• Sprinkle of Parmesan shavings

Method: 

1. Place the Tagliatelle in a bowl of boiling water with 2 pinches of salt. Leave to cook on a medium to low heat.

2. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a pan and fry the onions. After roughly 2-3 minutes, or until the onions have started to brown, add the mushrooms, garlic, sweet pepper and Parma ham. Stir occasional to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan and leave for 3 minutes.

3. This should start to smell pretty good, so whack up the heat and add the double cream and salt and pepper. Once the cream starts to boil slowly add the grated cheese bit by bit. Make sure you stir the mixture at the same time as adding the cheese to avoid a sticky mess!

4. Once you've added all the cheese to the pan, lower the heat and cook for a further minute stirring the whole time.

5. Drain the Tagliatelle. Now you have two options. You can either add the mixture to the Tagliatelle and mix well then serve onto plates, OR you can serve them separately on the plate. The choice is yours!

6. Finally sprinkle on the Parmesan and enjoy!

Ta Da!

Hearty Beef Strogonof

Serves 2.


Ingredients:

• 500g diced beef
• 1 onion chopped finely
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 100ml of soured cream
• 150ml of single cream
• 75g baby button mushrooms
• 2 tbsp Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp Tomato Purée
• pinch of salt and pepper
• pinch of Oregano
• pinch of Paprika 
• 25ml of cider (optional)

Method:

1. Fry off the diced beef in a wok (until the meat turns brown) then leave to one side in a bowl with the juices. Using a knob of butter, fry off the onions for roughly 3 minutes then fry the mushrooms until they are slightly golden in colour.

2. Add the meat and juices to the wok along with the garlic, salt and pepper then on a medium heat leave for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the soured and single cream to the wok and stir in the tomato purée, paprika, nutmeg, oregano, Dijon mustard and cider (if using it) and leave it for a further 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

4. Plate it up!

Every time I make this the measurements seem to change so it really is a rough estimate. If the Strogonof is too runny you can thicken it up with sauce flour or, if it is two thick, you can add more single cream or a bit of water to thin it out.

Serve with rice or mashed potato.

Photo coming soon!

Cheeky Little Chestnuts

A little Autumn tip...

This little delight is free. Yes, FREE!


So, chestnutting season has arrived. So all you crazy nutters (see what I did there?) anyway.. all you crazy nutters out there go into your local woods and get chestnutting.


To find chestnuts you go to a chestnut tree.. what's that?.. you don't know what a chestnut tree looks like?

This is what one looks like! :)

What was I saying? Oh yes! ... You go over to this tree and look for these on the ground...

Beware of the spikes!

And with the heel of your shoe you stomp on them (not too hard) but hard enough to break the shell and collect the little nuts. 


Take them home, stab each one lightly with a fork to make a tiny hole in the centre of the nut (but not all the way through) then boil them for around 10 - 12 minutes.


There ready to eat! To eat them you simply peel away the shell and bobs your uncle.


I like to serve with honey so you can dip the little nutters in to give it added sweetness.


Happy Chestnutting my fellow nutters :)