Cooking Steak

I often find people are a bit nervous when it comes to cooking steak perfectly so I'm adding this to the blog as a reference to use when cooking.

If you like to eat your steak rare, I suggest taking it out of the fridge about a half hour before cooking so the center of the meat will not taste too cold.

For the cooking I suggest that get your frying pan really hot so the meat will sear and keep all the flavour inside.

(Getting the pan really hot is essential for cooking all meats really because if you add your cold meat to a cold pan and heat it up gradually the meat is going to stew and look gray when done).

This is a mistake alot of inexperienced/ amateur cooks will make, resulting in a steak that is not that nice to eat.

I personally don't season meat until it is cooked and resting, as salt will draw out all the flavour your trying to keep in by searing the meat .

You can use butter, sunflower oil or vegetable oil for frying the steak or a mixture.

So add your chosen fat to the pan when hot enough if the fat is sizzling and the pan is smoking slightly  your ready to add the steak.

Rare	2 minutes then turn the steak and cook for 1½ minutes
Medium	3 minutes then turn the steak and cook for 2½ minutes
Well done	4 minutes then turn the steak and cook for 3½ minutes  ( season wiht fresh black pepper and salt, leave steak to rest for a couple of minutes covered in foil before serving this will let the meat relax abd stop all the juices from escaping).

Lamb burger

This burger is so good served with  yogurt and pittas with lettuce and grated carrot. After you have made this once you can play around with different flavours by adding a pinch of cumin and fresh corainder or mint to give it a moroccan taste, even change the lamb to beef.


   Lamb Burger Ingredients:
   loz butter
   ½ onion
   1lb/450g minced lamb
   ½ teaspoon thyme
   ½ teaspoon parsley chopped
   1 egg beaten
   Salt and pepper
   Method:
  1) Fry onion in butter, cool, and then add the other ingredients.  
  2) Shape the size you require.
  3) Fry in a shallow pan in sunflower oil.
  4) Cook to liking.
  5) Serve in a Pitta.

Healthy pitta pizzas

This recipe is great because it's a quick dinner and once you have the pittas and tomato base you half way there.
After that you can use up any bit of cheese, peppers, onions, ham, chicken thats in your fridge

 

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 1 pack of pitta breads any size will do and cut in half.
• 100g of any grated cheese
• 1/3 of a chorizo sausage sliced
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1-2 tbsn sweetcorn
• 6-8 tbsn of seasoned passata. (sieved tomatoes can be bought in any super market in jars )
• Dried oregano.

 

Method :

 

Preheat the oven to 200oC
Place the halves of pittas on a baking tray.
Smear the passatta on each one then layer the cheese, veg and chorizo and sprinkle with oregano
Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Serve with chips and salad.

Sweetcorn salsa

Makes a big bowl

Ingredients:

•   2 small tins of corn,drained
•   1 fresh chilli deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
•   2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes ½ a red pepper finely chopped
•   2 spring onions finely chopped or 1 red onion finally diced
•   ½ clove of garlic minced or grated
•   1 tablespoon of soy sauce
•   Juice of 1 lime
•   4 tablespoons of olive oil or sunflower oil
•   A handful of chopped fresh coriander

 

   Method:

1.    Put your corn on to a very hot dry pan and lightly char them.       
2.    ( If you dont have time just add all ingredients together it will still taste really good )
3.     Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl and add corn.
4.     This salsa is great with chicken, fish or served with bbq food.

 

 

Spicy Hummus

Hummus is a puree/paste from the Middle East made mostly from chickpeas and tahini paste. Tahini paste is a bit like peanut butter however it’s made form sesame seeds not peanuts. If you cannot get a hold of tahini a peanut butter is good replacement. Hummus is yummy in sandwiches or served with crudités (raw vegetable sticks) or with crackers and biscuits even in a tortilla wrap with couscous and rocket for a healthy lunch. This recipe is for a spicy one you can leave out the chilli if you don’t like heat maybe replace it with a roasted red pepper skinned, peeled and chopped up.

 

  Makes a smallish bowl
  Ingredients:

•   400g of tin of chickpeas
•   1-2 dried chillies or a pinch of dried chilli flakes
•   1 teaspoon of tahini
•   3 tablespoon of olive oil
•   1 garlic clove ½ the juice of a lemon

  Method: 

1.   Place all the ingredients in a food processor and whizz .
2.   Stop when the mix looks like a paste if it looks a little thick add a drop a cold of water.
3.   Check for seasoning and your done this will keep for about 2 days in the fridge.

Speedy lemon pudding

I know alot of people detest microwave food but this recipe can even turn the most discerning food snob around,(well we can try ). For a dessert it seems a bit strange however if you have forgot to buy or make a dessert and have a few of these ingredients knocking about its a perfect life saver and tastes so good with vanilla ice cream and cream.

Ingredients: 100grm/4oz golden caster sugar 100grm/4oz softened butter 100grm/4oz self raising flour 2 large eggs Zest of one lemon To serve: 4 tsp of lemon curd Ice cream Method: 1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl 2. Then place in a microwave pudding basin 3. Heat in microwave for 3 minutes 4. Turn half way through the cooking time 5. When risen leave to cool for 1 minute 6. Heat lemon curd in the microwave for 30 seconds 7. Pour over pudding serve with ice cream

Indian Spiced Chicken Goujons Recipe

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 4 medium chicken breasts sliced into goujons
• 3-4 teaspoons of mixed spices such as ground coriander, ground cumin, chili powder and paprika
• 10 tablespoons flour
• 2 eggs beaten
• 150ml milk
• 250 breadcrumbs homemade or shop bought will be fine

Method:

1. Add the spices into a shallow bowl with the flour and mix
2. Mix your beaten eggs with the milk in another bowl
3. Place breadcrumbs in a third bowl
4. Then place your bowls left to right flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs
5. To start the bread crumbing process dip the chicken places into the flour then the egg and finally breadcrumbs
6. Repeat the process until all your chicken is crumbed
7. Have your deep fat fryer to 180oC
8. To check the oil through in a piece of bread if it turns brown you’re ready to cook your chicken
9. Fry off the chicken in small batches so you don’t over load the fryer because they will stick
10. When they are golden brown they should be fully cooked, however if you are unsure take one out and cut it through the middle.