Hello

Welcome to Yet Another Cooking Blog.

As you may have guessed, this is a blog about cooking - in particular my cooking. It has been mentioned to me several times that I seem a little obsessed with food, so I have decided to blog about my menus, my successes, my failures and anything else that springs to mind

Sunday 30 December 2012

Week 1 dinner menu

Happy new year everyone!

Monday - Carpet picnic
Tuesday - Roast lamb with all the trimmings
Wednesday - Spaghetti amatriciana and salad
Thursday - Lamb pittas with salad and chilli sauce
Friday - Cheese omelette and salad
Saturday - Chicken fried rice, stir fried vegetables, tempura prawns with sweet chilli sauce
Sunday - Home made hamburgers and chips

Tuesday 25 December 2012

Week 53 dinner menu

Monday - Raclette
Tuesday - Roast capon and all the trimmings, christmas pudding with brandy cream, chocolate and cherry yule log
Wednesday - Ham in coke, mash potato and pickles
Thursday - Chicken madras with brown rice
Friday - Home made pizza
Saturday - Ham, egg and chips
Sunday - Smoky beef cheek chilli con carne with brown rice

Saturday 15 December 2012

Week 52 dinner menu

Monday - Slow cooker chicken, roasted root vegetables and salad
Tuesday - Lasagne and garlic bread
Wednesday - Japanese chicken curry, rice and pickled vegetables
Thursday - Honey and mustard pork chop, new potatoes and vegetables
Friday - Steak and chips
Saturday - Yaki soba and gyoza
Sunday - Sausage casserole with pearl barley and roast potatoes

Carpet picnic

Friday night was carpet picnic night with my husband and 2 year old daughter.  This meant we get to relax on the carpet, eat picky food and have a bit of fun.  After laying out the table cloth this is what I had come up with.  This weeks carpet picnic included -

Balsamic onion and creme fraiche tart (made with shop bought puff pastry)
Sausage rolls (sausage meat made with pork mince, sage, garlic salt, paprika and a little extra salt) wrapped in shop bought puff pastry
Home made bread
Egg salad
Sliced cheese (my daughter would have a meltdown if there wasn't cheese for her)
Pork pie
Salad
Mustard, ketchup and Franks hot sauce (for me to dip the celery in)


Wednesday 12 December 2012

Smoky beef cheek chilli con carne

Serves 2 plus leftovers for jacket potatoes

Ingredients

1 beef cheek
Plain flour for coating
Salt and pepper
Tasteless oil such as sunflower or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500ml beef stock (or 500ml water with stock cube/stock pot)
2 tbsp tomato ketchup (I use a low sugar version)
1 tsp coriander
1tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1tsp hot chilli powder (adjust to heat preferences)
1tsp chipotle paste or 1 chipotle chilli rehydrated and chopped
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp celery salt (or chop 2 stalks of celery finely and add with the onions)
1 tin baked beans (I use low salt low sugar beans)

Instructions

1.  Preheat the oven to 150 deg C/Gas mark 2
2.  In a lidded casserole dish pour a little oil to coat the bottom of the dish and put on the hob until hot
3.  Season the flour with salt and pepper and coat the beef cheek
4.  Seal the beef cheek in the hot pan, colouring well.  Take out and put onto a plate
5.  Add a little more oil if required, then add the onion (and celery if using) and soften.
6.  Add the garlic and continue frying until lightly browned
7.  To the dish add the stock, ketchup and all of the herbs and spices, mix well and then add the beef cheek
8.  Put in the oven and cook for approximately 3 hours, turning occasionally if the meat is poking out of the sauce
9.  After 3 hours add the beans and put back into the oven for 15 minutes
10.  After this time the meat shouhld be shreddable in the pot using 2 forks.  If it isn't put back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so
11.  Before serving reduce the sauce on the hob if necessary (should be thick and glossy)

Serve with rice, sour cream and tortilla chips


Sunday 9 December 2012

Week 51 dinner menu

Monday - Roast lemon chicken with roasted new potatoes and salad
Tuesday - Chilli con carne and brown rice
Wednesday - Toad in the hole, vegetables and onion gravy
Thursday - Chicken and vegetable madras with roti
Friday - Carpet picnic (selection of foods eaten on the carpet)
Saturday - Sticky BBQ pork ribs, loaded jacket potato and salad
Sunday - Ginger beer ham, mash potato and pickles

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Cauliflower and fresh green peppercorn hot and sour curry

Ingredients

2 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
1-2 tsp tamarind concentrate (to taste)
300 ml water
Salt (to taste)
Oil for frying
1 cauliflower cut into florets
6 sprigs fresh green peppercorns

Instructions

1.  Preheat the oven to 200 deg C/gas mark 6/180 deg C fan oven
2.  In an oven proof dish lay out the cauliflower florets, dress lightly with oil then sprinkle with garam masala and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes until they are cooked through
3.  In a large frying pan heat some oil and put in the mustard seeds
4.  When the seeds start popping add the curry leaves and onions.  Cook until well browned and softened
5.  Add the garlic and cook through for another 2 minutes until softened
6.  Add the tomatoes, turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, coriander and salad and simmer for 5 minutes (if dry add about a cup of water).  Turn off until the next stage
7.  5 minutes before the cauliflower is ready, add the tamarind concentrate and half of the water.  If it looks a little thick add a little more water until you get a gravy consistency.  Add the peppercorns on their vines and simmer for 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasoning as required.  It should taste sour but not overly so

To serve - arrange the cauliflower, dress with the hot and sour sauce, and servie with rice or roti

Sunday 2 December 2012

Week 50 dinner menu

Monday - Onion soup, quiche lorraine, croquettes and salad
Tuesday - Chicken bermondsey curry and brown rice
Wednesday - Smoked sausage, sauerkraut and fried potatoes
Thursday - Pork bami goreng, crispy onions, fried egg with satay sauce
Friday - Home made pizza
Saturday - Chinese steamboat
Sunday - Spaghetti amatriciana, garlic bread and salad