Keith Floyd has to be one of my favourite television chefs of all time. Quirky, eccentric and always brimming with red wine, he is one of my food heroes. He cooks how I like to cook. With alcohol always to hand whether the recipe requires it or not (he knew how to live!) One of the best things about Keith was the way he went with the flow and made everything look enjoyable and easy. I loved watching him and his honest and straight forward attitude.
In honour of Keith, I thought I'd choose one of his recipes for one of the most important nights of many a British person's week: "Curry Night". We're still in January. Still?! The credit card bill has arrived, the only sweets left at the bottom of my Quality Street tin are the horrid ones I don't like (probably a good thing really!) and it's all rather gloomy and depressing. What better to cheer oneself than a homemade Ruby? Cheaper, better for you and actually amazingly easy to do. Keith's recipe was originally for chicken but I fancied turning it vegetarian so I substituted the chicken for vegetables of my choice which included carrot, sweet potato, broccoli and mango.
Taking just over one hour to complete I found this recipe really simple. Despite the fact it didn't include any quantities whatsoever! Typical Keith Floyd cooking! I was happy as it suits my style of "make it up as you go along" (I'm not often wholly true to a recipe) and it is a good way to learn what does and doesn't work and develop a palate. For the benefit of this blog I will include my quantities as I was so pleased with the result I would definitely cook this one again in the same way. I served with an onion and cumin seed pilau rice (really straightforward - recipe also below).
Here it is. I hope you enjoy as much as I did.
Keith Floyd's Chicken Curry (or in my case Vegetable Curry!) - Quantities make enough for 2 very hungry people or 4 people who eat a bit less!
Filet of leg of chicken (or substitute for vegetables - I used sweet potato, 1 large carrot, broccoli and half a mango)
Sweet potato - my potato was huge so I used half of it cut into small chunks
Coconut milk - 1 can (if you want to use light do but I never find the light stuff any good in a curry - too thin!)
Finely chopped onion - 1 large or 2 small
Garlic - 3 cloves
Yellow curry powder - 1 tablespoon
Ground turmeric - 1 teaspoon
Crushed dried chillies - a good sprinkling (dependent on your taste)
Fresh chillies - I used two green chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped
Very finely chopped lemongrass - 1 stalk
Chicken stock (or vegetable) - I used about half a pint
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
In a pot with hot oil, add the onions and let brown a little bit then add the garlic. Add the chicken in and let it take colour (instead of chicken I added the sweet potato and carrot at this point). Add the curry powder and turmeric to the pot and stir around, then add the chillies (both fresh and dried), lemon grass, a little bit of sugar (I used a pinch), salt and freshly ground pepper.
Moist with simple chicken stock and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. (I made sure all the veg was covered).
Add the sweet potatoes (if making the chicken version!) and the the coconut milk. Let it thicken for about 10-15 minutes.
In the last 5 minutes I added the broccoli and mango and also a little bit of corn flour paste to thicken it up.
Onion and cumin seed pilau rice
1 onion, finely chopped
Tablespoon of cumin seeds
Pilau Rice
Stock/water (I used the remainder of the chicken stock and added additional water as required)
Soften up the onion in oil and add the cumin seeds. Once onions are soft add rice. Mix together ensuring rice has a good coating of the oil. Add the stock and a bit of water if required and simmer with lid on for about 15-20 minutes.
For rice I always use double the quantity of stock/water to rice (use a measuring jug) and allow to simmer down until the stock/water has nearly evaporated entirely. Do not under any circumstances stir or interfere with the rice while it is simmering as it will become starchy and horrid (remember this is not a risotto!) To check it is cooked use a teaspoon to gently pull away the rice from the edge of the pan. If the stock is more or less gone then it is most like ready (test a bit first).
22 January 2012
15 January 2012
Cod with crispy potatoes and mustard lentils by Gordon Ramsay
Like many other people in this world my fish recipes repertoire tends to stall somewhere around a creamy fish pie. This is then tirelessly rotated with a prawn curry/pasta/salad dish (give me a prawn and I'm a happy girl). For a self confessed carnivoire, fish is not the first thing I hone in on when scouring a menu so it leaves me somewhat clueless when I come to cook it for myself.
In the interests of continuing on my month of healthier eating (the Quality Street tin is still haunting me), I thought a fish recipe was essential. I know there are so many different types of beautiful fish, so many recipes to choose from that the humble cod could easily get looked over. However, it's a great place to start and I love the idea of getting back to basics (ish) with this lovely sounding recipe by Gordon Ramsay (kindly recommended to me by my Twitter buddy @DarrylCornelius - thanks Darryl!) Hands up who doesn't want to know about something new and exciting to do with a fillet of cod? Forget batter, mushy peas and chips. The cod is putting on his glad rags and getting the GR treatment. And wow does it scrub up nicely!
A few notes to make about this recipe and a couple of tips. Read this recipe through at least two or three times before starting just so you can become accustomed to it. I found it slightly confusing and wanted to make sure I was reading everything correctly and that I was making the best use of my time. So while the potatoes were cooking, I also popped on the lentils and made up the vinaigrette. Note that this recipe doesn't tell you how to make a vinaigrette so you could buy off the shelf but they are so easy to do it literally takes 30 seconds. I used a basic recipe of 4 fl oz of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, pinch of caster sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk this all together and voila! Then take the two tablespoons of this vinaigrette and add the one teaspoon of Dijon mustard to it as instructed on the ingredients. When I tasted it, I thought it was rather strong but once you mix it with the lentils at the end it becomes more subtle and is absolutely delicious! So don't be frightened by the mustard!
The other thing I did was turn the oven onto a low heat before I started. You can warm up your plates while preparing your food as well as having it on stand by to keep your potatoes at the right temperature once they are ready. It's also worth getting all the utensils out of the cupboard (like trays for the potatoes and the lentils) just to save you searching and faffing. These are all small things which I thought would be helpful to suggest to somebody who isn't a seasoned recipe follower or would like some extra pointers. In total, the recipe took me just over an hour to complete.
The final result was delicious! For a lady who doesn't like capers (I know this is a shocking confession for a foodie), in the interests of staying true to the recipe I left them in and boy am I glad I did! I am converted! Even my husband ate them and he is known to pick them off his plate. The flavours all worked extremely well together. The potatoes were so yummy and the lentils absolutely divine. I was really very pleased with the result. An hour well spent! Gordon Ramsay, you rock!
P.S. There were no Belle Fontaine potatoes in my supermarket so I opted for some good quality boiling potatoes (Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Vivaldi potatoes) and hoped for the best. The result was still great!
Cod with Crispy potatoes and mustard lentils [Gordon Ramsey – A Chef for All Seasons]
Serves 4
Ingredients
400g even-sized Belle Fontaine potatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 fillets of cod, about 125g each, with skin
100g puy lentils
1 carrot 1
½ small onion
1 small stick celery
15g butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of capers, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons of vinaigrette mixed with 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh chives
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for about 12 minutes until just tender. Drain and cool until you can handle them – they are best peeled hot. Cut into neat dice and toss with one tablespoon of the oil. Spread out on a tray, season and let the potatoes absorb the oil as they cool.
2. Season the skin side of the cod with salt, rubbing it in nicely. Leave for 30 mins. This helps to dry out the skin
3. Place the lentils in a saucepan with the carrot, onion and celery. Simmer for 15 mins or until just cooked. Do not overcook or the lentils will break down. Drain immediately and discard the vegetables. Spread the lentils on a tray to cool. This stops them cooking further
4. When ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil with the butter in a frying pan, and gently sauté the shallot for about 5 minutes. Scoop out the shallot and reserve. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, raise the heat and tip in the diced potato. Cook until golden brown, turning as necessary. Remove, mix with the shallot and capers, and keep warm.
5. Wipe out the pan, and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in it. When hot, add the fish, skin side down. Cook until the skin crisps up nicely. Cook for 90% of total time on the skin side, then flip over to just brown the other side lightly. Cooking time depends on thickness of the fillet, but is about 5 minutes in all. Check if the fish is cooked by pressing with the back of a fork. It should be lightly springy.
6. Reheat the lentils briefly in a saucepan, season and stir in the vinaigrette and chives. Sit a cod fillet on each warmed plate, and spoon over the lentils and then the potatoes. Serve hot.
In the interests of continuing on my month of healthier eating (the Quality Street tin is still haunting me), I thought a fish recipe was essential. I know there are so many different types of beautiful fish, so many recipes to choose from that the humble cod could easily get looked over. However, it's a great place to start and I love the idea of getting back to basics (ish) with this lovely sounding recipe by Gordon Ramsay (kindly recommended to me by my Twitter buddy @DarrylCornelius - thanks Darryl!) Hands up who doesn't want to know about something new and exciting to do with a fillet of cod? Forget batter, mushy peas and chips. The cod is putting on his glad rags and getting the GR treatment. And wow does it scrub up nicely!
A few notes to make about this recipe and a couple of tips. Read this recipe through at least two or three times before starting just so you can become accustomed to it. I found it slightly confusing and wanted to make sure I was reading everything correctly and that I was making the best use of my time. So while the potatoes were cooking, I also popped on the lentils and made up the vinaigrette. Note that this recipe doesn't tell you how to make a vinaigrette so you could buy off the shelf but they are so easy to do it literally takes 30 seconds. I used a basic recipe of 4 fl oz of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, pinch of caster sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk this all together and voila! Then take the two tablespoons of this vinaigrette and add the one teaspoon of Dijon mustard to it as instructed on the ingredients. When I tasted it, I thought it was rather strong but once you mix it with the lentils at the end it becomes more subtle and is absolutely delicious! So don't be frightened by the mustard!
The other thing I did was turn the oven onto a low heat before I started. You can warm up your plates while preparing your food as well as having it on stand by to keep your potatoes at the right temperature once they are ready. It's also worth getting all the utensils out of the cupboard (like trays for the potatoes and the lentils) just to save you searching and faffing. These are all small things which I thought would be helpful to suggest to somebody who isn't a seasoned recipe follower or would like some extra pointers. In total, the recipe took me just over an hour to complete.
The final result was delicious! For a lady who doesn't like capers (I know this is a shocking confession for a foodie), in the interests of staying true to the recipe I left them in and boy am I glad I did! I am converted! Even my husband ate them and he is known to pick them off his plate. The flavours all worked extremely well together. The potatoes were so yummy and the lentils absolutely divine. I was really very pleased with the result. An hour well spent! Gordon Ramsay, you rock!
P.S. There were no Belle Fontaine potatoes in my supermarket so I opted for some good quality boiling potatoes (Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Vivaldi potatoes) and hoped for the best. The result was still great!
Cod with Crispy potatoes and mustard lentils [Gordon Ramsey – A Chef for All Seasons]
Serves 4
Ingredients
400g even-sized Belle Fontaine potatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 fillets of cod, about 125g each, with skin
100g puy lentils
1 carrot 1
½ small onion
1 small stick celery
15g butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of capers, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons of vinaigrette mixed with 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh chives
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for about 12 minutes until just tender. Drain and cool until you can handle them – they are best peeled hot. Cut into neat dice and toss with one tablespoon of the oil. Spread out on a tray, season and let the potatoes absorb the oil as they cool.
2. Season the skin side of the cod with salt, rubbing it in nicely. Leave for 30 mins. This helps to dry out the skin
3. Place the lentils in a saucepan with the carrot, onion and celery. Simmer for 15 mins or until just cooked. Do not overcook or the lentils will break down. Drain immediately and discard the vegetables. Spread the lentils on a tray to cool. This stops them cooking further
4. When ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil with the butter in a frying pan, and gently sauté the shallot for about 5 minutes. Scoop out the shallot and reserve. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, raise the heat and tip in the diced potato. Cook until golden brown, turning as necessary. Remove, mix with the shallot and capers, and keep warm.
5. Wipe out the pan, and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in it. When hot, add the fish, skin side down. Cook until the skin crisps up nicely. Cook for 90% of total time on the skin side, then flip over to just brown the other side lightly. Cooking time depends on thickness of the fillet, but is about 5 minutes in all. Check if the fish is cooked by pressing with the back of a fork. It should be lightly springy.
6. Reheat the lentils briefly in a saucepan, season and stir in the vinaigrette and chives. Sit a cod fillet on each warmed plate, and spoon over the lentils and then the potatoes. Serve hot.
7 January 2012
Winter Vegetable Soup via www.epicurious.com
So it's January. A new year. I've spent the last month and a half eating every single pre-packed festive sandwich I could get my hands on as well as gorging on pies, pasties, pickles and cake sliding down the long gastronomic gulley of gluttony and landing firmly in a large tin of Quality Street. It's time I got my act together, right? So to kick off 2012 I thought I would make something healthy which includes more than just a nod to one of my five a day (fruit cake, apparently, doesn't count). I've made soup before. Of course I have but I need to ease myself back into the kitchen (having spent the majority of December dining out in other's).
I've never tried making a vegetable soup (seriously!) so I thought I'd give this one a go from one of my favourite recipe sources, Epicurious.
The ingredients were all easy to get hold of and the recipe was extremely simple and quick. Any beginner could give this a shot and end up with a rewarding result. I made a few of my own personal preference adaptations to the original. Instead of olive oil, I used butter. I'm talking Gary Rhodes quantities of butter too i.e. a heck of a lot! Don't judge me. I know I am meant to be going on a health drive but I prefer it in my soups and I'm not Gillian McKeith for crying out loud! Additionally I thought dill was a bit of a strange herb for a soup? Give it a shot if you like but I prefer thyme and parsley with veggies so in they went instead. I also used total chicken stock rather than chicken stock and water. Of course, if you are vegetarian you can substitute this with vegetable stock/water instead.
I managed to over do it a tad on the thyme so ruined my own soup a bit (probably pay back for not using the dill!) However, it was extremely satisfying and was even better when left overnight and reheated for lunch the next day. Serve with crusty bread (no I didn't make my own - I'm not Delia for crying out loud!) and voila! A healthy, hearty meal. Enjoy!
I've never tried making a vegetable soup (seriously!) so I thought I'd give this one a go from one of my favourite recipe sources, Epicurious.
The ingredients were all easy to get hold of and the recipe was extremely simple and quick. Any beginner could give this a shot and end up with a rewarding result. I made a few of my own personal preference adaptations to the original. Instead of olive oil, I used butter. I'm talking Gary Rhodes quantities of butter too i.e. a heck of a lot! Don't judge me. I know I am meant to be going on a health drive but I prefer it in my soups and I'm not Gillian McKeith for crying out loud! Additionally I thought dill was a bit of a strange herb for a soup? Give it a shot if you like but I prefer thyme and parsley with veggies so in they went instead. I also used total chicken stock rather than chicken stock and water. Of course, if you are vegetarian you can substitute this with vegetable stock/water instead.
I managed to over do it a tad on the thyme so ruined my own soup a bit (probably pay back for not using the dill!) However, it was extremely satisfying and was even better when left overnight and reheated for lunch the next day. Serve with crusty bread (no I didn't make my own - I'm not Delia for crying out loud!) and voila! A healthy, hearty meal. Enjoy!
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