All posts by Heather

Chicken Crisp

Chicken, Family Favourites, Main Courses
  • 1 chicken breast per person
  • butter
  • garlic
  • plain crisps

Crush the crisps as finely a possible-I do it by bashing the packet with a rolling pin! Melt the butter and add the crushed garlic.
Dip the chicken in the garlic butter and then in the crushed crisps.
Put on a baking tray in oven Fan 180 for half an hour.

Quantities are a bit loose but do what seems right to you.

Asher Bootes Lentil Puree

Hot & Spicy, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

  • For four -easily doubled or more
  • A non-stick pan makes this a lot easier
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1/2 a med onion
  • 1 small carrot
  • 200gm red lentils
  • 400ml water
  • leaves from a small sprig of fresh rosemary
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • I like this with any plain cooked meat but especially with baked or grilled gammon

Finely dice all the veg and cook in a little oil until soft. Add lentils water and rosemary. Simmer ver-r-ry gently stirring from time to time until lentils are soft-about 40 minutes.
season with salt and pepper

A little curry powder added as you cook the veg would make this into a great dhal for indian dishes.

Chinese braised lamb or beef

Beef, Family Favourites, Hot & Spicy, Lamb, Main Courses

  • For eight portions
  • 4 tbsp tasteless oil- I used rapeseed
  • 6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
  • 1 thumbsized piece of fresh ginger peeled and sliced into fine matchsticks
  • 2 red onions halved and sliced
  • 1 red chilli deseeded and sliced fine
  • 1.5kg lamb neck fillets in bite size pieces or ox cheek beef.
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 teasp chinese five spice powder
  • 2 teasp sugar
  • 3 tbsp chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
  • 3 tbsp dark soy
  • 500ml beef stock

Heat half the oil in a large casserole dish. Fry the onions garlic ginger and chilli for a minute or two until softened.Tip onto a plate.
Toss the lamb in the flour and fry in batches until browned using the rest of the oil.Put aside on a plate.
Add five spice and ginger mix to pan and stir then add sugar, lamb and wine ,scraping up any meaty bits.
Pour in soy and stock, bring to a simmer. cover tightly and place in fan oven at 130 for three hours stirring halfway.

Serve with boiled rice and steamed greens. Tenderstem broccoli is real nice with this dish

Key lime pie

Desserts

  • For six to eight small portions[it is very rich ]
  • For the crust
  • 100gm butter melted
  • 250gm digestive biscuits
  • a little extra butter to grease pie plate-A 21 cm pie plate
  • For the filling
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 can [397gm]condensed milk
  • juice and grated zest of 3 limes plus extra lime zest to decorate
  • 250ml double cream

preheat oven to 160[fan] and grease pie plate
crush biscuits in food processor and add melted butter
Press resulting crumbs into pie plate and up the sides
Bake for 20 mins until gold and cool completely.

For the filling put the egg yolks condensed milk lime juice and zest in a bowl and mix well. pour into cold crust and place in fan oven at 130 for 20 mins. Cool completely and chill overnight. When ready to serve whip cream and spread over pie. Grate a little lime zest to decorate

Spicy lentil soup

Hot & Spicy, Soups, Starters
  • For at least eight
  • 300gm red lentils
  • 2 litres chicken stock[made from cubes is fine]
  • 2 celery stalks chopped
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 med carrots chopped
  • Thumb size piece of ginger sliced into small matchsticks
  • 2 med tomatoes chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves sliced
  • 1 teasp ground cumin
  • 1/2 teasp chilli flakes
  • 2 teasp med curry powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Heat a tablespoonful of olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion garlic celery ginger and carrots for about 3 minutes. Add spices and continue to cook for 1 min. Add the stock tomatoes and lentils and bring to a gentle simmer for about 1/2 an hour. Taste for salt and pepper , liquidise and serve.