Arford Books Cooks

Easy recipes from Apple Tree

Category: Main courses (Page 11 of 13)

Chilli

Chilli by Hairy Bikers

10/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

There are many, many different variations on this. True Texans would not want chilli adulterated with what we regularly put in it but this is a good version for every-day. You can make a big mix of chilli and keep the leftovers to make a tortilla grill or toppings for jacket potatoes. The following is for four hungry people.

  • 2 onions
  • 500g mince beef
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • splash of oil

Fry these up in a pan until all the pink has gone. Add

  • 1 or 2 tsp chilli powder. Olwyn likes it at level 1. I like it at level 2. You can always add but you can’t take away
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbs plain flour

Fry another minute. Then add

  • 450 ml beef stock (Oxo cube is fine). You could use part red wine and part stock.
  • 3 tbs tomato puree
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tin red kidney beans
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp dried oregano

Bubble up and simmer 45 minutes, covered. Stir from time to time so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Add a bit more water if it looks too dry. Serve with cornbread, rice, and if you need to ramp up the heat, some chopped jalopenos.

 

cornbread

Simple Cornbread

10/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

Really good with chilli. Best eaten while still warm from the oven, it doesn’t keep well.

Heat the oven to 200C and grease and line an eight inch square cake tin.If your tin is too large, the cornbread will be thinner like in the photo above. I made a half quantity but the tin must have been bigger than half.

There are two parts to this recipe:

Mix the following dry ingredients:

  • 1 cup cornmeal (maize flour, fine polenta – same stuff)
  • 3/4 cup plain flour
  • 1 tbs caster sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt.

In another bowl mix:

  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (at a pinch use half plain yogurt half milk)
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 6 tbs melted butter

Combine the two bowls to make a batter. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Test by sticking a knife blade in the top, if no goo sticks to the knife it is ready. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes then turn it out and cut into squares. Great for sponging up chilli juices.

Alternative version without buttermilk:

  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 3.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1-3 tbs sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 beaten egg

Mix the lot into a batter and fill a 9″ greased skillet. Cook at 200C for 25 minutes.

Sheep

Merguez Sausages

10/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

Spice Mix (makes 10 tbs or 14tbs – it will keep in a jar):

  • 4 tbs paprika
  • 2 tbs fennel (ground)
  • 1 tbs ground coriander
  • 2 tbs salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • Optional: 4tbs sugar

To make the sausages:

  • 500g minced lamb or beef
  • 120 g fat
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped 9or paste)
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh coriander leaves
  • 2 or 3 tsp harissa paste
  • 2 tbs spice mix above

Mix all the above. Make sausages in your sausage machine, with or without casings. If you don’t have a sausage machine, you can hand-roll sausage shapes, mould them around skewers or make little patties like mini burgers. Fry or grill and use with North African sides like couscous, roast vegetables, hummus, olives, flatbread.

 

Thai shopping

Thai Pesto Noodles

09/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

A bit fusion but it works. Takes about 5 minutes. The photo above was taken in Thailand where we went to cookery school for a day. First we were sent on a shopping trip to buy authentic ingredients in the market! This recipe did not come from that school but I thought the photo was appropriate for the ingredients anyway.

  • 4 slabs of dried egg noodles
  • 400g raw prawns
  • 1 bunch of basil
  • 1 bunch of fresh coriander
  • 75g peanuts
  • 1 red chilli
  • 1 lime – zest and juice
  • 2 tbs sesame oil
  • 1 tbs olive oil.

Cook the noodles. Stir-fry the prawns in the olive oil. Blitz everything else except the sesame oil in a blender. Drain the noodles, stir in the sesame oil, stir in the prawns and pesto and eat.

Spaghetti, Pesto and Prawns

09/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

Without having to buy pesto! Quantities here for four – this scales up or down easily.

  • 50g blanched almonds
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 50g parsley leaves
  • 1 grated lemon zest
  • 2 tbs lemon juice
  • 80ml good olive oil
  • 350g spaghetti
  • 300g cooked prawns

Dry fry the almonds. Zap all but spag and prawns in a blender. Add 2 tbs water to loosen it if necessary

Cook the spaghetti. Drain, add the prawns to warm though. Add the pesto. Done! I have not made this for a while but the recipe in the book has a smiley face and Oli next to it so I will have to make it again soon.

 

sweden

Swedish Burgers

09/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

You could use any mince for these.

  • 450g mince (beef or pork preferably)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 small onion chopped
  • 2-6 tbs grated cooked (not pickled) beetroot
  • 2tbs chopped capers
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1tbs chopped chives

Mix. Form into four patties. Fry or grill both sides. You can either serve conventionally in a bap or do the Swedish thing of serving with mashed potato, a green vegetable and lingonberry or redcurrant sauce. Make a gravy by putting a couple of tablespoons of plain flour in your now oily pan, stir around to soak up all the tasty juices, add 250ml stock, heat until thickened and bubble a bit more. I like to use vegetable or chicken stock and stir in a bit of cream at the end. Very wicked. Don’t forget the lingonberry jelly, this makes the dish special. Oh and a lager too.

Lamb in Palava Sauce (African)

09/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

For some reason this really appeals – probably because African recipes are fairly rare. For four, you need:

  • 1 red chilli
  • 2cm root ginger, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
  • 300ml lamb, chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1tbs tomato puree
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 6tbs palm oil (boo hiss, I know, but it is authentic and makes it a great red colour)
  • 500g lean lamb cubed
  • 200g spinach
  • 2 eggs beaten

First make a sauce by blitzing the chilli, ginger, garlic, puree, tomatoes and half the onion.

Stir-fry the other half of the onion and the lamb in the red oil. Add the sauce and stock, bubble up and simmer, covered, for 40-50 minutes. Stir in the spinach and let it wilt. Drizzle in the egg  and simmer two more minutes. Serve with rice or flatbread.

Yorkshire Puddings

Best Yorkshire Puddings

09/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

First heat your oven scorching hot 230C

Oil a muffin tin generously and put in the oven to heat up.

Make the batter:

  • 140g plain flour (which is 200ml)
  • 200ml milk (which is 200ml)
  • 4 eggs beaten (which is 200ml – see where this is going?)

Mix to a smooth batter. Take your scorching hot pan out of the oven, trying not to spill the now-runny oil. Pour batter into each hole, it should make 16 puddings. Put back in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. KEEP THE DOOR CLOSED, no peeking. They will rise like good’uns if you obey this simple rule.

Dhal

Josh’s Dhal

06/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

Son Josh has decided to be vegan. Apparently he has halved his grocery bill! I find vegan food often lacks a bit of substance, but not this recipe. I call it Josh’s Dhal because it is always a hit when he comes home and it is great alongside a curry. So easy.

  • 1 cup yellow split peas
  • 4 cups water

Boil for 40 minutes

  • 1/2 cup red lentils

Add to your split peas and boil another 20 minutes more. Keep an eye on it, because it will probably dry out and catch. Just add some more water if it getting too thick too soon. While that is boiling, take the following:

  • 1 chilli, copped
  • 1 inch of root ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp cumin seed
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • Ghee or oil

Gently fry all these to create a browned topping to put on your dhal to serve. Finally:

  • 250g spinach

Add the spinach and cook until it wilts. Add

  • 1 tsp salt
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon

When the spinach has wilted and the dhal cooked to a gloopy consistency, put it in a serving bowl and top with the spicy garlicky mix. Serve as a side for a curry or a main course with rice or Indian bread and chutney. For a vegetarian rather than vegan meal you could top with quartered hard boiled egg.

dhal-2

There are several variations you could take for making dhal (even the spelling, daal, dahl!) . Try a simple and quick version with two cups of red lentils and five cups of water, cooked for 25 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally. Add salt and lemon juise to taste. You can also fry up onion, garlic, chilli, cumin seeds and mix in before serving to add a bit more interest to the dhal base.

Try dhal served with wedges of aubergine and wedges of shallot or red onion, which have been tossed in a mixture of oil, lemon juice, garlic puree, salt, ground cumin and ground coriander and oven baked for 20 minutes at 200C.

Caldo verde

Caldo Verde (Chorizo and Kale)

03/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

Tastes even better than I hoped. This is a thick, rich tasty bowl of soup/stew from Portugal that is a meal in a bowl with bread on the side. Enough here for 6 small bowls or 4  full-on meals.

  • 1 onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 600g floury potatoes peeled and cut into small chunks
  • 220g chorizo cut into chunks
  • 1.5 litres vegetable stock
  • 300g kale finely shredded
  • olive oil
  • Dried chilli flakes

Heat the oil in a deep pan. Gently fry the onion and garlic until starting to soften. Add the chorizo to cook a bit and release their oil. Add the potato and stock, bring to the boil and simmer 20 minutes. Mush the potatoes down with a masher to make the soup thick. Add the kale, a teaspoon of salt and a mad twist of black pepper. Cook 8 minutes more. Serve in bowls and sprinkle chilli flakes on top.

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