James' Cookery Digest: Week 2
Welcome back gentle reader to week 2 of James' Cookery Digest. Again I have a selection of five recipes for you. This week unfortunately doesn't have a theme, these are just a combinations of recipes I have produced in the last week (and yes they are perhaps a little lazy) but starting next week I should have a theme. A theme I will announce now: Chillies. I enjoy them in many many dishes and I should be able to provide you with five come next week. Till then enjoy this weeks set of recipes:
Bruchetta
2 slices of thick Bread (The nicer the better)
Olive Oil
A dozen or so fresh Cherry Tomatoes
1 small red onion
4 to 7 leaves of freshly picked Basil
Cracked black pepper to taste
Balsamic Vinegar to taste
1. Chop Tomatoes into halves or quarters. Finely chop onion, mix together.
2. Take the bread and pour on olive oil using a knife to spread it thoroughly. Then place in oven until golden brown
3. Tear basil leaves and mix with onions and tomatoes. Sprinkling over cracked black pepper.
4. Spoon mixture on top of toasted bread, drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar and serve.
Variants include: Adding Red Pepper, Olives and Chunks of Mozzarella to the recipe chopped up alongside the Tomatoes and Onion.
Onion and Marmite Gravy (For Sausages)
25 grams of Butter (Can replace with oil)
1 Large Onion Sliced
1 Dessert Spoon of Marmite
1 Stock Cube
1/4 pint hot water (I normally use the starchy water I've boiled potatoes in)
1/8 pint Cider
1. Heat Butter or Oil in the pan
2. Fry Onion on a low heat
3. Add Marmite and make sure it spreads all around to mix with the melted butter/oil
4. Add the Cider and allow to boil off for 30 seconds
5. Add the Stock and hot water and allow to simmer till at the consistency you want.
6. Serve over Bangers and Mash
Lemon and White Wine Chicken
4 Chicken Breasts
1/4 bottle of White Wine
1 and 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
The Juice and Zest of 2 Lemons
Butter or Oil
Thyme and Tarragon
1. Marinade the Chicken in the White Wine, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice with the Zest and Herbs for at least 1 hour (I prefer 24 personally but it is your preference). The long marinade will make this chicken incredibly tender and saturated with the flavours.
2. Seal the Chicken by frying it in a little butter spooning over some of the marinade as it cooks
3. Finish the Chicken once sealed by oven cooking it at 160 degrees C for about a half hour. Removing chicken once to spoon remainder of marinade over half way through.
Rabbit and Game Stew
500 grams mixed game or 500 grams Rabbit (available at most local butchers and some good supermarkets)
1 Large Onion
2 Cloves of Garlic Crushed
4 Potatoes
2 Leeks
2 to 4 Carrots
100 grams Mushrooms
2 Parsnips
100 ml Sherry or Brandy
1/2 tbsp Sherry Vinegar
The Juice and Zest of One Lemon
Salt, Pepper and Cayenne Pepper to season.
1. Preheat Oven to 180 degrees
2. Season and Fry the Game and Rabbit in a large saucepan with Oil or Butter. Make sure any blood goes in with it, it makes it tasty. Your aim here is to brown it. Let any of the meat that sticks to the bottom of the pan stay there. Set the meat aside.
3. In the same pan, fry the Onions, Leeks, Carrots and Garlic until lightly browned. Then on a highish heat add the Alcohol, Vinegar and a Lemon Juice and make sure you scrap any left over meat that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Simmer for one to two minutes.
4. Transfer both the Vegetable mixture and the Meat into a flameproof casserole dish. Add water to cover and the lemon zest and bring to a boil.
5. Remove the Casserole dish from the heat; add the remaining root vegetables in decent slices and oven cook for several hours (until the sauce is thick and tasty)
Apple, Rhubarb and Elderflower Crumble
2 Cooking Apples
2 Apples (any variety)
3 sticks of Rhubarb skinned
1 to 2 tbsp Elderflower Cordial
300 grams Flour
200 grams Butter
170 grams Brown Sugar
1. Preheat Oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Throw the Flour and the Sugar in a bowl and then beat together with a fork until mixed. Put several spoonfuls aside.
3. Take the Butter in small cubes and rub it in the mixture with you hands until the butter is all gone and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Slice Apples, Prepare and slice the Rhubarb
5. Add the Apples, Rhubarb, Elderflower Cordial and a little water (and possibly a little sugar) into a pan over a medium heat and leave to stew
5. When stewed place in large Oven Pan, mix in a pinch of Cinnamon and two spoonfuls of the set aside sugar and flour mixture. Spread across the bottom of the pan.
6. Cover thoroughly with the Breadcrumb mixture making sure the mixture is evenly spread.
7. Place in Oven and Cook for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown
8. Remove and allow cooling slightly before serving. Serve with Custard or Cream.
You can in fact shove fresh Elderflowers in with the fruit to be stewed. If you do this I would still recommend using the cordial but use half the recommended amount and add a tbsp or two of sugar.
Bruchetta
2 slices of thick Bread (The nicer the better)
Olive Oil
A dozen or so fresh Cherry Tomatoes
1 small red onion
4 to 7 leaves of freshly picked Basil
Cracked black pepper to taste
Balsamic Vinegar to taste
1. Chop Tomatoes into halves or quarters. Finely chop onion, mix together.
2. Take the bread and pour on olive oil using a knife to spread it thoroughly. Then place in oven until golden brown
3. Tear basil leaves and mix with onions and tomatoes. Sprinkling over cracked black pepper.
4. Spoon mixture on top of toasted bread, drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar and serve.
Variants include: Adding Red Pepper, Olives and Chunks of Mozzarella to the recipe chopped up alongside the Tomatoes and Onion.
Onion and Marmite Gravy (For Sausages)
25 grams of Butter (Can replace with oil)
1 Large Onion Sliced
1 Dessert Spoon of Marmite
1 Stock Cube
1/4 pint hot water (I normally use the starchy water I've boiled potatoes in)
1/8 pint Cider
1. Heat Butter or Oil in the pan
2. Fry Onion on a low heat
3. Add Marmite and make sure it spreads all around to mix with the melted butter/oil
4. Add the Cider and allow to boil off for 30 seconds
5. Add the Stock and hot water and allow to simmer till at the consistency you want.
6. Serve over Bangers and Mash
Lemon and White Wine Chicken
4 Chicken Breasts
1/4 bottle of White Wine
1 and 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
The Juice and Zest of 2 Lemons
Butter or Oil
Thyme and Tarragon
1. Marinade the Chicken in the White Wine, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice with the Zest and Herbs for at least 1 hour (I prefer 24 personally but it is your preference). The long marinade will make this chicken incredibly tender and saturated with the flavours.
2. Seal the Chicken by frying it in a little butter spooning over some of the marinade as it cooks
3. Finish the Chicken once sealed by oven cooking it at 160 degrees C for about a half hour. Removing chicken once to spoon remainder of marinade over half way through.
Rabbit and Game Stew
500 grams mixed game or 500 grams Rabbit (available at most local butchers and some good supermarkets)
1 Large Onion
2 Cloves of Garlic Crushed
4 Potatoes
2 Leeks
2 to 4 Carrots
100 grams Mushrooms
2 Parsnips
100 ml Sherry or Brandy
1/2 tbsp Sherry Vinegar
The Juice and Zest of One Lemon
Salt, Pepper and Cayenne Pepper to season.
1. Preheat Oven to 180 degrees
2. Season and Fry the Game and Rabbit in a large saucepan with Oil or Butter. Make sure any blood goes in with it, it makes it tasty. Your aim here is to brown it. Let any of the meat that sticks to the bottom of the pan stay there. Set the meat aside.
3. In the same pan, fry the Onions, Leeks, Carrots and Garlic until lightly browned. Then on a highish heat add the Alcohol, Vinegar and a Lemon Juice and make sure you scrap any left over meat that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Simmer for one to two minutes.
4. Transfer both the Vegetable mixture and the Meat into a flameproof casserole dish. Add water to cover and the lemon zest and bring to a boil.
5. Remove the Casserole dish from the heat; add the remaining root vegetables in decent slices and oven cook for several hours (until the sauce is thick and tasty)
Apple, Rhubarb and Elderflower Crumble
2 Cooking Apples
2 Apples (any variety)
3 sticks of Rhubarb skinned
1 to 2 tbsp Elderflower Cordial
300 grams Flour
200 grams Butter
170 grams Brown Sugar
1. Preheat Oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Throw the Flour and the Sugar in a bowl and then beat together with a fork until mixed. Put several spoonfuls aside.
3. Take the Butter in small cubes and rub it in the mixture with you hands until the butter is all gone and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Slice Apples, Prepare and slice the Rhubarb
5. Add the Apples, Rhubarb, Elderflower Cordial and a little water (and possibly a little sugar) into a pan over a medium heat and leave to stew
5. When stewed place in large Oven Pan, mix in a pinch of Cinnamon and two spoonfuls of the set aside sugar and flour mixture. Spread across the bottom of the pan.
6. Cover thoroughly with the Breadcrumb mixture making sure the mixture is evenly spread.
7. Place in Oven and Cook for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown
8. Remove and allow cooling slightly before serving. Serve with Custard or Cream.
You can in fact shove fresh Elderflowers in with the fruit to be stewed. If you do this I would still recommend using the cordial but use half the recommended amount and add a tbsp or two of sugar.