The BEST cookies I have ever had!

I have made a lot of cookies in my time and hadn't found a recipe that hit the spot until recently. This recipe by Dan Lepard is one of the best I've ever made. Really easy and even better...really tasty! (ABOVE) I served one with strawberries and a teeny bit of whipped cream (done by hand, boy did I feel it!) the perfect indulgence!

Ingredients:

125g unsalted butter, softened
225g light soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium egg
25g cocoa
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
175g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g milk or dark chocolate, chopped roughly into big chunks
150g brazil nuts, cut into quarters

Method:

Put the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg, then stir in the cocoa and cinnamon. Add the flour and soda, work until combined, then mix in the chocolate and nuts; I use my hands because I find it easier to scrunch up the dough and get the mixture really even. Pinch off nuggets of dough the size of a ping-pong ball (for regular cookies) or unshelled hazelnut (for mini ones), and roll between your palms until smooth. Cover a baking tray with nonstick paper and place the soon-to-be cookies on it 3-4cm apart. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan-assisted)/350F/gas mark 4 and bake for eight to 10 minutes (for mini cookies) or 12-14 minutes (for regular ones). Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack with a spatula. Once cold, store in an airtight container.

A week of culinary delights...

I don't know what's got into me this week but I seem to have spent a lot of it in the kitchen! Maybe it's because I'm going back to Uni this weekend where funds and time is limited to whip up propa bo food! I love cooking but don't do as much of it at Uni because it's difficult cooking for one plus I don't have as much time to labour over slow roasted stews and beastly sponge cakes.

So this week I've made apple and cinnamon muffins, ginger biscuits, sticky toffee pudding (which was to die for!), carrot and coriander soup and last nights tea which was homemade burgers and chips which, if I say so myself were AMAZING! So much better than bought in my opinion! And the best thing is I have popped the majority of this in the freezer for my mum so she's got some meals and treats for the next month. So, she doesn't have to come home and spend ages cooking herself tea. Sorted!

The burgers were from a brilliant recipe by Jamie Oliver in his Ministry of Food cookbook but it can also be found on his website...

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/a-cracking-burger

as for the chips well they were a bit of an experiment putting together quite tips and recipes I'd read but here's the gist of it (I know it's a very lengthy process but trust me it's so worth it if you have the time!)...

1. Cut up a few potatoes into chip shaped pieces roughly the same size so they will cook in the same amount of time.

2. Put the potato pieces in a bowl of cold water and put in the fridge overnight. This gets rid of a lot of the starch.

3. The next day give the potatoes a good rinse in fresh cold water and drain off.

4. Plunge your chips into a saucepan of boiling water and then simmer very gently until the point of a knife will penetrate the chips easily.

5. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chips from the pan and lay them out on a tray. Let them cool down completely.

6. Add some oil to a frying pan and lightly fry the chips. Don't have the high too high and remove the chips as soon as they start to brown off.

7. Let the chips cool down completely again and then put in the fridge.

8. When it's time for tea, place your chips on a baking tray and put in the oven on gas mark 6/7 and cook until they are golden brown and crispy.

9. Sprinkle a bit of salt over them and serve!

Beef Stew...

I'm not sure how I found this recipe but it sounded really good and I'd never made a stew before mainly because they take sooooo long to cook and I've never had the time! However, this beef stew didn't seem to take days to make so I thought, right I'll give it a go! I bought some really nice stewing steak from our local butchers and it also gave me chance to use up lots of veg that needed eating up anyway! Served with a Yorkshire Pudding this is beefy heaven! Good food to warm the soul on a cold winter's night!

Ingredients: (serves 4, but I halved it and it works just as well)

4tsp of olive oil

400g stewing steak (lean)

2 onions

4 cloves of garlic (fresh)

200g carrots

200g celery (you can leave out if you want...you don't notice it's not there!)

8tsp of cornflour

8tsp of tomato puree

1.32 pints of vegetable stock

4 pinches of oregano

4 pinches of mixed herbs

4 potatoes

400g mushrooms

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Cut the stewing steak into bite sized chunks and toss in the cornflour tapping off any excess. Then brown off on all the sides keeping the heat high.

2. Once browned, set aside on a plate and add the finely sliced onions, crushed garlic, diced carrot and celery to the pan. Cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Return the meat with any of the juices to the pan.

3. Add the tomato puree, stock, herbs and potatoes (cut into bite sized chunks). Turn the heat low and gently simmer for about 30 minutes. After this time, add the mushrooms to the casserole and simmer gently for a further 10 minutes.

4. I served mine with a Yorkshire Pudding but it could just be eaten on its own or with some steamed veg on the side.

Mmm pie...

There really is nothing quite like a home made pie. Me and my friend Jen were debating what to do with some ingredients that needed eating up when I found a brilliant recipe for a Chicken and Mushroom pie! Armed with kitchen utensils and an appetite to feed an army, we created the beauty below! We simply served it with some veg and some roasted parsnips...bish bash bosh!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
3 chicken breasts, skin and bone removed
150g/5½oz button mushrooms, quartered
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
50g/2oz butter
2 tbsp plain flour, plus extra for dusting
300ml/½ pint milk
200ml/7fl oz chicken stock
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
freshly ground white pepper
pinch salt
small handful fresh parsley, chopped
One of sheet of ready made puff pastry.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chicken and fry until the chicken begins to turn white.
Add the mushrooms and continue to fry until the chicken is golden-brown.
Remove the chicken and mushrooms from the pan and set aside. Add the onion and garlic to the same pan and fry for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Remove from the heat and set aside with the chicken and mushrooms.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for about three minutes, stirring constantly until it has formed a thick smooth paste (this is called a roux).
Mix the milk and stock together in a jug, then add the nutmeg, white pepper and salt, to taste. Pour the liquid slowly into the flour mixture, whisking all the time until smooth. Simmer over a gentle heat, stirring constantly, for about five minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Stir in the chopped parsley and pour the sauce over the chicken and mushroom mixture. Mix well, then spoon into a pie dish and leave until completely cool.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is the thickness of a pound coin. Brush the edges of the pie dish with beaten egg, lay the pastry on top, press down the edges and trim. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and cut some leaf shapes out of the left-over pastry to decorate the top of the pie.
Make two or three slits in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape and then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden-brown on top.

Enjoy!

Chicken Paprikash...

I love cooking so much and I think there's nothing better than a good hearty meal to warm you up now that Winter is knocking at our doors! I was flicking through my recipe scrapbook the other weekend and came across one of my favourite recipes for a Hungarian chicken dish called, "Chicken Paprikash." It's a gorgeous dish and so easy to make so give it a go! This recipe serves 6 but you can alter it slightly to serve a smaller number. In the original recipe it also uses jointed meat but I found it easier and just as nice to use chicken breast.

Ingredients:
5-6 chicken breasts cut up into chunks
1 tbsp olive oil
15g butter/marg
2 onions
1 clove of garlic
2-3 tbsp sweet paprika
1tsp hot paprika
1 tbsp plain flour
3 tomatoes (cored, deseeded and finely chopped)
350ml chicken stock
2 red peppers
1 small handful of parsley leaves finely chopped
(or a generous sprinkle of dried flat leaf parsley!)
140ml sour cream

Method:
Season the pieces of chicken with salt and pepper. Warm the oil and butter in either a large, heavy-bottomed casserole dish or I like to use a wok. Cook the chicken until golden brown (you may need to do this is batches) and then transfer to a large plate or bowl.

Once all the chicken is done, put the onions in the same pan and sauté over a low heat until softened and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika and flour, and stir for a couple of minutes, being very careful not to scorch the paprikas. Stir in the tomatoes and pour in the stock.

Now return the browned chicken to the pan, bring to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Add the peppers and parsley and simmer, partially covered, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has thickened. Stir a ladleful of the hot cooking liquid into the sour cream, then pour the lot back into the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. I like to serve mine with rice (white or brown) and a piece of toasted pita bread.

It was so delicious and a well deserved treat after a day of project work for me and my Uni wife Jen!