Rosemary Lamb Chops with Garlic Mash and Port Jus

Simple British food at its best - I just don't think you can beat the flavour of Welsh lamb, especially when cooked like this. The garlic mash makes this dish a little more special and the gravy made from the juices of the meat with a cheeky shot of Port finishes it off wonderfully.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the Mash:

2 Large floury potatoes (diced)

2 Large garlic cloves

2 Tbsp Soured Cream

50g Salted Butter

For the Lamb chops:

4 Good quality lamb chops

2 Tbsp Garlic infused rapeseed oil

2 Tbsp Rosemary infused rapeseed oil

Tbsp Chopped rosemary

Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, coat the chops in the oils, rosemary, salt and pepper, cover and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat the oven to 190c.

3. Chop the ends off of the garlic cloves, dip them in oil and roast alongside the chops for 20 mins. Remove from oven and leave to rest in a warm place, reserving the juices in a small pan.

4. Whilst the chops are roasting, bring the potatoes to the boil in salted water for 25-30 mins or until soft, then drain and return to the pan.

5. Add the butter, soured cream and squeeze out the roasted garlic pulp from its papery skin and mash all together, whisking and mashing until there are no lumps left. Keep warm.

6. Heat the meat juices on the hob, add a shot of Port and some water and reduce until it reaches the desired consistency. If your meat didn't leave you with much juice, add a lamb stock cube.

You could always cheat and use granulated gravy and just add the port and meat juices to it and stir well!

7. Serve the chops on top of the garlic mash, with some of your favourite steamed vegetables and add the gravy. Simple!

Smoked Salmon and King Prawns with Horseradish Cream and Sourdough Toast

I had this as a starter in Llandudno at the weekend and it was divine so last night I tried to replicate it for tea and we were simply amazed with the results. This isn't really what I would call a recipe as there is very little in the way of actual cooking, but it definitely deserves a place on this blog as it is amazingly tasty.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Thick Slices of Sourdough Bread

1 Tbsp Horseradish Sauce

4 Tbsp Double Cream

350g Smoked Salmon

350g Raw King Prawns

Mixed Peppery Salad Leaves

An inch Cucumber (quartered and sliced)

A Couple of Cherry Tomatoes (quartered)

2 Cloves Garlic (Crushed)
1 Tbsp Chopped Parsley

Method:

1. Lightly toast the bread on both sides.
2. Mix the horseradish and cream and spread over the toast.
3. Layer the salmon on top, followed by the salad leaves and scatter the remaining salad around the dish.
4. Heat some butter in a wok or frying pan and fry the garlic and parsley for a minute before adding the prawns. Cook the prawns until pink then scatter around the dish.
5. Pour the remaining garlic butter over the salad and serve with a basket of chips.

Hearty Sausage and Bean Casserole

Here's a hearty winter-warmer for you all to enjoy. Surprisingly, I had never cooked with dried pulses before this meal due to the fact that you need to soak them overnight and I am normally a "throw together what I feel like at the time" sort of guy. However, I'm glad that I took the time because it has changed my world. It is amazing how filling this meal is and tastes absolutely divine. I have used pork sausages but you can experiment with other meats - lamb sausages would work tremendously with a couple of sprigs of rosemary instead of the herbs used here.

Ingredients:

10 Large Premium Pork Sausages (I used Cumberland)

100g Dried Yellow Split-Peas

100g Dried Red Lentils

100g Dried Green Lentils

100g Dried Haricot beans

2 Brown Onions (Thinly Sliced)

Chicken Stock

400g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

Tin of Sweetcorn

2 Tbsp Fresh Oregano (Finely Chopped)

2 sprigs of Basil

2 Bay leaves

2 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)

1 Tbsp Tomato Puree

Preparation:

Soak the dried pulses in plenty of water overnight.

Method:

1. In a large heavy based casserole dish, brown the sausages in a little butter and oil over a medium-high heat, then remove and set aside.

2. Lower the heat and, in the same fat, gently fry over the onions for 5 mins, then add the garlic and fry for a further minute. 

3.Add your drained pulses and fry for another minute before adding enough chicken stock to just cover everything. Put the sausages back in the casserole, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Bring just to the boil then reduce to a low heat and simmer for an hour.

4. 10 minutes before the end, add the sweetcorn and whole sprigs of basil.

5. Remove the bay leaves and basil before serving with some crusty bread and butter.

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Don't bin the innards from your pumpkin this year - use it to make this deliciously spicy pumpkin soup! This is a recipe that I just threw together after carving the pumpkin for Halloween and I have had very good feedback so far...although this is not for the feeble - it packs a mighty punch! You can discard the chili seeds if you don't want it as hot.

Ingredients:

1 Large Brown Onion (Roughly Chopped)

1 Medium-sized Pumpkin (Flesh scooped out and roughly chopped, seeds removed)

1 Large Stick of Celery (Diced)

1/4 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Ground Coriander

1/2 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Birdseye Chili Pepper (Finely Chopped)

2 Bay Leaves

1 Litre Vegetable Stock

Juice of a Small Lemon

Salt & Pepper

Soured Cream to serve

Method:

1. Gently fry the onion for about 5 mins until just softened, then add all of the ground spices and fry for a further minute. Add the celery and pumpkin pieces and fry over for another 6 mins.

2. Pour over the Vegetable stock and add the bay leaves, chopped chili, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about twenty minutes, or until the pumpkin looks mushy. Take off the heat and leave to cool.

3. Remove the bay leaves. Blend the mixture so there are no lumpy bits and return to the hob to reheat. If the soup is too thin at this point, thicken using a tbsp of cornflour dissolved in cold water. 

4. Swirl some soured cream through the soup and serve with some nice crusty bread. If you haven't used your pumpkin for carving, you could serve the soup in the pumpkin carcass. Alternatively, you can make a hollow in some crusty baps and serve the soup in the bread!

Chicken Jambalaya

This extremely flavoursome dish of Cajun origin is known by all of my friends and family as my signature dish. I stumbled across this a couple of years ago in a recipe book from a charity shop and since then most people have been treated to this dish at least once when they have been round for dinner. Calling it my signature dish is rather tenuous as the only change to the original recipe that I have made is that I use diced Chorizo sausage rather than ham. There are thousands of different variations of this recipe out there so you can experiment with different ingredients if you like, but just remember that the tripartite of Cajun cooking is onion, celery and green peppers - it isn't a jambalaya without these so don't leave them out!

Ingredients:

A Whole Chicken (cut into eight)
125g Chorizo Sausage (diced)
Large Brown Onion (peeled and chopped)
400g Tin of Tomatoes
2 Sticks of Celery (very finely diced)
2 Green Peppers (finely diced)
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
Tbsp Fresh Thyme (chopped)
Paprika
Tabasco Sauce
Pint of Chicken Stock
225g Long Grain Rice
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method:

1. Heat some olive oil in a large casserole dish and fry over the chicken for 6-7 mins until browned. Lift the chicken pieces onto a plate and sprinkle with a little salt & pepper.

2. Add the onion to the casserole and soften for about 5 mins, then add the peppers and celery and cook for a further 5 mins.

3. Increase the heat slightly and add the diced chorizo, then add the tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, paprika, some salt & pepper, and tabasco sauce to taste. Add the chicken pieces and push them under the mixture. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 mins.

4. Stir in the rice and the stock, cover and cook for about 25 mins, or until the chicken is cooked and most of the stock has been absorbed. Take out the bay leaves, sprinkle the parsley on top and serve with some crusty bread.

Thrice-Smoked Fish Pie

Technically not what it says on the tin, but I love the word thrice and it has 3 smoked ingredients in it!

I never used to like fish-pie growing up but I have grown to love it. The use of 3 different types of fish in this recipe gives the dish an added depth when it comes to flavour. I used Basa, Smoked Mackerel and King Prawns in my dish but you can experiment with your favourite types of fish if you like, just remember that to end up with a similar result to this recipe you need to keep the proportions of the white, smoked and shellfish.

Ingredients:

500g Frozen White Fish Fillets

300g Smoked Fish Fillets

250g Frozen Shellfish

1 Litre of Milk

3 or 4 Bay leaves

1 Tbsp Whole Black Peppercorns

2-3 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley (Curly-Leaf is better for fish)

1 Tbsp Flour

100g Butter

750g Floury White Potatoes (Peeled and diced)

White Wine Vinegar (You can use White Wine if you prefer)

2 Large Eggs + 1 Egg yolk

200g Smoked Cheddar (Grated)

Smoked Paprika

Method:

 Preheat the oven to 180C

1.Place the fish (removing any bones first), bay leaves, peppercorns and parsley into a large saucepan, and pour the milk and a generous glug of white wine vinegar over the top. Boil your potatoes in salted water.

2. Bring the pan to the boil, then immediately remove from the heat, cover with a lid and leave to stand for 10 mins. Hard boil your two eggs in this time.

3. Using 2 forks, break up the fish into small chunks, then strain off the liquid and reserve. Discard the bay leaves and peppercorns. Place the fish in an ovenproof dish, making sure there is an even distribution of the 3 fish, halve your hard-boiled eggs and add to the dish.

4. Drain and mash your potatoes with half the butter, the extra egg yolk and enough of the reserved milk mixture to make a creamy mash.

5. On a low heat, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour to form a roux. Turn up the heat to high and gradually add the remaining milk mixture to the pan, whisking as you go. Once all of the liquid has been added, bring almost to the boil and remove from the heat and stir to form a thick sauce. Season with salt & pepper to taste and pour the sauce over the fish.

6. Spoon the mash over the fish and sprinkle the smoked cheddar and paprika over the top. Put in the oven and bake for at least 45 mins, or until the cheese has formed a golden crust on top of the pie.      

7. Enjoy with lightly steamed vegetables like carrots, green beans and baby corn and some tartare sauce. 

Laura's Amazing Scones

Laura is fast becoming a master baker and these enormous scones are absolutely delicious, so much so that they are having an honorary place on my blog. I like to eat mine with clotted cream and blackcurrant jam (as pictured). 

Makes 10 enormous scones.

Ingredients:

450g self-raising flour
50g caster sugar
100g margerine
2 eggs beaten with enough milk to make 1/2 pint liquid
A pinch of salt

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 220C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper

Mix flour and salt and rub in margerine. Stir in the sugar.

Add egg and milk, reserving a little for brushing the tops.

Knead lightly on a floured surface and roll out to about 3/4 inch thick.

Use a large cookie cutter to cut out 10 rounds, re-rolling the trimmings to use up all of the dough.

Brush the tops and sides with the egg and milk mixture and bake for 12-15 mins, or until golden.

When cool, cut in half and top with clotted cream and blackcurrant jam, or your preferred flavour.

My Best Spaghetti alla Carbonara

This is the tastiest carbonara recipe ever, even if I do say so myself! I first attempted it in my second year at uni and it became a staple meal for the rest of my time there. The traditional Italian recipe is simply a combination of pasta, eggs, cheese, bacon and black pepper, which whilst nice, is a little bit boring if you ask me. I like to add onion, chestnut mushrooms and a good dousing of double cream to mine to give this simple dish a taste of luxury! As you may start to realise, most of my recipes are laden with garlic or chorizo (generally both) and for this recipe it is the garlic that makes the difference! You can actually use chorizo in place of the bacon for a colourful and spicy twist, but I like to use oak-smoked back bacon to give the dish a distinctive smoky flavour.

Feeds 4

Ingredients:

200g pasta (I use spaghetti, but you can use whatever variety you like)
125g oak-smoked back bacon, finely diced
50g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 sml onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 large eggs
100ml double cream
50g cheese (I used cheddar but you can use parmesan for a more authentic Italian taste if you prefer)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
flat-leaf parsley

Recipe:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan/casserole over a low heat, fry the onion for 5 mins or until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute.

Add the pasta to a saucepan of salted boiling water and boil for 9 mins until al dente. Whilst the pasta is cooking, add the bacon pieces to the fried onions and garlic and increase the heat. Fry for another 5 mins before adding the sliced mushrooms and some freshly-ground black pepper.

When cooked, drain off the pasta, add to the saucepan and mix everything together thoroughly.

Turn off the hob, whisk together the eggs, cheese and cream and stir into the pasta using the residual heat to cook the eggs. Stir in a tbsp of chopped parsley, plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of salt to taste.

Garnish with flat-leaf parsley and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Penne Arrabiata with Chorizo

This is an extremely mouth-watering dish that tastes as good cold as it does hot. I make a big batch up on a Sunday most weeks and take it to work with a salad for lunch all week - it never gets boring!
Arrabiata means angry in Italian and usually contains chilli peppers or powder in it. The spice in my dish, however, comes from the chorizo and paprika. You can use any pasta you like, but I like penne because it holds the sauce nicely within it.

Ingredients:

250g penne pasta

400g chopped tomatoes

1 medium brown onion, finely diced

1 red pepper, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

half of a chorizo ring, finely diced

A generous glug of good quality balsamic vinegar

Recipe:

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a moderate heat and fry the onions for 7 mins until softened, then add the crushed garlic and fry for another minute. Pour in the balsamic and turn up the heat until the onions start to caramelize. Add the diced pepper and chorizo and fry for another 5 mins. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, paprika and parsley and lightly simmer, stirring frequently whilst you cook the pasta.

To cook the pasta, bring some salted water to the boil, add the pasta and boil for 9-12 mins depending on how you like your pasta. I like mine the traditional al dente, so I cook mine for 9 mins. Once the pasta is cooked, drain well in a colander and rinse with boiling water from the kettle. Add the tomato purée to the sauce and mix the pasta with the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and serve with garlic bread and my home-made coleslaw with a punch!

Coleslaw with a Punch

This coleslaw packs an almighty punch, so it isn't for the feeble. It goes extremely well with chili con carne, Nando's style peri-peri chicken or my penne arrabiata with chorizo (watch this space). If you prefer a milder slaw, increase the cabbage to half a head or only use half an onion.

Ingredients:
1 medium brown onion, finely diced
A quarter of a head of white cabbage, finely diced
2 Carrots, finely diced
5-8 tbsp Mayonaisse, to taste
A splash of Louisiana hot sauce
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
salt & pepper, to taste

Recipe:
Simply chop up the veg and mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. If you have a chopper like mine, you can get an even dice for a better look.

My amazing chopper:

Get one of these and your life will be so much easier! Instant diced onions with no tears!

Quiche Lorraine

This is my take on the classic Quiche Lorraine. The garlic and parsley that I put in the filling really gives a kick of flavour and makes this dish really memorable. You can use fresh garlic and parsley, but I think dried is actually better for this particular dish. 

Ingredients:
Shortcrust Pastry:
225g Plain Flour
Pinch of Salt
50g Lard
50g Margerine
30 ml very cold water (around 3 tbsps)

Filling:
300g tub of Full Fat Soft Cheese (such as Philadelphia)
4 eggs
salt & pepper
1 tbsp dried garlic flakes
1 tsp dried parsley
110g bacon (3 rashers)
75g Cheddar Cheese
100 ml single cream (optional)

Equipment:
Mixing Bowl
Round-edged Knife
Rolling pin
12" Flan-tin with removable base
Greaseproof Paper
Baking Beans/Rice

Recipe:

Preheat your oven to 190C.
To make the shortcrust pastry, mix the flour and salt in a bowl and rub in the fats. Whilst you do this, add air to the mixture by lifting the mix out of the bowl and letting it fall between your fingers. Use a round-edged knife to mix in the water and stir and cut the mix until you have a soft dough. This process takes quite some time but stick at it and don't be tempted to add more water as it will go sticky. It is also important to keep the dough cool. When ready, knead the dough very lightly on a lightly floured surface and roll it to size using a floured rolling pin. The rolled-out dough should overlap your flan-tin by about two inches all the way around. Use the rolling pin as a lever to help place the dough over the flan-tin and press it into the base, making sure to press the pastry into the fluted sides of the tin. Make sure you prick the dough all over with a fork at this point. Roll the pin over the tin the cut off the excess dough. Cover the dough with greaseproof paper and fill it with baking beans. I keep a jar full of rice for the same purpose. Blind bake the pastry for 15 mins then remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 mins. If you haven't pricked the base the pastry will bubble at this point. Once ready, take out of the oven and leave to cool slightly on a rack while you make your filling.

To make the filling, preheat your grill and then cook your bacon rashers for 3 mins on both sides. You don't want it too crispy as it will cook further in the oven. Use scissors to cut the bacon into very small pieces and spread them around your pastry case. Sprinkle most of the cheddar over the bacon, reserving some for later. Whisk together your soft cheese and eggs in a mixing bowl and season to taste. You can also add 100 ml of cream here to make the topping nice and rich. Add your parsley and garlic flakes and mix well. Pour the mixture evenly over the bacon and cheese, then top with the remaining cheddar. Crack some more black pepper on top and bake in the middle of the oven, still at 190C for around 36-40 mins, until the topping has set and is golden brown.

Allow to cool slightly before serving with a nice crunchy salad and my home-made coleslaw, which packs its own punch!

Introduction

Whenever I get together with the family, we often end up discussing our recent culinary experiences and new recipes that we have fallen in love with. Sometimes though, some recipes deserve to be written down for all to share and enjoy...and this is why I have started this blog - to keep a record of those mouthwatering recipes that deliver show-stopping results; those jaw-dropping recipes that make you actually stop eating just to comment on how wonderfully flavoursome they are. 

I will provide a list of all the ingredients and a step-by-step guide to each recipe, which will help you make fantastic dishes to share with family and friends. You won't need a huge amount of skill as long as you follow the simple steps - this is home cooking at its best. Enjoy!