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Chicken and mushroom in a smokey bacon sauce served with pasta and garlic whole wheat bread topped with parmesan

I made this meal for family and friends, they said it was fit which is the best complement you could ask for.

2 x tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil 

6 x slices smoked lean bacon chopped

4 x large closed cup mushrooms sliced

4 x chicken breast cubed

1 x onion finely chopped

2 x garlic cloves crushed

1 x tsp paprika

Good pinch chilli powder

1 x small glass dry white wine

1 x 400g chopped tinned tomatoes

1 x  good  pinch of dried thyme

1 x chicken stock cube

1 x tbsp Fresh chopped basil

2 x tbsp double cream

2 x tbsp greek yoghurt

1/2 x tsp freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

400g x spaghetti

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

On a meduim heat fry the bacon in a little oil  for around 5 minutes add the mushrooms and a little more oil if needed, cook for a further 3 minutes  remove bacon and mushrooms from frying pan and place  in a large pan and set aside. 

Add the rest of the oil to the frying pan and over a high heat add half the chicken, stir fry  the chicken till sealed on all sides and add to the bacon pan and  repeat with the rest of the chicken and add to bacon pan.

On  medium heat using the same frying pan cook the onions in the rest of the oil  for 5-10 minutes add the garlic, paprika and chilli powder cook for 2 minutes, pour in the wine, tomatoes and thyme, crumbled chicken stock cube  and simmer for 5 minutes, add to the bacon and chicken  stir well and simmer for 30 minutes or till the chicken is cooked through.

Add the basil, double cream, Greek yoghurt, plenty of freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste heat through and serve on a bed of spaghetti.

Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve with garlic bread

Garlic bread

Oven temp 200c/gas mark 6

1 x small unsliced wholegrain loaf of bread sliced thickly then cut into half wedges

25g x soften butter

1 x garlic clove crushed

2 x tsp finely chopped parsley

Parmesan cheese finely grated

Mix butter, garlic clove and parsley together, spread on one side of each  bread wedge, sprinkle  each wedge with parmesan cheese and place on a baking tray in a pre heated  oven for around 5 minutes or till crisp and golden serve hot from the oven

Lamb meatballs cooked in a thick balti curry sauce Carol’s way.

                                                                                      

These are little meatball treasures, jewels of deliciousness worth spending time to make. I make this recipe in 3 stages then combine everything together at the end. serve with spicy roast potatoes and Naan bread it doesn’t get better Get your family and friends together around the table GO ON DO IT.

You can make the basic curry sauce in advance it will keep in the fridge for up to a week in a sealed container.

  

Balti spice mix ingredients. Make up in advance and store in an air tight container will keep in your store cupboard till ready to use.

2 x tsp paprika

½ x tsp chilli powder

1 x tsp salt

1½ x tsp ground coriander

1 x tsp ground cumin

Mix all spices together use as recipe states in stage 3*. Store the rest for future balti recipes

Stage 1

Basic curry sauce ingredients

3 x tbsp vegetable oil

6 x onions peeled and chopped

1 x inch fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped

3 x garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped

2 x tsp ground coriander

1 x tsp ground cumin

½ x tsp chilli powder

1 x tsp garam masala

½ x tsp turmeric powder

6 x cardamom pods lightly crushed

2 x bay leaves

6 x dried curry leaves

2 x tbs tomato puree

6 x fresh tomatoes peeled and chopped or 1 x 400g tinned tomato

½ tsp x salt

1 x tsp pepper

300ml x water

Recipe for basic curry sauce.

Using a large pan heat the oil on a medium to high heat, add the onions and ginger, stir and cook until the onions are just beginning to brown round the edges, reduce the heat and add the garlic, cook for a further minute, add the rest of the spices plus the bay leaves, curry leaves and  tomato puree stir and cook gently for 5-10 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and water, bring to the  boil reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and cardamom pods, cool the sauce before putting into a Liquidizer and puree until smooth, or use a sieve. Return the sauce to the pan and set aside till the meat balls are ready.

Stage 2

Meatballs ingredients

600g x minced lamb

2 x small onions as finely chopped as possible

2 x cloves garlic crushed

1 x green chilli finely chopped

1 x tsp paprika

½ x tsp ground ginger

2 x tsp chopped coriander finely chopped

1 x large egg lightly beaten

4 x tbsp vegetable oil or gee

Meatball recipe

In a large bowl mix all the meatball ingredients together apart from the oil mix until everything is well blended together, form into 1 inch balls you should end up with around 30. Heat the oil in a frying pan and over a medium to high heat brown the meatballs turning gently to brown all sides (do this in three batches so you don’t over crowd the pan).

Add the meatballs to the balti sauce pan and set aside.

Use the meatball pan and any oil and residue left from the meatballs to complete stage 3.

Stage 3

Balti spice finishing touches

1 x onion peeled and chopped

1 x inch piece fresh ginger peeled and grated

1 x cloves garlic peeled and crushed

1 x green chilli finely chopped

3 x tsp balti spice mix* from the store cupboard

2 x tbsp fresh coriander chopped

Salt and pepper

Gently fry the onions and ginger in the meatball pan till onions become tender and translucent, add the garlic, green chilli and balti spice mix, stir and cook for a further 2 minutes,  add to the meatballs and Basic curry sauce pan and stir gently till everything is combined  bring to a simmer add salt and pepper to taste and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally, just before serving stir in  the chopped coriander

Serve with spicy roast potatoes and Naan bread.

Creamy smoked haddock pie with a cheesy potato topping

Do you like smoked haddock? Then trust me you will love this dish, Serve with garden peas or mixed vegetables of you choice. Don’t forget to look for bargains at your local supermarket if they sell fresh fish then there are bargains to be had, Go on have a look you know you want to.

For the filling

800g x un-dyed smoked haddock cut into pieces or any firm white fish

300ml x milk

1 x garlic clove peeled leave whole (optional)

1 x bay leaf

6 x black peppercorns

40g x butter

40g x plain flour

100g x mild cheddar cheese grated

100ml x double cream

Juice of ½ lemon or 2 x tbsp dry white wine

Salt and pepper to taste

Potato topping

800g x peeled potatoes cut into chunks 

40g x butter

100g x cheddar cheese grated and 50g x parmesan cheese grated mixed together

½ x tsp salt

Good pinch white pepper

Cook in a pre-heated oven 190c/gas mark5/375f for 30 minutes till golden brown

FILLING

Place the fish in a large pan add the garlic clove, peppercorns and bay leaf, pour on the milk and on a medium heat bring to a simmer, take of the heat and cover with a lid and leave for at least 1 hour.

Remove the fish from the milk, strain the milk through a sieve and reserve for the sauce, and discard the bay leaf, peppercorns and garlic.

Remove any skin and bones from the haddock and discard, flake the fish using your fingers this is a good way because if there is any remaining bones you will find them, set to one side while you make the sauce.

Place the butter in a pan and melt on a medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, take off the heat and with a hand whisk or wooden spoon gradually stir in the milk, place back on the heat and stir till the sauce thickens and starts to gently bubble, turn the heat down and simmer for 1 minute, take off the heat and stir in  the cheese, double cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix well, pour into a large oven proof dish and put to one side until you are ready to assemble the dish.

TOPPING

Place the potatoes in a pan and cover with cold water, bring to boiling point turn the heat down and cook till potatoes are tender around 20 minutes, Drain the potatoes through a sieve return to the pan and over a medium heat dry the potatoes for a minute, take off the heat and mash the potatoes till smooth add the double cream and most of the cheese (reserve around a ¼ of the cheese to sprinkle on top of the potatoes) add the salt and pepper and mix well.

Using a dessert Spoon cover the fish with mashed potato start from the outside and work your way to the middle until the fish is covered with a potato spoon shaped topping, sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cook in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.

Cheese & Onion pie made with cheese pastry

This is a deliciously light melt in your mouth pastry you will love this pie but be warned one slice is just not enough.

Cheese pastry

300g x plain flour

½ tsp x salt

½ tsp x English powdered mustard

Pinch Cayenne pepper

140g x lard cut into small pieces

140g x finely grated mature cheddar cheese

1 x egg yolk

2 x tbsp cold water

Milk or egg yolk to glaze

Sift the flour, salt , mustard and Cheyenne pepper into a bowl add the lard and rub with you finger tips till it resembles fine breadcrumbs (this can be done using a blender)

Mix in the cheese then add the egg yolk and water a little at a time until the pastry starts to clump together, lightly knead the pastry until it becomes smooth in texture wrap in cling film and put in the fridge until your ready to use it.

Cheese filling

25g x butter

2 x onions chopped

1 x tbsp water

300g mature cheddar cheese grated

2 x tbsp double cream or milk

2 x eggs lightly beaten

Pepper to taste

Melt the butter over a medium heat add the onion and cook for around 15 minutes, add the water and cook for a further 15 minutes and set aside to cool.

In a bowl combine the cheese, onion, egg and cream add the pepper and stir until well mixed.

Grease a 10 inch oven proof pie dish.

Divide the pastry making sure one half is slightly bigger, use this for the base and the smaller for the lid, Roll out the base pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line the pie dish, and then spoon the cheese mixture on top, roll out the remaining pastry, brush the pie edges with water before placing the pastry lid on top, using the tip of a fork press to seal the pastry edge, brush the top with milk or egg yolk and with a pointed knife  make two slits in the pastry lid to let out the steam, place the pie on a baking tray and cook on  the middle shelf in a pre-heated oven 220C/425F/Gas mark 7 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown, leave to cool down for 10 minutes before serving.

Monk fish and butterbean curry

 The first time I had monk fish was a regretable one, I was in portugal and saw barbecued monkfish on the menu the first mouthful was disgusting it was under cooked and tasted as if it had gone off this was around 15 years ago and I have not had it since so I thought it was about time I made freinds with the monk fish. 

1 x tsp oil

1 x large onion finely chopped

¼ x inch ginger grated

2 x cloves garlic

Spice mix

1 x tsp ground cumin

1 x tsp ground coriander

1 x tsp turmeric

1 x tsp chilli powder

1 x tsp paprika

1 x tsp garlic salt

1 x tsp gara masala

Little water

1 x tbsp tomato puree

200ml fish stock

150g x creamed coconut

800g x filleted and skinned monk fish cut into chunks

400g x tin butterbeans well drained

2 x tbsp greek yoghurt

1 x tbspChopped fresh coriander leaves

Salt and black pepper to taste

On a medium heat fry the onions and ginger in oil till the onions are translucent add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Mix the spices with a little water to make a paste add to the onion and cook for around five minutes add the tomato puree and cook for a further minute, add the fish stock and creamed coconut bring to a simmer add the fish and butterbeans bring back to a simmer and cook till fish is opaque in colour around 10-15 minutes gently stir in the Greek yoghurt and chopped coriander heat through season with salt and pepper and serve straight away with basmati rice and naan bread.

CAROL’S LAMB HOTPOT

I love lamb hotpot the smell when it is cooking is second to none, fresh bread and butter to mop the gravy. This is going to make you smile.

1tbsp x vegetable oil

2 x large onions sliced thin

2 x garlic cloves crushed

1 tbsp x plain flour

¼ tsp x English mustard powder

¼ tsp x paprika powder

500g x potatoes thinly sliced

1 ½kg x neck end lamb chops or shoulder chops trimmed of fat

200g x Carrots peeled & sliced thin

200g x Swede peeled quartered sliced thin

2 x bay leaf

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

500ml x lamb stock made with 3 stock cubes or use fresh stock

½ tsp x salt

½ tsp x pepper

PRE HEAT OVEN 170C/350F/GAS MARK 4

On a medium heat cook the onions in the oil until soft and slightly browned, add the garlic cook for 1 minute, combine the flour, mustard and paprika together mix into the onions and cook for 1 minute, take off the heat and with a hand whisk or wooden spoon gradually stir in the lamb stock, add the bay leaf, thyme and rosemary and salt and pepper, put back on the heat and stir the gravy continually until it thickens and comes to a simmer, take off the heat and put to one side, meanwhile place a layer of potatoes at the bottom of a large casserole dish, layer with half chops half of the carrots and half the Swede, add a layer of potatoes and pour over half of the onion gravy, Add the rest of the chops, carrots and Swede, pour over the remaining gravy and top with the rest of the sliced potatoes, cover and cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 2 ½ -3 hours.