Stuffed bell peppers

This is a recipe that i love for its simplicity, versatility of the choice of fillings and the fact that despite a few short cuts using pre cooked rice, it is scrumptious.

I know it's a winner for sure since both my kids say that they love it.

With the fillings you could use tuna, minced beef, lamb, rice, or even tofu for all you vegans out there. For this recipe I decided to use Quorn mince in a smoky passata sauce.


To up the veg content I served it with corn on the cob and just because we absolutely love it, a side of mexican rice since it compliments the flavours of the stuffed pepper really well


For 4 people you will need

4 large bell peppers*
240-250g meat free mince
2 cloves garlic or 1 tsp garlic granules
1 medium onion chopped
1 stock cube ( any flavor)
500ml passata/pasta sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
4 corn cobs
3-4 tbsp cream cheese
Handful grated cheddar cheese
Handful grated mozzerella
Mexican rice packs x 4**

• Preheat your oven to 200c (fan) Mix all the cheeses together to make a thick cheese topping and set aside
•  Give the bell peppers a quick rinse, pat dry and slice the top of the peppers off, keeping the stalk in tact as this will be used as a lid
• Stand the peppers up to make sure they stay balanced. If they're a little wobbly, slice a very little bit off the bottom so that they sit straight. Be careful not to cut too much off that you end up making a hole in the bottom
• Carfeully remove any seeds or pith from the inside. Brush all over with olive oil - inside and out not forgetting the lids 
• Place on a baking tray or dish along with the corn cobs, the 'lids' &  pop straight into the oven for about 15-20 minutes
• Whilst the peppers and cobs are cooking,  make a start on the filling
• In a frying pan, saute the chopped onions in a little olive oil until softened. Add in the garlic and cook until both are begining to lighlty brown.
• Add in the mince, stir through fpr a couple of minutes, add in the paprika and cayenne pepper
• Make up your stock by dissolving the cube in 100ml of water. Pour this straight into the mince, along with the pasta sauce 
• Leave to simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes until the stock has reduced and the mixture has thickened 
• Take the partially cooked peppers, divide the filling equally between the peppers
• Top each of the peppers with the cheese mixture, turn the cobs over, place the lids on the pepppers, place back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until the peppers and corn begin to char, and the cheese topping has melted and is all golden and bubbly 
• When the peppers have about 5 minutes cooking time, make up the rice follwing the instructions on the packet, plate up and serve

*I went for red since they have the nicest flavour I think when roasted

sun dried tomato soda bread

Soda bread is a fab bread to start off baking with if you're not confident in bread but want to make a start and build on your skills. It's also great as its so simple to put together, a variety of fillings would compliment it. This bread doesn't require any kneading whatsoever, and you don't have to let it prove at all, it literally takes less than an hour in total.



for my sun dried tomato soda bread you will need:

500g bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda bicarbonate
400ml buttermilk*
3-4 tsp dried italian herbs
4-5 tbsp parmesan/ italian hard cheese
6-8 sundried tomatoes chopped  

• Preheat your oven to 180c, (fan)If you're making your own buttermilk, start by making that first and leave to aside.
• Add all the other ingredients to a bowl, stir together just so that the tomatoes distribute evenly
• Slowly add in the buttermilk using a wooden spoon till everything is just combined
• turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape the dough into a round. Place onto a grease proof lined baking tray. Cut a deep cross in the middle of the round
• Bake for 40 minutes until doubled in size and golden. It should sound hollow when tapped from the bottom.
• Eat/serve as desired.

*I made my own by adding 3 tsp of lemon juice straight into the milk - leave the milk to sit for 10 minutes once you've added the juice for the milk to become buttermilk

Deluxe chocolate orange brownies

I genuinely LOVE brownies .. Not just because they're a perfect combination of  having a crispy outside and and scrumptious chewy and gooey inside as well as tasting divine straight out the oven or actually even better the next day, but that the flavour combinations are pretty much endless. 

After experimenting around with a few flavours, so far this recipe is one of my favourites - made that little bit extra special with fresh orange zest and Terrys chocolate orange 

For 9 brownies you will need 

85g butter

140g caster sugar

100g soft brown sugar

125g orange chocolate*

2 eggs

zest of 1 whole orange

100g plain flour 

1/2 tsp baking powder 

2 tsp cocoa powder

6-8 Terrys Chocolate orange slices

icing sugar to dust (optional)

• Preheat your oven 180c/ 350f/ Gas mark 4, grease a 20cm / 8 inch square tin, and line the base with greaseproof paper.
• In a bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt together the sugars, chocolate and butter until smooth and completely combined. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool 
• In another bowl, whisk the eggs together with an electric whisk till light and fluffy and almost doubled in volume.
• Sieve the flour and baking powder into the whisked egg, add in the zest, pour in the cooled meted chocolate and fold in quickly but gently with a metal spoon** 
• Pour the mixture into the tin, place the slices of terrys chocolate orange over the top and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top is crisp and the edges of the brownie shrink away from the tin. 
• Leave to cool slightly and finish off with a light dusting of icing sugar and serve 

*I used Terrys Chocolate orange, you can use whatever you personally prefer- for extra indulgence  I'd do a swap for Green and Blacks chocolate orange 

** Using a metal spoon helps fold in quicker than a wooden spoon would as well as keeping is as much air as possible to keep the fluffiness in your brownies

That's the way the cookie crumbles

Cookies are the one thing that i've always struggled with ever since the baking bug bit me. I've lost count of the  different recipes that I've tried where they either are a complete sludgy mess or worthy of chipping your tooth 

After countless attempts, I think it's safe to say I've found an unbelievably quick and easy recipe and gives me the perfect fix for soft chewy morsels of yumminess  


This recipe is for the good old chocolate chip cookie but the variations you could experiment with are endless. Swap half the flour for porridge oats, instead of chocolate chips add dried berries or nuts and fruit for a slighty less guilty version or why not try something a little more adventurous like a rocky road twist ? Id love to see what versions you can come up with 

 so for 10 milk chocolate chip cookies you will need :

125g softened butter
100g soft light brown sugar
125g caster sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt 
1/2 tsp vanilla paste/ seeds of a vanilla pod
200g milk chocolate chips 

• Cream together the butter and sugars till light and fluffy
• Add in the egg and mix well together
• Add in the salt flour vanilla paste and the chocolate chips. Combine with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough
• Chill the dough in the fridge for 15- 20 minutes
• Roll out the dough into 10 balls, place on greaseproof paper lined baking trays.
• Bake at 180c ( fan assisted ) for 7-10 minutes for soft chewy cookies, 10-12 minutes for slightly firmer crunchier cookies 
• leave to cool slightly ( if you have the patience) before removing from the trays and devour away 

Who says Nandos is just for chicken ?!

Sundays go hand in hand with long lie ins, late breakfasts, staying in your pyjama's for as long as possible and most importantly a good old roast dinner. I don't know about you but a sunday without a roast of some form is just criminal.

With that said a roast isn't always possible when you've kids running crazy around the house or are desperately (is it just me ?)  trying to catch up with the mound of laundry and ironing. This is a recipe that really requires hardly and prep at all, and cooks away slowly while you can get on with whatever else needs doing..  Or if your anything like myself .. plonk yourself on the sofa and do as little as possible !!




To serve a family of 4 for you will need :
2- 2 1/2 kg lamb shoulder
2 sachets of Nandos garlic & herb seasoning (medium hot)
100ml olive oil
fresh rosemary sprigs*
2 medium red onions

• Start by preheating your oven at 200c, (fan assisted) then in a small bowl combine the 2 sachets with the olive oil and stir together and put aside.
• Take the lamb shoulder and lightly score all the top and underside. Take the garlic marinade, pour over the shoulder and rub in well with your hands, making sure you get into the scored cuts.
• Take the rosemary sprigs and tuck into a few of the cuts on top and the underside
• Cover the lamb with foil and place in the oven and leave for 2 hours
• After 2 hours, remove the foil from over the lamb**, add in 2 roughly chopped onions. Lower the heat down to 150c and place back in the oven for a further 3 hours
• The lamb now should be golden and fully roasted. Remove from the oven, recover with the foil and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.
• Serve with your favourite roast veg, my easy peasy yorkies and gravy  … and lashings of gravy 

Yorkies and Gravy

What's better than a home made roast ? It's a home made roast with home made gravy AND yorkshire puddings .. both of these go perfect with my roast lamb shoulder, the recipe which is here

If you're one of those that thinks gravy and yorkies are a bit of a mission, i promise you not.


To make 6-8 yorkshire puddings you will need:

100g plain flour
2 eggs
100ml milk
pinch of salt and pepper
oil oil

• Preheat your oven on full *
• In a 12 hole cupcake/muffin tin, pour about a tablespoon of oil into each hole
• Place the tray into the oven for the oil to heat up for about 10 minutes - the oil needs to be bubbling hot.
• Whisk together the milk & eggs and add in a pinch of salt and pepper.
• In a bowl, place the flour and make a well. Slowly pour the milk into the flour whilst continously whisking. You should end up with a smooth batter. If there are any lumps, continue to whisk for a further couple of minutes
• Carefully remove the muffin tray from the oven and pour in the batter into each hole evenly. Try to be as quick, but careful, as you can. 
• Lower the heat to 250c and place the tray back in the oven, leave for 25-30 minutes. Do not open the door until the yorkies have almost doubled in size and are golden brown in colour. 

To make the gravy you will need :

Roasting juice from the roasting dish
1 tablespoon of flour
350-400ml of stock

• Start by removing your roasted meat or poultry from the roasting dish and placing aside. Place the dish on a low heat over your cooker.
• Remove excess bits of fat as you'll end up with a rather heavy and greasy gravy, scrape the juices  and bits off the tin with a wooden spoon and you should see the juice begin to simmer
• Add in the tablespoon of flour and mix and stir continuously and you should end up with a paste like consistency
• Slowly pour in the stock, again continuously stirring. Keep stirring till the flour and stock have combined together. Leave to simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken. 
• If after a couple of minutes the mixture is too thick, add in some more stock or even just a little water. If it's too runny for your liking, leave for a few more minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper

Mad Moroccan Lamb

For todays post I'm sharing a recipe that isn't one of mine, nor one that is of my mothers. It's a recipe from a chef who I am a huge fan of, from his very early days as The Naked Chef - the amazing Jamie Oliver.

In all honesty I stumbled on Jamie by pure chance, bored at home one weekend channel hopping and I caught an episode of The Naked Chef half way through and I was instantly hooked. Fast forward 16 years and I am still very much a fan of him & religiously watch his shows, and own (almost) all his cookery books

I love his drive for healthier school meals, his passion for his foundation set up to help youngsters step into the world of cookery and that he really tries to show how cooking can be enjoyable, easy and not just a chore.  

I absolutely love this recipe as not only is it the base of a roast, but with a Moroccan twist - and I'm definitely a fan of foodie twists !!

This recipe was the perfect excuse to invite people over to eat with the 4 of us -  so I invited my cousins & their kids, and am quite chuffed with how much it was enjoyed, considering it was my first attempt. I followed the recipe to the exact specifications, if i were to change anything, it would be to half the amount of cous cous as you end up with quite a bit left over !


For 6-8 people you will need :

for the lamb:
1 x 2kg lamb shoulder
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
2-3 dried red chillies
2 tsp salt
small handful rosemary leaves

for the chickpeas:
4 large red onions peeled and sliced
1 cinnamon stick
bunch of marjoram or tyme leaves
2x 400g tin of chickpeas
200ml balsamic vinegar

for the cous cous:
2 pints of water
250g mix of  dried apricots, raisins, sour cherries & cranberries
700g cous cous
2 lemons halved

for serving:
500ml plain yougurt
handful fresh coriander
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded & finely sliced

• Preheat your oven to 220c/ Gas mark 7. Score the lamb in criss crosses about an inch apart. In a grinder or pestle and mortar smash up the spices till you have a powder, and with a little olive oil rub this all over the lamb, and push some rosemary into the cuts of the lamb. Put the lamb in a roasting tin, cover with foil and cook in the oven for 2 hours.
• Next, heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry your onions, along with the cinnamon and marjoram or tyme for about 15 minutes or until the onion have softened. Add in the chickpeas with 3/4 pint of water and balsamic vinegar. Simmer on a low heat till nice & thick and remove from the hob.
• In a saucepan, bring your water to the boil & add in the dried fruits, simmer for 5 minutes, the fruit will plump up. Remove from the heat and add in the cous cous with a little olive oil and leave to soak up the water. When there is no liquid left in the cous cous, pour onto a baking try and spread out flat evenly.
• After 2 hours, the lamb should be golden and just roasted all the way through. Lower the heat to 200c/ Gas mark 6, remove the lamb from the oven and set aside out of the roasting tin. Add a little water to the roasting tin, and scrape off any sticky bits from the bottom of the tin.
• Grab a large pot or another roasting dish with 4-5 inch high sides and lightly brush with olive oil, add in a quarter of the cous cous, or just enough to cover about 1 inch of the bottom of the pan.
• Place the lamb into the pot, and sprinkle over the chick peas- remember to remove the cinnamon stick. Put the lamb on top, pour over the roasting pan juices and then add the rest of the cous cous, covering the lamb evenly. Place the lemon halves on top, lightly oil and wet a sheet of greasproof paper and cover the cous cous. Cover with a sheet of foil and place back in the oven for an hour - hour and a half.
• Use a knife to pull some of the cous cous away, and the meat should pull away and fall of the bone- it's now done. Leave to rest for 5 minutes while you spike the yogurt with the juice from the roasted lemons.  
• Dollop some yogurt into the middle of the dish, scattered with the chopped coriander and chilli and serve !

                                     

        

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Garlic Naan

My last post was a recipe for Peshwari Naan a delicious twist on the staple plain naan. Tonight it's another naan recipe which is very much loved amongst not only family members but pretty much all my friends.

I know that whenever I'm out for a meal with my friends, without fail, garlic naan has to be ordered, no matter if we've ordered other varieties, and there's always a battle for the last piece !

This recipe will make 4-6 naan and they literally will go with any curry whatsoever:

2 fl oz warm water

pinch of sugar

1 tsp dried active yeast

500g plain/bread flour

whole bulb of garlic (crush the cloves)

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp garlic powder

50g melted butter

• In a small bowl mix the yeast sugar and warm water together, leave for about 10 minutes for the yeast water to become frothy
• In another bowl, put together the flour, salt and crushed garlic cloves, add in the yeast mix and enough warm water to make a soft dough
• turn out onto floured surface and knead it together for about 10 minutes
• Place the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave to rise for about 2 hours. If you're a bit short of time, you can add in a pinch of baking powder to speed up the process
• Put a non stick pan on your hob to a medium heat and turn your grill on full
• In a small pan, melt the butter on a low heat and stir in the garlic powder 
• Divide and roll out your dough into 4 balls, roll one out into a circle about a quarter of an inch thick
• Place onto your non stick pan and cook, just as in step 7 for Peshwari Naan
• Place the naan under the grill, to lightly brown the top, when you take the naan off the grill, lightly brush the top with the melted garlic butter and serve