Tag Archives: family

Sticky Peanut Steak

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This is an adaptation of a recipe, from Jamie Oliver’s book One: Simple One-Pan Wonders.

Serve the steak with the stir-fried noodles and veg or with a mixed salad.

1 x 250g sirloin or porterhouse steak
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped
Olive oil
2 Tbs peanuts
Stir fried noodles and veg (optional):
320g packet of stir fry veg, or make your own
2 Tbs Thai sweet chilli sauce
1 Tbs teriyaki sauce
1 pkt (about 400g) pre-cooked/straight to wok noodles

Trim steak of any sinew or fat, then use a meat hammer to flatten it to about ½ to 3/4 cm thick. Place it in a dish with the ginger, salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Spread it over both sides of the meat, massaging it in.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and cook the steak on high for about two minutes. Turn it over and add the peanuts and chilli sauce to the pan. Continue to cook for a minute or two, spooning the sauce over the meat and allowing the chilli sauce to thicken a bit and get sticky. Remove steak to a serving dish and scrape out the sauce on top. Let it rest while you prepare the noodles and vegetables.

To the pan where you cooked the meat, add the noodles, veg and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes then add the teriyaki sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the steak and serve it with the noodles and veg.

Serves 2

Danish Lemon & Almond Cake

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When we were living in Copenhagen from 2003 to 2006, we were often served lemon cake by the locals. I came away with this recipe from a Danish friend called Hanne, whom I met at the dog park. Sadly Hanne is no longer with us, but I still make her delicious lemon and almond cake.

My local supermarket sells 250g packets of marzipan in the section where they have all the cake ingredients.

We don’t like things too sweet, so I only made half the icing recipe. If you’re feeling indulgent, serve with a dollop of cream!

1 cup almonds, blanched or not, it doesn’t matter
200g butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
250g marzipan
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
Grated zest 1 lemon
1½ cups plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Icing:
2 cups icing sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
1-2 Tbs boiling water
To garnish:
Lemon slices (glacé or fresh)

Preheat oven to 170°C. Place almonds in food processor and process till they look like fine breadcrumbs. Tip out.

Place butter (cut into pieces) and sugar in food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the marzipan. When thoroughly incorporated add the eggs and lastly the sifted flour, baking powder, ground almonds, salt and lemon juice.

Grease a 22cm cake pan. I used a fluted ring mould and sprayed it with canola oil, but an ordinary round cake pan lined with baking paper will do. Scrape the cake mixture into the pan, then bake for 45 minutes, or until well-risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Ovens vary so it may take a bit longer, but don’t overcook. Cool the cake, tip it out of the pan, then spread with the icing, allowing it to drizzle down the sides. Garnish with thin slices of fresh lemon.

To make the icing, sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and one or two tablespoons of boiling water – enough to make a thick but spreadable consistency. Note: photo shows cake with only half the icing recipe.

Serves 12

Curried Mince & Eggplant with Avocado Salsa

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Instead of the usual Spag Bol or Lasagne why not turn that half kilo of minced beef or lamb into a tasty curry?

Curries improve with keeping, so we had half one night and the rest a few days later. You could always eat some and freeze the rest.

I bought some frozen Roti bread from my local Asian shop. Just pop them in a hot frying pan, straight from the freezer. Cook for a couple of minutes each side until puffed and golden brown. Home-made fig chutney went well.

3 Tbs vegetable oil or ghee
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 eggplant cut into 2cm pieces
500g lean minced beef or lamb
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp each fennel seeds & chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric
¼ cup your favourite curry paste
½ cup water
3-4 tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salsa:
1 avocado, cut into 1cm cubes
1 small red onion, diced
2 tomatoes, cut into cubes (I used 8 cocktail tomatoes and halved them)
Olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
To serve: 
Coriander, chopped
Plain yoghurt
Fruit chutney
Store bought Naan or Roti bread
Steamed rice

In a large frying pan heat the oil or ghee and add the onion. Cook, stirring often for 5-10 minutes over moderate heat until soft but not brown. Add the eggplant and garlic and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the mince and continue to cook, breaking up any lumps, until no longer pink. Add the spices and curry paste and cook, stirring for a further 5 minutes. Add the water and tomatoes, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until thickened. Check seasoning. Can be made ahead to this point and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days or frozen for 1-2 months.

While curry is cooking make salsa by mixing all the ingredients together. You may need to add a bit more water to the curry, especially if it has been made ahead and kept refrigerated or frozen.

Serve the curry, garnished with fresh coriander, accompanied by a small bowl of yoghurt, some fruit chutney, steamed rice and the warm Indian bread.

Serves 4-6

Mediterranean Chicken Piccata Meatballs

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I don’t buy chicken mince very often but this recipe caught my eye. The cream wasn’t in the original version, but we thought it really improved the sauce.

Meatballs:
500g chicken mince
1 egg
2 tsp Italian seasoning or mixed dried herbs
½ tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 Tbs finely chopped parsley
¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Extra:
¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
Sauce:
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
½ cup dry white wine or chicken stock
¼ cups capers
½ cup cream (optional)
To garnish:
2 Tbs finely chopped parsley

Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Using damp hands, form into 16 meatballs. Coat the meatballs in the extra ¼ cup of breadcrumbs. Refrigerate for half an hour or until serving time.

Sauce: Heat butter and olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the meatballs for a few minutes each side, or until golden all over. Remove from pan. To the pan add the lemon juice and zest, white wine, capers and cream (if using). Bring to the boil, stirring, then return the meatballs to the pan. Cook, turning them a couple of times, until sauce has thickened. Check sauce for seasoning. If you’re not adding the cream you may need to add a bit more water.

Serve garnished with the chopped parsley.

Serves 4

Vegetable & Pasta Soup with Parmesan Croutons

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Rather than cooking a traditional evening meal, I sometimes make a hearty soup. This is a slightly adapted version of a recipe I found on the Gourmet Traveller website.

1 leek, white and light green part only
1 small onion, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 stick of celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 Tbs olive oil
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
150-200g fresh lasagne sheets (see note below)
2 handfuls spinach leaves, shredded if large
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Croutons:
2 thick slices sourdough bread
1 Tbs butter, melted
2 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
Topping:
1 small head fennel thinly shaved and some of the green fronds
Extra Virgin Olive oil to drizzle

Chop all the vegetables and place them in a large heavy-based saucepan with the olive oil. Cook, stirring often, for about 7 minutes, or until softened. Add the stock and cook for 10 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Can be prepared ahead to this point then reheated to serve.

Meanwhile make the croutons: cut or tear the bread into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl with the melted butter and grated cheese and mix well. Cook in one layer in a hot oven or an air fryer until crisp and golden.

Thinly slice the fennel and cut the slices into smaller pieces. Keep some of the fennel fronds.

To serve: Add the fresh lasagne sheets, torn or cut into bite-sized pieces and cook for a minute or two. Add the shredded spinach and sugar and check seasoning. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the lasagne is cooked, then ladle into soup bowls. Top with the croutons, the shaved fennel and fennel fronds and a drizzle of olive oil.

Serves 2-3

Note: if you don’t have fresh lasagne sheets, you can use any fresh or dried pasta and adjust the cooking time accordingly. If using dry pasta, choose a small size which cooks quickly.

Cream Cheese Log with Dried Fruit & Nuts

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Invite some friends round for a drink and serve this delicious cheese log with your favourite crackers. It can be made a day or two before serving. If you want it to keep for longer, leave out the chives and maybe add some dried herbs. Then it will keep for a week or two.

Try different combinations of fruit and nuts. The photo shows cranberries and pecans, but glacé ginger or diced apricots, or both, with walnuts or pecans is a great combination.

Just before serving I cut the log in half, so what you see in the photo is one of two small logs.

150g dried cranberries (or apricots, dates, seedless raisins, figs, glacé ginger, or a mixture)
125g pecans (or walnuts, pistachios or macadamias, or a mixture)
4 Tbs snipped chives (use scissors)
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
100g cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the cranberries and pecans, both finely chopped, in a mixing bowl with the chives. Mix well. Place cream cheese in another mixing bowl, add the grated cheddar, about half the cranberry and nut mixture and season to taste.

Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the kitchen bench. Tip the remaining cranberry and nut mixture onto the middle in a rectangle.  Use a spatula to scrape the cream cheese mixture onto a plate or chopping board, in a rough log shape. Use damp hands to form it into a neater log shape, about 3cm in diameter. Or you can make two smaller logs.

Place the log on the cranberry and nut mixture and roll it around, patting it into the log until it’s completely covered, including both ends. Use a clean piece of plastic wrap to wrap the log and once it’s securely wrapped, roll it on the counter a few times to improve the shape.

Refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving with your favourite crackers.

Serves a crowd

Zucchini Ricotta and Basil Tart

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This quick and easy recipe for a zucchini tart uses bought puff pastry and is delicious served with a mixed salad.

1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
2-3 zucchini (courgettes)
2 Tbs olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
250g fresh ricotta cheese
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbs finely chopped basil
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs pine nuts (optional)
1 egg, beaten
1 handful fresh basil leaves
Extra virgin olive oil

Lay pastry square or rectangle on a paper-lined baking sheet and preheat the oven to 200°C. Thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise using a vegetable peeler. Place in a bowl with the olive oil and seasoning and mix well with your hands to coat well.

With a fork, mash the ricotta with the lemon juice and rind and seasoning. If it’s a bit stiff add a drizzle of olive oil. Mix in the chopped basil. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving a border of a couple of centimetres or one inch around the edges.

Layer the zucchini slices on top of the ricotta, overlapping the slices in parallel rows and doing several layers. Arrange the garlic slices over the zucchini before covering them with the last layer of slices. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the zucchini. Brush the beaten egg around the edges.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed. Halfway through the cooking time, sprinkle with the pine nuts, if using.

Place the fresh basil leaves in a food processor and process, adding enough oil to make a thick sauce. Drizzle the basil oil over the tart before serving.

Serves 4-6

Baked Fennel with Bacon

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This easy side dish goes well with fish or chicken.

1 large bulb of fennel or two smaller ones
2 tbs olive oil
2-3 rashers of bacon, diced
1 slice bread, preferably sourdough
2 Tbs fresh rosemary, leaves only
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 200°C. Oil or butter a shallow baking dish. Thinly slice fennel and cut the slices into smaller pieces. Place in a mixing bowl with the olive oil. Mix then tip into the baking dish and spread evenly.

Place bread, rosemary and pepper in a food processor and pulse to obtain chunky crumbs. Fry the bacon until crisp, then mix with the breadcrumbs. Spread over the fennel, then bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the fennel is tender and the crumbs are golden brown.

Serves 4-6

Chicken Confit with Coconut Rice & Red Curry Sauce

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Living in Paris some 20 years ago I was introduced to confit, a cooking method where poultry is covered with duck fat or olive oil and cooked at a low temperature for a long time.

Confit comes from the French word confire which means to preserve and is used to describe any type of food that is cooked slowly over a long period as a method of preservation. It dates back to the days when people didn’t have refrigerators and this was a means of making things last longer.

The French mainly use this cooking method with duck, but chicken works just as well and I have also tried it with salmon. They say that confit duck or chicken pieces will keep in the fridge, submerged in the cooking fat, for up to a month, but I wouldn’t recommend leaving it for more than a week, just to be on the safe side. To serve, remove the chicken or duck pieces from the fat and pan fry them on both sides till crisp and golden brown.

The red curry sauce is a real winner. Quick to make and it can be frozen. If you don’t have time to confit the chicken, buy a cooked chicken at the supermarket, take off all the meat and mix it with this delicious sauce. The sauce goes with everything. Try it over steamed broccoli, green beans, noodles or fish.

The coconut rice recipe is also a winner because it requires no attention. It cooks in the oven and comes out beautifully fluffy and dry. This week’s recipe is perfect for entertaining because you can prepare all the elements beforehand.

There are two ways to serve this confit chicken. Either pan fried on top of the rice with the reheated curry sauce spooned over – as shown in the photo. Alternatively, remove and discard the chicken bones and mix the chicken meat (home-made confit or a cooked chicken from the supermarket) into the curry sauce, reheat and serve on top of the rice.

If you make the confit, don’t throw away the cooking oil once the chicken has been removed. Keep it to make the most delicious roast potatoes. Parboil them for 10 minutes, then drain, mix with some of the oil and roast in a hot oven or in an air fryer.

If you want to cut down on the calories in this recipe, use half a tin of coconut milk in the sauce and half in the rice. Add extra water to make up the difference.

Confit chicken pieces – see recipe
I used 6 chicken Marylands (drumstick and thigh)
Red Curry Sauce:
1 can (400g) coconut milk
2 Tbs peanut butter
2 Tbs red curry paste
2 Tbs fish sauce
2 Tbs lemon or lime juice
3 Tbs brown sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3 cup finely chopped peanuts
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
Coconut Rice:
2 cups rice (Basmati or Jasmine)
1 Tbs olive or vegetable oil to grease the casserole
1 can (400g) coconut milk
1 cup water
4 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
To serve:
Thinly sliced spring onions
Chopped fresh coriander
Lightly toasted coarse coconut
Lemon or lime wedges

Make the confit chicken according to the recipe link or buy a cooked chicken and take all the meat off.

Red Curry Sauce: place all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer, stirring often,  for 10 minutes or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and reaches the desired consistency. Can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen until needed.

Coconut Rice: thoroughly rinse the rice with cold water, then cover with cold water and leave overnight or for at least an hour. Drain rice and place in a lightly-oiled heavy casserole with a lid. I used Le Creuset. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover with the lid. Can be made ahead to this point. Bake for 40 minutes in an oven preheated to 180°C. Remove from the oven and stir well about 15 minutes into the cooking time. Fluff with a fork before serving.

To serve: remove the confit chicken pieces from the oil they were cooked in, then fry in a frying pan until crispy and golden brown on both sides. You don’t need to put any oil in the frying pan as the chicken pieces will all have a light coating. Toast the coconut by stirring it in a dry frying pan over moderate heat until lightly coloured.

Serve the chicken on a bed of coconut rice, with half to three quarters of a cup over reheated curry sauce spooned onto each serving. Garnish with the spring onions, coriander, coconut and lemon or lime wedges.

Serves 6

The Olympic Chocolate Muffin that went Viral

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Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen uploaded a TikTok reel reviewing the meals in the Olympic village in Paris. There was pain au chocolat, pesto pasta, pork skewers, shrimp dumplings and chicken gyoza, all of which he gave average ratings.

However, when he gave the chocolate chip muffins a glowing 11/10 it went viral, and everyone went crazy for this chocoholic’s dream. Some of Christiansen’s muffin videos had over 10 million views and soon earned him the nickname The Olympic Muffin Man.

These little cakes, called Muffins Chocolat Extrême, are made in Paris by a company called Coup de Pates. A lot of people have been trying to replicate them and the photos I saw online all looked delicious. I thought I would have a go.

Use top quality Dutch cocoa and high quality dark chocolate for the best result. Use chocolate chips or just roughly chop a bar of dark chocolate to make chunks. The trick is not to overcook the muffins. The chocolate ganache which you squeeze into the middle after they’re cooked is optional, but very nice.

Definitely worthy of a Gold Medal 🥇

Muffins Chocolat Extrême - the Olympic village sensation

¾ cup milk
¼ cup water
2 tsp instant coffee
½ cup cocoa powder
½ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
125g butter
2 cups plain flour
1 Tbs baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup firmly packed soft brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
A few extra chocolate chips or chunks to go on top
Chocolate ganache filling:
½ cup cream
¼ cup chocolate chips or chunks
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 12 hole muffin pan with muffin paper liners.

Place milk, water, coffee and cocoa powder in a medium to large saucepan and heat, stirring, to dissolve. Add the butter and chocolate chunks and when melted turn off the heat. Add the brown and white sugar, the oil, salt and vanilla. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then add the beaten eggs, the sifted flour and baking powder and the 1/3 cup chocolate chips or chunks. Don’t over mix, just enough to combine.

Spoon mixture into the muffin liners, filling them level with the top of the paper. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a few extra chocolate chips or chunks and push them in a bit. Bake for 15 minutes or until well-risen and firm to touch. As soon as they’re firm to touch they’re ready. Overcooked muffins will be dry.

For the filling, heat the ingredients in a small saucepan and mix. When smooth leave the ganache to cool a bit, then put it into a piping bag with a nozzle. Squeeze a bit into the centre of each muffin through the top.

Serve the muffins while they are still warm, or zap them in a microwave for 20 seconds the next day.

Makes 12 large muffins