Hidden broccoli pasta with salmon

Creamy broccoli and parsley pasta with pan-seared salmon (above)
Serves 4 

500g broccoli, trimmed and chopped 
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing 
4 cloves garlic, crushed 
Sea salt and cracked black pepper 
250ml single pouring cream 
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind 
½ tsp dried chilli flakes 
Handful flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped 
400g linguine 
4 x 200g salmon fillets, halved 
Lemon wedges, to serve 

1 Place the broccoli in a food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, stirring. Add the salt, pepper, cream, lemon rind, chilli and half the parsley, and cook for a further 3 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. 
2 While the broccoli is cooking, cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water for 6-8 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving 250ml of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta and reserved cooking liquid to the broccoli mixture and toss to combine. 
3 Heat a large nonstick frying pan over high heat. Brush the salmon with oil and cook, skin-side down, for 3 minutes. Turn and cook for a further 2 minutes. 
4 Divide the pasta between plates and top with the salmon and lemon wedges. Sprinkle with remaining parsley to serve.

Parsnips Coronation Chicken Hack

I had a lot of cooked chicken.  We had been trying to tempt our little old dog to eat, but to no avail, so after she had gone we were left with a lot of .... Cold chicken.
This is from a recipe based on the original 1953 classic Coronation Chicken, but I didn't have half the ingredients so I improvised.

For 2
1/2 onion
Chilli oil (or plain)
Lge tsp curry paste
1 tblspn Tomato ketchup (tomato purée might be better but I didn't have any)
1/2 glass red wine

1tblspn mango chutney (I only had carrot and coriander)
2 tblspn coconut creme
Juice and rind of 1/2 lemon (taste it and see how much you need as you add it)
1/2 small tub of fromage frais
Black pepper and salt

Enough cooked chicken for 2 in bite sized pieces.

Cook down chopped onion in oil, add tomato sauce, curry paste, wine and allow to cook for 5-10 mins until amalgamated and cooked down.  Add chutney, coconut creme and lemon.  Adjust seasoning.  Add creme fraiche  -depending on how hot it is.  When it's  all melted down transfer to a cold dish and allow to cool (in fridge).

Add chicken, readjust seasoning as it's different when cool. Stir well to mix.

Serve on a bed of rocket or salad greens with new potatoes and a nice glass of red.

Salted Caramel Banoffee pie

I love love love the Salted Caramel Ice Cream we get in France so fancied a saltier, less sweet Banoffee.  Tried this with a can of Carnation Caramel instead of the condensed milk.
Recipe from sweetthingyoumakemyheartsing.blogspot.com

Following below is my adapted, smaller, less sweet version.

Salted caramel banoffee pie (the full Monty)

If you like leave the salt out and make a more traditional banoffee pie, I do find the salted caramel adds a sophisticated edge and cuts through the richness ever so slightly.

Salted caramel banoffee pie

100g butter
250g chocolate digestives

100g butter
100g brown sugar (light or dark)
tin of condensed milk
sea salt

2 large bananas
standard pot of double cream

Smaller less sweet version  (method the same, just different ingredients)
Notes: after blitzing the biscuits, chop the pecans and add to the crushed biscuits before adding butter.

Crust
1/2 pack double chocolate Maryland cookies -about 120g
50 g butter, melted
25g pecan nuts

Filling
50g brown sugar
50g butter
1/2 tin Carnation Caramel
sea salt (3 large pinches -err on the side of caution, you can always add a bit more to taste)


Topping
1 banana
Lemon juice
1/2 tub creme fraiche
2 rounded tblspoons natural yogurt (I used low fat)
Spoonful icing sugar (to taste)
whipped together and enough sugar to counteract the tartness, but not sweet)
Pecans nuts to decorate.
6" springform cake tin

First of all grease a springform tin with butter, line the base with baking paper and grease the paper too.

Bash the biscuits in a bag or bowl, with a rolling pin, until they are fine crumbs. Alternatively use a food processor. Gently melt 100g butter and pour over the biscuit crumbs and stir to combine. Tip the mix into the prepared tin and level the top. Pop in the fridge to set for ~ 30 minutes.

To make the caramel melt the butter gently in a pan over a low heat. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the condensed milk and gently increase the heat, stirring all the time. Bring the mix to the boil and allow to boil for at least a minute. This is important to make sure the caramel sets nice and thick and squidgy! Add sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until salted to your liking.

Allow the caramel to cool slightly for 5 minutes then pour over the biscuit base. Pop the pie back in the fridge for another 30 minutes or so.

Slice the bananas and arrange over the top of the caramel.

 Finally whip the cream and use it to top the pie. Pop the finished pie back in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.

I kept this pie in the fridge and it was just as good on Easter Monday.

Cranberry & Marsala stuffing for Turkey Crown & Mary Berry below

Another Nigellissima special.  Shame I didnt bring the book with me to Pralo for Christmas.

Alternativel see Mary Berry Roast Turkey crown with Orange below.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/turkey_crown_with_orange_47645

And further below le Creuset method for slow roast turkey breast.

Turkey breast stuffed with Italian sausage and Marsala-steeped cranberries

Watch recipe6 min(s)

You need to go to a butcher to get a whole breast joint and you need to ask for it to be butterflied and boned and make sure the skin is left on. I know it might sound a bit of a faff, but take it from me that stuffing a whole double-breast joint is very much easier than stuffing and rolling a single breast joint, as is more commonly found in supermarkets.

Ingredients

For the stuffing

• 100g/3½oz dried cranberries
• 100ml/3½fl oz Marsala
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• 2 tsp chopped fresh sage
• 1kg/2lb 4oz Italian sausages
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 50g/2oz parmesan, grated
• 60g/2¼oz breadcrumbs

For the turkey joint

• 5kg/11lb double breast turkey joint, boned, butterflied, with skin left on
• 4 tbsp duck or goose fat

Preparation method

1. Put the cranberries and Marsala into a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then take off the heat and leave to one side.
2. Put the oil into a large frying pan or similar heavy-based pan, and fry the shallots for a minute or so, then add the spices and shredded sage, turning them in the soft shallots.
3. Squeeze the sausagemeat out of its skins, add to the pan and break it up – using a wooden fork and spatula for ease – turning it in the hot pan until it loses its pinkness. This will take about five minutes.
4. Take the frying pan off the heat and turn the contents into a large bowl, mixing in the steeped cranberries and any Marsala clinging to them, and leave to cool. You can cover with cling film and put in the fridge for up to two days at this stage.
5. When you are ready to stuff the turkey breast, take the bowl of sausagement out of the fridge.
6. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
7. Uncover the bowl of sausagemeat, add the eggs, parmesan and breadcrumbs and – I use my hands for this – mix well.
8. Lay the butterflied turkey joint out in front of you. It really does look like a butterfly though admittedly a fleshy one. Spread the stuffing out first in the slight cavity in the centre of the butterfly and then outwards onto the wings though not going right up to the edge (or it will squodge out when cooking) but as evenly as possible over the whole joint.
9. Carefully, in one swift but steady movement, fold one ‘wing’ over the other to close the joint, and then sit the turkey on a large roasting tin, breast bone (or where the breast bone would be) uppermost as it would look were it the whole bird, with the pointier bit furthest away from you. Thread two skewers through the base – i.e., the widest part that is nearer you – to keep it closed and smear it all over with the duck or goose fat.
10. Roast the turkey breast for 2-2½ hours, then check it is cooked with a turkey or meat thermometer. When cooked, it should read 75C. (If you’re leaving it to rest, as you should or to cool, you could take it out at 73C – it wil retain heat and continue to cook for a short while once out of the oven.)
11. Flex your muscles, then lift out onto a carving board, and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes. Or leave to get cold if you are eating it as part of a buffet.
12. Cut through the whole joint in wide slices right across; they will need to be quite thick, at least 1-2cm/½-1in, to keep the stuffing intact within the slice.
13. As you place it on table or sideboard, dot around it the condiments of your choice: I revert to Christmas in Italy here by putting a lusciously extravagant pot or two of Italian mostarda di Cremona on the table alongside: this is a hot and sweet preserve of mustardy candied fruits that gleam beautifully and taste both festive and fabulous.

Mary Berry shows you how to cook a turkey crown - deliciously flavoured with orange and thyme - in 10 easy steps.

Ingredients

For the turkey

• 2.2kg/4lb 14oz turkey crown
• 2 tsp chopped thyme leaves
• 50g/1¾oz butter, softened
• 2 small oranges, one thinly sliced, one cut in half
• 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

For the gravy

• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 6 tbsp port
• 450ml/¾ pint hot turkey or chicken stock
• splash Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
2. Loosen the skin on the turkey crown by pushing your fingers (or rubber spatula) between the skin and the meat, moving it around to get to the tricky places and taking care not to tear the skin.
3. Mix the thyme leaves with the softened butter until well combined, then smear the mixture underneath the skin of the bird. Arrange the orange slices in two neat rows under the skin, on top of the herb butter.
4. Place one of the orange halves under the skin at the neck end of the bird, and any orange trimmings in the neck cavity.
5. Transfer the turkey crown to a small roasting tray. Rub all over with the oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for about 1½-2 hours, or until the juices run clear when the turkey is pierced in the thickest part with a skewer and no traces of pink remain. During cooking, check the turkey every 30 minutes, baste occasionally and cover with aluminium foil if it is browning too quickly.
6. About 15 minutes before the end of cooking, squeeze the juice from the remaining half-orange over the turkey. Return the turkey to the oven, uncovered, to allow the skin to crisp up.
7. Transfer the turkey crown to a serving platter and set aside to rest, covered in foil, for 30 minutes. Reserve the meat juices left in the roasting tray.
8. For the gravy, pour the juices from the roasting tray into a jug and allow to settle. Skim all but 4 tablespoons of the fat from the top, then tip the remaining gravy into a saucepan and heat over a medium heat until the gravy is just simmering.
9. Whisk in the flour until the mixture is smooth and well combined, then pour in the port and stock and whisk again until smooth. Continue to simmer the gravy until it starts to thicken, then add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and the soy sauce.
10. Bring the gravy to the boil, adding any remaining turkey juices released while the meat was resting. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then decant into a warmed serving jug and serve with the turkey.

Slow-roast Christmas Turkey

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A boned turkey crown with two types of stuffing - the first a seasonal sausage meat and cranberry and the second a traditional sage and onion. The turkey is roasted with a topping of smoked bacon rashers for extra flavour .This recipe can be prepared the day before and chilled in the roasting dish ready to cook.

 

Serves 8-10

 

Advantages of cooking a stuffed boneless turkey:

 

  
1. You can prepare it the day before easing the pressure on the day.   
2. The bacon topping and moist stuffing allow you to baste it less often.   
3. The meat is always tender, flavoursome and moist.   
4. The overall cooking is more even and it takes up less room in the oven.   
5. It is really easy to carve and cold leftovers take up less room in the fridge.

• View Cookbook

Ingredients:

Sausage meat and cranberry stuffing

 

  
• 25g (1oz) butter   
• 1 onion finely chopped   
• 1 stick celery finely chopped   
• 300g (11oz) pork sausage meat   
• 75g (2½ oz) dried cranberries   
• 75g (2½ oz or 1½ cups) fresh breadcrumbs   
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme   
• 2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley   
• 1 egg   
• ½ teaspoon pepper

 

Sage and onion stuffing

 

  
• 25g (1oz) butter   
• 2 onions finely chopped   
• 100g (3½ oz or 1¾ cups) fresh breadcrumbs   
• 2 tablespoons dried sage   
• 2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley   
• Zest of a lemon   
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg   
• 1 teaspoon salt   
• ½ teaspoon black pepper   
• 2 eggs 

 

Turkey

 

  
• 1 x 2½ - 2¾ kg (4½ - 6lb) boned turkey crown*. Stuffed weight will be approximately 3½ kg (7½lb)   
• 25g (1oz) butter   
• 12 rashers of smoked streaky bacon.

 

Gravy

 

  
• Pan juices   
• 2 tablespoons flour   
• 750ml (25fl oz or 3 cups) warm chicken stock

 

Meat thermometer

Another sweet treat. Salty caramel profiteroles.

In my ongoing search for easy and Yumscious Chritsmas pud alternatives I came across this on a blog called 'Not Quite Nigella'

Giant Salted Caramel Ice Cream Profiteroles

An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella

Preparation time:

Makes 4 large profiteroles

Choux pastry buns:

• Water 80g/2.82 fl ozs
• Milk 100g/3.5 fl ozs
• Sugar 5g/0.17 oz
• Salt 5g/0.17 oz
• Butter 75g/2.65 ozs
• Flour 100g/3.5 ozs
• 3 eggs

To fill:

• 500ml tub Woolworths Gold Salted Caramel and Fudge Ice Cream
• Half a jar of Woolworths Gold Salted Caramel Dessert Sauce

Step 1 - Make choux puffs. Preheat the oven to 210C/410C. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Combine the butter with water, sugar, milk & salt in a large heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and using a wooden spoon quickly beat in the flour. Return to the heat and continue beating until the mixture comes together and leaves the side of the pan. I always find this bit a bit magic and love watching it happen. Cook, beating over low heat for 1-2 minutes to cook flour. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly for about 5 minutes.

Step 2 - Transfer to the bowl of a mixer. Beat the mixture to release any more heat. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time making sure that they're well combined between additions. Beat until the mixture is thick, glossy and smooth.

Step 3 - Spoon the choux mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle or usually I just snip the bottom of a plastic piping bag and use it without a tip. Pipe mixture onto tray in a spiral starting at the centre. You want it to be about 8-9cms (about 3.5 inches) in diameter. Then pipe another log of choux pastry on top of the original spiral between the dips. Repeat with the rest of the pastry to form four large profiteroles.

Step 4 - Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the heat down to 180C/350F and bake for a further 20-25 minutes. Once it is baked, prick small holes in the pastry with a skewer to release the steam and return to the oven to completely dry out for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to completely cool - it shouldn't take long and you can slice it in half horizontally to speed up the cooling process.

Step 5 - Meanwhile, scoop out three small or two large scoops of ice cream per profiterole and place in the freezer until needed. Heat up the salted caramel just before serving. These are best assembled just before serving as the ice cream will melt. Serve with warm salted caramel sauce either on top or on the side so that guests can help themselves.

Tip: You can bake the profiteroles ahead of time and freeze them. Defrost them on the benchtop and crisp them up in a 180C/350F oven for 5 minutes.

Sprouts, potato, pasta, cheese all in one!

Sitting watching Nigellissima doing Christmas I could eat the whole programme, but specifically this which has to be the easiest Christmas accompaniment. the book, needless to say, is at the other house, so his is from the internet.

Hearty wholewheat pasta with Brussels sprouts, cheese and potato

Watch recipe1 min(s)

Don’t be modishly alarmed by the double-carb combo: it can be an alcohol-sopping salve, much appreciated at this time of year. Besides, it is important to remember that the original predates central heating.

Ingredients

• 750g/1lb 10oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 250g/9oz baking potato, peeled and cut in 2-3cm dice
• 500g/1lb 2oz wholewheat tortiglioni or penne
• salt
• 100g/3½oz ricotta
• 250g/9oz Gruyère, cubed
• 50g/2oz unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp garlic oil
• 4 sage leaves, shredded
• 50g/2oz parmesan (or similar vegetarian hard cheese), grated

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400f/Gas 6, and fill a large pot with water to cook the sprouts, potato and pasta.
2. When the water boils, salt it generously, tip in the prepared sprouts, the potato dice and the pasta and let the water come back to the boil, then cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until the potato is tender and the pasta al dente. Just before draining, remove two cupfuls of the cooking liquid and put to one side.
3. Tip the drained pasta, sprouts and spud into a roasting tin (or a lasagne dish) then add the ricotta and diced Gruyère and a cupful of cooking water, and toss well to combine. Add more liquid if you feel the pasta is too dry.
4. Warm the butter and garlic oil in a small saucepan and, when melted and beginning to sizzle gently, add the sage and fry for about 30 seconds before spooning or dribbling the butter and sage leaves over the pasta bake. Sprinkle with the parmesan and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, by which time the surface will be scorched a light gold. I like this best if it’s left to stand for at least 15 minutes before eating.

Slutty brownies

From Whatsgabycooking.com 
I have converted the weights and measures into ones that I can understand

A few weeks ago I was perusing the interwebs, mainly pinterest, because it’s my latest obsession and I spend an inordinate amount of time pinning things that I want to eat, and things that I want at my wedding. I’m not quite sure how people planned weddings before Pinterest. It’s kinda the greatest invention of all times. But while I was knee deep in my wedding pinning extravaganza, I stumbled across something called Slutty Brownies.

Clearly these caught my attention immediately. They are the brilliant creation of The Londoner, who is just pretty much awesome. Basically it’s a super brownie made with layers of cookie dough, oreo cookies, and then a rich and decadent brownie layer. They are totally slutty brownies. Or I guess they could easily be “I just got dumped brownies.”

So basically after I found these I made them approximately 23 times. Okay so maybe it was 12 times, but the moral of the story is that these are just downright awesome. My fabulous friend Koko and I decided that these are best eaten by oneself, with a spoon, perhaps a glass of bubbly rose and some trashy TV (I recommend the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or Shameless). They are decadent. One small bite will be enough to satisfy any sweet tooth.

You could easily make these with box mix, which is what the original recipe I found calls for, but I took it one step further and made these with my all time favorite rich chocolatly brownie recipe and my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe. The oreo in the middle may seem slightly out of place because you might think it’s going to be this crunchy layer between two super soft and chewy layers, but let me reassure you that it’s not. The oreo kind of soaks up a bit of moisture from the brownie batter and cookie dough and just adds that extra bit of fabulousness.

Print

Slutty Brownies

Yield: 1 9x9 brownie pan

Serving Size: 16 brownies per recipe

IMPROVEMENTS:  Use chopped 70% chocolate instead of chocolate chips.
REDUCE the amount of vanilla essence to 1tsp in each section.

Ingredients

For the Brownie layer:
• 150g unsalted butter
• 250g cups white sugar
• 80g  cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 80g cup AP flour
For the Oreo layer:
• 1 package of Oreo (regular stuffed or double stuffed)
For the Cookie Dough layer:
• 114g unsalted butter (at room temp)
• 45g brown sugar
• 150g white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (plain chocolate)

Instructions

1. For the Brownie layer:
2. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the sugar and cocoa powder once the butter is melted. Whisk to combine and remove from heat. Add the salt, vanilla and eggs and continuously whisk until the eggs are combined. Add the flour and continue to mix. Set batter aside.
3. For the Cookie Dough layer:
4. Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set dough aside.
5. Assembly:
6. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees (180*C).
7. Line the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan with tin foil and then spray the tin foil with a layer of baking spray.
8. Layer the cookie dough on the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan, pressing down to form the bottom of the slutty brownies.
9. Layer as many oreos that will fit on top of the cookie dough. No need to overlap. One single layer will do.
10. Pour the brownie batter on top of the oreo layer and make sure it's evenly layers on top.
11. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Test with a knife to see if the center is done. If the knife comes out clean, let the brownies rest before serving. If the knife comes out with batter still on it, allow the brownies to bake about 5 minutes more.
12. Serve with ice cream :)