1. Put the chillis, peppers, oil and vinegar into the food processor and blend. You want the end mixture to have small chunks of [...]]]> You will need:
2 red chillis, seeded and chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts (skin needs to be still on)
a food processor
an ovenproof dish

1. Put the chillis, peppers, oil and vinegar into the food processor and blend. You want the end mixture to have small chunks of pepper in, so don’t blend it too much. Then season.
2. Score the chicken skin lightly with a knife, then put into the dish. Pour over three quarters of the dressing, ensuring that all of the chicken is covered. Marinate for 20 minutes, or leave it overnight in the fridge for maximum effects. Keep the leftover marinade.
3. Fry the chicken in a pan for 5-6 minutes on each side, turning once. Serve with the rest of the dressing drizzled over the top, and with some salad.

VIDEO UNDER THE READ MORE…

SERVES 8

You will [...]]]> Hello everyone! Sorry I’ve been MIA for a bit, I’ve had a lot of holiday related and coursework related stuff going on, but I assure you I am now back and will continue to do videos and recipes for you to try out So without further ado:

VIDEO UNDER THE READ MORE…

SERVES 8

You will need:
a greased cake tin
a greased baking tray
100g margarine or butter
190g plain chocolate
2 tbsp golden syrup
230g ginger biscuits, crushed (I use a rolling pin and clingfilm in the video, but you can use a food processor)
100g hazelnuts

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 for fan ovens)/ gas mark 4. Spread the hazelnuts out over the baking tray, and place them in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the skins have started to crack. Remove them, and rub them lightly with a paper towel to remove the skin, as this tastes very bitter. Then chop the hazelnuts using a knife or blender.

2. Meanwhile, heat the butter, chocolate and syrup together in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot water. Stir until melted.

3. Remove the mixture from the heat, and stir in the ginger biscuits and three quarters of the hazelnuts, then push the mixture down into the tin, until it is lying flat and evenly. Sprinkle the rest of the nuts over the top and chill for an hour and a half before serving.

For the base -- you will need: 500g plain flour 7g fast-action dried yeast 1 tsp salt 250ml warm water

For the sauce -- you will need: 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 red onion, finely chopped 400g chopped tomatoes (a tin works well) 100g diced cherry tomatoes 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp tomato puree olive oil

You [...]]]>
MAKES 2 PIZZAS
(video, as usual, under the read more link!)

For the base -- you will need:
500g plain flour
7g fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp salt
250ml warm water

For the sauce -- you will need:
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
400g chopped tomatoes (a tin works well)
100g diced cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp tomato puree
olive oil

You will also need:
whatever toppings you want to use!
basil

1. For the sauce, gently fry the cloves and onion in 2 tbsp olive oil until softened. Add the puree, balsamic vinegar, chopped and cherry tomatoes, then simmer for 40 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened. This can then be set aside to cool whilst making the base (or you can make the base whilst the sauce is cooking).

2. For the base, mix together the flour, yeast, salt and 100ml of the water. Slowly add the rest of the water (you may not need to use all of it -- only use it if the mixture is not sticking together), until the dough is sticking together.

3. Knead the dough for a minute on a lightly floured surface, until the mixture starts to appear elastic and smooth. Put the dough in a slightly oiled bowl, and cover with cling film. Put the bowl in a warm place, and leave the dough until it has risen to twice its size.

4. Knead briefly again, then divide the dough in half, rolling each piece out into a 25cm circle. Place each on greased baking trays.

5. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (200 for fan ovens)/gas mark 7. Spread the tomato sauce over the pizza bases, then top with whatever toppings you want, and basil. For mine, I used roughly 250g of sliced mozzarella (although in hindsight, cheddar would have also worked well grated), some cooked chicken, and mushrooms. Drizzle the top lightly with olive oil, then cook for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Enjoy

MAKES 12+ (depending on the size you want the cookies to be)

Video under the Continue Reading

You will need: a greased baking tray or one covered in greaseproof paper 1 cup of flour 1 cup of honey nut cornflakes 1 cup of oats 1/2 cup of melted butter/margarine 1/2 cup of brown sugar 1/2 cup of granulated [...]]]>

Put that cookie down - NAOW!

MAKES 12+ (depending on the size you want the cookies to be)

Video under the Continue Reading

You will need:
a greased baking tray or one covered in greaseproof paper
1 cup of flour
1 cup of honey nut cornflakes
1 cup of oats
1/2 cup of melted butter/margarine
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of peanut butter (can be crunchy or smooth)
1 medium egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

N.B.: One cup equals roughly half a pint/284ml. Just make sure you use the same measuring jug each time and you shouldn’t have a problem!
In the video I am making two batches in one, so there will be a lot less than that when you make them for yourself.

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (170 degrees with a fan oven)/gas mark 5.

2. Cream together the margarine and both sugars, then mix in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla essence. Stir until blended thoroughly.

3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, using your hands if necessary as the dough gets quite thick, until it is all blended into a dough.

4. Drop large tablespoons of the dough onto the baking tray. You will notice in the video that I didn’t do this (stupidly), and also put them too close together, ending up with a giant flapjack-like mass. If you want large cookies, space them out more, as they will expand.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. The cookies should be soft but not spongy/doughy to the touch, and you can always check the inside of them by using a sharp knife. If the knife comes out clean, they are cooked.

Just a little heads up that the next poll will be lasting for two weeks, as I am aware that a lot of you will have lots of stuff to do over the Christmas period, and may not always be able to get to the internet. So there will be plenty of time [...]]]> Hello my lovelies!

Just a little heads up that the next poll will be lasting for two weeks, as I am aware that a lot of you will have lots of stuff to do over the Christmas period, and may not always be able to get to the internet. So there will be plenty of time to vote on the next dish! I hope you have all checked out my Christmas food guides as well, and give them a go yourselves! It really impresses Mum and Dad if you don’t live at home and show up with mince pies over Christmas and are able to tell them that you made them from scratch!

Also, for those that voted for the previous polls – do not panic! I have not forgotten about the winning choices, and I shall be posting a cookies video later in the week (ingredients arriving tomorrow), and a pizza (and base) video as well before the New Year.

MAKES 12

Video under the Continue Reading

You will need: a greased 12 hole Yorkshire pudding tray a pastry brush or a spoon 225g butter, diced 350g plain flour 100g golden caster sugar 280g mincemeat (possibly more depending on how deep the pie cases are!) 1 small egg, beaten

1. Rub the butter into the flour, then mix in the sugar. Combine this into a [...]]]>

MAKES 12

Video under the Continue Reading

You will need:
a greased 12 hole Yorkshire pudding tray
a pastry brush or a spoon
225g butter, diced
350g plain flour
100g golden caster sugar
280g mincemeat (possibly more depending on how deep the pie cases are!)
1 small egg, beaten

1. Rub the butter into the flour, then mix in the sugar. Combine this into a ball, without using any liquid. (I know this sounds mad, but keep going and it does work!) The dough can then be used immediately, chilled, or frozen for future use. If you are going to freeze it, use it within a month, as otherwise it will lose its quality.

2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/gas mark 6 (for fan ovens 180 degrees).

3. Now there are three ways of doing the next part: you can shape the pastry yourself with your hands, spoon in walnut sized pieces of pastry and press them into place, or use the tops of a cup and a pint glass as cookie cutters (or just use round cookie cutters if you have them). Spoon in the mincemeat, making sure you don’t fill the case up to the very top. This will prevent it from spilling out in the cooking process and ruining their professional look!

4. Take smaller balls of pastry and pat them into round lids (again using your favourite method here), which are big enough to cover the pies. Top the pies with this pastry, pressing the edges of the bottom and top case together lightly to seal (You can now -- again -- freeze these as they are in the tin for up to a month!). Get a sharp knife and poke two small holes in the top of the case -- not enough to go through to the bottom, but enough to allow air to escape the inside of the pie.

5. Brush the tops of the pies with the egg using the pastry brush, or small portions on a spoon and rubbing it gently over the top. Bake for 20 minutes until golden, then leave to cool for 5 minutes and remove. You can eat these hot or cold, with some brandy butter, custard, ice cream or cream.

NB: Alternatively, for ease, use ready made pastry. Just make sure you have enough pastry (and that the cases are thin enough) before you start making them. I made that mistake when making the video, as I was trying to hand make the cases without cookie cutters, so they were a bit on the thick side, and had to use back up pastry for another batch. I would recommend making more pastry than you need: you can always make more mince pies with the leftovers!

SERVES 12+

Video is under the Continue Reading

You will need: a round 12″ cake tin one pack/portion of shortcrust pastry 450g pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into 1 inch chunks 2 large eggs, and 1 egg yolk 75g soft dark [...]]]>

It was that good they scoffed it, and I didn't have time for a picture of the complete pie!

SERVES 12+

Video is under the Continue Reading

You will need:
a round 12″ cake tin
one pack/portion of shortcrust pastry
450g pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 large eggs, and 1 egg yolk
75g soft dark (demerara) brown sugar
275ml double cream
1 tsp of:

• ground cinnamon
• nutmeg
• allspice
• ground cloves

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/gas mark 4 (160 for a fan oven).

2. Roll the pastry out to be 1 1/2 inches thick: basically you want it large enough to fit into your cake tin with a slight overlap. Put it into the cake tin (you may want to grease the tin if you’re worried you won’t be able to get the pie out later!)

3. Steam the pumpkin until it is soft enough to stick a sharp knife into it with ease. Then get a course sieve and press the pumpkin lightly to remove any excess liquid.

4. Lightly whisk the eggs and yolk together in a large bowl.

5. Place the sugar, spices and cream in a pan. Bring it to a gentle simmer, stirring gently. Add the eggs and whisk.

6. Add the pumpkin, whilst still stirring, until it is all mixed together, then pour the mixture into the pastry case and bake for 35-40 minutes. By then it should be a darker orange/brown and puffed up around the edges. Poke it with your finger if you’re unsure: it should be slightly springy.

7. Remove and cool on a wire rack, or eat hot with some ice cream or custard.

NB: You can use the homemade pastry I’ll be describing in the mince pies section, or just buy some for this. Depends on how easy you want it to be. Also, if you know that pumpkins in your area (like most of the UK, for example) have terrible, bland tasting pumpkins, use butternut squash for a good flavour.

Video is embedded after the ‘Continue Reading’ to make your browser happy!

SERVES TWO

You will need:

300g cooked noodles (you can also use the precooked noodles that now are in most supermarkets) 4 spring onions, sliced 1/2 red onion, finely sliced 1/2 red chilli, deseeded and sliced 175g beef, fat removed 500ml hot chicken stock 2cm fresh root ginger, grated 1 tbsp coriander

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zeeqll6eobw

1. Divide [...]]]>

Video is embedded after the ‘Continue Reading’ to make your browser happy!

SERVES TWO

You will need:

300g cooked noodles (you can also use the precooked noodles that now are in most supermarkets)
4 spring onions, sliced
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
1/2 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
175g beef, fat removed
500ml hot chicken stock
2cm fresh root ginger, grated
1 tbsp coriander

1. Divide the noodles, spring onions, red onion and chilli into two bowls.

2. Brush oil on the beef and season well. Heat up a pan, and cook the beef for around 5 minutes, depending on how well cooked you like it. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside to rest.

3. Put the stock, ginger, coriander and 500ml of boiling water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiled, take off the heat and pour the liquid into the bowls, over the noodles and vegetables. Leave it to stand for 1 minute.

4. Slice the beef thinly and add to the bowl. Serve with a slice of lime if wanted.

NB: You can also add beansprouts, spinach, or other vegetables to the mixture, depending on personal taste.