Pasta with pesto and crushed peanuts

2 fresh tomatoes cut in half

1 red onion sliced

mixed peppers sliced

1 small tub fresh button mushrooms

1 tsp crushed garlic

pinch of chilli flakes

mix herbs

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp pesto sauce

half pack pasta (any kind)

small packet of salted peanuts crushed roughly

olive oil

In a oven dish drizzle oil and all the above into the dish except the pesto and pasta and roast in the oven. Boil the pasta, once done in a large serving bowl place the pasta and add the pesto sauce, add the roasted veg and toss. Add more seasoning if required.

Veggie Puffs

Small bag of frozen mix veg (small cut veg)

1 large onion chopped finely 

2 med potato cut small

2 tbsp oil

salt to taste

1 tsp crushed ginger

1 tsp crushed garlic

few dashes of lemon juice

1/4 tsp gharam malsala

1 tsp cumin powder

1 block puff pastry

1 beaten egg

Heart oil and fry onions until lightly brown then add potato and all the spices, toss the potatoes and then add veg, cook for 5 min (make sure potatoes are cooked) then set aside to cool.

Take the pastry and cut out 4 strips and then cut the strips into 4 cubes so you should have 16 cubes. Roll out the cubes into square shape and fill with the mixture, seal the pastry using a fork to press down, You can either fold the pastry into a triangle or a rectangle shape. Brush with egg and bake for 20 min gas mark 5/200.

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Chicken Pie

1 chicken with skin in four pieces

5 med onions

5 large carrots

8 peppercorns

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 med tubs of fresh double cream

1 tbsp corn flour

2 tbsp oil

1 beaten egg

1 tin sliced mushrooms or fresh button mushrooms

puff pastry about 2 packs enough to cover your dish

In a large pot fill about 2 pints water and add the chicken, peppercorns, 2 carrots cut in half, 1 tsp salt and 2 whole onions and bring to boil until chicken is cooked, this will be your stock. Once this is cooked drain the stock and keep aside, shred the chicken off the bone so it becomes boneless now.

In a separate pan fry the remaining onions sliced in the oil until light brown. Add the chicken, sliced carrots, mushrooms, black pepper and cook for a few min then add the fresh cream. Only using half the stock add the corn flour to one of the halves and add to the chicken and mix well and cook, if you think the mixture is too thick then ad some more stock, it's up to you. Pour the mixture into your oven dish.

|Roll out your pastry if not already rolled, cut four 1 cm strips and press it down onto the rim of the dish then cover the dish with the remaining pastry, brush with egg and bake in the oven for 1 hour and enjoy with chips.

Sorry the picture is not perfect but i wanted you to see the mixture inside.

Mexican chicken Wraps

Pack of Mexican wraps

1 lb boneless chicken cut into strips

1 Med sliced onion

1/4 sliced green pepper

1/4 sliced red pepper

1 pack mexican seasoning 

2 tbsp olive oil

In a bowl add the seasoning to the chicken and leave aside for about 10 min, meanwhile a non stick frying pan heat oil and lightly fry the onions, add the chicken and cook for a while then add the peppers and cook until chicken is fully cooked.

Lightly heat the wrap in a non stick pan, this makes the wrapping part easy. Once all your wraps are warm you can start putting them together. You can add cheese, salad any any sauces you like to  your wraps. Once filling is in roll them up and hold them together with a tooth pick.

Honey Glazed Chops

Marinate 12 chops in:

3 tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 pinch rock salt or normal salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried parsley

2 tbsp honey

Leave to marinate for about half an hour or longer if possible. In a non stick frying pan over a high heat place each chop in and then pour the marination over the chops and let it cook on low to med heat turning occasionally.  Serve with rice or chips.

Eastern Lamb

1 lb boneless lamb chunks

4 whole garlic cloves with skin on

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

Place all of the above ingredients into an oven proof dish and cook on low heat about gas mark 3 or 4 depending on your oven and cook until really tender.  Enjoy with Homous and naan.

 

Quick Black Bean Noodles

1 jar of sharwoods black bean sauce

1 lb Boneless chicken cut into strips

1 large onions or 2 med sliced

1/2 red pepper chopped into chunks

1/2 green pepper chopped into chunks

1 pack sharwoods noodles boiled

sesame oil 

Prepare noodles and leave aside. the best way to do noodles so they don't become over cooked is the place the slabs of noodles into a pot of cold water and leave for about 10 min so they separate then heat the pot on the cooker until the water becomes hot but don't bring to boil, then drain. In a wok or frying pan heat some sesame oil and soy sauce and toss the noodles in it but don't cook it. The pan and the oil together will be hot enough to heat the noodles.

In a wok drizzle some sesame oil and cook the onions and peppers together so they are lightly cooked, once done take it out and leave aside, drizzle more oil and cook the chicken until it is nearly done, add the sauce and the onions and cook for a further few mins. Serve with the noodles.

Pasta bake

Boiled pasta

1 jar pasta sauce

1 jar white sauce

1 lb boneless chicken cubed

frozen mix veg

2 sliced onion

salt ans pepper to taste

1/2 tsp dried parsley

a hand full of mixed chopped peppers

1 cup milk

3 tbsp oil

a hand full of grated cheese

Fry 1 onion in 1 tbsp oil until light brown add chicken and season with salt, pepper,  and parsley. Cook for a while then add then add the pasta sauce and cook until chicken is well done then pour into an oven dish and layer the boiled pasta over it.

Using 1 tbsp oil toss the veg seasoning it with salt and pepper, layer this over the pasta.

Heat the white sauce in a pan add the milk and pour over the veg.

In a frying pan fry the remaining onion and peppers until brown and scatter over the white sauce, grate some cheese and sprinkle the mix herbs and bake for 1/2 an hour.

Fish from the East

4 fish fillets (any type) cut into small chunks

1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice

sesame oil

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp crushed ginger

soy sauce

a dash of lemon juice

salt to taste

1 pack noodles boiled

Pan fry the fish in sesame oil, add to the fish the rest of the ingredients and cook until fish is cooked both sides. in a serving bowl place the noodles season with a dash of soy sauce and sesame oil and toss using two forks, add the fish chunks and pour the remaining oil from the pan over the noodles, spinkle fresh chopped coriander leaves and enjoy.

Optional: you can add veg to the noodles if you like. 

Sorry forgot to take picture, will do next time.

Steamed Sea Bass

 4 small whole sea bass gutted and scaled

2 tsp crushed ginger

2 tsp crushed garlic

1 stick lemongrass

1 bunch fresh coriander

1 fresh red chilli

2 spring onions

3 tbsp soy sauce

sesame oil

2 limes

Add salt and pepper to the fish and place into a oven dish and pour about 400 ml of water and cover with foil and cook on the cooker on med heat.

Meanwhile take off the outer leave of the lemongrass and chop it then place in a blender with the garlic and ginger then and the coriander leaves leaving some for later, chilli, spring onion, soy sauce, lime juice and sesame oil and blend until it forms a thick paste.

once fish is cooked and juice in the dish pour some into the paste mix and then pour all the paste over the fish and sprinkle the remaining coriander and some chopped red chilli over the fish and serve with rice or coconut rice.

For coconut rice use 1 tin coconut milk and make the balance up with water and use that to cook the rice the normal way.

GINGER AND GARLIC PRAWNS

GINGER AND GARLIC PRAWNS

Ingredients:

1 pack king prawns with shell

2 tbsp crushed peri peri

2 tsp crushed garlic

2 tsp crushed ginger

3 tbsp tomato puree

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp salt

1 cup olive oil

Method:

Clean and slit the prawns leaving the shell on. Marinate in the above ingredients except for

the olive oil, leave for 1 hour. In a wok heat the olive oil and place a half of the prawns in the oil and cook but not the marinade. Toss the prawns for 5 min and take out and leave aside, then cook the remaining prawns, again not the marinade. Once all the prawns are cooked pour in the marinade and cook for a few min then add the prawns, toss and sprinkle with dried parsley before serving either on a bed of rice or with fresh crusty bread and chips.

This recipe can also be done with boneless chicken cut into strips.