Poached Skate Wing with Nutty Butter Sauce - How To Make

How to make a rich and tasty poached Skatewing with a nutty butter sauce.

Skate is part of the Ray family of fish related to sharks. They have no bones only cartilage. Mostly, people eat the wings and the cheeks of Skate.
Enjoy the recipe.

Paul & Vikki

Scotch Broth - How To Make

How to make Scotch Broth

Ingredients
2 Onions diced
2 Carrots diced
2 Celery diced
1 Leek thinly sliced
500gms Lamb Neck Filet diced
2 large Potatoes roughly chopped
1 Turnip roughly chopped
75gms Pearl Barley
2 pints home made Lamb Stock (Use stock cube with water)
Brussel Sprouts halved

Method
Fry the onions leek carrots and celery.
Add the Lamb and fry to seal.
Add the Lamb stock and leave to simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the Pearl Barley
Add the potatoes and turnip and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes
Toward the end of cooking add the Pearl Barley and the Brussel Sprouts and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread

Lemon Frosted Carrot Cake - How To Make a Zingy Lemon Frosted Carrot Cake

How to make zingy Lemon frosted Carrot Cake

Ingredients
Carrot Cake:-
250 Grams of Soft Brown Sugar
250 Ml Sunflower Oil
375 Grams of Self Raising Flour
3 Eggs
500 Grams of Carrots coarsely grated
150 Grams Walnuts
2 Teaspoons Mixed Spice
1/2 Teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda (rising agent)

Frosting:-
Zest of 1 Lemon
30 Grams of Soft Butter
80 Grams of Cream Cheese (make sure it is full fat cheese)
250 Grams of Icing Sugar

Method:-
Line the sides and bottom of a cake tin 22 centimetres in circumference with greaseproof paper.
Grate the Carrots. Chop or crush Walnuts.
Cream together the Sugar and Eggs and Oil.
Sift Flour, Bicarbonate of Soda, and the Mixed Spice into a bowl. Add the chopped Walnuts.
Add the wet mixture, making sure to fold in the flour, so as not to over work and stretch the Gluten in the flour.
Pour into the lined cake tin and bake in the centre of a moderate oven for 1hr 15 minutes to 1hr 30 minutes or until cooked. (Set the oven temperature around 160-180 degrees centigrade depending on the type of oven used).
Use a clean knife or skewer to poke into the cake and if it comes out clean the cake is cooked. If you can see uncooked cake batter, return to the oven for a further 10 minutes and recheck with the knife/skewer.
Leave to cool before removing from the cake tin and place on a wire rack to remove the greaseproof paper.
Mix the Lemon zest, Icing Sugar, Butter and Cream Cheese to make the frosting. Use a Spatula or a Palate Knife to spoon over the cake and smooth out.
Add more crushed Walnuts or add some zest of a Lemon to finish the decoration, although this is optional and not a necessary.

Corned Beef Hash - A St.Patricks Day feast to soak up all the Guinness

One way to soak up all the Guinness on St Patricks day is to make a lovely Salt Beef or Corned Beef Hash.

Ingredients
300gm Salt Beef or tin of Corned Beef diced in centimetre cubes
1 large Onion Diced
1 Carrot finely diced
600gm Potatoes diced in centimetre cubes
2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tablespoon Oil for frying

Method
Par boil the carrot and diced potatoes and plunge into cold water to stop cooking process. Drain and dry.
Fry the onion until golden then add in the potatoes and carrot and fry for five or six minutes.
Add two teaspoons of Dijon Mustard and one teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce.
Add in the beef and continue to fry for a further three minutes adding in some chopped Parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a fried egg on the top.

You can bulk this up with sliced mushrooms or a tin of beans, or even use the mixture to make a pie.

Mustard & Honey Glazed Roast Gammon - How to make

How to make a Honey and Mustard glazed roast Gammon

Ingredients to Boil
1 Smoked Gammon Joint
2 Celery sticks roughly hopped
1 Onion roughly hopped
2 Leeks roughly hopped
12-15 Pepper Corns
2 Bay Leaves

Ingredients to finish roasting Gammon
Cloves to stud the diamond pattern
1 cup of Orange Juice
1 tblsp English Mustard powder
2 tblsp Honey

Method to boil the Gammon
Put the Gammon in a stock pot with the vegetables and then top with two litres of water and bring to a boil than turn down to a simmer and simmer for two hours.
Leave to cool in the stock.
When cool, remove the Gammon from the pot. Remove the skin leaving a small layer of fat. You can serve this as it is or prepare the joint for a further roasting in the oven to enhance its flavour.

Method to finish roasting the Gammon
Remove the skin from the Gammon and cut a diamond pattern in the fat with a sharp knife.
Stud the diamonds with Cloves.
Mix the Honey and Mustard. If it is too thick, slacken with a little hot water.
Put tyhe Gammon in a roasting pan.
Add the Orange juice to the pan and then brush the diamond pattern with the Honey and Mustard sauce. Keep basting every ten minutes while roasting in the oven.
The fat will go golden with the basting but be careful not to let the Honey mixture burn.

A tasty home made Shepherds Pie - how to make

Turkey and Leek Filo Pie - How to make

Ingredients:
Cooked Turkey, Sausage Meat, Stuffing (500 grams) chunks leftovers from a roast dinner
2 Carrots
2 Leeks
1 Celery Stick
Double Cream (200millileters)
Turkey Stock (250millileters)
Flour (2 heaped tablespoons)
Olive Oil (2 tablespoons)
1 Bay Leaf
1 Clove of Garlic
Butter (75 grams)
Filo Pastry - shop bought 10-12 sheets depending on size

Method:-
Peel and dice the Carrots.
Wash and dice the Celery.
Half the Leeks and wash thoroughly as there sometimes tends to be dirt in the inner leaves.
Then cut the Leeks in to pieces about as wide as your thumbnail.
In 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil, sauté the Leeks, Carrots and Celery in a large frying pan until softened. Don't use Extra Virgin Olive Oil as frying with Extra Virgin is a waste of your money. Use the Olive Oil from the second or third pressing.
Sprinkle a heaped tablespoon of Flour or two over the vegetables and cook out in the vegetables to make a thick paste. Then add 250 millilitres of Turkey stock and 200millilitres of Double Cream to the vegetables and add a Bay Leaf and a crushed clove of Garlic.
The Flour will now have dissolved and made the cream sauce thicker.
Add 150 grams of sliced Mushrooms and season with Salt and Pepper. (The video showing the roux of sauce was because I forgot to do this part and had to make the roux to thicken the cream)
Season to taste with the Salt and Pepper.
Remove from the hob, and leave to cool.
Add to a Pyrex dish with the cooked Turkey chunks and stir to mix.
Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan.
Taking one sheet of Filo Pastry at a time, lay it out and brush with melted Butter.
Gently scrunch it up so that the pastry looks like a scrunched tissue. Add this to the top of the pie and continue until the the meat and vegetables are covered.
Filo Pastry tends to dry out very quickly so cover with a damp cloth.
Put into a pre heated fan oven at 200 degrees centigrade and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the Filo Pastry is crispy and golden in colour.

Serve with Winter Greens and boiled potatoes.

Enjoy. Paul & Vikki.

Braised Ox Cheeks

Braised Ox Cheeks are a cheep cut of meat that when slow cooked over a long period allows the meat to break down and become very tender. Serve this with a creamy mash and winter greens or with suet dumplings.

Braised Ox Cheeks Ingredients:-
1KG Beef or Ox Cheeks trimmed of skin and fat and cut into large chunks
2 Celery sticks diced
1 Onion – medium – sliced
1 Leek, quartered and cut into chunks
3 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
2 Carrots - large halved and cut into chunks
4/5 tablespoons of plain Flour to dust the Ox cheeks
Salt & Pepper
½ bottle red Wine – use Wine that you would drink
1 ltr Chicken Stock or you can use a stock cube with water
Thyme
300gm sliced or Button Mushrooms

Method:-
Trim the Ox cheeks and cut into cubes. Use a sharp knife as the Ox Cheeks will be quite tough to cut.
Take 4/5 tablespoons of plain Flour and season with salt and pepper and then add 1/2 a teaspoon of dried Thyme( if you can’t get fresh Thyme). Dip the Ox cheeks into the flour and pat off excess flour.
Save any excess flour.
Fry the Ox Cheeks until brown sealing in any juices. Do this in several batches so as not to fill the frying pan. Filling the Frying pan will cause a broiling effect and not a frying effect that we want.
Place the meat into a large oven proof Casserole dish.
In the same frying pan, fry off the Onion, Leek, Carrot, Celery and Garlic until they soften. Add in the saved excess flour and fry a little more before adding the vegetables to the Casserole dish. The cooked out flour will thicken the casserole. Poor the Wine into the frying pan and deglaze the pan. Bring the Wine to a boil and reduce by half then add to the Casserole dish. Add in two sprigs of fresh Thyme. Top the Casserole dish up with the Litre of chicken Stock and put into a pre heated oven and cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours at 150 degrees centigrade.
In the last half an hour remove the lid to allow sauce to thicken and toss in 300 grams of sliced or Button Mushrooms.
If you want a really thick sauce use a few tablespoons of cornflour and add a little water to make a paste. Add to the casserole and allow to cook and thicken the stock. Serve with a creamy mashed potato and steamed winter greens.

How to make Leek & Potato soup

For those cold winter days, try making some Leek and Potato Soup to warm yourself up.
Here is a great recipe for you to try.

How to make Leek & Potato soup. Follow our video recipe for a very tasty soup for those cold winter days.
Leek and Potato Soup
Ingredients
1lb Leeks (3 medium sized leeks quartered, washed and diced)
2 Carrots (peeled, washed, quartered and diced)
2 Celery Sticks (washed and diced)
1 small Onion (peeled and diced)
2 large Potatoes (peeled washed and diced)
2 pints of Chicken Stock (or water and Chicken Stock cube)
Salt
Pepper
250ml / 1/4 pint of Milk or Cream (plus additional cream to garnish)
Parsley or Chives to garnish

Method
Quarter the Leeks checking for dirt and wash thoroughly, then dice.
Peel, wash and quarter the Carrots, and then dice.
Wash and dice the Celery
Peel, split in half  and dice all the Onion.
Peel, wash and dice the Potato.
In a large saucepan, sauté, over a low heat, the Carrot Onion and Celery. We want to soften, not add colour. When soft, add in the Leek and sauté for a few minutes before adding the Potatoes. After a few minutes on the hob,, add in 2 pints of Chicken Stock and bring to a boil and then leave to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
Add in the milk or cream, and season with salt and pepper. Return to the heat for a further 5 minutes.
Use a stick blender or a blender and blend the soup to the texture you wish.
Pour into bowls and garnish with a spoonful of cream and parsley or chives to decorate.
Serve hot with crusty bread.

Simple Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

Think you have to par boil your spuds and carrots before roasting them, then think again.
Peel and wash your carrots and potatoes. If you are feeling a little lazy then don't bother peeling them. Just give them a thorough wash under the tap. Leaving the skin on is adding more nutrients and goodness to your meal.

Slice the carrots in half length ways and quarter your potatoes. Place in a roasting pan and then drizzle over some olive oil (not the extra virgin oil but the second or third pressed oils). Season with salt and pepper and add a clove of garlic. Next throw on the top of the vegetables a tablespoon of dried Thyme and toss the vegetables well in the oil and seasoning. Place in the oven for 45-55 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1raSNlP4lM

Tasty Chicken Stew

Here is a nice recipe to make a tasty chicken stew.

Tasty Chicken Stew Ingredients:-
2 Leeks halved and chopped into chunks (1 lb)
2 Carrots cut into chunks (200grams)
2 Parsnips halved and cut into chunks (300grams)
2 Celery stalks finely chopped
Mushrooms sliced (200grams)
Potato’s - leave the skins on any small potatoes or if using bigger, peel and quarter (300grams)
2 Bay Leaves
6 leaves of Sage chopped
2 sprigs of Rosemary stalks removed and chopped
1 Red Pepper cut into big chunks
1 large Clove of Garlic peeled and finely chopped
4 Chicken Thighs with skin removed 
Flour seasoned with salt and pepper to dust the chicken thighs
Olive Oil
2/3 table spoons of Cornflower or some instant potato mix
1 to 1.5 litres of water
Chicken stock cube

Method:-
Sprinkle Flour onto a plate and season with salt and pepper. Roll the four Chicken Thighs into the Flour and pat off excess flour.
Gently fry the four Chicken Thighs until golden in colour.
Set the four Chicken Thighs aside to make the vegetable stock.
Cut two Leeks in half and wash to remove any dirt. Then chop into chunks.
Dice the two Celery sticks.
Peel and chop two Carrots. Peel and half two Parsnips then cut into chunks.
Deseed the red pepper and cut into chunks.
Peel and finely chop the Garlic.
Sautee the Leeks, Carrots, Parsnips, Garlic and the Red Pepper in a couple of tablespoons of Olive Oil.
Add in the Bay Leaves, the chopped Sage and Rosemary. Then add about a litre to a litre and a half of water.
Add the stock cube and stir until dissolved, then add salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer.
Add the Chicken Thighs and any juices, and cook for thirty minutes (30 mins).
Add in the potatoes and the mushrooms and cook for another fifteen minutes (15 mins) or until cooked.
If you want the stock to be thicker, then mix two or three tablespoons of Cornflower with a little water and make a paste. Then add this to the stock and this will thicken the stock when the cornflower is cooked out. Another method is to add a couple of large spoonful of instant potato directly into the stew and this will have the same effect.
Remove Bay Leaves and divide into four portions and serve with crusty bread.

Best Lamb Stock Ever

 

Lamb Stock

Ingredients
3 Legs of Lamb Bones (Saved From The Sunday Roast)
2 Medium White Onions Cut In Half
3 Sticks Celery Cut Into Chunks
2 Medium Carrots Cut Into Chunks
2 Sprigs Of Rosemary
2 Bay Leaves
A Small Bunch Of Parsley (Including The Stalks)
Big Pinch Of Salt
12-15 Black Peppercorns
Water
Large Heavy Bottomed Saucepan or Stockpot

Method

You can peel the carrots and onion if you wish. I only remove the outer skin of the onion when I make stock.
Put all ingredients into the large heavy based saucepan or stockpot.
Top up with water and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for about 2 hours with the lid on. This will break down any meat and muscle around the joints of the bones  and allow the bone marrow to flavour your stock.