Devastatingly Divine Dishes - This blog will follow the day to day quest for the perfect dish for dinner. If you are feeling a bit uninspired drop by my blog for some recipe ideas!

Monday, February 27, 2006

Spaghetti with artichokes and turkey rashers recipe

Hello here is what we had for dinner the other night. It's super tasty, I'm sure you will love it!

1/2 chili
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 red onion
handful of mushrooms
1 can of artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons garlic and herb low fat cream cheese
100ml white wine
handful of grated gruyere cheese
spaghetti for two

Method
Saute in oil the chili, garlic, onion and mushrooms until soft. Add half the wine and allow to evaporate. Meanwhile start boiling the pasta. Once the wine is evaporated add the artichoke hearts and the rest of the wine. When the artichoke hearts are heated through and the wine is evaporated take off the heat until the spaghetti is al dente. Finally, drain the pasta but allow about 1/2 cup of cooking water to remain. This will keep the spaghetti from sticking together. Keep the water in the pasta and over a low heat add the sauteed mixture and cream cheese; mix well. Once mixed thoroughly add the grated gruyere cheese and salt and pepper. When the cheese is melted and everything is heated through it is ready to eat. Bon Appetit!

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Roasted Vegetable and Couscous

This is a recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine in association with Weight Watchers

1/2 courgette trimmed and cut into chunks
1/2 red and 1/2 yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
1/2 small red onion cut into 3 wedges
100 grams butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and diced
low fat oil
3 oz cherry tomoatoes
3oz hot vegetable stock, made using 1/4 stock cube
50 grams cous cous
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
1/2 oz wild rocket

Method
Heat oven to 2ooc. Toss the courgett, peppers, red onion and squash together on a large roasting tray, lightly coat the ve in oil and roast in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring half way through.
Place the tomatoes in the roasting tin and coat with oil. Roast for a further 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and beginning to caramelise around the edges.
Meanwhile, pour the stock over the cous cous in a bowl, stir once then cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes until the couscous has absorbed the liquid. Fluff up the couscous and stir in the basil. Place the couscous in a lunchbox and top with the veg and leave to cool. Add the wild rocket once the couscous and vegetables are cool, then seal and chill until ready to eat.

halibut crusted with couscous recipe

This is what I made for dinner last night. It is taken from the January/February 2006 issue of Weight Watchers Magazine in the UK.

3 1/2 oz low fat plain yoghurt
11/2 medium red chilli finely chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
10g fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
50 g cous cous
1cm piece fresh ginger, grated finely
vegetable oil
2 halibut fillets
1 egg beaten

For the cabbage:

1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 red pepper cut into strips
100g mushrooms sliced
125g cabbage shredded
1 garlic clove, crushed
1cm piece fresh ginger, grated
lemon wedges to garnish

Method
Preheat the oven to 180c
To prepare the dip, mix the yogurt with half of the chili, lemon zest and parsley. Mix well adn set aside.
Place the cous cous in a bowl with the ginger, the remaining lemon zest and the lemon juice. Add 125ml boiling water and cover for 5 minutes. Then, using a fork, fluff the couscous with the premaining pasley and season well.
Line a baking tray with foil and add vegetable oil. Dip the non skin sides of the fillets in the beaten egg and place skin-side down on the baking tray. Spoon the cous cous over the halibut and gently press down on top. Bake for about 20 minutes until the fish begins to flake.
Meanwhile, prepare the cabbage. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the red pepper and mushrooms and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the cabbage, garlic, ginger, and chilli and stir fry for two minutes. Pour 25ml water over and cook for a further 5 -6 minutes until the cabbage is soft and tender. Season.
Place the halibut on piles of stir fried cabbage and red pepper, garnish with lemon wedges and serve with the yougurt dip.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Poussins, Quinoa stuffing and veg recipes

Hi hope you have a chance to look at my blog today. I am feeling a bit creative and a bit bored today which means that dinner has a few interesting dishes involved. I picked up a couple of poussins(something like a baby chicken, I think) the other week and decided to give them a good stuffing with some onions and lemon. I placed them in a roasting pan on top of some sliced onions and on top put a few pats of butter, black pepper, sea salt, tarragon and squeezed lemon. I tucked a few slices of lemon around the chicken legs for added flavour.
My Quinoa stuffing recipe is as follows:
Prepare quinoa according to instructions on box but add a bit of apple juice and some chopped prunes during the preparation.
In a separate frying pan add

2 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 chopped celery stalk
1/2 chopped red onion
1/2 chopped granny smith apple

fry this in a bit of olive oil with some black pepper. When the quinoa is finished cooking add the sauteed mixture to the quinoa along with some freshly chopped parsley. Mix well and heat through.

For the carrots
1 carrot chopped at an angle(don't know about you but I love how it looks)
1/4 cup brown sugar
two tablepoons of butter

boil the carrots as usual and drain. Add the brown sugar and butter and coat the carrots. Voila you are finished!

Next for the green bean casserole
Handful of beans, just enough for two people
1 small can of cream of mushroom soup
tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 pack dried onions
black pepper

Place the beans into a baking pan with the cream of mushroom sauce, half can of milk, small handfull of dried onions, soy sauce and pepper. Mix well and shove in the oven at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour. When finished add a few dried onions to the top and stick back in the oven again for a few minutes until they have browned nicely.

Well that is about it for dinner. I usually make my own gravy with the help of Bisto and whatever is leftover in the roasting pan. Usually, lots of buttery celery and onion flavours. To all the Americans out there Bisto is simply a gravy mix. You should be able to use whatever gravy mix is available in your grocery store and then just add the roasting tin remains to it and heat through for a homemade taste.

All the best
M~

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Thai Chicken and Eggplant Recipe


Hello again

Tonight for dinner we had Thai Chicken and Eggplant. Below is the recipe taken from Women's Weekly Thai Cooking. I made a few adjustments to it which will be in italics. I halved this recipe as there are only two of us.




Ingredients

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh coriander leaves.
1 stalk dried lemon grass.
1 tablespoon finely grated lime rind.
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/3 cup rapeseed oil
700g single chicken breast fillets, sliced thinly
250g eggplant
three green onions sliced
3 cups bean sprouts
hand full of green beans
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Method

Blend or process fresh coriander, rind, juice, ginger, turmeric, ground coriander, and cumin with 1/2 of the oil until the mixture forms a paste.
Combine chicken in large bowl with coriander paste; mix well.
Discard stem from eggplant; stir-fry chopped eggplants in dry heated wok or large frying pan for 2 minutes, remove from wok. Heat remaining oil in same wok; stir-fry chicken mixture and onion, in batches, until chicken is cooked through. Add the crushed lemon grass stalk.
Return chicken to work with eggplant, green beans, tablespoon peanut butter and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add sprouts tossing until they are just wilted.
Serve on a bed of thai jasmine rice.



Thursday, February 16, 2006

Break out the sombreros it's Mexican night! [mexican taco recipe]

Yes, that's right... I made tacos this fine evening. Over the years I have found that Mexican cooking is always a bit of a hassle because of all the preparation work involved. Tonight I made the filling with Richfood's Dirty Rice Rice Mix in New Orleans Style. This is easily prepared with minced beef and I added some onion and hot chilis. Richfood products are normally found in the US for all of you American readers. I also made my own guacamole, it's a very basic recipe that anyone can whip up. Anyway on with the tacos this evening.

1 packet of Dirty Rice New Orleans Style
500grams lean steak mince

Pre prepare and set out on table
bowl full of shredded lettuce
1 chopped hot chili
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped tomato
sour cream
bottle of hot sauce
lime wedges

Guacamole
1 ripe avacado
1 chopped tomato
1/2 chopped red chili
juice of 1 lime
1/4 of a red onion

pack of tacos

Follow the packet instructions for the dirty rice and beef. Prepare all the other ingredients and set on table. For the guacamole, combine all the ingredients and chill in a fridge until meal is prepared. Prepare taco shells according to packet instructions.

Happy eating! This is a very satisfying meal and there is always plenty left over for lunch the following day!

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Turkey BBQ tonight

Hi there....

The Turkey BBQ ala Joanne Smith is simmering away on the stove. This is the recipe I used and of course I made a few alterations

1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup chopped celerey
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
8 oz tomato sauce
1/4 cup catsup
1 tbsp vinegar
1 1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
1 cup BBQ sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the turkey in 2 tbsp of olive oil until browned. Add the celery, pepper, onion and mushrooms and cook until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for two hours. Serve on rice or rolls and with a salad.

All the best
xx

fresh chicken soup and BBQ turkey

Hi all! Big hellllllooo to Kelly and Brad in Australia!

Just made some fresh chicken soup for lunch. We had roast chicken on Sunday so I cooked the leftover carcass and meat down yesterday in some water. I added a few pieces of celery and carrot and one onion along with a few cloves and freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. I cooked this for about three hours and topped it up with water on occassion as needed. Afterwards I let it cool completely and strained it picking out the chicken bones and skin and discarding them. Then returned the chicken to the stock and added chopped celery, carrot, a few chopped potatoes and a sliced onion. I brought this to a boil and allowed it to cook until the carrot and potato were tender. At the end, add some fresh chopped parsley salt, pepper and tarragon.
Tonight I will be making Joanne's BBQ turkey but witha few small changes. I will let you know how it goes!

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Sausages and Mash

Just wanted to let you know a bit more about the Sausages and Mash restaurant we went to the other day. Firstly, for short it was called S&M which of course is the abbreviation for something a bit risque, found all this quite amusing. Also, for Valentine's Day they were offering a free sausage to anyone who whispered in the waitress's ear that they are single. Quite a good gimmick I think. I wonder how many singles at S&M hooked up this evening over a sausage!
Now for dinner on Friday night... Oh what a fright! We ate at Rosie's temporary flat which only has a microwave. You see, she is training with a travel company and they put all of the trainees up in temporary flats which are quite nice but don't have all the amenities one would appreciate. So, Rosie only has a microwave to cook with... we had tortellini mixed together with a bit of cream cheese and chive. The tortellini didn't quite come out according to plan so it was really nasty and stodgy and bland. No cream cheese in the world could have saved this. Also, we had it with white bread which made it even heavier and blander. At least it filled up our tummies for an evening of drinking in the local pub. Rosie apologised profusely because I think with a stove and oven she is probably quite a good cook. I guess we all learned that microwaves really weren't that advantageous to the human race! Hey, did we really really struggle without microwaves before they came on the market??? Our household has been without a microwave for well over two years and we certainly don't miss it. I think we need to get back in touch with how cooking used to be and forget about all the convenience foods. I urge you all to go out and buy some fresh food... now!!!

Weekend in London

Hopefully I will be able to get through this post without the electricity going out! It's just been one of those days....
Anyway, had a great weekend in London. On Saturday David, our friend Rosie and myself walked to Portobello Road. It was just great having a chance to walk around and have a look at the antiques. Unfortunately, most of them are exorbitantly priced but it's a chance to get a vague idea of how much certain items may cost if you have the right audience who are willing to pay high prices. We had a few run ins with cars purposely driving too fast down streets full of people. Some drivers just don't seem to understand that there are probably alternative routes to take so they don't need to terrorise innocent people! I think there is a lot of anger in the Notting Hill area simply because Saturdays and Sundays are packed with people visiting Portobello road and the driver is too impatient. I guess that if the neighbourhood is that much of a problem then they probably shouldn't be living there. I think Hampstead is much quieter and one won't have the opportunity of getting a police record for running down several pedestrians at once! So that is my ranting about the weekend...
We ate lunch at Sausages and Mash on the bottom of Portobello Road. I ate there with my Mom about two years ago and I remember the food being quite nice, unfortunately it wasn't quite the same this time. My order was anything but what I ordered but I guess that because it was so busy I shouldn't be surprised by the mistakes. I was supposed to have the Somerset sausages(apple and cider) and rosemary and cheddar potatoes. I think I had traditional Cumberland sausages and a rather sad excuse for rosemary and cheddar mash. I saw a few bits of rosemary but certainly couldn't taste it and also couldn't sense a lick of cheddar. Rosie felt the same about her mash. Up to Saturday I would have recommended this restaurant but no I feel it has just taken a turn for the worse. It is definitely good value for money but the food needs a bit more gusto. Calling the equivalent of Bisto as your house gravy is hardly creative! After lunch we made our way up the road to Blenheim Crescent where Books for Cooks and the Spice Shop can be found. I picked up a vegetarian and a thai cookbook at Books for Cooks and David bought a book about the best Fish and Chip shops in the country. David is from the Northeast of England so he is a bit of a fish and chip conoisseur. We then stopped off at the Windsor Castle Pub which Dave thought was the Devonshire Arms. Clearly it wasn't as we showed him the menu but he still disbelieved it! David and I each had three pints of the Timothy Taylor Ale that was being offered that day. It was a nice change from the Carlsberg I am so used to drinking. The food looked really good at the Windsor Castle but we were determined to feed at Geales on Farmer St. in the Notting Hill Gate area. When we arrived at the restaurant we were asked if we had reservations. Unfortunately, we didn't so the hostess showed us upstairs to a dining area clearly for those who were stupid enough not to call ahead. We were eventually forgotton on several occassions and Rosie took the initiative to make loud noises with menus, dropping cutlery and the like to get the attention of any waitress or hostess who may be close enough to be reminded of our existence! The upstairs room had no atmosphere and certainly no other customers while we were there. The service was appalling but I suppose this is because everyone forgot about us non posh folk upstairs. We dined for nearly two hours mainly because of the slow service. The tartar sauce that was served with the battered fish was mild. I actually preferred it mild over the usual tart, but that's my taste. The fish was very light and tasty and the batter wasn't sickly or greasy as some chippys turn out. The chips were a bit bland and boring. They didn't possess the good hearty homemade thickness and texture I expected. Oh well, overall it was a pleasant meal, however next time I will be sure to make reservations!
Today is Valentine's Day and I plan to make rump steaks with peppercorn crust from Marks and Spencer. Also, I will be stuffing some mushrooms with sauteed cerely, onion, garlic, and spices topped with gruyere cheese and breadcrumbs. There will be two grilled plum tomatoes, and baby carrots with tops. For dessert is a chocolate chip pudding with chocolate sauce and served with clotted cream. I will also be serving Ernest and Julio California Red. David and I had this a few weeks ago when we went to see a concert at the Barbican Centre celebrating Mozart's 250th birthday. I think we paid more for one glass of the red than what I would pay for a bottle of it at Morrisons. Oh well, what do you expect when you go out. It was a great evening listening to the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Mass in C minor was definitely the high point. The choir was brilliant and really shone throughout the mass. I am really looking forward to seeing them in the summer when they perform Mozart's Requiem Mass. I suppose I should start looking at getting tickets to that soon! There was also only one good soloist out of four which I found a bit disappointing, but that is the chance you take. Jupiter was a boring performance and I was looking forward to it ending to be quite honest. I think we found a real gem at the Barbican. You can pay £8.00 for a ticket in the balcony and see some of the best performances of classical music in the world. What a find! Well, that is all for now, I must get cooking!! Have a great day!

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Last night David(my partner) and I had tuna steaks marinated in soy sauce, ginger, green onions and chilis along with stir fried vegetables mixed with scrambled egg and soy sauce. I am currently trying to drop a few pounds so I am careful not to overindulge in too much rice or pasta. Of course, you can always serve this on a bed of rice or or some egg noodles.
Here is last nights recipe!

Tuna steaks and stir fried vegetables

Marinate tuna steaks in the following for 2 hours

1/2 chopped red chili
2 green onions
a few slices of fresh peeled ginger
three tablespoons of soy sauce
2 cloves crushed garlic

For the vegetables
1 carrot sliced on an angle
1 green onion chopped
half a head of spring greens, chopped
1/2 red chili finely sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
handful of mushrooms finely sliced

1 egg, beaten

Method
After two hours of marinating heat a griddle with a tablespoon of oil. The griddle is ready when it begins to smoke a bit. Griddle the tuna steaks for six to eight minutes turning once during cooking.
Meanwhile, heat a wok with a coating of oil. Begin by quickly stir frying the carrots for a minute or two, then add the mushrooms, chili, red pepper and onion. Stir fry for a further three minutes. Finally, add the spring greens and stir fry until wilted.

Now put the beaten egg into the stir fried vegetables and flip the veg around a bit until the egg is scrambled. This should only take a minute or less because the heat will scramble the egg rather quickly. Finally, add the marinating liquid from the tuna steaks and additional soy sauce to taste. By this point, your tuna steaks should be finished. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Today I made Tomato, Mint and Basil Tabbouleh for lunch. It's very tasty and the mint adds a refreshing touch. It's really cold here today even though the sun is shining. David and I are looking forward to spending the weekend in London with some friends we haven't seen in a long time. Should be good! We will be in South Kensington and Primrose Hill/Camden so there are plenty of opportunities for good eating. I will let you all know what we get up to!

Tomato, Mint and Basil Tabbouleh
This makes 12 accompaniment servings and comes from The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook. Thanks Joan for the great Christmas gift!

1 1/2 cups bulgur
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 medium ripe tomatoes (about 1 pound)
1 medium cucumber(8 ounces)
3 green onions
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Method
1) In a medium bowl, combine bulgur, lemon juice, and 1 1/2 cups boiling water; stir to mix. Let stand until liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Peel and cut cucumber nto 1/2 inch pieces. Chop green onions.
30 When bulgur mixture is ready, stir intomatoes, cucumber, onion, parsley, mint, oil, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours to blend flavours.
Enjoy!
PS. Each serving only has 85 calories which is great to hear!

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Hello everyone!

Well, it's Wednesday today and we have our neighbours dogs over for "puppy daycare". The male, Barney is a bit loopy and runs around a lot barking at sun rays. The female, Limpet is completely lazy and enjoys nothing more than a good nap and a few free food handouts. Speaking of which, here are some of todays divine recipes!


Raspberry and Cherry Cobbler (in the oven as I type)

4 to 6 cups of raspberries and cherries (you can use other fruit if you like)
1 cup of sugar, or to taste
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits, plus some for greasing the dish
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the fruit with half the sugar, and spread it in a lightly buttered 8 inch square or 9 inch round baking pan.

2) Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in the container of a food processor and pulse once or twice. Add the butter and process for 10 seconds, until the mixture is well blended. By hand , beat in the egg and the vanilla.

3) Drop the mixture onto the fruit by tablespoonfuls; do not spread out. Bake until golden yell and just starting to brown, 35-45 minutes. Serve immediately.

From How to Cook Everything, Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman

Just tried the cobbler and it's delicious! Hot from the oven I served it with a bit of cream. YUMMY!

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

My first blog

Hello food devotees!

Well, this is my first official blog. After much deliberation and frequent hints from my boyfriend, I have finally sat down for five minutes to create Devastatingly Divine Dishes. I do hope you will enjoy at least one of the recipes that will be posted here in the near future. Please feel free to ask questions about ingredients, methods or anything else that is on your mind!

All the best
Molly