Ciabatta with chorizo, brie and sundried tomatoes

Simple and sooooo tastey.

All done on the griddle in a couple of minutes.
The basil makes it.

1/3 loafciabatta; Sliced along the flat.
2 slicesbrie
2 halfssundried tomatoes; soaked and cjopped
2 sliceschorizo; large diameter thin cut
4 leavesbasil
1/2 wholetomato; sliced

Ciabatta with chorizo, brie and sundried tomatoes Preparation

Cut the ciabatta down the middle rather than in slices.

Griddle the top of the ciabatta first.

add the tomatoes to the griddle and loose some of the moister.

put the chorizo slices on. and let some of the oil come out.

Move the slices and put the ciabatta onto the oil to finish toasting.

Add the sundried tomatoes to the other tomatoes.

Put the brie on top of the tomatoes.

Remove the ciabatta.

Put the chorizo on.

top with the tomato cheese mix.

Put a the basil leaves on.

Top of with the ciabatta top.

Cut in two and serve.

Enjoy.

Notes

You can use sundried tomatoes kept in oil straight up but if they are dried or vacuum packed then soak them for a few hours in warm water before using.

You will find it difficult to get a tastier sandwich.

To make it more authentically Italian you could use mozzarella but I like the brie. It melts easier and gives a better mouth feel to the sandwich

Provencale Leek and Potato Soup. (Very easy)

Have you ever heard potato soup described as "Light and Refreshing?" - No? Well read on.

I've made potato and leek many times. It's probably one soup that most people have tried from supermarket, in food establishments and possibly made at home. Because the ingredients are cheap and it's easy to make.

The problem I have with it is that if it's thin it lacks flavour and texture. If it's thick then it can be like gloopy porridge, the taste is there but the look is not very appealing.

My aim with this recipe was to create a light and flavoursome soup that looks appealing. 

One thing for sure. I wanted to eat this as soon as possible.
(From the allotment this morning)

Served with a little Greek yoghurt and a little grating of turmeric.

There was also a medium sized onion with this

Sauté The leek, onion and  celery till soft.

Chopped Bay, thyme, garlic and turmeric.

Herbs Added to the pan

Potatoes finely diced.

  

added to the pan and softened just a little.

Beurre mani to thicken a little. Made in the pan.

allow the flour to cook a little in the butter.

Start adding a little stock to the pan to open dissolve the Beurre mani.

One the Beurre mani is incorporated you can add the rest of the stock.
There wants to be more stock than solids.

Allow to simmer until the potato has just a little bit left to it.

Remove three quarters of the vegetables from the pan.

Liquidise (I use a stick blender) It doesn't need to be smooth.

Add back to the pan and mix.

 

 

Plenty left for a further 4 portions.

Ingredients

2 medium Leeks; Sliced

4 medium Potatoes; diced finely

4 sticks Celery; chopped

1 medium Onion; chopped

1 clove Garlic; chopped

2 cubes Chicken Stock; you may use any stock you choose

2 leaves Bay leaf; Finely chopped, If you can use day old fresh leaves

1 sprig Thyme; Chopped, Use dried if you don't have fresh

1 thumb / teaspoon Turmeric; Use powder if whole not available.

1 knob Butter

1 tablespoon Flour; plain flour

1 to taste Salt

1 to taste Freshly ground pepper; Use white if you wish.

1 tablespoon Olive oil; for sautéing or your preferred oil.

1 Litre Water; add to required consistency and volume

Preperation

Prep the vegetable and herbs as per the ingredient list.

Add a table spoon of oil to a large sauté pan.

Combine onion, leeks, and celery in a large pan and soften.

Add the herbs and mix.

Add the potatoes and soften a little.

Add a salt and pepper. More can be added to the finished soup if required.

Make a well in the pan. 

Add the butter and flour and cook out the flour to make a Beurre mani.

At this point I add the crumbled stock cubes to the Beurre mani and combine.

Start adding water to combine with the mix and stir to combine.

Add the rest of the water. Use your judgement on the amount.

Simmer until the potatoes just have a little bite left.

Remove 3/4 of the vegetables and blend (I use a stick blender)

Add back to the pan and mix.

Serve with freshly baked croutons, a dollop of Greek yoghurt and the obligatory sprig of parsley

Orfy's Cowboy Beans

This is my latest and best version of Cowboy beans.

I've modified the original recipe with a few additions after researching authentic recipes.
The Main addition is coffee and tomatoes.

I'm not a cook that weighs things so it's to taste or by judgement.

I used 2 packs (1kg of Pinto Beans, you can substitute for other beans if you wish)
I wanted to used smoked ham hocks but it's difficult get hold of so I got around a pound of trimmings of dried cured smoked bacon. And used two normal ham hocks.


1KG Pinto Beans
2 Smoked Ham Hocks (If plain use some smokey bacon as well)
2 Onions
1 Scotch bonnet Chilli
1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar
1 Heaped teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 Rounded teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 tablespoon course ground black pepper
2 Tins chopped tomatoes
1 Cup fresh brewed ground coffee

I used a quick soak method to start the beans.
Then added the ham and covered with water.
The ham was not done by the time the beans had softened so I removed the ham. Strained the bean and reserved the beans for adding back in later. I trimmed the Skin and fat from the ham and returned the ham to the pot with the liquid. I fried up the bacon onion and spices. When the ham was done I pulled it apart, added the beans bacon and spice mix along with the coffee and beans then simmered for a further hour.

When this cools it does thicken and almost set but it does liquefy again when rewarmed.

Enjoy,
Orfy.

Cowboy beans.

Cowboy beans Version one.



This turned out well, It was cheap to make for the amount of portions you get from it. I aim to pick up some more beans today to do another batch. I may even use home grown chillies in it.
This is closely following a recipe found on the net.

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/spicy-beans

Hand riased water crust pastry Pork Pies

Time to have ago at a classic hand raised pork pie.

This makes enough for 2 large pies using 12" spring form cake tins. Or 1 large 1 medium and lots of small ones. I buy a 2.5kg shoulder joint. Use half for roasting and the other half for the pies. Remove the rind and some of the fat.

Filling
1.25kg finely chopped pork shoulder.
200g chopped unsmoked bacon (Rind removed)
1 teaspoon of anchovy paste
2 tsp fresh chopped sage
1 tsp Allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
couple of pinches of salt.
2 tsp ground black pepper.

For an alternate try adding black pudding. It works well.

Water Crust Pastry (Enough for 2 batches of pies)
1000g flour (half strong and half plain)
100g unsalted butter or extra lard
250g lard or dripping
450ml boiling water (use 350ml in the mix keep 100ml boiling in reserve if needed)
3 tsp salt

1 beaten egg to glaze

For the jelly (If you want to cheat ask your butcher if he has powdered savoury jelly) Other wise
2 pig's trotter
5 litres water
30g gelatine
1 boquet garni.

Method

For the pastry, sieve the flour and salt into a bowl and rub in just 50g of lard. Gently heat the remaining lard and water together until boiling, then add to the flour, mixing until mixture is cool enough to knead. Knead well. keep aside a third for the lid and decoration. Ideally make each piece of pastry into a ball and leave in the fridge overnight.

For the filling, mix together the minced pork, minced bacon, salt, pepper and water. Sometimes the meat mixture can feel a little wet – if so add the rusk or breadcrumbs (I have never needed to). Ideally cover and leave to stand in a fridge for 24 hours this will allow the bacon to cure the minced pork. When the pie is eventually baked the meat will then appear to be pink in colour.

For the jelly, place the trotter in a saucepan with the water, bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 3-4 hours. Allow the water to evaporate down to approximately 1l, but do not let the pan boil dry - top up with more water if necessary. After 4 hours strain off the liquid and measure out 1l. Dissolve the gelatin in the stock, then it's ready to fill into the pie. Let the cooked pies cool for 30 minutes then  Fill 3 times over 1 hour. A turkey baster comes in handy

Cooking.
I use a slightly watered down egg wash and wash before they go in and 2 minutes before the end of cooking.

Large pie. 20 minutes at 220c then 2 hours at 180c

Smaller pies. 50 minutes at 180c

Let the cooked pies cool for 30 minutes then fill with jelly 3 times over 1 hour. A turkey baster comes in handy. It can be messy so stand on a tray.

Brownies

These are easy to make. Quite rich due to the butter and 3 eggs. Probably not the cheapest brownie recipe to make but definitely luxurious. I may try a batch using one egg and veg oil to compare.

Okay so I'm a messy cook!

Crisp on the outside and gooey  in the middle. 

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's brownie recipes

• 170g butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 100g light muscovado sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g cocoa powder
• 50g plain flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 100g walnut halves or chopped chocolate (optional)

Heat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3. Lightly grease a 22cm x 22cm x 5cm brownie tin and line with two strips of baking parchment. Let the strips hang over the sides of the tin by about 8cm – this'll make the brownies easier to remove when they're cooked.
Place the butter in a medium-size saucepan and melt it over a medium heat until it turns golden brown and smells slightly sweet and nutty. Set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, and using an electric hand mixer, beat together the sugars and eggs until very thick and glossy – when you lift up the beaters, a ribbon of batter should stay on the surface of the mixture for several seconds. Beat in the vanilla and the browned butter.
Sift together the cocoa, flour and salt into a separate bowl. Gently fold this into the batter with a spatula, being careful not to overmix. Fold in the walnuts or chocolate chunks, if using, and scrape into the prepared tin with a spatula.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the middle of the brownies with a few moist crumbs attached. Place the tin on a rack and let the brownies cool completely. Lift them out of the tin with the parchment and cut into 16 squares.

Beetroot curry

My second time of making this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFoXcolYMqo

Bubble and squeak.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/party-food/accompaniment/bubble-and-squeak-rosti.html