20101008 Little Baked Rosemary Potatoes

I always serve a juicy ribeye with these little baked potatoes. Simple but heavenly!

INGREDIENTS
400g small new potatoes, halved
olive oil
dried rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 200 degree C. Put the potatoes in a baking dish. Scatter the oil, rosemary, salt and pepper all over. Mix well. Cook in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

20101008 Carpaccio with Rocket Salad

INGREDIENTS
120g beef carpaccio
100g freshly grated parmesan
75g rocket leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
lemon juice
salt and pepper
handful of pine nuts

METHOD
1. Lay rocket leaves onto two plates, and lay out the carpaccio on the rocket. Sprinkle olive oil, lemon juice, cheese, pine nuts, and salt and pepper all over. Serve!

20101005 Pasta Casserole

(SOURCE: Albert Heijn Recepten - Ovenpasta met gehakt en courgette)

I would recommend scattering your dish with some freshly grated parmesan too to make it prettier and cheesier.

INGREDIENTS
300g pasta, cooked and drained
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
300g minced beef
1 courgette, finely diced
450ml sugo basilico tomato sauce
3 tomatoes, sliced
two 125g mozzarella balls, sliced

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 200 degree C. Heat the oil in a pan and brown the onions for about 1 minute. Add the meat and cook for about 3 minutes, and then add the courgette and cook for another 3 minutes. Pour the sauce in the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
2. Stir the pasta into the sauce and pour the mixture into a baking dish. Cover the top with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until top is golden.

20101004 Cottage Pie with Cheese Crusted Leeks

(SOURCE: Delia's Complete How to Cook by Delia Smith)

The original recipe was for Shepherd's Pie, but I replaced the mince lamb with beef to make cottage pie instead.

INGREDIENTS
450g minced beef
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
75g carrot, chopped very small
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped freshh parsley
1 tbsp plain flour
275ml beef stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
salt and pepper
50g grated mature cheddar
2 medium leeks, cut into 1 cm slices
900g potatoes, cut into small cubes
50g butter

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in the frying pan over a medium heat, brown onions for about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables  and put them to one side.
2. Turn the heat up and brown the meat in batches. Season with salt and pepper, then add the cooked vegetables, cinnamon, thyme, and parsley. Stir in the flour, then gradually add the stock until it is all incorporated. Stir in the tomato puree, then turn the heat right down, put the lid on the pan, and let it cook gently for about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 200 degree C. Boil the potatoes, drain, add butter, and then mash into a puree. Season with salt and pepper.
4. When the meat is ready, spoon the mixture into the baking dish. Spread the mashed potato evenly all over. Sprinkle the leeks on top of the potato, scatter the cheese over the leeks. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is crusty and golden.

20101002 Lemon Rasberry Muffins

(SOURCE: Nigella Lawson)

I didn't have enough flour to coat the raspberries, so they sunk to the bottom of the muffins. Next time, I will definitely coat them with flour!

INGREDIENTS
55g butter
170g (1 1/3 cup) flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
100g (1/2 cup) sugar
1/4 tsp salt
juice and finely chopped zest of 1 lemon
230ml (1/2 cup) milk
1 large egg
140g raspberries, coated with flour

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 205 degree C. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
2. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and zest in a large bowl.
3. In a measuring cups, pour in the lemon juice, then enough milk to come up nearly to the 1 cup mark. Then beat in the egg and melted butter.
4. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir briefly. The batter should scarcely be combined. Fold in the raspberries, spoon this lumpy mixture into the muffin cups and bake for about 25 minutes. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes to cool slightly, then set them on a rack to cool for another 10 to 15 minutes.

20101002 Giant Ginger Cookies

(SOURCE: Simply Recipes - Giant Ginger Cookies Recipe)

The photo didn't do justice to the glistening cookies. Yes, the cookies GLISTEN - thanks to the sugar coated cookie dough!

INGREDIENTS
540g (4 1/2 cups) flour
4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
340g butter, room temperature
380g (2 cups) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup stroop/molasses
140g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 175 degree C. Stir together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat together butter with 2 cups granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs and stroop. Beat in the flour mixture, using a wooden spoon.
3. Shape dough into 2-inch balls using 1/4 cup dough - make about 24 balls. Roll balls in the 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Place about 2 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake in the oven for 12 to 17 minutes, or until cookies are light brown and puffed. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

20101002 Baked Potato Soup

(SOURCE: Baked Bree - Baked Potato Soup)

INGREDIENTS
1kg potatoes, cleaned and poked
2 cups (1.2L) chicken broth
salt and pepper
grated cheese
sliced green onions
crispy bacon bits
sour cream

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 175 degree C. Bake the potatoes in the oven for about 60 to 90 minutes. Place a baking sheet under the rack to catch any drippings.Let the potatoes cool and scoop out the flesh.
2. Add the potato to a pot and add some chicken stock, puree it with an immersion blender. Add enough chicken stock to get the consistency of a thick soup (or just a consistency you like).
3. Season with salt and pepper. Heat over low to medium heat until hot and serve. Top the soup with the cheese, green onions, bacon, and sour cream.

20101001 Beefy Spanish Rice

(SOURCE: allrecipes.com - Beefy Spanish Rice)

I replaced the garlic powder with chilli powder instead to give this dish extra kicks.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp vegetable oil
175g uncooked white rice
80g chopped onion
75g chopped green bell pepper
455g ground beef
255g canned corn
170g can tomato sauce
120ml (1/2 cup) ketchup
235ml (1 cup) water
salt and pepper
chilli powder

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice, onion, and bell pepper and saute for 5 minutes, or until onions are tender. Add the ground beef and saute until browned. Drain excess oil and fat.
2. Add the corn, tomato sauce, ketchup and water. Reduced heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, pepper and chilli powder to taste.

20100928 Beef Curry Dopiaza

(SOURCE: Delia's Complete How to Cook by Delia Smith)

I couldn't find some herbs mentioned in the recipe and hence replaced/skipped some of them. The result was still very good. If you have guests, sprinkle over some chopped fresh coriander leaves before serving.

INGREDIENTS
900g beef stew, cut into 2.5cm chunks
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp ground cardamom
3 tbsp vegetable oil
450g onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp freshly grated root ginger
2 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
75g creamed coconut
275ml boiling water
150ml yoghurt
salt and pepper

METHOD
1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in the heavy based pan over a high heat, and brown the meat in batches. Set aside.
2. Add the rest of the oil over a high heat, and brown the onions for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for a further 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, and add the spices, ginger, and tomatoes. Stir well.
3. Grate the creamed coconut into a bowl and combine it with the boiling water. When it has dissolved, pour it into the pan followed by the yoghurt. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, put the lid on and simmer for about 2 hours.

20100923 Cauliflower a la Bolognese

(SOURCE: Koken & Genieten)

The dish should look a bit more orangey than in the picture, because I forgot the chopped tomatoes. Oops!

INGREDIENTS
500g potatoes, chopped
salt and pepper
1 cauliflower, chopped
2 big carrots, grated
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
400g minced beef
1 tbsp tomato puree
500ml can chopped tomatoes
1/2 vegetable stock block
handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
100g grated cheese

METHOD
1. Boil the potatoes in a large pan of boiling water for about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. Then cook the cauliflower in the pan of boiling water for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oven to 175 degree C. Heat the oil in a pan over high heat, and brown the meat. Add onions, carrots (leave some grated carrots for garnishing). Stir in the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, 200ml hot water, and stock block. Bring it to the boil, put the lid on and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and chopped basil leaves.
3. Put the potatoes and cauliflower in a baking dish, and pour over the meat sauce. Cover with grated cheese, and cook in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with grated carrots and chopped basil, and serve.