Family Favourite Cottage Pie

Family Favourite Cottage Pie

This post is an entry for #FluffyMarisPiper Linky Challenge sponsored by Potato Council. Learn more atbit.ly/18rWnaB

(makes 4 individual cottage pies)

600g Maris Piper potatoes ( peeled and cut into wedges)

25g butter

50ml milk

500g minced beef steak

1 teaspoon cooking oil

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 teaspoon cooking oil

1 large onion ( chopped)

1 small carrot (diced)

500ml beef stock

A handful of chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon cornflour

100g grated  cheddar cheese 

Salt and pepper

1. Place Maris Piper potatoes in a large pan of water with salt and boil for 20 minutes till soft. Drain. Add in butter and milk. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher till light and fluffy. Season to taste. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a sauce pan. Fry the onion  till golden brown. Add in mince beef and carrots. Cook for 3 minutes. Add in chopped parsley. Stir in the beef stock. Cover and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Blend cornflour with a tablespoon of cold water. Stir into the minced beef to thicken the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Transfer the beef filling into 4 individual pie dishes.  Put the mashed potato in a piping bag with a star nozzle. Pipe the potato on top of the beef filling. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese.

5. Place the cottage pies in a preheated over Gas mark 5/ 190C for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

My Hard Working Kitchen

This post is an entry for the "My Kitchen Story" Linky Challenge, sponsored by Fairy Platinum

I only have a very small kitchen. I love cooking and I spend a lot of time in this small area making nice food for my family. I have a garden. I get a lot of fruits and vegetables from my garden every year. I collect all the fruits and vegetables, I either freeze them, make them into jams or chutney.

I love jam making. It is a hobby of my. Every year I made 

about 10 kg. of jam with of various kind of fruits. I don't have 

any fancy jam making gadget. All I have is a large heavy 

base sauce pan and a jam thermometer. Jam making is 

very scientific process and a satisfying task.

I can see straight to the bottom of my garden through my kitchen window. I grow a selection of herbs on my window sill. I use a lot of herbs in my cooking. I use them in sauces, stew, salad and in garnishes.

I collect fridge magnets and stick them on my fridge  

freezer to decorate my fridge. I have a pestle and 

mortar in my kitchen. I use the a lot to grind up my 

chilli and whole grain spices. I also collect large  jam 

jars and coffee jars to store my pasta in. I think the 

pasta look very attractive in glass jars.

Summer Herb and Tomato Chicken Casserole

Serves 4


4 pieces chicken joints (skin removed)
 
6 fresh large tomatoes (chopped)

2 tablespoon tomato puree

1 handful chopped herbs (basil, thyme, oregano and parsley)

2 clove garlic (chopped)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

6 shallots (chopped)

1 cup white wine

100g sliced mushrooms

1 small courgette (diced)

3 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoon flour

Salt and pepper

1. Sprinkle the chicken joints with salt and pepper. Dredge with flour.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Brown the chicken on both sides. Drain and set aside.
3. With the remaining oil the pan, sweat the shallots and garlic. Add in mushrooms, herbs, white wine, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and sugar.Simmer for 10 minutes to make the sauce.
4. Transfer the chicken into a slow cooker. Pour over the sauce. Cover and cook on High heat for 1 hour.
5. Stir in the diced courgette. Cover and cook for  further 10 minutes.
6. Season to taste. Garnish with freshly chopped herbs.
   

British Turkey Crispy Sweet and Sour Wanton (Ravioli)

 Traditional Chinese Wanton are made with minced pork. I made my Wanton with British minced turkey because I love the taste of turkey as well as it is low in fat and healthy. Turkey wanton are very versatile. They can be served as a sweet and sour dish, with a sweet chilli dipping sauce as a canape' or  a wanton soup as a starter.

(Serves 6)

For the wanton:

250g British Turkey Minced
2 tablespoon chopped spring onions

2 tsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. sunflower oil

1tsp cornflour

1 clove garlic (minced)

Sweet and Sour Turkey Wanton

1tsp ginger (minced)

40 squares Wanton pastry (from Chinese supermarket)

Salt and pepper

Oil for deep frying

For the sweet and sour sauce:
1 small carrot (shredded)
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp . sunflower oil
3 tbsp. tomato ketchup
1 tbsp. wine vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. cornflour
Shredded spring onions for garnish

Crispy Turkey Wanton with a sweet chilli sauce dip

1. Make this in advance. Place turkey mince in a large bowl.  Mix in all ingredients except the pastry. Mix well. Add in a dash of salt and pepper.

2. Place a piece of pastry in one hand, put a teaspoon of the turkey filling in the centre of the pastry, squeeze the pastry up and seal the turkey filling inside. Repeat this. Make about 40 wanton dumplings (ravioli).

3. Heat the oil in a pan. Deep fry the Wanton for 2-3 minutes till crispy.
4. To make the sweet and sour sauce: Heat oil in a pan, sweat the garlic without browning. Add in carrot and cook for 1 minute. Add in ketchup, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and 50 ml. water. Stir well, bring to the boil. Blend cornflour with 1 tbsp. cold water. Add to the sauce to thicken. Arrange crispy wanton on a warm plate, spoon  over with the sweet and sour sauce. Garnish with shredded spring onions. 
5. Alternately crispy wanton can also be serve with a sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Healthy Turkey Watercress Wanton Soup

For the soup Wanton:

500ml good quality turkey stock

A handful of watercress

1tsp of soy sauce

1 clove chopped garlic

1tsp chopped spring onions

Salt and pepper

1. Heat a pan of boiling water, put the wanton in the water and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Drain and set aside, keep warm.
2. Blanch the watercress in boiling water for 1 minute.  
3. Heat the stock. Put the wanton into the turkey stock. Bring to the boil. Season to taste.
4. Divide the watercress between 6 soup dishes. Spoon the wanton soup into the dishes. Sprinkle with spring onion, pepper, a dash of soy sauce.

Easter Chocolate Bunny Cup Cakes

Simplicity is the Key to Successful Baking

I am writing this blog post to enter Easter Bake & Make Competition hosted by The Pink Whisk and Two Little Fleas

(http://www.twolittlefleas.co.uk/)




Everybody love a mouth watering cup cake as a treat. Whether it is for a tea time treat or for a picnic outing. My Chocolate bunny cup cake are so easy to make, you can make them as often as you like. Just like grandmother use to make them. You don't need to be an expert baker and you don't need to have any modern gargets either.

For the Cup Cakes

100g butter

100g caster sugar

150g SR Flour

2 eggs

For decorations:

70g butter ( soften)

150g icing sugar

50g toasted coconuts

6 chocolate bunnies 

Beat soften butter and caster sugar together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon till light and fluffy.

Add in beaten eggs, one at a time. Fold in the flour with a metal spoon.

Line a muffin tin with 6 cupcake cases. Spoon the mixture into the cases. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes at 180C/Gas4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

To make the icing:

 Beat the icing sugar and butter together with a wooden spoon till light and fluffy. Spread the icing on top of the cup cakes. Place the toasted coconut on a plate. Coat the top of the cupcake with coconut. Decorate each cake with a little chocolate bunny.

Maldives Signture Scent

Scents of Adventure--Maldives Blog Competition
www.kuoni.co.uk/Maldives 
 This is the link to Kuoni holiday


I have been to The Maldives once many years ago. I always love the smell of the warm sea air and the scent of flowers and ripen exotic fruits.

 The signature scent of Maldives has to be the sizzling fragrant of the cooking ingredients in the island. I think the aroma of a dish is all down to the  freshness of the ingredients. The smell of the hot oil in a wok, frying and sizzling of chopped up garlic, onions, gingers, herbs and chillies always bring back memories. I always imagine lying on the  white sandy beach at Maldives. The warm sea breeze bought on the smell of the marinated spicy beach  BBQ at lunch time. That has got to be the best scent of Maldives.


Spicy Fish Casserole From Maldives:
Make from fresh fish, herbs and spices and fresh coconut cream. Beautiful, taste good and smell good.

Chilli and herbs sizzling in hot oil before adding the other cooking ingredient to make a spicy Fresh fish casserole. Then the fresh coconuts cream added to complete the fragrant  of Maldives. The taste and the colour makes it the best dish in the world. 

Ginger and garlic

 

Winter Warmer Parmesan Chilli Chicken

Serves 4

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time : 60  minutes


Ingredients:

4 pieces chicken joints (skin removed)

2 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon roast red paprika

1 teaspoon chilli powder

5 fresh large tomatoes (chopped)

1 tin of tomato soup

2 tablespoon tomato puree

1 handful chopped herbs (basil, thyme, oregano and parsley)


2 clove garlic (chopped)

6 shallots (chopped)

1 cup white wine

100g sliced mushrooms

1 small courgette (diced)

3 tablespoon olive oil

50g grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and pepper

        1.  Sprinkle the chicken joints with paprika, chilli powder,salt and pepper. Dredge

             with flour.

        2.  Heat the olive oil in a pan. Brown the chicken on both sides. Drain and set aside.

         3. With the remaining oil the pan, sweat the shallots and garlic. Add in mushrooms,

              herbs,  white wine, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and tomato soup. Simmer

              for 10 minutes.

         4. Transfer the chicken into a casserole dish. Pour over the sauce. Cover and cook

             in an oven  (190C/ 375F/Gas Mark 5) for 45 minutes till the chicken is tender.

         5.  Stir in the diced courgette. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Cook in the

              oven uncover  for another 5 minutes till the parmesan cheese melted.

          6.  Season to taste. Garnish with freshly chopped herbs. Serve with freshly cooked

               rice.


This is my favourite winter warmer recipe. I wrote this Blog Post to enter www.coopelectricalshop.co.uk competition to win £750 to spend online at The Co-operative Electrical. One runner up £250 prize to spend on the site.