Recipes for scrumptious and reasonably healthy food
Guys,
Hopefully some of you may find this useful...
To make gorgeous gravy for any roast meat (turkey is used as an example):
Simmer the giblets from the turkey with an onion, carrot, celery, and any herbs you've got like rosemary, sage, thyme or parsley stalks and water to make a stock. Simmer for at least an hour. You want to use the juices that the turkey is roasting in plus the stock as a base for the gravy to dissolve the brown 'crusty bits' in the roasting tin.
Add some port or red wine into the gravy and reduce down until you get the consistency you like - you can add cornflower at this stage if necessary to thicken it, mixing it with the red wine or port.
If you want extra flavour add some Lea & Perrins sauce to taste - this will enrich the gravy and also add some more colour if necessary. Strain/spoon off any excess fat that may be floating on top of the gravy for a silky and refined finish.
The secret, though, is in the stock!
As far as the turkey itself is concerned, mix some chopped herbs and garlic together with softened butter and put on the breasts underneath the skin. Cover the breasts and legs of the turkey with plenty of streaky bacon to keep it moist and baste every 20 mins to half an hour. Remove bacon for last half hour to brown the turkey and this can be served along with the turkey as an accompaniment.
Remember to put the stuffing in the neck end only to keep the cavity free in order to circulate heat. Put an onion and some herbs in the cavity to add flavour but don't put the stuffing in there.
Enjoy :cool:
Marco.
Easy microwave Curried Rice
Easy microwave Curried Rice(so you can spend more time listening to music!!)
Serves 4-6 people
Okay. first get either large cermanic bowl or microwave safe plastic one that fits in microwave oven.
in a jug place a pint of boiling water, 2 stock cubes, 5 splashes of worcester sauce, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of ginger, 1 teaspoon of cumin powder, 1 tablespoon of djion mustard, 250ml of single cooking cream, the grated peel of one large lemon, the juice of half a large lemon 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of cardomon, 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce, 50-100g of unsalted butter, and finally pepper sauce according to how hot you want it. I have it medium hot so I put in about 5-10 splashes of pepper sauce.Now stir all ingredients untill thoroughly mixed together.
In the bowl place half a kilo of either: pork meat cubes, lamb meat cubes, chicken meat cubes or even some peeled large prawns( I've tried them all and all are great). put half a kilo of washed parboiled rice in the bowl aswell.
Now mix in the mixture from the jug with meat and rice. then place in microwave and cook on full wack for about 35 minutes.
Every 10 minutes stop the micro and stir the contents in the bowl. if towards the end it needs more liquid put a glass of water in until rice is fully cooked. the curried rice will be fluffy, smell and taste great!! Also wont stick at bottom like with cooking pot. Serve it with fresh chopped corriander leaves sprinkled on top accompanied by tzantziki ,nan/pitta bread, a fresh green salad and a good white wine that Marco can recommend!! :eyebrows:
Dry Potatoes with Ginger and Garlic (Sookhe Aloo)
This is more of a 'side dish' or 'snack'... but bloody tasty!
- 1lb 6oz (ish) potatoes
- 2" by 1" piece fresh ginger - chopped
- 3 or 4 large cloves garlic
- 3 - 4 tbsp. water
- 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper/chili powder/chili flakes
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds (more won't hurt :))
- 5 tbsp. veg. oil
Boil potatoes in their skins, cool completely, peel and dice into 3/4 inch cubes. Puree the ginger, garlic, water, turmeric, salt and cayenne in a blender and make a paste. Heat the oil. Add the fennel to the very hot oil and stir a couple of times.
Then add the paste and stir for a couple of minutes. Finally add the potatoes and stir until they have a golden brown crust on them. The paste should stick to the potatoes and form the crust.
Eat!
Spiced Basmati Rice (Masaledar Basmati)
- Uncooked basmati rice measured to the 15 fl oz (425ml) level of a measuring jug
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 fresh hot green chili, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon very finely minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon salt (a bit more or a bit less depending on saltiness of the chicken stock)
- 1 pint chicken stock
Pick over rice, and place it in a large bowl. Wash rice with several changes of water. Drain.
Pour 2 pints of fresh water over the rice, and let it soak for 30 minutes. Transfer to a sieve, and let drain for 20 minutes.
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until onion has lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice, green chili, garlic, Garam Masala, and salt. Stir gently until all the grains have been coated with oil, about 2-3 minutes. If the rice begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, reduce heat slightly.
Pour in the stock, and bring the rice to a boil. Cover with foil and a tight-fitting lid, and reduce heat to low. Cook 20-25 minutes more then allow the pan to stand undisturbed for 5-10 mins. Mix gently with a fork and serve.
Tomato, Onion, and Green Coriander Relish (Cachumber)
- 1/2lb (225g) Tomatoes
- 3oz (75g) Onion, peeled
- 4 heaped tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper/chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted and ground cumin seeds
Cut tomatoes and onion into 1/4 inch (5mm) dice and put them in a non metalic serving bowl. Add the other ingredients and mix. Although its called a 'relish', you should have what looks like a chunky salsa!
Cachumber. Done!
