Hello,
Following a request by @hairbear and a suggestion by @janejones, I thought I would open a new topic to share one of my recipes.
A nice easy and very tasteful recipe to start.
Hope you enjoy, and let me know how you get on if you try it.
Yogesh
Jeera Chicken
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 30mins Servings: Serves: 4-6
Dry roast 2 tbsp of the cumin seeds for 5 minutes Set aside to cool.
Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and remaining cumin seeds with the peppercorns, and cardamom for 3 minutes.
Add the chillies, garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the ground coriander, ground cumin and salt cook 2 minutes.
Add the chicken thighs and legs stir to cover with the spices, cover with a lid and cook for 25 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent settling.
When the chicken is cooked add the garam masala and toasted cumin seeds. Cook for 5 minutes.
Squeeze some lemon over the chicken when serving.
Raita
Finely dice or coarsely grate the cucumber. Let the juices drain by placing the grated cucumber in a colander
Mix together the cucumber (squeeze the cucumber to remove any liquid), yogurt, chili, and salt.
Sprinkle the ground cumin and freshly chopped coriander over the yogurt mix and serve as a dip for the chicken.
Ingredients
400cc red wine
60cc Olive Oil
5 tsp chilli flakes
3 tsp garlic paste OR 3 garlic cloves
2 tsp red pesto
8 bay leaves
ground black pepper
2 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes with herbs
3 kilos silverside beef
Serve with cauliflower & cheese sauce and large baked potatoes
Cooking
Mix wine, black pepper, garlic, chilli flakes, chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and olive oil
Preheat oven to 200C
Pierce beef all over with a fork, then rub in a mixture of salt and black pepper.
Place the beef into a casserole dish and add Âľ of the wine mixture, then put in oven with casserole lid on.
After an hour, turn beef, baste and turn down to 120-130C
After a further two hours, turn beef, pour in remaining wine mix, and baste. Leave to cook for another hour.
Just 4 ingredients:
2 or 3 large sweet oranges
9oz sugar
6 eggs, separated
8oz ground almonds
*Place whole oranges into large pan of cold water, bring to boil gently, then simmer for 2 hours, drain and leave to cool for at least 30 minutes.
*Remove pips (but nothing else) from the cooled oranges, before putting the chunks into the food processor.
*Add the sugar and egg yolks and ground almonds… and blend the lot.
*Spoon the resulting orange mixture into a large bowl.
*whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry and gradually fold into the orange mixture.
*Spoon the whole thing into the prepared cake tin and bake for 1 - 1.5 hours until just firm to touch.
EDIT: leave to cool and dust with icing sugar (or not) … serve with creme fraiche (or not)
23cm 9inch cake tin, greased and base-lined
Oven: 170C/325F/ Gas 3
(For chocolate/orange replace 1 oz of almonds with 1 oz of cocoa powder)
This cake is not suitable for freezing…
there are many recipe versions of this nowadays… this one dates back to Michael Cox who sent it in to the Sainsbury co… a lifetime ago… and I saved the recipe page (amongst a hundred others)
Thanks Stella. Sounds lovely. My problem these days is sugar, which stops me from doing much in the way of baking or desserts. I’ve managed the non-gluten bit for years but now I’ve largely cut out sugar I’ve no idea how to manage the eggs/sugar dynamic in baking.
Mmm… that’s a difficult one. I can quite happily cut down on sugar in most recipes, but not cut it out completely in this one I wouldn’t have thought.
Oh dear… it is absolutely delicious.
OH puts on weight at the drop of a hat, so if I bake I give most of it away… the neighbours are very happy.
By adding more oranges, I seem to recall that one can reduce the sugar content. I’m sure I’ve done that before now, depending on what I had available.
My cooking is often a little different to “the norme/the recipe” and hasn’t killed anyone yet (not that I know of)
No problem… I try to keep sugar low in the overall diet we eat. Sweets and Cakes are baked for the pleasure it gives me and they are distributed around my village, with OH and I having just a taster …
Often I’ll bake and what isn’t distributed gets frozen (much to OH’s dismay)… and distributed another time. Orange cake doesn’t freeze and will be enjoyed by neighbours tomorrow, after the ceremony at the monument…
Goodness, with orange liqueur sounds fabulous. Sadly, some neighbours abhor alcohol (strange but true) so I might just have to leave it out of the cake and drink a tiny glass (hic) all by myself.
Something which folk always enjoy: chocolate mousse stolen from Mary Berry…
300g/11oz dark chocolate (for me it’s the really dark chocolate)
450ml/16fl oz whipping cream
*melt the chocolate, then set aside to cool a little
*whip the cream to “soft peaks”
*fold gently into the chocolate
I then put this into small cups and chill overnight
sometimes I serve it plain, sometimes I put crushed raspberries/strawberries at the bottom (or on top just before serving)
For special folk I like to put “hidden treasure” at the bottom (blitzed prunes pre-soaked in eau de vie)
I “go mad” sometimes. Generally when I think folk need cheering-up.
Always do a little something for the cantoniers when it’s a birthday.
They work so hard , it’s nice to say thankyou…
I always thought cantonnier was a road worker - does it have a wider meaning as well? Or are you particularly sensitive to the culinary well-being of road menders?
We have 3 and they do everything to do with almost every aspect of building/maintenance for our Commune (unless a registered expert is needed)
This includes: roads, hedging/ditching, repairing/replacing signs (painted and solid), repairs to communal buildings and a million other things which arise and need sorting…
answering calls for help… and generally being wonderful folk.
EDIT: Our commune sends them for regular training to allow them to move “higher up the ladder” both in expertise and pay.
The younger ones sometimes move-on once they’ve got the necessary qualifications but some stay for more than the 3 years. Some we’ve had right to retirement.
Back to Recipes…
Our favourite salad at the moment (ie almost every day) is a good plateful of
Mâche
Walnuts (not too many)
Radishes
Avocado
Plus whatever comes to hand (goats cheese/fish/courgettes) or not… but that’s the base.
Ground pepper and/or paprika, fresh lemonjuice sometimes, but No dressings or salad cream
Howzat @Corona anything I should/could be adding.???
