Flapjacks

250g Porridge Oats
125g Butter
125g Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons of Golden Syrup


Method:
1. Melt butter in a pot, add sugar and golden syrup.
2. Add oats and mix well.
3. Turn out onto buttered baking tin.
4. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.

Delicious Slow Cooked Beef Stroganoff

This is a great recipe for using cheaper cuts of beef and it allows me to indulge my pyromaniac tendencies which is always a bonus. This version of Stroganoff is adapted from James Martin's, the major difference between the two is that this uses cheaper cut of meat and is thus slow cooked to ensure the meat is nice and tender.

Ingredients:
Couple knobs of butter for frying
1 onion finely chopped
150g mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon hot chilli powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons tomato puree
110ml beef stock (I used Bouillon)
400g chunks of beef
150ml brandy/cognac
Salt and black pepper
150ml brandy
200ml sour cream
2 tablespoons flatleaf parsley


Method:
1. Melt butter in a cast iron dish (I used my trusty Le Crueset) and sautee the onions until they are soft.
2. Add the mushrooms and fry until golden brown.
3. Add smoked paprika, chilli powder, Dijon mustard and tomato pureee. Cook off for a few minutes.
4. In another pan melt a bit more butter and turn temperature up to high. Add the steak and brown on all sides.
5. Now the fun bit: Add 150ml cognac and ignite with a lighter. BE CAREFUL! Make sure there are no flammables close by. When the flames have died down add the beef and the lovely brandy sauce to the onion and mushroom mix. Turn the heat right down and cook for at least 3 hours.
6. Before serving add 200ml sour cream and the flatleaf parsley.
7. Serve with potatoes or as I do with farfalle pasta.

Char Shiu Duck Stir Fry

Serves 2

2 duck breasts
Marinade ingredients
2 limes
2 inches of ginger
50ml light soy sauce
50ml vegetable oil
dash dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon char siu sauce
2 teaspoons 5-spice powder
1 tablespoon honey

handful of mushrooms
1 red pepper sliced

To serve: fried rice

Method:

Render duck skin side down on frying pan until crispy.
Marinade in above for a minimum of 2 hours.
Vegetable oil on wok on high heat.
Fry all vegetables and duck together.
Remove stir fry from wok. Add sauce to wok and heat. Serve on the side. 

Pasta with Sun-Blushed Tomatoes

Ingredients for sun-blushed tomatoes:
6 vine tomatoes
4 teaspoons dried mixed herbs (oregano, thyme, marjoram)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Ingredients pasta sauce:
8 sun-blush tomato halves
olive oil
2 teapoons capers
1 good handful of basil leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of Parmesan
Half clove garlic
Salt and pepper

To serve:
Kalamata olives
Remaining sunblushed tomatoes
Mozzarella

Method (for the sun-blushed tomatoes):
Heat oven to 110 degree centigrade.
When the oven was heated up place halved tomatoes, cut side up on a baking tray. Sprinkle generously with mixed herbs, salt and pepper, olive oil.
Cook in the oven for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Method (for the pasta):
1. Combine 8 sun-blushed tomato halves, olive oil, capers, basil leaves, crushed garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor and blitz until nearly smooth
2. Cook pasta according to pack instructions and then add the above mixture. Add olives, chopped sunblushed tomatoes, and mozzarella.

Chicken Chasseur

Ingredients
1 carton chicken drumsticks
half bouillon stock cube in 250ml hot water
4 shallots
4 mushrooms
tablespoon tomato puree
1 clove garlic
3 thick cut rashers
1 glass white wine (I used two shots of gin as we had no wine)
5 tomatoes
good handful of thyme
dust for sprinkling


Method
Lightly dust chicken with flour and fry in batches. Remove from the pan once browned.
Fry finely diced shallots, garlic, mushroom and diced rashers.
Add white gin (or gin in my case)
Add chicken back into the pot and add the stock.
Immerse tomatoes in hot water and then peel and remove seeds. Add to the pot.
Add thyme.
Leave to cook for 30-40 minutes

Steak and Kidney Pie

Steak and kidney pie was a firm favourite of mine growing up, but unfortunately we never had it that often because my mum was never much of a pastry chef. I follow in my mother's footsteps and care little for the tedium of pastry making, but thankfully we live in a time when jus-roll is readily available which makes Steak and Kidney Pie but a trifle to prepare.

The key with this recipe is to cook the meat for a long time to ensure it becomes nice and tender and pop in the oven at the very end to cook the pastry.

Ingredients
400g stewing beef, cut into chunks
120g kidney finely choppped
1/2 cube bouillon stock in 400ml water
1 teaspoon Bisto mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
1 roll of flaky pastry Jus Roll
1 egg for pastry eggwash



Method
1. Heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
2. Brown stewing beef in batches and remove to a plate.
3. Brown kidney in the sme saucespan, once browned add chopped onions and fry until cooked through.
4. Add the beef back to the saucepan and add a tablespoon of four.
5. Add 400ml of stock and the Bisto mix to the saucespan.
6. Leave to cook for 4 hours.
7. Turn on the oven.
8. Roll out jus roll to 5mm thick.
9. Poor beef and kidney mixture into an ovenproof dish and place jus roll on top, making sure to crimp the edges. Brush with eggwash and place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffed up.