Scotch Woodcock

If you are bored of muesli or fry up for breakfast, try this one!  This is a great way to enjoy eggs--your taste buds will surely wake up to the flavour of anchovies!  It's one of Gordon Ramsay's classic recipes.  My husband made it for me on a lazy Saturday morning.




Ingredients:


14 anchovy fillets in oil
50 g. butter, softened, plus a few knobs of cold butter
Black pepper
4 large eggs
Pinch of cayenne pepper
4 slices of white or brown bread
1 tsp. capers, rinsed and drained

Finely chop or mash 6 anchovy fillets and mix with the softened butter and a generous grinding of black pepper.  Set aside.

Melt a few knobs of butter in a saucepan.  In a bowl, whisk the eggs together with a pinch of cayenne, then pour into the pan and stir slowly over a gently heat until the mixture begins to thicken.  Remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir the eggs until they are scrambled and creamy.

Meanwhile, toast the bread slices.  Spread them generously with the anchovy butter and place on warm serving plates.  Add the capers to the scrambled eggs, then quickly spoon on top of the toasts.  Garnish each serving with two crossed anchovies and serve.  Serves 4.

SOURCE: Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food

One Pot Chicken Chasseur

This is my first ever attempt on a French dish!  This recipe is by James Martin, and I found it from the BBC Good Food website.  It's a great way to enjoy chicken. The rich, mouth-watering sauce explodes in your mouth the tasty slow-cooked chicken meat.  You definitely have to try this one!

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 25g butter
• 4 chicken legs
• 1 onion , chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , crushed
• 200g pack small button or chestnut mushrooms
• 225ml red wine
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 500ml chicken stock

1. Heat the oil and half the butter in a large lidded casserole. Season the chicken, then fry for about 5 mins on each side until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
2. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan. Add the onion, then fry for about 5 mins until soft. Add garlic, cook for about 1 min, add the mushrooms, cook for 2 mins, then add the wine. Stir in the tomato purée, let the liquid bubble and reduce for about 5 mins, then stir in the thyme and pour over the stock. Slip the chicken back into the pan, then cover and simmer on a low heat for about 1 hr until the chicken is very tender.
3. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. Rapidly boil down the sauce for 10 mins or so until it is syrupy and the flavour has concentrated. Put the chicken legs back into the sauce and serve.

Buttery Trout with Capers

This recipe is from BBC Good Food.  It's actually my first time to try cooking fish--and it's ever so easy and delicious with this recipe.  It's healthy and packed with Omega 3--will definitely be a sure hit with your friends!

I served it with steamed beans and potato wedges on the side.  

I simply boiled the potato wedges for 10 minutes, drained them, and roasted them in a 200C oven for 30-40 minutes. 

Ingredients

4 thick trout fillets

100g butter

squeeze lemon juice

handful parsley , leaves chopped

2 tbsp capers , rinsed

Method:

1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Rinse the fish, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Put in a roasting tray, season, then dot with a third of the butter. Roast for 10-12 mins.
2. When the fish is almost ready, melt the remaining butter in a frying pan. Turn up the heat until it turns brown. Take off the heat, then add lemon juice, parsley and capers. Pour over the fish, then serve with green beans.

Teriyaki chicken with steamed sesame veg

• If you are running out of ideas for chicken, this will definitely excite you!  It's definitely a dinner party recipe that will surely impress your friends!
  
  What's more, it's so healthy and packed with flavour.
  
  SOURCE: TESCO REAL FOOD
  
  
  INGREDIENTS:
  
  
  3 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 3 tbsp dry sherry
• 1½ tbsp brown sugar
• 500g pack chicken thigh fillets
• 1 large carrot
• 175g pack  Baby Corn
• 215g pack  Sugar Snaps
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 salad onions, shredded

For the teriyaki sauce, heat the soy sauce, sherry, sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.

Halve the chicken fillets and put in a dish. Pour over half the sauce and marinate for at least 20 minutes. Peel and cut the carrots into batons and steam for 10 minutes. Add the corn and sugar snaps and steam for 5 minutes until tender.

Heat a griddle pan and cook the chicken for 8-10 minutes until browned. Meanwhile, reduce the reserved sauce in a separate pan.

Toss the steamed vegetables with the sesame seeds and salad onions. Serve with three pieces of chicken each and drizzle over the sauce. Serve with rice.

Caraway Pork Chops

• This is a really easy, no-fuss pork chop recipe.  It's really surprisingly flavourful, considering that it only requires 3 ingredients!!
  
  
  
  
  
  SOURCE: TESCO REAL FOOD
  
  
  INGREDIENTS:
  
  
  1tsp caraway seeds
• pinch salt
• 1 lemon
• 2 pork chops
• 1tbsp olive oil

Heat the oven to Gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Crush the caraway seeds and salt together using a pestle and mortar until they make a coarse powder. Grate the lemon rind and ad to the caraway seeds, then rub all over the pork chops.

Heat the oil in a griddle pan (or frying pan) and fry the pork chops for a couple of minutes on each side until just brown.

Transfer to a roasting tin, Cut the lemon into wedges and add to the pan. Roast for 20-25 minutes until the pork is tender and no longer pink in the centre.

Squeeze over the juice from the roasted lemons and serve with steamed purple sprouting broccoli on the side.

Penne Bolognese

This is a really quick and affordable pasta recipe.  The carrots serve as an extender to add volume to the pasta bake.  It's really easy to make and so yummy.

Source: Tesco Real Food 

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 500g (1lb) minced beef or lamb
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2tsp plain flour
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• freshly ground black pepper
• 275g (9oz) penne pasta
• 25g (1oz) Cheddar cheese, grated

Place the minced beef or lamb and onion in a large pan and fry with the chopped onions until the meat has browned all over. There's no need for oil as there's enough fat in the mince. You may like to drain off some of the fat when the meat is cooked.

Add carrots to the meat, and sprinkle over the flour. Cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes until the flour has been absorbed, then add the tomatoes. Season to taste. Simmer the mince for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil, and cook the penne until al dente, which should be about 10 minutes. Drain and place in an oven proof dish, keeping warm. Pour the bolognese sauce over the top of the penne, stirring it into the pasta. Sprinkle over the grated cheese and grill until hot and bubbling.

Easy Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie

I never thought that I would be able to do something like this from scratch!  There's a bit of a shortcut in this recipe as it uses ready-to-roll puff pastry!  It's really easy to do make.

Source: Somerfield Magazine

(Serves 2)

2  chicken breasts, diced
200g button mushrooms
1 large leek, sliced
190 g ready-to-roll puff pastry
200 ml creme fraiche
15 ml olive oil
10 ml dried tarragon
beaten egg to glaze

Preheat the oven to 200 C  (400 F) gas mark 6.  Using a medium-sized pie dish as a template, cut a pastry lid.  Scorte the pastry with a crisscross pattern.  Brush with egg and place on a greased baking sheet.  Cook in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden.

Heat the oil in a saucepan.  Add the leeks and cook for 4 minutes.  Increase the heat slightly, add the chicken and fry for 6-8 minutes, until it is browned.  Add the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes, before adding the creme fraiche and tarragon.  Heat the mixture for a further 2-3 minutes until the sauce is warmed through and transfer to the pie dish.  Top with the pastry crust and serve immediately.