Croutons are tasty bits of crisp bread cubes that go excellently with a thick soup, or on a salad. Easy to make, versatile and delicious, everyone should be able to cook these.
Stale bread, cut into small, approx 1cm, cubes
olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
Step 1
Pre-heat an oven to 200°C. Place the bread into a bowl and drizzle over the olive oil to just coat the cubes, and add the seasoning. Using your hands, scoop around the bowl to ensure that all the bread is coated with the oil. Turn out the croutons onto a baking tray, and place into the pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until browned. Remove from the oven.
This is such a simple addition to a meal, and they can be so versatile. This recipe just gives an idea for a basic crouton, but you can impart flavours into them so easily. Crushed garlic added to the bowl and allowed to sit for 10-15 minutes will impart a hint of garlic, and you can add any number of herbs. These croutons are best used to top a thick soup, as they will lay on the surface and stay relatively crisp, or in a salad to add some crunch.
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Carrot and Parsnip Soup
This is a recipe I created for dinner one night.
3-4 medium sized carrots, quartered lengthways
3 large parsnips,quartered lengthways
3 medium onions, quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
25g fresh ginger
25g chives
salt and pepper to season
1 handful croutons per person
1L vegetable stock
Step 1
Place the carrots, parsnip, onions and half the ginger into a roasting dish and coat with the oil and seasoning and place into an oven, pre-heated to 180°C, for 40 minutes. Once cookedplace into a blender with the chives, stock, rest of the ginger, and blend.
Step 2
Reheat and serve with the croutons sprinkled on top.
This is a very nice dish, the ginger adds a subtle warmth to it which makes it great to have any time of year. A really nice, simple soup.
3-4 medium sized carrots, quartered lengthways
3 large parsnips,quartered lengthways
3 medium onions, quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
25g fresh ginger
25g chives
salt and pepper to season
1 handful croutons per person
1L vegetable stock
Step 1
Place the carrots, parsnip, onions and half the ginger into a roasting dish and coat with the oil and seasoning and place into an oven, pre-heated to 180°C, for 40 minutes. Once cookedplace into a blender with the chives, stock, rest of the ginger, and blend.
Step 2
Reheat and serve with the croutons sprinkled on top.
This is a very nice dish, the ginger adds a subtle warmth to it which makes it great to have any time of year. A really nice, simple soup.
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Basic Pizza Dough
This recipe is an excellent addition to your cookery knowledge, and should really be learnt so that you can make it without consulting the actual recipe. It is also, in my opinion, much better than a shop bought pizza base in terms of both taste and texture.
100g plain white flour
250g white bread flour
2 tsp salt
1tsp caster sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
240ml warm water
2tsp dried yeast
Step 1
Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl and make a well in the centre of the mix. Add the yeast to the water, and add a bit of the flour mix then stir well. Cover the water and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes. Add the water to the flour and mix to a dough, first using your fingers and then the whole hand. wipe the bowl clean with the dough, adding more water for more dry bits, or more flour if the dough is too sticky. Knead the dough for at least 3 minutes, or until it develops a sheen.
Step 2
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm, and leave to rise for about an hour at room temperature or until doubled in size. Pre-heat the oven to 230°C along with a pizza stone or baking sheet. Tip the dough out onto a work surface sprinkled with flour to prevent it from sticking. Knock the air out of the dough and knead for a few seconds to shape into two or three balls. Dust a rolling pin and roll out the dough into shape. Finish stretching out the dough with your hands, working out from the centre to make a fairly thin-based pizza.
Step 3
Put toppings on the pizza, and bake on a high shelf in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown, then remove the pizza and serve hot.
Some good suggestions for the pizza topping are tomato sauce, either on its own or with other toppings, or garlic butter. Some suggestions for toppings with the tomato sauce are: chicken and peppers; four cheese; pepperami and salami; ham and pineapple; or even just the simple cheddar cheese option. The pizzas shown below are topped with the tomato sauce recipe, and courgette, chicken and cheese.
100g plain white flour
250g white bread flour
2 tsp salt
1tsp caster sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
240ml warm water
2tsp dried yeast
Step 1
Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl and make a well in the centre of the mix. Add the yeast to the water, and add a bit of the flour mix then stir well. Cover the water and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes. Add the water to the flour and mix to a dough, first using your fingers and then the whole hand. wipe the bowl clean with the dough, adding more water for more dry bits, or more flour if the dough is too sticky. Knead the dough for at least 3 minutes, or until it develops a sheen.
Step 2
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm, and leave to rise for about an hour at room temperature or until doubled in size. Pre-heat the oven to 230°C along with a pizza stone or baking sheet. Tip the dough out onto a work surface sprinkled with flour to prevent it from sticking. Knock the air out of the dough and knead for a few seconds to shape into two or three balls. Dust a rolling pin and roll out the dough into shape. Finish stretching out the dough with your hands, working out from the centre to make a fairly thin-based pizza.
Step 3
Put toppings on the pizza, and bake on a high shelf in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown, then remove the pizza and serve hot.
Some good suggestions for the pizza topping are tomato sauce, either on its own or with other toppings, or garlic butter. Some suggestions for toppings with the tomato sauce are: chicken and peppers; four cheese; pepperami and salami; ham and pineapple; or even just the simple cheddar cheese option. The pizzas shown below are topped with the tomato sauce recipe, and courgette, chicken and cheese.
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| So fresh the lens is steaming up |
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| Thin and crisp, perfect. |
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| Just look at that crust, perfectly cooked |
Basic Tomato Sauce
This is a great basic tomato sauce and it can be used on many things, like pizza or pasta, or added to to create a more exciting sauce. This is something that everyone should know how to cook as it's simple and easy to do.
2 medium onions, chopped
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp tomato puree
2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to season
Step 1
Heat the oil in a saucepan on a medium heat, and add the onion and garlic. Heat slowly over a medium-low heat till translucent. Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Step 2
Add the herbs and seasoning to the sauce, and add to the dish.
How long this sauce is cooked for can vary depending on what dish it is to be used with, as a pasta sauce can be fairly 'wet', while a sauce used for topping a pizza would be better as a thick sauce.
2 medium onions, chopped
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp tomato puree
2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to season
Step 1
Heat the oil in a saucepan on a medium heat, and add the onion and garlic. Heat slowly over a medium-low heat till translucent. Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Step 2
Add the herbs and seasoning to the sauce, and add to the dish.
How long this sauce is cooked for can vary depending on what dish it is to be used with, as a pasta sauce can be fairly 'wet', while a sauce used for topping a pizza would be better as a thick sauce.
Friday, 13 April 2012
Breaded Chicken on Spinach with a Balsamc Dressing
This is a dish I came up with for dinner. It's a simple salad style dish with a smal twist, the only oil used is in making the breaded chicken, the rest of the frying is done with the fat from the chicken itself, which helps to flavour everything.
5 chicken drumsticks and thighs with skin
150g spinach
1-2 eggs
150g plain flour
300g bread, left out overnight uncovered
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
12 cherry tomatoes on the vine
200ml balsamic vinegar
sunflower oil
1 pepper, quartered
Cress to garnish
salt and pepper to season
Step 1
Place the chicken skin side down into a frying pan over a low heat, leaving room between the chicken. Once some fat has been rendered from the chicken turn up to a medium heat, turn the chicken every 5-10 minutes for about 30 minutes. Once the chicken has turned pale all over remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, fry any remaining chicken and keep the pan witht he juices. Since the aim here is to get the fat out of the chicken and to make the chicken easier to remove from the bone, as it will be fried later it can be undercooked. Meanwhile place the bread into a food processor/blender and reduce to crumbs. Place the breadcrumbs into a medium sized food bag, and into another food bag place the flour and some salt and pepper.
Step 2
Allow the chicken time to cool, then remove the meat from the bone and skin, either discard the bone or keep for stock and place the skin back in the frying pan with the juices. When removing the meat use your fingers to tear the meat, trying to keep the pieces bite sized. Break the two eggs into a bowl and lightly beat them. Into a deep frying pan place about 1/2 inch of sunflower oil and put on a high heat.Lightly coat the chicken pieces in beaten egg and place into the bag with the flour and shake, then transfer across to the bag of breadcrumbs and shake again. Then transfer to the deep frying pan and cook until crispy and golden, turning to get a good golden crunch all over. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and place onto a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain.
Step 3
Meanwhile heat the frying pan containing the chicken skins on a medium-high heat. Squash the skin down with a spatula or spoon in order to get the most of the fat out of the skins, then remove them with a slotted spoon and discard. Either open a window or use an extractor fan at this stage, and start adding the vinegar, sugar and seasoning and sitr with a spoon or mix with a whisk. Reduce the vinegar a little to thicken the dressing, then add the cherry tomatoes, still on the vine, and a few spinach leaves before removing from the heat.
Step 4
Place the remaining spinach leaves on a plate and top with the breaded chicken pieces. Arrange the cherry tomatoes, the quartered pepper, then drizzle the dressing over before scattering the cress. Serve imediately.
This dish can be served with the chicken hot or cold, but the dressing needs to be served hot as it contains chicken fat, which would thicken if cold. Use sunflower oil to get the best crispness out of the breaded chicken as it has a higher boiling point than some other cooking oils. To add some spice to the dish you can add paprika or other spices to the flour. Spinach is just one of the leaves that can be used here, for a change you can use watercress, or any other salad leaf. You can also leave out the spinach leaves from in the dressing, and reduce it down more so it is more of a glaze than a dressing.
5 chicken drumsticks and thighs with skin
150g spinach
1-2 eggs
150g plain flour
300g bread, left out overnight uncovered
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
12 cherry tomatoes on the vine
200ml balsamic vinegar
sunflower oil
1 pepper, quartered
Cress to garnish
salt and pepper to season
Step 1
Place the chicken skin side down into a frying pan over a low heat, leaving room between the chicken. Once some fat has been rendered from the chicken turn up to a medium heat, turn the chicken every 5-10 minutes for about 30 minutes. Once the chicken has turned pale all over remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, fry any remaining chicken and keep the pan witht he juices. Since the aim here is to get the fat out of the chicken and to make the chicken easier to remove from the bone, as it will be fried later it can be undercooked. Meanwhile place the bread into a food processor/blender and reduce to crumbs. Place the breadcrumbs into a medium sized food bag, and into another food bag place the flour and some salt and pepper.
Step 2
Allow the chicken time to cool, then remove the meat from the bone and skin, either discard the bone or keep for stock and place the skin back in the frying pan with the juices. When removing the meat use your fingers to tear the meat, trying to keep the pieces bite sized. Break the two eggs into a bowl and lightly beat them. Into a deep frying pan place about 1/2 inch of sunflower oil and put on a high heat.Lightly coat the chicken pieces in beaten egg and place into the bag with the flour and shake, then transfer across to the bag of breadcrumbs and shake again. Then transfer to the deep frying pan and cook until crispy and golden, turning to get a good golden crunch all over. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and place onto a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain.
Step 3
Meanwhile heat the frying pan containing the chicken skins on a medium-high heat. Squash the skin down with a spatula or spoon in order to get the most of the fat out of the skins, then remove them with a slotted spoon and discard. Either open a window or use an extractor fan at this stage, and start adding the vinegar, sugar and seasoning and sitr with a spoon or mix with a whisk. Reduce the vinegar a little to thicken the dressing, then add the cherry tomatoes, still on the vine, and a few spinach leaves before removing from the heat.
Step 4
Place the remaining spinach leaves on a plate and top with the breaded chicken pieces. Arrange the cherry tomatoes, the quartered pepper, then drizzle the dressing over before scattering the cress. Serve imediately.
This dish can be served with the chicken hot or cold, but the dressing needs to be served hot as it contains chicken fat, which would thicken if cold. Use sunflower oil to get the best crispness out of the breaded chicken as it has a higher boiling point than some other cooking oils. To add some spice to the dish you can add paprika or other spices to the flour. Spinach is just one of the leaves that can be used here, for a change you can use watercress, or any other salad leaf. You can also leave out the spinach leaves from in the dressing, and reduce it down more so it is more of a glaze than a dressing.
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