Chocolate and Pistachio Cookies

Can’t stop eating these cookies

As I was working my way through the Epicurious website, I came across these cookies

With Pistachios and Chocolate you can’t go wrong really

Very easy to make and you can cook half and freeze the rest of the dough for later delights
Would make a nice gift for Christmas as well

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

285 gas unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups (lightly packed) light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg white

145 gms  bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup unsalted, shelled raw pistachios, coarsely chopped

Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. 

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. 

Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients; mix just to combine, 

then mix in egg white. 

Fold in chocolate and pistachios.

Divide dough into 4 pieces. 

Roll each piece into an 20cm long log about 4cm in diameter, 

pushing dough together if it feels crumbly. 

Wrap tightly in parchment paper and chill until firm, at least 4 hours. 

(The colder the dough, the easier it will be to slice.)

Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 175C

Working with 1 log of dough at a time and using a serrated knife, 

Cut logs into 1.5cm  thick rounds and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet 

spacing 4cm apart.

Sprinkle cookies with sea salt and bake, 

rotating baking sheets halfway through, 

until set around edges and centres look dry, 10–12 minutes. 

Transfer to wire racks and let cool

MAKE AHEAD: Cookie dough can be made 1 month ahead; freeze instead of chilling. 

Slice frozen logs into rounds just before baking.

Mastering the Dough Roll

1. Divide dough into 4 pieces. 

Place each piece in the centre of a sheet of parchment paper and form into a log, about 8" long and 1 1/2" in diameter. 

2. Just like you'd roll up a poster, wrap the parchment around the log, smoothing the paper and pressing out air with your hands. 

Twist the ends of the parchment tightly to compact the dough log. 

3. After wrapping, roll log on a flat surface to create a tight cylinder. 

Let chill at least 1 hour before slicing and baking, or wrap tightly in plastic if freezing.

I cooked 2 of the 4 logs today... these two in the freezer for a later date 

Kurnik (A Russian Chicken Pie)

I was hosting a lunch recently and found this recipe on Jamie Olivers Website

Perfect for 8-10 people 

You could even prep ahead the day before

Cook the chicken mix and the Rice, pop into the fridge and bring out 

about an hour before serving.

Cover with the pastry lid 

Pop back into the fridge to chill

then 

25-30 minutes in a 180C oven

As simple as that

It looks like a Party Dish and tastes good too

If you want to make it a little easier for your self buy a cooked chicken

I had chicken breasts which I poached and shredded

2 onions

400 gms chestnut mushrooms

1/2 bunch of parsley (15gm)

Olive oil

1 heaped tbsp plain flour

200 mls double cream

750 mls organic Chicken Stock

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Nutmeg grated

500 gms chicken breast (or  the meat from a 1.4Kg Chicken)

200 gms long grain rice

1 bunch dill

4 hard boiled eggs

Puff Pastry 400 gms

Egg Wash

1 egg yolk mixed with a tablespoon of water

Place the chicken breast into a pot and cover with Chicken Stock

Bring to boil, turn heat down 

simmer for about 5 mins

Cover and leave sitting in the hot stock for about 20 minutes

The chicken will be perfectly cooked

Remove the chicken and put aside

When you can handle it, cut into bite size chunks 

This stock is your beautifully flavoured chicken stock for the rest of the dish

Meanwhile

Peel and finely slice the onion, garlic and mushroom

Heat a lug of oil into a pan over medium heat

Add onions, saute till soft…not brown

Add garlic, cook another couple of minutes

Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In another frying pan over high heat add 2 tbs olive oil

Add mushrooms, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook till starting to brown (about 5 mins)

Add to onion pan

Mix well

Add flour and stir well

Then pour in cream and 250 mis of chicken stock

Bring to the boil stirring all the time

Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes to thicken

Stir in chopped parsley, lemon zest and juice, a good grate of nutmeg

Add the chicken

Meanwhile pop the rice into a pot with the rest of the chicken stock

Bring to the boil, 

Cover, lower heat and reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes till the rice has absorbed the stock

Remove from the heat and fluff a little with a fork

Pick and finely chop the dill

Peel the hard boiled eggs

Chop them very finely

Mix with the dill

Add to the rice

Set aside

To assemble

Grease a large ovenproof dish

Spread a third of the rice so it is evenly covered

Layer on half the chicken mix and top with half the egg mix

Repeat the process and finish with the remaining rice mix

Roll out the pastry, so that it will generously cover the pie 

Place over the top of the mixture

Tuck the edges in

Place in the fridge for 30 minutes for the pastry to settle

Heat oven to 180C

Remove from the fridge

Brush with egg wash

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is heated through

So how’s that for a pie

I served it with a crisp Iceberg Salad, with some chopped cucumber and sliced radish and a sprinkle of chopped spring onions

Just toss with French dressing just before you serve

Excellent lunch

Roast Pork Shoulder - Weekend Roast

Recently we had a Pork Shoulder to Roast
Unfortunately the skin was missing so we didn't get the crackling but the resulting  Pork was very juicy, tasty and well worth this method
This photo is what it would have looked like if we had the skin on
(Photo  and recipe sourced from sainsburys.co.uk)
Beautiful Crackling to nibble on
Nevertheless it did taste wonderful. Crackling or not

I shoulder pork
10 gms rosemary leaves
4 garlic cloves sliced
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1.5 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions cut into wedges
2 tsp fennel seeds light crushed
2 apples peeled, cored and cut into wedges
1 bulb fennel trimmed and cut into quarters
500 mis of Cider
2 medium parsnips peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into large chunks
2 medium carrots peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into large chunks
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
250 ml chicken stock  You can use a stock cube

Preheat the oven to 180C Fan Bake 160C
Score the skin of the pork and make about 15 incisions all around the meat
Stuff each hole with rosemary leaves and a slice of garlic
Rub the skin with half the salt

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a larger lidded casserole over a medium heat
Add onions and fennel seeds and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is just soft and golden,
Add the apples, cider, fennel, parsnips, carrots and bay leaves and the remaining Rosemary
Pour in the stock,
Bring to a bubble and let simmer for 1-2 minutes until reduce slightly

Sit the pork on the vegetables,

then cover and cook in the oven for 45 minutes
Increase the oven temperature to 210C and cook uncovered for a further 45 minutes

Transfer the pork to a chopping board to carve
Let sit for about 15 minutes to settle down
I made a gravy from the drippings

Carve and serve with green vegetables and drizzle over the gravy
Roast potatoes would a wonderful accompaniment
Peel and cut the potatoes into serving size pieces, toss them in oil and some sea salt
Add them after the first 45 minutes
They should crisp up beautiful in that second cook

Cottage Pies with a Difference

Normally when one makes a Cottage Pie it's normal to top with Mashed Potato
Here's two different toppings to try
For the kids...Little Fried Potato Pom Poms and for the others
Mashed Pumpkin and Kumera (Sweet Potato)
I used a packet of mushroom soup to thicken and give the mince some extra flavour

Both were delicious
You may wonder why the cheese hasn't melted as normal
It is Pecorino... which does melt that well
Covering for a member of family who is having a break from Cow Dairy
Using normal cheddar cheese would be quite different
This amount made enough for 2 oval x 5 cup casserole dishes

750 gms of beef mince
1 tbs rice bran oil
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
250 gms mushrooms sliced
1 packet Mushroom soup
Water
Good dash of Tomato Ketchup

For the Topping
Packet Potato Pom Poms
1 sweet potato (Kumera)
1 piece of pumpkin about 400 gms
Knob of butter
Chives
Cheddar Cheese grated (about 200 gms)

Heat a large frying pan medium
Add oil then add the mince
you will have to do this in more than one batch
Season with Sea Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
Fry till brown, remove and set aside

When the mince is cooked add a little more oil
Turn up the heat a bit
Throw in the mushrooms
Season with S & P
Toss them around till they start to brown
Remove and add to mince
Turn the heat down again
Time for the onion and garlic
Add to pan toss and cook till tender

Return the mince and mushrooms to the pan
Toss well
Add the mushroom soup mix and stir till blended

Add 1 cup of water
Stir well and cook till it thickens
You may need to add more water

Let it simmer away for 15-20 mins
checking frequently so it doesn't stick
When it is ready
Toss in a good dollop of ketchup
Transfer to the casserole dish

Meanwhile while the mince is cooking
Peel and dice the Kumera and the Pumpkin
Cook in salted water until tender

Mash with a good knob of butter
Taste and add extra S & P if needed
Add handful of chopped chives
Bake at 180C about 20-25 minutes
Sprinkle with some extra chives a some sea salt

With the other dish cover with Potato Pom Poms
Sprinkle over with Cheese

Bake at 180C till cheese melted and the mince bubbling
Garnish with chives and serve

Dinner is served

Chicken Pad Thai

I am always looking for tasty easy recipes that all the family will eat
This Pad Thai recipe was very popular
Add more or less chilli, depending on the tender mouths

200 gms Rice Stick noodles

1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce

2 tbs fish sauce

2 tbs  brown sugar

2 tbs dry sherry

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tbs vegetable oil

500 gms Chicken breast finely sliced

3 spring onions

1 tsp garlic minced

1 cup bean shoots

1/4 cup unsalted cashew nuts

1 red chilli 

1 lime cut into wedges to serve

Place noodles into a large bowl,

Cover with boiling water and stand until soft, according to packet instructions.

Drain thoroughly. 

Meanwhile combine sweet chilli sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, dry sherry and lime juice in a jug. 

Heat a large non-stick frying pan. 

Add a little oil and cook the chicken strips in batches 

until lightly browned, adding more oil as needed.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat the remainder of the oil and stir-fry spring onions and garlic for 1 minute.

Add drained noodles and stir until well combined. 

Add sauce mixture toss until well combined. 

Return chicken to pan with bean shoots and cook until heated through. 

Spoon into serving bowls, top with chopped nuts, coriander leaves and slices of chilli (optional)

Serve with lime wedges, extra coriander and nuts. 

Red Thai Curry-One for the Family

This recipe was originally planned for the slow cooker but I slow cooked it in the oven instead ...I’m not fond of just throwing everything into the slow cooker

It may take a little longer in Prep time but the flavour improves with that extra care and attention

I doubled the recipe

That fed 6 people with leftovers for lunch the next day

These quantities will feed 4

500 g Stewing beef cut into 1 inch/2.5 cms cubes

2 tbs rice bran oil

2 potatoes peeled and diced 

2 Kumera peeled and diced 

1 onion peeled and diced

1 red or yellow capsicum

400 ml coconut cream

1/2 cup Beef Stock, I used Simon Gault's Beef stock in a tube

1 tbs fresh ginger finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

3 tbs Red Thai Curry Paste

1 tbs fish sauce

2 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs cornflour

1 tbs lemon juice
1 bag Baby Spinach

In a large pan add rice Bran oil heat to medium heat

Add the beef and sauce till brown
Don't overcrowd the pan, do it in batches
Remove and set aside

Meanwhile Chop the onions and garlic finely

add to pan
sauce till soft
The add the ginger stir and cook another couple of minutes
Throw in the potato, kumera, and capsicum

Empty throw contents of the curry paste in and sauté another 2-3 minutes

its now time to add the beef in and the coconut cream

Stir and add the stock. bring to thew boil and simmer for about 2 hours on a very low heat

So when it is cooked, add the baby spinach, a good squeeze of lemon juice and serve 
We had it over rice

It is excellent the next day and as everything tastes better on toast

This was my lunch
Absolutely delicious 

Bake Your Tacos - A Different Way to Consume Them

Got the inspiration for this dish from the Hello Fresh people

Instead of making Chili and the condiments and wrapping them up in Tortillas 

How about...you bake them in the oven instead?

This looks pretty and was very popular with the family 

To feed 4- 6 people, I used

25 x 22 x 6 Deep baking dish

1 packet x 8 mini tortillas 

Homemade Chili (recipe below)

For the salad

2 large tomatoes chopped 

3 spring onions chopped 

3 tablespoons Coriander chopped 

1 Cos lettuce sliced 

French dressing (enough to dress your salad )

1 small tub Sour cream

100 gms grated cheddar cheese 

First make a batch of Chili

 

This is my favourite

 

Gilli's Chili

500 gms mince

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon chili flakes

1 more tablespoons olive oil

1 onion sliced

1 small carrot chopped

2 cloves garlic crushed and chopped

1 tin Mexican beans

1 tin cherry tomatoes in juice

First

Brown the mince in olive oil

Season with spices

Cook for a couple of minutes

Remove from pan set aside

Saute onion, garlic and carrot till soft

Add back the mince

Plus beans and tomatoes.

Check seasoning and adjust if necessary

If the beans are not hot enough some more chili flakes would be good.

Cook gently for about 30 minutes

This improves on hanging about but you can eat it straight away

To assemble The Baked Tortilla

Grease the casserole dish with olive oil

Line it with the tortillas

Fill with the hot Chili

Sprinkle with grated cheese

 

Bake at 180C fan oven for about 30 minutes 

So the filling is bubbling and cheese is melted 

And the Tortillas are crisp

To serve 

Divide into 6 and slide into plate

Dress with sour cream and place serving of salad on the side

Dinner is served