Goat Curry

Don't be put off by the cooking time – make it on a day when you have time to spare and you haven't just come in from work – it may be a long time, but believe me it is 100% worth it!
Goat is something I had never tried before (I presume that’s the same for most people) but I saw this recipe and I thought I had to try it. However goat can be difficult to come across especially where I live – thankfully my dad works with someone that uses goat regularly and so we were able to get some (if you can’t get goat mutton is a perfect alternative)

Ingredients – Serves 4 – Ready in 4 hours 30 minutes

• 1kg goat shoulder (or other braising cut)
  
• 3 tbsp olive oil
  
• ½ tsp turmeric
  
• ½ tsp ground cumin or cumin seeds
  
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
  
• 1 cinnamon stick
  
• 2 star anise
  
• 4 cardamom pods , lightly crushed
  
• 1 tsp unrefined light brown sugar
  
• a few curry leaves (optional)
  
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  
• 400ml chicken stock or water
  
• a handful of coriander leaves, for garnishing

CHILLI PASTE

• 1 small onion , roughly chopped
  
• 4 garlic cloves , peeled
  
• 4 small seeded chillies , roughly chopped
  
• 3cm piece ginger , roughly chopped
  
• generous pinch sea salt
  
• 3 tbsp groundnut oil

Now for the How To:

• To make the chilli paste:
  
• Put all the ingredients into a small food processor and whizz to a fine paste.
  
• Stop the machine and scrape down the bowl two or three times to ensure it's all evenly ground.
  
• Scrape the paste into a small bowl and set aside.
  
• For the curry
  
• Cut the goat shoulder into small, bite-size chunks and season with salt and pepper.
  
• Heat half the oil in a wide saucepan.
  
• Fry the meat in two batches until golden brown all over.
  
• After each batch, remove to a plate and set aside.
  
• Tip the chilli paste into the pan and stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
  
• Add the dried spices, sugar and curry leaves, if using.
  
• Continue to stir for another minute.
  
• Add the chopped tomatoes and stock to the pan and stir well.
  
• Reduce the heat, cover the pan and cook slowly for 3-4 hours until the meat is just tender.
  
• Remove the lid and skim off the excess oil.
  
• Gently simmer for another 20-30 minutes until the curry has reduced and thickened. The meat should be very tender.
  
• Season to taste and serve topped with coriander leaves.

This was a truly amazing curry! The goat was so tender it completely fell off the bone and melted in the mouth, the paste was zingy, but wasn't over powering – I seriously have no faults on this recipe – if the idea of goat puts you off try it with mutton, as it’s cooked for such a long time the meat is delicious and so tender! We all thought it was worth the lengthy cooking time – something like this needs to be done correctly and it wasn't worth risking ruining it by trying to speed up the cooking process!

Make it at a dinner party and everyone will love it!

I think goat now stands at the strangest thing I have eaten – what about you? Have you tried anything out of the ordinary?

Bye for Now! X

Goan Fish Curry

This may sound a little strange… but where I live we actually have a mobile fish monger. So basically they drop around a leaflet advising you of the fish they have and prices etc and every couple of months they will give you a call and see what fish you want and how much. So my dad signed up for it and it’s an excellent service, much cheaper than the supermarkets and the fish is caught that morning and then transported around!
Anyway… because of this we ended up having a lot of fish in the freezer and so I wanted to do something different with it and to try a different style of curry, and so Goan it was!
I thought this was an excellent curry, I thought it might have been a bit spicy, but the flavours were brilliant and the fish was so tender and it was just lovely all round, and as an added bonus its ready in less than 30 minutes, a perfect midweek curry!

Serves 2 – ready in 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tsp coriander seeds
  
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
  
• 1 dried red chilli
  
• olive oil
  
• 1 onion , halved and sliced
  
• a small piece root ginger , finely grated
  
• 2 garlic cloves , crushed
  
• ½ tsp turmeric
  
• 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
  
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
  
• 1-2 green chillies , finely sliced
  
• 300g sustainable firm white fish such as haddock , Pollack or cod, cut into chunks
  
• steamed rice to serve

Now for the How To:

• Toast the seeds and dried red chilli, then grind in a pestle and mortar, or spice grinder.
  
• Heat a little oil in a pan and cook the onion with a big pinch of salt until soft and golden.
  
• Add the ginger, garlic, turmeric and ground spices and fry for 1 minute.
  
• Add the coconut, tamarind and green chillies and simmer for 5 minutes.
  
• Add the fish and cook for 3-4 minutes until just cooked. Serve with rice.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Next up is a Lemon Drizzle Cake!
Bye for Now! X

Dandelion & Burdock Cake

 

Yes you are reading that correctly! A cake based on the popular fizzy drink, I was dubious before making this, even though I love the drink, I didn’t know how it would work out in a cake – but the result is one of the best cakes I've made! I also made this for my birthday cake treats for the people at work and it went down a storm! hmm all this talk of cake has made me want some… 

Serves 6 - 8 – Ready in about 60 - 90 minutes

Ingredients 

·         225g / 8oz Plain Flour

·         225g / 8oz Caster Sugar

·         1 tsp Bircarbonate of Soda

·         100g / 3 ½ oz Mini Marshmallows

·         65g /2 ¼ fl oz Vegetable Oil

·         3 tbsp Cocoa Powder

·         200ml / 7fl oz Dandelion and Burdock drink

·         100g / 3 ½ fl oz Buttermilk

·         2 Free Range Eggs

For The Icing:

·         65g / 2 ¼ oz Unsalted Butter

·         1 ½ tbsp Cocoa Powder

·         50ml / 1 ¾ fl oz Dandelion and Burdock Drink

·         150g / 5 ¼ oz icing sugar

·         100g / 3 ½ oz chopped pecans

Now for the How To:

·         Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line a 30cm/12in baking tin.

·         Sift the flour, sugar and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl, then add the marshmallows.

·         Meanwhile, heat the butter, oil, cocoa powder and dandelion and burdock in a saucepan until boiling.

·         Pour the butter mixture onto the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Mix in the buttermilk and eggs.

·         Pour the cake batter into the cake tin and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the sides of the cake are coming away from the sides of the cake tin and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

·         Meanwhile, for the icing, heat the butter, cocoa powder and dandelion and burdock in a saucepan until boiling. Sift in the icing sugar and mix until well combined. Stir in the chopped pecans.

·         Spread the icing over the cake and set aside to cool completely.

The end result is so good it’s a bit sticky but delicious, the dandelion and burdock flavor isn’t over powering, it just adds an extra flavor into the cake, most people can’t even establish the pop is used, but it just tastes amazing!

Next up is Goan Fish Curry

Bye for Now! X

Thai Prawn Curry

This recipe is really nice, and honestly, so simple, you must try it!

Serves 4  - Ready in 20 minutes including preparation

Ingredients:

·         1 tbsp Vegetable oil.

·         1 onion, chopped.

·         1 tsp fresh root ginger, grated.

·         1 – 2 tsp Thai red curry paste.

·         400g can chopped tomatoes.

·         50g sachet coconut cream.

·         400g raw frozen prawns.

·         Coriander, chopped, to serve (optional)

Now for the How To:

·         Heat the oil in a medium saucepan.

·         Tip in the onion and ginger and cook for a few minutes until softened.

·         Stir in the curry paste and cook for a further minute.

·         Add the chopped tomatoes and coconut cream, and bring to the boil, leave to simmer for 5 minutes.

·         If the mixture is too thick add a little boiling water.

·         Add the prawns and cook for a further 5 – 10 minutes depending on the size of the prawns.

·         Serve with some plain rice. 

I really enjoyed this dish, despite making a mistake when I got the ingredients, I didn’t realise until I was on the 4^th step about to add the coconut cream when I noticed I had actually brought coconut milk, it gave the same flavouring, but it meant that the curry was more liquidy than it should of been, I tried adding corn flour to thicken it, and it did work, but not to the extent as I believe it should of, nonetheless, it was still a great dish despite my mistake.

I have also noticed that the vast majority of the recipes I have tried have coriander involved. I’ve come to the point now where I will just always leave it out, I honestly can’t bare it!

This is also a healthy dish with only 180 calories per serving!

When I make this again, I will be tempted to add another spoon or two of the curry paste to add a bit more heat, it was lovely, but recently I have really liked spicy dishes, so that and getting the correct ingredient are the only amendments I would make!

A brilliant change to the curries I usually make!

Next recipe is Pork Burgers with herby Wedges!

Bye for Now!x

New Recipe : Tomato Soup With Marmite Twists

The latest recipe I tried was “Tomato Soup with Cheese & Marmite Twists” it was a very easy recipe and I must say very tasty, although I would make a couple of amendments if I am to do it again but I’ll come to those later.

Serves 4 - Ready in 50 minutes (it can be done quicker depends how good you are at multi-tasking)

Ingredients:

For the Twists:

• 50g Red Leicester or Cheddar cheese

• 1 sheet of ready to use puff pastry

• 2 tsp of Marmite (or English mustard, I made both)

For the Soup:

• 1 large onion

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 8 large tomatoes

• 400ml vegetable stock

• 4 tbsp tomato ketchup

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• 300 ml double cream

Now for the how to:

• Preheat oven to 200c/180c fan/ gas mark 6. Finely grate the cheese. Unravel the pastry, spread evenly with the marmite (or mustard) then sprinkle the cheese on top. Fold the pastry in half to make a sandwich and press down well.

• Cut the pastry into 12 equal strips, carefully twist each strip and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown, leave for 5 minutes to firm up a little, remove from the baking tray and allow to cool.

• Halve the onion, peel and chop it. Fry in the oil for about 5 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon until soft but not coloured, as this will spoil the colour of the soup later.

• Chop the tomatoes; add to the pan with the stock, ketchup and oregano. Season. Bring to the boil, and then turn to a low heat. Cover the pan, and summer for 15 minutes until tomatoes are soft.

• Tip the cream into the soup, heat gently, stirring with the wooden spoon until it just starts to bubble. Don’t boil as the cream may curdle. Ladle into bowls and serve with the cheese and marmite straws.

The cooking time can be shorter if you prepare the twists as the onions are cooking and the straws can cook as the tomatoes are cooking dramatically reducing the cooking time. After making both the marmite straws and the mustard straws, we found the marmite straws went with the soup better, it mixed really well with the cheese, and they were a firm favourite (in fact we ate the left over straws as a snack later that day)

Another amendment I would make next time is either to peel the tomatoes by scoring the skin and pouring hot water over them, the skin is then easily removed, or I would blend the mixture before adding the cream, I whizzed it slightly with my hand blender, but bit of skin were still present, or the final option is to sift the soup before adding the cream to get rid of any residue skin / seeds. But this didn’t subtract from the taste of the soup, it was very tasty and incredibly filling! It’s a must try!

Not really something to have regularly due to the double cream, it’s a hefty 912 calories per serving! Instead of using double cream, you can always use crème fraiche for a slightly lower calorie option.

I'm still undecided on what to cook this week. I will have to decide soon as I'm supposed to be making it tomorrow!

Bye for now!x

My Dads Birthday. (a rather long post)

I'm still a little clueless about what to actually to write in a blog, I know that sounds crazy, it just seems like I am writing little letters to myself, I presume in a way it is like writing in a diary, however, when I was younger I didn't really do that. I had one diary that i kept locked when I was about 13 or so, all I ever wrote about in my diary was the dull things I did at school, and who I fancied that week. I wrote about nothing profound, no deep secrets that should never see the light of day were hidden between the pages of my locked diary. Alas, I was 13 so nothing really exciting happened in my life. That being said, ten years later and still nothing really exciting happens.

So I'm going to use this blog, to say my thoughts and the average things that I experience. Starting with the night out I had with my family....

It is my Dad's 47Th birthday today. He doesn't look his age at all, and people are often surprised when they realise that he has a 26 year old son (well almost, my brothers birthday is on Wednesday) and a 23 year old daughter. You can look at my dad, and people who were in the same year as him at school, and you would be amazed, I', sure its because my dad looks young, but it could also be that everyone else has had a bit of a tough paper round and so they all look much older. I am a firm believer that alcohol and fags age you dramatically.

Anyway, back to my point. As its my dads birthday today, my dad, my brother ,my sister-in-law and I all went out for a meal last night to celebrate. (the reason for going out for a meal the day before is because my dad goes into town for a few drinks on a Saturday night so Friday was a better option) My dad and I met my brother and sister-in-law in town, and had a quick drink before going to the restaurant. We had a reservation at 1709, in Lichfield. A place I wasn't familiar with, and I must say it was heavenly. I couldn't find any fault whatsoever on the food, or the service for that matter. We all thoroughly enjoyed what we ordered. I had squid with a sweet chili sauce for my starter, I was amazing! I have tried squid several times and always enjoyed it, but this was on another level, it was perfect! For my main I had a grilled pork chop with a new potato and spinach salad served with a cracked black peppercorn sauce, I have never had a meal I have enjoyed eating so much, every mouthful was delightful! I will have to return to the restaurant again without a doubt.

After the meal we all went to a hand full of pubs and had a few drinks. I must say it was a truly wonderful evening, we spent hours talking to each other about every topic. From my sister-in-laws job and her experience of removing balls, to topics less graphic, and being interrupted many times by a strange drunk lady.

I'm so glad my brother has married someone so nice and I love the fact that everyone gets on. I can't imagine what it would be like to hate your brothers wife, or to have your family hate your partner. I know this can happen in many families, and I honest don't see a point behind it. You may indeed have your own opinions of someone and not everyone can get on, but is it worth ripping the family apart? If that person makes your loved one happy isn't that all that matters?

If by some magical reason someone is reading this length blog post, has any one been in that situation where your family members hate your partner and any idea why? Or if you hate your brother's girlfriend, or something, what happened to cause the dislike?

Bye for now! x