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

Halloween pumpkin cake

So another recipe with pumpkin, this time it’s a cake! Again it was another recipe I was a bit dubious about, simply because my mind couldn’t compute a vegetable in a cake! I didn’t think it was going to be that nice, but I'm not afraid to say I was wrong! So with your remaining pumpkin, try the following!

Ingredients - serves 15 portions – ready in 50 minutes

For the cake

• 300g self-raising flour
  
• 300g light muscovado sugar
  
• 3 tsp mixed spice
  
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  
• 175g sultanas
  
• ½ tsp salt
  
• 4 eggs , beaten
  
• 200g butter , melted
  
• zest 1 orange
  
• 1 tbsp orange juice
  
• 500g (peeled weight) pumpkin or butternut squash flesh, grated

FOR DRENCHING AND FROSTING

• 200g pack soft cheese
  
• 85g butter , softened
  
• 100g icing sugar , sifted
  
• zest 1 orange and juice of half

Now for the How To:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
  
• Butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking or small roasting tin with baking parchment.
  
• Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine.
  
• Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice, then mix with the dry ingredients till combined.
  
• Stir in the pumpkin.
  
• Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and springy to the touch.
  
• To make the frosting:
  
• Beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice till smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge.
  
• When the cake is done, cool for 5 minutes then turn it onto a cooling rack. Prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm. Leave to cool completely.
  
• Give the frosting a quick beat to loosen, then, using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake in peaks and swirls.
  
• If you're making the cake ahead, keep it in the fridge then take out as many pieces as you want 30 minutes or so before serving.
  
• Will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the fridge.

I was told that this reminded people of carrot cake, but seeing as I’ve never tried carrot cake I can’t really comment on that! My grandparents thought it was brought (I didn’t tell them I made it until after they ate it) the grandparents couldn’t figure out that pumpkin was used in the cake; also the women at work loved it! It was a hit all around!
Next up is something really special, and possibly the best thing I tried so far... goat curry! It is to die for!
Bye for Now! X

Pumpkin and Chickpea curry

All the years of being young and trick and treating and carving pumpkins I've never before tried pumpkin – so I thought it would be worth a try – at least I will know one way or another if I like it or not. I brought a medium sized pumpkin and good lord you get a lot of flesh on those things! It felt like I had pumpkin coming out of my ears! I swear I was close to overdosing on it!

Ingredients – Serves 4 – ready in 30 minutes

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  
• 3 tbsp Thai yellow curry paste
  
• 2 onions , finely chopped
  
• 3 large stalks lemongrass , bashed with the back of a knife
  
• 6 cardamom pods
  
• 1 tbsp mustard seed
  
• 1 piece pumpkin or a small squash (about 1kg)
  
• 250ml vegetable stock
  
• 400ml can reduced-fat coconut milk
  
• 400g can chickpeas , drained and rinsed
  
• 2 limes
  
• large handful mint leaves
  
• naan bread , to serve

Now for the How To:

• Heat the oil in a sauté pan, and then gently fry the curry paste with the onions, lemongrass, cardamom and mustard seed for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
  
• Stir the pumpkin or squash into the pan and coat in the paste, and then pour in the stock and coconut milk.
  
• Bring everything to a simmer, add the chickpeas, and then cook for about 10 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.
  
• The curry can now be cooled and frozen for up to 1 month.
  
• Squeeze the juice of one lime into the curry, and then cut the other lime into wedges to serve alongside.
  
• Just before serving, tear over mint leaves, then bring to the table with the lime wedges and warm naan breads.

The good thing about this recipe is that it is vegetarian, vegan, dairy free and it is only 293 calories per serving – so you get a great tasting curry which is really good for you – so any of you still on your New Year diets – this is one to try!
Next up is another cake.... this time pumpkin cake! Its wonderful!

Gumbo Style Chicken

I’ve often read about gumbo and I tried it in a restaurant once and ever since then I have been hooked on the stuff! It is a must try! 

Serves 2 – Ready in 1 hour

Ingredients 

·         4 skinless chicken thighs (or breasts if you prefer) cut into chunks

·         Groundnut Oil, or other flavorless oil

·         2 Rashers of smoked streaky bacon, chopped

·         1 onion, finely chopped

·         2 garlic gloves, chopped

·         2 celery stalks, finely chopped

·         2tsp plain flour

·         1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes

·         300ml chicken stock

·         1 green pepper, cut into chunks

·         2 bay leaves

·         2 sprigs thyme

·         1 tsp cayenne pepper

·         100g cured smoked sausage (EG Kabanos) sliced

·         Crusty bread to serve

Now for the How To: 

·         Season the chicken then brown in 2 tbsp oil until golden. Scoop out of the pan.

·         Add the bacon and cook till crisp

·         Add the onion, garlic and celery.

·         Cook until softened and starting to colour.

·         Sprinkle over the flour and cook, stirring until the bacon, vegetables and flour turns golden.

·         Tip in the tomatoes and break up with a spoon, and keep stirring till everything is combined.

·         Stir in the stock then add the pepper, herbs, cayenne pepper and sausage.

·         Add the chicken and season really well.

·         Simmer for about 30 minutes until the chicken is really tender and the sauce reduced. Serve with crusty bread. 

This dish is so tasty – I would highly recommend it! Next up Dandelion and Burdock cake! YUMMY

Bye for Now! X

Sticky Glazed Pork with Spring Onion Couscous

I am a big fan of pork, and any different way I can cook it the better and seeing as I had couscous left over from a previous recipe I thought now was the time to use it again! And I must say, it was a wonderful dish!

Serves 4 – Ready in 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

·         4tsp English Mustard

·         3 tbsp ruinny honey

·         Splash orange juice

·         4 pork loin steaks

·         300g couscous

·         1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         450ml hot chicken stock

·         ½ punnet baby plum, or cherry tomatoes, quartered

Now for the How To:

·         Mix the mustard with the honey and enough orange juice to loose the mixture, smear all over the steaks.

·         Preheat the grill until hot and line the grill pan with foil (this can also be done just using the normal oven, make sure its hot and put the steaks at the top of the oven) and cook for approx 6 minutes (depending on thickness of the steaks) on each side, brushing with the remaining mixture.

·         While the pork is grilling, tip the couscous and spring onions into a bowel.

·         Spoon the oil into the stock and pour onto the couscous and stir.

·         Cover tightly with cling film and leave for 5 – 6 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

·         Fluff up the couscous with a fork and stir in the tomatoes and season.

·         Serve topped with the pork and some of the pan juices. 

TIP: as an extra tip to add an extra flavour into the couscous try adding some peas and sweet corn into the mix, it was delicious!

I was a bit worried that the dish could be a bit dry, but I was wrong, the little bit of juice from the pork was just enough to moisten the couscous, and the crispy bits on the pork were just amazing, so tasty, had the sweetness from the honey and the heat from the English mustard was an amazing combination. Its another quick easy, must try recipe.

As another little warning, maybe cut down on the couscous and look at serving 50g per person, itll still provide more than enough!

Haven’t decided the next recipe yet,  but it will be posted soon, so keep checking back!

Remember I'm always open for suggestions!

Bye for Now! x

Cinnamon Nutella Cake

I had a day off work, and what better way to spend it than by baking a cake! I was going to make this for father’s day, but my dad decided he wanted me to bake something else so I thought what better time to try it!

Serves – about 12 slices - ready in 60 - 70 minutes

Ingredients:

·         175g softened butter

·         175g golden caster sugar

·         3 eggs

·         200g self raising flour

·         1tsp baking powder

·         2tsp ground cinnamon

·         4tbsp milk

·         4 rounded tbsp nutella

·         50g hazelnuts, chopped.

Now for the How To:

·         Preheat the oven to 180c / gas 4 / fan 60c. Nutter and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin.

·         Add the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy.

·         Add one egg at a time along with a spoonful of milk and spoonful of the sieved flour, cinnamon and baking powder, and gently mix together.

·         Continue to do this until all flour is mixed in and the mixture remains light and fluffy.]

·         Tip three quarters of the mixture into the tin, spread it level, spoon the nutella into the mixture in 4 blobs.

·         Top with the remaining mixture, swirl a few times with a skewer then smooth to cover the nutella.

·         Sprinkle with the nuts

·         Bake for 60 – 70 minutes, until risen, nicely browned and feels firm to touch and springs back when lightly pressed (use a cocktail stick to poke the cake, if it comes out clean its cooked)

·         Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.

·         Wrap up tightly in double thick foil to keep fresh for up to a week! 

I LOVED this cake! It was so moist, it came out of the tin with complete ease, it was easy to make and good lord it was amazing! 5 days later and it was still as moist as the first day! I was surprised this was still the case, although be warned, you will have to restrain yourself if it’s going to last that long!

My grandparents even tried a bit of the cake and they loved it, at first they thought it was made, this made me so happy! I love my grandparents anyway but this confirmed it!

You really need to try this cake! It will beat any of the cakes that you will buy!

Do you have a favourite sweet / desert?

Next up is a smoky chicken & bean stew!

Bye for Now! x