La Différence

La Différence
A passion for food

Thursday 30 August 2012

Boeuf Bourguignonne

Boeuf Bourguignonne

Boeuf Bourguignonne has to be one of my all time favourite dishes to prepare for the family and for dinner parties. Once it's prepared you can just leave it to cook, leaving you plenty of time to make yourself pretty and tend to your guests without being tied to the kitchen. I love to serve mine with a huge dish of creamy mashed potatoes and green beans making sure there's plenty of crusty bread handy to mop up all the wonderful gravy. Traditionally this is made with a red Burgundy but a good rich New World wine would also be wonderful. As they say though, never cook with a wine that you wouldn't drink. It's so very true and it makes all the difference to the flavour.
You can, if preferred, cook this on the oven top simmering gently for 2 hours or so but I feel that the flavour is so much enhanced by oven cooking and you can just pop it in the oven and forget about it for 2 hours.          

recipe to serve 4

2lb stewing beef fat & gristle removed & cut into 1" cubes
3oz smoked bacon cut into lardons
16 small onions or shallots dipped into boiling water for 1 minute and skins removed
clove of garlic crushed
4 oz button mushrooms or larger ones sliced through
a bouquet garni, bay, thyme, parsley stalks and a ribbon of lemon zest, sandwich together with a halved celery stick and tied with string
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 oz butter
2 tsps flour
½ pt red wine
½ pt beef stock
freshly ground black pepper & sea salt to season
a few croutons and chopped parsley to garnish


  1. Fry the beef in batches in the oil in a frying pan until nice & brown. place in a cast iron casserole dish
  2. Deglaze the pan with a little red win scraping all the brown bits up and pour this into the casserole
  3. Fry the onions in half the butter until brown, add the crushed garlic and stir in the flour cook for a minute stirring well. Add the rest of the wine and the stock. Keep stirring until boiling  again scraping the bottom of the pan. Add all to the casserole.
  4. Add the bouquet garni to the casserole, season well. Cover and cook in the oven 150c/300f/gas 2 for around 2 hours until the meat is tender
  5. Fry the bacon and the mushrooms quickly in the remaining butter until brown
  6. add to the casserole and continue cooking for a further ½ hour
  7. remove the bouquet garni
  8. if the sauce is a little runny then it can be thickened with a little beurre manié or a little cornflour (slaked)
  9. Check the seasoning and serve garnished with a few croutons and chopped parsley
 

Bouquet Garni  

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs & Harissa Potatoes

                                     



  Moroccan Lamb Meatballs & Harissa Potatoes


Moroccan food is wonderful. Spicy & aromatic without too much heat. These lamb meatballs are flavoured with fresh mint, cumin, coriander & cinnamon. The sauce is made from tomatoes, onions, garlic, preserved lemons and dried apricots & dates. The dried fruit could be left out, just add a little sugar or honey in their place  but if you would love to experience the taste of Northern Africa then please leave them in. Harissa potatoes just uses Harissa paste that you can find in any supermarket and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Let me talk you through the recipe which will serve around 6 good portions

For the meatballs you will need

500g/ 1lb lean minced lamb,
½ cup white breadcrumbs
2 crushed cloves of garlic
2 beaten eggs
1½tsp sea salt
¾tsp black pepper
1 heaped tsp cumin powder
1 heaped tsp coriander powder
1 heaped tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tbsp chopped mint
1tbsp chopped fresh coriander/cilantro
3 tbsp olive oil for frying.

Just combine all the ingredients really well. Shape into small egg shapes. Leave for a hour in the fridge then fry on a medium heat for around 6/7 minutes until browned all over.




For the sauce

1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato puree
1 large onion finely diced
4 crushed cloves of garlic
1tbsp chopped preserved lemon
1tsp cumin
1  tsp coriander
1 tsp paprika
½tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
1 heaped tsp Ras-el-Hanout (available at most supermarkets with the spices)
8 dried apricots chopped
4 stoned dates chopped
1 cup of lamb stock
seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil

gently fry the onion & garlic in a the olive oil until soft
add the spices and fry for a minute or two
add the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes
Add the dates, apricots & preserved lemon and the lamb stock.
Simmer for around 20 minutes .
Add the lamb balls and cook on for around 10 minutes until they are cooked through.
If the sauce is a little runny you can add a tsp of cornflour mixed with a little water to thicken it.
Sprinkle with fresh coriander or parsley and it's ready to serve.

For the Harissa potatoes

2lb of par boiled new potatoes





 
2 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tbsp Harissa paste
good sprinkling of sesame seeds
Sea salt flakes to finish
few chopped chives to garnish

Heat the oven to 200c

Just mix the potatoes, oil & harissa paste together so that the potatoes are well coated
Roast in an oven tray for around 20 mins
Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and continue roasting for another 10 minutes
Add sea salt to taste
Sprinkle over a few chopped chives to decorate



                                                       serve with a green or tomato salad








50


Wednesday 22 August 2012

Lime & Almond Chicken with Quinoa Pilaf







Lime & Almond Chicken with Quinoa Pilaf



To serve 4.
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4 chicken fillets skinned & boned
around half a 500g tub of thick Greek Yoghurt (I used Total)
1 tsp mint sauce (or 1tbsp of fresh mint if you have it)
Juice of 2 limes and the zest of 1
2 cloves of garlic crushed
4 tbsp slivered almonds
2 tsps rapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil ( any good oil will do)
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Prick the chicken breasts with a fork.
Place all the ingredients except the almonds & oil into a large plastic bag.
and squeeze it about so that the chicken is well coated with the marinade.
Leave for at least an hour or even overnight.
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Oil an oven tray or dish with the oil.
Place the chicken breasts in and try to coat with as much of the marinade as you can
Sprinkle over the nuts & season well
cover with foil and bake in a hot oven (200c) for about 15 mins
remove the foil and continue baking for around 5 mins until the almonds brown.
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Serve with a Quinoa or Rice Pilau
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60 gms Quinoa per person (I used a mixture of red & white quinoa with bulgar wheat from Waitrose)
1 chicken stock cube
2 shallots or 1 small onion chopped finely and sauteed in a little oil
handful of sultanas
Cover with boiling water to an inch and a half above the quinoa.
Chopped coriander/cilantro to mix through
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Sweat the onion/shallot in a saucepan.
add the sultanas
add the stock cube & boiling water.
Simmer for about 10 mins with a tight fitting lid.
Turn off and leave to steam for around another 10 minutes.
Drain off any excess liquid
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Serve with chopped coriander mixed through
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I served this with some baby salad leaves and a wedge of lime

Monday 20 August 2012

Focaccia, with red onion & rosemary and Gorgonzola & pine nuts.









For the dough
500g/1lb 2 oz Strong white bread flour
1 sachet dried yeast or 15g fresh
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
between 300 to 400 mls 12/14 fl oz of warm water.
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Mix the dry ingredients in the bowl of your mixer
pour the 1st 300 mls/12 fl oz of water mixed with the olive oil into the dry ingredients.
Mix until a nice soft dough is reached, just add more of the water if needed, little by little.
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Knead with the dough hook for around 5/6 mins or by hand for 10.
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Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size
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knock back and place in a well greased roasting tin stretching it to fill.
if you can't get it to reach the corners just let it rest for a couple of minutes and try again.
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leave to rise covered with greased cling film for around another 30 mins until well risen
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Set the oven @ 220c gas 4
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with your fingers push lots of dimples all over the dough to form little wells
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For a plain focaccia pour over around 2 tbsp extra virgin oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt & bake for around 20 mins until golden & cooked through.
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for the Red onion & Rosemary just sprinkle thinly sliced red onion & rosemary over the top. Add the olive oil as above & bake
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For the Gorgonzola & Pine nuts
mix 150 g/ 5oz Gorgonzola with 3 tbsp olive oil and season well
pour this mixture over the foccacia sprinkle with lots of pine nuts
Bake intially @ 220C/ gas 7 for 8 mins, turn down to 190C/gas5 and bake on for around 20 mins. Until golden & bubbling away.
Serve straight away .

Sunday 19 August 2012

Zucchini/Courgette, Mango & Lime Salad

Zucchini/Courgette & Lime Salad
Such a light & refreshing salad. Courgettes and lime are a perfect combo & with a little kick of chilli and the crunch of the red onion this makes a perfect dish.   It's such a wonderful, easy recipe to make. Just use a sharp potato peeler to make the courgette & mango ribbons. Fabulous to serve as a side dish for BBQ'd meats or fish.

Recipe adapted from K O Rasoi  
  
Salad
1 under-ripe mango, peeled
1 large yellow courgette
½ red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander or flat leaved parsley, finely chopped
1 chopped red chilli

Dressing:
80g demerara sugar
Juice of 1 lime
½ tsp Black onion seed
Pinch sea salt


Method:
1. Using a potato peeler, shave ribbons from both the mango and the courgette. Add the finely chopped onion, fresh coriander and chilli. Toss together.
2. In a small saucepan, lightly toast the black onion (kalonji) seeds until aromatic. Next, add the sugar lime juice and salt. Continue heating & stir well to dissolve the sugar .
3. Cool the dressing & add to the salad just before serving.

Friday 17 August 2012

Mushroom Ragout with Marsala & Cheesy Polenta

Mushroom Ragout with Marsala & Cheesy Polenta


I'm such a great fan of mushrooms. As a child we used to roam the countryside looking for field mushrooms. Mum would fry them up in a hot pan with butter or bacon fat and we've have them on toast for tea. She'd never eat them herself and wasn't until I was much older when I realised why. I thought that the little holes in them were so pretty not knowing that they were made by mushroom fly larvae. Mind you she never ate blackberries either for much in the same reason.



Mixed mushrooms, fly free (Hopefully) that I bought from the supermarket. Aren't they the prettiest things.
to Serve 4/6

1 kilo mixed mushroom selection. Just buy what you fancy. Oysters, chestnuts, shitakes, button whatever.
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 tbsp flour
3 tbsp Marsala
1 cup Veg stock/ chicken stock
Chopped fresh Tarragon & 1tsp freeze dried.
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for the Polenta if you want a smaller amount remember it's one part Polenta to 4 parts liquid.
1 cup polenta
2 cups water
2 cups milk
3 oz Parmesan
1 oz butter
plenty Salt & black pepper
Check the seasoning well as Polenta can be very bland
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Heat the oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat.
Add the larger mushrooms and fry through, & keep adding the mushrooms leaving the small ones till last.
Remove and place aside.
Fry the garlic in the same pan till soft
add the flour & stir into the oil.
Add the Marsala and then the stock , whisk through and add a little more stock if too thick.
Drain off any of the mushroom juices and add to the pan.
Finally add the mushrooms & chopped tarragon & heat through.
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While you're doing this prepare the Polenta
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Boil the water & milk together.
Add the polenta and keep stirring to form a really thick mixture.
Turn down the heat & keep cooking for 5 to 6 minutes. Keep stirring this will bubble like a volcano so be careful.
Season well, add the butter and parmesan. Taste & adjust the seasoning as necessary.
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Assemble together, garnish & serve.

Thursday 16 August 2012

Spanish Tuna & Potato Salad

Spanish Tuna & Potato Salad



I have been making this gorgeous salad for years. It's always a great hit when I'm catering. It's so easy, just a matter of throwing a few lovely ingredients together. It's also a great standby and will keep for 3 or 4 days covered well in the fridge. It is perfect to pack into tupperware boxes for the kid's, hubbies lunches or picnics.

I have used sweetcorn and peas as my background vegetables but this also works well with cooked green beans, red peppers, olives this list is endless. You could also make this with tinned salmon if you prefer but add a splash of white wine vinegar if you do to give it a bit of umph!!!!!


This recipe should serve 6 or so good portions.

2lb potatoes new or old cut into bite sized pieces
6 hard boiled eggs, shelled and quartered length ways
1 large red onion finely sliced.
1 cup of cooked frozen peas
1 cup of cooked sweetcorn
1 large tin (420g) or 3 (175g) smaller tins of tuna well drained & flaked
4 tbsp Hellman's mayo
4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
tablespoon or so of chopped fresh chives to decorate
Salt & lots of freshly ground black pepper
few splashes of Tabasco (optional)

in a large bowl combine everything but the eggs & chives, mix well together. If it's too gloopy you can add a little vinaigrette to loosen slightly.
Taste and adjust your seasoning
Transfer to a serving dish, decorate with the eggs and sprinkle over the chopped chives.

This recipe can be used in so many ways, as a main salad dish along with mixed salad leaves or as a side dish. I really enjoy it with BBQ'd  meat but I'm just plain greedy.




Sunday 12 August 2012

Caramelised Balsamic Red Onion, Zucchini/Courgette polenta scone bake.

Caramelised, Balsamic Red Onion & Zucchini/Courgette polenta scone bake.
I am still making the most of the abundance of courgettes from my allotment.  This is something a little different. A cross between a bread, scone and savoury cake. It is delicious either served with a pasta dish, cut into small pieces as a canapé or just on it's own with a hunk of cheese. It's moist, savoury, a little sharp & sweet with added balsamic vinegar and in total, it's just the business.

you will need an 9x9" oven tin/pan, oiled and line the base with parchment paper.

The recipe.

4 medium sized red onions, peeled, sliced and sauteed until soft in 2 tbsp good olive oil
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 tsps sugar
when the onions are cooked add the sugar & balsamic and cook on a high heat for 2/3 minutes until the vinegar almost disappears, leaving a thick delicious onion 'jam' for the bottom of your tin/pan.

Place the cooked onions into the bottom of your lined baking tin

The polenta/scone mixture.

2 large courgettes, grated, sprinkled with a little salt then left for around 1 hour, squeeze all the excess water out.
4oz /100 g self raising flour
4oz/ 100g polenta
2oz/50g butter or margarine (I used Stork)
2oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
1tsp baking powder
½ tsp cream of tartar
2 large eggs beaten
1½ tsp sea salt
few good grinds of black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme chopped or ¼ tsp dried thyme
a little milk to bind if necessary.

Sift together the flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking powder into a bowl with a few grinds of black pepper
Add the polenta & mix together
Rub the butter/margarine into the flour mix, until the breadcrumb stage
Add the parmesan & thyme & mix
Add the grated & drained courgettes then the beaten eggs mix lightly to bind together into a light, moist cake type batter with a heavy dropping consistency adding a little milk a a tbsp at a time if needed.

Place this mix in spoonfuls on top of the onions and spread it out with a pallette knife  to cover them.

Bake in a pre-heated hot oven 230c/450f/gas 8 for around 10-15 mins until light & golden and firm to the touch.

Leave to cool on a wire rack for around 5 minutes. Turn over onto a serving plate and remove the parchment paper. Serve warm & enjoy









Thursday 9 August 2012

Oat, Flax & Peanut Butter Cookies


This is an old Canadian Recipe that I've made for years. It's measured out in cups but if you prefer to use Imperial or Metric weights then I have a Conversion Chart lower down in my Blog. You will find that most supermarkets should sell Flax Seed. I have used ground Flaxseed that you can buy in your local Health Shop. If you have trouble in finding it then perhaps you could substitute it with wheat germ. These cookies are really quick and easy to make and an ideal breakfast food for those of you who eat on the hoof like I tend to do.

The recipe:-

3 cups of oats ( I used Scots Porage)
1¾ cups of wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
half a cup plus 1tbsp of ground flaxseed
*dried fruit (optional)
place all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well together & set aside

*You can also add a handful of raisins, sultanas, chopped figs, dried cranberries or whatever you may prefer at this stage.

¾ cup of peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
¾ cup of soft brown sugar
¾ cup of either golden syrup or maple syrup ( here in the UK Maple syrup is so very expensive)
2 tsp vanilla extract

place all of these ingredients into another bowl and beat well together

Set the oven to 190c /375f/ gas5

Put the peanut butter mixture into the dry ingredients, add 3 tablespoons of milk and mix well together.
Place heaped dessert spoons onto an oven tray (ungreased) leaving plenty of room between each cookie.

Bake for around 8 to 10 minutes.

Hope you enjoy them!