Month: September 2015

Red Onion, Courgette and Feta Tart

Using a standard quiche dish, serves roughly 4

It’s Friday night, I have one too many eggs, and some other random ingredients rocking around my fridge! Add a cheat ingredient in the form of Ready to Roll Shortcrust (normally make my own, so this kills me a little 😂) and boom, I have a rather lush, tasty tart!

Ready to Roll Savoury Shortcrust Pastry at room temperature
2 Large Red Onions, peeled, halved and finely sliced
2 Courgettes, sliced
1/2 Block Feta Cheese
Dash of olive oil
7 Egg
75ml Milk
Maldon Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Flour

Heat oven to 200c

Dust your work surface and the surface of the pastry with flour to ensure it does not stick.

Roll the pastry out until it is really thin and fits the quiche dish.

Gently fit it into the dish, line the dish with grease proof paper and fill with baking beans.

Put into the oven for 10 mins, then remove the beans and put it back into the oven for 7-10 mins to crisp up.

Take out of the oven to cool.
Meanwhile, add a dash of oil to the pan and cook the onions gently for around 10 mins.

Add the courgette and cook for a further 5.

Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, add the seven eggs and the milk and whisk up really well.

Season the eggs with salt and pepper.

Add the onion and courgette mixture to the pastry case.

Sprinkle with crumbled feta.

Now pour in the egg mixture.

Turn the oven down to 180c and cook for 35-40 mins until well set and nicely browned.

Serve with a nice green salad.

Simplicity at its best! ❤️

#vegetarian #tart

Madeira Loaf Cake

My three year old wanted to bake a cake this morning, this is what we came up with! I am not normally a fan of sweet stuff, but this was just gorg! Perfectly moist, permeated with lemon and almond flavours, a perfect wee afternoon tea!

175g Butter softened, plus a bit extra for greasing
175g Golden Caster Sugar
3 Large Eggs
Grated Zest 1 Lemon
Few Drops Vanilla Extract
200g Self-raising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
50g Ground Almonds
1 tbsp Milk

Heat oven to 170c. Butter and line the base and two short sides of a 900g loaf tin with grease proof paper. Leave a bit longer at the sides to make it easy to life out
In a large baking bowl, add the butter and caster sugar. With an electric whisk, beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition.

Add the zest and vanilla.

Now sift in the flour and almonds, beat in gently.

Add the milk and beat again until combined.

Tip the batter into a tin and smooth over the top.

Bake for 55 mins- 1 hr until skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 mins.

Peel away paper and leave on a rack to cool completely before serving.

Enjoy with a nice strong cup of tea! 🍰☕️

#cake #afternoontea

A Really Lush Chicken Pie

Serves 4-5

I really got into my comfort food this week with the colder weather and the kids back to school! I have a slight obsession with ‘The Perfect Chicken Pie’ leading me to constantly change and experiment to improve my chicken pie. This one proved to be really lush!

4 Chicken Breasts, cut into small cubes
1 Leek, green bits removed and the White bit finely chopped
50g Butter
2 Large Carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 Head Broccoli, stalks removed and cut into nice small florets
250ml Double Cream
A Large Splash of White Wine
200ml Chicken Stock
Ready Rolled Puff Pastry bring this to room temperature to prevent cracks
Maldon Sea Salt and Black Pepper

2 rounded tbsp Plain Flour

Heat oven to 180c

Start by prepping your carrots and broccoli. Either steam or boil them until they are both slightly soft. Drain and set to one side.

In a large heavy pot, heat the butter and when melted add the leeks and cook for around 5 mins until nice and soft.

Add the chicken and cook for another 5 mins until just beginning to brown.

Add the wine and bubble for a couple of mins.

Add the flour, stir well and on a medium heat cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the chicken stock stirring continuously, on a medium heat let it cook for another 5 mins.

At this point, add the double cream and the prepared carrots and broccoli.

Bring to the boil and then turn down to a gentle simmer for about 7 mins.

At this point, it should be of a nice suitable consistency.

Pour into an oven proof dish that is a suitable size for both the sauce and pastry. Leave to cool.

Put on your pastry top and brush with the egg yolk.

Put into the oven for around 35 mins until the pastry is golden.

Beef and Mustard Potato Topped Pie

It is feeling a touch chilly for September making me want some lush, wholesome comfort food! The combination of butter soft beef and a crispy potato topping is hard to beat!

Serves 4-5 people

1kg Beef Steak Pieces, cut into large chunks
2 tbsp Plain Flour
Maldon Sea Salt and Fresh Black Pepper
2 tbsp Rapeseed Oil
200ml Red Wine
400ml Beef Stock
1 Onion, finely sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
350g Chestnut Mushrooms, halved
2 Large Carrots, cut into 2.5cm pieces
3 Sprigs Thyme
2 tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
6 Large Maris Piper Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm thick circles
A Bit of Melted Butter for the top

Preheat the oven to 150C

Toss the beef and flour together in a bowl with some salt and black pepper.

Heat a large casserole until hot, add half of the rapeseed oil and enough of the beef to just cover the bottom of the casserole.

Fry until browned on each side, then remove and set aside. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef.

Return the beef to the pan, add the wine and cook until the volume of liquid has reduced by half, then add the stock, onion, carrots, thyme and mustard, and season well with salt and pepper.

Cover with a lid and place in the oven for two hours.

Remove from the oven, check the seasoning and set aside to cool.

Remove the thyme.

When the beef is cool and you’re ready to assemble the pie, preheat the oven to 200C.

Transfer the beef to a pie dish, top with the circles of potato and brush with the butter.

To serve, place a large spoonful of pie onto each plate with some green beans alongside.

#autumnalrecipies #beefcasserole

A Restaurant in my Kitchen

Create restaurant food easily at home!