Thursday, July 30, 2015

Bacon and Egg Salad with croutons.

A warm salad is a salad with cooked ingredients, in this case it is the bacon, croutons and boiled egg.
The flavour comes from the bacon and croutons so we don't need to add any salad dressing.
Remember about the factory farming of pigs and the pork that come from these pigs. Choose "free range pork" if you can.

Warm Salad (Bacon, Egg and Croutons)

Equipment
·      Chopping board
·      Sharp knife
·      Grater
·      Peeler
·      Large mixing bowl
·      Small fry pan and fish slice/tongs
·      Small pot

Ingredients
·      Mesclun salad, 1 cup
·      Carrots, 1
·      Spring onions, ½ stem
·      Celery, 1 stalk
·      Bacon, 3 slices
·      Bread, 1 slice, diced
·      Eggs, 2
·      Oil for frying

Method
1.    Add eggs to a pot of hot water. Bring to the boil for 8 minutes. Pour out the hot water and fill pot with cold water.
2.    Peel the eggs and chop up. Add to the mixing bowl.
3.    Slice up the bread into cubes.
4.    Slice up the bacon in small pieces.
5.    Fry both in oil until crisp. Place into mixing bowl.
6.    Grate the carrot, after peeling.
7.    Slice up celery and spring onion into thin slices.
8.    Add all to the mixing bowl.
9.    Add the Mesclun salad to the other ingredients in the bowl.
10. Toss the salad together, mixing all the ingredients through.
11. Serve with tongs onto a plate and eat.




Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Laksa (Chicken, vegetable and noodle curry)

You could replace the chicken with prawns, seafood, pork etc.
Try to have some kick to your soup, in terms of spiciness.
Noodles in the bowl first, pour over the soup and top with boiled egg, mung bean sprouts, spring onion, coriander leaves and chilli flakes.

Thai Red/Green Curry (Laksa)

Equipment
·      Large frying pan
·      Pot
·      Sieve
·      Chopping board and sharp knife
·      Measuring cups/spoons

Ingredients
·      Red or green curry paste, 1-3 tsp (mild, medium, hot)
·      Coconut milk, 1 cup (250ml)
·      Fresh ginger, 2cm cube, shredded
·      Lime juice, 1 tsp
·      Chicken (or pork or prawns), 1 breast, cut into chunks
·      Thai fish sauce, 1 tsp
·      Chicken stock, 1 cup (250ml), hot
·      Bean sprouts, half a handful
·      Palm sugar, ½ tablet, crushed or 2tsp brown sugar
·      Chinese cabbage/ spinach/ cabbage, ¼, shredded
·      Coriander leaves, chopped
·      Spring onion, 1 stalk sliced up
·      Chilli flakes, light sprinkling
·      Rice noodles
·      2 Eggs, to boil
·      Oil for frying

Method
1.    Place the curry paste into a large oiled frying pan on medium heat.
2.    Stir fry for 1 minute.
3.    Add the chicken stock and bring to boil.
4.    Add coconut milk and bring to boil. Turn heat down and simmer.
5.    Add fish sauce, shredded ginger, lime juice and palm/brown sugar.
6.    Add the chicken and Chinese cabbage to soup and simmer for 15 minutes. Season.
7.    Boil eggs for 8 minutes, cool and peel.
8.    Boil a pot of water for the noodles, cook until soft then drain.
9.    Add the noodles and bean sprouts to bowls.
10. Pour the soup over the noodles and garnish with fresh coriander, boiled eggs, spring onion and chilli flakes.



Sunday, July 26, 2015

Fresh Fruit Kebabs with Chocolate Ganache.

Dairy milk chocolate is not real chocolate.
It is just cocoa mixed with oil, lots of sugar and milk powder.
If your chocolate does not contain cocoa butter, then it is pretty average chocolate.
Good quality chocolates are very rich, smooth and are not sweet.
Try some and you will experience the real taste of chocolate.

This recipe is a quick simple dish that will have children and adults alike eating lots of fruit.
Use dark compound chocolate chips to melt (dairy milk chocolate does not melt) in a double boiler.
You do not need a lot of cream to make the ganache.

Fresh Fruit kebabs with Ganache (Chocolate sauce)
Equipment
·      Wooden chopping board and sharp knife (large or small)
·      Peeler
·      2 mixing bowls
·      Measuring cup/ spoons
·      Wooden spoon
·      Kebab sticks (4 per pair)
·      Small pot

Ingredients
·      Selection of seasonal fresh fruit (4 total)
·      Cream, 2 Tbspn (30 ml)
·      Dark Chocolate, ramekin

Method
1.    Select the fruit then wash and peel and slice/dice into medium size chunks.
2.    Carefully skewer on the kebab sticks in a regular pattern and place on a clean plate.
3.    Melt the chocolate in the double boiler (mixing bowl sitting inside the pot ½ full of boiling water).
4.    Pour the cream into the measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
5.    Whisk the hot cream into the melted chocolate until silky smooth.
6.    Pour over the fruit kebabs.



Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Marinated Chicken and Potato Salad

Marinated Chicken with Potato Salad
Equipment
·      Wooden chopping board
·      Sharp knife
·      Tongs
·      3 Pots (per table)
·      Enamel dish for chicken
·      Measuring cup/spoons
·      Peeler
·      Sieve
·      Mixing bowl
Ingredients
·      Chicken breast or a couple of tenderloins
·      Selection of marinades (vinegars, sauces, seasonings)
·      Potatoes, 1 large or 2 medium or 3 small per group
·      Spring onion, 1 stalk
·      Eggs, 2
·      Mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp
·      Salt, to taste
Method
Oven on to 1800C
1.    Mix up marinade (no more than ¼ cup) and pour into the enamel dish. Roll the chicken in the marinade and place in the fridge. Take note of where you leave it.
2.    Fill up a pot ½ full of hot water and bring to the boil (high heat). Add a pinch of salt.
3.    Wash, peel and wash the potatoes. Dice up (1-2cm2) and place in pot.
4.    Boil potatoes until just soft (10-15 minutes).
5.    Slice up spring onion while waiting.
6.    Drain through sieve and let cool down.
7.    Place the eggs in the clean pot, cover with warm water and bring to boil.
8.    Boil for 8 minutes and then run under cold water for 2 minutes.
9.     Peel the eggs and dice up.
10.  Add cooled potatoes, egg and spring onion together in a bowl with the mayonnaise and mix together.
11.  Remove chicken from the fridge and roast in oven for 20 minutes. Cook until no more blood can be seen and flesh is white. Use the tongs to turn the chicken over.
12. Remove the chicken from oven and slice. Make sure the chicken is cooked properly. Serve slices of chicken on a mound of potato salad.