Recipe: Fig and Apple Chutney

Hey everyone. Needed to stock up my jams/jellies/chutneys/general preserves collection recently as I gave most of mine away as Christmas and recent Birthday gifts. I like to keep a fair few jars or delights ready for people, and of course make chutneys whenever I can be bothered really! This fig and apple chutney goes so well with cheese, particularly cheddar. However, because of the sweetness from the allspide and red onions it also goes very well with french cheeses such as brie and camambert. My lovely bloggers, I am off to New York for about a week, so will fill you in with all the details about the holiday (and the delicacies consumed therein) when I come back. Ciao Bellas!

Fig and Apple Chutney (makes about 1.3kg)

500g soft dried figs, sliced
2 red onions, finely chopped
2 medium cooking apples, peeled and diced
1 tsp allspice
¼ tsp chilli flakes
350g Demerara sugar
200ml red wine vinegar
200ml white wine veingar
A few grinds of black pepper
Juice of ½ a Seville orange (or a lemon)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed ginger

1. Put all ingredients into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove temperature to a medium heat, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Put into jars and allow to cool. The chutney will be ready to eat in two weeks!

Feature: Romantic meals for the Culinary Hopeless

A little bit late to be a Valentines Day recipe feature I suppose, but I am of the opinion that it doesnt have to be a certain day or a certain celebration to treat your significant other to a nice meal or treat. I was having a conversation with a friend at the pub yesterday, who said that he wanted to make a nice valentine dinner for his new girlfriend- but he said he really REALLY can't cook. I gave him some advice on what to make and I thought I would share my ideas with you guys too.

O.K, so if you're in the unfortunate position of having no culinary talents- I have some simple recipes here that i'm pretty sure anyone could make. I will go an extra mile and suggest that even if you can't "cook", you can slice/chop things, fry things in a saucepan, and you can make toast. Is that a fair assumption? If so, then have a go at impressing you're loved one with these easy meal ideas!

Brushcettas
Usually an Italian Appetiser, you can make a couple of brushcettas on a plate (or in lamens terms, topped slices of grilled bread!) with some salad on the side (using rocket, watercress or a darker leaf salad helps the appearance) look far more impressive that what it literally is- "something on-toast".

All you have to do is get a nice loaf of bread from the shops (ciabatta works well), slice fairly thickly, and put under the grill quickly until it turns golden brown.

Here are some examples of topping ideas:

Cherry Tomato, red onion and pesto- Mix halved cherry tomatoes with thinly sliced red onion, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Spread the toasted bread with some shop-bought pesto, and top with the tomato and onion mixture.

Roasted Red Pepper (you can get these in any supermarkets ready roasted in jars), Mozzarella and prosciutto- slice up the roasted red pepper and proscuitto (or any other type of thin ham) and put upon the toasted bread. Top this with bits of torn mozzarella.

Red onion, goats cheese, and walnut- Fry a red onion in a frying pan with a little oil and a pinch of sugar for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Put this onto the toasted bread, followed by some crumbled goats cheese and walnuts. Put under the grill for a moment or two, to make the goats cheese go slightly warm and soft.

Avocado, coriander, tomato and chilli- Mix chopped avocado, fresh coriander, a little bit of chopped fresh tomato, and a finely diced red chilli. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, and put this mixture onto the toasted bread.

Brie, red grape and wholegrain mustard- Spread the toasted bread with some wholegrain mustard, and top with some sliced oozing brie and some halved red grapes.

Eggs
I reckon that most people know how to cook eggs, right? And OK, if you can't make poached eggs or an omelette- the most easiest form is through the mode of scrambling!This is actually the dish I suggested to my friend. Make scrambled eggs the way you like it- some people like it really runny but I prefer it a little firmer. Toast a couple of nice slices of bread, top with the scrambled eggs. Snip some chives over the dish, and top with a few slices of smoked salmon. Put a wedge of lemon on the side and eh voila! A beautiful and simple dish made to impress!

Minute Steak and Salad
A minute steak does what it says on the tin- all you do is fry it on each side for a minute in a hot saucepan (with a little oil) and you're done! Here are a couple of delicious salads to have on the side of the steak.

Tomato, red onion and black olive salad- Dice some tomatoes roughly, add some finely chopped red onion, sliced black olives, and some torn fresh basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper, add a splash of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar, and it's ready!

Apple, walnut and blue cheese salad- Mix some sliced apple, roughly chopped walnuts and crumbled blue cheese into a handful of watercress. Easy or what?

Fruit Salads
A pudding that doesn't involve cooking- thereby reducing any dessert-related-disasters! Good mixes are:

Strawberry, clementine and dark chocolate- Put some halved strawberries, clementine segments and a splash of orange juice into some bowls. Grate some dark chocolate over the top and serve!

Tropical fruit salad- a mix of sliced kiwi, mango, starfruit and papaya. Pour over a little pineapple juice, and top with the scooped out seeds from a passionfruit.

Indian fruit salad- Mix diced mango with pomegranite seeds and roughly chopped mint. Top with some pistachio nuts and serve!

So I hope this gave you all a few ideas- and I hope I have shown you that you don't have to be a masterchef in order to make a beautiful romantic meal for your significant other!

Recipe: Beef, Mushroom and Guinness Casserole

This dish is amazing. Good old Guinness, I really really like the stuff. Tastes much better when you have it in Ireland though I sware- maybe because its closer to the source? Lol. I usually alternate from making this as a casserole, to topping with puff pastry and turning it into a pot-pie. I have served this in pie-form to many of my friends and they absolutely love it- a definite winner. If you want to make it into a pie, allow to cool after stage four, then spoon into pie bases and top with ready rolled puff pastry. Brush with egg, and make a couple of little air holes at the top. Bake in oven at the same temperature for about 30 minutes.

Beef mushroom and Guinness casserole/pie (serves 3 as a casserole, 4 as a pie)

3 tbsp olive oil
500g braising beef, seasoned with a little salt and pepper
2 thin streaky bacon rashers, diced
1 white onion chopped
1 carrot, sliced
125g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 crushed garlic clove
1 tsp sugar
200ml Guinness
300ml beef stock
½ tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1tsp corn flour mixed in a little water

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan. Add the beef in batches and brown, for about 5 minutes, and set aside.
2. Add the other tablespoon of oil and the bacon, and cook until starting to colour. Add onion, carrot, garlic, mushrooms and sugar, and cook for 15 minutes or until soft and browned.
3. Add the stock, Guinness, bay leaves, thyme and the reserved beef. Keep on a low heat and covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Heat the oven to 180C. Add the corn flour mixture, remove the lid, and cook for a further 10 minutes.
5. Pour the beef mixture into a casserole, cover, and put in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and serve!

Recipe: Sweet Sticky Chicken

This is the most delicious way of getting flavour into chicken, it is completely scrumptious. I have used it on chicken breast, but of course it can be used to marinade other types and cuts of meat, such as chicken thighs or rump steak. Sweet, smokey and savoury at the same time, I always savour every little morsel of this.

Sweet Sticky Chicken (serves 1)

1 tbsp olive oil
½ sliced red onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worchester sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 large chicken breast

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Fry the red onion and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes to soften.
2. Put the red onion mixture, and all of the other ingredients (except the chicken) into an ovenproof bowl. Mix together well. Add the chicken breast and rub well with the mixture until totally coated.
3. Place chicken in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and serve with a fresh side salad.

Recipe: Seville Orange Marmalade

My first marmalade! It is absolutely delicious, Wow!!!! A little more messy to make than the other jams, jellies and chutneys that I have made, but I pretty much got it down to a tee here. Only mistake I made on the first batch- the strips of orange were too long. Like I sliced them thinly enough but the strands were too long so it was vaguely difficult to eat. Apart from that, perfect! Its is a really beautiful dark colour and has got such a lovely tangy flavour. If you want to make your own seville orange marmalade this year, I would get your skates on, because they have a very short season and are only available in this country in February!

Seville Orange Marmalade (makes about 1.5kg)

1kg Seville oranges
2 lemons
2250ml water
1350g sugar

1. Boil the Oranges and lemons whole in the water, covered, for 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove fruit from the water and allow to cool (Also, remember to keep the water!).
2. Remove the pulp from the inside of the fruits, and set aside. Keep the pulped orange skins, but throw away the pulped lemon skins. Slice the orange skins finely and add back to the pan with the water.
3. Press the pulp into a sieve and move about with a spoon, so as to get some of the liquid out of it but none of the stringy bits/ seeds. Add this liquid to the pan with the oranges and water.
4. Add sugar, and bring mixture the mixture to the boil, stirring occasionally. Once mixture is boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Allow mixture to cool for 20 minutes, then stir up. This is to avoid all the orange peel floating to the top when you jar it up. Add the marmalade to preserving jars, and seal.

Recipe: Beef and Shallot Hotpot

Nom nom nom. I can make perfect Hotpots now that I have my lovely little Le Creuset casserole. This serves 3 nicely, but whenever i make it for me and my boyfriend we end up eating it all and practically lick the pan clean, lol. Last time I made this, I came home from the pub- to be honest- a little drunky, and ended up eating this with a serving spoon out of the pan, haha!! So nice though, seriously, you gotta try this.

Beef and shallot hotpot (serves 3)

3 tbsp olive oil
500g stewing/braising beef
60g butter
8 shallots, peeled and halved
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp sugar
100ml red wine
300ml beef stock
2 tsp corn flour, mixed with a little water
½ tsp dried thyme
450g peeled and thinly sliced potatoes

1. Turn Oven to 180C. Season the beef with a little salt and pepper. In a casserole, brown the seasoned beef in the olive oil (in 2 batches) and set aside.
2. Add the shallots, garlic and sugar to the pan along with ½ of the butter. Fry for about 5 minutes until a little caramelised.
3. Add red wine, stock, thyme, and stir well (making sure to scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan). Add the reserved beef and corn flour mixture, and cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the stew has thickened up nicely.
4. Layer the sliced potatoes on top of the stew. Dot the rest of the butter evenly across the top, put the lid on the casserole and put in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and place under a hot grill for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes on top have become golden and crispy. Serve!

Recipe: Quick Chicken and Vegetable Stew

This is a lovely, quick, mid-week meal. Very nutritious and easy to make, a dish that can be thrown together in less than half an hour, if you'be come home from work/uni a little late. You don't have to serve it with brown rice, but it makes the dish even healthier, and the nutty flavour goes really well with the stew.

Quick Chicken and Vegetable Stew (serves 2)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
50ml white wine
60g green beans, diced
60g peeled and finely diced carrot
½ tsp dried dill
½ tin chopped tomatoes
250ml chicken stock
2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed
½ tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sautee the red onion and garlic in the olive oil, on a medium heat, covered, for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the white wine, green beans, carrot and dill and cook uncovered for a further 2 minutes.
2. Add chopped tomatoes, chicken, stock and sugar, and cook covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, increase the heat and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until nice and thick. Season to taste and serve.