This is a wonderful dish – it sounds bad (but isn’t) and tastes delicious. According to the Food Focus website, it’s 422 calories per portion, with 6g of fat, 64g of Carbs, and 26g of Protein – I wasn’t very strict about weighing stuff (maybe that’s part of the problem), but having gone back through the ingredients, I’d say it’s pretty close.

So, the ingredients (per person):

• 80ml of basmati rice (this is the dried amount – using a Rosemary Conley portion pot, so handy!)
• Enough vegetable stock to cover the rice (I use Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon)

• 1 chicken thigh (skin and bone removed if necessary, and chopped into small chunks)
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 2 large spring onions, chopped
• 50g mushrooms, sliced
• 90g bean sprouts
• Tablespoon of Soy Sauce (I use reduced salt)

The rest is easy.

Use the stock to cook the rice, adding more water if required. I find that 2 portions takes around 10 minutes, so adjust time accordingly.  Do this first to ensure that it’s ready in time – it doesn’t matter if it goes cold as it will be added to the rest of the dish later.

Brown the chicken pieces (I find that by using a non-stick pan there’s no need to use any oil). Next add the mushrooms, spring onions and red peppers. Fry until soft (around 10 minutes), giving it the occasional stir. Finally stir in the bean sprouts, rice and soy sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes until the remaining ingredients are warm right through, then serve.

Shovel down with spoons in the smug knowledge that it’s much better than the pizza you had last night.

I’ve sorely neglected ‘Hel’s Kitchen’ this year, but it was still a shock when I realised exactly how long it had been since I last posted an entry. It’s been an odd year, and my current kitchen doesn’t fill me with inspiration. Still, it’s about time I started writing again. WordPress has a few more gizmos since I was last here, so it may mean a few changes to the blog appearance. I may also write about other stuff that’s not food, hence the slight change to the tag line.

I started kickboxing about 4 months ago – today was my first grading. The meanies didn’t tell us whether we had passed, so that’s news still to come. It’s meant some gradual improvements to my shape, but no weight lost despite the masses of calories it burns. So, I can only conclude my diet needs significant improvement! I have an interest in low GI recipes, so that may reflect in the upcoming posts – in fact, the next one planned is the Chicken Fried Rice we had for dinner tonight. Yesterday I discovered the Food Focus website, that allows me to keep a food diary and track of calories – for free!

So, here’s to (another) fresh start!

It’s back to work tomorrow, and with the weather being so cold at the moment, it’s nice to have something warming for lunch.  Soups are always so simple to make, simple to refreeze, and suitable for reheating as required.

Lentils are high in fibre, meaning that you feel full up for longer. The bacon of course can be omitted, but gives an extra ’smoky’ flavour to the soup.

Garam Masala is a mixture of spices that can be bought pre-mixed. However, if you have the ingredients at home, you can do it yourself.  However, there are many variations, as it is a regional recipe (which may make it easier to find the recipe most suitable to you).

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 rashers of bacon (you could use 4 of streaky bacon if you wish)
• 1 large onion
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (ground with mortar & pestle)
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds (ground with mortar & pestle)
• 2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 240g red lentils
• 800 ml chicken stock (I keep a supply of home made stock in the freezer)

Finely chop the onion and bacon. Add the olive oil to a pan, heat and then saute the onion and bacon over a medium heat for a few minutes until softened. Add the spices, and the tomato puree. Stir well, and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the lentils, and the stock. Stir well, bring to the boil, and then simmer for around 20-25 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool, and then blend to a puree. If the texture is too thick, then some water can be added when reheated.

Christmas Dinner this year was just the 2 of us. A Turkey would have been impractical, and neither of us are big fans. Goose was under consideration, but again deemed too big. So we had Gressingham Duck, cooked very simply using guidelines from Delia – roasted on a rack, with plenty of seasoning on the skin.

I retained some of the drained off fat, and used it to roast the potatoes, carrots and parsnips. In addition, there was the compulsory Sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and red cabbage (boiled and then sauteed in butter, red vinegar and sugar). There was no worries about not getting our 5 a day! The gravy was made from a stock made from the duck giblets, some red wine and cranberries. And finally, on the side was the cranberry sauce that I prepared on Christmas Eve.  Unbelievably, we forgot to do the sausages wrapped in bacon, and so ended up having them for supper on Boxing Day!

For pudding we had chocolate Souffle – the recipe comes from The Green & Blacks Unwrapped cookbook, the source of so many of my favourite recipes. It’s a simple recipe, as long as you don’t open the oven door mid cooking, then it should successfully rise.  The quantities quoted are to serve 6, but I managed to get 4 portions out of half the quantities – so I guess it depends on the size of your ramekins!

Ingredients:

• 100g (4oz) dark chocolate (min 60% cocoa)
• 60g (2.5 oz) cocoa powder
• 8 egg whites
• 60g (2.5 oz) caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 190ºC / 375ºF / Gas Mark 5.

Melt the chocolate and butter using a basin over a saucepan of simmering water.

Put the cocoa into a saucepan, along with 150ml of cold water. Whisk to blend well, and heat until it boils. Boil for 10 seconds, and then add to the mixing basin of melted chocolate.

Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the sugar, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy.  Add a quarter of the egg white to the chocolate mix, and gently fold in until completely mixed. Fold in the rest of the egg white, keeping it gentle to keep air in the mixture.

Prepare the ramekins by brushing the insides with melted butter. Fill each ramekin to the rim, and level off.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

You can also make a caramel sauce using caramel chocolate and thick cream, but I cheat and use Dulce De Leche Caramel Toffee from Merchant Gourmet.

We had friends over for dinner last night, and needing little encouragement to use chocolate, I decided to make some chocolate mousse.

I took my inspiration (as always from the Green & Blacks Cookbook) but as none quite fitted my needs, I made my own adjustments.

My recipe uses a combination of dark and milk chocolate, giving a good dose of high quality chocolate without it being too bitter. The quantities serve 4:

• 50g Dark Chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
• 50g Milk Chocolate (cooking)
• 40g Unsalted Butter
  
• 2 large eggs (separate the yolks from the whites)
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar (I used my vanilla sugar)

Melt the chocolate and butter using a basin over a saucepan of simmering water.

In the meantime, whisk the eggs white until they form soft peaks. Add the sugar, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Remove the melted chocolate from the heat, and stir in the egg yolks until the mixture is smooth.

Add a spoonful of the egg white to the chocolate mix, and gently fold in until completely mixed. Fold in the rest of the egg white, keeping it gentle to keep air in the mixture. Once completely mixed in (so that there are no white spots), the mixture can be decanted into serving bowls. You can use 1 large one, or individual portions.

I’ve never been a big fan of cranberry sauce, but I’ve only really had the jarred stuff, and I am starting to enjoy more fruit & meat combinations.

So, when I came across Jeannie.H’s wonderful looking recipe on Flickr, I thought maybe I should give it a try. I’d bought some fresh cranberries anyway to go with the duck that we’re having for Christmas dinner, so all the ingredients were already available to me.
As there are only 2 of us, I scaled done the recipe to use just 100g cranberries, and adjusted the rest of the ingredients accordingly. I also found that it cooked a lot quicker because of the reduced quantities, so it’s best to keep an eye on how the mixture is doing!

100g of fresh cranberries
Juice of one small orange and it’s zest
25g golden caster sugar
35ml of Port

Place the all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer dissolving the sugar. Taste the sauce at this stage, I found this amount was quite sweet enough but more sugar can be added if required. Simmer gently and the cranberries start popping (don’t worry, it’s a gentle pop, they won’t start flying around the kitchen!). Turn the heat down and gently simmer (the sauce gets quite frothy) until the mixture thickens. I found this took around 6 minutes.
Spoon into a bowl, cover with some cling film, and leave to cool, before storing in the fridge.

I couldn’t believe how simple this recipe was, and am really looking forward to tasting it properly tomorrow!

Some people get confused about the difference between Shepherds’ Pie and Cottage Pie. Even the Wikipedia entry states that the name is interchangeable.  But, it’s quite simple – Shepherds’ Pie is made from lamb (Shepherds look after Sheep), and Cottage Pie is made from Beef. Both are very British in origin, and a good example that despite global opinion, British food is indeed delicious.

I spent many years thinking that I didn’t like Shepherds’ Pie. Then I was served it at a friend’s house. Not being type of person who is rude enough not to give things a try, I found I actually enjoyed it.  I’ve since concluded that this dish was just another victim of the school dinner treatment.

So, today is Sunday, and instead of the usual roast, we are having Shepherds’ Pie.  Despite repeated requests from my husband, it will not be served with Baked Beans (a favourite student meal of his, back in the day). It’s a very straight forward dish, and today I decided to add my own twist by the way of cumin. Cumin and Lamb tend to complement each other really well, being a staple of Moroccan cuisine.  Leek is a great addition, though not used on this occasion.

This is also a great opportunity to use one of my kitchen gadgets – the potato ricer. Sales of this product went through the roof after Gordon Ramsay used it during the first series of the ‘F Word‘!

The quantities for the meat sauce makes enough for around 6, or 4 really generous portions. However, on this occasion I was cooking for 2, so the left over meat sauce was divided and frozen for future use. The potato quantity below is enough for 2, but I wouldn’t necessarily increase by the same proportion as the sauce. Weigh the potatoes out, and rely on your eyes to assess an appropriate amount. The size of the dish will have some bearing, particularly the surface area. In this case I used a small dish which measures in cms – 22.5 x 15.5 x 4.5 deep.

For the meat sauce (for 4-6)

• 500g lamb mince
• 1 red onion (large) – sliced or diced, it doesn’t really mater
• 1 aubergine (small) – diced
• 2 teaspoons cumin – crushed with mortar & pestle
• 400g tin tomatoes
• Generous splash of Worcestershire Sauce

First of all, I brown the mince in a pan. Lamb tends to be very fatty, so I like to remove it from the pan and drain as much fat off as possible (please don’t do this under the sink, it will block the u-bend!).  Putting the mince to one side temporarily, add the onion to the pan, and stir for a minute or so. Then add the aubergine, mix well, and saute over a lowish heat for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Add the cumin, the Worcestershire Sauce, mix well, then add the tinned tomatoes. Refill the can with cold water. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, before adding the water and the mince. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes to make the most of the flavours. Stir occasionally just to make sure the mixture isn’t sticking.

For the potato topping:

• 500g potatoes
• Tablespoon butter / marg
• 100 ml milk
• 1 egg

Boil the potatoes until soft (usually around 20 minutes). Drain into a colander, and use the pan to melt the butter. Stir in the egg and milk. Add the potato – either use a potato ricer like mine, or mash directly in the pan.

Putting the dish together:

Preheat the oven to 200° C / 400º F / Gas Mark 6.

Spoon the meat mixture into the dish, and top with the potato. Use a fork to smooth the layer, and create a pattern (the artistry in this case was carried out by my husband).

Place in the oven until the potato is golden brown. This will take 20-30 minutes, depending on whether your oven is fan assisted.

Serve with vegetables of your choice, and enjoy!

I’m sure even the most dedicated cook has nights when they’d rather not be slaving over a hot stove. In my case, this is quite often(!), but I prefer to avoid convenience foods where possible.

This week I’ve been struggling this week, but have managed to put some meals together that are quick & dirty but delicious.

Sunday night I couldn’t face eating my Sunday roast, so plated up my share, and put it away in the fridge. Monday evening I faced the challenge of warming it up, without the aid of a microwave. I heated a little olive oil in a frying pan, and threw in the vegetables to gently warm them up. The meat was lamb steak, so I sliced it, then also added it to the pan along with gravy. Topped with some mint sauce, and followed by some plastic bread to mop up the gravy, it was delicious.

Tonight’s dish also involved using left over boiled potatoes from the weekend. These were warmed in some butter, so they were slightly browned. The meat element was chicken thighs, roasted in the oven. On the side I had a delicious salad – Tesco’s Finest Tomato & Mozzarella, which comes with rocket and a basil infused dressing.  Very minimal effort required, but fantastic tasting.

Next week is ‘Chocolate Week‘. Very few of us need encouragement to eat chocolate, but the website details offers and events to look forward to. The Kitchen Goddess website is also getting into the spirit of things, with lots of chocolate recipes. Last week’s Recipe of the Week of ‘White Chocolate Mousse with Spiced Raspberries‘ particularly caught my eye.

This ties in nicely with a blog entry I have been working on for some time, as I seem to have been doing a fair bit of chocolate ‘cooking’ recently.

It started whilst I was reading ‘The Lollipop Shoes‘ by Joanne Harris, the follow up to her popular novel ‘Chocolat’. Throughout the book, characters indulge in rich home-made hot chocolate. The descriptions of the spices used made me think about trying it myself, an adventurous change to powder from a jar.

So, I decided to do a bit of research, and see what recipes I could try. My first port of call was ‘Green & Blacks Chocolate Recipes‘ which has a wonderful array of chocolate recipes from ‘Italian Venison’, to the wonderful ‘Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake‘, and chocolate souffle with Caramel Sauce.  Although the book details the origins (and how to make Kukuh), it didn’t have quite what I was looking for. So, I turned to the internet.  I was fascinated by the mention that the Mayans drank their chocolate with chilli, as do some of the characters in ‘The Lollipop Shoes’. The recipes I found seemed quite heavy on the chilli, so being the wimp I am, I reduced it a little, and experimented with what ingredients I had.

Hot Chocolate

• 230 ml milk
• 22 g chocolate – chopped finely, or grated
• 3 g chilli
• 1/2 vanilla pod – split down the middle
• 1/2 stick Cinnamon
• teaspoon nutmeg

I added the chilli, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg to the milk, and heated it gently (take care not to let the milk boil).  Once the milk was simmering, I stirred in the chocolate. I used skimmed milk, which makes this drink quite healthy(!) but still tasty (and quite spicy enough for me).  I imagine that made with full-fat milk and some cream it would make a very decadent treat.

Chocolate Truffles

A few days later, I found myself in possession of some good quality chocolate (Divine 70%), and decided that now was as good a time as any to start practicing making truffles for Christmas time. These can be made in advance and frozen, or alternatively scoffed in 3 days.  I’ve used Delia’s recipe before, and did again this time. The first batch was made with Brandy – and you can’t miss it in the taste. For the second batch I used Orange Essence, which I personally preferred.  Which ever recipe you follow, prepared to get messy!

Chocolate Muffins

Last weekend my husband asked me to make some muffins to take to his MBA tutorial. Again I turned to the G&B chocolate recipe book. They have a recipe for ‘Banana, Cherry and White Chocolate Muffins’, but I wanted something more chocolately. I used their recipe as a guideline for quantities, and added in some cocoa powder and milk chocolate drops. The recipe told me that it would make 10 large muffins. It lied. I suspected as much when it also said to fill the case 2/3 full, and there wasn’t enough. So, instead I got 10 small muffins. (and then looked at another recipe that used double the amount for 12 muffins!). They were delicious anyway. So, if you decide to try this, either share it between 6 large muffin cases, or double it to go for 12!

• 150g (5 oz) plain flour
• 0.5 level tablespoon baking powder
• 0.25 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium egg
• 40g (1.5 oz ) caster sugar
• 125ml (4 fl oz) milk
• 50g (2 oz) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 100g milk chocolate drops

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.

Melt the butter (it really needs to be entirely melted to mix well, says the voice of experience). Whisk it together with the egg, sugar and milk. Then add the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Make sure the texture isn’t too smooth, so you get that lumpy look muffins are known for. Add the chocolate drops, and mix in.  Finally, share the mixture between the muffin cases, or muffin tray if you have one. Remember, you are aiming for 2/3rds full! Bake for approx 20 minutes. The tops should spring back when you touch them.

Enjoy!

I found this article to be interesting reading on the Origins of Chocolate, and today I came across ‘Chocolate Source‘ – a whole site dedicated to chocolate, fantastic. So I’ll leave you with that, and with ‘10 things you didn’t know about chocolate‘ from the Ethical Superstore website – an excellent source for Divine Fairtrade Chocolate. Oh, and as a final note, at a Beer tasting session at Taste of Bath last year, we were advised that Leffe Brune is the perfect accompaniment for chocolate.

When I was a teenager, we lived in Turkey, where we would pick green figs fresh from trees, peel them and eat. Much nice than the dried alternative associated with Christmas, or worse still {shudder} Fig Rolls.

This is a simple recipe that I first developed a few years ago, and haven’t done since as I keep missing the figs when they’re in season. In fact, I only came across them by accident in Tesco yesterday when I was hunting for some red onions! I think I was originally inspired by some other fruit and meat combination, but it was such a long time ago, that today I was essentially starting from scratch.

To serve 2 of us, I had:

• 4 figs
• 2 slices parma ham
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 0.5 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon red wine (just opened to go with dinner!)

2 of the figs were wrapped in strips of parma ham – the slices I had were wide, so I folded them over lengthways before wrapping them around the figs, and then secured the meat in place using a cocktail stick pushed through the middle. These were placed in a pre-heated oven at 200c for around 10 minutes (the ham needs to be brown and crispy).

The other 2 figs were put to work to make a sauce. They were peeled, chopped and thrown into my food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Once blended together, the sauce was heated very gently on a low heat. Cooking time is nicely matched to the baked figs.

The 2 parts of the dishes were then put together – presentation isn’t my best area, but I’m trying! The sauce gives the dish a sharp and sweet flavour, whilst the crispy ham against the soft fig gives a lovely contrast of textures.  We found sharp knives were required due to the softness of the fig – in much the same way you would find with slightly soft tomatoes.  The downside of this dish is – it doesn’t last long! Of course, you could always provide 2 figs per portion…