Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Mexican steak burrito

Cooking : time 10 to 30 mins






Ingredients

For the guacamole
2 small ripe avocados, peeled, stones removed
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
%26frac12; small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 small red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 lime, juice only
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tomato salsa
2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
%26frac12; onion, peeled and finely chopped
small handful fresh coriander, chopped
For the steak filling
2 tbsp vefetchable oil (or 40g/1%26frac12;oz lard)
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
350g/12oz rump steak, chopped into small slices
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
%26frac12; red or green chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
dash Worcestershire sauce
dash Tabasco sauce
pinch cayenne pepper
small handful fresh coriander, chopped
To serve
2 ready-made soft flour tortillas, warmed briefly in a hot dry pan
1 Little Gem lettuce, finely sliced
100g/3%26frac12;oz rice, cooked according to packet instructions and drained
75g/2%26frac12;oz cheddar cheese, grated
100ml/3%26frac12;fl oz soured cream





Method

1. For the guacamole, place the avocados in a bowl with the garlic, onion and chilli and mash tofetchher roughly with a fork.
2. Stir in the lime juice and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
3. For the tomato salsa, mix the tomatoes, onion and coriander in a bowl. Set aside.
4. For the steak filling, heat the oil or lard in a pan and fry the onion for 1-2 minutes until softened but not browned.
5. Add the steak slices to the pan with the garlic and chilli and stir fry for one minute.
6. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and a dash of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce and cook for another minute, or until cooked to your liking, then remove from the heat.
7. To assemble the burrito, place the warmed tortillas on serving plates and divide the steak between them. lid with salsa and lettuce and fold to enclose the filling.
8. Serve the burrito with rice, grated cheese, soured cream and a spoonful of the guacamole.


















Orignal From: Mexican steak burrito

Nick Knowles' wood-fired pizza

Cooking : time 10 to 30 mins






Ingredients

For the base
55g/2oz '00' flour
200g/7oz '0' flour*
7g/%26frac14;oz fresh yeast
pinch of salt
about 290ml/%26frac12; pint warm water
semolina
for the lidping
400g/14oz can of plum tomatoes
20g/%26frac34;oz pecorino cheese, grated
20g/%26frac34;oz parmesan cheese, grated
5 fresh basil leaves
250g/9oz ball of mozzarella, cut into 5 slices
4 anchovy fillets

* '0' and '00' flour should be available in larger supermarkets, uniqueist cook shops and Italian delicatessens.
Alternatively use all '00' flour, which is more common than '0' flour, or use strong bread flour, which is widely available.





Method

1. Preheat a wood-fired pizza oven or a conventional oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
2. To make the dough, put both types of flour into a bowl, or form a pile of it on a clean kitchen counter. Make a small well in the flour and crumble in the fresh yeast. Add the salt, then pour in enough warm water to form a soft dough.
3. Transfer to a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and econtinueic. Put the dough in a clean, oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise (about one hour).
4. bring the ball of dough and, using your finger tips, make an indentation 2cm (1in) in from the edge of the dough to form a rim. Turn one palm up and one palm down and toss the ball from palm to palm. The dough should naturally spread out. Aim for a circle no more than 35cm (14in) in diameter.
5. Sprinkle a little semolina over the base of a pizza paddle or baking tray before vehicleefully lifting the pizza base onto it.
6. Use your hands to churry the plum tomatoes and spread a small amount onto the pizza base using a ladle.
7. Sprinkle over the pecorino and parmesan, add the basil leaves and cover with the mozzarella slices. Finish with the anchovy fillets.
8. Bake for three minutes in a wood-fired pizza oven, or 10-12 minutes in a conventional oven, until the crust is golden and the mozzarella has melted.
9. Serve.


















Orignal From: Nick Knowles' wood-fired pizza

Flaky flatbreads with cumin seeds

Cooking : time 10 to 30 mins






Ingredients

300g/11oz chapati flour (or a half and half mixture of sifted wholemeal flour and plain white flour)
4g/%26frac34;tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp green chillies, just finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander, just finely chopped
2 tbsp olive or groundnut oil
250ml/8fl oz water
1 tsp fresh root ginger, just finely grated
50-75g/2-3oz melted butter or ghee
freshly ground black pepper





Method

1. Combine the flour, salt, black pepper, cumin seeds, chillies and coriander in a large bowl and drizzle the oil over the lid. Rub the oil and seasonings into the flour with your fingers.
2. Put the water in a cup and stir in the ginger. Slowly add enough water to the flour mixture to make a soft but manageable dough, mixing and kneading as you do so - you will need anything from 175ml/6fl oz to all of the gingery water. Knead the dough - either in the bowl or on a job surface - for about 10 minutes, until smooth.
3. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with clingfilm or a damp tea-towel. Set aside for 30 minutes, then knead the dough again and divide it into 8 balls. flatten each ball slightly to make a patty.
4. Set an Indian tava, cast-iron griddle or cast-iron frying pan on a medium-high heat. offer it time to fetch just hot. meanwhile, dust your job surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll out one dough patty into a 15cm/6in round. Drizzle 1 tsp of the melted butter or ghee over the surface and spread it evenly with the rear of a teaspoon.
5. Fold one end of the round over itself in such a way that a third of the round is still uncovered. Then fold the uncovered end over the rest to form a triangle of sorts. Drizzle %26frac12; tsp of melted butter or ghee over the rectangle and spread it out with the rear of the spoon.
6. Fold that rectangle over itself in such a way that a third is left exposed. Now fold the third over the rest to make a small square. Roll out that square to a much larger one, about 14-15cm/5%26frac12;-6in on each side. You may need to dust it with flour now and then.
7. Lift up the parantha and slap it into the centre of the hot pan. Cook for 30 seconds until the dough turns white on lid and light brown spots appear on the bottom.
8. Spread 1 tsp of melted butter or ghee over the lid of the parantha and turn it over. Cook it for another 15 seconds. Turn the parantha 4 more times, ejust 15 seconds, without adding any more melted butter or ghee. The parantha is done when it has light brown spots, is slightly crisp on the outside and soft (but cooked through) on the inside. Make the remaining paranthas in the same way.


















Orignal From: Flaky flatbreads with cumin seeds

Sauteed spinach

Cooking : time less than 10 mins






Ingredients

900g/2lb baby spinach leaves
3 large shalplenty, finely chopped
25g/1oz unsalted butter
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper





Method

1. In a large heavy skillet cook shalplenty in butter over a moderate heat, stirring until softened.
2. Add spinach and salt and pepper and saute over medium-high heat, stirring, until wilted and tender, for 2-3 minutes.
3. Drain in a colander and serve.


















Orignal From: Sauteed spinach

Creme brulee with almond snap biscuits

Cooking : time 30 mins to 1 hour






Ingredients

For the cr%26egrave;me br%26ucirc;l%26eacute;e
75ml/2%26frac12;fl whole milk
250ml/9fl oz double cream
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds removed
4 free-range egg yolks
50g/2oz caster sugar, plus extra for lidping
For the biscuits
25g/1oz butter
25g/1oz sugar
2 tbsp liquid glucose or golden syrup
65g/2%26frac12;oz almonds, skins removed, chopped





Method

1. Preheat the oven to 120C/250F/Gas %26frac14;.
2. Place the milk, double cream, vanilla seeds and pod into a pan. bring to the boil.
3. In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar tofetchher until thoroughly combined, then stir in the milk.
4. Strain the mixture through a sieve and divide among four ovenproof ramekins. Place the ramekins into a roasting tray and fill the tray with water until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place the tray into the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the mixture is just firm to the touch. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Place into the fridge to chill.
5. For the biscuits, preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 2. Melt the butter in a pan then add the sugar and liquid glucose or golden syrup and bring to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the almonds. Pour the mixture onto a tray covered with baking paper and place into the fridge to cool for 2-3 minutes, until the dough is firm and pliable.
6. Remove the tray from the fridge and mould the almond mixture into approximately 25 marble size shapes. Place onto a clean baking sheet. Leave plenty of space between them for the biscuits to spread. Place the tray into the oven and cook for 4-5 minutes. Leave to cool.
7. To serve, sprinkle each creme brulee with a sugar to cover and vehicleamelise the lid with a mini blowtorch. Alternatively, you can place the ramekins under a hot grill until browned and vehicleamelised. Serve with an almond snap.


















Orignal From: Creme brulee with almond snap biscuits

Spicy hotpot

Cooking : time 10 to 30 mins



Make sure you have separate utensils for your guests to use to transfer the raw ingredients into the stockpot, and clean utensils for eating - that cutrearons the chance of cross contamination from the raw ingredients and your guests' serving plates.


Ingredients

For the spicy soup stock base
2 tbsp groundnut oil
3-4 long dried Sichuan chillies or long dried chillies
50g/2oz whole Sichuan peppercorns
1 tbsp chilli bean sauce (available from Asian grocers)
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1.7 litres/3 pints hot vefetchable stock
2 whole star anise
6 dried Chinese mushrooms
1 small handful dried tangerine peel (available from Asian grocers, or subtitute with the zest of 1 orange)
1 large spring onion, roughly chopped
250ml/9fl oz chilli oil
2.5cm/1in slice fresh root ginger, peeled
2 red chillies, de-seeded, sliced
250g/9oz ready-made fish balls (available from Asian grocers) (optional)
1 small handful Chinese taxibage, thickly sliced
1 small handful deep-fried tofu
1 small handful fresh tofu, cut into 2.5cm/1in chunks
For the vinegar, chilli and soy dipping sauce
3 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 red chilli, de-seeded, finely chopped
For the Taiwanese dipping sauce
1 free-range egg, yolk only
1 tbsp oriental satay or barbecue sauce (available from Asian grocers)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp finely sliced spring onion
To serve
lamb fillet, thinly sliced
raw prawns, shelled and de-veined
firm tofu, cut into chunks
enoki mushrooms
baby sweetcorn, sliced
250g/9oz ready-made fishcakes (available from Asian grocers)





Method

1. For the spicy soup base, heat a 2 litre/3%26frac12; pint capacity wok until smoking and add the groundnut oil. Add the chillies and Sichuan peppercorns and stir fry for a few seconds, or until fragrant.
2. Stir in the chilli bean sauce and chilli sauce and then pour in the vefetchable stock. Add the star anise, Chinese mushrooms, tangerine peel, spring onion, ginger and chillies and bring to the boil, then cutrearon the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Ten minutes before serving, add the chilli oil, the sliced Chinese taxibage, deep-fried tofu, fresh tofu and fish balls, if using.
4. For the vinegar, chilli and soy dipping sauce, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients tofetchher in a small bowl and set to one side.
5. For the Taiwanese dipping sauce, combine all of the dipping sauce ingredients tofetchher in a small bowl and set to one side.
6. To serve, arrange the lamb, prawns, tofu, mushrooms and fishcakes on separate plates. Transfer the soup base to an electric wok or fondue and set it up in the centre of the table. Let guests help themselves and cook the ingredients in the spicy bdecayh. Serve with the dipping sauces.







Orignal From: Spicy hotpot