The Ultimate Beef Stew

I love Stew....more than chocolate I think, and now the weather has turned sour I crave stew, this is the best thing I have ever cooked in my opinion I could easily live of this for the rest of my life, so give it a shot you will not be disappointed.


Ingredients:
Stew:
Olive Oil
Knob of butter
2 garlic cloves
1 onion peeled and chopped
Handful of fresh sage leaves
Handful of fresh rosemary
500g of Prime Chuck Steak
Flour
Salt
Pepper
6 carrots chopped
6 small potato's chopped
8 whole pickling onions peeled
2tbsp of tomato puree
2 bay leaves
3/4 bottle of good red wine
285ml of beef stock


Topping:
Small handful of fresh rosemary
Zest of one lemon
1 finely chopped garlic clove


Herby Dumplings:
250g self raising flour
125g of cold butter
Large handful of fresh parsley finely chopped
Salt and pepper


Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.


Step 2:
Prepare all of your Veg.







Step 3:
 Put a little oil and your knob of butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole pan. Add your onion, rosemary, garlic and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 minutes. 





Step 3:
Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with all the vegetables, bay leaves, the tomato purée, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and just a little salt. Don't like the veg I use? That's the best thing about stew add what you like :) all of my veg and herbs came out of my garden so everything was extra fresh and yummy.


Step 4:
Bring to the boil, place a lid on top, then cook in the preheated oven for 3 and a half hours. Now is a good time to finish off the last 1/4 bottle of wine :p.





Step 5:
After 3 and a half hours it is time to prepare the dumplings. Put your flour and parsley in a mixing bowl then using a coarse grater grate the cold butter into the bowl. Add salt and pepper then rub together the flour and butter until you're left with what looks like breadcrumbs. Add a splash of cold water and bring the dough together. Divide the dough into 10 pieces and roll into a round dumpling, now remove your stew from the oven and place your dumplings on top of the stew until they are half submerged.





Step 6:
Put the stew back into the oven with the lid on for 20 mins and then for last 10 mins with the lid off. You should be left with this beautiful sight.





Step 7:
Before you serve up don't be tempted to miss this step it makes all the difference. Chop up your small handful of rosemary, lemon zest and garlic until your left with fine crumbs. Serve your stew and dumplings in a huge bowl, now sprinkle some of this fragrant crumbs on top of your stew, as it hits the heat the smell and flavour is euphoric.


Step 8:
Now enjoy, the taste will blow you away promise!

Hot Chocolate Fondants

Now I am pretty new at making desserts so was really scared about making these little pots of chocolatey goodness but they turned out amazing! The recipe I had wasn't really enough to fill 4 ramekins that's why mine look only half full haha so I have adapted the recipe for you. 

Ingredients:

100g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease

4 tsp cocoa powder, to dust

100g good quality 70% Chocolate

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

120g caster sugar

100g plain flour

Icing sugar, to dust

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees

Step 2:

Butter four ramekins, then dust with cocoa, shaking out any excess. Save 4 pieces of chocolate for later.

Step 3:
Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water, then take off the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.





Step 4:
Using an electric whisk or a mixer, whisk the whole egg, egg yolk and sugar together until pale and thick, then incorporate the chocolate mixture and fold in the flour. Next divide the chocolate mixture between the ramekins only half way up, remember the saved chocolate pieces? Put one in each ramekin on top of the half way mixture then top up with the remainder, this way you have extra melty chocolate in the middle :) now bake them for 12 minutes.





Step 5:
If you're feeling brave you can turn the fondants out onto a plate but we just ate them from the ramekins :) these are great with cream or ice cream try them for yourselves!

  

Bakewell Tart

My mate Laura awesome food junky like me :P made a Bakewell Tart yesterday and as she says she is too lazy to start her own food blog here is her recipe :).


Ingredients:
Pastry:
6oz plain flour
2oz butter
2 tsp caster sugar
5 tbsp iced water


For the filling 
8oz butter
8oz sugar
6oz ground almonds
2oz self raising flour 
4 medium eggs
Half a jar of strawberry jam


Step 1:
Rub butter and flour together, add the sugar and mix well.


Step 2:
Add the water until combined together.


Step 3:
Chill for 10 mins. Roll out till aprox 5mm thick and line a lose bottom flan tin.


Step 4:
Blind bake for 20 mins. 


(or you could be lazy like me and buy pre-made short-crust pastry hehe)


Step 5: 
Now for the filling.  Cream butter an sugar til light and fluffy, add eggs and mix well.


Step 6:
Add the ground almonds and flour, beat till smooth. 


Step 7: 
Now add the jam to your pastry case and then spread the almond mixture over the jam evenly.


Step 8:
Bake for 20/25 mins until soft and springy or prick with a knife and if pulled clean it is done.




Serve warm with cream.






There we go Laura's gorgeous to the point recipe without me waffling on...too much :P enjoy! 

Chocolate Cobbler

Hello Chocoholics this is heaven speaking...Seriously I kid you not. I am a serial Stumbler and I came across this recipe by an American lady and it looks (and tastes) exactly like a dessert we had at school called St Peter's Pudding or lovingly nicknamed Cow Pat :). This is the best dessert, definitely what I would eat as my last meal. As this was an American dessert the first time we made it was way too sweet so I have adapted it for English taste buds :).


Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 40 mins
Serves: Apparently 10 but in our case you may be able to stretch it to 4 :P


Ingredients: 
1 cup of plain flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
7 tablespoons of cocoa powder - I used Bourneville powder as this made a beautiful rich sauce
1 cup of white sugar
118ml Milk
1/3 cup of Butter
1 and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of brown sugar
355ml of hot tap water


Step 1:
Preheat your oven to 200 Degrees


Step 2:
In a mixing bowl combine your flour, baking powder, salt, 3/4 cup of white sugar and 3 tablespoons of your cocoa powder.


Step 3:
In a small saucepan melt your butter, now add your milk and vanilla and add to your flour mixture. Mix until smooth.


Step 4:
Pour the mixture (without eating it people! :p) into an oven proof dish, I used the one I make lasagne in. Make sure it is fairly deep otherwise you will be scrubbing hard chocolate sauce off your tray - like Laura did :).


Step 5:
In a different bowl combine the remaining white sugar (1/4 cup), brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top of your batter.




Step 6:
Pour the hot tap water over the top, whatever you do do not stir!


Step 7:
Now place the dish onto an oven tray - so it will catch anything that bubbles over, otherwise you could be cleaning it off your oven which would be worse. Cook for 40 mins.




Step 8:
Now let stand for a few minutes if you can - I couldn't :P, and serve with cream, ice cream or it is just perfect by itself - enjoy....



...we certainly did!




P.S. tastes amazing cold as well!

Stuffed Turkey Breast wrapped in Streaky Bacon

So its Saturday which is my day for cooking, so I decided to make this recipe which is another recipe from my best friend Laura that I have adapted. My presentation is no where near as good as her's so I use already flat-ish turkey steaks rather than butterflying a chicken breast - which is beyond me! I was actually scared to make this dish because it looks sophisticated and hard to make but it is deceiving! So that is why this is perfect to make when you have guests or if you want to impress your special someone. I took some pictures to help you, but they are only on my phone as my camera seems to be playing up :s so not the best quality but better than nothing! :)


Preparation Time: 10-15 mins
Cooking Time: 45 mins
Serves: 2


Ingredients:
2 Turkey Steaks
4-6 Rashers of Streaky Bacon
2 Cherry Vine Tomatoes
Buffalo Mozzarella
Basil Leaves only around 5 or 6


Optional Sides - Home-made Wedges and Roasted Asparagus:
10 Asparagus Spears
1 Rasher of Streaky Bacon
2 Large Maris Piper Potatoes


Step 1:
Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees. Place your Turkey Steaks on a chopping board and cover them with cling film or a freezer bag, now here's the fun part :) if you have mallet ace if not get your rolling pin or something heavy (I'll leave that up to your imagination!) and smash the hell out of them! This is to make sure the meat is quite thin so it will cook evenly.






Step 2:
On a separate chopping board lie out 2 rashers of the bacon, carefully lift your flattened steak onto the bacon making sure it is right at the edge that is facing you (see below picture). Now slice one of your cherry tomatoes into quarters and place them in a horizontal line along the middle, then tear of pieces of the mozzarella and place this on top of the tomatoes. Next tear 2 or 3 basil leaves into small pieces (never chop and don't use dried!) and cover the cheese. Add a twist or 2 of black pepper and your filling is sorted.




Step 3:
Here's the kind of tricky part that I always get nervous about - the wrapping up. You may be tempted to add more filling then I have stated above - don't! Your steak will be impossible to roll up and everything will just fall out, believe me there is plenty of flavour going on. So what you want to do is grab the bottom of the steak (the part that's closest to you) making sure you have a firm hold of the bacon underneath as well and tightly roll it up like a sausage roll away from you. It may take you a few times to get it but never mind! If you are left with bits of turkey out the end just fold them up and tuck them in under the bacon. You should be left with the below! 



Step 4: 
Repeat steps 2 and 3 so you are left with 2 nicely wrapped Turkey Steaks.


(Optional)Step 5:
If you got a 6 pack of bacon then you are left with 2 rashers (or like me only 1 because the boyfriend needs 3 rashers :P). So grab 5 Asparagus spears and snap off the woody ends. Now simply lie a spare rasher onto the chopping board, place your spears in the middle and tie up so your left with a little bundle of Asparagus. Repeat with the next 5 Asparagus spears and add a twist of pepper to your them. If you have a greedy boyfriend like me and you only have one rasher left just cut it through the middle ta da 2 rashers :P



(Optional) Step 6: 
Grab your Potatoes and cut them up into chips or wedges. I end up with wedges as for some reason I am incapable of cutting them into chips :p. Place your wrapped turkey steaks and wedges onto an oiled baking tray. Cover your wedges in pepper and sea salt, and place the tray in the oven for 30 mins.




(Optional) Step 7:
After 30 mins, add your Asparagus bundles to your tray in the oven and cook for a further 15 mins.


Step 8:
Serve and Enjoy! 




I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and the pictures make you want to try this for yourself! It definitely went well with the boyfriend and I must say best meal I've cooked in awhile was really tasty! Stay tuned for the ultimate dessert coming up later - Chocolate Cobber.

Why Pasta Crap I hear you say?

So I am fairly new to blogging, I have a crazy blog which makes no sense so I thought I would make one that does (kind of :p). I love food...actually that is understatement other than my bf, puppy, best friend and video games it is definitely my most favourite thing in the entire world! Me and my boyfriend love to cook and I am fed up of going "oo that thing I made last week I want to make that again...but I can't remember how I made it..." so here is my solution, a way to document the random food I make and a way to share it with you! I detest hard work, so be safe in the knowledge that all of my recipes won't make you want to pull your hair out or break a sweat they will be easy and tasty!


So why the title? Well Pasta Crap was the first thing I ever cooked, this is my friend Laura's recipe but after it's been with us for 11 years I think it belongs to both of us now :). It is sooo easy and quick to make, seriously proper student, it's been a long day at work, or I just can't be assed food, but to us it is the ultimate comfort food. The best thing about it is....it is soo cheap! It is basically pasta and whatever crap you have in the cupboards hence the name Pasta Crap!. Here is our classic recipe (as this is how it was on the first day we made it :)), but remember you can do what you like with it! I would love to hear your ways of making Pasta Crap.


Ingredients:
1 medium sized onion
1 red pepper
2 (or as many as you want) cloves of garlic
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 can of sweetcorn
2 or 4 chicken breasts - depends on how many people you are cooking for
1 bowl for every person you are making it for of dried pasta - I measure pasta in the bowl you are going to eat it in, that way you never make too much or too little!
Lots of Red Wine - this depends on your taste of course, I'm pretty sure we add 1/4 of a bottle each time :P
Lots of chedder cheese - again dependent on taste...and your diet :p


Serving Suggestion:
A heck load of garlic bread!


Step 1:
Firstly chop your onion, garlic cloves, pepper and chicken and fry off in a little bit of olive oil or whichever oil you have. A tip to keep your chicken really juicy is to just cook it so its white on all sides, let it cook through in the sauce...juiciest chicken ever!


Step 2: 
Put a saucepan of salted water onto boil, and make sure you add a bit of oil to the water to stop the pasta from sticking. Once boiled add your pasta.


Step 3:
Add the chopped tomatoes, wine and sweetcorn to your veg and chicken, then simmer until your chicken is cooked through and the alcohol is cooked off, best way to tell is just to taste it and see. I find that your sauce and pasta tends to be ready at the same time but once again you can only be certain if you taste it.


Step 4:
Now if you can't wait you can either bowl up cover in cheese and dig in with some garlic bread orrr...


Optional Step:
Preheat your oven to about 200 degrees. Now add your pasta to your sauce and mix it thoroughly together, pour into an oven-proof dish and cover with a mountain of cheese, and put into the oven. It will only take about 15-20 mins or until the cheese is nice and golden and now you are left with Pasta Crap Bake :)


I bet your thinking easy huh? Yes! That's the beauty of it, and it tastes AMAZING! If you like mushrooms add mushrooms, veggie? then take out the chicken and add absolutely anything you want. I haven't come across an ingredient that hasn't worked yet! This is the most basic version of Pasta Crap but we add Italian herbs in there now we are all grown up which makes it even more super!


Please try it you won't regret it :). Pictures will come when we make it again, have never felt the urge to take photos of it before haha or even better make it and send me a picture!


Thanks for reading guys!