Easy Peasy Recipies

JohnK

watna wrote: »

I thought of another recipe that's is very yummy and quite easy to make.

Potato Dauphinoise

1) Peel potatoes and slice them as thinly as you can
2) Place them carefully in an oven dish in two layers
3) Heat 250ml of cream on a low heat
4) Add some chopped garlic to the cream
5) Pour the warmed cream over the potatoes. You should have enough cream to cover the potatoes.
6) Cover in grated cheese
7) Cook in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes

Yum - and it tastes even nicer heated up the next day!

Sounds tasty watna - how many potatoes would you use with this?

Heineken Helen

Ooohh... I love this thread... gonna try loadsa these recipes

I've a few simple ones of my own.

Here's one for lemon and mint roasted veg:

2 medium carrots per person
2 cloves of garlic per person
as much broccoli or cauliflower as you like
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of approx 1/4 lemon
generous sprinkling of mint
black pepper
mixed herbs
Onion seasoning (only cos I'm too scared to chop onions lol)

Preheat the oven to 200c
slice the carrots lengthways into about 3ins long strips
Press the garlic gently with a wooden spoon til it breaks (don't crush)
place carrots and garlic in a baking tray with the cauliflower and broccoli
pour over the olive oil and squeeze as much lemon juice as you like (generally until it's about half wet) and throw over the rest of the ingredients
Mix it all up with your hands til all the veg are completely covered.
Cook for about 45 minutes removing every ten minutes to stir completely and wet everything again


Lime and Basil Chicken


I used 2 chicken fillets, 1 lime, approx 20 basil leaves (I've got a basil pot in the windowsill now lol), 150ml creme fraiche and half tbsp flour.

Grate the lime peel, finely chop the basil, squeeze the juice of 1/4 of the lime into the mixture and stir it into a paste.
fry the chicken in olive oil
Add the creme fraiche and simmer for about 10 minutes
Add the lime and basil mixture
Add the flour to thicken if needed and simmer again if you want

Heineken Helen

Mushroom sauce

I use a clove of garlic per person and 4 large mushrooms pp.

So ya crush the garlic into plenty of olive oil, some soy sauce and black pepper... mix well. Use this as your oil... heat this on the pan and fry the mushrooms into it... very very very simple I usually add chicken and sometimes broccoli or even both and/or sliced rashers... and do some tagliatelle (or any kinda pasta) and mix that in with it. Tis yummy!

If ya wanna be really posh... after adding the mushrooms, you can also add a couple tablespoons of cream and/or white/red wine... and cook it over a low heat til it gets thick. If you get bored or too hungry waiting... just add about a teaspoon of flour and that will thicken it all up nicely).

Heineken Helen

Here's another potato gratin recipe

soooo easy to make... I stole it off a recipe site. I didn't bother with the onions cos they're not worth the tears IMO... and I put grated cheese on top of EVERY layer... cos I love cheese

http://vegbox-recipes.co.uk/recipes/potato-recipe-4.php

1kg potatoes, scrubbed and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed
150ml double cream
100ml milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or whatever you've got in stock)
100g strong cheese (e.g. mature Cheddar), grated
Pinch of good quality salt



Method
Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, until starting to soften.

Peel the onion and chop it in half. Cut it into thin slices.

Mix together the garlic, cream, milk and mustard. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Grease an oven-proof dish and put in a layer of potatoes, followed by a layer of onions. Pour some of the cream mixture over each potato layer. Continue until all ingredients are used.

Pour any remaining cream mixture over the top, making sure all the top vegetables are coated.

Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Cook at 200 degrees C for about 45 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and the cheese is lightly browned and bubbling.

Heineken Helen

Rosemary and garlic roast potatoes

Takes about an hour to make including the preparation but is sooo worth it and very very easy.

Preheat the oven to 190c,

crush together 2 cloves of garlic, plenty of olive oil (about 4 tbsp ), about half a handful of rosemary, and about a tsp of oregano, pour the mixture onto an ovenproof tray.

Peel the potatoes and chop into roast potato size, place the dish in the oven so that the oil's WELL heated,

While the oil's heating, boil the potatoes for about ten to fifteen minutes, drain the water and shake the spuds around the saucepan til the edges look floury,

Remove the dish from the oven and place the potatoes in it gently using tongs (so as not to splash yourself with the oil) ... turn them around so that they're FULLY coated in the oil and place in the oven for about 40 minutes, removing from the oven every ten minutes to turn again and use a spoon to coat with more oil each time.

The Black Oil

Simple carrot and lentil soup.

Peel and slice carrots. Boil them in a saucepan with red lentils and one chopped/sliced onion until they're soft. Add a vegetable stock cube. Let the mixture simmer for a while. Blend the mix using an electric blender/equivalent appliance. Add some basil (teaspoon or so), a few dashes of tomato purée and 100-150 mls of milk. Blend again and allow it to simmer for 5-10 mins.

Tis yummy.

Westwood

someone sticky this for god sake. great thread. the answer to my prayers :pac:

Tupins

boidey wrote: »

Doesn't get easier than this.
I vanilla pod (dirt cheap on ebay), Bag of sugar. Slice the vanilla pod along the side, then cut into pieces and then into a jar with the sugar.
It goes with everything. porridge, coffee, baked fruit

You can also do this with jar of honey - gorgeous on toast, porridge etc.:)

Sparks

Pilaf's easy, but not really fast. Trick is to do something else during the waiting phases, like watch TV. Kitchen timers with audible alarms are your friend

Take a cup of basmati rice, put in a sieve and rinse under running water for a few minutes, then put in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave for at least 30 minutes and for as much as an hour.

If you want to be fancy, put a few strands of saffron in a tablespoon or two of hot water in a cup and leave to steep for a while. This part is really optional, and if you don't want to spend enormous amounts on saffron, just make up chicken stock (or veg. stock) with a stock cube - you'll need a cup and a half.

Chop an onion finely.
Chop a pepper or two, maybe some mushrooms if you like those, maybe some rashers cut into small pieces (yay for kitchen scissors), maybe some peas or sweetcorn - basicly some veggies or meats that cook fast, cut into small, pea-sized pieces. This part's optional though.

Sweat the onion over low heat in a pan for 5-10 minutes until soft and going translucent. Add to a large cold pot.

If using them, fry the other veggies/meats in the same pan on high heat for a few minutes until softened (or browned for the meats) and add to the pot.

Drain the rice, add to the pot.

Add the stock (or the saffron-infused water and another cup and a quarter of water) to the pot.

Stir the pot once or twice to get everything mixed up.

Bring the pot to the boil. Then turn the heat down to low, put a tea-towel over the pot, put the lid on the pot (sandwiching the teatowel as a kind of seal) - make sure to fold up the teatowel so the hob doesn't set it on fire...

Wait five minutes. Now turn off the hob (and move the pot to a cold ring if you have an electric hob) and wait 15 minutes. Do NOT open pot in this time.

After the 15 minutes (and you can wait longer, up to a half-hour), open the pot and use a fork to fluff the rice up. If you added lots of veggies, you won't need to do much work here. Serve on plates or turn out into a large serving bowl for the centre of the table.

Sinemo

Fudge

200ml milk
250g butter
1kg granulated sugar
5 tbsp golden syrup
400g condensed milk

1. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and boil on a high heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. Pour into a mixing bowl and leave for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Whisk until the sugar crystallizes turning the mixture from toffee to fudge. It will look matt and a little grainy.

3. Spoon into a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper to cool and set. Cut into cubes after about an hour and put on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Its really easy if you have an electric whisk

Abi

Given the warmer weather I thought I'd throw in a favourite of mine, and enjoyed many a time with a nice white in the back garden :pac:

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

2oz (60g) black olives
2oz (60g) green olives
2.5oz (75g) pickled chillies
2 cloves of garlic
1 red pepper
1 bunch of parsley
11oz (350g) of penne
Salt (to taste)
5tbsp (75mls) olive oil
3tbsp (45mls) orange juice
3tbsp (45mls) white wine vinegar
2 anchovy fillets
Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
A pinch of cumin
6.5oz (200g) feta cheese


Method:

1. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water until 'al dente'. Meanwhile, mix the oil, orange juice and vinegar in a small bowl.
2. Press the garlic into the bowl.
3. Finely chop the anchovy fillets and 1 chilli and stir into the dressing. Season well with salt, pepper and cumin.
4. Cut or break the feta cheese into small pieces. Finely dice the pepper. Drain the pasta mix with the dressing in a large bowl while the pasta is still hot. Mix in the cheese, pepper, drained olives and chillies. Chop the parsley leaves and add to the salad. Serve luke-warm

Enjoy

blueirishangel

Sleepy wrote: »

Alternative Egg Fried Rice Recipe (for 2 -4 depending on whether eating as a side or as a full meal):

Ingredients:
1 Onion
1 Red Pepper
2 Eggs
Rice
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil

Put Rice on to boil

Add small amount of oil to wok and set on ring to heat up.

Beat two eggs and add to wok to make an omelette. Remove this and set aside.

Dice the onion and pepper while waiting for the rice. You can also dice the omelette at this juncture.

When the rice is cooked (leave it a little bit firm), drain it, add cold water to the pan and drain again. Repeat until rice is cold (this also removes some of the starch making the recipe healthier).

Add a drop of oil to the wok and throw in the onion and pepper with a dash of soy sauce. When these begin to brown start adding the rice handful at a time while stirring and adding soy sauce and sesame oil to taste. Stir fry for a couple of minutes before adding the diced omelette and after another minute or two, serve.

You can make a more substantial meal out of this by throwing in a thinly sliced chicken breast per person (brown before throwing in the pepper and onion). You'll never order fried rice from a take-away again!

Made this tonight and was yum - thanks a mill!!

dazf

Quick and easy chicken pesto and pinapple salad

-Chicken fillets
-Pesto
-Basil leaves
-Grated cheese
-cherry tomoatoes
-rocket salad
-pinapple chunks

Butterfly the chicken fillets and add to a hot pan with olive oil. While the chicken is cooking away prepare your mixture. Add the grated cheese,tomatoes and chopped basil into a dish. Sprinkle in some salt pepper and some olive oil, add to this a healthy lump of pesto. When the chicken is ready spread some pesto over each fillet, then add the mixture of cheese etc. Stick the pan under the grill or into the oven until the cheese has melted.
Serve with a glass of white wine and pinapple bits and rocket salad.
Tis rather tasty

JohnK

Sinemo wrote: »

Fudge

200ml milk
250g butter
1kg granulated sugar
5 tbsp golden syrup
400g condensed milk

1. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and boil on a high heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. Pour into a mixing bowl and leave for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Whisk until the sugar crystallizes turning the mixture from toffee to fudge. It will look matt and a little grainy.

3. Spoon into a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper to cool and set. Cut into cubes after about an hour and put on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Its really easy if you have an electric whisk

Anyone had any trouble with this one? Made it last night and you'd still nearly need a spoon to eat it

Faith

JohnK wrote: »

Anyone had any trouble with this one? Made it last night and you'd still nearly need a spoon to eat it

Do you mean it didn't set properly? You may not have boiled it for long enough if that's the case.

JohnK

Yeah its still not completely set and its just 24hours since it was first put into a tray to cool. Maybe you're right and I didnt leave it to boil for long enough but I'm sure I had the 15 minutes and it was starting to burn (ie some black bits coming up while stirring) so I didn't want to leave it on any longer.

Faith

JohnK wrote: »

Yeah its still not completely set and its just 24hours since it was first put into a tray to cool. Maybe you're right and I didnt leave it to boil for long enough but I'm sure I had the 15 minutes and it was starting to burn (ie some black bits coming up while stirring) so I didn't want to leave it on any longer.

Yeah, try boiling it at a lower heat for longer. It should be very thick. Stir continuously, and make sure you're stirring the whole pan, not just around the outside.

JohnK

Thanks Faith I'll give that a go the next time

Snowie

its not a fast one... but its damm good..
I used to make it for breakfast... but i think its a nice dinner dish...
ule need chorizo but in bulk not that thin crappy stuff.

couple of baby pot par boiled...
rocket letic.
2 egg's...
and a plate knife and fork..

chop the chorizo into nice sise cubes get them into a hot pan with a bit of olive oil and butter,
slice the baby pots for sauteing
boil some water in a small pot..
when the chorizo start leeking oil, a nob of to of butter turn down the heat a little add the potatos and saute

poach the to egg's...

before serving wack in the rocket, 2 secs under the heat..

add to plate with poached chuky egg's, season to taste tho you dont need much...

Sinemo

JohnK wrote: »

Anyone had any trouble with this one? Made it last night and you'd still nearly need a spoon to eat it

You might need to boil it for longer

I've made it a couple of times and it has worked for me.

Honey-ec

dazf wrote: »

Quick and easy chicken pesto and pinapple salad

I don't claim to have tried this, but dear Lord, am I the only one who thinks pineapple and pesto the most godawful sounding combination???

olaola

Honey-ec wrote: »

I don't claim to have tried this, but dear Lord, am I the only one who thinks pineapple and pesto the most godawful sounding combination???

The thought is making me feel rather ill. Maybe they meant pine nuts?

dazf

try it and come back to me

Snowie

Honey-ec wrote: »

I don't claim to have tried this, but dear Lord, am I the only one who thinks pineapple and pesto the most godawful sounding combination???

If the pestos made well it could quite posssbily work...

dazf

Ive made it many times for a number of people both with and without the pinapple.. and tbh i think they prefer it with the pinapple, i dont claim to be a master chef but i think it complements the dish

Snowie

dazf wrote: »

Ive made it many times for a number of people both with and without the pinapple.. and tbh i think they prefer it with the pinapple, i dont claim to be a master chef but i think it complements the dish

mate the melted cheese sound to much but i can see what your saying it sounds interesting pineapple cutting through everything would be rather nice

Magic Monkey

dazf wrote: »

Ive made it many times for a number of people both with and without the pinapple.. and tbh i think they prefer it with the pinapple, i dont claim to be a master chef but i think it complements the dish

In your defence, there's a dish by Heston Blumenthal which is mango and pine purée (recipe here, bottom of page), and he suggests substituting pineapple for the mango. And pine kernels are found in pesto, so there's some flavour combination link there. Pineapple with blue cheese is really good too!

The Black Oil

Giving this brown bread a go this afternoon. http://www.thegoodmoodfoodblog.com/2009/03/irish-brown-yeast-bread.html

Thanks to the nutrition forum for the link to the blog. The mixture expanded quite a bit when I did the cling film thing!

The Black Oil

Have turned that recipe into scones. Simple.

Saucey-Susie

Double baked potatos

1. Bake your potatos either in the microwave or the oven until ready
2. Let them cool down for a few minutes and then cut them in half and scoop out all the potato into a bowl
3. add milk, and any fillings of your choice, my favs is bacon, onion, brocolli
4. mix together well and put back into the hallowed out backed potatos
5. sprinkle with cheese and back in the oven until golden brown, heaven!

Quick Curry

1. Cook your chicken whatever way is easiest for you (Personally we slow cook them in chicken stock all day while we are at work, so they are done when we get home. YUM)
2. chop up onion, mushrooms and cook for a few mins in a pan,
3. add chicken, 2 cans of chicken soup, and curry powder, simmer for 10 mins, done!

Pitta Pizzas
I know people have put up recipes for pitta pizzas but they are even tastier and crispier if you cut them in half, so each pitta bread makes two pizzas and then put on whatever you want, YUM