Chocolate Brownies

First and last recipe I'll ever use. Slight adaptation from that used on the BBC Good Food website, but pretty good anyway.

Makes lots.

You need:

185g butter
185g dark chocolate
40g cocoa powder
85g plain flour
275g caster sugar
3 eggs
100g milk chocolate

Preheat the oven to about 170C. Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a bowl over a low heat. Leave to cool to room temperature. Chop the milk chocolate up into little itty bits. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together into a separate bowl somewhere. In another, biggerer bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until it looks like a milkshake. Once done, fold in the chocolate and butter mix, then, once that's done, do the same with the flour and cocoa. Finally, mix in the chocolate chunks. Bake for about 25-35 min in a shallow dish (I used a 25x35cm dish with baking paper underneath, worked a treat). Check with a toothpick. If it comes out dirty, put it back in for 5 minutes at a time. It should be juicy, and the top should be crispy and look like paper and the like.

Very nice...

Mushroom soup

We had people over today, and the planned pumpkin soup didn't pan out, due to there being a dearth of ripe pumpkin in the shops for some reason. So we had a mushroom soup instead, which worked out quite well, in my opinion. The original recipe is for 4-6, but I doubled the quantities, as we had people in and out the whole afternoon (oh, aren't we popular?).

Anyway, here goes:

500g mushrooms, finely sliced (I used a mixture of portobello and white button mushrooms (champignons), but you could add others, like chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, etc etc)
2 onions, finely diced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
about 90g butter (2 tbsp)
2 tbsp flour
1 litre chicken stock
a bay leaf
1/2 cup cream (the thicker the better)
salt and pepper to taste

In a gigantic pot, fry the onion and garlic in the butter until translucent, then add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes while stirring. Add the flour and make sure the mushrooms are well covered. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then add the bay leaf and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. When done, leave to cool for a bit, then blend using a food processor or handheld mixer thingy. Add the cream, mix in, season to taste, and serve, perhaps with some bread, or Tabasco, or tomatoes.

Enjoy.

Butternut soup

It's miserable here, so we made a good traditional South African butternut soup yesterday. Don't use pumpkin unless you absolutely have to: this is a butternut soup, with all the fun that entails. Here's the recipe:

Should serve about 6

1.5 kg butternut (muskaatkõrvits or pähkelkõrvits in Estonian), peeled and cut into 5cm blocks
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
a chilli (or to taste), finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 litre chicken stock
2 tbsp lemon juice
250ml cream
1tsp nutmeg, ground
1tsp cumin, ground
1/2 tsp mustard seeds, ground
salt and pepper to taste
coriander leaves to serve

In a large pot, melt the butter, and fry the onion, garlic and chilli at medium heat until transparent. Add the spices, and stir around a bit until everything is well covered. Add the butternut, stock, and lemon juice, stir again, bring to the boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes or until the butternut is soft and ready. Puree it using a food processor or handheld mixer thingy, then add the cream and carefully heat it again. It should then be ready.

Serve with an extra dollop of cream and some coriander. And bread. And wine. And freeze the rest for winter.

Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya

I don't know when I first heard about this magnificent combination of stuff, but it's become one of my favourite dishes ever. Quick, simple, and filling. And it can feed you for a week or so. Enjoy.

Jambalaya (portions here will feed about 4)

You will need:

2 chicken breasts, cut up into wee little pieces
about 200g of chorizo, also in wee little pieces
an onion, diced
garlic to taste, crushed or finely sliced
One or two chillies, depending on tastes
2 sticks of celery, sliced
A pepper or two, diced
4 tomatoes, boiled for a minute then diced, or (if you're lazy) a 400-ml tin of tomatoes
2 or 3 bay leaves
1 tsp paprika
about 400ml of chicken stock
1 tbsp of Tabasco (again, to taste)
1 cup of long-grain rice
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop stuff up. Dry-fry the chorizo until somewhat cooked in a big heavy pot with a lid. Don't worry, there's more than enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Remove, then fry the chicken until browned. Take that out too and put it to one side with the chorizo, then add the onion, garlic, celery and chilli, fry until soft, then add the peppers and do like-wise. When that's done, add the chicken, chorizo, and tomatoes, mix it all up, add the rice, making sure that it's all coated in oil and stuff, then add the stock, bay leaves, paprika, tabasco, and salt and pepper as needed. I also sometimes add oregano. Ensure the stock is covering the rice, then leave to cook for about 30 to 45 minutes. Don't let it get too dry - there should be some juice.

Serve it in a bowl, maybe with some salad, definitely with some wine or beer.

Enjoy.

Banana Bread

I like banana-based desserts, for some reason. Here is a banana bread recipe I kind of patched together which worked wonderfully well. Enjoy.

You will need:

4 overripe bananas (should be about 400 ml when mashed) + 85 ml milk + 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
OR
5-6 overripe bananas (should be about 550 ml when mashed), no milk
285 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup castor sugar
1/4 cup brown/muscovado sugar
110 g butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs

Preheat oven to about 180 degrees. Grease a bread tin, about 20cm x 12.5 cm. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, in a smaller bowl. In a separate, larger bowl, cream the sugar and butter, then mix in together with the eggs, mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and cinnamon (and milk mixture, if you're using it). Fold the flour mixture into the banana/egg/sugary mixture, then pour into the bread tin. Shove in the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until golden brown and baked through (poke with a toothpick or something thin - if it comes out clean, your loaf is ready). Take it out, put to one side to cool down for 15-20 minutes, then remove from the tin carefully and leave to cool on a rack. Serve buttered and delicious.

Enjoy.

Ceviche

Ceviche is a lovely South American dish of raw fish, coriander, and citrus fruit. And... that's about it, really. At least, the basics are really basic. But there are lots of possibilities to expand on the base. So go wild. This is the most recent, very basic, but quite fantastic version I used.

500g salmon, cut into 1cm-long strips
500g white fish (can't remember which type, since it was in Estonian), ditto
1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup lime juice, ditto
1 chilli, seeded and finely diced
1 1/2 tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 small red pepper, ditto
Coriander to taste and serve
Dash of Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste, oregano
Avocado to serve

Combine everything in a non-metallic bowl or dish (glass or plastic) and leave to sit for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve with the avo and extra coriander.

I feel I should point out that this doesn't keep, so it should be eaten within 24 hours. These proportions should serve 6-8.

If you're feeling adventurous, substitute your fish for other fish, or even prawns or other seafood; or add grapefruit, pomegranate, garlic, basil, etc. Go wild.

Have fun.

Jungle Curry

This stuff is all a matter of personal taste - as hot or mild as you want. The first time I had it, I was caught short in the middle of a class the next day. Not the most pleasant experience of my life. The meal was fantastic though. Here's my take on the subject. Not quite as good as the original, but it does the trick.

Should serve 3-4 people, depending on quantities

200g of chicken or pork (original recipe stated that it should be wild meat. If you can get some boar or metsasealiha, then all the better. Otherwise, chicken on the bone works nicely)
Vegetables, primarily brinjals, cherry tomatoes, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms
Coriander, Thai basil, and chillies

Curry paste:

1/2 an onion or equivalent in shallots
1 1/2 inches or so of galangal or ginger (about 3-4 tbsp, fresher is obviously better. If you use dried stuff, soak it then mash it up using a pestle and mortar)
1 tbsp green peppercorns (not blue ones)
2 tbsp lemongrass (fresher is better, and if dried, see above)
a lot of garlic, to taste basically
Lime leaves, again, to taste
Lime zest
Lime juice (just, use lime. Somewhere. Anywhere)
Coriander root
2 1/2 to 3 tbsp fish sauce (although you might want to add this to the pan, not the sauce. Up to you. Try either way)
1/2-1 tsp of shrimp paste
A few chillies, dried or otherwise (to taste)
A 400ml tin of coconut milk

Blend all the stuff for the paste in a food processor. Brown the chicken in a wok, add the vegetables and cook for a bit, then add the paste. Close to the end, add the coriander et al, and serve over rice.

There is obviously more than one way to skin a cat. This recipe is something I've pieced together, and it is quite tasty, although not overly spicy. Try using extra coconut milk or coconut butter if you are so inclined, for something thicker and creamier. Or add extra ginger to the meat, not the sauce (try strips of ginger). Any way you work it, it works out well.

Enjoy.

Artichoke and Sundried Tomato Pasta

New pasta sauce. Similar to sex chicken, except without the pesto, it's quite light and rather full of flavour.

You need:

butter for sautéing
an onion
4 or 5 cloves garlic
250g mushrooms, sliced
about 300g artichoke hearts
150g sundried tomatoes
100g sliced olives
200g chicken breast
2tbsp lemon juice
250ml dry white wine
pepper to taste
1 tomato, diced
parmesan or white cheese (like feta)
pasta of choice, preferably fettuccine

 Prepare the pasta as per instructions. Pour some oil over the chicken breast, rub in some salt and pepper, and grill for about 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through. In the meantime, sauté the onions, garlic, and mushrooms until soft in a pot, then add in the artichokes, sundried tomatoes, olives, lemon juice and wine, and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes or so. About halfway through, add in the chicken, sliced up. When the liquid has been reduced a bit, take off the heat, add in the tomato (raw), then serve over the pasta with cheese. I also recommend having a baguette. And some wine.

Enjoy.

Tom Yum Chicken

Needs to be marinaded for a while (preferably overnight) but easy and tasty.

Tom Yum Chicken

4-6 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)

Marinade: 

10 or so shallots
5 or so garlic cloves
3 or so tbsp Tom Yum paste
2 or 3 fresh chillis
1 tbsp pickled jalapenos (or equivalent something. Use something spicy)
3 or 4 lime leaves
2 tbsp honey
spices, salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the marinade by blending it all together with a hand-held blendy thing. Don't add any water, it's meant to be like this. Smear over the chicken (possibly scoring the chicken some to get the taste in) and then leave to marinade for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

When ready, wrap each piece in tin foil, shove in the oven at 200 degrees and leave to cook for 45min. If not done, use your discretion and cook for longer.

Serve with lemon and coriander.

Ratatouille

On a bit of a French kick at the moment. Ah well.

Yes, this is the ratatouille from the film. Again, easy, fun to make, and you get to say the word ratatouille. I mean, how cool is that?

This should serve 3-4 people, depending on quantities.

Ratatouille

2 large aubergines, cubed
3-4 large courgettes, cubed
2 peppers, bite-sized chunks
3 or 4 tomatoes (you can put more in, but it's quite good with less of a tomato-ey taste). Pierce the skin, submerge in boiling water for about 20 seconds, then take them out and skin and de-seed them. Or don't. Either way, cut them into quarters.
Thyme (or Provencal spice)
1 or 2 onions, sliced (but not diced)
Garlic to taste (3 or 4 should generally do the trick)
About 2 tablespoons of red wine (or wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon sugar

For those of you with a bit of adventure in your souls, add some olives, a chilli or two, and some anchovies (but don't overdo the anchovies). A big cast-iron pot is also quite useful.

Cook the aubergines for about 5 minutes until soft, then remove from the heat. Don't overcook just yet. Repeat with the courgettes (until brown) and peppers (browning and then taking them out). Then cook the onions until soft and stuff. Add the garlic, fry for a bit, then add the wine/vinegar and sugar. Stir in, add the tomatoes and the thyme or Provencal spice, stir in again, and add the courgettes, aubergines, and peppers (and olives and anchovies if you're using them). Add salt and pepper to taste, then cook for about 5-10 more minutes.

I'd recommend serving this with couscous. And wine. It'll make you think of your childhood. And then overlook gross violations of public health and sanitation.

Coq au vin

I've been wanting to try coq au vin for a while now. I finally got round to making it tonight. It was lovely. It's remarkably easy too, for something so tasty.


Coq au vin - serves about 3-4 people

750g chicken legs and thighs
150g bacon, sliced
4-5 medium-sized onions in quarters, or 10-15 shallots, peeled and sliced in half
4 cloves of garlic (mine were minced, but you can also just peel the cloves)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup red wine (the drier the better)
Bay leaves
Thyme (fresh is better, but dry will do)
Salt and pepper to taste
250g mushrooms

Brown the bacon in a big pot. Remove, but leave the fat behind. Add the onions and chicken, and brown well over a medium heat for about 10 min or so. Halfway through, add the garlic. Add the stock, wine and herbs, and put the bacon back in. Cover and simmer for about 20-30 min, until the chicken is cooked through. It will probably look pink or crimson. THIS IS NORMAL. When done, remove the chicken and onions from the liquid, and add the mushrooms to the sauce. Reduce the sauce over a high temperature by about 75 percent. When done, put the chicken and onions back in the pot, heat up, and mix in. Serve over something - we had mashed potatoes, but some pasta would probably work too. I also recommend some bread on the side.

Enjoy.