Chicken and chorizo pie

Since I'm home I really wanted to try a recipe which  needs an oven and since I received the March issue of the BBC GoodFood magazine this recipe for a chicken and chorizo pie has been tempting me.

Given that this meal took about 2 1/2 hours to prepare I decided to put on some music so I got out my spotify and put on a playlist of Train as the upbeat music really fitted with the beautifully sunny day.

This recipe was simple to follow and make, however it does take quite a long time.  I would highly recommend measuring and preparing all the ingredients before you start just so that it's quicker once you actually begin cooking.

Prepare your ingredients beforehand

The recipe says you need a large pack of parsley, however be careful.  Large packs of parsley in Sainsbury's usually weigh about 100g, however, I found that I only needed around 25g.

They recommend you use a 20cm x 25cm pie dish and a pie funnel or piping nozzle.  I didn't have a dish that big so I used a slightly smaller but deeper dish for my pie and it still worked really well.  As I'm at home I was able to use a pie funnel, however, if you don't have one (or a piping nozzle) then I would advise simply cutting a couple of large slits in the top of the pie so that the steam can still escape.

Remember that if you do use a smaller dish like I did you will probably need less than the 500g of pastry they recommend using.  I had quite a bit left over, even after I used some to create the decorations for the top.  When covering the pie with the pastry you should definitely follow the recipe's advice and use the rolling pin to help you lift the pastry as it makes it so much easier and less likely to break.  Crimping the edge of the pie not only makes it look nice but also stops the pastry from moving or coming away from the dish while it's cooking, you're effectively creating a seal.

Brushing the pastry with egg is another important step as it will make your pastry turn a beautiful golden brown colour when it's in the oven.  The lighter patches you can see in the centre of my pie are the areas it was harder to reach with the pastry brush and therefore were not coated as well with egg.

The finished pie

I served my pie with peas, carrots, beans and a sweet potato mash which I cooked while the pie was baking at the end.  I always find that pies are difficult dishes to serve elegantly but I'm a great believer that what a dish lacks in presentation it can make up for in taste!

All in all this was another great recipe from BBC GoodFood.  What I like about their recipes is that they are simple to follow, they have (so far) always tasted good and their timing estimates are accurate which is really helpful when planning a meal (especially when you only have a limited amount of time).  I'm looking forward to getting back to college this week where I hope the next issue of the magazine will be waiting for me!

Happy New Year!

Since I'm spending the holidays at home I'm taking full advantage of the fact that I have access to an oven and my mum's cookware.  Today I decided to attempt an ambitious, but delicious-looking, lamb and dauphinoise hotpot from my BBC GoodFood magazine.  I say today, but I actually had to start preparing this dish yesterday in order to let the meat cool overnight.  So here it is!

To serve 8 people you will need:

3 large carrots (chopped into large chunks)

1 onion (roughly chopped)

1 bulb of garlic (N.B. you need an entire bulb not just a couple of cloves)

A few sprigs of rosemary and thyme (fresh herbs are best)

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 shoulder of lamb on the bone (about 2.5kg)

1 bottle red wine

For the Topping

4-5 potatoes (not too large)

4 sweet potatoes (once again not too big)

150ml double cream

a few knobs of butter

On the day before you want to eat the meal prepare the lamb.  Chop up the vegetables and peel the garlic, the easiest way to do this is by using the wide flat side of a (vegetable) knife and pushing down hard.  This not only loosens the skin on the garlic but it also crushes it slightly.  Scatter the vegetables and herbs into a casserole dish which is large enough to fit the lamb in, stir in the tomato purée and place the lamb on top.  Pour over the wine.  Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 and while the oven is coming up to temperature cover the dish and heat it up on top of the stove (I did this until the sauce was bubbling).  Place the covered dish in the oven for 3 hours.  Then remove from the oven and leave to cool before putting it in the fridge to chill overnight.

Before

Place the veg and lamb in a casserole dish

Even better if you're at home and can use your mum's Le Creuset!

 After:

This is what your lamb should look like after 3 hours

The next day you need to remove the lamb from the dish, remove the hard fat and discard, then pull apart and shred the lamb, remembering to remove and large pieces of fat and the bones.  Before putting the lamb back in the dish (or another more suitable pie dish) strain the juices from the veg into a jug (keep the veg).  Put the lamb into your dish and pour over the sauce.  Pick out the carrots from the veg and add them too before gently mixing in with the meat and sauce.  Season and set aside.

I used a smaller pie dish

To make the topping peel the potatoes and slice (if you have a mandoline then that is ideal, if not just try and slice the potatoes as thinly as you can).  Put the sliced potatoes into a pan of cold water and bring to a hard boil, then remove from the heat and drain immediately.  Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6.  Once drained return the potatoes to the pan and pour over the cream.  Arrange the potatoes over the lamb (however you fancy) and drizzle over any remaining cream.  If you have any leftover potatoes, don't worry I'll tell you what to do with those below.  Dot the top of the potatoes with butter and bake in the oven for 40 mins to 1 hour until the top is golden and the sauce is starting to bubble.

Before

After

If you have extra potatoes then simply layer them in a dish, season regularly with salt and pepper.  Then pour over equal amounts of cream and milk.  It's up to you how much you put on, I filled my dish about half full with cream and milk mix.  I baked this in the oven with the main hotpot (although I had to leave it in about 10 minutes longer for it to brown properly).  If you have to put one dish on a lower shelf to fit both in the oven then after about 30 minutes switch them round to make sure they both brown and cook.

Dauphinoise potatoes

You can cook any extra vegetables you fancy, I cooked peas as they were simple to do alongside the main dish.  I'm pleased to say that after all that work the hotpot tasted delicious.  I have started the year as I mean to go on, cooking!  If there is anything anyone would like to see me attempt then please comment or message me via my blog/Facebook/twitter/Instagram.  Please also follow my blog either through Google or on Bloglovin.  All that remains to be said is Happy New Year, here's wishing you a 2014 full deliciousness!

Home Sweet Home

One of the best things about being at home for the holidays is of course getting to spend time with my family.  But aside from that it's great because I can use an oven!  So, you may not be able to make the next few recipes in a student kitchen, but hey, it's Christmas!

The first thing I cooked once home was baked potatoes for my family.  It may be possible to make them in a microwave but they just aren't as good.  For one thing it's impossible to get the skin nice and crispy.  Baked potatoes are really simple, all you need are some large potatoes (suitable for baking) - one per person - some olive oil, salt and your choice of toppings.  I made tuna mayonnaise for mine but cheese or baked beans are also easy alternatives.  To serve you'll need some butter and salad.

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5 and while it heats up prepare the potatoes.  Wash them, dry them, rub them in some olive oil and salt (not too much) and pierce the skins so that they don't burst while baking.  Then place them on a tray and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours (check after 45 minutes and turn them if necessary to make sure they don't burn and that they are evenly baked).  In the meantime prepare your topping of choice, mix a can of tuna with a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise and some sweetcorn, grate some cheese or heat some baked beans in the microwave.  When the potatoes are done take them out of the oven, put them on plates, cut them open and melt some butter in each - this makes them a little less dry in texture.  Serve with your choice of topping and some mixed salad if you fancy something green.  There you have it, a super-simple and really delicious dinner.

Baked potato with tuna mayo

The next recipe I tried is one I got from the December issue of the GoodFood Magazine.  I made chicken and leek pot pies for my family and they were very yummy.  The recipe makes four small portions, however, I wanted to cook this as a main meal so I doubled the ingredients and used slightly larger ramekins.

For 6 portions you will need:
50g butter
6 small leeks, washed and sliced (Or one large and one small leek)
700g tub fresh cheese sauce (or you can make one from scratch*)
Bunch chives, chopped
400g cooked chicken, torn or cut into bite-sized chunks
6tbsp milk
2tbsp Dijon mustard
440g pack ready-rolled shortcrust pastry (or make some yourself**)
plain flour, for dusting
1 large egg, beaten

* Cheese sauce
40g butter
40g plain flour
570ml (1 pint) milk
75g (extra-)mature cheddar cheese

** Pastry
330g plain flour
Pinch of salt
25g softened butter
25g softened lard

As I had a lot of time I decided to make everything from scratch.

It is best to make the pastry in advance in order to leave it to chill before you roll it out.  I made a little too much pastry so that the rest could be used for mince pies, but you can always make slightly less.  Sift 330g plain flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl.  Weigh out the lard and butter and cut them up into cubes.  Add the fat to the flour and gently rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture has a crumbly consistency.  Add a tablespoon of water and start bringing the dough together with your hands.  Continue to add liquid a tablespoon at a time (to make sure you don't add too much) until the pastry sticks together to form a ball.  Wrap this in cling film and place it in the fridge for 30 mins to chill.

In the meantime heat the oven to gas mark 5 and put the chicken in for 25 minutes.

While the chicken was in the oven I made a cheese sauce.  To make a roux (a paste) which is the base of the sauce melt 40g butter in a saucepan and, once it has completely melted, stir in 40g plain flour, making sure you beat out all the lumps.  Then add milk to the roux little by little making sure it is fully combined before adding any more.  Once you have added about half the milk you can begin adding it in larger quantities, but continue to make sure you mix everything thoroughly so that your sauce isn't lumpy.  Leave the sauce over a low heat (continue to stir occasionally) to thicken while you grate the cheese.  Once grated stir in the cheese and continue stirring while it melts into the sauce.  Once the sauce is thick and fully combined set to one side.

Next you will need to cook the leeks.  Melt the butter in a large pan, add the chopped leeks, cover and leave to cook for 10 mins until they are soft.  Remove them from the heat an stir in the cheese sauce, chives, milk, mustard and the chicken (which should be cooked by now).  Don't forget to shred the chicken using two forks before adding it to the leeks.  Mix well and spoon into small dishes or ramekins (another advantage to being at home is that you have the right equipment and dishes!)

Now sprinkle some plain flour onto a flat surface and roll out the pastry until it is about 3mm thick.  Cut out circles for the pie tops (make sure they are a little larger than your dishes/ramekins).  Place the pastry on top of the ramekins and trim to fit, crimp the edges and brush with egg to glaze.

Heat the oven to gas mark 5 and bake for 45 mins (covering the ramekins with foil for the first 15 mins and removing for the final 30 mins).  Serve with vegetables of your choice (I used carrots, broccoli and peas).  You could also freeze these pies before you cook them for up to 2 months and cook for 15 mins at gas mark 7 then 45 mins at gas mark 5, once again removing the foil for the final 30 mins of cooking).

And here's the result:

Chicken and Leek Pot Pie

This recipe was a lot of work, however, if you don't have as much time just buy ready-made sauce and pastry.  These pies made for a great family dinner.  It's good to be home!

The final recipe I'm going to tell you about in this post is from the January issue of the GoodFood Magazine.  This macaroni and cheese recipe is a little different as it includes tomatoes and chipolatas.

To serve 6 you will need:
12 chipolata sausages
Either 300g pack semi-dried tomatoes, drained (reserve 1tbsp oil for the sausages) and roughly chopped or 2-3 roughly chopped normal tomatoes
400g macaroni (or other small pasta shapes - but I think macaroni are this best)
75g butter
bunch spring onions, chopped
75g plain flour
1 litre semi-skinned milk
200g extra-mature cheddar, grated
50g parmesan, grated
6 rosemary sprigs, chopped plus a few small sprigs to finish (alternatively use dried rosemary)
Salad to serve

Heat the oven to gas 6.  Put the chipolats in a baking dish (approx 30 x 25cm - this will hold your pasta later so make sure it's big enough), drizzle with the oil and cook for 25 mins.

Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling water (according to the instructions on a packet), then drain.  While the pasta cooks make the sauce in a large pan, melt the butter, then add the spring onions.  Fry for a couple of minutes to soften.  Stir in the flour and mix with the butter to make a paste.  Continue cooking for 30 secs, then add the milk, a little at a time, stirring continuously, until the sauce is thick and smooth.  Add the cheddar and parmesan (reserving a handful for the top), half the semi-dried tomatoes, the resemary, seasoning and macaroni, then stir everything together.

Remove the baking dish from the oven, transfer the sausages to a plate and pour away any oil from the dish.  Tip in the macaroni, nestle the sausages back in, pushing them in so that they are half exposed, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese, tomatoes (if using whole tomatoes then place several slices on the top) and rosemary.  Bake in the oven for 25 mins.  Serve with a salad.

Mac & Cheese

This recipe was perfect for a cold winter evening - good comfort food, to be enjoyed with friends or family.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Next time I post it will be 2014!