Margie Broadhead

One Pot Wonder – Chicken with Lentils, Tomato and Pancetta

November 27, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

I love cooking and I love eating. But I loathe washing up.

Something no body told me when I decided to become a chef is that you spend a large portion of your time up to your elbows in soapy water scrubbing dishes. Like Cinderella.

So, I LOVE it when you can pop everything into one pan and then there is only one thing to wash up at the end. Not only does this Chicken dish appeal to the Cinderella in me, but it is also absolutely scrummy. It’s also not laden with carbs, and will leave you feeling lovely and full but not bloated. Winning dish.

One Pot Wonder - Chicken with Lentils, Tomato and Pancetta

Author: Made By Margie

Serves: 2

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs
2 cans of lentils
100g cubed pancetta
handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 clove garlic crushed,
salt and pepper
olive oil
handful of chopped parsley

Instructions

First things first. Preheat that oven to 220C (200 C Fan, Gas Mark 8).
Now take a baking tray. If you have a pretty one like this - you can plonk it on the table when it's cooked and people can help themselves.
Drain the lentils and then pour them into the baking tray.
Scatter the halved tomatoes onto the lentils and then add the crushed garlic and give the whole thing a really good stir.
Now, pop your chicken thighs on top of the lentil bed. Then scatter the pancetta on top of the lentils, around the chicken. You want the pancetta to be on the top so that it has a chance to go lovely and crispy.
Give the whole thing a good glug of olive oil and sprinkle with a salt (careful, the pancetta is salty) and pepper.
Pop into the hot oven and cook for a good 45 mins until the chicken skin is lovely and crispy and the chicken is cooked through. It's a good idea to give it a bit of a stir half way through to check that the lentils are not browning too much.
Sprinkle on the chopped parsley and serve with a fresh green salad and a generous dollop of mayo.

Nigella’s Caramel Croissant Pudding

November 25, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

Maybe the most sinfully delicious thing you can enjoy with your clothes on.

This pudding is amazing. Eating this croissant pudding with caramel gooey goodness is like giving yourself a proper bear hug. Which is hard to do. I have tried.

Making this did however give me pause for thought. Nigella is known for utter decadence, particularly in her puddings – she doesn’t scrimp on portions and if in doubt she tends to throw in just a touch more cream or butter. So, when I was making this and the recipe called for half cream/half milk and I plumped to just go with all cream, it made me think. Gosh, am I more of a glutton than Nigella? Then, when the recipe called for 2 croissants and I was tearing through my fourth croissant, I really had to stop and think. THEN when I thought that the pudding could do with a scattering of dark chocolate drops, it was confirmed. I AM GREEDIER THAN NIGELLA. Not to mention the fact that she says her recipe (sans the 2 extra croissant) will feed 2 greedy people as supper. Not pudding. Supper. And the two of us ate it as a pudding. After supper. Hey ho.

“I hate people who are not serious about meals. It’s so shallow of them” Oscar Wilde

Glutton or not, I defy anyone not to love this pudding and it couldn’t be easier to make.

If food is love, this pudding is Aphrodite.

I’ve adapted the recipe to feed 4 normal people as a pudding (yes yes I know, once you make it you will realise how greedy me and my friend were to eat it between the two of us)

I’ve changed the recipe a bit and also added the chocolate drops and the dusting of cinnamon sugar I added to the top. I didn’t mention that before? No I didn’t. I was worried you would pack me off to Glutton camp.

Nigella's Caramel Croissant Pudding

Author: Made By Margie

Ingredients

4 croissants
100 grams sugar
2 tablespoons water
250 ml double cream
2 tablespoons Kahlua, or bourbon (or rum) (optional)
2 large eggs (beaten)
handful of dark chocolate drops, or 50g chopped dark chocolate (70%)
50g caster sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon of cinammon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4/350ºF.
Tear the croissants into pieces and put in an ovenproof dish which fits the torn croissants snuggly.
Sprinkle on your dark chocolate drops.
Now to make the caramel. Put the sugar and water into a saucepan, and swirl around to help dissolve the sugar before putting the saucepan on the hob over a medium to high heat. DONT stir - just swirl the pan otherwise the sugar will crystallise.
To begin with it will look like this:
Then it will look like this, and you will wonder how it will ever turn into caramel...oh ye of little faith.
Caramelize the sugar and water mixture by letting it bubble away, without stirring, until it all turns a deep amber colour; this will take 3-5 minutes. Keep looking but don't be too timid. Give the pan a little jiggle every now and then if bits of the pan look darker than other parts.
It will then suddenly turn into this which is looking much more like caramel - but keep going.
Then it will turn a darker amber and will almost be at the point where you are thinking, "Cripes! I've burnt it - but you haven't - it's meant to be a dark amber colour.
Now you are ready to add the cream. Turn the heat down to low and add the cream - ignoring all spluttering - and, whisking away, the milk and Kahlua, if using.
Any solid toffee that forms in the pan will dissolve easily if you keep whisking over low heat. Take off the heat and, still whisking, add the eggs.
Pour the caramel gooey custard over the croissants and leave to steep until you are ready to bake it. I left mine for several hours and it worked perfectly, although of course you can cook it straight away too!
Try to resist the urge to grab a spoon and start digging in....
Just before cooking, sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar to add an extra crunch.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes and prepare to swoon.

Review: Kerbisher & Malt

November 23, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

Kerbisher and Malt – hailed as the best fish and chip shop to hit London.
Ever since they opened their doors I’ve been wanting to go but just never got round to it.

So, expectations were high for my first visit and I should probably tell you that I consider myself quite the connoisseur in batter tasting. My heart was stolen a long time mushy peas – I would eat them everyday if I could.

Not wanting to miss out on anything, I got slightly carried away, intoxicated by the waft of malt vinegar, and ordered battered plaice with tartare sauce, calamari, pickled onion rings, chips and of course mushy peas. Whilst some may have been defeated by such an extensive ordering regime…we weren’t and ate the whole lot.

This was actually a big moment for me. It was the first time I’ve been in a fish and chip shop and I haven’t ordered a battered sausage as a snack to enjoy whilst perusing the menu. Trying to be healthier. Although what I actually ate wasn’t exactly the meal of a health-nut, but little victories!

The inside has the feel of a cool American diner, in a good way, and feels like your local chippy with a glamorous make over. Now that Winter has firmly arrived, it’s time to put on those obligatory extra pounds that the cold weather necessitates.

If you are ever in the neighbourhood, or even if you aren’t, Kerbisher and Malt is well worth a visit. The hype is well deserved and it was everything a good fish and chip shop should be and more. The peas were a particular highlight, but then they always are. The chips were not bad, cod do batter. Only joking – they were insanely good.

I’m already planning my next visit.

http://www.kerbisher.co.uk/

164 Shepherds Bush Road
London W6 7PB

The Best Broccoli You Will Ever Taste

November 22, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

This recipe gives the humble broccoli a zingy, galicky make over and transforms it from drab to glam in a matter of minutes.

Broccoli can help to reduce cholesterol and has super detoxing powers. A true superfood, it’s also been shown to boost the body’s protective enzymes and flushes out cancer-causing chemicals. So pile up your plate with broccoli and dig in!

I’ve used tenderstem broccoli for this recipe, but this method would work equally well other varieties like purple sprouting or good old regular broccoli.

The Best Broccoli You Will Ever Taste

Author: Made By Margie

Serves: 4 (as a side dish, but this depends slightly on how hungry everyone is and how much you like broccoli - use your judgement)

Ingredients

200g tenderstem broccoli
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, smooshed
½ red chilli, finely chopped
1 splash white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Instructions

First, take a bowl and drizzle in your olive oil, add chilli and garlic and season. Give it a little stir
Now turn your attention to your broccoli. Trim off any woody parts of the stem.
The healthiest way to cook your broccoli is to steam it - this way you wont lose any of that broccoli goodness.
I don't own a proper steamer, so I just fill a pan with water and pop a sieve/colander on the top - making sure the bottom of the sieve/colander is above the water level. Then just pop your broccoli into the sieve/colander and place a lid on the top to try and keep the steam in. It should take about 3 minutes. You want the broccoli to still have a lot of crunch to it. Erring on the side of raw - as you are going to cook the broccoli again in a frying pan.
Or by all means boil the broccoli, just be sure not to overcook it. Overcooking it will make the broccoli sad.
As soon as the broccoli is cooked, tip it into the garlicky olive oil in the bowl. Obviously if you have boiled it, make sure you drain it first.
The broccoli can be made ahead up to this point, which makes it a great dish for serving when people come over. By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.
Now, heat up a frying pan and once its lovely and hot, pick up your broccoli and give it a little shake to get rid of any lingering oil and throw the broccoli into the pan to warm through. It should sizzle in a lovely way.
After about a minute, the broccoli should be beginning to get a golden hue, add a splash of white wine vinegar (a splash is probably a tablespoon)
Tip onto a serving plate and drizzle over a little of the garlicky oil left over from the bowl.
I served mine with sliced sirloin steak, salsa verde, skinny bean mash and crisp green salad all on a wooden board. And we followed it with a pudding of rustic peach tart with raspberry coulis and ice cream.

Delish.

ps. The left over garlic, chilli oil will be amazing for any cooking you do, add it to a pasta sauce, dunk some crusty bread into it, fry mushrooms in it…

Life’s a Peach, Quick & Easy Peach Tart with Raspberry Coulis

November 21, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

This is a really delicious tart. It’s easy to make and dressed to impress.

Easy and dressed to impress she may be, but this tart is still a lady. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with homemade raspberry coulis and let me introduce you to Peach Melba’s sophisticated cousin.

For this recipe, I use shop bought ready rolled puff pastry, but of course feel free to make your own. There’s no judgement here if you go the shop bought route though, you’ll have all that extra time to… get on with your life.

Life’s a Peach, Quick & Easy Peach Tart with Raspberry Coulis

Author: Made By Margie

Serves: 6 (although I have to admit we demolished it amongst three…sssh)

Ingredients

320g block ready-made all-butter puff pastry, already rolled or in a block
Flour for dusting
4 x ripe peaches, stoned and cut into 6 wedges (see tip)
35g unsalted butter
6 tbsp. caster sugar
2tablespoon cinnamon
1 pinch of nutmeg
2 tablespoons vanilla extract, don’t bother buying the essence, its rubbish!
Large knob of butter (about 20g)
Mint sprigs
1 egg, beaten

Instructions

As always first things first, preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.
If you are more industrious than me you can plump for the puff pastry block. Plunk it down onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out so its about the thickness of an after eight, (or a pound coin). Roll into an oblong shape. If you don’t have a rolling pin, I’ve found a wine bottle works just as well…and I know you have one of them.
Or if you are I just unwrap the pastry and tip onto a lightly floured surface.
Now, fold/ roll around the edges so that it looks like this. I have to admit there is no exact method to doing this, but you want it to look like this.
Now squish (technical term) down the centre so that it sticks. We are going for a rustic look, so no need to fret too much about it being perfect.
Now take a fork and prick the centre of the pastry all over. This is a very satisfying thing to do. It also serves a purpose – prodding the pastry with the fork will help to stop the centre from puffing up.
Now pop your pastry onto a lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until puffed up and golden. Mine in the photo was not quite as golden as it should have been…you can do better!
Now, whilst the pastry is cooking, half the peaches and remove the stones. Now cut each half into four slices.
Melt the knob of butter in a frying pan and pop your peaches into the foaming butter. Sprinkle on 4 tablespoons of caster sugar, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg and the vanilla.

Take a deep breath – it smells amazing!
Cook gently for about 5 minutes until the peaches are tender and slightly caramelized
Once the pastry has cooked, mix together 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of caster sugar together.
Now brush all over the pastry with the beaten egg and then sprinkle the edges with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Pop the pastry back in the oven for another 5 minutes until it’s golden and smells like doughnuts.
Remove from the oven.
Right, now everything is ready, so you have a few options: (1. Keep the peaches and the pastry separate until you are ready to serve. When you are ready just warm the peaches through in their pan and then tip onto the pastry base and serve) / (2. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the peaches onto the pastry – don’t make it too juicy. Then when you are ready to serve the tart, warm through in the preheated oven 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 for 10 minutes)
I normally plump for option 1. as I like the contrast between the hot buttery peaches and the cooled pastry. Slide the pastry onto a wooden board and scatter some mint sprigs on top and dust with some icing sugar.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or crème fraiche and drizzle with raspberry coulis.

Raspberry Coulis

Author: Made By Margie

Ingredients

300g/10½oz raspberries, you can use frozen too
2 tbsp. icing sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice, or to taste
Pop the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice into the bowl of a food processor and blend to a purée

Instructions

Set a sieve over a clean bowl and rub the purée through to remove the raspberry pips. Taste and add more sugar if required.
Cover with cling film and set aside until needed.
(If you don’t have a food processor, heat the berries gently with the icing sugar and then push the berries through the sieve into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice)

“You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches” Dita Von Teese

Kitchen Essentials 101 – Desert Island Kitchen Kit – Part One

November 20, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

Like Desert Island Discs but where you are being sent to a kitchen instead.

Whilst I agree Desert Island Kitchen Kit might not be as catchy as its namesake,I thought it might be useful to do a post about the most useful kitchen items that I couldn’t ~~live~~ cook without. Especially since Christmas is looming and Father Christmas might need ideas…

My kitchen is bulging with more kit than most because essentially my kitchen is my office. I completely understand that most people wouldn’t deem four different types of sieve strictly necessary. But I also know that for quite a few people not having the right kitchen kit is enough to put them off trying a new recipe. It’s definitely worth spending a little bit of money (you don’t need to spend a fortune) and getting a few key items and then no recipe will be beyond you!

You wouldn’t believe the number of kitchens I have cooked in where they didn’t even have a wooden spoon! Yup. Cooking a three course supper for 18 people on my own with one saucepan, a bottle opener and a candle was a bit of a challenge. Okay, so I’m exaggerating, but I’m trying to prove a point. Believe me when I tell you it will make your life so much easier if you have a few basic essentials.

Here’s the first part of what I have decided to be the most important kitchen essentials.

In no particular order:

1. Large non-stick frying pan. This is the only frying pan you will ever need. You can use this pan for everything, and it’s amazing because it can go in the oven. Sear a fillet of beef and then whack it straight in the oven in this pan! Or its eggscellent for popping in the oven to finish off a frittata. It’s also big enough to fit quite a few servings of whatever you are cooking. Bigger is better.2. Non-stick saucepan. Sometimes the thought of washing the pan up after making scrambled egg is enough to make me not want to make scrambled egg. And I love scrambles. Don’t worry greed conquers laziness and I always end up making the scrambles. Invest in one of these non stick saucepans and washing up is easy, breezy, (beautiful).

3. Microplane grater. I could wax lyrical about my microplane grater all day. But then I would probably have no friends. So instead I will just tell you that buying this grater will make your life in the kitchen so much easier. I take mine to every job I do. Amazing for zesting lemons and limes, and amazing for grating cheese and producing parmesan snow.

4. Measuring jug, this is one of my favourite items – is it a jug, is it a bowl? It’s a jowl. Or a bug. Whatever. It’s really useful, you can whip up some brownie batter all in one place and then pour it into it’s dish. Genius.

Obviously you don’t have to get this one, you could just get a measuring jug which is just a jug. They have feelings too.

5. Kitchen scales. These are essential for baking and having electronic, easy to use ones will make your life so much easier. These are the ones I have and I think they’re the best. After thirty years of using an old fashioned set of scales that look like this….

my mum has finally caved and bought some electronic ones and asked me why she didn’t do that 29 years and 363 days ago…

6. Spatula – so useful for scraping bowls. Not good news for the bowl licker. But then the spatula will probably need a lick…

7. large mixing bowl – I love these metal ones which are much lighter than the more beautiful ceramic ones,

but if you love the beautiful things in life than go for one of these beauties

8. whisk, old-fashioned, or if you are sloth-like me, an electric one

Cliffhanger Alert: Make sure you check back for the second part of your Essential Desert Island Kitchen Kit… (DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Classic Chicken Liver Paté

November 19, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

Chicken liver paté is such a classic and is surprisingly easy to make!

Don’t be scared by the amount of butter in this recipe, it’s the reason it tastes amazing. As Julia Child said, “everything in moderation… including moderation.” You probably aren’t going to tuck into this everyday, so relax and enjoy it. It’s getting so cold anyway, that it’s perfectly okay to feast on butter, you need the extra layers. I like to pretend I am a Fat-Tailed Dwarf Lemurs going in to hibernation for seven months while I feast on chicken liver pate and I find if I do this, I don’t feel guilty at all. So that would be my advice.

Classic Chicken Liver Paté

Author: Made By Margie

Serves: Supposedly this recipe serves 10, as a starter but I tend to be friends with people who are as greedy as I am, so this would probably feed 5 of us…

Ingredients

225g (8oz) fresh organic chicken livers
2 tablespoons brandy
200-300g butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 large clove garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper

Instructions

First, give the livers a wash and then, whilst pretending you are a surgeon on E.R, cut off any bits of membrane or the greeny bits.
Now, take a large frying pan, preferably non-stick, and melt a little knob of butter until it foams.
Once the butter is foaming, add the chicken livers.
Cook the livers over a gentle heat for about two minutes on each side. You want them to be lightly coloured, but not crusty. They should be a tiny bit pink in the middle, but no longer bloody.
Once they are cooked, tip the livers into a food processor
Now add the brandy to the pan to deglaze the pan (this just means adding a liquid to make sure you get all the yummy bits left in the pan). If you have a gas hob, you can allow the brandy to flame and pretend you are a chef in a restaurant – be careful of your eyebrows. You will look weird without eyebrows.
Now add the garlic to the pan along with the thyme leaves and cook until the garlic is fragrant but not burnt!
Now use a spatula to scrape all of this garlicky-thyme-chicken livered goodness into the food processor with the chicken liver.
Season with salt and pepper and then blitz it for a few seconds until it’s lovely and smooth.
Throw in about 200g of softened butter cut into cubes and then blitz again until the butter is incorporated.
Taste and add more butter if necessary, or more seasoning if it needs it. This should be quite a mild tasting paté.
Now, pour into individual pots, or ramekins for a dinner party starter or into a large dish for sharing.
You can eat this straight away, if not serving it straight away, melt some of the left over butter and pour it over the top of the paté. Pouring the butter on the top will stop the paté from going bitter and turning an unappealing grey. If you don’t disturb the butter (unlikely), the paté should last up to two weeks in the fridge. Good luck with that one.
To make them look extra pretty lay a little piece of fresh thyme on top of the melted butter. Serve with toast, lovely hunks of French bread or melba toast.

Mangoes Drenched in a Lime Syrup

November 17, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

This recipe is simple but seriously effective.

It’s a recipe Darina Allen taught us at Ballymaloe and it’s a great little number to have up your sleeve. It may not sound like anything special, but trust me, this simple syrup will jazz up the most ordinary of fruit salads. You know what they say, don’t judge a book (recipe) by the way it sounds. Or something along those lines.

This syrup can be whipped up in seconds and used immediately or it will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge so you can have it on stand by in case anyone pops round demanding a pudding. It has been known to happen.

I’ve just used mangoes here, but the other day I used this syrup for a fruit salad of kiwis, mangoes, papaya and banana and served it with a dollop of coconut cream. It tasted like a Caribbean island. But less sandy.

Mangoes Drenched in a Lime Syrup

Author: Made By Margie

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 mango
110g sugar
125 ml water
1 lime, zest and juice

Instructions

All you have to do is pop the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar is all dissolved.
Bring gently to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the lime juice and the zest.
Allow the syrup to cool.
Peel the mango and cut into slices, or chunks, whichever you prefer.
Pop the mango in a bowl and then douse the mango in the syrup and leave to mingle for an hour or so in the fridge (that’s the mango and syrup mingling…not you. Don’t climb in the fridge).
Serve chilled.

Cheats Croissant with Ham, Tomato & Melted Cheese

November 17, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

These croissants were hot from the oven in less than 15 minutes.

Yes I faked it a bit with these croissants. I’m not ashamed to admit that (sometimes) I have better things to do with my time than slave for hours making my own croissant dough. So I bought ready made croissant dough from the shop. I’m not even the least bit ashamed to admit this. I’m proud in fact. By having the dough hot to trot in my fridge it meant I was licking the melted cheese from my lips in less than 15 mins. Not bad going.

These are perfect to make for brunch or even serve them for lunch or supper with a crisp green salad.

You can make as many of these goodies as you want, you normally get six in a pack of croissant dough.

Cheats Croissant with Ham, Tomato & Melted Cheese

Author: Made By Margie

Serves: 3 croissants

Ingredients

Half a packet of croissant dough
Three slices of ham
Handful of grated emmental, cheddar, or cheese of your choice
Half a ball of mozzarella
3 slices of tomato
dijonnaise, or mustard (optional)
1 beaten egg

Instructions

As always preheat you oven to 200C or fan 180C.
Prepare the dough…take it out of the fridge and pop it open. This bit I always find strangely satisfying.
Now, unroll your croissant dough and separate into triangles.
Now, if using,, spread your dijonnaise or mustard onto each triangle dough. If you haven’t tried dijonnaise before, you are missing out! It’s amazing, and I always have a pot in the fridge for slathering on sandwiches, steak or just about anything.
Now place a piece of ham onto each triangle.
Scatter on your grated cheese and a few blobs of torn mozzarella and add the sliced tomato.
Time to rock n roll. Roll from the longest end up towards to the point of the triangle.
They should vaguely look like croissants at this stage, but to make them extra croissanty (technical term) curve the edges round to make them more crescent shaped. I really stuffed mine so they found it a little hard to bend, a bit like me in a yoga class.
Now, place on a lined baking tray and brush with a beaten egg.
Pop in the oven for 10-12 mins until gorgeously golden and the cheese is all melted.

Devour!

Tuna Tartare with Avocado, Wasabi & Soy Served with Crispy Wontons…You Wont(on) Believe How Good This Is

November 16, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

Watch out Nobu. This dish is a knockout.

Healthy, quick, easy, delicious and involves no cooking whatsoever!

Tuna is an important source of omega 3’s and Omega-3s have a number of health benefits, including playing an important role in reducing inflammation throughout the body; in the blood vessels, the joints, and elsewhere. Plus it is thought that a diet high in tuna may improve your mood and save you stress. Avocados are one of my favourite foods and they are really good for you (in moderation). Avocadoes will leave you feeling fuller for longer and satisfied after your meal which means you shouldn’t be tempted to reach for the cookie jar later in the day, which in turn could help you lose weight!

So this is a stress-busting dish which could also help you to lose weight, what more could you want?

I served mine with crispy wantons, but any kind of flat bread would also be delicious, or it’s amazing on it’s own as well. But I think you will be surprised at how great the wanton wrappers work when cooked in this way.

Tuna Tartare with Avocado, Aasabi & Soy Served with Crispy Wontons…You Wont(on) Believe How Good This Is

Author: Made By Margie

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Tuna

1 large tuna steak approx. 150g (this needs to be sashimi quality as you’ll be eating it raw, so go to a fishmonger you trust)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon of wasabi paste (or powder)
1 tsp ginger paste (or 1 inch of fresh grated ginger)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 lime, zest and juice
small handful of coriander, chopped

Avocado

1 ½ avocado
1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
bunch of coriander, chopped
1 lime juice
salt

Wantons

6 wanton wrappers (you can buy these from any Asian Supermarket)
olive oil
salt
onion seeds, (nigella seeds)

Instructions

First, pop the soy sauce, wasabi, ginger, olive oil, coriander, lime zest and juice into a bowl. Don’t forget to get the most out of your lime by giving him a little massage, he will love it and in return you will get more juice.
Yes, I admit it, sometimes I use this easy Ginger paste, I’m not ashamed. I’m busy and this is great from time to time.
Now, cut your tuna steak into dice sized pieces and pop the cubes into the marinade.
Give it a good stir, cover and pop into the fridge for at least half an hour. These flavours will all be great friends but they need a bit of time to mingle and to get aquainted.
Meanwhile, prepare your avocado. Peel your avocados and cut them into cubes.
Now, mix the avocado with the sweet chilli, the soy sauce, the coriander and the lime juice. Season with some salt and taste. Adjust accordingly. Cover with clingfilm and pop in the fridge. The lime juice should stop the avocado from going brown.
Now if you are serving this with the wontons, preheat the oven to 200C,(180c fan) and cut your wonton squares into triangles.
Now brush with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and some onion seeds.
Cook for 8 mins until crispy and golden
These will keep in an air tight container for up to about 5 days, so can be made in advance to make your life even easier. Yay.
To assemble, I used my cheffy looking rings which make me feel like a professional chef. Oh wait. I am a professional. But I understand not everyone will have these rings, although I think you should consider getting some as they are really useful for beautiful presentation. Here are the ones I have:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/CHEFS-FOOD-RINGS-Stainless-Steel/dp/B003ZM6J1E
But I was thinking that there is no reason you couldn’t take the top and bottom of a sweetcorn can and use that to stack up your tuna and avocado towers. Or just arrange in neat piles on the plate, it will still look great.
Pop your tuna in the bottom of the ring and press down and then spoon the avocado on top and push this down too. Decorate with coriander leaves and arrange a couple of wontons on the plate as you carefully lift off the ring.

You’ll have Nobu quaking in its boots.

Sorry Nobu.

ChocoBananaRama Treat

November 15, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

This is definitely not a recipe, but it is one of my favourite treats.

I ate a lot of these as a child and I still love them now and eat them at least twice a week. I’m pretty sure these can count as one of your five-a-day….?

They only take a couple of minutes to make – and then you are ready to tuck into warm banana with ooozy gooey chocolate. Who wouldn’t like that? Well, people who don’t like bananas…my sister. But for other people…Yum. Serve with a dollop of ice cream and you could get away with serving them as a pudding.

I’ve just stuffed mine with plain milk chocolate here, as it happens to be my most favourite way to eat them. But after YEARS of research, I can assure you that all variety of chocolate bars work very well. You are welcome.

Two of my favourites are a mixture of white, milk and dark chocolate, or Mars Bars work like a dream

So, simply take a banana

And roll him into the recovery position.

You now want to remove a piece of banana skin about 1/2 cm wide. So slice two lines down the middle of the banana, and then peel this strip off.

Now cut your chocolate or chocolate bar of choice into shards.

Push the chocolate into the banana all the way along the length of the banana. Try not the pierce the banana skin as then the chocolate can escape out the bottom. You don’t want the chocolate to escape. Otherwise you might have to lick the microwave.

Now, pop your banana on a plate and microwave it for about 40 seconds and then open the door and then put it back in for another 1 minute. I’m not sure exactly why I do it like this…it’s just the technique I have honed over many years…Basically you want the chocolate to be all melted and delicious but you don’t want it to burn.

Scoop away my friend…

I am aware that this Chocobananarama treat is not going to win any beauty awards. The banana peel turns black in the microwave but then again “beauty is only skin deep”, “dont judge a book by its cover”, “there’s more to life than being beautiful”. These wise words were all written by people who saw the Chocobananarama and then tasted it. Fact. (Okay, so that’s not true, but basically it’s lip smackingly delicious so who cares what it looks like?!

Eat straight from the microwave standing in the kitchen. Or if you are a more sophisticated cat, serve with a dollop of ice cream and sit serenely at the table. Either way this is one of my most comforting easy to make treats and I hope you love it too.

Pan Seared Scallops with Chorizo & Cauliflower Puree

November 14, 2013 by Margie Broadhead Leave a Comment

“One should eat to live, not live to eat” Moliere. Au contraire Moliere, au contraire.

I can honestly say I truly believe Moliere would never have said this if he had tasted this dish. Bold claim, but frankly scallop, I don’t give a clam!

I think you’ll back me up once you’ve made it and devoured the lot. It’s a (self-proclaimed) delicious dish and is simple enough to whip up for yourself (because you’re worth it), but is also snazzy enough to serve at a dinner party. And dinner parties are all about the snazz. (That might not be a real word, but it should be)

Cauliflower puree is one of my most favourite things to eat and once you’ve tried it, I know you’ll think it a worthy competitor to trusty mashed potato. I would like to see a cauliflower and a potato battle it out in a boxing ring. Not that either of them would be very good at boxing. That would be silly. They don’t have arms.

Anyway, (clears throat), I would choose my cauliflower puree over mashed spuds any day

I definitely count this as a healthy dish and it’s deceptively simple to make.

You need 2 scallops per person for a starter or 4 per person for a main course

I’m going to give the recipe for the starter option, but this is a very easy recipe to double up on and exact measures are not necessary so give it a go!

Pan Seared Scallops with Chorizo & Cauliflower Puree

Author: Made By Margie

Serves: 4 People

Ingredients

8 scallops
225g chorizo ring, sliced into 8 slices
1 large cauliflower
About 150g butter
Handful chopped parsley
Generous slug of cream, NOT a slug who likes giving presents
Salt and pepper
Pint of milk (optional)
1 lemon, half cut into wedges, the other half left as it is

Instructions

First things first, start by making the cauliflower puree. Chop your cauliflower into chunks, if you are a thuggins like me. Or you can be more refined and carefully break your cauliflower into delicate florets.
Either way you get there, pop your cauliflower into a pan.
I like to cook the cauliflower in milk as I think it makes for a smoother, creamier puree. Imagine how happy you would be after a bath in warm milk, and our aim is to make the cauliflower as happy as possible. But if you just use water it will still be delicious….just not as delicious as mine. But definitely still delicious.
Bring the milk/water to the boil and then simmer for about 25 mins or until the cauliflower is really tender.
Test this by piercing the thickest stalkiest bit of cauliflower with a knife and it should go easily through. To get a smooth puree, you do need the cauliflower to be really soft.
Then strain the cauliflower and most likely get a steamy facial at the same time. Two birds, one stone.
Now, this next stage is optional, but I really think it makes all the difference, and in the grand scheme of things is very little faff.
Melt a knob of butter in the cauliflower pan and once its melted throw in your drained cauliflower.
You want to cook it for about 5 minutes on a medium-high heat, stirring every minute or so. You don’t want the cauliflower to burn (obviously) but it’s okay if it gets a little bit coloured. By the end it should be really smooshy and buttery. Yum
Now either tip the cauliflower into a food processor, or use a handheld stick blender to puree the cauliflower. Throw in a generous lump of butter and a generous slug of cream, season with salt and pepper and whizz until smooth and creamy.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Try not to eat the whole lot now.
This can be made a couple of days in advance and kept covered in the fridge to make this dish even easier. To serve, either pop it in a microwaveable bowl and blitz for about 2 mins until piping hot, or tip it into a baking dish and warm through in the oven at about 170 C for about 25 mins (make sure it is gently warming, not bubbling too much)
Right, now, when your guests are chatting amongst themselves, you just need to disappear to the kitchen for 5 minutes. Take a large frying pan, preferably non-stick if you have one. Put it on a high heat, but don’t add any oil.
When the pan is hot, add your sliced chorizo and fry for a minute or so until it is lightly golden and ever so slightly crispy.
Tip onto a plate and cover with some tin foil to keep it warm. A little tin foil blanket if you will.
Now, don’t worry about cleaning the pan, just throw in a little knob of butter and a glug of olive oil and heat until the pan is smoking ever so slightly.
Whilst the pan is heating up, season your scallops with salt and then carefully place them into the hot pan. They should sizzle sexily when you add them, if they don’t sizzle they aren’t sexy enough, the pan is not quite hot enough so just hang on a bit and then try again.
Now cook for about 1 minute and 30 seconds – don’t be tempted to move them around, you want them to get a lovely crust on one side, so look at your watch or count to ninety.
Now carefully flip the scallops over and cook for about another minute.
Don’t overcook them – scallops are better undercooked than overcooked, when you press on them they should still be bouncy, if they are firm then they are over cooked. If you are unsure, you can always take one out and slice into it, it should be translucent in the middle (no shame in doing this, and you can always serve this one to yourself). Obviously scallops vary in size, so this is only a guide, but if you buy lovely fresh largish scallops from the fishmonger, this recipe will stand you in good stead.
Now, squeeze half the lemon onto the scallops and remove the scallops from the pan and add to the chorizo plate.
Turn the heat off and sprinkle the parsley in the pan.
Spoon on about 2 tablespoons of cauliflower puree onto each plate.
Place 2 scallops and 2 slices of chorizo onto the puree.
Spoon over the buttery, parsley sauce from the pan onto the scallops.
Garnish with a lemon wedge and sprinkle with pea shoots (I KNOW I’m obsessed with pea shoots…I need help).

Restaurant worthy dish in no time at all!

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