Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Mary Berry’

Mustard Spiced Beef

Posted in Beef, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 5 February 2023| Leave a Comment »

A good make-ahead dish for a crowd, subtley spiced with curry powder and Dijon mustard. We served it with dauphinoise potatoes and green veg. The Chantenay carrots look nice if you can find them, but if not just cut some regular carrots into chunky pieces. We’ve made this dish quite a few times now, and everytime prior to this have forgotten to take a photo. Reliably tasty every time, the shin really adds extra depth of flavour and creates a glossy sauce so is worth seeking out if you can

Wine Suggestion: A good Côtes du Rhône red, like our new find from Domaine Roche in Cairanne.

Mustard spiced beef – serves 6

  • 1tbsp sunflower oil
  • 900g beef shin, cut into 2 cm pieces
  • 2 large onions, chopped
  • 150g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp medium curry powder
  • 1 tbsp muscovado sugar
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 25g plain flour
  • 600ml beef stock
  • 450g Chantenay carrots
  • a handful of flatleaf parsley, chopped, to serve

Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3.

Pat the beef pieces dry with kitchen paper and season well with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and brown the beef in batches and remove with a slotted spoon.

Add the onions and mushrooms to the pan and cook for a few minutes until starting to soften.

Put the mustard, curry powder, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and flour into a bowl and add 75ml of the stock. Whisk until smooth.

Add the rest of the stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Spoon about half the hot stock into the mustard mixture and whisk until smooth, then pour the mixture back into the pan, whisking over a high heat until thickened.

Return the meat to the pan. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid, and put into the oven for 2-2½ until the meat is tender.

Meanwhile, cook the carrots in boiling salted water for a few minutes or until just tender. Drain and refresh in cold water and set aside.

When ready to serve, bring the casserole to the boil on the hob and taste for seasoning. Add the carrots and boil for a few minutes to ensure they are heated through. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, and serve.

(Original recipe from Mary Berry Cooks up a Feast with Lucy Young, DK: Penguin Random House, 2010.)

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

Pasta with Pancetta, Broad Beans & Mascarpone

Posted in Food, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 26 July 2022| Leave a Comment »

A delicious creamy pasta dish which is ready in minutes, and very useful when you’ve got leftover mascarpone.

Wine Suggestion: Anytime we have pasta our automatic choice is an Italian wine, and with all these summery flavours opened a bottle of Macchialupa Greco di Tufo from the hills and valleys inland from Naples. Quite full bodied for a white it nonetheless added an extra layer to the meal with it’s stonefruit and citrus flavours and nutty (almond & hazelnut) finish. Despite it’s weight it was also fresh and tasted of a warm Italian summer.

Pasta with pancetta, broad beans & mascarpone – serves 6

  • 300g conchiglie pasta
  • 200g frozen broad beans, blanched in boiling water and skins slipped off
  • 200g green beans, sliced into three
  • 140g pancetta cubes
  • 250g tub mascarpone cheese
  • 75g grated Parmesan
  • juice of 1 small lemon
  • a small bunch of basil leaves, torn

Cook the pasta in lots of boiling and very salty water according to the timings on the pack. Add the green beans 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan and cook the pancetta until crispy. Stir in the mascarpone and Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.

Scoop out a cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta and beans. Add the pasta, green beans and broad beans to the frying pan and add 6 tbsp of the pasta cooking water (you can add a bit more if it needs loosened further). Add the lemon juice and basil, then season with salt and pepper.

Serve with the rest of the Parmesan sprinkled over.

(Original recipe from Mary Berry Cooks up a Feast with Lucy Young, DK: Penguin Random House, 2019.)

Read Full Post »

Chicken and Courgettes with Creamy Mushroom and Tarragon Sauce

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 24 July 2022| Leave a Comment »

It’s courgettes from now on in our house as we have them growing in our little garden and can hardly eat them fast enough. This dish is simple but really delicious – highly recommended. Serve with rice or potatoes.

Wine Suggestion: we’re quite fond of the wines of Hungary and think they’re unfairly overlooked, especially the reds which combine an earthy spice, quite often with a real sophistication and elegance. A new find is Csaba and Csilla Sebestyén’s Sekszárd Cuvée, a blend of Kékfrankos, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The latter two grapes have found a new spiritual home in the south of Hungary and the first a local grape with bags of character.

Chicken and courgettes with creamy mushroom and tarragon sauce – serves 6

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 5 small chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 medium courgettes, cut into thick batons
  • 350g button mushrooms, quartered
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 200ml dry white wine
  • 200ml double cream
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 heaped tbsp freshly chopped tarragon

Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, then fry the chicken in batches until well-browned on all sides, then remove from the pan and set aside. You may need to add a bit more oil.

Add the onion and cook over a high heat for a few minutes until nicely coloured, then cover the pan with a lid and leave the onions to cook on a low heat for about 15 minutes or until soft. Turn the heat up again and add the courgettes, mushrooms and garlic and fry for a few minutes until softened. Scoop the veg out of the pan and set aside with the chicken.

Add the wine to the pan and boil over a high heat until reduced to about 4 tbsp. Stir in the cream and simmer again for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan for a couple of minutes to heat through. Stir through the chopped tarragon and serve.

(Original recipe from Mary Berry Cooks Up a Feast with Lucy Young, DK: Penguin Random House, 2019.)

Read Full Post »

Hot Cross Buns

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 5 April 2021| Leave a Comment »

We like the occasional Hot Cross Bun … warm with a wedge of butter on it, but often find the shop-bought ones too sweet. This version, however, has all the flavour and texture but eases up on the sugar. Best eaten on the day you make them as they lose a bit of freshness that toasting will fix. Not a problem though as we suspect the warm buns will tempt even the most jaded HCB eaters out there. It’s a pretty easy recipe too, though Jono reckons he’ll get the crosses better next time.

Hot Cross Buns, makes 12 buns

  • 450g strong white flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground mixed spice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp grated nutmeg
  • 20g fresh yeast, or 7g fast-action dried yeast
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 50g butter, melted and cooled
  • 150ml tepid milk
  • 5 tbsp tepid water
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 75g currants
  • 50g chopped mixed peel

For the cross:

  • 50g plain flour
  • 25g soft butter

To Glaze:

  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp water

Measure the flour, salt, spices, sugar and dried yeast (if using), into a large bowl and stir to mix and then make a well in the centre.

If using fresh yeast, mix this with the milk and water until combined. Pour the butter, the beaten egg, milk and water into the well followed by the currants and mixed peel. Mix to a soft dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Transfer to an oiled bowl and cover with oiled clingfilm. Keep in a warm room and leave to rise for 1.5 hours and until it has doubled in size.

Lightly grease 2 baking trays.

When the dough has risen turn out onto a lightly floured work surface again and knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide into 12 equal pieces and shape into round buns.

Make a cross in the top of each bun with a knife then place on the prepared baking trays and cover with oiled clingfilm. Leave to rise again in a warm place for 30 minutes. Pre-heat an oven to 220C/200C fan.

While the buns are rising make the pastry for the crosses by mixing the flour and butter with a little water and roll out. Cut into thin strips and place into the cuts on the top of the buns.

Bake the buns for about 15 minutes until brown and hollow sounding when the base is tapped.

While the buns are baking make the glaze by dissolving the sugar in the water over a gentle heat. As soon as the buns come out of the oven brush them all over with the glaze.

It may be hard to resist, so don’t … cut one open and spread with butter before eating.

(Original recipe from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, BBC Books, 2009.)

Read Full Post »

Gingerbread Traybake

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 21 March 2021| Leave a Comment »

Jono has taken to baking in lockdown, not something we do much of normally. You can’t beat the smell of this baking in the oven. The recipe makes loads so you may not get through it all straight away, but don’t worry, gently warm in an oven for 5 minutes and serve with a dollop of cream and it’ll last a week or more.

Gingerbread Traybake 

  • 275g golden syrup
  • 275g black treacle
  • 225g light muscovado sugar
  • 225g softened butter
  • 450g self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp ground mixed spice
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 4 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 160C/Fan 140C/Gas 3. 

Grease a 30 x 23cm traybake or roasting tin and line with baking parchment. 

Put the syrup, treacle, sugar and butter in a large pan and heat gently until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour and spices. Add the beaten eggs and milk, and beat until smooth, then pour into the prepared tin. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake has shrunk from the sides of the tin and springs back when pressed in the centre with your fingertips. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack. 

(Original recipe from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, BBC Book, 1993.)

Read Full Post »

Coffee & Walnut Cake

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 15 February 2021| Leave a Comment »

We don’t do much baking but we’ve managed more than usual with all of these lockdowns. This old-fashioned coffee and walnut cake is a favourite of Jules’ and was really straightforward to make – even for us baking novices. 

Coffee & Walnut Cake

  • 100g softened butter
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 1 level tsp baking powder
  • 50g chopped walnuts
  • 1 tbsp coffee extract (or 2 tsp instant coffee granules mixed with 1 tbsp hot water. Use a bit more in the cake mix than in the icing)

FOR THE ICING: 

  • 75g softened butter
  • 225g sifted icing sugar
  • 2 tsp milk
  • 2 tsp coffee extract
  • 8 walnut halves, to decorate

Heat the oven to 160C/Gas 4.

Grease two 18cm sandwich tins and line the base of each with baking paper. 

Put all the cake ingredients into a bowl and beat until well blended and smooth. 

Divide the cake mix between the sandwich tins and level the surface. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until well risen and the top springs back when pressed lightly with a finger. Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then turn out, peel off the paper and finish cooling on a wire rack. 

To make the icing, beat the butter, sifted icing sugar, milk and coffee essence in a bowl until smooth. 

When the cakes are completely cold sandwich them together with half the icing and use the rest for the top. Decorate with the walnuts. 

(Original recipe from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, BBC Books, 2009.)

 

Read Full Post »

Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni

Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 17 January 2021| Leave a Comment »

We have a 7 year old at home who is usually very good at eating pretty much anything we put in front of her. Recently though, she’s gone a bit fussy and very plain in her requests. We’re remaining calm and trying to cook some kid-friendly food to coax her back to her adventurous self. Served with salad and garlic bread, the dish was scraped clean.

Wine Suggestion: Youthful, Italian reds are the order of the day, be it a Sangiovese or Montepulciano, or tonight’s choice of Barbera from Pico Maccario in the Piedmont.

Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni – serves 6

  • butter for greasing the dish
  • 18 cannelloni tubes (you can use a few more if you have extra filling and enough room in your dish)
  • 30g Parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra to serve

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 300ml chicken stock or veg stock
  • 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 60g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 500g spinach leaves, chopped
  • 500g ricotta cheese
  • ¼ tsp grated nutmeg

Make the tomato sauce first by heating the oil in a saucepan, then adding the celery, onion, carrot and garlic. Cook gently for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the stock, tomatoes and tomato purée, then season well with salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer, stirring now and then, for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling by heating the oil in a large pan, then add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the spinach and cook over a high heat for a couple of minute until completely wilted. Cool slightly, then stir in the ricotta, nutmeg and plenty of seasoning.

Purée the tomato sauce in a food processor, then stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.

Grease a large ovenproof dish in which the cannelloni tubes can lie in a single layer.

Spoon the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Two teaspoons works best for this; 1 to spoon the filling into the tube, and use the opposite end of the other spoon to push the filling down into the tube.

Arrange the filled cannelloni in the dish, then cover with the tomato sauce and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, then serve with extra Parmesan on top.

(Original recipe from Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook, DK, 1995.)

Read Full Post »