Crazy Englishwoman Cooks!

Nic has this odd obsession with potpies. Tell him you're having pie for dinner and you would think that Santa had just come down the chimney! And since in my mind there are few scents in the world as wonderful as curry, this pie suits us both perfectly.

Curried Beef Potpie

1 lb lean boneless beef chuck, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tsp vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbs curry powder
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 beef flavored bouillon cube
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbs cornstarch
1 package (10 oz) frozen peas - alternatively skip the carrots listed above and use one of those wonderfully handy bags of frozen peas and carrots.
2 sheets pastry (make your own if you wish)

In nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high heat; add beef and cook until browned on all sides. Stir in garlic and curry powder; cook 1 minute longer.

Transfer beef mixture to bowl. In same skillet, heat remaining 1 tsp oil; add carrots and onion and cook 10 minutes, or until browned.

Add beef, bouillon, salt, and 1-1/4 cups water. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 minutes.

In cup, mix cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; gradually add to skillet. Cook over high heat stirring, until mixture thickens; boil 1 minute. Stir in peas; remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Use pastry to line your pie dish. This is where I have to rave for a minute about my Pampered Chef stoneware pie dish. I used to love Pyrex until I had several experiences of so-called Pyrex shattering. I now have a cranberry colored stoneware dish from pampered Chef and I adore it. It is deep enough to make a really nicely filled pie; it looks good enough to take straight to the table, and it's easy to clean. When my budget allows, I also plan on buying the stoneware roasting dish. OK, back to the recipe....

Spoon filling into crust. Trim pastry edge, leaving 1-inch overhang.

Roll remaining dough into 10-inch round; cut into 1-2-inch wide strips. Place half of strip about 3/4 inch apart across pie; do not seal ends. Fold every other strip back halfway from center.

Place center cross strip on pie; replace folded part of strips. Fold back alternate strips; add second cross strip. Repeat to weave strips into lattice. Seal ends. Fold overhang under; make fluted edge. Bake on cookie sheet 35 minutes, or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

No pictures, I hear you cry. Well, we ploughed into this pretty darn quickly, and although we still have half left, it now looks like the mangled results of feeding time at the zoo... so go make your own and marvel at how pretty and tasty it is.

Some days, you don't want anything particularly fancy for dinner; you just want something you can mix together and toss in the oven. The following recipe, from the recent Hairy Bikers show, is one of those types of recipes. Mix everything and cook for half an hour. Want to spice it up a bit? Just add some spices, chilis or whatever you have handy.

4 cups cubed cooked chicken
3 cups chopped celery
1 Red Pepper – seeded and chopped
1 Yellow Pepper – seeded and chopped
1 large chopped onion
1 can chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
4 tbs lemon juice
1 cup grated cheese
2 cups crushed potato chisps
Salt & pepper

Gently fry chopped onion and pepper in a little oil for a few minutes.
Toss together with chicken, celery, mayonnaise, chicken soup, lemon juice and seasoning.
Place in a buttered ovenproof dish.
Mix together the cheese and crisps and sprinkle over the top.
Bake in the oven at 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4 for about half an hour until hot.

Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean you can't pretend it's summer with a nice fruity smoothie, loaded with vitamins and antioxidants.

1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup raspberries
1/4 cup blackberries or blueberries
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup ice (if you're using frozen berries, you can skip the ice)

Place ingredients in the order listed in a blender. Pulse twice to chop the fruit, stir well, then blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

YUM!

Nic loves Red Velvet Cake and when I saw this recipe in Woman's Day magazine, I had to give it a try. I love the little hidden surprise inside. It's also inspired me to try other surprise cupcakes, perhaps chocolate with peanut butter frosting and a Reeses cup inside.

For 20-24 cupcakes, you need:
o 24 chocolate Hershey’s Kisses or Hugs candies
o 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened
o 1 1/2 cups sugar
o 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
o 1 tsp baking soda
o 1 tsp salt
o 1 tsp vanilla extract
o 2 large eggs
o 1 cup buttermilk
o 2 Tbs (1 oz) liquid red food color
o 2 tsp white vinegar
o 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting
o 2 bricks (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
o 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
o 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
o 1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350°F. You’ll need 24 regular-size cupcake cases. Put 1 Hershey's Kiss in the center of each case.



In a large bowl with mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla for 2 minutes until creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended.

Stir buttermilk, food color and vinegar in a 2-cup measure until well blended. This will give you a wonderfully gruesome looking red liquid!



With mixer on low speed, beat in flour in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions, beating just until blended. Spoon a 1⁄4 cup batter over candy in each cup, being careful to keep the candy in center.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes, then remove from pan to rack. Cool completely.



To make the frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. On low speed, add icing sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat until smooth and fluffy.

This actually made a HUGE amount of frosting, far too much for the cupcakes I had made so the remainder is in the fridge for a cheesecake later in the week.

Frost cupcakes. Even though it was Valentine's Day, I could not find any cute little red hearts to decorate these with so I used red sugar.

The cupcakes are delicious and I adore cream cheese frosting. Sadly, there are only two of us and Nic was supposed to be flying to Texas today (since canceled because of snow) so he couldn't take them into work. Our waistlines may be expanding rapidly!

We have a tradition for Valentine's Day. I love to cook and I can think of nothing less romantic than an overcrowded restaurant and an overpriced meal, so each year I cook for Valentine's Day.

This year, I gave hubby a selection of recipes to choose from and he pointed to a pic of Beef Wellington. "Let's have that!"

OK then.

Of course, being a curious chappie, Nic wanted to know why it is called Beef Wellington so I have done a little research. Short answer: no one really knows. Some say it was named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Others say it was simply a nice patriotic name for a French dish at a time when Wellesley was kicking Napoleon's butt on the battlefield. And then some say it's names after the boots! (Not seeing that one myself).

Anyway, history lesson over. On to the food. It's actually a much less complicated dish than I expected and as I share the recipe, I'll also share my tips for making it even easier.

You need:

1 lb beef tenderloin fillet - I could not find this at my local store (how I miss English butchers) so I used a top round steak which worked wonderfully.
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 lb mushrooms (The original recipe called for cremini but I used mini bellas)
4 thin slices prosciutto
2 Tbs mustard (this is where you can subtly play with the flavor of the dish - I used my stout mustard)
7 oz puff pastry
2 egg yolks, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan on high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Sear the fillet in the pan on all sides until well browned. You don't want to cook it through but you want to seal the meat. Remove the fillet from the pan and let cool. Once cooled, brush with mustard.

Chop the mushrooms and puree in a food processor. Heat a large pan on medium high heat. Scrape the mushroom puree into the pan and cook down, allowing the mushrooms to release their moisture. When the moisture has boiled away, let the mushrooms cool.



Take a large piece of plastic wrap. Lay the slices of ham on the plastic wrap so that they overlap. Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham. Place the beef fillet in the middle and CAREFULLY roll the mushroom and ham over the fillet, using the plastic wrap. This is probably the trickiest part. Wrap up the beef fillet twisting the ends of the plastic wrap to secure. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Roll out the puff pastry sheet to a size that will wrap around the beef fillet. Unwrap the fillet from the plastic wrap and place in the middle of the pastry dough. Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten eggs. Fold the pastry around the fillet, cutting off any excess at the ends. Chill for 5-10 minutes. Place the pastry-wrapped fillet on a baking pan. NOW: this is all very well but then you are trying to move a rather delicate pastry package from place to place without it breaking. My advice is to put it in the baking tray as you roll it.

Brush the exposed surface again with beaten eggs. Score the pastry with a sharp knife, not going all the way through. Bake for 25-35 minutes. The pastry should be nicely golden when done and the meat should be a nice medium rare. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.



The following recipe for Bordelaise Sauce was the accompaniment. I'll be honest - I found it a touch too rich. Next time, I'll just use a nice mushroom gravy.

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt 3 tbs butter. Add 1 tbs onion until tender. Stir in 3 tbs flour; cook until lightly browned. Add parsley, thyme, and black pepper. Slowly stir in one 10-1/2 oz can condensed beef broth, 1/2 cup red wine, and 1/4 cup water. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce boils and thickens.

We had our Beef Wellington with scalloped potatoes and vegetables. Very nice and leftovers tonight.

Come back tomorrow to see what we had for dessert.

We've got two recipes today. Last night I made chicken in a pineapple bourbon sauce. It needed a side dish, so we also have baked rice pilaf. Try them together or alone.

Brown Rice Pilaf

2 tbs butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup brown rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
dash garam masala
snack box of raisins

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion until tender and it begins to turn golden in color. Add rice and sauté, stirring, until onions begin to brown. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in salt, pepper, raisins, and garam masala. Transfer to a covered baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour, until rice is tender.

Bourbon Chicken

Serves 2

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp garlic saltr
1 cup pineapple juice
3 Tbs bourbon whiskey (I used Buffalo Trace but use whatever you prefer)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbs brown sugar

Saute chicken over medium high heat until cooked through (no longer pink).
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, garlic powder, pineapple juice, whiskey, pepper and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved and pour over chicken. Let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until sauce is thickened to taste.

Head over to Hail Britannia to read that the USDA may be reconsidering its ban on haggis in the US.

Which leads me to 2 questions....

Will they also allow kidneys to be sold now?

Will I finally be allowed to donate blood?

There's something about bacon that just makes anything better. Cheese dip? Add bacon. Salad? Add bacon. Bacon butty? Add more bacon! So it goes without saying that these bacon dumplings were absolutely delicious. It also sounds very fancy but takes very little preparation.

The recipe is courtesy of Atora Suet.

Chicken in White Wine with Bacon Dumplings
Serves: 6

2 oz Plain Flour
8 oz button onions, peeled
6 tbsp vegetable oil
8 oz button mushrooms, wiped but left whole
8 oz chicken pieces
salt & freshly ground black pepper
½ pt dry white wine
garlic clove, peeled and crushed
½ pt chicken stock
bay leaves

Dumplings:
2 oz Suet
4 oz Self Raising Flour, sifted
bacon rashers, grilled and chopped finely
1 tsp grainy mustard
a little cold water, to mix

Preheat the oven to 325ºF, Gas Mark 3.

If you've never used little button onions before, you're in for a treat. To peel them, place in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Rinse, chop off the ends and the skin comes off easily. Be warned though - I had no idea these little gems would make my eyes stream so much!

Fry the onions in half the vegetable oil until golden brown, then add the mushrooms and fry for a further 2 minutes. Place into a large oven proof dish.

Coat the pieces of chicken with the seasoned flour. Shake off any residue. Heat the remaining oil and brown the chicken all over. Transfer the chicken into the oven proof dish.

Slowly pour the white wine and garlic into the frying pan and bring to the boil, stirring so you get all the sediment from the base of the pan. Pour over the chicken joints.

Add the chicken stock and season well before finally adding the bay leaves.

Cover and place into the preheated oven and cook for 1-1¼ hours or until the chicken is tender. Discard the bay leaves.

Meanwhile, mix all the dumpling ingredients together in a bowl and bind with enough cold water to make a firm dough. You'll notice that no amount is given for the bacon rashers - I used 4 and that worked out just right.

Roll the dough into 12 small balls with lightly floured hands. Place the dumplings into the casserole 15-20 minutes before the end of cooking. Keep the casserole covered during cooking as this gives a much fluffier dumpling.

I make no apologies for the seasonal, Christmas plate in the picture. I love my poinsettia plates and they look so festive it seemed a shame to put them away.

We know oatmeal is healthy but let's face it - sometimes it's just plain boring. Luckily, I've recently discovered a recipe, courtesy of Delish, that is warming, quick, healthy, full of antioxidants, and tastes great.

Here's what you need for one person:

2 tbs quick-cooking barley (Boy, did I have a hard time finding this in the US)
2 tbs bulgur
2 tbs old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup water
2 tbs raisins
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 tbs chopped walnuts or pecans
Low-fat milk (optional)

In microwave-safe bowl, combine barley, bulgur, oats, and water. Microwave on High 2 minutes. Stir in raisins and cinnamon; microwave 3 minutes longer. Stir, then top with walnuts. Serve with milk if you like.

The flavor is wonderfully nutty and you can play around with it. No raisins? Add a different fruit. A dash of maple syrup perhaps.

Whatever you do to it, I've found my new favorite winter breakfast.