The Best Recipes

Pan-Fried Pork Fillet Pear Chips and Mashed Kumara and Carrot

theflyingchef — Sun, 18 May 2008 09:56:00 +0000

This is a wonderful tasting dish it is a little more time consuming because of frying the pear slices, but the end result is well worth it. The entire meal can still be on the table in 40-45 Min’s, so it not that huge of a recipe either. My hubby really enjoys this one and you will be surprised how tender the pork comes out cooking on the stove in this manner, as I usually marinate and roast pork or have a basting sauce.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards and Mezzaluna Boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

800g Pork fillet
2 Red chilies, finely chopped (add as few or as many seeds as you like)
1 Cup pear juice
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Teaspoon chicken stock granules
2 Teaspoons cornflour
Pepper to taste
2 Medium pears
1/4 Cup vegetable oil

Kumara and Carrot Mash

750g Kumara, roughly chopped (sweet potato)
200g Carrots, roughly chopped
40g Butter
3 Tablespoons cream
1 Tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped or 1 Teaspoon dried
Pepper to taste

Method

1. Make pear chips first, slice pears with v-slicer or mandoline

2. Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large frying pan, shallow fry pear slices, in batches, until crisp, drain on absorbent paper

Pork

1. While kumara and carrot are cooking, heat a small amount of olive oil in a large frying pan add pork fillet and brown on all sides.

2. Turn heat down, cook covered an extra 15-20 Min’s or until cooked as desired. (remember pork will keep cooking whilst standing)

3. Remove pork and wrap in foil to keep warm.

4. In the same pan add chili, pear juice and vinegar,bring to the boil, add stock reduce heat to a simmer.

5. Mix a little water with cornflour, add to sauce and stir until mixture thickens, serve with pork.

Kumara and Carrot Mash

1. Before you start the pork heat some water in a pan add chopped kumara and carrot boil until tender, drain.

2. Add kumara, carrot, butter and cream to a large bowl and mash until smooth, stir in sage and pepper.

3. Mash can be reheated in a microwave so this could be made ahead of time if desired.

To Serve: Slice pork thickly place atop pear chips and serve mash on the side.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Tandoori Chicken Legs with Coconut Rice

theflyingchef — Sat, 17 May 2008 15:29:00 +0000

This is a very simple recipe which tastes great and smells wonderful while cooking as you get the spicy smell from the tandoori and the sweet smell from the coconut rice. It does not take long to prepare you can either toss chicken in yogurt and tandoori paste and get cooking or if you want to infuse marinate for a few hours. So it is a great after work fast meal or throw it all in zip lock bag in the morning before you leave and just pop it in the oven when you get in.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted camphor laurel chopping and cheese boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients
8-12 Drumsticks (depending on whether you want to serve 2 or 3 per person.)
1/2 Cup tandoori paste
1/2 Cup yogurt
1 3/4 Cups white long grain rice
1 1/4 Cups water
400ml coconut cream
2 Tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped roughly
3 Green onions, sliced thinly

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200c

2. Either combine tandoori paste and yogurt in a large bowl, add chicken toss to coat or remove bag from fridge if you chose to marinate.

3. Place chicken in a large baking dish, cook uncovered, about 25-30 Min’s or until cooked through, baste occasionally.

4. While chicken is cooking, combine rice, water and coconut cream in a saucepan, bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, reduce heat, simmer covered, about 20 Min’s or until rice is tender, stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

5. Remove from heat add chopped onion stir gently to combine, cover and stand for 5 Min’s.

To Serve: Place spoonfuls of rice on plate top with chicken, sprinkle coriander over. Serve mint yogurt raita on the side if you desire.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Lamb Racks with Mustard Maple Glaze and Roasted Vegetables

theflyingchef — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:12:00 +0000

This is a super simple meal just throw it all in a roasting pan and roast until done, so it is a wonderful no fuss meal. Depending on how thick you cut the vegetables, if you cut into thicker chunks you will have to par boil or they will not be cooked when the lamb is done. Make sure to keep them in about the 2cm cube size and it can all go in together and will all come out cooked beautifully.

Ingredients

4 x 4 French trimmed lamb cutlet racks
2 Cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2 Medium parsnips (500g), cut into 2cm cubes
2 Medium kumara (500g), cut into 2cm cubes
1/2 Cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Mustard Maple Glaze

50g butter
80ml Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons wholegrain mustard

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200c

Make mustard maple glaze

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, cook, stirring, until slightly thickened

Lamb

1. Make slits in the lamb, press garlic slices into slits, brush glaze over lamb racks. You will use about 2 tablespoons for this.

2. Combine remaining glaze with parsnip and kumara in a bowl.

3. Place vegetables in a baking dish top with lamb racks, roast, uncovered, about 20-25 Min’s or until vegetables are tender and lamb is cooked as desired.

4. Stir parsley into vegetables; serve with lamb.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Finally the Time Has Come

theflyingchef — Fri, 16 May 2008 07:42:43 +0000

For all those who have shown interest in my Eco friendly chopping and cheese boards my site is finally finished and live. I will be emailing those of you have contacted me personally with interest regarding these products. All prices shown are inclusive of local taxes and include shipping throughout Europecontact me part on the site if you wish items shipped to another country, for a quote. I am so excited that I can finally show people these beautiful boards, that are not only Eco friendly, but have a naturally occurring anti-bacterial property that makes them one of the safest food preparation surfaces to work on.

Please clickthis link to go direct to my site. Here are just a couple of examples of the boards so please go to my site to visit my full range.

Asian Stir-Fried Mussels and Prawns

theflyingchef — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:06:00 +0000

This is a quick and easy meal to do, it tastes great and is a nice light meal. Please note: I cooked this in a wok so if you are using a large frying pan, cooking times will vary as woks get very hot. I love mussels, but please make sure you do remove beards and scrub thoroughly as you will end up with a not nice fish smell in your food if you don’t. I find if your mussels are very dirty with lots of barnacles on them, than you can not remove, it is often better to boil them separately and add at the end to warm. This way any grit or dirt that remains, ends up in your water not your stir-fry I have done this before, my mussels I bought yesterday were very clean so this was not necessary.

If you have seen my recent post on my cheese and cutting boards you will know I am about to go live with my official website shortly. So I am going to be posting pictures of some of the range of boards I currently have in stock, just to give you an idea on the beauty of them until I can post my web address. If you want more information on them go to Chopping and Cheese board

Ingredients

1.4kg Mussels
500g Medium green prawns (peeled and deveined, weight is with shell on)
1-2 Tablespoons peanut oil (I didn’t measure it looked about 11/2 TBS)
2 Teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
2 Large shallots, chopped finely
3 Red chilies, sliced thinly (add as many or few seeds as you like, taste after each addition you can always add more but once you have realised it is too spicy you can’t remove.)
1 Teaspoon ground turmeric
150ml Ketjap manis, also known as kecap manis (please do not use regular soy sauce it is way to salty and ketjap manis is a sweet Indonesian soy sauce.)
1 Teaspoon fish granules
200ml Water
2 Tablespoons lime juice
300g Bean sprouts
1/2 Cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons extra coriander, roughly chopped for garnish
3 Tablespoons parsley

Method

1. Thoroughly scrub mussels and remove beards

2. Heat oil in a wok, stir-fry shallots, garlic, ginger, chili and turmeric, until mixture is fragrant.

3. Add ketjap manis, water, stock, bring to the boil.

4. Add mussels and prawns, reduce heat, simmer covered, about 5 Min’s or until mussels open (discard any that don’t.)

5. Add lime juice, sprouts and parsley, cook a couple Min’s until sprouts are just tender but still have a great crunch.

6. Stir in coriander.

To Serve: Either place in large serving bowl and sprinkle with the extra coriander or divide among 4 individual serving bowls and sprinkle each with coriander.

Don’t forget to put a large bowl on the table for shells.

Serves 4

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Miso Salmon

theflyingchef — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:43:00 +0000

I found this during my recipe swap it was from another zaar member who was not in my group, so I tagged it try and it was excellent. I made a couple of changes, I did the ingredients the recipe stated, then when the fish was just about cooked I removed and topped with the panko flakes. I then placed under the grill for a couple of minutes to crisp them even better, and to give a more golden brown colour than just from the pan. I poured sauce on the plate and then topped it with the salmon. So I could enjoy the crispness of the flakes as well as the taste of the fabulous sauce. If you want to read more reviews or see more more photos of this recipe click here.

Ingredients

16 Ounces salmon fillet (1-inch thick)
1/4 Cup miso
1/4 Cup rice vinegar
1/4 Cup sake
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Teaspoon freshly grated gingerroot
1/2 Cup panko

Method

1. In shallow dish, combine miso, rice vinegar, sake, light brown sugar, sugar, soy sauce and ginger to create marinade. Place salmon skin up into dish and marinade for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F.

3. Remove salmon and shake off excess marinade. Place fish meat up on baking dish or roasting pan lined with aluminum foil and bake for about 10-12 minutes. Toast bread crumbs in non-stick pan for about 2 minutes till golden brown and then sprinkle on top of salmon about 2 minutes before fish is done. In small saucepan, warm the leftover marinade into a condensed sauce and drizzle on or around your salmon.

I served mine with Japanese style spinach.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Peppered Fillet Steaks with Creamy Bourbon Sauce

theflyingchef — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:40:00 +0000

This is a lovely recipe it is easy to make and the sauce goes so well with the steaks. I have not cooked steaks a lot recently as they have put the price of fillet up so much at the grocery store. I found some the other day that was still the same price as usual so I thought I would have a treat. They were so good I did buy a big chunk of fillet, so I could cut it into really thick steaks as I love them. I served mine over spinach and cauliflower mash and it was just right, you can find a recipe for cauliflower puree under alternative mash recipes, that I served with trout.

Ingredients

4 Beef fillet steaks (I am guessing mine were about 250g a piece so whatever weight you prefer, just note that cooking times will vary according to thickness of steak.)
2 Teaspoons cracked black pepper
Olive oil
6 Shallots, sliced thinly
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
80ml Bourbon
60ml Water
1-11/2 Teaspoons beef stock granules (depending on brand you use)
3 Teaspoons french mustard (not quite as strong as a Dijon)
300ml Cream
1-2 Teaspoons cornflour (depending on how thick you like your sauce)

Method

1. Rub beef all over with pepper.

2. Heat some olive oil in a pan, sear beef a couple of minutes on each side, cook for a further 5 Min’s a side. If cooking an average size steak this will be a medium rare-medium. Cook less for thinner steaks. If your steaks are really thick like mine I cooked in the oven an additional 15 Min’s for medium rare. Just judge cooking time according to your personal taste and how you like your meat done.

Sauce

1. Heat a little more olive oil in a pan and cook shallots and garlic, stirring, until shallots soften.

2. Add bourbon, stir, add water, stock, mustard, cream, bring to the boil. Reduce heat, mix a little water with the cornflour and add to sauce, stir until mixture thickens, serve sauce over steak.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Going Away

theflyingchef — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:26:49 +0000

Just a quick note to all my regular readers I am taking my hubby to Paris until next Wednesday so no posts until then Boo Hoo. But check back then if your looking for new recipes and I will be back posting up a storm.

Artichoke Chicken Saute

theflyingchef — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:12:00 +0000

This is another review for the recipe swap and another winner, wonderful aroma while cooking and just fabulous on the taste. The chef I made this from made a couple of additions to the dish which I decided to follow and they were bang on so I will list them below. If you want to view the original recipe or see other recipes by this chef click here.

Ingredients

1 Small onion, thinly sliced
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 Teaspoon onion powder
1 Medium sweet red pepper, julienned
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Cups cubed cooked chicken
1 (12 ounce) Jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 Cup fresh mushroom, sliced
1/2 Cup white wine or chicken broth
1 1/2 Teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 Teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Cup heavy whipping cream, divided
1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
hot cooked rice or noodles

Method

1. In a large skillet, saute onion, garlic, onion powder and red pepper in butter for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the chicken, artichokes, mushrooms, wine or broth, Italian seasoning, bouillon, salt and pepper.

3. Cook and stir for 3 minutes.

4. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup cream until smooth; stir into skillet.

5. Add remaining cream and Parmesan cheese.

6. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until cheese has melted and sauce has thickened.

7. Serve over rice or noodles.

Yield: 4 servings.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Honey Mustard Beef/Chicken with Macadamia Rice

theflyingchef — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:19:00 +0000

I Usually make this with beef, but I have not had a chance to get to the grocery store in France that I get a good price on beef fillet. My local grocery store here in Switzerland, has put the price of beef fillet up again, so this time it was just too expensive to serve with beef although it is very good. This was my first time trying this with chicken and it went really well and I will make it this way again to save money. It is very easy to make and takes no time at all; on the table in about 30-35 Min’s.

Ingredients

4 Chicken Breasts or 800g piece beef fillet
1/3 Cup honeycup mustard (It is the best but if you can not get this 1 tablespoon Dijon to 2 Tablespoons honey will give you something similar.)
1/4 Cup cream

Macadamia Rice

30g Butter
1 Onion. finely chopped
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
2 Teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1 Cup Basmati rice
1 Cup chicken stock
1 Cup water
2 Tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1/2 Cup coarsely chopped roasted macadamias
3/4 Cup peas

Method

If Making with Beef

1. Preheat oven to 200c

2. Place beef in roasting pan, brush all over with about half the mustard.

3. Roast about 30-35 Min’s or until cooked as desired, allow to rest before carving.

With Chicken

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan brush both sides of breasts with about half the mustard.

2. Cook until browned on both sides and cooked through.

Macadamia Rice

1. Melt butter in a saucepan, cook onion, garlic and seeds, stirring, until onion softens.

2. Add rice, cook, stirring 1 Minute.

3. Add stock and water, bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer covered, about 25 Min’s or until rice is just tender, stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

4. Add peas cook until soft and warm, remove from heat and stir in nuts and parsley.

Sauce

1. Heat remaining mustard with cream in a saucepan.

To Serve: Place rice on plate and top with chicken, drizzle with sauce.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.