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Thai Beef Salad Recipe

Ingredients

  • 200g beef sirloin
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp five-spice powder
  • 2 red chillies
  • 1 piece of ginger
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 red onion
  • Cashew nuts
  • 2 limes
  • Soy sauce
  • Fish sauce
  • Coriander
  • Mint
  • Crispy onions

Method

1. Once beef is at room temperature, take out your dry rub making sure it is all evenly mixed. Put a sauté pan onto your stove at a high heat and give it a couple of minutes until it just begins to lightly smoke.

2. Put a small amount of oil into your now hot pan and make sure it’s dispersed thoroughly, Season your beef sparingly before you put it in the pan with the dry rub and seal off the beef making sure to evenly colour the whole piece. Sit the seared meat on your lined tray and put into your pre heated oven and cook it to your desired “doneness”. I am going to cook mine for around 5 minutes which will get me to medium rare.

3. Lift the meat onto a plate and allow it to rest whilst we begin to prepare our salad.

4. To prepare the salad start to cut down the chilli, ginger, spring onions & red onions into nice even strips with a sharp knife.

5. Now we need to mix the salad ingredients together and then depending on how long it has taken you to complete stage 4 (you have to let the beef rest for around 10 minutes) start slicing the beef down then cut the slices into strips adding this into your salad mixture.

6. Next put cashew nuts onto a small tray and place them in the oven until they are toasted this should take around 6 minutes. Cut the limes in half and squeeze all the juice out into a small bowl adding that into your mixture.

7. Using 2 deserts spoons toss the salad until all the lime juice has coated everything, add in soy sauce and fish sauce to taste. What we are looking for here is a balance of acidity, saltiness and spice so everybody will like it slightly different. Take cashew nuts out of the oven, tear some coriander (stalk included) and mint leaves up roughly add the toasted nuts mix up and then plate trying to keep it as high as possible, sprinkle with crispy onions and enjoy!

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Indulgent Chocolate & Orange Tart Recipe

Sweet Pastry

  • 150g Cold Unsalted Butter
  • 300g Plain Flour
  • 100g Icing Sugar
  • 1 Egg & 1 Yolk
  • Water

Method

1. Dice the cold butter evenly then put it into a tub and refrigerate until it firms up again if it softens too much. Now add it into the plain flour and rub between your fingers until it becomes a crumb-like consistency.

2. Sieve in the icing sugar and mix so that everything is all evenly incorporated. Whisk up egg and the egg yolk and put in to the mixture. Bring together until this forms pliable dough, I have put water on the recipe as you might need a touch in the mixture.

3. Form into a disc shape and flatten down gently before wrapping in cling film and refrigerating for 15 minutes.

4. Spray your chosen tin with a little bake spray or a brush a touch of oil on it. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface and line your tin being careful not to tear it at all, now refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up again. While the pastry is in the fridge pre heat your oven to 180c.

5. Make a cartouche with some greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans and bake for 20 minutes, carefully lift out cartouche and bake for another 10 until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before using.

Chocolate & Orange Tart

  • 3 Eggs
  • 300g Light Brown Sugar
  • 150g Butter
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 50g Plain Flour
  • 50g Cocoa
  • 2 Oranges
  • 1 tsp Cointreau
  • 50g Dark Chocolate

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 180c. Beat the eggs and sugar together until a smooth aeriated mix is formed. Melt the butter slowly and sit to the side before stirring in the vanilla and the now slightly cool melted butter.

2. Sieve the plain flour and cocoa in and fold it into the mixture being careful not to knock out the air that has been generated earlier. Zest and segment the oranges, add the zest straight in and chop half the orange segments roughly adding them into the mix along with the Cointreau.

3. Give it 1 last mix before scattering the chocolate over the pastry case and pour the filling on top. Bake for 30 mins until firm with a slight wobble. Serve at room temperature with some nice ice cream and the remaining segments of the orange.

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Recipes for your pumpkin leftovers

Carving pumpkins has slowly become something of an annual tradition to mark Halloween, with people lighting up their spooky creations on 31st October (or 30th October in Kilmarnock!).

The activity is now so popular that the UK is expected to waste around 18,000 tonnes of perfectly edible pumpkin this Halloween – but the leftovers can be put to good use.

Instead of throwing out your pumpkin innards once you have finished carving, why not turn them into something delicious? Like, these Pumpkin Cupcakes?

PUMPKIN & SULTANA CUPCAKES

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 175ml vegetable oil
  • 175g light brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 200g grated pumpkin
  • 100g sultanas
  • 1 orange
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 200g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 200g cream cheese
  • 1 orange
  • 100g icing sugar
  • Optional toasted nuts

Method

Cupcakes

  1. Pre heat an oven to 170c and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases, you are allowed to bring out the inner child in you by using Halloween themed ones. Put the oil, sugar and eggs into a bowl and whisk until they are all incorporated evenly.
  2. Now add in your grated pumpkin make sure to squeeze any excess juice out of it before adding it and the sultanas into the bowl.
  3. Zest the orange then into a separate bowl sieve the cinnamon, mixed spice, flour and the bicarbonate of soda before adding everything together and folding it in with a spatula.
  4. Carefully spoon this into your 12 cases and bake for 25 minutes, they should be springy to touch. Once cooked place them on a cooling wire.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. Beat the cream cheese until its smooth then zest and juice orange before adding into the mix.
  2. Sieve the icing sugar into it and really beat hard until you get a smooth paste, put into a clean bowl and cling film before refrigerating until it starts to firm up.
  3. Now pipe onto the now cool cakes before topping with a selection of toasted nuts. I like pecans or flaked almonds best.

We hope you enjoy creating this recipe and sharing with your friends.

Happy Halloween!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chicken Bhoona + Pilaf Rice Recipe

  • 2 chicken breasts, diced into suitable chunks
    • 1 tsp of vegetable oil
    • 4 curry leaves
    • 2 white onion, finely diced
    • 2 green cardamom pods
    • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
    • 3 whole cloves
    • Half a cinnamon stick
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 50g tomato puree
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 tsp garam masala
    • 1 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp chili powder
    • 150ml chicken stock
    • Small bunch of coriander
    • Salt and pepper

Method

1. Put a large pan on a medium low heat and add ghee/oil, curry leaves, chopped onions, cardamom, mustard seeds, cloves, and cinnamon and cumin seeds. Cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally until the onions have turned a golden colour and have reduced. The onions must not fry but cook down very slowly as this method ensures the flavour and correct consistency of the final sauce. It can take up to 20-30 mins for the onions to cook correctly.

2. Add the tomato puree, sugar, garam marsala, turmeric and chili powder to the pan and stirring occasionally until the spices are cooked out.

3. Add the chicken stock and reduce down slowly, put chicken in and cook for around 10 minutes

4. Once chicken is cooked season accordingly and add loads of chopped coriander.

Pilaf Rice

  • 200g long grain rice
  • 350ml of warm chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 white onion, peeled and finely sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely sliced
  • 2 green cardamom pods, crushed
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ½ cinnamon stick
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Pinch of saffron
  • Salt and pepper
  • Small bunch of coriander
  • 25g butter

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180c, Heat a large oven proof dish on a medium heat, add the butter and melt

2. When it starts to foam, add the onion and cook for 10 minutes to a light golden colour. Add the garlic and cumin seeds, cook for 1 minute, then add the remaining spices and bay leaf, followed by the rice, salt and pepper

3. Stir until the rice is well coated, add in the stock and bring to the boil. Then cover with a sheet of baking parchment cut to size, place a tight fitting lid on top and bake in the oven until all the stock is absorbed and allow to rest with the lid on.

4. After 5 minutes remove the parchment, fork gently, add some chopped fresh coriander leaf and serve.

Garlic + Coriander Flat Breads

  • 350g plain flour
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 15g fresh yeast or 3.5g dried yeast
  • 140ml milk
  • 140g natural yoghurt
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped and pureed
  • Small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
  • 150g melted butter

Method

1. Sieve all the dry ingredients together and put in the chopped coriander. Add the garlic puree into the melted butter and sit at the side of the stove to keep warm.

2. Heat the Milk for 1 minute on full power in the microwave and stir in the yoghurt, dissolve in the yeast. Add this mixture to the flour to form dough.

3. Knead until smooth then cover and prove until doubled in size. Divide mix into golf ball sized pieces and roll into the classic teardrop shapes. Heat a non stick frying pan put in the flat bread and cook for 3 minutes until you have a golden crust, flip over and cook for another 2 minutes. Brush with the melted garlic butter on both sides and serve straight away while still warm.

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BBQ Recipes

Ultimate Cook School Burger

Ingredients

  • 250g minced beef, quality scotch 10% fat approx.
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 sprigs flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 small onion, finely diced

Toppings

  • Cheese slices
  • Grilled bacon
  • Tomato sliced or roasted
  • Gherkins

Method

  1. Season the mix with salt and pepper make a little test burger taste and adjust if required.
  2. Cook the burgers for 3-4 minutes on each side.
  3. Allow to rest then serve with your choice of toppings, lettuce and tomato…and enjoy.

Brioche Buns

  • 30g fresh yeast or 7g dried
  • 500g strong white flour
  • 50ml warm milk @25°C
  • 200g unsalted butter soft
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 15g Maldon sea salt, ground
  • 5 eggs

Method

  1. Mix the warm milk with the yeast and 25g plain flour allow standing for 15 minutes to activate.
  2. Put the remaining flour into your mixing bowl along with the salt and sugar. Beat the eggs in a bowl then add the yeast sponge. Turn on the mixer with a dough hook and gradually add the eggs and yeast on a slow speed. Mix for 7 minutes then add the butter a blob at a time on a medium speed, continue until all the butter is added beat for 15 minutes.
  3. Cool in the fridge overnight or for a minimum of 1 hour. If overnight take from fridge and place in a warm spot for 1½ hours. Divide into 10-12 equal sized pieces and roll into tight balls. Butter and flour a baking sheet, brush with milk and egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Prove for 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
  4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes reduce the heat to 175°C. and bake for a further 10 minutes. Cool on a rack

Homemade Tomato Chutney

  • 500g red onion, finely sliced
  • 1kg tomato, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 red chilli, chopped (optional)
  • 4 cm piece ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 250g brown sugar
  • 150ml red wine vinegar
  • 5 cardamom seeds
  • ½ tsp paprika

Method

  1. Tip all the ingredients into a large heavy-based pan and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently.
  2. Simmer for 1 hr, then bring to a gentle boil so that the mixture turns dark, jammy and shiny.
  3. Place into sterilised jars and allow to cool before covering. Will keep for 6 weeks.
Mackeral

Chilli and Ginger Glazed Mackerel

  • 2 whole mackerel, filleted, pin boned and scaled
  • 20ml light soy sauce
  • 1 red chilli, de seeded and finely diced
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • Ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 30g honey

Method

  1. Make the marinade by mixing all the ingredients together and pour over the mackerel. Cover and chill for 30 mins.
  2. Heat BBQ and put the mackerel, skin-side up, on a baking sheet lined with foil. Grill for 5 mins, then turn and baste with remaining marinade. Grill for 5 mins more.
  3. Serve immediately.