Category: Uncategorized

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Bambi didn’t die in vain

Saw this and reminded me of a lush recipe for venison.  It’s a ragu to serve with pasta, but I split the batch and served half with creamy parmesan mash and green veg. Serves 4.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in an oven proof casserole and add 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick and a clove of garlic all finely sliced. Cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Toss 500g boned venison shoulder or leg (diced) in 2 tbsp seasoned flour. Add another tbsp oil to the pot and brown the meat in batches. Set the meat aside with the veg.

Deglaze the pan with 100ml red wine then return the veg and meat to the pot with 200ml stock or water, 2 anchovy fillets, 1 tbsp tomato puree and 2 fresh sage leaves (or 1 bay leaf). Bring to the boil then cover and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 – hours at 160c/ Gas 3, stirring once or twice during cooking. The meat should shred easily with a fork but, if serving with the mashed potatoes, don’t break up the meat too much.

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Menu w/c 28th Feb

 

Dinners:

  • Moroccan chicken with fruity couscous
  • Pumpkin & ricotta ravioli with sage and roast chestnut sauce
  • Chicken karahi with roti
  • Lasagne
  • Grilled trout with steamed vegetables
  • Chicken Caesar salad
Snacks:
  • Spicy carrot muffins
  • Banana & chocolate chip muffins

 

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Just what the doctor ordered…

Well, after being struck down with the lurgy since Xmas (everyone’s doing it Daaarling) it’s time i got back to this blogging thing. The road to recovery has of course been assisted by lots of healing food, and a few OTC meds. With limited taste buds, there was a lot of garlic and chilli going into my dishes but it seemed to do the trick.

Thai prawn laksa – not 100% accurate rendition but basically thinly sliced thumb sized piece of ginger, a fat clove of garlic, 1 chilli (inc. seeds if you like it hot) and coriander stalks from a small bunch sweated in a pan with a little oil to just take the sting out of the garlic. Add the solids from a can of coconut milk (should be about half the can – if not, top up with some of the ‘water’) and bring up to a simmer. Add raw prawns (thawed if frozen) and a handful of frozen peas or other green bean-like legume. Sir and bring back to a simmer. When the prawns turn opaque they’ll be done. Taste seasoning – add a good pinch of salt and sugar. If it’s got a bit too thick you can add more of the coconut milk. Squeeze the juice of half a lime into the pan.

To serve, pour over cooked egg or rice noodles and pop a wedge of lime on top to add as desired. Sprinkle over some chopped coriander leaves if you got them for that ‘I-care’ effect. You should have a steaming bowl of noodle and prawn with a bit of broth left at the bottom to shlurp up at the end.

Can use chicken instead if you prefer, very thinly sliced. It’ll take a bit longer to cook through than the prawns but if you cut it nice and thin you’ll be able to see when it’s changed colour (about 10 minutes). Or used cooked chicken and heat thoroughly in the coconut soup. In either case, let it come up to a simmer BEFORE adding the peas to the pan. The quantity of ginger, garlic and chilli and be adjusted to your preference so the about amounts are just a guideline to get started.

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Xmas leftovers

Over in Cluck Corner I’ve been trying, like most people, to find imaginative ways to use up the Xmas leftovers – without resorting to another turkey curry or ham sarnie. These little pies seem to fit the bill and make a nice lunch on the hoof or could be served up for tea with extra compote on the side. I used apple compote but any fruits should work; even chutneys as long as they’re mostly fruit not vinegar. If you wouldn’t eat it off a spoon – don’t put it in the pies!

  • 250g shortcrust pastry
  • 150g cooked turkey, diced (or chicken)
  • 150g cooked ham, diced (or streaky bacon)
  • 50g cheese, diced
  • 2 tbls fruit compote

Pre-heat oven to 200c (Gas 6). Roll out pastry to fill a deep, 6-hole muffin tray and make lids. Heat a frying pan and add the ham and turkey, cook for about 5-10 minutes ensuring it’s piping hot. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the fruit compote and cheese. This should just bind together without too much extra compote. Spoon the mixture into the pastry cases and press down firmly. Put the lids on top and seal. Brush with beaten egg if you want a nice golden finish and scatter with rock salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes, cool in the time for at least 10 mins then cool on a rack.

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Welcome

Welcome to Cluck Corner.

I am not a chef, or a food writer, but I am passionate about food. After many years of ‘what I had for dinner last night’ conversations and explaining over the phone how to cook a steak, this will be a collection of all the support-line calls, yellow sticky notes and promised (forgotten – sorry) recipes.