Spanish Chicken, Chorizo & Potato Braise

This easy chicken stew recipe is inspired by sunny flavours of Spain, with spicy chorizo and smoky paprika.  I would easily choose chorizo over bacon when using as an ingredient to flavour or spice things up, this Spanish sausage just gives a ton of complex flavours comparing to basic smokey bacon flavour. 

The heat, smokey paprika and its unique meaty flavour is just so good that it can liven every meal that this is out into. Today e will be making a chicken stew cooked with potatoes and tomatoes, just the sauce alone with some crusty bread or even rice is enough to satisfy any hunger.

Perfect for warming up on a chilly evening, this hearty dish is sure to satisfy the whole family. 

Ingredients:

• 1 chorizo sausage, sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 600g chicken breast, cut into cubes
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 cups chicken stock
• salt & pepper to taste
• handful chopped flat parsley
• crusty bread or rice to serve

Method:

In a large pot, heat it up over the highest heat and add in the chorizo. Stir for about 5-7 minutes until caramelised and charred, then add in the chicken, onion and garlic. There is no need to add oil as the fat from chorizo should release. Turn down the heat slightly as you brown off the chicken then after a couple of minutes, the red pepper, tomatoes, potato, cumin and smoked paprika.

Once the spices start to fragrance, pour in the chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper then half cover with a lid, reduce to a low heat and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked and the sauce is thick.

Stir through the chopped parsley and have a taste to make sure it doesn't need more salt or pepper then serve with rice or crusty bread. 

French Lemon Yogurt Cake

Lemon yogurt cake is a very popular French inspire cake. This is not the cake loaded with frosting and all. A plain basic cake with the perfect crumbs and mild lemon taste.

This simple-to -make cake, classic French Lemon Yogurt Cake is the perfect accompaniment to your tea or coffee, morning, noon and night. 

Yogurt is a wonderful addition to the cake to create moist crumbs in cakes. The lemon added in the cake not only provides a wonderful lemon taste and flavour to the cake but keeps the cake moist for longer. Lemon also adds a tang to the cake which balance the whole taste of the cake.

Much like a pound cake, this recipe uses only basic ingredients; eggs, sugar, flour and oil. Its point of difference is that it also includes yogurt, hence the name "Gâteau au Yaourt". Teamed with the oil, the result is an incredibly moist, fluffy cake that whilst humble, will become a family favourite.

The history behind this cake is so utterly charming. French grandmothers would pass on this simple recipe to their grandchildren. To keep it simple to remember, the ingredients would be measured cup is needed. It's the first cake that French children learn to make, and using the yogurt pot makes it easy for them to remember the ratios. While ratios may vary from household to households, the sentiment behind the recipe remains.

Finally, it is a perfect basic cake recipe that never disappoints with guarantee success every time.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1½ cups plain flour, sifted
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• grated zest from 1 medium lemon
• ½ cup sunflower oil or vegetable oil

For the glaze:

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¾ cup icing sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 175ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. Grease an 8 inch round cake tin. Line bottom of the tin with baking paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, sugar and eggs, stirring until well blended.

Add in flour, baking powder, salt and zest, mixing to just combine.

Add the oil and stir well. Don't worry, at first it will seem to separate, but keep stirring until smooth. 

Pour the batter into the prepared tin.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cake feels springy to touch and the skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake though.

Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out of the cake tin onto the rack.

Combine the lemon juice and icing sugar in a small bowl and stir until smooth. With a pastry brush, gently pat the glaze all over the cake. Just keep going over the cake until the glaze is gone. Some of it will drip off, but most of it will soak in. Allow the cake to cool completely. Sprinkle with icing sugar if desired and serve!

Apple Jam

This tangy apple jam makes a delightful gift for family and friends.

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg green apples
• 3 lemons, zested and juiced
• 2 cups apple juice
• 1 kg sugar
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Before we start making the jam, put 1-2 small saucers in the freezer to chill.

Peel and core apples and dice into about 3 cm pieces. Place in a large heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Add zest, lemon juice and apple juice. Cook until apples are soft, about 15 minutes.

Add sugar and stir using wooden spoon, until dissolved. Add cinnamon, increase temperature to high and bring to the boil. Cook rapidly for 15-20 minutes, or until setting point is reached.

Test the set by running your finger through the jam, if it forms a crinkle and is gel like, then the jam is ready to bottle.

Remove from heat and scoop any scum from the surface. Ladle into warm sterilised jars, filing to the top. Seal and label.

Cinnamon Raisins Sourdough Bread

This cinnamon and raisins sourdough bread is absolutely incredible for breakfast, toasted up with butter or peanut butter! This cinnamon and raisins sourdough bread is easy to make even if you are a beginner. 

You might be saying to yourself "I can't make sourdough"-perhaps the whole process intimidates you. While it certainly is a multi-day endeavour, rest assured that sourdough id easy to make at home once you understand the basics.

Ingredients:

• 100g active levain
• 500g flour, I use 60% white flour and 40% whole grain flour. 
• 9g salt
• 350g water
• 100g raisins
• 8g ground cinnamon

Method:

Once your levain is ready, combine 100g of the levain with 350g of water. Add the flour to the water mixture and using your hands, mix to combine.

Once the dough is mixed, cover with tea towel or shower cap and let it rest at room temperature for 40 minutes to rest. Meanwhile, soak the raisins in room temperature water, making sure the raisins are covered with water.

After the elapsed 40 minutes resting time, add the salt. Mix well until combined. Drain the raisins and mix them into the dough along with the cinnamon.

DO THE FIRST FOLD:  To do this, get your hands damp and reach under the dough on the opposite side of the bowl from you. Pull the dough up and over towards you.

Repeat this so the side closest to you folds over to the side away from you and the side on your left folds towards your right, and your right folds towards your left. This is called the envelope fold or think of as wrapping a package.

Then scope your hands under the ball of dough and flip it over completely. This completes one "fold".

Complete 6 more folds, one fold every 30 minutes for 3 hours in total.

SHAPING THE DOUGH: Begin by taking the dough out of the bowl and letting it rest on the counter for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare the banneton by dusting it with flour, or layer a clean tea towel in a medium mixing bowl and dust liberally with flour.

Shape your dough making sure you get as much surface tensions as possible without tearing the outside of the loaf.

Once shaped, turn the loaf into the lined and floured bowl or banneton, top down, seam side up.

Gently flour the top before covering the edges of the tea towel. Set in the fridge overnight.

BAKE DAY: The next day place your dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 240ºC/220ºC for fan assist oven. After the oven has come to temperature, take the bread out of the fridge.

Gently invert the dough onto a baking paper that will be large enough to lift your bread into and out of the dutch oven.

Gently score the bread with a sharp knife or bread lame.

Carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven, take off the lid and then carefully lift the dough into the pot using the baking paper.

Place the lid back on the dutch oven and put the dutch oven back into the heated oven.

Reduce the heat to 220ºC/200ºC for fan assist oven and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and bake for another 25 minutes with lid off.

Remove the pot from the oven and carefully lift out the loaf using the edges of the baking paper and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is truly one of my favourite cuts of meat to make. It's very lean, cooks quickly and when cooked to the right temperature, it is incredibly tender. 

Pork tenderloin is not to be confused with pork loin. Tenderloin is a long thin piece of meat, about 2" in diameter and about 14" long.

The combination of pork and teriyaki sauce is a match made in heaven. The pork is tender and juicy, while the teriyaki sauce provides a flavourful and slightly sweet coating with a hint of umami flavour. If you are looking for an easy way to add some Asian flair to your dinner table, then teriyaki pork tenderloin is the recipe for you!.

There is no need to buy pre-made teriyaki sauce when you can make it yourself  from scratch that includes simple ingredients like garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar. In the sauce below I add a little bit of orange juice for a citrusy flavour.

We often think of teriyaki as just a flavour but it's actually a Japanese technique of cooking. The method refers to grilling or broiling with a combination of sugar and soy sauce!

Ingredients:

• 500-600g of pork tenderloin
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ cup teriyake sauce or homemade as below
• sesame seed and spring onions for garnishing

Teriyaki Sauce:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp corn flour for thickening

Method:

 If making homemade sauce, combine teriyaki sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Add half of the teriyaki sauce to the pork tenderloin. Refrigerate the remaining sauce to thicken for serving.

Marinate the pork for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Overnight will be the best. Remove tenderloin from the marinate and discard the marinate.

Preheat oven to 230ºC/200ºC for fan assist oven. Line a baking paper with foil. Cook the tenderloin for 25-30 minutes or until the thermometer reads an internal temperature of 65ºC

While pork is cooking, combine reserved sauce with 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Combine 1 tablespoon cornflour with 1 tablespoon water and add to simmering sauce a bit at a time to thicken. You may not need all of the cornflour mixture.

Remove the pork from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Drizzle pork with thickened sauce and garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds.

Gravity Beer Mug Birthday Cake

This gravity beer mug cake is definitely a perfect gift to surprise someone. Especially for beer lovers, for men, for a birthday or for Father's Day !

I started by baking a chocolate cake following my easy chocolate cake recipe below. I decided to make 6 layers but you can make as may layers as you like. 

https://yummymummyrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/10/carnation-chocolate-fudge-cake.html

As for the frosting, I used a simple buttercream frosting for this cake. For the inside layers I did not add any colouring to the buttercream. However, for the outside frosting I decided to have a "beer-coloured" frosting. I used a combination of brown and yellow gel food colouring to create this tan shade.

To make the beer mug handle, I used white fondant and it tool a few days for the fondant to dry. I would suggest you make the handle for this cake a few days in advance. This will give it time to dry and make it easier to insert onto the side of your cake. Poke in a couple of toothpicks on each side of the handle so that the handle can stand to the side of the cake.

The finishing touches to this beer mug cake is the whipped cream foam! Whipped up some double cream until stiff. Then pipe into a piping bag and make a small hole. Fill the piping bag with the stiff cream & start decorating the top to looks like foam and also some at the side and bottom of the mug.

For the gravity look of the cake, get a wooden dowel and cover the dowel with yellow fondant. Use a scissors, make a small snip along the dowel. Once done balance an empty beer can over the dowel.

I am sure this cake will make a big impression!

Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a Maghrebi dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion and garlic, commonly spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. Shakshuka is an easy, healthy breakfast (or any time of the day) recipe in Israel and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa.

What do you eat shakshuka with ? It is traditionally served for breakfast with warm pita bread, challah, or naan. 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes
• 4-6 large eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• handful parsley and coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped pepper and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent. Add garlic and spices and cook for another minute.

Pour the can of tomatoes and juices into the pan and break down the tomatoes with a fork. Season with salt and pepper and bring the sauce to a simmer.

Use a large spoon to make small wells in the sauce and crack the eggs into each well. Cover the pan and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the eggs are done to your liking.

Garnish with chopped coriander and parsley. 

Chicken Terrine

Why is it called terrine?

The literal translation of terrine in French is a "large earthenware pot". The English derivative of the work tureen; a word still used today to describe a cooking pot. The origins of the cooked dish are without any doubt French, who are masters of the terrine.

This chicken terrine is incredibly easy to make and you can make it in advance!

The secret for this delicious terrine is a good quality pork sausages. Cheap sausages can be very fatty, resulting in a very oily terrine. This chicken terrine is pretty enough to make the centre-stage, yet it takes almost no time and skill to make.  You can also make the chicken terrine as big as you wish, once you understand the process. 

This chicken terrine is great for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

• 250g streaky bacon, more if your pan is bigger
• 3-4 chicken breast fillets, cut into long strips
• 500g good quality pork sausage meat, just remove the meat from the sausage casings
• 1 large onions, finely chopped
• 10ml olive oil
• 15g fresh sage, chopped and extra fresh sage leaves
• ½ cup cranberries
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. 

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions until soft, but not to brown. Cool completely. When cooled, mix the sausage meat with the onion and chopped sage.

Now line a 1lb loaf tin with foil, making sure you make extra long so that the foil overhanging  over the sides of the pan. Lay a few fresh sage leaves in the bottom of the pan in a decorative manner. Now line the tin with bacon, leaving excess hanging over the sides of the tin. You will use the hang-over pieces to close the filling. Pack half of the pork meat in the bottom of the pan, press to compact and level. 

Scatter half of the cranberries over the meat. Pack half the chicken strips in a layer on top of the cranberries. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter the remaining cranberries on top of the chicken layer. Finally add in the remaining sausage meat to fill the tin. Press lightly making sure the meat is compact. 

Close the terrine with the bacon, close up the foil and bake for 40-50 minutes. Remove the loaf from the tin with foil. Invert onto a baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes to crisp up the bacon.

Perfect to serve hot or cold with cranberry jelly.

Barrel of Beer Cake

 Another celebration cake! This cake fit for a 21 years old who likes his drink. I make a vegan chocolate cake as the bucket. I cover a cake board with white fondant. I then use a ruler to marks and press firmly into the fondant making a long-lined groove (to make the floorboard effect). Once the line is drawn, I use the tree bark wood embosser below to make the wood effect looks. Then I use knife to cut some of the lines deeper to make some effect.

                                                   

Once I have completed the wood effect look on the board, I then begin to paint the board. I attached a video link from YouTube that I use to give you some idea how to make the wood effect cake board. My finishing touches to the cake is the so real "ice cubes" which I use clear isomalt. Melt the isomalt in a small pan (be careful as isomalt once melted is very hot) and pour it into a silicone ice cube tray and leave it to set.

https://youtu.be/erF3wHSMlfE

Chocolate Rugby Ball Cake

Ideal for any Rugby fan!

This Rugby Ball cake makes the perfect cake for any Rugby player or fan! Ideal for any occasion including Father’s Day & birthday parties ! 

Bake this chocolate cake shaped into a rugby ball for a friend birthday who is a big rugby fan. 

 

Hasselback Potatoes

What are hasselback potatoes? Originated from Sweden and called Hasselbackspotatis, there are the type of baked potato, where potatoes are thinly sliced halfway into a fancy accordion shape. Simple but so impressive. These easy Hasselback Potaoes will never dissappoint.

Ingredients:

• 10-15 medium size King Edward potatoes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 5-7 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 200ºC/180ºC for fan assist oven.

In a small sauce pan, heat the olive oil. Add garlic and remove from the heat. Let the garlic infuse the olive oil for 15 minutes. Strain the oil and discard the garlic. Add rosemary, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

Place the potato between the handles of 2 wooden spoons and make slices, about 1/8 inch thick stopping the knife when it reaches the spoon and making sure not to cut all the way through.

Place sliced potatoes in a large baking tray. Generously brush each potato with garlic infused olive oil.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with olive oil once again. Bake for another 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft. 

Remove from the oven and serve.