Camping Paella for a Crowd

The weather is supposed to be warming up for summer, and you’ll be thinking about going on your holidays, perhaps a weekends camping in Wales? This recipe has been waiting in the realms since the Easter break when I totted off to Nolfolk for a weekends camping with the extended family. There were about 20 of us all told, so this is certainly a recipe for a crowd (although I've adapted it to serve 10), and it’s not your typical Spanish paella either. I mean there are certainly Spanish influences and ingredients in the dish, but also ingredients you wouldn't expect, such as green beans and butter beans. My uncle (that’s right, the one with the pizza oven) tells me that this is an Italian version of paella, but I think we adapted it from various recipes, as you do when you’re camping and you've drunk too many glasses of red wine. What starts out to be a gallant effort to stick to the recipe inevitably ends up with many alterations and variations from the original recipe, but one thing that’s for sure is that this paella won’t fail to impress a hungry camping crowd.

I simply love the colours in this dish; it almost shouts festivities with the green beans and red peppers set amongst the pearly butter beans and rosemary. It’s certainly a different take on paella, which is what I think makes it so special. Using chicken thighs and drum sticks means it’s a very budget friendly meal, which is ideal when you've 20 people to cater for. Not the simplest of tasks I tell you. For me, camping is a great opportunity to get creative cooking something you wouldn't normally have time to attempt. Having plenty of willing helpers will make this an easier task, someone to chop vegetables, someone to boil kettles for stock, someone to top up your wine and of course your head chef.

Paella can be tricky, but if you get the basic process right and keep an eye on it you’ll be fine. The cooking process is via a combination of absorption and evaporation, which means that when you add the liquid (stock) to the rice you have to be patient in waiting for the rice to absorb all of the liquid, and make sure that you add more if needed. Once you've added the rice refrain from touching it, don’t be tempted to stir it, poke it or fiddle around with it otherwise you’ll end up with a starchy mess.

We started out making this paella in one 20 inch paella pan, but it very quickly became apparent that this was far too small for the amount we were making. Luckily Martin had another big pan, roughly the same size, so this recipe was enough to fill two 20 inch paella pans. I figured that a recipe for 20 people was far more than most people will want to feed, so decided to be more rational and write the recipe quantities to serve 10 people.

I thought I’d share this photograph with you, my uncle’s way of making sure the pan is straight on the hob, I mean is this really necessary? And, who brings a spirit level camping with them anyway? He's had this pan for 20 years, no word of a lie. So having prepped your ingredients, set up your cooking apparatus and, of course, made sure your pan is precisely in the position you want it your ready to get cracking. 

16 chicken pieces (thighs and drum sticks)

Olive oil

500g paella rice

2 litres chicken stock, hot

2 large pinches saffron

250g spicy chorizo, sliced

2 red sweet pointed peppers, roughly chopped

2 long red chillies (fairly mild ones), finely chopped

250g fine green beans, trimmed and halved

400g tin of butter beans, drained

800g chopped tomatoes

1 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika

1 small bunch rosemary, leaves picked and chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 6 table spoons of olive oil in a paella pan. Place the chicken pieces in the pan, once they are browned on all sides remove them and keep warm.

Add the chorizo, green beans, butter beans, peppers, chilli and rosemary to the pan, allow to cook for about 4 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes and paprika, season and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is almost cooked through. 

Pour in a litre and a half of hot chicken stock and 2 large pinches of saffron. Bring everything up to a simmer and then thoroughly stir in the paella rice. Do not stir again, but leave to cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover with a tea towel; this helps the final swelling of the rice and will also absorb excess steam. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Chicken

I’m not often annoyed, as in really annoyed, but today is an exception. My blog has become subject to spam links from a disgusting website, and it’s mucking up my stats left right and centre. I won’t name ‘said’ website as I don’t want to encourage any more links to the offending page. I just wish these people would bog off! And that’s the edited, slightly politer version of what I wanted to say. I have worked hard at establishing Miss Friday’s Feast and I’ll be dammed if some repulsive website wants to get in the way of it. Has anyone else been experiencing these issues lately? Oh so irritating. Anyway, on with today’s post…

Spaghetti alla Carbonara... with Chicken

Pasta has got to be one of my favourite midweek meals; much like the potato it’s just so versatile. I mean, I could probably share at least 10 recipes off the top of my head, and I’m sure that goes for most of us. The point is that you can pretty much add anything to a pasta sauce; I enjoy experimenting with different flavours and textures. Although, there is one pasta dish that stands the test of time for me, and always seems to make its way on to my dinner plate: Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Perhaps it’s the creamy texture, the salty bacon and yes, the stacks of parmesan I grate on top; it’s such a simple meal to throw together, and in so little time. What’s not to love?

This particular recipe is by the Hairy Bikers , although I did make a few alterations, for instance they suggested using 100g of butter. Now, you know I’m not shy of a bit of butter, and carbonara is perhaps one of the most indulgent recipes anyway. However, I did feel this amount of butter was a little unnecessary. I mean no disrespect to Si and Dave, but even the thought of putting that much butter into a dish that is already so rich made me feel a little uneasy. I have to fit into my bikini in 3 weeks time. The original recipe doesn’t call for chicken, but I quite fancied it. Having made many variations of Spaghetti all Carbonara in the past I’m always keen to try a different method or recipe so the white wine in this one was a great addition that I’d never tried. But, I’ll certainly be making it this way again.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara is always at risk of looking a little boring, I put this down to the pasta, the sauce and the cheese all looking the same colour. You want you food to look as appetising as it tastes so reserve some of the crispy pancetta for garnish and sprinkle over a little flat leaf parsley – in terms of presentation this will make the world of difference.

Serve with my quick garlic bread recipe. 

Serves 4

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 chicken breasts

250g pancetta, diced

40g unsalted butter

150ml dry white wine

4 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

100g parmesan, grated

plus extra for serving

400g spaghetti

Freshly ground black pepper

Warm the oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken, once cooked set aside and keep warm. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook slowly until golden. Add half of the butter, then the wine and simmer for a couple of minutes. In a bowl, beat the whole eggs with the egg yolks and add the parmesan, season with black pepper.

Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Drain the pasta and add to the warm pancetta. Add the chicken. Mix until the pasta is nicely coated. Stir in the eggs and cheese – the heat from the pasta will cook the egg.

Stir in the remaining butter, check the seasoning and serve immediately with a sprinkling of chopped flat leaf parsley and extra parmesan. 

Quick Garlic Bread

Okay, I realise this bread is not homemade, but I absolutely hate buying those pre-packaged ghastly garlic

breads you get in the supermarket. It’s the simplest thing to create at home, so why buy it? I’m certainly not going to call it a recipe, you’ll see why, but really it’s just to remind you that making it yourself is such a joy, especially when you get some fresh herbs in the mix. No Italian dinner would be complete without it, whether its spaghetti, pizza or grilled fish. So basically, all you need is a nice fresh ciabatta loaf, garlic, some proper butter and extra virgin olive oil and the herb of your choice; flat leaf parsley and basil work a treat.

Put 40g of softened butter into a dish; add a little olive oil, 4 minced garlic cloves and 3 tbsp of your chopped herbs, mix well to combine the ingredients. Meanwhile, roughly slice the ciabatta loaf on an angle at 2cm intervals, making sure that you don’t cut all the way through.

Here comes a Jamie Oliver tip, take a piece of baking paper large enough to wrap all the way around the bread, screw the paper up into a ball and rinse under cold running water. Unwrap the paper, place the bread in the centre and pour over the butter. Wrap the baking paper tightly around the bread and bake in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 12 minutes on 200⁰C.

Nominate Miss Friday's Feast in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards

I was flicking through this months Cosmopolitan magazine and came across an article for the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards. Being a blogger, this obviously caught my beady little eye. So I got to thinking, why would people nominate Miss Friday's Feast over all of the other food blogs that are so perfectly penned and that showcase exceptional photography?

I concluded that, if I expect people to nominate Miss Friday’s Feast that perhaps I should summarise a few of my favourite posts from the past 10 months. I have been completely overwhelmed at how many views my humble little blog receives on a daily basis, you see, this is much more than a profound hobby for me; it’s a journey of personal discovery. I've always loved food, for as long as I can remember, although growing up it wasn't necessarily something that was embraced in our home. 

But, in venturing on to adulthood my passion for food and cookery has only grown, along with my curiosity for discovering new foods and cultures. 

And by writing this blog I am able to share these discoveries with other 

like minded foodies, or just bring a little inspiration to people.

So, I give you my top 5 recipes from 2012/2013:

• Chicken & Cashew Curry
• Thai Chilli Chicken
• Asian Salmon with Peanut & Sesame Noodles
• Minted Lamb Kebabs with Greek Style Salad
• South West Indian Fish Curry

Click on the links above to view the recipes.

Please take a minute to for vote for me in the 2013 Cosmopolitan Blog Awards. 

Your continued support and encouragement is what keeps my love of blogging alive, so thank you all!

You can nominate Miss Friday’s Feast by following this link.

http://www.next.co.uk/cosmo-blog-awards/

Bim’s Kitchen – Hot African Lemony Piri Piri Sauce

Happy Friday folks! Moving day is edging ever closer... 2 weeks to go!!

Okay so before we go any further, I just wanted to mention that this is not a sponsored post. I was not paid, gifted or even asked to write this review; it’s just that every so often you try something and feel the need to tell people about it. For those that are regular readers of Miss Friday’s Feast, you’ll know that product reviews really aren't my thing; mainly because I get fed up of seeing bogus reviews of dull products that people write, just because there is something free on offer. Don’t get me wrong, we all like something for free and I’d be happy to review a product (depending on what it was of course), but I’d give my honest opinion, rather than writing a glowing review for the sake of it. After all, there’s already enough bollocks on the internet.

Anyway, I've just polished off this amazing chicken and rice dish for my lunch, and my mouth is still on fire. I say on fire, but that’s obviously a massive exaggeration, what I mean is prickling with the heat of the chillies. And it’s that heat that makes me……. Ooohhh, I just got slightly sidetracked… my new book has arrived! ‘The Fasting Day’ – you've all heard about this 5:2 diet right? Well, I thought I’d see what all the fuss was about and find out if I have enough willpower to refrain from eating unhealthy food, for 2 days a week anyway. I guess I’ll give it a go and write a review of the book and diet after a couple of weeks.

Sorry, where were we? Oh yes, mouth on fire… this sauce (Hot African Lemony Piri Piri) made by Bim’s Kitchen is amazing, I first discovered it at the BBC Good Food Show. You can read about all of my other food discoveries here. And if you’re not keen on heat (then you're a wimp), opt for a slightly milder version. I cooked off some chicken, peppers and red onions, added the sauce and served it with plain boiled rice, perfectly simple, yet exceptionally delicious.

Being an avid foodie, I don’t often ‘open a jar’ for dinner, but when you’re rushing around mid week and work is beginning to take it’s toll, a jar of something stacked with such a depth of flavour is just the ticket. Using African spices and ingredients, such as baobab fruit, alligator pepper, cubeb, chillies and melon seeds the guys and girls at Bim’s have created a phenomenal range of super tasty products (at a very reasonable price). Bim’s Kitchen products (condiments, sauces, curry, chutneys and spice mixes) are available at a wide range of stockists throughout the UK as well as on Amazon. Check out their website here.

All products are suitable for vegetarians and most for vegans.

It's time to clean off the BBQ

I honestly can’t think of a better way to welcome the summer months than a huge hunk of flame grilled steak, or a hefty sea bass baked on the BBQ. Or, perhaps you’re a simple sausage or burger person? Either way, there really is nothing more exciting than that first BBQ of the year. Imagine the sun shining, friends seated around a table that’s laden with grilled meats and fish, freshly made potato salad and, of course, some form of refreshing alcoholic concoction you had fun throwing together at the last minute. Now, that’s my idea of heaven. If only I had a garden of my own (sighs).  

I was however lucky enough to be invited for a little BBQ a couple of weeks back, a dinner date that turned into a BBQ because the sun was shining. So you’ll see from the pictures that this was a pretty impressive selection of food for the two of us. Surf and Turf anyone? The date may not have progressed anywhere, but hey, the food was certainly tasty and I got my first BBQ of the year out of it; happy days.

I’d recommend splashing out on the nicest meat you can find, if you've a local butcher, pop along and see what they suggest. One decent sized quality piece of steak is better than a selection of gristly burgers and sausages right? But, if you are partial to a sausage, opt for one with a high percentage of meat.

So, if you've yet to dust off, clean down or even purchase a BBQ, then wait no longer. Although there are many wonderful things here in Blighty, the weather certainly isn't one of them (most of the time anyway), so make the most of it, spend as many of the warm days as possible in the garden, experiment with your barbecued food and try something new. Invite the family, your friends or indeed the neighbours, get everyone to bring something (perhaps the salad) and enjoy the sunshine whilst it’s here.

England; birth place of many remarkable things

England; birth place of many remarkable things; take John Lennon, Rolls-Royce, Carry On films and indeed the radio...

Driving to work this morning I felt a great sense of pride being English, now for those of you that know me well, you’ll know this is something I don’t normally feel. However, listening to Absolute Radio’s list of 102 things that make us proud to be English made me realise that, actually, we have numerous great things to be proud of. Particularly the many wonderful culinary creations that are quintessentially English, and when you actually sit back and think about it the list is endless.

What ham sandwich would be complete without Colman’s English mustard? And, how could you eat Cheddar Cheese on toast without Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce? Perhaps, we often take these simple pleasures for granted, but the fact remains that these wonderful English foods deserve to be celebrated and savoured. There are also many foods that may not have originated here in England, but are, with out doubt, English in their very nature, such as a good ol’ cuppa, we literally drink millions of gallons of the stuff each year, or indeed beans on toast.

So, here is my list of 50 top nosh English foods (and drinks), by all means leave me a comment with anything I've missed. Let’s see if we can make 102 entries on the list.

1. Cup of tea
2. Cheddar cheese
3. Pork pies
4. Yorkshire puddings
5. Roast dinner
6. The sandwich
7. Cornish pasty
8. Maldon sea salt
9. Tiptree jam
10. Fish and chips
11. Full English breakfast
12. Crumpets
13. Stick of Rock
14. Branston pickle
15. London Pride
16. Cumberland sausage
17. Colman’s English mustard
18. HP Sauce
19. Jam Roly-Poly
20. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
21. Fish and chips
22. Digestive biscuits
23. Newcastle Brown Ale
24. Summer Pudding
25. Lancashire hot pot
26. Toad in the hole
27. Bakewell Tart
28. Bubble and Squeek
29. Steak and kidney pie/ pudding
30. Sheppard’s Pie
31. Cottage Pie
32. Bisto gravy
33. Twinings Tea
34. Bombardier Ale
35. Strawberries and cream
36. Eton Mess
37. Marmite
38. Trifle
39. Oxo cubes
40. Victoria sponge cake
41. Mr Kipling
42. Black pudding (from Lancashire)
43. Cream tea
44. Fish fingers
45. Crumble
46. Balti (yes I know, an English invention)
47. Pie and mash
48. Cadbury's
49. Dover Sole
50. Pimms and lemonade

Are you screaming at the computer because I've missed something incredibly obvious? 

Delicious Chicken Curry in a Hurry

I know, I know, before you say it, does the world really need another chicken curry recipe? Well yes, you can never have enough curry recipes, and there is nothing I like more than experimenting with spices; a little less garam masala, a little more chilli… you get the picture.

This recipe is one that I have developed over time; having read literally heaps of curry cookbooks and tested out many variations this is perhaps my favourite so far, and the reason is twofold. Firstly, you could chuck this together in less time it would take you to order and pick up a takeaway, and secondly it won’t even set you back at half the cost – not to mention it’s delicious. Okay that’s three reasons.

If thick creamy curries are not your thing, but quick convenient food is, give this a go. The fact that you use yoghurt instead of cream means you don’t get that ghastly heavy, creamy texture that so many Indian restaurants serve. This is a tomato based curry so it’s actually fairly light as curries go.  Essentially, all good curries start out the same; the basics are, of course, onions, garlic and spices, followed by liquid (water or stock) and meat, or indeed vegetables and perhaps a little cream or yoghurt. Once you have the concept and measurements right, you are ready to start experimenting yourself. Fundamentally, there are no rules here, by all means make this a fish, vegetable or meat curry if it suits you better, and up the spice according to your own taste. Served with plain boiled rice it’s perfect, or try out some of my more exciting rice and Indian side dish recipes.

300g diced chicken breast

2 tbsp butter or ghee

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large white onion, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 ½ inch piece of ginger, minced

2 red finger chillies

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

½ tbsp garam masala

½ tsp turmeric

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp caster sugar

300ml water

100g low fat natural yoghurt

Heat the butter and oil in a large non-stick pan, add the onions, garlic, ginger and chillies, cook for about 6 minutes, until the onion has softened. Add the spices and fry for a further 2 minutes. Do not let the spices burn. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar and water, stir well and add the chicken. Cook for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile boil the rice. Once the chicken has had 12 minutes, add the yoghurt and stir well. It may look as though it is separating a little at first, but continue to stir and the sauce will come back together.

If you do prefer a thicker curry, mix a tbsp of corn flour with a tbsp of water and stir into the curry. Serve immediately with the boiled rice.

Bacon & Cabbage Pasta with Chilli

Hurrah for Friday. It’s been a slow but eventful week, with a few too many late nights, so I feel as though I need to catch up on plenty of sleep this weekend. And, considering I don’t have many plans, I think that’s just what I’ll do, amongst the cooking and packing of course.

Speaking of packing, I feel I may be focusing on many quick and easy meals over the coming weeks. Today’s recipe is pasta; perhaps the king of all comfort foods, who doesn't love a big bowl of it whilst watching TV on a lazy evening in? This recipe really is absurdly simple to prepare, and with just a few inexpensive ingredients it’s a budget friendly family meal that will keep everyone happy. The sweetness of the smoked bacon against the bitterness of the Savoy cabbage works wonderfully, and in true Nicole fashion I loaded this dish with fiery red chillies. And, yes I did just refer to myself in the third person. Now, if you’re making it for the kiddywinkles, perhaps just use a few (and I mean a few) chilli flakes instead of a whole chilli.

You may be thinking that bacon and cabbage pasta sounds dreadfully boring, or unexciting even, but don’t knock it until you've tried it. As well as the delicious flavours, I adore the ensemble of colours in this dish. With plenty of black pepper and just the right amount of parmesan and you’ll have found yourself a firm family favourite for years to come. Honestly, I believe you’ll love it as much as I do.

150g dried fusilli

6 smoked rashers of bacon, roughly sliced

½ head of Savoy cabbage, roughly sliced

1 Red chilli, finely sliced

1 large red onion, diced

2 Garlic cloves, minced

50g parmesan, grated

½ Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

Start by weighing out your pasta. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.

Meanwhile add the onion, garlic, chilli and bacon to a pan with a tablespoon of oil and fry for about 7 minutes, or until the onion has softened and the bacon has become a little crispy.

When the pasta has 5 minutes cooking time left add the cabbage to the pasta water and continue cooking. After the 5 minutes drain the pasta and cabbage and add it to the onions. Stir in the parmesan ensuring the pasta is well coated and add a generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately. 

Chicken with Red Wine & Rosemary

Spring is finally here, and the sunshine is certainly making me feel happier. The year of 2013 is shaping up to be a good one already; I've had hen parties, weddings and there’s only more to follow. I’m off to Majorca in June, so it will be sunshine, sangria and delicious Spanish dining. Not to mention the fact that I’m moving house (yes again) in a few weeks.

In light of the sunshine that has finally emerged, and despite how much I love stews and casseroles, I’m hoping this may be my last warming meal for a while. For me, it doesn't get much better than red wine with food, and this is a wonderfully simple dish to pull together, yet it’s something I’d be proud to serve at any dinner party.

This recipe isn't a far cry from my Spaghetti alla Puttanseca, it’s essentially the same sauce, with the addition of red wine, although I did omit a few things. If you’re looking for a rich and tasty supper then I’d really recommend you try it. It’s really important to use a decent red wine (note – I said decent, not expensive), something you’d drink. If you’re not a red wine drinker don’t worry about getting a full bottle, all supermarkets have a fairly good selection of 18.7Cl bottles which are available from just £1.99, so it needn't be expensive.   

With just a few inexpensive ingredients, the iPod blaring out your favourite tunes and a little help from your friends you can have this delicious dish on the table in just half an hour. The aroma of the red wine and rosemary will make your kitchen smell wonderful, served with roasted potatoes, crispy Pancetta and a good sprinkling of parmesan you’ll leave your guests asking for seconds. Although, this would also make a great weekday meal, so if you’re feeling a little lazy, simply serve it with a nice crusty loaf and a generous spread of proper butter – delicious. You really don’t need to use chicken breast for this recipe, I find the thighs stay moist and taste better – and the best part is that they are cheaper. Initially I was going to boil the green beans separately, but that seemed like hard work, so I just chucked them in the pan with the chicken, red wine and tomatoes… easy!

I guess there is no reason why you couldn't use your slow cooker for this recipe too, if you wanted to prepare it ahead.

500g Chicken thigh fillets, skinless and boneless

3-4 Rosemary sprigs, freshly chopped

4 Anchovy fillets

4 Garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp capers

3 Echalion shallots, roughly chopped

100g of Pancetta (about 6 slices), roughly chopped

200g of green beans, trimmed and halved

400g chopped tomatoes

120ml red wine, something you’d drink

Freshly ground black pepper

4 medium/ large potatoes

20g Parmesan, grated

Knob of butter

  

Start by pealing and parboiling your potatoes. Once these have had 7 minutes or so, toss them in some butter, a table spoon of freshly chopped rosemary and place them in the centre of a pre-heated oven to roast at 200⁰C for 30 minutes. You want the potatoes to be roasted, but not too crispy on the outside, this way they soak up more of that delicious red wine sauce.

Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a pan or casserole dish; brown the chicken thighs all over. Then add the shallots, garlic and rosemary, cook this for a further 5 minutes until the onions have softened.

Add the anchovies, capers and Pancetta fry for a further 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, red wine and green beans before bringing to the boil. Cook for 30 minutes. 

Add a sprinkling of parmesan to your roasties 10 minutes before they are cooked. Season the casserole with freshly ground black pepper and serve with the potatoes. I wouldn't suggest adding salt as the anchovies and Pancetta will be salty enough. 

Making Pizza in an Authentic Italian Pizza Oven (Jamie Oliver Pizza Oven)

I was invited to my auntie and uncle’s house yesterday. Well, I say invited, but I was actually contracted in to help them set up their website. And when I say help, what I mean is that I spent approximately nine hours doing it for them, with a house full of screaming kids, how's that for dedication? I was however rewarded, very well, for my efforts; my uncle let me make a pizza and cook it in his amazing Jamie Oliver pizza oven and he kept the red wine flowing in to the afternoon, whilst my auntie bustled around making copious cups of tea for the various guests that arrived throughout the afternoon. I'm sure they saw the smoke from the pizza oven and dashed round to get a piece of the action, or a piece of the pizza to be more precise.

I’ll be honest; I've never really been a huge fan of pizza, perhaps because I've never been lucky enough to know someone with a proper pizza oven, and I have experienced some pretty ghastly American deep pan pizzas which are worlds apart from these thin, crisp based beauties. The art of making pizza is certainly a messy job, but my god was it fun. I don’t think my poor auntie could believe the state of her kitchen when we’d finished. There was semolina flour and various pizza toppings spread about the place, not to mention the dishes!

I'm not going to explain how to build, light or tend to your pizza oven fire as there appears to be a knack to it that only the most experienced of men could master. But then I guess most of you won’t have a pizza oven sitting in the garden anyway. The point is, these pizzas can be cooked in your conventional oven at home and they'll undoubtedly still taste delicious.

The dough recipe makes six to eight medium sized pizzas - perfect for a crowd, you’ll be surprised just how far they go. One batch of this dough fed nine adults and four children, although we did also have a delicious Italian antipasti starter plate. I know, greedy gits, but that’s what Sundays are all about, aren't they? For the toppings we had an impressive array of choices from prosciutto to roasted vegetables and delicious cheeses. If you do an antipasti starter you can even use your left over bits and pieces from that, such as the olives and cured meats. My pizza (as pictured) had a simple home-made tomato sauce, a few torn strips of mozzarella and basil leaves, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and onions, a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a very generous sprinkling of red chilli. Once cooked, I topped it with a handful of peppery rocket (dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar) - delicious.

Basic Pizza Dough Recipe – Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver

800g strong white bread flour

200g fine ground semolina flour or strong white bread flour

1 level tablespoon fine sea salt

2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast

1 tablespoon golden caster sugar

650ml / just over 1 pint of lukewarm water

Pile the flours and salt onto a clean surface and make a 18cm/ 7-inch well in the centre. Add your yeast and sugar to the lukewarm water, mix up with a fork and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well. Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. It will look like stodgy porridge – continue to mix, bringing in all the flour. When the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball. Knead the dough towards you and your right hand to push the dough away from you at the same time. Repeat this for 10 minutes, until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.

Flour the top of your dough, cover it with cling film, and let it rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature. This will make it easier to roll thinly. Now divide the dough into as many balls as you want to make pizzas, i.e.  lots of small ones or a few larger ones, but I suggest that 6 is a good quantity for this amount of dough.

Timing-wise it’s nice to roll the pizzas out 15 to 30 minutes before you start to cook them. If you want to work more in advance, it’s better to keep the dough wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge rather than having rolled-out pizzas hanging around for a few hours. Take a piece of the dough, dust your surface and dough with a little flour or semolina, and roll it out into a rough circle about 0.5cm/ ¼ inch thick. Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tin foil, rub it with a little olive oil, dust it well with flour or semolina, and place the pizza base on top. Continue doing the same with the other pieces and then, if you dust them with a little flour, you can pile them up into a stack, cover them with cling film, and put them in the fridge.

When you’re ready to cook them, preheat your oven to 250⁰C. Or, get your pizza oven going a couple of hours before!  At this stage you can apply your toppings. Remember: less is more. If you don’t have a pizza oven, try cooking the pizzas on a piece of granite or marble in your conventional oven- if not, do them one by one on the bars of the oven shelf toward the bottom of the oven. (If you’re going to cook your pizzas on the bars of the oven, make sure they’re not too big- otherwise they’ll be difficult to manoeuvre.) Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until pizzas are golden and crispy.

Raspberry & Coconut Cupcakes

Much like last week, I find myself writing a Friday post on a Thursday. But, essentially it’s Friday due to the Bank Holiday, which brings me to bid you all a very happy Easter. I’ll hopefully have an interesting post for you next week as I’m off camping this weekend. I know, I’m totally mad in this weather, but I was watching the snow from my window the other day and suddenly had a craving for a nice sausage casserole so I’ll be making sure I’m prepped for that on my little trip, that’s sure to keep my body warm and spirit high.

Anyhow, enough about this dreadful weather. I've said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m really not much of a baker, but when I read about these little beauties I couldn't resist trying my hand at them. I think you’ll agree, they are rather cute and make for an impressive looking cupcake. I know, I know, cupcakes I hear you moan. They are so last year, or the year before for that matter, but who cares? And anyway, I've never been one for ‘on trend’; I make what I want, when I want.

Raspberries and coconut are two of my favourite things, so when I heard about them being used together, in a cupcake, let’s just say it was one of those vivacious moments. This recipe is a mixture of a few I've found floating around the internet, I first read about them over at a blog I love to read Emily’s Recipes & Reviews, definitely worth a view by the way. Despite her fine looking recipe, I wasn't feeling adventurous enough to embark on making the icing with egg whites, call me a lazy cook if you will, but I decided to look for an alternative, the alternative being butter icing.

With this recipe, I loved the idea that you place raspberries in with the cake mixture meaning that when you bite into the cupcake you get the sweetness from the icing and delicious sponge that completely off sets the sharpness of the raspberries. Make sure you save the prettiest raspberries for the decoration.

Happy Easter everyone.

Makes 12 cupcakes

120g plain flour

140g caster sugar

40g unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

120ml coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

200g of raspberries (you’ll need 48 in total)

For the icing and decoration:

80g unsalted butter, softened

25ml coconut milk

250g icing sugar

25g desiccated coconut

12 raspberries

         

Preheat the oven to 170°C and place the paper cases into a muffin tray.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt in a bowl and use an electric mixer to mix until light and fluffy, or mix it by hand if you've enough will power in you. In a separate bowl, mix the coconut milk and vanilla extract; beat into the flour mixture until well combined.  Add the egg and ensure it’s mixed well.

Add three raspberries to each of the paper cases then spoon the cupcake mix over the top until almost full and bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until light, spongy and golden brown in colour. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tin and then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.

To make the icing: Beat the icing sugar and butter together using an electric mixer until well mixed. Turn the mixer down to a slow speed and gradually add the coconut milk. Once the milk has been fully added, turn up to high speed and continue beating for a further 5-10 minutes until the icing is very soft and fluffy.

Spoon the icing onto the cooled cupcakes and top each one with desiccated coconut and a raspberry.

Yalla Yalla Beirut Street Food – Pop-up Lebanese in Shoreditch

The hen weekend certainly got off to a tasty start, with the discovery of the exceptionally trendy Yalla Yalla Beirut street food pop-up restaurant located at 186 Shoreditch High Street. There is something quite novel about discovering a little corner of London dedicated to good food for those on the move, and if that’s not enough to wet your taste buds, the sheer atmosphere of the place undoubtedly will. From the smoky smell of the chimineas to the mismatch of cushions and sunshine yellow the place is simply fun and inspiring. I’m not entirely sure why, but the pure idea of street food excites me, give me a box of noodles on a street corner any day.

The menu offered at this pop up is a small taster of the main Yalla Yalla restaurant menu in Winsley Street, W1, but it won’t leave you disappointed for choice. If you’re a fan of Middle Eastern cuisine, make sure Yalla Yalla is on your list of places to visit.

So, the food - I had a Chicken Shawarma Wrap, costing £4.75, which was thin slices of marinated chicken with salad, pickled cucumber and garlic sauce in a wrap. Normally I’m not a fan of anything pickled, so I was a little apprehensive, but the cucumber provided just the right amount of tartness, without giving a bitter in taste, and overall I really enjoyed it. The portion size was perfect for lunch, and I was impressed with the amount of meat in my wrap. My friend Grace had a Falafel for £4.00, which she really enjoyed too.

The only disappointment was that they were unable to serve alcohol (even though it was on the menu), because they are waiting for their licence to be approved.  Being on a hen weekend we didn’t want a soft drink. Having said that, we both enjoyed the ice cold elderflower lemonade we opted for.

Overall, Yalla Yalla was great value for money and an all-round fun experience. I would highly recommend you pop by and visit if you’re in the area. It’s located just across from the Crowne Plaza on Shoreditch High Street, just a short walk from the tube station.

Stuffed Chicken Thighs

Thursday is great, but it’s even greater when you’re not working Friday. That’s right; you’re getting your Miss Friday post a day early this week, I’ll be off gallivanting on my best friends hen weekend tomorrow (excited face). We are off into town (London) for a couple of days and will be, amongst other things, wine tasting and overindulging in curry. I cannot wait.

I found this recipe over at the wonderful Italian Food Forever blog written by Deborah Mele. If you've not checked it out yet I suggest you do. I've spent many a lunch hour roaming through her endless pages of delicious looking Italian recipes.

Now, Italian food is something that I've only recently discovered properly. It appears there really is more to it than pasta and pizza. Who knew? What I love about this recipe is that it’s absurdly simple to throw together, but then that’s the essence of Italian food all together. Chicken thighs are a favourite of mine, I've always preferred the brown meat over the breast, for one of two reasons really; it’s much more moist and flavourful and it’s cheaper.

The sauce that accompanies this dish is so tasty, although I added a little lemon juice to mine. In fact, I made a few adjustments to the original recipe. I used Gruyère cheese instead of Provolone as suggested. I know it’s not very Italian, but I couldn't get Provolone and in my confusion opted for Gruyère rather than the quite obvious substitute of Mozzarella. I needed something with a good melting quality… that’s right, I really am that stupid. Although, fortunately my stupidity, on this occasion, resulted in what turned out to be a very tasty supper. 

8 Large boneless and skinless chicken thighs
8 Slices prosciutto
120g Grated Gruyère
170g Fresh breadcrumbs
120g Grated parmesan 
1 Large egg
60g Chopped fresh basil
60g Chopped fresh parsley
60g Toasted pine nuts
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

To finish:
100ml dry white wine
100ml chicken stock
Juice from half a lemon
2 tbsp butter
60g chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 200⁰C.

Use a meat hammer to pound the thighs to an even thickness. Salt and pepper each thigh, and top each thigh first with a slice of prosciutto, and then a little of the grated cheese.

Mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, basil, parsley, pine nuts and enough milk to moisten, season with salt and pepper. Take a scoop of this filling and place at one end of each thigh.
Roll up firmly, and tie securely with kitchen twine. (I used cocktail sticks; I mean really, who has kitchen twine?)

In an ovenproof frying pan, heat the olive oil and butter until very hot. Brown each of the thighs well on all sides. Bake the thighs for 25 minutes or until cooked throughout. Remove the thighs from the pan, and cover to keep warm.

Deglaze the pan with the wine over high heat, scraping up all of the browned pieces. Add the chicken stock and reduce this mixture by half over high heat. Add the butter, basil and lemon and mix well then season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm with the pan juices drizzled over top.

Jamie’s Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Howdy troops, and a happy Friday to you all.

This recipe comes courtesy of Jamie Oliver, although I know Nigella has an equally good recipe, and I love that she gives hers the rather playful name of Sluts Spaghetti. You might be wondering, so I’ll explain the reasoning behind the naughty name, besides the fact that Nigella probably quite likes the effect it has, the Italian name Spaghetti alla Puttanesca literally translates as “whore’s style spaghetti”. Perhaps the name is given for the pungent, slightly spicy note, or the immense saltiness of the dish. Either way, it’s an indulgently gratifying meal that I quite enjoy making when I’m home alone, all the more for me. I've made this a few times now, and as much as I’d like to keep it to myself, I thought it was high time I shared it. And, I always make enough so I have leftovers for lunch the next day.

You should definitely take Jamie’s advice of adding some of the pasta water to the sauce to loosen it. We Brits have a tendency to make ridiculously thick pasta sauces, which are certainly not authentically Italian. There are two things here, the first being that adding starchy water will help the sauce cling to the pasta, making it doubly tasty. And, the second is that it acts as an emulsifier and helps to loosen everything up a little.

Having discovered this amazing recipe, I’m certainly going to spend some more time researching authentic Italian pasta sauces. I feel I could have more appreciation than I currently do for Italian food. God bless you Jamie Oliver for helping me to discover that Italian food is more exciting than I perhaps anticipated.

Jamie suggests garlic ciabatta with this dish which accompanies it perfectly, for my recipe click here.

500g dried spaghetti

Small can of tuna in olive oil

Small tin of anchovies in olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp capers, drained

1-2 fresh red chillies

Handful of pitted black olives

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

A pinch of ground cinnamon

Salt/pepper

Handful of fresh parsley 

1 lemon 

Preheat the oven to 180°C and boil the kettle. Place a large frying pan on a low heat and fill a saucepan with the boiled water and a pinch of salt.

Prepare the ciabatta as per my recipe – click here

Put the spaghetti into the saucepan and cook it according to the instructions on the packet. Pour the oil from the tuna into the frying pan and then crush the garlic, adding it to the frying pan along with the capers; anchovies and their oil (don't be alarmed if it looks like there is a lot of oil).

Chop the chillies (seeds optional) and stalks from the parsley then add them to the frying pan. Chop the parsley leaves and put them to one side. Once the garlic starts to get a little colour  add the tuna, breaking it up a little, then add the olives, tinned tomatoes, a pinch of cinnamon and some black pepper.

Once the pasta has cooked, drain it and reserve some of the water. Add the pasta to the frying pan, then squeeze over the juice of a lemon and add most of the parsley, mixing well. If the sauce feels very thick add some of the reserved spaghetti water to loosen it up. Pour the spaghetti into a large bowl and finish with the remaining parsley.

Remove the bread from the oven and then take it to the table along with the spaghetti. Enjoy with a bottle of red wine.

Garlic, Lemon & Mint Roast Lamb

Roast lamb; my ultimate favourite, but so often overcooked. For me, meat is always far more tasty when it’s not completely overdone and getting a nice leg, or in this case half a leg, on the bone is best, it stays perfectly succulent. To be perfectly honest, cooked just right lamb barely needs improving by stacking on flavour upon flavour, but this combination works so beautifully. The lemon provides a wonderful citrus base, offset by the bite of five cloves of garlic and the fresh mint. What’s not to love?

As far as I am concerned Sundays are for nothing more than roast dinners and red wine, followed by a game of cards in the pub. I know, hard to believe I’m only 24 right! I often have my roast in the pub, I figure that if I’ll end up there later, I may as well grab a paper and do the cross word while someone else sweats over the hot stove, and washes the dishes. But, every now and again I feel it’s time to spend a Sunday at home. And that’s exactly what I did yesterday.

So I’m not going to write a huge post about how to pull together a roast with all the trimmings. I’m guessing most of you already know how to cook a roast, and if you’re one of those who haven’t mastered it yet, you’re probably not interested anyway. It’s all in the timing. Something that’s taken me ages to perfect. I can remember when I first started making roast dinners, the meat would be done before everything else, the potatoes soggy and the vegetables a little too al dente. But alas, I persevered and can say with a great sense of British pride that I am now able to cook a bloody good roast dinner.  

I probably loved this as much for the taste as I did the quickness of preparing it. Anything with that much flavour that can be rustled up in minutes is a no-brainer.

In a bowl, pour out equal parts olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 60mls of each), add five chopped garlic cloves and a packed of freshly chopped mint. Give the mixture a good stir.

Using a sharp knife cut incisions into the meat at 1cm intervals; don’t cut too deep otherwise the meat will dry out. Season the meat with salt and pepper before covering with the marinade, making sure that you allow the marinade to get right into the incisions.

Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight is best). Cook when ready.