Hello

Welcome to Yet Another Cooking Blog.

As you may have guessed, this is a blog about cooking - in particular my cooking. It has been mentioned to me several times that I seem a little obsessed with food, so I have decided to blog about my menus, my successes, my failures and anything else that springs to mind

Monday 30 April 2012

Week 18 dinner menu

Monday - Thai prawn red curry and sticky rice
Tuesday - Mince and mash potato
Wednesday - Freezer surprise
Thursday - Freezer surprise
Friday - Tapas
Saturday - Chilli ravioli with salsa and sour cream
Sunday - Roast lamb and all the trimmings

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Store cupboard ramen noodle soup

One of my favorite things to eat is ramen noodle soup with some meat dumplings of some kind floating in it.  As much as I would love to be Ramen Girl (watch the film if you haven't seen it), I have a family and a job in the UK, so learning the fine art of making ramen soup will have to wait for another day.  I always have instant noodles from the asian supermarket in my cupboard, so I thought I would make my own store cupboard version.  As it only takes 15 minutes, it is a quick supper, and with limited pans to wash up.

Note - this makes a very filling dish!


Ingredients (per person)


1 packet shin ramyun hot and spicy ramen noodle soup
1 egg
3 dumplings of choice (I buy a tray from the freezer section of the asian supermarket)
Chopped spring onions
Handful of bean sprouts
Vegetables of choice

Instructions


Note - this dish should take 15 minutes from beginning to end once the water has come to the boil, as that is the length of time the dumplings should take to steam

1.  In a large pan add water as per the instructions on the packet of noodles (approx 500ml per packet)

2.  Put the egg into the water and put the dumplings in a steamer on the top of the pan and put on the heat

3.  When the water starts boiling set your timer to boil your egg for 8 minutes

4.  At the end of that time take the eggs out and put into some cold water to stop them cooking

5.  Note - you have 7 minutes left

6.  Any vegetables you want to include should be added at the relevant point in time so that they are cooked to your preference

7.  Once the eggs are out, set the timer for 3 minutes, and then add your noodles and the soup flavourings

8.  When there are 2 minutes left, add your beansprouts

To serve, dish out your noodles and veg, and then pour the soup over the top.  Peel your boiled egg, cut in half and rest on the top of the soup.  Add your dumplings into your soup, sprinkle with the chopped spring onions and serve with chilli oil and sesame oil as condiments





Sunday 22 April 2012

Week 17 dinner menu

Monday - Chicken quenelle in a tomato and roasted pepper sauce
Tuesday - Chilli con carne and rice
Wednesday - Warm potato and apple salad with black pudding crumbs
Thursday - Onion tart with salad
Friday - Dosa with choice of fillings
Saturday - Sticky pork, prawn fried rice and stir fried vegetables
Sunday - Roast chicken and all the trimmings

Friday 13 April 2012

Week 16 dinner menu

Monday - Chicken madras and brown rice
Tuesday - Savoury mince and mash
Wednesday - Chicken kiev, croquettes and sweetcorn
Thursday - Spaghetti bolognaise
Friday - Fishfingers, chips and beans
Saturday - Honey and mustard pork chops, roasted new potatoes and salad
Sunday - Chilli dumpling ramen noodle soup

Saturday 7 April 2012

Week 15 dinner menu

Monday - Lamb kebabs with pitta and cabbage salad
Tuesday - Sischuan beef with bok choy and noodles
Wednesday - Sticky lemon chicken and mash potato
Thursday - Mussels in white wine with crusty bread
Friday - Chilli con carne Heston style
Saturday - Toad in the hole
Sunday - Chilli chicken ramen noodles

Sunday 1 April 2012

Week 14 dinner menu

Monday - Crispy duck with pancakes, spring onion and cucmber, with egg fried rice
Tuesday - Home made burgers and potato wedges with salad
Wednesday - Thai red chicken curry with sticky rice
Thursday - Quiche lorraine with salad
Friday - Cod en papillote with new potatoes and peas
Saturday - Lasagne, garlic bread and salad
Sunday - Roast lamb and all the trimmings

Apricot and almond clafoutis

This was a bit of a store cupboard dessert as a treat on a saturday night.  I had recently been given a book called Gregg's favourite puddings which had a recipe for cherry clafoutis in it.  The batter mix below is taken from that recipe, but I didn't have any cherries, so took another combination that I love.

I hope you enjoy it.


Ingredients


75g plain flour
25g caster sugar
225ml milk
Few drops vanilla extract
Approx 1/2 tin of apricot halves (fresh would be lovely when in season)
Toasted almond slivers to sprinkle
Icing sugar for dusting
Butter to grease the pan

Double or whipped cream to serve

2 or 3 pint pie dish or cake tin (I used a deap frying pan as it was just the right size


Preheat the oven to 200 degree C

1.  Mix together the flour, caster sugar, milk and vanilla extract to make a pancake batter

2.  Grease your dish and warm slightly in the oven

3.  Once warmed, take the dish out, lay the apricots in and pour the batter over the top to cover the apricots.

4.  Sprinkle over the toasted almonds and put into the oven for approx 30 minutes (until puffed up and cooked through)

5.  Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve immediately