Recipe :: British Gammon in Coca-Cola

We enjoyed a slightly adapted version of Nigella Lawson's ham in Coca-Cola recipe for New Year's Eve this year. Despite our love for coke and the number of recipes out there using it as a key ingredient this was the first time we cooked with it. We made a few tweaks here and there - to accommodate for lack of ingredients and to incorporate other ideas we and our good friends had - and it was delicious!

Ingredients:

2kg British gammon joint

1 red onion, peeled and cut in half

2-litre bottle of regular Coca-Cola

Handful of cloves

About 4 tablespoons grainy dijon mustard

A couple of tablespoons of brown sugar

A couple of tablespoons of Spanish honey

Nigella's Instructions with a few tweaks:

Put the ham in a pan covered with cold water, bring to the boil, then tip into a colander in the sink and start from here; otherwise, put the gammon in a pan, skin-side down if it fits like that, add the onion, then pour over the Coke.

Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on loosely and cook for just under 2½ hours. If your joint is larger or smaller, work out timing by reckoning on an hour per kilo, remembering that it's going to get a quick blast in the oven later. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 240°C/gas mark 9.

At the end of the specified time, let the ham cool a bit and then remove the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes, and stud each diamond with a clove. Then spread the glaze you made with the honey, sugar and mustard all over the ham generously. Cook in a foil-lined roasting tin for approximately 10 minutes or until the glaze is burnished and bubbly.

A perfect holiday meal or something for a rainy day! Best served with roasted vegetables and brussels sprouts. Fois gras, home made fig jelly and home made bread as a starter go really well too! Thanks to our good friends for a fabulous evening!

We were so busy cooking and enjoying ourselves we completely forgot to take a picture!

Recipe :: Rosemary Lamb and Potatoes

Perfect meal for a holiday or cold winter day from BBC Good Food...

Main Ingredients:

2½ kg leg of lamb

6 slices Parma ham

4 garlic cloves

lemon , zested - we adapted this and used orange instead which was really good

2 sprigs rosemary - we used more than the original amount

25g butter , softened

2kg maris piper potatoes , peeled and cut into 1cm slices

500 ml vegetable stock

Gravy Ingredients:

25g butter

1 tbsp olive oil

4 small red onions , peeled and sliced

1 tbsp plain flour

250ml red wine or port

600ml lamb or beef stock

1 tbsp redcurrants jelly - we used blueberries instead as didn't have any of this

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 230C/fan 210C/gas 8. Start by making deep incisions all over the meaty side of the leg of lamb using a small knife. Whizz the Parma ham, garlic, lemon zest and half of the rosemary in a food processor. Season with pepper and using your fingers, push the mixture into the incisions in the lamb. Pull the rest of the rosemary into sprigs and push a sprig into each incision. Spread the butter over the surface of the meat and season well.

Season the potatoes, arrange in a roasting tin and pour the stock around. Put the lamb on top and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and continue to cook for a further 1 hour and 15 minutes.

While the lamb is cooking, make the gravy. Heat the butter and olive oil in a saucepan, add the onions and cook until golden brown. Add the flour and cook for a further 30 seconds. Pour in the red wine, bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add the stock, redcurrant jelly and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Season and serve with the lamb and potatoes and enjoy!

Recipe :: Somalian Curry

Another delicious recipe to share, from the Seven Continents Recipes Book compiled by Carol Fisher

Ingredients:

3 T oil
1/2 cup onion
3 T flour
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ginger1/4 tsp red pepper
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinammon2 tsp curry powder
Lemon, grated rind and juice
2 cups beef stock
2 cups ground beef

Instructions:

Brown onions in hot oil. Mix all dry spices and add to onions. Cook for three minutes over low heat to remove raw taste of spices, stirring constantly. Add rind and juice plus 2 cups stock. Simmer until thickens slightly. Add cooked meat. Serve with rice and garnish with fresh parsley.

Enjoy!

Recipe :: Courgette and Lemon Pasta

Another delicious and easy to make recipe to share

Ingredients:

225g spaghetti
450g courgettes coarsely grated
4tbsp olive oil
55g pine nuts
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
200g freshly grated parmesan
Good pinch of dried chilli flakes
Fresh parsely

Instructions:

Boil pasta and heat oil in a large frying pan. Quickly fry courgettes for 5 minutes until tender. Add pine nuts to courgettes and lemon rind and black pepper. Fry for 1 min or so. Meanwhile, drain pasta and add to pan with courgette mixture. Add most of the parmesan and chilli flakes and mix well. Season, add lemon juice, and serve sprinkled with remaining parmesan and parsley on the side. Serves 4


Source: London Paper, adapted from Saturday Cooks Cookbook by Antony Worral Thompson

Recipe :: Butternut Squash Couscous

Another delicious recipe to share - and one I promised Sharon so here you are, enjoy!

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1/3 cup dark or golden raisins
1 32-ounce container vegetable broth
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups couscous
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup (1 ounce) almonds, chopped

Preparation

Halve and peel the squash. Remove the seeds and cut the squash into 1-inch chunks. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon of the cumin and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the squash, tomatoes, raisins, broth, chickpeas, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until the squash is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water and the remaining cumin and salt to a boil. Stir in the couscous. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Divide the couscous among individual bowls and ladle the squash over the top. Sprinkle with the parsley and almonds.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Thank you Real Simple - definitely making our lives easier.

Source: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/butternut-squash-cumin-couscous-10000001548736/

Recipe :: Moussaka

Another favourite recipe to share!

Story behind these recipes: For a few months now we've been trying to make something new at least every weekend, and if we can, we use a new ingredient from the market. Recently we've experimented with butternut squash and sweet potatos for example. Last week we made another foray into Greek food - making Moussaka.

Ingredients

1 kg (2lbs) eggplant

oil

Meat Sauce:

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp oil

1kg (2lbs) ground beef or lamb

1 cup chopped, peeled tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup white wine

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1tsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper

Cream Sauce:

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

2 cups milk

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

1. Cut eggplant into 1/4 inch slices with skin on. Sprinkle slices with salt. Oil base of baking dish, add layer of eggplant and brush with oil. Lightly brown under a hot grill, turn, brush again with oil and brown other side. Stack on a plate when cooked

2. Gently Fry onion and garlic in oil for 10 minutes. Add meat and brown over high heat, stirring well. Add remaining meat sauce ingredients, seasoning to taste. Cover adn simmer gently for 30 minutes.

3. Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in flour and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add milk all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let sauce bubble gently for 1 minute.

4. Remove from heat, stir in nutmeg or cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover top of sauce with greased paper if not required immediately.

5. Grease an oven dish, 13x9x2 inches, and place a layer of eggplant slices in the base. Top with half of the meat sauce, add another layer of eggplant, remainder of meat and finish with eggplant.

6. Stir beaten egg into cream sauce and spread on top. Sprinkle with remaining chesse. Bake for 1 hour at 180C (350F). Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Recipe :: Pastitso

filling

• 500g (1lb) long macaroni
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper
• 3 eggs lightly beaten

meat sauce

• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 2 tbsp butter
• 750g (1 1/2 lbs) ground beef
• 1/4 tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry red or white wine
• 1/2 cup stock
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper

cream sauce

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg lightly beaten

instructions

1. Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain and return to pan

2. Melt butter until golden brown and pour over macaroni. Add 1/2 cup cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and toss well. Leave until cool, add eggs and toss again. Keep aside

3. Make meat sauce. Gently fry onion and garlic in butter until onion is soft, increase heat and add ground beef. Stir well and cook until meat begins to brown

4. Add remaining meat sauce ingredients, cover and simmer over gentle heat for 20 minutes

5. Make cream sauce. Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add milk all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 1 minute

6. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and cool a little before adding egg

7. Add 1/2 cup of this sauce to the cooked meat sauce

8. To assemble pastitso, butter a 13x9x3 inch oven dish. Spoon half of the prepared macaroni evenly across the base and top with meat sauce. Cover with remaining macaroni, leveling top

9. Pour on cream sauce and spread to completely cover macaroni. Sprinkly remaining cheese on top and cook in oven at 180C (350F) for 50 minutes until golden brown

10. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve and enjoy

serves 6-8, cooking time 1 1/2 hours

source: unknown