Author: jamesclay

Posted on

Cooking Fajita

I do like Mexican and Tex-Mex food, don’t know how authentic my versions are, partly as all I have to compare is with various restaurants I have been to and in the main as I have not been to Mexico!

However the other day I did cook some steak fajita.

I use a hot griddle and get it nice and hot, I don’t oil the pan, I oil the meat.

With the steak, I cut into slices and then mix with some oil and some Cajun spices.

The steak is then placed and cooked on the hot griddle.

After a few minutes I add the onion and pepper (though this time I had no pepper).

Once the steak and onion (and pepper) is cooked, serve.

Fajita

I serve with warm flour tortillas, hot salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Posted on

Nearly Christmas…

Well you know how just after Christmas the large supermarkets start getting the creme eggs and other easter eggs in! They also get in the hot cross buns too!

Well Easter has just finished so guess what?

Tesco have now got in their Christmas poultry!

Nearly Christmas…

Hopefully it will stay fresh long enough.

Posted on

Chicken Curry

This is how I make a quick chicken curry.

In a hot pan add some sunflower oil, ghee would be better, but I never use it enough to justify buying it, so I use sunflower oil.

To the oil I had some cumin, coriander, ginger, tumeric and some chilli.

Cook the spices for a short while before adding diced chicken, chopped onions, red pepper and mushrooms.

Cook on a medium heat until the chicken is cooked.

Add some coconut milk and cook for another five to ten minutes.

Add some freshly chopped coriander and serve with rice or naan bread (or both).

Posted on

Cooking steak on a griddle pan

There is a skill in cooking a steak on a griddle, especially if you want it to turn out well and tasty.

My technique is not perfect, but I get some good results.

Firstly I heat the pan, the heat will be the guide to whether I am cooking a rare, medium or well done steak, though it must be even with a well done steak quite hot.

I take the steak, preferably at room temperature and rub seasoning and oil into the steak. This could be just olive oil, or oil and black pepper or cajun spices and sunflower oil.

I do not add oil to the griddle.

Once the pan is hot, I then griddle the steak.

This ensures I get the nice chargrill lines on my steak.

I have also used this method with lamb and chicken.

Posted on

Book Choice NOT – Delia’s How to Cheat at Cooking

This week my book choice is NOT Delia’s How to Cheat at Cooking.

Normally I would recommend a book of recipes that I have either enjoyed reading or using to cook from.

This book is one I would not recommend.

Why?

Well can using frozen mashed potato really be called cooking?

The whole process reminds me of a 1970s cookbook I found at my mother-in-law’s which had wonderful recipes which required white sauce mix, frozen pastry cases and tinned vegetables.

That is not cooking that is food construction.

Delia’s How to Cheat at Cooking is not a cooking book it is a food construction book.

You can get it from Amazon if you want to see how to construct food. They also sell books about cooking as well.

Posted on

Turn your easter eggs into a cake

Too much chocolate in the house?

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recommends in the Guardian this week to turn them into a cake.

Freaked out by the mountain of Easter eggs knocking around the house this weekend? Never fear – turn them into a cake instead

To be honest, nice idea, but the picture in the magazine looked foul.

Turn your easter eggs into a cake

Happy Easter and all that.

Posted on

Coleslaw variations

I have been trying some different variations on the coleslaw I usually make.

One variation was to use savoy cabbage over the pointed or white cabbage I usually use which worked well and looked very nice as well as tasting slightly different.

My latest variation was to use red onion as well as a traditional onion and add some finely grated parsnip to the mix which added a subtle difference to the flavour.

Coleslaw

You can add a variety of root vegetables and brassicas to coleslaw so why not try something different to the usual cabbage, carrot and onion.

Posted on

Pasta with Pork and Cream

Cooked a nice simple pasta dish tonight.

In a hot pan, cook off some pancetta, now add some diced (or sliced) pork and brown.

Now add some finely chopped red onion and add some Italian herbs.

In another hot pan, add a splash of olive oil then cook some sliced mushrooms, they will cook and taste much better than cooking them with the pork and onions.

Cook some fresh pasta in a pan of rolling boiling water.

To the mushrooms add some freshly chopped parsley.

Then add the mushrooms to the pork, add a tub of creme frache, some grated parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

Drain the cooked pasta, and add the pork and cream mixture on top.

Add some more grated parmesan to taste.

Serve.

Posted on

Spare Ribs

I quite like spare ribs but after eating some from the local chinese last night, decided I much prefer making my own.

The ones from the chinese were nice and meaty, but two major things wrong with them, firsty they were re-heated  which means that they certainly don’t taste as good as they could, secondly the sauce was too sweet and lacked flavour.

The ones I have made are freshly cooked and that makes a (huge) difference. I also make my own sauce and that generally can be a lot tastier (and lots less salty) than other sauces you can buy.

My sauce is made from honey, balsamic vinegar, sunflower oil, tomato puree (though ketchup works just as well) and I add spices, usually Cajun to add heat and flavour.

Space Ribs

I cook them with  some chopped red onion in a hot oven for about twenty minutes.

I do need to find a better source for my ribs as I much prefer meaty ribs.