Wednesday 24 June 2015

Bacon and Tomato Pasta

Serves 3-4 and ready in about twenty minutes

Chop one or two slices of bacon per person (I like smoked) into bite size pieces and put in pan. Start off on a gentle heat to release some of the fat so no oil is needed. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring occasionally.

Finely chop one or two onions and add to the pan with some crushed garlic (I use about half a bulb) and soften for a few minutes, stirring.

Boil the kettle and (assuming using 10 minute dried stuff) start cooking 2-3oz/50-75g pasta per person (I usually use shells).

You don't have to make it spicy - it is nice just garlicky, but I usually add a tsp of paprika and a half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (quite spicy - use half amounts or just paprika if you want just a little warmth)

Add a tin of tomatoes (if they are whole not chopped, bash them up small with the spoon), a good pinch of dried oregano, and some black pepper. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer, adding a big squirt of tomato puree (about 1-2 tbsps) while the pasta is cooking.

Drain pasta and stir into sauce..


It is tasty without, but really nice with some Parmesan on top when served

It is also nice with some chopped peppers added at the same time as the onions.

Also good with chicken instead of bacon


You might also like:


Loaded Skins


Spaghetti and Meatballs


Stuffed Peppers

Potato and Bacon Soup

Rib Marinade

Barbecue Sauce


Devilled Sauce


For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas






Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Saturday 13 June 2015

Cake!

Having posted previously that I am not great at cakes (I don't have a particularly sweet tooth and I enjoy the variability of creating stuff to taste, not a set formula) when giving a virtually foolproof citrus loaf cake I have been a bit more experimental in this area lately.

My favourite recipes so far are here:

Mint Aero Bubble Slow Cooker Cake

(This is also a nice recipe for a chocolate loaf just in the oven without the aero bubbles)

Ginger Nuts

Vegan Ginger Cake

(I don't usually have self-raising flour and add half a teaspoon of baking powder per 2oz/50g plain. For the apple puree, a couple of chopped-up eating apples simmered in a couple of tablespoons of water and mushed up with a fork seems to work)

Jamaican Ginger Cake

(This is a lot less messy if you have scales you can zero if you weigh the treacle straight into the pan)

Cinnamon and Apple Loaf

(I peel the apple though)


Golden Syrup Cake

Second recipe is amazingly light and tasty. I melt the butter and syrup in a bowl over a pan of water (not sure if that is right, it is probably clear to people who often bake cakes). Light brown sugar seems to work okay as well if you haven't enough/any dark. Not sure why two different oven temperatures in recipe; I do it at 160 and check after 45 mins)

Left over frozen pastry for quick apple tarts

Roast Red Pepper Sauce


Great as a dip, as an alternative to pesto, with pasta, with chicken, with kebabs, with potato wedges. Best made a few hours or a day in advance.

Roast three whole red peppers on an oven tray for about 40 mins at 200c.

Skin them by putting them in a plastic bag for a couple of minutes so the skin goes loose and can be easily peeled off. (Make sure any juice from them goes in the pan, throw away the seeds and stalks)

Blend the pepper flesh with about 5 fl oz of water (enough so you can blend them - if you need to add more then you can just simmer for longer to reduce)

Add about a teaspoon of olive oil, some black pepper and about 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and simmer with the lid half on gently for 10-15 mins, until it is the thickness you want. Taste and add a pinch of salt and sugar as required (the sauce will get a bit sweeter anyway as flavours develop) and maybe a bit more balsamic vinegar.

Then crush and rip into small pieces a handful of basil leaves (about 6-8 big ones) and leave to cool.


(You can also roast some garlic or a red chilli with the peppers)


You might also like:

Salsa Salad

Rib Marinade

Barbecue Sauce

Stuffed Peppers

Devilled Sauce

Potato Wedges

Sticky Onions

Loaded Skins

Tomato Sauce

For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas





Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Monday 17 November 2014

Smoked Mackerel


Two quick and tasty things to do with smoked mackerel


Use a fork to pull the fish from the bones and skin

Smoked Mackerel Pate

Mash up with some butter/spread (I usually use about an ounce for three fillets), some black pepper, lemon juice (and some parsley). Lovely on crusty bread or crackers with some salad.

(If you get a pack of mackerel that is already coated with pepper, lemon or parsley then adjust accordingly!)


Smoked Mackerel Rice Salad

Mix flaky chunks into cold rice with plain yoghurt and some black pepper. Add in salady bits for extra taste and crunch - chopped peppers and/or sweetcorn and/or spring onions can be added in advance. Chopped cucumber and/or tomatoes are lovely in it too, but unless you add them just before serving or scoop out all the seeds, it will go watery.


You might also like

Rice with chorizo, prawns/chicken

Spicy Chicken Drumsticks

Chicken and Bacon Casserole





Things to have with Poppadoms

Smoked fish and prawns in lemony white sauce

Spicy Golden Rice with Chicken


For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas





Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Wednesday 12 November 2014

Spicy Golden Rice and Chicken

Quick and tasty. Serves 4 (probably with leftovers)


This mildly spicy rice can make a small amount of chicken go a long way - one or two breasts or two or three thighs will seem like loads


Chop the chicken into small pieces and gently cook in small amount of oil or butter/spread in a pan for a few minutes until all white on the outside. (As it will continue cooking, you don't need worry about whether it is still pink in the middle.)

Add one or two finely chopped onions, some crushed garlic (up to about half a bulb according to how garlicy you like things) and some chopped peppers (I usually add a red and a green one to contrast the colours a bit) and cook gently until they are softened.

Then add the spices:

3 tsps ground coriander

2.5 tsps ground cumin

1.5 tsp turmeric

1 tsp paprika 

1tsp cayenne pepper 


(you can vary the amount of paprika and cayenne if you prefer it milder or spicier, eg 1.5 paprika and just half cayenne will be milder) 

Stir the spices through on a gentle heat for a couple of minutes and then add 8 oz of rice (I usually use basmati), stir to coat the rice and then add 15 fl oz of boiling water and one or two tablespoons of lemon juice. (You can also add half or a whole chicken stock cube if you like, especially if you are using less chicken).

(If I want to make sure of leftovers for lunch the next day I usually add 10 oz of rice and just under a pint of boiling water)

Bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and leave with a lid on for 5 minutes. Stir well and put the lid back on for another 2-3 mins, and check and stir again and repeat. When the rice is soft and the liquid all absorbed it is ready (Usually about 10-15 mins total cooking time for the rice)

It tastes great as is, but serving with some yoghurt (plain or greek) really enhances it.


1tsp = 5ml
1tbsp = 15ml

15 fl oz is about 425 mls


You might also like

Rice with chorizo, prawns/chicken

Spicy Chicken Drumsticks

Chicken and Bacon Casserole





Things to have with Poppadoms
For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas





Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Saturday 27 September 2014

Pork Rib Marinade


This will comfortably do 1.5kgs of ribs.

(It is not a particularly hot marinade despite the quantities of spices)

Mix together

6 tsps of paprika (half plain and half smoked paprika is also nice)
0.5-1tsp of cayenne pepper
0.5-1tsp of black pepper
big pinch of thyme
small pinch of salt
5 fl oz honey (a half cup)
2.5 fl oz red wine vinegar (a quarter cup)
4-5 cloves of garlic (finely crushed)


I usually leave ribs marinading for a couple of hours, then take off any excess marinade and put them in the oven for 30-40 mins. About half-way through cooking I pour off the meat juices, mix with the marinade, and simmer gently in a pan to reduce down a bit. I then thicken it (mix about a teaspoon of cornflour with a little water, add a bit of the sauce to this, mix together then return to the pan and give it a whisk) as a sauce for the ribs, which I serve with potato wedges

For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas



Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Saturday 6 September 2014

Stuffed Peppers

Put the oven on to about 200 c/GM 6

Cut the peppers in half (lengthways) and remove the stalk and seeds. It's nice to have a good mix of colours and each person will probably eat three or four halves. 

A pound of mince (450-500g) will stuff up to about ten peppers (I usually don't stuff this many, typically five or six and then either put the remaining mince out for people to help themselves to some more or have it with a baked potato or some bread for a lunch later in the week.)

Put the peppers in an oven dish (the best size is so they all fit in one layer next to each other without gaps) and put in the oven while you make the filling. (Peek into the oven from time to time though as you want them to soften but not char!)

Brown about 1lb of mince and then drain off the fat (but leaving the meat juices). Add one or two finely chopped onions and about half a bulb of crushed garlic and cook for three or four mins until soft.

Add about a teaspoon of paprika (half and half smoked is nice) and about half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (adjust if you like it more or less spicy!) and stir through for a minute or two. Then add two or three teaspoons of vinegar (balsamic is nice and rich, but malt will be fine too) and give it a good stir getting the spices off the bottom of the pan. 

Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a big pinch of oregano and some black pepper and bring gently to the boil. (You can add half or a whole beef stock cube if you like.) Add a good squeeze of tomato puree (about a tablespoon) and leave to simmer for a few minutes to thicken a bit while you slice/grate cheese to go on top.

I usually use mozzarella but anything melty (eg mild cheddar) would be fine. How much cheese you use is up to you. I can usually get eight to ten reasonable slices (ie four to five peppers worth) out of a 125g mozzarella ball.

Spoon mince into each pepper-half, pushing it flat then top with cheese.

Put back in the oven until the cheese is as melty and bubbly as you like it (usually about ten minutes)

Serve with crusty bread or garlic bread

(In a hurry? Chop the peppers and cook with the onions, serve the mince with rice, or baked potato and grated cheese)


For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas



Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )