Sunday, March 26, 2006

Pizza dough breadmaker recipe

I made this recipe Friday Night, it turned out really well. Its from the recipezaar website. I tripled the recipe, and it still turned out fine. The cup measurement is 150g/mls
1 cup
water, room temperature
2 tablespoons
olive oil
3 cups
all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon
salt
1 1/2 teaspoons
active dry yeast
6-8 servings
42 minutes 20 mins prep


Layer in bread pan according to manufacturer's recommendations.
Select'dough' setting.
When dough cycle is done, pat dough into greased 12x15-inch jelly roll pan.
Prick dough with fork.
Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 7 minutes.
Remove from oven and add desired toppings.
Baste crust edges with butter.
Return to oven for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is done


I made two pizzas, Both with onions and mozzarella, then one with salami, red pepper and ham and a bit of grated cheddar and the other with ham, pesto and red pepper.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Rhubarb and blood orange crumble

I made this for lunch with some friends - it was yummy. Feeds 8
7 sticks of rhubarb, trimmed and cut in to chunks
2 oranges ( i used blood oranges)
2 tsp ground ginger
100g sugar
250g plain flour
200g soft brown sugar
200g butter or marg

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Put the rhubarb in a pan with the sugar and the juice of one of the oranges, and cover and simmer for a few minutes. Spoon in to a deep overproof dish.
2. Put the flour, brown sugar, ginger and the zest of both oranges in a bowl, add the butter and rub in with your finger tips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Add the flesh of the other orange cut up in to small pieces to the rhubarb. Sprinkle the crumble over the stewed rhubarb and bake for 25mins or until the topping is golden brown.
4. Serve with cream, ice cream or custard.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Lemon Risotto

As you made have guessed I have an excess of lemons at the moment! I made this today, adapted from Nigella Lawson's "Nigella bites" book

I onion
I leek
60 g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
400 g arborio rice
1.5 - 2 litres vegetable stock
zest of 1 lemon and juice of a half
2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
4 tablespoons grated parmesan
4 tablespoons (60ml) double cream
I egg yolk
Maldon salt to taste
a grating of pepper, preferably white
1 handful of spinach
I handful of broccoli
Finely chop the leek and the onion, then heat with the oil and half the butter in a large saucepan, and cook to soften about 5 minutes. Mix in the rice, stirring to give it a good coating of oil and butter. Meanwhile, heat the stock in another saucepan and keep it at simmering point.
Pour a ladleful of the stock into the rice and keep stirring until the stock is absorbed. Then add another ladleful and stir again. Continue. When you have used half the stock, add the broccoli cut in to florets/
Mix the lemon zest and rosemary into the risotto, and stir in the spinach and in a small bowl beat the lemon juice, egg yolk parmesan, cream and pepper. When the risotto is ready - the rice is no longer chalky, but still has some bite - take it off the heat and add the bowl of lemony mixture, and the remaining butter and salt to taste. Serve at once with more grated parmesan if you wish.
Serves 4.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Lemon Chicken and Ricotta Pasta

I made this up last night to use up the last of a roast guinea-fowl we had the other night. I'm sure it would work with Chicken just as well, and it was surprising lovely for little effort.

Served 3 but could be stretched to 6 with more pasta

Cooked chicken strips
White wine
2 Lemons
1/2 tub ricotta
I clove of garlic
2 Handfuls of spinach
1 handful of basil
Pasta ( i used penne)
Parmesan or Pecerino

1.Fry the chicken with the crushed garlic in a bit of Olive oil.
2.When the garlic starts to smell good, add the zest of the two lemons and the juice of one of them to the pan.
3.Start to cook the pasta
4. When the lemon juice has reduced down add a glass of white wine and reduce.
5. steam the broccoli to taste
6. When the pasta has cooked add to the pan with the chiken, the spinach, broccoli, ricotta and the juice from the other leomn. Cook on a low heat until the spinach has wilted, the add the torn basil.
7. Served with black pepper and grated cheese on top. Drink the same wine with the meal.

Restaurants in Lagos and Luz, Algarve, Portugal

I've just got back from a holiday in the Algarve. Ate out in some fab and not so fab restaurants while I was there...

1. 1st place has to go to the restaurant above the fish market in Lagos. When you sit down they come up to the table with a tray of fresh fish from the market that day, and ask you which you would like, of course all the fish has been caught in the last 24 hrs and is regional and seasonal. We shared a whole golden bream. It was cooked really simply, charcoal grilled with olive oil and herbs and lemon, served with salad, steamed vegetables and potatoes. It had to be the best fish I have ever tasted, and total proof that with really fresh produce, it doesnt need any fancy flavours or sauces... The service was really friendly too, and by the look of it they had good facilities for kids too, though we were on a night release from childcare so didnt have to test it out for ourselves

2. We went for a birthday meal to La Fortaleza in Luz. We sat in their terrace overlooking the beach. There were 8 of us for lunch including Baby Frog. We started with some really delicious olives and warm bread, then for main courses I had the Iberian black pig, which was again cooked really simply, charcoal grilled, and Mr Frog had John Dory. The lamb casserole also looked delicious, cooked a long time until the meat was really tender and the juices were all dark and syrupy. There was also enought to feed three people in one portion!

3. The Lime Tree, Luz. This restaurant was brit run I think. The food was really good, but too rich really for a holiday environment, and quite expensive by portuguese standards. I ate the Chicken au poivre. The two elelements were seperately well done but really didnt go together too well.

4. The Dolphin, Luz. The service here wasnt great, The had no highchairs. It is a South African- Prtuguese restaurant. I had the Fillet steak. The steak was really tender, but the chips tasted as if they were out of a packet, and both meals were served with a sweet potato mash which was really heavy, and a disgusting green bean puree which didnt go with the other food at all.

Oasis and Pinocchios

We ate out twice! this weekend. Friday Nights was Oasis, Queens Road, Norwich. This is a fairly new curry house in Norwich. It is in a converted chapel, open up to the ceiling with a gallery bar round the edge on the second floor. Decor is modern. We had two chicken dishes of course! I will try and remember their names in future now I am writing a blog! Was a bit more expensive than the usual curry house, but the athmosphere was great and was a good setting for a more romantic curry! Definately recommend it!
Pinocchio's, St Benedicts, Norwich used to be a bit pants before its fire, but they have so upped their game... don't know whether they have a new chef, but it has to be one of the best italians I've been to in the UK. I had artichokes in tempera, whic was actually a bit more like noraml batter, so a bit greasy. Mr. Frog had the antipasti plate, which was fabulous with about 4 different kinds of meats, various roast veg, cheese and ciabatta. For mains I had the lamb ragu papperdrelle, which had so much flavourr and was so tender, and Mr. Frog had the Wild boar. I've had it before - it is so yummy. You get this massive hunk of meat, with really caramelly roast veg on the side and smooth mash on the side. Dessert was hazelnut semifreddo to share - Jamie Oliver tastic. The caramel sauce was so delicious - and semifreddo is a hassle to make so its just the thing to have out, especially when it is as yummy as this. With a bottle of wine between us, it came to about £60. hAS TO BE MY NEW FAVOURITE RESTAURANT! They do really cheap lunchtine pasta and pizza too

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my blog. I have decided to start a blog, talking about cooking I do and restaurants I go to....I love food! I live in Norwich UK, and Live with Mr Frog and Baby Frog. I used to like eating out a lot, but since the arrival of Baby Frog, we cook more.