OSCAR'S SIGNATURE CARROT KETCHUP

This is my AWESOME Signature sauce, my mum said I needed to put Oscar on a plate and focus on a signature brand that everyone will associate with me, so over summer I have been working on my carrot ketchup, I decided that I like a vinegar based sauce like the ones in USA Carolina, not a sweet or smokey sauce like the ones in Texas, so my sauce may seem harmless enough HA ...  I have a wicked sense of humour it runs in the Kirk family, for silly hot chillies, so my carrot ketchup is really a Blow Your Head Off sauce 😆🔥🌶

Wicked amount of Habaneros are going in this batch of carrot ketchup! This quantity is also for canning some jars to use later on in the year so if you don't want to do this just divide the recipe by 4 and store any leftover sauce in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks.

Ingredients 

2 kg carrots peeled and blitzed or grated

15 habaneros Blow head off hot! 

3 onions finely chopped or blitzed

10 cloves garlic chopped 

1 tbsp coconut oil 

2 tbsp fresh coriander stalks 

1 tsp fresh ground coriander seeds

1 tbsp Himalayan sea salt

2 tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tbsp dried

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

2.5 ltr water

700ml apple cider vinegar

This is a one pot cook, heat the oil and gently soften the onions and garlic add in the carrots and cook for about 20 minutes so that they have really started to soften then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer away until super soft.  Blitz with a hand stick blender until super smooth and check the sauces consistency, if happy your done but if still a little loose then simmer down until desired thickness.  

Now your super blow your head off sauce is done.  If you want to can this sauce, heat your oven 180 C and sterilise your ball mason or Kilner jars for 5 minutes, meanwhile heat a deep pan of water to a boil, this is for you to boil your jars once filled, fill the hot sauce into your hot jars, pop on the lids and place jars in boiling water, process for 15 minutes, take out and leave to cool, I love hearing the ping of jar lids sealing as they cool down, that's it.

OSCAR'S BEETROOT KETCHUP

This is crazy good! 

It's that time of year when my homegrown beets are ready and me and mum like to prep food for preserving over winter, mum wanted to make beetroot relish but I wanted to make beetroot ketchup.  I can't wait to eat this and share with family and friends.

Prep time 20 minutes / Cooking time 30 minutes / Canning time 25 minutes 

Ingredients 

(Makes 6 small jars)

1kg raw beets grated

2 large raw carrots, grated

2 large Bramley apple peeled, grated

4 cloves garlic grated

3 red chillies chopped

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp all spice

1/4 tsp mace

50ml balsamic vinegar

50ml apple cider vinegar

100-200g dark brown sugar

1.3 ltr water

Himalayan sea salt 

Fresh ground black pepper

In a large heavy bottomed pan place all the ingredients except half the sugar and the salt and pepper.  Bring up to a boil, turn the heat down to a medium simmer and cook for around 30 minutes, until every thing is soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.  Using a stick blender purée the beetroot ketchup until really smooth.  Taste, season with the salt and pepper then depending on your taste add the remaining soft brown sugar for a sweeter ketchup. 

For a really smooth ketchup you can pass the sauce through a fine mesh seize pushing as much of the sauce as possible through.  To store your ketchup pour into bottles and keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Long Term Shelf Storing Ball Mason Canning

Sterilise your jars buy placing clean dry pre washed jars on a baking tray in your oven at 180 degrees C / 375 F for 5 minutes, fill the hot jars with your hot ketchup, pop the lids on and loosely place the bands on the top, pop the jars on the tray back in the oven for 10 minutes, not a second longer!  This is where they will heat to a safe temperature, remove from the oven and leave to cool.  You should hear the rewarding sound of "ping" as the jars seal from the canning process.  Check the lids are sealed, tighten the bands and store on the shelf to use over the next few months.  Once opened store in the fridge and use within a week or so, if it lasts that long! 

OSCAR'S AWESOME ALL BUTTER SHORTBREAD

Personalised Hand Made By Chef Oscar

These are my favourite biscuits to make for family and friends I am very happy to have my own rolling pin that is engraved to print the words Hand made by Chef Oscar on the cookie dough! 

Ingredients 

(Makes 22)

227g plain flour

130g butter grated

110g light brown sugar

1 egg beaten

100-150ml water

Pre heat oven 170 C

Place the flour in your bowl and rub in the butter with your finger tips until you have a breadcrumb consistency, add in the sugar and mix evenly, then add the beaten egg and a little water and bring the dough together, you don't want the dough too wet.  Wrap in baking paper and leave to relax and chill in the fridge for up to one hour.

Next flour your worktop and roll out your biscuit dough to the thickness of a pound coin, cut with cookie cutters and place on your baking tray, cook in the oven for around 13-15 minutes.  Leave to cool on a rack, then enjoy.

This is how I like to drop of my biscuits to everyone.

MEETING JOHN TORODE MASTERCHEF

How AWESOME is this I meet John Torode at Hampton Court Palace BBC Feast Festival and he signed my book Chef Oscar Enjoy ! 

I first watched his cooking demo which was brilliantly funny as wells as very informative, John broke the cooker and had to improvise which was great, a brilliantly funny guy.  I will be cooking his Beef Wellington for my family next weekend so watch out for the recipe, I will be following John's cooking tips it's all about 2's when cooking a welly, 20 minutes at 220 C then 20 minutes at 200 C then a long rest.

Awesome day... 

FRAGRANT ASIAN PRAWN CURRY

Winning Dinner for my dad...

This is a quick cook super that is loaded with so much fresh fragrant flavours, full of zing that makes every mouthful dance on your tastebuds leaving you wanting another spoon full and again until your tastebuds can't take anymore! 

Prep time marinade 10 minuets / Cooking time 10 minutes

Ingredients 

(serves 2)

Marinade

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 stick lemongrass 1/2 bashed 1/2 finely chopped

2 tbsp grated ginger

1 red chilli diced

1 lime juiced

1 tsp fresh turmeric 1/4 tsp if dried

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch black pepper

1 red pepper rough diced

1 bunch fresh coriander chopped

1 cauliflower grated for rice

If you have time to marinade, place the prawns, oil, ginger, chopped lemongrass, chillies and turmeric in a container and leave from 10 minutes up to 24hrs in the fridge.  First bring a pan of water to a simmer, while your waiting for the pan to boil, chop all the ingredients and juice the lime.  Add the grated cauliflower to thesimmeringwater along with a pinch of salt, cook for two minutes, drain in to a serve and leave to rest while you cook the prawns.

Heat the oil medium hot add the lemon grass, ginger and turmeric stif for one minute, add the prawns and cook, as soon as the prawns are almost done add the lime juice, chillies and season with the salt and pepper serve on top of the cauliflower rice and sprinkle on the fresh coriander and maybe a last squeeze of lime juice.

SPANISH GARLIC PRAWNS

These giant prawns are awesome, when I saw them at the fish market I knew I had to have them and to cook them simply, these gorgeous prawns are the star of the dish and what better than the Spanish gambas pil pil recipe, seared prawns in a nutty garlic butter with a hint of white wine vinegar and a piri piri chilli.

Prep time 5 minutes / Cooking time 6 minutes 

Ingredients 

(Serves 2-4)

4 giant tiger prawns 

1 tbsp ghee

4 cloves garlic chopped 

1 tsp white wine vinegar 

1 while dried Piri Piri chilli

Peel and devien the giant prawns, heat a cast iron skillet medium hot, add the ghee, Piri Piri chilli and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, the garlic will catch a little and start to have a gorgeous nutty flavour, add the prawns and leave un touched for one and a half minutes, they should be cooked half way and this is easy to see, turn over and repeat, once cooked take off the heat and add the white wine vinegar toss then spoon over the nutty garlic and ghee pan juices and enjoy.