GAUCHO CHIMICHURRI

This is amazing the Gaucho Cowboys do know how to cook meat and serve with a fabulous vinegar and olive oil dressing that sets of the flavour of the meat this is now my mums favourite sauce with roast lamb, no more mint sauce, its Chimichurri all the way, well until I find make up or another new recipe!

Making time 5 minutes 

Ingredients 

(Serves 4)

1 bunch flat leaf parsley chopped

4 tbsp fresh chopped oregano

2 cloves garlic grated

150ml olive oil cold pressed

50ml white, red, apple or balsamic wine vinegar 

Pinch sea salt

Pinch black pepper

You can blitz this in a food processor which is easier for me to push a button but I much prefer to get my mum to hand chop really finely as I feel there is a better flavour and texture than a blitzed texture, this is so good on meats and fresh salads too.

VINDALOO VINDALOO VINDALOO

Sunday is often curry day in my family home and this Sunday I wanted to cook Vindaloo, a family favourite, this is a traditional Goa recipe and is nothing like restaurant vindaloo, this is AWESOME!  Because of my Exec Chef status I get to shop for and inspect the ingredients we need, give the cooking instruction orders to my mum and keep my eye on the whole cook and if it's not up to standard it won't make the pass!  😜

Prep time 30 minutes / Overnight marinating / Cooking time 3 hrs un-attended

Ingredients 

(Serves 4-6)

THE MARINADE 

1kg pork loin diced

1 onion rough chopped

8 cloves garlic

1 tbsp fresh ginger

1 tsp black peppercorns 

2 cloves

15 cardamom pods seeds only 

1 tsp cumin seeds

1tsp turmeric powder

1tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp hot chilli powder

1 1/2 tsp sea salt 

1 tsp sugar

3 tbsp tamarind pulp and water

(Make your own)

5tbsp white wine vinegar

TO COOK THE VINDALOO

3 tbsp ghee

1/2 stick cinnamon

1 small onion chopped

4 tomatoes quartered

3 green chillies sliced

500ml water or stock

 

First make the marinade, in a old coffee grinder or pestle and mortar, I can never remember which is the pestle and which is the mortar!  Grind the black peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cloves, cumin seeds and place in a food food processor along with the onion, garlic, ginger, sales, sugar, chilli, turmeric and vinegar and blitz in to a paste, pour over the pork and mix in well, leave to marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hrs.

Heat a skillet or large pan medium hot, add the ghee and onions fry until golden around 8 minutes, add the pork and marinade and sear the pork until you have added some colour and extra depth of flavour, then add the water or stock, tomatoes and chillis, pop on a lid and leave to gently simmer for around 2 hrs until the pork is tender.  If your sauce needs thickening remove the pork with a slotted spoon and reserve to one side, crank up the heat and reduce the sauce until consistency required, add back the pork.

That's it!  Serve family style with a large bowl of fluffy rice, a stack of tear and share flatbreads and some cooling mint yogurt drizzle.

BUFFALO HOT FRIED CHICKEN STUFFED DOUGHNUT

This so had to be done!  My American Italian family always come up to see me when I'm in the states and they bring the best ever fresh hand made donuts, too many!!!  So this was created for my mum...who when in America says what she eats in American stays in America, well not this one mum!  This hits all the notes, sweet, salty, savoury and hot sauce, every bite is awesome!

Try this with different doughnuts, how about chocolate glazed or a jammy dodger! 

Prep time 5 minutes / Cooking time 10 minutes

 

Ingredients 

(Serves 2)

2 doughnuts your choice

2 chicken breasts bashed flat

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp Himalayan salt

1/2 tsp white pepper 

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

4 tbsp pickled jalapeños

2 lrg tbsp homemade mayo (recipe below)

1/2 iceberg lettuce

1 bottle hot sauce 

1ltr ground nut oil

Pre heat your oil to 180 D / 350 C, place the flour, salt, pepper, thyme, onion and garlic powder in a large bowl and mix well.  Take your bashed chicken breasts and give them a dust bath, tap of any excess flour and gently drop into your hot oil they will take around five minutes to cook.  

While the chicken is cooking take your doughnuts and slice in half, once your chicken is cooked place in a bowl and pour over as much hot sauce as you can handle and then some more!  Leave to rest and soak up that hot sauce for a couple of minutes then this is how I like to set the doughnut up for mum, place the bottom slice on your plate lay on some iceberg then a generous dollop of mayo then the chicken then more mayo topped with jalapeños and more iceberg finished off with more hot sauce, doughnut lid and that's it you good to go...enjoy

Homemade Mayo

1 egg yolk

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp white wine vinegar 

300ml olive oil

1 pinch sea salt 

Place the egg yolk and white wine vinegar in a deep bowl or jug and start to add the oil a tiny drizzle at a time whisking in, once you can see the yolk thickening you can add the oil much faster, season with the salt and mustard, that's it. Easy peasy mayonnaise.

GRANDPAS BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

 

PLANET HOLLYWOOD OBSERVATORY FLORIDA SUPER CHOCOLATE NOVA SHAKE

AWESOME OVERLOAD 

 

Planet Hollywood Observatory is a Awesome restaurant with awesome shakes! 

CREAMED CORN MAC n CHEESE

OMG 

Loved this leftovers inspired Mac n Cheese! WoW what's better than marrying up mums favourite Mac n cheese with mum's other favourite cream corn! Well I did it and it is Awesome! Mum woofed it down with a spoon so she could get more in her mouth each time, what happens in American stays in American 😆...

I sort of followed The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Mac n cheese and my mums recipe for jalapeno creamed corn and then put the Mac n cheese in the oven to bake while I made the creamed corn and when ready to serve I got mum to top the baked Mac n cheese with the creamed corn, divine!  The crispy Mac n cheese baked top is a hidden delight!  

Prep time 20 mins / Cooking time 40 minutes

 

Ingredients 

Mac n Cheese

(Serves 4)

1 kg macaroni noodles cooked 

100g - 200g medium cheddar cheese grated

100g sharp goats cheese grated

75g pecorino grated

50g Parmesan grated plus same again for dusting 

1-2 ltr full fat milk

300ml double cream

50g butter

50g all purpose flour

Sea salt

White pepper

Ingredients 

Creamed Corn

1 onion finely chopped

1 tbsp butter 

1 drizzle olive oil

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1/4 red pepper finely chopped

4 fresh jalapeños finely chopped

2 Corn in the cobs cut the corn off

600ml heavy cream

Sea salt

White pepper

1 bunch fresh coriander chopped 

Mac n Cheese

Pre heat oven to 180 C / 350 F 

First melt the butter in a deep saucepan, add the flour and stir in until smooth on a low heat cook for a couple of minutes to cook out the flour, turn the heat up to medium and start to add your milk a large ladle at a time, whisking in until smooth you want a medium tight sauce, you can always loosen the sauce later if its to thick, add the cream and stir in then add the cheese until smooth and melted, tast and season if needed, it may not need salt as the pecorino and Parmesan are a salty cheese in themselves.  Adjust the consistency as required. 

Mix the sauce all over the cooked pasta and place in a baking dish, top with the extra Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 180 C / 350 F, until golden and bubbly.  

MEANWHILE

Make The Creamed Corn

Heat the butter and oil in a pan and gently soften the onions, garlic, pepper and half the jalapeños, add the corn and cook for a further 10 minutes until tender, add the cream and remaing jalapeños and bring to a boil for a few minutes to thicken, turn down low, add the coriander and taste for seasoning.  This is now ready to top the Mac n Cheese when it comes out of the oven.

That's it just enjoy 😊 

AWSOME MAC n GARLIC BUTTER GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH WITH TOMATO AND MARSCAPONE DIP

What To Do With Left Over Mac n Cheese

This is sooo good make sure no one else is around to pinch it!  If so make extras as they just will not be able to help themselves!  The rich nutty buttery crispy grilled Mac n cheese crust is brilliant with the creamy tomato soup dip, a perfect after school snack.

 

Ingredients 

Left over Mac n cheese

2 slices bread

2 tbsp butter (garlic optional)

1 tin tomatoes

1 tbsp butter and olive oil

1 small onion fined chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1-2 tbsp marscapone 

Sea salt

White pepper

First get the tomato soup going, place the butter and olive oil in a pan and on a medium heat soften the onions and garlic for about ten minutes, add the tomatoes and leave to gently simmer for another ten minutes, then blitz to a smooth soup, place back on the heat and add the marscapone and stir until melted and fully combined, leave ticking over on a low heat why you made the grilled Mac n cheese.

Place 1 tbsp of the butter in your skillet on a medium heat, butter all sides of the bread generously fill you sandwich with you Mac n cheese and then place the sandwich in the skillet and toast each side until golden crispy brown.  The butter adds a nutty richness to the grilled cheese crust.

Serve in secret with you rich creamy tomato soup dip and enjoy.