Recipes, kitchen tips and tricks

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When using fresh herbs it’s ok to chop them with a knife if they are going into a dish to be cooked, however if you’re using the herbs for garnish then rip them with your fingers, otherwise chopping them leaves the edges black.
Have a look at the difference between chopped herbs and ripped herbs next time you have fresh herbs in front of you.
 
When cooking a steak make sure to dry it properly first, kitchen paper does it, pat it dry on both side and get it as dry as possible.
Time it for cooking on both sides and be sure to turn it only once.
So for instance, your steak will take 6 minutes to cook, leave for 3 minutes on one side, then turn just once for another 3 minutes. Don’t play about with it, just be patient.
Remember to have your griddle hot, very hot.
Once cooked remove from pan or oven and leave to rest for a few minutes. This is important.

The point about leaving it to rest is this.
Have you ever put your foot in the bath to test the water and it’s red hot, you squeeze your foot to ease the pain from the heat, well your steak (or any meat) does the same, it tenses up with the heat but starts to relax as it cools down a little
 
Seathestars said:
When cooking a steak make sure to dry it properly first, kitchen paper does it, pat it dry on both side and get it as dry as possible.
Time it for cooking on both sides and be sure to turn it only once.
So for instance, your steak will take 6 minutes to cook, leave for 3 minutes on one side, then turn just once for another 3 minutes. Don’t play about with it, just be patient.
Remember to have your griddle hot, very hot.
Once cooked remove from pan or oven and leave to rest for a few minutes. This is important.

The point about leaving it to rest is this.
Have you ever put your foot in the bath to test the water and it’s red hot, you squeeze your foot to ease the pain from the heat, well your steak (or any meat) does the same, it tenses up with the heat but starts to relax as it cools down a little
Click to expand...
Another important tip is to take the steak out of the fridge about 30 minutes before grilling to bring it to room temperature. A freezing-cold steak won't cook evenly.
 

Kidderminster Plum Cake recipe, provided by Mrs Cynthia Cooksey of Cotton Hackett, Worcestershire.

Ingredients.

375g/13oz puff pastry - either from the shop, but I make my own as it's so easy, here's the recipe :




Scaled up you'll need 365g/13oz plain flour and 11oz butter.

4 glacè cherries
225g/8oz of mixed dried fruit
50g/2oz plain flour
50g/2oz soft brown sugar
50g/2oz softened butter/margarine
1 negg (as my niece used to say)
1 level teaspoon of mixed spice

Method.

Preheat oven to Gas 6, 400°F/200°C

1- Roughly chop cherries, put in mixing bowl and add other ingredients.
2- Beat with a wooden spoon for 2-3 mins to mix thoroughly.
3- Roll out pastry to a thickness of around 3.5mm/eighth of an inch thick - basically quite thin.
4- Cut 12 rounds 10cm/4 inches across, I used a small saucer.
5- Place 2 teaspoons of mixture in centre of each round, brush edges with water.
6- Gather pastry over filling and seal well.
7- Turn over each plum cake and roll over lightly to form a round approx 7.5cm/ 3 inches across.
8- Fill a small bowl with granulated sugar, brush tops of caks with water and dip cakes into the sugar.
9- Put cakes on a baking sheet, make 3 cuts on each.
10- Bake for around 20 mins when top should be golden.

As I like cherries, mixed spice, nutmeg and mixed fruit I added more. With the pastry left over from cutting the rounds I made a 'log' which proved very nice. You could just do that if you cba fiddling around, but tbh it's not that difficult. Eat hot or cold.
 
summerisle said:
Kidderminster Plum Cake recipe, provided by Mrs Cynthia Cooksey of Cotton Hackett, Worcestershire.

Ingredients.

375g/13oz puff pastry - either from the shop, but I make my own as it's so easy, here's the recipe :




Scaled up you'll need 365g/13oz plain flour and 11oz butter.

4 glacè cherries
225g/8oz of mixed dried fruit
50g/2oz plain flour
50g/2oz soft brown sugar
50g/2oz softened butter/margarine
1 negg (as my niece used to say)
1 level teaspoon of mixed spice

Method.

Preheat oven to Gas 6, 400°F/200°C

1- Roughly chop cherries, put in mixing bowl and add other ingredients.
2- Beat with a wooden spoon for 2-3 mins to mix thoroughly.
3- Roll out pastry to a thickness of around 3.5mm/eighth of an inch thick - basically quite thin.
4- Cut 12 rounds 10cm/4 inches across, I used a small saucer.
5- Place 2 teaspoons of mixture in centre of each round, brush edges with water.
6- Gather pastry over filling and seal well.
7- Turn over each plum cake and roll over lightly to form a round approx 7.5cm/ 3 inches across.
8- Fill a small bowl with granulated sugar, brush tops of caks with water and dip cakes into the sugar.
9- Put cakes on a baking sheet, make 3 cuts on each.
10- Bake for around 20 mins when top should be golden.

As I like cherries, mixed spice, nutmeg and mixed fruit I added more. With the pastry left over from cutting the rounds I made a 'log' which proved very nice. You could just do that if you cba fiddling around, but tbh it's not that difficult. Eat hot or cold.
Click to expand...

I knew you wouldn't disappoint me. Thanks Summerisle for the recipe and happy Friday!
 
Sassy Colombian said:
I knew you wouldn't disappoint me. Thanks Summerisle for the recipe and happy Friday!
Click to expand...
At the weekend I will be mostly baking jam fairy cakes.

recipes.sainsburys.co.uk

Recipe: Jammy fairy cakes | Sainsbury's recipes

A fairy cake recipe with a jammy surprise! Kids will love making these cupcakes and they’re great for birthday parties, too| Find new ideas and inspiration with Sainsbury's Recipes.
recipes.sainsburys.co.uk recipes.sainsburys.co.uk
 

Sassy Colombian said:
Are you psychic or did you read my post about carbonara pasta? lol It is one of my favorite ones. I make mine similarly but didn't know the trick about the eggs that's very ingenious.
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I used to work in an Italian restaurant, in the kitchen, was my mate's dad's place. Mainly northern Italian pasta dishes, as he was from lido, twas magic. But we would do some Roman dishes like cacio e Pepe and carbonara. Done the traditional Italian way it's nothing like the cream based rubbish you get served up in some restaurants here. Here is Rick stein cooking it, almost exactly as we did. It's magic. Try it.

 
Flynnthistle said:
I used to work in an Italian restaurant, in the kitchen, was my mate's dad's place. Mainly northern Italian pasta dishes, as he was from lido, twas magic. But we would do some Roman dishes like cacio e Pepe and carbonara. Done the traditional Italian way it's nothing like the cream based rubbish you get served up in some restaurants here. Here is Rick stein cooking it, almost exactly as we did. It's magic. Try it.

Click to expand...

Great dish. We have this a couple of times a month in our house and have done for years. When short of time and ingredients I just fry off garlic, any herb (fresh or dry) add tinned plumb tomatoes (squashed). Put the cooked pasta in and touch of cooking water in and grate over any cheese, kids love it.
 
Goodison87 said:
Great dish. We have this a couple of times a month in our house and have done for years. When short of time and ingredients I just fry off garlic, any herb (fresh or dry) add tinned plumb tomatoes (squashed). Put the cooked pasta in and touch of cooking water in and grate over any cheese, kids love it.
Click to expand...

Yeah mate, it's incredibly easy (and cheap) to make good authentic Italian pasta dishes, obviously because it was poor people's food back in the day.

Just as you have done in the dish you describe almost all the dishes we cooked, and I still do, include the use of the starchy, heavily salted (supposed to be like sea water) pasta cooking water, seeing folk drain the pasta without reserving all that flavoursome water makes my soul cry... It adds such flavour and provides a sauce to even the drier dishes like Spaghetti aglio e olio

Another tip, and it's widely used for many pasta dishes in northern Italy is to melt 3/4 anchovy fillets under a low heat in olive oil before cooking the main elements of the dish. I get people don't like the idea of anchovy but they just melt away to nothing, giving the oil an incredible sea salted flavour. It's adds a whole different dimension of flavour to a dish. It's a must try.
 
Flynnthistle said:
Yeah mate, it's incredibly easy (and cheap) to make good authentic Italian pasta dishes, obviously because it was poor people's food back in the day.

Just as you have done in the dish you describe almost all the dishes we cooked, and I still do, include the use of the starchy, heavily salted (supposed to be like sea water) pasta cooking water, seeing folk drain the pasta without reserving all that flavoursome water makes my soul cry... It adds such flavour and provides a sauce to even the drier dishes like Spaghetti aglio e olio

Another tip, and it's widely used for many pasta dishes in northern Italy is to melt 3/4 anchovy fillets under a low heat in olive oil before cooking the main elements of the dish. I get people don't like the idea of anchovy but they just melt away to nothing, giving the oil an incredible sea salted flavour. It's adds a whole different dimension of flavour to a dish. It's a must try.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing you've made pasta alla puttanesca before?
 

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