Chicken Paprika

With the weather so cold this winter, another Crock Pot special. This one is a chicken dish (somewhat inspired by the famous hungarian dish) that is warming but still light.

Equipment

• Frying pan
• Crock Pot (slow cooker)
• Knife
• Chopping board
• Cup and spoon measures

Ingredients

• 1 can of chopped roma tomatoes
• 45g butter
• 6 chicken thighs (these work best, but 3 breasts will do if you need)
• 1 white or brown onion chopped
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1/4 sour cream (this is optional, light sour cream also works)

Method

• Melt half the butter, in the frying pan on medium-high heat, and lightly brown the chicken on both sides in batches, then put into the crock pot. 
• Turn the pan down to medium-low, add the remaining butter to the frying pan, add onions and fry until soft. Add the paprika and cook for 1 minutes, then stir in the flour, stock and chopped tomatoes. Peel and chop the garlic, toss in and add the bay leaf, stir in the salt and pepper, then add it all to the Crock Pot.
• Cook on low for the day. 
• Remove the bay leaf, add the sour cream just before service if that option has been chosen.

Serve
Serve with Basmati Rice.

Daube of Beef Provencal

Sounds fancy, tastes lovely, and sophisticated enough to serve for a dinner party. And again a good crock pot recipe for the winter.

Equipment

• 1 chopping board
• 1 large chopping knife
• frying pan
• measuring cups and spoons
• string
• Medium sized bowl
• Colander
• Deep serving Bowl
• Whisk
• Crock Pot (slow cooker)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 125g thickly sliced pancetta
• 6 whole beef cheeks or 1kg of lean chuck steak
• 1 large white or brown onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 small butternut pumpkin (butternut squash)
• 1 1/2 cups red wine (make sure it's drinkable - bad wine makes a bad dish)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 stalks of parsley
• 1 spring thyme
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of beef stock
• 1 orange or mandarin
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 30g butter (plus additional knob if you choose to make mash)
• 1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
• Bread rolls

Method

• Cut up the lean chuck steak into large cubes (beef cheeks can stay whole). Cube the pancetta.
• Cut up the onion, cut the tomato into quarters, thickly slice the carrot, and peel, de-seed and chop the butternut pumpkin into large chunks.
• Heat the oil in the frying pan, to a medium-high heat, then fry the pancetta for 2-3 minutes until the fat is transparent. Add the beef and brown it in batches over a high heat, putting the cooked meat into the Crock Pot. 
• Add the onions, and carrot, and cook slowly for five minutes, then add to the Crock Pot.
• Peel and smash your garlic cloves, put into the Crock Pot, and add the wine, chopped tomato, and beef stock.
• Create your own Bouquet Garni, by tying up your thyme, bay leaf and parsley. Add to the Crock Pot, with your salt and pepper.
• Wash your orange or mandarin, and then use your peeler with the orange skin to create an orange rind peel about 5 cm long. One is fine, but two is better. Add to the Crock Pot
• At this point, decide if you want to serve butternut pumpkin mash, or would like to serve it more as a stew with pumpkin pieces. If serving mash, put the pumpkin pieces into the medium-sized bowl with cold water, cover and put in the fridge, to cook before serving. Otherwise, just add the pumpkin pieces to the Crock Pot.

At this point, you can put the crock pot ceramic bowl and lid into the fridge if you are preparing this the night before, and take it out in the morning to cook.

• Put the Crock Pot on to slow cook for the day.
• Twenty minutes before, if making mash, put the pumpkin pieces into a pot of boiling water, with a pinch of salt, and boil for 15-20 minutes. Drain, add the additional knob of butter, then mash.
• Before serving, strain the stew through the colander over the medium-sized bowl, and place the beef, vegetables, etc into a deep serving bowl. Remove the bouquet garni and orange peel.
• Melt the butter in the microwave for 20 seconds, then whisk in the flour. Add to the medium bowl of stew juices, and whisk through, then pour over the beef, vegetables, etc in the serving bowl.

Serve

Serve the bowl of daube (with mash in another bowl if this option was chosen). Warm your bread rolls for 5 minutes in a medium oven.

Beef in Guinness

How can you fail with a name like that? This is a crock pot (slow cooker) meal that smells and tastes great. Your crock pot will need to be family sized to take the contents. Its a big amount of food, but it tastes even better the next day and freezes well too. You can start this the night before, or in the morning to eat that night.

Equipment:

• Large bowl
• Frying pan
• Large chopping knife
• Chopping board
• Crock Pot (or slow cooker)
• Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients:

• 1kg chuck steak
• 1/4 cup plain flour, plus 2 tablespoons extra
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 white or brown onion chopped
• 2 sticks celery, sliced
• 1 carrot cut into chunks
• 4 medium to large potatoes 
• 4 rashers of bacon
• 1 440m can of Guinness
• 1/2 cup of Beef Stock
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• Bread rolls to serve

Method

• Trim your chuck steak of as much fat as you can, cut your chuck steak into 3-4cm cubes. Place your 1/4 cup of flour into your large bowl, put in your chuck steak, and toss lightly so the chuck steak is dusted all over. Put the oil in the frying pan, heat it up to high, and brown the beef (basically seal each side, but don't cook all the way through), and put into the crock pot.
• Cut the rind and fat off the bacon, and dice it. Chop the onion into small pieces, slice the celery, and cut the carrot into chunky pieces. Fry the bacon for a minute or two on a high heat, then turn the heat in the frying pan down, and vegetables over a low heat, cook the onion, celery, and carrot through for five minutes to get a bit of colour. Stir through the 2 tablespoons of additional flour, then put the cooked bacon and vegetables into the crock pot.
• Peel and chop the potatoes and put them in the crock pot. 
• Empty the large bowl of remaining flour, and pour in the Guiness, tomato paste and beef stock, and stir to break up the tomato paste, and pour over the crock pot contents, and stir through gently. Add your pepper and salt

At this point, you can put the crock pot ceramic bowl and lid into the fridge if you are preparing this the night before, and take it out in the morning to cook.

• Put the crock pot on to cook on slow to cook all day. Half an hour before serving, taste the  stew, and add any extra salt and pepper you might require.

Serve

Warm up your bread rolls in the oven for five minutes, prior to service.

Myf's Super Chocolate Truffles

Need to take something to a party that is neat, sophisticated and self contained? Need little party favours or thank-you gifts? Myf's chocolate truffles are for you!

Equipment:

• Grater
• Saucepan
• Wooden spoon

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pouring cream
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon of glucose syrup
• 250g block of milk chocolate - or half milk, half dark if you prefer
• (Optional tablespoon of alcohol - grand marnier, butterscotch schnapps, whisky or rum works nicely, particularly if you use the milk and dark chocolate mix)
• 150-200g of extra milk chocolate for dipping
• High quality dutch cocoa for rolling

Method:

• Grate your 250g chocolate block
• Mix the cream, butter and glucose syrup together in your saucepan, bring to boil over medium heat, then turn off.
• Add grated chocolate to the pan, swirly gently, but don't mix. 
• Leave to sit for 5 minutes off the heat.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Whisk slowly to combine, transfer into a bowl and put in the fridge for an hour.
• You need to stir at 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 45 minutes. Now the mix will start to thicken really quickly, so you have to stir more frequently: every 5 minutes until the hour is up.
• Scoop out 1 inch bowl of mix and roll between your palms (it helps if you run your hands under cold water and dry them first). Place each ball on the baking tray, and chill the tray for about 15 minutes until they are firm.
• Meanwhile, melt the extra chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds so you don't burn it. Allow to cool slightly.
• Put a layer of the cocoa on a plate.
• Using a toothpick dip the balls in the melted chocolate and then immediately roll in the cocoa, swishing it around with one hand, and rolling between your palms to make it spherical again.

Serve:
I like to serve about four-six in little cellulose packets if they are gifts, tied up with ribbon. Or in a nice airtight container if I'm taking it to a party.

Brooke's Amazing Sweet Potato & Bean Salad

Need to take something to a BBQ or a party? Stuck with the salad option and want something fun to bring that looks sophisticated, but is oh-so-easy? This is the one for you!

Equipment:

• Chopping board
• Knife
• Baking tray
• Baking paper
• Microwave-proof container with a lid
• Small saucepan
• Large serving bowl

Ingredients:

• 2 whole big sweet potatoes
• 1 bag of frozen green beans (about the same amount as your sweet potato)
• 2 small onions
• 1 small jar of semi-dried tomatoes
• 6 tablespoons of Sweet-Chilli Sauce
• 6 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (from a jar is fine)
• 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Method:

• Turn the oven on to 180C to preheat
• Peel and slice the sweet potatoes - about half a centimetre thick. Cover tray with baking paper, and place slices of sweet potato onto the tray, and put in oven for 30 minutes (until a little brown on the outside, and soft in the middle)
• Cut your onions into quarters and place in your saucepan, with the oil from your semi-dried tomatoes.Put the lid on your saucepan, and cook on low until caramelized - this should be about the same time as it takes for your sweet potato to cook
• Put your frozen green beans your microwave-proof container, add a little water, put the lid on (but not fully sealed) and cook on high for six minutes
• Mix the sweet-chilli sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic and olive oil in the bottom of the bowl to make the dressing. Add the cooked sweet potato, onions and green beans, and toss them through so they are covered in the dressing.

Szechuan Green Beans

This is pretty quick, and works well teamed with your Shanghai-style Poached Chicken. And you can prepare most of it in advance, and cook quickly at the last minute before serving.

Equipment:

• Chopping board
• Knife
• Small bowl
• Wok
• Colander
• Stirrer
• Spoon measures

Ingredients:

• 500g green beans - the original one called for Chinese longbeans, but green beans work well.
• 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic - you can use fresh, but from a jar is fine
• 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger - again, fresh is good, but from the jar is ok.
• 1/2 teaspoon of chilli paste
• 2 spring onions (scallions) - just the white parts
• 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil for frying

Method:

• Wash the beans, drain, and trim the tops and bottoms off. (If you are preparing this in advance, put them in a bowl with cold water, cover with glad wrap, and stick in the fridge until you want to cook them)
• Chop up and combine the garlic, ginger and scallions, and put aside in your bowl. (Again you can stick this in your fridge after you cover it until you are ready to cook.)
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the wok
• Add the beans to your wok and stir fry until they brown - thats about 5 minutes
• Remove the beans and drain in your colander.
• Heat the rest of the oil in the wok, and add the chilli paste and stir fry for a few seconds, add the garlic, ginger, spring onions, dark soy, sugar, salt and pepper.
• Throw in your drained green beans, mix through quickly, and serve.

Chocolate Pie

Another wonderful recipe from the amazing Kelly, who is a talented costume designer and new mum. This recipe was part of the collection I got at my Kitchen Tea, from a really amazing bridesmaid who also made my dress and managed to find a suit my husband would actually wear (what a talent!).
Chocolate Pie was one of those things that I thought wasn't going to work when I tried it, but yum!

Equipment:

• A bowl
• Chopping board
• Knife
• Cup measures
• Teaspoon measure
• A good saucepan with a thick base (so stuff won't burn easily)
• A pie tin if you are cooking your own pie shell - most store bought ones will come with their own foil one.
• Your oven

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup of cocoa
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 2 cups of milk
• 4 eggs
• 125g of butter (half a block)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• Pie crust from the supermarket

Method:

• Preheat oven, and pre-bake your pie shell as per the instructions, or if you're feeling adventurous, you could have a go at this recipe for one.
• Separate your egg yolks and whites (the whites aren't needed)
• Cut your butter into small cubes (1cm or so)
• Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and milk in your saucepan.
• Bring to boil & gradually add the egg yolks
• Cook and stir constantly until thick - you really have to watch this bit.
• Remove from the heat & stir in your butter and vanilla.
• Pull out your pie crust from the oven
• Turn down your oven to a moderate heat - 350F or 180C.
• Pour your chocolate filling into the pie crust
• Put your chocolate pie into the oven to brown on top for 10 minutes.

Serving suggestion

Serve with ice cream - vanilla, or for something extra sweet, try a caramel.