First live in a country that makes good sausages! Presently I don't so we have to make them. We will leave the making of sausages for another day.
Sausage meat is best cooked long and slow, as it will release all the juices and seasoning from the meat as you cook. So this is an easy addition to our blog list, but an important one, as there is nothing like a well cooked sausage.
So get a good frying pan, turn your stove top on to low and put the separate sausages in the pan and WALK AWAY.
Go back every 5 minutes and turn the sausages to a different side! So it will probably take at least 20 minutes to cook a good sausage. The thicker the sausage the lower the temp. too as the meat in the middle of the sausage needs to cook too! (Oh yes and I know sausages are round and don't have sides, but it will be lying in a flat pan OK !)
Enjoy the sausage. I personally like mine with mashed potato. Now that's another recipe.
- David
Friday, July 21, 2006
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Timing. How do I get everything ready at the same time?
Timing comes with a lot of practice and how well prepared you are. Chef's can cook many things at once, from a lot of practice and of course having stuff pre- prepared. Ever thought about how quickly a full plated meal only takes 10 minutes in a restaurant? Did you think they had faster stoves? No it is all down to being prepared.
A lot of food can be prepared in advance. Not too far in advance, but at least enough, for when you make dinner, the final few minutes allows you to get everything together on time.
Some easy things to get timing right.
1. Pasta can be cooked a few hours in advance and warmed in recently boiled water. (Do not let the pasta sit in water, from when you make it to when you serve it! It will turn to mush)
2. Meat can be cooked and left for 5, 10 even 15 minutes before serving it. In fact meat during cooking contracts and needs a few minutes to stand to allow the meat to relax (this will make the meat more tender!)
3. Rice can be cooked ahead of time and left for up to 30 minutes, drain off the water and put the lid back on.
4. Do all your chopping in advance. This means they are just ready to put in, when needed.
5. If you cook something right, do not wait too long to try it again, so that it sticks in your mind.
A lot of food can be prepared in advance. Not too far in advance, but at least enough, for when you make dinner, the final few minutes allows you to get everything together on time.
Some easy things to get timing right.
1. Pasta can be cooked a few hours in advance and warmed in recently boiled water. (Do not let the pasta sit in water, from when you make it to when you serve it! It will turn to mush)
2. Meat can be cooked and left for 5, 10 even 15 minutes before serving it. In fact meat during cooking contracts and needs a few minutes to stand to allow the meat to relax (this will make the meat more tender!)
3. Rice can be cooked ahead of time and left for up to 30 minutes, drain off the water and put the lid back on.
4. Do all your chopping in advance. This means they are just ready to put in, when needed.
5. If you cook something right, do not wait too long to try it again, so that it sticks in your mind.
Steak and Pepper Sauce
There are lots of ways to cook steak. One of my favourites is with a rich creamy pepper sauce. Your can use black pepper or green pepper corns. This dish like the fetuccini alfredo is made even richer by the addition of brandy to the creamy sauce.
Steak is not hard to cook, again you have to decide on the way you like it. I am a blood thirsty carnivore and I love watching the blood oose out of the steak as i cut into it. You may not be! The thickness of your steak is important. The thicker the steak, the longer it will need to cook, and the lower the heat, otherwise the outside will be cooked to a crisp!
This is great served with french fries, or as used to call them "chips", before I became internationalised. I am sure you can follow the directions of the pack of french fries and cook them. (You do not need over fries to cook them in the oven though! Even old fashioned french fries, have enough oil on them to cook in the oven).
What you need:
Frying pan.
Steak - you choose. I often try to get a piece of tenderloin for this.
Salt
Pepper corns
Cream (100 ml, or 1/4 pint)
Garlic - chopped.
Brandy or sherry.
Oil
Cooking the steak: If you have never cooked steak before follow this, otherwise just cook it the way you like it and ignore this paragraph. To cook the steak, you need to have a good sharp knife. Fry it in the pan on a medium heat, turn it once every 2 minutes. After the first 4 minutes, cut into it with the knife and see how it is. Decide if this is the way you like it, if not cook for another 2 minutes and check again until you are happy. Once you have cooked steak a few times you can just tell.
Cooking the sauce: Use the same pan as the steak, let the steak sit on a warm plate. (Meat tastes better if left for a few minutes anyway) . DON'T Wash the pan - there is good flavour stuck to your pan. Turn up the heat, add the oil and chopped garlic. Cook for a minute, stirring. Add a tablespoon of brandy. Stir and cook. Add the pepper corn and stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cream and cook until the sauce bubbles. Turn down the heat to low and stir and cook for a further 2 minutes. Pour in the juices, from under the steaks and quickly stir in.
Serve with the sauce poured over the steak.
Steak is not hard to cook, again you have to decide on the way you like it. I am a blood thirsty carnivore and I love watching the blood oose out of the steak as i cut into it. You may not be! The thickness of your steak is important. The thicker the steak, the longer it will need to cook, and the lower the heat, otherwise the outside will be cooked to a crisp!
This is great served with french fries, or as used to call them "chips", before I became internationalised. I am sure you can follow the directions of the pack of french fries and cook them. (You do not need over fries to cook them in the oven though! Even old fashioned french fries, have enough oil on them to cook in the oven).
What you need:
Frying pan.
Steak - you choose. I often try to get a piece of tenderloin for this.
Salt
Pepper corns
Cream (100 ml, or 1/4 pint)
Garlic - chopped.
Brandy or sherry.
Oil
Cooking the steak: If you have never cooked steak before follow this, otherwise just cook it the way you like it and ignore this paragraph. To cook the steak, you need to have a good sharp knife. Fry it in the pan on a medium heat, turn it once every 2 minutes. After the first 4 minutes, cut into it with the knife and see how it is. Decide if this is the way you like it, if not cook for another 2 minutes and check again until you are happy. Once you have cooked steak a few times you can just tell.
Cooking the sauce: Use the same pan as the steak, let the steak sit on a warm plate. (Meat tastes better if left for a few minutes anyway) . DON'T Wash the pan - there is good flavour stuck to your pan. Turn up the heat, add the oil and chopped garlic. Cook for a minute, stirring. Add a tablespoon of brandy. Stir and cook. Add the pepper corn and stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cream and cook until the sauce bubbles. Turn down the heat to low and stir and cook for a further 2 minutes. Pour in the juices, from under the steaks and quickly stir in.
Serve with the sauce poured over the steak.
Fettucini Alfredo
This is a delicious creamy dish, that is definitely not for the people on diets! But again it is all in the sauce. I remember always ordering this dish as a kid, at an Italian restaurant my parents took me too and I could never finish it. It is extremely rich and delicious.
What you need:
Saucepan for the pasta
Saucepan or large frying pan for the sauce.
Brandy or Sherry
Garlic ,1 clove chopped.
Cream (1/2 pint , 200 ml)
You favourite long pasta, I choose fetuccini for this.
Seasoning.
Olive oil.
Lots of grated Parmesan.
What you need to do:
Cook the pasta to the way you like it. Follow the instructions on the side of the package for amounts per person and cooking instruction. Do this just in advance of making the sauce. The sauce will only take 10 minutes and if you keep the lid on the pasta, they should stay warm enough.
In a pan on a low heat add a tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped garlic clove, stir and cook for a minute until the garlic has become clearer.
Add a tablespoon of brandy or sherry and stir. (The alcohol boils off before eating -sorry! it is purely for taste.)
Add half the cream and turn the heat up. Boil the cream, stirring all the time. The cream will condense as the liquid boils off, and in the process will become sweeter.
Stir in a spoon of parmesan and then another and then a 3rd one.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Stir in and continue to reduce (boil off) the creamy sauce. (Taste it, it should be yummy!).
Stop heating the sauce, when it is twice as thick as it was originally. Add the rest of the cream and stir. Add to the noodles and stir altogether.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan. A salad and some fresh bread.
You can make this even richer by adding chopped mushrooms, when you add the garlic, but the sauce, will no longer be a pale white sauce, it will be a browner.
What you need:
Saucepan for the pasta
Saucepan or large frying pan for the sauce.
Brandy or Sherry
Garlic ,1 clove chopped.
Cream (1/2 pint , 200 ml)
You favourite long pasta, I choose fetuccini for this.
Seasoning.
Olive oil.
Lots of grated Parmesan.
What you need to do:
Cook the pasta to the way you like it. Follow the instructions on the side of the package for amounts per person and cooking instruction. Do this just in advance of making the sauce. The sauce will only take 10 minutes and if you keep the lid on the pasta, they should stay warm enough.
In a pan on a low heat add a tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped garlic clove, stir and cook for a minute until the garlic has become clearer.
Add a tablespoon of brandy or sherry and stir. (The alcohol boils off before eating -sorry! it is purely for taste.)
Add half the cream and turn the heat up. Boil the cream, stirring all the time. The cream will condense as the liquid boils off, and in the process will become sweeter.
Stir in a spoon of parmesan and then another and then a 3rd one.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Stir in and continue to reduce (boil off) the creamy sauce. (Taste it, it should be yummy!).
Stop heating the sauce, when it is twice as thick as it was originally. Add the rest of the cream and stir. Add to the noodles and stir altogether.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan. A salad and some fresh bread.
You can make this even richer by adding chopped mushrooms, when you add the garlic, but the sauce, will no longer be a pale white sauce, it will be a browner.
Real Macaroni Cheese
This is a great veggie dinner, which is great for a cold winter night or any other time. The stuff you buy in packages, is not quite the same as this! This can be made with one cheese or many cheeses. The pasta bit is easy the sauce is the problem, and the reason why lots of people just buy the ready made packaged stuff. But you can do it. The Sauce is really just cheese and milk, but thickened with flour and oil (or butter).
What you need
Saucepan for pasta
Saucepan for sauce.
Dish that can go in the oven.
Macaroni or your favourite short pasta. A good handful per person.
Cheese 300g
Milk (1/2 Pint)
Flour
Butter or oil (olive is good)
Seasoning (salt / pepper etc)
Cayenne or Paprika is you wish.
What you need to do:
You need to cook the pasta to al dente (see Spaghetti al carbonara). You can do this in advance. (If the pasta has stuck together, just pour some water over it to loosen it).
Grate the cheese so that you have a large pile of cheese.
Preheat your oven to 150 C or 300 F
In a Saucepan melt a Tablespoon of butter and then stir in a table spoon of flour, over a low heat on the stove. Stir in the flour until you have a good consistent goo!
Now add the milk slowly to the mixture stirring with a whisk. Once the goo has disolved, add the rest of the milk and stir, add a tablespoon of the grated cheese at a time until dissolved. Leave a tablespoon or more back for the top of the dish at end. The sauce will start to thicken as it heats up, it is best not to let it boil for too long and if it boils turn the heat down. (if you have a slow top - take the pan off the heat to let it cool quicker and then return it to the top).
Season your sauce to taste. Once your sauce is nice and thick and not lumpy, pour in the cooked pasta and stir them together. Pour the pasta mixture into the oven safe dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and if you want, a bit of Paprika or cayenne pepper.
Bake for 20 minutes and then eat.
To add more flavour, add some chopped garlic, as you make the goo, or finely chopped shallots or onion.
This can also be made with bacon bits as well. pre cook them and add them when the sauce is cooked.
Serve it as meal on its own, or with a salad. Or if your feeling bold as the starter.
What you need
Saucepan for pasta
Saucepan for sauce.
Dish that can go in the oven.
Macaroni or your favourite short pasta. A good handful per person.
Cheese 300g
Milk (1/2 Pint)
Flour
Butter or oil (olive is good)
Seasoning (salt / pepper etc)
Cayenne or Paprika is you wish.
What you need to do:
You need to cook the pasta to al dente (see Spaghetti al carbonara). You can do this in advance. (If the pasta has stuck together, just pour some water over it to loosen it).
Grate the cheese so that you have a large pile of cheese.
Preheat your oven to 150 C or 300 F
In a Saucepan melt a Tablespoon of butter and then stir in a table spoon of flour, over a low heat on the stove. Stir in the flour until you have a good consistent goo!
Now add the milk slowly to the mixture stirring with a whisk. Once the goo has disolved, add the rest of the milk and stir, add a tablespoon of the grated cheese at a time until dissolved. Leave a tablespoon or more back for the top of the dish at end. The sauce will start to thicken as it heats up, it is best not to let it boil for too long and if it boils turn the heat down. (if you have a slow top - take the pan off the heat to let it cool quicker and then return it to the top).
Season your sauce to taste. Once your sauce is nice and thick and not lumpy, pour in the cooked pasta and stir them together. Pour the pasta mixture into the oven safe dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and if you want, a bit of Paprika or cayenne pepper.
Bake for 20 minutes and then eat.
To add more flavour, add some chopped garlic, as you make the goo, or finely chopped shallots or onion.
This can also be made with bacon bits as well. pre cook them and add them when the sauce is cooked.
Serve it as meal on its own, or with a salad. Or if your feeling bold as the starter.
Wine for Dinner? David's thoughts
I used to be a bit of snob with wine, thinking the majority of people did not know a lot about wine. This is because as a kid, my parents took me around France and Germany on wine holidays, whilst all my friends got to go to Disneyland or something. I am grateful now, for this choice my parents made, it has made me appreciate good wine, but here is what I think.
1. If you like it, drink it. If you like it at room temperature drink it that way, if you like it cold, drink it that way. In fact just enjoy your wine with your dinner.
2. Generally dark / rich food deserves a heavier tasting wine, otherwise you won't taste it.
3. Go out to your local wine store and buy some. If you find a good one, good back and buy 6 or 12 or more of it. And then you have something that you like to keep in reserve.
4. Never buy really expensive wine, unless YOU are going to enjoy it. Buy and drink wine you like.
5. Do not be afraid to try different wines.
6. Do not let any wine snob tell you something else! Let them ponce around telling you about its bouquet and character, whilst you just drink it.
7. A higher price does not make a wine good! Your taste is the judge of that.
1. If you like it, drink it. If you like it at room temperature drink it that way, if you like it cold, drink it that way. In fact just enjoy your wine with your dinner.
2. Generally dark / rich food deserves a heavier tasting wine, otherwise you won't taste it.
3. Go out to your local wine store and buy some. If you find a good one, good back and buy 6 or 12 or more of it. And then you have something that you like to keep in reserve.
4. Never buy really expensive wine, unless YOU are going to enjoy it. Buy and drink wine you like.
5. Do not be afraid to try different wines.
6. Do not let any wine snob tell you something else! Let them ponce around telling you about its bouquet and character, whilst you just drink it.
7. A higher price does not make a wine good! Your taste is the judge of that.
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