DUCK RAGU WITH PASTA

La scoperta di un piatto nuovo è più preziosa per il genere umano che la scoperta di una nuova stella.

(The discovery of a new dish is more precious to human beings than the discovery of a new star.)
Brillat- Savarin


A short while ago I escaped for a week to Italy leaving my husband home alone to fend for himself against the kids. Whilst it is safe to say they all survived intact and breathing, the same cannot be said for a few of my kitchen essentials notably the microwave. It is beyond repair after being left to cook (an already cooked cake) for 20 minutes. Its gleaming white interior now looks like the stained brown fingers of a heavy smoker and the once clear glass plate is tinged with permanent black smuts. The smell, once opened, is so pungent that it has now become an art form to open and shut it as quick as you can so as not to fill the kitchen with its odor. So to console myself the other night I thought back to those days in Italy and remembered one such night when I tasted for the first time ‘Duck Ragu’. The restaurant was in a small town and as you entered you could see the roaring kitchen fire where they cooked their steaks and for which they were well known. I couldn’t wait to try one but like any wonderful Italian dinner we started with some pasta. When my dish arrived I found my plate full of very wide pasta (pappardelle) coated in the most amazing sauce. I cannot explain how exquisite it was. I had never thought of pairing duck with pasta and certainly not in a Ragu sauce. I did some research that night whilst drinking a cold glass of ‘Prosecco’ and this recipe is what I came up with. Although the legs and thighs are the best parts of the duck to use where I live it was only possible to obtain breasts. Now having compared the two I would honestly say the taste is just as rich and wonderful however it is just the texture is chunkier. I hope you try this because I swear you will be like me and become a fan forever!

INGREDIENTS
3 duck breasts or 4 duck legs
1 small onion finely chopped
1 medium carrot finely chopped
1 celery stick finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves thinly sliced
½ cup red wine (preferably Italian)
½ cup chicken stock
1 stalk of fresh rosemary, leaves only chopped
1 can of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1lb dried pasta of your choice

METHOD
1.In a large saucepan heat the oil until it is smoking then add the duck and brown on all sides.
2.  Remove the duck and put aside.
3.  Drain off the excess fat leaving a small amount in the bottom of the pan.
4.  Add the onion, carrot, celery and cook until softened.
5.  Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for a minute to soften.
6.  Add the wine, stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
7.  Once the sauce is boiling add the duck back into the pot and bring to the boil again.
8.  Once at a boil lower the heat, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
9.  After 1 hour remove the duck from the pan and allow to cool slightly.
10. Put the sauce in processor and whiz it slightly to reduce the chunks and return to the pan (if you like your ragu chunky you can leave this step out).
11.. When you can handle the duck safely remove the skin and shred the meat.
12. Return the meat only to the pan and simmer for another 30 minutes.
13. Cook your pasta according to its package label to be ready for the same time as the sauce.
14. Add cooked pasta to a large serving dish and pour over the sauce. I like to toss the whole thing together so as to ensure all the pasta has a rich coating.
15. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.


Serves 4

BANANA BREAD

B

    A

        N

            A

        N

   A

S

When the summer is in full swing and the peaches and berries are abundant the bananas in my house come second best in the picking from the fruit bowl. They sit there waiting to be chosen, their progressive ripening a sure sign that they are heading for the trash can. However for me this is the time when I love to take those poor redundant things and turn them into something quite amazing. Banana Bread. Now I know everybody has a banana bread recipe but mine has a little secret. I am not ashamed to say it came from a kid’s magazine in England. As it is designed for kids you can imagine how easy it is to make. I love to serve this spread with butter and a nice cup of English tea. So bake away and taste this light fluffy bread that you and your kids will love.

INGREDIENTS

8oz Self Raising Flour

4oz Butter (room temperature)

5 ½ oz Sugar

3-4 Bananas (very ripe)

½ tsp salt

2 Eggs (large)

METHOD

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degree F.

2. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl using an electric mixer.

3. Grease a 2lb loaf tin with butter and sprinkle flour over to avoid the bread sticking to the pan.

4. Spoon the batter into the loaf tin and spread it out evenly.

5. Bake in the oven for approx 1 to 1 ¼ hours.

6. The bread is cooked when the top is golden and an inserted skewer or knife comes out clean.

7. Leave to cool before serving.

PAELLA

‘ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL’





I have just returned from a trip home to see my family in England. My sister informed me that my lucky neice had already left for her vacation in Mallorca. Although upset I would not get to see her and her family I was compensated by the beautiful memories that came flooding back!

Mallorca, nestled in the Mediterranean Sea, is one of my most favorite places in the world. This wonderful island holds some of my dearest memories, from visiting my cousins who lived there when I was young, working there during my late teens and finally the retreat that I took my family to when we need a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. My children almost ‘morphed’ into Spanish kids playing soccer in the village squares and sharing toys with the local children. They did not need to speak Spanish they had the common language of childhood, the language of openness and pure enjoyment. My husband had never been there before we met and was transfixed by the beauty of the island’s villages that are not well visited by the normal tourist and remain un-spoilt to this day.

During one of our visits we went to spend an evening with my cousins, Leslie who was born in England and Pablo her husband, who was born in Minorca. This particular evening, the sun was still warm and we sat on the patio drinking chilled wine. Pablo decided to cook traditional paella and my husband (not known at that stage for his cooking) decided he would like to learn. I am not sure whether it was his desire to cook for me or his engineering curiosity when he saw the burner that Pablo was going use. Traditionally the paella is cooked in a large round shallow pan, over an open flame but Pablo had invested in a Paella grill that was a round ring of lighted gas. Clive was curious and spent a long inspecting it, vowing to get one at home. So Clive’s lesson ensued and much to his surprise Paella is easy to cook and Pablo was a great teacher.

Whilst the paella was bubbling away we sat amidst the glorious smells of its flavor chatting and laughing. The evening couldn’t have been better; however we were wrong it soon became perfect. The next door neighbor, who stuck his head over the fence, asked us if we would like some fresh snails. My kids thought he meant ones to play with. Can you imagine their astonishment when we explained that he was going to cook them! In true European terms he appeared at the table 10 minutes later with a bowl of snails cooked in their shells. I thought my daughter would faint but she just stood there staring at them. I prayed that she would not scream or cry, she didn’t let me down! My son was the first to try them, he didn’t gag but he declined a second, my daughter point blank refused and soon all the adults’ tucked in. Before we knew it the Paella was ready and we all including the neighbors, sat down and enjoyed our feast.

My husband never got his burner but he is now the official Paella cook in our household and I his sous chef. Here is our version however paella can be cooked with a variety of meat and fish, according to your taste and what you have in your fridge.


INGREDIENTS

1 small onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
3 tomatoes skinned and diced or 14oz tin of diced tomatoes
½ cup olive oil
12 oz short grain rice or arborio rice
2 chicken breasts sliced
2 pork loin chops sliced
8 oz shrimp raw and peeled (medium size)
8 shrimp in shells (extra large)
15 mussels
½ red pepper sliced
½ green pepper sliced
2 pints of chicken stock
2 large pinches of saffron strands
½ cup dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste


METHOD

1. Heat the oil in the paella pan or very large frying pan.
2. Fry the peppers until the edges are golden and remove from the pan. Set aside.
3. Sauté the onion until soft and opaque.
4. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for one minute.
5. Add the tomatoes and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the chicken and pork and gently cook until sealed on all sides.
7. Heat the chicken stock and wine in a separate pan with the saffron.
8. Stir the rice into the meat mixture making sure that all the grains are coated with the oil.
9. Add the enough stock to the paella pan to cover the meat and rice.
10. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Bring the paella to the boil and turn down the heat and simmer for about 30minutes or until the rice is just under cooked.
12. Continue to add the rest of the stock as needed throughout this cooking process.
13. Once rice is nearly done stir in the peeled shrimp and cook for a further 10 minutes
14. Whilst the paella is finishing cooking in a separate pan add a little boiling water and steam the mussels until opened. Discard any mussels that do not open.
15. In a separate frying pan melt some butter and dry the extra large shrimp until pink and cooked.
16. When paella rice is fully cooked and all the stock has been absorbed decorate the dish with the mussels, extra large shrimp and peppers.
17. Remove paella from the heat, cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
18. Serve with crusty bread.


Serves 6-8

PAULA DEEN AND PHILADELPHIA CREAM CHEESE COMPETITION

I have added links to the home video's I have made so far in this competition. The rules are to make certain dishes using Philadelphia and produce a video. It has been so fun and you cant imagine the bloopers!! Maybe one day I will include those too!! Hope you enjoy!

Philadelphia Cream Cheese competition

I will be putting the recipes on here later in their original version and the philli version. 

LEMON MAIDS OF HONOR

'A treat for my son and

daughter'

This week started out like any other that I have experienced over the last several years. It started with 'Mum my stomach hurts'. My son has been plagued with stomach problems for years and no-one has been able to find out what is causing it except this week the whole thing took on a new twist. His chest became tight and he found it hard to breathe. Like any self respecting mother I panicked and was convinced he had with Asthma or a chest infection and hiked him off to the doctor. With a roll of eyes and the look that I knew meant 'my god you are back again!!!' the kind doctor told me he was having stress attacks probably caused by a stomach virus. With my tail between my legs I left the surgery vowing to get some brown paper bags for him to blow into and hoping this would solve the problem. It didn't. By the next day his breathing was worse, he was very pale, uncoordinated and dizzy. This time I asked my husband to accompany me (dutch courage of the non-alcoholic kind). The doctor conceded to perform an EKG. He was so confident that it would show nothing that he couldn't help hide his surprise when he read the results. My son's heart rate was only 43 way below the normal. Only serious athletes should have that and believe me he is no athlete, he's not unfit but he has never been able to run very far without getting out of breath.


Within 24 hours we were sitting with a pediatric cardiologist explaining to us that he thinks he has a problem with his Vegus Nerve. This nerve controls his breathing, muscle movement and digestive tract. Wahooo we may be getting somewhere. So I bring him home after many tests and hooked to a heart monitor. Next week we should get news and I am keeping my fingers crossed we get some answers and my child can get some well deserved solution to his problems.


To ease his mind and mine I started to think about cooking him some treats. Last week I had already submitted, for my daughter, these little bites to the Philadelphia Cream Cheese competition and seeing he loves lemon curd with a passion I decided to cook them again for him.


INGREDIENTS


•1/2 Pack frozen Puff Pastry
•8 ounce(s) of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
•1 1/2 ounce(s) of Sugar
•1 1/2 ounce(s) of Ground Almonds
•6 tsp. of Lemon Curd
•2 Eggs
•1 Lemon
 
METHOD
 
1.Cut pastry sheet in half and roll each one into about a 9inch square
2.Cut out 12 pastry rounds that will fit into a 12 portion buttered bun tin
3.Next place the Philadelphia cheese into a bowl and add the sugar, ground almonds and the zest of the lemon
4.Beat the Philadelphia and other ingredients together until incorporated
5.In a seperate bowl break one of the eggs and one egg yolk. Mix together
6.Add the eggs to the cream cheese and mix together
7.In the bottom of the pastry case put 1/2 teaspoon of lemon curd
8.Then on top of the lemon curd drop about 1 dessert spoon of the batter
9.Bake in a 400 degree f for 20 -25 minutes until golden
10.Place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes
11.Tranfer the tarts to a plate and sprinkle with confectioners sugar


Makes 12 little cakes

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

‘Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.’
Albert Einstein

Twenty Three years ago I met my husband. It was not your typical first encounter. We were set up on a blind date, ventured out to an Indian restaurant and I can confirm that it was not love at first sight. We seemed to spend the night skipping around the table not literally but verbally interjected with long agonizing pauses. However, I will save that story for another day. This is about what happened later after we finally started dating and I met his parents.
Suffice to say meeting potential future in-laws is always a stressful prospect but truly I am one lucky lady. My husband’s parents are wonderfully eccentric. On entering their house I was informed that the chandelier in the living room had been replaced with a blank white electrical cover box due to the fact that they play Badminton in there and had broken the chandalier. Not so strange you may think after all haven’t we at one time or another, as kids, played outdoor games inside? However, first of all there was only the two of them and they both in their 60’s but more importantly their formal living room was filled with true antique furniture and exquisite ornaments. Not exactly playground stuff! Yes that is the kind of people my in-laws were to be.

So, we talked for a while and then moved into the dining room for lunch. I soon found out that some 15 years prior they had turned vegetarian. Now, I come from a family of meat eater and when I say meat eaters I MEAN meat eaters. It is not unheard of for my mother to roast 2 types of meat for Sunday lunch. Needless to say I truly felt something was missing from my plate. After all spinach quiche was not my favorite dish of the month and was a little alien to me for especially for Sunday lunch.

Being the kind of person I am I ate lunch with enthusiasm. I didn’t want to offend them on my first meeting and vowed to learn to cook vegetarian. I had grown to like this guy (my husband) and wanted to make this last so I started to cook cook cook. I am not ashamed to say that I was converted in my thinking and now absolutely love to have a meatless meal on my table and of course I also got the man!

One of my all time favorites is this Butternut Squash Risotto. It is so thick, creamy and deliciously gooey that I dare you to serve this up even to your kids and I promise you that everyone will just sing your praises for a long long time!

INGREDIENTS

2lb Butternut Squash (peeled and cubed into 1inch pieces)
4 cups Chicken Stock
4oz Parmesan cheese finely grated
1 Medium Onion (diced)
1 Garlic Clove (crushed and chopped)
16oz Farfalle Pasta
4oz Butter
10oz Arborio Rice
5tbls Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

METHOD

1. Pre heat the oven to 425F
2. Place the cubed squash on a baking sheet and drizzle over 3tbsp of the oil making sure that each piece is evenly coated (I like to do this with my hands!).
3. Place the baking sheet in the oven to roast the squash for about 25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and the squash cooked through.
4. While the squash is roasting place the butter and remaining oil in a large saucepan and melt.
5. In a medium saucepan gently heat the stock to a simmer and then leave on the lowest heat setting.
6. When butter and oil have melted and sizzling add the chopped onion and saute for about 3 minutes and then add the garlic. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Turn the heat down to a simmer level and add the rice to the onion and garlic making sure you coat it well in the butter and oil.
8. Add enough stock to cover the rice. Stir gently and frequently until the stock has been absorbed.
9. Once stock is absorbed add more stock again to only cover the rice.
10. Continue to add stock until the rice is creamy and cooked thoroughly.
11. Remove squash from the oven and gently stir this into the cooked rice.
12. Stir in the parmesan cheese.
13. Salt and pepper to taste.
14. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle extra parmesan cheese on top.
15. Serve with a green salad and or crusty bread

Serves 4
NOTES: I have also entered this recipe into a Philadelphia cream cheese challenge with the amendment of and then adding only 3oz of parmesan cheese. It tastes equally delicious!!

SMOKED SALMON PASTA

‘Thou shall have a fishy on a little dishy
Thou shall have a fishy when the boat comes in’

Years ago my son discovered a whole new world of the marriage of fish and pasta. On a journey home from the Caribbean we had to spend a night in Miami. On arriving we were shocked to find our hotel seemed to be one big party place for what looked like a conference of young adults. Music blasting, bikini bopping, martini drinking people were everywhere – we were quick to discover we had booked a South Beach hotel at Spring break! It was not the quiet art deco establishment we were thinking it would be! Taking solace in the fact this was only for one night and the children were too young to understand some of the sights before us we checked in and headed out for dinner. A few blocks down we discovered a wonderful French Bistro with garlic smells wafting from its doors. Our evening was looking up as we sat outside overlooking the bustling street. The menu was varied with some very typical French items and some not so. My son looked over the menu and announced he would have the Salmon Pasta. His logic was great he liked fish and he especially loved pasta and what is more and most importantly he had managed to read the words alone. The order was set and within a short while he was presented with a creamy dish of pasta and salmon bites. He loved the taste and I vowed to make a version of my own at home for him. In my version I use smoked salmon. Its delicate flavor transforms into a bold infusion when heated with the cream. The addition of some whisky brings a nutty depth to the dish and the parmesan cheese creates a consistency and taste to finish off the sauce nicely. My son now vows that I am the best Salmon Pasta cook in the world – who could ask for more from a son!!!

INGREDIENTS

6oz Smoked Salmon diced
1 cup Heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
1/3 cup Whiskey
¼ to ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Pepper
16oz Farfalle Pasta
Crusty French bread to serve

METHOD

1. Heat a pan of salted water to boiling point and then add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions but usually about 11-15 minutes for dried and 3-5 minutes for fresh.
2. Whilst pasta is cooking gently heat the whiskey in a pan and let simmer until it has reduced in consistency.
3. In another pan gently heat the cream and some black pepper until just before bubbling.
4. When both pans are ready add the whisky to the cream and stir well.
5. Add the salmon to the cream mixture and leave to infuse over the lowest heat for about 2 minutes. The mixture is ready when the salmon has turned to a light pink color.
6. Drain the pasta and add the cream mixture to the pan.
7. Stir the pasta and cream together making sure all is incorporated.
8. Return the pasta to a low heat and add parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper.
9. Stir and let cheese melt for 2 minutes but be careful not to let it burn.
10. Serve topped with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and a chunk of French bread.

Serves 4

NOTES: Any pasta can be used with this dish but dried is more preferable than fresh. Bourbon can be substituted for the whiskey. Be careful with the cayenne pepper as too much can ruin the taste and burn your mouth!