Day 120: Battered prawn stir-fry with brown pilaf rice

It seemed absolutely ages since I made a fish dish on a Friday because that tradition has been well and truly off kilter as last while; therefore, I rummaged through the cookbook to find a recipe to get the tradition back on track and settled on Battered prawn stir-fry with Brown pilaf rice. Well, Dear Husband does really like prawns and the fact that they were going to be battered meant that the recipe stood a good chance.

I started off by adding rapeseed oil into a pan which I always buy from Donegal Rapeseed Oil Company via Supervalu. Oh, remember ages ago I said I was going to buy a wok? Well, I never got round to it so here I was (yet again!) starting to make a recipe where a wok would be handy but, of course, as I hadn’t got round to getting one, I ended up using a large wide saucepan instead. So, while the oil was heating, I got on with the rest of the recipe.

Into a large bowl, I tipped in cornflour, sesame seeds, a beaten egg and two tablespoons of water. I then stirred in the prawns and mixed it all together. Because the saucepan of oil I used was wide enough, I was able to deep fry all the prawns together which cooked for 3 minutes. I then took them out using a slotted spoon and put them on a plate covered in kitchen paper. The next step meant that I used my frying pan then to fry crushed garlic, grated ginger, chopped spring onions and chilli. That all fried for a minute before adding mangetout and then I added in the fried prawns for another two minutes. Finally, I added in soy sauce and sesame oil and served up with the rice.

The verdict…

Dear Husband was really impressed with this recipe and gave it 9 marks out of 10 so that makes up for the low score he gave the salad yesterday. Mind you, those 9 marks were for the stir-fry part excluding the brown rice which he definitely isn't a fan of! When you look at the photo above and the photo on page 105 of Rachel’s cookbook, you can see a significant difference and it’s not difficult to point out which one I cooked. Maybe I should have presented mine in the same style but I stuck exactly to the instructions in the recipe. To be honest, I felt like I slightly ‘over-fried’ the garlic, ginger and chilli mix so next time (even though Dear Husband said I didn’t), I would definitely have to reduce the heat slightly or else finally get round to buying a wok which might have reduced the ever-so-slightly ‘overdone’ garlic, ginger and chilli.

In terms of complexity, this recipe was easy enough – the main thing is to watch the heat of the pan. It was a relatively quick recipe to make even though it definitely took me longer than half an hour in total from start to finish but I can cope with that. Also, the recipe said to serve the stir-fry with either rice or noodles but you could serve without and not use yet another saucepan. Dear Husband said he’d love to eat the stir-fry again although I noticed (from looking at his plate) that he ate all the prawns but not all of the mangetout and less of the brown rice but I would expect as much. Overall, this was a really good recipe and I thought it was perfect for a Friday evening and a great start to the weekend. On another note, be prepared for tomorrow’s post as I’ve something special lined up. Until then, I’m off to watch the rest of the Late Late so I wish you all a very good weekend…

Day 119: Fennel and pink grapefruit with feta

Generally speaking, I am of the opinion that there aren’t many men who would thank you for giving them a salad – certainly not within the county of Donegal and certainly not any man I know. The only exception I’ve experienced thus far has been the Parma and nectarine salad I made during the Wimbledon finals which was a real hit with Dear Husband. So, I decided to try Fennel and pink grapefruit with feta to see if this salad would fare as well.

It was all very simple. I began by peeling two grapefruits by cutting them down the side and I removed as much of the white pith that I could. I then cut them into 1cm slices and quartered them. Next, I sliced and diced two fennel bulbs and into a large bowl they went with the grapefruit. I added a pinch of caster sugar and mixed the lot. To serve, I tumbled onto plates before scattering chopped mint and cubed feta with a drizzle of olive oil and a grinding of black pepper. Now, as you know, I’m not too keen on goat’s cheese but neither am I fussed on feta so I made the same salad for myself but replaced the feta with cubed cheddar cheese which I love.

The verdict…

Going back to what I said at the beginning of this post, my opinion was further supported by Dear Husband’s verdict – 3 marks out of 10. I supposed the main reason the Parma ham salad did so well when I made it that time was because there was meat in it whereas this one didn’t have any. However, I loved this salad and gave it a very impressive 9 marks out of 10 and although I still can’t make up my mind about fennel, I definitely love grapefruit so this recipe was right up my street. I also know two of my friends would probably love this so I’m going to make this for them next week just so that I can prove my point that this is a great recipe.

Overall, a super easy recipe with the least amount of effort required. I will definitely make this one again so it’s made The List and it’s going onto the list for my work lunches too. I just won’t be making this one for dear Husband or any other male member of my family as I don’t think they would appreciate it. As for all the girls, I’m sure this would be a big hit with them and, for that reason alone, I highly recommend you try this recipe. I would love to hear your thoughts if any of you do try this recipe so keep me posted!

Day 118: Orange and almond cake

Tonight was a big night in our house because Dear Son is starting playschool tomorrow. Being such a big event, my parents, sisters and brother-in-law all called round with cards and presents to wish him well. The poor wee pet did nothing but chat all day about going to playschool that he must have exhausted himself because, by 7:20pm, he was flat out sleeping on the sofa so there were a few disappointed visitors this evening as he was long sleeping by the time they arrived. Thankfully, Dear Sister No.1 has gotten out of her habit of wakening him when he’s sleeping which is what she used to do when he was a baby just so that she could entertain him. I swear, when Dear Son was a baby, Dear Sister would call round and could be there for 2 hours and not a chirp out of him and as soon as she’d go home, he would open one eye and peak out at me – looking round – I’m guessing to see was the coast clear. There are ‘Stalker moms’ but she has been the ultimate ‘Stalker aunty’ since the day and hour Dear Son was born and he is absolutely crazy about her which is the way it’s supposed to be. Having a boy in the family is such a novelty for all the family considering we all grew up in a house of girls. Either way, she spoils him rotten and he knows it. Just look at the beautiful card she made him which, by the way, she is brilliant at and in case you’re ever wanting a fabulous personalised card for a loved one, check out her website on www.clairescreations.ie – they really are beautiful cards and I’m not just saying that because she’s my sister. She also posts nationwide.

So, on with tonight’s recipe and I decided to make Orange and almond cake for our mini-celebration. To begin, I whisked up softened diced butter until it was light and fluffy. I then added in caster sugar, the zest of one lemon and the zest of two oranges before whisking in five eggs one at a time. Lastly, I stirred in ground almonds before tipping the mixture into a spring form cake tin which I had lined with parchment paper and buttered the sides of it. The cake cooked for an hour and then I let it sit in the tin for about 15 minutes before attempting to slide it onto a plate. While the cake was cooking, I made the orange syrup which was very straightforward. All I had to do was juice one lemon and two oranges into a saucepan, add caster sugar and boil for 10 minutes. When I was juicing the citrus fruits, I ended up with quite a bit of pulp so I strained it through a sieve before adding it back into the saucepan. The recipe said that once the cake was cooled to poke about 15 holes in it using a skewer and then pour the orange syrup in. Unfortunately, by the time I went to pour the syrup onto the cake, it was rock solid at the bottom of the jug and I didn’t have the inclination to attempt to re-heat it in order to soften it so I abandoned the syrup and served up the cake as it was.

The verdict…

Dear Husband loved this recipe which is no surprise considering it was a cake – 9 marks out of 10. The cake also went down well with Dear Sisters and Dear Brother-in-law. I didn’t ask them for marks out of ten because I thought they’d automatically give me 10 out of 10 – they’re very good sisters! Nonetheless, the feedback was very good as they said it was a beautifully moist cake and loved it which is good considering that Dear Sister No.2 is the cooking and baking expert so if it got her approval then it must’ve been good. I really enjoyed it too and I think it’s worth about 8.5 marks if I am being really particular about it. I supposed that considering it didn’t have flour in it, it probably deserves 9 marks from me.

Overall, the cake was really simple to make. The only thing that got me was the syrup. Obviously, when I make it next time, I will leave making the syrup until the cake is actually cooling but I’ll definitely make it again. To be honest, I think the cake was moist enough as it was so maybe it was a blessing in disguise that I messed up the syrup. A bit unusual for me to be baking midweek but, still, I was very glad I made this recipe this evening and so was Dear Husband…and Dear Sisters…and Dear Brother-in-law…and whoever you make this recipe for will be very glad you made it too! Just a pity that my wee playschool-goer missed out on it... 

 

Day 117: Provencal beef stew

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I spent part of yesterday evening making a recipe for tonight’s dinner. The reason being was that the recipe said it would take 2¼ hours to make but that wouldn’t work out well if I started when I got home from work as it would probably be after 8 o’clock when I’d have the dinner ready by which time I’m usually putting the babies down to bed. It would be just too much of a rush so I decided to make it the day before, store it in the fridge and then bung it into the oven for heating up today. This Challenge certainly requires a certain level of logistical planning, that’s for sure. Oh, by the way, the recipe was Provençal beef stew.

I began by pouring olive oil into my large casserole dish and then put it on a medium-high heat. In went chopped onions and sliced garlic which I seasoned and fried for 8 minutes until they were golden. I then tipped in stewing beef which I fried until all the pieces had browned which took a few minutes. Next on the list was to add two tins of chopped tomatoes and a teaspoon of caster sugar. Once it came up to the boil, on went the lid and into a preheated oven the dish went for an hour. After an hour, it was time to add in new potatoes. The potatoes were fairly big so I actually quartered them. I gave the mixture a stir, put the lid on again and into the oven it went again for another hour. I then took it out, let it cool and stored it in the fridge. This evening, I put it on to heat in the oven again and when it was ready, I stirred in rinsed capers and fresh thyme. I left out the olives which the recipe said to add as I know that Dear Husband really doesn’t like them.

 

The verdict…

Dear Husband’s verdict was 7 marks out of 10. He has told me on numerous occasions that he doesn’t like stewing beef but I did my usual and didn’t tell him that’s what was in the recipe. I’m not sure if he figured it out but I’m saying nothing as I froze a couple of portions for him to eat again so I don’t want to tempt fate at this stage.

Overall, this recipe was super easy to prepare. It probably took me a wee bit longer to prepare than 15 minutes but not much. It was probably a blessing that I did most of the work yesterday evening as, like most stews, this one probably tasted better today than what it would have yesterday. I’d definitely like this recipe to be on The List as it’s a one-pot which I love; however, I just hope that Dear Husband doesn’t twig about the meat. I’m just after looking at the recipe introduction and it actually says that this recipe can be made a day or two in advance and then reheated so there you go – vindication from Rachel herself that this is good to make the day before you actually need it. I can’t tell you how good it was though to come home from work and the only thing I had to do this evening in terms of dinner was to pop the dish in the oven and throw two things into it at the end. Now, if only I had the sense to do make tomorrow’s  dinner tonight. Ah well, it was good while it lasted…

Day 116: Tomato and goat's (mozarella) cheese tart

Just to clarify – the recipe I’m blogging about tonight, well, I actually made it yesterday evening and the one I made this evening is the one I’m going to blog about tomorrow so, with that said, on with tonight’s post…

I thought that the Tomato and goat’s cheese tart would be an absolutely perfect recipe for a Sunday evening. We all had a big lunch in the late afternoon so this was a lovely change to our normal Sunday tea. The recipe said that ready-rolled puff pastry could be used so that’s exactly what I did – hey, do you really think I have the time or ability to make my own puff pastry?! I actually bought it in M&S a while back and I don’t know how many Saturday nights have come and gone with me forgetting to take it out of the freezer to defrost overnight. However, if I’d bothered to read the instructions, they said it could be defrosted overnight in the fridge or three hours at room temperature.

I started off by cutting a red onion into eight wedges and put them into a large bowl. Next, I sliced 6 or 7 tomatoes and left the cores out. They went into the bowl with the onions  and I then seasoned them, added a pinch of caster sugar and poured olive oil over the lot. I rolled out the pastry until I roughly had a 25 x 30cm rectangle. I must admit that I forgot to flour the surface of my large chopping board so it was a bit of a task to get it off onto a baking tray without it tearing. Once I had the pastry on the baking tray, I arranged the tomatoes and onions in rows. I know that the recipe said to use goat’s cheese but I really don’t like goat’s cheese so I used chopped up buffalo mozzarella instead. I then popped the tart into the oven for 25 minutes. By the time I removed it, the tomatoes were bubbling away and the pastry was golden. When I took it out of the oven, I slid it onto my wooden chopping board again and, of course, burned myself silly in the process! I finished off the tart by dolloping green pesto on top and served up.

The verdict…

Amazingly, Dear Husband gave this vegetarian dish (which it is!) an incredible 9 marks out of 10. I also awarded it 9 marks. Dear Mother and Dear Father of course gave it full marks again. Ah, that's the thing about my parents – they’re still full of praise of my efforts even though I’m all grown up now! Even if it was a disaster, they’d probably still say it was lovely but that’s parents for you (thankfully!). Even Baby Daughter loved this tart and couldn’t get enough of it; therefore, I’ve discovered that she loves puff pastry so I must keep that in mind.

Will I make this again? Most definitely! Undoubtedly, a great recipe and absolutely perfect for Sunday tea or I’m thinking afternoon tea too. I urge you to make this recipe. It was super easy and super yummy with the least amount of fuss. A real star in this Challenge and I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Day 115: Coconut and cardamom pannacotta - Part 5

Alleluia! Finally, I did it!!! After five attempts (yes, you read correctly – five!), I finally made the Coconut and cardamom pannacotta recipe properly! I admit that since the phone call came from Rachel, this was actually the third day since then that I had attempted the recipe. After Overall Try No.3 though, I knew that I was getting closer each time to finally making it a success. So, here’s exactly what happened this time round…

 

This time, I started off with the gelatine which was a major problem for me on all the previous four attempts. I used the leaf gelatine from M&S and followed the instructions on it exactly. It said to place the leaves in a bowl so I used a wide, narrow bowl and then covered it with 45ml of water. I then let it sit for 10 minutes before placing the bowl in a frying pan of simmering water. The gelatine melted and I gave it a wee stir with a fork just to be sure. Meanwhile, I got on with grinding cardamom seeds using a pestle and mortar and then added them to a saucepan of cream and sugar. I brought the mixture up to the boil and stirred it constantly until all the sugar melted. I then set it aside to infuse. By the time the gelatine was ready, I put the creamy mixture back on to heat through and then added most of the gelatine to the creamy mix. I gave it a whisk with an electric mix also. In another bowl, I poured in a can of coconut milk and gave it a light whisk in case there were any lumps. I actually removed 45ml of the coconut milk to make up for the water that I added to the gelatine leaves as per the instructions on the pack. I then added the coconut milk into the cream and gelatine mixture and gave it a brisk whisk before dividing it into four glasses.

Three and a half hours later, I was making a cup of tea and happened to check to see if the glasses had set. Miraculously, they had!!! Dear Mother and Dear Father had called to see the kids as they usually do on a Sunday evening so I had three perfect guinea pigs to test the recipe. So, I sliced some mango and set it on top of the pannacotta only, this time, I thankfully didn’t have to stack it up from the bottom of the glass as the mixture could actually take the weight of the fruit.

The verdict…

Dear Mother and Dear Father both loved the pannacotta – 10 marks out of 10! They said it was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, after all my efforts, this dessert wasn’t something that Dear Husband liked too much and, therefore, only gave it 3 marks out of 10. To be honest, I was glad that my parents had called by and liked it; otherwise, I’d have been majorly disappointed so at least their verdicts was vindication that (1) I’d made the recipe correctly and (2) it was actually an excellent recipe.

In my five attempts, I came a long way in terms of my ability to make this recipe. I definitely felt the most confident this time round as I got a feel for the recipe and Rachel’s advice made such a difference. Overall, I can most definitely say that, based on my own personal experience, I definitely did not find this recipe easy as I made such a mess of it on four previous occasions. However, I came through in the end but I just won’t have this recipe on my list if I’m ever having a dinner party; at least I won’t have pannacotta as the only dessert. I’m definitely not at the stage where I think I could perfect this recipe every time but it would be a great recipe to have seeing that it can be prepared in advance. At last, something that did go right for me this weekend!  

 

On another note, a very interesting development in the other All-Ireland semi-final today. I was actually hoping Dublin would win - just so that we could beat them on the 23rd. I only picked up the game for the second half but, to be honest, I'd have felt bad for Mayo if they'd lost after the advantage they had. So, it's a big Donegal versus Mayo final but I still reckon that Sam is headed for the hills! And, just in case, any of you happen to come into the good fortune of having All-Ireland tickets but are unable to go, I am one very keen Donegal girl who is on the lookout and, of course, will pay you for them! The scramble for tickets in this part of the world has gone a bit crazy. Here's hoping though that I get some...

Day 114: Pasta with broad beans and asparagus

Everyone has days where nothing goes to plan; in fact, there are weekends if not weeks when things don’t go to plan but this weekend was definitely one where nothing seems to be going to plan. I love if not depend on things going to plan and if they don’t then I wouldn’t exactly say I’m a happy bunny. Such is life though. I suppose I just have to resolve myself that things cannot go to plan all of the time.

 

So what exactly went wrong? Well firstly, I had to reschedule a bridesmaid fitting last night (my fault) to God knows when but my sister is getting married in two weeks’ time. The biggest thing though was that Dear Husband was being groomsman at his friend’s wedding today so of course I was invited too except here I am sitting at home with the babies in bed and the TV for company. Understandably, we knew for a long time that we’d be both going to the wedding today; however, we also knew that getting a babysitter was going to be a problem but, ever the optimist, I thought that nearer the time, we’d work something out. Well sure, we always work something out! Don’t we?! No, not this time. Not only had I a wedding to go to but tonight was also a night out for my sister-bride-to-be and somehow I’d have managed to navigate between two venues in the same town and keep everyone happy. Unfortunately, Dear Sisters Numbers 1-3 plus my Dear Mother work Saturdays; Dear Mother-in-Law and Dear Father-in-Law were also going to the wedding; Dear Brother-in-Law was at a triathlon in Galway; Dear Husband’s brother (who Baby Daughter is crazy about) is currently in the other side of the world and, no harm to my Dear Father (who’s in his early 70s) but an hour of my two and he’d be for the hills. It’d be different if my children were a bit older but when there’s a baby involved, I just won’t leave them with anyone outside a small circle. I’m sure I’m not the only parent who thinks that way but duty calls. That said, and with my disappointment, I thought to myself that if that’s the biggest trouble I have in my life this weekend then I’ll take it.

With Dear Husband away all day, I purposely went through the cookbook to get a recipe that the two babies and I could eat and settled on Pasta with broad beans and asparagus. I put the pasta on and then got started on the rest of the ingredients. I put shelled broad beans on to cook for two minutes and then removed them using a slotted spoon. Next, I put on asparagus to cook which I had cut at an angle into 2cm lengths. While that was cooking, I took the broad beans out of their outside shell so that I was just left with the greener bean part. I put the cooked beans and asparagus into a large bowl and then added grated parmesan cheese, olive oil and the zest of a lemon. Once the pasta was cooked, I drained it and added it into the bowl and tossed everything together with a tiny sprinkling of black pepper.

The verdict…

Neither Dear Son nor Baby Daughter ate the beans or asparagus but ate the pasta. I ate the lot but unfortunately I was very disappointed. It reminded me of another dish I’d made before on the Challenge and I don’t think I was too impressed with that either. I had been looking forward to making this particular recipe as it meant I got to use some fresh broad beans which Dear Father grows every year. After today though, I’ll stick to eating them with new potatoes and parsley sauce, as usual. My verdict was a very low 2 marks out of 10. I would actually prefer to eat pasta and grated cheddar cheese on its own than what I made this evening. I did like the asparagus but didn’t like the broad beans combination with the lemon zest and pasta. I’m not really sure why I settled on 2 marks but I’m guessing 1 mark for how quick and easy the recipe was and 1 mark for using two kinds of vegetables. I can only imagine Dear Husband’s reaction had he been here for tea this evening! I most definitely will not make this one again. Horses for courses and all that but this recipe isn’t for my kitchen unfortunately. Onwards and upwards tomorrow…hopefully (!)