Anyway this is the nicest lasagne you are ever going to eat. It is worth it but does take a long time to do. Employ a helper. I usually make it the day before if having people over.
300ml milk
Few slices of carrot and onion
3 peppercorns
Small sprig of thyme and parsley
25g butter and 25g flour for roux
Pepper and salt
Put the cold milk in a pan with the carrot, onion, peppercorns and herbs. Bring to the boil, simmer for 4-5 minutes and take off heat. Allow to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain and discard veg and herbs.
Prepare a roux, and add the milk to the roux. Thicken to a light coating consistency. Season.
Piperonata
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 onion sliced
2 red peppers
2 green peppers
6 very large ripe tomatoes (I use a tin of plum tomatoes here and 3-4 small tomatoes)
Salt, pepper, sugar to taste
Fresh basil leaves (I use ~1 dessertspoon of pesto instead)
I use Chorizo here too if it’s not specifically vegetarians I’m cooking for and it really adds to the flavour. Aldi do a gorgeous one at the moment. If you’re putting it in I don’t have the measurements, but the more the merrier.
I put in some red wine too to richen it.
Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish, add the garlic and cook for a few seconds, then mix in the sliced onion and allow to soften over a low heat, covered, for 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the peppers: cut them in half, remove the seeds, cut into quarters and then into crossways strips. Add to the onion and toss in the oil. Replace the lid and continue to cook. If using chorizo, add slices here and fry a bit. If using wine, add about 100mls and allow to cook off for a minute.
Skin the tomatoes (cover in boiling water for 10 seconds, then pour off the water and peel immediately). Slice the tomatoes and add them to the casserole. If using tinned tomatoes, add here with the juice. Season to taste with salt, pepper, some sugar, and a few basil leaves (or pesto). Cook until the vegetables are just soft, about 30 minutes.
Buttered Spinach
50-110g (2-4oz) butter
900g (2lb) fresh spinach, with stalks removed
Salt and pepper
A little freshly grated nutmeg
Wash the prepared spinach and drain. Put into a heavy saucepan on a very low heat, season and cover tightly. After a few minutes, stir and replace the lid. As soon as the spinach is cooked, about 5-8 minutes, strain off the copious amount of liquid that the spinach releases and press between two plates. Chop or puree in a food mixer if you like a smooth texture. Increase the heat, add butter, correct the seasoning and add freshly grated nutmeg to taste.
Mushroom a la crème
25g (1oz) butter
175g (6oz) onions sliced
450g (1lb) Mushrooms, sliced. (I like to use some large flat mushrooms. Gives it a lovely inky colour and nicer flavour than just button mushrooms)
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
225ml cream (I find this a bit rich, so I don’t add the full amount of cream and use milk to make up the quantity. Crème fraiche works well here too and makes it a bit tangier)
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
1 tablespoon of chopped chives or marjoram (optional)
Salt and pepper
Melt half the butter in a heavy saucepan until it foams. Add the chopped onions, cover and sweat on a low heat for 5-10 minutes, or until quite soft but not coloured. Set aside.
Meanwhile, melt the rest of the butter in a frying pan and cook the sliced mushrooms, in batched=s if necessary. Season each batch with salt and pepper and a tiny squeeze of lemon juice. Add the mushrooms to the onions in the saucepan over a medium heat, then add the cream (and milk) and herbs and allow to bubble for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. (I sometimes add a teaspoon of pesto here too if it needs it)
Spicy butternut squash
This is my own bit so the measurements aren’t great.
1 butternut squash cubed
Olive oil
chili powder
cumin seeds
coriander powder
Cut the squash into cubes, toss in olive oil and sprinkle chilli powder, cumin, coriander powder, salt and pepper over the squash.
Bake at 180deg for about 30-40 minutes
That lasagne looks epic. I'd love to give it a shot but I can't even get my head around everything.
I have roast butternut squah a bit, just in olive oil.
Bit try the spicy version and have it as a side dish, as I'm not even going to lie and pretend I might try the whole lasange.
1 and a half teaspoons of salt
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and very finely grated
2 cloves of garlic, crushed to a pulp
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon of bright red paprika(any will do)
1/2-3/4 spoon of cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons of whipping cream
3 tablespoons of corn peanut oil
Chop your chicken and add firstly the salt and lemon, rub it in. Then slightly pierce the chicken and rub in again. Set aside for 20mins.
Mix all of the other stuff and then just dump it on the chicken and mix it about well. Cover and stick it in the fridge for 6-8 hours, longer the better.
Then when ready place on skewers and stick under the grill or bbq for 6-7 mins on each side.
I prefer baked, as if a place bothers to do one its normally good quality.
Chilled can be very good (Toblerone cheesecake in Luigi Malones) or pretty poor (chilled aisle in supermarkets)
I'm having pork chops - the boringest chop in chop universe - for dinner tonight.
Anyone suggest a way to jazz it up a bit?
Bit of a bump on this but i made breaded pork chops last night with a chilli mayo and some wedges...epic.
Ingredients.
Pork Chops (so boring)
Milk
Flour (seasoned with S&P and pinch of Cayenne)
Breadcrumbs
Sweet chilli sauce
Mayo
Wedges (i use the frozen mcains kind)
Directions
Turn on Deep fat Fryer to 200
Preheat oven to 225
1. Get your Wedges into the oven they normally take 12-15 minutes
2. Get your pork chops and bash them out to desired thickness, this is all dependant on size etc its all personal.
3. Dip in flour then milk and finally Breadcrumbs.
4. Re-Dip in milk then breadcrumbs for second coating..this helps big time.
5. Let the pork chops sit for a few minutes before bunging in deep fat fryer (normally take 5-7 minutes for desired crispyness
Chilli Mayo.. Take A good dollop of mayo and mix about half that of sweet chilli sauce and stir..the little sweetness and heat cut through the fatty pork and mayo..i love this dinner.
I prefer baked, as if a place bothers to do one its normally good quality.
Chilled can be very good (Toblerone cheesecake in Luigi Malones) or pretty poor (chilled aisle in supermarkets)
Looking for a spag bol recipe that's a bit out of the ordinary? In the mood for it tonight but my usual attempt at it is pretty simplistic so anyone have any additions they make to it?
you can use this sauce for whatever you want, bologonese, lasagne, shepardspie or anything else you deem it fit for.
i don't bother with the cream mostly because it is never there when i go to make it. i also put in a few heaped teaspoons of cornflour just to thicken the sauce a small bit. and this week i also experimented with a dash of worchester sauce (yum yum) and used a few spoons of pesto sauce instead of fresh basil (which i had none of either_) and it turned out delicious.
Add the minced beef to the pan, reduce the heat and cook gently for 10 minutes until well browned, stirring to breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Stir in the wine and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced. Stir in the tomato puree, canned tomatoes and half of the stock and bring to the boil, stirring to combine.
Reduce the heat under the pan, half cover with the lid and simmer very gently for about 2 hours or until the meat is meltingly tender, stirring occasionally and adding a little more of the remaining stock as it becomes absorbed.
Add the cream and basil to the sauce and mix well to combine, then simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes until the bolognaise sauce is well reduced and thickened, stirring frequently. Season to taste.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes until 'al dente' or according to packet instructions.
To serve
Drain the cooked spaghetti and tip into a large warmed serving bowl. Ladle over the bolognaise sauce and toss well to combine. Transfer to warm individual serving bowls and sprinkle over the Parmesan. Have a separate basket of the crusty bread to hand around.
Tip
I often make double the quantity of the bolognaise sauce and then freeze it in small batches.
And some freshly roasted sliced chicken breast....
SPOILER
Pop it on top of your first tasty pizza....
SPOILER
Followed by a couple of rashers of tasty bacon....
SPOILER
Followed by a couple of slices of tasty Mexicana cheese....
SPOILER
Followed by, erm, the other pizza....
SPOILER
Ta-daa!
SPOILER
People say I should be more humble I hope they understand, they don't listen when you mumble
Get a shiny metal Revolut card! And a free tenner! https://revolut.com/referral/jamesb8!G10D21
It's...well it's something alright.
your hangover will be a thing of the past.
Your colon may soon join it
People say I should be more humble I hope they understand, they don't listen when you mumble
Get a shiny metal Revolut card! And a free tenner! https://revolut.com/referral/jamesb8!G10D21
Lads need a bit of advice. I am going on a major bulking session next month and looking for suggestions for 2 or 3 meals that are both high in calories and healthy (not looking for the hunky dory diet).
drink 1l (more?) of full fat milk a day (protein shakes with milk instead of water are unreal).
Eat 40/50g of nuts a day - almonds / cashews ideal
Try mixing some flaxseed oil into meals - depending on what you're eating.
Just eat more of what you're eating if you're already eating clean.
What would be an average day's intake/meal plan for you?
Thanks Emmet. I don't have time now to get my diet typed up and its not the thread for it anyway but basically it consists of potatoes and chicken swamped in gravy and from the "ask anything about meat" chicken seems to be "horrible shite" so will see what happens.
Will spend the next week planning the diet and exercise for next month as I will finally have time to really give it everything for the month and will do the GOMAD suggestion as well.
I wouldn't agree with the advice is that link tbh, 50% protein is unsustainable on a bulk, and its over kill, also 10% fat is too low. Lipids =/= Bodyfat
40%Protein/30%Carbs/30%fat would be better. Good fats like peanut butter is perfect for a bulk.
Crush/Press/Grate 2 cloves of garlic, Fry in a good quality oil (sesame, coconut, peanut would be best but any will do),
Add 400g chicken, fry until lightly browned
Add 2 tbs of soy, oyster or fish sauce.
Add chili flakes or spices to taste (optional), I go with ground chilli and paprika
Add 50g peanut butter (or almond butter if you can afford it) higher % peanuts the better, lower heat and mix until chicken is coated and PNB has become sauce-like.
The above is about 800 calories and 125 protein. Add in your rice and there two good bulking meals there.
Thanks Mellor. I am planning on bulking for this month, not necessarily concerned with lean muscle gain this month, I am looking to gain 10-15lbs and hitting the gym and doing some of the cardio in a boxing class.
Eat Nut butters and make sure you're gulping down Omega 3 tabs to offset the Omega 5s in the butter.
Should be easy enough to get an extra 1200 - 2000 kcals a day from Nut Butters / nuts and milk tbh.
Get into the fatty side of meats too, you want pork belly, rump steaks etc get as many non-junk calories into you as possible, and basically just eat all the time. Bulking sounds like it's great fun, but I'm not so sure!
Bulking sounds like it's great fun, but I'm not so sure!
It can be tough to keep eating when your body is telling you enough. I especially find that happening when I'm trying to get down the 3rd bagel. No pain no gain.
Soups made with seafood have always been popular in Ireland such as cockle soup.
Ingredients for Cockle Soup
40-50 cockles
1 oz butter
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 heaped tablespoons flour
¾ to 1 pint milk
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
¼ pint single cream
1 stick of celery trimmed and finely chopped to garnish
Method for cooking Irish Cockle Soup
Wash and scrub the cockles well, discarding any that are open.
Place in a saucepan with just enough lightly salted water to cover and bring to the boil, shaking the pan from time to time.
Cook until the cockles open. When cool enough to handle, strain the cockles, reserving the liquid, and remove from the shells.
Melt the butter in a pan and seat the onion gently until soft, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Mix the cockle liquid and milk together add gradually to the flour mixture, stirring until smoothly blended.
Add the celery cook for 5 minutes, and then add the parsley and seasoning.
Bring to the boil, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes then add the cockles and heat through.
Stir in the cream and heat gently but do not boil.
Serve with crusty bread or fresh baked Soda Bread.
i like seafood, but it some thing i haven't been too adventurous with.
I've no problem with taking a fillet of white fish, tossign in spices and a lime and baking. Or a prawn stir fry. I current have a surf and turf dinner owed to me. nyom.
But true shellfish like oysters, cockles, mussles etc is something i've never had. I'd love to try them, but not sure how safe they are to try at home.
But true shellfish like oysters, cockles, mussles etc is something i've never had. I'd love to try them, but not sure how safe they are to try at home.
most supermarkets sell em fresh and all u need to do is de beard them ie take all the furry stuff off and a quick wash
i love mussels and have em quite often cooked simply in butter/cream/garlic/wine for a few mins
as long as u discard open pre and closed after there is no prob
bit of crusty bread to dip in cooking juices is devine imho
Anyone got a good steak meal recipe that doesn't include spuds.
In other words what else can you eat steak with?
When myself and himself have steak we have home made chips( really skinny) fry up some fresh chilli and garlic (loads of it) and add a tin of chopped tomatoes.
Cauliflower ..... boil as you do, then make cheese sauce any packet brand.
place cauliflower in oven proof dish cover with the sauce, bung in oven for 5 mins.
while waiting beat the crap out of a bag of cheese and onion crisps, take cauliflower from oven and sprinkle the squashed crisps all over dish and bung back into oven for 5 more mins!
Cauliflower ..... boil as you do, then make cheese sauce any packet brand.
place cauliflower in oven proof dish cover with the sauce, bung in oven for 5 mins.
while waiting beat the crap out of a bag of cheese and onion crisps, take cauliflower from oven and sprinkle the squashed crisps all over dish and bung back into oven for 5 more mins!
yummy
ugh, I absolutely despise these, you know how easy it is to make sauces such as pepper, taragon, cheese etc. It literally takes a few minutes more than the time it takes from the packet, is so much healthier for you as doesn't contain the redic amount of salt and other nasty shit they put in them.
ugh, I absolutely despise these, you know how easy it is to make sauces such as pepper, taragon, cheese etc. It literally takes a few minutes more than the time it takes from the packet, is so much healthier for you as doesn't contain the redic amount of salt and other nasty shit they put in them.
Packets don't bother me at all. I'm sure most people are the same.
Not everyone makes their sauces from scratch.
Only place I know to put this. Cutting down on the diet and looking to loss weight. Struggling to replace my snack food though, usually I'd have a sandwich between meals so cutting down on bread and just going to eat wholemeal but also going to limit that so need some ideas on what snacks to have. Apart from fruit I'd struggling to think of what else.
Only place I know to put this. Cutting down on the diet and looking to loss weight. Struggling to replace my snack food though, usually I'd have a sandwich between meals so cutting down on bread and just going to eat wholemeal but also going to limit that so need some ideas on what snacks to have. Apart from fruit I'd struggling to think of what else.
Nuts Teddy although high in calories a few mixed nuts tasty and should keep ya ticking over.
Amixed bag of raisins and nuts costs 4euro for 500grammes wont go off like frest fruit can and should last a couple of weeks presuming you eat about 35gramms a day.
make a note of everything you eat in a week, the sambo snacks are only a small part of it. Literally note down everything. tough to do I know but its only a week or your life. Also no point in cheating on it.
Just as we spoke about the packets yesterday, when you have something from a packet note it down. see if can you replace the sauces, soups, noodles or whatever with fresh ingredients. The different in quality is astonishing and doesnt contain all the nasty shit that they have.
make a note of everything you eat in a week, the sambo snacks are only a small part of it. Literally note down everything. tough to do I know but its only a week or your life. Also no point in cheating on it.
Just as we spoke about the packets yesterday, when you have something from a packet note it down. see if can you replace the sauces, soups, noodles or whatever with fresh ingredients. The different in quality is astonishing and doesnt contain all the nasty shit that they have.
either that or just eat oxo cubes all day long
Just to say using something like www.fitday.com which is free is a really great way to note what you are eating. It will give you the calories and a breakdown of Fats/Carbs/protein.
Edit - Prob better if one of the mods could move this stuff into the general questions thread.
Looking for some cooking advice. Alright at cooking basic stuff but I have zero knowledge of different sauces/spices and what they work well with or don't so I'm wondering if there is a list of stuff(like spices for dummies or something like that) that would explain what they would work well with or is there anything that works with nearly everything? Salt is about the only thing I know.
Secondly I'm going to try cook something this weekend and looking for some idea, was thinking stir fry but I don't like any spicey stuff at all so if anyone has a decent recepie for it let me know. also, what's a good fish to use for someone who generally would hate fish? I'm thinking it will just be a starter but something different would be nice.
Looking for some cooking advice. Alright at cooking basic stuff but I have zero knowledge of different sauces/spices and what they work well with or don't so I'm wondering if there is a list of stuff(like spices for dummies or something like that) that would explain what they would work well with or is there anything that works with nearly everything? Salt is about the only thing I know.
Secondly I'm going to try cook something this weekend and looking for some idea, was thinking stir fry but I don't like any spicey stuff at all so if anyone has a decent recepie for it let me know. also, what's a good fish to use for someone who generally would hate fish? I'm thinking it will just be a starter but something different would be nice.
A simple one Teddie chicken pieces and roast potatoes.
Thighs and drumsticks of chicken chop large potatoes white ones with skin on.
Heat oven to 190celcius.
Place chicken and poataoes in baking tray uncovered.
Add whole pieces of garlic some rosemary, sprinkled lots of pepper and salt and some sweet paprika powder.
Bake for 45 mins uncovered and serve lovely simple and tasty.
Sprinkle with oilve oil too not too much lots of fat will come off chicken.
Stale french baguet, cut down the middle, garlic chopped roughly, mixed with olive oil, spread into open side, fried for a minute or two until it crisps up.
oil on both sides of steak. pan heating
i used whole sea salt,whole pepper corns, pink pepper corns, carraway seeds & sesame seeds. Ground these very roughly with back of knife, mix togther and covered one side of steak in it. Seared this side first for a minute then turned over. Gave this one more minute and turned one last time.
let the steak rest on the plate you are going to eat it off.
while this was being done i got rocket leaves, tossed them in olive oil/balsamic vinegar combo
mixed mayonaise with some course french mustard, spread this on the bread. sliced steak into decent sized pieces again on the plate so all the juices flow onto the plate, served on the bread with the rocket leaves on top. I had the bread a little bigger than the steak so then when i finished i could dip it in all the juices and flavours which were on the plate.
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