Chocolate Brownies - 3 versions

30 min.

serves 6

100g butter
2 eggs beaten
200g brown sugar
50g dark chocolate
1 tsp baking powder
75g plain flour (may need a little more to not
    become too soggy)
100g powdered almonds
pinch of salt

Melt the chocolate in a bowl with the butter over a pan of simmering hot water. Take off the stove and stir in the other ingredients.

Beat well together, then pour into a greased flat baking tin and leave in oven 30 minutes at Gas Mark 4, 180°C, 350°F

Leave to cool before cutting into squares.

                                                       from Julia Gilroy

Recipe 2

1 beaten egg
100g butter
150g plain flour (or up to 200g to not be gooey!
75g brown sugar
50g powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of soda of bicarbonate
150g dark chocolate
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

 
hop the chocolate into small pieces (crumb size). Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg and continue to beat. 
mix in the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and beat that
add in the chopped chocolate
 form small round balls and put on a flat non-stick baking tin.

Cook in the oven at Gas Mark 4, 180°C, 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.

                                                       from Åsa Öhlin

Recipe 3

200g bar of dark chocolate
3 or 4 eggs
100g butter
100g white sugar
3 level tablespoons of flour

Melt the butter and chocolate, then add the egg yolks, the sugar and the flour.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture. Spread the mixture into a buttered pan and bake 10-15 minutes at Gas Mark 7.
                                               from Florence Douillez

Slow-Cooking Venison/Lamb

17 hours

haunch of venison or lamb (frozen)
salt
sugar
spices (thyme, pepper, etc.)

Long-cooking venison or lamb. Take frozen haunch of venison or lamb (gigot) and bake (still frozen) in pan in oven at 75°C (165°F) for 12 hours. After it thaws (3 hours+) insert meat thermometer into centre of roast and ensure that the meat temperature is at least 68°C (150°F) at end of cooking.

While cooking takes place combine 1 litre (4.25 cups) water, 1 dl rough salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar and spices (pepper and thyme). Boil to dissolve salt and sugar and allow to cool to room temperature. When meat is done, pour the liquid over the meat (use proportions above but make enough to cover the joint). allow to stand for 4-5 hours. Serve with garlic roasted potatoes or whatever.
                                                    from Pia Andersson

Mozzarella Chicken Breasts

50 minutes

4 chicken breasts
30 ml / 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 shallot, chopped
4 large slices mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
100g / 4 oz. fresh breadcrumbs
45 ml / 3 tbsp. oil
25 g / 1 oz butter
flour for dredging
salt and pepper

Open out the breasts by slicing into them along their flat side, but do not cut in half (like opening a pitta bread). Brushing a little beaten egg on the insides of the breasts helps them seal during frying, thus preventing the cheese from escaping during cooking. Sprinkle the insides with salt, pepper, parsley, chopped shallots, and add a slice of mozzarella. Ease back into place the top of the chicken breasts.

Sprinkle the flour all over the stuffed breasts. Dip the breasts in the beaten egg. Finally dip the breasts in the breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs well into the egg coating.

Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and seal the breasts on all sides. Allow them to colour up to a nice golden brown. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and finish cooking in a moderate oven for approximately 15 minutes. Serve either whole or sliced with an optional slice of lemon.

Oriental Tuna Steaks

1 hour

serves 2

2 200 g / 7 oz tuna steaks (fresh or defrosted)
30 ml / 2 tbsp. fresh orange juice
15 ml / 1 tbsp. soy sauce
15 ml / 1 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
8 ml / ½ tbsp. olive oil
3 ml / ½ tsp. grated lemon rind
1 clove of garlic, crushed
3 ml. / ½ tsp. garam masala

Place the tuna steaks into a shallow dish. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the steaks. Cover and chill for 20-30 minutes

Heat the BBQ or grill (if grilling, lightly grease the grill pan). Cook the steak for 2-5 minutes (depending on how rare or well-done you like them) on each side, turning once and basting occasionally with the remaining marinade.

Serve with noodles and stir-fry vegetables

Mushroom Cannelloni in Tomato/Béchamel Sauce

1 hour

8 sheets of lasagne
salt
1 tbsp. olive oil
25 g / 1 oz butter
700 g / 1.5 lb. mushrooms, washed & chopped
150 g / 5 oz full-fat or low-fat garlic & herb cheese
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
75 g / 3 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
muchos de tomato sauce or béchamel sauce

Cook the lasagne in plenty of boiling, salted water for 6-8 minutes, or until tender but still with some bite. Drain and drape the lasagne sheets over the sides of the saucepan and a colander to prevent them from sticking together.

Set the oven to 200C / 400F / Gas 6. Grease a casserole dish or roasting tin about 20 X 30 cm / 8 X 12 inches and at least 6 cm / 2.5 inches deep.

Next make a filling. Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan, then add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat for about 10 minutes or until tender and any liquid has boiled away. Remove from the heat and add the cream cheese, chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Lay one of the sheets of lasagne out on a board, spoon a line of the filling down the long side of the sheet, then roll it up to enclose the filling and make a cannelloni roll. Cut the roll in half and place in a casserole dish. Repeat for the remaining sheets of lasagne and filling, making two layers of cannelloni in the dish.

Add half of the Parmesan to the tomato / béchamel sauce, then pour over the cannelloni. Scatter with the remaining Parmesan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.

Coppe di Arancia (like Crème Brulée)

Equipment:
- ramekins (small/medium sized shallow glass dishes)
- larger dish which will hold the ramekins
- enough water to come 1/3 - 1/2 the way up the pan
- whisk

The ingredients give 4 of glass ramekin sized servings. (You can double the recipe to have extra.)

3 egg yolks
350ml/12 fl oz double cream (or jersey cream)
75g/ 21/2 oz sugar (or golden granulated, unrefined sugar)
   plus extra for sprinkling on top
1 tsp. natural vanilla extract
juice of 1/2 a small orange

from Andrea McLaughlin

Put cream and sugar into the pan, and warm gently just long enough to dissolve sugar. Put aside to cool a bit.

Whisk egg yolks lightly ( in a bowl that will be big enough to add the cream to ). Whilst cream is still cooling, you can get the ramekins organised, and juice the orange.

Add cooled cream to the egg yolks, whisking the mixture as you add the cream. (Another person is a help here!)

Add the vanilla and orange juice and stir.

Preheat oven to 160C/325F/Gas Mark 3-4.

Arrange ramekins/dish in larger dish. Ladle mixture into ramekins/dish, pour fairly hot water into the larger dish, and place in oven towards the top.

Bake until just set.  The recipe says 15-20 minutes (longer if the water is not hot enough !)

Just before serving, sprinkle sugar on top and brown under the grill.

Grilled Tuna Marinated in Balsamic Vinegar

40 Mins.

Serves 2

2 fresh lean tuna steaks 3/4" to 1" (2-2.5 cm) thick,
    no skin or bones
3 peppers (1 each of various colours: red, yellow, or orange),
    medium to large size (long cubana peppers also work well)
lots of capers
10-20 small black Ligurian or Nicoise olives per person
Balsamic vinegar for the marinade
olive oil for the marinade (good quality virgin oil)

Ideally, choose Ahi tuna or the tuna ‘cheeks’, but any good lean and fresh pieces without skin, fat or bones will do.

Put the tuna steaks in a zip-loc bag and drizzle over them Balsamic vinegar with a small amount of olive oil. Seal with most the air taken out so all sides are covered. Leave stand in fridge for 2-4 hours (see soy sauce/sake variation to the left).

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the stem and seeds. Cut gashes in the curled-in ends of the pepper halves so you can flatten them out. BBQ or grill under a low heat until soft, turning occasionally (the skins may get quite black in places). While the peppers are cooking, prepare the table as the tuna is very fast to cook and needs to be eaten right away to stay warm. Prepare a large plate for each person by dribbling some olive oil over the plate and sprinkling Balsamic vinegar on top — indulge your inner abstract artist.

When the peppers are done (15-30 minutes depending on your grill or BBQ), leave the skins on or remove them (according to taste -- you can easily remove the skins by placing the grilled peppers in a paper or plastic bag and giving them a shake for a 10 or 15 seconds). Slice the peppers in long thin slices and keep warm.

Just before grilling, coat the tuna steaks in toasted sesame seeds so top, bottom and sides are covered. The secret to the tuna is to sear it quickly on both sides at a high heat so that the flavoured marinated outside is cooked but the middle 2/3 is still red but warm. Use your BBQ or grill at its highest heat, fully pre-heated. Put the tuna on and leave the door of the oven open (for grilling) or the BBQ lid up. In about 20-30 seconds, turn the tuna over for another 20 seconds. As you make this recipe, adjust the grilling time to suit your grill / BBQ and your taste.

Serve the seared tune on the middle of the prepared plates and put the sliced peppers draped over top of the tuna with lots of capers and olives sprinkled on top.

This is a rich meal and may not need any other side dishes or additions, though you could add a light green salad if desired. It is also good served with wild rice cooked in water with added with a vegetable bullion stock cube, finely-diced mushrooms, and chopped spring onion greens.

Glögg, Swedish hot mulled wine

one 750ml bottle red wine (doesn't have to be good, but not super cheap)
1/2 bottle red port (optional but recommended, can be a fairly young port)
2-4 oz. whiskey or brandy (optional)
2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey - may need less (especially if you use a sweet port) so start with 1 tbsp. and add more if needed--depends on how sweet the wine is, and your tastes)
3 in./8 cm cinnamon sticks (or a bit of powdered cinnamon if you have no sticks)
2 in./5 cm piece of fresh root ginger, sliced
4-6 pieces dried (or fresh) orange peel, 1 in/2.5 cm in size (orange zests)
12 cloves
20 cardamon seeds
a handful of raisons (or craisins if you like)

Mix together ingredients (except for port, sugar and whiskey/brandy) in a non-aluminum pot and let rest for 10-20 minutes.

Heat the mixture until hot but not boiling. Meanwhile, in another pot, simmer port and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved, do not boil. Add to wine and spice mix, cover with tight lid and simmer without boiling for 30 minutes. Strain to remove spices.

Add whiskey/brandy (if using) and serve while still hot. You can save any left-over mixture for re-heating another time (keeps up to 3 months).

Best drunk around a cosy fire with friends. If you don't have a fireplace, burn some of your furniture in the oven and sit around it. If you don't have any friends, drink it with yourself, you need it.  God Jul

Wild Rice Stuffing

Prep 25 min., Cook 20 min.

Serves 4-6

1 cup wild rice
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup finely minced onion
2 tbsp. finely minced garlic
1 pound / 454g ground pork
1 cup dried sour cherries
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp. finely grated orange zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper

If you bake the stuffing away from the roast it is easier to control the recipe. Just fill the roast before serving.

Cook the wild rice according to instructions. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350⁰F / 175⁰C / GasMark 4 / ElectricMark   6.  Place the oil in a non-stick skillet over low heat. Add the onion and wilt for 10 minutes, adding the garlic for the last 3 minutes. Crumble in the ground pork and brown over medium heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Place the wild rice in a large bowl. Add the pork mixture and all the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Bake the stuffing in an overproof dish, covered with tin foil for 20 minutes.

Crispy Critter Duck

1 day

Serves 2-4

1 fresh, plucked duck
2-3 oranges, apples and/or kiwi fruit
6-8 cloves of garlic
1 large needle and thread/string to sew up duck

see also Twice-Cooked Duck

Prepare the duck by emptying all giblets, etc. from inside and pulling out any miscellaneous bits of fat, etc. from inside the duck. Wash the duck inside and out thoroughly and pat dry with paper towel. Hang the duck up in the open air, cavity end downwards, with a coat hanger bent in loops to hold the cavity open. Let duck hang (a nice noose knot has a certain visual appeal) and dry for at least 12 hours (preferably 24 hours), making sure you have a plate under it to catch any drops.

When ready to cook, crush 4 or 5 cloves of garlic and rub liberally all over the outside and inside of the duck. Stuff the inside of the duck with apples and oranges (cut in sections and not peeled). You can also use kiwi fruit, or the like. Use a strong string to sew up all opening in both ends of the duck.

Cook in a covered pan at 350⁰F / 175⁰C / GasMark 4 / ElectricMark 6 for about 3 hours. You can dump the drippings after about 2 hours of cooking so the skin does not burn on the bottom. The last 15-20 minutes bake with cover off so the skin is crisp but the bird still stays juicy. When serving the skin will just about fall off the bird in great crispy juicy greasy lip-smacking heart-clogging chunks...

The only disadvantage to covering the pan during cooking is that if the whole bird is not eaten at once, the skin will get soft after the duck is cold. If you cook the whole time in an open pan, cooking is faster and the skin does not get soft when cold, but the duck meat is not as juicy... It is of course, your choice how you compromise, like so many things in life.

Serve with wild rice, cranberry sauce, etc.