Spaghetti Bolognese (made with premium red pepper ragu)

Spaghetti Bolognese (made with premium red pepper ragu)

I always like to make the ragu separate from the mince because I find it so much easier to get the rich taste of the smooth sauce before adding to the meat.

You will need

 

3 – Large Red Peppers

100 Ml - Red Wine

3 cloves – Garlic (crushed)

1 teaspoon – Dried Coriander

1 teaspoon – Dried Oregano

½ teaspoon – Dried Sage

1 teaspoon – Dried Parsley
1 - Vegetable Stock Cube

2 table spoons – Chopped Fresh Basil
1 - Splash Light Soy Sauce

1 - 400 Gm can of Chopped Tomatoes

50 Gm – Tomato Paste

1 – Onion (finely chopped)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

400 Gm – Minced Beef

Deseed and quarter the peppers then place them on an oven proof tray drizzle with a little olive oil and roast them in a 180°c pre heated oven for 20 minutes then take them out of the oven, let them cool for a couple of minutes and blitz them in a liquidiser until smooth.

Heat a little olive oil in a wok or pan and gently fry the garlic, dried coriander, oregano, sage, stock cube and parsley for about 2 minutes then add the peppers and the red wine and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the tomato paste stir well then add the tomatoes, soy sauce and the basil, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes.

While that’s going on boil the mince in water then drain to get rid of excess fat, then cook with the onion for about 5 minutes.

Add the ragu to the mince and onions, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer for at least 30 minutes.

A good Bolognese sauce is not to be rushed so simmer for longer on a low heat if you have the time, you won’t regret it.

Cook up some spaghetti to your liking, mix with the sauce and serve with the pepper grinder.

Asian Style Rainbow Trout with Chilli & Pineapple Sauce

Asian Style Rainbow Trout with Chilli & Pineapple Sauce

I’ve kept this dish very simple, just the gorgeous flavour of the rainbow trout infused with the gentle flavours of ginger and spring onions.

The chilli sauce is also quite gentle so as not to overpower but to compliment the dish.

You will need

 

1 – Whole Rainbow Trout (cleaned and trimmed)

100 Gm – Spring Onions

75 Gm – Fresh Ginger

50 Ml – White Wine Vinegar

50 Gm – Rice Wine

50 Gm – Water

A little Olive Oil

3 table spoons – Demerara Sugar

2 – Red Chillies (deseeded and chopped)

200 Gm – Fresh Pineapple

First of all make the sauce because in my opinion it is best served cold.

Place the chopped pineapple and chillies in a saucepan along with the white wine vinegar, rice wine, sugar and water then bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Then allow to cool before liquidising.

Prepare the ginger and spring onions then instead of throwing the offcuts away stuff them inside the trout and steam it for 15 minutes.

Cut the onions and ginger into thin strips and stir fry in a little olive oil for about five minutes until tender.

When the trout is ready discard the ginger and spring onion offcuts stuffing and serve on a bed of rice with the stir fry on top and the chilli sauce in a dish.

Supreme of Chicken with Oyster Mushroom and Garlic Sauce

How to take a supreme of chicken cut from a whole chicken.

A supreme of chicken cut is just the breast (usually with the skin left on) incorporating part of the wing. It’s very French cuisine and looks really good on the plate, also very easy to do.

Here’s a step by step guide, showing you exactly how to do it.

Firstly cut down to release the leg.

Then feel for the breast bone and cut down against it to start separating the breast.

Now take the wing and feel for the second joint from the end and cut through it.

Then carry on cutting away the breast making sure that you cut through the last joint of the wing to keep it attached to the breast.

I usually remove the tenderloin and keep it for other uses but you can keep it in if you want to.

Cut off the fatty bits that are on each end of the breast.

There you have a supreme of chicken.

Supreme of Chicken with Oyster Mushroom and Garlic Sauce

For each serving

 

You will need

1 – Chicken supreme

60 Gm – Oyster Mushrooms

2 cloves – Garlic

1 teaspoon – Plain Flour

50 Ml – White Wine

100 Ml – Good Chicken Stock

50 Gm - Butter

Pan fry the chicken supreme in the butter by sealing it both sides on a high heat then cook on a medium heat basting from time to time for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Take the chicken from the pan to rest and put the mushrooms and garlic in the pan and cook on a medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Squash the mushrooms down occasionally to get some of the juice into the pan, remove the mushrooms and keep them somewhere warm.

Add the flour to the juices and make a paste.

Then add the wine and mix to a smooth paste again then cook for about 5 minutes to cook out the wine.

Now add the chicken stock, season to your taste and cook on a medium heat to reduce a little.

Pour over the chicken and mushrooms and serve with fresh vegetables.