Roasted Cauliflower Cheese

I know that cauliflower cheese is a relatively simple dish but like all simple dishes if you don’t put that extra love and care into it, it will remain just that.....................A simple dish.

I f you haven’t tried roasted cauliflower then you are missing out, the roasting takes out the moisture and leaves the flavour.

For the sauce I have left it plain and simple, beautifully smooth with a hit of cheddar and mustard leaving the gorgeous taste of the roasted cauliflower to be the star of the show.

Roasted Cauliflower Cheese

You will need

50Gm – Butter

50Gm – Plain Flour

450Ml – Warm Milk

1 teaspoon – English Mustard

2 – Egg Yolks

100Gm – Cheese

1 – Cauliflower

Blanch the cauliflower florets in boiling water for 5 minutes then take them out and drain well because you won’t want any water there when you roast them.

Arrange them in a roasting dish, drizzle with a little olive oil then roast them in a 180° oven for about 25 minutes.

Melt the butter in a pan then add the flour and mix until you get a stiff paste, take a few minutes with this because you will want to cook the flour through.

Now add the warm milk a little at a time until you get a lovely smooth sauce.

Add the cheese and mix while it melts in.

Now the egg yolks and the mustard then whisk well and simmer for about 5 or 6 minutes.

When the cauliflower is ready put it in a heat proof dish and pour over the sauce.

Then under a hot grill to brown and you are done.

Chinese Inspired Garlic Chicken Curry

Chinese Inspired Garlic Chicken Curry

I’ve always been a great lover of Chinese chicken curry; it’s not for your fiery curry lover, it doesn’t try to copy Indian curry, it’s different and I love it.

When I have a chicken curry in a Chinese restaurant I always enjoy it BUT............ The chicken is cooked plain and just dumped in the sauce.

It always seemed to me that there must be a way to improve the whole experience of the main ingredient, THE CHICKEN.

So I used chicken thighs which are my personal favourite and I marinated them overnight in garlic and slow roasted them.

That did the trick!!!

You don’t have to use garlic andchilli infused oils but you won’t regret making some because they are a hit in any dish.

You will need

The marinade

5 - Chicken Thighs (skinned and boned)

Garlic oil

2 cloves - Garlic (grated or crushed)

The sauce

1 – Onion (finely chopped)

2 tablespoons - Mild Curry Powder

½ teaspoon – Light Soy Sauce

50 Ml - White Wine

1 tablespoon - Plain Flour

1 – Thumb sized piece of Ginger (grated)

2 cloves – Garlic (grated or crushed)

Garlic Oil

Chilli Oil

2 - Veg Stock Cubes

Chicken Stock

Just a little Double Cream

Chicken thighs are readily available already skinned and boned but if you are like me why pay someone to do what you can easily do yourself.

Put the garlic and enough garlic oil to coat the thighs in a container add the chicken thighs and coat with the oil and garlic, then cover and place in the fridge overnight.

The next day take this beautifully flavoured chicken, place it in an oven proof dish along with the oil and roast it for 30 minutes at 125°c.

While that’s going on you can make the sauce.

So heat a little garlic oil in a wok or large pan and throw in the onion, garlic and ginger mix well and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.

Add the curry powder and a splash of chilli oil mix well and cook for a further couple of minutes.

Now add the flour and mix into a paste, cook for a further minute or so then add the wine and mix into a paste once more.

When the wine has cooked out for a few minutes add the chicken and a little of the oil then mix well.

Now add some chicken stock, enough to get the consistency you require.

Then add a little double cream, mix well and cook on a medium heat for about 10 – 15 minutes and then you are done.

Serve with a rice of your choice.

Oil Infusions

I love cooking with flavoured oils, of course if you are cooking your favourite Spag Bol. You won’t want just garlic oil you’ll want some good old grated or crushed garlic as well but if you start the dish by softening the onions in garlic oil instead of the your normal oil it just adds so much depth to the flavour.

Also in chillis a mix of chilli oil and garlic oil is a wonderful thing, I had nothing in for lunch the other day so I quickly cooked out some dried noodles then stir fried them in some garlic oil with a dash of chilli oil added some chicken stock and a little soy seasoned and ............... What a lunch!

I also love to mix infused oils with white wine vinegar to dress salads.

These oils are so easy to prepare, here’s how I do it-:

You will need

Oil – any oil you prefer but I normally use olive oil.

Flavour – whatever you fancy, chillies, garlic, basil the list is endless, quantities depend on you and your taste buds.

For my chilli oil I took half a dozen red chillies and roughly chopped them leaving the seeds in.

Heat 250 Ml of oil in a pan to around 100°c, if you are using a pan you will need a thermometer if not use a deep fat fryer.

Gently poach the chillies in the oil for about 30 minutes.

Leave to cool then strain through a fine sieve.

Put a chilli or two that you have saved into the bottle before decanting the oil into that bottle.

The oil is good to use immediately but of course over time it will deepen in flavour because of the chillies in the bottle. 

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks with Minted Creamy Sauce

Using seasonal vegetables this can be a great summer dish, or a warming winter dish.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

with Minted Creamy Sauce

Time 2 hours 45 minutes Minutes  Serves 2  

You will need

 

2 – Lamb leg shanks

150 Ml – Red Wine

300 Ml – Chicken Stock

A sprig of fresh Rosemary

A Sprig of Thyme

30 Gm – Butter

1 teaspoon – Fresh chopped or frozen freeflow Mint

1 table spoon – Plain Flour

50 Ml – Double Cream

Place the lamb in an oven proof dish and add the red wine, stock and herbs then cover and cook in a 150° oven for 2 hours.

Take out of the oven, put the lamb to rest and strain the liquid through a sieve.

Melt the butter in a pan along with the mint, add the flour and mix into a paste.

On a medium heat add the saved liquid little by little mixing as you go until smooth.

Reduce on a medium to high heat for 30 minutes, taste and season if needed at this point.

Take off the heat, add the cream and mix well then put back on the heat and reduce further for 15 minutes.

Take the lamb off the bones 

Then serve with the sauce and your favourite vegetables.