Garlic Prawn and Mozzarella Bruschetta’s

Garlic Prawn and Mozzarella Bruschetta’s

I’m going to stay in my party food mode throughout most of the run up to Christmas because it is a time when we have people visit, and if you are anything like me you will like to have plenty of nibbles and bites for people to have with their drinks.

So remember my friends, if you need inspiration and ideas this is the place to come.

The quantities of ingredients I have used are for one baguette, if you want to make more then just double up.

You will need;

 

1 - Baguette

12 –Raw King Prawns (shelled and de veined)

150 - Butter

1 teaspoon - Dried Parsley

125 Gm - Mozzarella

3 – Cloves Garlic (crushed)

6 – Cherry Tomatoes (halved)

Gently melt the butter in a pan then pour into a bowl and add the crushed garlic, dried parsley and whisk then pour a little back into the pan ready to cook the prawns.

Cover the bowl and put in the fridge for 20 minutes to harden a little.

Fry the prawns in the garlic butter that you have in the pan for 1 minute each side until they turn pink and then set aside.

Cut the baguette into slices; spread each one with the garlic butter saving some to go on top. I’ve used a small baguette and cut it straight to get small 2 bite pieces.

Place 1 prawn on the bread and a little more garlic butter then half of a tomato and some pieces of mozzarella.

Pre heat your oven to 250°c and put in the oven for 10 minutes.

Serve warm with some garnish.

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The Artist Tony Rose

Deep Fried Brie in Cracked Pepper Crumb with Cranberry

Deep Fried Brie in Cracked Pepper Crumb with Cranberry

It’s coming up to party season and this type of food is so good for entertaining. I came up with this recipe because I just love the idea of cracked black pepper zing against mild creamy brie, and it worked just right.

You will need;

200 Gm - Brie

100 Gm - Fresh Breadcrumbs

100 Gm - Cracked Black Pepper

1 – Egg (beaten)

Oil for deep frying

Cranberry Sauce

Put some leftover crusts or slices of bread in the food processor to make your bread crumbs.

If there are any left over, keep in the fridge for another time.

Beat your egg in a small bowl and crack the black pepper corns in a pestle and mortar.

Cut the outside white from your brie very thinly so that there is no waste cheese, then cut into six equal portions, roll into balls and flatten slightly to get a nice shape.

Now set yourself up a little production line, beaten egg, breadcrumbs and cracked black pepper.

Take each ball of brie and coat it in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs pressing them in with your hand, now back in the egg and back in the breadcrumbs again then press them top and bottom in the pepper.

Heat the oil to about 180° and gently place each ball into the oil, fry them for 2 minutes maximum.

Serve immediately with some cranberry sauce.

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Golden Gnocchi in Garlic and Basil Butter with Cherry Tomatoes

Golden Gnocchi in Garlic and Basil Butter with Cherry Tomatoes

A beautiful Italian style starter.

If you want to know how to make light fluffy Gnocchi then follow my recipe to the letter and you won’t be disappointed.

You will need;

800 Gm - Potatoes

50 Gm - Flour

1 - Egg Yolk

A pinch - Salt

A pinch - Pepper

50 Gm – Butter

3 – Cloves Garlic (crushed)

A few leaves of Basil (crushed)

Cherry Plum Tomatoes (halved)

This amount of potatoes will make quite a few Gnocchi, so as a guide I would use about 2 tomatoes to each Gnocchi.

Bake the potatoes for an hour in the oven at 200°; test them with a fork because they may need a little longer depending on their size.

Don’t let them cool to much work with them as warm as you can, cut each potato in half and squeeze out the insides into a bowl then discard the skin.

Press the potato through a sieve, don’t mash with a fork or masher this would be working it too much and will make tough, chewy Gnocchi.

Now add the flour, egg yolk, salt and pepper and work with your hands. Don’t over work the mix; just make sure that all the ingredients are mixed reasonably well together.

Flour your board and roll out into a dough like ball. 

Take some of the potato mix and make into a sausage shape, then cut into sections.

If you want to make them look good (who wouldn’t) press the down with a fork, and roll them over.

Put them into a pan of boiling water, they are done when they rise to the top.

Heat the butter in a large frying pan and add the garlic and basil.

When the pan is hot, take the Gnocchi out of the saucepan with a slotted spoon and add to the frying pan.

Fry for about 5 minutes then turn them and add the tomatoes, and fry for a further 5 minutes.

Serve immediately.

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Hoisin Crispy Fried Chicken with Pickled Cucumber

Hoisin Crispy Fried Chicken with Pickled Cucumber

This recipe is designed to use leftover cooked chicken, but there is no reason why you can’t cook the chicken especially for this dish and let it cool.

This makes great party food, just as good cold as it is hot.

You will need;

2 – Chicken Breasts (cooked)

Corn Flour for coating

Oil for Deep Frying

Hoisin Sauce

For the pickled cucumber

200 Gm - Cucumber

1 teaspoon - Salt

50 Ml - White Vinegar

50 Ml - Cider Vinegar

50 Gm - Root Ginger (grated)

50 Gm – Sugar

Prepare the pickled cucumber a few hours beforehand so that it can marinate and cool in the fridge.

Score the cucumber from end to end with a fork; this is just to make it look pretty when you slice it.

Slice it thinly at an angle.

Place it in a bowl and sprinkle over the salt, mix well and leave for about 10 minutes.

Put the ginger, sugar, white vinegar and cider vinegar in a bowl and combine, rinse off the cucumber and add to the mixture then place in the fridge for a couple of hours or more.

Once your cucumber has been in the fridge for a couple of hours, or overnight is even better you are ready to produce your dish.

Slice the chicken roughly into strips.

Put about 2 centimetres of oil in a wok or pan and heat to about 180 degrees, coat the chicken strips with corn flour and fry them for 10 minutes until they are crispy.

Serve with the cucumber and drizzle with Hoisin sauce.

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Chicken Stew with Herby Dumplings

Chicken Stew with Herby Dumplings

Those cold frosty mornings have arrived here in the UK, so it’s time for some good old fashion warming comfort food.

I am going to kick off this winter with wholesome homemade chicken and vegetable stew with herby dumplings.

My ideal time to make this dish is on the Monday after a great roast chicken Sunday dinner, so you've guessed it; the main ingredient is the leftover carcass of the chicken.

For the stew you will need;

1 – Cooked chicken carcass (the more meat left on the better)

Whatever vegetables you prefer, I've used;

2 – Large Carrots (chopped)

1 – Onion (chopped)

2 – Parsnips (chopped)

1 – Large Baking Potato (peeled and chopped)

2 teaspoons – Dried Mixed Herbs

1 teaspoon – Dried Sage

2 – Vegetable Stock Cubes

2 – Bay Leaves

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For the dumplings;

100 Gm - Plain Flour

1 teaspoon - Baking Powder

50 Gm - Suet

1 teaspoon - Mixed Herbs

A pinch of salt

A little water

Put the chicken carcass in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil.

Turn down to a low heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

After an hour turn off the heat, allow to cool and then take out the chicken carcass, pick off as much meat as you can and put it in the stock.

Transfer the stock and chicken pieces to another container, rinse out the saucepan, put on a medium heat and melt the butter.

Now add the onions and cook for 5 minutes then the rest of the vegetables and about 200 Ml of the stock only then simmer covered for about 10 minutes, this will give the vegetables a good start.

Add the rest of the stock, bay leaves, herbs, sage and stock cubes then bring to the boil then turn to a low heat and simmer covered for 40 minutes.

During that 40 minutes mix all the dry ingredients for the dumplings together, then add a little water just enough to make dough.

After 40 minutes season with the salt and pepper and transfer the stew into an oven proof dish, make golf ball sized balls from your dough and place them in.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and put the stew in uncovered for 30 minutes.

If you follow this recipe to the letter you will now have the perfect chicken stew with crispy topped dumplings.

I had a serious problem photographing this dish, mainly because I kept eating it.

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