Mmmmm....Cottage Pie!

So on this sunny, but freezing day, my thoughts turn to comfort food. Comfort food comprising of namely beef mince (ground beef). Granted, my thoughts were led that way by a friend of mine who doesn't know what to do with his beef (ok, I should've prob said "mince").
Well, Ags, here's the recipe!

You need:
Beef mince (150g or thereabouts)
Olive oil/butter
1 large onion
Chilli beef soup powder (or any other flavour)
3 or 4 large potatoes
A medium sized baking dish*

How to do it:
1. In a pot, fry onions in a little oil till brown.
2. Add the mince and brown over med heat.
3. Dissolve some of the soup powder in hot water (about 1/3 cup) and add this to the mince.
4. Allow to simmer for 10 mins. Remove from heat.
5. Boil and mash the potatoes, adding salt and pepper as required (lumps don't matter).
6. Preheat oven to 180 C.
7. Assemble: Mince at the bottom and mash potato on top. Score the surface with a fork (mashed potato should be rough).
8. Drizzle some olive oil (or put dollops of butter) on top and bake till golden brown.

*Baking dish should not be too wide, or it'll be too thin. It can still be made, but more potatoes may be needed.

NB: Other vegetables may be added.
The amount of soup depends on the amount of gravy needed, it's all personal preference!
Can substitute soup for can of tomato puree or fresh tomatoes.

Winter has arrived

It's that time of year again, when you wake up and it's still dark. The heaters and blankets come out, and the sexy clothes get put away. Maybe it's just me, but I find it hard to look good when I'm bundled up in 100 layers of clothing! I hate the weather this time of year, but at the same time nothing's better than hot chocolate and snuggling on the couch.
The tradition of hot chocolate goes all the way back to the ancient aztecs who drank something called "xocoatl" which means bitter water. Of course the stuff we get now in convenient powdered form is probably nothing like the real thing. While I'm quite sure I wouldn't drink cocoa pods seeped in hot water, here's a recipe that'll blow your socks off.

WARNING: This is very rich, serve in moderation, say, espresso cups. Any more and you'll be high for days, as well as feeling somewhat sea sick.

Hot chocolate

You need:
Slab of good quality chocolate*
a glass of full cream milk
50mL double thick cream

How to do it:
1. Break up your chocolate into small chunks.
2. Over LOW heat, combine half the milk and the chocolate.
3. Continuously whisk till all chocolate is dissolved.
4. Add the cream and bring to the boil. Remove from heat.
5. Taste it. If it's too thick, add more milk. If it's not sweet enough, add some sugar.
6. Serve immediately.


*Chocolate: use milk chocolate if you have a sweet tooth, otherwise use 70% cocoa or dark chocolate and add sugar to taste. A standard size slab makes enough for approx 3 ppl.

Love + Lemons = Lemonade

Wow, 2nd post of the day! Anyway, this one is quick. Since almost everyone who knows me knows I love lemons, here's another lemony recipe. I know it sounds strange, but try it, you won't be sorry.

Lemonade

You need:
Juice of 3 lemons
Warm water
Cold water
4 tbs sugar
1.5 tsp salt

How to do it:
1. Dissolve sugar and salt in warm water.
2. Add lemon juice.
3. Top up with cold water (3 lemons on average make a litre and a half).
4. Taste! Adjust sugar if needed.
5. Chill before serving. Yummm!

Love, lemons and engagement chicken

Well, I have been putting this off. I always thought the 1st post should be special. But here I am and I thought I'd better get to it.

So I'm not sure if anyone else has heard of "Engagement chicken". No, it's not a chicken that proposes to your woman for you. Quite the contrary. Legend goes that if you make this for your man he will propose, and apparently there are quite a few women who swear by it. I wasn't entirely convinced so I decided to try it out. My significant other loved it and instantly proposed..... for the second time. I don't think that counts, since he was going to marry me anyway.
But, just for kicks, here's the recipe!

Engagement chicken

You will need:
1 medium chicken
1 or 2 lemons
1 tbs lemon juice
1tsp crushed garlic
handful of salt
1l cold water
50g of butter (margarine won't do)
herbs (rosemary or mixed herbs)
salt
pepper
AN OVEN

How to do it:
1. Wash your chicken.
2. Put the salt in a bowl of cold water and put the chicken in it. Leave in fridge for 30min. (this is called brining).
3. Preheat oven to 180 C. Remove your cold chicken and pat dry with paper towel.
4. Rub butter, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper all over the chicken, inside and out and remember under the skin!
5. Bash a lemon till soft and make some slits into it. Place this inside the chicken. If the chicken is big, use both lemons.
6. Rub a little lemon juice on the outside.
7. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, turning halfway.
8. Allow to rest for 10 min before serving. Use this time to look good. It is engagement chicken after all!