Happy New Year!

Gastronamis would like to wish all our followers a Happy New Year.

We decided to come away for New Year supposedly to get a rest and a break, but instead we've spent most of the time in the kitchen cooking nice food and drinking too much prosecco!

On tonight's menu we've got Homemade Canapés followed by a Smoky Pork and Chorizo Stew with fresh crusty bread, and if we've any room left there's Pain au Choc baked pudding to finish.  Recipes and photos to follow............

We hope everyone has a great night and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

We look forward to blogging in 2016 where we've got some tasty themes planned for the year, starting with 'healthy but yummy January'.

Love Laura & Louise
 xxx

Making use of the Christmas leftovers .......

Have you got lots of turkey left over? You don't want to eat turkey sandwiches for the next week? I've got the answer and its really quick to do, and you can freeze it meaning you've a meal there when you're busy with no time to cook.

I've tons of turkey left over and in no time at all have made up 6 portions of turkey curry and 6 portions of turkey and ham pie fillings! That's the Reaney's sorted for some nice meals over the next month!

Turkey curry (serves 4):

Ingredients :

Olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 green & 1 red pepper chopped into chunks
2 tablespoons of curry paste (I used korma paste)
1 teaspoon of crushed garlic that you get in a jar
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 big handfuls of your leftover turkey diced up
2 big handfuls of boiled or roast potatoes (use up any leftovers)
2tbsp mango chutney

Method
Heat oil and fry the chopped up onion and peppers until soft
Add curry paste and garlic.
Add the tomatoes and 150ml of boiling water and bring to the boil.
Turn down the heat and add in the turkey, potatoes & chutney and heat through.

I served mine with rice and naan bread and froze all the rest in foil dishes.

Turkey, ham and leek pie (serves 4)

Ingredients:
Butter
1 Onion chopped
3 leeks chopped
200ml single cream
200ml chicken stock
2 big handfuls of leftover diced turkey
1 big handful of cooked diced ham
1\2 pack button mushrooms
1 tsp dried tarragon
1\2 tsp dried thyme
Salt & pepper

Method:
Melt butter in a frying pan and fry the onion and leeks until soft.
Add the cream and stock and simmer until the sauce thickens.
Add in the turkey, ham, mushrooms, herbs, salt & pepper and heat through.

I've then frozen the pie mix and when I'm ready to have it I'll just add some puff pastry to the top, brush with an egg and cook for approx 40 mins.

Enjoy!

Laura x

Christmas day ........

My Christmas day was perfect, I hope everyone elses was too. It was magical watching Alice open all her presents. By 10am my apron was on and I was in the kitchen cooking! 

All the hard work paid off and I have to say it was probably the best Christmas day lunch I've ever done, made extra special with the people I love!

One happy little girl!

Christmas day breakfast....... Mushroom benedict

This big thing had to go in the oven very early!

Canapés

Best Brussels ever!

Orange and Lemon posset

My Christmas day menu .........

Christmas lunch with all the family is one of my favourite days of the year.  I'm not saying its the easiest meal to prepare but to me it's certainly worth the effort.  

I'm extra excited about cooking this year and having everyone round because I'm doing it all in my nice new kitchen!

I've opted for canapés again rather than a starter. I did this last year and it worked really well. Nibbles and drinks spread over a few hours before sitting down for the main course ........ perfect! 

Take a look at my menu:

Canapés 
Smoked salmon and cream cheese pinwheels
Beetroot and goats cheese bruschetta
Creamy chicken vol au vents

(They all sound hard to do but they really aren't and you could prep some of it the day before).

Main
Roast turkey (I always order a turkey crown from my local butcher -  Reads Butchers on Chatsworth Road, means more meat and less mess)
Roast potatoes & parsnips
Mashed potato
Red cabbage with sultanas
Pan fried sprouts with bacon lardons
Chantenay carrots
Pigs in blankets
Homemade stuffing

Dessert
After eating all that there isn't much room left, so I've chosen something light which I spotted in Jamie Oliver's Christmas magazine last year! An Orange & Lemon Posset with a shortbread biscuit on the side to dip in!

If anyone else is taking on chef role and wants any help with finalising their menu or the recipes from my menu just give me a shout.

Merry Christmas everyone and keep an eye out for what we've got on the menu during our new year break away with the Mal's! :)

X

Preparing to over indulge at Christmas? Here's a healthy but tasty lunch....... Broccoli and Ricotta Soup

I'm already feeling the additional pounds that I will be putting on at Christmas by just thinking of Christmas food. I haven't even started indulging yet! Thought I would give my body a healthy boost today ahead of the 'Mummy's Christmas night out'.......

Hoping this will line my stomach for later - he he

Enjoy 

Louise x



Broccoli and Ricotta Soup...... so easy to make. This is taken from a Jamie Oliver Recipe.

Ingredients

- 2 Celery sticks
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed (or a shake of the frozen chopped garlic I use)
- 400g Broccoli (I use organic)
- 1 litre of Chicken stock or if you are making this vegetarian then use vegetable stock
- Ricotta to serve
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

- Chop the celery sticks up (doesn't matter what shape or size)
- Fry in a little oil
- Add the crushed garlic
- Cook for 5-8 mins
- Add the broccoli chopped up
- Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper.
- Cook for 8-10 mins until the broccoli is soft
- Remove from the heat - be careful with the next step as the soup will be hot. 
- Whiz up with a hand held mixer or put into a liquidiser and mix until smooth. 
- If eating straight away pour into a bowl and add a blob of ricotta in the centre.

Not a fan of mince pies........ what about these?

Its not a mince pie........ its not a Portuguese tart...... its a cross between the two and they are delicious! Quick and easy 15 min recipe. 

Ok, so the phone has just rung and we have family coming to do a 'Christmas visit'  in an hour! I've not got any 'special' Christmas guest food in yet as I've not done my food shop. Help! What am I going to serve up........... 

Checked in the cupboard, found a few ingredients and knocked a batch of these up! 

Ideal to make ahead of Christmas and pop in the freezer. 

Enjoy..... 

Louise x

Ingredients

- 1 400g tin of Devon custard (yes even I have ready made custard for emergencies)
- 6 1/2 tbsp of Ground Almonds
- Couple of drops of Vanilla extract
- Ready to roll Puff pastry (or if you are really lazy, ready rolled puff pastry)
- Jar of Mincemeat
- Icing sugar to decorate

Method

- Turn on the oven to 220C fan
- Roll out the puff pastry (it needs to be quite thin, about the thickness of a pound coin)
- Cut out into rounds with a cutter
- Place into a bun tin and prick the base with a fork (this will stop the base puffing up.
- Open the tin of custard and stir in the ground almonds and a couple of drops of vanilla.
- Spoon a small amount in the base of the pastry (1/2 - 1 tsp) depending on the size you are making. 
- Spoon a smaller amount of mincemeat on the top. 
- Bake in the oven for approx 10 mins. 




Note - don't worry if it looks like the filling is boiling out. This adds to the rustic homemade appearance. You can always try and add back in when you are taking them out of the oven. 

Place on cooling wire. Best served just warm with a sprinkle of icing sugar

Pre-christmas party!

Had such a lovely day with the family today. It was all about the little ones and celebrating Christmas (my favourite time of year)!

Had a great time on the Santa train at peak village railway. 3 years running we've been now and worth every penny.

Pre-Christmas party at mum and dads after. Felt a bit redundant not cooking or hosting the party, but still played my part making the braised red cabbage!!

Just love the smell of a real Christmas tree!

Canapés

Roast ham with dauphinois potatoes, red cabbage, vegetables and parsley sauce

Cheese board with homemade chutney

Friday night....... Date night! Sweet & Sour chicken

Well Col's back late after a long day at work and Alice is shattered after a long week at school and two nativity shows, so he’ll walk in hungry and she’ll be asleep early …… perfect night for a date night!

When we decide to have date night (which is usually on a Friday and not very often)! I like to cook something nice and tasty but relatively quick and easy.  Tonight I decided on Sweet and Sour Chicken with Egg Fried Rice.

I remember the days when I used to buy a pack of chicken and a jar of sweet and sour sauce, gone are those days now! I make it all from scratch and it tastes twice as good AND it’s easy to do so there’s no excuse!

I know jars are an easy option but now I'm really into cooking I’ve realised that with just a few basic ingredients put together in no time at all, it makes a much more tastier, healthier meal (and its far more fun doing it yourself too)!

I have to confess I cheated with the rice though and bought some ready to heat up. Didn’t have that much time on my hands tonight!

Anyway, all in all a very nice meal washed down with a few glasses of wine and a bit of Friday night TV.

Better get a date in the diary for the next one!

Ingredients:

Serves 2
2 chicken breasts cut into strips
2tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cider vinegar
4 tbsp of cornflour
1 tsp of sugar
1tbsp tomato ketchup
Small can of pineapple chunks in juice (drain the juice and keep separate)
1 egg
Vegetable oil
1 red and 1 yellow pepper cut into strips
1 large carrot cut into batons
2 tsp ground ginger
4 spring onions sliced
1 garlic glove
Egg fried rice

Method:

Mix 1 tbsp of cornflour with the soy sauce, cider vinegar, sugar, ketchup and all the pineapple juice.

In a separate bowl mix the egg and 3 tbsp of cornflour and mix up into a batter mix.

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan. Dip the chicken strips into the batter mix and fry until cooked through and keep warm.

In a separate frying pan fry the peppers and carrots for about 3 minutes then add the spring onion, ginger, garlic and pineapple chunks. Cook for a further 2 minutes then add in the pineapple juice mixture.  Cook for 3 minutes then add the chicken to the pan, stir and serve with rice and prawn crackers.

Yum x

Friday Night Comfort Food......Cheesy Meatballs served with Garlic Ciabatta Bread

Wondering what to cook after work tomorrow? Look no further......

A quick tasty meal for all the family. Eryn's favourite meal is spaghetti Bolognese but I wanted to do a twist on this dish. Eryn was out at tennis and Chris had gone to watch her so I had 45 mins to create a meal for my hungry two to come home to. I popped on the Christmas songs (bit of Micheal Buble) and set to work.........

Enjoy

Louise x

Ingredients

Pack of Mince (I use organic lean but whatever you are used to)
1 Onion - diced
1/2 tsp Italian herbs
Salt and Pepper to season
2 x tins of Chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
1 egg
flour to dust
2 ciabatta
Garlic butter
Mozzarella

Method

- Add the pack of mince to a bowl. Add the chopped onion, Italian herbs, 1 egg, salt and 
  pepper. Mix 
  together by hand.  
- Roll by hand into small ball shapes, sprinkle with a small coating of flour. 
- Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan, add the meatballs and cook for 5-8 mins. 
- Add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, balsamic oil, crushed garlic cloves, salt and pepper. 
- Cook for 10-12 minutes until sauce reduced. 
- Transfer to a casserole dish.
- Add the chopped pieces of mozzarella cheese.  
- Place under a grill. 
- Slice the Ciabatta in half - spread with garlic butter. 
- Remove the meatballs from the grill and place the bread under the grill for 1 minute. 

Serve........ 

Fish & Chip supper for the little ones.........

Alice’s best friend Eryn was over for tea last night.  They both love fish and chips but I wanted to make it a bit more interesting for them, and of course add in a bit of fun!

I managed to get hold of some fish & chip boxes and wooden folks (well I actually had to send Col into work to flirt with the canteen staff for a few boxes)! Anyway, I managed to create a “fish & chip supper by the sea” in my very own kitchen and do you know what…….. the girls absolutely loved it!

I know a lot of people really struggle to get their children to eat and I definitely think the key is to put the fun into food and make it more appealing. Another great tip is to get your kids involved with the prep and the cooking.   Here’s the recipe (if making for the little ones):

Ingredients:

2 small cod fillets (boneless)

1 egg

Plain flour

White bread crumbs

1 large potato

Olive oil

Frozen peas

Method:

Pre-heat the over to 180c or gas mark 5

Get out 3 bowls, one for the beaten egg mixture, one for the flour and one for the breadcrumbs. Dip the cod fillet into the egg mix first, then the flour and finally the breadcrumbs (Alice loves helping me do this bit – great way to get them involved).

Fry the fish fillets in a bit of olive oil (medium heat) - should take about 10 minutes.

Slice the potato into wedges (skin on). Coat in some vegetable oil and put on a baking tray and cook for about 30 minutes until nice and crispy.

Serve with peas and a big dollop of ketchup.

Enjoy!

Laura x

Thinking of having a 'Take Away'? Stop!!! 10 min Chilli Vegetable Stir Fry

Amazing 10 minute Chilli Vegetable Stir Fry

Its so tempting to say I haven't got time to cook, lets get a take away. Well I'm going to share with you a meal that can be prepared from scratch to serving in less than 10 minutes. 

I came up with this recipe this week when Chris was going to be back late from work. Take away was mentioned but we are really trying to eat properly at the moment. It honestly was better than a Chinese takeaway...... 

If you fancy a bit of meat then you could add some chicken or beef to the dish or even some prawns.


Here it is......

Enjoy

Louise x 

Ingredients

Dried Noodles - enough for 2 
1 onion - sliced
1 red pepper sliced
Shake of garlic (probably about 2 cloves if using fresh)
Shake of chopped frozen chilli (probably about 1 chilli if using fresh)
Shake of frozen chopped ginger ( small piece if using fresh)
handful of chestnut mushrooms - sliced
Baby sweetcorn
Mange tout
Toasted Sesame oil
Dark Soya Sauce
Bag of Bean sprouts

Method

- Put the noodles in a pan and fill with boiling water. 
- Simmer for 8 minutes
- While the noodles are on, put some vegetable oil in a frying pan, add sliced onion and    
  the peppers.
- Add the garlic, ginger and chopped chilli - I use frozen prepared from Sainsburys. So quick to use and cook with. (see Photo)

- Cook for 3-4 mins
- Add sliced mushrooms, sliced baby sweetcorn and mange tout. 

- Add a good splash of Toasted sesame oil and dark soya sauce.
- Cook for another 2 mins. Take out and put into a bowl - keep warm. 
- Drain the noodles and add to the frying pan that you cooked the veg in. - it adds to the 
  flavour. 
- Add half a bag of bean sprouts

- Add a splash of sesame oil and soya sauce. 
- Keep stirring as the noodles will stick to the pan and cook for a minute. 
- Serve the noodles and bean sprouts and add the Chilli vegetables on top. 

Delicious.....

Twist on a Christmas Dessert.......... Stollen Bread and Butter Pudding

What a fab day we had at the Winter Wonderland. We stopped off for lunch just outside Tamworth at a lovely garden centre. We then headed for the Snow dome. The girls loved it....... well actually we all loved it. We headed back to Laura's for tea. She had prepared a Winter meatloaf that was delicious. We opened a bottle, sat in the kitchen chatting and listening to a bit of Micheal Buble Christmas songs..... it doesn't get much better than this! 
Ok it was my turn to finish off the day with dessert. As you are all aware I had an attempt at making Stollen. The recipe I used produced a huge loaf so I sliced it in half and took it with me to the Reaney's. I don't think everyone was expecting much from dessert! I sliced up the Stollen and layered it into a dish. I made a quick custard and poured over the slices. I left it to soak for 30 mins and baked in the oven for 40 mins. 
It was delicious and a lovely taste of Christmas. I thought it would make a good alternative to Christmas pudding as its a bit lighter. Serve with a drizzle of cream.

Enjoy

Louise x 

Ingredients

- slices of Stollen ( I made my own but after taking 4 hours to make I would buy it)
- 2 eggs
- 25g sugar
- 50 ml of Double Cream
- 350 ml of Whole Milk 

Method

- Pre heat the oven to 180C
- Slice the stollen and place into a casserole dish
- Beat the 2 eggs and mix in the sugar
- Whip until pale
- Warm the milk and cream in a pan - hot but not boiling. 
- Pour the milk and cream mix over the egg mix and mix together. 
- Pour the egg mix over the stollen slices
- Leave to soak for 30 mins
- Place into the oven and bake for 40-45 mins until the egg has set. 

- Serve with a drizzle of cream

Christmas theme night - Winter Meatloaf

Had the best day ever yesterday at the Snowdome Winter Wonderland with my Gastronamis buddie!  It really felt like the start of Christmas. Dinner party back at ours after and I wanted to do something with a wintery Christmas feel to it.

I rustled up a winter meatloaf topped with crispy pancetta in a smoky tomato and chickpea sauce.  Again, it was easy to do and unbelievably tasty!

And not forgetting the little ones........... they had good old spag bol with a Christmas cracker on the side making it feel like a fun Christmas party!

And as we say 'Food tastes Better with Friends'.

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

• 500g beef mince
• 2 onions (thinly chopped)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 12 cream cracker biscuits
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 egg
• Garlic
• 1 red chilli chopped
• 2 tbsp worcester sauce
• 1 tin of chickpeas
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 6 slices of pancetta

Method:

• Fry 1 of the chopped up onions in some olive oil
• Add in the cumin and coriander and mix well
• Take off the heat and cool
• Put the beef mince in a large bowl and add in oregano, mustard, the cooled down onions and a bit of salt and pepper and mix it all together with your hands. Crush all the crackers with a rolling pin, I put them in a tea towel to do this.
• Add in 1 cracked egg along with the crushed crackers and scrunch all the mixture together and mould it into a rectangular shape. 
• Put in a casserole dish and cook for 30 mins (gas mark 6/200c)
• Now for the smoky sauce............. Fry the other onion, garlic and chilli in a bit more olive oil. Add in the paprika and cook for about 5 mins. Add in the Worcester sauce, vinegar, chickpeas and tomatoes. Bring to the boil.
• Once the meatloaf is ready, take it out the oven and pour the sauce all round the side of the loaf, lay the slices of pancetta over the top and pop back in the over for another 10-15 mins.

Its then ready to serve (lovely with fresh bread/garlic bread to mop up the sauce)!

Enjoy
Laura x

Chorizo one pot

I'm a real fan of one pots particularly during the week when I've been at work, done the school run, and if you're anything like me,  spent the first hour back home clearing away the breakfast pots and making the beds because its been too much of a mad rush in the morning!

Monday to Thursday I don't have too much time to cook but I still want something tasty and made from scratch, this is why I just love one pots! I'm really into  chorizo at the moment, just love the smokey flavours. This dish is simple to make, really tasty and great served with fresh crusty bread to mop up the sauces!

Ingredients:

Olive oil
Chorizo ring sliced up
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 large sweet potato cut into small chunks
1 tin of chick peas drained
Fresh crusty bread to serve








Recipe makes for 2 people, however I had some left over so perfect warmed up the following day for lunch!

Method:

• Heat the oil and fry the chorizo for about 5 mins
• Add the tinned tomatoes, chopped up sweet potato and 200ml of water
• Simmer for 15 minutes
• Add the chickpeas and simmer for a further 5 minutes
• Once the sweet potato is tender its ready to serve and enjoy!

Enjoy

Laura x

Quick salmon stirfry

My kitchen cupboards were empty so for tonight's dinner it was a case of making something up with whatever left over bits we had in the fridge!

Literally had 2 salmon fillets, abit of broccoli, some green beans and egg noodles. Quickest stir fry ever and so nice!

Great way of using up left over veg too!

Pour abit of Teriyaki sauce over the salmon fillet, wrap in foil and cook in the oven for about 20 mins (180c).

Heat up some olive oil or sesame oil in a wok, add in the chopped up veg, fry for 5 mins then add in some Teriyaki sauce (I put in about 4tbsp).

Cook the noodles as per the cooking instructions (they usually say boil for approx 8 mins), drain and add to the wok with the veg.

To serve put the noodles/veg on a plate with your salmon on the top.

You could try it with mangetout / baby sweetcorn / red pepper.

So tasty AND so easy!

Enjoy
Laura x