Giant Bruschetta- Dinner Party Dish

Preparation Time- 20 mins (It's mainly chopping)

Feeds- Up to 8/10 as a starter or 6 as a big main

Ingredients Needed- (You can go with everything or pick out the bits you like most-maybe 2 cheeses is quite extravagant)

Basil Pesto- (minus the pine nuts)

1 x Pack of fresh basil

1 x Lump of fresh parmesan- finely grated

2 x Garlic cloves- crushed

Sprinkle of rock salt

Instructions- Muddle together in pestle and mortar and add half a mug of extra virgin olive oil when it's all ground up.

Bruschetta-

1 x Turkish flat bread- Cut longways in half 

1 x Small jar of capers (optional)

1 x Small jar of cornichons (optional) - roughly chopped

2 x Vines of cherry tomatoes -around 15/20 - roughly sliced

2 x Mozzarella balls- roughly torn

1 x Halloumi- - cut into slices or cubed then fried

1/2 x Bag of rocket

1/2 White Onion- finely sliced

Big glug of red wine vinegar

Salt & pepper

Freshly torn basil leaves to garnish

Roasted aubergine-slice and oven bake for 25 in oil.

Instructions-

For the Bruschetta all ingredient can be sliced/torn and added- all mates can help get involved with this to make it even quicker.

The only thing that needs frying in the halloumi- place in a not stick frying pan with a tiny bit of oil as it lets out moisture when cooks and cook on one side for 3 mins until crispy- I only cook it on one side as it makes it crispy but doesn't dry it out too much.

One it's cooked put it to one side. 

For the actual bread part, slice in half and either make two lots of bruschetta bases for double the food or make croutons with one side of it. For the croutons you can add these to the frying pan you cooked the halloumi in, with a dash of extra oil and sprinkle of dried oregano or crushed garlic.

For the bruschetta base you can just put it in the oven with a drizzle of oil and a brush of garlic- (slice a large garlic clove in half and rub the top of the bread with it, all over) Leave it in the oven for 5/10 mins to go a bit crunchy or place under the grill and keep a good eye on it.

Make sure that if you're having the aubergine that you slices it about half a cm thick and cover in oil and season with salt & pepper -get the oven on high ASAP so you're nit waiting on these.

Mix it all together in a bowl- Into this recipe because everything's fresh and you can put as much or as many of the ingredients in there as you like...or as little!

Slice the bread up if you're doing croutons and add to the frying pan you cooked the halloumi in (saving on washing up)...dried oregano, crushed garlic and a dash of oil so they go all crispy. They cook in 3/4 mins.

 TIP- Add them to the rest of the mixture just before serving so they don't go soggy.

There was an avocado lover so we did a avocado, chilli flake and coriander guac-just mushed it all together. 

Adding the halloumi and croutons last minute before serving.

Turkish flatbread oven baked with oil and garlic plus the roasted aubergine.

The all the rest of the stuff...plus the basil pesto on top.

Left Over Leg Of Lamb In Home Made Tomatoes Rosemary Sauce...Cooked Over Night :-) :-)

So this dish combines the following things...

Left over meaty leg of lamb

Home made tomato and rosemary sauce

And an oven for all night cooking

Sauce for 6-8 people

Tomato and rosemary sauce-

1 x red onion-finely cubed

3 x Cloves of garlic-crushed and finely sliced

1 x large red pepper

2 large sprigs of rosemary- fresh

Cook in a load of olive oil salt & pepper on low for 15mins

Add-

2 x tins tomatoes (good ones)

1 x 2/3 pint of red wine

1/2 pint of chicken stock

10 x cherry tomatoes

Left over leg of lamb-

We still had loads of meat left on this, we didn't have time to slow roast it for the Sunday roast so made up the sauce and added it. 

Put a lid on the pan- making sure the meat it at least 3/4 covered in liquid and put it in the oven on 140 over night.

And this is what you get in the morning.

Take the bone out and put in the fridge until you're ready to eat it (let it cool down before putting in the fridge)

Tired Ted.

Pasta heaven!! I like the big stuff.

Once you've heated up the sauce add a big tablespoon of tomato puree, extra seasoning if needed, basil if you fancy it and if it needs any sweetening up add a tbsp of sugar or ketchup.

Look how FIT the sauce looks...and parmesan to the ready. I love a load of of extra parsley too :-)

Mix in the pasta so it's entirely covered in the sauce and serve.

Just seriously obsessed with this dish...

It's 100% a winner!

Then to balance out all the carbs...tomato, onion, mozzarella, pesto with extra basil salad. 

12-15 Really dark red ripe cherry tomatoes- finely sliced (if you can be arsed, halved works too!)

1/2 White onion -finely sliced

1 x tbsp of pesto - home made if you're in the mood- shop bought's not quite as good unless you go fancy but it does the job.

Olive Oil - Big glug

Big handful of basil leave torn and added at the end in a bid to not bruise them too much.

Mix it all up and season with salt and pepper.

Obsessed.

Look how good it is!!! LOOK!!

Halloumi Veggie Rice Fry Up.... :-) Another One Minus Horse Meat!

Get your rice on for starters and I rekon you'll have no probs getting this all cooked up in 15/20 mins max...just in time for the rice! 

Ingredients:

1 x Pack of Halloumi- Sliced into chunks

2 x medium sized chilli- Finely Sliced

1 x Big handful of dried porcini mushrooms- Roughly Chopped

1 x Big handful of fresh parsley- Finely Chopped

1 x Big handful of fresh coriander- Finely Chopped

3 x tomatoes- Cubed

2x courgette- grated into ribbons- you can use the peeler

1 x white onion finely sliced into strips

1 x red pepper sliced

1/4 of a cabbage- finely sliced.

3x Cups of long grain rice

Salt & Pepper

Fry up the halloumi- I added fine slices of chilli coz I'm chilli obsessed but it's optional. 

Heat your pan on a high heat the add a small amount of oil and the slices of halloumi.

I always just cook it on one side so you get the crispiness but don't dry it out.

I added porchini mushrooms (I did coz I had some in the cupboard, these can be replaced by regular mushrooms or not)- rehydrate them in warm water, drain and finely slice them, along with parsley and fry them up and put them to one side.

Coriander and tomatos both finely sliced...ready to be added to the rice stir fry at the end before serving.

I also had the following left over veg which I sliced and fried then added to the rice stir fry.

2x courgette- grated into ribbons- you can use the peeler

1 x white onion finely sliced into strips

1 x red pepper sliced

1/4 of a cabbage- finely sliced.

Fry all of the above in oil and salt and pepper, add in the cooked rice, mushrooms and parsley and then the halloumi, tomato coriander and chilli if you want it!! Frty this up on a high heat for 3/4 mins.

Major!! Winner!!

This is such a good easy meal...and perfect for using up left overs...seriously TRY THIS!! If you're into chilli just add a load of either fresh or chilli oil and it's even fitter!

Yum and so easy to make loads of...just make sure your pans big enough!

Meatballs (or not), Rice, Black Beans And Red Cabbage Salsa :-)

I started by making the salsa then took some of the spring onions garlic, parsley & seasoning at mixed it in with the sausage meat- you can empty out decent sausages if you can't get hold of the pork mince.

Meatball Recipe-

1 x garlic clove crushed and finely diced

1/2 x spring onion finely sliced

Sprinkle of dried oregano

Handful of finely sliced parsley

1 x tsp of cumin

1/2 x tsp of ground ginger

 Sprinkle of dry paxo

Salt & pepper

Mix thoroughly and roll into small balls- cook on 200 for 20 mins.

Roasted Veg- Enough for x4

1 x Aubergine

2 x Courgette

1 x Red Onion

Coat with Oil and Salt & Pepper and roast for 30 mins on 220 until slightly crispy.

Be generous with the oil on the aubergine and less so on the courgette as they have more water in them and can go soggy.

For the Red Cabbage, Cornichon Salsa you'll need the following-

1 x big handful of cornichons- finely sliced

1/2 Red Onion- Finely sliced into half moon shapes

1/2 Red cabbage-finely sliced

12ish (or however many you fancy) ripe/dark red cherry tomatoes

1 x medium sized red chilli- finely sliced 

Big glug of red wine vinegar

Salt & White pepper

Handful of parsley and or coriander finely sliced and mixed in.

Coriander creme fraiche topping-

Mix finely sliced coriander and a big squeeze of fresh lime, grate a small amount of the zest if you like it extra zesty and you're good to go!

All healthy (pretty much) and YUM.

Mexican Breakfast Or Mexican Dinner...Same Same!!

All the necessary sauces to cure a massive hangover and liven up your Mexican breakie.

Sour cream...don't leave this out (especially if you can't handle the spice) it's just needed with Mexican!

Guacamole

House mate Mikey made this (I'm normally much lazier and just leave it lumpy but he gave it some elbow and we had smooth guac) 

Enough for a big breakfast for x8

3 x ripe and ready to eat avocados- mushed and made all smooth

1x tbsp of tabasco (he's tabasco obsessed)

Big pinch of rock salt and black pepper

Big sprinkle of white pepper too (I'm obsessed)

2x fresh lime juice- squeezed

Small bunch of finely chopped coriander 

1 x medium spice red chilli finely sliced

Glug of red wine vinegar.

Mix it all up!

(make sure you include the lime juice so it doesn't go off and go all browny)

Tomato Salsa-

Big bunch of on the vine cherry tomatoes, finely sliced (sharpen your knife for this...it helps)

1 x red onion- finely sliced (cubed if you don;t like big chunks of onion)

1 x red chilli -finely sliced

Big generous glug of red wine vinegar

Big pinch of rock salt and black pepper

Big sprinkle of white pepper 

Small handful of finely chopped coriander or parsley if you prefer.

Grated feta...sounds like a waste of time but I swear it works out...do it!

A little drizzle of tabasco and olive oil, salt pepper and a coriander leave to garnish!

Duck eggs...fancy but YUM!

Be generous with your oil when frying eggs, don't miss out on the crispy underside!

And....wait for it, VEGGIE Chorizo!!!! I KNOW!!!!

It wasn't bad actually and apparently nothing was killed when making it so that means it tastes better ;-)

BEST Breakfast...and can totally work as a good dinner party option.

And a little something for Ted too.

Keen much

DOG OBSESSED!!!

A one off treat...I swear!! My dog is disciplined!!

YUM....MAKE IT