Shrimp Fajita Wrap

I was in the mood for something nice and healthy for lunch.  I bought some frozen tiger prawns (shrimp) recently and decided to make some fajitas with them.  I used to buy Old El Paso fajita mix but after looking at the ingredients I knew it would be easy to replicate.  Plus it's going to be healthier because I know all of the spices that are going in and homemade always tastes better.  Here in the UK the ingredients aren't as bad as in the US.  We don't have any of these in the mixes - Maltodextrin, Hydrolyzed Corn and Soy Protein, Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking Agent), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Sulfiting Agents, Ethoxyquin (Preservatives).  What is all this crap?  Talk about poising your body.  This is why I make the spice mixes for fajitas or tacos from scratch now.

Shrimp Fajitas
About 20 tiger prawns (shrimp)
4 tortillas

For the fajita mix-
3 tsp chilli powder (I use mild, but you could use hot)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sugar

For the guacamole -
1 ripe avocado
1 shallot diced
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 red chilli chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh lime juice
cracked pepper to taste





Place the frozen shrimp in warm water to thaw, then put them on a paper towel to dry.  Place all of the spices in a bowl and combine.  Once the shrimp have dried, put them in a bowl and sprinkle over the fajita spice mix.  Give a good toss making sure each of the shrimp is coated with the spice mixture. 

Next it's time to assemble the guacamole.   Cut and peel the avocado and place into a bowl.  If you don't know how to do that then this is a good explanation.  Mash the avocado with a fork and then add the shallot, garlic, red chilli, lime juice, S+P and give a good mix.  Taste and add more salt or pepper to your liking. 

In a pan heat a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Toss in the shrimp and cook until they turn white and aren't clear anymore.  The tails also curl up.

To serve -
guacamole

1 ripe avocado sliced 
1 tomato sliced
1/4 red cabbage shredded
bunch of coriander (cilantro) roughly chopped

There you have it - a nice, tasty, and refreshing yet satisfying lunch or dinner.
ENJOY!!

Red Lentil and Spinach Salad

I was contemplating what to have for dinner and I asked Nicole what she fancied (That's British talk, in other words what she wanted).  She told something light and preferable no meat.  So I scrounged through the pantry and fridge to see what I had.  Red lentils popped out at me and I picked them up figuring I could create something good with them.  I didn't have a problem eating a vegetarian dish because lentils contain high levels of proteins, dietary fiber, and minerals.  So my body still got it's protein and all the other healthy stuff in lentils. 

Red Lentil and Spinach Salad
1 cup red lentils
1 bag of spinach
1/4 red cabbage shredded
1 avocado sliced
1 red pepper cut into small chunks
1/2 onion diced
1-2 tomatoes quartered
2 beets cooked, cut into chunks
3 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp evoo
1 garlic clove minced



Rinse the lentils under cold water.  Place in a pot and add water until fully covered.  Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes or until tender and then drain (you don't want them mushy).  Place spinach, red cabbage, onions, lentils and red pepper in a bowl and toss.  Add on top the avocado, beets, and tomato.  In a separate bowl mix balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and garlic.  Pour on top of salad and serve.
As I ate this dish I was thinking what else could I add to make this even better.  Adding sliced boiled egg and crumbled feta cheese would be a great final touch. 
Nice healthy fresh crisp salad.  Enjoy!

Mixed Game Stew

With it being winter and cold, I wanted to make a dish that would warm me up.  I had bought some mixed game (pheasant, partridge, rabbit, venison)  at the butchers and was wondering what to do with it.  Then I thought a nice, warm, hearty stew would hit the spot.  I pretty much knew what I was going to put in it but still browsed online to get see how else I could jazz it up.  So this is a combination of recipes along with some alterations I made along the way.

Mixed Game Stew
1lb wild game (beef would do just fine)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
500mL (about 4 cups) beef stock
1 onion finely diced
1/4 tsp paprika
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (I eat garlic like candy but you can add as much as you want)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp of dried basil
2 tbsp of ketchup
2 tbsp of A1 sauce
2 bay leaf
3 carrots chopped into bite size pieces
2 potatoes chopped into bite size pieces
2 celery stalks chopped
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
4 tablespoons plain flour  

Toss the meat in seasoned flour and then, in a medium stock pot, brown beef in EVOO. Add the beef stock, salt, pepper, onion, paprika, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, basil and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

For added flavor and also for thickening purposes add in the ketchup, A1 sauce and another dash of Worcestershire sauce.  You could also throw in a tablespoon of BBQ sauce as well.  I know it sounds strange but it turned out great!  Simmer for 45 minutes. 

Add carrots, celery and potatoes and simmer for 45 minutes or until tender.  Taste to see if it needs additional seasoning and add accordingly.   

Add the frozen corn kernels and 1 tablespoon flour or cornstarch and mix in order to thicken the stew. After mixing let sit for a few minutes.  If not to desired thickness add more flour or cornstarch until you are happy.  

Serve as is or with a nice slice of fresh buttered bread.

Cacio e Pepe

I love cooking and eating Italian food.  Maybe it's because I have roots from there, but mostly because the food is so darn good!  Food to Italians is very important from preparing it with the freshest of ingredients to sitting down at the table and enjoying what was cooked.  They like to take their time and savor the food, there is no rush to go and do something else.  Also while sitting down over dinner they get the chance to talk, share stories, and bond with each other.  And as you know Italians LOVE to talk!!
I discovered this website a while back and have made a few recipes from it.  It has also given me some inspiration as well!  So while lounging around on New Years Day I wanted to make something simple but tasty - Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper) was it.  This is one Roman dish I will make again which was fairly quick as well.  I didn't have any Cacio de Roma so I substituted Parmesan instead.  You could also just use Pecorino Romano if that's all you had.  I also added some shrimp to mine.

1 Pound Spaghetti 

4 tbsp Extra-virgin Olive Oil

2 tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

1 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

3⁄4 Cup Grated Parmesan

10-12 Shrimp

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the pepper and cook until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Add 3⁄4 cup pasta water into skillet with the oil, and then bring to a boil.  Be careful that the pan is not too hot because it will spray out when mixed with the oil (this happened to me).  Using tongs, transfer pasta to the skillet. Sprinkle 3⁄4 cup of the Pecorino Romano and Parmesan over the pasta. Toss the pasta with the cheese and oil mixture to combine until sauce is creamy and clings to the pasta without clumping, adding some additional pasta water if necessary.  Serve hot and sprinkle over the remaining pecorino cheese adding some fresh cracked pepper if desired.
Cheap, simple and delicious!

Rack of Lamb with Parsnip Puree

I was at the butcher the other day and noticed a rack of lamb just laying there waiting to be consumed.  I've never made one before but they always look really good so I decided to give it a whirl.  I've found really good recipes from this website and decided to use it again for some recommendations on a tasty rack.  After a quick search, this recipe came up and got great reviews and also looked good. I've also added a parsnip puree and roasted carrots as a side.

Here's what goes in -
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 (7 bone) rack of lamb
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 Parsnips quartered
200mL single (or double cream)
4 medium carrots quartered

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and move oven rack to the center position.

In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss in 2 tablespoons olive oil to moisten mixture.  Set aside

  

Season the rack all over with S+P.  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy oven proof skillet over high heat.  Sear rack of lamb for 1 to 2 minutes on all sides.  Set aside for a few minutes. Brush rack of lamb with the mustard, then with your hand pat the bread crumb mixture until evenly coated.

Place the lamb in a roasting tray and place in the preheated oven for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you want. With a meat thermometer, take a reading in the center of the meat after 10 to 12 minutes and remove the meat, or let it cook longer, to your taste. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes, loosely covered, before carving between the ribs. 

While the lamb is in the oven place the parsnips, cream, and a little seasoning into a saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until they are fork tender.  Place in a food processor with some of the cream and whiz it up.  Add a little at a time because you don't want it too soupy.  If you don't have a food processor you could easily mash by hand or an electric mixer.  I used my smoothie maker which worked just fine.  Eat plain or top with fresh chopped parsley.

Toss the carrots in olive oil, salt and pepper and place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes depending on how done you like them.


Here is the final product -

Leftover Turkey Surprise Pie

Wondering what to do with your leftover turkey from the holidays?  Well I've got something for you to try or maybe inspire you to make your own creation.  I had a bunch of leftover turkey from when we celebrated Thanksgiving here in England and decided to do something different with it.   I recently made a wild game pie which was delicious and thought why not do that with the turkey as well.  I looked at a few recipes online but nothing really caught my eye so I thought to myself "what goes good with turkey and in a pie".  So this is my own creation which turned out really good.  *Gave myself a pat on the back* 

Here is what went in my leftover turkey surprise pie - 

1 carrot chopped

2 stalks of celery chopped

.5 onion chopped

1 leek sliced

few sprigs of fresh thyme leaves removed

button mushrooms sliced or chopped or how ever you like them and up to you how many - I used what I had so about 6

1 can of cream of mushroom soup (They even have Cambell's Soup here - bonus!)

About 300mL of vegetable or chicken stock (look online for the conversion since that's what I always have to do)

1lb of leftover turkey chopped

1 head of brocooli

2 pie crusts - store bought or home made (I only bought 1 pie crust because I thought 2 came in the 1 package.  So I just made my own - butter, flour and ice water - just google a recipe, it's easy)

shredded cheddar cheese (optional) - Sounded good to me so why the hell not.

 

In a pot on the stove (or hob is what they call it here), pour a couple glugs of extra virgin olive oil.  Put in the onions, celery, carrots, fresh thyme and leek and let those cook for a few minutes to release all the wonderful flavors.  Then add the turkey, stock, mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup and broccoli.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer for about 15 minutes or so letting the flavors merry together. 

Once that thickens up a bit it is now ready to assemble.  I used a deep style dish but you could easily use a regular pie pan, you'd just have a lot of excess filling though.  So place one of the pie crusts into the bottom of the dish.  Start spooning the turkey filling, once you have a couple spoonfuls in, add some shredded cheddar cheese and then repeat this process a few times making sure to not go above the pie crust.  Mine was a little to liquidy so next time I might add as much when transferring to the pie.  Once you have it filled to the max and are happy, place the other pie crust on top making sure to tuck in the edges close to the bottom crust.  Cut a few slits in the crust or a hole in the center to let off some steam.  Just like Arnold said in the classic 80's movie Commando - "Let of some steam Bennett"

Phở - Vietnamese Beef and Noodle Soup

I was at the Asian House in East Lansing, MI when I first sampled Pho (pronounced).  It was really flavorful, delicious, spicy yet refrehsing.  Pho is great to eat on a nice cold wintry day to warm you up.  It was even good when I was in Cambodia with temps around 90ºF and 100% humidity.  I didn't mind sweating my a** off while eating this mouthwatering dish  - well worth the experience, culture and food!
So I bought this cookbook a while back, Gordon Ramsay Healthy Appetite and noticed a recipe in there for a Vietnamese beef and noodle soup or commonly called - Pho.  I showed this to Nicole and she got all excited because she absolutely loves this dish.  I've since made it a few times.
Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup.  It is often served with beef fillet.  I had ostrich so I used that which tasted just as good.  You could use chicken as well.

Serves 3-4
500g beef fillet (about 1lb)
1 in. knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely crushed
1 tbsp sesame oil
200g dried thin rice noodles or already cooked soft rice noodles
salt and pepper

Slice the beef into rectangular shape pieces, thinly as possible 
Place in a bowl and toss with grated ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, and sesame oil.  Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30-40 minutes

 Broth:
1.5 litres beef stock
1.5 in. knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 star anise
3 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cardamon pod, lightly crushed
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper

For the broth - pour the beef stock into a large pot and add sliced ginger, star anise, cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamon pod, caster sugar, fish sauce, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Strain the broth into a clean pan, discarding the ginger and spices.  Taste and adjust the seasoning. 

Add the rice noodles to a large pan of boiling salted water and cook according to the packet instructions until tender, but still retaining a bite.  Drain and toss with a little sesame oil to prevent them from sticking.
I used ready cooked/soft rice noodles.  Place them in a serving bowl.  They will warm up once the broth is poured over.

Bring the broth to a boil and add the beef and bean sprouts.  Simmer for just 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
Ladle the broth over the noodles, dividing the beef and bean sprouts equally.  

To Serve:
bean sprouts
2-3 spring onions
coriander (cilantro) chopped
lime wedges
hoisin sauce
chilli sauce
small bunch of mint or Thai sweet basil (Optional)