Traditional Roast Chicken with Roast Spuds

The Sunday Roast is a huge tradition back home, I think it stems from getting up early to go to Mass and then having the day in front of you. In recent times we normally set aside Sundays for dialing in a food delivery and I haven't been to mass either in an age come to speak of it, so I aint cooked a roast in a while. I normally reserve it for special occasions as it always goes down an absolute treat.

Pork Fillet with a Rosemary & Sage stuffing

I have memories of eating this quite a bit when I was younger so when I wanted to make something for Easter dinner this came to mind. The stuffing that I used is different than my regular basil one. This time I used Rosemary & Sage as they compliment the pork perfectly.

I was unable to find any bakers string so I took out a needle and thread to test those home economics skills when I wanted to bind it together. You wrap the pork up completely in Ton Foil & place in the oven for 50 minutes…you open it up for the last 10 minutes. Then let it stand wrapped in the tin foil before you serve it.

Also my apologies for the serious lack of photos at the end but in my haste to serve the Easter Dinner I completely forgot to snap the final product but you can trust me it was delicious. I serve it with Potato Gratin, Cauliflower with White Sauce, carrots, gravy and of course homemade Apple sauce.

Chicken Soup

My thoughts on food have always been that it should be practical and suit the need & purpose for what you want. This soup fits that bill perfectly. This recipe is more or less 100% 'a hangover cure'. Although it is mighty tasty I only seem to cook it to cure a bad hangover….hence the reason why I use the soup mixes. The soup is very easy to get together and when it is ready it will really come to your aid and make your recovery day that little bit more bearable.

On the Soup mixture discussion I like to make a 1.5 litre soup with half of the stock coming from the soup mixture. So use enough soup mixture to make 0.75lt of soup. If you can try combining cream of vegetable & chicken soup for best results

Mushroom and Mozzarella Burgers

I made these burgers many moons ago for a friend who is a veggie, they went down so well back then that they continually come up in conversation whenever we get talking about food together. The reason as to why I cooked them this time is that my girlfriend just loves Mushrooms & Mozzarella and also Sara has been asking for the recipe.

When serving I serve in a lightly toasted bun with some caramelized onions, I always serve whatever burger it is I make with Corn on the Cob and today I also made a Tomato stuffed with leftover red onion & mozzarella.

Italian Breadcrumbs

Every now and again you stumble onto a recipe that you know will be with you for a very long time…..an absolute piece of pure genius that every time you eat it, you enjoy every single bite and cannot wait to make it again

Well this recipe for Italian Breadcrumbs is one such recipe…..

Chicken Stroganoff

This recipe is a very old favourite of mine, now that the Winter is coming it will start to be on my weekly menu more often. What I love about it is the unique character you can give it. The basis of the meal is all about the flour & spices mixture. You want to have a consistency of 2:1 here. What this mixture will do is to give the sauce an amazing flavour while also acting to thicken up your chicken stock.

Also the beauty of this mixture is that you can really make it your own. So you can make it as spicy as you want, add other spices to it or even add dried herbs if you so wish. Really just play around with it and you will discover what you like & don’t like. Everything is cooked in a Large Wok so after you brown the chicken your onions/mushrooms are also cooked in the same oil so they immediately get the flavour from the spices.

This recipe works great for a mid-week dish and also can be cooked for a more serious dinner as like I said the flavour is very natural & delicious. I always serve it with potatoes but it also works with rice , whichever you prefer.

Day 16: The Hamburger

Day 16:
Uruguay 2 South Korea 1
Ghana 2 USA 1

With it origins from Hamburg, Germany but its widespread appeal coming from America there is nothing tastier than cooking up your own burger and of course your own favourite garnish.

A quarter pounder is a little over 100g so a safe bet is to give yourself 100g of mince per burger. Making the burger itself is just a matter of combining everything in the right order. Starting with the mince and the egg yoke, when you add the egg yoke you can straight away feel the change in the texture of the meat as the egg infuses around it.

Day 7: Irish Stew

Day 7 

Argentina 4 South Korea 1
Greece 2 Nigeria 1
Mexico France 0 

With the French playing their second game of the World Cup the choice of World Cup Kitchen today was an easy one. I decided on Irish Stew! 

My Irish stew is a bit of a labour of love so I would set aside some time for it. The process of cooking it is not difficult but the flavours need time and low simmering heat to come to the fore. Also when using stewing meat the more time the better is normally the thought process when cooking with it. 

Day 2: Shepherds Pie

Day 2

South Korea 2 Greece 0
Argentina 1 Nigeria 0
England 1 USA 1  

World Cup Kitchen is an English Shepherds Pie 

A Shepherds Pie is very simply minced lamb with a crust of cooked potato. If the pie is made with beef it is called a Cottage Pie.

Tuna Melt

There are many ways to make a tuna melt so there is no right or wrong way. 

My way has been tweaked over the years but the basic principles of it remain the same.

Chicken Burgers.....a first time try by Recipe Trawling

We have all cooked something for the first time with varied success. 

So what is important when you cook something new? 

- For me I think the key to cooking something tasty, first time out is to understand the cooking process involved.
- Also you need to think what is the most important part of this meal you are doing. What are the key ingredients?

The Toasted Sandwich

Growing up we always had a toasted sandwich maker on the go whenever we wanted or needed something quick and tasty. My Dad was quite the experimenter when it came to different sandwiches and it was him that first introduced me to the concept of cooking raw egg in a sandwich. As you seal up the sandwich the beauty of it is that you create an envelope of goodness as it cooks everything inside in a sort of steamed pocket.