Tag Archives: slow cooking

Top Five Recipes for 2017

This post actually isn’t going to be the top five things I’m grateful for. That would turn into a top 150 list and it would be annoyingly long. Instead, this post is the top five most viewed recipes on Need A Recipe in the last year!

Which, I guess, actually leads me to talk about something I’m thankful for. I’m really, really, thankful that you read this blog! Or even just scan through the pictures. Seriously, I wish I could serve you the recipe of your choice through the computer screen every time you visit the site and browse around.

Building the Need A Recipe list of good things to eat, and blogging like this is fun because of the interactions that I get with other people, and those other people are you! Thanks for keeping it fun for me and helping Need A Recipe grow in leaps and bounds in this last year.

Now, let’s eat! The Top Five Need A Recipe recipes for this year are:

Julie’s Salmon & Prawn with Lime is dedicated to Terry and Julie, our neighbours on The Isle of Man, who served us the most stunning starter in the field of human culinary endeavours! I promise you – you eat this and no starter will ever seem the same again. M-D and I were transported to a place that few ever get to see… the pinnacle of goodness and taste and salivating cherubs floating on clouds of… er, yeah, okay, I got a bit carried away there. But so will you when you try Julie’s Salmon & Prawn with Lime Julie's Salmon & Prawn with Lime

 

A Trio of Scallops is a simple and very effective starter course or, as you will see when you follow the recipe below, you can extend the choice to make it a “quad” of scallops. This lovely dish is perfect for serving when entertaining since it can mostly be prepared beforehand and then will take only four or five minutes to finish and serve.

The most effective way to serve a Trio of Scallops is in long individual dishes that are separated into three sections. If you cannot find these, you can use Chinese soup spoons (the ones that have a flat bottom so stand up on their own) with one scallop per spoon. And failing that, just use scallop shells (one scallop per shell). The finished scallops should be placed in the correct order on the plate and eaten from left to right. No – this is not food snobbery, it’s simply that the taste begins gently and builds to a crescendo.

Trio of Scallops

 

Beef Wellington – oh beloved food for an evening with friends (or your partner’s boss who you are supposed to impress!). Just occasionally, I get an inkling to make Beef Wellington – the tenderest of Angus beef smeared in mustard or horseradish, smothered with mushroom duxelles, wrapped in Parma ham and put to bed in a cover of golden puff pastry. Traditionally, Beef Wellington was coddled in a layer of pâté, but I prefer the mushrooms and Parma ham version. It’s actually a lot easier to make than it looks, and the result is fantastic. A great idea for all beef-lovers (and partner’s bosses who need to be impressed!).

Some people use thin pancakes to wrap around their beef. The idea is to stop the pastry getting wet. However, I’ve always found that overlapping prosciutto works just as well, and tastes 100 times better. Beef Wellington

 

Lamb Shanks in Deep Rich Gravy gained an easy fourth place. It’s a magical recipe, especially if you want to have your guests guessing at the secret ingedients. Even though the recipe uses anchovies (a very salty fish) you can’t taste it in the finished dish but it totally transforms the meat and gravy, bringing out the delicious flavours.

Incidentally, 3lb (1½kg) of shanks is usually about 2 or even 3 shanks. If your butcher offers you one large one, reject it – at that size, it’s probably old mutton! If you have any problems, simply use a leg of lamb instead. I often do that. Lamb Shanks in Deep Rich Gravy

 

Double-Take Apple Flan is so called because there are two ‘stages’ to the cooking and also because it tastes so good, there’s no way you won’t go back for another helping. “Double-Take” Apple Flan is a winner, no matter what the occasion, and the extra little trouble in preparation and cooking is well, well worth the effort. Your guests will love you for it. Double-Take Apple Fla

Let it cook itself

Granny's Slow-baked ChickenSometimes you know you have a busy afternoon planned so you want dinner to cook itself. And so it can with Granny’s Slow-baked Chicken. This is a dead easy way to cook a chicken while you have a sleep, or go jogging, or whatever else turns you on.

The other day was such a day. Marie-Danielle and I wanted to go looking for a new bathroom cabinet but we had guests coming to dinner. No problem… after a Tomato and Mozzarella Salad (ready in less than 10 minutes), we dug into a corn fed farm-raised chicken so juicy and tender, it could have won prizes in any juicy and tender chicken competition!

While we were out looking for our bathroom cabinet (which we didn’t find!) I slow-baked the bird in one of those German clay pots called Römertopf (don’t worry, the recipe allows you to use other casserole-style pots, particularly a cast iron Dutch Oven). Into the pot went whole garlic cloves, a quartered lemon, and fresh herbs from an amazing nearby outlet called ‘Grand Frais’ which specialises in fresh and seasonal produce.

Even before we served the chicken, our guests were salivating at the aromas coming from the kitchen. After the tomato salad, I took care of the carving and brought the platter of chicken portions to the table with sides of mashed potatoes and Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries. The chicken also gave out a gravy boat of golden brown cooking juices, in which the softened garlic cloves were paddling about, ready to have their pungent-sweet pulp smooched out and used as a condiment.

Our guests declared that the chicken was hands-down the best they’d ever had. I have trouble deciding whether my chicken was really as good as that, but it was pretty close, and I have a feeling that Granny’s Slow-baked Chicken will make frequent appearances on our menu. It is an extremely easy and foolproof recipe since the chicken cooks in its own steam and at such a low temperature, there is no risk of it overcooking or drying out. All you really need is good ingredients and time.