BBQ sauce recipe

Spicy breaded chicken goujons

125g breadcrumbs
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp chilli cayenne pepper
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

3 chicken breasts
2 eggs
50g plain flour

Mix up breadcrumb spice mix.
Dry the chicken.
Coat in flour.
Coat in egg.
Coat in spicy breadcrumb mix.
Place coated chicken in fridge for half an hour.
Shallow fry 8 mins.

Choc chip cake

250g Self raising flour
250g Butter
150g Caster Sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp Vanilla essence
100g chocolate chips (I used 105g chopped dark chocolate)

1. In a mixer, mix the sugar and butter until smooth
   
   
   Whisk the eggs until it is frothy and gradually incorporated in to the butter and sugar mixture. you will need to repeat whisking the eggs and scoping the froth until all the egg has been used up.
2. Sieve the flour into the mixture and fold in with a metal serving spoon until smooth and add the vanilla extract and chocolate chips. Preheat oven to 200 degree centigrade
3. Spread a knob of butter in a baking tin and then dust with flour. Pour in the cake mixture and set temperature to 160c and bake for 30 mins or until a tooth pick inserted into the cake comes out clean and not sticky. 
   
   
   From BBC Good Food. Viewer recipe. 
   
   
   Cooked it for around 45 minutes. Centre was still moist after 30 even though skewer came up clean. Quite eggy and dense in texture but moist and sweet. Tom really liked it. 

Nigel Slater's Black banana cake

• This was really tasty. Made 10th April. 
  
  
  175g/6oz unsalted butter, softened
• 175g/6oz sugar (half light muscovado, half golden caster)
• 75g/2½oz hazelnuts
• 2 free-range eggs
• 175g/6oz self-raising flour
• 2 very ripe bananas (about 250g/9oz total weight)
• drop vanilla extract
• 175g/6oz good-quality dark or milk chocolate chips
• a little demerara sugar
  
  
  
  
  1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Line the base and sides of a 20cm x 12cm/8in x 5in loaf tin with baking parchment.
  2. Beat the butter and sugars until light and coffee-coloured. This is best achieved in a food mixer.
  3. Toast the hazelnuts, rub them in a tea towel to remove their skins, then grind quite finely.
  
  
  
  
  1. Slowly add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, then mix in the toasted ground hazelnuts and self-raising flour.
  2. Peel the bananas and chop them the small pieces. Gently fold the vanilla extract, the bananas and the chocolate chips into the cake mixture, turning gently and taking care not to overmix.
  3. Scoop the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin. Dust with a little demerara sugar. Bake for between 1 hour and 1 hour 10 minutes, covering the cake with foil if the top starts to darken too quickly.

Ultimate Christmas Pudding

Delicious pudding made a fortnight before Christmas. Didn't use the right sherry but it was still fantastic.

• 150 gram(s) currants
• 150 gram(s) sultanas
• 150 gram(s) prunes (scissored into pieces)
• 175 ml sherry (pedro ximenez)
• 100 gram(s) plain flour
• 125 gram(s) white breadcrumbs
• 150 gram(s) suet
• 150 gram(s) dark muscovado sugar
• 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• ¼ ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1 lemon(s) (zest and juice)
• 3 medium egg(s)
• 1 medium cooking apple (peeled and grated)
• 2 tablespoon(s) honey
• 125 ml vodka

1. Although I stipulate a capacious 1.7 litre/3 pint basin, and cannot extol the utter gloriousness of this pud too much, I know that you’re unlikely to getthrough most of it, even half of it, at one sitting. But I like the grand, pride instilling size of this, plus it’s wonderful on following days, microwaved in portionsafter or between meals, with leftover Eggnog Cream, or fried in butter and eaten with vanilla ice cream for completely off-the-chart, midnight-munchyfeasts. But it wouldn’t be out of the question – and it would certainly be in the spirit of the season – to make up the entire quantity of mixture, and share between smaller basins – a 2 pint one for you, a 1 pint one to give away. Three hours’ steaming both first and second time around should do it; just keep theone pudding for yourself, and give the other to a friend, after it’s had its first steaming, and is cool, with the steaming instructions for Christmas Day.
2. Put the currants, sultanas and scissored prunes into a bowl with the Pedro Ximénez, swill the bowl a bit, then cover with clingfilm and leave to steep overnight or for up to 1 week.
3. When the fruits have had their steeping time, put a large pan of water on to boil, or heat some water in a conventional steamer, and butter your heatproof plastic pudding basin (or basins), remembering to grease the lid, too.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the remaining pudding ingredients, either in the traditional manner or just any old how; your chosen method of stirring, and who does it, probably won’t affect the outcome of your wishes or your Christmas.
5. Add the steeped fruits, scraping in every last drop of liquor with a rubber spatula, and mix to combine thoroughly, then fold in cola-cleaned coins or heirloom charms. If you are at all frightened about choking-induced fatalities at the table, do leave out the hardware.
6. Scrape and press the mixture into the prepared pudding basin, squish it down and put on the lid. Then wrap with a layer of foil (probably not necessary, but I do it as I once had a lid-popping and water-entering experience when steaming a pudding) so that the basin is watertight, then either put the basin in the pan of boiling water (to come halfway up the basin) or in the top of a lidded steamer (this size of basin happens to fit perfectly in the top of my all-purpose pot) and steam for 5 hours, checking every now and again that the water hasn’t bubbled away.
7. When it’s had its 5 hours, remove gingerly (you don’t want to burn yourself) and, when manageable, unwrap the foil, and put the pudding in its basin somewhere out of the way in the kitchen or, if you’re lucky enough, a larder, until Christmas Day.
8. On the big day, rewrap the pudding (still in its basin) in foil and steam again, this time for 3 hours. Eight hours combined cooking time might seem a faff, but it’s not as if you need to do anything to it in that time.
9. To serve, remove from the pan or steamer, take off the lid, put a plate on top, turn it upside down and give the plastic basin a little squeeze to help unmould the pudding. Then remove the basin – and voilà, the Massively Matriarchal Mono Mammary is revealed. (Did I forget to mention the Freudian lure of the pudding beyond its pagan and Christian heritage?)
10. Put the sprig of holly on top of the dark, mutely gleaming pudding, then heat the vodka in a small pan (I use my diddy copper butter-melting pan) and the minute it’s hot, but before it boils – you don’t want the alcohol to burn off before you attempt to flambé it – turn off the heat, strike a match, stand back and light the pan of vodka, then pour the flaming vodka over the pudding and take it as fast as you safely can to your guests. If it feels less dangerous to you (I am a liability and you might well be wiser not to follow my devil-may-care instructions), pour the hot vodka over the pudding and then light the pudding. In either case, don’t worry if the holly catches alight; I have never known it to be anything but singed.
11. Serve with the Eggnog Cream, which you can easily make - it's the work of undemanding moments - while the pudding's steaming.

From Nigella Lawson's website.

Nigella's Lemon Drizzle

From Nigella Lawson - How To Be A Domestic Goddess

Lemon-Syrup Loaf Cake:

125g unsalted butter

175g caster sugar

2 large eggs

zest of 1 lemon

175g self raising flour

pinch of salt

4 tablespoons milk

23x13x7cm loaf tin buttered and lined

For the syrup:

juice of 1 and a half lemons

100g icing sugar

For the glaze:

juice of 1/2 a lemon

150g icing sugar

To Make The Cake:

Preheat your oven to 180 C/ gas mark 4.

Butter and line your loaf tin well.

Cream together butter and sugar and add eggs and lemon zest, beating them in well.

Gently fold in the flour and the salt, mixing thoroughly and then add the milk.

Spoon the batter into your prepared tin and bake for 45 mins or until cake tester comes out clean.

For the syrup:

Put the lemon juice and icing sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves

As soon as cake is out of oven, puncture all over with skewer and pour over the syrup.

Leave cake to cool completely before removing from the tin.

For the glaze:

Combine lemon juice and icing sugar until smooth and white, add a little more icing sugar if needed.  Make sure your cake is completely cool before drizzling with the glaze.

From The Extraordinorary Art of Cake blog.

Butternut squash & sage risotto

• 1kg butternut squash , peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• bunch sage , leaves picked, half roughly chopped, half left whole
• 1½ l vegetable stock
• 50g butter
• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 300g risotto rice (we used arborio)
• 1 small glass white wine
• 50g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, finely grated

1. Before you make the risotto, heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Toss the squash in 1 tbsp oil together with the chopped sage. Scatter into a shallow roasting tin and roast for 30 mins until it is brown and soft.
2. While the squash is roasting, prepare the risotto. Bring the stock to the boil and keep on a low simmer. In a separate pan, melt half the butter over a medium heat. Stir in the onions and sweat gently for 8-10 mins until soft but not coloured, stirring occasionally. Stir the rice into the onions until completely coated in the butter, then stir continuously until the rice is shiny and the edges of the grain start to look transparent.
3. Pour in the wine and simmer until totally evaporated. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time and stirring the rice over a low heat for 25-30 mins, until the rice is cooked al dente (with a slightly firm, starchy bite in the middle). The risotto should be creamy and slightly soupy. When you draw a wooden spoon through it, there should be a wake that holds for a few moments but not longer.
4. At the same time, gently fry the whole sage leaves in a little olive oil until crisp, then set aside on kitchen paper. When the squash is cooked, mash half of it to a rough purée and leave half whole. When the risotto is just done, stir though the purée, then add the cheese and butter and leave to rest for a few mins. Serve the risotto scattered with the whole chunks of squash and the crisp sage leaves.

Very tasty! Made for Clare and Andy 26th Sept 12.

Flour Tortilla Wraps

Made a quarter of the recipe. Hard to roll super thin so used a bit of extra butter and hot water but perhaps a bit more hot water would help next time. 

Ingredients:

Serves: 60

• 800g (1 3/4 lb) plain flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 350ml (12 fl oz) boiling water

Preparation:

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 15 mins

1.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Rub in butter to resemble texture of polenta. Add water slowly, mixing with your hands to make a soft dough. You may not need all the water.

2.

Knead a few minutes on floured surface until smooth and elastic. Lubricate top with oil, put back in bowl and let rest, covered for 10 minutes.

3.

Divide into small balls the size of golf balls and proceed to roll out into size and thickness you prefer.

4.

Cook in dry heavy frying pan until top is slightly bubbly then turning on opposite side for a minute or two. Keep stacked and warm inside a clean tea towel.

Recipe from Allrecipes

Apple compote

Prep: 1/2 hour

Cook: 1/2 hour

1. Peel, core and finely slice the apples - be thorough, as any little bits of fibre left from the core or peel will catch in your teeth and spoil the pleasure of the otherwise silky compote.

2. Put the apples in a large pan and add a good tablespoon of sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of water - just to stop them catching on the bottom of the pan. Cook, covered, over a gentle heat, stirring often, until the apple pieces have completely dissolved and you have a thick, slightly translucent purée. It should take about half an hour. Add more caster sugar to taste - enough to achieve a purée that is still erring on the tart side but not unpleasantly so. You can always add sugar when you serve it up, and in fact the slight graininess of just-sprinkled caster sugar on the compote is a pleasure in itself.

3. Leave to cool completely, then store in the fridge in a jar or Tupperware container. It will keep for a couple of weeks.

Classic potato soup

Also added bacon and two stalks of finely chopped celery. Didn't add milk. Tasty.

Serves 6. Cooking time 10 to 30 mins. Prep time 30 mins.

A comforting classic, this easy potato soup uses a handful of store cupboard ingredients to great effect.

Ingredients

• 55g/2oz butter

• 425g/15oz potatoes, peeled and diced to 5mm/1/3in

• 110g/4oz onions, diced to 1/3in

• 1 tsp salt

• freshly ground pepper

• 900ml/1½pt home-made chicken stock or vegetable stock

• 120ml/4fl oz creamy milk

• freshly chopped herbs to garnish

Preparation method

1. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams, add the potatoes and onions and toss them in the butter until well coated.

2. Sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover with a butter wrapper or paper lid and the lid of the saucepan. Sweat on a gentle heat for approximately 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring the stock to the boil. When the vegetables are soft but not coloured add the boiling stock and continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

4. Add the milk. purée the soup in a blender or food processor. Taste and adjust seasoning.

5. Serve sprinkled with a few freshly chopped herbs or some of the following garnishes.

BBC Potato Soup recipe

Recipes from Delia Smith's Frugal Food

Ham in Coca Cola

Really delicious recipe, repeatedly recommended to me by friends. The recipe below is from the chat page of Nigella's website.

The stewing juice can be used to make her Black bean soup.

• 2kg mild-cure gammon
• 1 onion, peeled and cut in half
• 2-litre bottle of Coca-Cola

For the glaze:

• handful of cloves
• 1 heaped tablespoon black treacle
• 2 teaspoons English mustard powder
• 2 tablespoons demerara sugar

Serves: 8

1. I find now that mild-cure gammon doesn't need soaking, but if you know that you're dealing with a salty piece, then put it in a pan covered with cold water, bring to the boil, then tip into a colander in the sink and start from here; otherwise, put the gammon in a pan, skin-side down if it fits like that, add the onion, then pour over the Coke.
2. Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on, though not tightly, and cook for just under 2 and a half hours. If your joint is larger or smaller, work out timing by reckoning on an hour per kilo, remembering that it's going to get a quick blast in the oven later. But do take into account that if the gammon's been in the fridge right up to the moment you cook it, you will have to give it a good 15 minutes or so extra so that the interior is properly cooked.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 240ºC/gas mark 9. When the ham's had its time (and ham it is, now it's cooked, though it's true Americans call it ham from its uncooked state) take it out of the pan (but do NOT throw away the cooking liquid) and let cool a little for ease of handling. (Indeed, you can let it cool completely then finish off the cooking at some later stage if you want). Then remove the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat.
4. Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes, and stud each diamond with a clove.
5. Then carefully spread the treacle over the bark-budded skin, taking care not to dislodge the cloves.
6. Gently pat the mustard and sugar onto the sticky fat. Cook in a foil-lined roasting tin for approximately 10 minutes or until the glaze is burnished and bubbly. Should you want to do the braising stage in advance and then let the ham cool, clove and glaze it and give it 30-40 minutes, from room temperature, at 180ºC/gas mark 4, turning up the heat towards the end if you think it needs it.

Classic Apple Chutney Recipe

• 
  1½ kg cooking apples , peeled and diced
• 750g light muscovado sugar
• 500g raisins
• 2 medium onions , finely chopped
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 700ml cider vinegar

Prep 20 - 25 mins

Cook 40 mins

Ready in 1 hour 10 minutes

Combine all the ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium heat, then simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, for 30-40 mins, or until thick and pulpy. Remove from the heat, leave to cool and transfer to sterilised, clean, dry jars and seal.

From BBC Good Food website