The Ultimate Chilli

I can't remember how I converted this America recipe to British measurements so will have to try and remember the tweaks when i make it next. It's the best chilli I've ever tasted though!

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
• 3 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until evenly browned. Drain off grease, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. In a slow cooker, combine the cooked beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, celery, red bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. Season with chili powder, cumin, parsley, basil and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly.
3. Cook on High for 6 hours, or on Low for 8 hours. Pour in the wine during the last 2 hours.

My Mum's AMAZING Tuna Pasta Salad

I've finally managed to extract the recipe from my Mum for her beautiful pasta salad...

Ingredients

· 1 packet of pasta – preferably shells or bows

· 2 tins of tuna in brine, drained

· 2 – 3 sticks of chopped celery

· Diced cheddar cheese

· Finely chopped red onion (optional)

· Half bottle of cubits cucumber relish

Dressing

· Little drop of milk

· Half bottle of salad cream

· Slightly less mayo

· Dash of Worcestershire sauce

· Half teaspoon made up mustard (optional)

· Vinegar – 2 teaspoons

· Teaspoon of sugar

While the pasta is cooking, chop up all ingredients. When the pasta is cooked, either rinse under cold water or allow to cool. Then mix all ingredients together. Make the dressing and toss well.

Spanish Chicken Pie

I cooked this tonight with leftover roast chicken, and it was a huge success! I halved the amounts as I was cooking just for the kids.

• 1 kg potatoes, cut into quarters
• 150g light cream cheese like Philadelphia Extra Light
• 300g cooked chicken, shredded into pieces
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
• 2 x 400g tin tomatoes
• Jar roasted vegetables, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1tsp smoked paprika

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180. Boil the potatoes for 15 mins until tender. While they’re cooking, heat a drizzle of oil from the roast veg jar in a frying pan, add the onion and fry gently for 5 mins then add the garlic and cook for a further 2 mins and tip in the tomatoes and paprika, stir well and bring to a simmer.
2. Once the potatoes are cooked drain them, add the cream cheese and mash together. Pour the tomatoes, chicken and vegetables into a large oven dish and mix.
3. Top the chicken mixture with the potato and ruff up the top slightly with a fork. Cook for 20 mins till piping hot all the way through.

Paddy's Jaffa Pudding

Ingredients

• 100g butter , melted, plus a little extra for the dish
• 250g self-raising flour
• 140g caster sugar
• 50g cocoa
• 1 tsp baking powder
• zest and juice 1 orange
• 3 eggs
• 150ml milk
• 100g orange milk chocolate or milk chocolate, broken into chunks (we used Terry's Chocolate Orange)
• single cream or ice cream, to serve

FOR THE SAUCE

• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 25g cocoa

Serves 8

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 35 mins, Cook 30 mins

1. Butter a 2-litre baking dish and heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the kettle on. Put the flour, caster sugar, 50g cocoa, baking powder, orange zest and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the orange juice and any pulp left in the juicer, the eggs, melted butter and milk, then pour onto the dry ingredients and mix together until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chunks and scrape everything into the baking dish.
2. Mix 300ml boiling water from the kettle with the sugar and cocoa for the sauce, then pour this all over the pudding batter - don't worry, it will look very strange at this stage! Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 mins until the surface looks firm, risen and crisp. As you scoop spoonfuls into serving bowls, you should find a glossy, rich chocolate sauce underneath the sponge. Eat immediately with vanilla ice cream or single cream.

Per serving

522 kcalories, protein 8g, carbohydrate 82g, fat 21 g, saturated fat 11g, fibre 2g, sugar 54g, salt 0.86 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine

Singapore Curried Noodles

Serves 4

• Healthy

Ingredients

• 340g/12oz packet of rice flour noodles
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 8 raw tiger prawns, peeled and each cut into 3 pieces
• 1 x 150g chicken breast, cut into thin slices
• 2 small onions, thinly sliced
• 2 slices smoked bacon loin, cut into matchsticks
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 ½ tbsp curry powder
• 5 tbsp chicken stock
• 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 2 big handfuls of beansprouts
• 1 red pepper cored and thinly sliced
• Pinch of sesame seeds to serve

METHOD

How to make Singapore curried noodles

1. Soak noodles in boiling water for 8 minutes and drain thoroughly in cold water. Heat the oil in a wok. When hot and shimmering throw in the chicken and prawns and cook for 1 minute or until they are golden and just cooked. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add onions, bacon and garlic and stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes. Add salt and 2 tablespoons curry powder, and stir-fry for a further minute. Add stock and soy sauce and stir to form a bubbling sauce. Add the noodles and stir to coat with the sauce.

2. Add the beansprouts and spring onions, turn the heat up high and stir-fry all the ingredients together for just over a minute. Add the prawns and chicken back to the pan and combine. Serve straight away.

From Channel 4's cook yourself thin.

Cajun Chicken Gumbo

1 tbsp sunflower oil

4 chicken thighs

1 small onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small green pepper, diced

90g/1/2 cup long grain rice

300ml/1/2pint chicken stock

1 small red chilli

225g/8oz okra

15ml/1 tbsp tomato puree

salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil in a wide pan and fry the chicken until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan.

2. Stir in the onion, celery and pepper and fry for 1 minute. Pour off any excess oil.

3. Add the rice and fry, stirring for a further minute. Add the stock and heat until boiling. Thinly slice the chilli and trim the okra. Add to the pan with the tomato puree. Season to taste.

4. Return the chicken to the pan and stir. Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender, the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the liquid adsorbed. Stir occasionally and if it becomes too dry, add a little extra stock.

Pork Chops with Gorgonzola

I'm never eating boring old chops again! We all loved this dish, even the kids!

4 large boneless pork loin chops
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp green pesto
3 small tomatoes, thinly sliced
100g/4oz gorgonsola, cut into 4 thick slices (we used St Augur as it was on offer, an brie for the kids)

Preheat the grill to high. Brush the chops with the olive oil and season well. Lay the chops on a baking sheet and grill for 4-5 minutes.

Remove the chops from the grill. Brush each one with the pesto. Put the tomato slices on top of the shops and add the slices of cheese.

Put the chops back under the grill for 2-4 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and has melted. Serve immediately with new potatoes or wedges and salad.

Serves 4