Tuna Fish Cakes

British Bajan Lunch

On the eve of Barbadian independence day I felt that it was necessary to make food which reminded me about the Barbados I love and not the Barbados I have spent my life running from.  Barbados is known by Gods for the glorious fish cakes which are made all over the island.  The version I have made is nothing compared to what you can discover in Barbados, but it is worthy of a place on the chip shop counter.  My traditional British fish cakes tasted pretty good.  They are delicate battered goodies which are super fun to make.  One day I will make Bajan fish cakes but until then these will do as I study to make my country proud.

This recipe was adapted from Silvana Franco’s The Really Useful Ultimate Student Cookbook (Murdoch Books, 2007).

Ingredients:

300g mashed potato, 2 tbsps mayonnaise, 125g tinned tuna, 1 tbsp chopped parsley, 1 tbsp garlic powder, flour, 1 egg (beaten), breadcrumbs, vegetable oil for frying.

Method:

1. In a large bowl mix together the mash potato, mayonnaise, tuna, parsley, garlic powder and added seasoning of choice.
2. When well combined form into burger shapes and set aside.
3. Divide a few tbsps of flour, egg and a few tbsps of breadcrumbs into 3 separate bowls.
4. Pour some oil into a frying pan and heat at a low to medium heat.
5. Coat each cake in the flour, then egg and then breadcrumbs before frying.
6. Fry each patty in batches or individually depending on the side of the pan.
7. Fry the fish cakes for 5 – 8 minutes on each side until browned and crisp.
8. Continue until the fish cake filling has been used up.

Beef “Casserole” Hash

Corned Beef

All I was told about corned beef was that it looks and tastes like cat food.  How anyone knows what cat food tastes like is quite disturbing, but nonetheless I can imagine that it tastes rather horrible.  I therefore never had a high opinion of corned beef until I realized that it was and still is in many parts of the world a God – Send as meat can be so expensive.  With a new found respect for corned beef I made my own version of a harsh.  A student style meal with a gutsy and manly aura.  It can be eaten with a variety of foods and provides enough meat to you strong and able to last the night of doing whatever you plan to do.

This recipe was adapted from Silvana Franco’s The Really Useful Ultimate Student Cookbook (Murdoch Books, 2007).

Ingredients:

2 tbsps vegetable oil, 250g canned corned beef, 150g mashed potato, 100g cooked vegetables, 2 tsps hot pepper sauce, 4 tsps tomato puree, a small drizzle of Worcestershire sauce, 3 tsps rosemary.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium heat.
2. Cook the corned beef for 8 minutes.
3. Mix the potato in and allow a slight crust to develop.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients and season to taste.
6. When heated through remove from the heat and transfer to an oven proof dish.

Berries and White Chocolate Sauce

Just for me

If you are having a cold, frustrating day you may not want to spend 2 hours making a decadent dessert.  This is one of the easiest desserts I have ever made but it tastes great and does not leave me feeling bloated and guilty.  Chocolate makes you feel better, gives you energy and apparently helps to soothe headaches.  And berries… well they are apparently a super food so this dessert can be eaten any day of the week and even if you are on a diet.

This recipe was adapted from Ainsley Harriott’s just five ingredients (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

1 x can tinned mixed berries in fruit syrup, 200g white chocolate, 150ml double cream, 3 tbsps evaporated milk.

Method:

1. Divide the berries into serving dishes.
2. Break the chocolate into pieces and put the chocolate into a heat proof bowl.
3. Add the double cream and milk.
4. Set over a pan of simmering water.
5. Leave to melt and stir occasionally.
6. Drizzle over the fruit.

Spicy Meat Pasta

Sausage disaster

I never knew how important it was to be able to cook a good sausage, but in England this is a mist.  On Masterchef sausage was one of the ingredients that could be used for the invention test.  One guy did sausage three ways which was one of the stupidest things I have ever seen and read about a recipe using a variety of sausages blended to make a sauce.  This to me seemed very unappealing.  I am not a fan of cooking meat in such an unusual way as I myself am not familiar with red meat.  So I focused on what I knew for this main meal and cooked the sausage my way.

This recipe was adapted from Ainsley Harriott’s just five ingredients (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

350g egg tagliatelle, 3 pork and beef sausages, 175g chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato relish, a pinch of sugar, 1 tbsp hot pepper sauce, 1 tsp mustard, 30g parmesan.

Method:

1. Bring half a large saucepan of salted water to boil.
2. Grill the sausages.
3. When the pasta has cooked drain.
4. When the sausages have cooked transfer to a plate and chop into small pieces.
5. Blend the rest of the ingredients together and heat in a saucepan.
6. Season to taste.
7. Add the meat and the pasta.
8. Mix well.  When heated through divide onto plates.

Tomato Chicken Pasta

Simple but so tasty

The last week of November is skimp week, but of course that does not mean boring bland food.  It’s all about using making the most of the ingredients you already have and making sure that when you finish eating you are not searching for the nearest takeaway. In food satisfaction can come in many different forms as a working class gyal I know this all too well.

This recipe was adapted from Ainsley Harriot’s just five ingredients (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

250g egg tagliatelle, 50ml cream of tomato soup, 150g bar- be – que chicken breast pieces, 30g parmesan, 2 tbsps mixed herbs.

Method:

1. Boil a half a pan of salted water.
2. Cook the tagliatelle until al dente.
3. Drain.
4. Heat the soup up in a pan.
5. When simmering mix in the other ingredients and season to taste.
6. Mix the pasta and the sauce together well.
7. Divide into plates and enjoy.

Smoked Salmon Pasta & Parmesan Cream

Tagliatelle

Tagliatelle is a really beautiful pasta when cooked perfectly.   The elegant long pasta shapes just make my heart sing as I twirl the beauties around my fork.  Combined with smoked salmon and a decadent parmesan sauce this dish is a winner.

This recipe was adapted from Ainsley Harriott’s just five ingredients (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

175g egg tagliatelle, 100g smoked salmon, 150ml double cream, 3 tbsps grated Parmesan, 2 tsps mixed herbs, salt and pepper, green olives.

Method:

1. Boil half a pan of salted water.
2. Cook the egg tagliatelle.
3. Drain the pasta.
4. In a small saucepan bring the cream to a boil.
5. When just boiled add the Parmesan.
6. Add the salmon and flake into the sauce.
7. Add the pasta bake into the large pan and pour the sauce on top.
8. Mix well and divide into plates or bowls.
9. Scatter a few olives over the top.

Jam – In Custard Tart

Bake Off Disaster

One of the biggest disasters in The Great British Bake Off this year for the contestants was surprisingly custard tarts.  I was shocked that such a common pastry dessert could be so complicated.  How could the contestants get the tarts so wrong.  Making custard tarts is really not that difficult.  It is actually easier to make custard tarts from scratch than to use the complete cheat method.  My big custard tart was not the best in the world but I would not have considered it to have been a complete disaster.   To be fair I did not have millions of people watching me.  I did not have the time to make my own custard but I was very pleased with my pastry.  I used ground almonds in my mixture which did not destroy the beautiful soft texture, it only enhanced the flavour to bring more depth to the tart rather than the sweetness from the jam.  I added peaches at the end, but a variety of fruit can be used to decorate and eat with the tart.

This recipe was adapted from Ainsley Harriott’s just five ingredients (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

175g plain flour, 75g butter, 20g ground almonds, 2 tbsps apricot jam, 120ml custard, peaches (to decorate the top).

Method:

1. In a bowl rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Mix in the ground almonds.
3. Add a little cold water.
4. Knead the mixture to create a soft dough.
5. Line a small round cake tin with baking parchment.
6. Roll out the dough and create a tart case in the tin.
7. Chill in the fridge for an hour.
8. Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
9. Spread the jam across the bottom of the tart.
10. Pour over the custard.
11. Place the peaches on top.
12. Bake for 25 minutes.
13. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Quick Lasagna

Christmas Nightmare Week

Christmas Nightmare Week is the second week of November.  I have no statistics to back this up and I have absolutely no idea what anybody else thinks but I am telling you this is the nightmare week.  Let me explain.  The first week of November is when people start becoming more concerned about the weather and debates are constantly on the news stations about the increase of fuel prices for the winter.  People are becoming depressed and then they fall deeper into depression by the second week because… the Christmas countdown starts officially to the point where you cannot escape it.  People start thinking about it around October but those who suffer from the nightmare week try very hard to avoid thinking about Christmas.  I am one of these people.  The most important days are ummm my birthday, Gran Gran and Granddad day, Mummy’s birthday and Birdspeed’s Birthday.  Ba Humbug! Ba the brokeness! and Ba the frekking over priced goods that will show their true prices in January!  On the second week of November I brought nothing and just used what was in the house to cook.  This is a penny pinching lasagna with lots of protein to build up your immune system and strength to last through this awful period.

This recipe was adapted from Ainsley Harriott’s just five ingredients (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

1 x can of tinned tuna (drained), 125g pre cooked chicken breast pieces, 130g pesto, 250g creamy tomato pasta sauce, 30g crushed walnut halves, lasagna sheets, 40g mozzarella cheese.

Method:

1. Pre cook the lasagna sheets in boiling water before layering the lasagna.
2. In a bowl mix together the tuna, chicken and half the pesto and sauce.
3. In another bowl mix together the rest of the pesto and tomato sauce. This will be the second layer.
4. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
5. Pour the meaty filling at the base of an oven proof dish.
6. Layer with soft lasagna sheets.
7. Spread the majority of the sauce in the second layer and sprinkle over the walnuts.
8. Layer with soft lasagna sheets.
9. Pour over the rest of the sauce and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
10. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.
11. Leave to cool for 10 – 15 minutes before serving.

Berry Banana Crumble

Sweet & Sour Therapy 

I was in no way shape or form in the mood for being jolly, but you cannot let your troubles completely stop you from adding a little sweetness in your life.  According to Christmas adverts now is the time to start fattening yourself up and over indulging… Well sorry to bust the Xmas bubble but this is ridiculous.  November is the month for getting sh** done.  You can’t get stuff done mid week eating a chocolate fondant and strawberries with your partner in front of the fire after a superior candle light dinner.  You need a tasty, classic homely but quick pudding to keep you focused.  Did I mention it was Christmas Nightmare Week? I used tinned berry juice as a rich syrup to soak the fruit underneath the crumble, if you are using natural berries you can always use the natural juices.  I had 2 over ripe bananas so I blended them with a little lime juice and added them to the crumble to make a fantastic dessert.  You may have to make a few batches as this will most certainly be gobbled up with a matter of minutes.

This recipe was adapted from Ainsley Harriott’s just five ingredients (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

1 x can of tinned berries in juice (Only keep half the juice but save the other half for another meal or perhaps a smoothie), 2 bananas, 2 tbsps lime, 175g plain flour, 75g butter, 3 tbsps caster sugar.

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Pour the berries into the bottom of a round oven proof dish.
3. Use a blender or mash up the bananas with the lime.
4. Spoon the bananas over the top of the fruit. It is a nice surprise as an extra layer.
5. In a bowl rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
6. Stir in the sugar.
7. Scatter the crumble topping over the fruit.
8. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
9. The topping should be golden brown and the juice should be bubbling around the sides.  Leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake

Saving Pennies 

I was becoming more money conscious then usual so this meant budgeting on everything, from travelling to food.  I am usually quite good when it comes to adapting recipes to make them cheaper, it is important to know that there is nothing wrong with substituting expensive ingredients for cheaper ingredients.  You can still be healthy and keep things fresh.  I found this great quality pesto on sale and pasta bake will always be a simple solution of a weekday meal.  Chicken will always be pricey, but combined with the right ingredients you can still eat in and feel satisfied.  I made a really tasty chicken bake, it didn’t take much effort and allowed me to  have time to just relax which is always a good thing after a busy day.  For a treat I used macaroni pasta which just put a huge smile on my face.

This recipe was adapted from Ainsley Harriottt’s just five ingredients (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

350g macaroni, pre cooked chicken breast (chopped into bite size pieces), 75g creamy tomato pasta sauce, 4 tsps green pesto, 6 tbsps mozzarella.

Method:

1. Cook the macaroni in a pan of boiling water.
2. Drain the macaroni and pre heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
3. Pour the macaroni into an oven proof dish.
4. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
5. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.