Puré de Frijol y Plátano Maduro (Bean and Ripe Plantain Puree) / Chicken Turnovers / Magic Sauce

Recipe: Puré de Frijol y Plátano Maduro (Bean and Ripe Plantain Puree)

This Bean and Ripe Plantain Puree is a traditional Colombian side dish. I know it doesn’t look good in the picture, but it is delicious and easy to make and goes perfectly with grilled beef, pork or chicken.

Blog Post & Recipe: Chicken turnovers (a.k.a. chicken pie)

Lay a puff pastry sheet flat. Place about two to three tablespoonfuls of the filling at the center of the sheet. Fold one edge over the filling. Lightly brush the very edge with egg. Fold over the opposite edge, overlapping over the egg-brushed edge to completely enfold the filling. Flip over so that the seam is underneath.

Blog Post & Recipe: Magic Sauce Recipe

I call this magic sauce. In part, because it makes everything it touches shimmer with deliciousness. It's magic like that. Technically, it's a riff on a chimichurri sauce - one that veered off the rails in a big way. Much tweaking has rendered it a distant second cousin. If that. In fact, the hallmark of that sauce, parsley, I skip entirely.

Chicken, Leek & Fennel Pie with Cream Cheese Pastry / Roast Beetroot & Chickpea Salad / Pandan Lamingtons

Blog Post & Recipe: Chicken, Leek and Fennel Pie with Cream Cheese Pastry

Recipe adapted from Maggi Beer’s Chicken, Grape and Champagne Pie (from the cookbook Maggi’s Kitchen and online).

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Beet & Chickpea Salad

This is an easy salad and was delicious at room temperature or cold from the fridge. The fresh mint goes really nicely with the earthy flavor of the sweet beets.

Blog Post & Recipe: Pandan Lamingtons

I adapted a recipe for plain lamingtons by adding some pandan essence paste to the sponge cake. It was quite convenient that the recipe used a chocolate ganache rather than a cocoa icing for the coating, as I was able to switch it to white chocolate ganache which was a much better match for that lovely soft & fluffy green pandan cake.

Strawberry Focaccia with Basil & Onions / Chicken Pie / Tender Jackfruit in Rice with Garlic & Black Pepper

Recipe: Strawberry Focaccia with Basil & Onions (also: strawberry and goat cheese focacia)

Lightly press strawberry slices into the top of the dough, then scatter onions and basil evenly across the top. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Bake until the focaccia is golden

Blog Post & Recipe: The Fabulous Chicken Pie (inspired by Maggie Beer)

I’ll be upfront – this dish takes a lot of effort, the pie crust, roasting the chicken, making the filling, baking… but I have never ever tasted a better pie ... Toasted walnuts, fresh herbs folded through a creamy chicken and mushroom filling lifted by hints of orange is unforgettable!

Blog Post & Recipe: Tender Jackfruit in Rice with Garlic & Black Pepper

One of my favorite is small tender jackfruit! It tastes very different from the ripe fruit. The texture is very similar to meat, especially pork. It tastes sweet, fibrous and soft. Peel the skin, cut it into chunks and boil it and it’s ready for cooking. If you don’t have access to fresh jackfruit you can also use canned.

Iceberg Lettuce & Beansprout Stir-Fry / Lamb Meatballs / 22 Chicken Dinners

Blog Post & Recipe: Iceberg lettuce and beansprout stir-fry

Try this dish, which only takes minutes to cook ... to accompany fierce and rich flavours

Blog Post & Recipe: The best meat I've made in ages

The only bit requiring any sort of patience is the actual rolling of the meat mixture into balls, which is really not that big a deal at all if 1. you have help or 2. you decide to make big meatballs instead of my tiny inch-in-diameter ones.

Lamb meatballs

Recipes: 22 Chicken Dinners

Korean Grilled Chicken ... Honey-Mustard Baked Chicken ... Chicken Basquaise ... Sweet Chile Chicken Rice Bowl ... Poached Chicken and Pomegranate Orzo ... Argentine Grilled Chicken ... Pad Kee Mao (Spicy Ground Chicken and Rice Noodles) ... Brick Chicken with Rosé Wine and Bacon ... Five-Spice Roasted Chicken ... Pasta with Roasted Chicken, Raisins, Pine Nuts, and Parsley ... Basic Barbecued Chicken ... Pulled Jerk Chicken Sandwiches ... Chicken Pot Pie ... Rhubarb-Braised Chicken Thighs ... Hoisin Explosion Chicken ... Chicken with Goat Cheese and Figs ... Coq au Vin ... Oregano-Marinated Grilled Chicken with Charred Lemons ... Oven-Fried Buttermilk Chicken ... Braised Chicken and Chayote ... Easy Chicken and Chive-Dumpling Soup ... Chicken Stuffed with Spinach and Feta

Grape Focaccia with Rosemary / Peking Duck with Mandarin Pancakes & Plum Sauce / 3 Cold-Weather Meals

Blog Post & Recipe: grape focaccia with rosemary

(This is a tweaked version of a recipe I posted for the first time here.)

I couldn’t get enough of the sweet/salty/olive oil/grape/rosemary thing with the crisp edges

Recipe: Peking Duck with Mandarin Pancakes and Plum Sauce

Maltose syrup can be found in most Chinese supermarkets. If you can't find it, honey can be used in its place.

Article & Recipes: Cold weather comfort

I find that most wet meat dishes require the meat to be browned before adding the wet ingredients. I have sidestepped that process in today's dishes without compromising flavour.

Potato and chicken pie ... Beef casserole ... One pot beef and paprika casserole

Soboro Donburi / Roasted Cauliflower / Five Savoury Pies

Blog Post & Recipe: Soboro Donburi: Seasoned Ground Meat over Rice

Soboro Donburi is essentially seasoned ground meat and egg (usually scrambled) over rice. It's an extremely simple dish and it makes for a fantastic and quick mid-week meal. You can use any type of ground meat for this recipe, but I consider ground chicken thigh to have the best flavor.

Blog Post & Recipe: Momofuku Ssam Bar Roasted Cauliflower

But this roast cauliflower from David Chang and Peter Meehan’s new cookbook is a little fresher, a little brighter and spicier. It has fragrant cilantro and mint and just enough heat. You could serve this with jasmine rice and a pork chop or a nice piece of arctic char—it’s a little intense to eat as a main course.

Blog Post & Recipe: The savory pie

Links to recipes are in the sidebar on the left.

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Recipe: Classic chicken, leek and fennel pot pie
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Recipe: Curried lamb pasties with spicy sweet potato and tamarind Recipe: Curried lamb pasties with spicy sweet potato and tamarind
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Recipe: Wild mushroom, spinach and ricotta pie Recipe: Wild mushroom, spinach and ricotta pie
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Recipe: Basic savory pie dough No. 2 (cream cheese)
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Recipe: Basic savory pie dough No. 1 Recipe: Basic savory pie dough No. 1

Chicken Mug-Pies / Pot Roasted Chicken / Fennel & Olive Pasta on a Fried Egg

Blog Post & Recipe: Chicken Mug-Pies

I baked all of them at once, and refrigerated half for another night, covered in foil; they reheated nicely in the oven at 350F for 20-30 minutes, keeping the foil on to protect the crusts from over-browning.

Blog Post & Recipe: Pot Roasted Chicken for Rainy Autumn Days

I used to make it in a Crockpot when I was very busy and it would cook all day until we needed it. Nowadays I don’t have such a thing and I’ve reverted back to the way my grandmother would have cooked it, in a heavy covered Dutch oven.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fennel & Kalamata olive pasta on fried egg

Thick bucatini pasta coated in a sweet red sauce and topped with diced kalamata olives and sautéed fennel. Served on top of a perfectly fried egg! The yolk adds so much to the flavor of the red sauce.

So the trick to making sauce that tastes like it’s been simmering for hours is to cook it down to a thick pasty texture and then rehydrate it by adding a ladle or two of starchy pasta water to the pan. You should also use tongs ...

Ceviche. More Ceviche. Two Pies.

Blog Post & Recipe: Ceviche

I could actually see the lemon and lime juice turning the color of the fish from translucent pink to opaque white. The acid from the limes and lemons change the structure of the proteins in the fish, essentially "cooking" the fish without using heat.

Coincidentally there was a recent ceviche recipe at the Independent as well: Mackerel ceviche salad with samphire

[M]ackerel is one of my favourite fish to eat raw. It has to be really fresh, of course, and it has to have that delicious, slightly oily texture with a full-on flavour.

Article & Recipes: Sweet and savoury summer pies

Pies are special. They are time-consuming and demand attention and a certain deftness. They involve preparation, patience and a little bit of pig-headedness. They are the prized jewel at the end of a concerted effort.

Harissa chicken in soured cream crust ... Peach & apricot in cream cheese crust

Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprouts Risotto. A Risotto Tip. Three Meals from One Chicken.

Blof Post & Recipe: Surprising Sprouts in Risotto

I was making a feta and sweet potato risotto [...] When I came to trying it, I planned to serve it with sprouts on the side. But then I thought, why not add them into the mix. And so I did.

Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprouts and Feta Risotto

Article: Soul food: Creamy dreamy risotto

An Italian chef of reassuring girth appeared and proceeded to cook a risotto in front of us and revealed the all-time great risotto secret (which you all probably know already) — a risotto needs a good beating. He did it lightly, but consistently, all the way through the cooking process ...

Article & Recipes: Economy Gastronomy: three recipes from one chicken

If presented with a whole chicken, most of us would probably opt to roast it, and why not? It's a real treat. However, I think you can end up getting a bigger yield from boiling the bird and the flavour is every bit as good.

Boiled Chicken ... Chicken pie with sweetcorn, mushrooms and tarragon ...Hot and sour chicken broth ... Coronation chicken

Rhubarb cobbler. Fennel Salad. Chicken Potpie.

Article & recipe: Potpie is a simple treasure

Potpie is one of the most economical and easy dishes you can make ... two things determine the success of your potpie: having enough rich sauce to not just bind, but smother the solid ingredients, and a crisp crust to contrast with the silken sauce.

Chicken Potpie with Drop Biscuits

Blog Post & Recipe: Recipe: Lemony Shaved Fennel Salad with Bresaola

A few kitchen tools that make assembling this salad easy are a vegetable peeler for the cheese (you get nice thin, curly shards of cheese) and a mandoline for shaving the fennel. But if all you have is one good knife, you'll still make a great salad ... Bresaola is a ... lean air-cured beef ... Most gourmet shops that carry cured meats will have it. If not, substitute whatever you can find in the cured meat department (salami, prosciutto, etc.)

Blog Post & Recipe: rhubarb cobbler

Rhubarb Cobbler
Adapted from Claudia Fleming via New York Magazine

The biscuit topping includes the curious ingredient of hard-boiled egg yolks. I’ve been trying for days to find the reason behind it’s inclusion (as I am sure someone will ask) but without my cookbooks still boxed up, my access to technique information is limited. I know that some people grind up a hard boiled yolk in their sables, to make them sandier and would argue that this makes the biscuits a little richer and cakier.

Potatoes. Spaghetti. Who's Cooking?

Article: Who’s Cooking? (For Health, It Matters)

Home-cooked meals are typically more healthful than those prepared at restaurants. But just how much more healthful depends on who’s doing the cooking, where the recipe comes from, and even the dishes in which the food is served.

Studies show that the biggest influence on family eating habits is the person who buys and prepares the food. These “nutritional gatekeepers,” as researchers call them, influence more than 70 percent of the foods we eat, according to a 2006 report in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association ...

Recipes: Five ways with a packet of spaghetti

1. Artichoke and mascarpone pasta

2. Spaghetti, sausages and mustard

3. Spaghetti and mussels

4. Chicken and pasta pie

5. A quick and cheap tomato and pasta soup

Recipes: New Potato Day: Eat and Plant Potatoes Today

Did you know that today is a big day for potatoes? Not only are they a featured part of most St. Patrick's Day menus, but this is also the day when potatoes are traditionally planted! Potatoes go into the ground earlier than most garden seeds, at least in the northern parts of the world ... Here are five fresh ways to eat new potatoes, which are turning up at the markets soon ...

• 1 Crème fraîche and chives

• 2 Saffron and parsley

• 3 Ginger, cumin and sesame

• 4 Honey and basil

• 5 Thyme and carrots

Related: Sixteen Kinds of Potatoes

Kumquats. Pies. Goat's Cheese.

Article: Kumquats: Big flavor in a small package

How to select: Look for firm fruits with glossy orange skins that are free of blemishes. Will Brokaw, who sell kumquats at several local farmers' markets, suggests, "Go for plumpest, most beautiful kumquat with the deepest color and you'll get the best one." The firmer the kumquat, the more recently it has been picked - older specimens will be softer.

Article & Recipes: Game pie voted Britain's best

Scroll down for links to several pie recipes.

Keystone game pie : Ashley Robins

Beef and Guiness pie : Gordon Ramsay

Steak and kidney pie : Lindsey Bareham

Chicken, leek and tarragon pie : Lucas Hollwegg

Turkey and ham pie : Gordon Ramsay

Deep-filled apple and blackberry pies : Gordon Ramsay

Minted courgette pies with tomato and coriander relish : Lindsey Bareham

Raised game pie : Gordon Ramsay

Article: Five ways with... goat's cheese

Make tarts

Roll puff pastry into rounds about 2cm bigger than your goat's cheese,and with the tip of a knife score a border 1cm in from the edge. Spoon over some caramelised onions, top with a thick slice of goat's cheese and bake at 200C/Gas 6 for about 15 minutes.

Bake with herbs

Brush thick slices of cheese with olive oil and scatter with thyme leaves. Put into the fridge for a couple of hours, then roll gently in breadcrumbs and bake in the oven at 200C/Gas 6 for about 6-10 minutes, until golden. Serve with a salad of mixed leaves and herbs, combined with slices of pear and walnuts and tossed in vinaigrette.

Camp Bread, Tortilla Cassarole, British Comfort Food

Recipe: Pan de Campo (Camp Bread)


Recipe: Make the ideal tortilla casserole

But whether you use expensive cheese and homemade sauces, or Monterey Jack and bottled salsa, the basic principle remains the same: Layer tortillas, sauce, meat (or vegetables) and cheese, bake it, and you've got a crowd-pleasing casserole that takes care of your tortilla surplus.

TAMAL AZTECA ... CHICKEN TORTILLA CASSEROLE WITH SALSA VERDE ... DESIGN YOUR OWN TORTILLA CASSEROLE

Recipe: 10 comfort food recipes

Chicken, coconut and ginger soup ... Gordon’s macaroni cheese ... A great fish pie ... Chorizo and lamb shepherd's pie ... Chicken, leek and tarragon pie ... Lamb cobbler with cheese scones ... Gordon’s meatballs with spiced tomato sauce ... Lancashire Hotpot ... Rice pudding with apricots ... Seville magic pudding

With something like fish pie, I don’t think you should muck around too much.