EGG BACON CHEESE BUTTERY BACON TOASTED MUFFIN WITH SRIRACHA

Cast Iron Skillet Cooking

This breakfast makes me embarrass myself ! 

This is my most favourite breakfast EVER !  Butter and bacon fat toasted sour dough muffin stuffed with gooey melty cheese, crispy sweetcure bacon, more cheese and a just over easy fried egg, finished off with a drizzle of sriracha, this is one lip smacking gorgeous, best eating in private breakfast or with people that love you !  Bonus this is also a one pan cook.

Ingredients 

(serves 2)

2 sour dough muffins cut in half

50g butter

1 glug olive oil

8 rashers sweetcure bacon

6 slices of melting cheese

2 free range eggs

Sriracha sauce

Sea salt

Heat your skillet medium hot, add the butter and olive oil once melted and foaming add the bacon and cook crispy or to your likin.  Remove to the side of the skillet or a plate, place the sourdough muffins in the pan to soak up the buttery bacon fat to get nicely toasted and crispy while soaking up all that flavour.

Remove from the pan, place a slice of cheese on the bottom piece of the muffin, next crack the eggs into the skillet and cook to your likin, I love a runny yolk but not sunny side up so I flip for just a few seconds place a slice of cheese on top of the egg then load you muffin add bacon then a cheese slice then the egg, sriracha and the top muffin, when ready to eat slightly crush the sandwich together breaking the runny yolk, take the tuck and roll approach and go for it, warning have plenty of napkins to hand and if I’m honest I don’t bother wiping my face until I’ve eaten the whole thing !  Hence only eat with people that love you.

LOUISIANA CRAWFISH BOIL

There is nothing like a Louisiana crawfish boil to bring great friends and family together, while staying in the states I got the enjoyment of cooking a boil for my American family who often have a impromptu fish fry with their neighbours at their lakeside home, this was a first for me and after much research we were super pleased with perfectly cook crawfish, blue swimming crabs, corn, potatoes and sausage a very messy lip smacking no one talking family boil.

This is really a very simple cook, the method is key to successful juicy spicy crawfish boil.

Allow up to 5 lbs of crawfish per person, 3-4 lbs if your adding in shrimp and crab.

Ingredients

(serves 4)

14 lb live fresh crawfish

4 fresh whole blue swimming crabs

3 sachets of Zatarain’s crawfish boil Extra spicy optional

1 bottle Zatarain’s liquid crawfish boil

1 pack 250g butter

4 lemons 2 zest and juice and 2 wedged

1 kg red potatoes whole

4 corn on the cob husk left on

4 large spicy sausages

1 onion peeled left whole

10 cloves garlic peeled and crushed

Equipment

Large pot with strainer insert.

First wash your crawfish in running cold water for around 10 minutes plus until the water runs clear, these guys come from the swamp so rinse them well.  You can do this in your sink or in a cooler that has a drain plug outside.  A quick rinse of the crabs also.

Important, next remove any crawfish that have a straight tail this indicates these guys have bitten the dust aka as dead!

Setting Up The Boil Pot
Now to set up your boil pot, fill the pot just over half way so that it will just cover the crawfish, place 3 sachets of zatarain’s shrimp and crab boil in the pan, depending on how hot you like your food add From 2 tbsp to 1/4 bottle of zatarains liquid shrimp and crab boil, add the juice and zest of two lemons and the lemons themselves, the acidity of the lemons makes the crawfish easier to peel and lowers the cooking smell which is great if your cooking indoors, then the whole onion, smashed garlic cloves, half the butter, the potatoes, corn in their husks and the sausages bring to a rolling simmer, pop a lid on to speed this up.

Glorious blue water swimming crabs, so flavoursome juicy chunky meat.

TheCrawfish Boil

Rapidly boil for ten minutes, then add the crawfish and blue swimmer crabs, pop the lid back on and cook for THREE minutes ONLY!  Over cooked crawfish are terrible they turn to soft mush very unpleasant.

The Cooling Part

Now this is very important, fill your kitchen sink or a large bucket a between a third and half of the depth of the boil pot with cold water, take the boil pot and place in the cold water to cool the cooking temperature of the pot to 65 C / 150 F stir gently this should only take a couple of minutes, meanwhile remove the husks from the corn and return back to the pot, place the pot on the side and leave to allow the crawfish and crabs to soak up all the lovely cooking stock making them even more tasty for around 30 minutes, also to finish cooking the potatoes, corn and sausage.

Crawfish float when cooked and after the cooling and soaking time they will sink with all that extra flavour they have soaked up.

Pull out the drainer part of your pot and tip the crawfish boil out on to either a newspaper lined outdoor table or serving dish if indoors, melt the remaining butter and serve in little pots for dunking all the glorious food, throw over the remaining lemon wedges and enjoy.  You can also dot butter all over the boil for extra wonderfulness, 

Top Tip

Clean your hands and face! with white wine or distilled vinegar after washing will remove all trace of smell.

LAMB VINDALOO PIE BRITISH PIE WEEK

This is a whopper of a pie, this pastry made my husband (28 yrs so far...) propose to me so be warned, then the deep decadent curry filling is rich and deep in gorgeous flavours given from the slow braised marinated bone in lamb shanks that deliver a unbelievable creamy richness to the vindaloo masala encased with the Best Ever Suet Marriage Proposal Puff Pastry...If you want more presentation you can wrap the bone in foil while baking the pie this will keep the bone clean and white.

Prep Time 15 minutes / Marinating time 2-24hrs / Cooking time 3 hours

Ingredients

(makes 4 pies or 1 large pie)

Lamb Shank Curry Marinade

4 lamb shanks

1/2 stick cinnamon grinded

1 onion peeled rough chopped

6 cloves garlic peeled

1 thumb size piece ginger

20 cardamom pods seeds only

1 tsp cumin seeds ground

1 tsp black peppercorns ground

5 whole cloves

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder

2 tbsp tamarind pulp

5 tbsp white wine vinegar

The Vindaloo Masala

3 tbsp ghee

1 onion finely chopped

4 cloves garlic finely chopped

3 tomatoes quartered

1 green chilli whole

1 ltr lamb stock

Marriage Proposal Suet Pastry

330g plain flour

130g suet

100g cold butter grated

150ml-200ml cold water

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground white peppercorns

Marinating Lamb Shanks and Cooked Vindaloo Curry

First make the vindaloo marinade, place all the ingredients in to your food processor and blitz to a fine paste, massage all over the lamb shanks and leave to marinate for as long as possible up to 24 hours, this just deepens the flavour in the meat.

When you are ready to cook the vindaloo which will take around 2 hours unattended, heat a large casserole dish with a lid to medium hot, add the ghee and when melted the onions and garlic gently soften for around 10 minutes then add the tomatoes, chilli, stock and the lamb shanks with the marinade, cover with the lid and leave to cook on a low heat for around 2 hours until the meat is falling off the bone.  

Meanwhile make the pastry place all the ingredients except the water in a large bowl and gently stir through, add the water and gently bring together to form a ball, turn out on to your work top and using the heel of your hand flatten out the ball until double the original size, fold in half, turn the pastry 90 degrees and flatten out again, fold in half, repeat twice more then wrap in baking paper and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.

Remove the lamb shanks and reduce the sauce to a medium thick curry sauce consistency place the lamb shanks back in and leave the curry to one side to cool, alternatively bung on some rice and enjoy as a gorgeous curry right now!

Roll out your pastry and line your pie tin or tins, fill with the lamb shank curry bone on or off, egg wash the rim of the pie casing and press on the pastry lid of the pie, egg wash and bake at 180 C / 356 F for around 30-40 minutes until light and golden, leave to rest for five minutes before removing the pies from the tin and enjoy, serve with some Indian spiced crushed potatoes and spinach.

STEAK PIES BRITISH PIE WEEK

These are my favourite pies, don’t tell the other pies!  A two bite pie of gorgeous roast crackling lard pastry filled with my nan’s slow braised steak and Guinness, deliciousness is a understatement.

Gorgeously light melt in the mouth lard crust pastry filled with slow braised chuck steak in Guinness and roasted bone marrow stock even more flavour is added by the rustic style allowing the over filled pies to ooze out the delicious deep stock gravy which gets slightly caramelised during the baking adding a whole other level of flavour!  These pies are outstandingly delicious and your friends and family will devour them leaving you with a reputation that you may find you having lots of requests for these gorgeous pies.

I like to make a roasted bone marrow stock but you can use store brought.

Prep time 15 minutes /  Cooking slow 4 hrs (day ahead even better)

Making and cooking the Pies 1 hr 30mins of pleasure

Equipment 3 x 12 mini hole baking trays

Ingredients 

(makes 36)

FOR THE BEST EVER LARD CRUST PASTRY

(This also makes 2 pie top crusts)

330g supreme self raising flour

100g cold butter grated

130g lard

Water as needed (150ml+)

1 tsp salt and white pepper 

2 eggs beaten for egg wash

Nan's Braised Steak

Left Overs for Dinner

2 kg chuck or rump steak 2" square chunks

 1 onion finely chopped

1 stick celery fine chopped

1 carrots finely chopped

2 clove garlic chopped

1 glug of ooil

knob of butter

1 ltr rich beef stock store or…

(homemade recipe below)

3 cans of Guinness 

2 tbsp mustard powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp curry powder

1 bay leaf 

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt 

1 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp butter

Pre heat your oven to 160 C, in a large casserole dish add the olive oil and butter, on a medium heat add the onions and soften for ten minutes, then add the garlic, carrot and celery and soften for a further five minutes, crank up the heat and add the diced rump steak and let the steak catch a little browning off ever so slightly and catching the bottom of the pan creating more flavour, add the Guinness, stock, mustard, cayenne, curry powder and bay leaf, top up with water if needed to cover the meat by a inch, pop on a lid and place in the oven to slowly cook for 3-4 hrs, when your rump steak will fall apart when gently squeezed it's done.  Remove from the oven add the salt, pepper and butter.  Leave to cool before filling your pies.

The pastry will need to rest in the fridge for at half an hour before rolling.  Place all the ingredients except the water in a large bowl and very gently mix so that the ingredients are incorporated evenly, you do not want to over work the mix as this will make it tough in texture and this pastry is the best ever because it is light and crispy with a flakey texture finished off with a hint of almost dumpling flathat soaks up the gorgeous braise stake gravy.  Add the water probably 150ml ish and gently bring the pastry mix together to form a ball, wrap in baking paper and rest in the fridge for half an hour.

Cut 1/3 off your pastry ball, this is for the pie lids, roll out the larger piece of pastry on a lightly floured work top to as thin as you dare, using a standard scone cutter cut 36 circles, roll out the remaining pastry using a half size smaller cutter again cut 36 lids.  Taking your trays line each mini pie hole, brush all the pastry edges with egg wash, fill with a couple of teaspoons of your cold braised steak and press on the pastry lid.  Egg wash the tops of the pies and bake in the oven for 40 minutes, once cooked leave to cool in the tins for a couple of minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool or enjoy hot and fresh.

These pies are great at parties, friends and family gatherings served cold made the day before from the fridge or fresh and warm on the day these are a crowd pleaser.

Homemade Roasted Beef Bone Stock

3 kg beef bones and marrow bones from butchers

2 carrots roughly chopped

2 onions quarterd skin on

6 cloves garlic bashed

1 stick celery bashed

10 whole peppercorns

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt 

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs fresh thyme

Water to cover the bones approx 4 ltrs 

Either left over Sunday roasted beef bones or roast all the bones from the butchers for a hour or so then place in a large casserole dish, add the rest of the ingredients and cover with water, simmer very gently not a excitable bubble for around 4 hours, leave to cool slightly then strain and make sure to spoon out all the bone marrow jelly from the bones in to the strained stock, return to the pan and reduce down to about 1ltr this is a glorious abundance of flavour to add to your braised steak.

PORK PIE BRITISH PIE WEEK

What better pie than a traditional hot water crust pork pie to start off British Pie Week, well don’t tell the other pies but their all my favourite!

Glorious hot water roasted crackling lard pork pie, a beautiful tasting traditional pork pie that every mouthful sings of great times shared with family and friends.   Our own Organic raised loved and rootling pork seasoned with fresh sage, thyme and bay from the garden and hint of old fashioned mace. Home made jelly or Not! and a gorgeous hot water crust made with our own roast crackling rendered down lard this pie is a show stopper.  For me this is a beautiful way to celebrate Christmas and New Years and I love to make these as gifts for friends and family to enjoy over the festive season, love in every bite.

A Not Jellied Pork Pie !

To Jelly or not to Jelly is the question!

Cooking these pie’s for family and friends as gifts at Christmas is a lovely time for me where I get to be in the kitchen for most of the day, I start by getting the jelly cooking first, if you are into jelly! I’m not, my family are and through food law I respect that jelly is a important honest historic part of a pork pie and as I do nose to tail cooking this is a tradition I have loved learning, but if like me your not in to jelly just leave it out, it’s personal just go with it, however I f you are into jelly like so many of my London family then you will need to start this cooking day with the jelly, this is so that later we can jelly the cooked pork pie and leave to set overnight in the fridge ready for the excitement of sharing, giving and eating with everyone the next day.  Traditionally this pie would take 2-3 days to make, first day you make the pie, second day jelly the pies and leave to set overnight ready to sell the next day.

Ingredients 

(serves 6-8)

Hot Water Crust Pastry

600g strong plain flour

2 beaten eggs

7g Himalayan sea salt 

5g white pepper

1 tsp fresh chopped thyme

110g lard

110g butter

240ml water

The Pork Pie

800g pork shoulder diced

200g belly pork minced

200g bacon minced

10 sage leaves finely chopped

4 sprigs thyme chopped

1/2 tsp mace

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt 

1 tsp black pepper

The Jelly

1 pork hock or 2 trotters

1 ltr water

1 onion skin on halved

1 carrot rough chopped

1/2 stick celery 

1 garlic clove bashed

8 peppercorns 

1 bay leaf

1 tsp mustard powder

1 pinch celery salt

2 leaves gelatine (optional) 

First get the jelly underway in a pressure cooker for 1/12 hrs or casserole dish for 3-4 hrs place all the ingredients in your pan, bring to a simmer and place on the lid, leave to cook for the time needed for your cooking vessel.  Once cooked remove the trotters or pork hock, the latter makes a wonderful dinner with some buttery vinegar mashed potatoes and pease pudding or a suet bacon and onion pudding roll.

Now to check if your pork jelly will set without the need for gelatine, which it should once cooled, place a saucer in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, take a tablespoon on the Cooke jelly stock and place on the cold saucer on your work top, leave for two minutes and assess the thickness of the set cooled jelly.  If too running then add the gelatine leaves by soaking in water to soften for 5 minutes and then stirring in off the heat.  Leave your jelly to one side while you bake the pork pie.

Next make the pork pie filling mix all the ingredients together and reserve to one side to infuse their flavours while you make the hot water crust pastry.

To make the hot water crust is really simple place the lard, butter and water in a saucepan and melt without allowing a simmer, in a large mixing bowl place the flour, salt and ribbon through the beaten eggs, make a well in the centre and pour in the hot lard and butter mix, using a spoon gently bring together until just combined, using your hand knead the mix for a minute until a smooth ish ball is formed.  Take 2/3 of the dough and place in your tin pressing the sides up and forming the base, place in your pork pie meat, lay your pastry lid on the top and crimp the edges, I like to take my left hand ready to pinch the pastry from the underneath of the tin lip and pastry, while my right hand will push the top pie crust pastry in to the two pinch fingers, this gives a great crust finish.  Make a hole in the centre of the pie to allow steam out and for adding the jelly later and decorate with leaves around the hole.

Place the pork pie in a pre heated oven 200 C for half an hour, then lower the heat to 160 C for one hour, remove the pork pie from the oven and as with these French pie tins they are comprised of 3 pieces held together with clips, remove the two sides of the pie tin carefully, then glaze the whole pie with egg wash and place back in the oven to cook for a further 10-15 minutes.  Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool, to fill with your homemade jelly use a large syringe or tiny funnel and jug and pour the jelly in until it reaches the top of the hole then store in the fridge overnight to set the jelly, then your good to go, enjoy this glorious pork pie it is a outstanding pie.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

A wonderful comforting dinner and it’s the dumplings or biscuits that make this dish, little clouds of heavenly deliciousness.  This recipe is made with homemade chicken stock but you can skip this stage and use store brought chicken stock but it is so worth the time if you have it, as you will have the most moist and flavoursome chicken and stock ever.

Dumplings or Biscuits that is the question?  British dumplings are light airy melt in the mouth pillows but buttery flakey biscuits are something else too, I love them both I probably wavier to biscuits nowadays as I find the bottoms soak up a little stock when you bake them on top of the stew and you get a baked top and a whole another level of flavour of flakey buttery gorgeousness and then some stodginess loaded with chicken stew flavour, awesomely gorgeous.

Prep time 20 minutes / Cooking time 1 he 30 minutes / Resting time 45 minutes

Chicken Stew and Dumplings

Ingredients

(serves 6-8)

Stage One

Stock and Poaching the Chicken

1 large high welfare chicken

2 large onions quartered

4 carrots roughly chopped

6 cloves garlic bashed

2 ribs celery roughly chopped

1 leek roughly chopped

10 whole black peppercorns

1 tsp sea salt

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs thyme

10 parsley stalks

2-3 ltr water

2 jelly chicken stock pots optional if stock flavour is weak

Stage Two

Chicken Stew

1 tbsp butter

1 glut olive oil

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

3 carrots peeled and chunky chopped

4 potatoes peeled and chunky chopped

2 sweet potatoes peeled and chunky chopped

1/2 small butternut squash chunky chopped

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Dumplings

100g suet

200g plain flour

1 pinch white pepper

1 sprig thyme

1 generous pinch sea salt

Make the dumpling dough first and leave to rest, mix all the ingredients together not to vigorously, just bring together, using a small meatball scoop (I have the Pioneer Woman’s) ball up the dumplings and reserve on a tray until your stew is ready.

Or is it Biscuits 

2 cups plain flour

114g butter grated

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

3/4 cup full fat milk

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

To make the biscuits, place the flour, grated butter, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl and using your finger tips rub to a chunky gravel add the parsley and milk, lightly  just bring the dough together to form a rough ball, turn out on a floured work top, gently push or roll out to around an inch and half thick cut in to 2" circles and brush the tops with the beaten egg wash.  These will be added to the last stage of cooking the stew.

Chicken Stock

Place all the ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a gentle just simmer, pop a lid on and cook for one hour, take off the heat and leave the chicken to Cool in the stock water, the chicken will absorb some of the stock water and flavour as it cools making this some of the juiciest chicken you will ever eat.  Once cool enough to handle remove the chicken and strain and reserve the stock.  Remove all the meat off the chicken and reserve.

Chicken Stew

Next soften the onions, garlic and carrots in the butter and olive oil for 10 minutes then add the reserved strained stock and bring to a gently simmer, add the chopped vegetables and cook until just fork tender, season the stew to taste, add the reserved chicken, stir threw to combine equally then place your choice of biscuits or dumplings on top of the stew, NOW FOR DUMPLINGS  pop a lid on and cook for a further 20 minutes on the stove top until light and fluffy and FOR BISCUITS pop the casserole dish in a pre heated oven 180 C /  356 F with the lid off for 20-25 minutes, until light golden brown.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley and enjoy a generous comforting bowl.

Biscuits

SEARED LIVER BACON ONIONS AND BUTTERY MASHED POTATOES WITH A PORT AND CREAM REDUCTION SAUCE

A SUPER FOOD and NUTRITIONAL POWER HOUSE..

One of my family’s favourite dinners, we love perfectly pink cooked butter pan seared liver with all the fixings, for my family that is softened fried onions and extremely buttery mashed potatoes and a deglazed pan sauce of port and cream!  Some of us grew up on school dinners of over stewed liver and onions which is enough to put anyone off liver FOREVER, but when cooked to perfection juicy fresh butter pan seared liver is a delicacy to dance on your taste buds, a moorish wanting dinner.

QUESTION - Do you like pate? If so that’s liver!  Conclusion: Why do you NOT eat liver?  Answer it’s all in the cooking and presentation.

Why is Liver a Super Food?

Recipe Below

Geeky Food Science Bit…

High in protein and low in calories.

Liver has more than your RDA of B12, Vitamin A, B2 riboflavin and Copper.  Rich in essential nutrients B9 folate, Iron and Choline.

Do Not Eat Liver When Pregnant.  Due to VITAMIN A 

MISCONCEPTION is that liver can be full of toxins, liver does not store toxins, the liver processes and REMOVES toxins to be dispersed and removed from the body, always source the freshest and organic if possible liver, lamb liver is always my choice.

VITAMIN B12

Formation of red blood cells and DNA and healthy brain function.

VITAMIN A

Supports vision, immune function and reproduction, supports organs like the heart and kidney function.

VITAMIN B2

Important for cellular development and function, helps turn food into energy.

VITAMIN B9 FOLATE

This plays a role in all growth and formation of DNA.

IRON

Essential nutrient that helps carry oxygen around the body, the iron in the liver is HEME IRON, this iron is the most easily absorbed by our bodies.  

COPPER

Acts like a key to activate a number of enzymes which help regulates energy production,  metabolism and brain function.

CHOLINE

Provides all the adequate intake for woman and nearly all for men for brain development and liver function.

SUMMARY

High protein, provides all of the essential AMINO ACIDS, these are the BUILDING BLOCKS that make up proteins, some amino acids.  These are the building blocks that make up proteins, some amino acids can be made in your body and as we age we produce less hence WRINKLES.  But essential amino acids come from food, so for ageing eat more collagen preferably marine based collagen as our bodies absorb this better.

HIGH PROTEIN

High protein helps with weight loss as it reduces hunger and appetite, this in turn boosts your metabolic rate which means you use more calories.  Helps build and protect muscle growth.

WARNING GOUT

Gout a type of arthritis is caused by high levels of URIC ACID in the blood, liver is high in PURINES which form URIC ACID in the body, therefore if you have or a pre disposed to gout limit intake.

HOW TO HIDE ADDED LIVER TO MEALS

Mince finely and add to…

Spaghetti bolognaise 

Burgers

Meatballs

Risotto

Lasagna 

Chilli con Carne

Pate!

Pies

Pot Roast

Braised Steak

Scotch Eggs

etc… 

HOW TO COOK LIVER PERFECTLY

Ingredients

(serves 2)

500g trimmed  high animal welfare lambs liver

50g butter

2 tbsp olive oil

10 Chestnut or Girolles mushrooms torn or roughly sliced

1 large onion finely sliced

2 tbsp rough chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp fresh chopped marjoram (optional)

150ml good quality port

250ml double cream

sea salt

fresh ground white pepper

Perfect Mashed Potatoes 

1 kg Albert rooster potatoes peeled and halved

250g butter

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt 

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 tsp white wine vinegar 

30 minutes before your pot roast is ready, bring a large pan of seasoned water to a boil with the potatoes in the pan from cold and simmer for approx 25 minutes until fork tender, drain and leave to steam dry for 5 minutes, season the potatoes with salt and pepper.  Add the butter to the saucepan and place back on a low heat until melted, add the potatoes and vinegar, mash to your desired consistency, I like smooth my husband likes lumpy!  

This is a really quick cook, prep all your ingredients first and be ready to serve with your plates and cutlery all set up before you start.

First place a non stick skillet on a medium high heat to warm up, this will be for pan searing the liver, meanwhile heat another pan medium hot, add half the butter and oil and as soon as melted add the onions, soften for a couple of minutes, then add the mushrooms after another couple of minutes turn your attention to the liver.

Add the remaining butter and oil to the pre heated skillet, once melted and sizzling place the liver in to sear, leave for around 1 minute before turning, once only, once both sides have had a minute each take the skillet off the heat, turn the liver one more time and leave to rest, this allows the livers to relax and re-distribute the moisture back through the liver ensuring a beautiful moist mouthful.  

Now to finish off the mushroom, port and cream sauce, crank up the heat to high on the onion and mushroom pan, add the port and reduce by two thirds then add the cream and reduce for a minute to thicken, take off the heat immediately and leave to rest, season with the sea salt, pepper, parsley and marjoram if using.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed to your taste.

Serve the seared liver on top of a generous portion of mashed potatoes then pour all the resting juices from the skillet in to the mushroom cream sauce stir through, pile the mushrooms and shallots high on top of the livers and drizzle or in my case pour over lashings of the port and cream sauce and enjoy.

BUTTER SEARED COD WITH MIXED BEAN AND CHARD BROTH

A rich and sumptuously rewarding good for you dinner, butter seared fillet of cod served on top of a full flavoured chicken broth loaded with mixed beans and chard.

Hands on time 10 minutes / Cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients 

(serves 2)

2 large pieces of fresh cod

2 tbsp butter

2 glugs olive oil

1 can mixed beans drained

6 leaves of chard sliced

1 ltr chicken stock (homemade recipe below)

4 okra fingers chopped

1 small onion finely diced

2 cloves garlic sliced

1 rib of celery finely diced

1 leek finely diced

1 small carrot finely diced

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs of thyme

2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

Sea salt

Black pepper

Heat a shallow casserole dish, add one tablespoon of butter and a glut of olive oil, heat medium, add the okra, onion, garlic, celery, leek and carrot soften gently for 15 minutes, add the chicken stock, bay leaf the thyme and bring to a simmer, add the beans, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat a skillet medium hot add the remaining butter and olive oil, sear the cod for 3 minutes until a golden crust is established, turning over and finish cooking the cod by turning the cod over and gently placing in the broth, add the chard at this time too, leave to simmer for a couple of minutes, serve immediately and enjoy.

HOMEMADE CHICKEN BONE STOCK

1 organic free rooting chicken 

1.5 ltr water

1 onion quartered

2 carrots

3 sticks celery

4 cloves garlic crushed

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp parsley stems and leaves

3 sprigs of thyme

1 sprig rosemary

10 black peppercorns

Pinch sea salt

Place all the stock ingredients in a deep pan and gently simmer for an hour or so, take off the heat when you can pull on a bone and it gently pulls away from the chicken.  Leave the chicken to cool  in the broth, this will allow some of the stock to soak back into the chicken ensuring you have the juiciest chicken ever for other meals.  Strain the stock ready for use.

Good For You Geeky Food Facts About Jewish Penicillin Stock

Chicken bone stock is so good for you, the broth water has calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur, trace minerals, chodroitin sulphates and glucosamine, these latter two ingredients are expensive to buy as supplements, but they are found naturally in bone broths.  You need magnesium so your body and convert vitamin D into it's active form so that it can in turn be used to absorb calcium.  We only need around 400mg of calcium a day, but the RDA says 1200mg, the reason for this is that we do not absorb all the calcium we eat, but if you have a balanced diet the extra calcium you absorb can lead to kidney stones and calcium in the blood stream and heart disease, chicken stock is anti viral, anti bacterial and scientifically proven to be 25% as effective as penicillin.