Category: Dinner

Pasta Bake Recipe

Pasta Bake Recipe
Pasta Bake Recipe

Ingredients fo make Pasta Bake Recipe

600ml milk
40g butter
30-40g plain flour
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
500g pre-cooked filled
Salt and pepper to season
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Broccoli florets

How to cook pasta bake recipe

  1. Put pre-cooked pasta in an ovenproof dish.
  2. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  3. Melt the butter over a medium heat in a saucepan.
  4. Add flour to the melted butter and mix throughly to form a paste.
  5. Pour in the milk and stir until combined. Add nutmeg and wholegrain mustard. Season with a little salt and pepper.
  6. Keep stirring the milk mixture, still over a medium heat. It will slowly thicken.
  7. Once thickened to the consisitency of gravy remove from heat and pour over the pasta in the ovenproof dish.
  8. Arrange cut tomatoes and broccoli over the pasta.
  9. Bake for 30 minutes and serve.

Variations to make pasta bake recipe

Any pasta shapes can be used. Pasta will have to be cooked according to packet instructions.

Other vegetables can be used eg. sliced courgettes, mushrooms and more to make pasta bake recipe.

Add grated cheddar cheese 10 minutes before the end of cooking time for a richer dish.

If you prefer a meatier dish, replace vegetables with sliced cooked chicken breast, or experiment with other cooked meats.

 

 

 

Chicken and Apricots Recipe

Chicken And Apricots Recipe
Chicken And Apricots Recipe

Ingredients for Chicken and Apricots recipe

400g boneless chicken breasts or thighs, sliced
175g ready to eat apricots
400g canned chopped tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cinnamon stick
1 sprig of rosemary
Salt and pepper

How to cook chicken and apricots recipe

  1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.
  2. Fry the chopped onion until soft.
  3. Add chicken and stir with the chopped onion.
  4. Mix in the chopped tomatoes and apricots.
  5. Stir in the honey, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, salt and pepper.
  6. Heat through until close to boiling.
  7. Turn down heat and insert cinnamon stick and rosemary sprig.
  8. Let it simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  9. Taste the dish, add a pinch more of salt and pepper or half a teaspoon of honey if you like a sweeter dish.

Serving suggestions

Serve chicken and apricots with rice, cous cous or flat bread.

Notes

Chicken and apricots recipe is influenced by Morrocan tagine dishes.
This dish can be made using lamb, just increase simmering time to about 1 hour.

Chicken Fajita Recipe

Chicken Fajita Recipe
Chicken Fajita Recipe

Spicy chicken and vegetables wrapped in a thin bread pancake. Versatile and the combinations are endless. This is a very quick dish to make and packed with lots of Mexican flavouring. If you like fajitas with a little kick, serve with jalopeño peppers.

Ingredients for chicken fajita recipe

6 fajita/tortilla wraps
500g chicken breasts or thighs sliced
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 bell peppers (red, yellow, green or orange),  sliced
5 button mushrooms,  sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon coriander
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar

How to cook chicken fajita recipe

  1. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry the sliced onions to soften slightly.
  2. Add the chicken and stirfry until nearly cooked.
  3. Stir in crushed garlic.
  4. Add the peppers, then the mushrooms.
  5. Put in the cumin, coriander, paprika salt and pepper and stir in well.
  6. Taste and add a little more of the spices if needed. Add the teaspoon of sugar.

This is now ready to serve as illustrated.

Variations:

I have added cheese to the chicken mix before wrapping. Sour cream or salsa can be used instead.

For vegetarian version, add more vegetables. Use sliced carrots, courgettes, tomatoes sweetcorn and lots more. Remember to start the cooking with crispier vegetables first. Example, carrots, peppers then courgettes.

Enjoy wrapping and eating!

 

PS – Let me know how you got on by sharing your images. Snap a quick pic and post it on my Facebook page, instagram or tweet it at me.

 

 

 

 

 

Karen’s Egg Fried Rice Recipe

Egg Fried Rice Recipe
Egg Fried Rice Recipe

A simple stir fry dish that’s quick to make and goes down a treat with spring rolls, sweet and sour dishes and many other Chinese recipes.

The secret to making this recipe is not to rush. Steam the rice and allow to cool before cooking this dish. I use a rice cooker but as long as the rice is properly cooked and not hard in the middle you should be OK. Make sure you separate the rice once it’s cooled and before frying. This makes your egg fried rice much lighter, fluffier and tastier.

Karen’s Egg Fried Rice Ingredients

400g cooked rice, cold
2 eggs,beaten
2 spring onions sliced finely
1 stock cube (dissolved in about 50ml hot water)
100g tinned or thawed frozen sweetcorn (optional)
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
A pinch of salt
ground white pepper

How to cook Karen’s egg fried rice

  1. Separate cooked cold rice using a wooden spatula or your fingers.
  2. Put about 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a non stick frying pan or wok. Use a gentle heat only. (I used setting 5 out of 9).
  3. Fry sliced spring onions until soft.
  4. Add beaten eggs and scramble in the frying pan.
  5. Add the rice, a little at a time while eggs are not set.
  6. Keep stirring and adding rice until all mixed.
  7. Keeping the heat gentle, pour in the dissolved vegetable stock and mix well.
  8. Add the tinned sweetcorn (if using) and mix well.
  9. Add a pinch of salt and ground white pepper to taste.

This should take under 10 minutes from the start. As long as the bits of egg are set and rice are warmed through it is now ready to serve.

Variations

Use mixed frozen vegetables (thawed). Serve garnished with sliced spring onions or crispy fried onions.

Serving suggestions

A great accompaniment to many Asian dishes, serve with sweet and sour, spring rolls or lemon chicken. Beef in black bean sauce is also good too.

If you like this recipe for egg fried rice, be sure to share it with your friends and family. You can also tweet me @HobSpotTweets and you may just show up in the stream in the sidebar.

Beef Teriyaki with Noodles Recipe

Recipe image coming soon
Recipe image coming soon

As Japanese recipes go, beef teriyaki has to be one of my favourites. Very quick and simple to make, this dish is ready in a few minutes. Perfect if you’re pushed for time and want something tasty to eat rather than relying on ready meals and takeaways.

Don’t forget to leave a comment and let me know how you get on if you make this recipe. I’d love to hear how it went, especially if this is your first time making it.

Beef Teriyaki Recipe Ingredients

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
300g beef frying steak
100g baby corn
100g mangetout
1 carrot
300g egg noodles (straight to wok)
220g water chestnuts, drained
150ml teriyaki stir fry sauce

Serves 2

How to make beef teriyaki with noodles

  1. Thinly slice the beef and chop the carrot into matchsticks.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in wok then add beef and stir fry for 2 minutes or until browned. Then set aside.
  3. Add the remaining sesame oil to the wok and stir fry the baby corn, mangetout and chopped carrot for about 2-3 minutes.
  4. Separate the noodles with your fingers then add the noodles to the wok, together with the water chestnuts, teriyaki sauce and a dash of water.
  5. Return the beef to the wok and stir fry until piping hot.
  6. Divide into bowls and serve

Serving Suggestion

Serve with prawn crackers and soy sauce.

 

I simply love this dish. It’s really tasty and quick to make. Share your pics with me on twitter @HobSpotTweets or instagram @HobSpot

Karen’s Kedgeree Recipe

Kedgeree Recipe
Kedgeree Recipe

Kedgeree is great. It’s a bit like a fishy risotto, light, delicate and very tasty. There’s lots of scope to adapt it too: Just substitute the smoked mackerel with a different type of fish.

If you fancy something slightly different that’s very quick and simple to make this is the dish for you.

Karen’s Kedgeree Recipe Ingredients

Smoked mackerel about 200g
2 boiled eggs(roughly chopped)
200g boiled rice in 2 teaspoons turmeric and and pinch of salt
Peas or fine beans(finely chopped)
Sprinkling of paprika
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Spring onions(sliced) and fried sliced red onions to garnish
Oil for frying

How to make Karen’s Kedgeree recipe

  1. Cook rice as per instructions with turmeric and salt to colour and add flavour. Cool and set aside.
  2. Boil peas and set aside. If using fine beans, slice and fry just to soften and reserve.
  3. Remove skin from smoked mackerel and tear into small pieces.
  4. Separate the grains of cooked rice and fry in a nonstick pan. Add peas or fine beans and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Use medium heat and keep stirring.
  5. Add torn pieces of smoked mackerel. Sprinkle a little pinch of paprika and lemon juice.
  6. Add chopped boiled eggs and stir well.
  7. Serve on to plates and sprinkle with sliced spring onions and fried red onions. Complete with green salad leaves and a wedge of lemon.

Don’t forget to take a quick snap on yor phone once you’ve made it. I love to see your tasty creations. Tweet me @HobSpotTweets or instagram me @HobSpot with your pics. Don’t forget to mention the recipe you used too.