"madhatter's Recipes Of The Day"

[madhatter1]

Matured Sirloin Steak in Pepper Crust Served with Sweet Peas
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 sirloin steak (matured for 21 days)
2 handfuls of toasted breadcrumbs (fine)
1 handful of crushed black pepper
2 egg white (slightly beaten)
400g tinned small peas (drained)
1 medium carrot (finely chopped)
2 celery sticks (finely chopped)
1/2 white onion (finely chopped)
15 tbsp of Italian olive oil
200g Italian tinned chopped tomatoes
Salt & pepper to taste


Method:
1. To prepare the peas, shallow fry the onions in 5tbls of olive oil until golden. Add in the celery and carrots and allow the vegetables to soften. Add in the peas, stir well and then finally add in the chopped tomatoes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook for approx. 5 minutes.

2. In the meantime, in a bowl mix the breadcrumbs and black pepper together with a couple of pinches of salt. Dip the steaks in the egg white and then coat them with the breadcrumbs. Pre-heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the steaks for approx. 2 minutes each side until the coating becomes golden and crispy. Once cooked place on a kitchen towel to enable excess oil to drain.

3. To serve the dish, place 3-4 tbls of peas in the middle of a plate. Cut the steak in half and place the two pieces of meat on top of the sweet peas – serve immediately with a glass of dry red wine.

[madhatter1]

Layered Lemon Cake with Ricotta and Grand Marnier Soaked Glace Fruits



Ingredients:


200g of unsalted butter, softened
200gr caster sugar
5 eggs
250g of plain flour
2 teaspoon of baking powder
Zest of 4 lemon, grated
2 drop of lemon oil

For ricotta cream:
650g of ricotta cheese
100g of caster sugar
Also: Some fresh seasonal berries + chopped glacé fruits soaked over night in orange liquor.

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

1. In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one by one. If the mixture separate add a spoon full of flour. Once all the eggs have been added; fold in the flour, the baking powder, lemon zest and lemon oil.

2. Turn the cake mixture into a greased into a loaf tin and bake it for 25/30mn until cooked through. Set aside to cool.

3. To prepare the ricotta mixture, pass the cheese through a sieve into a bowl. Mix in the sugar and keep one quarter of the mixture aside for icing the final cake.

4. Add the glace fruits and orange liquor to the rest of the cheese.

5. Slice the lemon loaf horizontally into 5 slices. Line the loaf tin with cling film and place a slice on the bottom and spread over a layer of the ricotta and fruit mixture top with another slice of cake and repeat to the top. Press down well and keep it in the fridge overnight. On the day unwrap and, using a palette knife, ice the cake with the reserved cheese and decorate with the fresh berries.

[funky_fudge_factory]

Alrighty, this one is easy peasy and tastes like you slaved for hours over it, really really lazy tips are highlighted in RED

SLOWCOOKER/ CROCK POT GOULASH

1 lb braising pork or beef, cut into big chunks
1 large onion, peeled and chopped (frozen chopped onion)
1 - 2 green bell peppers, washed, deseeded and cut into big chunks (frozen mixed peppers works just as well)
1 red chilli, washed, deseeded and cut into tiny pieces (frozen minced chilli is fab!)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed (yep, frozen minced is fab!!)
1 tablespoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of chilli powder (I like HOT chilli powder)
1 bay leave
2 tablespoons tomato purée
1 pint (570 ml ) stock - vegetable or beef is fine (knorr stock cube)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon of flour
Small pot of sour cream
1 Packet Dumpling mix & water as required

Put everything apart from the flour and sour cream in the slow cooker, leave for 4 hours!

20 minutes before you are ready to serve, scoop the sour cream into the slow cooker and stir into your goulash. Add a little flour to thicken if necessary. If you are having dumplings, add them now.

SIMPLY GORGEOUS !!!!

[funky_fudge_factory]

Amazing Pork Tenderloin in the Slow Cooker

"This will melt in your mouth! This pork tenderloin soaks up the yummy juices as it cooks. Make sure to serve up the au jus on the side - its amazing! This recipe is so simple, you will love it!"
Original recipe yield: 6 servings.

Prep Time:
15 Minutes
Cook Time:
4 Hours
Ready In:
4 Hours 15 Minutes
Servings:
6 (change)

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
* 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
* 1 cup water
* 3/4 cup red wine
* 3 tablespoons minced garlic
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet. Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork to coat. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible. Sprinkle with pepper, cover, and cook on low setting for 4 hours. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

OH MY GOD. Personal thumbs up on this one.

I have had this cooking all day - it is absolutely gorgeous. And easy (bonus)

[earthangel]

This is not just food. This is madhatter1 food.

[razamakaz]

Gosh - that last recipe sounds wonderful - is it acceptable to put it on the "low" setting of the slow cooker and cook all day when at work?

If you have any more slow cooker recipes, please throw them my way - am very into slow cooking at the mo!

[razamakaz]

Just a thought - could you not have more than one tenderloin to serve how many people - or do you chop the tenderloin into chunks? Not sure how much a 2lb tenderloin serves.

When I do them, I usually do one each as they seem to be adequate for one per person.

[razamakaz]

This is my hubby's favourite. I cheat and use ready roll pastry and packet sauce, but you can make them yourself!

REALLY QUICK to make and very tasty (and just as nice cold for packed lunches)

Tuna and Egg Pie

INGREDIENTS
3 hard boiled Eggs (chopped)
Tin of Tuna
Packet of white sauce mix
Lemon
Pack of ready rolled puff pastry
Freshly ground black pepper


Half the pastry so it's in two parts.

Make up the white sauce. Add the tin of tuna and eggs to the mixture. Grate lemon peel into the mixtures. Add pepper to taste.

Pour mixture into the middle of one of the halves of pastry.

Put the other half over the top. Seal the edges and make a couple of slits in the top.

Cook until pastry is browned.

Serve with veg and mash (or whatever you fancy really).

[funky_fudge_factory]

Gosh - that last recipe sounds wonderful - is it acceptable to put it on the "low" setting of the slow cooker and cook all day when at work?

If you have any more slow cooker recipes, please throw them my way - am very into slow cooking at the mo!

That's what I did Raz - set it to low and left it all day. The gravy/sauce is fantastic !

[razamakaz]

This is one of our all time favourite lamb accompaniaments!

GREEN PEPPER STUFFING

1 Green Pepper
1 Onion
2 slices medium white bread whizzed into breadcrumbs
Egg


Cut the pepper into quarters and boil for 5 minutes until slightly softened. Chop Well.

Meanwhile, finely chop and fry the onion until just softened.

Add the green pepper to the onions. Stir well. Then add the breadcrumbs until all bound together.

Finally, add the egg, beaten to the mixture to bind and roll into 8 balls.

Put around the lamb for the last 20-30 minutes.

Enjoy.