Tag Archives: garlic

An unusual jacket potato

20 Monday Feb 2017

Posted by in Uncategorized, Vegetables

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An unusual jacket potato

An unusual jacket potato

I came across this on Pinterest and had never thought of doing a jacket potato this way. So I gave it a try and loved it. It’s a mix between a jacket potato and crispy oven sliced potatoes.

I used butter and garlic but you can just use olive oil if you prefer.

What you will need:

A large potato
1 garlic clove
2 tsp of butter
Salt and pepper

Heat your oven to 220C

Start from one end of the potato and create slices all along the potato – leaving 1 cm at the bottom. The thinner the slice the crispier the potato, My slices were about 3mm wide.

In a bowl mix thinly chopped garlic and butter together. Then cover the potato with the butter trying the get some garlic into the slices.

Place the potato into an oven proof dish and into the oven for 40 to 45 minutes.  Half way through the cooking if your potato looks like it’s getting a bit dry you can add a bit of butter.

I had my potato as a side with chicken and some green beans. It’s an easy and unusal side.

Enjoy
Mel

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Brie and Bacon Chicken Breasts

09 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in Chicken

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Brie and bacon chicken

 

What you will need:
(for two)
2 skinless chicken breasts
4-6 slices of bacon
4 thin slices of brie
1 garlic clove
Mixed herbs or pesto
Half an onion (optional)
Pepper and NO salt (the bacon has enough of that)

Serve with a side veg and either pasta or potatoes or even a nice green salad.

Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Slice the chicken horizontally but make sure you don’t slice all the way through and leave one side attached.  Open up the chicken so it looks a bit like a heart and place two slice of brie, half of a chopped garlic, herbs and pepper. Close up the chicken and wrap it with 3 slices of bacon. The bacon will act as a plaster round the slit chicken so that the brie stays in the chicken as much as possible.

Place both chicken breasts in an oven dish.

If you decide to add some sliced onions (does make it yummy) then add just a little olive oil to the onions and with your hands make sure it covers all the onions (this will stop them burning). Then add a tiny bit of water (so it covers about a millimeter of the dish), you don’t need much with this dish as bacon now a days always seems to be full of it.

Place in the oven for about 30 minutes, check on the chicken half way through.

This shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to prepare. It’s a very easy meal to make and is really full of flavours.

Enjoy!
Mel

Chimichurri BBQ beef

05 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in BBQ, Beef

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Chimichurri beef

Chimichurri beef

Now this dish is perfect for a BBQ! I first had this when I was in Nicaragua and ended up having it nearly every single night I was there it was so delicious. So obviously when I got home I tried it and it is really simple.

chimichurri blender

chimichurri blender

What you will need:

A big piece of sirloin steak sliced in half (other cuts of beef are also ok)
3 large handfuls of fresh parsley
Chopped chilli (to taste depending how hot you want it)
2-3 chopped cloves of garlic
½ cup olive oil
2 tbsp vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

In a blender add all the ingredients (except the beef) and blend. Put the beef in a bowl and a third of the chimichurri mixture to marinate. You can do this the night before or a couple of hours before depending on the time you have. Keep the rest covered in the fridge.

When it’s BBQ day cook the meat. You’ll have to decide on your timings depending on how hot your BBQ is and how red you want your meat but it really doesn’t take long – about 5 minutes on each side (medium rare for me!).

Once your meat is cooked cut it into slices on a large plate and cover it with another third of the chimichurri sauce and serve. The other third is for anyone who might like to add some sauce.

This is definitely a must try dish!
Enjoy!
Melanie

Crispy Homemade Breadcrumbs

16 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by in Under 10 Minutes!

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Breadcrumbs are super easy and quick to make. You’ll never buy them again once you’ve made you’re own. An added benefit is that you can add whatever flavour you fancy to your breadcrumbs. I usually add a mix of herbs, garlic and salt and pepper but feel free to be as creative as you want – only thing is your ingredients need to be quite dry so as not to bring moisture to the breadcrumbs.

What you will need:
2 slices of bread
1/2 finely chopped garlic clove
Tyme and rosemary (about a tsp eash)
Salt & pepper

Toasted bread

Toasted bread

Toast your bread and add to a blender along with all the other ingredients.

Blend toast

Blend toast

Blend all the ingredients until you get a small crumb.

Under grill

Under grill

Place the breadcrumbs in an oven tray under the grill for a couple of minutes or until they take a golden colour.

And there you have it, homemade crispy breadcrumbs that only take a few minutes to make.

Now you can have fun adding them to fish and meat! See our https://melandjoycook.com/2012/09/01/crispy-baked-chicken/

Enjoy!
Mel

Beat that cold!

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Remedies

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A concoction for colds

A concoction for colds

Are you suffering from a terrible cold?! If so I have the perfect concoction that I make when I’m bunged up and feeling ill. Bear with me, I know it sounds a little unusual BUT I promise it actually tastes ok.

What you will need:
Half an onion or 1 small onion chopped in quarters
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
Half a lemon and it’s juice
3 to 4 cloves
About a thumb’s worth of chopped ginger
1-2 tbsp honey
2 mugs of water

Beat the cold

Beat the cold

In a pan add all the ingredients except the honey and bring to a boil. Drain the water into a mug and add the honey. Drink and hopefully you’ll feel better!

Get well!

Get well!

The benefits of the ingredients:
Onions have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties
Garlic has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties
Cloves have many properties some of them being antioxidant, antiseptic, local anaesthetic and anti-inflammatory (great for those sore throats).
Ginger is an antioxidant and has direct anti-inflammatory effects
Lemon has many properties, some of which are antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-boosting
Honey antioxidant, soothes and makes the whole drink taste that much better 😉

Violet infusion
If you have a bad cough or cold an infusion of dried violets can also help as they have antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic properties.

Get well!
Mel

Lamb shank with a twist

12 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in Lamb

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Lamb shank

On Friday evening I went to Greensmith’s where there’s a great butcher. They have really good meat and it’s not over-priced. I decided to get some lamb shank and on Saturday we hade a nice roast. This is usually cooked with red wine but we didn’t have any, so I improvised. This is what I love about cooking, trying out new things, not knowing if it’ll work and when it does feeling proud of my new creation. Now I’m not saying my strange mixture is better than using red wine but it sure is a cheaper version and tastes pretty good.

What you need:
1 lamb shank per person
(the following amounts are for 2 lamb shanks)
2 sliced red onions
2 garlic cloves
4 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs red vinegar
1 tbs honey
Herbs – I used rosemary and sage
1/2 cup of beef stock
1 tsp olive oil

Heat your oven to 200C
Cut you garlic in two and make holes in the lamb and put your garlic in the holes. Do the same with some rosemary twigs (2 per lamb shank). With some string tie your herbs together – to make a bouquet garni – they will be easier to remove.

I used a normal cooking pot but if you can use anything with a lid that can go in the oven. Put the pot on the hob and add the olive oil, then add the lamb and brown every side. Then add the onions until they start to brown.

Lamb shank

Reduce the heat and add the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, beef stock and bouquet garni. Keep on the hob until the liquid boils, making sure everything is mixed well. Remove from the hob and cover with the lid and place in the oven for 2 hours (if they are large 2h30m). Check the meat half way through.

Remove your pot from the oven and remove your bouquet garni and the rosemary from the lamb. If you want your sauce to be nice and clear (a little messy) you can use a colander to drain the sauce through into a bowl, then pick out and bits of herbs then add the onions to your sauce.

We had yummy cheesy mashed potatoes with this. It all went down a treat and was really easy to make.

Place you lamb shank on some mashed potatoes and pour the sauce over it. Very yummy!

Enjoy
Mel

Slow Roasted Pork Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce

30 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by in Pork

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Pork Rub:
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1-3 Teaspoons of Vinegar

Place all of your spices in a bowl and mix. Slowly add your vinegar. I cant remember exactly how much I used.
You want your spices to look like wet sand/paste so you can rub it on your pork and have it stick.

Crock Pot Ingredients:
1 Yellow Onion (chopped)
2 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
1 (15-ounce) Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
4 to 5 Pound Pork Shoulder

Put the onion and garlic in first, then place your seasoned pork on top.
Next pour the tomatoes over it. Cover. Cook on High for 4-6 hours.

The pork will fall off the bone. That is how you know it is ready.
Remove the pork and shred into a separate bowl.

Cilantro Lime Sauce:
1/4 Cup Lime Juice (fresh)
2 Tablespoons Vinegar
1/2 Bunch Cilantro
1 Tablespoon of Honey
1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Clove Garlic (minced)
1 1/2 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 1/2 cups of Salad or Olive Oil

In a blender, mix your cilantro, lime juice and vinegar. Next add your garlic, sugar, honey and salt.
Add mustard. Then, slowly add your oil.

For Tacos:
Avocado
Corn Tortillas

The avocado is a must! The fatty avocado combined with the savory pork and the citrus sauce made this taco outstanding!

Enjoy

Joy

French Cuban Chicken

10 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by in Chicken

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My colleague Sarah is married to a Cuban man and has become a pro at Cuban cooking. I am always eyeing up her food and sometimes even get a donation towards my lunch club with Claire.

This chicken dish is my take on Sarah’s fried chicken except I cook it in the oven.

What you will need:

4 – 5 chicken thighs
2 tablespoons of cumin powder
1 tablespoon of paprika Chilli flakes (to taste)
1 lime’s juice
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Cooking time:
45 minutes

In a sandwich bag (or bowl) add your chicken, thinly sliced onions and the ingredients (except the oil). This is a bit messy but get your hand in the bag and make sure all the ingredients are mixed together. Close up your sandwich bag (better to place the bag in a bowl) and leave it in the fridge for 20mins – though the longer the better. Preheat your oven to 200C.

Empty all the contents of the bag in an oven dish and pour a little oil over the chicken making sure the onions are covered in oil (you really don’t need to use much). Put the chicken in the oven and after 15mins check that the onions aren’t burning. If they are starting to, stir them a little and leave to cook for a further 15mins.

I had a big salad with the chicken, but there was some left so I brought it to work for my lunch club. Claire had some left-over pasta and they went perfectly together.

For Sarah’s chicken, she lets it marinate for 24 hours (I think) and fries the thighs in oil. Either way is yummy.

Mel

Baba Ganoush – the courgette way

22 Sunday May 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

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This is a simple dip that goes well with nachos or as a side dish with fish or meat.

What you will need:

3 courgettes
Cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Half a lemons juice
Food blender

Turn the oven on to 200c. Cut the courgettes into slices and put in an oven proof dish, sprinkle cumin seeds, the garlic cut in halves, salt and pepper. Add about three tablespoons of olive oil, make sure it coats all the ingredients. Put the dish in the oven for about 30mins, stir the courgettes every 10 mins.

Once cooked remove from the oven, put into a food blender and add the lemon juice. Blend all the ingredients for a few seconds.

You can also do this with aubergines.

Mel

Fennel salad

31 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by in Salads

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Fennel and garlic salad

Fennel and garlic salad

I keep seeing recipes in the papers about cooked fennel. Ok it’s good but I have to say it’s so much better raw and strangely enough people just don’t seem to eat it that way. It’s so fresh and crunchy with aniseedy flavours. I feel that cooking it takes quite a lot away from it.

You’ll need:

1 fennel
1 – ½ clove of garlic
½ a lemon
2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

So it’s quite simple, cut the fennel in half and then slice thinly. Put it in a bowl and add the crushed garlic and half a lemon’s juice. The acid from the lemon juice will start to ‘cook’ the garlic. Mix it all together and then add the olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir it all once more. Then cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will ensure that all the flavours are properly infused.

Serve as a side salad with anything really 🙂 I think that this is one of my favourite things. Though I have to warn you that I love garlic, so if you are a little afraid of it don’t put too much.

Little tip: eating garlic keeps mosquitoes away (ok I hear you say the boys as well, haha).

Mel