Toffee Apple Crumble
I had a big pile of huge Bramley apples off the tree in the garden sitting in the kitchen so decided to stew them all in one big batch then use some of the apples for this crumble. To stew the apples I simply, peeled, cored, washed and chopped the apples into decent chunks, put them in a large pan with a little bit of water and a sprinkling of sugar, covered and then cooked on a low heat until tender, stirring every now and then. It’s a little bit rough as I didn’t really measure everything, for the stewed apple it was maybe 1 or 2 decent sized apples worth, just enough to fill the ramekins 3/4 full. It’s probably not the most healthy of deserts so it’s definitely one to have as a treat. Ingredients (makes 4 little ramekin sized...
Read MoreHairy Dieters Week 11
This week has been quite a hectic Hairy Dieters week, I’ve cooked loads of new stuff and also used the last of the meat and potato pies that I froze. First up was the Paprika chicken, I couldn’t get any skinless and boneless chicken thighs so I skinned and boned some, although next time i’d probably use chicken breast instead. The flavour of the stew was nice enough but it did lack a bit of heat so I added a few dashes of Tabasco and a sprinkling of hot paprika, I served it with a little bit of rice and it would have been a little odd just on its own. Next up were the Mediterranean inspired burgers, these were fantastic, the burgers them selves were simple in terms of making and flavouring but all the excitement comes in the toppings, the gooey,...
Read MoreHairy Dieters Week 10
I honestly can’t believe I’ve now been cooking recipes from the Hairy Dieters book for 10 weeks and there are still recipes I’ve not cooked and want to cook, granted I’ve cooked a couple of things more than once and frozen some bits and cooked them later but I’ve tried to cook a new recipe or two every week. This week saw the return of the deliciously simple Harissa Chicken plus two new recipes. First up was the beef in ale casserole, I pretty much followed the recipe for this one although I did add some mushrooms and cooked it in the slow cooker instead of cooking it on the hob as per the instructions. It worked really well and the gravy was thick and full of flavour, I couldn’t decide which ale to use so went for Guinness...
Read MoreHairy Dieters Week 9
Well this week was a bit of a crazy one as I was away for most of it, firstly in the final of the Sharp’s Connoisseurs Co competition (you will be able to read more about that here), then the day after getting back from the 800+ mile round trip I was in Manchester for a beer festival. As a result I only ended up cooking 1 new dish from the Hairy Dieters book, It was the Spanish chicken bake, I had to use chicken breasts instead of thigh’s as I couldn’t get any thighs. Even with the breasts the dish worked really well, it tasted great, was really filling and had a nice level of chilli heat from the chorizo, It was really easy to make although did take an hour to cook. I also used a mix of different coloured tomatoes from the garden to brighten it...
Read MoreHairy Dieters Week 8
Oh how time flies, I can’t believe I’ve had the Hairy Dieters book for 8 weeks now. This week comprised of 3 new meals that I’d not cooked, a meal out at a local pub for my birthday and then two meals we’d had before from the book. First up was the Coconut prawn curry, I served it with a small portion of rice and half a garlic chapatti, which obviously added a few extra calories but it was worth it. The curry it’s self was delicious, packed full of coconut and spices but could have done with an extra chilli kick. I did leave out the corn flour though as the sauce looked quite thick and I didn’t want to make it too thick and gloopy. Next up were the Italian style meatballs, I oped for pork mince for the actual meatballs and it...
Read MoreHairy Dieters Week 7
This week was a bit more of a normal week than weeks 5 and 6 so it meant I got chance to try a few more recipes from the book. First up was the Cod and Prawn Gratin, I really really loved this one, it was really simple to make, packed full of flavour and really filling. I used cod, smoked haddock and prawns, It would be easy to adapt with other fish and even raw prawns as I always prefer the texture of those when cooked. Next up were the Meat and Potato Pies I’d been looking forward to making them to see how the pizza dough worked out as I don’t even use the packets for home made pizza. In all honesty it worked really well, it was light, crispy and not in the slightest bit doughy. The filling was delicious too, I really loved the heat from the...
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