Archive for April, 2011

Easter Lamb Tagine with Figs and almonds

A twist on the traditional Easter Lamb dish and perfect  after a busy day out and about enjoying the holiday. Also a brilliantly convenient dish to come home to after a busy day at work.  It’s a deliciously tender, mouth-wateringly tasty and easy dish to do.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 10mins.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

750g (1.5lbs) of Diced lamb

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of diced garlic

2.5cms of root ginger finely chopped

2 tablespoons of flour

1 pint(600ml) of lamb stock ( a cube will be fine!)

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

pinch of cummin/chilli or tumeric – any or all will do.

75g Dried Figs (Tesco have them) – trim off the stalks or leave them out if you dont “do” figs!

40g toasted flaked almonds – for garnish – they really move the dish up a notch.

Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat the oil in the inner pot and add teh lamb pieces a few at a time until all the pieces are added then fry, stirring until browned and remove from the pot.

Add the onion to the pot and fry until begining to turn golden. Stir in the garlic and ginger, then mix in the flour. Gradually stir in the stock. Add the spices, figs and a little salt and pepper and bring it to the boil.

Once boiling, put the lid on and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer to the outer Thermal Cooking pot. Close the lid and leave to cook for 5-7 hours. If you leave for longet it will not matter.

Serve with rice/couscous/pasta or potatoes…whatever you prefer

2011
04/23
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SHINE ON SLOW COOKING

Spring is the time of year when slow cookers are generally put back into storage after along winter of making hearty stews and casseroles, but there are plenty of reasons why a slow cooker such as the Thermal Chef should remain an essenital piece of kit throughout the spring and summer months

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As the days get longer (and looks like sunnier after this glorious weekend!), you might want to spend more time outside rather than cooking dinner. When summer arrives  a slow cooker won’t heat up your house the way the oven does and have you sweating indoors!  If you’re cooking on a budget, the handy appliances transform tough cuts of meat, which are less expensive but more flavourful. If you’re feeding a crowd, a slow cooker makes large batches of amazingly tasty one pot wonders or takes care of the side dishes, leaving you more oven space. And if you’re looking to live a little greener, a Thermal Chef and slow cooking in general uses a fraction of the energy of a full-size oven.

While long, slow cooking times are most often associated with stews and casseroles, the gentle, moist cooking environment is ideal for all sorts of dishes, and particularly handy when you want to cook lean cuts of meat without adding fat. You can even cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker. It won’t be pretty, nor will it have crisp, golden skin, but it’s impossible to dry it out, and it might just be the juiciest meat you’ve had in along time. Chunks of moist chicken are perfect for sandwiches and wraps, soup, stir-fries, pastas and casseroles-and once you’ve stripped your bird down to the bone, you can simmer the bones in the slow cooker and make some stock like the expert Ernie Willey did here in his article on the Thermal Chef.. http://www.forkncork.com/on-test-thermal-chef-low-energy-cooker/

Brilliant also is the fact that because the Thermal Chef  is completely portable (it has a lock down lid), you can prepare your ingredients in the pot, let it cook away while you head off with it in your car to pursue your favorate outdoor actitivy and enjoy a satisfying meal at the end of it. Outdoor Gadget Genius Tom Kelly from the Irish Times is a fan. Check out his article:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/travel/2010/0821/1224277272332.html

2011
04/11
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Paprika Pork

After a busy day this casserole is the ideal meal when you return home!

 

Nice to come home to.....

 

Ingredients:

100g Pork Fillet

25g plain Flour

Sat & Pepper

15ml Paprika

50g Butter

1 Chopped onion

250ml stock (cube will do!)

60ml white wine (if you have sherry use it!)

250g mushrooms sliced quite thick.

150ml sour cream (to add in at end of cooking)

Method:

1.Season flour with salt and pepper & Paprika and coat the Pork

2. Heat the butter in the inner pot, add the pork and fry until golden

3. Add wine/Sherry and mushrooms and stir thoroughly

4. Bring to boiling point then turn down to a simmer for 5 minutes

5. Turn off the heat and transfer the inner pot into th outer thermal insulate pot.

6. Close the ld and leave to cook for at least 3 hours. If you leave it longer it will only improve.

7. Just before serving stir in the soured cream and check seasoning.

Serve with spuds, veg or noodles as they do in Hunagry!

2011
04/01
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