I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Chef Zainab's Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream... With Meringue Pieces & Coulis Mmm Hmmm.

I have a really bad sweet tooth, when it comes to ice cream I just can't seem to get enough. I love making my very own ice cream, when I bought my churner it was love at first use, literally. So what's on the ice cream menu today? Well, its tart raspberry ripple ice cream with meringue pieces. Oh & extra coulis on top, so delicious and fruityyyy.

P.s I was being a little lazy and used store bought meringues, they work just as well, im not that great at making them anyways (looks away)

Ingredients for the ice cream base

185ml of full fat milk

125ml double cream

2 medium egg yolks

70g caster sugar

2 Vanilla pods (seeds scooped out)

6 Meringue nests crumbled into small pieces 

Ingredients for the raspberry coulis

200g raspberries 

100g caster sugar

Juice of half a lemon

Method for ice cream

In a saucepan add the milk, cream and vanilla pods and let it boil gently. Whilst your waiting for it to boil, put the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and whisk. Once the milk and cream has come to a boil, add half the mixture to the eggs and whisk it making sure you combine everything, once you have done that pour it all back into saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture.

On low heat, carry on cooking this making sure you stir it continuously, once the mixture starts coating the back of the spoon, take the saucepan of the heat straight away. You don's want to over or it may curdle.

Sieve the custard making sure you discard any lumps. Whilst the custard cools down make the raspberry coulis.

Method for raspberry coulis

In a saucepan add the raspberries and sugar and let it cook on low heat, once the raspberries have cooked down, if you don't like the pips then strain the mixture add in the lemon juice and place in the fridge to cool down.

Place the cooled custard in the ice cream churner and leave for about 30 minutes. Once it's churned put it in a container and freeze for 3 hours making sure you stir it every now & then. Once the ice cream starts setting, mix in the crushed meringue pieces and fold in 3/4 of the raspberry coulis. Don't mix it in fully otherwise it'll just look like raspberry ice cream, you want the marbled effect. Place back in the freezer & leave it to set. Take the ice cream out the freezer 10 minutes before serving just to soften a little and serve with the left over coulis.

Thai Green Chicken Curry With Garlic Infused Rice & Spring Onions.

I've eaten thai green curry a few times but this was the first time making it myself & yes it was delicious, well that's what the family said. I didn't realize how simple it was until I gave it a go. To get maximum flavor I thought I'd go the extra mile by making my own green curry paste & coriander pesto, I know I like being extra but Omy it certainly did make a difference, the flavors were so intense. If you haven't got the time then don't panic, shop brought is perfectly okay, I just seem to have so much time in my hands, so here it is.

Ingredients for the green curry (serves 6)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 small onions finely chopped

1 1/2 tbsp salt 

4 small garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 pound chicken cut into cubes

2 1/2 tbsp thai green curry paste 

3 tbsp coriander pesto (instructions below)

350 ml chicken stock

400ml coconut milk with 200ml coconut cream

4 small potatoes chopped into cubes skin off

1 lime zest and juice

Handful of chopped spring onions and extra for garnish

Ingredients for coriander pesto

Handful of roasted unsalted peanuts

3/4 cup of chopped coriander

50g crumbled goats cheese

1 garlic clove

Splash of lemon juice 

Salt & pepper to season

Blitz all the pesto ingredients together & set aside.

Method for the Curry 

In a large saucepan heat up the olive oil and add the onions,  braise them for a few minutes until they are translucent and slightly browning, add in the garlic and continue cooking. Add in 2 1/2 tbsp of your home made/shop bought green curry paste and mix well,  add your chicken and coat well with the sauce. Add in 3 tbsp of your coriander pesto and stir again until all the chicken is coated. Add your stock and let it simmer. After a few minutes add in the coconut milk and cream, lime zest, juice, salt and stir once more. Lastly add in the chopped potatoes and leave it on low until the potatoes are cooked,  add in the spring onions and set aside whilst you make the rice.

Ingredients for the garlic infused rice

2 cups of rice

2 cups boiling water

3 garlic cloves minced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp salt

2 tbsp butter

Method

Heat up the olive oil in a heavy based pan,  add in the garlic. Mix and once they are browned add in the rice, salt and boiling water & stir on high heat.  Let more than half the water cook down, stir the rice & leave it on very low heat and cover, keep stirring every few minutes so the rice don't stick to the bottom of the pan. It'll take about 15 minutes for the rice to cook, once its soft add the 2 tbsp of butter and fluff the rice up using a fork, serve immediately with the thai green curry & garnish with spring onions.

Gnocchi Al Pomodoro (Potato dumplings with a tomato & Basil sauce) Reinvention. Experimenting In My Kitchen.

Traditionally gnocchi al Pomodoro is potato dumplings with tomato basil sauce and mozzarella, I thought I'd give it my own twist. I made sweet potato gnocchi with garlic tomato sauce & cottage cheese also finished off with spring onions for a mild onion flavor. It was a delight. Its not my first time making gnocchi but the first time I've tried with sweet potatoes. They were soft & delicious with a slight caramelisation with the butter, melted in my mouth. These babies are a must try.

Ingredients for the sweet potato gnocchi (serves 3)

2 medium sweet potatoes (500g)

1 small egg

150g flour

Salt & pepper to season 

2 tbsp finely grated parmesan

Method

Steam the potatoes, don't boil them as this will allow excess water into the potatoes. Don't over cook the potatoes so it goes to mush, they should be slightly firm. Peel the skin off the potatoes & slightly mash them. Beat the egg & add to the potatoes. Season with salt & pepper & 2 tbsp parmesan cheese. Add in the flour & mix everything together, the mixture should form a soft dough, if it's still sticking add in more flour. Dust your working area with flour & roll out the dough, cut into 1.5cm pieces & place on some baking paper.

In a heavy based saucepan add some water and bring to a boil, add in the preapred gnocchi a few at a time and let them cook for about 3 minutes, once they start floating to the top take them out using a slotted spoon and side, do this until youve done all the gnocchi and set aside for later, meanwhile prepare your sauce as follows.

Ingredients for the tomato garlic sauce

1 can chopped tomatoes/passata

3 garlic cloves minced

1 shallot/small onion finely diced

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp chilly flakes

1 tsp paprika

3 tbsp parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Splash of olive oil

Method

In a saucepan add the olive oil, once heated add in the onions, let them cook for about 3 minutes till translucent, add in the minced garlic and paprika & continue cooking. Once it's cooked off add in the passata/chopped tomatoes & continue cooking. Lastly add in the chilly flakes, parmesan & fresh parsley, continue stirring, taste and season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce simmer for about 10-15 minutes until its thickened, set aside for later.

How to serve

In a large non stick pan, add 1 tbsp butter and let it heat up fully, add in the prepared gnocchi & pan fry them until they're caramelised and golden brown on the outside. Serve immediately with your prepared sauce, a dollop of cottage cheese & thinly sliced spring onions. 

Bon Appetit! 

Cilantro Lime Salsa Chicken With Goats Cheese Accompanied With Garlic infused Brown Rice. An Explosion of Flavours.

Everyone loves my cilantro and lime baked fish, this time I used Chicken and put a slight twist on it by Adding deliciously tangy goats cheese, my mouth is salivating at the thought. This is a easy simple dish & you'll never guess it, it's actually quite healthy, a bonus right? I served the chicken with garlic brown rice with spring onions but you can always dish it up with anything you like, fries, baked potatoes or even a salad, you're the cook, you decide!

Actual quote from the brother, "I'd pay good money if I was served this in a restaurant" kinda boosted, but then again he says that about pretty much all my dishes :)

Ingredients for the chicken (serves 6)

2 whole baby chickens & 1 chicken fillet

5 garlic cloves minced

2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper

1 1/2 tbsp paprika

3/4 tbsp red chilly powder

1/2 tbsp cumin powder

1/4 cup olive oil

Zest & juice of 1 large lemon & lime

100g crumbled goats cheese

1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

1 cup diced sweet peppers

1 cup thinly sliced spring onions

3/4 cup chopped coriander

Ingredients for the roux (sauce thickener)

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1 1/2 cup milk

Method

Prepare the chicken, put slits In each peice, this allows the marinades flavour to infuse throughout the whole chicken. Set aside for later. 

In a seperate bowl add all the marinade ingredients together and set aside. 

Get a small saucepan and make the roux. Heat the butter until it's melted then add in the flour, whisk vigorously untill all the flour is cooked out, add in the milk and continue whisking until it has thickened, leave it to cool for about 20 minutes.

Once the roux has cooled down, add it to the marinade, combine well then add in all the chicken & coat well. Let the chicken marinade for a few hours for maximum flavor.

Before baking the chicken, to get a more crisp skin, pan fry only the chicken pieces on both sides for about a minute (use tongs to place the chicken in the pan, this stops you from scooping up any of the sauces in the marinade bowl), transfer the chicken to a roasting dish, pour over the remaining marinade sauce on top of the chicken & bake for about 20 minutes on high, just before taking the chicken out put it under the grill for a further 10-15 minutes on high to brown and crisp up the chicken.

Serve immediately with whatever you prefer.

Bon Appetit!

Who doesn't love crispy prawns? Well I do fo sho! Lemon Garlic battered prawns With a beautifully indulgent Goats cheese Risotto. Mmm hmmm.

I think I'm in love with risotto,  no really I am. It's rich, creamy & full of flavor.  Making risotto is time consuming I know, but well worth the effort. Unfortunately my sister in law wasn't here to do all the stirring, I had to do it all by myself (cries) I'm lazy I know. This risotto is a combination of walnuts, garlic, caramelized onions, fresh parsley, greens & of course not to forget the goats cheese, mmm so delicious. Why go to some posh nosh Italian restaurant when you can make it in the comfort of your own home, so get up &  give it a go. Enjoy!

Ingredients for risotto

500g arborio risotto rice

1 1/2 liter stock

5 garlic cloves minced

Handful of fresh parsley

Zest & juice of 1 lemon

1 flat tbsp chilly flakes

1 tbsp black pepper 

60g chopped toasted walnuts 

100g crumbled goats cheese

3 small red onions

2 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

100ml double cream

Method

In a heavy based saucepan heat up the stock until its reached boiling point. In another pan add 2 tbsp butter, 3 red onions finely chopped, 2 tbsp sugar & 1 tbsp black pepper, caramelize the onions until they are golden brown and set aside.

In a large pan, add 1 tbsp of butter and the minced garlic, braise in the butter until golden brown. Add chilly flakes, black pepper & the risotto rice, coat well then start adding the stock 1 ladle at a time. Stir continuously until all the stock is cooked off & the rice is cooked. This may take up to 20 minutes.

Once the rice is cooked & slightly aldentay,  add in the caramelized onions, zest and juice of the lemon, handful of chopped parsley,  the crumbled goats cheese & Parmesan cheese. Stir & make sure you combine everything properly. Lastly add the toasted walnuts & double cream, stir once more & serve immediately.

Ingredients for the prawn batter

1 cup of corn flour

1 cup of plain flour

3 eggs beaten

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tbsp red chilly powder

1 tbsp salt 

400g peeled and deveined prawns

Method

In a bowl combine the cornflour,  plain flour,  paprika, chilly powder & salt together. In a separate bowl add the eggs & beat them. Dip the prawns into the flour mixture, coat them well then dip them into the beaten eggs then back in the flour,  this will give them an extra crunchy coating. Make sure you do the prawns a few at a time to ensure you coat them all properly. Heat up some oil to fry the prawns in.

Once the prawns have been deep fried, you'll need to coat them in my lemon and garlic aioli & serve immediately.  Click on the following link for my aioli recipe:

 http://chefzainab.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/lemon-garlic-aioli-perfect-dipping-sauce.html

It's a Hearty Shepherds Pie With a Slight Twist. Perfect On a Cold Winter's Night.

My mother tends to make shepherds pie for the family, well this time I decided to give it a go. I totally ignored her recipe & made mines up as I went along. Surprisingly everyone loved it, so much so that my sister even took a portion for her work lunch. Lucky her I know (only joking) 

I scrapped the whole traditional way of making a shepherds pie & added all the things I love.

Imagine sitting round the dinner table on a cold night, digging into a warm shepherds pie, nothing could beat that right? Well how about giving it a go, I know I said I made it up but the end result was yummy. I think i'll go & have seconds now. 

So what's The twist? Well not only did I use parmesan & my home made jus in the mince mixture, I didn't just top it off with boring old plain mash, I added spring onions, lemon zest & yes you guessed it goats cheese to make a delicious creamy mash. How lush does that sound?

Ingredients for the Chicken mince mixture

1 1/2 pound chicken mince 

1 medium onion chopped finely

4 garlic cloves chopped finely

2 tbsp paprika

1tbsp red hot chilly powder

Salt & pepper to taste

Zest & juice of half a lemon

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 tbsp tomato puree 

1 cup of my home made jus (if you haven't Got home made then just use gravy granuels mixed with water or chicken stock but home made has 10 times the flavor)

1 tsp chilly flakesd

1/4 cup olive oil

Splash of worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup of sweetcorn
Link for my home made jus:  http://chefzainab.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/i-like-peanuts-but-i-love-pistachios.html

Method

In a heavy based saucepan, add the 1/4cup olive oil, chopped onion & garlic, paprika & red hot chilly powder. Braise the onions & cook the spices (you don't want the taste of raw chilly powder, not good at all). Once the spices & onions are cooked down, add In the Chicken mince & cook for a further 8 minutes, Season with salt & pepper, keep tasting making sure you dont add too much salt. Once seasoned To youre liking Add the lemon zest & juice & chilly flakes and stir well. Add in the tomatoe puree & Worcestershire sauce & stir again. Once you have cooked the mixture add in the jus or stock & stir in the parmesan. Make sure you combine everything well & cook it down so its not too runny. Lastly add the sweetcorn, stir & transfer to a oven proof dish or Iindividual ramekins. Set aside to be topped of with mash.

Ingredients for the Mash

6 medium white potatoes cubed Skin peeled off

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup double cream

1 cup chopped spring onions

50g crumbled goats cheese

Salt to taste

Zest & juice of half a lemon

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 tsp english mustard

Method 

Add the cubed potatoes to a heavy sauce pan, boil some water and transfer to the potatoes with some salt & let them boil until fully cooked. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and transfer back in to the pan. Mash up the potatoes, add in the butter, double cream, goats cheese, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, juice & English mustard. Mash up together making sure there are no lumps. Using a wooden spoon stir in the spring onions & add salt (Make sure you keep tasting making sure you dont over season it)

Once everything is well combined, transfer the mash ontop of the mince mixture & grate over a generous amount of parmesan cheese. Garnish with thinly sliced tomatoes & bake in the oven till its golden brown on the top. Serve with a fresh salad & dig in.

Bon Apetite!

Let's Stuff those peppers, Served with Roasted tomato bulgur Wheat!

I'm not to keen On bell peppers but these sweet peppers are delicious. My family love stuffed peppers, we tend to do a different stuffing every time,  this time I decided to stuff them with lemon, lime & spring onion chicken topped with my kick ass roasted garlic and onion cheese sauce finished off with breadcrumbs & Parmesan, absolutely delicious!  Served these babies up with some roasted tomato & garlic Bulgar wheat with the addition of Parmesan cheese, my mouth is salivating again.  

Let's get cooking!

Ingredients for the chicken marinade 

8 chunky chicken strips cut into small cubes

1/2 cup olive oil

2 heaped tbsp paprika

3/4 tbsp red chilly powder

1 1/4 tbsp salt

1/2 tbsp pepper

Juice & zest of one lemon

Juice and zest of one lime

4 garlic cloves minced

1 cup chopped spring onions

Method for the chicken

Combine all the marinade ingredients together & let it sit for a few hours. Heat up a non stick pan & cook the chicken throughout. Set aside for later.

Kick ass cheese sauce recipe 

150g kick ass roasted garlic onion cheddar cheese 

25g plain flour 

25g butter 

500ml milk

A dash of freshly grated nutmeg

Salt & pepper to taste

(You don't have to use kick ass cheddar, any cheddar will work, whatever you prefer really)

Method for cheese sauce 

In a saucepan heat up butter, once melted stir in the flour & keep stirring until the flour is cooked off. Add in the milk & whisk it until they're no lumps, the mixture will start to thicken,  once it comes to boiling point, take off the heat and stir in the cheese, add a dash of nutmeg & season with salt and pepper and set aside for later.

To assemble the peppers,  slice them in half length ways, place them on a baking tray & add the chicken mixture on them,  top them off with the cheese sauce & lastly cover them with breadcrumbs,  drizzle over a little olive oil and finish off with a sprinkle of Parmesan, bake until golden brown on top. Meanwhile prepare the Bulgar wheat.

Ingredients for Bulgar wheat

2 cups of Bulgar wheat

4 cups of water mixed with a stock cube

Handful of chopped cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes

4 garlic cloves minced

Handful chopped fresh parsley

1 cup grated Parmesan

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp melted butter

Method for Bulgar wheat

In a heavy based pan add the 4 cups of water mixed with stock cube & bring to a boil. Once its boiled take off heat & add the 2 cups of Bulgar wheat, stir & cover it, let it stand for about half an hour.

Meanwhile heat up some olive oil in a pan, add 4 minced garlic cloves and the chopped sun dried tomatoes,  once the garlic is cooked, add in the chopped cherry tomatoes & tbsp of butter. Cook down the tomatoes for about 15 minutes until they are fully softened, using the spoon, slightly mush the tomatoes then add the lemon zest and the juice, lastly add in the fresh parsley. 

One the Bulgar wheat is ready, transfer it to the pan with the tomato mixture & stir well until everything is combined. Add in the Parmesan cheese, stir & season with salt and pepper,  serve immediately. 

Bon Appetit!

Moroccan Potato Sovory Crepes With Cottage Cheese. Experimenting in the Kitchen!

My mother made an Indian potato fry the other day & served it with savory pancakes & yogurt, I thought I'd experiment & try something different. What did I do? I used my Moroccan Chicken marinade & done it with potatoes this time, everyone Loved it. The marinade has quite a kick with chilly so what could be better than serving it with cottage cheese? So delicious. The cold creamy cheese balances the heat out perfectly.

Savory crepes may be knew to some of you, they work really well with pretty much any filling, it's a must try, so lets get cooking!

Click on the following link to get the Moroccan marinade, all you gotta do for the potatoes is boil them, add them to the marinade & cook them with some extra olive oil, pour over 100ml double cream & combine, lastly add spring onions & serve. (Make sure to proportion the marinade with the amount of potatoes you have, I went according the recipe but did half of everything) 

http://chefzainab.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/its-moroccan-feast-moroccan-chicken.html

Ingredients for the crepes

2 eggs 

2 cups of milk

1 cup plain flour 

3 crushed garlic cloves

Salt to taste 

Handful chopped coriander

1 tsp red chilly flakes

Method

Beat the eggs & mix the rest of the batter ingredients together, the batter should be a smooth wet consistency,  not too runny or thick. Heat up a non stick pan with a touch of olive oil & make your crepes. They have to be nice & thin so it'll be easy to roll them with the filling.

To assemble, place some filling in the middle of the crepe top of with a bit of cottage cheese, roll up & top of with a bit more cottage cheese. Enjoy!

Momma Made Paneer. HELL YEAAAAH.

So I decided to let the mother do the cooking today, trust me she's an amazing cook, probably the best. What did she cook then? It's PANEEEER! One of my favourites. Shop bought is pretty tasteless & bland, I don't have to worry about that tho, you know why? Because my mother makes hers from scratch adding chilly flakes, garlic & black pepper to give it that extra kick, its absolutely deeeelicious. Yum.

Im pretty sure you can find paneer recipes anywhere just make sure to add some seasoning,  it makes a lot of difference! Here's the sweet & sour base we made to coat the paneer in. So easy I tell you.

Ingredients

700g paneer

2 small onions cut into chunks 

2 small red bell peppers cut into chunks 

5 garlic cloves crushed 

1 tbsp hot red chilly powder

1 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp salt 

1 tbsp pepper

1/4 tsp red food coloring

1/2 cup tomato ketchup

2 tbsp light soy sauce 

Juice from 1 small lemon 

2 tbsp honey 

1 cup of water mixed with 1 tbsp corn flour

Method

In a pan, add a splash of olive oil, cook the spices (red chilly powder & paprika) once cooked down add the garlic, cook for a few minutes then add in the onions & red pepper. Let that cook on medium heat for 2 minutes, dont over cook the veg you still want them to have a slight crunch. Add in the tomato ketchup, soy sauce, lemon juice, honey, salt & pepper, give it a quick stir making sure to coat everything then lastly add the food colouring to the water corn flour mixture & add it to the pan, keep stirring & once its thickened, taste to check if seasoning needs adjusting then add the paneer coat in the sauce & you're done. Serve immediately. 

Bon Appetit!

Family bbq tomorrow, Mega Excited. This is a quick & Easy Marinade for Steak.

Tomorrow the whole family have decided to get together & have a Bbq & I can't wait. We've even got the sumo outfits ready, how much fun is that going to be? So much I know.

We've decided to use rump steak as its best for bbq-ing. I was requested to make my juicy lemon & Rosemary burgers & also my steak as everyone thoroughly enjoyed it the last time I made it. So here's the quick & easy marinade!

Ingredients

5 pieces of Rump steak

3 1/2  tbsp cracked black peppercorns 

2 1/2 tbsp Sea salt

5 Crushed garlic 

Zest from 1 lemon

2 tsp Lemom salt 

Lemon rind cut into chunks

2 tbsp Chilly flakes 

1/2 cup Groundnut oil

All you gotta do is mix all the marinade ingredients including the lemon rind as this will give lots of flavor, coat the steaks in the marinade & let it sit in the fridge over night & you're done, so easy innit.

Sometimes simple is better & let me tell you, these steaks are to die for, so juicy & succulent with the garlic & lemon running through, not to forget the black pepper. Simply delicious.