Recipe: Chilli-Cheese and Mustard Seed Scotch Eggs

At the weekend I made scotch eggs again. The first time went okay, but I didn't have a deep fat fryer so they tasted a little bit of the fat (a product of not frying at high enough temperature, due to using a pan).

It was more fun than last time, as Amelie helped me. I was a bit reluctant with what tasks I gave her, but then she did everything from peeling the boiled eggs, to wrapping the sausage around the eggs.

Here is the recipe for the chilli-cheese and mustard seed scotch eggs. I freestyled a bit, but I think I remember it.

- 12 eggs for boiling
- 4-ish eggs for coating
- A loaf of bread
- Half block of chilli cheese
- 16 sausages
- 200g of chilli cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard
- Some flour
- Some salt.

1) Boil the 12 eggs for a while... until they're somewhere between runny and boiled. About 7 minutes or something. Then peel. Note... peeling directly in water is so much easier than out of water. You don't have to worry about the vinegar tricks and stuff.

2) Squeeze the sausage meat out of the sausages and into a bowl

3) Grate the chilli cheese, and put a few spoons of wholegrain mustard and mix. Maybe bit a bit of salt in.

4) Make breadcrumbs with a load of the bread. Just use a cheese grater, avoid any huge chunks but they'll likely fall off.

5) Split the sausage meat into 12 equal balls. Put a bit of flour on your hand. Take a ball and flatten it into a round disk. Take an egg and roll it in flour. Put the egg on top and push the meat around it equally. Roll it in your hand and stuff, until it's equally thinned out.

6) Crack 4 eggs into a bowl and mix.

7) Take an egg/sausage ball, hold it over the eggs and pour over a few teaspoons and rub it around so there's egg all over.

8) Roll the egg in the breadcrumbs. Quite a few should stick.

9) Holding over the runny egg again, put another couple of teaspoons over and spread.

10) Roll in the breadcrumbs a second time, then set aside to repeat for all eggs.

11) Deep fry at about 165 degrees for 4.5 mins (they'll look golden when they're done).

February Review

It is March already. This year is going very, very quickly. Before I know it I will be 200. Here is an update, referencing last months update:

Pros:

Joined the boxing gym

Downloaded a money management program

Able to play a few songs on Guitar Hero drums on expert

Had a good photoshoot

Still blogging!

Cons:

Haven't touched website

Haven't touched book

Haven't used money management program

Haven't started to learn IPA

Crossed nothing off the list

Haven't made a list of moral English companies

Only cooked once

Left £10 in the cash point (still bitter...)

Overall:

On paper February looked like a bit of a fail. I think it wasn't at all. February is a short month. If there was a 29th then I would have done loadssss more. Actually starting boxing is a big step to getting fit and crossing off 'have a boxing match'. Although I only cooked once I shall cook three times in March.

Aims for March:

- Get database to connect for the website (the only thing holding me back)

- Open money managing program and have a poke around

- Cook three times

- Keep going to boxing

- Cross one thing off list, dammit!

- Finish this damn book.

Cooking: French Chicken in White Wine Sauce and Potato Dauphinoise

On Sunday me and Melissa decided to cook together. I let her decide the recipe. It went as follows:

Ingredients (for 2 people - though far too much):

Chicken in White Wine Sauce

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 3 chicken breasts

- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)

- 1 medium carrot (finely chopped)

- 1 celery stick (finely chopped)

- 2 ounces of prosciutto (finely chopped)

- 3/4 glass dry white wine

- 3/4 cup chicken stock

- 1 cup of heavy cream

- chopped fresh parsley

Potato Dauphinoise

- 4 small potatoes (peeled and sliced)

- 1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)

- 1 cup of heavy cream

- 400g medium cheese

1) Start making the potatoes by slicing and boiling in a pan for 15 mins

2) When slightly soft, drain potatoes and mash with butter, cream and garlic. Place in oven for 45 mins (200 degrees).

3) Put salt and petter on chicken and put in frying pan until it has started going white. Then remove chicken and place to the side.

4) Keeping some of the fat in the pan, add onion, carrot, celery, prosciutto and sauté until vegetables soft and onions brown.

5) Add the wine and chicken stock and stir.

6) Re-add the chicken, bring liquid to a boil, then cover and cook for 20-25 mins.

7) Part way through cooking the potatoes, take out of onion and grate 200g of cheese over the top.

8) Once the chicken has simmered for 20-25 mins, remove lid and remove chicken.

9) Bring the liquid to the boil again, reducing the liquid to a thicker sauce.

10) Add the cream, parsley, and perhaps add flower if it is too runny. Continue cooking slightly.

11) Remove potato from over and serve on plate. Put chicken breasts next to it, and spoon the sauce over the top. Grate cheese over the top.

The food was a great success. Melissa liked it, but I think that's because she cooked it and not just me. There was far too much to eat though! It is much, much nicer than it photographs.

January Review

In relation to the New Years resolutions and The List:

Pros

• Built shelf for alcohol cupboard
• Seen friends I haven't seen in a while
• Wrote blog regularly
• Got bike fixed and been on gym exercise bike
• Made decent progress on website (more to write soon...)
• Booked a holiday abroad (more to write soon...)
• Cooked twice
• Entered into another dodgeball tournament (more to write soon...)
• Haven't had stupidly long lie-ins

Cons

• Hardly been to the gym
• Haven't started managing money
• Haven't made a list of moral English companies
• Haven't played Guitar Hero much to learn drum rhythm
• Only read 1/4 of my book
• Haven't started to learn IPA
• Haven't crossed anything off list yet

Overall

So-so... started off well but got lazy. Must make new aims and follow them better.

Aims for February:

1. Get website working fully, minus any design/styling
2. Finish off book, and start new one
3. Cook twice
4. Install money managing program
5. Get photos on computer up to date
6. Play Guitar Hero a bit more
7. Bring stamina up and join a boxing gym
8. Compile a list of moral British Companies
9. Cross at least 1 thing off list.

Cooking: Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

I left it right till the end of the month, mainly out of being lazy.. but managed to get myself to cook again. I couldn't decide what to make, but Ashlea gave me the idea of Spinach and Ricotta Cennelloni. I have never made, nor heard of it before... so I thought I would give it a go.

Recipe:

2 knobs of butter

2 cloves of garlic

Dried oregano

3 normal bags of spinach

Fresh basil

2 tins of chopped plum tomatoes

400g ricotta cheese

Parmesan cheese (four handfulls)

20 canneloni tubes

200g grated mozzarella cheese

500ml crème fraiche

1) Put sauce pan on high heat, with butter, oil, oregano and one chopped clove of garlic, until the garlic is soft.

2) Place all spinach in the pan, handful at a time, until it has condensed down into a spinachy mush.

3) Place the spinach into a bowl and leave to cool.

4) Put the pan back on heat, with a bit more oil and another chopped clove of garlic.

5) Add the two tins of chopped tomatoes and basil. Fill one of the tins with water and add this too. Bring to the boil, add salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar, then lower the heat and simmer until most water goes and it becomes a tomato sauce.

6) While you wait for step 5 to finish, once the spinach has cooled grab it into a ball and squeeze out the excess water back into the bowl. Put the spinach onto a chopping board and chop it throughout.

7) Place the spinach back into the bowl (with the spinach water), and add all the ricotta and a handful of Parmesan and mix together.

8) Push the mixture into the cannelloni tubes until they are fully stuffed.

9) By now the tomato sauce should be finished. Place this on the bottom of a baking tray. Place the stuffed cannelloni tubes on top.

10) Mix together the crème fraiche and two handfuls of Parmesan cheese. No heat is needed. Add a bit of salt and pepper, and add water until it is loose enough to spoon over the cannelloni tubes.

11) Sprinkle with handful of Parmesan and the grated mozzarella.

12) Place in the oven, 180 degrees (gas mark 4) for 20-25 minutes.

Verdict: Although I stupidly waited for 5 to finish before starting 6 (which added ages), it turned out really nice! Everyone seemed to like it. The tomato and cheese sauces were really nice. There was more than enough for 4 people.

Cooking: Goats Cheese and Pea Risotto

As part of my new years resolution for cooking, I started off the year with Goats Cheese and Pea Risotto. I ended up cooking for 5 and a half (my nephew who, although this may spoil the story, hated it). The recipe, which I am going to semi take credit for, was as follows:

Recipe:

500g Risotto Rice

2 Glasses of Dry White Vermouth

115g Parmesan Cheese

200g Goats Cheese

2 Celery Sticks

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Onion

2 Pints of Chicken Stock (2 Cubes)

70g Butter

100g Peas

1) Make the chicken stock.

2) Gently cook the onion, garlic and celery in olive oil and butter for 15 mins. Don't let it brown.

3) Put all risotto into the pan, pour in 2 glasses of vermouth. Raise temperature, cook till vermouth has evaporated.

4) Stir in the chicken stock, one ladel at a time. Make sure it has absorbed before putting in another. Repeat until all is gone, or rice has absorbed enough. Ensure the rise doesn't go too sloppy.

5) Stir in 100g parmesan, 150g goats cheese, and pour enough peas so they are throughout. Stir until it is quite clumpy. It shouldn't be sloppy.

6) Serve with garlic bread. Sprinkle more parmesan on top.

Verdict: Was quite a success. Next time I would swap the vermouth with a dry white wine, as the flavour overpowered the chicken stock. I would probably just use one glass, or maybe one and a half.

News Years 2010 Resolutions

I see new years as an important time for self improvement, and as such take resolutions quite seriously. I realise I won't succeed in all, but will try to as much as possible!

1) Continue being patriotic. Start using correct English spellings (realise instead of realize, organise instead of organize)

2) Start investing in moral British companies.

3) Have no more than 8.5 hours sleep.

4) Start boxing, with the intention of sparing somewhat competitively by next year.

5) Learn the drums.

6) Cook something exciting twice a month.

7) Make a website.

8) Start to pronunciate correctly. No more lazy talking and mumbling.

9) Sort out my finances.

10) Try and read a book a month.

11) Start riding bike, with the intention of completing a 50 mile bike ride soon.

12) Although I don't really do it, exaggerate less.

13) Have less tolerance for people pissing me off.

14) Start creatively writing in some way.

15) Be nicer to friends, cultivate more relationships.

16) Learn IPA (international phonetic alphabet).

17) Keep traveling. Try and go to at least 4 countries.

18) Not take things like off the cuff comments to heart as much.

19) Make this year even better than the next!