First Delia taught us how to cook, then Nigella showed us how to eat, now its my turn. well not quite but I can dream, my main reason for this blog is more of a online scrap book, I started cooking for a hobby or passion a few years ago and I find myself constantly losing track of what I have made and more importantly how I'd whipped it up, what I could add to my dishes or take away in some cases and what avenues to explore next and truth be told being avid cookbook  collector I always wondered what my book would look like also If anyone is interested sharing some tips and I will reviewing some of my 70 odd cookbooks and picking out some gems of gastronomy.

Duck noodle soup.

Ingredients.

1 Duck carcass
500g of homemade noodles (see blog for recipe ) or shop noodles
2 litres of water
1 large onion
1 large carrot
25g sweetcorn
2 cups of mushrooms
1/4 cup of prawns
1 star anise
1 dash Chinese rice wine
1 dash fish sauce
1 dash dark soy sauce
1 tbs fresh chopped coriander
2 bay leafs
1 red bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste



In a large soup pot add water and  boil up the duck, carrot , onion, bay and star anise for at least 1.30hrs, fry off the mushrooms, sweetcorn and pepper just till they colour and add to the soup, add the wine, fish sauce and soy , simmer for 15 mins add noodles, prawns, coriander  and season to taste simmer with a lid on for 25min or till noodles are cooked. enjoy

Homemade egg Noodles.
Better than any take-away.

 Ingredients.

2 cups plain flour
2 eggs
4 half eggs shells of water
1 pinch of salt

In a bowl add the eggs, flour and salt and mix slowly add the water half and egg shell at a time, bring the dough together into a ball then flour a work surface and rolling pin and roll the dough out as thin as possible cut into strips using a pizza cutter and boil for 20 -30min depending on the size of the noodle and your taste.

Wild Boar sausages braised in red wine with juniper berries.
A wonderful dish made using my Father in laws homemade sausages, Thanks Tata Bala

1 lb / 450 g Wild Boar sausages
2 bay leaves
1 dessertspoon olive oil
6 oz/175g medium open cap mushrooms
8oz/225g diced bacon or pancetta
1 heaped teaspoon plain flour
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1 rounded teaspoon mustard powder
8oz/225g onions , peeled
1oz/25g soft butter
8 juniper berries
2 rounded tablespoon redcurrant jelly
1 bottle red wine (I used an Australian shiraz
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

First take a large pot and heat the oil, add the sausages and cook for 5mins until browned, remove the sausages and add the onions,garlic and pancetta  to the pot cook on the lowest heat until the onions are translucent return  the sausages to the pot and add the rosemary, wine and bay leafs, season to taste crush the juniper and add to the stew, place the lid on and lightly simmer  for 20mins remove the lid add the mushrooms, cook with the lid off reduce the sauce for 30 mins, to  make a bain marie mix the butter flour and mustard powder and whisk into the stew, stir in the redcurrant jelly and serve with fresh parsley

I served this with a parmesan polenta.

Pak choi and potato soup.

a light creamy refreshing soup.

Ingredients.

1 large pak choi
1 large leek
1 small onion
4 medium potatoes
1 bunch fresh parsley
250ml double cream
2 tsp olive oil
1 pint chicken stock
salt a pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and roughly chop with the rest of the veg, add to a large hot oiled frying pan and cook for 5mins until they just start to colour, transfer to a large pot and add chicken stock to cover the veg, boil until soft and add to a soup blender with the parsley salt and pepper ( at least 15 turns of the pepper mill for me), blend till smooth pour back into the pot let cool for a few mins and stir in the cream and serve.

Griddled Tuna.
Just testing out my new griddle Iron from my parents for my birthday, thanks guys

Ingredients.

200ml chicken stock
50g polenta
handful mushrooms
1/2 leek
salt
pepper
tuna steak
25g parmesan cheese
1 tsp oil

Slowly whisk in the stock into the polenta while on a medium heat for 2min and cheese and cook for a further 1min, fry leeks and mushrooms in plenty of pepper, finally brush the tuna with oil and season and place on a steaming hot griddle for around 1min -1min 30sec on each side and serve.

Heart shaped cinnamon and chocolate wreath.

The heart shaped cake I made for my wife on woman's day :-)

Ingredients.
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water
1.6 grams or 0.6 oz dry yeast
1/8 melted butter
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 softened butter
4 tbsp sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
75g nutella melted
Mix the yeast and sugar with the water and leave for 15 mins till it bubbles up and foams, add the egg yolk the melted butter and flour and salt , knead into a ball, place in a greased bowl in a warm place till it doubles in size about 1hr. Preheat oven gas mark 7 dust your work surface  very well and roll out to 1/2 cm, mix melted butter sugar cinnamon and nutella and spread all over, roll up the dough and cut lengthways and Plat and shape into and heart, place on a baking tray brush with butter, bake for 10mins then reduce heat to gas mark 4 for 20-25 mins and Enjoy