Wednesday 28 September 2016

Italian Meatballs with Chunky Tomato Sauce



When my sister had her twins (Tinytot & Jellytot) she went Tommee Tippee mad (crazy).

She had a Tommee Tippee perfect prep which by all accounts is a godsend to any parent of multiples, this meant tommee tippee bottles, bowls, cutlery and the Tommee Tippee Food Blender.

Now that the twins are toddlers she has no need for all the equipment – but the Tommee Tippee Blender I kindly took of her hands as it’s the perfect size for blending and chopping small portions.

It’s an excellent devise for blending, mushing and chopping and now my go to tool in the kitchen for chopping up carrots or Onions.

There are 1000's of blenders out there, but I can wholeheartedly recommend this Tommee Tippee blender as with may recipes you only need to chop or blend a small proportion of the ingredients.

Below is an excellent recipe and the perfect opportunity to use this machine for an adult meal.  The recipe is again one of my sisters’ favourites from the Hairy Dieters Cook Book by David Myers and Si King (The Hairy Bikers).

Apple Cinnamon Cake

Last night the guv'nor and I were reminiscing about our travels abroad. We talked about coffee and cakes we used to enjoy as we'd have a very British elevensies. 

We both remembered a cake that had chunks of apple and cinnamon sugar through it. So this morning whilst the guv'nor was at work I made my version of this cake and I'd like to share it with you all.

Apple cinnamon cake 

Prep time 10minutes
Cook time 30 minutes 
Serves 12

Tuesday 27 September 2016

challange accepted

Today I was challenged by a friend to cook a bag of sainsburys basics mince and turn it into a nutritious flavourful meal to feed his brood of six without it looking like a pile of sawdust on a plate.

Using a few larder ingredients I put him to work as my sous chef. From my larder we grabbed the following.
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stick celery
  • Garlic paste 
  • 12 mushrooms 
  • Small packet baby plum tomatoes.
Whilst I went to my herb garden to gather some fresh basil and parsley I put my friend to work dicing the onions celery and peppers. 

Saturday 24 September 2016

Halloween - Pumpkin Seeds

Its been a busy few days here at chef dave's, with impromptu visits from the family and getting my cooking head on.  But one thing that has kept me going is mine and the guv'nors "go to" health snack . 

Pumpkin seeds are a good source of zinc, 3.5 oz of pumpkin seeds if eaten whole can provide you with about 10mg of zinc if you prefer to shell them (we don't it's to much hard work and besides the taste is sublime) you'll get about 7mg of zinc. 

The seeds are also a good source of vitamin E.

As Halloween is just around the corner I thought I'd share with you my recipe for roasting pumpkin seeds at home and can be kept for 3 months and in an air tight container (try them they won't be around that long)
Most people when making jack o'lanterns discard the seeds don't, follow this easy recipe and have a delicious snack. 
Method
  • Pull the stringy flesh from the seeds and rinse the seeds clean
  • Refines seeds in a bowl of water
  • Spread seeds evenly on to large baking tray
  • Pour good glut olive oil over seeds
  • Add seasoning (I would recommend sea salt, ground fennel seeds and chilli flakes)
  • Mix together to evenly coat seeds
  • Bake at 180/gas mark 4 for 10 minutes 
  • Leave to cool
  • Once cool you can put them in an air tight container 

What Makes Me a Good Chef!

Many people ask me what I personally feel makes me a good chef...


...My answer to this question has always been the same throughout my career -

Passion, Heart, Feeling

In this trade the hours are long and antisocial so the most important tool in any chef arsenal is PASSION.  As a chef you need to have passion for the ingredients your using whether it be as simple as oxtail or a cut of Kobe beef, without passion you end up with a mish mash on a plate.

Using passion for the ingredients chefs create edible artwork, as my very first head chef used to say "the customer eats with their eyes".

As a seasoned chef I cook with heart and feeling, I have a love for the fresh produce that is grown or reared locally to me. 

Using my passion, heart and feeling I create stunning dishes like this




and menus like this


One pan Chilli con Carne - Chef Dave's family Recipe



Every now and then my sister likes to “test” me with a surprise bag of ingredients and “let” me cook dinner for her and the spoglings.

Yesterday, was one of these impromptu occasions – and sis arrived with sproglings in tow and a bag of ingredients.

As a family we buy our meat from a local butcher called ABC Butchers – 1. Because they give us good value for money and 2. The quality of the meat is top notch.  We also quite like the customer service.

So in my sisters’ bag was

·         400g of mince – bought from the butcher a tray of lean mince 1650grams is £10.00 which we split into portions of 400g so each portion costs around £2.50 (cheaper than the local supermarket)
·         2 small onions – 0.18p
·         1 400g can of tomatoes – 0.25p
·         1 400g can of baked beans – 0.23p
·         500g pre sliced mushrooms – 0.79p
·         1 red pepper – 0.25p
·         1 green pepper – 0.25p
·         1 bottle of red wine – optional for the chef

The ingredients all came from Aldi (my sister is on a budget week) and I used additional ingredients found in my store cupboard
·         Garlic
·         Worchester Sauce
·         Knorr Beef Stock pot
·         Colman’s Chilli con Carne mix (because this we have
found is the best for the sproglings)
·         Long Grain Rice


So concluding this meal served 5 adults 2 children and we had a portion to freeze so I would average this method serves 7 people making this 0.60p per portion

We cook our chilli in a one pot, so with all the ingredients sliced and chopped we are ready to go.

Method

·         Heat a little oil in the pan
·         Fry the mince in the oil until it is browning in colour add a dash of Worchester sauce and a sprinkle of garlic – give it a good mix.
·         Add the onions – in our chilli we use two small onions one we chopped in to chunks and the other finely diced but how you cut or even if you add the onion is best to be done to your own taste and style
·         Fry the mince and onions for about 6minutes then add the concentrate Knorr stock pot.  Stir the mix together dissolving the stock pot.
·         Again a family hack we do is we mix the chilli mix powder into the Can of chopped tomatoes, this is because it reduces the heat of the mix but actually intensifies the taste at the same time.  Thus making it perfect to for two 21month old boys.
·         Stir the mixed up tomatoes and chilli mix into the mince and onions, pour a little water (approximately 50ml) into the can to rinse it and add this to your pan also.
·         Add the baked beans and chopped peppers (you can slice your peppers but tonight we rough chopped them)
·         Leave to cook on a low light for about 20minutes, until cooked through








We served our dish with rice, however, you don’t need to serve it with anything just a bowl of chilli but alternatives are:
·         Nacho’s
·         Baked Potatoes
·         Stand and stuff tortilla’s
·         Chips
·         Or even on hot dogs (a.k.a. the chilli dog)

The main advice I can offer is to try it, mix it up add or remove make it your own




Friends, thanks for reading. If you liked this post please comment and share - Get more from life with Chef Dave :-)

Wednesday 21 September 2016

A bit about me...

As a Chef, who is new to blogging I thought I would share an insight into how I became a chef.

I am from a family of inspiring cooks and professional chef's.  Growing up with a single father we all learnt to cook pretty early on, Home Economics was a preferred course at school.   

My step-brother was even a michelin star chef, and having lived all over the world our cooking utilises a variety of flavours and combinations.

I will over time be sharing old family recipes and hacks to creating dishes from just about anything.  My father called these the Come-All-These which basically stood for Come all these things get in this pan, and my sister is from the catering school of "A dash of this, pinch of that", so I will attempt to recreate these dishes with a more metric way of cooking.

However, the one thing we all agree on is that cooking with wine is the only essential of any kitchen - and sometimes we even put it in the food...

Friends, thanks for reading. If you liked this post, please comment and share - Get more from life with Chef Dave :-)

Chef Dave's Pumpkin Soup



Growing up in a larger than average household this pumpkin soup recipe was a firm family favourite this recipe for Pumpkin Soup serves 6, which growing up was a blessing…

Depending on the Stock you use this recipe is also vegetarian friendly

And as a bonus it is freezer friendly – I would suggest that you label it with the date as it will only keep for about 2 months in the freezer.

Ingredients
4tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1kg pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
700ml veg or chicken stock
142ml double cream

Celebrating Halloween

 

With Halloween just around the corner I often get asked what to do with the fresh flesh of the pumpkin once you've scooped it all out with the seeds to make a jack-o-lantern? 

So over the next few days I'm going to share with you some of mine and my familys favourite recipes using pumpkin.

From Soups to Bread and also what to use the Pumpkin Seeds for, as there shouldn't really be any waste.
 

Friends, thanks for reading. If you liked this post please comment and share - Get more from life with Chef Dave :-)

Breville Halo Health Fryer - personal product review


**This product review is my own opinion and I have not been paid or provided with any other form of inducement. **

The Halo Health Fryer VDF065 – Breville

I was brought the Halo Health Fryer by the Guv'ner, who decided we needed to eat more healthily and reduce our fatty intake.  As with all Guv'ner's we men folk listen and obey....

The Arrival
The Halo arrived yesterday morning by a very kindly white van man, I was pleased with how well packaged it came.  Included with the Breville Halo is a selection of low-fat frying recipe ideas for starters, mains meals and desserts. When cooking oven chips and frozen foods, the Halo requires no oil at all.

We, ooo’d and aaa’d over the Halo’s unique bowl design and its removable paddle means you can cook not only chips, but delicate foods like fish, vegetables and fruit.  Because of the rotating bowl and paddle being easy to remove the Halo comes with a roast rack which means this machine is capable of baking, sautéing and Roasting a whole joint.

Having passed the instructions to the Guv’ner to read we set up the Halo and argued over what to cook in it first.

The Guv’ner won and we settled on Chips, Sweet Potato Chips with Italian Seasoning.

The one element we did notice was that our little Halo was like a mini lighthouse – we turned all the lights off in the house and it still lit the way for us.  So not only does it cook it also steps in as a light.  A bonus to any household…and possibly a money saver too for those scrooges among us.

Tuesday 20 September 2016

Whey Protein Intolerance

My nephew, who we fondly refer to as TinyTot is only 23 months and has a Whey Protein Intolerance.

The Symptoms of Whey Protein Intolerance and allergy
  • sneezing 
  • or even coughing
as the whey protein may trigger an allergic reaction that affects your lungs. 

Guest Blogs

I am an avid support of The Edith Ellen Foundation and have been writing their Guest Blog on Nutrition, these can be found on the following link

https://edithellenfoundation.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Guest%20Blog
Or posted below.

I will endeavour to keep this connection with the Edith Ellen Foundation going and be inclusive of the Nutritional Needs in all my recipes. 

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 1 - Balance

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 1 - Balance: Menu - Week 1 – Balanced Range For this week we are looking at the Balanced Range of Foods, through all my menu’s and Recipe of t...

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 2 - Balance

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 2 - Balance: Menu - Week 1 – Balanced Range For this week we are looking at the Balanced Range of Foods, through all my menu’s and Recipe of the Wee...

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 3 - Balance

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 3 - Balance: Menu - Week 1 – Balanced Range For this week we are looking at the Balanced Range of Foods, through all my menu’s and Recipe of the Wee...

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - My Favourite Recipes - Br...

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - My Favourite Recipes - Br...: As a busy Chef running a busy kitchen I need to ensure that all our meals are deliverable, nutritional, tasty and meet the K.I.S.S. principl...

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 5 - Balance

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 5 - Balance: Menu - Week 1 – Balanced Range For this week we are looking at the Balanced Range of Foods, through all my menu’s and Recipe of the Wee...

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 6 - Balance

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 6 - Balance: Menu - Week 1 – Balanced Range For this week we are looking at the Balanced Range of Foods, through all my menu’s and Recipe of the Wee...

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 7 - Balance

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - Week 1:Day 7 - Balance: Menu - Week 1 – Balanced Range For this week we are looking at the Balanced Range of Foods, through all my menu’s and Recipe of the Wee...

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - My Favourite Recipes - Ev...

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - My Favourite Recipes - Ev...: As a busy Chef running a busy kitchen I need to ensure that all our meals are deliverable, nutritional, tasty and meet the K.I.S.S. princi...

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - My Favourite Recipes - Co...

The Edith Ellen Foundation: GUEST BLOG - Chef Dave - My Favourite Recipes - Co...: As a busy Chef running a busy kitchen I need to ensure that all our meals are deliverable, nutritional, tasty and meet the K.I.S.S. pri...

Welcome

Introducing Myself is a little bit weird and very difficult.

As my first Post I wanted to let you all know what my plans are for this blog.

I don't want this to just be another blog about cooking and pretentious, I want to go back to basics and start again.

So I'll be exploring 

Themes - such as:
  • Christmas, looking at and trying recipes from the 1800's through to 2016
  • Winter Warmers, like granny used to make!
  • Chinese New Year
  • Slimming Summers
  • Budget Meals
  • Store Cupboard Goodies
  • LeftOvers

Reviews
I'll also be exploring Products and reviewing them, but I will also appreciate any suggestions from you the reader.


  • to learn the pros and cons of a given product

  • to find out if the product is meant for them

  • to find out if the product is of high quality and easy to use

  • to find out about alternative solutions

  • to find out about other users’ experiences with the product

  • to ultimately learn if the product is worth buying.


“Get more from life with Chef Dave Cooking with Pizzaz.”