New Style Apples and Cheese

On 29/02/2012 (Wednesday) at 8:09 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/6uuuwt5

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Details

• Prep Time:
  5 min
• Ready Time:
  5 min

Ingredients

• one apple I used braeburn apple
• your favorite sharp cheese I used Manchego
• honey
• crisp bread

Directions

Start by cutting your apple and cheese in one inch rectangles about 1/8 inch thick. Now push one end against a large knife and trim one side so you get a nice even shape.

Plate them one piece of cheese, one apple repeat as you can see if the photo. Drizzle some honey on top of the apples and cheese.

Now take some of the apple and grate it to make almost apple sauce and place a few small dollops on the apples and cheese. Now follow by finely grating some of the cheese on top of that.

Serve with a piece of crispy flat bread makes a perfect after dinner cheese course or a nice starter.

Benny

Stuffed Squid with Squid!

On 12/04/2011 (Tuesday) at 9:57 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/6yuxzde

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Details

• Prep Time:
  60 min
• Cook Time:
  60 min
• Ready Time:
  2 hour, 0 min

Ingredients

• one pound of squid tubes and tentacles cleaned
• one large onion chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider optional
• kosher salt and pepper
• olive oil

Tomato Sauce

• 2 cups canned peeled tomatos
• 3 gloves of garlic finely chopped
• kosher salt
• olive oil
• splash of dry red wine

Directions

Start by taking your sliced onion and in a medium heat pan start cooking them in a good amount of olive oil, kosher salt a little sugar and some apple cider. This is gonna take about 45 min but get them so they are almost onion jam. Once done set aside and move onto the tentacles.

Take the tentacles and  do a rough chop on them and add them to the caramelized onion and mix together. Now comes the tricky bit, open up the ends of your squid tubes and stuff that mixture into them until full and seal the open end with a skewer as seen in the photo. Now take your simple tomato sauce that you have prepared and in a baking dish place the stuffed tubes and ladle on enough sauce to just coat all the tubes completely.

Put this is a 350 degree oven covered with foil until the sauce is bubbling and the juices are running out of the tubes about 45 min to an hour. To finish take off the foil and crank the heat to 425 degrees and you will see the sauce start to reduce and caramelize onto the tubes. Once the sauce and the tubes are one take out and let rest for 5 min.

To plate slice up a couple of the tubes and place around the whole ones and garnish with some chopped chives or even some Parmesan cheese. These are a Italian/Spanish (they will fight over this one) treat that just makes me want to think that the squid is just as Nobel as the pig.

NOTE: simple tomato sauce: saute the garlic with some kosher salt and olive oil for a few min then add the tomatoes with a some kosher salt, splash of red wine and simmer for 40 min and cool.

Benny

Viking Rib Eye Steak

On 12/04/2011 (Tuesday) at 2:12 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/3j8lyge

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Details

• Prep Time:
  360 min
• Cook Time:
  8 min
• Ready Time:
  6 hour, 8 min

Ingredients

• 1 boneless ribeye steak I used a flank steak but recommend a Rib Eye
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1/2 bottle of good red wine
• 1 cinnimon stick
• some grated nutmeg
• 1/2 orange peel and all
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 5 or 6 cloves

Directions

Start by making the marinade by combining the wine, cloves, orange, , sugar  and cinnamon stick in a pot and let it steep for about 30 min at a low simmer. Now take off and cool to room temp. Now take your rib eye  steak and put it in the marinade for up to a week if not at least 2 days. It will take this amount of time to have those flavors get in there. Now before you cook it take the marinade and steak and let it come to room temp for about an hour at least before you cook it.

Now take the steak out and shake off any excess marinade and season it on both sides with salt and pepper. Get your cast iron pan on high heat and let it get really hot and with no oil put the steak in and don’t touch it. Cook it on the first side for about 2  min depending on the thickness, turn it over and finish for about a 1-2 min,  it should have a really nice crust on it. take out and let it rest for at least 5 min this will continue to cook it and should be around medium to mediun rare.

Slice it on the bias and this steak is ready for you!

Benny

Grilled and Chilled Shrimp Cocktail with fresh Horseradish

On 10/04/2011 (Sunday) at 7:06 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/3eacrze

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Details

• Prep Time:
  5 min
• Cook Time:
  10 min
• Ready Time:
  15 min

Ingredients

• one cup good tomato ketchup
• one cup grated fresh horseradish prepared can be used
• half a pound medium shrimp peeled and cleaned
• kosher salt
• fresh cracked pepper
• vegatable oil
• blacken seasoning optional

Directions

Start by getting your grill going so it will get nice and hot then prepare the cocktail sauce. Take the ketchup and grate about equal amount of fresh horseradish into it, add a little lemon juice and a few drops of sesame oil and blend together. Use less or more horseradish depending on how hot you like it.

Now take your cleaned shrimp and brush on some vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper, I also dusted mine with some blacken seasoning for a little smokey flavor but that is optional. Now take your shrimp to you hot grill and cook them on the first side for about one min until they are just starting to char a little (the grill should be very hot) turn over and finish for about one more min. now take off put on a plate and into the freezer for at least five min to cool and stop the cooking.

to plate just serve anyway you like or use the presentation i have in the photo, finish with some more freshly grated horseradish and go to town!

Benny

Benny

Clams with Smoked Paprika

On 10/02/2011 (Thursday) at 5:25 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/6eyuru8

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Details

• Prep Time:
  13 min
• Cook Time:
  15 min
• Ready Time:
  28 min

Ingredients

• Fresh clams, mussels, cockles or any shell fish that you love
• New potatoes
• Good olive oil
• Smoked paprika
• Kosher salt

Directions

Take some new potatoes and either cut out some circles or use an apple corer and cut out rounds of the potatoes.

Now in some salted water boil the potatoes until they are fork tender.

In a separate pot in some shallow boiling water add some fresh clams or shellfish and let cook until they open. Take the potatoes and place one piece of clam meat on it and put a toothpick to secure the two together. Repeat as many times as you have clams and now drizzle with some good olive oil and dust with some smoked paprika……that it!

F ing delicious and amazing…..enjoy!

Benny

Step by step in photos here >>

About Benny

Passion for healthy amazing food. I am on crusade to get kids eat better and people in general learning how to cook for themselves. If I here that McDonald’s is cheaper than eating homemade I will prove anyone wrong.

Fried Manchego and Sweet Tomato

On 09/10/2011 (Sunday) at 10:53 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/6eyhvoq

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Details

• Prep Time:
  5 min
• Cook Time:
  1 min
• Ready Time:
  6 min

Ingredients

• 12 or so grape tomatos
• 12 cubes of manchego cheese cut roughly into cubes same size as the grape tomatos
• olive oil
• fresh basil

Directions

Heat your oil in a small pot to 225 degrees carefully drop your grape tomatoes into the oil for 30-45 seconds take out and drain on paper towel

Increase oil temp to 280 degrees and using a spoon drop the cheese in and keep an eye on it once they start to bubble about 15 or so seconds take out.

Using toothpick skewer the cheese then onto the tomato and finish with a tiny strip of fresh basil. Now give these a try and I promise it will be a very sweet savory bite all in one.

Benny

Clams with Tomato and Garlic

On 19/09/2011 (Monday) at 2:47 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/64su6a7

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Details

• Prep Time:
  10 min
• Cook Time:
  11 min
• Ready Time:
  21 min

Ingredients

• 8 fresh little neck clams these are the perfect size for this dish
• one small tomato crushed
• half a clove of garlic
• handfull of parsley or any micro green I used broccoli greens
• olive oil
• teaspoon sherry vinegar

Directions

VIDEO Saucing the Clams

Start by skinning your tomato (you can use canned skinless tomatoes if you like) put a criss cross on the bottom and into boiling water for ten seconds then into an ice bath. the skin should be easy to take off now. In a bowl crush that tomato until its almost sauce. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of sherry vinegar mix and set aside.

Get your live clams into a steamer (you can also put them in a pot with water as well) and steam until they just open careful not to spill the clam juice in the shell. Remove the clams from the shells over a bowl to catch any of the liqueur.

Add one chopped clove of garlic and a small handful or parsley or micro greens,  a touch of olive oil and transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush until it becomes a nice green liquid and the garlic has dissolved. Add a touch of salt and check for seasoning.

To plate spoon some of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the plate and lay the clams on top and finish with the garlic green sauce on top.

That’s it! easy stuff and a great way to enjoy freshly steamed clams.

Benny

Gazpacho

On 19/02/2011 (Saturday) at 5:19 am by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/48m8q5b

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Details

• Prep Time:
  15 min
• Ready Time:
  15 min

Ingredients

• 1 large can of peeled tomatoes
• 1 roasted red pepper
• 1 cup chopped peeled English hothouse cucumber
• one chopped large shallot or half a red onion
• 1/4 cup Sherry wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ¼ cup Sour Cream

GARNISH

• 4-5 grilled or boiled shrimp chilled and sliced in half
• half an Avacado sliced thin
• bunch of watercress
• toasted piece of bread or large crouton as i’ve shown in my photo

Directions

I combine all the ingredients, tomato, garlic, roasted red pepper, sour cream, cucumber etc into a blender minus the oil
Start blending and start to drizzle in the olive oil. This will change the color from red to orange/red.
Continue blending for about a minute. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight where the flavors will intensify.

To serve I took some grilled shrimp and cut them in half, get an avocado and start with putting a crouton in the bottom of a ring mold as seen in my photos now layer shrimp, avocado until it’s at the top. Now pour the soup around and pull the ring mold off and I finished with some fresh watercress and a drizzle of olive oil.

Ahhhhhhhh summer lunch!

Benny

Step by step in photos here >>

About Benny

Passion for healthy amazing food. I am on crusade to get kids eat better and people in general learning how to cook for themselves. If I here that McDonald’s is cheaper than eating homemade I will prove anyone wrong.