Sirloin Steak w/ Diane Sauce & easy Potato Gratin

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 good sirloin steak (28 days mature best)
• 6 mushrooms (sliced)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 measure of cognac (I used Courvoisier Cognac) Brandy will do too
• 2 potatoes
• 60grs grated cheese
• 50mls fresh cream + 100mls fresh cream
  
• 50mls fresh milk "whole"
• salt and pepper to taste
• and a glug of olive oil

Just put some salt and pepper on both sides of the steak and rub a little olive oil on each side too, let it absorb the flavour for 20-30minutes, then get a griddle pan on the fire and a frying pan too.
On the griddle once extremely hot, place the steak on the one side for about 2 minutes then on the other for another 2 minutes, then turn around again to another diagonal position 2 minutes and again turn to the other side 2 more minutes (all in all 8-10 minutes should suffice for a medium rare steak). While that is doing place a glug of olive oil in the frying pan and the garlic (minced) as soon as start to sizzle add the mushrooms tossing them regularly, once fully covered in oil pour the cognac (brandy) and tip forward the pan (thus flambéing the mushrooms) and the flame will go out by it self, continue to toss the mushrooms until cooked add then the 100mls cream and in a glass mix a tea spoon of plain flour and water, then add a little at he time to the cream until it gets to the consistency you want. And that's the sauce done, which should finish around the same time as the steak.

The potatoes, these you prepare as the steak marinades as they will take about 20 minutes to grattin. Prior to that peal them and slice them, parboil them till virtually cooked, than you place one layer of potato, mill a little pepper over them and a little salt, pour a little milk and cream over them and half of the grated cheese, another layer repeat the same...and to the oven it goes 200c 20 minutes more or less ...you know when they are ready as to the golden colour on top see picture.

A classic recipe made easy!!! Hope you like it.

This recipe was just for me ...so just to feed one.. multiply to feed more. :)

Prawns and Cod - Fisherman Rico Style

Receita em Português AQUI

This wasn't a very cheap diner overall, however if you do the account per person it is very cheap as you'd never eat this quality at the price per person. Total cost was around £10.00 and serves 4 people so is about £2.50 per person ... see.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 4 medium tomatoes (de seeded and skinless, roughly chopped)
• 200grs button mushrooms
• 5 spring onions (chopped)
  
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 red pepper (finely but roughly chopped)
• 500grs Cod (de boned and skinless, chopped into small cubes)
  
• 250grs King Prawns fresh
• 400grs rice (basmati)
• 1 bunch parsley (chopped)
• 3 bay leafs
• 1/3 tea spoon of chilli powder
• 4 soup spoons of olive oil + 2 of vegetable oil
• a measure of Poitín (or Cognac) + 1 measure of Port wine
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Another easy recipe to make, as always and very healthy. Put a pan on the stove and boil the rice, once the rice is boiled place it in a colander draining. While the rice is cooking you can start making the sauce, which is also very simple.

Place another pan on the stove (high) place the oils inside until very hot add then the onion, garlic, bay leafs, red pepper and the salt pepper. Let these ones cook until the onion is caramelized, at this point you add the chilli, tomatoes and button mushrooms, let these cook for another 5 minutes, and now add the tomatoes, fish, spring onions, Port and Poitín. Continuing to cook for a further 3 minutes now add the prawns cook for a further 2 minutes until they cooked through and finally the parsley (saving a little to decorate the dish). And you basically done.

Get the rice and pour boiling water over it, letting it drain again this will make it very loose and fluffy, create a bed of rice in each plate and put some sauce over it and decorate it (see picture).

Also alternatively you can add instead of Poitín and port just a full glass of red wine, that will work too.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Receita em Portugues clique AQUI

Another pasta dish as promised, this time a classic, cheap and easy to do, OK is not the most healthy but certainly makes up for taste.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 200grs mushrooms (sliced)
• 150grs smoked bacon (strips sliced)
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• 1 onion (very...very finely chopped)
• 2 egg yolks
  
• 200mls fresh single cream
• 50grs Cheddar cheese (grated)
• 2 soup spoons of parmesano cheese (grated)
• 4soup spoons of olive oil
  
• one measure of fire-water or vodka
• 400-500grs spaghetti (or fettuccine or even linguine)
• salt and pepper
• (optional) decoration a bit of parsley
  

This is a very easy and simple recipe to make, so if you in a hurry this is what you do:
Put a skillet frying pan on the fire and a deep pan with water for the spaghetti, on the spaghetti pan add a little salt and a little vegetable oil (about one spoon full, this does two things: stops the water from foaming to much and helps the pasta not stick too much), once this reaches a boil add the spaghetti in (or the pasta of your preference).

In the skillet, place the olive oil until hot, then in goes the garlic, bacon and the onions, let them cook stirring occasionally until the start to caramelized, once this stage is reached add the mushrooms + a pinch of salt and pepper, once the mushrooms are virtually cooked throw in the fire-water (or vodka) lean the pan forward so that it catches the flame as soon as it does straighten it and shake it, the flame will burn all the alcohol in the booze and will flavour the contents, don't worry it will only burn for a few seconds.

At this stage add the fresh cream leave about 2 spoons of that fresh cream in a glass and mix with it the 2 egg yolks once the fresh cream on the pan starts to bubble add the egg yolks and the cheeses (both of them) the cream should thicken up to a nice consistency, turn the fire down and let it simmer for a little while about 2-3 minutes, the whole process will probably take 10-12 minutes in which the spaghetti is also cooked. So drain the spaghetti passing boiling water through once well drained dish it and serve some sauce over it, and if you want add a little chopped parsley on top and you're done ...all in all will take you about 15-20 minutes to prepare this meal and even less to eat it :)

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Salmon Fetuccini (with an extra)

My apologies for the wait to everyone especially to Chef E.

This is what you all have been waiting for, I need to warn you this is a very seriously delicious meal, and I beg you to make it for you and your family you will not be disappointed.

Actually being winter I am going to be doing a few pasta dishes to delight you all over the coming days!!!

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 glass of milk.
• 100mls double cream.
• 2 soup spoons butter.
• 1/3 freshly ground nutmeg (if already in powder one third of a tea spoon).
• 1/3 tea spoon of freshly ground black pepper.
• 1 tea spoon of sea salt.
  
• 1 measure of white port wine (red will do, or you can use half a glass of white wine).
• 2 heaped soup spoons of plain flour dissolved in a glass of water.
• 4 skinless and boneless wild salmon portions (frozen is best, but you can use fresh)
• a bunch of parsley (finely chopped, equivalent to about 2 soup spoons full)
• 400grs of egg fettuccine (to be cooked "al dente")
• 200grs king prawns (other will do. I used frozen)
• olive oil (see how much is enough)

This was so darn easy, I got inspired by a couple of photos at my local supermarket.
In a large pan put the salt, the milk, the butter, the black pepper and nutmeg, let this come to a boil, turn the fire down to a simmering and add the frozen salmon, make sure milk is boiling gently and after about 3 minutes turn the salmon around, and after another 3 again and again, this until the fish is completely cooked (poached, poaching from frozen I found to produce better fish flakes) once fish cooked take it out onto a plate. Now add the double cream to the milk and the port let it again come to the boil and slow it to simmering and add the prawns, if they already cooked just enough time to make sure they are heated through, if they from raw (which their colour is gray, wait till they turn bright orange and then about 2-3 more minutes.

While that is happening flake the salmon in the plate (make sure the pasta is cooking during this time as it will take about 12 minutes to be "al Dente"). Once the prawns are done raise the temperature and add the flaked fish in and pour half of the glass of water with flour in, always stirring, it will start very quickly start to get thicker, well you want the consistency of bechamel or thick gravy, if to liquid add a little more until it does, if too thick (which I will not believe will be, add a little more milk) once the right thickness add the parsley and turn the fire off, now drain the cooked fettuccine passing it through boiling water and add it to the sauce, mix it well and then dish it, I then dressed it with a little pure virgin olive oil, you can do the same is delicious if you get a very good olive oil, or you can sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top or even crumb some Gorgonzola on the top of it ...it is really up to you...but this was the best meal I ever made...apart from the gigantic enchiladas I made some time ago on this blog. YUM YUM!!! please try it.