Decorated Chocolate Cupcakes (traditional)

Ingredients for the Recipe: (enough for 24 small cups or 12 large like muffins)

Cake:

200grs  decent margarine for baking (or 50% -50% margarine / butter)

200grs caster sugar

200grs self raising flour

4 eggs

1 tea spoon of vanilla essence

2tbsp of lemon syrup (I made this, with lemon zest, water and sugar boiling for awhile)

2 e 1/2 tbsp of good cocoa

Topping:

75grs butter

125grs icing sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1 teaspoon of almond essence

2 tbsp fresh single cream

decorative sprinkles etc to your own taste

Preparation: (Cakes)

Place in a bowl the margarine (soft) with the sugar, and with a electric whisk blend them together for a few minutes until it goes creamy and whitish, at this stage add the vanilla and the lemon syrup (alternatively you can add two tbsp of lemon juice and the zest of one lemon) keep whisking adding one egg at time and letting each one incorporate until adding the next, repeat process until all eggs are in.

Now the flour (premixed with the cocoa), add this one in four parts folding it into the mixture gently with a spatula, once is all mixed in should look like a nice chocolate mousse.

Use a tbsp full of mixture for each paper cup (small) or two tbsp (for large), once all paper cups are filled place them in metallic cupcake shapes, and place it in the oven at 180celcius for 15 minutes (small) 20 minutes (large). once cooked remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack letting them cool completely before decorating.

Topping: (butter-cream)

Place the butter in a small bowl and add half of the icing sugar, whisk it with the electric wisk for a couple of minutes then add the rest of the sugar, continuing to whisk until is just lumpy. Then add the essences and the 2 tbsp of fresh cream continuing with the whisking until is a nice and thick frosting.

(optionally add food colouring and sprinkles of your liking to the frosting "in my case I used red colouring for some frosting and none on remaining, also used chocolate and multicoloured sprinkles" being optionla is not listed in the ingredients) . then just decorate and eat.

PS 

any questions please ask. 

These were my first ever cupcakes, a trial as I intend to star selling this soon at markets.

Oven Baked Fresh Cod with Potatoes and Charlottes

Ingredients: (for 4 people)

• 2 fresh cod fillets (about 700grs) skinless and boneless (cut into small pieces)
• 4 Large pealed potatoes cut into very thin slices (about 5mm thick)
• 8 Charlotte's (thinly sliced)
• 8 Spring onions (sliced)
• 2 Broccoli heads (cut into pieces)
• 4 Garlic cloves (finely diced)
• 250mls fresh cream (you can use creme fraiche)
• 1 fish stock cube (knorr or any other brand)
• 1 bunch of parsley (finely chopped)
• 1/2 Glass of white wine (sweet)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• A little olive oil, salt, black pepper and butter.

An uncomplicated recipe, simply cook the potatoes in water until they become translucent, but not completely cooked (cooking for around 7-10 minutes depending on the potatoes quality), at the same time place on a frying pan a little olive oil and as soon as is very hot add the Charlotte's and the garlic with a pinch of both salt and pepper, stir regularly until these become golden, which then you should add the wine and the spring onions, leaving these to cook until soft (about 3-4 minutes.

In a Pyrex tray, cover the bottom with a film of olive oil, then lay out the sliced potatoes until the bottom is covered, on top of these place half of the onions mixture and also crumble half of the stock cube over it, repeat the process potatoes and onion mixture and stock cube, on on top of this final layer place the filleted fish pieces on top, and cover the fish with sliced red (or white onions) and finally to top it all add the fresh cream over it all, cover the tray with foil and place in a 180 degrees Celsius preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Once the 20 minutes are over, remove the aluminium foil from the tray, with care not to burn yourself or for food to be stuck to it, and let it remain in the oven at the same temperature for a further 20 minutes.

During the last 20 minutes place a deep pan on the stove with two fingers deep of water in it adding to it the broccoli put the lid on and once reaches the boil reduce to minimum leaving it to cook for those 20 minutes.

During the last five minutes before the broccoli are ready, place a little bowl in bain-marie and place in it a little butter around two soup spoons, until its melted adding to it at this stage the chopped parsley    and the lemon juice.

Now that all is ready at the same time is just to assemble the dish on the plate and eat it. Bon apettit!!

Extra wide tagliatelli with Shrimp and Natural Yoghurt Sauce

Ingredients for Recipe:

• 350 g tagliatelle large
• 1 large carrot (peeled and thinly sliced the cartoons)
• 1 large courgette (cut into very thin strips)
• 250grs peeled raw shrimp (cut into halves)
• 1 small pot of yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 finely chopped garlic (+1 crushed)
• 1 / 2 an onion (thinly chopped)
• A cube of fish stock (knorr or other brand)
• 2 teaspoons flour (diluted one-third of a cup of water)
• Some olive oil, salt and black pepper

  

   A very simple dish to make quick and tasty as well as having a yoghurt tang which is unparalleled resembling a lemony taste.

   Prepare all the ingredients, once prepared the dish takes only about 15 minutes to make.

 

  Put the pasta cooking in boiling water with a crushed garlic clove, and at  the same time place  a large skillet with a drizzle of olive oil, and the (2 finely chopped) garlic,  to that add the onion and carrot bring it to sizzling point, stirring constantly to avoid burning (for about 5 minutes).

  Once the carrots soften then add the courgette the bay leaves the fish stock and 1 / 3 cup water, bring to a boil stirring regularly for 5 minutes. Finally add the tablespoon of butter and (water diluted ) flour, yoghurt then let it reach boil and add the shrimp, reduce the heat to minimum and cook for another 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally (do not forget to taste it to see if you need adding any salt and or black pepper).

 

   Drain pasta and serve it on a plate making a nest, in the middle place the shrimp sauce and finally add a little drizzle all around of extra virgin olive oil .Bon appetit!

Chicken and Mushroom Strogonoff (with a fresh mint touch)

Ingredients for the Recipe: (enough for 2)

• 2 chicken thighs (cut into small cubes)
• 200 grams of whole fresh mushrooms
• 1 and 1 / 2 cup of rice pilau
• 1 garlic clove, (finely chopped)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 / 2 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons of "creme fraiche"
• 2 tbsp chilli oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of "chives" baby spring onion chopped baby 
• 1 / 4 cup of water with a teaspoon of Gravy (if you have no gravy, use the same amount of water with a tablespoon of plain flour ½ cube of meat stock) 
• Salt and mint leaves to taste

The preparation of this tested delicacy is very quick, it only needs a pan to cook the rice for about 12 minutes containing only salt and water, plus you will need a frying pan.
Place a tablespoon of olive oil in the frying pan until very hot. Once hot, add the garlic, the bay leaf and a pinch of salt, and stir-fry the garlic (which is pretty fast) adding the chopped chicken once the garlic is golden, stir regularly with a wooden spoon so that the chicken can be sealed all-over,  let the chicken gain a little colour, and at this stage add the wine, the chilli oil and the fresh mushrooms.

Continue stirring frequently for about 3-4 minutes, add the crème fraiche and a quarter cup of water with "gravy powder" (if you have no gravy use a quarter cup of water with half a cube of bouillon and a teaspoon of plain flour diluted, it will form a thick liquid "not too thick though" . 

Once it reaches boiling again, reduce heat and simmer it for 10 to 15 minutes. In the last five minutes add the chopped chives.
Serve and garnish with mint, which is also to eat as is super delicious and compliments the dish. If you fancy something more exotic arrange more chopped mint and use it instead of chopped chives. 

 YUM YUM! must try.