Showing posts with label Jamie Oliver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jamie Oliver. Show all posts
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Pear and ginger crumble
Autumn is the perfect time for warm desserts, and I think fruit crumbles are one of the best warm desserts available. This pear and ginger variety makes a nice change from standard apple and/or berry crumbles. Jamie Oliver provided the inspiration but I made a few tweaks and so am sharing my version as well as linking to his.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Jamie Oliver inspired vegan chickpea and carrot burgers
Burgers. They are such an easy meal, and have summery connotations even though you can eat them all year round. I have enjoyed some great vegan burger patties in the past, including the paprika-spiced sweet potato, bean and tahini patties I shared in February, and Angela's Thai sweet potato veggie burgers on Oh She Glows. However, I like trying new things too and so this weekend I tried a new vegan recipe from Jamie Oliver.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Jamie Oliver inspired gado-gado
Is anyone else enjoying Jamie Oliver's new show, Jamie's Comfort Food? Most of the dishes are a long way off being vegan, and we tend to skip the meat heavy ones, but I love his enthusiasm for food. Plus, even when the recipe isn't one I'd make as is, I often pick up tips for making things easier and/or better.
 |
| Gado-gado salad in sweet potato |
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Jamie Oliver inspired watermelon and noodle salad
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Jamie Oliver's 15 minute meals: Three we have tried thus far
In addition to our new Leon cookbook, I have been enjoying trialing recipes from Jamie Oliver's 15 minute meals selection. This is the first of his cookbooks I've owned, and I have been approaching the recipes with a healthy dose of realism on the time frame (i.e., I allow 30 minutes to his 15!). So far, the book is proving its worth and the 30 minute allowance is proving realistic.
The first recipe I tried was Koh Samui Salad, or chilli tofu and Thai noodles.
The recipe called for prawns and fish sauce, which I substituted for extra tofu and soy sauce. I also made a few other minor tweaks to the ingredient list, but did retain radishes and fennel - neither of which I have cooked with before.
It turns out that I don't much like radishes on their own (bitter!), but do enjoy them mixed with other ingredients. It also turns out that I love fennel. Seriously, how did I not know about this vegetable?
My only criticism of this recipe is that it doesn't state whether the dish should be served hot or cold. The fact that it is called a salad, and the nature of the ingredients, suggested cold. The fact that rice noodles were soaked in boiling water suggested hot. As I also stir fried tofu, which was then hot, I decided to heat everything through. This was a mistake, as the dish didn't seem quite right warm, and it was only when eating the leftovers cold that I fell in love with it. Still, I know now.
Mr Bite also found this a little spicy, but that could be tweaked to taste by reducing the chilli quota.
The second recipe I made was falafel wraps with grilled vegetables and salsa.
The only catch is that I didn't make the salsa, thinking commercial sauce would suffice instead. It didn't, and we found the falafel to be a bit lacking in flavour. They were okay when eaten in a wrap, but I couldn't get too enthusiastic about them.
I haven't reported the recipes for these dishes because I didn't modify them greatly, but for some free samples of Jamie Oliver's recipes you can see his website at http://www.jamieoliver.com. Other meals from his 15 Minute Meal cookbook have also been featured by Lisa at Bake Bike Blog.
Have you made any of Jamie's 15 minute meals? Or do you have any of his other cookbooks?
Have you made any of Jamie's 15 minute meals? Or do you have any of his other cookbooks?
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Individual pot pies, inspired by Jamie Oliver
As with my chocolate cupcake recipe last month, I have posted about these pies previously. However, the post in question was one of my earliest and the pictures (and words...) now seem a bit lacking. Plus, I have refined things slightly since then. Plus, the pot pies are a good match for winter weather. All in all, it seemed appropriate to revisit them now.
The pies were originally inspired by Jamie Oliver's chicken and mushroom filo pies, which featured on his 30 Minute Meals show early last year. I was taken by the concept of individual pies, and of having just the top covered in pastry. Not being a bit pastry fan myself, and indeed not liking traditional pies much (meat or otherwise), this method of pie preparation appealed to me.
It's also a lot easier than making a traditional pie, and you can make things even easier by using store bought pastry. If you take that route, as I do, then these are quite an easy meal to create and they definitely reward the effort put in.
Our default when these are on the menu is to have a chicken and potato version for Mr Bite and a vegetable version for myself. You may prefer to make one variety but adjust the seasonings to individual tastes, or to omit certain ingredients for fussy eaters. If you live in a helpful household, you may just make everyone's pie the same. They are easily adaptable and your imagination is really the only limit.
There is something about these that makes dinner feel very British. I think it would be fitting to eat them in a pub in front of an open fire, beer to hand, perhaps with plans for a brisk walk home afterwards.
Given that I'm in Australia, I have no open fire, and I don't drink beer - well, we tend to eat them in a slightly less British way. They're still enjoyable though. They probably work in other countries too, although for those of you in the Northern hemisphere, I would recommend waiting until winter!
I usually use the leftover pastry to make a small jam tart, quite literally just with jam and some diced apple. An alternative would be to add more pastry to the top of each pie, or save it for another time.
This is a meal where we are both left very satisfied, very warm, and with slightly burnt tongues due to lack of patience in waiting for the fillings to cool. A good outcome, I think!
Do you enjoy pastry products? Or make pies of any nature yourself?
The pies were originally inspired by Jamie Oliver's chicken and mushroom filo pies, which featured on his 30 Minute Meals show early last year. I was taken by the concept of individual pies, and of having just the top covered in pastry. Not being a bit pastry fan myself, and indeed not liking traditional pies much (meat or otherwise), this method of pie preparation appealed to me.
It's also a lot easier than making a traditional pie, and you can make things even easier by using store bought pastry. If you take that route, as I do, then these are quite an easy meal to create and they definitely reward the effort put in.
Our default when these are on the menu is to have a chicken and potato version for Mr Bite and a vegetable version for myself. You may prefer to make one variety but adjust the seasonings to individual tastes, or to omit certain ingredients for fussy eaters. If you live in a helpful household, you may just make everyone's pie the same. They are easily adaptable and your imagination is really the only limit.
Given that I'm in Australia, I have no open fire, and I don't drink beer - well, we tend to eat them in a slightly less British way. They're still enjoyable though. They probably work in other countries too, although for those of you in the Northern hemisphere, I would recommend waiting until winter!
Individual ramekin pot pies
(vegetarian and chicken-potato)
Inspired by Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals chicken and mushroom filo pies.
The vegetarian pie is vegan if made as below, but the ingredients are easily customisable to taste and dietary requirements.
Makes 2 pies in total with enough leftover puff pastry to make a small jam tart if desired.
Individual vegetarian pot pie (serves 1)
Ingredients
~1/3 sheet Pampas puff pastry (or puff pastry of choice; Pampas is a vegan-friendly brand)
3/4 cup pumpkin, cubed
1/2 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 cup green beans, chopped
1/2 cup green beans, chopped
1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 onion
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 tsp plain flour
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried bsil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 200'C and remove one sheet of puff pastry from the freezer.
Add the pumpkin and carrot to a steamer and steam for ~10 - 15 minutes, until just tender. Add mushrooms towards the end.
Meanwhile, saute the onion in a medium non-stick pan in 1/4 cup of the stock. Cook until just golden (~2 minutes).
When ready, add the pumpkin, carrot and mushroom mix to the non-stick pan, along with the other 1/4 cup stock, flour and seasonings. Reduce heat and simmer ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer pie filling to an individual ramekin. Cut about one-third of the puff pastry sheet and lay it across the top of the pie filling.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry top is golden.
Individual chicken and potato pot pie (serves 1)
Ingredients
~1/3 sheet Pampas puff pastry (or puff pastry of choice)
1 skinless chicken breast (~150g), diced
1/2 onion
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1 tsp milk
1 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 200'C and remove one sheet of puff pastry from the freezer.
Bring water to the boil in a medium saucepan, add the potato and carrot, and simmer until just soft - about 10 - 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute the onion in a medium non-stick pan in the oil. Cook until just golden (~2 minutes) and then add the chicken. Cook until the chicken is browned (~10 minutes).
When ready, add the potato and carrot to the non-stick pan, along with the stock, flour, milk and seasonings. Reduce heat and simmer ~10 minutes, stirring regularly.
Transfer pie filling to an individual ramekin. Cut about one-third of the puff pastry sheet and lay it across the top of the pie filling.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry top is golden.
This is a meal where we are both left very satisfied, very warm, and with slightly burnt tongues due to lack of patience in waiting for the fillings to cool. A good outcome, I think!
Do you enjoy pastry products? Or make pies of any nature yourself?
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
A Jamie Oliver inspired dinner: Smoked salmon with asparagus and optional eggs
I will confess to chuckling to myself as I wrote the above title. I think it must rank as one of the least likely post titles to appear on my blog.
I mean, eggs?!
Sometimes, though, unexpected things come out of my kitchen. This dinner was one such example.
We actually have smoked salmon semi-regularly during Summer - perhaps once a month. Paired with salad and cooked and cooled potatoes, it's an easy weeknight dinner for hot days.
The fact that Mr Bite and I can have the exact same thing (salad dressing differences aside) is also a bonus, and I have come to enjoy smoked salmon more and more with age.
Eggs, though, do not usually feature. Nor does asparagus.
The reason for the change? Jamie Oliver's Great Britain, a series that I think aired in Australia last year, but which we are still working our way through now (all of our TV viewing is done off the PVR, so we are often many months out from when things were first shown).
One of Jamie's episodes featured asparagus, and the serving suggestion of asparagus, smoked salmon and poached eggs appealed to Mr Bite. Given that the meal looked easy to put together, I was more than happy to oblige and give it a try.
The thing that made this dish interesting (or at least, made it interesting to me) was how the eggs were poached. When I have poached eggs in the past, they went straight into boiling water, perhaps with some vinegar to help keep them together, but that was the extent of it.
This cooking method is slightly different.
In effect, you line a small cup or ramekin with cling wrap, into which you place seasoning as desired. In Mr Bite's, I put a dab of butter, pepper and dried parsley, which I think approximated what we watched Jamie do. You then crack an egg into each cup, gather the plastic wrap to make a little parcel, twist the plastic wrap tightly, and then immerse the whole parcel in your boiling water and simmer for 2 - 5 minutes, or however long you like to poach your eggs for.
The result is quite attractive, even to someone who doesn't eat eggs!
We both agreed that the asparagus (which I just steamed) and smoked salmon paired very well together. Mr Bite liked the egg component too, including the seasoning. We had our usual cold potatoes on the side, but I think some fresh bread might suit the ingredients better and I would try that in future.
This was the first time I'd had asparagus in a number of years, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The contrasting intensity of the salmon contributed to this, but I think I'll be trying asparagus in other dishes in the near future too.
All in all, however you make and modify this dish, it is easy and we both enjoyed our versions. The cost for 2 people was also about half of that for a take-away pizza, thereby highlighting that even 'expensive' food (something smoked salmon and asparagus have a reputation for) can be cheaper and quicker to prepare than something you buy ready made.
Do you enjoy asparagus? How about smoked salmon?
Any favourite Jamie Oliver dishes?
I mean, eggs?!
Sometimes, though, unexpected things come out of my kitchen. This dinner was one such example.
We actually have smoked salmon semi-regularly during Summer - perhaps once a month. Paired with salad and cooked and cooled potatoes, it's an easy weeknight dinner for hot days.
The fact that Mr Bite and I can have the exact same thing (salad dressing differences aside) is also a bonus, and I have come to enjoy smoked salmon more and more with age.
Eggs, though, do not usually feature. Nor does asparagus.
The reason for the change? Jamie Oliver's Great Britain, a series that I think aired in Australia last year, but which we are still working our way through now (all of our TV viewing is done off the PVR, so we are often many months out from when things were first shown).
One of Jamie's episodes featured asparagus, and the serving suggestion of asparagus, smoked salmon and poached eggs appealed to Mr Bite. Given that the meal looked easy to put together, I was more than happy to oblige and give it a try.
The thing that made this dish interesting (or at least, made it interesting to me) was how the eggs were poached. When I have poached eggs in the past, they went straight into boiling water, perhaps with some vinegar to help keep them together, but that was the extent of it.
This cooking method is slightly different.
In effect, you line a small cup or ramekin with cling wrap, into which you place seasoning as desired. In Mr Bite's, I put a dab of butter, pepper and dried parsley, which I think approximated what we watched Jamie do. You then crack an egg into each cup, gather the plastic wrap to make a little parcel, twist the plastic wrap tightly, and then immerse the whole parcel in your boiling water and simmer for 2 - 5 minutes, or however long you like to poach your eggs for.
The result is quite attractive, even to someone who doesn't eat eggs!
Picture this with added potato; and then with potato but no eggs for my plate :)
We both agreed that the asparagus (which I just steamed) and smoked salmon paired very well together. Mr Bite liked the egg component too, including the seasoning. We had our usual cold potatoes on the side, but I think some fresh bread might suit the ingredients better and I would try that in future.
This was the first time I'd had asparagus in a number of years, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The contrasting intensity of the salmon contributed to this, but I think I'll be trying asparagus in other dishes in the near future too.
All in all, however you make and modify this dish, it is easy and we both enjoyed our versions. The cost for 2 people was also about half of that for a take-away pizza, thereby highlighting that even 'expensive' food (something smoked salmon and asparagus have a reputation for) can be cheaper and quicker to prepare than something you buy ready made.
Do you enjoy asparagus? How about smoked salmon?
Any favourite Jamie Oliver dishes?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)