Friday Turkish Halloumi & Veg kebabs Monday Chinese Sweet & sour chicken Tuesday Mexican Turkey enchiladas Thursday American Mixed fruit cobbler Wednesday British Apple crumble & custard
Monday : Chinese sweet & sour chicken Ingredients 1 x 425g/15oz can pineapple chunks in natural juice 2 tbsp cornflour 2 tbsp dark soy sauce 2 tbsp white wine vinegar 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar 2 tbsp tomato ketchup ½ tsp dried chilli flakes 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 tbsp sunflower oil 1 medium onion, cut into 12 wedges 2 peppers, red, green, orange or yellow, deseeded and cut into chunks of about 3cm/1¼in 1 x 225g/8oz can water chestnuts 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 25g/1oz piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated freshly ground black pepper Method 1. To make the sauce, drain the pineapple in a sieve over a bowl and keep all the juice you should have about 150ml/5fl oz. Put the cornflour in a large bowl and stir in three tablespoons of the pineapple juice to make a smooth paste. Add the remaining juice and 150ml/5fl oz water, then stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ketchup and chilli flakes until thoroughly combined. Set aside. 2. Cut each chicken breast into eight or nine even pieces. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok and stir-fry the onion and peppers for two minutes over a high heat. Drain the water chestnuts and cut them in half horizontally 3. Add the remaining oil and the chicken to the pan and stir-fry for two minutes until coloured on all sides. Add the garlic, ginger, pineapple chunks and water chestnuts and stir-fry for 30 60 seconds. 4. Give the cornflour and pineapple mixture a good stir and add it to the pan with the chicken and vegetables. Stir well, season with some ground black pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook for 4 6 minutes until the sauce is thickened and glossy and the chicken is tender and cooked throughout, turning the chicken and vegetables a few times. Serve with a small portion of rice.
DID YOU KNOW? 1. The Sweet & Sour Chicken is a mainstay item in almost all Chinese restaurants in the Western world, with its signature, as the name suggests, sweet and sour taste. However the recipe did not originate in China, but rather in the China Towns of the United States. The Chinese immigrants there found that their somewhat spicier items did not go very well with the Western palette, so they came up with some alternative and sweeter dishes. You can guess what recipe came out of that! Sweet & Sour Chicken! 2. Usually the Chinese use the sweet and sour flavour for fish recipes rather than for chicken and serve it on the side for dipping. In fact the Chinese are quite amused with the Western fascination with the Sweet & Sour Sauce based dishes. 3. Sweet and sour dishes are not unique to China. They are enjoyed by many cultures and cuisines. South East Asian and Indian food have some sweet-sour items, but generally tend towards the sour and salty. In West Asia, Middle East and North Africa the sharp and sweet qualities of fruits such as apricots and pomegranates are utilized in meat dishes. Even our very own Britain has its sweet and sour combinations such as chutneys and brown sauces which are very popular.
Tuesday : Mexican turkey enchiladas Ingredients 1 tbsp sunflower oil 500g turkey mince (2% fat) 1 medium onion 1 yellow pepper deseeded and thinly sliced 400g can chopped tomatoes 400g can red kidney beans in chilli sauce 1 tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice 2 heaped tbsp roughly chopped coriander, plus extra to garnish 6 regular or 8 mini flour tortillas 50g reduced-fat mature cheddar, coarsely grated Large mixed salad, to serve Method 1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat most of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the turkey, onion and pepper for 5 mins, stirring regularly and breaking up the mince with a wooden spoon. Add the chopped tomatoes and kidney beans. 2. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 mins, stirring regularly. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and coriander. Season well. 3. Lightly grease a shallow ovenproof dish with the remaining oil. Put 1 tortilla in the dish and top with a couple of generous spoonfuls of the turkey mixture. Roll up and push to one side of the dish. Repeat with the other tortillas, then spoon any remaining turkey mixture down the sides of the dish. 4. Sprinkle the tortillas with the cheese and bake for 15 mins. Scatter coriander over the enchiladas and serve with a salad.
DID YOU KNOW? 1. Enchiladas originated in Mexico, where the practice of rolling tortillas around other food dates back at least to Mayan times. The people living in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate corn tortillas folded or rolled around small fish. 2. An enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili pepper sauce. Enchiladas can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including meat, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables or combinations. 3. May 5th is National Enchilada Day. 4. The enchilada is one of the dishes mentioned in Mexico s first cookbook in 1831.
Wednesday : Apple crumble & custard Ingredients 575g Bramley apple (3 medium apples), peeled, cored and sliced to 1 cm thick (see tip) 2 tbsp golden caster sugar For the crumble 175g plain flour 110g golden caster sugar 110g cold butter For the topping (optional) 1 tbsp rolled oats 1 tbsp demerara sugar Serve with custard Method 1. Preheat the oven to 190C/170 fan/gas 5. Toss the apples with the 2 tbsp sugar and put in a 23cm round baking dish at least 5cm deep, or a 20cm square dish. Flatten down with your hand to prevent too much crumble falling through. 2. Put the flour and 110g sugar in a bowl with a good pinch of salt, slice in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like moist breadcrumbs. Shake the bowl and any big bits will come to the surface rub them in. Alternatively, pulse in a processor until sandy (don t overprocess). 3. Pour the crumb mix over the apples to form a pile in the centre, then use a fork to even out. Gently press the surface with the back of the fork so the crumble holds together and goes crisp, then lightly drag the fork over the top for a decorative finish. Sprinkle the oats and demerara over evenly, if you wish. 4. Set on a baking tray and put in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden and the apples feel very soft when you insert a small, sharp knife. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving
DID YOU KNOW? 1. A crumble, is a dish of British origin that can be made in a sweet or savoury version, depending on ingredients used, although the sweet version is much more common 2. Crumbles became popular in Britain during World War II, when the crumble topping was an economical alternative to pies due to shortages of pastry ingredients as the result of rationing. To further reduce the use of rationed flour, fat and sugar, breadcrumbs or oatmeal could be added to the crumble mix. The dish was also popular due to its simplicity 3. Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on a cooked mixture of milk and/or cream and egg yolk. Depending on how much egg or thickener is used, custard may vary in consistency from a thin pouring sauce (crème anglaise) to a thick pastry cream
Thursday :Peach and blueberry cobbler Ingredients 8 ripe peaches, halved, stoned and cut into wedges 1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways and seeds scraped out zest of 1 lime 40 g soft brown sugar zest and juice of 1 orange 2.5 cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated For the cobbler topping: 100 g self-raising flour 50 g caster sugar 100 g unsalted butter, chilled icing sugar, to serve (optional) Method 1. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Drain the peaches, reserving the juice from just one of the cans - you'll get about 110ml. 2. Put the peaches and the juice in a medium saucepan and add 2 tbsp of the sugar. Cook the peaches and sugar for three minutes, or until they reach a gentle simmer. 3. Mix the cornflour with 4 tbsp cold water and stir into the pan. Cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes or until the peach juice has thickened and looks almost clear, stirring constantly. Tip into a 1.5 litre shallow ovenproof dish. 4. To make the topping, put the 75g of sugar in a large bowl and add the soft butter, egg, milk, vanilla extract, flour and baking powder. 5..Beat like hell with a wooden spoon or electric whisk. The batter should be thick and smooth and drop easily from the spoon. Don't worry if there are a few small lumps of butter in the mix. Stir in the blueberries. 6. Put big spoonful's of the batter on top of the fruit. There will be a few gaps but the cobbler mixture will soften to fill them 7. 7. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbsp sugar and bake for 35 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is well risen and golden brown.
DID YOU KNOW? 1. Early settlers of America were very good at improvising. When they first arrived, they bought their favourite recipes with them, such as English steamed puddings. Not finding their favourite ingredients, they used whatever was available. 2. Cobblers have been and are still called by various names such as cobbler, tart, pie, torte, pandowdy, grunt, slump, buckles, crisp, croustade, bird s nest pudding or crow s nest pudding. They are all simple variations of cobblers, and they are all based on seasonal fruits and berries, in other words, whatever fresh ingredients are readily at hand. They are all homemade and simple to make and rely more on taste than fancy pastry preparation. 3. Early colonists were so fond of these juicy dishes that they often served them as the main course, for breakfast, or even as a first course. It was not until the late 19th century that they became primarily desserts
Friday :Halloumi cheese & vegetable shish kebabs Ingredients For the kebabs 2 medium courgette Large red onion 250g low fat halloumi cheese, cut into 16 chunks 16 cherry tomato For the Baste 1 tbsp olive oil olive oil 2 tbsp lemon Lemon juice 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (preferably lemon thyme) 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1. Halve the courgettes lengthways, then thickly slice. Cut the onion into wedges and separate into pieces. Thread the halloumi, cherry tomatoes, courgettes and onion onto eight skewers. Cover and chill the kebabs until you are ready to cook (You can do this up to half a day ahead.) 2. To make the baste, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, mustard and seasoning. (This can be made ahead and chilled too.) 3. Preheat the barbecue or grill and arrange the kebabs on the rack. Brush with the baste, stirring it first to make sure the ingredients are blended. Cook for 4-5 minutes, turning often, until the cheese begins to turn golden and the vegetables are just tender. Serve while still hot with warm pitta bread..
DID YOU KNOW? 1. There are numerous varieties of kebab, some of the most famous ones include shish kebab. 2. Kebabs are considered to have originated in Turkey when soldiers used to grill chunks of meat skewed on swords on open field fires. The name was firstly discovered in a Turkish script of Kyssa-i Yusuf in 1377, which is the oldest known source where kebab is stated as a food item. 3. There are numerous varieties of kebab, some of the most famous ones include shish kebab. 4. Şiş, is a Turkish word meaning "sword" or "skewer".