007 Apple Martini

To celebrate the new bond film, recipease is posting a selection 007 inspired cocktails! Here is a twist on the classic martini, Apple Martini. Definitely not for the kids. Please drink responsibly.

Serves 1, make more as required

Ingredients:

1.5 fluid ounces vodka

1.5 fluid ounces apple schnapps

1.5 fluid ounces frozen lemonade

1.5 fluid ounces chilled lemon-lime sparkling juice drink

1 lime wedge

Method:
1. Pour the vodka, schnapps, lemonade and lemon-lime juice into a cocktail maker over ice.
2. Shake until the outside of the cocktail maker has frosted.
3. Strain into a martini glass.
4. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Enjoy your bond - standard cocktail shaken, not stirred!

Vegetarian Japanese Yakisoba Noodles

Konnichiwa!
Go Japanese with these veggie yakisoba noodles, easy to make, minimal effort, and maximum taste - this meat-less dish is suitable for vegetarians but also the perfect family dinner! For more servings just double/triple the amount of ingredients to suit the number of servings you need. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:
200 g Japanese Soba Noodles
2 tbsp Chilli Sauce
2 tbsp Mirin
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tbsp Ginger, grated
3 Carrots, thinly sliced
1/4 Savoy Cabbage, roughly chopped
A Red Onion, sliced

Method:
1.  Boil the noodles in boiling water until al dente.
2. Drain, rinse in cold waterand drain again.
3. Mix in the chilli sauce, mirin and soy sauce with 1 tbsp water.
4. Heat the sesame oil in a large wok and add the ginger.
5. Stir for a few minutes and then add the carrot, cabbage and onion.
6. Cook for about three minutes , then add the noodles.
7. Stir-fry for a few more minutes until warmed through and then add the sauce.
8. Continue mixing until everything is hot and the sauce has thickened.
9. Serve immediately.

Enjoy your little taste of Japanese cusine. Sayonara!

Flat Breads

Ingredients:
250g Wholemeal Flour
250g White Bread Flour
2tbsp Greek Yoghurt
Oil

Method:
1. Mix the flour and yoghurt with enough water to make a dough.
2. Knead until smooth, then knead in 2tsp oil.
3. Rest for 15 minutes.
4. Heat a frying pan.
5. Divide the dough into 12 balls and cover.
6. Dust the first ball with flour and roll it out to 2mm thick.
7. Cook the bread in the pan for 2-3 minutes, when bumps appear turn over and cook the second side.
8. Carefully press down around the edges of the bread with a tea towel, when it's done it should puff up in the middle.
9. Make the flat breads, remember to cover the ones that you have made!

Ginger Crème Brûlèe

Crème Brûlèe with a ginger twist, this recipe is a perfect dinner-party dessert, it is elegant, sophisticated, and looks fabulous, especially if you caramelise it with a blowtorch.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
40g Ginger, peeled and finely diced
150g Soft Brown Sugar
4 Eggs, separated
500ml Whipping Cream
150ml Water

Method:
1. Heat the oven to 140c/fan 120/gas1.
2. Combine the water and half the sugar in a sauce pan, dissolve on a low heat then bring to the boil.
3. Add the ginger and simmer for 20 mins.
4. Drain the ginger.
5. Whisk the eggs with the remaining sugar and cream.
6. Divide the candied ginger between six ramekins.
7. Cover with the Crème Brûlèe mixture and cook in a bain marie for 45 mins.
8. Chill for one hour.
9. Sprinkle with some extra brown sugar.
10. Caramelise under a frill or with a blow torch before serving.

Leek and Potato Soup

A classic soup for those cold autumn nights, soooo simple to make, perfect for a quiet night in! 

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3 large leeks, chopped

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Handful of chopped fresh parsley

1 vegetable stock cube

900ml chicken stock

50g butter

Handful chopped fresh parsley

Salt + Pepper

Method:

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan and sauté the leek and onion, stirring regularly, for a few minutes.

2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, simmer for 30 mins.

3. Puree soup with a blender.

4. Serve with thick chunks of buttered wholemeal bread.

007 Elderflower and Lemon Vodka Martini

Following the hype of the new bond film, here at recipease we've got into the 007 mood with this delightful cocktail - not for the kids! Remember: Please drink responsibly!

Makes 1, repeat as suited

Ingredients:
3tbsp Lemon Vodka
1tbsp Elderflower Cordial
Ice

Method:
1. Pour the vodka and cordial into a large jar or cocktail shaker if you have one.
2. Add a handful of ice.
3. Shake well!
4. Strain into a martini glass.
5. Enjoy your simple, sophisticated drink!

Shaken, not stirred!

Carrot, Houmous and Radish Pittas

Perfect for a lunch box, just wrap tightly in cling film until needed - or enjoy as a healthy, no fuss lunch!!

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 Wholemeal Pittas, halved
Houmous
2 Carrots, Grated
Radishes, sliced (About the same amount as the carrot)
Half a red onion, finely sliced
A few leaves  lettuce

Method:

1. Open up the pitta halves and spread some houmous in them.
2. Place a few leaves of lettuce in each half.
3. Stuff the halves with a mixture of the radish, onion, and carrots.
4. Wrap tightly in cling film until needed, or eat straight away.

Feel free to 'mix it up' with different vegetables or 'experiment' with some sauces,

Enjoy!

Mini Quiches

Enjoy your second advent recipe!

Perfect over Christmas, these are the ultimate party food! Make these more festive by replacing the bacon and onion for cooked turkey/chicken and dried cranberries!

Ingredients:
2x Shortcrust Pastry recipe
3 large eggs
290ml carton double cream
175g grated cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper
1/2 White Onion, sauteed till soft and golden
100g Unsmoked bacon, grilled and cut into pieces

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°c/GM6
1. Lightly grease a mini cupcake tin with some butter. (By mini, use a cupcake tray with the cuplets roughly 1½ inch in diameter, a smaller size than you would use for your average cupcakes)
2. With your hands, roll pastry into small balls, slightly smaller than a golf ball.
3. Place the pastry balls into the cuplets of the baking tray.
4. With a mini tart 'dobber' or a small rolling pin's end, squash into the balls so that they enclose around and when removed leaving you with mini pastry tart cases.
5. Blind bake these tart cases in the oven for about 10mins or until barely golden.
6. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, cream and cheese with a good grinding of salt and pepper.
7. Spoon mix into tart cases and then spoon a sensible amount of the bacon and onions into each of them.
8. Bake in the oven for 15-20mins until pastry is golden and filling shakes a little.
9. Leave for about 10mins for the mixture to set.
10. Enjoy with other party nibbles!

You could also completely bake the tarts without any filling until golden and cooked through and then fill with cold fillings like coronation chicken, with some chopped dried apricots sprinkled on top; or you could do a simple tuna mayo topped with a small quarter of a cucumber slice! Experiment and come up with your own creations!

Shortcrust Pastry

Happy Advent, here is your first recipe for the festive season! You will most likely use this pastry for some of the following recipes which you can make over Christmas too, say no more!

A simple pastry which is dead easy to make and used in so many other recipes!
My biggest tip for this recipe is to use the margarine which says perfect for cakes, not the one that says perfect for pastry, I don't know why, but the pastry always turns out more soft and moldable.

Ingredients:
200g Plain Flour
100g Margarine
Water, to bind

Method:
1. Work margarine and flour into crumbs with your hands.
2. Add water and 'knead' into pastry dough until smooth.
3. Use in the recipe that you are making!