recipes, foodie shizzle & gen cooking banter with Tara Rocks & the WEST ROCKS crew. if you've made or eaten something to yum about then get it to me taracookingrocks@gmail.com
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
YET ANOTHER (!!) healthy lunch from RECOGNISE MAGAZINE
Friday, 6 August 2010
Friday night CHICKEN CURRY – korma kinda vibe
2.5cm fresh ginger, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli
4 tablespoons ground almonds
125ml water
5 cardamom pods, bruised
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 bay leaves
4 cloves
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.5kg boned, skinned chicken thighs, each cut in 2
2 onions
250ml Greek yogurt
250ml chicken stock
125ml double cream
100g (golden if poss) sultanas
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
75g flaked almonds, toasted if u can be bothered
Serving Size : Serves 8–10
1. Put the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander and chilli into a food processor, and blend to a paste. Add the ground almonds and water, then blend again, and set aside. OR - If you dont have food processor then pestle and mortar or a little spice grinder works.
2. Put the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and cloves into a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the chicken pieces – in batches so they fry rather than stew – and cook them just long enough to seal on both sides, then remove to a dish.
4. Tip in the bowlful of spices and turn them in the oil. Peel and finely chop the onions, add to the pan of spices, and cook until softened and lightly browned, but keep the heat gentle and stir frequently. Pour in the blended paste, and cook everything until it begins to colour. Add the yogurt, 125ml at a time, stirring it in to make a sauce; then stir in the stock, cream and sultanas.
6. Pour into a serving dish and scatter with the toasted flaked almonds.
HEALTHY SALAD 4 lunch from Recognise Magazine
FAIRY CAKES

Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Orange & Strawberry Victoria Sponge
Orange infused Victoria Sponge with orange butter icing & home made strawberry jam

- For the sponge
- For the jam
- For the icing
-
250g/4oz soya butter
250g/4oz icing sugar
1/4 orange - the juice only
1 large orange -the zest only
Making the cake!
Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins with baking paper, and dust with flour.
Using electric whisk, cream together the butter and sugar
Gradually beat in the eggs, then add the flour and orange zest and mix
Divide the mixture evenly between the two cake tins, then bake in the oven for 25 mins, or until golden-brown. Empty tins and put aside cakes to cool on a wire rack
Next the jam, place the strawberries, oj and sugar into a small frying pan over a low heat. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the fruit begins to look jam like!
Then the icing, beat the butter, icing sugar, oj and zest in a bowl until smooth.
To serve, place one sponge on plate and spread half of the icing on top. Spoon over the jam, top with the second sponge and then sprinkle top of cake with icing sugar or as I did whipped some non-dairy cream and decorated with strawberries.....

Rosie Oddie of new band BONES & Katie Melua a la cake
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Lemon, Garlic & Rosemary Roast Lamb


Hummus
½ can drained chick peas
sea salt to season
1/2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped as fine as u can!
1/2 tablespoon tahini (sesame seed paste)
the juice of 1 lemon - fresh squeezed
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup water
Put chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, water, salt & pepper into food processor. Give it a whizz until you get the consistency you like, add salt & pepper to taste as you go along. Then in like 2 mins you have home made healthy hummus and no need to use olive oil in this recipe - which keeps it a super healthy snack for the lads!

Tom Graham necked all the hummus




