Flights of Fancy

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to two pioneers in the field of aviation whose birthdays are commemorated this week Louis Blériot and Amy Johnson. And your “in-flight meals” are Chicken Cacciatore, Easy Sweet & Sour Chicken and Oriental Duck Salad.

Louis Blériot (1 July 1872 – 2 August 1936) was a French aviator, inventor and engineer. He developed the first practical headlamp for cars and established a profitable business manufacturing them, using much of the money he made to finance his attempts to build a successful aircraft. In 1909 he became world famous for making the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier than air aircraft, winning the prize of £1,000 offered by the Daily Mail newspaper. Blériot was also the first to make a working, powered, piloted monoplane, and the founder of a successful aircraft manufacturing company.

Amy Johnson CBE, (1 July 1903 – 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English aviatrix. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, Johnson set numerous long-distance records during the 1930s. Johnson flew in the Second World War as a part of the Air Transport Auxiliary where she died during a ferry flight.

The full version of this article can be found at www.garfysplaceinfo.blog.co.uk

My first recipe is Chicken Cacciatore Courtesy of Olive Magazine October 2005.

Serves 6, Prep 20 mins, Cook 30 mins

1 x Onion, finely chopped
2 x Garlic Cloves, crushed
Olive Oil
2 x 400g cans of Cherry Tomatoes
4 tbsp x Mascarpone
A Handful of Basil
6 x Skinless Chicken Breasts

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil until softened but not coloured. Add the tomatoes, season, and then simmer for 10-15 minutes or until thick and glossy. Take off the heat and stir in the mascarpone and half a handful of basil, roughly torn.

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the chicken breasts on both sides until golden. Transfer to a baking dish and pour over the sauce. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Scatter over the remaining half handful of basil. Serve with a short pasta, like fusilli, or a big bowl of potatoes roasted with olive oil and rosemary.

My next recipe is Easy Sweet & Sour Chicken Courtesy of Good Food Magazine February 2004.

Serves 4, Prep 5 – 10 mins, Cook 15 mins

9 tbsp x Tomato Ketchup
3 tbsp x Malt Vinegar
4 tbsp x Dark Muscovado Sugar
2 x Garlic Cloves, crushed
4 x Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into chunks
1 x Small Onion, roughly chopped
2 x Red Peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
227g x Pineapples pieces in juice, drained
100g x Sugar Snap Peas , roughly sliced
A Handful of Salted, Roasted Cashew Nuts, optional

In a large microwaveable dish, mix the ketchup, vinegar, sugar and garlic thoroughly with the chicken, onion and peppers. Microwave, uncovered, on High for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is starting to cook and the sauce is sizzling.
Stir in the pineapple pieces and sugar snap peas and return to the microwave for another 3-5 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked. Leave to stand for a few minutes, then stir in the cashews, if using, and serve.

My final recipe is Oriental Duck Salad Courtesy of Good Food Magazine September 2007.

Serves 2 but easily doubled, Prep 10 mins, Cook 15 mins

2 x Duck Breasts, skin on
100g x Rocket & Watercress salad (pre-bagged)
250g x Cherry Tomatoes, halved
A Bunch of Spring Onions, sliced diagonally

For The Dressing
1 x Garlic Clove, grated
1 tsp x Fresh Root Ginger, grated
2 tbsp x Soy Sauce
3 tbsp x Honey

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Score the skin of the duck breasts and season. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat, add the duck, skin-side down, and cook for 4 mins or until the skin is crisp. Turn it over and quickly brown the underside, then transfer to a baking tray.

Mix the dressing ingredients together and spoon all but 2 tbsp of it over the duck. Roast the duck for 10 mins for pink, longer if you prefer. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 4 mins, then slice into strips. 3 Toss together the salad, tomatoes, spring onions and duck slices. Drizzle over the remaining dressing and serve.

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. Leonardo Da Vinci

Tune into my shows on 6townsradio “The Thursday Morning Show with TheRealTonyc” every Thursday from 10-12 & my Sunday show “UndertheCovers with TheRealTonyc” at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D

Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/therealtonyc
www.chefgarfy.blog.co.uk/
www.chefgarfyinfo.blog.co.uk
www.6towns.co.uk

 

Game, Set and Match

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to the annual British spectacular better known asThe Wimbledon Championships. The recipes this week celebrate this event with all things strawberry, they are Eton Mess, Strawberry & Orange Cheesecake and Strawberry Flan.

The Wimbledon Championships, or simply Wimbledon (25 June – 8 July in 2012), is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors being the Australian Open, French Open and US Open. Wimbledon is the only Major still played on grass, the game’s original surface, which gave the game of lawn tennis its name.

The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, culminating with the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Singles Final, scheduled respectively for the second Saturday and Sunday. Each year, five major events are contested, as well as four junior events and three invitational events.

The hard court (Plexicushion) Australian Open and clay court French Open precede Wimbledon in the calendar year. The hard court (DecoTurf) US Open follows. For men, the grass court Queen’s Club Championships, also in London, as well as the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, serve as warm-up events. For women, the AEGON Classic in Birmingham and 2 joint events, the UNICEF Open in S-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands and the Eastbourne International serve as warm-up events to Wimbledon.

Wimbledon traditions include a strict dress code for competitors, the eating of strawberries and cream by the spectators, and Royal patronage. The tournament is also notable for the absence of sponsor advertising around the courts. In 2009, Wimbledon’s Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof to prevent rain delaying and interrupting Centre Court matches during the tournament.

The full version of this article can be found at www.garfysplaceinfo.blog.co.uk

My first recipe is Eton Mess,Recipe courtesy of Olive magazine, May 2012.

Serves 4, Ready in 15 mins

150ml x Whipping Cream
150ml x 0% Fat Greek Yogurt
1 tsp x Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp x Icing Sugar
300g x Small Strawberries
50g x Ready-Made Meringues, crushed

Whip the cream and yoghurt with the vanilla and 1 tbsp of the icing sugar. Put half the strawberries in a food processor with the other tbsp icing sugar and whizz to a purée. Quarter the rest of the strawberries. Layer up the cream mix, crushed meringue, strawberries and purée in glasses, ending with some strawberries and purée.

My next recipe is Strawberry & Orange Cheesecake, Recipe courtesy of Slimming World

Serves: 4, Prep time: 20 mins, plus chilling

8 x Ginger Nut Biscuits
28g x Low-Fat Spread
142g x Strawberries, plus a few to decorate
250g x Quark
A Few Drops of Vanilla Essence
1 x Medium Orange
Artificial Sweetener, to taste
2 x Sachets Gelatine
Mint leaves, to decorate

Crush the biscuits into fine crumbs and place in a bowl. Place the low-fat spread in a small pan and heat until melted. Mix into the biscuit crumb, spoon into 4 x 3in/8cm pastry rings on a baking sheet, press evenly over the base and chill.

Place 3½oz/100g of the strawberries in a food processor along with the quark and vanilla essence and blend until smooth. Chop the remaining strawberries and half of the orange into small pieces. Add to the mixture, along with the artificial sweetener, and mix well.

Dissolve the gelatine in 4 tbsp water in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cool, then fold into the strawberry mixture. Spoon over the bases and chill until set.

To serve, run a sharp knife around the inside of each ring and remove the cheesecakes. Place on individual serving plates and serve garnished with the remaining strawberries, orange segments and mint leaves.

Tip: Agar agar can be used instead of gelatine if preferred.

My final recipe is Strawberry Flan Recipe courtesy of www.goodtoknow.co.uk

Serves: 4, Prep time: 15 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins + chilling time.

350ml x Milk
1 x Vanilla Pod, split in half
4 x Egg yolks
70g x Caster Sugar
20g x Flour
22cm x Cooked Pastry Case
500g x Strawberries
3tbsp x Apricot Glaze (or sifted apricot jam), warmed
Extra Fresh Fruit, to decorate

Heat the milk in a pan with the vanilla pod, then remove from the heat. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl, add the flour and a little warm milk and mix well. Add this mixture to the rest of the warm milk in the pan and whisk over the heat for 3-4 mins or until thickened and smooth. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Fill the cooked pastry case with the custard.

Wash, hull (remove the green bit) and slice the strawberries and arrange on top of the custard. Brush with the warm apricot glaze. Decorate with extra fresh fruit and glaze again. Chill before serving.

‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master,
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

 

Tune into my shows on 6townsradio “The Thursday Morning Show with TheRealTonyc” every Thursday from 10-12 & my Sunday show “UndertheCovers with TheRealTonyc” at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.

 

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D

Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/therealtonyc
www.chefgarfy.blog.co.uk/
www.chefgarfyinfo.blog.co.uk
www.6towns.co.uk

The Animal Magic of a Former Beatle

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to the genius of two men Johnny Morris and Sir Paul Mc Cartney. The recipes this week are Steak with Madeira and Mushroom Sauce, Slow-Braised Beef in Red Wine and Sea-Salted Caramels.

Johnny Morris was a Welsh television presenter. He is known for his children’s programmes for the BBC on the topic of zoology, most notably Animal Magic and for narrating the imported, Canadian-produced Tales of the Riverbank series of stories about Hammy the Hamster, Roderick the Rat, GP the Guinea Pig, and their assorted animal friends along a riverbank.

Sir Paul Mc Cartney is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. With John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, he gained worldwide fame as a member of the Beatles, and with Lennon formed one of the most celebrated songwriting partnerships of the 20th century. Following the band’s break-up, he began a solo career and later formed the group Wings with his first wife Linda Eastman, and singer-songwriter Denny Laine.
He has been described by Guinness World Records as the “most successful composer and recording artist of all time”, with 60 gold discs and sales of over 100 million albums and 100 million singles, and “the most successful songwriter” in UK chart history.[1][2] His Beatles song “Yesterday” has been covered by over 2,200 artists—more than any other song in the history of recorded music. Wings’ 1977 release “Mull of Kintyre”, co-written with Laine, was one of the best-selling singles ever in the UK. He has written or co-written thirty-one songs that have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2012 he has sold over 15.5 million RIAA-certified units in the United States.
McCartney has composed film scores, classical and electronic music, and has released a large catalogue of songs as a solo artist. He has taken part in projects to help international charities, been an advocate for animal rights, vegetarianism and music education, campaigned against landmines and seal hunting, and supported efforts such as Make Poverty History. His company MPL Communications owns the copyrights to more than 25,000 songs, including those written by Buddy Holly, as well as the publishing rights to the musicals Guys and Dolls, A Chorus Line and Grease. He is one of the UK’s wealthiest people, with an estimated fortune of £475 million in 2010. He has been married three times and is the father of five children.

The full version of this article can be found at www.garfysplaceinfo.blog.co.uk

My first recipe is Steak with Madeira and Mushroom Sauce. Courtesy of www.goodtoknow.co.uk

Serves: 2, Cooking time: 20 mins

2 x Sirloin, rib-eye, rump or centre cut steaks
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
1tbsp x Olive Oil
100g x Chestnut Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
5tbsp x Hot Organic Beef Stock
3tbsp x Madeira Wine
5tbsp x Double Cream
2tbsp x Freshly Chopped Chives

Heat a large non-stick frying or griddle pan, season the steaks, brush with oil on both sides and cook according to your preference. Transfer to warm serving plates and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Reduce the heat under the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, increase the heat and boil for 3 minutes until slightly reduced. Add the wine and cream and reduce for a further 3-4 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in the chives.

My next recipe is Slow-Braised Beef in Red Wine. Courtesy of www.goodtoknow.co.uk

Serves: 4, Prep time: 30 mins, Cooking time: 2 hrs 30 mins

175g x Streaky Bacon, chopped
2tbsp x Sunflower Oil (if needed)
900g x Braising Steak, cut into 4cm/1 1/2in cubes
12 x Small Shallots, peeled
12 x Baby Carrots
1tbsp x Flour
300ml x Red Wine
300ml x Beef Stock
2tbsp x Soy Sauce
100g x Button Mushrooms
1tsp x Dried Herbes de Provence
4tbsp x Chopped Fresh Parsley

Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F/Gas Mark 3. Fry the bacon in a large casserole or pan until crisp. In the same casserole, brown the steak briskly, adding oil if needed. Lower the heat and fry the shallots until golden. Add the carrots, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, followed by the wine, stock and soy sauce. Bring to the boil, stirring until thickened. Add the mushrooms and herbs, cover tightly and cook in the oven for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Transfer the 24 rolls to 2 large non-stick baking trays, leaving plenty of room for each roll to rise. Bake for 20-25mins until golden. Serve the lamb rolls with the Piccalilli.

My final recipe is Sea-Salted Caramels. Courtesy of www.goodtoknow.co.uk

Makes: 20, Prep time: 15 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

150g x Caster Sugar
150g x Light Muscovado Sugar
100g x Unsalted Butter
200ml x Double Cream
3tsp x Golden Syrup
1tsp x Sea Salt Flakes

Grease a 15–17cm square tin with sunflower oil. Place the caster sugar in a deep pan with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Set the pan over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil and continue to cook until the sugar has turned to a deep amber-coloured caramel. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the remaining ingredients and stir until smooth.

Return the pan to the heat and bring back to the boil. Continue to cook until the caramel reaches 130°C/250°F on a sugar thermometer. Remove from the heat, leave to settle for 30 seconds, then pour into the prepared tin and leave until cold before turning out of the tin and breaking into pieces.

In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

Tune into my shows on 6townsradio “The Thursday Morning Show with TheRealTonyc” every Thursday from 10-12 & my Sunday show “UndertheCovers with TheRealTonyc” at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D

Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/therealtonyc
www.chefgarfy.blog.co.uk/
www.chefgarfyinfo.blog.co.uk
www.6towns.co.uk

Hail & Farewell to the Sound of Steam & Thunder

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to Reverend W. Awdry who’s birthday is remembered this week and to the memory of Ray Bradbury who sadly passed away last week. The recipes this week are taken from the Good Food Magazine, they are Mustardy Pork & Apples, Blackberry & Apple Loaf and Apple Pie Samosas.

Reverend W. Awdry, OBE (15 June 1911 – 21 March 1997), was an English clergyman, railway enthusiast and children’s author, better known as the Reverend W. Awdry and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, who starred in Awdry’s acclaimed Railway Series.

Ray Bradbury (August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012) was an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man, Bradbury was one of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers of speculative fiction. Many of Bradbury’s works have been adapted into television shows or films.

The full version of this article can be found at www.garfysplaceinfo.blog.co.uk

My first recipe is Mustardy Pork & Apples Courtesy of Good Food magazine, March 2006.

Serves 4, prep 5 mins, cook 20 mins.

4 x Pork Steaks, approx 140g each, trimmed of excess fat
1 tbsp x Oil
2 x Eating Apples, cored and cut into eight
1 x Onion, halved and sliced
A Small Handful of Sage Leaves, torn, or 2 tsp x Dried Sage
100ml x Chicken Stock (from a cube is fine) 
2 tsp x Dijon Mustard or Wholegrain Mustard

Rub the pork steaks with a little oil and season with pepper and salt to taste. Heat a large frying pan and fry the steaks for 2 mins on both sides until golden. Transfer to a plate. Adding a little more oil to the pan, fry the apples, onions and sage for 5 mins or until the apples have softened.

Pour in the stock and spoon in the mustard, then return the pork to the pan and simmer for 10 mins until the sauce has reduced by about a third and the pork is cooked through. Serve with veg and mashed potatoes.

My next recipe is Blackberry & Apple Loaf Courtesy of Good Food magazine, September 2002.

Cuts into 10 chunky slices, ready in 2 hours, including baking.

250g x Self-Raising Flour
175g x Butter
175g x Light Muscovado Sugar
½ tsp x Cinnamon
2 rounded tbsp x Demerara Sugar
1 x Small Eating Apple, such as Cox’s, quartered (not cored or peeled)
2 x Large Eggs, beaten
1 x Orange, finely grated zest
1 tsp x Baking Powder
225g x Blackberries

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C. Butter and line the bottom of a 1.7 litre loaf tin (see tip below). In a large bowl, rub the flour, butter and muscovado sugar together with your fingers to make fine crumbs. Measure out 5 level tbsp of this mixture into a small bowl for the topping, and mix in to it the cinnamon and demerara sugar. Set aside.
Coarsely grate the apple down to the core and mix in with the eggs and the zest. Stir the baking powder into the rubbed-in mixture in the large bowl, then quickly and lightly stir in the egg mixture until it drops lightly from the spoon. Don’t over-mix.

Gently fold in three quarters of the berries with a metal spoon, trying not to break them up. Spoon into the tin and level. Scatter the rest of the berries on top. Sprinkle over the topping and bake for 1¼ -1 hour 20 minutes. Check after 50 minutes and cover loosely with foil if it is browning too much. When done the cake will feel firm, but test with a skewer.
Leave in the tin for 30 minutes before turning out, then cool on a wire rack. Peel off the paper before cutting. Will keep wrapped in foil or in a tin for up to 2 days.

My final recipe is Apple Pie Samosas Courtesy of Good Food magazine, February 2010.

Serves 4, prep 20 mins, cook 25 mins

2 x Cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
50g x Caster Sugar
1 tsp x Ground Mixed Spice
50g x Sultanas
4 x Filo Pastry Sheets
25g x Low-Fat Spread (we used Flora Light), melted

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the apples, sugar, mixed spice and sultanas in a saucepan with 2 tbsp water and cook, covered, for 6 mins or until the apples are soft, stirring once or twice. Tip into a shallow dish and spread out to cool slightly.

Cut the sheets of filo in thirds lengthways, then brush lightly with the melted spread. Place a spoonful of the apple filling at the top of each strip, then fold over and over to form triangular parcels. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 mins until crisp and golden. Serve with low-fat yogurt, if you like.

“The sound I hear today is the thunder of a giant’s footsteps fading away. But the novels and stories remain, in all their resonance and strange beauty.” – Stephen King talking about Ray Bradbury

Tune into my shows on 6townsradio “The Thursday Morning Show with TheRealTonyc” every Thursday from 10-12 & my Sunday show “UndertheCovers with TheRealTonyc” at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D

Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/therealtonyc
www.chefgarfy.blog.co.uk/
www.chefgarfyinfo.blog.co.uk
www.6towns.co.uk

Food For a Right Royal Celebration

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to the memory of The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The recipes this week are all ideal for a right royal celebration Hoisin Burgers with Sweet Pepper Relish,Coronation Lamb Rolls with Piccalilli Style Vegetables and Savoury Beef Cupcakes.

The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II is the international celebration throughout 2012 marking the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries upon the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952. She is today queen regnant of 16 sovereign states, 12 of which were British colonies or Dominions at the start of her reign. Queen Victoria in 1897 is the only other monarch in the histories of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a few other Commonwealth realms to have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee. Following the tradition of jubilees past, a Diamond Jubilee medal is being awarded in various countries and holidays and events will be held throughout the Commonwealth. Plans were discussed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011.

The full version of this article can be found at www.garfysplaceinfo.blog.co.uk

My first recipe is Hoisin Burgers with Sweet Pepper Relish. Courtesy of www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk

Serves: 4, Prep Time: 15 mins, Cook Time: 16 mins

450g x Lean Beef Mince
2 tbsp x Prepared Hoisin Sauce
1 tsp x Sesame Oil, optional
1 x Garlic Clove, peeled and crushed
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For the Sweet Pepper Relish
1 x Small Orange or Yellow Pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
¼ x Red Onion, peeled and finely chopped or 2 x Spring Onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp x Freshly Chopped Flat-Leaf Parsley
4 tbsp x Prepared Plum Sauce

In a large bowl mix all the burger ingredients together. Using slightly damp hands shape the mixture into 4 x 9cm/3½inch burgers. Cover and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Cook the burgers on a prepared barbecue or preheated grill for 6-8 minutes on each side until cooked and any meat juices run clear.

Meanwhile prepare the sweet pepper relish; in a small bowl mix all the ingredients together and set aside. Serve the burgers in buns with salad leaves and the sweet pepper relish.

My next recipe is Coronation Lamb Rolls with Piccalilli Style Vegetables. Courtesy ofwww.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk

Makes 24, Prep 30mins, Cook 20mins

450g x Lean Lamb Mince
25-50g x Sultanas
1 x Small Onion, peeled and grated
2 tbsp x Freshly Chopped Coriander
2 tbsp x Curry Paste, of your choice
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 x 320g Ready Rolled Puff Pastry Sheets
1 x Egg, beaten
2 tbsp x Sesame Seeds

For the Piccalilli Style Vegetables
4 x Gherkins, sliced
1 x 5cm Piece of Cucumber, sliced
75g x Cauliflower, broken into very small pieces or florets
150g x French Green Beans, cut into 2.5cm pieces
½ x Red Pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
4 tbsps x Vinegar (from the Gherkin jar) 
4 tbsps x Honey
2 tsp x English Mustard

To prepare the piccalilli; mix together the gherkins, cucumber, cauliflower florets, green beans and pepper. Add the vinegar, honey and mustard. Mix well, cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2hrs or overnight if time allows, for the flavours to infuse.

In a large bowl mix together the lamb, sultanas, onion, coriander, curry paste and seasoning. Place each puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut into two long rectangles, lengthways. You should have four rectangles in total. Place a layer of the lamb mixture down the middle of each pastry rectangle. Preheat your oven to as Gas Mark 6, 200C/400F. Brush one side of the pastry with the beaten egg, fold the other side of the pastry over to meet the egg washed side. Seal the edges with a fork. Glaze the top of the pastry with egg wash. Cut 6 rolls from each length.

Transfer the 24 rolls to 2 large non-stick baking trays, leaving plenty of room for each roll to rise. Bake for 20-25mins until golden. Serve the lamb rolls with the Piccalilli.

My final recipe is Savoury Beef Cupcakes. Courtesy of www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk

Makes 12, Prep 30mins, Cook 45mins

450g x Lean Beef Mince
100g x Beef Sausages, skinned
1 tbsp x Rapeseed or Olive Oil
1 x Large Onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 – 2 tbsps x Dijon or Wholegrain Mustard
½ tsp x Dried Thyme
½ tsp x Ground Nutmeg
2 tbsp x Freshly Chopped Flat-Leaf Parsley
2 tbsp x Tomato Ketchup or BBQ Sauce
25g x Stale Breadcrumbs or Crushed Plain Crackers
75g x Peas or Sweetcorn

For the Mash Topping
450g x Potatoes (suitable for mashing) peeled and diced
225g x Sweet Potatoes, peeled and diced
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
25g x Butter or Margarine
4 tbsp x Milk or Single Cream

To prepare the mash; boil both types of potatoes in a large pan of boiling water for 20-25mins. drain, season and mash together with the remaining topping ingredients. Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 5, 190C/375F.

In a large bowl mix together the mince and sausage meat. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the mince mixture and cook for 5mins. Add the onion and continue to cook for 3-4mins. Season and add the remaining ingredients. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases then divide the mixture between the cases (up to ¾ full) and densely pack the mince mixture into each case. Place the mash in a piping bag fitted with a plain piping nozzle and pipe a dome shape on top of each cupcake. Place the muffin tin on a baking sheet and cook for 15-20mins. Serve the cupcakes immediately with seasonal vegetables or a crisp salad.

God save our gracious Queen Long live our noble Queen God save the Queen.

Tune into my shows on 6townsradio “The Thursday Morning Show with TheRealTonyc” every Thursday from 10-12 & my Sunday show “UndertheCovers with TheRealTonyc” at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D

Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/therealtonyc
www.chefgarfy.blog.co.uk/
www.chefgarfyinfo.blog.co.uk
www.6towns.co.uk