10 Minute Banoffee

This is a very quick dish with potential of being very photogenic, especially when you use those nice looking  ramekins and small bowls.

What you need:

2 Ginger cookies – broken into small pieces

2 chocolate cookies – broken into small pieces

2 small bananas, sliced

2tbsp toffee sauce

2tbsp muscovado brown sugar

100ml whipped cream

 

{ One } Divide the the biscuits between two ramekins and lay the sliced bananas on top and drizzle with toffee sauce

{Two } Whip the cream stiff, then spoon over the banana base. Sprinkle with surgar and serve.

Voila! your 10 minute dessert Enjoy!

 

Oriental pork steaks with spring onions

I initially planned to cook salmon fillets but the fish was still partially frozen so I cooked the pork steaks instead. This recipe will only take between 30-45mins to prepare and cook unless of course you decide to marinate the meat a bit longer.

Ingredients:

2 pork shoulder steaks

1 tbsp soy sauce

2cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 tsp olive oil

1 bunch spring onions

Procedure:

• Mix the soy sauce, grated ginger and olive oil and marinate the meat for at least 10 minutes. For better flavour, marinate for 3 hours.
• Heat the griddle pan until smoking, DO NOT brush oil.  Add the meat and cook for 3-4 minutes each side. Longer if necessary.  Remove from the pan and keep warm.
• Add the spring onions to the pan and brush with any remaining marinade. Cook for 1 minute on each side. Arrange on serving plates and sit the meat on top.  Pour over any juices from the pan and serve with roasted vegetables or crushed new potatoes.

Note:  You may change the meat and use Salmon Fillets instead. Cooking time for the fish is 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Cook skin down first.

Steamed Salmon topped with Creme Fraiche

This week I cooked something healthy for the family.  A nicely steamed fish with some fresh vegetables. Without taking for granted the subtle flavour of the salmon, I cooked a subtle dish to accompany it – steamed new potatoes.

Having a limited time and children with healthy appetites make cooking somewhat a challenge- as long as they eat it all and I can take photographs of the food, I am happy

The sliced salmon was dipped in a bowl of lemon juice, seasoned with salt and pepper and arranged on top of thinly sliced ginger which I lay at the bottom of the steamer.

In another container, I put even sized new potatoes which I seasoned with salt..  I cooked the potatoes for about 30 minutes (or until it is tender) and the fish for about 15-20 minutes.

Then  I  mixed  a pot of creme fraiche, a couple of table spoons of lemon juice, chopped chives, chopped parsley and some salt and pepper to taste for the sauce. This is not too strong nor it is too bland for both the potatoes and the fish.

And voila! a simple, healthy and tasty lunch my kids love.

The fish can also be served with stir-fried vegetables without the creme fraiche sauce.

Homemade milk candies

I was told by my mother in law that this was popular in the UK specially during and after the war (WW2). Like us in the Philippines, they did not know what to do with all the skimmed milk so they made it into candies. I made this using skimmed milk I got from Sainsburys for £1.25, a can of condensed milk, some dessicated coconut and sprinkle of white sugar afterwards. I just mixed them together until they can be rolled without melting.  I added the sugar last.

For less than £3 I have several rolls of milk candy this summer that I am happy to give to my children. Unlike the candies we find in shop, these taste more milk than sugar.

Ginger and Shrimp Lumpia (Spring Roll)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg uncooked shrimps
• 100 grams grated ginger
• 3 pcs crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp lime zest
• 65 gram sugar
• 80ml mild chili sauce
• 80 ml water
• 12 pcs. spring roll wrapper
• 125 ml soy sauce
• batavia/lettuce leaves

Procedure:

1. Skin, devein and clean the shrimps. Cut them into large slices. In a salad bowl, mix the shirmps, ginger, crushed garlic, lime zest and sugar
2. Cover and marinate for at least 3 hours in the fridge
3. In large pan, heat oil and stir-fry the shrimps until they are cooked. Set