Easy, Zesty Potato Egg Salad

Easy, Zesty Potato Egg Salad

Potatoes and eggs always go well together. The tartness of the potatoes combined with the creaminess of the eggs creates an excellent base to build on as far as a salad goes. And whats more!? you ca customize this salad limited only by your imagination.

This recipe is a perfect dish to have alongside a BBQ. The meat of the BBQ, the salad and plenty of fruit juice or punch makes a hearty meal.

I'm going to describe a moderately customized version of this recipe. However as mentioned earlier feel free to let your imagination run wild with this dish!

Ingredients:

• Potatoes - Boiled, peeled and chopped in to cubes. do not get them mashed up.
• Eggs - Hard boiled and shelled.
• Onions - Peeled and chopped in to cubes.
• Green Chilies -  Finely chopped.
• Peanuts - Fried in oil.
• Bread - Use regular sandwich bread.
• Bacon - Fried and crisped.
• Lemon Peel - A fruit of lemon basically. Let's peel it later.
• Dry Thyme.
• Pepper and Salt.
• Mayonnaise.
• Butter. 
• Olive oil.

Method:
Chop the eggs in to cubes. Combine the potatoes, eggs green chilies, bacon, onions, dry thyme, peanuts and the mayonnaise together in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and give it a good mix taking care to leave the chunks of potatoes and eggs intact as much as possible. Place in a refrigerator until you are ready to combine the salad.

Grab a few slices of bread and cut them in to squares (approximately half an inch on each side). Heat a shallow pan and heat some butter and olive oil. Once the oil mixture is heated up add the bread squares in batches and fry them until golden brown and crispy. Drain the excess oil on paper towels.

Once the stomachs are ready for the salad combine the dish by mixing the salad in the fridge with the fried bread squares. Grate a lemon's zest (or more depending on the quantity) on top of the salad. Serve with the BBQ meat and feel the pleasures of life!

Versatile Party Dip

Versatile Party Dip

This recipe is a very versatile, quick and delicious recipe which  can be put together with next to no effort. The ingredients are easy to find and are inexpensive as well. However the dip is rich, buttery and goes well with savory biscuits, pastry strips (I will post the recipe later) and french fries as well. This dip could also be used as a sauce to garnish buns and burgers. Hence it is versatile to the core!

Ingredients:

• Meat Balls (I recommend chicken for this recipe since beef and pork bring in an excess amount of fat which could ruin the dip. The meat balls should also be finely minced)
• Two Onions (finely chopped)
• Three Cloves of Garlic (Finely chopped or grated)
• One teaspoon of butter
• One teaspoon of olive oil
• Fresh Milk (250 or 200 ML)

Method:
Heat the butter and oil in a wok or saucepan. Once the butter is hot add the garlic and then follow with the onions. Saute the condiments for a couple minutes or until they are translucent (nope! do not brown them!!). Reduce the heat to to low and add the milk gradually stirring it all the time to prevent any clotting. Let the milk simmer for 20 to 25 minutes and give it an occasional stir to make sure that it does not get clotted or boil to an overflow. The mixture will turn in to a slightly thicker texture in time. Now add the minced meat balls and let it cook for another 15 minutes on low heat. The milk will cook the meat balls and disintegrate them in to the dip. Season with salt and pepper and turn off the heat. Cover the pan with a lid and let it sit for an additional 10 minutes.

Let the mixture cool and serve with savory biscuits or any other side dish of your choice. Apart from the list mentioned above this also goes well with red radish, the peppery radish mixing with the savory and slightly strong flavor of the dip is truly rewarding.

Succulent, Rich and Easy to Prepare Beef Cheap Cuts

Succulent, Rich and Easy to Prepare Beef Cheap Cuts

I decided to write this while also adding some trivia. So please bare with me if it is TMI for you.

What are cheap cuts?
Cheap cuts are usually the cuts which give off the meat that is difficult to cook and relatively hard to munch on. It required special preparation methods and is usually quite time consuming. But wait, why look at the dark side of things!? These cheap cuts are so delicious and mouth watering once cooked the correct way. And the time you wait for them to be cooked...? Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder right!?

How to Prepare Cheap Cuts?
Usually the methods employed to cook cheap cuts are slow cooking, stewing and roasting/baking.

Today I'm going to write about this very easy recipe of mine which I used to cook up some beef today. I got very good reviews from my wife and mother. Hence it was proven in the old school audience as well the new school arena! (LOL)

Ingerients:

• Beef (Any cheap cut, the cheek would be great!) about 500g
• Chicken Stock (see my recipe on this blog to do a quick stock) just to cover the meat.
• Garlic Powder (2 Teaspoon)
• Salt and Pepper
• Butter (1 Table Spoon)
• Dash of olive oil
• Apple Cider Vinegar (2 Table Spoons)
• Peanuts (100g - 200g)
• Fresh Mint Leaves
• Corn Flour (2 Table Spoons )

Method:
Heat a pan and add the butter and olive oil. Once the oil is hot fry the meat chunks until they are browned on each side. This needs to be done on high heat. Once they are browned, add the meat to the slow cooker and cover it with the stock. Add the vinegar, garlic powder and season with salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 8-9 hours or until the meat is tender.

Once the meat is done extract the chunks on to a plate and leave it aside. Transfer the remaining gravy on to another pan and heat it on high. Remove a few ladles of the gravy to a mixing bowl and mix in the corn flower. Then add the corn mixture back to the boiling gravy and let it thicken.

Grab your self a gravy boat and layer the bottom of it with a thick layer of ground peanuts. Pour in some of the gravy and garnish with freshly chopped mint leaves. Slice the beef in to thick slices and serve along the gravy. 

Relatively Quick Chicken Stock

Relatively Quick Chicken Stock

Chicken Stock is the basis of many other delicious dishes. It can be used as a base for soups, sauces and even to cook other meats! However the moment the word chicken stock (or for that reason any other stock) is heard the immediate thought is hours and hours of boiling. While this is not undoubtedly the best and old school way of doing it what would you do if you need a chicken stock ASAP!? Here is the solution.

This method basically kick-starts the chicken to yield it's creamy goodness and then sustains the process until the desired level quality of the stock is reached. However please note that this is not a full substitute to the old school method and the traditional method of boiling the meet bones for hours (5 hours minimum) makes the best of the stocks.

Ingredients:

• Raw chicken [necks, wings (lesser the better but a few of them would be nice), backbones]
• A few cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed once per clove with the flat side of the knife.
• A few storks of celery (you can add any other vegetable to like as well).
• Couple teaspoons of butter
• Dash of olive oil

Method:
Heat the butter and olive oil in the pan you wish to prepare the stock. Saute the garlic and chopped celery in the melted and heated butter. Remember that the pan has to be on high heat for this step. Once the garlic is half done add the chicken bones and celery. The chicken will start to give away it's juices directly in to the pan. Once this occurs (usually after about 4-8 minutes of sauteing) pour boiling (yes boiling not just hot) water and reduce the heat to medium or low. The lower the heat and slower the cook time the better the stock gets.

Cover the pot and let is boil for a minimum of 30 minutes. Then open the lid and let is boil for 3 minutes more on low or medium heat. For the final 30 minutes increase the heat to reduce the stock to the desired thickness.

Remove the meat bones while the stock is still piping hot and strain the broth. Once this is done strain the stock using paper towels to remove the excess fat. Stock has to be free of fat as the fat spoils the taste and texture.

Now off you go with your recipe waiting for the chicken stock!