Cheesy Pork Wrap

Sooo who doesn't love a fast, easy lunch. For those in favour say: "Ay"! One  Sunday brunch time me and my LDNboy were wondering what to cook that is fast, easy and mouth watering and here is how our Cheesy Pork Wrap was born.

INGREDIENTS:

for the WRAP:

for 2 wraps:

200g flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1/2 tsp baking soda

for the FILLING:

300g pulled pork

2 diced tomatoes

1/2 grated cucumber

50g cream cheese

2 leaves sliced cabbage

PREPARATION:

Mix in a bowl the flour, salt, sugar, oil and baking soda. Leave for 10 mins to rest. Meanwhile heat a frying pan with a spoon of oil. Divide the mixture in two  and roll out into approximately 20cm wide circles.  Place in the pan. Turn the wrap after 5 mins.

After the wrap has cooled down put the filling in, roll and eat them wraps. Oh, I almost forgot smear some of that cream cheese on the inner part of the wrap. :) And there you are Arabi-wrappie-esc :) You can also add fries, because who says no to fries.

Always yours,

The Cookbook Fairy

Honey I'm Home

It has been three months since I have blogged about food, but reality is I have been far too busy living my  life than writing about food... Well, not really, I have just been to lazy, but here I am ready to amaze again with a carrot cake that went far beyond my humble expectations and gave birth to contradictory speculations about rabbits and Easter.

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs

175g sugar

200ml sunflower oil

200g coarsely grated carrots

225g wholemeal flour

1tsp baking soda

2tsp cinnamon

115g chopped walnuts

 and for the TOPPING:

115g half-fat cream cheese

4tbsp butter (softened)

85g icing sugar

1tsp grated lemon rind

PREPARATION:

In  a mixing bowl beat the eggs until well blended and add the sugar and oil. You should mix that very well. Add the grated carrot, sift in the flour, baking soda and spices. Then add the walnuts. Mix until well incorporated. Grease and line 20cm round cake tin. Spread the mixture into the tin and bake in the centre of the pre-heated oven, 190C fan for 40-50 minutes, until the cake is nicely risen, firm to the touch and has began to shrink away slightly from the edges of the thin. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. 

To make the topping put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat together for 2-3mins, until really smooth. 

When the cake is completely cold spread with the topping, smooth over with a fork.

 So this is it no fuss and easy as usual. I hope you enjoy it!

Always yours,

The Cookbook Fairy

 

SLATY HANGOVER COOKIES

HAVE you ever had a bad hangover? Headache as hell? Well, little breadcrumbs, here is the solution to all of your problems. Easy and fast to prepare, they will make you the star of the after party morning.

INGREDIENTS:

500G puff pastry

100g cheddar

20g savory

20g mixed seasonal spices

10g salt

PREPARATION:

preheat the oven to 200C fan. Oil a baking tray or better yet, cover a baking tray in baking paper. Cut the puff into long stripes. Like the stripes with cheddar and roll them into spirals. Arrange the puff spirals into the baking tray and spice them up. Through into the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden. Serve warm or cold with coffee or tea.

Always yours,

xoxo

The Cookbook Fairy

SUMMER SANDWICH ALA DANI

It has been a good couple of mounts since I have blogged this entry is a welcome home recipe from LDNboy and yours faithful LDNgirl

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices potato bread(could be found in off licence shops)

1 small tomato

1 leave of lettuce

4 medium slices  prosciutto

4 thin slices of mild cheddar(50gr)

4 slices of white cow cheese(50gr)

A pinch of paprika

Butter spread

PREPARATION:

Toast the bread slices until brown.Put the butter on.Add tomato,cheater,cow cheese,prosciutto,lettuce and sprinkle with paprika.Serve warm with orange juice,coffee,tea or brandy LOL.

Always yours,

 xoxo

THE COOKBOOK FAIRY

PURPLE VEGGIE RISOTTO

THIS is a special treat for the veggie people out there. Again it is an experiment, that came out pretty much fantastic at the least. This weak I have been spoiled rotten by my LDNboy!

INGREDIENTS:

400g risotto rice

1/2 teacup red wine

2 teacups hot water

1 yellow paprika

1 carrot

100g mushrooms

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon seasonal mixed spices

2 tablespoons olive oil

you can also add onion (we don't because we don't like them onion!)

PREPARATION:

All vegetables should be fried in a pre-heated pan with the olive oil for no more than 3 minutes. Add the rice to the mix for another 3 minutes. Then add the wine and the water. Add the spices at the very end, right before moving it from the oven. DON'T STOP STIRRING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE COOKING PROCESS!

Always yours,

The Cookbook Fairy

PURPLE RICE AND CHICKEN

WE are all about that rice, 'bout that rice, and chicken! We eat it every day, everyday, like Chinese! This time, though, we added some chicken, because yours trully cannot have a meal without meat... Roar! 

INGREDIENTS:

200g chicken filet

100g risotto rice

50g mayonaisse

50g mustard

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon seasonal mix

1/2 paprika

50g mushrooms

1/2 carrot

PREPARATION:

The rice is done the same way as the PURPLE RISOTTO. In a bowl mix the mustard, mayonaisse, the sayce sauce, the lemon juice and the spices. Roll the chicken into the mixture and leave it in there for 15 minutes. Then add the rice into a pan, without oil. And 2 minutes later add a glass of water and the chicken. Cook for 35-40 minutes on low heat.

Always yours,

The Cookbook Fairy and her LDNboy!

LAST NIGHT'S RISOTTO

I told you I am gonna teach you a thing or two about left overs some weeks back, right? So this is another leftovers trick from our humble LDNboy!

INGREDIENTS:

what is left from last night's risotto

100g cheddar

1 egg

200g pork mince

1 teaspoon seasonal spice mix

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 toast of white bread

200g flour

PREPARATION:

Mix up really well all ingredients and mould meatballs. Then roll them into the flour and fry them for around 8-10 minutes or until crispy. Add mini Gherkins, olives, white cheese and fresh paprika! Serve hot or cold. Either way they would be a treat!

Always yours.

The Cookbook Fairy

JUICY MEATBALLS

THIS one is from yours truly LDNboy, because this week I started my new job, and I hadn't had that much time for cooking, what's left for blogging or any other social media. Although, I promise as soon as I figure this new job out I will be back on track with the food blog. 

INGREDIENTS:

500g pork mince

2 slices of toasted bread

4 medium potatoes, boiled for the mashed potatoes

150ml warm skimmed  milk

50g butter

Shepard's pie MIX

mini gherkins

white cheese

olives

PREPARATION:

What you are going to do is very easy and simple. You mix the bread and mince, and form balls the size of ping-pong balls. Then you roll them in flour. You dissolve the Shepard's pie into 400ml boiling water and bring it to boil again. then you add the meatballs and boil them for around 20mins. You serve them warm with mashed potatoes, gherkins and olives.

Always yours,

The Cookbook Fairy!

FRIED MEATBALLS

THIS week we are all about meatballs. The first recipe I am gonna share with you I learned from my grandma. It is very easy, very effective, very timely and very, very tastyyyy. Here are the
INGREDIENTS:

500g pork mince

2 slices of white bread

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1/2 mixed seasonal spices

4 tablespoons white flour for rolling in the meatballs

mini Gherkins and tomato sauce for decoration

oil for frying

PREPARATION:

All you need to do, little crumbs, is mix the mince, spices and bread very well. Then you form little balls, the size of ping-pong balls roll them in the flour. Then you just drop them into the frying oil and they are ready in more or less 10 mins.

So this is my first tip for busy business ladies, or late working chaps. 

I hope you enjoy them!

Always yours,

The Cookbook Fairy!

ITALIAN PASTA ALA YANA

THE weekly pasta is here again. This time it is a little bit richer than usual, just because I felt like fating myself. 

INGREDIENTS:

400g Macaroni

100g white cheese

100g cheddar

250g pork mince

50g tomato sauce

50g paprika  powder

100g Creamy Tomato and Bacon sauce

2 tablespoons oil

4 olives

PREPARATION:

What you need to do is boil the macaroni. Meanwhile you need to fry the mince. In a sauce pan you heat the oil, then add the mince, the paprika and the tomato sauce. Cook until brown. After all is ready in a plate you serve the macaroni, mince and all cheeses. You top all of that with the sauce and the 2 olives. And this is our Sunday pasta treat.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Always yours,

The Cookbook Fairy!

ITALIAN BREAD WITH OLIVES

I don't think that there is anything better than warm bread. As a child I grew up in a neighbourhood that had bakery and every morning I woke up to the smell of fresh, softly baked, warm bread. Therefore, this Saturday I decided to make me some bread with olives. It came out better than expected! Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour

15g/½oz salt

 55ml/2fl oz olive oil

20g/¾oz fresh yeast

275ml/9fl oz water

170g/6oz black Greek olives, pitted and chopped

PREPARATION: 

Mix all ingredients, apart from the olives and tomatoes, in a large bowl. Take care not to put the yeast in direct contact with the salt when they are first added to the bowl. Knead well with your hands and knuckles until the dough is elastic, smooth and shiny. Cover with a piece of cling film and leave to rise for one hour. Divide the dough into two and add half of the olives and sun-dried tomatoes into each. Mould both the doughs into rough round shapes OR whatever shape you like and press firmly down. Sprinkle white flour lightly over the top and mark them with a cross. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper (silicone paper) and prove for one hour in a warm place. Bake at 220C/425F/Gas 7 for 30 minutes until golden-brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Always yours,

The Cookbook Fairy!!!

CHERRY ROSES FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

YESTERDAY as my LDNboy and I were on our weekly load the fridge tour we came across some awesome silicone rose cupcake forms and I had to be crazy not to buy them! So, I did! And with Valentine's day being so close I felt like baking some cupcakes with cherry jam. Personally, I am not a fan of this holiday, but I know that for so many of you it means a lot. And you spend days in preparation, cooking and reservations for the special day are made months ago, but in case your plans got wrong in the last minute here is the perfect desert plan B. It only takes a couple of minutes for preparation, although the baking itself takes a little bit more time than with the usual cupcakes. And I promise you'll bring a meme expression on you boyfriends face... the way I did with my LDNboy!!!! So here it is:

INGREDIENTS: 

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling

PREPARATION: 

Preheat oven to 200C fan. Spray with nonstick spray a cupcake tray. Set aside. Do not freak out on finding a rose petal cupcake tray, you can do it in a regular one, the cupcakes just won't be in the shape of roses. You can also do them in a heart shape cupcakes. In the bowl cream together butter and sugar, about 1-2 minutes. Add salt, eggs, and vanilla and continue stirring until fully incorporated. Add flour and baking powder and mix until just combined.  Press  dough into the prepared baking tray. Top with cherry pie filling. Drop remaining batter (1/2 cup) in small pieces over the cherry filling. Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with yogurt or ice-cream!

And there it is a Valentine's day delight by yours faithful,

The Cookbook Fairy!

JAM TURNOVERS FOR BREKFAST

Hi, my dear, beloved, little crumbs. I apologize again for my absence but I caught the flu, and cooking wasn't my top priority. Well. except for chicken soup and grog, but this morning I  felt a tiny bit better so I made my LDNboy one of his favourite breakfasts Jam Turnovers. This a very tasty and easy recipe and it has only 3 ingredients. It is especially good to make with your kids or the quickest thing for a  party. This time I made them sweet, but you can make them with meat, cheese or what ever you think of!

INGREDIENTS:

200g ready puff pastry

150 jam of your preference

icing sugar

PREPARATION:

As I promised you, it is really easy. Just cut the puff pastry into squares. Put a teaspoon of the jam into the middle of the square and fold the pastry into two. Personally I do them in the shape of triangles, but you can also do rectangle,  or you can even cut the pastry into circles and then just stick two circles one to another.  Then all you need to do is preheat the oven on 200C fan. and bake the turnovers for 20minutes. Or until they rise. After that remember to leave them to cool down  and put some icing sugar on top!

Have a wonderful Sunday!!!

Always yours,

The Cookbook Fairy!

BLUEBERRY AND LEMON MILLEFEUILLE

SOMETIMES, I say to myself when I see master chef desserts "Girl, you can never pull this one up", but I keep on trying and trying. Pushing my own limits. yesterday, for example, I wanted to surprise my LDNboy with a special dinner and dessert and I spent hours looking at cake recipes, and what not. Most of them needed equipment I wouldn't dare even dream of, others where easy to make but not impressive enough and then I came across a BBC recipe for millefeuille( basically a fancy word for puff pastry) I thought, ok, I haven't done this for while, almost 2 years in fact! And so I through away my slippers, put some clothes on and went hunting for ready puff pastry.

INGREDIENTS:

115g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

250g shop-bought puff pastry

200g blueberries

For the sweetened cream

165ml whipping cream

25g icing sugar

1 vanilla pod, seeds only (or alternatively 2 drops of vanilla extract)

1 lemon, finely grated zest and a squeeze of the juice 

PREPARATION: 

Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper. Dust the work surface with lots of icing sugar and roll out the pastry to a rectangle just larger than 27 x 30cm/10½ x 12in, trimming the edges straight. It should be super thin, as thin as you can get it, without stretching the pastry. Cut out 18 rectangles about 9cm/3½in long and 5cm/2in wide and place them on the prepared baking tray. Sprinkle with lots of icing sugar and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C. Remove the pastry from the fridge and bake in the oven for five minutes, then remove from the oven and sprinkle the pastry with more icing sugar. Return to the oven and bake for a further five minutes, or until the pastry turns golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. For the sweetened cream, put the cream, icing sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and whip until medium-stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Fold in the lemon zest and juice, to taste, then scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm/½in straight nozzle. Place one of the pastry thins on a serving plate. Pipe blobs of cream over the pastry and put the blueberries between the cream, then put another pastry thin on top and repeat with one more layer. Sprinkle the top layer with more icing sugar and repeat until all the pastry and cream is used up. And that is all. Simple, easy, the result is professional and the boyfriend was left mesmerized!

I hope you try the recipe as well!

Always yours,

The Cookbook Fairy!

CHICKEN PARMESAN WITH PASTAAA

So weekly pasta challenge is here and I have done miracles people. This chicken is THE CHICKEN OF MY LIFEEEEEEEE!!!! Thank you http://www.myrecipes.com for this recipe!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 ounce sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil

1 cup boiling water

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cups chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped onion

2 cans diced tomatoes, undried

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

Chicken:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 skinned, boned chicken breast halves

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon olive oil

Cooking spray

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

3 cups hot cooked linguine 

PREPARATION:

To prepare the tomato sauce, combine sun-dried tomatoes and water in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and finely chop tomatoes.
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sun-dried tomatoes, bell pepper, and onion; sauté 7 minutes. Stir in canned tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, basil, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and garlic.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
To prepare chicken, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a shallow dish. Place each breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Dip each breast half in egg white; dredge in flour mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until golden. Arrange in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour the tomato sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Serve over linguine.

WEEKLY PASTA WITH RICH LEMON CHICKEN YUMMYYYYYY

INGREDIENTS:

Olive or sunflower oil 1 tbsp

Chicken thighs 1kg or 6, skinned, boned, meat cut into chunks

Onion 1, peeled and chopped

Lemon 1, grated zest and juice

Chicken stock 300ml

Fresh thyme sprigs 2, or ½ tsp dried

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Egg yolks 2

Parsley or chives small bunch, finely chopped

Cooked macaroni or small pasta shapes to serve

PREPARATION:

Heat the oil in a large lidded frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the cubed chicken. Fry for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Push the chicken to one side of the pan, then add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened. Add the lemon zest and juice, then the stock, thyme and a little salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, stirring, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Scoop the chicken out of the pan with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Beat the egg yolks together in a bowl, then gradually beat in the hot stock and onions until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly until it has lightly thickened. Return the chicken to the pan and stir in the chopped herbs. Serve with cooked pasta, if using.

Always yours,

The Cookboook Fairy

CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE FOR THE MINIONS

INGREDIENTS: 

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugaR

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs, slightly whisked

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup ripe bananas, smashed

chocolate cream cheese frosting

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 tablspoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon cocoa

2 cups powdered sugar

PREPARATION: 

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x9" baking dish. In a standing mixer, combine the butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Whisk well. Alternating between the dry ingredients and banana, add a little of each to the butter mixture, mix a little and then add a little banana, and back and forth until you've used everything up. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Ours was 26 minutes. 

ENJOY!!!!!
Always yours,
The Cookbook Fairy!