Cheese Stuffed Butterfly Steaks with Chilli Sauce

My husband and I spent a lot of time travelling up to Newcastle quite a bit last year. We used to stop in the same petrol/services station, it has a small W.H.Smith, which is a book store for those of you that aren’t aware, they sell books, magazines, small gifts, arts and crafts stuff, and such like. I always have a look regardless which W.H.Smith it is I like to go in and have a look because I love a bargain book. On this particular occasion I saw a Mexican cookbook, we love Mexican but it’s not something I have ever really looked into until now – the odd recipe for sure but I wanted to experiment a little more. I’ll be honest I was very tempted to buy it there and then but I had a gift card at home which I wanted to use, so I decided to wait until I got home and order it online instead – I wasn’t disappointed but it wasn’t the same recipe book as I had seen in the store! A month later though we went back and I bought it plus three other cookbooks for a total of £20.00 hundreds of recipes in each, a bargain I couldn’t refuse. Turns out half the reason I didn’t think the one I bought online was the same is because it wasn’t, although both books have many of the same recipes, the one I bought in store has so many more. Including Caribbean recipes all yummy stuff any way this is one of the Mexican ones.

 

Cheese Stuffed Butterfly Steaks with Chilli Sauce

4 fresh serrano steak

115g/4oz/ ½ full fat Philadelphia

30ml/2tbsp tequila

30ml/2tbsp oil

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

5ml/1tsp dried oregano

2.5ml/ ½ tsp salt

2.5ml/ ½ tsp black pepper

175g/6oz/1 ½ cups cheese, cheddar

4 fillet steaks, at least 2.5cm/1” thick

1. Over a moderate heat, dry roast the chillies in griddle pan, turning them often. Until the skins have blistered but not burnt. Put them in a sturdy resealable, freezer bag, and seal so as to keep the steam in and place it to one side for 20 minutes to do its thing.
2. Take the chillies out of the bag, cut in half and scrap out all the seeds, and cut into long narrow strips, then cut them into shorter lengths.
3. Place the Philadelphia into a heavy based pan, and stir it over a low heat until melted, add the chilli and tequila and mix into a smooth sauce.
4. Cook the onion, garlic and oregano in the oil, over a moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring often until the onion has browned, season with salt and pepper.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the grated cheese so that it melts into the onion mixture.
6. Cut each steak almost but not quite all the way through, butterfly cut, because once it is opened up it looks like a butterfly, preheat the grill to highest setting, or use a George Foreman type grill if you have one.
7. Spoon ¼ of the cheese and the onion filling into each of the steaks and fold shut, Place the steaks under the grill for a few minutes each side 3-5, or 3-5 minutes on the George Foreman type grill in total, timing totally depends on how you like your steaks cooked. Serve with sides of your choice and the chilli cheese sauce.

Cheese and Herb Bread

After I did the white bread I went a little nutty for homemade breads, I got this major sense of satisfaction from baking my own bread. Just getting it to rise, seeded this inane sense of purity. We should all bake bread from scratch, by hand, if for no other reason than it’s therapeutic significance – think of all the money we could save on not having therapist. All that kneading and pummelling of the dough, either pretending it’s someone’s head or metaphorically all the stress you have been feeling and then just beat the living day lights out of it. The longer you pummel the nicer your bread, so bonus’ all round, one you get to beat the object of your disdain for ages without getting arrested for GBH, ABH or whatever the new abbreviation maybe, and secondly you get deliciously satisfying bread at the end of it…… WINNER!!!!

 

Cheese and Herb Bread

4cups/500g unbleached white flour, plus extra for dusting

¾ cup/90g mature cheddar cheese

1/3 cup/30g grated fresh parmesan

2tsp dry mustard (powder)

2tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ oz/7g sachet quick rise active yeast

½ tsp golden caster sugar

1 ½ cups/350ml hand hot milk

Olive oil for greasing

Beaten egg for glazing

2tbsp grated cheddar cheese for sprinkling

 

 

1. Activate the yeast, place the yeast in a small bowl with a ½ tsp of sugar and a little hot water, mix well to combine all the yeast and sugar together and then leave to one side.
2. Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well to evenly combine all the ingredients, make a well in the middle and add the yeast mixture and the milk. Mix into a soft dough.
3. Pour a little olive oil onto kitchen paper and grease a large bowl and enough cling film to cover the dough, place the dough into the greased bowl and cover with the cling film. Place the dough in a warm spot to prove, it should rise to about double size, taking about an hour to an hour and half.
4. Once risen punch down on the dough and knead again for 2-3 minutes, shape into a round and place onto a lightly floured baking tray, cover with lightly oiled cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for a second time, this should only take 20-30 minutes this time.
5. Glaze the dough with the beaten egg, cut a shallow cross on top and sprinkle with the grated cheese ensuring some gets into the grove of the cross. Bake in your oven for 10 minutes at 230˚C/450˚F then reduce the heat to 200˚C/400˚F, and bake until the loaf is well risen, about  20 minutes.
6. If you find the loaf is browning to quickly cover it in foil to help reduce browning. Leave to cool on a wire rack once done.

Avoacdo stuffed Quesadillas

I am a big fan of quesadillas, they’re perfect for lunch. They also happen to be another one of my drunken midnight munchies favourite. They can be filled with just about anything, which makes them very versatile and easy to make. Even my husband enjoyed these and he’s not a fan of avocado at all so that says quite a bit about these if you ask me.

Avocado stuffed Quesadillas

4 soft tortillas, of your choice

100g cheese of your choice that melts well

1 avocado, cut into chunks

Jalapeno rings (from a jar, if it’s easier)

1. Put a quarter of the cheese, onto one half of the tortilla, without going to close to the edges, then a quarter of the avocado, and some of the jalapeno according to your own taste, fold in half. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
2. Put the tortillas on a George Foremann type grill if you have one and press the lid down, until the cheese has melted. Or use a dry griddle/skillet and using a spatula press down, cook for a minute or two and then flip them over and cook for another minute.

 

Tagliatelle with broccoli in a cheesy sauce

Jamie Oliver - My personal opinion of this man is that his heart is in the right place and I think his agenda is quit clear. He is a man on a mission and fair play to him, he's in a position to help people, advise and show. I have read a couple of his books now and can't help but feel a little sorry for him when people criticise him, because I feel these are people who make a split decision, about him and his agenda before hearing him out. He's not saying don't eat pizza, burgers or cookies - or whatever your favourite 'junk' food may be. He is saying eat healthily, in moderation and to eat fresh ingredients wherever possible and to treat yourself every now and again to the things you enjoy. He IS promoting a healthy lifestyle. I think he is wonderful and I am super impressed with his determination and resolve, the more of his books I read the more I realise that he is an advocate for good, tasty food, that's healthy.

Yes, good quality, organic ingredients play a huge part in most of his recipes, but the implication is not that YOU MUST, but the best that YOU can afford. You can't argue with that ethic! I changed this next recipe ever so slightly because I was in Germany at the time, and had to allow for the ingredients I was able to get locally, but it was very good despite my alterations.

Tagliatelle with Broccoli In A Cheesy Sauce

 

olive oil

500g fresh tagliatelle

 

for the cheese sauce

 

 

250ml crème fraiche

150g Philadelphia

150g parmesan, freshly grated plus extra for garnish

sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

400g broccoli

2 large free range eggs (you want the yolks)

1tsp dried mixed herbs

 

1. First get a big saucepan of water on the hob and get it boiling, next using a bain-marie add the crème fraiche, Philadelphia and parmesan with a pinch of salt and pepper, slowly melt the chesses. While the cheeses are melting prepare your broccoli, wash it, and cut the florets into bite sized pieces.

 

2. Once the cheeses have melted remove from the heat, then put your broccoli and pasta into the saucepan of boiling water. Cook the pasta until it is just cooked through. Now is the time to whip the egg yolks and your mixed herbs into the sauce. Take a few tbsp. of the pasta water and place to one side, then drain of the rest of the water, return the pasta to the pan and add your sauce, quickly mixing it all up. If the sauce is a little too thick add some of your reserved pasta water, only a little at a time, you want it to be loose but not so loose it is watery, don't forget to taste it for seasoning and adjust it if need be. Serve and garnish with a little parmesan.

 

Jamie Oliver also drizzles a little extra virgin olive oil over his, but I am not a huge fan.. Try it and let me know what you think.



Kassler Bake

Sometimes I get some really peculiar ideas. I had some left over kassler from the night before and I always buy vaccum packed bags of grated cheese - makes for quick dinners like mac 'n' cheese, stuffed chicken breast or sprinkled over a pasta bake, the options are limitless. I whipped up a cheese sauce, cooked some pasta according to directions, drained it and put it into a casserole dish, along with the kassler, a small can of sweetcorn because my husband still doesn't like the devils food, poured on the cheese sauce and topped it off with some grated cheese..... Voila another pasta bake.

I don't have a picture of this one for some reason...

Kassler is popular in Germany, Poland and Denmark usually cut from the neck or loin although other cuts maybe used as well including the ribs. It's salt cured and smoked... similar to gammon/ham.