Tag Archives: 30 minute recipes

Five-spice Beef with Chilli & Peppers

Warming and lightly scented, this meaty meal is a treat for the taste buds.

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 8 minutes
Calories per portion 285 Kcal
Fat per portion 13g of which saturated 3.5g
Serves 2

Lean fillet or sirloin steak 225g (8oz), trimmed and cut into very thin strips
Dark soy sauce 1 tbsp
Chinese five-spice powder ½ tsp
Clear honey 2 tsp
Garlic 1 clove, peeled and finely chopped
Small red chilli 1, deseeded and finely chopped
Vegetable oil 1 tbsp
Red pepper 1 small, deseeded and finely sliced
Yellow pepper 1 small, deseeded and finely sliced
Spring onions 1 bunch, trimmed and thinly sliced
Canned water chestnuts 75g (3oz), drained, rinsed and sliced

1 Place the strips of beef in a shallow dish. Mix with the soy sauce, five-spice powder, honey, garlic and chilli and set aside to marinate.

2 Heat the oil in a wok until hot and stir-fry the peppers for 3 minutes.

3 Add the beef mixture and the spring onions and continue to stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, until the beef is well sealed. Add the water chestnuts and stir-fry for a further minute until piping hot.

4 Serve immediately with microwavable rice (cooked as on the packet’s instructions).

Cook’s Tip
Chilli adds ‘bite’ to a recipe, but also a spicy heat. If you prefer less of a ‘kick’, use a mild green chilli in place of the red chilli.

Recipe taken from Just One Pot, Dairy Cookbook.

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Have a Happy Easter Break

Holidays take on a whole new dimension when you have children.

Many of us grown ups look forward to having a rest. But children don’t rest, they get bored.

If you had asked me ten years ago what my plans were for the four day weekend, they would probably be to have one day cleaning up my home, the next visiting my relatives, then to have a day or two of chocolate eggs for breakfast, followed by a pub lunch and some afternoon drinking.

Not now. I find myself instead mixing up flour and water to stick strips of coloured paper to yogurt pots with to make mini-nests, into which I can put cute mini chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs.

Simnel Cake
Old habits die hard, so I don’t just put these together for the children! We do all have to grow up sometimes though, and my nod to that is also to make a Simnel Cake, a traditional Easter cake with marzipan (my favourite!) for which there is a good easy to follow recipe in the ‘Around Britain Dairy Cookbook‘ if you should have it.

Easter Biscuits
However, no doubt when my children get wind of my planned afternoon of baking the cake shall be replaced with the much easier and child-friendly Easter Biscuits from the ‘Year Round Dairy Cookbook‘. Is that a problem? I shouldn’t think so… even the Grandparents like to indulge in a hand-made biscuit!

Have a Happy Easter

Karen
Dairy Diary Team

P.s. The wonderful weather continues, so this is the perfect time for gardening. Fancy winning a copy of Seasonal Garden Ideas?

To enter simply complete the form on our website www.dairydiary.co.uk/competitions.html and don’t forget to “Like’ the page for an extra chance to win!

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Liver & Bacon on Irish Soda Farls

A classic combination of succulent meats on toasted Irish soda farls

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Calories per portion 394 Kcal
Fat per portion 23gof which saturated 7.5g
Serves 4

Olive oil 2 tbsp
Onions 2 large, peeled, halved and sliced
Smoked back bacon 8 rashers, rind removed and cut into strips
Lamb’s liver 450g (1lb), cleaned and sliced
Cayenne pepper a pinch
Plain flour 1 tbsp
Fresh gravy 300g pot
Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp
Irish soda farls 2, halved and toasted
Baby spinach 2 x 180g packs

1 Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based non-stick frying pan. Cook the onions over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 minutes, until they are softened and golden.

2 Add the bacon to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the slices of liver in the cayenne pepper and flour. Add the liver to the pan and cook over a high heat until the liver is just cooked, stirring.

3 Add the pot of gravy and Worcestershire sauce and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2–5 minutes until thickened, to taste.

4 Toast the Irish soda farls and cook the spinach in the microwave in its bag according to the packet’s instructions. To serve, divide the spinach between warmed plates, top with the farls and then with the liver and bacon.

Recipe taken from Just One Pot.

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Have I missed Pancake Day?

I’m sure I wasn’t the first to think, hang on a minute, have I missed Pancake Day?

The change of month triggered a distant memory that it always falls in February. But no, this year it has been pushed back to 8th March. Thank goodness!

The tradition of Shrove Tuesday was to feast on rich foodstuffs such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. I may not consider myself religious, but this is one day I am happy to acknowledge.

Firstly, I do not save pancakes just for this day, but at other times of the year I tend to go for nice, thick, soft, small ones made with a cup of self raising flour, cup of milk and one egg, eaten for breakfast with some syrup, soft berries and yogurt – delicious! But for me, Pancake Day calls for the plain flour recipe, slightly runnier, fried into huge thin rounds that we can all shout at the maker to toss as high as they can!

So try this classic Pancake recipe to serve with lemon and sugar or if you fancy something a little more exotic how about Strawberry & Amaretto Pancakes from Good Food, Fast.

If you haven’t got a sweet tooth, why not try the savoury seafood pancake recipe on page 85 of this year’s Dairy Diary so that you don’t miss out?

Competition
Win Le Vrai Gourmet Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons

Sometimes it isn’t important to use exact amounts in your recipes. A handful of this… a pinch of that…

However, some recipes do call for exact amounts to ensure success.

With these superb Le Vrai Gourmet measuring spoons you can be assured that half a teaspoon is exactly that.

Four spoons: one tablespoon, one teaspoon, half teaspoon, quarter teaspoon.

One less thing to worry about!

ENTER NOW!
Simply complete the entry form before 21 March and you will be entered into the prize draw.

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Competition | Win Good Food, Fast; Dairy Cookbook

Win a copy of Good Food, Fast, the latest Dairy Cookbook, and make cooking enjoyable again even when you are short of time.

Each recipe can be cooked in 30 minutes or less.

The time required for each recipe is clearly shown on the page together with all the nutritional information and cooking times.

All the recipes are simple, easy to follow and all ingredients are readily available from supermarkets.

We have included a thoughtful balance of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes plus irresistible biscuits and cakes too. And the cook’s tips ensure success every time you cook.

We still have a few copies for sale at DairyDiary.co.uk for just £9.99. Click here to view pages from each section.

Enter now and you could soon be cooking scrumptious dishes in half an hour or less!

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Spiced Plums, Stir Fry Pork & Plum Semi-Freddo

Spiced Plums

This recipe makes enough sauce for 2 separate dishes – such as the Stir Fry Pork and Plum Semi-Freddo below – and can be frozen until required.

Time 25 minutes
Suitable for vegetarians, depending on usage
Suitable for freezing

Red plums 600g (1lb 6oz), halved, stoned and quartered
Ground cinnamon ¼–½ tsp
Golden caster sugar 75g (3oz)
Orange juice 3–6 tbsp

1 Tip the plums into a large heavy based pan with all the other ingredients (the amount of orange juice you use will depend on how ripe the plums are) and mix well.

2 Cook over a gentle heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring often. It is important to keep the heat very low or the cinnamon will burn and taste bitter.Cook for a further 5 minutes if necessary. The exact cooking time will depend on the ripeness of the plums – you want the mix to be tender but not mushy.

3 Then remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.When cold, transfer the mixture into two freezer-proof containers, cover, label and freeze for up to 1 month.

Stir-fry Pork with Spiced Plum Sauce

Time 15 minutes plus thawing time
Calories per portion 713 Kcal
Fat per portion 16g
of which saturated 2.7g
Serves 3

Spiced plums 1 portion, thawed at room temperature for 3–4 hours or overnight in the fridge
Red wine vinegar 1–2 tbsp
Pork loin steaks 2, trimmed and cut into thin slices
Sesame oil 1 tbsp
Fresh egg noodles 385g packet
Oriental stir-fry mix 270g packet

1 Stir together the plum sauce and vinegar and then add the strips of pork.

2 Heat the sesame oil in a large wok and add the pork and plum sauce – watch out, it will sizzle a bit! Stir-fry for 5–7 minutes or until the liquid from the plums has almost evaporated.

3 Add the remaining ingredients and stir-fry for a further 3–5 minutes or until the vegetables have wilted and the pork is cooked through. Serve at once with soy sauce, if wished.

You can easily buy sesame oil in supermarkets – it adds a lovely flavour.

Plum Semi-Freddo

Time 10 minutes
Calories per portion 250 Kcal
Fat per portion 20g
of which saturated 11.3g
Serves 4
Suitable for vegetarians

Spiced plums 1 portion, still frozen
Double cream 150ml (¼ pint), lightly whipped

1 Take the plums from the freezer and remove the lid from the storage container. Microwave on high for about 10 seconds just so that you can get the plum mix out of the container.

2 Break the sauce into chunks and pop in a food processor. Then use the pulse button to cut the sauce into chunks.

3 Quickly add the chunks of sauce to the whipped cream and mix gently. Serve immediately in glasses with dessert biscuits.

You can also use the Plum Semi-Freddo as a filling for four meringue nests.

Recipes taken from Good Food, Fast: Dairy Cookbook

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Dairy Diary Chat

Tag Archives: 30 minute recipes

Five-spice Beef with Chilli & Peppers

Warming and lightly scented, this meaty meal is a treat for the taste buds.

Have a Happy Easter Break

Holidays take on a whole new dimension when you have children.

Liver & Bacon on Irish Soda Farls

A classic combination of succulent meats on toasted Irish soda farls

Have I missed Pancake Day?

I’m sure I wasn’t the first to think, hang on a minute, have I missed Pancake Day?

Competition
Win Le Vrai Gourmet Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons

Competition | Win Good Food, Fast; Dairy Cookbook

Win a copy of Good Food, Fast, the latest Dairy Cookbook, and make cooking enjoyable again even when you are short of time.