Category: Mains

This are great when you want something filling and tasty. Although I have used taco mince here you could use many other fillings. Chicken and Chorizo also turns out really well.

Ingredients
500g strong white bread flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
7g pack of fast action yeast
300ml luke warm water
Cheddar Cheese
Chilli Flakes
taco mince (as per recipe)

Salsa, Iceberg lettuce and Sweet Potato fries to serve

Method
Put the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, olive oil and water and mix until combined. If using a food mixer mixer do this using the dough hooks until all comes together, then mix for 5 mins and leave to rest for 10. If by hand, knead for about 5 mins and again let it rest. After 10 mins, knock it back and either mix again for 5 mins or knead for 5 mins. Put the mix into a bowl, cover and leave for about an hour until doubled in size.

In the mean time make the taco mince as per the recipe linked in the ingredients (or use left over over taco mince) this is best used warm in the bread, but not hot.

Turn on the oven to about 180c

Once the bread has risen turn it out onto a floured surface and divide into 8, roll these into balls and do the following on each ball, but do this one at a time. Firstly roll them out until they are about 10mm thick. Put about a heaped tablespoon of the taco mince on the middle, top with a small piece of cheese and fold up the edge of the bread over the top until you have a ball shape again (so the bread is stuffed). Place these on a baking tray with the edges you have folder up on the bottom. Repeat with the rest of the bread balls.

Leave for about 15mins.

Next brush the top with milk and sprinkle with grated cheese and chilli flakes

Cook for about 15 mins until the top is nicely done and they sound hollow when the bottom is tapped.

Leave to cool a little, then cut in half. There will be a gap at the top above the mince mixture. Stuff this with salsa and the lettuce.

Serve with mayo and sweet potato fries.

Tacos – Do I need to say more? Great with either crispy taco shells, soft shells or even just a tortilla wrap. I normally make them with Chicken Fajitas hence the pic

Ingredients
450g mince beef
3 tsp Taco Seasoning
1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes (if you like it a bit hotter, if not then dont add)
taco shells
shredded iceberg lettuce
grated cheddar cheese
Cool salsa
Thinly sliced tomatoes
sliced chilli peppers

Method
Heat a pan with a little oil in the bottom and brown the mince. Once this is done add the taco seasoning and the extra chilli flakes if you want them, and cook for a minute or so.
Add 250ml boiling water and cook until all the water is boiled off, stirring occasionally so it doesnt stick.

To server, heat your tacos are per the instructions on the pack, add a couple of spoonfuls of the mince, top with the cheese, salsa, tomatoes, chilli peppers and the lettuce. Enjoy with an ice cold beer or lager and as many friends as you can

Fajitas have to be one of my favourite feel good foods, quick to make, tasty and not too bad for you

Ingredents
4 chicken breasts
Flour tortillas
2 Peppers
1/2 Onion
Cool Salsa
Guacamole
2 or 3 Chilli peppers

marinade for chicken
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp oil
3 tsp Taco Seasoning
1 tsp Smoked Paprika

soured creamed and chives
250ml soured cream
handful of chives

Method
Thinly slice the chicken and stick it in a bowl, add the lime juice, oil and give it all a thorough mixing. Although you can use it straight away its much better if you leave it for an hour or so in the fridge.

While its marinating make up the sour cream and chives by mixing the chives with the cream and stick that in the fridge so its nice and chilled later.

Slice up the peppers, onions and one of the chilli peppers

heat up two pans each with a 1tbs of oil in, when its nice and hot add the peppers and onions to one pan and the chicken to another. You want to cook both of these until you see some charring on the peppers and the chicken. Remember to stir the food – but not too much, this helps with the charring.

You want the chicken to look like the following

And the peppers like this

once everything is done, take a tortilla, add some chicken and top with the peppers, guacamole, soured cream, sliced chilli peppers and salsa – roll it up and have it with a nice cold beer. And remember if it isnt messy you have done something wrong

This is such a refreshing yet spicy salsa and nothing like the shop bought jars, goes great with Tacos and fajitas. The addition of the mint and lime juice gives it a refreshing edge.

Ingredients
8 tommatoes (seeds removed)
1/2 onion (or less if you prefer – I like lots of onion)
1 or 2 chilli peppers (or more if you like!)
1 tsp lime juice
1 tbs fresh corriander
2 tsp of mint sauce
1 tbs chilli powder
1 tbs smoked paprika

Method
Finely chop everything and mix it up – simple as that!

I like to keep this as simple as possible, but feel free to add chillies, chopped tomatoes, onions etc. And please dont make this up in advance, it only takes a minute to make so make it fresh – its much better that way.

Ingredients
2 Avacado
2 tbs Lime Juice
2 tbs Corriander
1 clove garlic
salt to taste

Methods
Stick it in a jar or jug and mash it all up

This is much better than the packet bought stuff with less salt, and you can mix it how you like. I use it for tacos and for fajitas. If I am making tacos I like them a bit spicier so I tend to add more chilli flakes, and if I am making fajitas then I add lime juice and a bit more smoked paprika.

Inredients
8 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic pepper (or 1/4 garlic powder and 1/2 black pepper)
4 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 onion salt

Method
Mix it all together and keep it in an air tight jar. If you like it a bit spicier then add extra chilli flakes, or a bit earthier add more cumin.

This is a great one if you are into thin bases. My wife prefers a deep pan base, but me and my son prefer these ones. Easy, quick and no pizza dough to make!

Pizza
Ingredients
Flour Tortilla
Grated Mozzarella Cheese
Tomato Sauce (Pasta sauce not ketchup!)
Pizza Toppings of your choice

Method
Heat your pizza oven, pizza stone or a baking sheet in the oven.
Take your tortilla base, add your tomato sauce, cover with cheese and add your favourite toppings,
Place either in your pizza oven or on your pizza stone/baking sheet and cook until the cheese is golden and the base is nice and crispy.

As for toppings I like to do what I call the dynamite – this involves mixing the tomato sauce for the base 50/50 with minced chillies, then adding salami before the cheese. Then covering with the cheese and topping with pepperoni, chorizo, onions, jalapeno and dried chillies – not one for the faint hearted mind! haha. The pic on this post is how it turns out.

Garlic Bread

You can also make garlic bread by covering the tortilla with garlic butter and mozzarella cheese instead of the other stuff. Make the garlic butter by mixing butter with garlic and parsley – then spread it all on the tortilla, cover with the cheese and bung it in the oven.

Tonight I am feeling sorry for myself as I have just been to the dentists, so I am making another one of my favourite comfort foods – something so nice about fried rice with sweet and sour chicken.

Fried Rice
2 cups of cooked, cold white Rice
Soy Sauce
Frozen Peas
2 Eggs
Chinese 5 spice
1tbs Sesame Oil
Spring onions

Method
Heat the sesame oil in a pan and fry the spring onions and peas.
Add 5 spice, soy sauce and rice and cook until the rice is heated thoroughly and everything is mixed.
Whisk the eggs, move all the rice to the side of the pan leaving a hole in the middle,
Add the egg a small amount at a time, and cook until the egg sets, stirring it all the time, then mix it with the rice before adding more rice.
continue until all the rice is cooked.

Fried Chicken in Batter
2 diced fresh chicken breast
110g self raising flour
1 tsp Chinese 5 spice
1 tbs sesame oil
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp salt
100ml cold water

Method
You will either need a deep fat fryer for this, or a deep sided frying pan with enough oil in to cover the chicken pieces. Either way be careful, keep watching and don’t start a fire!

Mix all the dry ingredients together, and coat the chicken chunks and put them to one side, keeping all the remaining dry ingredients.
Mix the dry stuff with the oil and the water and mix into a smooth batter. then add the chicken back in a ensure it is thoroughly coated.
Deep fry until golden and the chicken is cooked (you might have to do this in batches)

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
2 tbs soy sauce
3 cups tomato ketchup
1 small tin pineapple chunks
1/2 tsp chilli flakes

Method
Heat the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and chilli flakes in a pan until the sugar has desolved – then allow to cool. Add the Tommato ketchup and pineapple chunks (along with the juice) and reheat when you are ready to serve. Taste it and if you want it a bit sweeter add more sugar, if you want more sour add more vinegar and if you want more savoury then add more soy sauce.

Server the rice on the plate, chicken on top and cover with the sweet and sour sauce – then dive in until you are feeling better!

This has to be one of my favourite simple to cook meals at the minute. Harissa chicken, with humus and salad, served in a seeded flatbread.

Recipe
4 chicken breasts
85g jar Harissa paste
4 seeded flatbread
Humus
Salad
Tomatoes
Onion

Method

Cook the chicken in boiling water for 15mins, then allow to cool enough to handle

Slice the chicken around 1/4″ (6mm) thick

Heat a large frying pan, add a tbs of oil and the jar of Harissa paste. Then add the sliced chicken and cook, turning infrequently – you want the outside of the chicken to cook and caramelise. When done it should look like below.

Once the chicken is done, lay out the flat breads, cover with a generous helping of humus, top with as much of the chicken as you like, then sliced onion, tomatoes and salad. Either serve like this or fold the flatbreads so they are easier to hold.

Serve with home made chips and, if you really want to push the boat out, garlic mayo