Home Cooked by Adrian Stefanescu

Content

What it is inside?

07 Introduction 10 Courgette Carbonara 12 Chilli Con Carne 14 Caesar Salad 18 Roast Chicken 20 Steak 22 Pizza 26 Glueten-free Chocolate Cake 28 Summer Pavlova 30 Cheesecake 31 Nutrition Information 32 Measurements

Introduction From the age of 15, I had to make food for my brothers, and it’s fair to say that I had some help from them, but I wanted to make sure that even if you face a problem you can use this book. This book is made as an simple starting point for you when you want to move out or go to university. This book shows some simple recipes and some really easy ones, I choose the ones I know that you like, also the ones you might use for a special occasion, for a nice meal with some friends or even for a nice boy. Getting out there might sound hard, but I will always be there for you, if not in person I will try to secure something for you love. As I you always tell me, when I made something for you: ‘mommy you have a golden heart’, I decided to put those words into practice and as you can see this book entitled ‘Home Cooked’ has the slogan ‘mom’s golden heart’ because I will make sure that you will have a good start no matter what.

Starters Courgette Carbonara Chilli Con Carne Caesar Salad

Ingredients ·

6 slices higher-welfare back bacon, cut into chunky lardons

1 small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped, flowers reserved (if you can get hold of flowering thyme)

a few courgette flowers, optional

freshly ground black pepper

6 medium courgettes, mix of green and yellow if available

1 small handful Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

500 g penne

4 large free-range egg yolks

100 ml single cream

olive oil

sea salt

6 serves

40 min

not too tricky

Courgette Carbonara 1. Carbonara is a classic pasta sauce made with

cream, bacon and Parmesan and is absolutely delicious. Try to buy the best ingredients you can, as that’s what really helps to make this dish amazing. When it comes to the type of pasta, you can serve carbonara with spaghetti or linguine, but I’ve been told by Italian mammas (who I don’t argue with!) that penne is the original, so that’s what I’m using in this recipe. Before you start cooking, it’s important to get yourself a very large pan, or use a high-sided roasting tray so you can give the pasta a good toss.

2. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Halve

and then quarter any larger courgettes lengthways. Cut out and discard any fluffy middle bits, and slice the courgettes at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne. Smaller courgettes can simply be sliced finely. Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan and cook according to the packet instructions.

3. To make your creamy carbonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the

Starter

Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly and put to one side.

4. Heat a very large frying pan (a 35cm one is a

good start – every house should have one!), add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta or bacon until dark brown and crisp. Add the courgette slices and 2 big pinches of black pepper, not just to season but to give it a bit of a kick. Sprinkle in the thyme leaves, give everything a stir, so the courgettes become coated with all the lovely baconflavoured oil, and fry until they start to turn lightly golden and have softened slightly.

5. It’s very important to get this next bit right or

your carbonara could end up ruined. You need to work quickly. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the courgettes, bacon and lovely flavours, then remove from the heat and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water and your creamy sauce. Stir together quickly. (No more cooking now, otherwise you’ll scramble the eggs.)

Starter

Ingredients ·

1 heaped teaspoon chilli powder

1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin

1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

freshly ground black pepper

400 g tinned chickpeas

400 g tinned red kidney beans

800 g tinned chopped tomatoes

500 g quality minced beef

1 small bunch fresh coriander

400 g basmati rice

500 g natural yoghurt

230 g guacamole

2 medium onions

2 cloves garlic

2 medium carrots

2 sticks celery

2 red peppers

olive oil

1 lime

sea salt

Chilli Con Carne 1. What a classic this dish is. Feel free to pep up

this dish with more chilli depending on your taste. This will make enough for six portions, so simply freeze the extra if you’re only cooking for four – it’s so damn good the next day, even on a jacket potato!

2. Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots

and celery – don’t worry about the technique, just chop away until fine. Halve the red peppers, remove the stalks and seeds and roughly chop. Place your largest casserole-type pan on a medium high heat. Add 2 lugs of olive oil and all your chopped vegetables. Add the chilli powder, cumin and cinnamon with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir every 30 seconds for around 7 minutes until softened and lightly coloured.

simmer with a lid slightly askew for about an hour, stirring every now and again to stop it catching

4. This is fantastic served with fluffy rice. Just

divide the rice and chilli into big bowls or serve in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves. If you don’t fancy rice it’s equally good with a nice hunk of fresh crusty bread, over a jacket potato or with couscous. Put a small bowl of natural yoghurt, some guacamole and a few wedges of lime on the table, and sprinkle the chilli with the coriander leaves.

3. Add the drained chickpeas, drained kidney

beans and the tinned tomatoes. Add the minced beef, breaking any larger chunks up with a wooden spoon. Fill one of the empty tomato tins with water and pour this into the pan. Pick the coriander leaves and place them in the fridge. Finely chop the washed stalks and stir in. Add the balsamic vinegar and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a

6 serves

75 min

super easy

Starter

Caesar Salad 1. This is a brilliant idea for a picnic with a handy

homemade sachet of dressing. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t automatically turn to chicken breast over other parts of the bird. Chicken things are fantastically tasty too, and stand up to punchy flavours better.

2. Lay the pork belly slices on a non-stick baking tray and bake in the oven or under the grill for about 20 to 30 minutes or until cooked, golden brown and crispy.

3. Whener you use a griddle pan, always press

down hard what you are coocking and hold it there for a few secounds. This will help achieve those characteristic scorch lines, which not only look attractive but mean more flavour.

4. Remove the pork, chop the strips into chunks or leave whole, if you wish. Set aside. Toast the bread cubes in the pork fat under the grill until brown and crispy.

6. To make a dressing for the salad, use 3 parts

extra virgin olive oil to 1 part lemon juice and season it well with salt and pepper. Line a cup with cling film, pour the dressing in, gather up the edges and tie in a knot. Now you have a homemade sachet of salad dressing!

7. A secound version for making the dressing is by putting the mustard into a bowl, add the olive oil, yoghurt, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

8. Trim the lettuce back until you get to the pale inner leaves. Wash well and spin dry.

9. Take a leaf of cos lettuce and fill it with

croutons, pork, tomatoes, Parmesan and an anchovy. Prick the bag and drip some salad dressing over the top and tuck in!

5. Dress the anchovies with a little lemon juice and zest, extra virgin olive oil and some chopped flat-leaf parsley.

8 serves

50 min

super easy

Ingredients ·

8 thin slices higher-welfare pork belly

2 handfuls stale bread, sugar-lump sized pieces, crusts removed

3 fresh anchovies

juice and zest of 2 lemons

extra virgin olive oil

1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 cos lettuces

a few cherry tomatoes, washed

parmesan, shavings

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

· mustard · lemon · yoghurt

Mains Roast Chicken Steak

Pizza

Ingredients ·

2 kg higher-welfare chicken

freshly ground black pepper

1.5 kg potatoes, peeled

1 large lemon, preferably unwaxed

1 whole bulb garlic, broken into cloves

8 rashers higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon, optional

1 handful fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked

1 handful fresh thyme

sea salt

olive oil

6 serves

120 min

super easy

Roast Chicken 1. Roast chicken remains one of our favourite

dishes at home. I recently discovered a way to make the chicken taste even better, by putting a lemon in with my potatoes when I was parboiling them. It smelt fantastic and flavoured the potatoes. Then when I was draining them I decided to stab the lemon, which hissed out juice and steam, and quickly jammed it inside the chicken! The benefits of the hot steaming lemon going into the chicken are very obvious as the meat tastes amazing, and the chicken cooks slightly quicker because of it.

2. Rub the chicken inside and out with a generous

amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Do this in the morning if possible, then cover the chicken and leave in the fridge until you’re ready to start cooking it for lunch or dinner. By doing this, you’ll make the meat really tasty when cooked. Preheat your oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cut the potatoes into golf-ball-sized pieces, put them into the water with the whole lemon and the garlic cloves, and cook for 12 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for 1 minute (this will give you crispier potatoes), then remove the lemon and garlic. Toss the potatoes in the pan while still hot so their

Main

outsides get chuffed up and fluffy – this will make them lovely and crispy when they roast.

3. While the lemon is still hot, carefully stab it

about 10 times. Take the chicken out of the fridge, pat it with kitchen paper and rub it all over with olive oil. Push the garlic cloves, the whole lemon and the thyme into the cavity, then put the chicken into a roasting tray and cook in the preheated oven for around 45 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Some lovely fat should have cooked out of it into the roasting tray, so toss the potatoes into this with the rosemary leaves. Shake the tray around, then make a gap in the centre of the potatoes and put the chicken back in. If using the bacon, lay the rashers over the chicken breast and cook for a further 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are nice and golden. (You can tell the chicken is cooked when the thigh meat pulls easily away from the bone and the juices run clear.)

Main

Steak 1. Take your steaks out of the fridge and let them get up to room temperature while you make your peanut sauce.

2. Put a dry frying pan on a medium heat and

toast the nuts and sesame seeds for a few minutes until lightly browned. Add the oregano, cumin seeds, thyme, chipotle chilli and garlic and cook for another minute or so. Tip into a liquidizer with the extra virgin olive oil, rum, lime juice, fresh chilli, salt and pepper, and 200ml of water. Whiz until shiny and smooth, then have a taste and adjust with a bit more salt, chilli or lime juice if needed. Put to one side. To make your salsa, get yourself a good knife and a big chopping board.

3. Set aside a few of the coriander leaves, then chop the top of the bunch, stalks and all, with the mint leaves, garlic, chilli, spring onions and tomatoes until it’s all very fine – watch your fingers here! Sprinkle over a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then add most of the lime juice and a good lug of extra virgin olive oil. Mix together on the board, taste it, season with more salt, pepper, lime juice or chilli, and put it into a bowl ready to go.

4. Get a frying pan, griddle pan or barbecue

screaming hot and season both sides of your steaks with salt, pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil. Add the steaks to the pan or barbecue. Turn every minute and cook to your liking. I’m going to give you some rough timings, but use your intuition: a 200g steak about 2cm thick wants about 2 minutes each side for medium rare and 3 minutes each side for medium. As it cooks, whip the meat with the sprig of rosemary and rub it with the cut side of the garlic clove for some extra flavour. When the steaks are perfectly cooked to your liking, move them to a plate to rest for a few minutes. Cut them into 1cm-thick slices, spread the peanut sauce all over a large serving platter or divide between your plates, and gently place the slices of steak on top. Finish with a few dollops of salsa, and scatter over your remaining coriander leaves. Drizzle over any resting juices and let everyone tuck in. This goes beautifully with the Mexican street salad. Wine suggestion: French red – a Syrah such as Crozes Hermitage or Saint-Joseph from the northern Rhône Valley.

Ingredients 路

4 x 200 g quality sirloin or rib-eye steaks, approximately 2.5cm thick

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1 sprig of fresh rosemary

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1 clove garlic, halved

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olive oil

4 serves

20 min

not too tricky

Main

Pizza Ingredients For the dough ·

800 g strong white bread flour

200 g fine ground semolina flour or strong white bread flour

1 level tablespoon fine sea salt

14 g sachets dried yeast

· ·

1 tablespoon golden caster sugar

650 ml lukewarm water

For the tomato sauce ·

1 small bunch fresh basil

400 g good-quality tinned plum tomatoes

freshly ground black pepper

sea salt

olive oil

1 clove garlic

8 serves

80 min

super easy

1. Pile the flour and salt on to a clean surface and

make an 18cm well in the centre. Add your yeast and sugar to the lukewarm water, mix up with a fork and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well. Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. It will look like thick porridge. Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour. When the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball. Knead the dough by rolling it backward and forward, using your left hand to stretch the dough toward you and your right hand to push the dough away from you at the same time. Repeat this for 10 minutes, until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.

2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let double in size for about 45 minutes.

3. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Pick the basil

leaves and discard the stalks. Heat a saucepan on a medium-low heat and add a splash of olive oil and the garlic. Cook gently until the garlic starts to turn golden, then add most of the basil leaves, the tomatoes, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for around 20 minutes, or until smooth, mashing the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon as

it cooks.When done, have a little taste, and season again if needed.

4. Divide the dough in two. Wrap one half in

plastic wrap and freeze for another batch (see Jamie’s tips above). With the other half, divide the dough into 4 balls. Flour and cover each ball with plastic wrap, and let it rest for about 15 minutes. This will make it easier to roll it thinly.

5. Take a piece of the dough, dust your surface and

the dough with a little flour or semolina, and roll it out into a rough circle about 0.5cm thick. Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tin foil, rub it with olive oil, dust it well with flour or semolina and place the pizza base on top. Continue doing the same with the other pieces and then, if you dust them with a little flour, you can pile them up into a stack, cover them with cling film and put them in the fridge

6. When you’re ready to cook them, preheat your

oven to 250°C/500°F/gas 9. Put two of the rolled-out dough rounds onto each of two oiled baking sheets. At this stage you can apply your topping. Smear the tomato sauce over the base of your pizzas and spread it out to the edges. Tear over the mozzarella and scatter with the remaining basil leaves. Drizzle with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper. 23

Desserts Gluten-free Chocolate Cake Summer Pavlova Cheesecake

Dessert

Gluten-free Chocolate Cake 1. Every body needs a good chocolate cake recipe for any special occasions, and this one is very special and easy to make. It has no flour in it, so it may sink a little after coming out of the oven. Don’t worry, no one will notice once you’ve added the topping.

2. Before you start, remove the butter from the

fridge and allow to come up to room temperature.

3. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5. Grease

two springform cake tins (roughly 20cm) with butter, then line the bottom with greaseproof paper and dust the sides with gluten-free flour.

4. In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar for around 5

minutes, or until light and fluffy. Crack in the eggs, then mix in the vanilla extract until combined. Sieve the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and cocoa powder into the bowl, then fold through. Add the milk and stir briefly until you have a nice, smooth batter.

5. Carefully divide the mixture between the cake

tins, then place on the middle shelf of the hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until an inserted skewer 26

comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, before turning the cakes out onto a wire cooling rack, then leave to cool completely while you make the icing.

6. Sieve the icing sugar and cocoa powder into

a large bowl, then add the butter and beat until smooth. Stir in the cream cheese until combined. If it’s a little thick, add a splash of milk to loosen.

7. Once cooled, place one of the sponges on a plate or cake stand. Carefully spread over half the butter

icing. In a bowl, crush the raspberries with a fork, then scatter on top. Sandwich the second sponge on top and press down slightly, then carefully spread over the remaining icing and finish with a few shavings of chocolate.

12 serves

50 min

super easy

Ingredients ·

300 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

300 g gluten-free plain flour, plus extra for dusting

300 g golden caster sugar

4 large free-range eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

¼ teaspoon xanthan gum

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons milk

For the filling: ·

200 g icing sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

100 g unsalted butter

100 g cream cheese

70 g fresh raspberries

quality dark chocolate , to serve

Ingredients For the meringue ·

4 large free-range egg whites

225g/8oz caster sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp cornflour

For the pavlova ·

400ml double cream

400g strawberries, hulled, halved if large

200g raspberries

150g blueberries

3 passion fruit (optional)

cape gooseberries (optional)

mint sprigs, to decorate

sifted icing sugar, to decorate

10 serves

85 min

not too tricky

Dessert

Summer Pavlova 1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Place

a 25cm/10in dinner plate on a sheet of baking parchment and draw around it. Turn the paper over, and set to one side.

5. Spoon the meringue into the circle and shape

whisk with an electric whisk until stiff but not dry. They are ready when you can turn the bowl upside down without the eggs sliding out.

with the back of a serving spoon or rubber spatula to create a large meringue nest, with soft peaks rising on all sides. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 1 hour until very lightly coloured and crisp on the outside. (If the meringue seems to be becoming too brown, reduce the temperature of the oven). After 1 hour, turn the oven off and leave the meringue for a further hour.

3. Gradually whisk in the sugar, a tablespoon at

6. Remove from the oven and leave to

2. Put the egg whites in a large, clean bowl and

a time, whisking for a few seconds between each addition. Adding the sugar slowly helps to build up volume in the meringue and make it stiff and shiny. Finally, whisk in the vanilla extract and cornflour until well combined.

4. Dab a small amount of the meringue in the

corners of a large, sturdy baking tray or sheet. Position the baking parchment, drawn side down, on the baking sheet, using the meringue dabs to secure it to the tray.You should be able to see the circle through the paper.

cool completely.

7. Up to 2 hours before serving, carefully release

the meringue from the baking parchment, using a spatula if necessary, and place onto a large serving plate. Whip the cream until soft peaks form and spoon into the centre of the meringue. Top with the strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, and the gooseberries if using. Cut the passion fruit and scrape the pulp over.

8. Decorate with sprigs of mint and dust with sifted icing sugar to serve.

Ingredients ·

350 g digestive biscuits

120 g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

900 g light or low-fat cream cheese, softened

150 g caster sugar

5 large eggs, preferably free-range or organic

juice of 6 limes, (approx. 125ml)

1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways and seeds scraped out, or 1 tablespoon good-quality vanilla extract

finely grated zest of 1 lime

For the topping: ·

3 large egg whites, preferably free-range or organic (the yolks can be used for making scambled eggs)

110 g caster sugar

40 g desiccated coconut

12 serves 30

160 min

not too tricky

Cheesecake 1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/310°F/gas 2½ and

grease a 24cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Put your biscuits into a food processor and whiz until you’ve got really fine crumbs, then mix in your melted butter. If you don’t have a food processor, just wrap your biscuits in a tea towel and bash them up with a rolling pin until fine. Spread the biscuit mixture around the base of your greased tin, making sure you get it right to the edges, then press it with your hands to pack it down. Place the tin on a baking sheet and pop it into the fridge while you make the filling.

2. Whiz the cream cheese in a food processor until

smooth, then gradually add the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Pour in the lime juice and vanilla seeds or extract and whiz again until just combined. Again, if you don’t have a food processor, just do this by hand. Don’t worry if the mixture seems too thin – it’s supposed to be like that. Tip it over your chilled biscuit base, spread it out evenly, and bake in the oven for around 45 to 55 minutes – you want the cheesecake to still have a slight loose wobble.

Dessert

3. Remove from the oven and set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly. Turn the oven up to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.

4. To make the meringue topping, put your egg

whites into a clean bowl and beat until they form soft peaks – an electric whisk is quite handy here. Gradually add the caster sugar and beat until thick and glossy. Finally, fold in the coconut. Spoon this meringue mixture on to the middle of the cooled cheesecake and spread it to the edges, using the back of a spoon, so it just covers the filling. It should be about 2cm thick. I like to make a few ripples and peaks in the top so it looks impressive. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, or until the meringue is starting to turn golden in colour and is crisp to touch. Let it cool down, then place it in the fridge for a few hours (this is important) to chill before serving.

5. Carefully remove it from the tin, transfer it

to a nice platter and sprinkle over the lime zest. Really nice served with mango, strawberries and raspberries when they’re in season.

Nutrition Information Calories

Carbs

Sugar

Calories are just a unit of energy. If you eat more than you use you can gain weight, or lose it if you don’t eat enough. How much you need depends on your weight, gender and how active you are, but it’s around 2.000 a day.

Carbs are a great source of energy and, excluding foods such as potatoes, are made from grains - like bread, pasta and cereal. We all need carbs, but try to make them all wholegrain by sticking to brown bread, rice and pasta - they are much more nutritious.

We all deserve a treat sometimes, but try to limit your sugar intake. Most of your sugar should come from raw fruit and milk, because they give us lots of nutrients too. Always check food labels so you know how much sugar you’re eating.

Fat

Saturates

Protein

We all need to eat a small amount of fat because it protects our organs and help us grow. But we need to be careful about how much fat we eat and what kinds of fat, because in higher levels it’s associated with weight gain, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

Saturated or ‘bad fats” are in beef, pork, chicken skin, butter, cream and cheese. Too much can be bad for our heart and cholesterol levels, but unsaturated or “good fats” in fish, nuts, avocados and some oils can help keep our hearts healthy if eaten in moderation.

Protein helps our muscles to grow and repair, as well as providing you with essential amino acids. When it comes to protein, try to eat leaner sources such as chicken and fish or non-meat sources such as eggs, dairy, beans, nuts, seeds, tofu and pulses.

Measurements Weights

Oven Temeratures

Imperial

Metric

Gas Mark

ºF

ºC

1/2 oz

15 g

275°F

135°C

3/4 oz

20 g

300°F

150°C

1 oz

30 g

325°F

160°C

1 1/2 oz

40 g

350°F

180°C

2 oz

60 g

375°F

190°C

400°F

200°C

1 lb

455 g

425°F

220°C

1 lb 8 oz

680 g

450°F

230°C

2 lb

905 g

2 fl oz

55 ml

3 fl oz

85 ml

American

Imperial

Metric

1 pint

570 ml

3/4 teaspoon

1 teaspoon

5 ml

1 1/4 pint

710 ml

1/2 fl oz

1 tablespoon

15 ml

2 pint

1.2 litre

1 1/4 cups

1/2 pint

285 ml

1 pint / 16 fl oz

3/4 pint

425 ml

Liquid Conversions

ÂŠAdrian Stefanescu