PHILLY CHEESE STEAK...

Here we are at the end of Healthy January and we can indulge, yes sirreee Bob! Not saying we should become total slobs for the rest of the year but one "cheat" can't kill...

I love bread in all its forms and when that bread comes stuffed with meaty goodness and doesn't need a lot of ingredients... sigh*

Baguette/French Roll/French Stick...

250 Grms Beef Sliced Thinly

1/4 Cup Grated Mix of Cheddar & Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 Cup Sliced Red and Green Chili Peppers

1/4 Cup Sliced Green Pepper

1/2 Cup Sliced Red Onions

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon Garlic Sauce (Optional)

1 Teaspoon Hot Sauce (Optional)

Salt & Pepper

Add half of your butter into a dry sautee pan and sweat down your onions until they are translucent but not brown, we still want it to have a wee bit of crunch. 4 minutes.

Take out of pan and set aside.

Add your peppers and soften for about 2 -3 minutes (with no extra butter) until you can just begin to smell them.

Take out and set aside.

Now the best way to get proper thin slices out of your meat is this. Pop it into the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm up then go at it with a sharp knife. Simple!

Add remaining butter to pan and pop in your meat. Season with salt and pepper and allow to brown. it will let out its juices and as the cooking goes on re-absorb them then begin to fry a bit with the butter. 5 minutes.

Re-introduce peppers and onions and let them hang out for another 30 seconds.

As that cooks, cut out length of bread you want and rub garlic sauce on both sides and add hot sauce. Now, before i would rub on some butter and toast up that bad boy but my ways have changed and we are going for a hot summer bod... :p

 Pile on meat and pepper combo

Pile on your cheese...

...pop in into the microwave for a minute to get all melty...

Indulge and pass out for 2 hours like someone, who isn't me by the way, did.

;)

EFO RIRO...

So, its still Eat Healthy January and i don't know if there's a Nigerian soup healthier than Efo Riro... its also easy to make, really.

1Kg Cowleg
500Grms Offals
Stock Fish
1 Onion
11/2 Cup palm Oil
Dried/Smoked Fish (De-Boned)
1 Cup Dried Prawns (Oporo)
4 Cups Chopped & Washed Waterleaf of Spinach
6 Cups Chopped & Washed Green (Efo) Leaves (Anyone know another name for the vegetable? Growing up i just knew it as "Green")
1 Cup Crayfish
1/4 Cup Tomato Puree
1 Tablespoon Iru/Dawadawa/Locust Beans (Rinsed)
3 Ripe Tomatoes
2 Tatashe
2 Seasoning Cubes
Salt and Pepper

Season your meat with salt, pepper and 1 chopped onion, add washed stock fish and cook until tender. Please bear in mind that if shaki (tripe) is one of your offals, you will have to pre-cook it first before it joins the rest of the party for a proper long cook as it tends to be tough. Careful about how much water you cook your meat with or you'll end up with either an efo swimming pool or you won't be able to use all your meat stock thereby missing out on some flavour as waterleaf/spinach and green tend to release a lot of water during the cooking process...

When meat is cooked, pour meat and stock in a different pot or container and set aside.

Blend fresh tomato and tatashe together with as little water as possible and set aside.

Rinse and dry pot then add palm oil and allow to heat up but not get smokey, add ground tomatoes and tatashe and allow to fry for about 5 minutes.

While that is going on, take the head and tail off your dried prawns and add to your crayfish and blend, i like to do this cos i don't want any sharp bits poking me in the mouth or tongue. Rinse the rest of the prawns and set aside.

Add tomato puree and stir in properly, by now you should have a nice tight mix with almost no liquid.

Add iru, crayfish, and dried fish. Season and allow to cook together for another 2 minutes, keep watch so that it doesn't begin to burn.

Now add your meat, pouring your stock in a little at a time till you have a thick soup. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes.

Add waterleaf/spinach. Mix properly and after 2 minutes add your green/efo leaves.

Mix again, taste for seasoning and take off the heat immediately. We want a bright green soup with all the vitamins and minerals in the vegetables still alive. If your vegetables turn brown, you've over cooked it.

Serve with amala, rice, boiled yam or just by itself.

HERBY GRATIN OF MELTING POTATOES...

Today we go to France...

Now even though this isn't a "light weight" meal, portion control is key and to be honest i have no taboo foods. I love food and the more scrumptious and comforting, the better...and that's all this meal is about.

1Kg Potatoes

3 Strips of Bacon or Chicken Fillet (Chopped)

1/2 Cup Button Mushrooms (Chopped)

1 Spring Onion (Chopped)

2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley

1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg

Salt & White Pepper

300Ml Heavy Cream

1/2 Cup Mozarella Cheese

2 Tablespoons of Butter

Wash and peel potatoes then slice paper thin and leave soaked in water so it doesn't start to change colour.

Pre-heat oven.

Mix spices, spring onion, bacon, mushrooms and herbs in a bowl and set aside.

Butter up your casserole bowl with some melted butter then start arranging the potatoes to cover the base of the dish.

After every layer, sprinkle on some of your bacon mix.

Place another layer of potatoes until you have just one layer left. Sprinkle bacon mix then cover with cheese.

Cover it all up...

Pour cream over it...

Cover with foil and pop into oven for 20 minutes then take it out and dot with a little butter on top. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and a little more pepper.

Pop back into the oven for 2 and half hours.

Carefully take out of the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting in, this will give the cream and cheese time to set.

Serve a little portion with some salad for a filling, comforting, delicious meal that will literally be melting in your mouth.

Bon apetit!
:*

STEAK & MUSHROOM FRITTATA...

Here we are in January! The month we all swear to do better and be better...and most of all resolve to eat better. In fact, we pig out during the holidays consoling ourselves that in a couple of days/weeks we will be on a diet so hey...

So here is a healthy breakfast that will keep you full till lunch time. 

Frittatas are basically omelettes on steroids and you can fill it with whatever veggies and herbs you like, here is my recipe.

3 Eggs

1 Small Onion

1/2 Cup Chopped Button Mushrooms

100 Grms Flank Steak

1/2 Cup of Milk

1 Teaspoon Butter (Optional)

1 Spring Onion (Chopped)

1 Teaspoon Chopped Parsley

1 Fresh Tomatoes (Sliced)

1/4 Cup Green Bell Peppers (Chopped)

1 Grated Garlic Clove

1 Cup Grated Cheddar, Mozarella & Parmesan Cheese Mix

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop up steak and season with salt, pepper, garlic. Stir fry half your portion of onions till softened and translucent then add steak and fry till well done. Take steak and onions out of the pan, leaving any remaining oil in pan. 

Whisk eggs together with with milk and season with salt and black pepper and pour into the pan. If your pan is dry after frying your steak, melt a teaspoon of butter in it so that your eggs don't stick after cooking.

Arrange all your vegetables into the pan in no particular pattern, sprinkle dried oregano over it and follow with cheese.

Pop into the oven for 7 - 10 minutes and serve up.

Have an energized day!
:)

 OGBONO SOUP...

Happy New Year Everyone!!! Welcome to a year of many more great eats! :D

I've said a couple of times how i find myself only eating few Nigerian soups, but my mum came visiting recently and nothing was off the menu so i had to bust out ogbono soup for my mummy dearest.

1Kg Beef & Goat Meat
500Grms Offals
Kpomo
2 Smoked Mackerels
2 Cups Ground Ogbono
Stock Fish
1 Cup Crayfish
11/2 Cups Palm Oil
1 Onion
1 Cup Chopped Ugu Leaves
2 Seasoning Cubes
Salt & Pepper

Season and cook stock fish, meat and offals with salt, pepper, seasoning cubes and chopped onion. If shaki (tripe) is one of your offals of choice, you'll need to pre-cook it first as it usually tougher than other meats.

When the meat is cooked, add smoked fish and set aside.

In another pot, pour in your oil and when its hot (but not smoking) add ogbono, stirring gently to break up any clumps that may appear. With this process you don't have to go beating a pot of stock looking for clumps.

When you have a smooth paste, allow to simmer for about 3 minutes.

Pour in stock with meats, stock fish and smoked fish.

Add crayfish, stir until it is all properly mixed and as soon as it starts to bubble turn down the heat.

Taste for seasoning.

When soup gets to your desired thickness, add ugu, stir and turn off the heat.

Serve up steaming hot with eba!

Enjoy!