Cookies and cream fudge brownies

Ingredients

165g/5½oz butter, plus extra for greasing

200g/7oz dark chocolate, grated or finely chopped

3 free-range eggs

2 free-range egg yolks

1 vanilla pod, seeds only (or alternatively 2 tsp vanilla extract)

165g/5½ oz soft light brown sugar

2 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

pinch salt

154g/5½oz pack chocolate biscuits, such as Oreos, broken into quarters

icing sugar, for dusting

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a 20cm/8in square baking tin with butter, then line with baking paper with the paper overlapping the sides a little.

Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the grated (or chopped) chocolate. Leave to stand for a few minutes, or until the chocolate melts, and then stir together. Alternatively, you can put the chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt in the microwave in 25-second blasts, stirring well each time.

Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla together in a large bowl until the eggs begin to get light and fluffy. Add the sugar in two additions, whisking between each. Pour it around the side of the egg mix so as not to knock out the air that has been whisked in. Keep whisking until the mixture becomes stiffer. Once the egg mixture is ready, pour the chocolate into it - again around the sides so as not to knock the air out.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and a third of the biscuits and stir until fully combined, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Scatter the remaining biscuits over the top, pressing them in slightly. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25–30 minutes. The middle should be very so slightly gooey. Leave the brownies to cool in the tin - the top will sink and crack a little.

Pull the brownies out using the overlapping paper and cut into squares. Dust with icing sugar.

READ MORE - Cookies and cream fudge brownies

Pancit Bihon Recipe

Pancit Bihon Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. pack pancit bihon noodles
• 1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
• 2 cups of chicken broth or 2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups of water
• 1/4 cabbage, sliced into strips
• 1 onion, pealed and sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
• 1/3 cup scallions, cut into pieces
• 1 carrot, sliced into strips
• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 5 pieces of calamansi or 1 lemon, sliced

Pancit Bihon Cooking Instructions:

• Soak the pancit bihon noodles to soften for 10 minutes
• Grease a large pan or wok with oil. Sauté garlic and onions.
• Add the chicken broth, the shredded chicken breast and all the vegetables until cooked.
• Mix in the pancit bihon noodles and add the soy sauce, cook for about 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve hot with sliced calamansi on the side.

Cooking Notes:

• Calamansi or lemon is to be squeezed into the pancit bihon before eating.

READ MORE - Pancit Bihon Recipe

Shepherd's pie with spiced parsnip mash

Ingredients

For the topping

900g/2lbs large parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 onions, sliced

50g/2oz butter

large pinch ground cumin

1 tbsp freshly ground coriander seeds

1 tbsp garam masala

about 50g/2oz butter

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the filling

2 leeks or onions, chopped

1 carrot, diced

3 tbsp dripping or butter

4 Italian brown mushrooms, sliced

450g/1lb cooked roast lamb, minced, or raw lamb mince

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp tomato purée

250ml/9 oz hot lamb or chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1 sprig thyme

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Preparation method

Simmer the parsnips in salted water until tender - about fifteen to twenty minutes.

While they are cooking, fry the onions in the butter over a moderate heat until soft and translucent.

Stir in the spices and continue cooking for a further two minutes, until fragrant.

Drain the parsnips. Mash them with a potato masher, stirring in the butter, salt and freshly ground black pepper, then the sliced onions. Set aside.

In a large pan, cook the chopped leeks (or onions) and the diced carrot with the dripping or butter, until they are meltingly soft and golden - don't worry if they have caught slightly at the edges.

Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for a further five minutes, then stir in the minced meat. The meat must brown a little here and there, so do not stir it too often. Leave to cook for five minutes or so, breaking it up as necessary.

Add the flour and the tomato purée. Continue to cook, stirring regularly, for three or four minutes - tomato purée is bitter if not thoroughly cooked.

Pour on the hot stock, add a bay leaf and a sprig of thyme and bring to the boil.

Turn down the heat and leave to simmer very gently for 25-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

Season the filling with salt, Worcestershire sauce and a few grinds of black pepper - be generous.

Scoop the mixture into a large baking dish and spoon dollops of mashed parsnip over the top. Bake for about 25 minutes until the topping is golden brown.

READ MORE - Shepherd's pie with spiced parsnip mash

Beef and chorizo with horseradish mash and rosemary dumplings

Ingredients

For the beef

3 tbsp olive oil

1kg/2lb 4oz shin of beef, cut into 4cm/1½in pieces

225g/8oz chorizo, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 large carrots, cut to same size as beef

2 large parsnips, cut to same size as beef

2 tbsp plain flour

300ml/½ pint red wine

600ml/1 pint beef stock

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dumplings

225g/8oz self-raising flour

pinch salt

100g/4oz shredded suet

1-2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

For the mash

900g/2lb potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

25g/1oz fresh grated horseradish, or to taste

25g/1oz butter

about 100ml/4floz single cream

Preparation method

For the beef, make sure there are two available shelves in your oven and preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 3. Heat the olive oil in a flameproof casserole and brown the beef. (You will need to do this in batches, so don't overcrowd the pan.) Using a slotted spoon, lift out the meat and set aside.
Add the chorizo and onion to the pan and fry until softened and the fat runs from the chorizo.
Add the carrots and parsnips and continue to cook until tinged with colour and beginning to soften. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour over the wine and stirring constantly, bring to the boil. Stir in the beef stock.
Return the beef to the pan and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with a tight fitting lid and braise on the bottom shelf of the oven for two hours, or until the meat is tender - check during the cooking time to ensure that the meat doesn't become too dry. If it does, add a splash of boiled water.
For the dumplings, line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Add the suet and rosemary and bind together with enough cold water to form a soft dough.
Using floured hands and working as lightly fingered as possible, divide the mixture into eight and shape into oval dumplings. Place on a baking tray slightly spaced apart.
Bake the dumplings on the shelf above the beef for the last 25 minutes of the beef’s cooking time, until they are puffed up and cooked through.
Meanwhile, for the mash, boil the potatoes in a pan of boiling, salted water for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and press through a potato ricer into a warm bowl. Mix in the horseradish, butter and cream. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve the mash with the beef and dumplings.

READ MORE - Beef and chorizo with horseradish mash and rosemary dumplings

Philippine cuisine

Philippine cuisine consists of the food, preparation methods and eating customs found in the Philippines. The style of cooking and the food associated with it have evolved over several centuries from its Austronesian origins to a mixed cuisine with many Hispanic, Chinese, American, and other Asian influences adapted to indigenous ingredients and the local palate

READ MORE - Philippine cuisine