Big Game Manwiches

Today I made Epic Meal Time-esque  Sandwiches for the Big Game

Two of my big obsessions in life are Rugby and sexy sandwiches. Seeing as there's plenty of Rugby on TV at the moment, a big part of my weekend is based around the games and making half time snacks for my family and friends. I always find sandwiches a great big game snack as It's a part of the sports culture that I love. This sandwich is jam packed with meat, eggs, cheese and an array of sauces with some some salad leaves thrown in for good measure. If you're anything like me and my family and get very "Involved" in the game you will need something to keep your energy up and one of these bad boys at half time will give you the energy you need to get you through the second half. 

This sandwich or "Manwich" if you will, I serve with a heap of homemade spicy wedges, a number of dips and an ice cold beer. The 
assembly of this manwich is quite important as you need to keep balance so all those magical ingredients will be spread throughout your sandwich as well as being able to hold the sandwich without everything falling out the bottom. The wedges are a perfect accompaniment for this snack as they are easy to eat and act as a perfect tool to catch any sauce that may escape your sandwich during the attack. I like to serve the manwich with my homemade BBQ Sauce and Tomato Ketchup. 

Ingredients:

(Makes two Manwiches)

For the Manwich:

• Loaf of Tiger Bread
• 4 Rashers
• 300g Steak - Cut into strips
• 10 Leafs of Butterhead Lettus or Rocket
• 1 Medium Onion
• 6-8 Mushrooms
• 2 Slices of Chilli and Redbell Pepper Cheese
• 2 Tablespoons Gravy
• Pepper
• Dried Basil
• Salt
• Paprika
• Cajun Spice
• Cider Vinegar
• Honey
• 2 Large Eggs
• 6 Tablespoons Homemade BBQ Sauce

For the Wedges:

• 8-10 Potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Dried Basil
• Paprika
• Cajun Spice
• 2 Teaspoons of Cider Vinegar

Instructions:

1. Cut the potatoes into wedges. Place into a baking tray and drizzle with Olive Oil, sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, Cajun Spice, Paprika and splash on the Cider Vinegar.

2. Toss the potatoes within the mixture and place into the oven and bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes. 

3. Slice the steak into strips and place into a glass bowl. Season Steak strips with Salt, Pepper, Cajun Spice, Paprika and a splash of Balsamic Vinegar. Leave to marinate as long as you can, I normally marinate my steak in the morning and leave covered in the fridge till I need it. 

4. Fry the steak till it turns golden brown. Slice the Mushrooms and Onions into fine strips. Half way through cooking throw in the sliced Mushrooms and Onions and cooked till caramelised.

5. Take up the Steak and Onions and Mushrooms and place in a small baking dish, cover with foil and place in the oven with the Wedges to keep warm. 

6. Fry the bacon till nice and crispy. Begin to cook the Eggs, while the Eggs are cooking you can assemble the manwich. 

7. Cut the top and bottom off the Tiger Loaf. Cut the loaf into two then slice each section in half. Don't cut all the way through as it's easier to hold the sandwich if it's still connected on one side.

8. Start your sandwich with lashings of BBQ Sauce. This acts as a glue to keep the Lettus in place and to prevent sliding. 

9. Load up your Tiger Loaf with a handful of Butterhead Lettus or Rocket, press down so it secures itself with the BBQ Sauce.

10. Next load up all your strips of steak, try to make sure they are evenly dispersed so that every bite gets a chunk of steak. 

11. Top your steak strips with the caramelised Onions and Mushrooms, this layer acts like glue for the sandwich also which is vital for keeping it together.

12. Next place your cheese on top so it can start to melt. I like to use a red cheddar that is infused with Chilli and Red Bell Peppers . This cheese gives a lovely creamy finish while also adding a nice kick to the sandwich. 

13. Top your Cheese with two pieces of crispy bacon, this hot bacon will help the cheese to melt. 

14. By the time you have gotten to this stage of the assembly your eggs will be cooked. Place a fried egg on top of each sandwich.

15. Take out the Wedges from the oven. Finish with a splash of vinegar and pinch of sea salt.

16. Spread a large Tablespoon of hot Gravy on the top of each sandwich. Serve with a stack of Wedge, a selection of dips and an ice-cold beer.

"Scrum-ptious"

Winter Warmer Soup

Today I made my  Mother's Winter Warmer Soup

As soon as November hits Soup comprises 90% of all my meals. I can literally have soup at any point during the day I've even been known to have it for lunch and dinner in the same day. When I'm at home I love to make my Soup from scratch. I have such good memories from my childhood of being out playing in the snow on a frosty Christmas day then coming in to thaw out in a big bowel of my mother's homemade soup. Even to this day when ever I have this Soup recipe it takes me right back to those fondly remembered days. As I grew older my mother started to teach me how to make this bowl of warming goodness. I started with basic recipes then began to start experimenting.

Not only did I start experimenting with different Soup ingredients but also with different Soup Toppers and different Soup accompaniments. When I have the time I love to make my own stock. Sometimes I make concentrated stock in bulk and then freeze it in ice-cube trays so I can pop out a couple of cubes and throw them in with the Vegetables at the start of cooking. I like to make my own croutons or Melba toast type slices of bead using gluten free bread. Other Soup toppers I like include Sour Cream, Natural Yoghurt, Seasme Seeds or Vegetable crisps. If you want to up the protein in your soup you can add in some Shredded Chicken into this recipe.

Ingredients:

(Serves two hungry people)

• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 Red Onion
• 1 White Onion
• 2 Carrots
• 2 Parnips
• 1/2 Butternut Squash
• 5 Florets of Broccoli
• 5 Florets of Cauliflower
• 600mls Chicken or Veg Stock 
• Salt
• Pepper 

Instructions:

1. Crush or finely chip the two cloves of Garlic. Finely slice the White and Red Onions. Dice up the Carrots, Parsnips and Butternut Squash into small cubes. Cut off the florets of the Broccoli and Cauliflower.

2. Spray a small amount of Low Kcal Spray into a medium sized pan. Add in your Garlic and fry for a minute or two to flavour the pan. Add in the Onions and a splash of the Stock stir with a wooden spoon and allow to soften for a further 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

3. Add in the remainder of the Vegetables and all bar 100mls of the Stock and cook until all the Vegetables are softened. 

4. Blend all the Vegetables with a hand held blender or place into a smoothie maker and blitz until smooth and all the lumps are gone. Add in the remainder of the Stock until your reach the desired consistency. 

5. Ladle up the soup into your bowl of choice. I served mine with one giant Crouton, sprinkled with Seasme Seeds and served with home made Melba Toast. 

"Mmm. Noodle Soup"

Homemade Dinky Donuts

Today I made Homemade Dinky Donuts

I discovered Dinky Donuts a number of years ago during Spraoi, a Summer festival in Waterford. Ever since that magical day I try to get them as often as possible, which unfortunately is only about two or three times a year. Occasionally while walking through town I  get that donutty scent and all those Summer memories come flooding back. Due to the small number of times a year they are available I had to start looking at making them myself. I was never a big fan of donuts before, all I was ever faced with was the American glazed ring donuts so beloved of Homer Simpson or the Italian zeppole along with others different assortments and peoples take on the deep-fried joy so beloved of people around the world.

I played around with a number of different recipes while coming up with perfect one. After a lot of experimenting I decided to use strong white flour as it allows for a lighter crumb. I include sugar in the dough itself so they are sweetened from within. I melt the butter in the warm milk and water which allows for a smooth and light dough. Keeping Dinky Donuts in mind I keep the donuts quite small so they are bite size rather than the regular doughnut shape. Temperature-wise I was faced with a number problems, I wanted to get a deep golden brown colour while making sure the inside remained soft and fluffy and light. As if the oil is too hot they brown too fast and don't allow the inside to cook. I found that cooking at 160C works best.

Ingredients:

• 60g Strong White Flour - plus dusting flour 
• 7g dried yeast
• 15g Caster Sugar - plus extra for dusting
• 20g Butter - at room temperature
• 65mls Milk - warm
• 45mls Water - warm
• 1 Egg - beaten
• 1 Liter Vegetable Oil

Instructions:

1. Combine the sifted flour, yeast and sugar in a large bowl and mix well with a spatula. Place the butter into a jug with the warm Milk and Water and stir until the Butter is melted. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry along with the beaten Egg and stir till in comes together and forms a ball of dough.

2. Place out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it feels smooth and elastic. This normally takes me 5-7 minutes. Put into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with some cling film or a damp towel and leave in a warm dry place until it has doubled in size - normally 40-60 minutes. 

3.Shape into a log and cut into 8-10 equal pieces. 

4. Take each portion, fatten it slightly then begin to work into a ball. Place all balls onto a lightly floured baking tray spacing them well apart as they will expand again during the second proofing. Cover and prove again for 30-40 minutes.

5. Heat the Oil in a large pan to 160C. I normally cook these donuts in a small pan and cook at two at a time so you can monitor how long they are cooked for and won't forget about any of them as they need to be turned. When they have reached a golden brown colour, place them out on to kitchen paper for a few seconds then place them straight into a bowel of caster sugar. 

5. It's best to eat these donuts while they are still warm as they don't seem to keep very well. Not that they last very long in my house anyways.

"Donuts. What better excuse to eat cake for breakfast"

Oreo Cheesecake

Today I made Oreo Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of my favourite desserts to play around with. It's such a versatile dessert you can add in pretty much anything you like from Lemon, Malteasers, Strawberries, or a personal favourite, Baileys. I probably have twelve or thirteen different favourite Cheesecake recipes. This is definitely up there in my top three. This cheesecake has a great aesthetic feature attached to it too. The stark contrast between the black and white really makes it a pleasure to look at as well as eat. The Oreo base is so intense in flavour that it is complemented perfectly by the sweet and creamy topping. I don't include gelatin in this recipe as the ingredients are so fresh and thick and creamy you don't need a setting agent. 

This recipe uses both regular sized and mini Oreos. The regular sized Oreos are blitzed into a fine crumb which will go into making the biscuit layer of the Cheesecake. The Mini Oreos are use for decorative purposes. They also acts as a way to divide up he Cheesecake when you are serving as one portion normally takes into account two mini Oreos. The topping of this Cheesecake is made up by mixing Cream Cheese - I like to use Philadelphia Light so save some ever important Calories. Mixed with Mascarpone Cheese and Cream. I like to sweeten my Cheesecakes with icing sugar. A lot of recipes say to use Caster Sugar or Granulated Sugar as a sweetener but I find that using regular sugar can leave your Cheesecake a little grainy and not being able to achieve that super smooth texture.

Ingredients: 

• 32 Oreos
• 85g Butter 
• 30 Mini Oreos
• 250mls Cream
• 500g Light Cream Cheese
• 250 Mascarpone Cheese
• 200g Icing Sugar

Instructions:

1. Blitz the Oreos using a food processor and pour into a large bowl. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave and pour into the Oreo crumbs. Mix the butter in using a wooden spoon until the crumbs start to stick together.

2. Pour the crumb mixture into a 9 inch Springform Pan. Press the mixture down with a spatula making sure to get it as evenly spread out as possible. Place the pan into the fridge so the biscuit base can set. 

3 While the base is in the fridge you can get your creamy topping ready. Whisk the cream till it's forming soft peaks. In another bowl place all the Cream Cheese and Mascarpone Cheese and begin to beat with a wooden spoon to loosen up and mix the two Cheeses together.

4. Spoon in the Whipped Cream and sift in the Icing sugar and mix through. Taste the mixture and add more Icing Sugar if you wish. Cut ten of the mini Oreos into quarters and add into the mixture.

5. Using a spatula, spread the Cream Cheese mixture on top of the biscuit base. Pressing down constantly so you don't have any air pockets or gaps in your Cheesecake.

6. Arrange your remaining mini Oreos on top of your Cheesecake, in what ever design you like. I like to do a circular design around the outside of the Cake but feel free to get creative.

7. Allow to chill and set for an hour or two before serving as the mixture will have softened slightly after working it so much. 

8. To remove from pan, place on top of a small bowl and then unclasp the tin slowly. Move the outside of the pan down making sure not to disturb the sides of the Cheesecake. 

"If chocolate is the answer, the question is irrelevant"