How MyDish Came about…

Check out this video of Mydish.co.uk founder Carol Savage talking about how Mydish.co.uk came around.

The 48 bird Christmas Roast

As you chomped on the turkey on Christmas day, did you think:  “Next year, it would be nice to be more adventurous?”

If you did, it’s time to start planning now and here’s the most adventurous choice of them all. Heal Farm have constructed and sell a 48 bird christmas roast that is everything but boring.

The roast has a bird for each of the 12 days of Christmas and eight different types of stuffing all inside a great big turkey.  It’s the meat of 48 birds in total including goose, duck, pheasant, partridge, quail, pigeon and chicken.

It takes 10hrs to cook 25kg roast that will feed about 125 people.  It’s not cheap, needless to say, but the £665 price ticket includes a roasting tin and delivery and if you’re having a REALLY big christmas dinner it could work out as pretty good value for money. You’ll need a huge oven though. And a second one for the roast spuds.

More things for the Christmas shopping list…

When you’re doing your christmas shopping in the next few days, make sure that you’re ready for that huge, uninspiring pile of turkey leftovers after the big meal. Dry turkey isn’t much fun in a sandwich but marinaded and simmered in a tasty curry sauce, and it’s delicious and flavoursome. So why not plan for a curry after christmas and make sure that you’ve got all the turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala, ginger and other herbs and spices that can make a delicious homemade curry.

Here are a few ideas. In this dead easy recipe, just replace the chicken with turkey: Chicken Curry.

If you’re a bit more ambitious, try this Christmas Turkey Curry.

Beware Illegal Mince Pies

Did you know that when you’re cheerily munching those delicious mince pies, that you’re actually breaking the law? Albeit only technically.

Unlike most christmas traditions, mince pies date back further than the reign of Queen Victoria. They are recorded as a medieval tradition and some say they have older, pagan origins. Originally they did indeed contain minced meat (hence the name) as well as the fruit and spices we still consume today. They were often oblong in shape to reflect the manger Jesus lay in and cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg represented the gifts of the three wise men.

However, in 1644 Oliver Cromwell (who wasn’t known for his love of the frivolous) declared that Mince Pies were illegal. And that’s how they remain to this day: the law has never been repealed.

All the more reason to scoff as many of them as you possibly can this Christmas, says MyDish!

Credit Crunch Cooking Trends

The hard times are upon on us and there are some unexpected winners. According to the Guardian sales of tinned peaches have soared. Other products selling well in the downturn? Frozen raw prawns are up 400% at Sainsburys and frozen peas are doing well there too. The nation is turning to the freezer cabinets in order to save cash.

In terms of the supermarkets, Lidl and Aldi are prospering and apparently Iceland (even with its scary TV adverts with Jason Donavan and Kerry Katona) is enjoying sales up 18% on this time last year. Frozen pizzas, garlic bread and frozen ready meals (rather than the simply chilled ones) are heading out of a terminal sales decline and enjoying a comeback. The British Frozen Food Federation (yup, there is such a thing) is cashing in on the trend with a new website: thenewiceage.com.

It’s all a little worrying. Obviously, frozen ingredients are a great way for people to save some cash and there’s nothing wrong with that. But going frozen is a bad thing if we’re just eating the same frozen stuff simply because it costs less. A frozen pizza can only ever be a readymade pizza and not a delicious, nutrition-rich homemade meal.

This is where Jamie Oliver, and Delia Smith with her ‘Frugal Food’ book, are totally right. If the cash-conscious want to save a bit of money, the freezer isn’t the only answer. The best way to save cash and eat more healthily is to don the pinny and start cooking from scratch. Unprepped fresh vegetables, choice cuts of meat and all sorts of other ingredients are surprisingly cheap and all you need is a bit of know-how and a tiny bit of time.

Here are some great ideas from MyDish. How are you saving money when it comes to food?

Google Zeitgeist: Fastest Rising Recipes

Google gives a fascinating glimpse into what the nation is thinking and the Google Zeitgeist service is an absorbing read. In particular we were gripped by the details of the fastest rising recipes on Google.co.uk in 2008:

Recipes (Fastest Rising)

1. cupcake
2. meatballs
3. rocky road
4. crumble topping
5. eaton mess
6. pork belly
7. rhubarb fool
8. lemon posset
9. honey comb
10. beer batter

MyDish has lots of recipes that searchers are looking for. But if you’re looking for ‘eaton mess’, you’ll be disappointed. The dish is a tradition from the famous British public school, Eton College.  And if you want to get your chops round that: this is a perfect Eton Mess recipe. Accept no imitations.

Cooking a Turkey with the West Wing

It’s that time of year again and even the finest minds are turning to how’s best to cook that turkey. Even President Josiah Bartlet wants to know what the best way to cook his bird is. What’s the right temperature? Should the stuffing be cooked inside or sperately? There should be a hotline!

Well, there is:

(Oh, OK so this is actually related to Thanksgiving but it’s a brilliant skit.)

Check out the MyDish Gallery on Flickr

We’re frightfully Web 2.0 here at MyDish.co.uk. We’ve just added a load of our pictures to Flickr.

Check them out at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mydishcouk/

Recipe of the Day: Semi Liquid Chocolate Cake

Semi Liquid Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

* Serves: 10
* Prep Time: 0hrs 15 mins
* Cooking Time: 0hrs 20 mins

Ingredients

* 200g Black chocolate
* 180g Butter
* 100g Flour
* 4 Eggs
* 200g Sugar

Method

Preheat your oven at 225°C.

Melt the butter in your microwave in a bowl.

In a big bowl mix the sugar, the eggs, and the butter together. The mixture must be creamy.

Break the chocolate into pieces and melt it in the microwave with 3 tea spoons of water.

Now pour the melted chocolate and the sifted flour into the mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth consistency.

Pour this into the tin and bake for 20 minutes.

(Find this recipe on MyDish.co.uk)

MyDish Recipe of the Day: Banana Banoffee Pie

Banana Banoffee Pie

* Serves: 4
* Prep Time: 0hrs 25 mins
* Cooking Time: 2hrs 15 mins

Ingredients

* 2 x 400ml/ 14 fl oz cans sweetened condensed milk
* 6 tbsp Melted butter/ plus extra for greasing
* 150g/ 5 ½ oz Digestive buscuits/ crused into crumbs
* 1 tbsp lemon juice
* 1 tsp Vanilla essence
* 75g/ 2 ¾ oz chocolate grated
* 450ml/ 16 fl oz Thick double whipped cream
* 50g/ 1 ¾ oz Almonds toasted and ground
* 4 Ripe Bananas
* 50g/ 1¾ oz Shelled hazelnuts toasted and ground

Method

1. Place the cans of milk in a large saucepan and cover them with water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours. Ensure that the water is topped up regulary to keep the cans covered. Carefully lift out the hot cans and leave to cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centegrade or gas mark 4. Grease a 23-cm/9-inch flan tin Put the butter into a bowl and add the biscuits and nuts. Mix together well, then press mixture evenly into the base and sides of the flan tin. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove from oven and leave to cool.

3. Peel and slice the bananas and put them into a bowl. Sprinkle over the lemon juice and vanilla essence and mix gently. Spread the banana mixture over the biscuit crust in the tin, then open the cans of condensed milk and spoon the contents over the bananas. Sprinkle over 50g/1 and a quarter oz of the chocolate, then top with a thick layer of whipped cream. Scatter over the remaining chocolate and serve.

Find this recipe on Mydish.co.uk.