BL Masterchef - What did you last cook?

[bit_pattern]

A twist on the other eating thread.

Tell us the last gourmet sensation you whipped up - even if it did involve a microwave and cheese in a can. Provide a recipe if you can, or at least link to a recipe, so that everyone else can try and recreate your gourmand masterpiece.

Add a picture or two if you really want to show off

I last cooked chorizo and beans in a roasted tomato and capsicum stew - pretty damned amazing if I do say so myself. No photos but the recipe is here, the only alteration I made was adding a tablespoon of sugar to cut through the astringency of the tomato and capsicum, a can of lentils and using hot rather than mild chorizo:

http://www.whatkatieate.com/recipes...rizo-red-capsicum-tomato-and-mixed-bean-stew/

INGREDIENTS

2 mild chorizo sausages, sliced into thin rounds
3-4 large truss tomatoes, halved
2-3 long red peppers/red capsicums, stalk, membrane and seeds removed, cut in half lenghtways
1 brown onion, finely diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
400g tinned, chopped tomatoes
400g tinned borlotti beans
400g tinned chickpeas
400g tinned cannellini beans
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup dry white wine
Handful fresh flat leaf/continental parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

• Pre-heat oven to 180˚C (350˚F)
• Place capsicums and tomatoes cut-side up onto two separate baking trays, drizzle both with a little olive oil, season tomatoes with a little salt and black pepper and roast both items in the oven for 40-50 minutes. Remove from oven and chop both capsicums and tomatoes into large chunks.
• In a large heavy-based French-one/casserole pot, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil and warm over medium heat. Add the sliced chorizo and fry until crispy and caramelised around the edges. Using a slotted spoon remove chorizo and drain on paper towel.
• Into the chorizo oil remaining in the pot, add the onion and garlic and fry over low-medium heat for 5 minutes before adding the roasted tomatoes, capsicums, tinned tomatoes, 3 bean varieties, paprika and wine. Season well with salt and black pepper then add the chorizo. Stir all together and cook over low-medium heat for 30-40 mins until thickened slightly. If you want, you can add a little water at any stage if you think the mixture is getting too thick.
• Serve warm in bowls with a scattering of chopped fresh parsley.

Cooking the chorizo first then frying the onion and garlic in the paprika-y oil is a really good method, give a real colour and fragrance to everything that is hard to beat. Didn't notice the roast tomato all that much but the capsicum just made the whole thing sing.

 

[Maya]

^great thread bit_pattern, although I'm not passionate when it comes to cooking so I'll post something later on.

 

[Br1ngTh3Ra1n]

Eggs. It's an achievement for me !

 

[bit_pattern]

But eggs HOW? Boiled, baked, fried? Recipes, man!

It's winter here - so casseroles etc are the things to be eaten. This is a little to above but a little different - an Italian rather than Spanish twist with pasta instead of beans

1 onion finely chopped
3 stalks of celery finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
5 spicy Italian sausages (this dish really needs a good quality sausage - I used a supermarket variety that markets itself as "natural" i.e. no preservative, limited fat content - pork, fennel seed and chilli)
3 red capsicum
4 roma tomatoes
1 can of crushed tomatoes
Bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chop the stems and put the leaves aside
Few sprigs of thyme
Sprig of rosemary
500g of pasta - I used large shells
3 large cloves of garlic sliced/minced
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese

• Preheat oven to 180C (375F)
• Cut tomatoes in half, same with the capsicum - remove seeds and pith - lay cut side up on a tray, drizzle with oil, season and roast for 40-50 mins
• Fry onions, celery, carrot and parsley stems for 5 mins or so until the onion is soft, add the thyme and rosemary and garlic, fry for a few more minutes
• Cut the casing of the sausage, roll the meat into small balls and add to the pan, brown evenly
• Chop the capsicum and tomato into chunks, remove skin if you can be fucked, and add to pan (the tomatoes/capsicum, not the skins - throw that nasty shit in the compost)
• Add the tin of tomatoes
• Simmer for about 20 minutes
• While simmering put a pot with 5 litres of well salted water onto boil.
• Pick out the rosemary and thyme sprigs if you can, add a handful of roughly chopped parsley leaves & stir through - season with salt now if you think it needs it, mine didn't. Another alternative would be adding some anchovies early on in the cooking process, naturally salts the sauce while adding a rich, yet undetectable umami layer.
• Cook pasta according to the packet, drain, mix with the meatballs and sauce
• Serve with roughly chopped parsley leaves and parmesan cheese

Serve with some sourdough bread drizzled with oil and a side salad of greens in a lemon and garlic vinagrette

This served two people last night, then the leftovers another three tonight - although one is a very light eater