I knew mum was good for something...

I have very fond memories of my mother in the kitchen, even if those memories do not stretch to the results of her time in there. Mummy has become a better cook with time, but as a child I recall her preparing me overcooked (boiled) veggies and meat that I found impossible to chew. I have no doubt that my recollections are unduly darkened due to my being an impossibly picky child, but nevertheless, there were very few things that I remember my mother cooking that I actually liked.

One exception to this was her breaded chicken, which I remember very fondly. She would cover chicken breasts in flour, dip in egg and then cover in breadcrumbs, before sealing them off in a frying pan and then finishing in the oven. I used to love these, but surprisingly this dish is not something I've cooked very often in my adult life.

Until the other day however, when I had brought some turkey steaks out for dinner and was struggling with what to do with them. After all, there are only so many times I can eat a stir fry. The idea popped into my head as I was poking about the fridge and found that I had plenty of eggs, and I also just happened to have some slightly stale brown bread in the bread bin. So decision made - turkey schnitzel for dinner, with mediterranean egg fried rice on the side. For real! Here's how I went about this incredible simple yet messy recipe.

Turkey Schnitzel + Mediterranean Egg Fried Rice

Schnitzel

Turkey steaks

stale brown bread

mixed herbs/fresh thyme

eggs

flour

Mediterranean rice

brown rice

peppers

onions

thyme

green beans

sundried tomatoes/fresh tomatoes

carrots

Method

Lay out three plates. In the first, put flour with some seasoning and mixed herbs. In the second, crack two eggs and whisk. In the third, put blitzed brown bread breadcrumbs, with seasoning and chopped thyme.

Egg and flour plates

Get out the turkey steaks and wrap in cellophane. Grab a rolling pin (or a meat hammer if you're lucky enough to have one), and gently hit the turkey steaks until they're pretty flat. Remove the cellophane, and get a frying pan on the heat with some oil in it.

Bashed turkey steaks

Before starting to cook the turkey, get your rice on the boil. You ideally want to have it done five minutes before you cook your turkey.

Place the turkey in the plate with the flour, and coat thoroughly. Then put it in the eggy plate and also coat thoroughly. Repeat with the flour and egg, so that the turkey has a nice double layer of both. Then put your steaks in the breadcrumb mix, and cover as thoroughly as possible. Then place your steaks in a hot frying pan, and the rest is easy. They won't take long to cook through, but won't dry out because of the various coverings.

Turkey schnitzel - just about done

Once the rice is cooked through, drain and keep it on the side. Heat some oil in the same saucepan, and add the chopped onions, peppers, carrots and green beans. Stir whilst cooking for a couple of minutes, then add the rice, the leftover egg and breadcrumbs, herbs and tomatoes. Keep stirring until the egg is cooked through and serve up. Yum yum!

The final product - so tasty!!

Seafood Paella on the Fly

I tend to cook with whatever ingredients I have in the house, rather than plan things in advance. This was certainly the case the other day when I came home from work and was rather stumped for what to cook.

I still had a bunch of chorizo in the fridge leftover from some previous meal, so the obvious choice was some sort of Spanish dish. My freezer is always chock full of salmon and shrimps, so I decided to go for a seafood paella. Nothing fancy, but it turns out super tasty. Here's the recipe, and feel free to substitute ingredients if you're missing anything. Also, don't feel shy about adding more and different varieties of seafood - they all work.

Smoked Salmon and Shrimp Paella

Smoked salmon fillet (freezer)

Shrimps (freezer)

Leeks (freezer)

Chorizo

Onion

Chillies

Garlic

Carrots

Plum tomatoes

Asparagus

Bell peppers

Rice

Chicken stock

Olive oil

White wine glug

First, chop everything up as required. I like to have everything laid out on the chopping board so that there's no stress later on in the cooking process

All chopped and set to cook

Heat some oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add chopped onions and leeks and stir until softened.

Onions and leeks softening

Add the garlic and chorizo. After the chorizo begins to let out its oils, add the rice and stir to coat in all the oils. Add that glug of white wine and let that absorb into the rice, then add some boiling water/stock slowly, as if you're making a risotto.

Look at all that red oil from the chorizo

Keep stirring and keep adding your water/stock, slowly. The rice will soak up the liquid and cook. Add in your carrots as they need a bit more cooking time than the other veggies.

Once the rice is almost fully cooked, add the asparagus and peppers. They don't need long to cook. Then add the tomatoes, which will give a lovely tang to the mixture.

Rice and carrots - keep stirring!

Finally, throw in the shrimp and fish and keep stirring until they're just cooked. Then plate up, and drizzle some olive oil over the top. The sheer smell will make you drool!

Adding stock makes it look a bit soupy, but the rice will soak it up

Dinner is served!

Halloumi for lunch, with a Spanish twist

I tend to be a bit hungover on Saturdays, typically a result of heading to the pub after work on Friday and forgetting to have dinner. Which sometimes leads to overindulgence at the takeaway on the way home and hence my wanting something a bit healthier for lunch on Saturday.

Last Saturday was no different. So come lunchtime I raided the fridge to see what vegetables and yummy treats I could pull together for something tasty for myself and the boyfriend. And this is what I came up with: a halloumi, chorizo and potato salad. Delightful. Here's the recipe:

Halloumi, Chorizo and Potato Salad

Lamb's lettuce, rocket and fresh baby spinach

Fresh cherry tomatoes

Potatoes (preferable new but whatever is hidden in the cupboard will do)

Green beans

Chorizo sausage

Halloumi cheese

Olive oil

Walnut oil

Wash and chop the potatoes, skin still on. Place in a steamer for ten minutes, until cooked through but still fairly solid. Don't overcook!

Add the washed and chopped green beans to the steamer, shortly before the potatoes are done. They don't need long.

Chop the chorizo and toss into a frying pan. No oil - they're oily enough. After those essential oils have entered the pan, add in the halloumi wedges.

In the meantime, construct the salad. Place the salad leaves in a bowl, add chopped tomatoes, then add the steamed potatoes and beans. Next add the chorizo and the halloumi, some fresh pepper, then a drizzle of oil. Top off with a drizzle of walnut oil (or even chopped walnuts if you've got the real deal).

Done! A quick and healthy(-ish - the chorizo ain't great) lunch!!