Kaizen Media Blog

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
• 1 large onion or 2 banana shallots, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli deseeded or keep half with seeds if you like it spicy
• 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and roughly chopped
• Olive oil, for frying
• 500g good quality beef mince
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3 fresh tomatoes or 1 beef tomato, roughly chopped
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• 100-200ml chicken or beef stock
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 400g kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• Salt and pepper
• Handful of chives, chopped
• 200ml soured cream
• Boiled rice, to serve

Method: How to make Gordon’s chilli con carne

1. Sweat the onion, garlic, chilli and thyme in 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan. At the same time, brown the mince in a separate pan over moderate heat in a little oil (watch Gordon’s step-by step video on how to handle chillis).

2. Add the dried spices to the onion mixture and cook until they release their aroma. Then stir in the beef and mix well. Add the fresh and tinned tomatoes and leave to cook down a little for about 5 minutes.

3. Pour in the chicken or beef stock and stir in tomato puree to taste. Drop the cinnamon and bay leaf in then bring to the boil and leave to simmer.

4. Once the sauce is beginning to thicken add the kidney beans and leave to cook for another 5-10 minutes to allow the beans to soak up the flavours. Check for seasoning.

5. Mix the chives and soured cream together. To serve, spoon the chilli into the centre of a mound of rice, with the soured cream and chives in a separate bowl on the side.

Copied from Channel4: http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/gordon-ramsay/chilli-con-carne-recipe_p_1.html

Gordon Ramsay’s Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Shepherd’s pie served with pan-roasted carrots recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g minced lean lamb
1 large onion, finely grated
1 large carrot, finely grated
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
Handful of thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1 sprig of rosemary, needles chopped
250ml red wine
300ml chicken stock
1kg Desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
50g butter
2 egg yolks
Parmesan, for grating
Olive oil
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Pan-roasted carrots
2 sprigs of rosemary
Small handful of thyme sprigs
1 garlic clove
500g medium sized carrots, peeled and trimmed
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Few knobs of butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180?C (350ºF).

2. Heat the oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and carrot into the mince then grate the garlic in as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost completely evaporated. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened.

3. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain then return to the hot pan over low heat to dry out briefly. Pass them through a potato ricer then beat in the egg yolks, followed by about 2 tbsp grated Parmesan. Check for seasoning.

4. Spoon the mince into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Using a large spoon, layer the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, starting from the outside and working your way into the middle. Grate some extra Parmesan over and season. Fluff up the mash potato with a fork to make rough peaks. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.

5. For the carrots bring a pan of water to the boil with the rosemary, thyme and garlic. Boil the carrots in the water for 3 minutes to soften slightly, then drain and pat dry. Heat the oil in a large non-stick sauté pan then add the carrots and some seasoning. Brown the carrots all over until just tender, adding the butter towards the end of cooking.

Top of Shepherd's pie is browned nicely

Gordon Ramsay classic lasagne al forno recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
½ large onion, peeled
1 large carrot, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 pinches dried oregano
300g minced beef
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
30ml (2 tbsp) red wine
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
50ml milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce
25g butter
25g flour
300ml milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg
60g Cheddar cheese, grated

30g Parmesan cheese, grated
6 sheets of ‘non-cook’ lasagne sheets

For the salad
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 x round lettuce head, rinsed and dried

Directions
How to make Gordon Ramsay’s classic lasagne al forno

1. Pre-heat the oven to 225°C.

2. Heat the olive oil in a hot pan. Grate the onion and carrot and crush the garlic before frying together. Season with the bay leaf, a pinch of oregano, Worcestershire sauce and a little salt and pepper. Allow the onion to soften before making a well in the centre of the pan. Place the mince in the middle of the pan and stir to break it up. Add the tomato puree and allow to cook out for 30 seconds. Continue until all the meat has browned nicely. Add the wine and cook off the alcohol before adding the tomatoes. Leave to simmer for a further 2-3 minutes. Finally add the milk, turn off the heat and set aside.

3. To make the cheese sauce, first melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and using a wooden spoon, stir to form a paste. Over a gentle heat add a third of the milk, whisking to prevent any lumps forming. Add the rest of the milk a third at a time, whisking as you go. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of ground nutmeg. Allow the sauce to cook out for another minute before adding the Cheddar cheese. Stir and remove from the heat.

4. Spoon half of the meat sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and place pasta sheets on top (break the sheets if necessary to avoid any overlapping). Next, pour in just under half of the cheese sauce, and spread evenly using a spatula before spooning the remaining meat on top. Add the final layer of pasta and use the spatula to pour over the remaining cheese sauce.

5. Finish with the grated Parmesan and sprinkle with another pinch of oregano. Add a light seasoning of salt and pepper before cleaning the edges of the dish and placing in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

6. In the bottom of your salad bowl use a fork to whisk together the mustard, vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully open the head of lettuce, season inside with salt and pepper. Upend the lettuce headfirst into the salad bowl. Holding the root, wipe the leaves around the bowl to coat in the vinaigrette. Twist the root and pull it out. Turn the dressed head of lettuce onto a large plate and gently open out.

7. Portion out the lasagne and serve alongside the salad.

You’re pulling my plonker now, aren’t you?
You’ve never cooked a mussel?

Chef Gordon Ramsay tells off a supposed chef because he has never cooked a mussel before in his life.

Chef Ramsay well known for his use of colourful language and creativity shows us that there are creative ways to use the word plonker.

Hilarity ensues.

If you enjoyed watching chef Ramsay call that poor inexperienced chef a plonker you might be interested in personally experiencing what it would be like for Gordon Ramsay to cuss at you at http://gordonramsayswearsatyou.com/.