This delicious meal can be prepared in one pot quickly and easily. You can make the Ragout ahead of time and store it until you’re ready to prepare this dish. Feed a large family with this meal (serves 8 ) or keep some for leftovers. You can half the recipe if you wish to make less.

This recipe comes from Gordon Ramsay’s Fast Food

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra
• 8 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• sea salt and black pepper (I use kosher)
• 4 banana shallots (unpeeled), smashed
• 2 medium eggplants trimmed and chopped.
• handful of thyme sprigs
• handful of rosemary sprigs
• 4 zucchini, trimmed and chopped
• glass of dry white wine
• 8 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (or 1 14oz can of chopped tomatoes)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375f. Heat a large skillet and add 3tbsp. olive oil.

2. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Sear the chicken in batches: cook skin side down for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and then heat the other side for about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

3. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to the pan and add the shallots, garlic, eggplants, and a few thyme and rosemary sprigs. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the zucchini and pour in the wine. Reduce down until about half the wine is left. While you’re reducing, put an oiled oven-safe pan in the oven to heat up.

5. Stir the tomatoes into the vegetables and add to the roasting pan. Place the seared chicken breasts on top and scatter some more herb sprigs on top. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes or more if needed until the chicken is cooked through.

6. Let the meal sit for about 5 minutes after removing it from the oven and you’re done! Serve at once with bread.

7. Leave me comments.

Over the last few months I’ve started to notice a central theme with Gordon Ramsay’s Recipes. Almost all his recipes contain rosemary, thyme, or both. Garlic is another very prevalent ingredient as well as sea salt and pepper. Occasionally there will be some white or red wine vinegar. Creme Fraiche is very common in Gordon’s dishes.

I’m going to try out a dish on my own which mimicks the types of ingredients Gordon Ramsay uses on a regular basis and see how it turns out. Let me know if you have any dishes you’ve come up with on your own. I’ll post back and let you know how this project turns out.

Gordon Ramsay’s Chunky French Fries

These home made French Fries are a welcome change to the soggy, oversalted french fries most of us are accustomed to. I’ve prepared these fries and my only caution is to make sure you don’t over-boil the potatoes or you end up with hash browns instead of french fries.

You can find this recipe and many more like it in Gordon Ramsay’s Fast Food. Make sure to get a copy if you don’t already have one.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 lbs potatoes (scrubbed or peeled)
• sea salt and black pepper (I just used kosher salt)
• 5 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
• few thyme sprigs
• few rosemary sprigs (leaves only)
• Olive Oil

Cooking Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 425 with a roasting pan inside.

Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch thick French fires. Parboil in a pan of salted water for about 5-7 minutes until just tender. Drain and pat dry.

Put a single layer of potatoes on the roasting pan and scatter the garlic and herbs over them. Drizzle generously with olive oil (this step is important if you want crispy fries) and sprinkly with salt and pepper.. Use a pair of tongs to toss the potatoes and coat well with your seasoning mixture and the olive oil.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until the fries are golden brown and crisp, turning a few times during the baking. Drain on paper towels and serve! These go really well with Lela’s Famous Burgers.

To shuck an oyster, hold in a folded dish towel and insert an oyster knife through the hinge of the shell. Keeping the oyster level, wriggle the knife to sever the hinge muscle, then push it in a bit further and twist up to lift the top shell. Tip the juice into a bowl and remove any pieces fo shell from the oyster. Slide the knife along the bottom shell to release the oyster. The juice can be used in various dishes including fish stock.

Saturday is just a day away and there’s no better time to have a cold beer and some oyster shooters! Follow this recipe to make some delicious oyster shooters from scratch. I am so doing this tomorrow night.

This recipe comes from Gordon Ramsay’s Fast Food. If you haven’t already bought a copy then click the link and get to it!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup tomato juice (chilled)
• squeeze of lemon juice
• generous dash of Worcestershire Sauce
• generous dash of hot pepper sauce
• 2 shots cold vodka
• 4 fresh oysters
• sea salt and black pepper
• celery salt (for dipping)
• squeeze of lime juice

Directions:

Get a small pitcher and mix the tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, and vodka. Shuck the oysters and add the juices to the tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Tip some celery salt into a bowl.

Wet the rims of four shot glasses with a little lime juice, then dip in the celery salt to coat. Carefully pour the tomato mixture into the glasses and fill 3/4 of the way. Drop an oyster into each glass and serve immediately.

“However amazing a dish looks, it is always the taste that lingers in your memory. Family and friends will appreciate a meal that tastes superb—even if you’ve brought the pan to the table.”

Gordon Ramsay

Tonight as I was preparing Gordon Ramsay’s Beef Stew which was featured on the F Word a few weeks ago and I had an unfortunate mishap. Running late, and in a rush, while using a new knife lead to my incident. I’m accustomed to my Calphalon Katana Series Chef’s Knife which has quite a long handle, yet tonight I was trying out a new Forschner Santoku which I had full intention on reviewing here this evening. The Forschner has a shorter handle, as I’ve painfully learned.

As mentioned before, I was in a rush and not really paying much attention. I reached behind me to grab the knife and felt the handle. As my hand wrapped around the unfamiliar grip, I tightened my thumb flat against the blade and cut myself to the bone! Feeling a slicing sensation I haven’t felt for many years sent me into a panic. I immediately raised my hand into the air, away from the pain. It was only after lifting my hand that I realized how deeply this new knife had cut me; it actually traveled up with my hand, deeply embedded into the flesh of my thumb. “Oh F**K, I yelled as I shook the knife free of my skin!

I can’t review the knife now as it’s severely dulled from falling blade first onto my ceramic kitchen tile, but I can tell you that it was razor sharp!

What I can review is Gordon Ramsay’s Beef Stew! I quickly bandaged my hand and resumed my prep work with my trusty Katana Series knife, making the stew according to the directions here on my blog. I could not believe how easy and tasty this meal is to prepare! You absolutely must forget my knife incident and go cook some of Gordon Ramsay’s Beef Stew! If you haven’t tried it yet, you’re in for a real treat! It is absolutely fantastic and a cinch to make. Don’t forget the French Bread.

I’m probably going to need some stiches soon, so I better stop writing and take a closer look at my tightly bandaged wound. Peace out.

An essential part of cooking on the fly, or being able to throw a meal together, is a well stocked pantry. Having essential ingredients on hand can make the difference between preparing a fresh, tasty, homemade meal, or ordering a pizza. If you have what you need to put a quick meal together, you’re more likely to prepare something, and less likely to order that disgusting pizza (OK, I admit they’re good during football season, with a beer). Below are some essentials which should always be found in your pantry or kitchen cupboards.

Oils:

Pure olive oil for cooking and extra virgin olive oil for toppings and dressings. You should also keep sesame oil around for dressings and delicious Asian sauces.

Vinegar:

Always have the essential standby vinegars on hand. These include white and red whine vinegar, aged balsamic, malt, and cider. It’s also a good idea to have some inexpensive sherry.

Sauces and Flavorings:

Ketchup, Tabasco, worcestershire sauce, and yellow, Dijon, and whole grain mustard.

Asian Ingredients:

Canned coconut milk, light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet chili sauce, fish sauce and rice wine.

Baking Ingredients:

All Pupose, as well as some self rising flour. Sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, baking soda, and corn starch.

Preserved Vegetables:

I always keep artichoke hearts in the fridge, as well as some sun-dried tomatoes and pickles.

Pasta, Grains, and Noodles:

Keep a wide selection of pasta on hand such as spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, and fusilli. Rice is easy to store and should always be accessible in your kitchen. Couscous, bulgur wheat, and rice noodles are also easy to throw together to complete a meal.

Conclusion:

Although the above list is not conclusive, it’s a solid start to a well stocked pantry. Consider the above info a shopping list if you don’t already have the items on hand. It will be quite expensive to properly stock your pantry the first time, but once it’s done, you’ll never have to spend quite so much again. Most of these ingredients last for months and when you run out of something, it’s only a few bucks to replace that one item.

You can now look forward to a brighter cooking future!

These Pork Chops are tasty and go well with bread. Easy to cook and ready in under 30 minutes if you know your way around the kitchen.

This recipe comes from Gordon Ramsay’s Fast Food and can also be seen on youtube. I’ve added the youtube video to the end of the article for your convenience. Thanks to TheTimesOnline for posting the video!

Ingredients for pork chops:

• 4 pork chops, about 9oz each
• a little olive oil
• few thyme sprigs
• few rosemary sprigs (leaves only)
• 1/2 head of garlic separated into cloves (unpeeled)
• sea salt and black pepper

Ingredients for Sauce:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion (peeled and minced)
• 1 red bell pepper (seeded and minced)
• 1 red chili (seeded and minced)
• 7oz cremini mushrooms (trimmed and finely sliced)
• 14oz can chopped tomatoes
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 tsp sugar

Directions:

Chops:

Heat your oven to 400 F. Place the pork chops in a large, lightly oiled baking dish and scatter the thyme sprigs, rosemary leaves, garlic cloves, and salt over the top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 20 minutes or until pork chops are cooked through. Make the sauce while your waiting.

Sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a wide pan and add the onion, red bell pepper, chile, and mushrooms. Stir over high heat for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Tip in the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and add the sugar and a splash of water. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the onions are tender and the tomato sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Putting it all together:

Take the pork chops out of the oven and let rest in a warm place for 5 minutes. Pour any pan juices into the sauce and reheat. Ladle a generous amount of sauce over the chops to serve.

Done and done! Under 30 minutes? Only if you’re fast.

Gordon Ramsay's Bacon, Pea & Goat Cheese Frittata

This recipe can be found in Gordon Ramsay’s Fast Food. Please buy the book if you enjoy this recipe as Gordon needs the cash! *chuckles*

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 8 slices of smoked bacon (chopped)
• 7oz peas (make sure they’re thawed)
• a few basil leaves (roughly sliced, or torn)
• 8 large eggs, beaten
• 5oz goat cheese log with rind (thickly sliced)
• sea salt and black pepper
• Parmesan (grated)
• large handful of arugula leaves
• 2-3 tbsp Classic Vinaigrette

Preparation:

Preheat your oven broiler to it’s highest setting. Get a large skillet and melt the butter and cook the bacon until golden brown and crisp. Toss in the peas and cook for another minute or two, then add the basil.

Beat the eggs and pour them into the skillet. Gently shake the skillet over medium heat. As the frittata begins to set at the bottom, top with the goat cheese. Season generously with pepper and a little salt.

Sprinkle grated parmesan over the frittata and place the pan under the hot broiler for a minute or two until the eggs are set on top. Slide onto a warm large plate.

Lightly dress a handful of arugula leaves by tossing them with the vinaigrette, then pile on top of the frittata. Cut into wedges and serve. Yummy!