Chorizo hot pots and chocolate fudge

My recent endeavors in the kitchen! The first is inspired by the amazing Rachel Khoo, who not only makes wonderful food but is one of my inspirations in life for her style, her drive and ambition, her love of travel and culture and general cuteness!

Rachel Khoo's spicy lentil and chorizo hot pots

These lentil and chorizo hotpots are absolutely delicious, hearty and healthy and SO easy to make. Ideal for a Sunday night and there's enough left over for lunch on Monday!

Begin with a handful of carrots, spring onion and half a chorizo sausage. You will also need 200g of red lentils, vegetable or chicken stock, a tin of cherry tomatoes and chilli and paprika to season.

Roughly chop the chorizo and add to a pan to cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until it starts to release its natural fats and oils. In the meantime, cut up the carrots and the white parts of the spring onion, then add these to the pan.

Add the lentils, a spoonful of paprika and of chilli powder (or fresh chilli if you prefer).

Stir in the cherry tomatoes and stock (1 tinful) then leave to simmer on a medium heat for about 10 minutes.

SO, so easy! Garnish with a spoonful of greek yoghurt and the leftover parts of the spring onion.

View the full recipe here and check out Rachel's YouTube channel for more inspiration!

Super easy chocolate fudge

I made this recently for a charity bake sale in work and it honestly could not be easier! It's actually a 'Kirsty-proof' baking recipe which is saying a lot, and it tastes SO good! (I had a lot of positive feedback.) 

These are great for a bake sale since they're so easy, cheap and quick to make. I had my friend helping me and we packaged them up in little bags to make them look even cuter! Here's the recipe:

You will need three bars (around 450g) of dark chocolate, a tin of condensed milk, and that's it for the ingredients! 

Break up the chocolate and add it to a bowl with the condensed milk. Microwave on full power, stopping to stir now and then, until the whole mixture is melted together.

Add to a shallow baking tin lined with foil, and leave to refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Remove, cut into squares (or cute shapes!) add to bags and decorate as you please! 

Easiest. Fudge. Ever.

Serve with wine (optional)

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Recipe: Japanese Gyoza

Hey everyone! So today's post is something a little different. I love cooking and trying new recipes, and attempting to learn to be better in the kitchen! This recipe was inspired for my love of all things Japanese, and the Hairy Bikers who did something similar on their show! Those guys are hilarious. I wish they were my friends!

Gyoza are Japanese dumplings, kind of like dim sum (a favourite of mine). They're little parcels of a thin pastry-like dough filled with either meat, fish or veggies. The Hairy Bikers made theirs with crab meat, but I decided to use chicken mince for mine. So without further ado, here is the recipe!

 ***WARNING: THESE GYOZA ARE EXTREMELY MOREISH***

 So, to make these yummy little parcels of fun, you will need:
 - Flour (about 300g)
 - Water (Boiling - about 200ml)
 - Chicken or turkey mince
 - Pak Choi (finely chopped)
 - Spring Onions (finely chopped)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chilli Flakes
- Soy Sauce

 ...And that's it! You can add ginger, garlic or anything else to season to your taste.

METHOD:

1. Sift the flour and the salt into a large bowl, adding 1/2 tablespoon of salt

2. Stir in the boiling water until the mixture comes together and forms a dough

3. Cover with cling film and set aside for 1 hour

4. For the filling, mix the mince, pak choi and spring onions in a bowl until it forms a gloopy paste. Add the salt, pepper, chilli flakes and soy sauce to season. Set aside in the fridge until the dough is ready to work with.

5. Work the dough on a heavily floured surface for a few minutes until it is ready to be rolled out - it must be rolled paper thin!

6. Use a cutter (or something round) to form little discs, 4 or 5 inches across.

7. Put a dollop of filling onto each disc, wet the edges and seal forming a little parcel! Repeat the process until you have something like this:

8. Oil up a hot pan and place the gyoza in to fry for about 2 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown. Pour in about 100ml of water and place a lid on, allowing them to steam for a further 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn yourself!

9. Take the lid off, and let them cook for a last 2 minutes before carefully removing them from the pan.

10. Serve your gyoza with a sweet chilli dipping sauce, or whatever you prefer! And enjoy your delightful Japanese creations!

Happy cooking!

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