If you think about it, cooking probably came about by accident and has evolved just as we have ourselves. Cooking could not have existed without the invention of fire, but back then people did not tend to use it to cook - they generally worshipped it. Just imagine the first time someone got close enough to it to chuck a bit of meat onto it and realise it had other uses other than heat and light.
I bet it was some clumsy cave man who dropped his bit of buffalo onto into the fire where it cooked before he could retrieve it. Obviously liking what he now had to gnaw on, he probably used a caveman version of facebook to spread the word. Back then it would have been a discovery to tell all, not kept as a secret to see who could make the most money out of it. Next he would probably discover how to blend fruit and nuts and add that to his cooking.
Soon there would be the caveman version of the restaurant and then it would spiral into what we have today. Millions of restaurants all over the world, creating all types of dishes, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Cuban, Fish & Chip shops, Bakers, not to mention all those shops we actually buy ingredients from.
This is where cookery really comes into it's own. Being able to do it yourself, being able to create something spectacular from a pile of ingredients. But it's not always as easy as it seems, sometimes we need a little helping hand. Step in Celebrity Chefs and recipe books.
There seems to be a Cookery program or recipe book for each and every style, but do any of them really tell you the secret to making a dough rise well or just how to make that meat tender, or how to stop things tasting bitter. Every now and then we just need a little extra help, but that's what cookery's all about, making mistakes and then learning never to do that again!!
For useful hint, tips, recipes and know how on cooking, simply click on any of the following links
Cupcakes and Cake Decorating
Restaurant Recipe Secrets
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Recipe Of The Day
A quick and easy dish with a little bit of a kick!!
I don't like recipes without pictures so here's my Spicy Thai Meatballs
Spicy Thai Meatballs in a Red Curry Sauce
I don't like recipes without pictures so here's my Spicy Thai Meatballs
Spicy Thai Meatballs in a Red Curry Sauce
Serves 4
Preparation time : 20 mins
Cooking Time : 25 mins
Ingredients:
1 pack of fresh Lemongrass
24 Beef Meatballs
3 Red Chillies
3 tbsp Red Thai Curry Paste
400ml Coconut Milk
1 tbsp Tomato Puree
2 tbsp groundnut oil
80g fresh Coriander
Preheat the oven to 180 deg c / Gas mark 4
Finely chop the coriander, halve and deseed the chillies then finely chop them, finely chop the lemongrass after removing the tough outer core. Mix these 3 ingredients together on a plate and roll the meatballs in the mixture to coat them.
Heat the oil in a wok and fry the meatballs gently for about 10 mins until lightly browned. It's probably going to get a bit crowded in the wok so may be best to do this in 2 batches.
Once the meat balls are browned, remove from the wok and place in an ovenproof dish. Finish cooking in the oven for about 10 mins until the juices run clear.
Wipe out the wok and add the curry paste, fry for 30 seconds before adding the coconut milk. Simmer for 2 minutes then stir in the tomato puree.
Once the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the dish and stir them into the red curry sauce.
Serve on a bed of egg noodles
If you want to take a smashing photo of your own Spicy Thai Meatballs - get try and get the sauce to stay in the middle of the plate (unlike mine!!).....Mmmmm yum!!
