Vegetarian Stew
A warm hug on a plate! So easy and ridiculously cheap to make, I made too much so have frozen single portions.
Ingredients:
1 large red onion, finely chopped. 2 cloves of garlic, crushed. 1 large leek, washed and chopped. 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced. A chunk of pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and diced. 2 large carrots, peeled and diced. Half a cauliflower, broken into small florets. Half a head of broccoli, broken into small florets. 1 small tin of kidney beans, rinsed ...
Portuguese style Chicken Broth
This simple but full of flavour broth was definitely a favourite of mine when living in the Algarve. Just a few ingredients and time is all you need!
Start making chicken stock. I put the left over chicken and carcass from a roast chicken in my slow cooker, add a chopped onion; a few peppercorns; a couple of bay leaves; the rind from half a lemon and a few sprigs of fresh mint. Cover with water and switch it on. Mine cooked on low for 8 hrs, you could pressure cook it I guess?
Strain ...
Spiced Beef and Vegetable Tagine
This was really lovely served with cauliflower rice. Very healthy and packed with flavour! Substitute the beef for pork or chicken, I guess a firm fish would work? Let me know, thanks :)
Ok, we've all got our own tastes when it comes to spice so here are the ingredients rather than quantities
Cube the protein and add grated ginger, grated garlic, paprika powder, ground cinnamon, freshly chopped chilli, black pepper, a little salt and a splash of oil. Leave flavours to mingle for an ...
The classic Stephanie casserole
This is one of my youngest daughters favourite meals, wow can she shovel it away! Simplicity itself, as most things here are, but packed full of flavour and lots of vegetables. Improves if you make it a day ahead! I put far more veg in than meat so am giving method rather than measures.
Sweat down chopped onions, leeks, carrots, pumpkin and a couple of bashed cloves of garlic. Then add a handful of chopped cherry tomatoes.
Sear chopped beef until browned and season to taste. Add a two ...
Cottage Pie with Cauliflower Purée top
For me cottage pie is like a warm hug, just wholesome comfort food at its best. This is lighter and better for you plus upping vegetable intake, perfect! Don't like cauliflower? Try parsnip and butternut squash purée instead.
Gently sweat diced vegetables: onions, carrots, leeks, celery, squash until softened. Use whatever veg you like in the quantities you want.
Brown 500g of ground minced meat, I used beef. Add a tblsp of tomato paste, 200ml of stock and about half a wine glass ...
Espresso Black Treacle Chilli
Or perhaps a title of "I may be losing the plot"...The plan was for a smokey flavour paired with a touch of sweetness, usually a couple of squares of dark chocolate works but I wanted a change. Very happy with the result!
2 onions, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 de seeded red chilli all finely diced. A heaped tsp of ground cumin, hot paprika (more if you like it hot) and black pepper.
Gently sauté in a little oil for a few minutes. Add 250g of minced beef, sauté. ...
Tomato Consommé with Teeny Tiny Meatballs
The teeny tiny bit? Ok, I always start with the best intentions but gradually my meatballs get bigger as I lose patience...today will be different! Hey, I tried!
You don't have to make consommé, just blend the soup if you prefer. It is very pretty if you do decide to strain through cheesecloth and DON'T through the tomatoes away, use them for a pasta sauce or anything else you like. Haha so really if you follow my plan you've got the basis for another meal, bonus! (My ...
The Best Beef Stew, melt in the mouth good..
I'm pretty critical about food, food I cook anyway, often wondering what I could have done differently. Wow this was amazing, personally I wouldn't change a thing and the whole lot was devoured by just three of us last night.
Ingredients and method:
800g beef shin (I thought we'd have leftovers, boy did that meat shrink!) Dust the whole joint in seasoned flour and sear until browned evenly. Remove from pan.
2 large onions, 4 decent sized carrots, 4 sticks celery all ...
Slow cooked Belly Pork with Asian flavours
A much underrated and cheap joint of meat, yes it's fatty but that means you can cook for ages and skim the fat off yet it stays so moist and tender. Tons more belly pork recipes to come over the winter!
It takes just a few minutes to prepare then switch on the slow cooker and enjoy the really good aroma wafting away for best part of the day. (I'm a lazy cook so it seems..)
You'll need 500g or more of belly pork to serve 2 people, it shrinks when cooked!
Just chop an onion, bash a few ...
Rich Minced Meat Sauce
The weathers a changing, time for some Autumn comfort food and using my favourite slow cooker. The one I've got is a Morphy Richards and it's just terrific as the pan is metal so you can sauté, sear and cook everything in one pan! Sounds good eh? Only trouble is it doesn't work on my induction hob so had to use a frying pan to begin, stupid gas hob playing up yet again....
Sauté:
1 finely diced red onion, 1 finely diced white onion, 2 fat cloves of chopped garlic, a ...
