Beast from the East Stew

Where is all this snow coming from? We need another cold weather warmer now. Bring in the stew

Serves 6-8

750g Stewing Beef

75g Plain Flour

250g Chestnut Mushrooms, quartered

1 Large Onion, chopped

1.25l Beef Stock

1 Sweede, Chopped

1 Turnip, chopped

1 tbsp Tomato Puree

2 tsp Dried Rosemary

2 tsp Dried Parsley

2, Garlic Cloves, crushed

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

Couple of Shakes of Worcestershire Sauce

250ml Glass of Red Wine

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1. In a freezer bag add the flour, salt and Pepper and the beef. Close up the bag and give a shake until the beef is coated. In a frying pan add the olive oil and heat over a medium heat and add the beef in batches. Cook the beef until it has browned. Put aside for later. 

2. In the frying pan add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Fry for 2-3 minutes until onions have softened. Add more olive oil if not much oil in pan. 

3. In a slow cooker add the beef, onion, garlic, mushrooms and rest of the ingredients. Give this a good mix.

Leave for the following:

- Low - 7 - 8 Hours
- Medium -  5 - 6 Hours
- High - 3 - 4 Hours

4. Serve with mash and carrots

Slow Cooked Bolognese

Bolognese is one of those mid week meals that we all love. But sometimes making it can be a drag especially after a long day at work.. Sometimes you just want to throw it all in a pot, leave it to cook and then enjoy later. Well lucky for you I have a recipe for slow cooked Bolognese. Fry off a few things then stick it all in the slow cooker for later.

Serves 5-6

1 Onion, Diced
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
500g Minced Beef
100g Bacon Lardons
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 Carrot, chopped
8 Mushrooms, sliced
100ml Beef Stock
2 tbsp Plain Flour (to thicken)
1 Small Glass of Red Wine
2 Cans of Chopped Tomatoes
2 tbsp Tomato Puree
Splash of Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Oregano
2 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Thyme
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, to season

Serve with a bit of parmesan

1. Take the pot out of the slow cooker and put on the hob. Heat a bit of olive oil, Then add the beef mince and bacon. Cook til browned. Then add the garlic, onions, peppers and mushrooms, cook for a further 2 minutes.

2. Put back in the slow cooker and put on a low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and give a final stir. Leave to cook for 6-8 hours.

3. Just before the Bolognese is done, boil your favourite pasta (follow the instructions on the pack). Top with grated parmesan and it's ready to serve.

Beef Burrito

One of my favourite cuisines is Mexican and this is an infusion of Texas and Mexican called Texmex. Been meaning to do Mexican food on this blog. Been to the country before and I loved it. Such a place with a rich heritage and culture. I hope you all love the recipe as much as I did eating it.

Makes 8 Burritos

500g Mince Beef

1 Red Pepper, diced

1 Onion, diced

2 Cloves Garlic, crushed

Can of Kidney Beans (400g)

Cna of Chopped Tomatoes (400g)

Dash Worcestershire Sauce (making it less authentic but adds a twist to the flavour)

Can of Refried Beans

Lettuce, shredded

8 Flour Tortillas

Coriander

Red Leicester or Double Gloucester, grated

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Paprika

Olive Oil

Optional

Guacamole

Sour Cream

Jalapenos

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic. Fry until the onions have soften then add the peppers and fry for a couple of minutes.

2. Add the mince beef to the pan and cook until browned. Add the spices and give a stir. Then add the red kidney beans, chopped tomatoes and Worcestershire Sauce. Then reduce the heat and leave to reduce for 15-20 minutes. 

3. While the beef is cooking, warm the refried beans on the hob. 

4. To construct the burrito take a tortilla, add the lettuce, 1/2 tbsp of refried beans and 1-2 serving spoons of the beef mix (there is enough for 8). Then wrap the burrito and put the grated cheese on top and put under grill for 1-2 minutes. Garnish with Jalapenos and the Coriander. Then add the sour cream and guacamole on the side. 

French Onion Soup (V)

Something nice and warm after you have been out Christmas shopping. Cheap to make and fairly healthy

50g Butter
3 Large Onions, finely sliced
6 Shallots, finely sliced
Shake of Worcestershire Sauce
2 Glasses of Red Wine
3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp Thyme
1 litre Vegetable Stock
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed

Garlic Croutons
1 Baguette, cut into slices
2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
50g Butter
100g Gruyère , grated
Handful of Parsely, chopped

1. Preheat the grill to a medium heat.

2. Heat the butter in a large pan and gently cook the onions, shallots and garlic until softened. This should roughly take about 10 minutes over a low heat. 

3.  Increase the heat slightly and cook for 15 minutes, until the onion becomes dark golden, sticky and caramelised, stirring now and again to stop it catching. 

4. Add the wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add the stock, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce and thyme and bring to the boil. Taste and Season. Simmer for 10 minutes.

5. While the soup is simmering, prepare the croutons. Mix the garlic, butter and parsley together. Spread on the bread and put under the grill for 2 minutes. Once the butter has melted over the bread and it's beginning to toast put the cheese over it and put under the grill for a further 3 minutes. 

6. Pour the soup in the bowls, top with a giant garlic crouton.

Tip: Want help cutting up your fresh herbs. Heres what I use:

Lancashire Hotpot

It's getting cold outside so we need something to warm our bellys. This is where Lancashire Hotpot comes in, with a mixture of flavours that go so well together. This was tweaked a bit, so it isnt your standard Lancashire Hotpot. I added black pudding and red wine to give it a bit more body.

Serves 4-6

800g Stewing Lamb
250g Black Pudding
2 Onions, finely diced
A Good handful of  fresh Rosemary
A Small Glass of Red Wine
400ml Lamb Stock or Vegtable Stock
A good shake of Worcestershire Sauce
4tbsp Plain Flour
100g Butter
4 Carrots, peeled and sliced
900g Potatoes, peeled and sliced

1. Preheat 160c/140c Fan assisted. Put some of the butter in a pan to fry the lamb. Do this is batches. The lamb should release some of the juices so you won't need to keep adding more butter. For each batch put it on a plate. Once the meat is done fry the black pudding for a few minutes and put on the plate with the lamb.

2. If the pan is dry add more butter. Fry the onions and carrots until soft. Add the stock, wine, rosemary and Worcestershire Sauce to the pan. Let it boil for a couple of minutes then add the meat and black pudding to the pan. Boil for a further couple of minutes, then transfer to a casserole dish.

3. Add the sliced potatoes to the top of the meat. It should be covered and add a bit of butter to the top of the potatoes. Cover with tin foil or the lid and put in the oven for 1 Hour and 40 minutes. After remove the foil, increase the heat to 200c/180c fan assisted for 8 minutes to cook the potatoes more. Serve with green vegetables.

Need some decent Cassarole dishes, check here :

Prawn Cocktail

A classic starter which originated in the 1970s and in my own opinion is a timeless classic. Quick and easy to make and is a real crowd pleaser.

Serves 2

4 Tiger Prawns
175g King Prawns
Knob of Butter
1 tsp Parsley (Dried or Fresh)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 Little Gem lettuces, washed and torn
2 tsp Paprika

Thousand Island Dressing
5 tbsp Mayonnaise
5 tbsp Tomato Sauce
2 tsp Lemon Juice
Shake of Tabasco (optional)
Shake of Worcestershire Sauce
Pepper
Salt

1. Fry the butter in a small frying pan. Add the garlic and the tiger prawns and fry until the prawns go bright red.

2. Make the Thousand Island dressing by adding all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Add the king prawns and mix further.

3. Get a large wine glass (suggested size seen below), and place 1 little gems worth of lettuce in each glass, add the prawn/thousand island mixture on top of that. Add a tsp of paprika on top of the mixture for each glass. On the side of the glass add the tiger prawns. Serve with brown bread and a side plate to put the discarded shells.



Tip
You will need a large wine glass so that you can get the food out. A wine glass which can hold half a bottle or more is ideal. And when you aren't serving prawn cocktail from them, they make great drinking companions.

Lasagne

The Garfield classic. A dish which is common among the micro meals but tastes far better when you make it yourself. Can be made in advance and cooked later.

Serves 6

Meat Filling

700g Mince Beef
Pack of Back Bacon
1 Medium Glass of Red Wine
2 Bay Leaves
2 tsp of Dried Oregano
4 tbsp Tomato Puree
Splash of Worcestershire Sauce
2 Onions, finely chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
Salt And Pepper
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
400ml Beef Stock
Olive Oil

Cheese Sauce

50g Butter
800 ml Milk
250g Strong Cheddar (use the good stuff as the cheap stuff dosent taste nice)
4 tbsp White Flour
1 tsp Nutmeg

Lasagna Sheets

1. Get a large frying pan, put over a medium heat and add olive oil. Fry the onions and garlic until they begin to soften. Add the bacon and fry for 5 minutes.

2. Add the mince beef and fry until it begins to brown.

3.  Add stock, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, bay leaves, oregano, lemon juice and tomato puree. Leave to boil until the stock had reduced.

4. While the stock is boiling, prepare the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in the pan. Gradually add the flour to the melted butter until it thickens. Then add the milk to the pan and whisk. Leave on a low heat for about 5-10 minutes. If the sauce hasn't thickened add more flour. Once thickened add the cheese and nutmeg.

5. In a large oven proof dish layer the meat ragu, then lasagna sheets and some cheese sauce. Repeat this until the meat ragu and cheese sauce runs out. Then on the top grate more cheese.

6. Either refrigerate until needed or put in the oven and bake for 40 minutes at 200c/180c fan assisted. Serve.

Homemade Baked Beans & Garlic Bread

A twist on the classic student meal.

Serves 4

3 tbps Tomato Purée

A couple of shakes of Worcestershire Sauce

3/4 Rashers of Bacon
250ml Vegetable Stock

1 Can of Canellini Beans

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 Garlic Clove, crushed
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 Red Chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp of Brown Sugar
1 tbps Mustard
Vegetable Oil

Garlic Bread
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
Butter
French Baguette
Parsley, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the grill (or use a griddle pan).Put oil in a large pan. Fry the bacon for about 5 minutes. Then  add the onions, garlic, chilli, pepper and fry for a further 3 minutes.

2. Add the stock, tomato purée, Worcestershire to the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to simmer and add the mustard and brown sugar. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add the beans. Keep on the heat for a further 5 minutes. Season if needed.

3. While the beans are being cooked, make the garlic bread. Slice the garlic bread and place under the grill or on a griddle pan. Mix the butter, garlic and parsley together. Once the bread is toasted put the butter mixture on the toast and put under the grill for less than a minute. Serve

Spaghetti Bolognese

A classic which I absolutely love. To make it meatier added bacon.

Serves: 4

300g Spaghetti 

1 Onion finely chopped

1 small glass of red wine

1 bay leaf

500g minced beef

4 rashers of back bacon

5 tbps of tomato purée

Worcestershire Sauce

Mug of Beef stock

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tbps of fresh oregano, chopped

Pinch of sugar

Salt and Pepper

1. Fry the bacon in a large frying pan with a bit of olive oil for a couple of minutes

2. Add the onion, bay leaf and garlic and fry until the onions soften.

3. Put the mince beef in the pan and break it up with a wooden spoon in the pan. Fry until it browns.

4. Add the red wine, sugar, salt and pepper, beef stock, tomato purée, couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce and sugar. Once it begins to boil reduce the heat and let it simmer. The mixture should reduce. While the bolognese is cooking begin to boil the spaghetti in water with a dash of olive oil. 

5. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water from the pan. Place the pasta into bowls/plates and put the bolognese over the pasta. Serve with grated parmesan cheese (which I didn't have any, when I cooked this dish, woops)