Mushroom and chestnut or turkey pie

Another recipe that caters for the carnivore and the vegetarian. This one uses up chestnuts and turkey left over from Christmas. It is based on a Hairy Bikers recipe

• Soak 15g dried mushrooms in 150ml of freshly boiled water
• Melt 50g butter and fry 2 sliced leeks over a low heat for 5 minutes covered. 
• Turn heat up slightly and add 350g mushrooms (button or chestnut - slice if large) and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the rehydrated mushrooms reserving the liquid. Roughly chop and add to the pan along with 2 sliced garlic cloves and leaves from a large sprig of thyme.
• Add 50g (heaped tablespoon) plain flour and stir 'until you see a roux has formed around the vegetables'. Stir in 1tsp Dijon mustard and 100ml marsala and stir until incorporated.
• Make up the reserved mushroom liquid to 300ml with vegetable or chicken/turkey stock. Gradually add it to the pan. Bring to boil then down to a simmer and stir until thickened.

Split between 3-4 individual pie tins. Add either whole chestnuts (from vac pac) or bite size chunks of turkey. 

Leave to cool

• When cool preheat oven to 170C Fan.

Cut out ready rolled puff pastry to create lids for the pies. Use a beaten egg to seal the pastry to the pie dishes and to egg was the tops. I used the remnants to create a 'T' or a 'C' on top of each pie to indicate if turkey or chestnut. Cut a couple of slits in each pie.

Bake in the oven until the pastry is golden brown (about 30 minutes)

Tinga - Turkey or other

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan. Fry two sliced onions for 10 minutes or until softened. Add two crushed cloves of garlic and fry for another minute. Add 2tbsp chipotle chilli paste, 400g tin of chopped tomatoes and a heaped teaspoon of sugar (any type, although the recipe I based this on was light brown soft sugar). Simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid has reduced slightly.

If using left over roast Turkey or Chicken - add shredded meat at the most 10 minutes after the chilli and tomatoes. 

At that 10 minute mark I moved some of the Tinga sauce into a separate pan so the vegetarian in the family could have it with a plant based equivalent to chicken.

Serve in tortilla wraps with salsa, guacamole etc

Christmas Lunch 2020

Himself did a most excellent job of creating crown and boning the legs of the turkey.

We ate the stuffed turkey crown from Jamie Oliver's Turkey Two Ways recipe (the stuffed legs are in the freezer for a future date). 

For our locally sourced darn fine bird, 25 minutes per kilo at 180C and using digital thermometer to check was between 60 and 65C gave us a nice moist turkey.

Stuffing: 

I used Jamie's Apricot and Sausage Stuffing with a bit of a variant

Melt 50g butter with a dash of olive oil in a frying pan. Lightly fry two relatively finely chopped onions with about 20g torn sage leaves (mix of purple and green from the garden worked well), zest from 2 clementines, grated nutmeg and season with pepper unto the onions are starting to become translucent. Stir in the liver from the turkey (trimmed and sinews removed), 100g chopped dried apricots. Add 100ml Marsala (or something similar) and cook on medium-high heat for 15 minutes until the onions are soft. Leave to cool completely. Then add 200g breadcrumbs and 400g sausage meat and combine well using hands (aka squidge together!). Use half to stuff neck of bird and then the other half to stuff the boned legs. Roll and tie the legs. 

Gravy:

I added the vac pack chestnuts to the gravy as per Jamie Oliver suggestion for chestnut gravy. Lost the will to push through sieve after a few minutes - mainly as our sieves are too fine to make this easy - but the gravy was yummy despite this and I whizzed up the veg and chestnuts with stock and some left over veg for an extremely good soup on 27th.  

Parsnips with carrots, sprouts, stuffing balls (from a packet of sage and onion stuffing) with pigs in blanket traybake worked ok-ish. See https://www.itv.com/john-and-lisas-weekend-kitchen/articles/christmas-dinner-traybake for timings. Potatoes roasted separately and I added chestnuts towards the end 

Slow cooker - Gammon

500g smoked gammon joint

200ml orange juice

1tsp ginger paste

1tbsp honey

2tbsp soy sauce

All into slow cooker on low (if you're around then first hour on high) Cook for 8+ hours.

It'll be falling apart :)

Either thicken the juices with cornflour or reduce until desired consistancy is reached

Bombay Chicken One Pot Roast

Another one pot roast chicken - this time curried. Based on a recipe from Tesco.

1. Mix 4 tbsp tikka curry paste with 2 tbsp Greek yogurt and rub all over a 1.9kg chicken. Season well, then put in the fridge for 30 mins (or overnight) to marinate.
2. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200°C. Blitz 1 large onion, 2 large cloves of garlic and a 3cm piece of peeled ginger in a food processor to a chunky paste. Heat 2tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy-based, lidded casserole. Gently fry the paste for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir 1 tsp ground cumin and tsp ground coriander and cook for 1 min.
3. Pour over 1.5 400g tins chopped tomatoes and 300ml hot chicken stock; season well. Add 500g baby potatoes potatoes, then put the chicken on top. Roast uncovered for 20 mins.
4. Reduce the oven to 160°C. Baste the chicken in sauce, then cover and cook for 1 hr 20 mins or until cooked through and the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
5. Transfer the chicken to a warm serving plate, loosely cover with foil and set aside to rest for 15 mins. After 10 mins, add 100g sliced greens (eg cabbage or kale) to the sauce and simmer on the hob, uncovered, for 2 mins. Add 100g baby spinach and cook for 2 mins.
6. Return the chicken to the pot and scatter with coriander to serve, then carve. Serve with naans etc

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Mr B's Sticky Sausage Casserole

Ingredients:

6 sausages, the better the better (or a pack of 12 good quality cocktail sausages)

4-6 shallots, peeled, whole (minimum, use more if you’ve got them). Roughly chopped onion will also do.

1 large carrot, diced 

1 garlic clove, chopped

Lardons/pancetta/ chopped streaky bacon

1 glass red wine

Half pint of stock

Half a tin of chopped tomatoes (I bung the whole tin’s worth in and cook longer to reduce)

Sage, oregano, parsley, pinch of each if available

Method:

Heat oven to 170^o C

Brown sausages in a casserole dish then remove. Use a piece of kitchen towel to remove some of the fat if required, then add the shallots, garlic, diced carrot and pancetta and cook for a bit, scraping up all the tummy bits stuck to the bottom. Replace the sausages, pour in the wine and wait till it bubbles. Add the stock, herbs and seasoning if required, you may find the stock and lardons make if salty enough already, and stir everything up. Put the casserole lid on and place in the oven for 40 mins min. (Check the liquid level from time to time and add more if necessary.)

Curried Lamb meatloaf

Not too bad a change from my 'normal' lamb meatloaf

Whiz up to a coarse texture 350g cooked lamb (trimmed of fat and cut into chunks), a roughly chopped onion, a crushed clove of garlic, a cored and quartered eating apple and 1tbsp of curry paste.

Pulse in 90g breadcrumbs and an egg., Stir in 1tbsp chutney.

Put into a lined 1lb loaf tin, cover with foil and cook in 180C oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 10 minutes

American Pancakes

Mix together 135g plain flour, 1tsp baking powder, half tsp salt, 2 tbsp caster sugar

Whisk 1 large lightly beaten egg into 130ml milk with 2tbsp olive oil. Pour into the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Leave for a few minutes.

Over medium heat, melt knob of butter and add a ladle of batter. Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, turn it over and cook the other side. The pancake will rise to about 1cm thick.
Repeat!

Focaccia, sausage and tomato bake

This is based on Jamie Oliver's Comforting Sausage Bake recipe. 

Home made rosemary and garlic focaccia was a first. I used the bread maker recipe and used garlic infused oil to drizzle on the top having studded with rosemary. Was eaten as an accompaniment to a soup. JUST managed to have enough left for this recipe. Himself was so so close to being in trouble!

In theory the below is for 4. There are three of us here at the moment. I'll say no more.


Heat the oven to 180C (fan)

Put into a roasting tray 600g halved cherry tomatoes, 4 finely sliced cloves of garlic and 200g rosemary focaccia that has been torn into bite-sized chunks. Pour over a tin of cannellini beans - water/juices and all. Drizzle with 1tbsp olive oil and 1tbsp red wine vinegar. Mix it all together.

Now to the sausages - you need 12 chipolatas. Pinch and twist each one in the middle to make two mini ones. Dot around the bake, pressing lightly into the beans and tomatoes.

Roast for 45 minutes.

Wild garlic stuffed conchiglioni

Based on a recipe by Rosie Birkett in The Sunday Times magazine a few weeks ago. It fits well in my large oval clear pyrex dish. The recipe has whole fennel seeds, but crushed or left out completely fits certain taste buds better. 

Heat the oven to 180C (fan)

Slice 1 large red onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Gently cook with 1 tbsp rosemary leaves, pinch of dried chilli flakes in 2 tbsp olive oil for 10 minutes until softened. Add 2x400g tins of tomatoes and cook on medium heat for 6 mins until reduced. Blitz with hand blender until smooth. Season to taste.

Bring large pan of water to the boil. Separate stalks from florets of 250g purple spouting or tender stem broccoli. Roughly chop the stalks and cook the stalks for 2 mins then add the florets and cook for another 2 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to cool. Finely chop the stalks and two thirds of the florets.
In the same pan, parboil 30 conchiglioni pasta (about 200g). You want them to cook to just before the al dente stage. Drain and plunge in iced water to stop them cooking further.

Chop a handful (about 10g) of wild garlic leaves. Fry for a couple of minutes in 2bsp olive oil with 1tsp crushed fennel seeds and 1 deseeded chopped red chilli on medium heat. Split and squeeze the meat from 6 good quality sausages (Italian - I wish - or Cumberland) into the frying pan. Turn up the heat and break up the sausage meat into small pieces using tip of a wooden spoon - bear in mind you will be stuffing this into the pasta. Cook for five minutes until the meat browns. Add in the broccoli - except for the whole florets - and 2tbsp pine nuts and fry for a further two minutes. Stir in 2tsp white wine vinegar and remove from heat.

Pour the tomato sauce into a heatproof dish large enough to hold the sauce and pasta. Stuff the broccoli and sausage mix into the pasta (fingers work just fine) and 'nestle' into the tomato sauce. Scatter the remaining broccoli florets across the top, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.

Then arrange a few more wild garlic leaves on the top followed by sliced mozzarella (from one ball). Bake for another 10 minutes.

Serve with grated parmesan and a green salad.

Wild Garlic Pesto

Either with all wild garlic OR add some young nettle tops OR add some basil leaves. Nuts can be varied, as can the cheese. If using fresh lemon than add zest to the mix before blitzing.

Wash 150g wild garlic leaves and roughly chop
Grate 150g Parmesan
Lightly dry fry 50g pine nuts
Chop a clove of garlic
Blitz to rough paste in a food processor
Add most of 150ml rapeseed oil with machine running slowly.
Season and add a few squeezes of lemon juice

Put into clean jar and top with rest of the oil.
Will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks - if it lasts that long.

Slow cooked roast Leg of Pork with Fennel seeds - this time with crackling

It appears that I keep being drawn to recipes that combine pork and fennel seeds at the moment.

This slow cooked leg of pork recipe from Able and Co https://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/tuscan-slow-roasted-pork was the one tried on Sunday. 1.75kg leg of pork used with same cooking time. If I do it again I will wrap the lower part in foil. The crackling was prefect, the  outside of the meat was crisped just a tad too much.

Might try this one next time: https://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/roast-pork-with-rosemary-fennel-crackling. It's a faster cook time, less time at high temperature.

Roast Pork - no crackling - with Chickpea 'stew'

For 600g boneless, skinless pork joint

Crush 2 tsp fennel seeds and heaped tsp coriander seeds using pestle and mortar (not too finely). Pat dry the pork and roll in the seeds  ensuring all surfaces have seeds pressed into them.
Sear the pork in a frying pan (ideally one that is oven proof). Transfer to a plate.

In the pan add a finely chopped onion, finely chopped carrot and a couple of sprigs of rosemary and cook until the onion is translucent.

Add quarter cup of balsamic vinegar, two tins of chopped tomatoes and one tin of chickpeas and one tin of borlotti beans (tin = 400g) and good splash of water. Bring to the boil then put pork on wire rack on top and cook in 180C oven for 20 minutes. Turn the pork and cook for a further 15 minutes.

'Rest' the pork prior to carving. Serve with green veg.

Vegan and Vegetarian recipes

Vegan Haggis
Vegan Burger  from Living on the Veg. This includes recipe for the incredibly good roast red cabbage coleslaw

Vegan Haggis

From Cerys Matthews' recipe. So simple and so good. 
Serve with swede and carrot, mashed potato and gravy.
Those that weren't eaten have been frozen for veggie alternative to a roast.

Cook 125g Puy lentils according to packet to give 250g cooked lentils.

Gently fry 1 finely chopped onion in tbsp of oil until just about to turn transparent. Add a finely chopped medium carrot and 100g finely chopped mushrooms and fry for further 5 minutes.
Take off the heat and leave to cool whilst assembling other ingredients and heating the oven.

In a food blender put 100g rolled oats (jumbo if you have them), 1 tsp ground cumin, 1tsp ground nutmeg, 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, pinch of salt and 3 tbsp  pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds).

Mix 1 tbsp miso paste into 200ml vegetable stock (I made my own stock from carrot, potato peelings and leek trimmings).

Add stock and vegetables to the blender and pulse. You want a rough mixture, as in not too smooth.

Stir in the lentils.

Grease a 12 hole muffin tin and fill with the mixture. Press down lightly.

Cover tightly with baking parchment and then foil. Bake in 180C oven for 20 minutes. Take off parchment and foil, brush with oil and bake for a further 20 minutes until lightly browned.

Roast Pork Loin - no crackling

For when the bit of pork is skinless

Dry rub: Mix together equal quantities of dried thyme, paprika and garlic salt (I used large tsp of each for 2lb pork loin)

Rub all over the meat. Sear on all sides.
Put in foil lined roasting tray (not too big)


Mix Honey, soy sauce, dijon mustard, crushed garlic, olive oil. Use some to toss parsnips in (or other vegetables). Brush the rest on the top of the meat.

Cook meat in 180C. 30 minutes prior to the end of cooking time, take out. Put the parsnips under the meat and cook for 30 minutes. (Roast potatoes with rosemary go in at this time as well)
Remove the meat and leave to rest whilst the parsnips (and potatoes) finish cooking.

Turkey and Spinach Curry

Another good one for left over turkey.

Gently fry in a couple of tablespoons of oil :
6 whole cloves
10 green cardamom pods (bashed)
1 cinnamon stick broken in half
2 green chillis quartered lengthways
Then add 2 finely chopped medium onions, four crushed cloves of garlic and 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger and cook until the onions are just turning golden.

Mix together 1 tsp each of ground cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric and garam masala. Add to the pan with half tsp of salt and 1 tbsp tomato puree. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes.

Stir in 200g Greek yogurt, 100g baby spinach and a handful of chopped coriander leaves. Gently cook until the spinach has wilted.

Pick out the whole spices (as many as you can find).
Season with a dash of lemon juice and serve with rice, toasted flaked almonds and extra coriander leaves.

Chickpea, sweet potato and kale curry

Kale could be replaced with spinach - we had lots of kale!

Mix together:
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
0.5 tsp fenugreek seeds
0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
0.5 tsp sea salt

In a pan cook 1 small onion finely chopped until transparent in 1tsp oil (coconut if available). Add 1 medium sized sweet potato diced and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the spice mix and cook for 30 seconds. Add 1.5 tbsp minced garlic and fresh ginger mix and cook for a further 30 seconds.
Stir in a 400ml can of chopped tomatoes, 400 ml full fat coconut milk and 300g can of chickpeas including the liquid. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the sweet potato is tender. Stir in 100g of chopped fresh kale (if not all stems removed then add 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time).
Remove from heat.

Serve with rice or naan bread

Turkey Stroganoff and Garlic Mushroom Pasta

Two separate recipes which work well together when one has mixture of meat eaters and vegetarians (or someone doesn't like turkey nor creamy sauces) etc. 

Garlic mushroom recipe is one that I cooked when at Uni when entertaining friends.

Serve each with tagliatelle - the Stroganoff on top of a pile and the rest mixed in with the Garlic Mushrooms.

Turkey Stroganoff - serves 4

300g sliced mushrooms (combination of button and chestnut mushrooms)

Dry fry over a medium heat, tossing frequently

Add 2 tbsp butter (I used the butter from the top of the turkey) and two finely chopped medium onions and sauté until onions are transparent.

Add: 

- 350g cooked turkey chopped into bite sized peieces

- 125ml turkey stock or, even better, left over turkey gravy

- 1tbsp fresh thyme or 1tsp dried thyme

- Large pinch grated nutmeg

- salt and pepper

Combine and heat through. 

Take off the heat and add 250ml greek yoghurt (or sour cream or creme fraiche). Add small amount of pasta cooking water to thin if required.

Taste and season further if required (it does need more salt than you think).

Garlic Mushroom sauce for pasta - serves 2

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Add 300g sliced mushrooms (at least combination of button and chestnut mushrooms) and fry for about 10 minutes until excess liquid has evaporated. Tip onto a plate.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in the pan and add 2 finely sliced garlic cloves and fry gently until just turning golden. Tip the mushrooms back into the pan, add zest of half a lemon, handful of grated Parmesan and toss together with pasta for two (150g uncooked weight if making this by itself) and 3 tbsp of the pasta cooking water to heat through. 

Season with salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Serve sprinkled with handful of chopped parsley and more grated parmesan.