Menu for w/c 12th Sept

Finally managed to turn off the large freezer in the garage (it has been on max freezer to keep the three top shelves forzen. I know that cold air sinks, but didn't seem to work in this ancient beast). So this week was a final items that wouldn't fit into the smaller freezer in the kitchen.

Lamb roast on Sunday.
M Chicken and mushroom pie and chips
T Lamb Meatloaf with tomato sauce
W Toad in the hole (used James Martin recipe - need to do half quantities next time!)
Th Barbeque - chicken with piri piri sauce and burgers
Fr 'Slugs'

Millionaire's shortbread

The best recipe for this is from the queen Mary Berry


A variation is:

Put

• 225g plain flour
• 100g caster sugar
• 225g butter
  
• 100g semolina

into a food processor and 'pulse' until dough is formed.
Press mixture into a shallow tin and prick all over with a fork
Cook in pre-heated oven (160C) for about 30 minutes (until lightly golden)
Leave to cool

When cool, spread over a tin of 'Dulche de leche' or the toffee sauce in Mary Berry's recipe in the link above. (The latter is to gently heat together 175g butter, 175g sugar, 4tbsp golden syrup and 1 can of condensed milk.)

Melt 200g of good quality milk chocolate in a bowl in the microwave (see your microwave instruction booklet) or over a pan of hot water and spread over the caramel

Menu for w/c 31 August and Cannellini Bean Bake

M Beef and Chorizo
T Duck and Chips
W Lamb and Feta
Th Fajitas
Fr Cannellini Bean Bake

Cannellini Bean Bake

Slice an onion and poach in water until tender
Drain, reserving the liquid
Put the liquid into a measuring jug and top up with milk to half a pint

Make a white sauce:
Melt 1oz butter and stir in 1oz plain flour and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes
Gradually add the half pint of onion cooking liquid/milk mix stirring constantly until smooth and thick

In the bottom of an oven proof dish put 2 (or 3 if feeding a hungry four) drained tins of cannellini beans. Top with the cooked onion followed by a tin of chopped tomatoes. Pour over the white sauce and cover with grated cheddar cheese. Cook in preheated oven 180C for about 20 minutes, until bubbling and cheese is golden.

Serve with salad and, optionally, crusty bread

Quiche

Used my 9"x 6" (2" deep) rectangular baking dish for a quiche for a change and think it will be something I repeat regularly. One packet of shop bought ready rolled short crust pastry fits nicely. (Don't tell my grandmother that I don't always make my own pastry!). Alternatively use an 8" flan dish.

Recipe

One pack of ready rolled short crust pastry
3 eggs beaten
300ml milk
Filling of choice
Grated cheddar

Heat oven to 180C
Line baking tray/flan dish with the pastry. Prick the base all over with a fork and brush with egg (taken from the beaten egg for the filling).
Bake 'blind' (ie with no filling) in oven for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and add filling and cheese
Mix together the beaten eggs and milk and pour over filling
Put back into oven and cook for 30-40 minutes (until skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean)

Filling ideas
Fillings without the grated cheese should come to about half way up the dish (loosely added, ie not pressed down in any way)

• Gammon/ham and onion (fry onions until transparent)
• Asapargus (suggest use flan dish rather than deeper baking tray)
• Caramalised onions (finely chop 1.5lb onions and cook long and slow in 2oz butter until caramalised, ie deep brown)

Soups

Soups
- Asparagus
- Carrot and Coriander
- Chicken and Sweetcorn- Curried Parsnip
- Lamb and Pearl Barley
- Leek and Potato
- Lentil
- Mushroom
- Nettle
- Portuguese Chicken Soup
- Refrigerator
- Thai: Sugarsnap and Beansprout Laksa
- Tomato

Meat Rissoles

I was looking for my recipe for rissoles on this blog and couldn't find it. As it is one of the ultimate uses for 'left over roast' of any form...

Basics recipe is

8oz cooked meat minced with 1 small onion and a clove of garlic
Stir in:
1.5 oz breadcrumbs
1 beaten egg
2 tbsp parsley
salt and pepper

and add spices/seasoning depending on the meat (eg cumin and coriander - half tsp max of combined - for lamb)

Make into 6 - 8 thick rounded burgers (aka 'patties'). Coat with seasoned flour and then shallow fry for about 5 minutes on each side.

For chicken/turkey - I don't add anything else
For lamb - as suggestion above ie cumin and coriander (serve with yogurt and rice)
Other cold meat - too many other recipes for me to have tried rissoles with them!

Salads for this week

Have been picking a selection of differing leaves from the garden daily for the last few weeks. Rocket, chard and lettuce being the main ones

M: Gammon, celery and green pepper
T: Beef and beetroot in horseradish and yogurt dressing
W: Broad bean and butterbean
Th: Egg and anchovy (using up anchovies from warm pea, tomato and potato salad)