Beef and ale pie

My husband makes a great beef and ale pie. It has bags of flavour. He packs it with chunks of meat and vegetables like mushrooms. I have asked him for the recipe so that I can post it on my blog. Watch this space!

Salmon fish cakes

These fish cakes are made with a semolina and flour coating on the outside which gives them a wonderfully crunchy texture. You can make a big batch of these and store them in your freezer for when you want to use them. We like to eat them with some home made chilli jam. They are just as good with a blob of ketchup!

INGREDIENTS

Makes 8 fishcakes

300 gms potatoes

100 gms salmon fillet, skin on and no scales on the skin, all bones removed

A small handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Bunch of chives, roughly chopped

Salt and pepper

1 egg

Olive oil

1 tablespoon plain flour, plus a little more for dusting

Semolina

METHOD

Preparing your ingredients

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Peel your potatoes, chop them into even sized chunks (or use the left over potatoes from your baked potatoes – scoop out the potato and discard the skin), add the potatoes to the boiling water and bring back to the boil. Rub the salmon fillet all over with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. When your potatoes have half way cooked, place the salmon into a colander, then cover this with foil, and place the colander over the pot of boiling potatoes. Turn the heat down and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the salmon and potatoes are both cooked. Remove the fish from the colander and put to one side. Drain the potatoes in the same colander, then return them to the pot and let them steam dry for a minute. Pick the parsley leaves chop them, discarding the stalks. Chop up the chives. Mash the potatoes, spreading the mash round the sides of the pan to help it cook down quickly. Remove any skin from the salmon. When the potatoes are cooled, put it into a bowl and flake the fish into it with 1 tablespoon of flour. Add the egg and chopped parsley and chopped chives with a really good pinch of salt and pepper. Finely grate over the lemon zest, then mash and mix it up really well.

Making the fishcakes

Dust a plate with a little of the extra flour and some semolina. Divide your fish cakes into 4, lightly shape and pat into circles about 2cm thick, dusting them with flour as you go. Put them onto a clean plate also dusted with a little flour. – If you are going to freeze them at this point, wrap them in clingfilm and put them into the freezer. Otherwise simply pop them into the fridge for an hour before cooking – this will allow them to firm up slightly.

Cooking the fishcakes

Put a large fry pan on a medium heat and add a couple of lugs of olive oil. When the oil is nice and hot, add your fishcakes and cook for about 3 – 4 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden – you may need to cook them in two batches. Serve straight away, with lemon halves for squeezing over, serve with vegetables of your choice or a cool crisp salad. These fish cakes also go really well will some chilli jam (recipe on this blog).

Spicy squash soup

You know that Halloween is just around the corner when pumpkin and squash start to appear in the shops. My husband plants different varieties of squash in our garden every year. Last year we had an abundance of the ‘carnival squash’ (one of my favourites). It is cream speckled with orange and dark green colours. The flesh tastes rather like a sweet potato and it is delicious in soups. 

This year he planted some ‘sweet dumpling squash’, which are pale skinned with green flecks. The flesh of this squash suits both sweet and savoury dishes. He also planted some good old butternut squash for us to savour.

As the autumn nights are starting to draw in, I decided to whizz up some warming soup for a family supper and use up some of the squash from our garden. You can make this soup using either squash or pumpkin. I personally prefer to use squash as it has a lower water content. Whatever you use, you can make this soup as spicy as you wish to suit your taste. It really is very good and very warming.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

1.5 kg/lbs 5oz squash or pumpkin

4 tbspns olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 tbspn grated fresh ginger

1 400ml can coconut milk (reserve 4 tablespoons if you want to drizzle some on the plate for service)

2 lemongrass sticks

850ml/1 ½ pts vegetable or chicken stock

1 teaspoon hot red Thai curry paste (remember, you can always add more if you want a really spicy soup)

lime juice and sugar to season

1 red chilli, sliced for serving (optional as the soup may be hot enough)

2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt (or to taste)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/gas 6.

2. Cut each squash/pumpkin into pieces, sprinkle with half the oil and season. Roast for about an hour or until the squash is tender throughout.

3. Meanwhile, put the remaining oil in a pan, put in the onion, ginger and lemongrass and cook for about 10 minutes until the onions are soft over a medium heat (take care not to let them take on colour).

4. Stir in the curry paste and cook for one minute. The add the roasted squash or pumpkin and the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes. Take out the lemongrass and blitz the ingredients with a blender. Return the soup to the pan and season with salt, pepper, lime juice and sugar to taste.

5. To serve, you can drizzle some of the coconut milk if you have reserved some, and sprinkle with the chopped chilli if you want the dish really spicy. Serve with a hunk of bread.

Making sushi

Makizushi (rolled sushi)

My son and youngest daughter have this thing about sushi, they love the stuff. They will eat Sushi with all sorts of toppings and fillings, raw fish, salmon roe, sea urchin even.  Years ago I lived in Japan, so I also share their love for sushi and quite like making it for dinner. Our issue is that we can’t really source fish fresh enough to slice and make the full range of  traditional sushi. So instead we make rolled sushi called ‘makizushi’. Maki means ‘to roll’. Sometimes this type of sushi is also called ‘norimaki’, which means a dried seaweed (nori) roll.

Making makizushi only takes a few ingredients. Most of them can be found in good supermarkets, or from specialist Chinese or Thai shops. You will need some sushi rice, dried seaweed sheets, rice wine, some wasabi (a hot horseradish paste) and some good soya sauce. I think Kikoman is the best. I make my makizushi with some cooked salmon and cucumber strips flavoured with soya sauce and ginger. 

You can also make it with a whole range of other items:-

Smoked makerel, cut into thin strips

Smoked salmon – you can use sheets or scraps cut into srtips

Tuna mayonnaise

Avocado – cut into strips and use with crab stick or makeral strips

Crab stick

Takuan – pickled radish

Umeboshi = pickled plum (an aquired taste)

Shitake mushrooms

HOW TO MAKE YOUR MAKIZUSHI

It is important to use sushi rice when making any type of sushi. This is a short grain rice that cooks up into a wonderful sticky consistency. If you use an ordinary long grain rice it will end up being too dry.

Serves 4-6, or you can make smaller rolls to serve as canapes

10oz Japanese rice

3 tbspns  rice vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1. Wash the rice well to remove excess starch, cook it and let it steam. To do this, put the rice in a pot and cover the rice with water (double the amount of rice). Allow the rice to come to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off, cover with a lid and allow the rice to steam and cook for a further 15 minutes.

2. Prepare sushi vinegar (sushi-zu) by mixing rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a cup. Stir well to dissolve the granules.

3. Spread the hot steamed rice into a large plate or a large bowl. Use a non-metallic bowl to prevent any interaction with rice vinegar. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice with a spoon or spatula quickly. Take care not to smash the rice.

4. Allow the rice to cool and use sushi rice right away. Use a bamboo rolling sheet to help roll up the sushi. 

6. Put the filling of your choice in the middle.

7. Roll it.

8. Then cut the roll into slices and serve with soya sauce and some wasabi.

Lavender & Honey Lamb

Lamb is a meat that lavender (like rosemary) works so well with. This recipe is simple and can be adapted easily. The honey also works well, providing a balance to the flavours of lamb.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4-6

1kg lamb steaks –

1 heaped dessert spoon dried culinary lavender

1 dessert spoon fresh Rosemary leaves coarsely chopped

1 clove of garlic – chopped finely

1½ tablespoons runny honey

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Sea Salt & Pepper

Place the steaks in a shallow dish, season with a good grind of salt and pepper, sprinkle over the lavender, rosemary, garlic, olive oil and honey. The messy bit that I love is to use your hands to mix everything up, ensuring that all the lamb is well covered in the herby, sweet mixture. Leave for a few hours (preferably more) covered in foil for the meat to absorb all the flavours.

The resulting steaks can be barbequed, baked or grilled. My preference is to lay them in a shallow roasting tray and put them into a hot (220°C) preheated oven until cooked to your liking, turning once halfway through.

Serve with new potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables. 

Smoked haddock and spring onion tart

This tart is well worth baking. The tart tastes creamy and is wonderfully aromatic. It works well served with a range of salads. You can make your own shortcrust pastry, or if you are pushed for time buy some ready made pastry.

INGREDIENTS

       2500g shortcrust pastry and flour for rolling

       2 fillets smoked haddock with skin on (about 500g/1lb 2oz)

       1 tbsp butter

       2 bunches spring onions, finely sliced

       3 eggs

       300g crème fraîche (or a 300ml pot double cream)

       1 tsp Dijon mustard

handful chives , finely chopped 

85g mature cheddar or Gruyère, grated

METHOD

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to fit a 23cm fluted tart tin. Line the case with pastry, leaving plenty of overhang. Line the pastry with baking parchment, fill with baking beans and sit it on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 mins, until the pastry looks pale and feels a little sandy. Remove the paper and beans, then return to the oven for 10 mins more, until just golden.

2. Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to a simmer. Drop in the haddock, skin-side down, and poach for 5 mins or until the flesh turns white. Drain, then cool a little. Peel away and discard the skin, then flake the flesh into the pastry case. Look out for any bones as you go.

3. Melt the butter in a frying pan, then gently cook the spring onions for about 3 mins or until softened but still a vibrant green. Beat the eggs, crème fraîche or cream and mustard together in a jug, then add the chives and season with salt and pepper.

4. Turn oven down to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Scatter the cheese and spring onions over the fish, then pour the egg mix over. Bake for about 50 mins, or until pale golden and just set in the middle. Let the tart cool completely before trimming the pastry around the edges.  The tart is also very good hot or warm.

              

Goat's cheese and onion tart

This goat’s cheese and onion tart is delicious and great served with salads on a hot sunny day. I make one large tart when cooking this dish for my family and friends. Alternatively, this recipe will make individual tarts to serve as a starter. You can make your own pastry, or if you want to save some time use some shop bought shortcrust pastry.

INGREDIENTS
Makes 6 tartlets or one large tart

For the pastry:-

140g plain flour

85g butter, cubed

3 tbsps cold water  

OR USE 500g block shortcrust pastry

5 very large red onions, sliced 

olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

½ tbsp chopped thyme leaves

6 slices goat's cheese , from a small log or 3 English goat's cheeses with a bloomy rind, halved

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.Put the flour in a bowl, add the butter to the flour and rub in with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the grated cheddar into the pastry and mix. Add 3 tbsp cold water and mix until the pastry forms a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for 5 mins. Butter a 20 x 6cm deep loose-bottom tart tin, or a 35 x 12cm rectangular tart tin.

2. Line 40cm tart tin or 6 tart tins if you are making individual tarts (about 10cm across) with pastry and prick the bases. Line with parchment and baking beans and bake for 10 minutes or until the pastry starts to brown, lift out the parchment and bake for another 5 minutes or until the pastry is crisp, dried and cooked.

3. Meanwhile, slice the red onion thinly. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan and carefully fry the slices on a low heat until they start to soften, about 15 minutes in total. Add the balsamic and thyme and bubble together.

4. Place the onion in the large tart case or in the individual tart cases. Place several slices of goat's cheese on top of the large tart, or just one slice in the individual tarts against one side of the pastry so it is off centre.

6. Bake until the goat's cheese begins to bubble and brown a little. Drizzle with a little olive oil before serving.

Frittatta

A frittata is a good family dish. It is really a big king size omelette that is good for sharing and it is also a great way to use up bits and pieces in your fridge. I prefer to eat them hot, however they are just as good served cold.

I tend to make my frittata up as I go along by grabbing what is available out of my fridge. A great combination is goat’s cheese, peas and broad beans or you could just add a variety of vegetables such as courgettes, tomatoes with a tiny bit of chopped up chilli. The one I made today had chorizo and a number of vegetables. It got a big thumbs up from my children.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8

A ring of chorizo

A handful of new potatoes, boiled

A handful of baby tomatoes

A bunch of spring onions, chopped

A couple of heaped tablespoons of roasted tomatoes

8 eggs

Dash of milk

Salt and pepper

METHOD

1. Skin and chop the chorizo and add it to a frying pan. Gently fry the pieces of chorizo until they start to take on a little colour and the pieces are sizzling in the pan.

2. Chop the new potatoes into bite size pieces and add them to the chorizo, add the baby tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes so that they start to take on some of the flavour of the chorizo.

3. Add the chopped spring onions and roasted peppers. Cook for 2 minutes.

4. In a separate bowl break the eggs, add the dash of milk, season and beat the mixture.

5. Add the egg mixture to the chorizo and vegetables. Gently stir the mixture so that the egg coats all of the ingredients. Now cook the frittata for about 8-10 minutes.

6. Turn on your grill so that it is hot. Take the frying pan off the hob and place it under the grill to cook the top of the frittata. Cook for about 3-4 minutes making sure that the egg is cooked.

7. Turn out the frittata on to a plate and serve with a salad.

Lamb Koftas

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

500g minced lamb

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

2 fat garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp chopped mint

oil for brushing

SERVE WITH

Make a tomato sauce (see sauces recipes) and make it spicy with a dash of harissa

Greek Yoghurt 

Cous Cous with roasted vegetables of your choice and herbs

Cous Cous with roasted aubergine, feta and basil

METHOD FOR LAMB KOFTAS 

1. Mix together all the ingredients until well blended. Divide into 8 balls, then roll each ball on a board with a cupped hand to turn them into ovals.

2. Thread onto 4 metal skewers and brush with oil. To cook on a griddle: heat the pan until you can feel a good heat rising and cook for 3-4 mins each side. Don't turn until they are well sealed or the meat will stick to the grill or pan. Season if you want, and set aside. Serve the koftas with Greek Yoghurt, spiced flat breads and cous cous with 

Asparagus and Parmesan Tart

Asparagus and Parmesan work very well together and this tart is sure to please all. Serve warm or cold with salad and some iced lemonade.

Asparagus and Parmesan Tart

(serves 6-8)

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry:-
140g plain flour
85g butter, cubed
85g cheddar (such as Montgomery), or other hard cheese, finely grated

For the filling:-
5 eggs
175ml milk (for a creamy tart use 100ml milk & 75ml single cream)
100g Parmesan, grated
300g asparagus, trimmed and cut in half lengthways

METHOD

1. Put the flour in a bowl, add the butter to the flour and rub in with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the grated cheddar into the pastry and mix. Add 3 tbsp cold water and mix until the pastry forms a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for 5 mins. Butter a 20 x 6cm deep loose-bottom tart tin, or a 35 x 12cm rectangular tart tin.

2. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Lightly dust the work surface with flour, roll out the pastry and line the tin. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes, then line the pastry case with baking paper, fill with beans and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and return the pastry case to the oven for 10 minutes.

3. Crack the eggs into a jug, whisk, then add the milk and whisk again. Sprinkle half the grated cheese over the pastry case, then add the asparagus, egg mix and remaining cheese (if using a rectangular tin, you may not need all the mixture, so add it gradually). Bake in the lower half of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the egg mix is set.

Baked cod with butter beans, tomatoes and chorizo

INGREDIENTS

(Serves 6)

900g cod fillet

400g chorizo, chopped into cubes

450g small tomatoes

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 bunch spring onions, chopped

3 x 400g tins butter beans, drained

150mls white wine

2 tbsp olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp chopped chives

METHOD

1.Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/gas mark 6. Place the cod fillets on a piece of foil big enough to seal the piece (it might be easier to divide the fish in two and have two pieces of foil), and drizzle some of the olive oil and lemon juice on each piece. Season well, seal in the foil and place on a baking sheet. Cook for approximately 20 minutes until the fish is cooked.

2. Meanwhile, place the chorizo in a pan. Cook the chorizo until crisp and brown. There is no need to add oil, as the chorizo will release its own oil. Once cooked, add the garlic and spring onions and cook for 1 minute.

3. Next add the baby tomatoes and cook until soft. Add the white wine and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the butter beans and heat them through.

4. Serve the chorizo, tomatoes and butter beans with the fish placed on top and sprinkle the dish with the chopped chives. 

Asparagus and chicken risotto

There is nothing quite like our wonderful British asparagus, it is delicious. It is roughly available from May through to June, which is a very short season. One of my favourite ways of cooking with asparagus is to use it in a risotto. You can make a vegetarian version with asparagus, adding some mint and lemon just before serving. I like to make an asparagus risotto served with chicken. Needless to say both versions are served with lots of grated Parmesan. A glass of Sauvignon also works well with this dish.

INGREDIENTS

(Serves 6 as a main course)

1 litre/1¾ pints vegetable or chicken stock

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 chicken breasts, chopped into pieces

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

600g/1lb 6oz risotto rice

250ml/9fl oz vermouth or dry white wine

2 bunches of asparagus, woody ends removed and discarded

1-2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus a block for grating

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

1. Bring your stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Put 1-2 tbspns olive oil in a separate pan and cook your chicken pieces. Season well with salt and pepper. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and put to one side.

2. In a clean pan add 1-2 tbspns olive oil and a little butter. Add the chopped onions and cook very gently for 15 minutes until soft, taking care not to let the onions brown. Once the onions are soft add the chopped garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Next add the rice (it will sizzle) and turn up the heat. Try not to let the rice mixture catch on the bottom of the pan, so keep stirring.

3. Quickly pour in the vermouth or wine. You will smell the alcohol immediately, so keep stirring all the time until it has evaporated, leaving the rice with a lovely perfume.

4. Add the stock to the rice a ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the next. Turn the heat down to low so the rice does not cook too quickly, otherwise the outside of each grain will be stodgy and the inside hard and nutty. Add the chopped asparagus and allow it to cook with the rice in the stock. Continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it has all be absorbed. Keep stirring the risotto through out this process (for about 15 minutes).

5. Add the chicken pieces back to the pot and continue to cook the rice until soft (al dente) for approximately another 5 minutes. The risotto should hold its shape but be soft, creamy and oozy, and the overall texture should be slightly looser than you think you want it.

6. Turn off the heat. If you want a rich risotto add a knob of butter and stir in, then add a handful of Parmesan to the pot. Alternatively leave the mixture as it is for a less rich version. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Put a lid on the pan and leave the risotto to rest for a minute. Serve with some grated Parmesan on the table.

Home made oven chips

Oven chips are quick and cheap to make. I prefer to leave the skins on my potatoes, but you can peel them if prefer.

Pre heat the oven to 200 C/ Gas mark 6

Scrub a handful of potatoes (enough to serve for the number of people you are feeding). Chop the potatoes into large chips and place onto a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season well. Use your hands to turn the potatoes over and coat them in oil. Bake the potatoes for 35-40 minutes (until golden brown) turning them after they have been in the oven for 20 minutes.

Purple sprouting broccoli with slithers of garlic

1kg purple sprouting broccoli (serves 4)
3-4 tbspn extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, cut into slices

This vegetable dish is delicious. Cook your broccoli al dente. In a separate pan add the extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic chopped and cook until golden brown. Stir the oil and garlic into the drained, cooked broccoli, season and serve.

Purple sprouting broccoli is in season from February through to early May.

Pork meatballs

(prep time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 20 minutes)

2 tbsp olive oil and a knob of butter

1 onion finely chopped

500g minced pork

500g pork sausage meat

handful chopped basil

EITHER 60g grated Parmesan

OR ¼ tsp paprika for the spicy version

1. Heat the 1 tbspn olive oil and  butter in a frying pan and cook the onions slowly until soft. Remove from the pan once cooked and cool down.

2.  In a bowl mix the minced pork , sausage meat, chopped basil and Parmesan for the non-spicy meatballs, OR add paprika instead of the Parmesan for the spicy meat balls. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

3. Take a pinch of the mixture and roll a meatball. The mixture should make enough for 20 meatballs (makes more or less depending on the size).

4. In a clean frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Place in some of the meatballs making sure that you do not overcrowd the pan. Cook the meatballs on a medium heat, turning them every few minutes to make sure that they are cooked and caramalised to a deep golden brown on each side.

5. Remove the cooked meatballs and repeat the process until all of the meatball mixture is cooked.

6. Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce and serve with pasta. Serve with linguini or spaghetti. Garnish with chopped basil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

(If you are making the sauce and meatballs in advance, keep the meatballs separate from the sauce in the fridge. Add the meatballs to the sauce and heat together as you cook the pasta).

Tomato sauce - for pasta

(prep: 10 minutes, cooking time: 60 minutes)

2 tbpns olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 heaped tbspn tomato puree

200mls red wine

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

salt and pepper

1, Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the garlic. Cook until golden brown.

2. Add the tomato puree and wine. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the tins of tomatoes, plus half tin of water.

3. Add 1 tsp sugar (helps break up the acidity of the tomatoes) and season well.

4. Bring the sauce to the boil, then turn the pan down to a low heat and cook for 45-60 minutes.