Beef Stew & Dumplings

Is there anything more warming than a bubbling pot of beef stew? The house smells divine, and everyone was hungry & eager to tuck in - just what I love. I love my dumplings to soak up the gravy underneath, but crispy on top. Everyone likes them different though - how do you like yours? Serves 4, you could serve mash alongside to make it go further.
 
2 celery sticks, thickly sliced
1 onion , chopped
2 really big carrots , halved lengthways then very chunkily sliced
5 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 beef stock cubes , crumbled
850g stewing beef cut into nice large chunks

 Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Put the kettle on. Put the celery, onion, carrots, bay and 1 thyme sprig in a casserole with 1 tbsp oil and the butter. Soften for 10 mins, then stir in the flour until it doesn't look dusty anymore, followed by the tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock cubes. 

Gradually stir in 600ml hot water, then tip in the beef and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and put in the oven for 2hrs 30 mins, then uncover and cook for 30mins - 1hr more until the meat is really tender and the sauce is thickened.


Dumplings

125g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

60g suet

water, to make a dough

 Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the suet and enough water to form a thick dough. With floured hands, roll spoonfuls of the dough into small balls. Drop them on top of the stew for the last 30 minutes of the cooking time.

Roasted Honeyed Celeriac

Celeriac is back in the supermarkets! It must be back in season - I just love it and have been waiting months for it. I used it as a side dish for our roast dinner this week. I love it cooked all different ways, but this has to be one of my favourites. We had it with herby roast chicken, sweetcorn, sweet & sour carrots and gravy. The others also had potatoes, but not me, the other veg was enough!

1 celeriac
a thick slice of butter
a little olive oil
2 tbsp honey
8 sprigs thyme
4 tsp honey

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Put a pan of lightly salted water on to boil. Peel the celeriac and remove the tops. Slice the flesh into thick chips. Drop them into the water and leave for 10 minutes till almost tender.
Drain them, then put them into a roasting tin or baking dish with a thick slice of butter and a spoonful of olive oil or beef dripping. Season with salt and black pepper, the thyme leaves pulled from their stalks, and the honey. Toss gently then roast for 35-40 minutes until the celeriac is crisp and pale gold.

Very Tasty Veg Stew

This is a recipe that I saw Nigel Slater make, though of course I adapted it slightly to suit our tastes and fridge contents! The key to this recipe is cooking the veg in stages, rather than bunging it all in to make a mushy stew. The veg keep their individual flavours & textures, which makes it sing. This would also make a lovely pasta sauce, or a filling for a pie. Top with mash or pastry, or even grated cheese. This makes enough for 5 hearty appetites! It is also a perfect recipe for those following the 5:2 fasting diet - 1 large portion comes in at 150 calories. You get a lot of food & nutrients for your calories with this!

olive oil
a large aubergine, halved and thinly sliced
2, halved and sliced courgettes
2 peppers, (orange and red) peppers
2 onions, peeled and roughly sliced
2 garlic peeled and crushed
marjoram, parsley and thyme
3 medium, quartered tomatoes
12 or so cherry tomatoes
500ml jar or pack tomato passata or crushed tomatoes
3 bay leaves
basil leaves

Heat a shallow layer of olive oil in a large, low sided pan and brown the aubergine on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Fry each of the other vegetables separately in the order above, adding more oil as necessary, until each is pale gold. Remove as each one is ready and set aside.
When you reach the onions, cook in the same way along with the garlic but when cooked, don’t remove from the pan. Add the herbs, along with the tomatoes and allow to cook a little before transferring the cooked peppers back into pan. Add the passata and leave to simmer, with the lid on. When the sauce is reduced a little transfer the aubergine and courgettes back in to the pan along with the bay leaves and season. Taste – leave to simmer for a few more minutes. Stir gently with a handful of torn basil leaves and serve.

Chicken & Almond Traybake

I love meals that I can bung it all in a dish & pop in the oven! Simple and quick, this took just a few minutes to put together then needed very little supervision. You need quite a big oven tray to fit this all in though! Alternatively, split it between 2 trays. A dollop of greek yogurt was lovely on top, sprinkle with some coriander. This recipe will serve 4 people (it went round all 5 of us).

500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 medium red onions , cut into thick wedges
500g small potatoes , cut into thick slices
2 red peppers , deseeded and cut into thick slices
1 garlic clove , finely chopped
1 tsp each ground cumin, smoked paprika and fennel seeds , slightly crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
zest and juice 1 lemon
50g whole blanched almonds , roughly chopped

 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the chicken, onions, potatoes and peppers in a large roasting tray (or 2). In a bowl, mix together the garlic, spices, oil, and lemon zest and juice. Pour this over everything. 
Roast for 40 mins, turning over after 20 mins, until the chicken is cooked through. Add the almonds for the final 8 mins of cooking.

Giveaway! Chocolate Recipe Book CLOSED

 This giveaway is now closed.

I have a brand new copy of this yummy recipe book to give away to one of my readers!



 Dark, milk, white. With hints of vanilla or licorice, of coffee or violet. Enhanced with dried fruits, laced with liquor, matched with pears, strawberries, oranges. Is there anything more irresistible? What is diving into the paradise of a praline, into the exalting music of a crispy square, into the infinite sweetness of a cup of hot chocolate? What is it to let oneself be enveloped by a sensuous mousse, be amazed by chocolate bars with flashes of hazelnuts, covered with a thin veil of caramel, or be pampered by the childlike poetry of a mountain of profiteroles? "Food of the gods," as the Mayas called it, it was used from the outset for preparing desserts, from the simplest to the most sumptuous. What would life be without chocolate? It's hard to imagine. Moreover, it's also difficult just to imagine the endless colours, shapes, and intensities that chocolate can take on: dark, black, milk, white; tablets, chocolate drops, ice creams, puddings, creams. Here is a lavishly illustrated volume, in a highly innovative and original design, celebrating the endless tasty variations that will delight

All you have to do is leave a comment, telling us your favourite chocolate treat! Tweet/Facebook this post for an extra entry. Blog & link to this post for another entry. Max of 4 entries per person. Competition ends midnight on 31st October. UK residents only. Winner will be chosen at random using Randomizer.org. Good luck!

Mushroom Soup

I am loving the series of MasterChef Australia that is on TV at the moment. I have already tried the melting moments that Julia made in an episode. Whilst browsing, I saw this recipe by Wade, for mushrooms soup. So simple and it was an amazing flavour! Luckily I made enough to have some tomorrow too :) I can see this being made quite often for a quick lunch. I dropped a couple of dried porcini mushrooms on top as a garnish.

Makes enough for 4 hearty bowls

125g butter, cubed 
1 onion, finely sliced 
1 garlic clove, finely sliced 
600g button mushrooms, finely sliced 
4 parsley stalks 
1L chicken stock 
2 tablespoons dry sherry

Parsley leaves and/or porcini mushrooms to garnish.

Melt the butter in a pan, and cook the onions & garlic until soft but not coloured, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and parsley stalks and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the sherry & reduce for 5 minutes. Add the stock and simmer for 15/20 minutes. Season & taste. Blitz the soup and serve.

Sweetcorn Fritters

Today I made my slow cooker ribs again for dinner. I wanted to make some tasty sides to go with them, so decided on a potato salad and these maxing corn fritters. They were quite messy to make, but absolutely worth it! The kids loved them, and ate every last scrap. They are not something I would make on a regular basis, but lovely as a treat. I would use a pan of oil that you can discard afterwards rather than a deep fat fryer, the mess was unreal! 

90g plain flour 
1 tablespoon sugar 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
2 eggs 
120ml  milk,
1 teaspoon salt 
4 large tins of sweetcorn, drained 
3 teaspoons Chopped Fresh Chives 
 Oil, For Frying

Heat about 2 inches of oil to a medium high heat in a large pan.
Sift together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Season with salt & pepper.  Stir in the milk & eggs and mix until it is all combined. 
Add the sweetcorn and chives and mix so that the corn is coated. The mixture will be still quite wet, and wont hold together well, that is how it is supposed to be. Drop a large spoonful of the batter into the oil. repeat this, doing no more than 4 at a time. Once they have turned golden in the oil, remove & drain on kitchen paper. Serve when all the mixture has been fried and drained.

Rosti Topped Cottage Pie

Something a little bit different to the usual mashed potato topping. I saw this is the Lorraine Pascale book, but tweaked a little bit to fit what I had in the cupboards. Everyone loved this, no leftovers left at all. Shame really, because I wold have loved some for lunch the next day!

Vegetable oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
750g beef or lamb mince
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 crushed garlic clove
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp plain flour
400ml beef stock (or red wine for a fuller flavour. I used 200ml of both)
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
100g frozen peas

1 medium potato
1 medium sweet potato
25g butter

Heat the oil in a large pan. Soften the onion for about 5  minutes. Add the sage & rosemary & the mince, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots & garlic and stir through.
Drain the tin of tomatoes with a sieve. Discard the juice/liquid.
Add the flour to the mince, and mix until it is thoroughly combined, then add the drained tomatoes.
Add the stock (or wine), season and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, par boil the potato (peeled and cut in half) and the sweet potato (peeled but left whole) for 5 minutes. Drain and leave to cool. When cool enough to handle, grate and mix together.

After allowing the meat mixture to simmer for 15 minutes, transfer to an oven proof dish.Preheat the oven to 200c.
Melt the butter in the microwave.
Top the meat mixture with the grated potato mix, season and then spread the butter on top.Pop into the oven for around 25/30 minutes. The topping should go golden & crisp.

Butternut Squash Soup

This is a simple, yet tasty, soup to make using leftover butternut squash. I had half of one left from another recipe that I wanted to use. Just double the quantities if you want to use a whole squash. I made Parmesan croutons to go alongside, just some nice bread sliced, drizzled with olive oil, coated in grated Parmesan & dry-fried in a frying pan. This recipe will make enough soup for about 4 people for lunch. Scatter sage leaves on top for extra flavour.

1 red onion diced
2 sticks of celery diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Half a butternut squash deseeded and cut into chunks
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
 olive oil

 Sweat the celery, carrot & onion in a drop of olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic & rosemary & cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the squash and stock, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season well, then blend. Serve with sprinkled sage and crusty bread.

Fettuccine Alfredo

I think this must be one of the quickest meals I have ever made! It was so tasty too, I can't wait to make it again. It is very simple, but oh-so-naughty! There is a lot of butter in this, but I think thats what makes it taste so great. There are only a few ingredients, so it may sound boring but believe me it tastes amazing. I added some fried onions & mushrooms with a touch of garlic for some extra flavour. Serve with a side salad or some nice bread.

 18 oz. fresh fettucine
 10 button mushrooms sliced
1 onion, finely sliced
Aproximately 3/4 cup pasta water
200g butter, cut in small cubes
200g grated Parmesan Cheese
Fresh parsley, chopped

Heat a little butter (teaspoon) in a wok or large frying pan. Lightly soften while you cook the fresh pasta for 2 minutes in boiling salted wtaer. Drain the pasta, reserving almost a cup of the water. Tip the water plus the rest of teh butter into the pan, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta & toss. Add the parmesan, and stir through until all melted & the pasta coated.  Scatter with parsley & serve immeadiately.

Melting Moments

I love watching MasterChef Australia and one of the contestants made these amazing looking biscuits that the judges loved. I have used her recipe here, minus the jam-making (I used ready made). These are delicious! They do indeed melt in the mouth, and are light & so sweet. I was surprised at how easy there were to make too. Definitely make these if you want to impress guests at a coffee morning.

Biscuits 
180g unsalted butter 
60g icing sugar, sifted 
60g custard powder 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
180g plain flour

Buttercream 
100g butter, softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cupicing sugar, sifted

Plus your favourite jam for the filling.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two oven trays with baking paper.
For biscuits, cream butter for two minutes in an electric mixer with paddle attachment. Add icing sugar and custard powder and mix until combined. Sift the baking powder and flour together then add to the dough and mix well. Roll dough into 40g balls, place on a baking paper lined baking tray and press each ball with a fork to leave an indent. Bake biscuits for 16-18 minutes or until light golden. Stand on trays 5 minutes to cool then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For buttercream, whisk butter and vanilla until smooth. Add icing sugar and beat until mixture forms a paste, the consistency of thick icing. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle.
 To assemble, place a spoonful of cooled jam on the base of half the biscuits. Pipe buttercream in a circle onto the base of the other half of the biscuits. Gently press one of each biscuit together to form a melting moment. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder Stew

I tried this recipe out for the Mumsnet recipe forum. We are not huge overs of lamb, but I really enjoyed this! I added apricots to the original recipe, which the wee man loved. I made too much, so have a large portion in the freezer now too. As much as I liked this though. I find lamb quite expensive, and it was pricey to buy the recommended amount the recipe required. I would do it for special occasions, or when lamb is cheap!

Approximately 1kg lamb shoulder, cut into chunks 
Large onion, chopped 
2 cloves chopped garlic 
1 tsp each cumin and coriander 
1 tbsp flower 
1 cup beef/lamb stock 
1 tin chopped tomatoes 
1/2 cup red wine 
1 tbsp honey 
1 tbsp tomato paste 
1 stick cinnamon 
Bay leaves 
Small butternut, chopped and peeled 
1 tin chickpeas, drained
Handful chopped dried apricots
 Heat oven to 160 degrees 

Brown the lamb in a little oil and then place in a casserole dish 

Lightly saute the onions and garlic in the juices left over from the meat, adding a little oil if necessary. 

Once the onions are softening and cooking, add the spices and stir in, adding some water if it's too dry. 

Add the flour and stir until absorbed, then add the wine/stock slowly, stirring and the tomatoes 

Once it starts to boil, add the honey, tomato paste, cinnamon and bay leaves. 

Pour over the lamb and add the butternut to the casserole dish. 

Cook covered for about 75 mins (1.25hrs) then open, stir, pour in the chickpeas and apricots,  re-cover and put back in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Review - 500 Under 500 Calories

 
I was sent this book to have  a look at - and it seems it would be perfect for providing recipe ideas for those following the 5:2 fasting diet! I don't follow the plan myself, but I think this book will still be used a lot in out house. It has some great sounding soups to try, plus healthy snack ideas. It's always good to have a stack of healthy recipes on hand. I will post some of the recipes when I try them out, so stay tuned!

Also, coming up very soon, a giveaway to celebrate Chocolate Week! Check back in a few days to enter :)

One-pot chicken casserole

My husband wanted a "milk pudding" after tea tonight, so I needed a light main course. I made him a semolina pudding, something I haven't had in many many years! It was lovely though. I forgot to snap a photo of it before we devoured it :( This casserole was warming but not too filling, so it was perfect. You could use any herbs, I just used a selection from my garden. Remove the skin from the chicken, as it would probably go quite soggy in this dish!

8 chicken thighs , skin discarded
1 tbsp oil
5 spring onions , sliced
2 tbsp plain flour
2 chicken stock cubes
2 large carrots , cut into batons (no need to peel)
400g new potatoes , halved if large
200g frozen peas
1 tbsp grainy mustard
small handful fresh soft herbs, like parsley, chives, dill or tarragon , chopped

 Put the kettle on. Fry the thighs in the oil in a casserole or wide pan with a lid to quickly brown. Stir in the whites of the spring onion with the flour and stock cubes until the flour disappears, then gradually stir in 750ml hot water from the kettle. Throw in the carrots and potatoes, bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 mins.
Take off the lid and simmer for 15 mins more, then throw in the peas for another 5 mins. Season, stir in the mustard, green spring onion bits, herbs and some seasoning.

Stuffed Quesadillas

The traditional version of these are just stuffed with cheese, but I wanted to zing mine up a little! You could add anything you wanted really. I had onions, red pepper, mushrooms & some cooked chicken in the fridge, so bunged them all in. I did fry them first, to soften up a little. I used half for this quesadilla and have kept some to have again this week.A tasty lunch, that isn't your usual wrap/sandwich. Kids love them too!

To serve 1 person

1 tortilla wrap
1 teaspoon oil
1 handful cheese
Other fillings (cooked onion, pepper, mushroom, chicken are what I have used)

Heat the teaspoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the tortilla and flip after 10 seconds. When air bubbles start to appear under the wrap, its time to add the cheese & filling. Don't overfull, as the quesadilla will be folded in half & flipped, so the filling may fall out. Fold over the top of the wrap & cook on that side for about 2 minutes. Flip over carefully. The top side should be nicely browned & crisp. Cook for 2 minutes more then move to a warm plate. Then enjoy!

Sticky Sauusages & BBQ Beans

It was just 3 of us for dinner last night, the girls have gone to stay with family for a week. Big Bee doesnt liek sausages, so this was a good time for us sausage lovers to enjoy them! I used good quality butchers sausages, as I prefer the taste. You could use any chutney you like, I used a cherry tomato & shallot one from our local factory - they sell some amazing chutneys! I sent some beetroot & orange chutney to my foodie penpal last month & she loves it. These BBQ beans are a bit of a hassle to make, but taste lovely.

Serves 3

2 or 3 sausages per person
3 tablespoons tomato chutney

1 tin of baked beans in tomato sauce
1 onion finely diced
1 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons tomato puree
2 teaspoons American yellow mustard
1 tablespoon black treacle
1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
Pinch garlic powder
Pinch paprika
5 tablespoons tomato ketchup
230 mils vegetable stock
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 200c. Add the sausages to a roasting tray & put into the oven for 25 minutes, shaking the tray now  again to get an even colour. Add the tomato chutney, spreading all over the sausages, then return to the oven for a final 5 minutes.

Heat the oil in a sauce pan & add the onions & tomato puree. Stir fry for 5 minutes until softened. Add the mustard, treacle, Worcester sauce, tomato ketchup, garlic powder, paprika, stock & sugar. Simmer for 6 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Tip in the tin of beans, and mix. Simmer for another 5 minutes, then serve.

BBQ Pork Burgers

I had some pork mince to use up, so I thought I would be inventive and make BBQ flavoured burgers. Big Bee hated them, but the rest of us enjoyed them. Quick &easy to make, and I love BBQ flavour so this was right up my street. Popping them in the freezer for an hour helps them to keep their shape while cooking without having to add breadcrumbs/eggs as binders. Serve with finely diced onion & sliced gherkin on top for that McDonalds feel.

To make 4 burgers

400g pork mince
Salt & pepper
Teaspoon sugar
BBQ sauce ( I use Heinz honey barbecue)
4 burger buns

Mix the mince with your hands, adding the salt, pepper & sugar, Form into 4 equal patties, wrap & freeze for 1 hour.

Heat some oil in a large frying pan. Fry the burgers on both sides until cooked through. Add a spoonful of bbq sauce to one side of the burgers, then flip & cover the other side with sauce. Cook for another minute each side.

Serve in the burger buns with onion, gherkin or salad. Add extra BBQ sauce if liked.

Teavivre!

I am a great lover of green tea, especially the flavoured kind. A lovely lady at www.teavivre.com contacted me to see if I would like to try some of their teas - of course I said yes! I received a box containing a few different variates. This morning, instead of my usual green tea & peach (mmm, this is my favourite flavour!) I decided to try one of the flowering teas. I was so excited to try this, I have never seen one before. You pop the ball into a glass teapot or tempered glass pitcher, pour over hot (but not boiling) water & sit back to watch. It slowly opens up, and out pops the flower! The kids really enjoyed watching it (as did I). I left it for 5 minutes, before pouring myself a cup using a strainer to catch any stray bits. It was surprisingly tasty! I thought the tea was mostly for show, but the taste was lovely too. These would make brilliant Christmas presents! A perfect wee stocking filler or as part as a wee hamper for someone. I cant wait to try the other varieties they sent me!

 

 This is the tea I made today ....

Two Dragons and a Pearl Flower Tea

This flowering tea is a made from a base of high quality Silver Needle Green Tea, combined with Globe Amaranth, Marigold and Jasmine flowers. When brewing this blooming tea, two arms of jasmine and globe amaranth petals will slowly expand upwards cupping a single marigold flower. So given this name.

Saucy Chicken & Pineapple fried rice

This dinner was really delicious! All the kids (and husband) had clean plates, which is always a good sign. It would work just as well with pork, which I plan to try soon. If you are making this for children, use tomato sauce in the sauce recipe, if it is for adults use some sort of hot sauce/chilli sauce. Re-using the same pan to brown the chicken, make the sauce & fry the rice means you keep all the lovely meat juices and flavour in the meal.

Serves 4

8 chicken thighs (or 4 large pork chops)
Salt & pepper
Oil/butter for frying
1 large onion (I used red) sliced
6 tblsp soy sauce
2 tblsp honey
1 tblsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp tomato ketchup or chilli sauce

2 cups of cooked rice (cooled down)
1 tin of pineapple
1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup of frozen sweetcorn
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 eggs
1 tbsp soy sauce (in addition to the above)

Preheat the oven to 190c.

In a large frying pan, heat 9medium/high) your oil/butter until it is shimmering in the pan. Season the chicken thighs, then add skin side down to the frying pan. Allow them to brown for 5 minutes, without moving them. This allows the skin to crisp up nicely. Turn them over & cook the underside for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large roasting tray.

In the same pan, add the onions & fry until softened. Add the soy sauce, honey, red wine vinegar and tomato/chilli sauce and allow to simmer for 4/5 minutes. Pour the whole lot over the chicken pieces, then pop into the oven.

Again, using the same pan, add a tiny bit of oil and scrap all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan - keep these, they add flavour! Add the garlic & stir fry quickly for 1 minute. Crack the eggs into the pan & scramble straight away. Now add your frozen vegetables and pineapple. Fry until the veg has defrosted, then add the rice. Stir fry the whole lot together until the rice is thoroughly heated through.

 Spoon the rice into bowl, place 2 chicken thighs on top and then pour the sticky sauce & onions over the top. Serve whilst hot.

Foodie Penpals Reveal - September

This month, the lovely Kelly from interestingthymes.wordpress.com sent me these lovely goodies! I loved everything in my box, so a huge thank you to Kelly :)

I shared the apple crisps with my wee boy soon after recieving them - very yummy! I think he managed to snaffle more than me thogh ha ha. I washed them down with a blueberry tea, also in the box.

I did manage to sneak away & enjoy my popcorn bar by myself. I enjoyed every mouthful - I wish I could find them locally!

The next day, I used the Morroccan spice mix to make meatballs for dinner - see here. I have enough left over to make them again, and can't wait.

I had great fun making the pumpkin bread. I have a bit of a baking bug just now, and had been making my own bread. This was a lovely flavoured bread that was delicious dipped in my homemade soup (and on its own with lashings of butter!).

I love oatcakes, so those have been nibbled on with cheese & the lovely carmalised onion chutney Kelly included. A huge thank you to Kelly for my fantastic goodies!

If you would like to join in Foodie Penpals (you can be either a blogger or a reader, as long as youhave a passion for food) then see here for more details .... thisisrocksalt.