Scottish Stovies

This is actually my husbands recipe, he is the "stovies maker" in our house. I think most Scottish kids grow up eating stovies ... it's so cheap & easy. Traditionally, you bunged all your left overs from your roast dinner (beef and potatoes) in a pot with some onions & stock and simmer it all down in a pot on the stove (hence the name). Some areas use sausages, mince or Lorne, some add other veg (carrots, peas etc) but the stovies I grew up with were made from corned beef. We serve ours with oatcakes to scoop it up with.

Serves 4
5 medium potatoes, peeled & sliced 1cm think
2 onions, sliced
1 tin of corned beef (replace with leftover mince/cooked sausages/roast beef trimmings if you prefer)
Dripping/lard (or oil) for frying
1 beef stock cubes
Water.

Heat the dripping in a large saucepan. Gently fry the onions until completely softened but not coloured. Add the potatoes to the pan, cover with water to halfway up your potato/onion mix & crumble in the stock cube. Mix, and allow to bubble away until the stock is almost all absorbed. This will take about 30 minutes. Add the crumbled corned beef & stir through - then allow the mixture to thicken up by letting it simmer/bubble for another few minutes. Serve with oatcakes.

Easy Lasagne

I needed an easy, no-fuss dinner for the lead up to Christmas. We all love lasagne here, so it seemed ideal. I used a mixture of Gordon Ramseys's al forno lasagne recipe, and use the topping recipe from Jamie Oliver. I love his simple & quick topping idea, when you dont have the time or the energy to make a white sauce from scratch.  I like to serve mine with a salad & garlic bread.

Serves 4 -
2 tbsp olive oil
½ large onion, peeled1
large carrot, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 pinches dried oregano
300g minced beef
1 tbsp tomato pureé
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp red wine
400g tin chopped tomatoes
50ml milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh lasagne sheets

200ml tub creme fraiche
Pinch nutmeg
100g grated cheddar
2 tbsp grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C. Heat the olive oil in a hot pan. Grate the onion and carrot and crush the garlic before frying together. Season with the bay leaf, a pinch of oregano, Worcestershire sauce and a little salt and pepper. Allow the onion to soften before making a well in the centre of the pan. Place the mince in the middle of the pan and stir to break it up. Add the tomato puree and allow to cook out for 30 seconds. Continue until all the meat has browned nicely. Add the wine and cook off the alcohol before adding the tomatoes. Leave to simmer for a further 2-3 minutes. Finally add the milk, turn off the heat and set aside.

Layer the mince mixture & lasagne sheets in a deep over proof dish. Finish with a final layer of lasagne sheets, then pour over the creme fraiche. Sprinkle on the nutmeg & the 2 cheeses.

Pop into the oven for 25 minutes, golden & bubbling on top.

Kids Can Cook - Mince & Dumplings

My 12 year old daughter has always shown an interest in cooking (just like her mum), but I feel she is now old enough to start to use cookbooks & prepare a proper meal for the family. I bought this great wee cookbook for her, called Maw Broons Cooking For Bairns. As anyone Scottish person would know, The Broons are a cartoon family who are typically Scottish. I love getting my Broons book every Christmas! There have been a few cookery books released, and this one caught my eye. What better way for my daughter to cook than to learn the old-fashioned Scots way!

The meal she decided on was mince & doughballs (dumplings). It had just a few ingredients, and just one pot (minimal mess, I was thinking). She managed very well, and produced a meal for herself & her siblings - who all enjoyed it. I will definitely be letting her loose in the kitchen more often!

500g beef mince
2 carrots, diced
2 onions diced
Salt & pepper to season
500ml beef stock
2 tablespoons oil

150g self raising flour
50g suet
salt & pepper
3.5 tablespoons water

Heat up a large saucepan with the 2 tablespoons of oil on a medium heat. Fry the onion for about 7 minutes, until soft & golden. Add the mince, and stir in with the onions. Cook until all the mince has browned. Add the carrots & stock and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

To make the dumplings, mix the suet, flour & water with your hands and make into 8 balls. Add to the top of the mince after you have added he stock.

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.

Meatzza

I caught Nigellas' new cookery show, Nigelissima! the other day, and this was one of the recipes that she showcased. Always one to try something new, I wanted to try this recipe as soon as possible. I had most of the ingredienst to hand so decided to make it for our lunch today. The kids quite liked it, but I found it a bit bland. I am already thinking about what to add to the meat base to zing it up a bit, becausethe meal is a great idea (especially for low-carb followers). I missed the bread though, I felt like it needed a bun becuase it was quite like a burger. Serve it with salad for a yummy lunch idea.

500 g minced beef 
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 
2 Eggs (lightly beaten) 
1 cloves garlic (peeled) 
1 pinch of salt and pepper to taste
butter for greasing 
1 can chopped tomatoes (400g), drained 
1 teaspoons garlic oil 
1 teaspoons dried oregano 
1 ball mozzarella (not buffalo) (125g drained weight, halved then sliced) or grated mozzarella
1 bunch basil leaves


Preheat the oven to 220c. In a large bowl, mix the mince, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, garlic & eggs by hand, gently. Season with salt & pepper Try not to over mix as this will make the base too dense. Grease a small round (about 9 inch) baking tin with butter. Gently press the mince mixture into the pan, squashing into the edges.

 Drain your tin of tomatoes in a sieve to get rid of as much liquid as possible. Mix in the garlic oil, oregano and season. Spread over the meat base, then top with sliced or grated mozzarella. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out into a plate & top with fresh basil.

Moroccan meatballs & couscous

My foodie penpal this month (reveal on the last day of the month, so stay tuned!) sent me a lovely Moroccan spice blend in my package. I used this last night to make some fragrant meatballs! Of course the perfect accompaniment to Moroccan meatballs is couscous! Luckily my children love this so the whole dinner went down very well. I used half the recommended amount of spice to keep it mild for them. It means I have plenty left to make these again!

Meatballs -

500g pork mince
50g breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Moroccan spice blend

Sauce -

2 tins tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of chilli powder
Salt & pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped


Cous cous

200g dried couscous
Enough stock to cover the couscous
Chopped parsley
Small knob of butter
Squeeze of lemon juice

To make the meatballs, mix the mince with the spice blend and the breadcrumbs. Form into about 20 little meatballs and place into a large casserole dish. Pop into the oven at 210C for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, start your sauce by frying the diced onion & garlic in a little olive oil or butter. Add the chilli powder, cumin & cinnamon and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes and allow to simmer for 10 minutes & thicken. Season to taste.

Pour the sauce over the meatballs and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Pour the stock over the couscous and allow to absorb for 7 minutes. Once the liquid has all gone, add a small squeeze of lemon juice, a small knob of butter and the chopped parsley. Mix through, spoon into plates & add the saucy meatballs.

Stuffed Cheese Burgers

I used Lidls steak mince to make these burgers, and they tasted great! Definitely the best homemade beef burgers I have made. I had mine with salad leaves & a huge dollop of homemade coleslaw. Having the cheese in the middle, all melty & oozing, was a great addition, I cant wait to make these again! These would work well on a BBQ too. Make sure to firmly seal the patties around the cheese, to stop the cheese oozing out.

Makes 3 Stuffed burgers

450g steak mince
salt
pepper
pinch garlic powder
pinch onion powder
3 small matchbox size blocks of cheese

Combine the mince with the seasoning & onion/garlic powder and mix well by hand. When thoroughly mixed, divide into 6 equal parts. Roll each part into a ball, then flatten to make a patty. On 3 of the patties, place the cheese directly in the middle. Top with one of the other 3 patties, and seal the edges. Grill, fry or BBQ until cooked through.

Homemade coleslaw
1/2 white cabbage, grated
1 carrot, grated
5 spring onions, chopped
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
Pinch of salt

Combine all the ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Chill in the fridge. Will keep for 3 days in the fridge.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

I wanted to try something different withthe pack of mince I had lurking in the fridge. A fried shared a recipe for BBQ Sloppy Joes, and after having a root around the internet because I didnt have the right ingredients for her version, I came up with this recipe.

BBQ Sloppy Joe

500g beef mince
2 onions whizzed up
4 tablespoons of BBQ sauce
400g tinned tomatoes
400 ml beef stock
400g tin berlotti beans
8 slices garlic bread (see recipe below or use a ready made garlic baguette)

Heat some oil in a large hob & oven proof dish. Add the onion and fry for a few minutes. Add the mince & brown. Add the BBQ sauce, stock, beans and tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Add the slices of garlic bread and pop into the oven for 20 minutes until the garlic bread is baked.

Garlic Bread (this is taken from the Takeaway Secret recipe book)

8 slices of baguette/ciabatta
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
Pinch of dried parsley
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper

Combine the ingredients and spread evenly on the bread slices. Bake in teh oven at 200C for 20 minutes.

Baked meatballs & spaghetti

I cant remember where I read this tip, but somewhere out on the interwebz someone said oven baked meatballs were nicer than pan-fried. Last night, I decided to test this theory, and 5 out of 5 of us agreed it was true. They kept their wonderfully meaty taste and were still juicy. I make my meatballs from both pork & beef mince (usually half and half). The sauce I used is just my basic pasta sauce that I make for quick meals. I really dislike buying jars of sauce when it is just as easy & usually tastier to amke your own. It can be made in a huge batch & frozen, so that you always have some on stand-by. I sometimes make a "grown-up" batch that includes red wine, but as this was for all of us I just used the basic version. There were 5 licked-clean bowls after dinner last night!


Meatballs - I dont use a binder or anything in my meatballs, as they are oven baked they dont fall apart as easily as those that are fried/moved about a lot. So it's just 200g beef mince, 200g pork mince, salt & pepper. Combine and divide into small meatballs (I usually make 25 small ones, so 5 each). Put into a casserole dish and put into the oven at 200C for about 10 minutes, while you make the sauce.

Sauce -

1 onion diced
5 mushrooms, diced
2 garlic loves, crushed
a little olive oil
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon caster sugar

Fry the onion & garlic in a little oil until softened (about 5 minutes). Add teh mushrooms and fry for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes & sugar, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Pour overthe meatballs & return to the oven for 15 minutes.

Serve on top of cooked spaghetti and top with parmesan or grated cheese.

The Wee Man enjoying his dinner!

Veg packed lasagne with chorizo

This is just a made up recipe, I wanted to use up leftovers from the fridge! I like to get as many vegetables as I can into my dishes, and this has onion, celery, mushrooms, peppers & tomatoes in it. I had a 2 inch chuck of chorizo left too, so sliced that up thin & bunged it in the sauce along with the beef mince.

Minced Beef 450g
Tin of Tomatoes 400g
Mushrooms 100g
Chopped onion 1
Garlic 1 clove
Celery - 2sticks
Red pepper 1
Beef Stock 1/2 pint (300ml)
Butter 25g
Leftover chorizo, chopped small
Lasagne  1 Packet (dry or fresh)
FOR THE WHITE SAUCE
Milk 300ml
Butter 25g
Plain Flour 25g
Grated Cheddar 50g

Meatloaf with tomato butter sauce

Tonight, I combined 2 recipes that I have found in the last few days. I'm a secret watcher of the show Teen Mom, and a girl on there was raving about meatloaf from the US restuarant chain Cracker Barrel. Curious, I googled the recipe and found it very easily. I didnt fancy just plain ketchup as a sauce for it though, so I decided to try the tomato & butter sauce recipe I found via the Smitten Kitchen blog. Together, they made a pretty tasty meal! The tomato sauce is also great on cooked pasta.

Meatloaf recipe

1 pound mince
½ medium onion, diced
½ green pepper, diced
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
¼ cup ketchup (I left this out & replaced with another sauce)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place all ingredients, except ketchup, in a large bowl. Mix well with hands. Place in loaf pan and press down gently. Bake at 350 f  for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Spread ¼ cup ketchup over top of loaf and serve.
Serves 4.

Tomato & butter sauce recipe (this makes quite a lot, you will probably only need half for the meatloaf)

2 400g tins chopped tomatoes
70g butter
1 onion, sliced in half & peeled.

Put all the ingredients in a pan, and slowly bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 45 mins. Remove the onion, and spoon over the sliced meatloaf.