Roasts
In the case of beef and lamb I prefer to buy cheaper cuts and cook them for a long time. Brisket is delicious cooked for hours in a sealed pot. Jamie Oliver recommends shoulder of lamb rubbed with olive oil and placed with garlic and rosemary in a tin with foil tightly around. Put the tin into an oven heated to the highest temperature then immediately turn down the heat - (my oven is gas - I heat it to 9 then turn it down to 3) - and leave it for four hours.
The problem with this method of roasting is that you can’t easily do roast potatoes or veg. You can do Yorkshire puddings as long as you have somewhere warm to rest the meat while the Yorkies (baby ones) cook at the last minute. It also makes gravy difficult but I cheat and use granules then add either pan juices or wine.
I rub pork with olive oil and salt to produce crackling, and always try to buy a joint that has been well scored because butchers are better at scoring them than I am and crackling is easier to serve if it’s already in sensible strips. I cook it at about 7
I start chicken(or any bird) high (9) then turn it to 7 after about twenty minutes. I use the biggest chicken I can get/afford because then there’ll be enough meat left for other recipes. If you feel obliged to wash the chicken (or any other meat) for goodness’ sake dry it well - though why you should need to wash it when you’re going to subject it to fierce temperatures is beyond me. (Washing fruit or salad is another matter entirely)
This temperature (7) allows for roast potatoes and roast veg.
For potatoes, use a variety that is designed to be roasted... salad potatoes will not do!! I always try to buy a named variety and read the grower’s information. Peel the potatoes and cut into fairly small pieces - not tiny, but you want lots of crispy stuff or why are you roasting them in the first place? Steam them for ten minutes over boiling water. Note STEAM, not boil. You will not get good results from potatoes that have come straight out of water. (And if you prepared them hours ago and put them in water to prevent them going black, dry them thoroughly on paper towel before you steam them).Shake the steamer pan so that the edges of the pieces are roughened. Meanwhile, heat oil (olive or sunflower - your choice) - not too much - in a shallow tray in the top of the oven for about five minutes. Spoon the pieces into the hot oil, remembering to protect your hands and wrists. Spoon some of the oil over the pieces. Put the tray back in the top of the oven for about half an hour. After that, you can put it in the bottom of the oven while you roast some veg.
For roast veg, use parsnips, carrots, peppers, onions, tomatoes, whatever. Heat oil in another tray (you can use the bottom of the oven for this) then put the veg in the hot oil, spoon oil over and sprinkle some herbs over them. Return to the top shelf for about half an hour. Chop the veg fairly small or they won’t cook fast enough. If you’re combining root veg with e.g. tomatoes, steam the root veg for a few minutes before roasting.
Always check potatoes or veg after half an hour and move from the top shelf if necessary.
If you want to serve stuffing, by all means use a packet but add chopped onion - boil it and use the liquid to make the stuffing.
Serve extra sauces - mint, redcurrant jelly (with lamb), horseradish,mustard (with beef), apple (with pork and chicken), cranberry (with turkey or chicken). These can be from a jar but if you have mint in your garden/apples in your fruit bowl/cranberries in your freezer - make your own sauce! Easy and delicious. And they look better if you spoon them out into small dishes.
Cooked mince with tomato and onion.
You can experiment using beef, lamb, pork or chicken mince. The quantities I give are approximate - feel free to alter them. Try to use lean mince but if that isn’t possible, let it cool and remove the fat that floats to the top and sets. You’ll be glad you did.
500 g mince
1 large onion, finely chopped
One of the following: a tin of chopped tomatoes, a carton of passata, a handful of very ripe fresh tomatoes, or a jar of pasta sauce.
Depending on which kind of tomatoes you have used you may want to add garlic (chopped, paste, etc), herbs (fresh or dried), chopped sweet peppers, mushrooms, chilli (to taste), grated ginger - the list is endless. Experiment in small quantities.
Some pasta sauces have added onion but it’s good to add your own too.
Start the mince and tomato cooking in a large pan over a low heat and add the other ingredients as soon as possible so that nothing burns. Stir frequently. You might want to add wine, water or stock to give extra liquid to prevent burning, but wait till the onion and tomatoes have provided some moisture so that you don’t get the whole thing too wet. If you’re scared of things burning and can’t help adding liquid and then find you’ve got too much, you’ll just have to cook the whole thing furiously till the liquid is reduced. When the mixture seems to be the right texture, turn the heat up a little and let everything simmer. Once the mince is changing colour and the onion is translucent, turn the heat down and put a lid on - or put a lid on and stick it all in a medium oven.
You can serve this with:
a) pasta of any kind, either as spaghetti bolognese (provide cheese to grate on top and black pepper) or
b)as part of a lasagne (layer it with lasagne sheets and a cheese sauce)
c)pancakes - use one large or two small per person, fold them over the mince and put cheese to melt on top
d)dumplings (better done in the oven and left without a lid for the dumplings to brown and crisp) - for dumplings use 100 grammes of plain flour with 50 grammes of suet granules (I use the vegetarian/light kind); add a few herbs and a pinch of salt then add cold water slowly, mixing to a stiff paste with a fork. Put the mix in the fridge then make the casserole or whatever. At the correct moment (about twenty minutes before the end) drop tablespoonfuls of the mix into the casserole, gently (you don’t want them to sink) and cook uncovered in a medium oven.
e)a pastry lid - shortcrust, puff, or suet (dumpling mix but not divided up)
f)rice - add more chilli and some tinned kidney beans to make chilli con carne,
g) rice again - add extra mushrooms and top with creme fraiche
h)peppers - halve the peppers, cook them till soft, arrange in a dish, stuff with the mince and cover with cheese or breadcrumbs or both. This works with marrow or any other squash, too. It also works with tomatoes but choose the big ‘beef’ tomatoes and pick very firm ones; scoop the seeds out to add to the mince mix so that you have room to stuff...
i) aubergines and a savoury custard to make moussaka (pre-cook everything then assemble and place in the oven for the ingredients to blend together)
j)on its own with potatoes and vegetables
So there you have the basis for at least ten dishes to serve to guests plus one (the last one) for the family. Plus, you can cook the mixture, freeze it and add extras such as chopped fried mushrooms at the last minute.
That, plus roasts of various kinds will probably keep you and yours well fed but there are some more recipes here if you feel a need for variety!!
Things to do with chicken breast fillets (free range, of course)
Roll them round cottage or cream or any kind of cheese, wrap bacon round the ‘roll’, use a skewer to hold them together and cook in the oven - about 45 - 60 minutes at 7.
Chop them for stir fry. (See stir fry info below)
Chop them and add whatever veg you happen to have around to put in a flavoured sauce e.g. curry, garlic and mushroom, wine, cheese, tomato and onion, whatever you fancy. Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes on 7 but check to make sure they aren’t drying out - if necessary, add more liquid e.g. stock/cover with foil. You can use jars of sauce but your own will taste better. If you want a cream sauce, wait till everything is cooked and add cream at the end. Or add yoghurt or creme fraiche mixed with a little cornflour to prevent it curdling. This tip actually came from Delia - I was inadvertently watching a TV programme.
A really nice sauce recipe is Tropicana Sauce. I tasted this in a restaurant and sent a message to the chef about how impressed I was - he gave me the recipe. Incidentally, it’s often worth doing that if you really like a dish - a lot of chefs are only too pleased to share their knowledge! Tropicana sauce involves fresh mango, finely chopped onion and either creamed coconut or desiccated coconut in water/milk plus seasoning. Experiment with small quantities till you’re happy with the taste/texture, then expand. Once you’re happy, make enough to freeze a pot for next time!
Serve the results with potatoes, cous cous or rice plus salad or veg.
Things to do with bacon
(I usually use back bacon and we prefer smoked but it's up to you)
Wrap it round chicken (see above) or fish (see below)
Grill it and put it in a cheese sandwich then dip the whole sandwich in beaten egg (plus a little milk) and fry in a very small amount of oil - just enough to grease the pan. Serve with salad. 1 egg is about right for a sandwich made from two large slices of bread.
Chop and use as lardons in a dish I got from my mother-in-law. She called it ‘spaghetti a la mama mia’ and said she got it from an Italian family she stayed with. I’m not sure if the ‘mama’ was the particular matriarch in question or if it’s a general Italian term for the dish. Grill the bacon and cook some spaghetti then layer spaghetti, bacon and tomato puree in an ovenproof dish. Pour over beaten egg and milk (two eggs made up to 250 ml with milk is about right for half a pack of pasta) then grate any hard cheese on top. Cook for 45 minutes at about 6. Serve with salad. If there’s any left it’s delicious next day, fried - but extremely bad for you. For vegetarians you can substitute kidney beans for bacon...
Just grill the lardons and throw into an omelette, or add to cooked pasta with a little cream and beaten egg for spaghetti carbonara - the heat of the pasta should cook the egg.
Add it to red cabbage - see casserole recipes.
Just put it in a BLT sandwich.
Things to do with fish
Most fish, like salmon fillets, or any other fillets, really, is good done in the oven with a squeeze of lemon juice plus some seasoning and herbs (your choice) covered in foil to keep the moisture and smell in. With very ‘chunky’ fish such as monkfish, you can wrap the chunks in bacon and even put some herb stuffing inside the ‘parcel’.
Once salmon fillets are cooked, you can eat them with veg of your choice, but it’s worth keeping some to go cold for sandwiches with mayo and lettuce the next day.
Some fish -plaice or sole fillets in particular - taste better fried in breadcrumbs. This is a messy performance and if you aren’t a keen cook, just buy ready crumbed fillets and stick them in the oven...
Shellfish - I adore mixed shellfish with pasta or in a risotto but my family don’t so I choose it if it’s on a menu when we’re out...
Prawns piri piri. These make a good starter. Buy ready cooked jumbo prawns. Chop garlic and chilli finely and leave to soak in olive oil. The quantities are up to you. We don’t like very hot food and we adore garlic. You know what your family/guests can eat!! Heat the prawns in the flavoured oil and serve with very fresh bread (preferably chunks rather than slices) to mop up the oil.
Use prawns or shrimps in stir fry (see below).
Stirfry
You can stirfry almost anything. You could even threaten recalcitrant family members... You need a wok, a sharp knife and a large chopping board. Chop everything quite small. Strips of meat or veg cook quickly and uniformly. Use a potato peeler to make very thin strips/peelings of carrot or courgette. Most things benefit from the addition of some kind of onion - either ordinary onions or spring onions. I use various kinds of meat - chicken, turkey, pork, beef - and add whatever veg I happen to have e.g. cabbage, carrot, courgette, onion, broccoli or cauliflower florets, mange tout or sugar snap peas, mushrooms, green beans, ready steamed leftover potatoes. I sometimes buy beansprouts but usually avoid the prepared stirfry mixed vegetables because they’re expensive. I occasionally add a tin of water chestnuts and I sometimes scatter in sunflower seeds or pine kernels at the end. Get everything ready before you start. Always let the meat cook far longer than the rest - about ten minutes - and add things in the order in which you think they will cook - carrot/courgette ‘peelings’ can go in last. Once the stuff is about ready, add a stirfry sauce. You can buy packets but it’s just as easy to mix soy sauce, lemon/orange juice, honey and herbs and make your own - plus it saves having to remember to buy packets. You can ring the changes with different fruit juices, herbs, etc. and add garlic or chilli. Continue to stir and cook till everything is coated.
Serve with rice/tortilla wraps. Or stuff pancakes
Casseroles
Casseroles are even better than roasts for leaving in the oven to look after themselves.
Meat definitely benefits from browning in a little oil first. So do onions.
Long slow cooking brings out all the flavours and produces a rich sauce but check in case you need to add liquid. If you do, add small amounts of hot, not cold, water/stock.
You can add dumplings for the last twenty or so minutes, leaving the lid off, but make sure there’s enough liquid as the dumplings will soak some up.
There are so many variations that it would be silly to try to give a long list but here’s a favourite:
Porc Normande (and a variation)
Use diced pork. Brown in a little oil. Add chopped onion, also softened/browned in oil. Add chopped (cored) apples and a glass of cider. For special occasions add Calvados as well... You can add water or stock or even apple juice (unsweetened) if you haven’t enough cider. Cook in the oven, covered, for about an hour at 6 or 7 (it really depends on your oven because ovens lie...)When it is all ready i.e. the pork is tender and there is lots of luscious sauce, add a spoonful of creme fraiche or cream and stir well.
For variety, add browned black pudding and sliced smoked sausage/boiling ring.
You can do the same kind of thing with diced meat of any kind, adding whatever you think might taste good. Beef benefits from red wine in the cooking liquid and from some mushrooms in the mix. Bacon, smoked sausage and apple go well with finely chopped red cabbage but remember to add some wine or vinegar or lemon juice to stop the cabbage turning blue and some sugar to offset the sharpness of the vinegar or whatever.
You can turn casseroles into curries by adding curry ingredients or by adding cumin, ginger, etc. Experiment. Carefully, and making notes. Gentle spice is a good first time rule - you can always add more heat later!
You can use leftovers from joints this way but reduce the cooking time - not too much, because you want the ingredients to blend together!
Burgers
You can turn this mixture into burgers (it helps to have a gadget that forms perfect burger shapes), small kebabs (good for barbecues) or rissoles.
You really need a good mixer/blender. My Braun mixer has been with me for over twenty years and is an uncomplaining workhorse. You get what you pay for.
Tear up some bread - about three large slices (brown, white, whatever). Cut a large onion into quarters. Peel some garlic cloves and chop them in half (by the way, those metal artificial soaps for removing garlic smells really work but so does the rind of a squeezed lemon).
Put these in the mixer with the chopping blades and turn into crumbs, sort of. Add mince, herbs, seasoning (no, I’m not being specific because you know what you like or dislike) and break an egg into the mixture. Blend till you can’t see the discrete ingredients but try not to let the texture turn to paste.
Form into burgers or whatever. Cook in the microwave then brown in the frying pan, grill or barbecue.
Corned Beef Hash etc.
OK, it comes in a can. Get it out of the can without slicing yourself on the sharp edges then remove as much of the fat as possible. Chop the meat roughly and add finely chopped onion. Brown/heat gently in a little oil then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Cover with mashed potato and brown in a medium oven for about half an hour. Serve with vegetables, possible oven roasted on the top shelf while the ‘hash’ was on the middle shelf. It’s easy, delicious and satisfying for a family meal. You can do the same thing with mince and call it Shepherds’ pie (lamb mince), or anything else that springs to mind.
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