Pasta Carbonara

This is one of those recipes that is really quick to make and is great to rustle up when you have to fill starving kids. It is also great as a power lunch before rehearsals etc.
It is so easy, it's great as a dish for the kids to learn to cook. If you have leftover ham, use that instead of the bacon, it also doesn't need to be frazzled first either. I always have little packets of pancetta in the fridge, there's normally some double cream and parmesan is a staple. This makes a great starter or main course.

If you wish to make a traditional carbonara, then you can leave out the cream.

To serve 4
Ingredients
250g spaghetti or linguine (cook amount you would normally cook for 4)
150g cubed pancetta or streaky bacon cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs (free-range if possible)
150 ml double cream
75g parmesan cheese freshly grated
Salt and Pepper

Method
Put the pasta in to boil in lots of salted boiling water, check the pasta for timing, you want the pasta to be just al dente.
Whilst the pasta is cooking fry off the bacon/pancetta in the olive oil until browned.
In a bowl mix the eggs, cream and salt & pepper, beat well together.
As soon as the pasta has finished cooking, turn off the pasta and strain in a colander, return to the pan add in the egg mixture, toss through the pasta, the residual heat in the pasta and pan will cook it, throw in the parmesan and continue tossing, then add the bacon and toss through. It should be lovely and creamy and cling to the pasta. If the "sauce" seems a little too thin, carefully put the heat back on very low and toss carefully and quickly, you want it to thicken and not turn into scrambled eggs.

Serve. For a dinner party, you could serve with a green salad and some garlic bread.


You can also add sliced mushrooms when frying the bacon to make a change.

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Beef Goulash

It's great when I feel relaxed, that's when I get inspired to start cooking and love to refresh old recipes and try new ideas too.  The days are beginning to shorten, it's cooler in the morning and I start to get the preserving bug. I can't resist the roadside stalls with gluts of fresh vegetables and fruit which cry out to be pickled, made into chutneys or jams. I need elastic cupboards though, there is never enough room to store the pots and jars. Even my husband is raiding the reduced shelves at the supermarket bringing back ingredients that he knows I'll be using.

I've also decided that I'm going to make the Christmas Cakes over the next couple of weeks, they can then be matured and drizzled with brandy, I'm determined to have them ready before the start of term this year. Yesterday was a cold and damp day, so I decided that something warming was needed and I haven't made a Goulash for ages. I hope you enjoy the recipe.  

Ingredients
Goulash: olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1lb Braising steak, in 1 inch cubes
seasoned flour
1 red pepper, sliced
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
2 tsp paprika
1/2 pint beef stock
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf

Dumplings:
4oz SR flour
2oz suet
Salt and pepper
1 tsp Chopped fresh thyme
1 tblsp chopped parsley
cold water

Method
Preheat oven Gas 4. Fry off the onion in some olive oil until the onions are soft. Pop these in a casserole dish. Add more oil if necessary. Toss the beef in seasoned flour and fry in small batches until browned on all sides, transfer to the casserole dish. Add the peppers to the pan, fry for 1 minute, add the garlic and caraway seeds, fry for a few seconds and then add the paprika. Pour in the stock and bubble to release the juices on the bottom of the pan, add the tomatoes, heat through and pour into the casserole. Add the bay leaf and thyme sprig. Stir together and cover with a lid. Cook in the oven for 2 hours until tender.

30 minutes before serving, in a medium bowl, mix the flour, suet, chopped herbs, salt and pepper with enough cold water to make a stiff dough. With wet hands, break off walnut sized pieces of the dough and roll into balls. Remove casserole from oven, stir and then pop the dumplings around the stew, leaving space between each, cover with the lid and pop back into the over for approximately 30 minutes for the dumplings to steam.

Serve with some fresh steamed beans, broccoli or peas and a dollop of sour cream.

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An easy Lamb Curry

My daughter loves Lamb and also curry, so her treat for the end of half-term was a lamb curry for lunch. I don't use spice mixes, but this is such an easy and tasty curry, you will be really surprised.

Ingredients
1lb neck of lamb fillet cut into cubes
1 large onion finely sliced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic
1 inch piece of root ginger
1 small onion
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 pint water
4 fresh tomatoes cut into quarters
1 tsp salt

Method
Fry the sliced onions in the 1 tbsp oil, keep an eye on the onions and make sure they don't burn, they need to turn a reddish brown. This will take about 5-10 minutes, remove from pan.  In a small food blender, pop in the garlic, ginger, small onion and about a tablespoon of water and blend until a puree. Add remaining oil and fry the puree over a gentle heat until turns golden brown, add back in the sliced fried onion. Add the spices and fry off for a minute, add the 1/2 pint of water, pop in the lamb and the tomatoes, add salt, ensure water is topped up to cover the meat. Pop on a lid and simmer gently until lamb is tender (about 1 hour, but keep testing).  When tender, remove lid to allow liquid to bubble off if necessary.
Serve with basmati rice.

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Ox-cheek in red wine

Well I love the Ox-cheek with mushroom ragout recipe is use, but suffering from a cold, feeling rough, and realising that I didn't have any mushrooms, I thought it was time for a change.

Ingredients
2 ox-cheeks cut into 1 inch cubes
2 onions cut into large chunks
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 sticks celery cut into large chunks
2 carrots chopped into large chunks
plain flour
salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 pint red wine
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1/2 pint beef stock
olive oil

Method
Preheat oven gas 3.
Fry off the onions, garlic, celery and carrots until the onions have slightly coloured, add to a large casserole dish. Toss ox-cheek in seasoned flour and brown on all sides in batches, adding to the casserole. Once all the meat is browned add the red wine to pan to bubble off the juices that are on the bottom of the pan, add the tomato puree and stir together. Add the stock, bring all the to boil and pour over the meat and veg. Put a bay leaf in and cover. Put in the oven and leave to cook for about 3 hours until tender.

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Faggots with peas

Family recipes are great, Mum showed me this and it is a firm family favourite. This is a really easy cheat that gives a lovely hot luscious meal, great during cold weather, you just cook in one pan.

Ingredients
2 faggots per person
2 tins oxtail soup (sufficient for 8 faggots)
small packet frozen peas (I prefer petits pois)

Method
Put the faggots with the oxtail soup in a pan, bring to the boil then simmer for about 30 mins. Add in the frozen peas and continue to simmer for another 15mins.

Serve in large soup plates.

A tradition in my family is to break open your faggots and then shake over some malt vinegar (optional).

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Raspberry fool

Ingredients

1 punnet Raspberries

250ml Double cream

50g Icing Sugar

Method

Reserve a couple of raspberries to decorate the top of the dessert

Mash raspberries with icing sugar in a bowl, then push through a sieve (this is called "coulis").

Whip cream until soft (careful not to overbeat), then fold in 3/4 of the raspberry coulis.

Layer the coulis with the fool in a glass and then decorate with raspberries and a drizzle of coulis.

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Cheesy Dauphinois Potatoes

Ingredients

3 potatoes, cut into thin slices

250ml double cream

125ml milk

55g Butter

1 garlic cloves, chopped

100g cheddar cheese grated

salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Prepare the potatoes by cutting into thin slices 0.5cm . Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Gas 5.
2. In a saucepan heat the garlic, potatoes and cream and butter, add enough milk to just cover the potatoes. Cover and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. Transfer the potato mixture to a shallow gratin dish, top with the grated cheese. Bake the potato mixture for 30 minutes.

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Beef Enchiladas

For the Enchiladas

1 packet of flour tortillas (only 4 needed)

250g minced beef

1/2 green pepper (sliced)

1/2 red onion (sliced)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Olive oil

1/2 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin kidney beans

1 beef stock cube

Method

Put the oil with paprika and cayenne in frying pan, gently warm the spices, add the onion and fry until softened, add the minced beef and fry until all browned, add the pepper and continue to cook for 1 minutes. Add the tomatoes, kidney beans and sprinkle in the oxo cube. Stir and cook for 15 minutes. Season to taste. Allow to cool slightly.

Take a tortilla, put 1/4 of the mix in the tortilla and roll up, place in serving dish. Repeat with other tortillas.

Mix the other 1/2 chopped tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of tomato puree and season. Pour over the tortillas.

Grate 75g of cheese and sprinkle over the top, put in a hot Gas 6 oven for 15 minutes.

Serve with Guacamole and Salsa

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