Roasted Rack of English Lamb

Recipe courtesy of Hello Magazine many years ago.

This is a richly flavoured combination of lean lamb and lightly cooked vegetables.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 racks of lamb each with 3 bones
8 slices of pancetta (Italian streaky bacon)
350g (12oz) new potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 plum tomatoes, halved
1 tsp herb-flavoured oil
2 banana (long) shallots, peeled and halved
25g (1oz) caster sugar
1 large head of pak choi, cut into 5cm (2in) pieces
100g (4oz) baby spinach leaves

Method:

Skin the racks of lamb and cut out the middle bone of each. Wrap each rack with 2 slices of pancetta and roast in a 180^oC, 350^oF, Gas Mark 4 oven for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain, crush with a fork and add 2 teaspoons olive oil, with seasoning to taste. Keep warm until required.
Brush the tomatoes with the herb oil and cook in a frying pan for 2-3 minutes. Brush the shallots with the remaining olive oil, place in a frying pan and sprinkle with the sugar. Cook until golden brown. Keep warm with the tomatoes.
Add the pak choi to the pan and cook for 1 minute, remove from the heat and add the baby spinach leaves. Fold together until the leaves wilt.
Divide the potatoes between serving plates with the wilted greens, tomatoes and shallots. Cut the lamb racks in half and rest against the vegetables.
Serve with a red wine jus or lamb gravy.

Pollo Ripieno

Recipe courtesy of Hello Magazine – many years ago!

Chicken breast stuffed with Parmesan and speck. Speck is a cured, air-dried ham similar to parma ham, which could also be used in this dish.

Serves : 4

Ingredients :
4 boneless chicken breasts, skinned
4 slices of speck or Parma ham
100g (4oz) fresh Parmesan, coarsely grated
4 tblsp flour
2 tblsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
50g (2oz) butter
300ml (1/2 pt) chicken stock
150g (5oz) fresh spinach leaves, shredded
4 plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped

Step One : Cut down the length of the chicken breasts, without cutting completely in half, and open out. Place them on a chopping board, cover with clingfilm and beat with a rolling pin to flatten.

Step Two : Place a slice of speck or Parma ham on each piece of chicken and top with the Parmesan. Carefully reshape the breasts and coat in flour. Chill for 1 hour or until ready to cook.

Step Three : Preheat the oven to 180oC / 350oF / Gas Mark 4.

Step Four : Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and brown the chicken on both sides. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish, pour over the stock and cover with foil. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Step Five : When the chicken is nearly ready, rinse the spinach and place in a pan with just the rinsing water on the leaves. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until the spinach wilts.

Step Six : Transfer the spinach and tomatoes to serving plates and top with the chicken spooning over the juices in the dish.

Oven-baked Beans

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (June 2014) and taken from Fresh and Light by Donna Hay.

This is a great meal to make when you’re short on time but need something robust to keep you going.

Serves : 4

Ingredients:
8 cloves garlic, peeled
750g cherry tomatoes
100g flat pancetta, chopped
6 sprigs fresh oregano
2 x 400g tins butter beans or large lima beans, drained and rinsed
125ml vegetable or chicken stock
Grated parmesan and chargrilled sourdough bread, to serve

Step One : Preheat the oven to 200oC / 400oF. Place the garlic cloves, tomatoes, pancetta and oregano in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Step Two : Add the beans and stock and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the beans are warmed through.

Step Three : Sprinkle the beans with parmesan and serve with the bread and some wilted baby spinach, if desired.

Aubergine and Lentil Vindaloo

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (April 2019) and taken from Cooking on a Bootstrap by Jack Monroe.

If you don’t like aubergine, use mushrooms. Lentils could also be kidney beans, baked beans, black beans, brown or green lentils, or yellow split peas – for protein. The flavour speaks for itself, or rather shouts, sings and dances!

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:
1 large aubergine or 2 small aubergines, diced
50g dried red lentils
3 onions, finely sliced
Oil, for frying
4 fat garlic cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cumin, seeds or ground
1/4 star anise, or 1/8 tsp fennel seeds
A good grind of black pepper
1-2 tsp chilli flakes
2 tblsp tomato puree
2 tblsp vinegar or lemon juice, fresh or bottled
A fistful of spinach

Step One : In a bowl, sprinkle the aubergine with a good pinch of salt, then set aside.

Step Two : Thoroughly rinse the lentils and place them in a pan. Cover with water – no salt or they will take an age to cook – and bring to the boil. When the water is boiling, reduce to a simmer for 12 minutes, until the lentils are soft. Drain, rinse and set aside.

Step Three : Meanwhile, toss the onions into a large pan with a little oil and, over medium heat, soften for 10 minutes. Add the garlic cloves, peeled but whole, and the aubergine, stirring to stop it sticking. Cook for 15 minutes, adding more oil if needed.

Step Four : Add the cinnamon, cumin, star anise, or fennel, and pepper, but only half of your chosen quantity of chilli. (It is easy to add, but difficult to temper down if you misjudge it, so I put in half the chilli to cook, and leave half to garnish.) Stir well to combine, then add 200ml water to the pan, and crank up the heat to medium-high.

Step Five : Add the lentils, tomato puree and vinegar or lemon juice and stir. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover, stirring slowly now and again. It should take around 30 minutes to meld into glossy, orange goodness, and the liquid should thicken to an unctuous sauce. If it is too watery, bring it back to the boil, reduce the heat and cook a little more. Stir through the spinach a few minutes before serving. This vindaloo is delicious with boiled rice, which makes it go further.

Other great cookbooks that help you keep an eye on the pennies:-

Beetballs

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (April 2019) and taken from Cooking on a Bootstrap by Jack Monroe.

These are based on a beetroot burger recipe from Lee Watson’s vegan recipe book, Peace and Parsnips. For a gluten-free version, replace the bread with a tablespoon or two of your preferred gluten-free flour.

Makes : 20

Ingredients:
200g dried red lentils
1 small onion, finely sliced
2 fat garlic cloves, finely sliced
150g cooked beetroot (not the kind in vinegar; go for cheaper, vacuum-packed beets), finely diced
2 tblsp oil, plus extra for drizzling
1/2 tsp cumin or coriander, seeds or ground
1 slice of bread or a pitta
A pinch of salt
1 tblsp lemon juice, fresh or bottled

Step One : Thoroughly rinse the lentils under a cold tap, then pop into a pan. Cover with water and bring to the boil; do not add any salt at this stage or the lentils may ‘seize’ and never soften. Sad, but true. Reduce to a simmer and cook for around 15 minutes, until very soft, swollen and translucent.

Step Two : Meanwhile, put the oil, onion and garlic into a pan. Add the finely diced beetroot and the spice of your choice, and soften over a medium heat, stirring regularly to stop the ingredients from sticking and burning.

Step Three : Skim any scum from the top of the lentils using a spoon, then drain and rinse them thoroughly. Tip into a mixing bowl along with the onion, garlic and beetroot, and mash to a pulp. An ordinary jug blender, or any kind of food processor, will make this job easier, but it’s not essential; a fork or masher and a good dollop of elbow grease will yield a pretty satisfying result, too.

Step Four : When it’s rough pulp, grate the bread into crumbs and mix through, with a pinch of salt and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Cover the mixture and chill it in the fridge for half an hour to firm up.

Step Five : When firm to the touch, preheat the oven to 180oC / 350oF / Gas mark 4. Shape the mixture into small balls and place them on a lightly greased baking tray. Drizzle the top of the balls with a little extra oil, or brush each one if you can be bothered, and bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes, turning over halfway through. Serve immediately.

Other great cookbooks that help you keep an eye on the pennies:-

Chocolate Beef Chilli with Jalapeno And Cheese Scones

Recipe taken from Clodagh’s Suppers: Suppers to celebrate the seasons by Clodagh McKenna published in Psychologies Magazine (February 2019) chocolate beef chilli with jalapeno and cheese scones

Ingredients for the Chilli :
50g salted butter
300g minced beef
1 small white onion or shallot, finely chopped
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 small dried chillies, chopped
100g smoked bacon lardons
100g fully cured, ready-to-eat chorizo, diced
150ml red wine
400g can cherry tomatoes
300ml water
1 tblsp brown sugar
2 tsp finely chopped fresh or dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 tblsp tomato ketchup
50g dark chocolate, grated
400g can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

For the scones :
225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tblsp baking powder
Pinch of fine sea salt
50g salted butter, chilled and cubed
125g Dubliner cheese, grated
2 jalapeno chillies, finely chopped
125-150ml milk or buttermilk

Serves : 6

Step One : Place a flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat and add half the butter. Once melted, add the minced beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Transfer to a plate.

Step Two : Add the remaining butter to the casserole dish, stir in the onion or shallot, ginger and garlic and cook for two minutes, then stir in the cumin, cinnamon and dried chillies and cook for a further minute. Add the bacon lardons and chorizo and cook, stirring for about three minutes until lovely and crispy.

Step Three : Return the beef to the pan and stir well. Pour in the red wine and cook for two minutes more. Then add the tomatoes, measured water, sugar, oregano, bay leaves and ketchup. Season with salt and pepper, stir well, then cover the pan with a lid and simmer over a low heat for two hours.

Step Four : While the chilli is cooking, make the jalapeno and cheese scones. Preheat the oven to 200oC , gas mark 6, and dust a baking tray with flour. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in half the grated cheese, followed by half the jalapenos, then gradually mix in enough milk with a fork to make a soft dough.

Step Five : Roll out the dough on a floured work surface into a round, 1 cm deep. Cut into six wedges, place on the floured baking tray and sprinkle the remaining cheese and jalapenos on top. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the scones to a wire rack and leave to cook for 10 minutes.

Step Six : Remove the lid of the casserole and stir in the chocolate and kidney beans, then simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Serve with the jalapeno and cheese scones.

Roast Chicken with Pomegranate, Pancetta and Brandy

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (Dec 2015) and taken from At Home with Umami: Home-cooked recipes unlocking the magic of super-savory deliciousness by Laura Santtini.

This is a real showstopper, especially if you are generous with the brandy. Serve with basmati rice steamed with cardamom pods to make the rice extra fragrant.

Chicken and pomegranate

Serves : 4

Ingredients:
3 tblsp olive oil
1 medium chicken, jointed into 8 pieces by a butcher
3 shallots (2 quartered, 1 chopped finely)
1 bunch fresh sage
4 garlic cloves
30g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 250ml boiling water, drained and chopped
4 medium pomegranates
25g butter
100g pancetta
generous splash of brandy
250ml double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
basmati rice, to serve

Step One : Preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF) Gas 4. Heat the oil in a cast-iron casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. Season.

Step Two : Once browned, remove from the heat. Add the quartered shallots, half the sage, garlic and the liquid from the mushrooms. Replace the chicken, cover with a tight-fitting lid and roast in a preheated oven for 1 hour.

Step Three : Meanwhile, deseed the pomegranates by slicing them in half and bashing them with a wooden spoon over a bowl so that the seeds fall out. Crush the seeds slightly with a potato masher to release their juices.

Step Four : Take out the chicken and pour the pomegranate juices into the pan, reserving the seeds for later. Pop the chicken back into the oven.

Step Five : Make the sauce. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Once it has melted, add the chopped shallot and cook until translucent. Add the mushrooms, the rest of the sage and pancetta, and cook until the pancetta begins to crisp and the fat melts. Once the chicken is cooked, pour off its sauce into the mushrooms pan. Cover the chicken with foil to keep it warm.

Step Six : Add the brandy and the double cream to the sauce. Simmer until the sauce has reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, then pour it back over the chicken, sprinkle with the reserved pomegranate seeds, and serve immediately with bowls of hot basmati rice.

Herby Christmas Turkey

Recipe courtesy of Prima Magazine.

Sorry but I had to do a one turkey recipe 🙂

The butter and soft cheese eased gently under the skin of the turkey keeps the flesh wonderfully moist and full of flavour, while the rich fruity stuffing is really something else again.

turkey picture

Ingredients

Stuffing:
1oz (25g) butter
4oz (125g) onion, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
4oz (125g) smoked streaky bacon, roughly chopped
4oz (125g) field or brown cap mushrooms, roughly chopped
3oz (75g) white bread
3oz (75g) no-soak dried apricots, roughly chopped
1 tblsp (15ml) chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp (7.5ml) dried tarragon
12oz (350g) good quality pork sausage-meat
4 tsp (20ml) wholegrain mustard
rind of 1 lemon
1 tblsp (15ml) lemon juice

For the butter:
8oz (225g) butter
4oz (125g) soft cheese
3oz (75g) toasted pine nuts, finely chopped
6 tblsp (90ml) chopped fresh mixed herbs, eg. parsley, thyme and chives
rind and juice of 1 lemon

10lb (4.5kg) oven ready turkey

Step One : To make the stuffing, heat butter in a pan and cook onion and garlic until beginning to soften. Add the bacon and mushrooms, and cook until all excess moisture has evaporated. Cool.

Step Two : Cut the bread into 1/2 in (1 cm) cubes. Add to mushroom mix with apricots, herbs, sausage-meat, mustard, grated lemon rind and 1 tblsp juice. Season.

Step Three : Mix butter, cheese, pine nuts, herbs and grated rind and juice of lemon with seasoning. Place mixture in a piping bag with a large plain nozzle.

Step Four : Preheat the oven to Mark 4 (350oF / 180oC). Place your fingers in between the skin and the breast meat at the neck end of the turkey and release the skin, making a pocket over the breast. Be careful not to rip the skin. Gradually pipe butter under the skin. Run your hands over the skin of the turkey to spread the butter evenly underneath.

Step Five : Spoon stuffing into neck end and secure with skewers.

Step Six : Cook in a roasting tin, covered with foil, for 3 1/2 – 4 hours, basting occasionally, or until golden brown. When cooked, the juices will run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the leg. Cook for a little longer if necessary

Step Seven : Leave the bird in a warm place on a serving dish for 20 minutes before carving.

Tip: Prepare ahead: Make the stuffing and butter the night before and refrigerate.

Oaty Fish Crumble

It’s hearty, satisfying and good for you!

Serves: 4

Prep time: 25 mins; Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:
12oz (350g) cod fillet, skinned
8oz (225g) smoked haddock fillet, skinned
1 tblsp (15ml) cornflour
1oz (25g) butter
1oz (25g) plain flour
½ pt (300ml) milk
5 fl oz (142ml) soured cream
2 tblsp (30ml) chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
3oz (75g) frozen peas
3oz (75g) frozen or canned sweetcorn
4oz (125g) cooked peeled prawns.

Topping:
4oz (125g) butter
3oz (75g) wholemeal plain flour
2oz (50g) porridge oats
2oz (50g) red Leicester cheese, grated

Step One : Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and toss in cornflour.

Step Two : Melt butter, stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Off the heat, gradually add milk, then cream, parsley, seasoning, peas and sweetcorn. Return to the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring. Cook for 2 minutes.

Step Three : Stir in the fish and prawns then spoon into a 2 pt (1.1 litre) ovenproof dish.

Step Four : Preheat the oven to Mark 5 / 375oF / 190oC. Rub butter into the flour and oats. Stir in cheese and sprinkle over fish mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Some other firm family favourites can be found here …

Chicken with Bacon Dal

Serves : 4

Prep time: 10 mins; Cook time: 40 mins

Delicately spiced with Indian flavourings, these red lentils make a truly wonderful sauce to serve with chicken.

Ingredients:
2 tblsp (30ml) oil
4 chicken portions
8oz (225g) onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
4oz (125g) streaky bacon, finely chopped
1 in (2.5cm) fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
8oz (225g) split red lentils
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp (5ml) turmeric
2 tsp (10ml) ground cumin
1 tblsp (15ml) ground coriander
1 pint (600ml) chicken stock
2oz (50g) creamed coconut
1 tblsp (15ml) lemon juice
Salt and pepper
2 tblsp (30ml) chopped fresh coriander

Step One : Heat the oil in a large non-stick sauté pan and brown the chicken well. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Step Two : Cook the chopped onion and crushed garlic for 5 mins. Add the streaky bacon and cook for a further 3 mins.

Step Three : Stir in the ginger, lentils, chilli, turmeric, cumin and ground coriander and cook for a further 2 mins. Add the stock and bring to the boil.

Step Four : Add the chicken, cover and simmer gently for 25 mins, stirring occasionally and adding a little more stock if necessary, until the chicken and lentils are tender.

Step Five : Grate the creamed coconut and stir into the lentil mixture together with the lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning, heat through and stir in the fresh coriander just before serving.

Other Dal recipes can be found here …