chicken and sausage casserole/slop food sunday

Tags

beans and pulses, casserole, chicken, peppers, sausages, smoked paprika, tomato

This is one of our “slop food sunday” specials – makes enough for both our packed lunches for a week

a good slug of olive oil

1packet debbie and andrewes gluten free sausages

meat of two free range chicken thighs, diced

40z pancetta

4oz diced chorizo

1large onion, chopped

1 stick celery. chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 red orange or yellow peppers, chopped

tbsp smoked paprika

tsp lazy chillies

good glass red wine

12floz chicken stock

jar of passata or chopped tomatoes

tube of sun dried tomato puree

3 or four can assorted chickpeas or beans, drained (I used chickpeas, butterbeans,flagelot  and haricot this time

fry onions, carrots, celery, pancetta and chorizo over a medium heat until starting to brown. Use a large casserole.

meanwhile brown the sausages and chicken. once the sausages are browned chop them into rough quarters (this is easier than trying to chop them raw)

add sausage adn chicken to casserole. de glaze the frying pan with a spot of wine.

add peppers, garlic, chillies and smoked paprika and fry for about a minute.

add all remaining ingredients, stir, simmer for about forty minutes – you may need to check it for salt.

serve with crusty bread, or on its own, its also very nice warmed up with melted cheese on top

 

 

toffee apple brownie

Tags

apple, cake, cinnamon

This was adapted from a cheap cookbook called “blissful brownies” which doesn’t appear to have an author, so I can’t offer an attribution.

I think I missed a trick this afternoon though, as the book doesn’t mention how delicious it is warm – next time I’m serving it straight out of the oven with cream.

I would also reccommend baking this in a silicone tray, as its very sticky

topping

3oz light muscavado sugar

2oz butter

2 eating apples, peeled, cored, and sliced.

 

cake

4oz butter

6oz light muscavado sugar

2 eggs

7oz white spelt flour

1tsp baking powder

1/2tsp bicarb

2tsp cinnamon

2eating apples, peeled, cored, and coarsley grated

3oz pecans

preheat oven to 180/gas 4

place 3oz sugar and 2 oz butter in a small pan and melt them together. Pour into a silicone cake tin approx 9inches square. Swirl it around a bit so it covers the base, then place the sliced apples in an even layer over the sauce.

place the rest of the butter and sugar in food processor and cream til fluffy. Beat in eggs.

add flour, baking powder, bicarb and cinnamon and blitz again until smooth. add apples and nuts.

pour this mixture over the sauce in the base of the tin. Make sure you spread it out to the sides as the sauce will bubble in the oven.

 

bake for 30-35 min.

Mocha Ganache Brownie layer cake

Tags

cake, chocolate, coffee

WARNING – THIS CAKE MAY BE EVIL AND WILL HAVE TO BE DESTROYED ONCE MADE

for the cake

5tsps instant coffee

370g butter

400g good dark choc

200g spelt flour (you can use ordinary flour if you can digest it)

6 eggs

500g golden caster sugar

 

for the icing

150g good dark chocolate

500ml double cream

50g icing sugar

3tsps instant coffee

2tbsps kalua

preheat oven to 160 for fan, 180 for an ordinary oven.

line a large swiss roll tin, or two 9″ sandwich tins, with baking parchment

dissolve coffee in 2tbsps boiling water – do the same for the second lot of coffee and set that aside to cool for the icing

slowly melt chocolate and butter together in a pan

beat together sugar and eggs with a handheld electric whisk until they are thick, creamy and doubled in volume

whisk the chocolate mix into the eggs. Fold in sifted flour.

pour mixture into tin(or tins) and bake for 30- 40 min. or until a skewer comes out clean.

leave to cool

ICING

melt chocolate over a double boiler or in microwave

whip cream until stiff

add remaining ingredients and whip again until stiff once more

if you use a swiss roll tin cut the cake into two squares

place 1/4 of the icing as a filling, then use the rest to cover the top and side of the cake.

chill before serving

serves – many, or one boyfriend

 

pork with cider

Tags

casserole, cider, cinnamon, leeks, nutmeg, pork

shoulder joint of pork

bottle of decent cider

two pints homemade chicken stock

knob of butter

3leeks

two sticks of celery, preferably with the leaves

1carrot

3cloves garlic

2oz diced bacon

tbsp mustard

1/2 a grated nutmeg

pinch cinnamon

tsp black pepper

salt

fresh sage to taste

worcestershire sauce

marinate the posrk in cider for a day or two

take it out, dry it, sear ina very hot pan until very brown. set in a large casserole dish

using the same pan, saute the sliced leeks, diced carrot, bacon, and finely chopped celery until soft and just begining to brown, then add the creushed garlic. Throw all of this in the casserole with the pork.

deglaze the pan with stock.

add all remaining ingredients to the casserole, bring to simmer, then cook in a medium oven for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender.

lift the meat out and let it rest whilst you reduce the sauce and test the seasoning.

serve with potatoes and yorkshire pudding

kedgeree

Tags

curry, fish, leftovers, rice

Sunday brunch, with enough left over to take to work and microwave for lunch the next day

cooked rice

pint of milk

12-16oz undyed smoked haddock

knob of butter

1 onion

handful of peas

tablespoon medium curry powder

tablespoon soured cream, double cream, or yogurt

three boiled eggs, either hard or soft – to your taste

Kedgeree is an anglo indian dish once served for breakfast in great houses, its not meant to be a proper curry, but is a great way to use up leftover rice.

bring the milk to the boil in a large pan. as soon as it boils place the fish in, making sure it’s covered, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

dice the onion and fry until golden with the butter in a large frying pan.

mix the curry powder (use more or less to taste) in a cup with a little water to form a thick paste, then add to the onions and fry over a high heat until dry.

add the peas and rice to the pan and cook thouroughly – you need the rice to be properly warrmed through.

Whilst the rice cooks skin, bone and flake the fish, which should now have cooked perfectly in the residual heat from the milk.

Finally add the quartered eggs and fish and stir carefully through the rice.

remove from the heat and stir through the cream or yogurt.

serve