Shepherds Pie Potatoes

Ingredients:-

1 pack lean mine (500g should do)

Splash water and beef oxo cube

As many baking potatoes as people to serve

Chopped up:-

Carrot

Celery

Onion

and any other vegetables you want to include.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees, gas mark 6

Prick pototaoes and microwave according to size.

Heat oil in frying pan, add chopped vegetables and fry until soft. Add mince and cook til brown. Add splash of water and crumble the oxo cube into the pan, mix with mince.

When potatoes are done, cut in half and scoop out potato into seperate dish. Mash potato with knob of butter.

Fill each skin with the mince mixture and top with the mash. Sprinkle a small amount of cheese and put in the oven for around 20 minutes.

Scotch Pancakes

Ingredients


50g caster sugar
100g flour (plain or self-raising)
1 egg
Splash of milk

Add the flour and sugar to the bowl (for best results, use sieve).
Add egg and mix into sugar and flour using a whisk. You will now have a floury, dry, lumpy mixture. Smooth this mixture out by gradually adding and whisking in splashes of milk. The aim is to have a relatively thick, smooth batter, about the same consistancy as double cream, so you will not need a lot of milk.

Moisten a paper towel with vegetable oil and then use this to grease a thick based frying pan (the thick base is very important). Then heat the frying pan. When the frying pan is hot, ladle in some of the batter

As a rule of thumb the pancake is ready to be turned when bubbles start to form on the surface. Turn and cook until the surface is golden brown (in total about 2 minutes). Remove from pan and re-grease using paper towel if necessary.

Toad in the Hole

Ingredients:-

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

8oz Plain Flour

4 free range Eggs

250ml Semi Skimmed Milk

S & P

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C /gas mark 6.

Pour the oil into the bottom of a dish, and arrange the sausages over it in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

Whisk together the flour, eggs and half of the milk until smooth. Gradually mix in the rest of the milk until a smooth batter is achieved. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour batter over the sausages until3/4 covered. Return to the oven, and bake for 35 minutes, or until the centre is risen and browned. Don't worry if the underside seems slightly soft, as this is normal.

To make individual yorkshire puddings, add a small amount of oil to each hole in a muffin tin and heat in the oven. Once oil is hot, ladle batter into each hole - cook for 35 minutes or until puddings have risen.

Chocolate Drop Frangapanies

Ingredients:-

8 Ready Made Pastry Cases
1 Egg
90g Golden Caster Sugar
100g Ground Almonds
100g Butter
Splash Vanilla Extract
1 50g Bag of Chocolate chips

Preheat Oven to Gas Mark 5, 190 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix the egg, sugar, butter, almonds and vanilla essence to a soft paste.

Lay out the pastry cases on a baking tray and sprinkle the base of them with chocolate drops.

Cover the chocolate drops with a big dollop of the almond mix. Put in the preheated oven for apx 18 minutes until they are golden on top. Serve with cream!

Ham Lasagne

Ingredients:-

250g fresh lasagne sheets
1 tbsp oil
1 fat garlic clove
2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
8 slices ham
150g pot mild natural yoghurt
50g strong cheddar plus exta for top

Preheat oven to gas mark 5.

Prepare lasagne sheets if using dried (boil for 10 mins, drain and place in cold water to avoid them sticking) Separate sheets and 'hang' over pan sides to keep apart.

Crush garlic clove and fry in the oil in a frying pan. Add the tomatoes and simmer for a while until reduced a little. Season with herbs etc. Remove from heat and put into a bowl.

Using same frying pan layer pasta, ham (keep in slices) and tomatoes.
Beat together yoghurt, eggs and cheese.Pour over the top of the pasta and grate some cheese on the top.

Cook for 15 minutes or until cheese is golden and the top has set.

I didnt have an oven proof pan so made it in a pizza dish and it turned out fine.

Courgette & Choc Chip Muffins

Ingredients:-

110g white self raising flour
125g soft brown sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
110g wholemeal self raising flour
85g melted butter
180 ml milk
1 egg lightly beaten
125 g courgette, grated
125 g chocolate chips
1 tsp demerera sugar

Preheat oven to gas mark 4, 170 degrees


Sieve together the white flour, sugar, mixed spice, salt and baking powder. Then sift in the brown flour and save the remaining bran in the sieve.

Melt the butter, allow to cool down and then mix with the milk and egg. Stir in the grated courgette, chocolate and then the flour mixture. Do not over mix.

Line a muffin tray with 12 paper cases.

Fill each one with the muffin mix till about 2/3 full. Mix together the reserved bran and demerera sugar and sprinkle on top of each muffin.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Spicy Sausage Soup

Ingredients

Vegetables:-
2 medium onions
2 carrots
3 sticks celery
1 courgette
2 baking potatoes, peeled, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic,
2 tbsp cornflour
1 litre vegetable stock
1 chorizo horsehoe
200g tin of kidney beans or something similar, drained (kidney beans in chili sauce give an extra kick)
salt and pepper



For simple cooking, chop all vegetables/sausage and add to slow cooker. Prepare stock, mix cornflour with small about to make smooth paste. Gradually add remainder of the stock, then pour over vegetables into slow cooker. Cook on High for 2.5 hours or low for 4 hours.

Hob method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped garlic and onions until the onions are just softened.

In a separate bowl, mix the cornflour with some of the vegetable stock to make a smooth paste. Add this to the pan. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes before adding the remaining stock and sliced potatoes.

Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for approximately 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender.Add in the chorizo, courgettes and beans and cook for a further 10 minutes. Finally, if using the cream, stir in the cream and cook for just 5 minutes more before removing from the heat. Puree if you'd rather not look at the lumps and serving with some lovely crusty bread.