Steak, guinness and oyster pie

Ingredients
3-4 tbsp Olive oil
400g stewing steak, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 tbsp Butter
5 whole Shallots
200g smoked lardons of Bacon
Thyme, for seasoning
2 Onions, finely chopped
900ml Guinness
2 clove Garlic, finely chopped
200ml Red wine
200ml Madeira
8 Oysters
375 g ready-to-roll Puff pastry
1 Egg, lightly beaten

Method
1. Heat the oil in large casserole dish and fry the beef over a medium heat until browned all over. Remove the beef and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in the pan and add the shallots. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the bacon, thyme and onions and cook for 3-4 minutes more. Remove and set aside. Add the Guinness to the pan and stir in the cooked bacon and onion mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then add the meat.

4. Stir in the garlic, red wine and Madeira. Cover and cook slowly for 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the oysters.

5. Set the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Roll the pastry out to cover the top of the casserole dish and crimp the edges neatly. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is risen and golden. Serve immediately.

Chicken, aubergine and tomato stew

Ingredients
1.5kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
125ml Olive oil
350g Aubergines
225 g red Peppers
4 cloves Garlic
1 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
175ml White wine
1 tbsp Oregano, chopped
1 tbsp Mint, chopped
1 tbsp Parsley, chopped
black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes or so, until golden. Season and remove from the pan.

3. Heat the rest of the oil and cook the aubergine until golden. Add the peppers and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.

4. Stir in the tomatoes and wine.

5. Return the chicken to the pan and check the seasoning. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 hour. Remove the lid and cook for a further 15 minutes or so, until the liquor has thickened. 6. Stir in the herbs, cook for a further 5 minutes and serve

Meatball sub with shoestring fries

Ingredients
For the meatballs
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 mild chilli, finely chopped
800g minced beef
50g fresh Coriander, finely chopped
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning,

1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Egg
For the sauce
1 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
400g jar of tomato passata
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
7 tbsp tomato ketchup
7 tbsp smoked hickory sauce
For the shoestring fries
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into long, thin strips and soaked in cold water for 1 hour
vegetable oil, for deep frying
To serve
4 burger buns
large handful grated Mozzarella, or cheddar cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

2. For the meatballs: tip all of the meatball ingredients into a large bowl and mix together with your hands.

3. Take a small handful of the mixture and roll into a golf ball-sized meatball. Repeat with the remaining mixture, arranging the meatballs on a baking tray as you go. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

4. For the sauce: while the meatballs are cooking, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and fry for 4-5 minutes until soft and golden then add the garlic and fry for 1 minute.

5. Stir in all of the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer over a medium heat for 15 minutes, or until reduced to a thick, rich tomato sauce.

6. For the shoestring fries: while the sauce is simmering, drain the potato strips and dry thoroughly with kitchen paper or a clean tea-towel.

7. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fat fryer to 160C. Carefully add the potato strips to the oil and fry for 5 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.

8. Increase the temperature of the oil to 185C then return the fries to the oil and fry for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt, to taste.

9. Preheat the grill to high.

10. To serve: split the buns almost in half, so they open like a butterfly, then place under the grill, turning once, until toasted on both sides.

11. Spread some of the sauce over the buns, arrange the meatballs down the centre of each bun and scatter over the grated cheese. Return them to the grill for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve with the shoestring fries

MY DEAR MUM

YOUR WHERE OUR ROCK

WHEN WE NEEDED SOMETHING

YOU WHERE ALLWAYS THERE

WHEN WE HAD A PROBLEM YOU WAS THERE

WHEN YOU HAD PROBLEMS WE WHERE THERE

WHEN YOU WHERE ILL WE WHERE THERE

NOW YOU HAVE GONE WE KNOW YOU WILL BE THERE

ALLWAYS IN OUR MINDS AND OUR HEARTS

FOR EVER AND EVER

AMEN

MRS GR CUSHMAN

SADLY PASSED AWAY

18/01/2010 AT 21.17pm

Beef and macaroni pie

Ingredients
For the meat sauce
4 tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
4 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
2 sticks Celery, finely chopped
1kg lean minced beef
200ml Red wine
400g can chopped Tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
10 cm cinnamon sticks
¼ tsp ground Cloves
1 tbsp dried Oregano, Greek if possible
2 tbsp fresh chopped Oregano
3 fresh Bay leaves
For the pasta
500g tubular pasta, such as rigatoni, tubetti or tortiglioni
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
50g Greek kefalotiri cheese or Parmesan, finely grated
2 tbsp Butter, melted, for greasing
10g fresh white breadcrumbs
For the white sauce
115g Butter
115g plain flour
1.2 litres Milk, plus a little extra
¼ tsp freshly grated Nutmeg

Method

1. For the meat sauce: heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pan. Add the onion, garlic and celery and fry until just beginning to brown. Add the minced beef and fry over a high heat for 3-4 minutes, breaking up any lumps with the wooden spoon.

2. Add the red wine, tomatoes, tomato purée, cinnamon stick, ground cloves, dried and fresh oregano, bay leaves, 100ml water, 1½ teaspoons salt and some black pepper. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce has thickened but is still nicely moist. Discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaves.

3. For the pasta: bring 4.5 litres water to the boil in a large saucepan with 8 teaspoons salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, taking care not to overcook as the pasta will cook a little further in the oven. Drain well, transfer to a large bowl and leave to cool slightly.

4. For the white sauce: melt the butter in a medium-sized non-stick saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring, over a medium heat for 1 minute. Gradually beat in the milk, then bring to the boil, stirring. Lower the heat and leave to simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper to taste.

5. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Stir 250ml (about one-fifth) of the white sauce into the warm pasta with the beaten eggs and half the grated cheese. Keep the remaining sauce warm over a low heat, stirring now and then and adding more milk if it begins to get a little thick.

6. Use the melted butter to grease a large, shallow ovenproof dish that measures about 23cm x 33cm x 7cm. Spread one-third of the pasta over the base of the dish and cover with half the meat sauce. Add another third of the pasta, then the rest of the meat sauce, then a final layer of pasta.

7. Spoon over the remaining white sauce. Mix the last of the grated cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 40 minutes, or until bubbling hot and golden brown

potatoe spicy wedges

you will need
Potatoes
Sesame seeds
Olive oil
Black pepper
Red chilli

method

do not peel just wash 1 kg potatoes and cutting each into 8 wedges. Place in a large bowl and toss in 3 tablespoons sesame seeds and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Bake in a preheated oven at 220ºC, fan 200ºC, gas 7 for 30 minutes, then add 1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced. Cook for a further 15 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan, until the potatoes are tender inside and golden crisp on the outside. Serve as a spicy snack or an accompaniment to fish or burgers.

cushy's tip:
Try.... adding sautéed bacon and rosemary to your mashed potato and serving with sausages.
Try... placing sliced parboiled potatoes, torn ham, finely chopped leeks and some half-fat Crème fraîche in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake until tender for a deliciously esay potato gratin.

Beef stew with herb dumplings

you will need
2 pinches dried mixed herbs
440g, diced beef
1.25kg vegetable selection pack
400g tin chopped tomatoes
200g self-raising flour
1 tablespon olive oil
salt and pepper
1 beef or vegetable stock cube
100g butter, grated
1.4 litre water

Method

Peel and finely slice the onions in the basics vegetable selection pack. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for a few minutes until soft, then add the basics diced beef and continue to fry.

Add the rest of the vegetables from the basics vegetable selection pack, peeled and cut into small chunks. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs, then fry for approximately 10 minutes. Stir in the basics chopped tomatoes, 1 litre water and crumble in 1 beef or vegetable stock cube. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, place 200g self-raising flour in a bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grate 100g chilled butter into the flour, add a couple of pinches of dried mixed herbs (or some freshly chopped rosemary leaves) and then rub together with your fingers so the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Gradually mix in small amounts of cold water until it forms a soft dough. Roll the dough into approximately 12 evenly-sized balls.

The stew should be nice and saucy by now but, if it looks a little dry, stir in another 400ml water. Turn up the heat and bring it to the boil again. Add the dumplings, pushing them under the surface of the liquid. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the dumplings are puffed up and cooked through, then serve with an optional garnish of freshly chopped parsley.