Onion Sauce

Ingredients
450g Onions (sliced)
50g Butter
600ml Stock (vegetable, beef, chicken, lamb stock or milk)
25g Plain Flour
Pinch of Each, Mace, Nutmeg, Salt.
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Equipment
1 Large Pan
1 Medium Pan
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Sieve

The Good Bit

1. Heat half the butter in your large pan and add the onions, cook slowly so as not to brown them, stirring occasionally, in the other pan heat your stock or milk. Once the onions are soft add the stock or milk and drop in the mace, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
2. Simmer for 10-15 minutes then strain, reserving the liquid and onions, now heat the remaining butter in one of your pans and add the flour, cook for about 2-3 minutes then remove from the heat and add in the reserved liquid.
3. Keep stirring all the time to avoid lumps, next chop up the reserved onions as fine as you can and add to the pan, stir again, reheat for a little while then serve. Works well with all meats but especially lamb.
   

Serves 4

Shepherds Pie

Ingredients
450g Potatoes
1 Large Onion (finely chopped)
2 Large Carrots (diced)
400g Minced Lamb
75g Frozen Peas
2 Beef Stock Cubes
2 Vegetable Stock Cubes
250ml Hot Lamb Stock
Worcestershire Sauce, Tomato Sauce and Brown Sauce
A Splash of Oil
Milk
A Knob of Butter
100g Grated Cheddar Cheese

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Frying Pan/Wok
1 Large Pan
4 Little Oven Dishes (the size you get in restaurants when you order something like this)
OR
1 Large Oven Dish
1 Grater

The Good Bit

1. Start by cutting your potatoes into bite size pieces then cooking in a large pan of salted water for 10 minutes (or microwave in a covered pan without water for about the same length of time) Check the potatoes with a fork, if they break easily then they'll be fine to mash if not cook a little longer (if you microwave, shake them around in the covered pan and if they break on the side and lid then hey presto!)
2. Meanwhile fry the onion in a little oil in the frying pan until it's golden and soft then add the meat and carrot and cook until the meat is all brown, at this point add all four stock cubes well crumbled to the frying pan and stir in well before adding a good splash of each of the sauces, the lamb stock and the frozen peas, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. You should now have a little time on your hands to mash the potatoes. Drain the water and get busy! if you've cooked the potatoes long enough this should be relatively easy, once they are fairly well mashed add in a good knob of butter and a splash of milk, keep mashing until you have a fairly thick but smooth consistency, if it's like concrete then add another splash of milk, again it's easier to ad more milk if needed than to take out!
4. At this point you have a choice, mix the cheese in with the mash or serve on top, Serve your meat into your pie dish/dishes and top with the mash then put in an oven for 30mins 210c 410f, serve when ready
   

Serves 4

My Wife's Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
2 Large Carrots (chopped into chunks)
1 Large Onion (thinly chopped)
1/4 Cabbage (any cabbage will do but spring cabbage is best)
4 Sticks Celery (chopped into chunks)
1 Pepper (de seeded and chopped into chunks)
1x130g Can Sweet Corn (drained and washed)
1 Handful Frozen Peas
1x400g Chopped tomatoes
1 Beef Stock Cube
2 vegetable Stock Cubes
1 Chicken Stock Cube
3/4 of a Pint of Water
Salt and pepper to Season

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan

The Good Bit

1. Add all the vegetables to the pan, pour in the water, then add the canned and frozen produce, finally stir in all the stock cubes.
2. Bring to the boil slowly, cover and cook for 15 minutes, you can cook for longer if your vegetables are very chunky as they need to be soft and tender. Season with salt and pepper then serve with a freshly baked baguette.

Serves 4

Lamb Hot Pot

Ingredients
4 Lamb Steaks (100g each or just over the palm of your hand in size)
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
120ml Mixed Stock (1 chicken and 1 veg cube)
100g Green beans (sliced in half, not length ways!!)
Tabasco Sauce
500g Potatoes
A Splash of Oil
A Knob of Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Mixed Herbs (you should always have this in your stock cupboard)

Equipment
2 SHARP Knifes
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan (2/3rds full boiling salted water)
1 Large Frying Pan/Wok (with a lid)

The Good Bit

1. Put The potatoes whole (or Halved if they are very large) in the pan of boiling water and cook for 10mins. Meanwhile cut each of the lamb steaks into 4 strips then place in the frying pan with the onion and a splash of oil and cover and cook for 4 minutes until well browned.
2. Pour in the tomatoes, the stock, the green beans and sprinkle over the herbs, add a dash of tabasco (only if you like a little bite to the meal) and bring to the boil then turn down the heat to a low simmer whilst you do the next bit.
3. Drain the potatoes and slice as thin as possible (you may want to run them under a little cold water to allow you to handle them, then arrange the slices in overlapping layers on top of the lamb, cover the frying pan turn up the heat a little and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. The icing on the cake if you can do it, is to dot butter on to the potatoes at this stage and whack under a high grill for a couple of minutes to crispen those tatties off.

Serves 4

Twisted Toad In The Hole

Ingredients
400g Potatoes (chopped into bite size pieces)
4 Large Yorkshire Puddings (i will describe how to make these in a later blog)
1 Large Onion (finely chopped)
2 Beef Stock Cubes
1 Kettle of Boiling Water
12 Sausages (any flavour you like, pork are my favourites)
A Good Splash of Oil
Milk
A Knob of Butter

Ingredients
1 Oven Proof Dish
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Frying Pan
1 Large Pan (with boiling salted water)
1 Spatula

The Good Bit

1. Cook the potatoes in the large pan with the salted water in for about 10 minutes (when they are done a fork should stick into them easily) While the potatoes are cooking, fry your sausages until brown all over, add a little oil to the pan if needed, this will stop them having stripes.
2. Heat the 4 yorkshire puddings according to packet instructions, whilst these are heating, mash your potatoes well and add a knob of butter mash again then add a splash of milk (go easy with the milk you dont want runny mash, add a little at a time)
3. Take the sausages out of the pan and keep warm then quickly fry the onion until soft, then add in a good amount of the boiling water from the kettle and the 2 beef stock cubes, whilst this is reducing, pile the mash into the four yourkshire puddings and stick in 3 sausages then spoon over the onion gravy.

Serves 4

Cottage Pie

Ingredients
450g Potatoes (judging this yourself is good practice, pick out of the bag what you think to be 4 servings)
1 Large Onion (finely chopped)
2 Large Carrots (diced)
400g Minced Beef
75g Frozen Peas
2 Beef Stock Cubes
2 Vegetable Stock Cubes
250ml Hot Lamb Stock
Worcestershire Sauce, Tomato Sauce and Brown Sauce
A Splash of Oil
Milk
A Knob of Butter
100g Grated Cheese (cheddar is perfect for this)

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Frying Pan/Wok
1 Large Pan
4 Little Oven Dishes (the size you get in restaurants when you order something like this)
OR
1 Large Oven Dish
1 Grater

The Good Bit

1. Start by cutting your potatoes into bite size pieces then cooking in a large pan of salted water for 10 minutes (or microwave in a covered pan without water for about the same length of time) Check the potatoes with a fork, if they break easily then they'll be fine to mash if not cook a little longer (if you microwave, shake them around in the covered pan and if they break on the side and lid then hey presto!)
2. Meanwhile fry the onion in a little oil in the frying pan until it's golden and soft then add the meat and carrot and cook until the meat is all brown, at this point add all four stock cubes well crumbled to the frying pan and stir in well before adding a good splash of each of the sauces, the lamb stock and the frozen peas, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. You should now have a little time on your hands to mash the potatoes. Drain the water and get busy! if you've cooked the potatoes long enough this should be relatively easy, once they are fairly well mashed add in a good knob of butter and a splash of milk, keep mashing until you have a fairly thick but smooth consistency, if it's like concrete then add another splash of milk, again it's easier to ad more milk if needed than to take out!
4. At this point you have a choice, mix the cheese in with the mash or serve on top? it's up to you! (why not split half and half?) Serve your meat into your pie dish/dishes and top with the mash then put in an oven for 30mins 210c 410f, serve when ready! (enjoy those flavours, it's a bit of a long dish to do but well worth it, maybe do this on a Sunday!)
   

Serves 4

Lamb Biryani

Ingredients
250g Lamb (cubed straight from the supermarket)
Oil
Butter
1 Onion (finely chopped)
250g Long Grain Rice
600ml Veg or Chicken Stock
350g Cauliflower
100g Frozen Peas
1 Teaspoon Each Turmeric and Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Each Coriander and Chilli
Salt and Pepper to Taste.
Toasted Almond flakes (optional) to serve

Equipment
1 Sharp Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Frying Pan/Wok
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Spatula
1 Plastic Spoon

The Good Bit

1. Mix together a splash of oil in your bowl with the turmeric, cumin, coriander and chilli, then whack in your lamb and give it a good stir.
2. Heat a splash of oil in the frying pan along with a good knob of butter (slightly more than you would butter a slice of toast with) and cook the onion until it begins to soften (4-5mins), then chuck in the lamb and its juices and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Pour in the stock and add the rice then bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes before adding the cauliflower, then stir in the frozen peas and cook until all the stock has gone (about 4 minutes) Season and serve! (you could top with a sprinkle of toasted almond flakes if you wanted to be fancy)

Serves 4

Sweet And Sour Prawns

Ingredients
350g Frozen Prawns (defrosted)
1 Spring/Salad Onion
1 Teaspoon Ginger Root (finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon if using dried)
1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar (white wine vinegar will do, i've never tried it with the normal table stuff)
1 Splash of Sherry (go steady you booze fiend)
2 Tablespoons sugar
125ml Stock (veg or chicken is best, i suppose you could use lamb or beef if you are making a different sweet and sour, or just use water)
Water
1 Tablespoon Cornflour
A Splash of Oil

Equipment
1 Wok
1 Spatula
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Glass

The Good Bit

1. Heat a little oil in the wok, then apart from the prawns and cornflour chuck everything into the wok and bring to the boil.
2. Whilst waiting for the sauce to boil, put the cornflour in the glass and add a little cold water to form a paste, once the sauce is boiling throw the prawns in too and cook for about 5 minutes until the prawns are well heated through.
3. Thicken the sauce with the cornflour paste, this will only take seconds, dont worry if it takes a little longer, at the end of the day you are the judge, if it's too runny keep it boiling until you are happy, if it's like a block of concrete, add a little water!
4. Serve with fresh herb leaves, Whatever you like but parsley is good, a slice of lemon looks excellent.

Serves 4

Risotto

Ingredients
250g Risotto Rice (long grain will do)
600ml Water
2 Chicken Stock Cubes
2 Vegetable Stock Cubes
1 Large Onion
1 Large Pepper
1 130g Can of Sweetcorn
1 400g Can of Kidney Beans (or a handful of button mushrooms quartered)
1 200g Can of Mixed Beans
200g Frozen Peas
Olive Oil
A Knob of Butter

Equipment
1 Large Frying Pan
1 Sharp Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Spatula

The Good Bit

1. Heat a splash of oil in your frying pan, and add to it a coarsely chopped onion and pepper, cook until the onion has softened and begun to turn brown. Add to this the knob of butter then add all your rice and stir fry for about a minute.
2. Add then all your water and all 4 stock cubes and bring to the boil, add the contents of the 3 cans at this stage making sure they have been well drained or the quartered button mushrooms if you are using them and the frozen peas, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. Play at being a chef by adding whatever herbs you like, don't over do it, only add a teaspoon of one type at most (dry herbs) and don't be tempted to use more than maybe 3 herbs, i like basil here, if you are going to use fresh herbs, chop them well and add a minute before you serve add in a good knob of butter, stir well and then serve. How's this for a recommendation! Our dog who will eat a piece of dropped meat before it has chance to land on the floor and yet will pick out and leave the vegetables from a plate of Sunday dinner (and for some reason arrange the carrots around the edge of the plate) LOVES this meal
   

Serves 4

Paella

Ingredients
250g Long Grain Rice
1 Onion
1 Red Pepper
200g Frozen Prawns
2 Vegetable Stock Cubes
150g Frozen Peas ( I used frozen mixed veg, carrot, peas, sweetcorn, haricot vert)
A Dash of Olive Oil
900ml Water
1/2 Teaspoon Chilli or Paprika, 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric

Equipment
1 Large Frying Pan/Wok
1 Wooden/Plastic Spatula
1 Plastic Serving spoon
Measuring Jug

The Good Bit

1. Start by heating your oil in the pan/wok whilst you chop the onion and pepper into fairly small chunks.
2. Fry the onion off in the oil until it begins to go soft and clear, then add the pepper and rice and stir fry quickly for about 1 minute until the rice looks well coated in the oil.
3. Add the water, both stock cubes, the chilli or paprika powder and the the turmeric.
4. Stir in really well and add the frozen peas (mixed veg) and the prawns and leave to cook until the rice is soft (taste it to see) and almost all of the liquid is gone.
5. Serve and enjoy, this can also be eaten cold so prepare and cook whenever you want.

Serves 4