Sage Onion and Sausage Stuffing with a twist

I love stuffing it is one of my all-time favourites. It reminds me of Christmas… the beauty is you don’t have to wait until Christmas to have a good stuffing in a roast.. This stuffing is great with roast chicken, or pork….

What you will need

1 cup fresh bread crumbs – you can make this yourself in a blender of with a grater

1 onion finely diced

1 clove of garlic (crushed)

4 large pork sausages, (I like to use Tesco’s finest herb pork sausages)

2 tbls extra virgin olive oil

1 tbl spoon fresh sage (removed from stems and lightly bruised with knife)

½ Apple peeled and diced

¼ cup sultanas

(there is no need to add salt to this recipe as there is enough salt in the sausages and your meat will also be well seasoned).

In a pot heat oil and add onions. Lightly sauté onions until soft add garlic, bread crumbs mix well and remove from heat. Remove sausage meat from casings and add to bread and onion mixture followed by remaining ingredients. Use your hands to work in all the ingredients until the mixture begins to bind together. Set stuffing aside until you are ready to use it.

Chilli, coriander (cilantro) and garlic burger patties

Makes 4-6 large patties

1kg mince beef (try and use lean mince)

1 large onion chopped finely

1 big handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) finely chopped (I love coriander and always add extra)

½ teaspoon dried crushed birds eye chilli

1 egg to bind the mixture (for egg allergy suffers use about 2 tablespoons vegetable oil this will help bind the mixture)

1 level tablespoon salt

1 level teaspoon pepper

2-3 tablespoons cooking oil (for fat free option use spray oil)

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients well.

Ensure to get your hands in there and work the mixture well, ensuring all the spices are evenly distributed through your mince.

Take handfuls of the mixture work into balls press down to the size you would like.

Fry in a little oil on a medium heat until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve on a nice fresh burger bun with loads of salad, relish of choice or mayo, and a few chips on the side.

Perfect TV dinner.

Baked Sea bass with lemon garlic and herbs

Serves 4

• 4 medium fresh sea bass
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 100g  butter
• 4 tablespoons mixed dry herbs (or fresh if you have)
• Juice of one large lemon
• 1 level tablespoon salt

Pre-heat oven 200 degrees celsius

• Wash and clean fish well
• Cut about 3 slits on each side of the fish
• In a bowl mix garlic, butter, herbs and lemon until the mixture comes together.
• Spread mixture into fish cavities and slits, wrap in tin foil and bake in preheated oven for 25mins.
• Serve with salads and baked potatoes

Easy beany salad

1 tin kidney beans

1 tin chick peas

1 tin mixed beans

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ finely chopped medium onion

1 fresh firm tomato diced

Handful coriander (cilantro) finely chopped

1 green chilli finely diced (optional)

• Drain and rinse beans and chickpeas in a colander
• Wash and dice seed tomato
• Finely dice onion, chilli and cilantro
• Mix all above ingredients together season with salt and pepper to taste and pour over balsamic vinegar.
• This salad taste extra good the longer it sits. Great for proteins and low in fat… enjoy with fish, chicken breast or on its own.

Pepper Steak and Mushroom Pie

Feeds 6-8 people (for smaller quantities half the ingredients)

1kg stewing beef chopped into small cubes

650g button mushrooms

3 medium to large onions sliced (450g)

1 red pepper sliced

2 green peppers sliced (altogether with the red pepper 370g)

4 tbsp cooking oil

1 roll puff pastry

4 cloves of garlic crushed

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp black crushed pepper

1 level tbsp. of allspice

2 beef stock cubes

3 medium potatoes cubed

Preheat your oven to 200°C

Boil beef until very soft and tender.

Once the meat is very tender and the water is completely finished in the pot, add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil and braze the meat until nice and brown.

Once the meat is brown add the onions and garlic.

Add the paprika, pepper, allspice and mix thoroughly.

If you find that your pot is a bit dry add a bit of oil (approx. 1 tbsp).

Continue to fry until the onions are nice and soft.

Keep stirring. If your ingredients start to stick add about 2 tbsp of water. This will activate your spices and speed up the softening process of your onions.

Once your onions are soft, add the mushrooms. Fold them in carefully, ensuring the mixture is thoroughly mixed.

Reduce your heat to medium heat. Close your pot and leave to simmer for 2 mins and stir. Close the lid and leave to simmer for further 5 mins.

If need be, stir your pot from time to time (this depends on whether you are using a non-stick pot or not)

You will notice the mushroom would have released their natural juices (this is good for the gravy)

Add your peppers and the stock cubes. Season with salt to taste. Be careful when adding salt as stock cubes are normally quite salty.

Add 2 tbsp of gravy bisto gravy granules to 200ml of water

Mix the granules well until dissolved. Add to your pot and mix well. Cook for further 20 mins.

Add the potatoes and mix them in the pot.

Cook till the potatoes are soft. 

Pour into a pyrex dish. Allow to cool for 10-15 mins.

Place pastry over the meat mixture. Seal the sides with egg and milk. Baste the top with egg and milk wash. Pierce centre to release the steam. Decorate if desired.

Put in the oven and bake for 25-30 mins or until pastry is nice and golden brown.

Enjoy with a fresh salad

Easy Vanilla Ice cream

I was wishing for home-made Ice cream the other day and called up one of my dearest in-laws Nats. She gave me this recipe but as usual I twicked it. No you DO NOT NEED AN ICE CREAM MACHINE!!! Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did :)

Ingredients

500ml double cream

50g sugar

1 teaspoon good vanilla extract (or 1tbl spoon of the essence) a vanilla pod would be better

3 egg yolks

In a medium mix double cream and sugar over a medium heat, you want to warm the mixture up not boil it. In a mixing bowel separate 3 egg yolks and beat yolks well with a fork. Slowly pour warmed cream over eggs and mix the egg mixture well, pour the liquid back into the pot and continue to mix over a medium heat, until the back of the wooden spoon is covered with a nice custard mixture. You have to keep stirring to get a nice smooth mixture and to prevent a scramble egg effect. Once the spoon is coated on the back and you able to run your finger along the back of the spoon leaving a trail behind turn off the stove add the vanilla and strain the mixture with a sieve into a nice clean bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature and transfer to a airtight lunchbox. Place in freezer for 1 hour, remove ice cream and mix thoroughly till smooth again, this will help with the even distribution of freezing, at this stage you can add in honeycomb crunchie or choc chips or even raisins that have been socked in rum. Place back in the freezer a further 1 hour, by this time your ice cream should be ready, serve with wafers or fruit of your choice.

Nata's jumble egg fried rice

Ingredients

500g cooked drained rice (easy cook or long grain)

250g Chorizo

I medium onion finely diced

3-4 cloves garlic crushed

250g chopped mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, green beans, sweet corn, cauliflower)

1 whole red pepper thinly sliced

3 tbl spoons vegetable oil

I stock cube vegetable/chicken

1 teaspoon Mixed dried herbs (Oregano, Parsley, Thyme)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 large eggs beaten

1 tsp pure butter

salt and pepper to season according to taste

Method

In a large pot, heat 2 tbls vegetable oil slightly add onions and fry over a medium heat slowly until soft.
Add garlic and chorizo and fry until the chorizo starts to release its natural oils causing the oil in pot to turn reddish in colour.
Add mixed veg and fry slowly until vegetables are al dente approx 3-5mins.
Finally add peppers, crumble in stock cube, paprika and sprinkle over herbs.
Set pot aside off heat for final stage.

In a hot pan add 2 tbls vegetable oil and heat oil until hot, season eggs slightly with a pinch of both salt and pepper and give a final beat.
Once oil is nice and hot. pour in eggs and fry until it begins to puff up like an omelet, be careful to turn over the egg and keep it's omelet shape, fry until egg is cooked and no longer runny.
Remove from pan onto some kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil.
Chop up egg into nice bite sizes and add to rice and vegetable pot.
Give it all a good mix over a very very low heat pour over 1/4 cup of water and place 1 tsp of butter over rice, cover with a very tight lid and steam the rice for about 15-20mins there must be a waft of steam when you open the lid.
Serve with some fried chicken, salads or serve on its own with a nice salad.