Lamb Meatloaf

Serves 4-6         Prep. time 5-10 minutes         Oven time 90 minutes

• 150g Cooked Rice
• 300g Lamb Mince
• 1 large Egg or 2 smaller ones
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Onion, cut into rings
• 1 large Bell Paprika sliced and pre-fried
• 1 large squashed Garlic Clove
• Salt and Pepper
• Little Oil to grease the baking tin.

Condiments:

• ½ tsp Sweet Paprika
• 1 tsp Mixed Herbs
• ½ tsp Nutmeg
• A pinch Cinnamon

Most of the condiments are optional, just add what you like; but a little bit of this and that, enhances the flavour of the Lamb-loaf.

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Grease the baking tin.
3. Chop & cut onions as stated. Line the greased baking tin with the sliced onion.
4. Place all the herbs & spices in a little dish.
5. Place the mince, the rice, the chopped onion, the bell paprika and garlic in a bowl. Mix well, using your hands (this is the best way).
6. When you feel that your meat mixture is well mixed, sprinkle the contents of the herbs & spices mix over the meat mixture.
7. Mix it all again, making sure that the herbs & spices are thoroughly combined.
8. If you feel that the loaf-mixture is too wet, mix in 1 or 2 tbsp Tapioca flour.
9. Take your greased baking tin and scope the meat mixture into the tin. Tap the tin on the bottom to make sure there are no air pockets in the loaf. Cover the tin with foil and place the tin in the warm oven for up to 90 minutes.
10. After 80 minutes check if the loaf is cooked with a skewer or a thermometer.
11. Remove the foil and bake for 5-10 minutes until the top is golden-brown.

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Mash Pancake and Onion Gravy with Meatballs, Leeks and Carrots.

I was tidying up my Freezer and found a little bag with 10 small meatballs made from Cumberland sausage meat. I also found one portion of frozen Mash, I thawed them both. In the meantime I had also found 3 different trays with 50g chopped onions, 75g leeks cut in rings and 75g small diced carrots in my fridge.

I was raking my brain for what to make with my finds and this is what I came up with.

• I placed 15g butter in a saucepan, once the butter was melted, I added the chopped onions and a handful lardons. Let it fry until the onions were translucent and the bacon started to crisp.
• Then added 50ml gravy made with 2tsp Bistro onion gravy mix and 50ml boiling water. If the gravy is too thick add a little more boiling water. When the gravy is ready pour it over the onions and bacon.
• Then add the meatballs, give it a stir, then add the vegetables, cover and leave on low heat for 5-15 minutes depending on your mash pancake.
• If you didn’t place the mash in a bowl to thaw then pour the thawed mash into a bowl. You do not want the mash to be too thick nor too thin. If its too thick add a little milk or water, if its too thin add 1 tsp potato flour or equivalent flour. Heat in a microwave for 20 seconds, and check the consistence; maybe add a little more flour.
• Heat 2tbsp oil in a frying pan, and pour the mash into the middle of the pan, it should spread evenly, if not just shake the pan until the mash is spread across the whole pan. Lower the heat to half heat. Leave for 5 minutes before turning and fry for another 5 minutes.

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Jerusalem Artichokes

I didn’t know anything about Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes) until
a friend of mine gave me a bag (roughly 1.5kg) of his harvest. I was a little comprehensive because they looked weird and they had no give-away smell at all.

It took me two days to get courage enough to start experimenting.

My first try, was just to boil them in saltwater – similar to potatoes – without peeling them.

I placed 10 medium sized roots in a saucepan with enough water to cover them. Added 1 tsp salt, and left them cooking for 15 minutes. I then removed the skin, simply by cutting length-wise and squeezing the flesh out. I was surprised of the flavour, I know I’ve tasted it before, but no idea where. It wasn’t an unpleasant taste.

I used a teaspoon to make small cakes on a frying pan with butter, and sprinkled mixed herbs, garlic & onion salt over them. That was very nice.

I then used the rest to make a mash, by adding a little milk and butter, plus pepper, nutmeg, onion and garlic salt. Mixed it thoroughly and reheated the mash, and that was quite a pleasant taste too.

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How to spot an uncooked egg.

I was cooking some eggs today and realised that I had binned the old
6-pack tray, so I had to put the cooked eggs (after they had cooled down) in with the uncooked eggs.
An easy way to recognise the cooked ones, would be to mark each egg (using a pencil) with a X on the top.

But you don’t really have to do that.

In case you did not marked the eggs, just take any egg and
spin it on your worktop, the egg that spins freely is a cooked egg.

Why do the uncooked egg spin so sluggishly?
That’s because of the yolk and white is laying loose inside the shell.

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Croutons vs. Chips

I had ½ a stale white bread and because of our current circumstances with Covid-19, I didn’t just want to throw it away or feed it to the birds.

As I quite like to have a nipple when I watch TV, I decided to make some flavoured croutons.

• Left over bread
• Some oil (olive or sunflower)
• Salt and flavouring (onion salt, Garlic salt, mixed herbs …)

• Cut 4 slices, and cut the slices into 1cm cubes.
• Placed ½ of the cubes in a pre-heated wok,
• Drizzle some sunflower oil, salt and onion salt over the lot.
• Turn heat down to half, and turn the cubes at regular intervals until the croutons are browned but not burned.
• For the second half replace onion-salt with another flavour.

And there you have it, croutons instead of chips to nipple.

Cooking and Prep. time max 10 minutes.

 

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Kiddies and my delight

I used to make this in Germany, it’s called Wackelpeter in German but you know it as jelly. A couple of days ago I just had a fancy for jelly and kept forgetting to buy it while out shopping. My good friend was going shopping today and brought me a pack of jelly, and I just had to make it without any frills. Thanks for lifting my mood for the evening.

The next lot will be with frills like frozen fruit in small portion glasses just to make it last longer. I must confess, there are only three glasses left. I just couldn’t resist. It was delicious.

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Nearly Vege-Burgers

I had seen something similar on TV but didn’t make a note of the recipe and I didn’t look it up. I already had a similar recipe but as I didn’t have all 10 items needed for that recipe I decided to improvise and I used leeks instead of onions. It worked, so much so that my 2 guinea pigs wanted the recipe straight away.
PS. Leave the Bacon out and you have vege-burgers.
Serves 2-3          Prep time max. 5 minutes             Cooking time 8 minutes

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• • 90g Courgette, pealed, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 60g Leek, finely chopped
  • 60g Broccoli, finely chopped
  • 1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 90g bacon, finely chopped
  • 1-2 eggs (it might be too moist with 2 eggs)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1-2 tbsp Cassava/Tapioca flour, if needed
  • 1 tsp olive oil (for frying)
  • 10g butter (for frying)
  1. I used a small blender – instead of finely chopping everything. Pulsing each of the ingrediencies individually.
  2. Beat the egg and herbs in a mixing bowl.
  3. Add the remaining ingrediencies, bar the flour,
  4. Mix well. If the mixture is too moist, add some of the flour a little at the time.
  5. Heat a frying pan and when it’s hot, turn down the heat (to 5 out of 9) then add the oil and butter.
  6. Spoon the mixture onto the pan making 5-6 small burgers, Fry these for approx. 4 minutes each side. You may have to lower the heat, as you don’t want burned burgers.

  Calories: 135 per burger (55 if no bacon).

My Beetroot Smoothie

Prep time 2 minutes	Blending time 3 minutes
Makes 3 beakers/glasses	Only 67.3 kcal (81.6 kcal)/glass

I love beetroot salad and pickled so I was looking for what would taste nice in a beetroot smoothie, without too much of a Rooty flavour, and here is my solution. Yesterday I made the “Red Fruity” smoothie, but this “Beetroot Smoothie” is even deeper red. You can leave out the garlic, and if you can find it use the Cherry Vinegar, that really improves the taste.

• • 2-3 precooked Beetroots (180-200g)
  • 2 small Shallots (40-50g), roughly cut
  • 3 Radishes (15g), head & tail removed
  • 1 small Garlic clove (5g)
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh Ginger (10g)
  • 250 ml unsweetened Coconut Water
    (or cold green tea)
  • ½ lemon (15g)
  • 1 tsp Womersley Cherry Vinegar
  • Pinch salt and pepper

Add 1 handful frozen cherries (100g)
This increases the kcal per glass by 14 kcal
If you leave out the garlic, subtract 2.5 kcal from the above kcal/glass

1. 1. Place all ingredients in the blender.
   2. Blend for 2-3 minutes
   3. Split evenly between 3 glasses.
   4. The smoothies will keep in fridge for max 2 days.
      Shake well before usage.

Enjoy!

 

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Tonight’s Smoothie is Red

Prep time 2 minutes	Blending time 3 minutes
Makes 3 beakers/glasses	Only 56 Kcal/glass

• 250 ml cold green tea
• ½ lemon, peeled, de-stoned and quartered
• 4 slices of ginger
• 1 handful frozen Raspberries
• 1 handful frozen Blackberries
• 1 handful frozen Blueberries
• 100 g frozen Pineapple
• 3-5 drops Vanilla extract

Add a banana for a sweeter and more filling taste
This increases the Kcal per glass by 20 Kcal

1. Place all ingredients in the blender.
2. Blend for 2-3 minutes
   until smooth and no more ice lumps
3. Split evenly between 3 beakers/glasses.
4. The smoothies will keep in fridge for max 2 days.
   Shake well before usage.
5. Serve and enjoy you drink.

Enjoy!

 

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Yellow Smoothie

Prep time 2 minutes	Blending time 3 minutes
Makes 2½ beakers	Only 24 kcal/½ beaker

I heard about yellow smoothies, so, I decided to try to make one myself. I am not in favour of using milk products (yogurt and milk). Here is my solution of a yellow smoothie. .

• 1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 lemon, peeled, de-stoned and quartered
• 100 g frozen mango
• 4 slices of ginger
• 250 ml cold green tea

1. Place all ingredients in the blender.
2. Blend for 2-3 minutes
   until smooth and no more ice lumps
3. Split evenly between 2 shaker beakers, and poor remaining liquid into a glass.
4. The smoothies will keep in fridge for max 2 days.
   Shake well before usage.
5. Serve and enjoy you drink.

Enjoy!

 

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