Nearly Ratatouille

Serves: 4-6         Prep Time: 10-20 minutes         Oven Time: 45 minutes

I didn’t have all the ingrediencies required for a ratatouille but I think my take of this dish suites most home cooks. Its not difficult and it gets rid of the small need to be used vegetables in your fridge.

• 1 portion lardoons
• 1 Red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 Shallot onion, coarsely chopped
• ¼ Celeriac, coarsely chopped
• 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped into 1cm pieces
• 1 sweet red pepper, quartered long ways and cut into 1cm pieces
• 4-5 thin slices Ginger
• 2 Courgettes quartered long ways and cut into 1cm pieces
• 4 Carrots, quartered long ways and cut into 1cm pieces
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3-4 garlic, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp Olive oil, for blanching
• 1 glass white wine
• 1 tin chopped Tomatoes
• Salt, Pepper and Mixed Herbs to taste.
• Optional – a little Saffron and or Sweet Paprika.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C
2. Chop/prep all ingrediencies and keep in separate bowls.
3. Add the oil to the big oven dish, and blanch the lardons, before they crisp up add the onions, chopped garlic, red pepper and ginger.
4. After 3-5 minutes stir in the carrots, celeriac and leeks. Fry, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
5. Then pour in the wine and chopped tomatoes.
6. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sprays of thyme and maybe add some mixed herbs.
7. Top the lot with the courgettes, gently turn the courgettes under the contents of the oven dish. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
8. Remove from oven. Check the taste, and add extra if needed. This is also where you add the saffron and paprika. Gently turn everything in the dish making sure its all covered in liquid and return to oven without the lid, for another 15 minutes.

Serve and Enjoy!

.

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.

.

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.

.

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

•   

• • 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).