Basic beef casserole
500 grams diced beef
1 litre beef stock. I use a couple of beef stock cubes
1 tablespoon mixed herbs
1 tablespoon seasoned flour
100 grams finely diced vegetables (I have used a mixture of onions, celery, leek, carrot, parsnip, celeriac, swede, turnip. Or whatever you have to hand)
1 Toss the beef in the seasoned flour then fry them in a frying pan in small batches and then pop them in a casserole dish
2 Now fry the veg gently in the same pan until they have softened slightly then add the herbs
3 Add the beef back to the frying pan and mix together the beef and veg. Then toss in any of the remaining flour and mix again. If you don’t have any flour left, just add a dessert spoon full to your beef
4 Add the beef back to the frying pan and mix together the beef and veg. Then toss in any of the remaining flour and mix again. If you don’t have any flour left, just add a dessert spoon full to your beef
5 Now gradually add the stock until you have a nice consistency. Not too thin and not too thick
6 Pour this back into your casserole dish. Put on the lid and pop into the oven gas mark ¾ 170c-180c and let it cook slowly for about 2 hours
Serve with whatever you fancy.
Chicken Marengo
1 chicken or 4 chicken drumsticks/ thighs
1 large onion diced
1 can chopped tomatoes
150ml dry white wine (you can drink the rest later!)
150 grams button mushrooms
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons tomato puree
150ml chicken stock (stock cube will do)
Salt & pepper
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken all over till golden brown. Set aside and keep warm.
Add the onions to the pan and cook gently until lightly browned, then sprinkle in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes
Then add the tomatoes, tomato puree, wine and the stock, then bring to the boil
Replace the chicken and then add the mushrooms, season well and cover with a thigh fitting lid and simmer VERY slowly till the chicken is cooked through
Serve with saute potatoes and whatever veg you like.
Basic sponge mix
This is a very basic sponge pudding mix. This can be either steamed or put into the oven to bake, and you can adapt it to suit yourselves. You can even flavour it to suit your taste e.g. add cocoa powder, pop in some fruit, raspberries, blackcurrants pineapple, treacle or syrup the options are limited to your own imagination, and all of them can be served with either cream, ice cream, custard or any fruit coulis you’re tempted to make!
100 grams butter or margarine
150 grams self -raising flour
a few drops of milk
100 grams caster or soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1. Cream the butter or margarine with the sugar till light and fluffy
2. Gradually add the eggs and mix well
3. Sieve in the flour and mix in gently. Add a little of the milk a drop at a time to make a dropping consistency. At this stage fold in whatever flavour you fancy
4. Place in a greased pudding dish/basin
5. If steaming cover securely and steam for about 1-11/2 hours. or it can be baked in the oven till cooked.
You can cook this in your microwave oven, but you will have to check the manufacturer's instructions (The microwave not the pudding!), but I find that it can become quite dry (The pudding not the microwave!)
Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce. Yummy!!!
200-gram s/r flour
100-gram butter
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
150-gram dried dates
150-gram caster sugar
1 dessert spoon full vanilla essence
Chop the dates up small and place in a bowl with the bi-carb. Then just cover with boiling water and leave to stand
Cream the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy, then add the beaten egg
Gradually add the flour, vanilla, and dated mixing well
Bake in the oven gas 4 till cooked
For the toffee sauce
125-gram butter
150ml double cream
125-gram demerara sugar
Place all the ingredients into a saucepan and warm it up GENTLY and melt it all together