Category: Cooking

Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pie with Cheesy Pastry Crust.

Alternative for the filling. Use any leftover turkey, pork and ham.

Pastry

325g plain flour

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

180g cold butter

50g good strong mature cheddar, finely grated

1 large egg beaten

Filling

2tbsp olive oil

25g butter

800g chicken breasts, diced

200g streaky bacon or pancetta, sliced

2 carrots chopped

1 onion chopped

100g small button mushrooms

2 tbsp plain flour

500ml dry cider or dry white wine

300ml chicken stock [oxo cube]

200ml double cream

2tbsp wholegrain mustard

2tbsp thyme leaves

1 egg beaten

Preheat oven to 180C Pastry. Add the flour and bicarb together in a large bowl. Coarsely grate the butter over the flour and mix until crumbly. Stir in the cheddar. Add the egg and then enough water to form a dough, {not too wet] Form into a ball, wrap in Clingfilm and chill for about 30 mins.

In a large pan heat the oil and butter, add the chicken and bacon and fry until browned. Remove and set aside. Add the vegetable’s and fry until lightly col-oured. Stir in the flour and return the chicken and bacon to the pan. Add the button mushrooms. Pour in the cider/wine and stock and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for about 20 mins, until veg is just tender. Add the cream mustard and thyme, season to taste. Mix well. Spoon the mixture into a large pie dish and leave to cool a little. Roll out the pastry to about 6mm thick. Brush the edges of the pie dish with a little water and lay the pastry on top, pressing the edges down to seal. Trim any excess pastry from around to dish, re-roll, and cut into carrot shapes. Place on the pastry top and brush with the beaten egg. Slice a hole in the centre. Bake in the oven for 30 – 35 mins until golden brown. Serve with green veg.

If using leftover meat, brown the veg then add the meat before the flour. Continue as per recipe.

1 good sized cauliflower, trimmed, cut into florets

250g smoked back bacon, cut into narrow strips

250g chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced

1 pkt Schwartz cheddar cheese sauce mix

level tsp english mustard powder

125g good strong mature cheddar cheese, grated

150 ml thick double cream

salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 level tsp sweet paprika

Topping

100g ciabatta breadcrumbs.

Preheat oven to 180C. Cook florets until just tender, drain and set aside. Fry bacon in a dry pan until coloured but not crisp. Remove bacon and fry the mushrooms in the bacon fat until golden brown, Remove from pan and set aside with th bacon. Make the cheese sauce as per packet instructions. When almost cooked add the mustard powder, cheese and cream. Stir until cheese has melted add S & P. Fold in the bacon and mushrooms. Place the cauliflower in an oven proof dish and pour over the cheese sauce. Sprinkle the paprika over the top along with the breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for about 15 – 20 mins until crisp and golden. Enjoy with crusty bread and a green salad.

 Ingredients

150g soft butter, + extra for greasing

150g dark brown chocolate [about 70% coca solids ] broken in pieces

300g light muscovado sugar

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

150g plain flour

Topping

40g butter

40g demerara sugar

1 x 100 pkt flaked almonds

50g currants

50g glace cherries halved

50g mixed peel

Preheat oven 180 C, Grease and line a 20cm square loose bottomed tin. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Set aside to cool. Beat the butter and sugar together in a mixer until combined. Next add the eggs, little by little, until all combined. Add the flour and the melted chocolate and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine. Transfer to the tin and smooth the top. For the topping, melt the butter and sugar together in a small pan, then add the almonds, currants, cherries and candid peel, mix well. Scatter the florentine mixture over the top of the brownie mixture, spreading out evenly. Bake for about 45 mins for a slightly squidgier brownie, or 50 mins for more of a cakey brownie. Leave to cool, turn out and slice into squares.

Ingredients

250g softened butter,+ extra for greasing

1 x 200g pkt pecan halves

500g light muscovado sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2tbsp coffee extract

300g plain flour

50g white chocolate, in pieces

Coffee Cream

300ml double crean

3 tbsp icing sugar

1 tbsp coffee extract

Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm, 5cm deep baking tray. Scatter the pecan halves on a baking tray and toast in the oven for about 8 – 10 min, set aside to cool, Beat the butter and sugar in a mixer until combined, add the eggs a little at a time, continue beating, then the coffee extract, Next add the flour and a pinch of salt, roughly chop the pecans and add to the mixture. Mix to combine. Pour the mixture into the tin, smooth the top, bake in the oven for about 35 – 40 mins. (35 mins will be squidgy, 40 mins more cakey blondie.) For the coffee cream, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until thickened, chill in fridge. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Using a spoon drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the cooked cake while still slightly warm. Serve warm with the cream or leave to go cold. YUMMY

Ingredients

2 tbsp garlic oil

500g lamb neck fillet, or a shoulder cubed

1 onion sliced

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

125ml dry white wine

1 x 400g chopped tomatoes

2 large strips of orange peel, pith removed

2 good sprigs of thyme

Handful of Kalamata olives

1 large red pepper, seeded and sliced

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil and brown the lamb all over, remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan heat the remaining oil, add the onion and cook for about 5 mins until softened. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 secs more. Increase the heat and pour in the wine leave to bubble for about 2 – 3 mins until reduced by half. Return the lamb to the pan with the tomatoes, thyme, orange peel and 200ml of water. Cover and simmer for about an hour, adding a little water as reqd. Stir to stop it catching. Add the red pepper, olives and cook for a further 15-20 mins un-til peppers have softened.

Remove the orange peel before serving. Serve with prepared, [as per the packet], Cous Cous, crusty bread to mop up any remaining juices a glass of good Spanish wine.

1 tbsp garlic oil

1 tsp smoked paprika

3 good sized garlic cloves, finely chopped

1tsp chilli flakes

1 large onion, roughly chopped

1 green pepper, seeded, cut into chunks

1 large courgette cut into chunks

150g good chorizo, skin removed, sliced

1tsp dried oregano

350g long grain rice

750ml bought fish stock

5oog mixed seafood [defrosted]

3 tbsp flat leaf parsley

1 large onion thinly sliced [see end of recipe]

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the pimento, garlic, chilli flakes and the chopped onion. Cook for about 2 mins. Add the green pepper, courgette, chorizo and the oregano. Cook for about 3 mins until the chorizo and vegetables are golden. Add the rice and cook for about 2 mins, pour in the fish stock, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 mins, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is ten-der. [Stir from time to time, don’t let the rice burn or stick]. Add the seafood mix, stir to combine, season. Cook for about another 5 mins until the seafood is heated through. In another pan add another tbsp of oil and fry the sliced onion until almost crisp [don*t let in burn]. Garnish the cooked jumbalaya with the parsley and onions. Serve while hot. Enjoy with a cold larger or a large jug of Sangria.

Ingredients

100g walnut pieces

2 tbsp olive oil, + extra for greasing

50g butter 

Chorizo and

200g mini Portobello mushrooms, sliced

150g baby button mushrooms, quartered

2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, finely sliced

2tbsp fresh thyme leaves + extra to garnish

Grated zest of 1 lemon

300g good quality brie, cubed

750g puff pastry

1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk

Toast walnuts in a large frying pan and set aside. Return pan to heat, add 1 tbsp of the oil and half the butter. Add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat until soft and golden. Transfer to a bowl. Add remaining oil and butter to pan and sauté the leeks and garlic until softened. Stir in the thyme and lem-on and mix together. Transfer to the bowl. When cool add the walnuts and brie, and season, mix to-gether. Thinly roll out the pastry on a floured sur-face and cut inti 12 equal square pieces. Brush the edges of 6 and divide the mushroom mixture be-tween them. Place the second piece of pastry on top, seal edges with a fork and trim if required. Pierce the tops with a knife. Transfer to a lightly oiled bak-ing tray, brush the parcels with the egg mix and chill for 30 mins. Heat the oven to 180C fan while parcels are in fridge. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden.

Serve with Boston beans and new potatoes.

Gruyere Puffs

75g butter

110g plain flour

3 med eggs

75g Gruyere, diced

75g skinless chorizo, cooked and diced

Preheat oven to 180 C fan. In a pan, combine the butter, 175ml of water and half a tsp of salt. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and stir in the flour until smooth. Return to a medium heat and beat for 1 min. Remove from the heat and leave for 1 min. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until glossy, add the cheese and chorizo. Season with black pep-per. Spoon 2cm balls of the mixture onto a greased baking tray [makes about 30]. Bake for 30 mins, or until puffed and golden. When cooked pierce to re-lease any steam. Serve warm.

Ideal to eat al fresco with a nice bottle of chilled white wine.