Pork meatballs for pasta

4 11 2009

I made meatballs with pork mince instead of my usual beef recipe on the weekend and it worked really well. Read the rest of this entry »





Speedy beef stroganoff

1 11 2009

This rich, creamy dish is a great way to make steak go a bit further.It’s tasty, quick and if you use low fat creme fraiche in place of sour cream it’s pretty healthy too.

The meat is not cooked for long so is best with fillet (although sirloin and rump are both fine too). See what’s on offer this week! Read the rest of this entry »





A big pot of chilli con carne

26 10 2009

I think the key to a good chilli is time. It’s very quick to put together but does need about an hour on the hob. It’s something I’ll often cook for tomorrow’s tea at the same time as something quick for tonight’s. I think red kidney beans are the work of satan – but if you like them, feel free to add them in for the last 15 minutes or so.

You can use beef mince or casserole/stewing beef for this – the later makes a really hearty chilli stew which is good for tacos or fajita wraps. Read the rest of this entry »





Sausage pasta in tomato ragu

26 10 2009
Sausage pasta simmering

Sausage pasta simmering

This is pretty much my all-purpose pasta sauce recipe (the tomato version, anyway – see below for the cheese version). Tonight I’m making it with sausages cos they were on offer in Marksies – got up too late for the market this Saturday. We eat it with turkey quite often too for a good low fat version. Read the rest of this entry »





Smoked mackerel fishcakes

12 10 2009

Smoked mackerel

Smoked mackerel

This is a favourite weeknight standby of ours. It’s an easy process to put them together and uses easy-to-keep ingredients.

I use the vac-packed smoked mackerel fillets which are cheap as chips and give a lovely smoky flavour to the fishcakes. The only other ingredients are mash, spring onions and some breadcrumbs. Read the rest of this entry »





Marvelous meatballs in tomato sauce

12 10 2009

These quick and delicious meatballs are simple and cheap to make.

This takes about an hour to cook but the prep time’s about 15 mins. So you can get it sorted as you walk through the door and go and do something else for an hour while it does its thing in the oven. So they’re also good if you’re expecting guests too. Read the rest of this entry »





Cheat’s chicken casserole

11 10 2009
Cheat's chicken casserole

Cheat's chicken casserole

Delia copped a lot of unfair flack for suggesting that it’s better to cook from scratch using a few shortcuts than not to cook at all.

I agree and here’s my favourite cheat recipe – a creamy chicken in white wine casserole. I’ve been making it since student days so can’t remember where the idea came from but it’s a good after work idea as it’s another one that take a few minutes to pull together then sits in the oven while you go and do something more exciting for an hour. Read the rest of this entry »





Korma from scratch

11 10 2009

I searched high and low for a good korma recipe as I never found anything in a packet or jar that wasn’t gloopy and too sweet. I’ve worked on this over time as a recipe so it works for me every time. Although I will admit from the start that it’s a bit of a pain in the bum unless you have a well-stocked spice rack and a block of creamed coconut (check the list below before you start!). Read the rest of this entry »





Sausage Casserole

4 10 2009
Warming sausage casserole

Warming sausage casserole

Walking in from two hours standing at a rather cold and rainy rugby match I feel the need for something rich, warming and appropriately autumnal. We may have been barbecuing in September, but normal service has now been resumed.

I have tried the packet mixes for sausage casserole and there’s always something a bit gloopy about them. It make take 10 mins more to do it from scratch but it’s certainly worth it. Read the rest of this entry »





Tsatsiki and beef kebabs

4 10 2009
Salted cucumber before it's squeezed out

Salted cucumber before it's squeezed out

I found a yellowed newspaper clipping that I’d ripped out in the summer of 1997 – a recipe for tsatsiki that been meaning to get round to for 12 years! Read the rest of this entry »