Smoky beef cheek chilli con carne

Serves 2 plus leftovers for jacket potatoes

Ingredients

1 beef cheek
Plain flour for coating
Salt and pepper
Tasteless oil such as sunflower or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500ml beef stock (or 500ml water with stock cube/stock pot)
2 tbsp tomato ketchup (I use a low sugar version)
1 tsp coriander
1tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1tsp hot chilli powder (adjust to heat preferences)
1tsp chipotle paste or 1 chipotle chilli rehydrated and chopped
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp celery salt (or chop 2 stalks of celery finely and add with the onions)
1 tin baked beans (I use low salt low sugar beans)

Instructions

1.  Preheat the oven to 150 deg C/Gas mark 2
2.  In a lidded casserole dish pour a little oil to coat the bottom of the dish and put on the hob until hot
3.  Season the flour with salt and pepper and coat the beef cheek
4.  Seal the beef cheek in the hot pan, colouring well.  Take out and put onto a plate
5.  Add a little more oil if required, then add the onion (and celery if using) and soften.
6.  Add the garlic and continue frying until lightly browned
7.  To the dish add the stock, ketchup and all of the herbs and spices, mix well and then add the beef cheek
8.  Put in the oven and cook for approximately 3 hours, turning occasionally if the meat is poking out of the sauce
9.  After 3 hours add the beans and put back into the oven for 15 minutes
10.  After this time the meat shouhld be shreddable in the pot using 2 forks.  If it isn't put back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so
11.  Before serving reduce the sauce on the hob if necessary (should be thick and glossy)

Serve with rice, sour cream and tortilla chips

Cauliflower and fresh green peppercorn hot and sour curry

Ingredients

2 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
1-2 tsp tamarind concentrate (to taste)
300 ml water
Salt (to taste)
Oil for frying
1 cauliflower cut into florets
6 sprigs fresh green peppercorns

Instructions

1.  Preheat the oven to 200 deg C/gas mark 6/180 deg C fan oven
2.  In an oven proof dish lay out the cauliflower florets, dress lightly with oil then sprinkle with garam masala and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes until they are cooked through
3.  In a large frying pan heat some oil and put in the mustard seeds
4.  When the seeds start popping add the curry leaves and onions.  Cook until well browned and softened
5.  Add the garlic and cook through for another 2 minutes until softened
6.  Add the tomatoes, turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, coriander and salad and simmer for 5 minutes (if dry add about a cup of water).  Turn off until the next stage
7.  5 minutes before the cauliflower is ready, add the tamarind concentrate and half of the water.  If it looks a little thick add a little more water until you get a gravy consistency.  Add the peppercorns on their vines and simmer for 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasoning as required.  It should taste sour but not overly so

To serve - arrange the cauliflower, dress with the hot and sour sauce, and servie with rice or roti

Slow cooked lemon and thyme chicken

This recipe is for a whole chicken cooked in a slow cooker, which gives the most beautifully tender and flavoursome meat with minimal effort.

Tools and ingredients

3.5l slow cooker

1 medium chicken (approximately 3.5lb in weight)

1 lemon - zested and then cut into quarters

Fresh or dried thyme

1 onion - cut in half with the skin left on

50 ml water

Salt and pepper

Instructions

1.  In the bottom of the slow cooker crockery, put the onion and lemon so that you create a trivet for the chicken

2.  Place the chicken on top, then sprinkle with the lemon zest, thyme, salt and pepper

3.  Put the water in the bottom of the pan to help create a little steam, then put the lid on and set on low. Leave to cook for about 8 hours.

At the end of this time you will have a chicken that can literally be taken apart with a spoon.  Be careful when taking the chicken out of the slow cooker, as it will break apart very easily.  I use two large slotted spoons to do this

Serve on a bed of rocket with a warm honey and mustard vinagrette and roasted root vegetables

Bitterballen

Bitterballen are a delicious - if a little unhealthy - snack that is loved in the Netherlands.  A deep fried crumbed ball filled with a beef or veal ragu,  they are often found in take away restaurants and bars where they are often enjoyed with a beer.

The following recipe has been given to me by my Dutch sister in law Angelique

Ingredients

300 g butter

1kg beef mince

3 cups plain flour

Salt

Pepper

Nutmeg

Aromat (optional - if not available I find a good dash of worcestershire sauce works well)

2-3 tbsp tomato ketchup (optional)

2 tsp sugar

Day before:

Melt butter in a large saucepan

Fry mince until browned and separated

Add 3 cups of flour

Add enough water to make a VERY STIFF sauce, so the spoon will stay

upright when stuck in the middle of the hot sauce

Bring sauce to boil stirring continuously as it can burn quickly

Add spices to taste: salt pepper nutmegs aromat, a couple of teaspoons of sugar and ketchup if used

Cool and store in fridge overnight

The next day:

On two plates put breadcrumbs and mixed raw egg

Scoop out 1 tsp of cold sauce - (Use teaspoon for scooping, keep all the balls the same size - slightly smaller than a table tennis ball is the size to aim for)

Roll with one hand through breadcrumbs then use other hand to roll through egg mixture, then roll again in breadcrumbs with your "dry" hand

Freeze on trays lined with baking paper

When frozen store in zip lock bags

To cook:

Deep fry at about 180 deg C (if you don't have a deep fat fryer or thermometer, put a wooden chopstick or spoon in the oil to the bottom of the pan.  If bubbles come up from the wood, it is about the correct temperature) 

Fry from frozen

Do not put too many in at once otherwise your oil will cool too much and

your bitterballen will soak up a lot of fat

Fry for approximately 4 minutes

Alternative flavours:

in stead of mince, use chicken, add curry and other spices to sauce

use fish and prawns

use sticky rice (short grain / sushi rice)  with all sorts of small cut

vegetables (nassi ballen)

use mashed potatoes with cheese

As you can see, you can use your imagination, just keep to the rule that

the sauce or whatever you put in there MUST be very thick when still

hot, otherwise you will not be able to form balls the next day.

Bolognaise type pasta sauce

The recipe below isn't authentic by any means, but is a tasty sauce that is easily made in bulk and frozen.  It is a long slow cooking recipe, so you will need a few hours to spare to make this.  This will easily make 8 portions, more if you don't have large amounts of sauce on your pasta

Ingredients

2 onions, finely diced
4 sticks of celery, finely diced
3 large carrots finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
800g lean beef mince
200ml port
1/2 ring of black pudding, skinned and chopped into small chunks (optional but adds a beautiful richness)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
3 tins chopped tomatoes
Olive oil, for cooking

Method

1.  In a very large lidded pan, put some olive oil and heat to a medium heat

2.  Put in the onions and stir round until they are thoroughly coated in the olive oil.  Reduce the heat to low and cook for approximately 30 minutes until sweet and golden, stirring occasionally to ensure they don't stick in the pan

3.  Add the celery and carrots, stir well and cook for another 30 minutes until all softened and caramelised

4.  Add the garlic and cook for 10-15 minutes

5.  Push the vegetable mixture to one side of the pan, turn the heat up to medium, add the mince in batches and brown.  Once each batch browns, mix with the vegetables and then push to the side of the pan and add the next batch until all of the beef is in

6.  Add the chopped black pudding and stir well until the black pudding breaks down and coats the mixture in 'grains'

7.  Add the 200ml port and heat through to remove the majority of the alcohol

8.  Add the 3 tins of tomatoes and stir well.  Add the oregano, reduce the heat, put the lid on and let it simmer gently, stirring occasionally.  The mix may look a little dry, but as the tomatoes break down there will be alot of liquid.  The black pudding will thicken the sauce.

9.  Cook on a gentle simmer for 2-3 hours until the tomatoes and the beef have broken down

Serve with pasta such as spiralli, make into a lasagne or eat with garlic bread and a salad