Beef, Squash and Chestnut Stew

I know it's not exactly cold outside just yet but when the leaves start to change it definitely gets me in an autumn mood...especially in the kitchen! 

I took a trip to one of my local supermarkets and came upon some wonderful looking squash, and of course I picked them up knowing that i would use them...one way or another. 

This time it had to be in a nice warming autumnal stew, I had some chestnuts leftover as well so I decided these would work well in it as well as the squash with the cubes beef I had, so after spending most of my preperation time cutting these squash up ( I may have muscles like arnie now hehe) I had made the most wonderful smelling stew which after the 2 1/2 hours had filled the house with the most wonderful warming smell. 

This is a really simple stew (except maybe for the cutting up of the squash) throw it all in one pan, pop it in the oven, add dumplings if you like and bobs your uncle ...fantastic family meal :))

Beef, Squash and Chestnut Stew

400g cubed beef

100g kabocha squash

100g butternut squash

100g onion squash

1/2 courgette chopped

1 onion chopped

2 carrots peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves chopped

1 tsp thyme 

1 tsp rosemary

1/4 bottle red wine

500ml beef stock

1 tsp tomato purée

100g chestnuts (pre cooked) chopped

5 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

Flour

Dumplings

125g self raising flour

62.5g butter cold

Milk

Salt and pepper

Pour some flour into a bowl and season the beef with salt and pepper, then roll into the flour

In a casserole pan, and heat some oil. Add the onion and carrots and cook for around 10 minutes until softened, add the garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook for a further minute.

Add the beef and cook for a couple of minutes (not too long, you don't want to cook it)

Add the vegetables and mix through and add the red wine and turn up the heat and bubble for a minute to burn away the alcohol. Add the stock, and tomato purée and mix through. Add the chestnuts and bay leaves, salt and pepper and stir in, pop on a lid and pop into a pre heated oven (150/140c fan) for around 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

To make the dumplings

In a bowl add the flour, some salt and pepper and cut the cold butter into cubes and using your fingers rub into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs

Pour a small amount of milk into the flour/butter mixture and mix until you get a soft dough, you may need to add milk slowly until you get the right consistency (use your hands to bind the dough together as if you use a knife, it doesn't always come together until it gets to gooey)

Split into 5 and shape into balls

About half an hour until the stew is done, remove the stew from the oven, take off the lid and pop the dumplings in. Return to the oven with the lid on for another half an hour and remove and serve with potatoes and vegetables 

Leftovers recipe - chicken and vegetable lasagne

I must say when it comes to cooking I do like to use fresh ingredients but as mentioned before it's become important to start using everything from leftovers to the last bits left in the fridge so I have been on a mission to see how far I can take foods...from my two curries using leftover Sunday dinner to now using up leftover chicken. This is a really simple recipe which I think most of us like but twisting it to work with what I had leftover. I adore lasagne, it has to be one of my favourite comfort foods. Granted I don't cook it as much, due to the fact that when I do I eat practically the whole lot so I tend to make it every so often. Using leftover chicken and some vegetables that were in need of being used up actually turned up to be a really cheap and extremely satisfying meal, I didn't just add the chicken to the vegetables, I actually made two different layers of flavours which complemented each other perfectly and it got a huge thumbs up from my son. 

If you have any leftover chicken try out my filling, cheap and very tasty lasagne :))

Chicken and Vegetable Lasagne

Vegetable layer

1 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 sprig of rosemary chopped

1 tsp oregano

1 courgette chopped into quarters

1 aubergine cut into small pieces

2 peppers cut into bits

1 1/2 tin plum tomatoes 

Salt and pepper

Chicken layer

Leftover chicken about 300g

40g pancetta cubes

100g mushrooms chopped

Cheese sauce

500ml milk

2 heaped tbsp cornflour

Knob of butter

Grated cheese (to your taste- I prefer not too cheesy)

Lasagne sheets

Mozzarella - I pack buffalo mozzarella sliced 

In a pan add some oil and heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, add the garlic and cook for a further minute and then add the herbs and cook for another minute

Add the vegetables (you may need a little more oil) and cook through for around 5 minutes on a medium heat (you don't want to cook too much as you don't want soggy vegetables)

Pour in the plum tomatoes and stir through. Add a good amount of salt and pepper and stir in. Simmer for around 10 minutes and remove from the heat

In a jug add the milk and stir in the cornflour

In a small saucepan on a high heat, melt the butter and once melted add the jug of milk and stir until the sauce begins to thicken, this will be when it starts to boil. Once thickened add the cheese and stir in to melt and turn the heat down to a slow simmer for a couple more minutes and remove from the heat

In a pan add some oil and on a medium heat add the pancetta, mushrooms and cook through for a couple of minutes and then add the leftover chicken and stir through. Cook this until well cooked and heated through and then add 2 large serving spoons worth of the cheese sauce and stir through and heat for a further minute and remove from the heat

To assemble to lasagne

In a large oven proof dish pour in just over half the vegetable mixture into the bottom of the dish and place half the mozzarella over the vegetables, lay over the lasagne sheets.

Spoon all the chicken mixture over the lasagne sheet and top with more lasagne sheets.

Spoon over the remaining vegetable mixture and top with the rest of the mozzarella, lay over the some lasagne sheets and pour over the remaining cheese sauce

Pop into a pre heated oven at 180/170c fan and cook through for around 30 minutes until golden on top and the lasagne sheets have cooked through ;))

Money saving recipes with two fantastic curries :))

Recently there has been so much emphasis on families cutting down food waste and being more economical in he shopping and as good as it all sounds, this can be difficult...okay I admit it I am one of those people that throws stuff away but I must say I'm making a real effort to curb this down! Jamie oliver has just recently brought a new book out and a new series and its very inspiring and it shows that you don't just have to meal plan to save food waste and save pennies, it just means using whats leftover for something else...I know easier said than done but I attempted this with leftover chicken. We were supposed to have guests and unfortunately they cancelled so Sunday afternoon I was left with a lot of chicken, I was expecting a bit but I had a least two days worth so recipe experimenting went into over drive to come up with some family friendly recipes to use it up...and it really paid off not only did we have another two days using up the chicken but some awesome meals and flavours.

My first recipe is a child friendly take on a Kerala Curry, I must say I'm not thy tolerant of spicy heat so whenever I make a curry of any sorts it tends to be mild to medium which works well with kids as well! You can of course make this curry spicier if you wanted just use hot curry powder and a chilli if you wanted! 

The flavours in the curry are fantastic an its so simple to prepare but not only did I want to use up the chicken, I also had some leftover veg and potatoes, so I was determined to use them as well and wow was it a fantastic meal...easy to prepare and cheap cheap cheap :))

My take on a Kerala Curry (child friendly)

500g Leftover Chicken 

1 Onion chopped

1 tsp Ginger 

2 Garlic cloves chopped

Mild chili powder- 1 tbsp (if you like it hot use hot chilli powder according to your taste)

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp ground Coriander

1 tsp Garam masala powder

5 cardamom pods

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tin plum tomatoes

1 tin coconut milk

Salt

Coconut oil (if you have it otherwise normal oil will be fine)

Heat the oil in a pan and add onion until it becomes soft and then add the ginger and garlic and sauté until onion turns golden brown.

Reduce the heat to low and add the chili powder, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, cardamom pods and fennel seeds and cook this for several minutes (you may need to add more oil if needed) add the cooked chicken and stir through to coat in the spices and cook for a further minute. Add the 1/2 tin tomatoes and stir through and then add the tin of coconut milk, stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Add salt and simmer for 10-15 minutes 

Serve with rice and my leftover veg and potato side dish

Leftover veg and potato side dish

Leftover veg ie Brussels broccoli cabbage carrots

Leftover roast Potatoes 

1 onion chopped

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp chilli flakes 

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

Salt

In a pan heat some oil and add the onion and ginger, cook until the onion softens

Add the turmeric and garam masala and heat for 1 minutes

Add the chopped veg and potatoes and mix through and season with salt

Cook for around 10 minutes on a medium heat until cooked through thoroughly 

Serve with my child friendly Kerala curry and rice 

Cheese Stuffed Tear and Share Garlic Dough Balls

I am a sucker for garlic bread in any shape and form and this weekend I was definitely in a garlic bread mood.

I hadn't made my sticky ribs in a while and this was a perfect opportunity to enjoy it with some potato wedges, corn on the cob and some yummy garlic bread, and my recipe makes it a great get together food as well :))

Cheese stuffed Tear and Share Garlic Dough Balls

Pizza dough

250g strong white bread flour

5g fast action yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp garlic olive oil

150ml lukewarm water

1 pack of buffalo Mozzarella 

4 tbsp butter melted

1 large garlic clove

Make up the dough by adding the flour, yeast, salt and oil to a bowl. Add the water and mix to form a dough. 

Knead the dough on a floured work surface for around 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic

Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film and leave to rest in a warm place for around an 1 1/2-2 hrs until doubled in size

Cut up the mozzarella into small pieces 1cm squared 

Melt the butter in a bowl and add the garlic and mix well 

Lightly butter an 8" round cake tin (loose bottom is best) 

Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly oiled worktop

Tear off small pieces and flatten it in your hand, place one or two pieces of the mozzarella into the centre of your flatten dough and then cover the cheese with the dough, by pinching the sides up into the centre and seal as best you can.

Using a pastry brush, brush over a little of the garlic butter all over the  dough ball and place in the cake tin.

Repeat this until all the dough has been used, don't pack the dough balls into too much as they will rise and join.

Cover with cling film and leave to rest until risen. I leave mine in the top oven while the bottom oven is heating up and it takes only about 20 minutes for the dough to rise again.

Pre heat the oven to 220/200c fan

Once risen sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese and pop in the oven for around 15-18 minutes until golden on top

Remove from the oven and remove from the pan and serve warm :))

Coconut and Cinnamon Crispy Chicken

The other night I was pretty pushed for time as me and my son had busy all day and I had some chicken thighs marinating in some buttermilk but hadn't actually decided what I was going to coat them in until we bought some flavoured popcorn and it gave me a brainwave...I know strange ehh it comes to me in the strangest ways hehe! Anyway this was a caramel, cinnamon and coconut flavour popcorn and while I was eating it I thought that (without the caramel) it would taste pretty darn good on some chicken so off I went home to the kitchen and made a coconut and cinnamon breadcrumb for my chicken and it was fantastic...just enough coconut and cinnamon flavour to make our dinner something different and flavoursome :)) it even got a huge thumbs up from my son...mission accomplished! The secret to moist and tender breaded chicken whether its fried or oven cooked is to marinate it in buttermilk...honestly it's works wonders :)

Coconut and Cinnamon Crispy Chicken

4 chicken thighs

250ml buttermilk or 250ml milk and 1 tbsp lemon juice

2 -3 slices of bread

5 tbsp desiccated coconut 

3/4 tsp cinnamon (ground)

Salt and pepper

Plain flour

1 egg (beaten)

Pour the buttermilk into a deep bowl (or add the milk and lemon juice and allow to stand for 10 minutes) 

Add the chicken thighs and cover with cling film for at least 3 hours, overnight is good too

Pre heat the oven to 190/180c fan

Place the bread in a food processor and blitz to form breadcrumbs. Add the desiccated coconut and the ground cinnamon and salt and pepper and blitz again until fully incorporated. Pour this on to a plate.

Pour a little flour onto a plate and the beaten egg on another

Lift the chicken out of the buttermilk and place in the flour bowl. Coat with flour and add the chicken to the egg bowl and cover with the egg. Then finally add the chicken to the coconut/cinnamon breadcrumbs and coat fully.

Place on a lined baking tray and repeat with the remaining chicken thighs

Spray a little olive oil finely over the chicken

Pop into the oven for around. 30-40 minutes until golden in colour and the chicken is cooked

I served mine with garlic and cinnamon roasted veg and chips

Pearl Barley and Marinated Steak

This evening I wanted to make something a little different so rummaged through my cupboards and found a few ingredients which I threw together with some steak.... it ended up being absolutely delicious, so I'm sharing this lovely recipe...definitely give it a go, the mixture of flavours is wonderful :)

Pearl Barley and Marinated Steak

1 1/2 cups Pearl barley
4 Roasted red peppers
6 Artichoke halves (jar)
5 sundried tomatoes
Big Handful of flaked almonds (toasted)
Big Handful of walnuts (toasted)

2 steaks
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp rosemary
4 tbsp garlic oil

Boil 8 cups of water with a pinch of salt and a glug of oil. Once it comes to the boil pour in the 1 1/2 cups of pearl barley and reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for about an hour until all the water is absorbed.
Leave to rest and cool. I made mine in the morning to use in the afternoon.

Mix the steak marinade ingredients together and pour over the steaks. Leave to rest for at least a few hours.

Heat some oil and a bit of butter in a frying pan on a medium/high heat. Place the steaks in the pan and cook for about 4 minutes on each side (depending on size and how you like your steaks)

Once cooked, remove from the pan and put on a warm plate and leave to stand while you make the pearl barley salad.

When you are ready to make the pearl barley salad, heat about 1 tbsp of garlic oil and a knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the pearl barley and heat through.

Add the roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, and artichokes and stir through on the heat.

Remove from the heat and stir through the walnuts and almonds.

Place some of the pearl barley salad on a plate and place, cut strips of steak on top and enjoy :))

Halloumi flat breads...easy to make and so very tasty

I like to try and do some form of bread to accompany our meals. When time is short and I don't have the time to work with a yeast dough I always turn to this recipe for flat breads. It's so versatile and although I am giving you the halloumi version you can try any combination, such as olive and Harissa, Manchego cheese and roasted red pepper, or olive and feta, they really are so yummy :)

Halloumi Flat Bread

300g self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
300g plain yoghurt
150-200g halloumi

Add the flour, salt and baking powder to a bowl and add the yoghurt and mix to form a dough. Add the crumbed halloumi cheese and knead into the dough
Cover your work surface with plenty of flour and divide your dough into 8 pieces and now you can roll them flat ready to dry fry
In a frying pan heat a small amount of oil and once heated up pour it out and place your first flat bread into the pan. Fry for a couple of minutes until golden and then turn over and fry for a further couple of minutes and remove to a plate. Continue with the rest of the flat breads and serve

(Adapted from Jo Wheatley recipe)