Italian Sausage and Bean Casserole - Salsicce e Fagioli

How's everyone's week going? As it has been so cold today, a well needed warming meal was in order and there's no better than a casserole. Rather than spending hours cooking I always like to do an Italian sausage and bean casserole which is simple to prepare and doesn't take long to cook so it won't take long to warm yourself up :) and as requested by my husband I made a lovely little pudding which I will save for another day. But here's the recipe for the Italian sausage and bean casserole

Italian Sausage and Bean Casserole
Salsicce e Fagioli

4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 garlic clove
65g pancetta, diced
500g pork sausages, cut into chunks about 3cm thick
2 tbsp plain flour
1 glass red wine
1tbsp tomato purée
400ml beef stock
400g tinned cannellini beans, drained
200g button mushrooms, quartered
5 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish and fry the onions and carrots over a high heat for two minutes until golden and then add the garlic and fry for a further minute.
Add in the pancetta and the sausages and cook until the sausages are browned on all sides (about 5 minutes), stirring with a wooden spoon, dont worry too much if the sausages break up a bit as this adds to the flavour and texture.
Mix in the flour and cook for a further minute, stirring continuously.
Add in the wine and cook for about two minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate (this will thicken due to the flour)
Add in the beef stock, stir in the tomato purée, the cannellini beans and the mushrooms. Add the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, and bring to the boil.
Put a lid on and cook in the oven for 30 minutes until the sausages are tender and the sauce has thickened.

This is great served with rice, or potatoes and green vegetables, and some lovely fresh bread to soak up the wonderful sauce

Sugar Crusted Orange Scones

I try to never miss an opportunity to do some baking and any excuse will do so today I had some friends over and with some leftover ricotta I decided to make my lovely sugar crusted orange scones...they are so simple to make and are very moreish, but try to refrain from eating them all before your guests arrive haha :)

Sugar crusted orange scones

175g ricotta
grated zest of 1 orange
100g caster sugar
200g self-raising flour
50g butter
1-2 tbsp milk , plus extra for brushing
demerara sugar for topping


Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan oven 180C and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Tip the ricotta into a bowl and mix in the orange zest and half the sugar until combined.
Sift the flour and remaining sugar into another bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour mixture so it looks like fine breadcrumbs.
Stir the ricotta mixture into the flour mixture, adding a tablespoon or two of milk if necessary to get a soft (but not sticky) dough. Tip the dough on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly a few times only - just until the dough loses its craggy look. If you overknead, the scones will be tough.
Roll the dough to about 3cm (they will rise) and cut out using a round cutter (or square )
Brush the top of the scones with milk, and then sprinkle with a little of the demerara sugar on each one Bake for 20 minutes until well risen and golden on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
Perfect served with a sweet mascarpone cream

Red Velvet Brownie Pie

I decided as it was almost valentines day, well soon anyway, that I would start to do some great valentines inspired recipes and post them for you all. My first had to be something devilish as we had guests, so I decided on a Red Velvet Brownie Pie.....well what more can you ask for...a brownie in a pastry case and beautiful red colour just perfect for valentines :)) it's a must try recipe!

Red Velvet Brownie Pie

Ingredients

For the Pie
½ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ounce red food coloring
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1 sweet shortcrust pastry case

Preheat oven to 350°. Make shortcrust pastry and blind bake, leave to cool.
Combine cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and food coloring in a small bowl. Stir to form a paste.
Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer until fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time, then add remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add cocoa powder mixture and beat until completely incorporated. Mix in flour and salt. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into the pastry case.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (or only slightly coloured)
Now enjoy either with ice cream or a cream cheese whipped cream.

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)

Maple Mustard Pulled Pork

Most weekends we have friends or family over so I spend a lot of time in my kitchen preparing a feast, this week was no exception. I had decided to do a recipe that I had tried out on my boys a few weeks previous which went down so well that when I mentioned I would do for our friends my husband almost started salivating. Maple mustard pulled pork, you will not believe your taste buds when you try it, it is definitely one to try and honestly it really is quite an easy laid back recipe, it's slow cooked to give you time to either rest or if like me, prepare more food including a pudding haha :)) well heres the recipe. I served mine with halloumi flat breads and salad...with Spanish stuffed aubergine and green veg...I'm still struggling to move now and we finished dinner three hours ago...oooops

Maple mustard pulled pork

40g sea salt
200g light muscovado sugar
2kg/4lb 8oz piece pork shoulder
100ml maple syrup
100g wholegrain mustard

Mix the sea salt and 100g of the sugar in a large food bag, add the pork and coat it well. (If you don't have a bag, rub over the pork in a dish and cover with cling film.) Leave in the fridge overnight.
The next day, remove the pork and wipe down the meat with kitchen paper. Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Mix the remaining sugar, the maple syrup, mustard and some ground pepper. Rub half the mixture over the pork and Roast for 6 hrs.
After the 6 hours remove the pork and spoon the remaining maple mixture over the pork and roast for 1 hr more.
Rest the meat for 30 mins on a plate loosely covered with foil. To serve, tear the pork into big fat chunks and serve

French bead stick

I like to make a lot of bread, all different types and one that I hadn't tried was French bread stick so I decided now was the time. I set a day to do some baking and with some sweet buns that i made, I also made the french bread which came out brilliantly and went lovely with dinner, well what was left of it after my son and husband helped themselves hahaha :)

Homemade fish and chips with Italian peas

Whenever we fancy fish and chips I much prefer to make it then buy it from the chippy! It is quick and simple to make and it really is so much nicer

Battered fish

I normally use haddock but any other white fish is fine

Batter
1 cup self raising flour
1 cup cold water
Salt and pepper to taste
A small sprinkling of paprika

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until fully incorporated

Cut the fish into any size pieces you fancy, I like small pieces which means more batter :)
Place your fish into the batter and mix lightly to coat all the pieces

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan or your deep fat fryer
When it becomes hot enough (put a small amount of batter into the oil and if it cooks within 10-15 seconds its hot enough) add your fish in small batches so as not to cool the oil down too much
Cook for about 4-5 minutes and turn and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. The batter should be golden colour.
Drain on some kitchen roll and continue with the rest of the fish

Oven chips

750g potatoes (about 3 medium large), peeled
Olive oil , for drizzling
Salt

Heat oven to its highest setting, 220/fan 200c/gas 9.
Cut the potatoes into 1cm-wide slices, then into 1cm-thick sticks. Blanch in a large pan of boiling water for 5 mins, then drain well.
Place the potatoes onto a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, make sure each chip is evenly coated, shake and then season. Bake for about 15 mins, shaking the potatoes at least twice, until golden brown and crisp.

Italian peas

1 cup Garden Peas
1 heaped tablepoon Mascarpone
Grated Parmesan

Cook your peas either in the microwave or on the hob but don't over cook, they need to have a slight crunch when bitten into. Drain and add to a pan with a small amount of olive oil
Gently fry and add 1 large heaped tablespoon of mascarpone, melt and mix in. Add the grated Parmesan (Depending on how cheesy you want them depends on how much Parmesan you add) and serve :)

If you like mushy peas, crush them with a potato masher once you've cooked them with the mascarpone and Parmesan