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Bangers & mash with onion gravy

Ingredients - serves 4

- 8 frozen thick pork sausages
- 950g basics potatoes, peeled & chopped
- 2 red onions, peeled & finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 400g frozen green beans
- ½ beef stock cube
- 100ml milk
- 1 knob of butter
- Black pepper to season

Method

1. Grill the frozen sausages, following pack instructions.
2. Meanwhile, simmer the potatoes in water for 15-20 minutes, until soft, then drain and mash with the milk.
3. Meanwhile, fry the red onions in the knob of butter over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and 500ml stock, made using the beef stock cube, and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook the frozen green beans in lightly boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and serve immediately with the sausages, mash and onion gravy.

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BBQ Turkish kofta kebabs with minted yoghurt

Ingredients - serves 4

- 900g minced lamb
- 2  onions, finely grated
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Oil for brushing
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, thinly sliced
- Salt
- Pepper

Method

1. Preheat a charcoal barbeque 40 minutes ahead of cooking. If using a cast-iron
griddle pan, heat it over a high heat, then lower the heat slightly before cooking.
2. Cover eight bamboo skewers with cold water and leave them to soak.
3. Put the minced lamb into a bowl with the onions, garlic, chilli flakes, parsley, one teaspoon of salt and some pepper and set aside.
4. Brush the kofta generously with oil and lightly oil the bars of the barbeque griddle. Cook for five minutes, turning occasionally, until browned all over and cooked through.
5. Serve with the minted yoghurt sauce.

To make the minted yoghurt
Mix 200g Greek natural yoghurt with 2 tbsp of chopped mint (or mint sauce).

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Burger & homemade chips

Ingredients - serves 4

- ½ x 2.5kg pack basics potatoes
- 1 x 500g pack beef mince
- 1 onion, peeled & finely chopped
- 4 x giant white baps, toasted
-  2 tomatoes, sliced
- 1 x 75g pack basics young leaf salad
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, peeled & finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- Black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C/ gas 6. Wash the potatoes and cut into finger-width chips. Spread in a single layer on a large non-stick baking tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes, turning a few times.
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, garlic and dried mixed herbs. Cook for 5 minutes until soft, then tip into a large bowl and add the beef mince. Season and bring the mixture together with your hands. Divide into 4 and shape into burgers.
3. Using the same pan you used to cook the onion mixture, fry the burgers for about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook in the oven for a further 10 minutes, until cooked through, piping hot and no pink colour remains.
4. Serve each burger in a giant white bap with 2 sliced tomatoes and some young leaf salad.

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Chestnut and Sausage stuffing

Ingredients

- 25g butter
- 1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 250g chestnut puree
- 150g pork sausage meat
- 100g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1x15ml spoon finely chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat butter and fry onion until soft. Pour into the chestnut puree and add sausage meat.
2. Stir in breadcrumbs and parsley. Season lightly.
3. Bake for 45 minutes at 180C.

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German Sausage Rolls (Würstebrot) - Westphalia

Ingredients

- 1 lb risen yeast dough
- 1 lb sausage meat (or you can use sausages)
- 1 egg yolk, beaten

Method

1. Roll out the dough to 1/8 in thick. Cut into 8 rectangles, roughly 5 by 2 in.
2. Roll out the sausage meat, cut off 8 pieces (or same number as pastry pieces). Put a “sausage” in the centre of each rectangle and roll over.
3. Wet the edges to seal, pinch firmly and leave in a warm place to rise, lightly covered.
4. Paint with egg and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes on the top shelf. Serve with salad.

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Lamb burgers

Ingredients - serves 8

- 750g lamb mince
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 50g fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg, beaten

Method

1. Work all the ingredients together by hand in a large bowl.
2. Cover the bowl and marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.
3. With damp hands, shape the meat into 8 burger patties, or use a Burger Press.
4. Grill for approx. 3-5 minutes on each side until cooked through.

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Mini burgers & buns

Ingredients

For the buns
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 large egg
- 3 1/4 cups flour
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 scant tbsp active dry yeast

For the burgers
- 1 egg
- pinch of salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3tbsp fine dry breadcrumbs
- cheese in slices

Method

For the buns
In a bowl whisk together the milk, melted butter, and egg. Place the milk mixture, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bread machine in the order suggested by your bread machine manufacturer. Run on dough cycle. Remove finished dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll half of the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness or slightly more. Cut out with a 1 1/2-inch cutter. You could make your sandwiches slightly larger using a 2-inch cutter.
Place cut-outs on a large greased baking sheet. Bake at 240°C/475°F/Gas Mark 9 for 15 to 18 minutes, or until browned. Brush tops with a little butter while they're hot. Let cool on rack. Split the cooled buns and fill with burger meat and cheese.

For the burgers
Whisk together the egg, salt and black pepper in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix the breadcrumbs into the beef using a fork or your hands. Then simply mix the two mixtures together and shape into small burgers using your hands.
As with most burger recipes you have the choice of grilling or shallow frying your burgers. The cooking time depends on the thickness (4-5min approx. each side).
Add one cheese slice as soon as you take your burgers off the heat to allow each slice to melt. Serve with your own choice of topping.

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Pork belly roast

Ingredients - serves 4

- 1.5kg pork belly
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 red onions, halved
- 2 carrots, peeled and halved lengthways
- 2 sticks of celery, chopped in half
- 1 bulb of garlic, skin on, broken into cloves
- a small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 600ml water or stock

Method

Preheat your oven to full whack, it needs to be at least 220°C/425°F/gas 7.
Place your pork on a clean work surface, skin-side upwards. Get yourself a small sharp knife
and make scores about a centimetre apart through the skin into the fat, but not so deep that
you cut into the meat. Rub salt right into all the scores you’ve just made, pulling the skin apart a little if you have to. Brush any excess salt off the surface of the skin and turn it over. Season the underside of the meat with a little more salt and a little black pepper. Place your pork, skin side-up, in a roasting tray big enough to hold the pork and the vegetables, and place in the hot oven.

Roast for about half an hour until the skin of the pork has started to puff up and you can see
it turning into crackling. Turn the heat down to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and roast for another hour.
Take out of the oven and baste with the fat in the bottom of the tray. Carefully lift the pork up and transfer to a chopping board. Add all the veg, garlic and thyme to the tray and stir them into the fat. Place the pork on top of everything and pop the tray back in the oven. Roast for another hour. By this time the meat should be meltingly soft and tender. Carefully move the meat to a serving dish, cover with tin foil and leave to rest while
you make your gravy.

Spoon away any fat in the tray, then add the water or stock and place the tray on the hob. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to scrape up all those lovely sticky tasty bits on the bottom of the tray. When you’ve got a nice, dark gravy, pour it through a sieve into a bowl or gravy boat, using your spoon to really push all the goodness of the veg through the sieve. Add a little more salt and pepper if it needs it. Serve the pork with the crackling, gravy, some creamy mashed potato, nice fresh greens and a dollop of English mustard.
Prep time: 10 minutes        Cook time: 2.5 hours

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Saucy meatballs with rice

Ingredients - serves 4

- 500g beef mince
- 2 x 400g packs chopped tomatoes
- 350g frozen chopped spinach
- 400g easy cook rice
- Chopped parsley (optional)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled & chopped
- Black pepper to season

Method

1. In a large, lidded frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, then add the onion. Soften for 5 minutes and remove from the pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the beef mince with half the cooked onion and mix well. Shape the mince mixture into approximately 20 meatballs. Using the same frying pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the meatballs in batches, until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Carefully wipe the pan with kitchen towel to remove any excess liquid, then add the remaining onion along with the chopped tomatoes and spinach. Season well, cover and simmer for 5 minutes, until the spinach has defrosted. Remove the lid from the pan, then add the meatballs and cook for a further 10 minutes, until piping hot throughout and no pink colour remains in the meatballs.
4. Meanwhile cook the rice following pack instructions. Serve the meatballs on a bed of rice. Garnish with parsley.

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Steak pie

Ingredients - serves 4

- 900g/2lb stewing steak, cut into cubes
- plain flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, for dusting
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 570ml/1 pint hot beef stock
- 225g/8oz ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
- 1 free-range egg, beaten

Method

1. Dust the cubed steak with the seasoned flour
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan and fry the meat, stirring frequently, until browned on all sides.
3. Add the sliced onions, herbs, salt and freshly ground black pepper and the stock and bring to the boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for an hour and a half.
5. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
6. Transfer the filling mixture to an ovenproof dish. Line the rim of the dish with a thin strip of pastry. Dampen the pastry rim by brushing with beaten egg. Cut a piece of pastry to fit across the top of the dish and place on top of the dish, pressing the edges together to seal. Decorate with pastry trimmings, make a steam hole in the centre of the pie by slashing with a sharp knife, then brush with more beaten egg.
7. Transfer to the oven and cook for 1-1½ hours. If the pastry gets too brown, cover it with foil. Serve hot.

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Sticky slow-roast pork belly

Ingredients - serves 6

- 1.3kg piece pork belly, boned, rind left on and scored
- 2 tsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp white peppercorns, crushed
- 3 large onions, sliced
- 2-3 tbsp clear honey
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

Method

1. Heat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Lay the pork, skin-side up, on a rack in a roasting tin. Trickle with a little oil, then lightly press on the crushed peppercorns and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt. Place in the oven, then cook for 1 hr. Remove from the oven and baste with the juices. Continue to cook for a further 1 1/2 hrs, basting every 20 minutes.
2. Put the sliced onions in the roasting tin under the pork. Mix the honey together with the cumin and chilli, brush it over the pork, then increase the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Cook for a further 30-40 minutes, basting occasionally, until caramelized with a rich, golden glaze over the pork. Once cooked and tender (this can be easily tested by piercing the flesh with a knife), remove pork from the oven, then leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.
3. While the pork is resting, heat the tin on the stove with the onions, adding 2 tbsp water. This will lift any residue from the pan, creating a moist cooking liquor. Season the onions with salt and pepper, then divide between 6 plates. Carve pork into
6 portions, then serve on top of the onions. Pour any remaining liquor over and serve with Pumpkin mash (e.g.).

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Teriyaki beef skewers

Ingredients - makes 6

- large red onions
- 500g rump steak, sliced thinly
- 60ml teriyaki sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 spring onions, sliced finely

Method

1. Cut each onion into 12 wedges and thread onto 6 skewers with the beef.
2. Combine sauce, paste, garlic and sugar and then brush mixture over skewers. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
3. Cook under a grill or on a barbecue until browned all over and cooked to preference.
4. Serve sprinkled with spring onion.

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Toad in the hole

Ingredients - serves 4

- 100g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp English mustard powder
- 1 egg
- 300ml milk
-  3 thyme sprigs, leaves only
- 8 pork sausages
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onions, peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp soft brown sugar
- 500ml beef stock

Method

1. Make the batter: heat oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. Tip flour into a large
mixing bowl and stir in the mustard powder with a good pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, crack in the egg, then pour in a dribble of milk. Stir with a wooden spoon, gradually incorporating some of the flour, until you have a smooth batter in the well. Now add a bit more milk and continue stirring until all the milk and flour has been mixed together.
2. The batter is ready: you should now have a smooth, lump-free batter that is the consistency of double cream. Tip it back into the jug you measured your milk in, for easier pouring later on, then stir in the thyme. Use scissors to snip the links between your sausages, then drop them into a 20x30cm roasting tin. Add 1 tbsp of oil, tossing the sausages in it to thoroughly coat the base of the tin, then roast in the oven for 15 min.
3. Cook the batter: take the hot tray from the oven, then quickly pour in the batter -
it should sizzle and bubble a little when it first hits the hot fat. Put it back into the oven, then bake for 40 minutes until the batter is cooked through, well risen and crisp. If you poke the tip of a knife into the batter in the middle of the tray it should be set, not sticky or runny.
4. Make the gravy: soften the onions with the remaining oil in a large non-stick
frying pan for about 20 min, stirring often, until they are golden brown. Sprinkle in the sugar for the final 5 min. Add the spoonful of flour, then cook, constantly
stirring, for 2 min, so it coats the onions and there is no dry flour left. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring well to make a smooth sauce. Bubble for 4-5 min to thicken, then season. Cut the toad in the hole into large wedges and serve with the gravy spooned over.

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