Mushroom Stew with Brocolli Spears

 A pretty basic mushroom stew, made with paprika and diced cherry tomatoes. Served with brocolli spears. 

Paprika Chicken and Brocolli Spears

 Chicken Breast, roasted in the oven for 40 minutes at 200 deg C, wrapped in aluminium foil with diced white onion. Dressed in sea salt, paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil. Served with Brocolli spears boiled for seven minutes. Plus some black pepper. 

Ground Lamb and Mushrooms, with Brocolli Spears

Fresh ground minced lamb, browned and then simmered under glass for two hours. Then I added diced mushrooms, lamb stock, oregano, and two bay leaves.

 Simmered again under glass for another 45 minutes, with some onion gravy granules. Served with Brocolli spears, cooked in salted water for ten minutes under glass.
 

Torun Sausage, with Brocolli, Yellow Pepper, and Tomato

Polish Copernicus sausage, as part of a tapas style dish (Aloha amigo!). The flavour of Torun sausage is of course different from Spanish Chorizo, but both are preserved pork sausage with paprika and garlic, so they can be interchanged without crashing the gears of your palate. 

Fried in a little olive oil (the diced sausage, the pepper strips, and the quartered cherry tomatoes) until the sausage pieces begin to brown. The chopped brocolli florets were cooked in boiling water for four to five minutes at a medium heat, before being drained. About ten to twelve minutes preparation time, and a delicious result!

Chickpea and Brocolli Risotto

A simple risotto, made with chickpeas, turmeric rice (Basmati), a quarter of a head of brocolli (diced), and one julienned red onion.

The rice was boiled for 12 minutes in water, a pinch of salt, a little olive oil, and two pinches of turmeric powder. Drained, and set aside.

The chickpeas were soaked overnight, and then boiled for twenty minutes or so until tender. Then they were fried in a little butter along with the red onion, for fifteen minutes.

After that, the diced brocolli was added to the pan, and cooked for about another ten minutes.

The rice and the chickpeas, brocolli and red onion were decanted to a bowl, and stirred together. Served with a little sweet chilli sauce. Can be eaten hot or cold.

Ham and Brocolli Soup

A simple but delicious dish made with ham (actually course cut smoked bacon), white onion, and half a head of brocolli. Plus pork stock.

The ham was fried in its own fat for twenty minutes, starting at a high heat, and then reduced to a low heat. Then the julienned white onion was added, and cooked with the ham for another twenty five minutes at a medium heat, stirring occasionally.

I diced half a head of brocolli into small chunks, including most of the stem, and added the pieces to the pan. Cooked for ten minutes, stirring frequently. Then boiling water was added to the pan, along with the pork stock.Plus a dessert spoonful of ground arrowroot, to thicken the soup.  Cooked slowly for an hour and a half.

Served with potato bread.

Chicken Stew with Sweetcorn and Peppers

A simple and tasty dish, made to use up the meat from two roasted chicken drumsticks in the fridge.

First I fried some diced carrot in a flat pot, along with spring onions. Cooked until soft at a low heat under glass (about half an hour), and then the chicken pieces were decanted into the pot. Then after that, about two hundred mls of boiling water.

I added the peppers (cut into think strips - one third of a pepper each), boiled potato pieces, some diced brocolli stems, the sweetcorn (cut from the cob), two red chillies (deseeded), some diced button mushroom pieces, and the chicken stock.

Mix some cold water with half a teaspoonful of powdered arrowroot, and add to the pan. Stir through thoroughly. Simmer under glass for another forty minutes or so.

Served with basmati rice cooked with a small pinch of powdered turmeric. Add some fines herbes or tarragon if you like.

Beef Bourguignon

One of the most famous French dishes, though it is lacking documentation before the nineteenth century. Essentially it is a beef stew, cooked with diced onions, mushrooms and garlic, and simmered for a couple of hours in beef stock and some red wine. Often cooked with a little chopped bacon, but this addition is an uneccessary detail. I added a little diced carrot to lend some sweetness.

The onions were fried in some olive oil until they began to brown, then the diced beef was added and browned for twenty minutes, stirring frequently. Add the quartered mushrooms and the diced garlic. Cook for another ten minutes. Add the beef stock and half a glass of red wine. Mix some cornmeal with water, and add to the pot, stirring for five minutes. Add the herbs.

Simmer under glass for between one and two hours, according to preference. Served in this case with brocolli spears, boiled in salted water for seven minutes under glass. More usually served with boiled potatoes or rice.

Chicken Broth with Sweetcorn

A delicious broth made with brocolli, celery, chicken, garlic, mushroom, spring onion, sweetcorn, diced cherry tomato, and tomato puree. Plus herbs (oregano and basil), and flavoured with a little cardamom and vegetable and chicken stock.

The vegetables (diced) were cooked at a low heat under glass for forty minutes or so, before the pieces of chicken were added.

The cardamom and the vegetable and chicken stocks were added to the pot, along with the herbs (two pinches, plus some tomato puree. Cook for a further twenty-five minutes at a low heat and under glass.

Serve with freshly ground black pepper.

Brisket Beef in an Onion and Tomato Gravy

A traditional Jewish dish, made with Brisket beef and a gravy of tomato, onion and carrot, served with brocolli spears, and boiled Maris Piper potatoes.

The brisket joint was about 800g, which is enough to feed six people. This meal was for three people, so I used about half of the joint for the meal.

The joint was first browned in the oven  (180 deg C.) in a roasting dish, for 30 minutes each side. Then it was placed in a large saute pan with salted water, and cooked for four hours, with occasional turning.

That left lots of time for creating the gravy. I batonned two medium-sized carrots, and diced a large Spanish onion. These were cooked for twenty minutes. Then I added sixteen diced cherry tomatoes and cooked the ensemble for a further twenty minutes. Crushed and diced garlic was added, along with tomato puree (or passata), beef and vegetable stock. Two dashes of cardamom, plus Herbes de Provence, Coriander, and Basil were also added.

Since this meal was intended for a dinner party the next day, everything went into the fridge as soon as it had cooled.

The next morning the brisket joint was cut into thin slices using an electric carving knife, against the grain of the beef. Tougher to cut, but it is the best way to do it.

The slices of beef were put into a flat pan with the onion and tomato gravy, and cooked for around half an hour to forty-five minutes, by which time the beef is incredibly tender. During which time I prepared the potatoes and the brocolli. The former cooked for twenty minutes plus, and the brocolli for ten minutes under glass at a low heat.

Served in this case with red wine, and utterly delicious!

[Celery can be added to the ingredients of this dish, as well as bay leaf, and rosemary and thyme. There are lots of variations. All delicious.]

Chipolata Sausage, with Button Mushrooms in a Ham Gravy

A simple dish of fried pork chipolata sausages, in a ham gravy with halved button mushrooms. Served with steamed brocolli spears and flat cut potatoes.

The sausages were cooked slowly for about twenty minutes and regularly turned. The button mushrooms were added during the final ten minutes. I made the gravy with ham stock, and a dessert spoonful of Bisto gravy granules. Simmered under glass for a further fifteen minutes.

The potatoes were boiled for twenty minutes under glass, and the brocolli spears were steamed for eight minutes.

Dress with black pepper before serving.

Pan-fried Pork Shoulder Steak

A pretty straightforward and delicious dish of pan-fried pork shoulder steak, served with caramelised red onion and halved brocolli spears.

The julienned onion was cooked first, and took about twenty minutes to brown at a medium heat. Caramelised onion is one of those things which has to be judged by eye. Cooked in a little sunflower oil (or butter if you prefer).

The brocolli was boiled in slightly salted water for six to seven minutes, and then drained. Then the brocolli and onion were mixed together in a bowl.

The pork steak was cooked in sunflower oil in a skillet for eight minutes each side - about half of the time under glass to ensure even cooking.

Serve with black pepper. Good also with a garnish of American mustard.

Winter Vegetable Soup

A simple and satisfying soup, made with turnip (1), carrot (2), onion (1), potato (1) and half a head of brocolli.

Everything was diced, including the brocolli. The onion, carrot, turnip and potato was stir-fried in a saute pan for fifteen minutes at a medium heat. The brocolli was added, and the mix stir-fried for a further five minutes.

Then I added about a pint of boiling water, plus vegetable stock. Allowed to simmer under glass for about forty minutes. Then the soup was thoroughly mashed. I added three dashes of Worcester sauce, and the herbs thyme, and tarragon.

Allowed to simmer slowly for another forty minutes before serving. Delicious!

Cubed Beef Stew

The beef was browned in a saute pan with a drizzle of sunflower oil. Started at a high heat, and then lowered, stirring regularly.

After ten to fifteen minutes I added two medium sized diced onions, and two diced carrots. Stir-fried for fifteen minutes or so until the onions became semi-transparent.

I added half a green bell pepper, cut into strips. Cooked for another five minutes before I added about half a pint of boiling water, a little tomato puree, and vegetable and beef stock.

Stirred thoroughly, and simmered under glass at a low heat for another hour and a half, until the beef is deliciously tender.

Before serving I added a pinch each of dried rosemary, and dried thyme.

Served with half a head of brocolli cooked for about twelve minutes in a steamer. I cut it into smaller pieces once on the plate. Dressed with black pepper.

Tomato and Chilli Soup, with Potato Doughballs

A tomato chilli soup made without onions. The ingredients are blended brocolli, celery, and red pepper. Plus chilli powder, tomato puree (a couple of squeezes from the tube), plus vegetable stock.

Cook the vegetables for at least half an hour before blending them. Once blended, add the tomato puree, the chilli powder, and the vegetable stock. Simmer for at least another half an hour under glass, stirring occasionally.

The potato dumplings are Polish style: made with boiled and mashed potato, and cornmeal. Use three dessert spoonfuls of cornmeal per two peeled potatoes. Mash together with a fork in a glass bowl. Add a little milk (50mls) and drizzle with some sunflower oil.

Squeeze into sphere shapes by hand. Heat a small pan containing sunflower oil at a high heat. Add the doughballs, and drizzle with some more sunflower oil. Turn down the heat to low, and put the lid on the pan. Cook for twenty minutes altogether, turning the doughballs every five minutes to brown them evenly.

A very satisfying meal!

Unsmoked Gammon with Potato and Brocolli

An unsmoked gammon joint, cooked in the oven in a roasting tray in some loose wrapping in aluminium foil, cooked at 190 deg C for one hour and fifteen minutes. Allowed to cool and stored in the fridge. The juices were collected and formed the basis of a gravy.

The gravy was made with water, cornflour, paprika, a vegetable stock cube, and the juices from the joint (remove any fat from the top). Also some rosemary and thyme.

In this case I cooked the slices from the joint in the gravy in a flat glass-lidded pan, but did not serve the gravy with the dish. The flat cut semi peeled potato was cooked in the same pan with the gravy (thirty minutes altogether).

The brocolli was boiled for ten minutes in a separate pan under glass. Delicious! Served with a dusting of black pepper.

Brocolli and Potato Soup, with Smoked Bacon

Some cheap brocolli on offer at the supermarket, so I decided to make a soup. Cut it into florets and steam until tender. Boil semi-skinned potatoes for twenty minutes. Add both to a lidded soup pot and mash together. Add two finely chopped red onion.

Boil for twenty minutes, and then blend the ingredients together for two minutes. Add paprika, smoked paprika, black pepper, 100g of tomato puree, coriander, oregano, two dried red chillies, and some vegetable stock.

Chop a rasher of smoked bacon into small pieces, and fry until it browns. Decant the bacon pieces and the fat from the bacon to the soup pot, and stir together. Cook at a low heat under glass for at least forty minutes.

Serve with a topping of finely grated cheese of your choice - Cheddar, Danish blue, Stilton, etc, and some chunky bread. Delicious!

Roast Pork Stir Fry, with Spring Onion and Oyster Sauce

Made with oyster sauce, spring onion, roast pork, cabbage, beansprouts, brocolli, onion, red pepper, and carrot,

All the vegetables were chopped with the exception of course of the beansprouts. The beansprouts were blanched in boiling water for a couple of minutes.

The vegetables were stir-fried in sunflower oil at a medium heat for about eight minutes, then the beansprouts were drained, and were added. Cook for another seven minutes at a medium heat, stirring frequently. Judge progress by eye.

The pork came from a roast shoulder joint. Sliced into strips, and added to the Spring Onion and Oyster Sauce in a small pan, and brought to the boil.

Decant the vegetables to a serving plate, and top with the pork and the oyster sauce.

Beef Chilli with Brown Basmati Rice

Brown Basmati and black wild rice takes longer to cook than ordinary basmati (at least thirty minutes), but is easy to prepare if you use a timer. Stir frequently, and add a little sunflower oil to the water, to avoid sticking.

The beef chilli was made with ground beef, garlic, scotch bonnet chilli (half of one, with the seeds removed), onion, tinned tomato, red and yellow pepper (diced), and a diced half head of brocolli. I cooked the onion, garlic and the chilli first, until the onion began to brown.Then I added the ground beef, and cooked that also until it began to brown.

 I added boiling water, some beef stock, and the other vegetables. Cooked for another fifteen minutes before adding the tin of chopped Italian tomatoes. Cook under glass at a low heat for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. If you have two hours available to prepare the dish, you won't regret it: the beef will be wonderfully tender.

Finally I dressed the rice with a few pinches of the spice Sumac, which imparts a subtle lemony flavour to the rice.

Rib Beef Stew with Green Beans

Stew made with cubed beef from a rib beef joint, roasted in the oven at 160 deg C for two hours (the weight of the joint was 725g). If the joint is cooked inside a wrapping of aluminium foil, there will be juices which can be saved for the gravy.

The joint was cubed after it had cooled to room temperature. No electric knife needed.

The gravy was made with half a dozen carrots, two red onions, a pinch of spelt, a clove of garlic, and a stick of celery. The chopped vegetables were cooked under glass for half an hour until tender, and then blended. After blending, add a pinch of paprika, some white pepper, and a pinch each of coriander, rosemary and thyme.

Finally add beef stock, plus the stock from the joint, and cook for another half an hour after adding the cubed beef.

Serve with boiled potatoes, cooked in a little salt, and some steamed green beans (or brocolli, according to choice).