Scrambled Egg with Chorizo de Leon

 A simple breakfast dish made with caramelised onion (cooked first in olive oil), diced courgette (half), baby plum tomatoes, and diced chorizo sausage. Chorizo de Leon is a variety from north western Spain which uses less in the way of preservatives (and takes longer to make). Allow the chorizo to cook for fifteen minutes. 

The egg was beaten in a bowl with a little water before being added to the skillet. Two minutes and it is ready. Delicious!

French Onion Soup

A simpler version of this favourite soup than I've made before. Essentially two diced white onions caramelised in some olive oil, along with three diced cloves of garlic.

Allowed to cool, then boiling water was added to the pan. Cooked for twenty minutes to thirty minutes, then the contents of the pan were blended together.

After that, I added the vegetable stock, black pepper, a teaspoonful of dark soy sauce, Bisto gravy granules (essentially a thickener), plus a quarter teaspoonful of paprika.

Cooked for another twenty minutes until the soup has thickened. At that point the herbs Oregano and Tarragon were added (two pinches each).

Served with a slice of buttered wheat-free bread.

Chicken in a Pepper and Onion Salsa, with Roast Potatoes

Bought a whole chicken from the local co-op. Cooked on a low shelf in the oven for an hour and 45 minutes, at 180 deg. C.  For the last fifty minutes or so I also cooked roast potatoes along with the chicken, drizzled in olive oil (turned once. The potatoes were parboiled first, and then rolled around a casserole dish).

The salsa was made with caramelised white onion (diced), fried in olive oil, along with a crushed clove of garlic, and strips of red and orange peppers. After twenty minutes I added tomato puree, Bisto gravy granules, vegetable stock, basil and tarragon, along with around 150g of water. Cooked for another half an hour.

I separated one chicken leg from the carcass for this meal (the rest of the chicken went into the fridge after it cooled). The dish was seasoned with a dusting of freshly ground black pepper before serving. Absolutely delicious! Tarragon is a great accompaniment to chicken.

Cottage Pie with American Mustard

A dish which uses this beef mince recipe as its basis:

5% fat ground (minced) beef from the local Co-op. First I fried a whole Spanish onion (julienned and diced) until it was caramelised. Then I added tomato puree, red pepper, and carrots, plus 100mls of water, and simmered these for about forty minutes, along with beef and vegetable stock.

During this time I browned the beef in a drizzle of olive oil, stirring frequently (in another pan). The heat was turned down after ten minutes (brown, not burn!) I added diced chestnut mushrooms after fifteen minutes.

After thirty minutes I added the beef (etc) to the Spanish onion salsa, and simmered under glass at a low heat for about an hour.

The remaining beef mince spent 48 hours or so in the fridge, then I added it to a traditional enamelled pie dish. I boiled semi-skinned potatoes for twenty five minutes, then mashed them with about 50 grams of slightly salted butter, using a fork. The mash was decanted onto the beef with a spoon until the beef was evenly covered to a depth of about an inch. The surface of the pie was textured using the fork. 

Cook in an oven preheated to at least 180 deg C for between forty and forty five minutes (middle shelf). You can leave it in for longer than that if you prefer a more browned result.  

Ground Beef, with Greek Yoghurt dressed in Tarragon

5% fat ground (minced) beef from the local Co-op. First I fried a whole Spanish onion (julienned and diced) until it was caramelised. Then I added tomato puree, red pepper, and carrots, plus 100mls of water, and simmered these for about forty minutes, along with beef and vegetable stock.

During this time I browned the beef in a drizzle of olive oil, stirring frequently (in another pan). The heat was turned down after ten minutes (brown, not burn!) I added diced chestnut mushrooms after fifteen minutes.

After thirty minutes I added the beef (etc) to the Spanish onion salsa, and simmered under glass at a low heat for about an hour.

Served with Greek yoghurt dressed in a sprinkling of tarragon.

Sirloin Steak with Caramelised Onions

Best quality sirloin steak (200g) from Sainsbury's, fried in olive oil for eight minutes each side at a medium heat after initial high heat.

The julienned onion was also cooked in olive oil, but for twenty-two minutes or so at a medium heat.

Served with some authentic German mustard (or American mustard), and a dash of black pepper for the onions. Great and simple dish!

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.

Roast Pork Soup with Chickpeas

Fabulous soup made to use up some roast pork in the fridge.

The chickpeas were soaked overnight in unsalted water until soft. A white onion was caramelised in a small pan with some sunflower oil (diced leek will do instead).

The chickpeas were added to the pan with the onion, and water, plus chicken stock, was added. After that I added the tomato puree, the diced carrot, the roast pork, the diced spinach and courgette. Add a generous dash of soy sauce. Stir together and simmer for 45 minutes under glass.

Ten minutes before serving, add the herbs - oregano, and Herbes de Provence.

Serve with a garlic and coriander flatbread and freshly ground black pepper!

Fried Mustard Ham and Pepper Omelette

You can fry ham as you can bacon. The result will not be the same, but it is just as delicious, especially as a component in an omelette.

In this case I had some some mustard ham to use up, and so decided on a three egg omelette, with chopped red and green peppers, semi-caramelised white onion, oregano, paprika, and salt.

Start with the onion and the chopped peppers in a saute pan, with some sunflower oil. Once the chopped onion starts to brown, add the pieces of mustard ham. While the ham and onion is frying in the saute pan at a lowish heat under glass, beat the three eggs in a bowl.

Cook the ensemble for at least ten minutes before adding the beaten egg (the eggs should be beaten twice, with a little added salt, and the paprika, to contain as much air as possible). Add the oregano. Turn up the heat for the first two minutes, then down to low. Cook under glass for a minute on each side to ensure thorough heating without burning. After that cook for three minutes on each side before serving. Fine with a side salad, or just by itself!

Caramelised Onion and Beefburger in Gravy

White onions, sliced, cooked in Sunflower oil for twenty minutes. Started at a high heat for the first seven minutes, and stirred frequently. Reduce to a medium heat and cook for a further 13 minutes, until browned and soft.

The Burger was cooked in a separate pan, also for twenty minutes, and turned twice. The last five minutes of cooking was under glass.

The gravy was prepared in a third pan. Beef stock and onion gravy granules were the basis of the gravy, and diced fresh coriander leaf was added also. Cook at a medium heat until the gravy begins to thicken, stirring continuously (an important detail).

Serve with boiled potatoes.

Black Pudding with Cinnamon

Sunday breakfast. Scottish black pudding from Simon Howie, flavoured with cinnamon, cooked in a skillet for seven minutes each side at a medium heat, reduced towards the end of the process. Best cooked slowly rather than quickly. Cooked along with the quartered tomatoes. 

Two onions were chopped into thin strips and stir-fried in sunflower oil in a saute pan, until partially caramelised. A high heat to start with, and then reduced to a medium heat, stirring frequently. The hash browns were cooked in the same pan. All ready to serve after fifteen to twenty minutes of cooking. Requires no condiments, but German or Dijon mustard is recommended.

Black Pudding with Cinnamon

Beef Steak in Gravy

Beefsteaks in gravy, with caramelised onion (cooked in a little butter for twenty minutes until properly browned, stirring frequently) and boiled potatoes. The beefsteaks were browned in a saute pan with a little sunflower oil, before being cooked in an onion gravy with beef stock and bay leaves. After half an hour, the gravy was thickened with the addition of a little cornflour mixed with cold water.  Cook for at least another half an hour, stirring frequently. Served piping hot.

Beef Steak in Gravy

Brisket with Potato and Vegetables

Roasted the brisket joint for 110 minutes, allowed it to relax, and put it in the slow cooker for ten hours or thereabouts. Beef stock from the joint was added to caramelised onion and more beef stock. Three bay leaves added, and a dash of smoked paprika. Served with potatoes, broccoli, carrots and parsnips.

After the slow cooking, the beef was allowed to cool, and was sliced cold. Added to the gravy and allowed to simmer for twenty minutes before serving

This used to be a cheap dish, which rewarded a long stay in the pot with a delicious flavour. The dish is still delicious, but no longer a cheap option.

Brisket with Potato and Vegetables

French Onion Soup

The basis of this soup is caramelised onion, plus (usually) beef stock. It can be made with chicken stock, as in this case. The onion was caramelised with carrot along with a whole chicken. The onion and carrot were transferred to a pot, and water and chicken stock were added. After twenty minutes simmering, the onions and carrot were mashed. After another 30-40 minutes at a low heat, the contents of the pot were thoroughly blended. Half a teaspoonful of white pepper was stirred in. No sugar needs to be added to this version of the dish.

French Onion Soup