Minced beef, with Spaghetti

 A jar of Polish preserved red peppers had been sitting at the back of a cupboard for a while, and I decided to open it. I diced the peppers and cooked them with the leek and the carrots and the chickpeas for about 25 minutes. Then I added the minced beef, and cooked the whole assemblage for another forty-five minutes under glass at a low to medium heat (stir frequently!). I added water a couple of times, plus half a dozen bay leaves. 

Served with Italian made wheat free spaghetti (Sainsbury's) and black pepper (remove the bay leaves). 

Christmas Lunch with Chicken

A stripped down Christmas lunch for 2020. Brussels sprouts cooked for about seven or eight minutes in a steamer, roast potatoes, pork sausages wrapped in bacon (pigs in blankets), boiled carrots and parsnips, a whole chicken breast roasted for thirty minutes in a lidded casserole dish, then for another fifteen minutes without the lid (judge by eye). The pork and bacon sausages could have been cooked along with the pork, but I did them separately since the sausages cook in half the time the chicken takes. Doing them separately means you don't have to stand around the hob the whole time, watching progress. 

A gravy was made  with the stock from the boiled carrots and parsnip, with chicken stock and some cornflour, plus a pinch of sage. The chicken breast was dressed in a pinch of coriander leaf. 

What did I skip this year? Chestnut stuffing, and cranberry sauce. I used no onions at all (those would have been a component in the pork and chestnut stuffing). 

As I've said before, the trick is to have all the ingredients ready at the same time. The entire dish was prepared by lunchtime on Christmas Eve, put into the fridge overnight, and reheated in a casserole dish the next day. 

I've discussed the making of good roast potatoes here. 

Chicken, Garlic, and Tarragon Soup

A simple chicken soup, made with carrots (two), chopped spring onion (three) diced chicken from one chicken drumstick (cheaper than chicken breast!), Tarragon, spinach, garlic, and chicken stock.

The soup base was prepared first, and simmered under glass for about two hours. The carrots were batonned.

The chicken drumstick came from the fridge. The chicken meat was peeled by hand from the drumstick (the most efficient way), and added to to the pot. I crushed a garlic clove, and added it to the pot. Simmered for at least another half an hour.  A really flavoursome soup!

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.

Chicken and Ham Pie

A chicken and vegetable soup made a couple of days ago was augmented with some diced roast unsmoked gammon from the joint I cooked yesterday.Thickened with a teaspoonful of arrowroot (you can use cornflour instead - mix while the soup base is cold).

Placed in an ovenproof glass dish, along with some boiled potato, and covered with a square of pastry dough, rolled flat, and crimped around the edges. Make a hole in the centre with a sharp knife, to allow steam to escape from the dish.

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees, and cook on the middle shelf for between 45 to 50 minutes. Watch carefully, and turn the heat down a little if the pastry browns quickly. Served here as the pie emerged from the oven. Delicious!