Poor Mans Stew

 Very tasty - I fried everything and then put in a slow cooker for 6 hours. I added 2 sticks of celery and omitted the corn and mushrooms.

200g ground beef, browned and drained
1 potato, diced
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, diced

1 Corn Cob shredded or Sliced Mushrooms  (Optional)

Handful of Peas
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 pint Stock (Beef Oxo)
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. dried oregano

Instructions:

Add the cooked ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, peas, corn and  garlic to a slow cooker.

In a small bowl whisk together the tomato paste, stock, salt, pepper and oregano. Pour this mixture over everything in the slow cooker. Stir.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.

Coffee Walnut Cake

Original recipe was double this and made a round cake for 12; next time would make as a tray bake or do an extra half in loaf tin as when cut in half the top part broke. 

For the cake

·         4oz unsalted butter

·         4oz caster sugar

·         2 eggs, beaten

·         4oz plain flour, sifted

·         1 tsp baking powder

·         2 tsp Tesco Finest Costa Rican coffee

·         2oz walnuts, chopped

 

For the icing

·         3oz unsalted butter

·         8oz icing sugar, sifted

·         2 tsp Tesco Finest Costa Rican coffee, mixed with 1 tbsp hot water and cooled

·         Walnuts, halved, to decorate

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Butter and flour a loaf tin.
2. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand whisk for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time and beat well between each addition. Then fold in the flour and baking powder using a large metal spoon. Mix the coffee powder with 1 tbsp of warm water and fold into the cake mix with the chopped nuts.
3. Add the cake mix to the prepared tin and smooth the surface flat. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean and the surface of the cake is slightly springy to touch.
4. Remove from the oven, leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin and then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely, about 10-15 more minutes.
5. To make the icing, beat the butter together with the icing sugar and cold coffee until smooth. Split the cooled cake with half of the filling and then cover the top with the rest of the filling and decorate with the chopped nuts.

 

Rhubarb Crumble Tart

You could use a bought pastry case

For the Crust and Crumble
180g plain flour
100g granulated sugar
25g ground almonds
1 tbsp light brown sugar
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
200g chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the Filling
200g rhubarb, diced
80ml double cream
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
50g granulated sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp ground almonds
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. For the crust, combine the flour, sugar, ground almonds, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and blend until the mixture is a rough, crumbly texture and pieces of butter are no longer plainly visible. Scoop out 140g of the crumble and keep for later. Press the remaining crumble into an ungreased 9-inch (23 cm) removable-bottom fluted tart pan and place this on a baking tray. Bake both for 20 -25 minutes, until the crust browns a little at the edges. Cool the shell before filling.

3. Spread the rhubarb onto the bottom of the cooled crust. Whisk the cream, egg, egg yolk, sugar, flour, ground almonds, and vanilla extract. Pour this over the fruit (it will not completely cover the fruit) and sprinkle the pre-baked crumble overtop. Bake this at 180 °C for about 30 minutes, until the tart filling no longer jiggles in the centre. Cool the tart to room temperature, then, chill until ready to serve.

4. The tart can be served chilled or warmed up in the oven.

Slow Cooked Lamb Hot Pot

Cooked for 7-8 hours in slow cooker then put into oven proof dish and top with sliced potato and cheese. This amount serves 6.

6-8 Lamb Leg Steaks, cubed with fat remove

4 Carrots, Sliced

2 Sweet Potatoes, Cubed

1 Onion, Chopped

2 Small Leeks, sliced

2 Sticks of Celery, sliced

2 Veggie Oxo made to 2 pints & Gravy Granules

2 Tbsp Red Lentils

Rosemary, Salt & Pepper

4 Medium Potatoes, sliced

Grated Cheese

Thyme

1. Fry Onion and Leeks till transparent

2. Add Celery, Carrots, Potatoes and fry for a few minutes then place in slow cooker

3. Fry Lamb with Rosemary, Salt & Pepper in 2 batches till browned, add to cooker

4. Deglaze pan with stock and add to slow cooker with lentils, mix well

5. Cook on slow for 7-8 hours till vegetables tender, add gravy thickening for last hour

6. Precook sliced potatoes for 15 minutes

7. Place meat in oven proof dish and top with sliced potato, thyme and grated cheese

8. Cook Gas 5/ Fan 160 for 30 minutes till browned 

 

Somerset Apple Tart

 I used ready rolled pastry and put the brandy cream in the bottom, then topped with apples.

About 4-5 large apples

125ml single cream

1          medium free-range egg

35g      caster sugar OR vanilla caster sugar

2 tsp    Somerset apple brandy or brandy OR 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp  sieved apricot jam OR apricot glaze, warmed

Pastry case (bought or ready rolled pastry)

1. While the pastry case cools, peel and quarter the apples. Cut out the cores, then cut the apples into very thin slices. Arrange the apple slices, slightly overlapping, in the cooled pastry case, starting from the edge and working round in neat concentric circles. Make sure the pastry case is completely filled to the top, with no gaps, and the top layer looks pretty.

2. Measure the cream in a jug. Add the egg, sugar and brandy (or vanilla) and mix well until smooth. Slowly pour this mixture evenly over the apples, letting it seep through the layers.

3. Set the flan tin on the heated baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes until the custard is just set when you jiggle the tart and the apples are a golden colour. Set the tin on a wire rack and quickly brush the top of the tart with apricot jam or glaze to give a glossy sheen. Carefully unmould the tart and leave to cool. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Pear and Blackberry Frangipane Tart

Second time I made with double the frangipane and 2 cooking apples instead of the pear. 

Very nice warm with clotted cream

1 Pastry Case

3 tbsp raspberry jam

1 soft pear, sliced

100g blackberries (or a couple of handfuls)

55g butter
55g caster sugar
40g ground almonds
1 large egg
15g plain flour

1. Heat the oven to 180C/170C fan oven
2. Spread the raspberry jam on the base of the pastry
3. Using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, beat together the frangipane ingredients
4. Add sliced pear and sprinkle over the blackberries, push them down into the frangipane mix.
5. Bake at 170C for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden brown

Corned Beef Tart

I added a sliced hard boiled egg as a "surprise" and omitted the carrot & celery. Lovely with Baked Beans and Daddies sauce.

Shortcrust pastry

beaten egg, to finish

For the filling

• 1 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 6oz tin corned beef, broken into large chunks
• splash Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• salt and white pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook gently for 5–10 minutes, or until soft but not coloured.

2. Boil the potato for 20 minutes and mash slightly. 

3. Stir in the corned beef and vegetables, salt, pepper and sauce.

4. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and have ready a 23cm/9in metal pie plate.

5. Divide the pastry into two pieces. Use to line the pie plate and to form the lid.

6. Spoon the filling into the pastry-lined dish. Brush the edges of the pastry on the plate with a little beaten egg, then cover the pie with the pastry lid.

7. Crimp the edges together with a fork, or your fingers, then trim away the excess pastry neatly. Brush with beaten egg and make a couple of holes in the top to let the steam out. Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden brown.