Recipes A - F

Bakehouse Potatoes

1 lb Potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion thinly sliced - they are supposed to be fried gently before adding to the dish, but most times I don't bother
2T/1 oz Butter
1/2 pint stock - I use most of an oxo in hot water - beef for 'strong' meats and chicken for pork or chicken dinners - any stock cube would do
salt and pepper - not really needed if you are using a stock cube

Use the knob of butter to generously 'grease' the dish, put the leftovers in the hot stock to dissolve. Layer the potatoes and onions.  Pour over the stock.  Bake at 180/190 C for an hour.  Cover with lid or foil for first half hour.




(Slow Cooked) Beef in red wine

to use up spring onions......

This is more a method than a recipe....

500 g (Tesco Finest) cubed beef (casserole beef)
GYO Onions, shallots or large spring onion thinly sliced.  As many as you like.
GYO thyme - again use as much as you want - I probably only use about a teaspoon.  I rub the leaves off the sticks - just rub the wrong way down the stem - they come off easily
Soy Sauce - couple or three good shakes
Worcester sauce - same as above
Red wine - enough to almost cover the beef
Oxo cube- crumble into the wine in the frying pan to dissolve
Cornflour - dessertspoon mixed with the least possible amount of water

I put the slow cooker on high with its lid on while I get out the stuff I need and do the prep so it is hot when the ingredients go in.
Brown the beef in non-salted butter and put in the slow cooker.  Brown the onions and add to pot.
Deglaze the pan with just enough wine to almost cover the beef, add the Worcester sauce and the thyme and the soy sauce and crumble in an oxo cube.  Add this to the pot.  Let it cook for three hours - two might be OK but the longer the better.  You could cook it in a dish/pot in the oven on about 150 - 160 degrees but you need a tight fitting lid and should check it a couple of times to make sure it isn't going dry, so a slow cooker is easier - pop everything in and get on with your day.  When you put on the potatoes to cook you can also add the cornflour mixed in the least possible amount of water to the pot - you don't want to cool the ingredients down too much.  It should thicken immediately.  Get your veg on a few minutes later and you have a delicious meal.  Serves 4.

We two never have enough left over for another meal so I freeze what's left and it will make a single serving over a baked potato sometime or I add chestnut mushrooms fried in a little butter and make a beef and mushroom pie or two pasties.

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Chicken Estofado (Spanish Chicken)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh orgeano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I use fresh)
dash of pepper
3 bay leaves (I don't bother)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup sliced pitted green olives (I use ones in oil)
3 pound chicken cut in eight or 3 lbs chicken parts
2 tablespoons brown sugar (I just sprinkled on what looked right so used less than this)
1/2 cup dry white wine


Mix everything (except the wine and sugar) together and roll the chicken round in this to get it well coated.  Cover and put in the fridge overnight.  You can do this in a large ziplock freezer bag if you don't have a suitable bowl.

Preheat oven to 350F or 180C.  Put chicken in a 12 x 8 dish - mines about 8 inches square! - Mix wine into marinade and pour over the chicken.  Sprinkle with brown sugar.  Bake uncovered for about 50 minutes.  Remove bay leaves and serve.

(next time I will thicken the jus a little with some cornflour about 15 minutes before the end)

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Courgette Fritters

2 medium courgettes, grated
2 tbsp SR Flour
25 g Parmesan, finely grated
1 tbspn Olive Oil
serve with 170g tub roasted red pepper houmous

Mix all the ingredients together, shape into small balls (walnut size) flatten into discs and fry 2- mins each side in the oil.  Serve with the houmous