Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are the perfect crowd-pleaser, whether it's a typical family dinner or a slumber party for the soccer team. The ingredients are simple and these can be ready in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

 2 lb ground beef 

 1 Tbsp cooking oil 

 1 cup onion, chopped 

 6-8 hamburger buns 

 FOR SAUCE: 

 1 cup ketchup 

 ½ cup water 

 2 Tbsp sugar 

 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 

 2 Tbsp mustard 

 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Preparation

 Brown the meat in a saute pan. 

 Remove meat from pan and set aside. 

 Heat oil in the pan and saute the onions over medium-high heat until soft, about 3-5 minutes. 

 Return meat to the pan with the onions. 

 Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. 

 Add sauce to the pan with the meat and onions. 

 Simmer 10-15 minutes. 

 Pour over toasted hamburger buns and serve.

Lasagna al forno

This is for Caden, he loves LASAGNE

Lasagna al forno

By: Tamasin Day-Lewis


Prep time:
30 min
Cook time:
3 hrs 55 min
Serves:
8


Method
1. Warm the oil and butter in a heavy-based casserole over medium heat. Add the onion and gently fry for about 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the celery, carrots and garlic, and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring to coat well.

2. Stir in the beef with a large pinch of salt and several grindings of black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the beef has lost its raw pink look.

3. Add the bay leaves and milk, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until the meat has absorbed the milk. Season with a pinch of nutmeg.

4. Pour in the wine and let it simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes with their juice and stir thoroughly.

5. Cook, uncovered, at a lazy simmer with just an intermittent bubble breaking through the surface, for 3 hours or more. The fat will have separated, but the sauce will not be dry. Taste and correct the seasoning.

6. About 45 minutes before the meat is ready, make the béchamel sauce. Pour the milk into a saucepan with the bay leaf, onion and a generous pinch of nutmeg. Bring to just below the boiling point, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 15-20 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Grease a shallow baking dish.

8. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Strain the milk, then gradually stir it into the flour mixture to make a thick smooth sauce. Season to taste.

9. Pour some béchamel into the baking dish - enough to just cover the base. Place a layer of lasagne sheets on top, followed by a layer of meat sauce, another layer of béchamel and a good handful of Parmesan. Continue with two or three more layers until both sauces are used up. Add a final sprinkling of Parmesan.

10. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until bubbling all over and a knife slips easily through the layers of lasagne.


Ingredients
2-3 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 sticks celery
2 carrots, finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1kg fresh fatty minced beef, such as chuck
2 fresh bay leaves
225ml milk
1/3 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
225ml white wine, 225
400g canned chopped tomatoes, roughly chopped
9-10 sheets pre-cooked dried lasagne sheets
90g parmesan, freshly grated
black pepper

For the béchamel sauce:
600ml milk
2 fresh bay leaves
1 onion, halved
freshly grated nutmeg
60g butter
60g plain flour
black pepper

Cidered Pork with sage dumplings

I cooked this in celebration of Mabon, but it is so good you will not want to save it just for celebrations. I also made a batch of my ratatouille bread to mop up the appley sauce.

Ingredients

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 1/2 lb pork shoulder, cubed

1 thinly sliced leek

2 tbsp plain flour

1/2 pint dry cider

1/2 pint chicken stock

2 sliced carrots

1 cored and sliced cooking apple

2-3 stems of sage

salt and pepper

method

Preheat the slow cooker.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the pork. Transfer to your slow cooker.

Fry the leek untill softened.

Stir in the flour, then mix in the cider and the stock.

Add the carrot, apple, sage, and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, stirring.

Transfer to your slow cooker pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Make the dumplings

Put the flour, suet,herbs and a little salt and pepper into a bowl and mix together.

Slowly add enough water to make into a soft dough.

Roll into 12 balls with floured hands.

Arrange on top of the pork and continue cooking on low for 1 hour.

Happy New Year Peas

Looking on-line I came across this recipe, not sure why their New year peas, but I bet you'd be happy eating them.         

Ingredients

      

   

1 pound dried black-eyed peas, soaked during the day before needed

3 cups water, or enough to cover peas

1 pound  sausage

1 small onion, chopped

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon salt  

8 ounces prepared barbecue sauce

The night before place some water in slow cooker to heat up. 

Place peas in a pan of boiling water and boil rapidly for 10 mins.

Drain peas and add to boiling water in your slow cooker.

Leave on low to cook overnight ready for morning.

In the morning

Drain and retain 1/4 the liquid. cool.

Brown sausage and onions together. cool

Place peas in slow cooker. Add sausage and onions with the rest of the ingredients.

Cook  for 6 hours on low.

                  

Serves 6.