Cottage Pie

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp mixed herbs

500g beef mince

1 courgette, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 tin of tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1 cup of beef stock made with 1 oxo cube

black pepper

3 large potatoes, peeled & chopped

2 handfuls of grated cheese

splash of milk

black pepper

knob of butter

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C or Gas Mark 4.
2. Boil the potatoes in a pan until soft.
3. Heat the oil in another large pan and gently fry the beef mince, once beginning to brown add the onion, garlic, herbs and courgettes. Continue cooking until the onions are soft.
4. Add the carrots, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, chilli flakes and beef stock and season with black pepper as necessary and stir well.
5. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the carrots and nicely cooked through.
6. Once the potatoes are cooked, add the butter, milk and a handful of cheese to the pan and mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy. Season with black pepper.
7. Place the beef sauce into the bottom of an oven proof dish and top with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the remainder of the grated cheese on top on the potatoes and heat in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is golden on top.

Serve with some fresh green vegetables.

Ruth's Beef Goulash

Beef Goulash

Ingredients:

800g beef, diced
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
4 tbsps Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsps paprika
4-5 small carrots, peeled & sliced
2 peppers, sliced
600ml of beef stock
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
3 heaped tbsps flour
black pepper
2 tbsps oil

Method:

1. Place the flour in a bag with a sprinkling of black pepper, place in the diced meat and toss until coated with the flour.
2. Heat the oil in a pan until hot, place the flour coated meat and allow it to sizzle away until nicely browned.
3. Put the meat into the slow cooker and fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes until beginning to brown.
4. Add the beef stock, tinned tomatoes, paprika, tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce, mix & heat until simmering.
5. Pour over the meat and add the carrots and peppers to the mix.
6. Cook in the slow cooker on low for approximately 6 hours.

Serve with rice or garlic bread or potatoes and creme fraise or soured cream.

Corned beef hash

Fry the onion, potatoes, carrots & swede.

Ingredients:
500g small potatoes
2 carrots (Optional)
half a small swede (Optional)
1 onion
1 tin of corned beef
3 tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp mustard







Method:

Mix it all together

1. Cube the corned beef to 1cm cubed pieces.
2. Mix the Worcestershire sauce, cubed corned beef and mustard together.
3. Cube the potatoes and swede to approximately 1cm cubes and slice the carrots.
4. Boil the potatoes, swede and carrots for approximately 5 minutes until soft and drain.
5. Slice an onion.
6. Heat the oil in a pan until hot and fry the onion for a few minutes. 
7. Add the potatoes, carrot & swede for a few minutes.
8. Add the soaked corned beef for a few minutes until warmed through.

Serve with garden peas or salad.

Corned Beef Hash

Homemade Beef Lasagne

I find that it is always better to make the lasagne the day before and heat throughly the next day as this allows the sauce to soak into the lasagne sheets.

Bolognese sauce

Ingredients:

500g mince beef

1 onion, chopped

250g mushrooms, sliced

Clove of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp basil (or mixed herbs)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

300ml beef stock (1 beef OXO cube desolved in boiling water)

1tbsp of tomato purée

1/2 carrots, chopped into small pieces (optional)

1 green/red pepper, cut into cubes (optional)

200-250g lasagne sheets

300ml creme fraise (reduced fat)

150-200g grated cheese

Method:

1. Fry the onion with the herbs and garlic until soft.
2. Add the mushrooms until soft.
3. Add the beef and fry until browned.
4. Add the peppers, carrots, tinned tomatoes, stock and tomato purée and mix together well.
5. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until reduced.
6. Once the bolognese sauce is cooked, you can start layering the bolognese, creme fraise and lasagne in a Pyrex dish.
7. Start with a layer of lasagne sheets, then a few spoonfuls of creme fraise spread over the lasagne, followed by a centimetre thick layer of bolognese sauce. Keep layering in this order until you fill the dish or run out of bolognese sauce. (see photos below)
8. Always finish with a layer of lasagne and top with grated cheese.
9. Leave overnight or for a few hours for the juices to soak into the lasagne and then cook at Gas Mark 3 or 160C for approximately 45 minutes, until the cheese has nicely browned and the sauce is bubbling away.

Serve with garlic bread and/or salad.

Layer the fillings - lasagne sheet, creme fraise
& bolognese sauce

Making the lasagne

Top with cheese

Beef lasagne

Spaghetti Bolognese

Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients:
500g mince beef
1 onion, chopped
250g mushrooms, sliced
Clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp basil (or mixed herbs)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
300ml beef stock (1 beef OXO cube desolved in boiling water)
1tbsp of tomato purée
1/2 carrots, chopped into small pieces (optional)
1 green/red pepper, cut into cubes (optional)
250-300g spaghetti (or pasta shapes)


Method:

1. Fry the onion with the herbs and garlic until soft.
2. Add the mushrooms until soft.
3. Add the beef and fry until browned.
4. Add the peppers, carrots, tinned tomatoes, stock and tomato purée and mix together well.
5. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until reduced.
6. Whilst the bolognaise is simmering, boil the spaghetti/pasta.
7. Place spaghetti in a bowl or plate and cover in bolognese sauce.

Serve with grated cheese, garlic bread and/or salad.

Bolognese with pasta shapes

Homemade enchiladas

Frying the mince

Chilli simmering away

Ingredients:

For the chilli:

500g mince beef

250g mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, chopped into small pieces

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 chillies (red or green), deseeded and thinly sliced

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tin of red kidney beans

200ml of beef stock (made with a beef OXO cube)

1 tbsp of tomato puree

1 pepper or carrot, cut into small pieces (Optional)

200g rice (boiled)

6-8 flour tortillas/wraps

grated cheese, for sprinkling on top

Method:

1. Heat the oven to Gas Mark 3 or 160C.
2. Fry the onions, garlic, chillies and mushrooms until soft.
3. Add the beef and cook until browned.
4. Add the tin of tomatoes, stock, kidney beans, tomato puree and optional vegetables.
5. Simmer for 15 mins until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has reduced.
6. Whilst it is simmering, place the boiled rice in the bottom of a pyrex roasting tray and prepare wraps on top of the rice ready to place the chilli into.
7. Fill each wrap with chilli and roll up placing on top of the rice bed.
8. Spinkle grated cheese on top and place in the oven until the cheese topping has browned.

Serve with nachos, salsa or guacamole.

Enchiladas