Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 leek, sliced

2 carrots, chopped

150g mushrooms, chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

3 tbsp dried sage (or 3 fresh leaves if available)

3 tbsp dried thyme (or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves only if available)

250g dried green lentils

750ml vegetable stock (made with 1 vegetable OXO cube)

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

200ml red wine

1 tbsp (vegetarian) Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

tbsp olive oil

Topping:

2 large sweet potatoes

2 large potatoes

1 small/medium cauliflower, heads only

large knob of butter

handful of grated cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the leeks, until they begin to soften.
3. Add carrots, mushrooms and garlic, continuing to cook for 4-5 mins, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the herbs, lentils, tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock, red wine, soy sauce & Worcestershire sauce and stir together well.
5. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer on a low heat for 30-40 minutes to thicken slightly.
6. Whilst the filling is simmering, boil the potatoes, sweet potatoes & cauliflower in a pan together for 15 mins until all is soft.
7. Drain the vegetables and add the butter to mash until smooth.
8. Transfer the filling to an oven proof dish and top with the mashed vegetables. Sprinkle the grated cheese on the top.
9. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Creamy Chicken, Bacon, Leek & Mushroom Pie

Ingredients:

250g ready made puff pastry

3 large or 4 medium chicken breasts

125g pancetta

Olive oil

200ml chicken stock

3 leeks, sliced

200g button mushroom, halved

2 medium carrots, chopped finely

75g butter

300ml milk 

5 tbsp flour

1 tbsp thyme

Handful of grated cheese

Seasoning 

A little egg or milk for glazing 

Method:

1. Chop chicken into roughly inch squares.
2. In a bowl mix together 3 tbsps of flour & the thyme.
3. Coat the chicken in the flour mix.
4. Heat a little olive oil in a pan until hot & add the pancetta & flour coated chicken chunks. Stir continuously until the chicken chunks are beginning to brown.
5. Add the leeks, carrots & mushrooms & a little more oil, continue to stir until the leeks are soft.
6. Mix the chicken stock with the leftover flour from coating the chicken & then add to the pan. Allow to continue to simmer for a few minutes.
7. In another pan on a low heat melt the butter and once melted remove from heat to add 2 tbsps of flour, mix to a thick paste.
8. Place back on the heat & add the milk a little at a time, whilst whisking to ensure the paste is completely combined with the milk. Gradually the sauce will begin to thicken, but keep stirring until it's the desired consistency. 
9. Place the chicken & bacon mix into the bottom of a pie dish, sprinkle over the cheese & pour over the white sauce, gently mix together slightly & allow to cool.
10. Preheat oven to 160C.
11. Roll out the pastry to the desired shape, size & thickness for your pie dish.
12. With the milk or egg for glazing brush around the edge of your pie dish & the place the pastry over the filling, crimping the edges of the pastry to the pie dish edge to seal. Make a hole in the middle of the pastry with a knife.
13. Glaze the pastry case with the milk or egg & place in the oven for 30-40 mins or until golden brown & bubbling. 

Enjoy with some greens and boiled new potatoes.

Aircraft Pizzas

I've been trying to spend more special time with my toddler since the arrival of his little brother and a great way to do this has been to spend some time cooking and baking together. We decided to make and decorate pizzas, but he is helicopter mad, so they had to be helicopter & aeroplane ones.

This is our efforts...

Aeroplane Pizza with BBQ sauce

Helicopter Pizza - see the hot dog main rotors and the pepper & olive tail rotor

Another photo of the helicopter pizza

...he was so proud of his achievement in making his own tea with mummy.

Chicken and Mushroom Pie

Ingredients:

250g ready to roll puff pastry

50g butter

500g chicken pieces

salt and pepper

1 medium onion

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 bay leaf

1 tsp thyme

250g mushrooms

100ml single cream

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp mustard

300ml chicken stock

milk to glaze

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Melt the butter on a gentle heat and add the chicken, season with salt and pepper as necessary and fry for a few minutes.
3. Add the onions, nutmeg, bay leaf and thyme and continue to fry until the onions are beginning to soften.
4. Then add the mushrooms and continue to fry until they are softening.
5. Add the cream and flour mixing together well, add the mustard and chicken stock.
6. Mix well and turn to a low heat to simmer gently for about 5 minutes.
7. Place into a pie dish and top with pastry and glaze with milk.
8. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is nicely golden brown.

Serve with roast potatoes or mash potatoes and seasonal vegetables.