Keema Pie with rosti topping

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

 

I’ve had a keema pie recipe from a really old issue of Delicious magazine sitting in my recipe folder for quite a while, but never got around to making it. It’s basically an Indian version of shepherds/cottage pie. What prompted me to try it was seeing another recipe in the April issue of Delicious which had a rosti topping instead of mash. Steve isn’t a huge fan of potatoes, so I consulted him on what his preference was and he decided that the rosti topping would be the lesser of two evils!

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

The new recipe uses lamb mince, but the old recipe uses beef mince, so it seems that they’re interchangeable. I used beef mince as that’s what I had available, but I only had 500g instead of the 750g the recipe said to use. I also substituted the 5 large skinned vine tomatoes for a tin of plum tomatoes as it was more convenient.

 

I only used about 1½ green chilies as they were really hot when I tasted a sample, so I also omitted the ½ teaspoon of hot chili powder as I have a tendency to make food too hot! But the finished dish wasn’t all that hot and I think using all the chili and the powder would have been OK.

 

MY SKIN IS ON FIRE!

I suffered really badly from the chili burning the skin on my hands, so I did a search on Google and I found the solution of rubbing salt onto my hands. I used coarse sea salt and I rubbed it on dry, which worked quite well and removed the really stinging burning sensation. But I discovered there was still some chili on my skin when I went to take my contact lenses out and my eyeballs started burning! So I used the salt again using wet hands and it seemed to have worked as it didn’t hurt when I put my contacts in this morning. So next time I will chop the garlic, ginger and chilies in my mini chopper to avoid so much contact with my skin!

 

TASTE TEST:

We both really liked the flavour of the mince as the spices were really nice, but it was a bit too watery. Next time I will leave the lid off the pan when simmering. I would also leave out the spinach, as even though I squeezed out the water I’m sure it released more water when baking. The old keema pie recipe uses peas instead, which is a much better idea and actually more traditional.

 

We were both disappointed with the rosti topping as it didn’t go very crispy, even though I’d also shoved the pie under the grill. Steve thinks the sweet potato was to blame. Making this topping was sooooo much extra work and totally not worth the effort! So next time I would just use a mash potato topping, or even just serve the mince with some rice.

 

The recipe below is how I made it and not the actual recipe from the magazine.

• Serves: 4
• Takes: 1 hour 45 minutes to make
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C

 

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Knob of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 long green chilies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon hot chili powder
• 500g beef mince
• 300ml beef stock (I used Knorr Touch of Taste)
• 400g tin peeled plum tomatoes, discard the juice
• 200g spinach
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 medium potato, coarsely grated
• 1 medium sweet potato, coarsely grated
• 1 medium onion, finely sliced

 

Directions:

1. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion, season well and fry until softened. Add the finely garlic, ginger and green chilies and fry for a couple of minutes.
2. In a separate pan, dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant, then crush in a pestle and mortar with the turmeric and chili powder until finely ground. Add to the onion mixture and fry for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the mince, increase the heat and fry for about 10 minutes until the meat is brown, Drain off the excess fat, then add the stock and tomatoes, breaking them up as you mix them in. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the meat is cooked and the sauce has thickened slightly (remove the lid if it’s too watery).
4. Put the spinach in a colander over a large saucepan and pour over a kettle of boiling water, then refresh in cold water. Squeeze out the excess water. Stir through the curry with the lemon juice and garam masala and season to taste.
5. Put the pan of hot water that you used to wilt the spinach on the heat and bring back to the boil, then place the potato, sweet potato and onion into it and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain, then tip into a clean tea towel and squeeze out all the excess liquid. Place in a bowl and toss with the remaining oil and season.
6. Tip the keema into a large ovenproof dish and top with the blanched rosti topping.
7. Bake for 30 minutes at Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C until the rosti is golden on top – place under a hot grill for 5 minutes if it’s still not brown enough!

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• This dish can be frozen at stage 6. Bake for 40 minutes from frozen at Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C.

Pasta Bake

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

This is basically like a lasagne, but instead of using lasagne sheets you use cooked tagliatelle, so it is much quicker to cook as it is just flashed under the grill. I’ve made dishes like this before with a mince beef tomato sauce, but the addition of the wine really makes a difference, as do the herbs and nutmeg, so they are well worth buying.

• Serves: 4
• You will need: an ovenproof dish about 9 x 9 inches

Ingredients:

• 225g (8oz) minced beef
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 50g (2oz) lean bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 2 Tablespoons red or white wine
• 65ml (2½ fl.oz) stock
• salt and pepper
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 medium tin tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons tomato puree
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• bay leaf
• 100g (4oz) dried tagliatelle
• 450ml (¾ pint) Béchamel sauce*
• 100g (4oz) grated cheese

Directions:

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a saucepan, add the bacon and cook until golden brown.
2. Add the onion and carrot and cook slowly until soft and transparent.
3. Stir in the minced beef and cook until the meat changes colour.
4. Add the wine, stock, salt and pepper, nutmeg, tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for approximately 45 minutes.
5. Cook the tagliatelle in boiling salted water with the remaining Tablespoon of oil. Drain well.
6. Place a layer of meat mixture in an ovenproof dish, cover with a layer of tagliatelle, then a layer of Béchamel sauce and then a layer of grated cheese. Repeat these layers finishing with a layer of cheese.
7. Brown under a hot grill or in the top of a hot oven Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C.

* Make the sauce using 450ml (¾ pint) milk, 40g (1½oz) butter and 40g (1½oz) flour.

Beef and Ale Stew

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

This is a really tasty stew and I made a huge batch of it so I could freeze some portions. It tastes even better the next day/reheated.
Next time I’ll try cooking it in my slow cooker.

• Serves: 4-6
• You will need: a large ovenproof casserole dish
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C
• Prep time: 30 minutes
• Cook time: 2 - 2½ hours

Ingredients:

• 1.3kg (3lb) braising steak (chuck & blade) or beef brisket, cut into large cubes
• 50g (2oz) butter
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 3 large onions, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• salt and pepper
• 2 level Tablespoons flour
• 1 level Tablespoon soft brown sugar
• 300ml (½ pint) beef stock
• 450ml (¾ pint) brown ale (such as Newcastle Brown Ale)
• 1 Tablespoon wine vinegar
• bouquet garnis (parsley stalks and tarragon wrapped in a bay leaf)
• 2 bay leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to Gas mark 3/325°F/170°C.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy based pan and add the oil.
3. Fry the beef quickly on all sides, in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Reduce the heat and add the onions and garlic, cook until golden brown.
5. Push the onions to one side, then add the flour and sugar and cook to colour the roux.
6. Return the beef to the pan, then stir in the stock a little bit at a time. Add the vinegar and brown ale and bring to the boil.
7. Add the bouquet garni and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
8. Cover with damp greaseproof paper and a lid and cook in the oven for 2-2½ hours.

COOK’S NOTES:

• This stew is great with added carrots too as they become really sweet and tender. I cut them into 1 inch triangular wedge chunks and add them after the onions have become golden brown.

Ken Hom's Udon Noodles with Beef and Chilli Bean Sauce

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

I used a recipe from a Ken Hom book (that accompanies his new Nutriwok) as a base for this dish. I added the carrots, green beans and mushrooms as I like my veggies! I also added the udon noodles as I love them, but you can use any kind of noodles you like or serve with rice.

His recipe was a bit confusing as he didn’t list the soy sauce in the marinade ingredients, but it is in the directions, so I ended up adding it at the end!
This is a great spicy dish, which is tasty but not too hot. Marinating the beef ensures that it remains soft and tender, whilst also adding flavour to the meat.

As with all stir fries, make sure all the ingredients are prepared before you start cooking.

• Serves: 2 (but the amount of beef and noodles can be doubled to serve 4)
• You will need: a large wok or frying pan

Ingredients:
FOR THE MARINADE 

• 2 Tablespoons reduced salt soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon Chinese Shaoshing rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons cornflour

• 225g (1/2 lb) beef steak (I used rump), cut into 0.5cm x 5cm slices
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin slices on an angle
• a handful of green beans, cut in half
• 5-6 mushrooms, sliced
• 2 packs of straight-to-wok udon noodles
• 1 Tablespoon Chinese Shaoshing rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons chilli bean sauce (I used Amoy Toban Jhan Chilli Bean Paste)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together and add the beef, allow to marinate for 20 minutes.
2. Heat the wok over a very high heat until it is hot, then add 1 Tablespoon of the oil and when the oil is slightly smoking add the beef and stir fry for about 5 minutes until nice and brown. Remove from the pan and set to one side.
3. Wipe the wok clean and reheat over a high heat until it is hot. Add the other 1 Tablespoon of oil and heat. Add the garlic and spring onions and stir fry for 30 seconds until it smells fragrant.
4. Add the carrots, green beans and the mushrooms and stir fry for a few minutes until just starting to soften.
5. Add the noodles and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until they are heated through.
6. Return the beef to the pan, then add the rice wine and the chilli bean sauce and stir fry for another minute so that everything is coated evenly (if it starts to stick then you can add a little water to the pan).
7. Finally, add the black pepper, sugar and sesame oil.
8. Serve immediately.

Thai Massaman Curry

MUNCH RATING: 5/5
This is more of a stew than a curry, but it’s delicious and there is just enough spice to make your tongue tingle. The sauce is thick and even though it contains the obligatory coconut milk, the tamarind gives it a nice zing, so I don’t find it as sickly as normal Thai Red Curry. Steve doesn’t normally like potatoes, but they’re a common ingredient in this dish, and he really liked them in this as they soaked up a lot of flavour from the sauce and were nice and sweet.

I’ve found that Massaman/Mussaman paste isn’t that widely available in your average supermarket, so I bought mine from www.bartspices.com (it is also available from Waitrose). I’ve also bought a different brand from a Chinese supermarket, which was better value but wasn't nearly as good as the Barts one. The paste usually contains chilli, shallot, tamarind, coriander and lemongrass and it is Muslim in origin.

I adapted this recipe I’d saved from one of Steve’s Neo Magazines. I slow-cooked this is my Tefal 4-in-1, but you could cook it on your stove top or in the oven for a couple of hours.

• Serves: 2 very generously with rice (or 4 if serving with starters or other dishes)
• Tefal 4-in-1 Slow Cook: 6-9 hours
• Tefal 4-in-1 Rice Cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil for frying
• 500g stewing beef or lamb*
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 350g new potatoes, washed and cut in half (new potatoes hold their shape better, I used Charlotte’s)
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons massaman curry paste (I used Bart’s)
• 400ml can coconut milk (I used reduced fat)
• 200ml vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons tamarind paste (I used Bart’s)
• 2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce (or fish sauce)
• 1 Tablespoon sugar

Directions:

1. Heat a Tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan and fry your meat until brown and sealed. Put into your slow cooker.
2. Fry the onions, potatoes and garlic until golden brown**. Add these to the slow cooker.
3. Add a little more oil to the pan, then fry the curry paste on a high heat for a couple of minutes, until it smells really fragrant.
4. Take the pan off the heat, then add the coconut milk and stir it in really well. Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly.
5. Add the stock, tamarind paste, soy/fish sauce and sugar, then boil the sauce for 5-10 minutes to thicken until it has reduced by a third.
6. Add the sauce to the slow cooker and stir well to coat all the ingredients in the pot.
7. Close the lid and check you have the slow cooker set for 6 hours cooking time.
8. Transfer the curry to a large pan and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken the sauce a bit more.
9. Meanwhile cook the rice in the cooker, which should take about 20 minutes.

*It is most commonly made with beef, but I used lamb as that’s what I had in the freezer. I used 1 inch cubes of frozen lamb, which I cut into smaller 1 cm pieces after I’d browned them in the pan (this makes the meat more tender and it goes further!).

**For the best results it’s important to brown the meat, onions and potatoes. I have tried adding potatoes without browning them first and it just wasn’t as good!

Chinese style braised beef

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

This recipe is from BBC Good Food and I cooked it in my Tefal 4-in-1 rice cooker for 6 hours, but I have written the original recipe here.
The beef was incredibly tender, although we weren’t that keen on the Chinese Five Spice flavour, so would leave it out next time.

• Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• goodthumb-size piece fresh root ginger, peeled and shredded
• 1 bunch spring onions, sliced
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 1½ kg braising beef, cut into large pieces
• 2 tbsp plain flour, well seasoned
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 star anise (optional)
• 2 tsp light muscovado sugar (or use whatever you've got)
• 3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
• 3 tbsp dark soy sauce , plus more to serve
• 500ml beef stock (I used Knorr Touch of Taste vegetable stock)
• steamed bok choi and steamed basmati rice, to serve 

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large, shallow casserole. Fry the garlic, ginger, onions and chilli for 3 mins until soft and fragrant. Tip onto a plate. Toss the beef in the flour, add 1 tbsp more oil to the pan, then brown the meat in batches, adding the final tbsp oil if you need to. It should take about 5 mins to brown each batch properly.
2. Add the five-spice and star anise (if using) to the pan, tip in the gingery mix, then fry for 1 min until the spices are fragrant. Add the sugar, then the beef and stir until combined. Keep the heat high, then splash in the wine or sherry, scraping up any meaty bits. Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
3. Pour in the soy and stock (it won't cover the meat completely), bring to a simmer, then tightly cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 1½-2 hrs, stirring the meat halfway through. The meat should be very soft, and any sinewy bits should have melted away. Season with more soy. This can now be chilled and frozen for up to 1 month.
4. Nestle the cooked bok choi into the pan, then bring to the table with the basmati rice straight away and tuck in.

Italian Oxtail Stew

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

I haven’t eaten oxtail in years, but I remember my parents cooking it and the meat being really delicious. I cooked this Italian style stew in my Tefal 4-in-1 and it was really nice.

• Serves: 4-6 
• Cooking time: 9 hours 

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons plain flour
• Salt and pepper
• 1.5kg/3lb 5oz oxtail pieces
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar mixed with 150 ml water (or the equivalent amount of red or white wine would be good)
• 2 x 400g/14oz tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 beef OXO cube 

Directions:

1. Put the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper.
2. Roll the oxtail pieces in the seasoned flour and shake off the excess.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan, then fry the oxtail pieces until brown all over. You will probably need to do this in batches. Set the browned oxtail aside.
4. In the same pan, fry the onions and garlic until the are just starting to soften and colour.
5. Add the white wine vinegar and the water and rapidly boil until it has reduced by half.
6. Add the tinned tomatoes and bring to the boil.
7. Crumble in the OXO cube.
8. Pour everything into the slow cooker and cook for at least 9 hours for tender meat (this is the maximum time you can set the Tefal to slow cook), but anything up to 12-15 hours would be even better.

COOK'S NOTES:

• Ideally I would cook this in advance and allow to cool so I could skim off the excess fat as oxtail is quite fatty and then reheat to serve. 
• Oven Cook: You can also cook this in the oven in a covered casserole dish for 5-6 hours on Gas mark 2/300°F/150°C/very low.

Mac 'n' cheese, chilli bake with butternut squash

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

I had some leftover chili that Steve had cooked and some roasted butternut squash in the fridge and this is something I threw together. I wasn't going to blog it but Steve insisted it was so nice that I should write about it, so I've done my best to remember the quantities, but really it is a dish you can play around with. The roasted butternut squash on the top is really the concept we want to share as it's a surprisingly good addition because it adds so much natural sweetness.
Credit goes to Steve for the photo - I was too busy eating!

• Serves: 2 generously
• You will need: small but deep baking dish (I used a 9 x 5 x 3 inch silicone loaf pan)

Ingredients:

• 225g/8oz macaroni
• About 1 cup leftover chilli
• About 3/4 pint cheese sauce
• About 1 cup of roasted butternut squash

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 7/425°F/220°C.
2. Cook macaroni until just al dente then drain well.
3. Mix half of the cooked macaroni with the chilli and spoon into a baking dish.
4. Mix the other half of the macaroni with the cheese sauce and spoon on top of the meaty pasta.
5. Scatter the roasted butternut squash over the top.
6. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese is slightly golden.

Beef Stroganoff

I had lots of sour cream to use up so I thought a stroganoff would be perfect. I found this recipe on the foodnetwork website and it's by Rachael Ray which is one of the cooks I liked to watch when we had a TV in our hotel in SF! Click on the recipe title to go to see Rachael Ray's original recipe.

I have tweaked her ingredients to suit our taste and I've altered her method so you only need one frying pan! Although her recipe says it feeds 4 people, Steve and I like a lot of sauce so it comfortably fed us 2. Delicious served over fluffy white rice.

Serves 2 who like it saucy!

Ingredients:
Enough steak to feed 2 (I used 3 small thin frying steak pieces, but use better quality if you can)
Salt and pepper
1/2 small onion, sliced
4-5 mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sour cream, eyeball it
1 tablespoon extra-virgin or vegetable oil


Directions:

1. Heat a large frying pan or skillet until smoking hot, then add a little oil. Season your meat with salt and pepper. Add the meat to the pan and quickly sear on both sides, then remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. Don't worry that the meat is still undercooked at this point as you will add it back to the pan later. When the meat is cool enough to handle, slice it in thin strips.
   
2. Next saute the onion and mushrooms for 3-4 minutes in the same pan you seared the steak in. You want the onions to become a nice golden colour and the mushrooms to be cooked through. Remove from the pan onto the same plate as the steak.
3. Now make the sauce in the same pan - you will get all the nice flavours from the meat and veggies. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and add the flour and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly to make a roux. Whisk in your chicken stock and simmer for 1 minute until nicely thickened. Stir in the mustard and sour cream and continue to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
   
4. When your sauce is ready add the steak, onions and mushrooms back to the pan. Simmer for another couple of minutes until the meat and veggies are heated through (I'd say 1 minute max to keep your steak rare)
   
5. Remove from heat and season sauce with salt and pepper.

Greek Pastitsio

Another great Greek dish which I have been trying to recreate for quite some time. I have tried a few different recipes and I think this recipe gives a pretty authentic taste and texture, whilst not being too laborious.

Although it seems quite similar to lasagne in its construction, I think the emphasis is on the cheese sauce part, which holds the pasta together and allows the pastitsio to be sliced into portions like a cake. The nutmeg and cinnamon might seem like weird spices to add but I think they give the dish the authentic taste.

Serves 4

Pasta Mixture

• 500g pasta (authentic pastitsio uses Ziti but you can use penne, macaroni or bucatini)
• 3/4 cup (75g) grated cheese (use something that has good melting properties, like Halloumi or Mozzarella. I used Quattro Formaggio which was a mixture of Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina and Mild Provolone)

Meat Sauce

• 500g minced beef or pork
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes or 1/2 jar ready made sauce
• 1 teaspoon tomato puree/paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried mint flakes (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Cheese Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons plain flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 600ml/1 pint milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup (75g) cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta until it is still al dente (otherwise it will turn to mush after you cook it in the oven). Drain, and return to pan. Stir in the cheese and set aside your pasta mixture.
2. For the meat sauce: cook minced beef and onion until meat loses its pinkness and onion is soft; drain excess fat.
3. Stir in tomato sauce, the 1 teaspoon salt, mint flakes (if used), cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper; set aside.
4. For cheese sauce: in a saucepan, melt the butter, then mix in flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
5. Slowly stir in the milk, stirring well after each addition so that no lumps form.
6. Cook and stir on medium high until sauce starts to thicken; stir for one minute more, then remove from heat.
7. Beat egg in a small bowl, then pour into cheese sauce, stirring briskly.
8. Blend in the cheese.
9. Layer half the pasta mixture in a 11" x 7" baking dish.
10. Spoon the meat mixture evenly on top, then the remaining pasta.
11. Pour cream sauce over top, to cover completely.
12. Bake, uncovered, at Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C for about 40 minutes, or until hot and lightly browned.
13. Let stand for 10 minutes.