I can remember my mother telling me when I was a child that fish was brain food. It wasn't something we had very often actually, although on a rare occasion my mother would buy a frozen block of haddock.




She would carefully cut it into 5 small pieces and each would be drenched in some flour, seasoned with some salt and pepper and then fried in butter, until it was crisp and golden brown all over.



Oh, but that was some good. A rare treat. I can remember thinking to myself that when I got older I would buy big pieces of fish and eat as much of it as I wanted.



We only ever very rarely got to eat out in a restaurant. To eat in a restaurant was another rare treat. We always chose fish and chips and it was so delicious . . . flakey fish in a crisp and tasty batter, crisp chips, salt, a lemon wedge and some coleslaw on the side. It was some good.



When I got into my teens, I developed a tasty recipe for haddock, which consisted of a block of the frozen fish, topped with a tin of tomatoes, some chopped green pepper, onions, salt, pepper and oregano and then baked. Oh, but the family loved this, and still do. Simple and plain and good.



I think fish is so very good, and so very good for you. I don't think we eat nearly enough of it. It can be very pricey, and so remains a rare treat for Todd and myself. As delicious as it is, it deserves to be cooked in a special way which enhances and brings out it's very best.



I believe this recipe does just that. Simple ingredients, simple cooking. There are a few different flavours here . . . the tang of a moreish artichoke pesto, the saltiness of tinly sliced panchetta . . . the mild sweetness of a delicious thick piece of cod . . . delicious enough to serve to even your most discerning of guests.



*Roasted Cod with Pancetta and Artichoke Pesto*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Mild and moist roasted Cod stuffed with a delicious artichoke pesto and wrapped in salty pancetta. Delicious! The recipe makes a lot more artichoke pesto than you will need, but it is delicious on pasta, or bruschetta, and also freezes fairly well.

For the Pesto:
1 (415g) tin of artichoke hearts, drained (14 ounce)
4 ounces of olive oil (1/2 cup)
150g of roasted shelled pistachio nuts (1 1/3 cups)
the juice of one lemon
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled
a large handful of fresh parsley, minced
2 ounces grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

For the dish:
2 300g pieces of chunky, fresh Icelandic Cod loins (about 11 ounces)
2 TBS of the artichoke pesto
4 slices of pancetta
4 large sage leaves
2 tsp olive oil
the juice of one lemon
paprika, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
First make the pesto by putting the artichokes, pistachios, parsley and garlic into a food processor and blitzing until you have a coarse paste. Squeeze in the lemon juice and then add the olive oil, while the motor is running, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. You want a somewhat textured paste. Don't over process. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the parmesan cheese.

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F.

Take your Cod loins and make a cut along them horizontally almost all the way through so that you can open them up like a book. Open them up and spread 1 TBS of the pesto inside each of them. Cover with the top flap. Lay two sage leaves on top of each and wrap each in two slices of the pancetta, making sure that they overlap on the bottom. Place with the pancetta overlapped side down into a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and some paprika.

Roast for 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from the oven. Divide each portion in half to serve. We like to have this with some boiled new potatoes and a steamed vegetable.

 

This may not be much to look at, and it may sound like an unusual combination, but I just have to tell you that this is one of the most delicious casseroles you could ever make for your family.   Not only that, but it's also economical, easy and sure to become a fast family favourite!



All you need is an onion, a tin of baked beans, a pound of steak mince, a few odds and sodds and a couple slices of streaky bacon . . . seriously.  It's amazing what you can do with just a few bits!



I do want to say though that you will want to use the best quality and leanest minced steak your money can buy here . . . you don't want a lot of fat in your beef when you are using bacon on top.   I have used streaky bacon here, but you can use back bacon if you would rather.

 

To round out the meal I like to serve it with some fresh baked cornbread.   We love cornbread in this house.  It's not something that Todd ever ate before he met me, but he's a convert now and it is a simple bread that goes very well with these types of casseroles.  You can find my recipe for that here. 



A tasty coleslaw vinaigrette wouldn't go amiss on the side either.  Just to add a touch of green. I have a really tasty Pineapple version here.  I happen to think it's rather scrummy too.  In any case Beef and Beans, Cornbread and Coleslaw is a real favourite meal around here.   I do hope you'll give it a try.

 

*Beefy Beans*
Serves 4 to 5
Printable Recipe

Cheap and cheerful, hearty and most delicious.  Don't let the unusual list of ingredients put you off.  This is a winner/winner chicken dinner!  I like to serve this with cornbread.

1 TBS olive or sunflower oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
450g of extra lean minced steak (about 1 pound)
1 (415g/15 ounce) tin of baked beans, undrained
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
50g of soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup packed)
1 TBS Dijon mustard
5 thick slices of streaky bacon

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.   Butter a shallow 1 litre casserole dish.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until it begins to soften.   Add the garlic.  Cook for a few minutes longer and then crumble in the minced steak.   Cook, stirring frequently and breaking it up with a fork, until the meat is beginning to brown and there is no longer any pink remaining.   (To peel the tomatoes, cut a cross on the bottom and place into a bowl of boiling water for about 60 seconds, or until the skin begins to peel back where the cross is cut.   Remove from the water and peel off the skin. It should come off very easily.)  Season with the salt and pepper.  Stir in the brown sugar, mustard and tomatoes.  Cook for several minutes and then taste.  Adjust seasoning as required.   Stir in the tin of baked beans and mix to combine well.  Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.   Cut the slices of streaky bacon in half and arrange over top.   Cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Bake in the heated oven for 45 minutes, or until thick and bubbly. 

Heat the grill.   Uncover the casserole dish and then pop it under the grill for a few minutes to crisp the bacon.   Serve hot, with or without cornbread for sopping up all of that tasty goodness.

One of the most versatile leftovers has to be leftover roast chicken!  I just love it.  There is so much that can be done with it.



I often make hot chicken sandwiches with the sliced meat and leftover gravy . . . boy oh boy is that gravy good on chips!  With a little dab of coleslaw on the side and some cranberry sauce, this meal is bliss!



Chicken salad also comes to mind . . . chopped chicken, toasted pecans, chopped celery, onion and some chopped apple and dried cranberries in a mayo dressing . . .  perfect served in a warm croissant, or scooped out onto a bed of lettuce!



Or how about a tasty chicken pot pie, using all the leftover vegetables and gravy as well.  If you put it under a crust, I am so there!



Then there are the chicken casseroles . . . chicken and noodles,  chicken and rice, white lasagna . . . there is no end to what you can create with a bit of imagination!



One of my favourites is this delicious Chicken and Mushroom Casserole with Crusty Dumplings.  Chunks of tender chicken, salty bacon, onions and browned mushrooms in a tasty sauce, topped with flavourful chive suet dumplings and baked in the oven until the casserole is all hot and bubbly and the dumplings are crusty and lightly browned.



Oh boy . . . is this some good!  I like to serve it with steamed peas and new potatoes.  (Want a little trick?  Take a can of peeled new potatoes, drain well and then dump them into a skillet along with a knob of butter, a tsp of white sugar and some paprika.  Heat through over medium high heat, stirring until they begin to brown.  Season with some salt and pepper and they are good to go!  Easy peasy lemon squeasy!)



*Chicken and Mushroom Casserole with Crusty Dumplings*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A delicious way to use up some of that leftover roast chicken!

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
4 slices of streaky bacon, chopped
1 pound closed cup mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
1 TBS oil
1 TBS butter
2 heaped TBS plain flour
1/2 tsp summer savoury
sea salt and white pepper to taste
2 cups of cocoked chicken, cut into cubes
8 fluid ounces chicken stock (1 cup)
8 fluid ounces milk (1 cup)

For the Dumplings:
100g self raising flour (3/4 cup)
1/2 tsp baking powder
50g of vegetable suet (1/4 cup)
salt and white pepper
1 TBS finely chopped chives

Heat  the oil and butter in a large skillet.  Add the bacon, onion and  mushrooms.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is cooked, the  onions are softened and the mushrooms have begun to brown.   Add the  summer savoury.  Sprinkle with the flour and stir to coat.  Stir in the  milk and chicken stock.  Cook and stir until it thickens.  Season to  taste with salt and pepper.  Pour into  a 9 inch deep pie dish.

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.

Measure  the flour for the dumplings  into a bowl.  Whisk in the baking powder and season  generously with salt and white pepper.  Drop in the suet and chives.   Give it a good stir.  Add enough cold water to  make a soft and sticky  dough, about 4 to 5 TBS.  Roll into 8 evenly sized balls with floured  hands, and drop on top of the chicken mixture.

Bake in the heated  oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the casserole is bubbling and the  dumplings are nicely browned, light and puffy!  Serve with some boiled  potatoes and some baby peas.

Note :  This also works well with leftover turkey!

Cabbage is a real favourite vegetable around here. Filled with vitamin C and loads of other vitamins and anti-oxidents, it's very, very good for you. It's also quite low in calories, so it's a great diet food as well. (I'm quite sure most of you will have heard of the cabbage soup diet!)

A lot of people don't like the smell of it cooking, but I am afraid I'm a wierdo. The smell of cooking cabbage sets my tastebuds to tingling in anticipation. It's one of my all time favourite smells!




My mother always made the most delicious cabbage rolls. She cooked them in her largest aluminum wearever cook pot. She'd layer them in the pot along with big chunks of carrot and potato, and huge wedges of cabbage. She had no secret sauce, simply a large tin of tomatoes . . . the flavours of all the vegetables made for a really rich broth and intense flavours. We all loved them! They were a real treat!

As many times as I have made them myself, mine never quite taste as good as the memory of hers. They are one of the things I always look forward to eating the most when we go home to visit . . . along with her homemade pea soup, her beef stew and a big pot of her homemade baked beans . . .



My mom also makes the world's absolute best coleslaw. She slices the cabbage very thinly by hand, and then chops it up really fine along with carrot, cucumber, celery and onion. Her dressing is a bit of this and a bit of that . . . I don't think she ever makes it the same way twice, but no matter . . . it's always really, really good.



My mother's father used to make his own sauerkraut.   He made it according to folklore and the moon, and it was always just wonderful. In fact, the juice from the raw kraut has been used in my family for many years to cure various ailments and sicknesses. It is a taste I love, both raw and cooked.

My mother always cooked it along with ham hocks and served it up with big piles of mashed potatoes. I always liked to slather my potatoes with lots of butter, and then stir the kraut into them. It was sooo very tasty to me . . .



I guess you could say that cabbage is like the ultimate comfort food for me, fresh or pickled. It evokes so many lovely childhood memories.

I discovered this particular recipe several years ago in a cookery book by Tamasin Day-Lewis, entitled, Tamasin's Weekend Food. It has since become a real favourite of ours.

The mixture of the cabbage and the sausage meat creates a magical taste combination that is unbeatable . . . the long slow cooking breaks the cabbage down until it is almost buttery . . . the juices of the cabbage and sausage melding together into a melting deliciousness that is just the best flavour in the world.



We like to serve this with mashed potatoes, but baked potatoes are equally as good.

This is just good cookin . . . plain and simple . . . extraordinary flavours . .. a wonderful taste treat for a cold and wet late autumn afternoon . . . 

This is one of those recipes which only serves to prove that delicious needn't be complicated!




*Stuffed Cabbage Trou Style*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

I got this tasty recipe a few years back via a cookery book by Tamasin Day-Lewis, who got hers from Jane Grigson. With so many great cooks involved, how could it fail to be delicious! Simple ingredients, but the flavour is spectacular.

3 to 41/2 pounds of cabbage, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 pounds of good quality, free range sausages
salt and pepper to taste
butter



Pre-heat the oven to 150*C/300*F. Generously butter a large casserole dish. Set aside. Cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit the top and set this aside as well.

Place the sliced cabbage into a large pot of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for five minutes, then drain well. Run cold water over it to stop it from cooking any further and drain well again.

Remove the skins from the sausages and discard.

Layer 1/3 of the cooked cabbage in the casserole dish. Season well with salt and pepper. Top with 1/2 of the sausage meat, pressing it out to fit over the cabbage. Top with another 1/3 of the cabbage. Season again and then top with the remaining sausage meat, pressing it out as before. Top with the last of the cabbage, season again and then dot with some butter. Cover tightly with a layer of greaseproof and the the lid of the casserole dish. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the cabbage is meltingly tender. Serve, sliced into wedges with your choice of side dishes. We like buttery mashed potatoes and steamed beans with this. Delicious!

Steak, Stilton, and brown Ale.  A beautiful combination . . . a well trusted combination . . . a delicious companionship that works so very well in pies and stews, giving the gravy a fabulous flavour, and helping to tenderize the meat.  (Don't worry, the alcohol burns off!)


These scrumptious steak burgers contain all three ingredients  . . .  beginning with a lovely minced Pure Angus Beef, lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, and dry onion soup mix . . . some egg, a touch bread crumbs and some lovely dark ale  for additional flavours . . . all lightly shaped into hearty sized burgers . . .



Topped with  the tangy creaminess of a good  Stilton cheese . . .  crumbled over top and left to melt . . . oozing delightfully down into all those meaty crevices . . .



A topping of lightly sauteed onions, quick braised in more ale is their crowning glory.  It doesn't get much better than that folks!



This is a man pleasing burger absolutely . . . something hale and hearty to sink their teeth into . . . but I guarantee women will  love it as well. This woman certainly does!



Tucked under a buttery toasted bun, these burgers are sure to please anyone!  But don't take my word for it.  Make some and try them out for yourself. It doesn't have to be summer for you to enjoy a good burger.



You can grill them on the Barbeque if you wish, five minutes on each side will do the trick.  Or you can simply pan grill them.  Either way they are delicious.  I served them with some creamy coleslaw and roasted sweet potato wedges on the side.  Win, win, win!!!



*Steak Burgers with Stilton and Ale*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe


Beef,  Ale and Stilton . . . the holy trinity of beef cookery all tucked up  into a crispy bun.  Delicious!

900g of lean ground steak (2  pounds)
125ml of ale (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg, fork beaten
3  heaped TBS of fine dry bread crumbs
1 TBS dry onion soup mix (stir  before measuring it out)
salt and black pepper to taste
2 medium  onions, peeled and sliced
2 TBS butter
a further 125ml of ale (1/2  cup)
4 ounces of stilton cheese crumbled
Toasted buns to serve

Combine  the meat, first amount of ale, egg, bread crumbs, onion soup mix, salt  and pepper together in a bowl, mixing it all in well.  Shape into 8   equal patties.  Cook under a hot grill for about 5 minutes per side, or  until no longer pink inside.

While the burgers are cooking melt  the butter in a skillet.  Add the onions.  Cook and stir until  softened.  Add the second amount of ale.  Bring to the boil and then  remove from the heat.

Toast the buns.  Place a burger onto one  half of each bun and crumble the stilton cheese over top.  Place a  spoonful of onions over top and place the top half of the bun over all.   Serve hot.

I love potatoes.  They are my favourite vegetable.  I could live without chocolate.  I could live without cake.  I could live without cookies . . . I could not ever live without potatoes.  Oh sure, I've tried low carb . . . but the potato is my downfall every time.  I just can't get on for very long without them!

I like em steamed.  I like em mashed.  I like em fried.  I like em roasted.  I like em hot.  I like em cold.  I even like em raw . . . but the way that I like em most of all . . . is baked!





You just can't beat a good baked potato.  Rough on the outside, crisp even . . . and explodingly fluffy on the insides.  Big and fat and round . . .  and eaten so hot that you have to blow on every forkful you bring to your mouth . . . you just can't wait for them to cool down . . . you have to eat them NOW!

Not just any potato will do.  You don't want a waxy potato.  (A waxy potato is perfect for potato salad because it holds up it's shape in cooking.)  You want a nice fluffy potato, big and round . . . like a King Edward or Maris Piper, or in North America . . .  a Russet.



You can't hurry a baked potato.  It's not something you can rush.  The perfect baked potato takes a long slow roasting in a hot oven.  Some people like to wrap them in foil.  Foil wrapped baked potato = soggy icky baked potato.  Some people like to wet them and roll them in salt.  That works quite well I suppose.    Some people like them rubbed with oil, or with butter before they are baked.

Me???  I just wash em, and prick them all over (a necessity unless you want to be clearing off exploded bits of baked potato from all over the insides of your oven) and then I lay them in the hot oven right on the rack.  No pan.  No foil.  Just hot air wrapping itself around that potato and baking it until it is crispy and nutty on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  In short perfect!



Don't cut into your baked potato . . . that only mashes the potato together and compacts it.  Nigel Slater swears by the Karate Chop!  (And you know how much I love Nigel Slater!)  He recommends just a llight sharp tap on the side of the potato, like a karate chop . . . not so hard that you smash the potato to smithereens . . . just hard enough to slightly crack open the potato and let all the air out in a whoosh, leaving behind a tasty fluffy pile of snowy potato, just begging for a big pat of butter and your fork!

A steak is not a steak without a baked potato on the side, but a good baked potato deserves so much more than to be merely an accessory to the main course . . . a good baked potato is like having a blank canvas that you can paint a most beautiful picture on.  It can be the whole meal and for me it often is.

• With tasty Baked Beans ladled on top and lotsa lotsa cheese. 
• Topped with scrummy coleslaw, or tuna salad, or both!
• Lotsa cheddar cheese and lashings of crispy bacon
• a bit slab of goats cheese, or even better . . . some tasty Brie!
• With a Meaty Bolognaise Sauce ladled over top, or the best . . . Chili And Cheese!
• Bits of steamed broccoli and cauliflower and then a tasty cheese sauce ladled over top
• Leeks braised in butter with lots of grated Fontina cheese

To get the perfect baked potato, just follow these basic rules.  Pick a floury potato (Maris Piper, King Edward, Russet).  Wash and prick all over with a fork.  Bake right on the rack of a hot oven, 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6, for about an hour or so depending on the size of your potato.  Give it a light karate chop before eating.  Spoon on the butter and eat up right away!



Baked Potatoes with Rocket, Broad Beans and Blue Cheese.



Jacket Potatoes with Chili and Cheese



Rarebit Jacket Potatoes



Baked Potato Pizza



Jacket Potatoes with Cream and Walnuts

So what are you waiting for???  Grab a potato and start baking!!





Note:  If you click on the recipe name at the bottom of each photo, it will take you to a link for that recipe, which will open in a new window!  (Ahh, the beauty of modern technology . . . just wonderful!)

 

I got a new cookbook the other day. ( Shhhhh . . . don't tell Todd. He thinks that my cookbooks proliferate all by themselves, and I'm not about to tell him the difference! )  I read an article about the 50 best cookbooks in the UK, and this was on the list . . . I read the reviews about it on Amazon and then I thought, why not and I went for it!

 

If this first recipe I tried out in it is any indication of the calibre of recipes in this book, Todd's in for a real treat!  I made these sausage burgers today from the book, adapting it slightly.  She called them "Festive Pig in a Bun." but it's hardly Christmas, so they can't be festive today for us.  I just called them fruity sausage baps.  A rose by any other name and all that!

 

She also used crusty buns, but as you can see I used soft floured sesame baps.  I did toast them.
She didn't add any salad leaves.  I added a bed of rocket and I have to say it went very well with the meaty fruitiness of the burgers.  I love rocket.  It's a bit spicy and meaty itself!

 

She recommended perhaps having them with a sprinkling of Stilton. I didn't have any and they tasted fine just as is, but I can definitely see where some stilton melted over top would be a fantastically delicious addition.

 




But my darlings . . . they were fabulous just as is.  They were moist and succulent, with little bits of fruity sweetness, and a moreish little nuttiness from the pinenuts.  I can  tell  that the leftovers are going to be every bit as good, perhaps on their own with a small dollop of mayonnaise???  *Oink* Oink*  Come to mama!




*Fruity Sausage Baps*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

These are sooooo simple and very tasty.  Scrummo yummo!!

8 of your favourite British Bangers
(Use a good lean, well flavoured one, a generous pound in weight)
80g of dried cranberries (Scant cup)
80g of pinenuts (2/3 cup)
4 toasted baps (split in half and toast under the grill, toasting one side only)
(Rolls)
Fresh Rocket Leaves (Arugula)

Preheat the oven to  200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.  Set aside.

Skin all of the sausages and discard the skins.  Place the meat into a bowl.  Chop the cranberries finely and add to the meat, along with the pinenuts.  Mix well together with your hands.  Shape into 8 balls, flattening the balls into patties.  Place onto the prepared baking tray.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and crisped up on the outsides.  They should not be pink on the insides and the juices should run clear. 

Place a  toasted bap bottom on each of four plates.  Top each with a handful of Rocket and two sausage patties.  Top with the top bun halves.  Serve immediately.

WE had ours with potato salad and coleslaw and they were fabulous darlink!