Cowboy Stew (v)

I don't know where the name Cowboy Stew comes from I have to confess. I first made this as a student so I think it's probably something to do with the fact that it contains beans and sausages and everyone knows that's what cowboys eat. Whatever, the etymology of the name is less interesting than the recipe. It's the perfect sort of dish for horrible weather like what we had today: wet, soggy, cold, blustery. This warms you from the inside and tastes lovely at the same time. Result.

For 4 portions you need
1 pack Linda McCartney sausages
1 tin baked beans
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin drained black eyed beans
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 punnett mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 red and 1 green pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp each of hendersons relish (veggie worcester sauce), soya sauce and mushroom ketchup

Begin by sautéing the onion in the oil for about 5 mins. Add the mushrooms and cook till the juices have come out. Add the peppers and garlic and fry for another 1-2 mins. Add everything else apart from the sausages and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 mins. Meanwhile fry the sausages until browned. Add the sausages to the pan of stew and cook for a further 10 mins till steaming hot. Serve with mounds of buttery mash, or whatever carb you feel like. Perfeck.

Hugh's Ten Minute Cookies

This recipe is from River Cottage Everyday. I don't think they are as nice as Nigella's chocolate cookies from Nigella Express, but they lasted all week for lunch boxes and were nice and chewy.

For about 16 cookies you need:
125g butter
100g caster sugar
75g light soft brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g chocolate (I like a mix of white and milk)

Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly. Mix with the sugars and then add everything else. Spoon on to greased baking sheets, well spaced, and bake for 10 mins at 150 degrees. Leave to cool slightly before moving them to a cooling rack, but not for too long or they will stick...

Speedy Microwave Syrup Sponge Pudding

I felt all Jamie last night as I managed to get a two course meal on the table in under 30 mins. Go me...

For 4-5 portions you need:
125g margarine, self raising flour and sugar
2 eggs
splash milk
3 tbsp golden syrup

Blitz together the marge, milk, flour, eggs and sugar. Place the golden syrup in the bottom of a pudding basin/pyrex bowl and scrape the batter on top. Cover with cling film and nuke on high for 3 mins 30 secs. Serve with lashings of custard.

Cheats Donuts (v)

Rachel Allen calls these Balymone Balloons. But I call them cheats donuts. They're so simple to make, take hardly any time at all and taste d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.

For about 12 donuts you need:
140g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
2-4 tsp sugar plus extra for tossing in once cooked
200ml soya milk

Mix everything together to make a smooth batter. Heat vegetable oil to about 180 degrees and then fry spoonfuls of the batter in the hot oil. Move them around to get them an even golden brown colour. Err on the side of small when adding the batter to ensure the middle goes puffy and gets totally cooked. Too big, and the inside will stay sticky.

Drain on kitchen paper and then toss in extra caster sugar. Add vanilla, cinammon, cardamon, lavender etc depending on what you fancy. Or serve dipped in melted chocolate or warmed jam. Addictive!

Perfect Poached Eggs

Remember, this blog is to teach my son to cook. That is all.

For a perfect poached egg you need:
1 egg
1 pan simmering water
1 tsp vinegar

Place the vinegar in the water and bring to the boil, then reduce to the barest simmer. Crack the egg into a glass and pour gently into the water. Cook for 3-4 mins till the white is set and the yolk is runny. Drain, pat on a tea towel to absorb the excess water and serve as you wish.

Lentil and Swede Shepherd's Pie (v)

This is a lovely, rich and tasty vegan version of the classic Shepherd's pie.

For 6-8 portions you need:
1/2 cup each of green, brown and puy lentils
3/4 cup red lentils
1/2 swede, diced into bite sized chunks
glass red wine
1 tbsp dried oregano
splash mushroom ketchup
splash soya sauce
about 1 litre dark stock (I use vecon)
pepper
2 onions, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
mashed potato

Begin by sauteeing the onion and swede in a little oil for about 10mins. Add the garlic and lentils and then add just enough stock to cover the lentils and swede. Add the wine, soya sauce, mushroom ketchup and oregano and season with pepper. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 30-45 mins till the swede and lentils are tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Place into an ovenproof dish and top with mashed potato. Bake for about 40 mins till bubbling and serve with carrots and broccoli.

Eggy Bread/French Toast

A cupboard staple for breakfast or supper usually. I like it sweet with cinnamon and maple syrup. N likes it savoury with ketchup. Lex likes two slices with one of each!

For one person you need:
1 egg, lightly beaten in a shallow dish
1 slice bread
small knob butter
1 tsp veggie oil
whatever you fancy to serve with it e.g. 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tbsp maple syrup

Begin by placing the bread in the egg. Allow to soak for a few mins on one side before turning over and letting the remaining eggs soak in to the other side. Heat a frying pan and melt the butter/oil till the butter froths. Add the soaked bread and any remaining egg and cook over a moderate heat till it puffs up and is lightly golden brown. Flip over and cook the other side. Serve hot :)

Nigella's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are ridiculous. Ridiculous as in delicious. And ridiculous as in calorific. But did I say delicious? Cos they are, and they freeze well too so are a good one to make in advance and freeze for lunch boxes during the week...

The recipe is taken from Nigella Express.
125g dark chocolate
150g plain flour
30g cocoa, sifted
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g butter, softened
75g light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
350g chocolate chips (I like to use a mix of plain, milk and white)

Begin by creaming together the butter and sugars. Add the flour, cocoa, bicarb and vanilla along with the egg. Fold in the chocolate chips and mix well. Pull off small pieces, about the size of a walnut, roll in to a ball and place on lined baking sheet. Flatten slightly. You can usually get 6-9 on each sheet.

Bake at 160 degrees for about 10 mins. Leave to cool slightly before moving to a cooling rack. Scoff whilst warm or else leave to cool completely before stacking into a freezer bag and freezing.

Chocolate Easter Nests

Yes I know it's not Easter yet, but I love these and they're something Lex can make on his own too.

For about 12 nests you need:
200g milk chocolate
25g dark chocolate
100g shredded wheat (about 5 individual large wheats)
25g butter
12 mini chocolate eggs
12 jelly beans

Melt the chocolate and butter. Meanwhile crush the wheats in your hands into a bowl. Once the choc/butter is melted add to the crushed wheat and mix well. Place into cake cases and top with a mini chocolate egg and a jelly bean. Scoff and feel that they're sort of good for you as they contain shredded wheat. Never make again till next Spring!

Pear and Vanilla Microwave Pudding

I was inspired for this by a recipe in BBC Good Food Magazine for a banana and cinnamon microwave cake pudding. I've had a tin of pears lurking at the back of the cupboard since forever and this seemed like a good time to use them us. Also the bananas I had got from the supermarket yesterday were far too green to work properly. The result was a lovely smelling, incredibly quick and easy pudding to make. Yumsome indeed.

For 4 portions you need:
1 tin pears, drained. Leave 4 halves whole and roughly chop the remaining pears into chunks.
100g each of soft brown sugar, butter and self raising flour
2 tbsp pear juice (make sure the pears are tinned in juice and not syrup!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Begin by melting the butter in the microwave. Once melted add everything else, apart from the reserved whole halves. Mix well and put into a souffle dish. Sit the remaining halves in the batter and then microwave on high for 8 minutes. Serve with custard or ice cream or cream or whatever you fancy. These type of microwave cakes tend to go a bit hard the next day, but it is edible if this happens. Just smother in lots of custard before re-heating.

Chocolate Pudding with Chilli and Cinnamon

A Nigella staple this one, and very quick to throw together to fix that chocolate craving when it strikes. It can also be vegan if you use soya milk. Make sure you use a dish that's deep enough and sit it on a baking tray as the pudding has a tendency to erupt over the sides when it cooks... The recipe is on p229 of her Feast book.

For 4 large portions you need:
150g flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp chilli powder
50g cocoa powder
200g vanilla sugar
125ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
60ml vegetable oil
100g light soft brown sugar
175ml boiling water
60ml dark brandy

Begin by putting all the dry ingredients except for 25g of cocoa and the brown sugar into a bowl. Add the oil, milk and vanilla and mix to a batter. Pour into a 2 litre dish. Mix the remaining 25g cocoa and the brown sugar together and sprinkle over the batter. Pour over the brandy and boiling water and bake for about 25-30 mins. The pudding will cook into a cake on the top with a rich chocolate sauce on the bottom. Delish.

Quorn and Vegetable Stew

A last minute throw-it-all-in-the-pan-and-see-what-happens dish this one. And the end result wasn't bad. Lex ate it!

For 3 generous portions you need:
3 carrots, sliced
3 leeks, thinly sliced
2 onions, chopped
1 packet quorn chunks
1 can larger
1 tsp sugar
2 stock cubes
1 tsp dried herbs (I used oregano)
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by frying the veggies in a little olive oil. Then add everything else, bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 mins till the carrots are cooked. We served it with giant cous cous which was frankly *bizarre*. I'd recommend mash or pasta or rice next time!

Macaroni Cheese

Mmmmmm a total comfort food staple and a classic recipe! However it took my years to figure out that you need a runnier sauce than normal to make it on the right side of creamy rather than claggily heavy. I like to top mine with breadcrumbs and cheese. N prefers tomatoes. I do the cooking so we have breadcrumbs and cheese ;-) It's nice served with something green to offset the fat and richness of the cheese.

For 4 servings you need:
200g pasta (use something that the sauce will cling to like fusilli or spirili)
30g butter
30g plain flour
1 pint milk
1 tsp french mustard
1 tsp mustard powder
125g grated cheese (a mix of emmental, gruyere and cheddar is nice)
2 handfuls breadcrumbs
2 tbsp grated parmesan

Begin by cooking the pasta. Whilst this is boiling away make the cheese sauce: put the milk, butter and flour into a pan and heat till thickened. Add the mustards, all bar 2 tbsp of the cheese and mix well. Drain the pasta and mix in to the sauce. Pour into a baking dish and top with the crumbs and remaining cheese. Bake in a hot oven for 20-30 mins then serve.

Cheesy Potato Twists

Lex made these at school last week, and having brought the recipe home was desperate to make them with me. So we did.

You need:
100g plain flour
65g butter
50g grated cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard powder
50g mashed potato
1 tbsp water (I had to use about 2)

Blitz the flour, salt, mustard and butter till they resemble breadcrumbs. Then add the potato, cheese and water and mix to a dough. Roll out till about the thickness of a £1 coin then cut into strips. Twist the strips and lay on a baking sheet, brush with a little milk and bake in a hot oven for 10 mins. Leave to cool and then eat. Delish!