Sausage Casserole

Yesterday I was feeling very autumnal. I went shopping early, we bought a new lamp, I got some Christmas decorations and then by midday was back in my PJs with no intention of leaving the house again. I felt this was an appropriate winter-warmer to have for tea, and one that I could prepare in the afternoon and just serve at tea time.
This is a recipe that Emma and I discovered whilst at university and attempting to cook more for ourselves. We would each pick a new meal and cook for the rest of the house once a week (something that wasn't really embraced by our pizza cooking housemate), and this was one such meal. Hard to believe that was now nearly 10 years ago - however, this is still a meal that I love!

Ingredients (serves 4):
8 pork sausages (I use standard sausages but I'm sure this would also taste nice with a Cumberland sausage.)
8 rashers bacon
1 red pepper
1 onion
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
Vinegar
2 tsp chilli powder

Instructions:
1. Cook the sausages in the grill. Remove when done and slice.

2. Heat some FryLight (or oil) in a large saucepan. Chop the bacon, and cook in the oil. Drain any excess fat and add the sausages.

3. Dice the pepper and onion, and add to the meat. Stir through.

4. Add the tinned tomatoes (you could substitute one tin for a tin of beans which works just as well). Add a few drops of vinegar and the chilli powder. Stir well.

5. Cover the saucepan and heat on high until boiling. Once boiling, turn down on to a low temperature and cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring often. (If at any point it looks a bit dry, add a few tablespoons of water.)

6. Serve with cheesy mash, and enjoy!

Mexican Chilli Bean Soup

When I went to university, my Dad bought me a student cookbook by Fiona Beckett as I'd never really done much cooking at home.  Neither had he for that matter, so I don't know where his perceptions of being the next Gordon Ramsey come from.  I’ve been through a number of different phases of food including a vegetarian phase more than once, so this year he bought me Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s Veg Every Day cookbook… I struggle to cook many things from there due to Rhys’s inability to eat a meal without meat in it, but there’s so many lovely looking dishes. This recipe is a combination of one of his soups and one of Fiona Becketts… with my own little twist naturally.
Anyway, it appears a number of the people accessing Nom-Appetite are actually my students (hello!), many of whom are on diets as well, so after making this soup on Monday evening and finding that it is absolutely delicious (not that it looks particularly appetising), I thought I would share it with them. I think the gem in this recipe is that it's so cheap (and easy) but it’ll feed a good number of mouths which makes it easy to make friends with.

Ingredients:

2 red onions

1 green pepper

2 cloves garlic

1-2 red chillies (depending on your preference for heat)

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chilli powder

400 ml passata

600 ml vegetable stock

1 can red kidney beans (drained well and rinsed)

1 can baked beans

1 small can sweetcorn

Instructions:

1. Finely dice the onions and pepper. Add to a large saucepan with FryLight and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Crush the garlic and finely chop the chillies. Add to the saucepan along with the cumin and chilli powder and cook for a further 2 minutes.

3. Add the passata and vegetable stock, and bring to the boil.

4. Drain the kidney beans and rinse them well, before adding them to the pan. Boil for 10 minutes, and turn down to simmer.

5. Add the baked beans and sweetcorn and simmer for a few minutes (try not to overdo this stage as you don’t want mushy beans).

6. Serve immediately (Hugh recommends a scoop of sour cream on top, Fiona recommends with tortilla chips) or keep for later – your choice.  

Indian Chicken

The other day we watching Celebrity Masterchef and they were asked to make a cumin and coriander chicken dish, with an Indian flatbread and raita of sorts. The dishes they made looked amazing and Rhys had commented on how nice they looked. I decided I would have a go at a similar recipe (after all, the way to please a man is through his stomach) and so for once, this is me thinking off my own head and putting in what I think tastes nice... I hope you (and Rhys) enjoy it!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

2 cloves garlic, crushed

125ml natural yogurt (I used fat-free yogurt)

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

1/2 tbsp hot chilli powder

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1. Cut diagonal slits into the chicken breast. Place into a dish for marinating (I used my small oblong Pyrex dish).

2. In a mixing bowl, mix the yogurt, garlic, spices and salt and pepper. Taste the mixture - add more of any flavour as required.

3. Spoon the mixture over the chicken breasts, making sure you tuck some into the slits you cut earlier.

4. Put the dish in the fridge to marinate. Leave it at least 3 hours to allow the flavours to develop, but overnight would be preferable.

5. Preheat the oven to 220c (200 for a fan oven). Put the chicken in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.

6. Serve as required!

Chilli Chicken Noodles

It's been a while since I've posted anything but with the start of term, Rhys has done most of the cooking. Such a god send! However, today I've been inspired after telling some students about my blog so here is tonight's dinner.

Ingredients (per person):

FryLight

2 large cloves of garlic

2 chillies

1 chicken breast, cubed

1/2 pepper

1/2 onion

5 mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 portion dried egg noodles

Instructions:

1. Boil the noodles as stated on the packet instructions. Drain well, and rinse in cold water.

2. Crush the garlic and finely chop the chillies. Add the FryLight to a wok, and cook the garlic and chillies for 30 seconds.

3. Add the chicken and vegetables and cook for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Add the soy sauce and mix well before adding the noodles to the wok. Toss to coat the noodles in the mixture.

5. Serve immediately.

Pasta with Bacon in a Crème Fraîche and White Wine Sauce

Well, I've really been slacking recently. With it being the end of the summer holidays, I've tried to really enjoy myself and not go on the computer too much so now I have all these recipes on my Blogger app that I am yet to finish off and publish. Guess I'll be posting quite a few tonight - thank God for back dating.

First day back at work today obviously meant the first day back on my diet. But what I overlooked was the fact that we had two birthdays (meaning cake in our office) and I forgot my lunch resulting in a naughty pub lunch. Good start! So when I got home to find no food in the house and dire need of a supermarket trip, this was my request for dinner. Not the healthiest recipe ever, but there's always tomorrow ;-)

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 white onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
250g mushrooms, sliced
4-5 rashers of smoked bacon, fat removed and sliced
1 large glass of white wine
200g pasta
400ml crème fraîche (I use reduced fat)
50g grated cheese

Instructions:
1. Put the pasta on to cook as per packet instructions. Fry the onions for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

2. Add the bacon, mushrooms and white wine and fry until cooked through and wine mostly boiled off. Season with black pepper.

3. Add the crème fraîche and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer before adding the grated cheese.

4. Add the pasta to the pot. Coat well in the sauce. Keep on a low heat for a few minutes before serving with a voilà! (and with a giant glass of wine if it takes your fancy).

Carrot and Coriander Soup

This recipe seems pretty apt now that I've seen my second tutor group right the way through their A-levels as it's from my Fiona Beckett student cookbook, which my Dad bought me nearly 10 years ago when I was preparing to leave home and go to university.
Now that I am going back to work, I need to take control over my diet once again and last time I made this, eating it in conjunction with no snacks and a balanced meal in the evening, I lost 5 pounds in a week. That would make going back to work a little easier for me.

Ingredients:
1 white onion
350g carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
2 sticks celery (you can't taste it, I promise!)
1 medium-sized potato
750ml vegetable stock
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Dice the onion and cook on a low heat in Fry Light (or oil/butter depending on your preference) for 5 minutes, until soft.

2. Add the carrots, celery and potato to the pan and stir well. Cover the saucepan and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Add the stock and on a high heat, bring to the boil. Turn the saucepan down to a medium heat and continue to cook for 25-30 minutes until the veggies are soft. Allow to cool slightly (you don't want to melt the blender - that's happened to my Mum before now!).

4. Using a blender, blitz the soup until smooth and return to the saucepan, reheating slowly. Add a little extra water if required, and season to taste.

Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Risotto

I think I should be Italian! I seriously love all their food - pasta, risotto, pizza, calzone... We're currently considering going to Rome for October half term but I could come back the size of a house! This is an adaptation of a recipe I found a long time ago on a website. I've cooked it for just about everyone I know and they've all loved it - even my brother who's just the teensiest bit fussy!

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 chicken breasts, diced
8 rashers of smoked bacon, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
250g sliced mushrooms
300g arborio risotto rice
1 glass white wine
1 litre chicken stock
30g Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Cook the chicken in some fry light until the outside is just white, and add the bacon. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through and set aside.

2. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

3. Stir the rice through. Cook it for 1 minute until it starts to go transparent. Then add the white wine, and cook until evaporated before stirring through the cooked chicken and bacon.

4. Add the chicken stock a ladle at a time. Make sure that the stock is absorbed before adding any more but do not allow the pan to go dry.

5. Once all the stock has been added, sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and stir it through. Season as required and serve immediately, with a salad.

Note: Always taste the rice about 15 minutes after you first started adding stock. Cook until it is "al dente" - there should be a little bit of resistance when you chew but it shouldn't be rock hard in the center and mushy on the outside.
Also be prepared to add more liquid if required (add hot water) or less stock than is stated in the recipe. It will depend on your risotto.

Cottage Pie

As ever, this is not really my own recipe but inspired. This is a recipe from James Martin on BBC Good Food which I have adapted somewhat to suit our tastes. It's the first time I've made a more traditional cottage pie as in the past I've always used a chilli con carne base (not that this is massively different) but I really enjoyed it and can't wait to cook it again. I do have some of the base left over which is going in the freezer ready to make another.
This isn't the greatest picture in the world as I didn't take one after cooking but just trust me on how good this tastes!

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 onion
1 large carrot (or 2 medium)
1 clove garlic
500g minced beef
400g tinned tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
500ml beef stock (I used Knorr's rich beef stock)
50g frozen peas
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
Mixed herbs
1kg potatoes
A knob of butter
A dash of milk
1 tbsp horseradish sauce
Salt & Pepper

Instructions:
1. Finely chop the onion and carrot. Cook in a large saucepan for 4 minutes.

2. Crush the garlic and add to the onion and carrot, and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the minced beef to the saucepan. Cook for 4-5 minutes stirring regularly until brown.

4. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, 300ml of the beef stock, a pinch of mixed herbs and the Worcester sauce. Bring to the boil before turning down to a middle heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Cover the saucepan and cook the base for about 35-40 minutes stirring regularly to not let it catch on the bottom. You want the liquid to reduce but do not allow it to dry out.

6. Whilst the base is cooking, dice the potatoes and boil for approximately 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are done (prick them with a knife to check the middles are soft), drain them and put them back in the saucepan. Put the saucepan on the hob for 30 seconds to cook off any excess liquid. Add the butter (2-3 tbsp), a dash of milk (don't add too much as this makes the mash lumpy) and the horseradish before mashing. Season with pepper and salt to taste.

7. When both the base and topping are ready, stir the frozen peas through the mince mixture and then layer in an ovenproof dish. Put in the oven at 200C and cook for 30 minutes.

8. Use the remaining stock (200ml) to prepare a gravy. Serve immediately with your selection of vegetables.

Chicken Parmigiana

Well this is not truly speaking 'parmigiana' as I had no parmesan in my house, but it's my take on it anyway. Today is the first time I've ever made this, but I was actually impressed with myself and how delicious this turned out (although time I'll probably mix some parmesan in with the cheese on top).
I've been trying to follow the Slimming World diet this week to try and lose some summer pounds so the recipe I came up with takes into account the extra easy plan (using both the healthy B and healthy A options). You can however make this as naughty as you want it and if I wasn't trying to be good, I'd probably mix some parmesan in with the breadcrumbs too.

Ingredients: (serve 2)
2 large chicken breasts, halved
2 slices bread (800g loaf), whizzed into breadcrumbs (use dry bread but don't be tempted by stale ends)
1 egg
Paprika
Mixed herbs
Salt and pepper
400g tinned tomatoes
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp tomato purée
150g spaghetti
Cheese (to top)

Instructions:
1. Prepare your breadcrumbs and sprinkle over some paprika and mixed herbs. Mix in gently (and add more to taste if you desire). Whisk up an egg in a bowl.

2. Season the chicken with some salt and pepper. Dip each chicken piece in the egg, and then roll in the breadcrumbs. Lay out on a baking sheet, and put in the fridge while you prepare your sauce.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C. Finely dice an onion and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook for a further minute. Add in the tomatoes, sugar, tomato purée and a pinch of mixed herbs. Season to taste.

4. Put the chicken in the oven for 20-25 minutes. During this time, blend the tomato sauce before bringing it to the boil and allowing it to simmer.

5. Add the tomato sauce to an oven-proof dish. Place the chicken on top of the sauce and cover with cheese. Put the dish in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

6. Serve on the spaghetti.

Lamb & Halloumi Kebabs

I take no credit for these - they're from one of those recipe cards you can have for free from Sainsburys. We picked the card up for something different to have on the BBQ and they were delicious. We altered the recipe very slightly as Rhys doesn't like mint and they worked just as well (I ate mine with mint sauce as a dip!)

Ingredients:
Wooden skewers (8)
250g new potatoes
1 onion
1 crushed clove garlic
350g lamb mince

15g fresh mint

1 egg yolk

25g breadcrumbs

150g halloumi

1 courgette

Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions:

1. Put the skewers in water to soak for at least 30 minutes. This will stop them from burning when you're cooking the kebabs. Obviously you don't need to do this if they're metal skewers, but be careful when cooking as they'll get very hot!

2. Parboil the new potatoes for about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Once cool, cut them in half.

3. Finely chop the onion. Add FryLight (or oil) to a frying pan and cook the onion for 5 mins. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 mins.

4. Allow the onion and garlic to cool and place in a mixing bowl. Add the mince, mint (if using), egg yolk and breadcrumbs and mix well. Season as desired.

5. Cut the halloumi into fair sized chunks - don't make them too small as they have the tendency to crumble when threaded - and thickly slice the courgette.

6. Roll the mince mixture into balls. Thread onto the soaked skewers with the potatoes, courgettes and halloumi.

7. Brush the lemon zest over the kebabs mixed with 1/2 tbsp olive oil if desired. Cook on the BBQ or under the grill for 15 minutes turning once or twice until cooked through.

Piri-Piri Chicken with Roasted Mediterranean Veg

This is probably my absolute favourite thing that we eat at home. It requires absolutely no skill, and essentially the flavours come from a packet but it is so tasty that I had to add it to the blog!
There is easily enough vegetables here to serve 4 but I love these more than the chicken so I'm always happy to fill up my plate with the veggies. You can chuck just about anything you want in; normally we do peppers, mushrooms, onions and courgette. I had some new potatoes left over from last nights lamb dish so I parboiled them for 5 minutes and added to the vegetables before putting in the oven.

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 courgette
200g mushrooms
1 red onion
1 sachet Schwartz Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables mix
1 sachet piri-piri spice mix (Nando's or the supernarket's alternative)

Instructions:
1. Slice all the vegetables and place in an oven-proof dish.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 220c (200 for fan oven) or gas mark 7.

3. Mix the vegetables with the mix and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Spray with Fry Light before putting in the oven.

4. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes tossing the vegetables regularly. Respray with Fry Light as necessary.

5. Whilst the vegetables are cooking, butterfly your chicken breasts. (I prefer smaller pieces of chicken so cut them in half length ways too but that's up to you!)

6. Season the chicken pieces lightly with salt and pepper before sprinkling the piri-piri mixture over them. Spray lightly with Fry Light.

7. Spray the griddle with Fry Light (or lightly oil) and heat. Add the chicken. Cook until the chicken is cooked through (about 5 minutes each side although this is dependent on the thickness), turn the chicken regularly and spray with Fry Light intermittently so it doesn't dry out.

8. Serve immediately, with some Nando's dipping sauce for those who like a bit of spice.

Note: If you don't like spicy food, this also works well with lemon and herb rub instead of the piri-piri.

Lamb Chops with Bacon, Mushroom and Red Wine Gravy

The weather has been so foul that this hot dinner was very welcome by all. So much for Summer!
Dinner smelt so good tonight and I was so ready to tuck in that I completely forgot to take a photo! I realised half way through eating but Rhys assures me this gives good reason to make it again - I think that's his way of giving it the OK stamp of approval.

Ingredients (Serves 4):
8 lamb chops
8 medium sized mushrooms
8 rashers of bacon
1 small onion
1 glass of red wine (125 ml)
1 pint bisto beef gravy

Instructions:
Lamb:
1. Heat the grill on high for approximately 5 minutes, before turning down to medium.

2. Place the lamb chops under the grill. Obviously how long you cook on each side depends on how pink you like them - I did mine for approx 8 minutes each side as I prefer them a little crisp - but reduce the time if you prefer yours more medium-rare.

Gravy:
This recipe actually comes from the Great Little Ideas website, which is full of treasures. I've adapted it very slightly and doubled the quantity because we're gravy fiends in this house. It seems odd to serve a Bisto beef gravy with beautiful lamb, but this gravy did work really well. I hope you enjoy it!


3. Chop the bacon into slices and slice the mushrooms. Finely dice the onion. Add the bacon and onion to a drop of oil (although I used FryLight and it worked fine) and cook for 3 - 4 minutes.

4. Add the mushrooms to the bacon and cook for a further 3 minutes.

5. Add the red wine and heat through for 3 minutes.

6. Make up 1 pint of gravy as per pack instructions, and add to the pan.

7. I found the gravy was very thin, so bringing the gravy to the boil, add a further 2 heaped teaspoons of gravy granules. Whisk to prevent any lumps. Allow to simmer to boil off some of the excess liquid.

8. Serve over the lamb with your choice of potatoes and vegetables (I did new potatoes, baby carrots and dwarf beans).