Lockdown recipes

[RHB]

I'm currently cooking this Ragu recipe from Gary Rhodes. It's a bit long winded on the prep and cooking time but if you have some spare moments the results are great flavour wise. If anyone else has lockdown recipes to share then add them on here. Bon Appétit.

A classic from northern Italy, ragù is the original Bolognese sauce served with pasta. This recipe sticks close to the original, needing a few hours of slow simmering for the beef to soften and flavours to blend.

INGREDIENTS

100 g (4 oz) cubes of pancetta
25 g (1 oz) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) lean minced beef
salt and pepper
300 ml (10 fl oz) milk
300 ml (10 fl oz) red wine
400 g (14 oz) tin of chopped tomatoes
400 ml (14 fl oz) tin of beef consommé

METHOD

Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and fry for a few minutes until golden brown, then remove from the pan and keep to one side.

Add the butter along with the chopped vegetables and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes. Season the beef with salt and pepper and add to the vegetables, increasing the heat and cooking the beef until brown. Pour in the milk and cook until well absorbed before adding the red wine. Bring to the boil and simmer until just half the liquid is left.

Add the pancetta, tomatoes and half the consommé and return to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining consommé if needed and check the seasoning before serving.

 

[Napster]

Three of my favourite recent recipes

Bacon / egg naan roll

1. Tomato-chilli jam (makes around 800g): Process 800g of tinned tomatoes in a blender, then add 60g of fresh, chopped ginger, 15g of chopped garlic, 8g of chopped green chillies and 125ml of rice vinegar. Process until combined then pour into a saucepan along with 300g of granulated sugar.
2. Put the saucepan over a medium heat then once the tomatoes start to simmer, turn the heat down low and cook for around 30 minutes until the tomatoes have reduced. Turn off the heat then pour the jam into a sterilised jar and fasten the lid
3. Bacon: Grill or fry 4 rashers of bacon until crispy. Keep somewhere warm.
4. Assemble: Spread 1-2 teaspoons of Philadelphia cream cheese over a warm naan, top with fresh coriander leaves and place the bacon on top. Add a fried egg if using and sprinkle over a pinch of chopped green chilli, if using. Spoon over a little tomato-chilli jam then fold the naan in half, cut it down the middle and eat straight away, with extra jam on the side for dipping.

Pineapple and black pepper crumble

For the filling

1 large, fresh ripe pineapple (you need around 750g flesh)
1 vanilla pod or 2 tsp vanilla extract
100g granulated sugar
A few twists of black pepper

For the crumble

100g plain flour
100g rolled oats
100g granulated sugar
100g salted butter, cubed, at room temperature
To serve

Vanilla ice cream or custard

Method
You can serve it warm or cold, on its own, or with custard or a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

You can prepare the crumble topping in advance, but don’t apply it until you’re ready to bake.

1. Trim the pineapple of its skin, prising out the “eyes”, and cut into 2cm chunks, discarding the hard core.

2. Place the pineapple chunks in a saucepan and add 200ml water. If using a vanilla pod, split in half, run a knife down the length to remove the seeds and add the seeds and pod to the pan. (If using extract, it goes in later.) Simmer over a medium-low heat for 20–25 minutes, or until the pineapple is soft, stirring occasionally. If the pan starts to become dry, add a little more water.

3. Meanwhile, make the crumble. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your hands until fully incorporated; there should be no loose flour left.

4. Heat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.

5. Once the pineapple is soft, add the sugar and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Add the black pepper and vanilla extract, if using. Turn off the heat and set aside.

6. Spread the pineapple mixture in a medium baking dish and top with the crumble mix. Bake for 30–40 minutes, until the topping has formed a lovely golden crust.

7. Allow to stand for 5 minutes then serve, with vanilla ice cream or custard.

Feta and spinach pie


1 kg (2lb 31⁄2oz) waxy potatoes, such as Desirée, unpeeled
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 level tbsp cumin seeds
400 g bag baby leaf spinach, washed and ready to use
2 x 200 g packs feta cheese, crumbled
2 medium eggs, beaten
200 g pack filo pastry
50 g (2oz) butter, melted

Directions

1. Put the potatoes in a pan of salted water. Cover and bring to the boil, then cook for 15-20min until tender. Drain and cool, then peel and slice.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion for 10min until soft. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for 1-2min. Add the spinach, cover and cook until the spinach has just wilted - about 1-2min. Tip into a bowl and allow to cool a little.
3. Add the potatoes, feta cheese and eggs, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix together.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) mark 6. Lightly butter a 28cm x 3cm (11in x 11⁄4in) tart tin. Unroll the pastry and use scissors to cut the sheets lengthways into three. Work with one-third of the strips at a time and cover the rest with clingfilm to keep moist. Lay a strip on the tin, starting from the middle so that half covers the tin and half hangs over the edge. Brush with butter, then lay another strip next to it, slightly overlapping, and brush again. Repeat, working quickly, until the tin is covered and the pastry is used up. Cover and set aside any broken pieces of pastry.
5. 
   Tip the filling into the middle and flatten out to the edges. Quickly fold in the overhanging pastry, making sure the filling is covered and using the broken pieces to fill any gaps. Drizzle with the remaining melted butter, then bake in the oven for 45min until golden and cooked through.Serve with a crisp green salad.