Editor's March Pick #4: More about the sauce

Editor's note: Once more I refer you to "a picture paints a thousand words", skip ahead to the serving suggestion for enjoying your versatile sauce. Don't forget to skip back for more hints and tips on how best to prepare and make use of the sauce. Can't say fairer than that!

More about the sauce

The curry sauce takes more time than I'd advocate during your MTM stuff – it'll take an hour and all I can say is you won't regret it. You need to bear in mind that you can't walk away, the sauce needs your stirring attention. I sat at my hob with paperwork long overdue – you could equally do food prep that's on your list – any job that doesn't take you away – use your timer! It's still multitasking just in a different way.

The sauce freezes well and I'd suggest you might want to do so in portions that you know will suit you best. Remember, you can always take out more than one portion, infinitely better than wasting part of a larger box.

Here's what I did with my fridged curry sauce. I tipped it into a medium saucepan and warmed it through. I added 160ml of coconut cream and stirred until thoroughly absorbed. You'll have a curry sauce that is thick and delicious.

The list of uses for this sauce is endless, from leftover meat and poultry to veggies too. You can make the sauce vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead of chicken, if that's your bag.

A chicken curry and the photos are up next but before I go I have not forgotten that I mentioned two LSG sauces – a tomato sauce is another valuable asset, this time perfect for Mediterranean flavours and recipes.

Editor's further note: Check these photos out for a fab serving suggestion!

Do I have your attention?

Editor's March Pick #3: Lip Smackingly Good (LSG) Sauces

 Editor's note: You can't beat a good sauce. Doubly so if that sauce is a make-it-yourself take on a classic - chip shop curry sauce! I get pangs for the chippy but these days the good ones are hard to find in some places, and even then only open every second Monday after Whitsun. What could be better than taking a bit of time having a go at this and adding it to one of your staples - chicken, fish or pork. Should take care of the takeaway cravings and guaranteed to impress!

Lip Smackingly Good (LSG) Sauces

Before we carry on with the remaining working week suppers I think the time is right for two more LSG sauces.

I do love a useful sauce, especially one that can be used in different ways. The following is a curry sauce – in particular meant to resemble what I'd call a “chip shop curry”. To explain, the chip shop curry is not as strong as traditional curries. For those who eat curries, to give you an idea of “heat” and “spice” I'd say it's not as hot and spicy as a rendang and not as mild as a korma, so middle for diddle, suitable for everyone.

Here's the recipe :

Curry Sauce

50g unsalted butter

2 large onions, finely sliced and chopped

1 tsp of ginger paste

4 roasted garlic cloves

3 tbsp mild curry powder

3 tbsp malt vinegar

½ tsp star anise powder

500ml of the slow cooked star anise chicken stock

2 tbsp slaked cornflour

2 tbsp lemon juice

160ml coconut cream

Using a large saucepan melt the butter and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Fry gently until soft – about 15 minutes, make sure there's no colour. Add the curry powder, star anise powder and vinegar, fry for another minute. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 25 minutes, stir occasionally, you don't want it to stick.

Add two tbsp of water to the cornflour, mix and pour into the sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes, stir until you've got a silky, thickened sauce. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth, add the lemon juice.

At this point, decant into boxes. You will get approximately 630g of curry sauce and I divided between two. I froze one box and fridged the other.

I was using one for this evenings meal.

Hold that thought ...

Editor's March Pick #2: The Shepherdess Photos

Editor's note: I don't know about you but I'm a very visual person, if someone describes something for an hour I can draw a blank but if you show me a photo I know what you're talking about in a moment. The same goes for cooking, I need a visual hint most of the time and what follows is just that for the Shepherdess AKA Mushroom and chestnut pie - think stroganoff without the meat, then do yourself a favour and add the pastry!

The Shepherdess photos

the mushrooms and chestnuts, blitzed

ditto, pan fried

with the cream and other ingredients

served in an individual pie dish with

a pastry lid

Coming up … The Shepherdess bits and pieces, followed by a scaled down Shepherdess. As is usually the case with my food, there's always a variation or two!

Editor's March Pick #1: The Shepherdess AKA Mushroom & Chestnut Pie

Editor's note: A massive oversight on my part when I was waxing lyrical about the virtues of mince based recipes and their ease and payoff (especially vs effort!). I overlooked the logical next step - the Shepherdess! This was originally posted around Autumn and indeed references it but I can't remember the last week that I didn't eat at least one pack of chestnut mushrooms - fully endorse this one all year round! Rich and mushroomy, nothing better after an evening walk.

Lets begin …

… with what my idea of a fab veggie dish is and for those, like me, who don't want their food to resemble and have the texture of meat.

Autumn is on its way – my favourite season. Autumn makes me think of chestnut mushrooms with their wonderful depth of flavour - a perfect combination of earthiness complimenting the sweetness of the chestnuts in this recipe.

I want to serve dishes similar in appearance for both meat eaters and veggies too – everyone is the same, but different if you get my drift. The best example I can give you is a Shepherd's Pie – on the same table would be The Shepherdess – a veggie version of the same. Here's my take, two different ways.

The Shepherdess

or Mushroom and Chestnut pie

Serves 4

500g chestnut mushrooms, quartered

180g vac pac chestnuts, quartered

1 medium onion, finely chopped

celery salt and black pepper

a generous pinch of dried tarragon

3 cloves of garlic paste

a glug of dry sherry or red wine – 15ml approximately

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

30g butter

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

300ml double cream

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic paste, season with celery salt and black pepper and cook until the onion has softened and begins to colour, 5 - 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season again then add the tarragon and butter and cook for 5 minutes, turning the mushrooms so that they are covered in the oil and butter. Add the dry sherry (or red wine) and reduce so that the mushrooms absorb the flavours. Add the chestnuts and balsamic vinegar and mix well until reduced and syrupy. Add the cream, bring to the boil and then reduce and simmer for 5 minutes so that it reduces a little and thickens.

Next up …The Shepherdess photos.

Editor's February Pick #16: Shepherd's Pie Upside Down

Editor's note: For the last selection of the week I've continued on the 'winter warmer' theme, which after the weather of late seems very fitting! This post is for SPUD - Shepherd's Pie Upside Down. As I've always said, reinventing a meal is easy when you know how! I need someone to say "Psst... how about doing this?".

Here's SPUD

… aka Shepherd's Pie Upside Down.

SPUD

Shepherd's Pie Upside Down

940g braising steak – 1kg will do it doesn't

have to be precise

980g beef stock - ditto

Glug of rapeseed oil

salt and pepper

2 x beef stock pots

salt and black pepper

I zoomed to the butchers and bought 3 x trays of cubed braising steak for £10. A good start! A little patience is required here – using a large frying pan heat the rapeseed oil, place braising steak in the pan – it should sizzle – season with salt and pepper. Don't overload the pan, brown the meat and then set aside in your slow cooker making way for the next batch and repeat until you've browned all the meat. If you insist in ramming it all into the pan it will turn grey and stew – it's not a good look.

Add a litre of water to the juices left in the frying pan, bring to the boil then add the stock pots – stir until melted – pour carefully into the slow cooker with the meat. Pop the lid on and slow cook for four hours.

Switch off, cool and then divide the stock between two “pour and store” freezer bags and divide the meat between two in strong freezer bags.

Editor's February Pick #15: Saturday Night Supper - Shepherd or Cottage?

Editor's note:  Lately I've been using a lot of Quorn mince in the kitchen as it's perfect for CBA cooking - freezer to the pan and you're halfway there - one of the best bits is that the majority of recipes meant for real deal mince translate perfectly. So for this selection I (re!)present one of the Grumpy Old Men recipes - a Snug Shepherd or a Cosy Cottage. Take your pick, or go for a meat-free option, the real gold for me personally is the 'extras' that accompany the base. By the way, don't forget to check out the 'GOM' label for more travel writings and recipes!

Saturday night supper

For the GOM, in front of the football (soccer USA)

Depending on what you fancy, the following is either a “Snug Shepherd” or a “Cosy Cottage” – minced lamb for the shepherd and minced beef for the cottage – pie that is!

A Shepherd or a Cottage

700g minced lamb or beef

1 tbsp rapeseed oil (Canola USA)

2 tbsps Madeira

2 tbsps Ruby Port

2 tsps Worcestershire Sauce

2 tbsps tomato paste

2 lamb or beef stock pots

50-100 ml water

Using a large frying pan and preferably one that is suitable for transfer to the oven. Heat the oil and then add the mince and brown, turning until thoroughly browned. Add the Madeira and the Port and bring to the boil for 2/3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and the stock pots and mix well until absorbed and melted.

Your filling should not be too dry but not too wet either. You should be able to see tiny puddles of liquid. If you need to add water then add it gradually – you can add more you can't remove it!

It's difficult to predict how much fat there'll be in minced meat. Lamb, generally speaking, will have more than beef.

You can transfer the filling into a foil tray or, as I did, leave it in the frying pan.

As a guide, my frying pan that is suitable for hob and oven is 28cms in diameter – 3 very large appetites or 4 normal.

I feel the need to describe the “puddles” :

See them glistening – not too wet but definitely not too dry.

Next - to mash or not to mash, this is the question!

Editor's February Pick #14: Mini Cheesecake Photos & Tips

Editor's note: As with all photos on the blog, I must defer to the MiamMiam photos of the mini cheesecakes. I cannot say good things about my own experiments, only that I am amazed at how I managed to get cake mixture on a ceiling fan whilst not being in the same room. As with all good photo posts they're a bonus - gives you a sneak preview as to what's possible, a pointer on presentation, or in my case a hilarious "This is what you could have achieved"! 

Mini lemon cheesecakes – photos and tips

It's all very well needing muffin cases – can I find any?! I thought I had loads, clearly not. The nearest I could find were foil baking cases – not ideal – the cases taper at the base but the upside is that they look good and are actually quite robust – it could have been worse.

Here's the result :

Not too shabby – better than expected

Ideal if you want to serve with ice cream

or raspberries on the side

These will be better still made in muffin or cupcake cases – accidentally though there's a serving choice!

The other plus with this recipe is that the cheesecakes don't require baking. I've frozen them wrapped in cling film and then bagged – as usual I'll let you know how it goes.

I did serve one with vanilla ice cream – it disappeared in the blink of an eye – comment - “the perfect size, just enough”.

Note to self – muffin cases on the shopping list for next week!

Bye for now …