SAUSAGE AND APPLE PLAIT

My husband always enjoys my homemade Sausage Plait.  It is easy to prepare and makes a tasty supper dish.

For the filling you will require:

400g/1 lb best quality sausage meat or sausages
1 small onion
Freshly chopped sage
1 apple - cooking or eating
Level tablespoonful of chutney or Pickle
Seasoning

You will also need:
1 Pack of ready made butter puff pastry
Beaten egg to glaze

In a bowl, mix together the sausage meat, (if using sausages remove from skin by sliding a sharp knife down the length of the sausage to remove the meat) finely chopped onion, sage, diced apple, chutney and seasoning.

Roll the pastry into a rectangle and place the filling down through the centre.

Damp the edges of the pastry with water and fold the pastry over the filling and seal the two edges of the pastry.

Turn over with the join underneath.

Place on a baking tray and brush with the beaten egg wash to glaze.

Using a sharp knife, make slashes along the top.

Place in a pre-heated hot oven - 220C - for ten minutes then reduce the temperature 180C.

Cook until the pastry is golden brown, puffed up and the sausage mixture is cooked. Approximately 40 minutes.

Leave to rest for five minutes before serving.

Delicious served with home made coleslaw and pickle.

For the coleslaw:

Finely shredded white cabbage

Grated carrot

Small onion finely chopped

Seasoning

Mayonnaise

Squeeze of lemon juice

Small amount of horseradish sauce (optional)

Mix together the ingredients until they are all coated with the mayonnaise. Taste for seasoning, adding more if necessary.

TOMATO PASSATA FOR BOLOGNAISE SAUCE OR SOUP

Having made some green tomato chutney I now have a lot of red tomatoes that have ripened indoors.

I have cooked these down and pureed them  to make tomato passata which I will use to make bolognese sauce or soups in the winter months. I will pack this in containers and freeze until needed.

Passata cooling

Tomatoes are a good crop to grow as they provide a constant supply of delicious sweet tomatoes during the summer months and sufficient to make chutneys, sauces and soups for the winter.



GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY

The tomato plants in my garden have cropped well but I still have a glut of green tomatoes. I have picked these and have lots of them indoors on the windowsills ripening, I am always pleased to use some of the green tomatoes to make Green Tomato Chutney.  I use an old recipe that has been handed down over three  generations.

Chutney originated in India and it is a mixture of fruit, vegetables, spices and sugar with a consistency similar to jam.  It is delicious served with cold meats, cheeses and in sandwiches,  especially in the winter months.  In recent years I have adapted the recipe to make it more spicy as I believe our palates now enjoy more spicy foods. 

This is a cheap chutney to make for me as I have tomatoes, onions and Bramley apples from my garden.  I only need to purchase the spices, sugar and sultanas. As I enjoy cooking I have a good selection of spices etc in my store cupboard.

Ingredients

900g/2 lb Green Tomatoes

450g/1 lb Bramley cooking Apples

450g/1 lb Onions

450g/1 lb Demerara Sugar

225g/8 oz Sultanas
1 level teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

15g/0.5 oz Ground Ginger

50g/2 oz Mustard Seeds

Just under 600ml/1 pint Malt Vinegar

50g/2 oz Salt

Level teaspoonful freshly ground Black Pepper

Method


My original recipe says mince all the solid ingredients.  I just pop them in my food processor and chop them roughly.  It is very quick and easy.  Do not chop too small.

The prepared ingredients in the pot

Place all the chopped ingredients into a large stainless steel pan - I use my stock pot - add the spices, vinegar, seasoning and sugar.  Stir until the sugar dissolves then leave to simmer slowly for an hour to and hour and three quarters.

Simmering gently

Pot in sterilsed pots. I recycle old jars, wash in hot water then heat in the oven. Seal and date.

Store in a cool, dark place.

It is best to keep for one month before using to allow the flavours to develop.  This chutney will keep for a good twelve months.

The finished chutney potted, sealed and labelled.

If you do not have jam pot covers you can use cling film successfully.

ORGANIC GRANARY LOAF

I like to use organic flour for bread making.  We are fortunate to have a local mill which supplies a range of flours, some of which are stone ground on the premises using old mill stones driven by a waterwheel.

Today I made a Granary Loaf with Pecan Nuts and a batch of rolls for the freezer using:

1  kg Granary Flour

1 sachet dried yeast

2  teaspoons salt

1  teaspoon dark muscovado sugar

600 ml  tepid water

2  tablespoons sunflower oil

75g  Pecan nuts or walnuts (optional)

Bread making is very simple.  Let's dispel the mystery of it.

I use my mixer to take out the hard work.

Place all the ingredients, except the nuts and water, into the mixing bowl and mix well using the dough hook.

With the motor running, slowly add the tepid water until absorbed and not too wet and sticky.

Add the nuts, if used, and mix in gently.

Cover the mixing bowl with a clean, damp teacloth and leave to rise.

Whilst this is happening I get on with other things.

When the dough has doubled in size heat the oven to 220C. Mark 7 

Sprinkle some granary flour on the worktop and tip out the dough.

Knead and shape into a smooth ball.

Divide into two pieces if you wish to make two loaves.

I took one third of the dough to make rolls and used the remainder to make a large loaf.

Shape the dough and place into greased loaf tins or the rolls on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

Cook in a hot oven, 220C for ten minutes and then reduce the temperature to 200C.

A large loaf needs 30-40 minutes. The rolls only need 10-15 minutes depending on size.

Tap the bottom of the loaf or rolls when cooked.  They should sound hollow. If they don't pop back into the oven for a few minutes to finish cooking.

Cool on a wire rack.

This bread keeps well and freezes well. It has a delicious flavour.

MADEIRA CAKE

This has been a longstanding favourite in our household and can be made quickly and easily in a food processor.


200g/8oz Plain Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
125g/5 oz Butter
125g/5oz Caster Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
3 Tablespoons Milk
2 beaten Eggs

Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixer or processor till light and fluffy.  Gradually add the beaten egg and a spoonful of the flour (to prevent curdling). Continue to add the flour and baking powder along with the vanilla essence. Add the milk a spoonful at a time until you have a dropping consistency.
Place the mixture in a greased and lined 15cm/6" cake tin and bake at 160-180C (depends on your oven) for 50 minutes to 1 hour.  Cover lightly with foil if it is browning too much.
Cool on a wire rack.  Keep in a tin for one day before cutting.

If preferred, you can add grated lemon rind instead of the vanilla essence.

OXTAIL CASSEROLE WITH PARSLEY DUMPLINGS

Take one jointed oxtail - locally sourced, if possible - and brown it in a little oil until it is sealed all over. Add a chopped onion and a clove of garlic and cook  until transparent. Stir in about a dessertspoonful of flour until absorbed then add beef stock to cover. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss in a bay leaf.  I also added a handful of baby plum tomatoes, as I have a glut of them in my garden,  a chopped stick of celery and a couple of carrots.

Put on a tight lid, place a piece of foil between the casserole and the lid if the lid does not fit tightly. Cook in a slow oven for three hours until the meat is meltingly tender. I like to cook this day before to give the casserole chance to absorb all the flavours.

When ready to reheat, skim off the excess fat that will have risen to the surface.  Add some red lentils and bring the casserole to simmering point in a hot oven for 40 minutes.

Whilst this is reheating make the parsley dumplings:

100g/4oz S. R Flour, 50g/ 2oz Shredded Suet, good pinch salt and grind of black pepper and  chopped curled parsley. Water to mix.  Mix everything together without making the mixture too wet. Shape into small balls and place in the casserole on top of the oxtail.  Cook without the lid for about twenty minutes.

Serve with a green vegetable. 

This is a delicious meal and will serve four. 

PORK AND VEGETABLE STIR FRY

Here is a quick and easy meal, the vegetables can be varied to suit what you have in the fridge!

Pork and Vegetable Stir-fry.

 INGREDIENTS

200g/8oz pork fillet sliced into long strips

1 tblsp olive oil

3 tblsp runny honey

3 lge spring onions sliced on diagonal

1 red pepper deseeded and thinly sliced

5 sticks celery thinly sliced on diagonal

2 cloves garlic crushed

200g/8oz pak choi sliced coarsely – white and green parts kept separate

4 tblsp white wine vinegar

4-tblsp soy sauce

1 can pineapple rings drained and chopped into chunks

50g/2oz salted cashew nuts

Salt and pepper

METHOD

Firstly, prepare the meat and the vegetables and have all the ingredients to hand. 

·        Heat oil in frying pan over high heat.

·        Add the pork to pan and pour over 1 tblsp honey.

·        Fry for 2-3 mins until just cooked and brown

·        Remove with slotted spoon and set aside

·        Add celery, onions, pepper, garlic and white pak choi and stir for further 3 mins

·        Add vinegar, soy sauce and 2 tblsp honey

·        Bring to boil and reduce for a few mins

·        Return pork to pan, add green pak-choi, pineapple, nuts and seasoning

·        Stir-fry for a moment or two to heat through

• Delicious!

CREAMY FISH PIE

This evening we enjoyed a tasty fish pie.  I used two large fillets of haddock and a few scallops. Skin the haddock fillets ( lay them skin down and hold the tail end then run a large, sharp knife under the flesh and slide it down through the fillet to separate the flesh from the skin.)  It is easier than it sounds. Cut into large chunks and place in an ovenproof shallow dish along with the scallops. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Take a jar of Maille Hollandaise sauce and tip into a bowl, squeeze over some lemon juice and add some double cream or milk.  Beat together lightly and pour over the fish.  Meanwhile, cook some potatoes and mash well, adding a good knob of butter. Put this on top of the fish mixture and rough up with a fork.  Sprinkle some grated Cheddar cheese on the top.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 160C for thirty to forty minutes until the pie is bubbling and the top is golden brown.  Serve with green beans or broccoli.

I often use smoked fish in my pies - thick pieces of smoked salmon and smoked haddock.  This along with some white fish gives a delicious flavour.

The fish pie can be prepared ahead of time and placed in the fridge, covered lightly with foil, until ready to cook. If you wish to do this ensure that the potato is cold before placing on top of the fish.