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the.southend.communitynews@gmail.com - editor David Wilson 07714772707 - Journalist, melaniejanette@gmail.com 07917730238

19

Ingredients

450g/1lb potatoes, unpeeled

salt and pepper

70g/2 1/2 oz butter

250g/8oz cabbage, shredded

3 tbsp water

3-4 tbsp sunflower oil

1 onion, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Cook the potatoes for 25 minutes in a pan of lightly salted boiling water, then drain, peel and dice.

Place them in a bowl with 55g/2oz of the butter and mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, place the cabbage, water and remaining butter in a large heavy based saucepan and cover. Cook gently for 10 minutes, or until tender. Mix the cabbage and mashed potato together and season with more salt and pepper.

Heat half the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the potato and cabbage mixture and press down with the back of a wooden spon to make a flat, even cake.

Cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes until golden brown on the underside and place on a large plate. Add the remaining oil and cook again on the other side for 10 minutes.

Transfer to a plate, cut into wedges and serve.

You could add carrots, peas or brussels sprouts to this recipe if you wish. Just cook and add to the cabbage and mashed potato before cooking.

The bubble and squeak recipe was a way of using up leftover vegetables, so you might want to wait until you have some leftover cabbage and potatoes rather than making it all up from scratch!

Bubble and Squeak

Prepare a Yorkshire Pudding batter:

¼ cup of bacon dripping

½ cup milk

1 egg, well-beaten

½ cup sifted plain flour

¼ teaspoon salt

Fry sausages and lay them in the batter. Bake as for yorkshire pudding:

Temp: 450º F Time: 10 - 15 min.

Detailed directions

Combine a well-beaten egg and milk; beat till light. Gradually beat in sifted flour and salt; beat with dover beater till smooth. Let stand 30 minutes.

Put about 2 tablespoons bacon dripping into pan or divided up between 6 large muffin tins or into an 8"x8" pan. Heat in oven, make sure you watch pan as it will start to smoke! Pour batter into hot pan; and lay in your sausages. Serves 4.

The trick is the hot fat and the hot oven. Don't keep opening the oven to check. Serve immediately as it will deflate as it gets cold. Pour nice beef gravy over top.

Serve with Mash Potatoes, Marrowfat Peas and Gravy

Toad in the Hole

Ingredients

Serves: 12

·250g plain flour

·1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

·pinch salt

·115g butter

·115g dark brown soft sugar

·2 eggs, beaten

·500g mashed over-ripe bananas

Method

Prep:15min › Cook:1hr5min › Ready in:1hr20min

.Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Lightly grease a 23x13cm loaf tin.

In a large bowl, combine flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour mxture into prepared loaf tin.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a knife inserted into centre of the loaf comes out clean. Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire cooling rack.

Ingredients

1lb lean beef mince

1 Medium Onion

3 Large Mushrooms

1/2 Tin chopped Tomotoes

1/2 Tin Baked Beans

1 Tin Mushroom Soup

Salt & pepper

Italian Seasoning

Cayenne Pepper

Preparation

Chop Onion and Mushrooms into very small pieces, fry in a little oil to soften.

Add lean Beef Mince, salt and pepper, fry until cooked.

Add italian Seasoning and Cayenne Pepper to your taste depending how spicy and hot you want it.

Add tomatoes continue to cook over low heat.

Add Baked beans continue to cook over low heat.

Add 2/3rd of tin of Mushroom Soup, bring up to full heat then turn down to simmer for approx 20 minutes.

Serve with, chips, rice or spaghetti

Quick and easy, and very filling.

Spiced Beef

BRAISED BEEF in bitter beer

1.2kg braising beef, chopped into 200g slices

sea salt to season

1 dash of vegetable oil

6 carrots, peeled

3 small onions, cut into halves

1 garlic clove

1 bay leaf

1 sprig of fresh thyme

10g of sugar

125ml of bottle of red wine

75ml of red wine vinegar

200ml of bitter beer

1.1l beef stock

1 tsp cornflour

1 dash of gravy browning

1 handful of chives, chopped

For the braised beef, season with salt and brown the beef in oil in a pan until golden brown all over

1.2kg braising beef

sea salt to season

1 dash of vegetable oil

Add the peeled carrots, halved onions, bay leaf and garlic to the pan

6 carrots

3 small onions

1 bay leaf

1 garlic clove

sprinkle in the sugar and allow the beef and vegetables to caramelise

10g of sugar

Remove the meat and vegetables from the pan and deglaze the pan with the red wine vinegar followed by red wine

75ml of red wine vinegar

125ml of bottle of red wine

Place the meat, vegetables and sprig of thyme back into the pan. Add the bitter beer next, bring the liquid to the boil and then add the stock. Cook this for about 1 ¾ hours at 160°C until very tender

200ml of bitter beer

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1.1l beef stock

Remove the beef, lift out the carrots and onions carefully and set aside. Pass the remaining liquid through a sieve and boil in a pan until it reaches a sauce consistency. If necessary, add a few drops of cornflour to thicken, or gravy browning to colour

1 dash of gravy browning

1 tsp cornflour

For the pie, fry off the button mushrooms in a few drops of oil until golden

button mushrooms

1 dash of vegetable oil

Add the shallots and stir for about 15 seconds until golden, then remove from the heat and scrape onto a plate. Set aside

1 shallot

In a thick bottomed pan add the butter and leave to melt. Stir in the flour and make a roux base

25g of butter

25g of plain flour

On a low heat, add the hot milk (making sure the bay leaf has been removed) incrementally, and stir in well each time

600ml of milk

When all the milk has been incorporated, add the mushrooms, peppercorns, parsley and season with sea salt. Take off the heat and allow to cool

25g of green peppercorns

2 handfuls of parsley

sea salt to season

Place the mix into small pie dishes, place the puff pastry on top and make a small hole. Brush the pastry with egg wash and heat in an oven set to 160°C/gas mark 3 for 15 minutes. If the beef needs reheating, place it back in the oven at the same time to warm through

1 egg

1 sheet of puff pastry, cut into 6 equal circles the same size as your ramekins

Serve the beef with the onions and carrots and a little of the beer sauce. Place the mushroom pie alongside, either in its ramekin or removed and served open (as in the image above)

1 handful of chives

Banana bread

Ingredients

Serves: 6

·450g lean minced steak

·2 (400g) tins chopped tomatoes

·1 large onion, chopped

·4 cloves garlic, crushed

·1 each large red, green and yellow peppers, chopped

·1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs

·1 teaspoon salt

·freshly ground pepper to taste

·1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

Prep:20min › Cook:4hr › Ready in:4hr20min

.Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan and cook the onion and garlic for two minutes. Mix the minced steak in with the onion and garlic and cook until the meat is browned.

Add the chopped tomatoes, peppers, salt, ground pepper and Italian herbs and mix well.

.Cover and simmer over low heat for 4 hours. Stir occasionally.

This recipe is ideal for cooking in a slow cooker - see guidance for cooker.

Bolognaise sauce

Ingredients

Serves: 6

125ml olive oil

450g lean mince

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

salt to taste

125ml white wine

350g mozzarella cheese, cubed

2 egg yolks

50g butter

4 tablespoons plain flour

500ml milk

2 (400g) tins whole plum tomatoes

1 onion, thinly sliced

30g butter

125ml white wine

salt and pepper to taste

·12 cannelloni tubes

Prep:45min › Cook:15min › Ready in:1hr

Baked cannelloni

.To make the cannelloni filling: In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm oil and saute beef with the onion, sage and rosemary; cook until meat is evenly browned and crumbly. Add salt and 125ml white wine; cook wine is evaporated.

. To make the Bechamel sauce: Melt 50g butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until well incorporated. Stir in milk and bring to a slow boil until mixture thickens. Stir into the meat mixture and mix well. Stir in the mozzarella and egg yolks; set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 30g butter and saute onion until soft and translucent. Add 125ml white wine and let it cook down to evaporate; add tomatoes and salt. Mix well; simmer for 15 minutes.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add pasta, a few at a time, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; using a slotted spoon, remove immediately to a pot filled with cold water. Lift pasta out with slotted spoon and arrange on a flat surface.

.Preheat oven to 200 C / Gas 5.

Spoon a line of filling into each shell, starting from one end and using your finger to push the filling inside of each shell. In a 22x33cm baking dish, place cannelloni and cover with tomato mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until heated through; when finished baking, allow to stand for 5 minutes and serve.

Prep:45min › Cook:15min › Ready in:1hr

To make the cannelloni filling: In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm oil and saute beef with the onion, sage and rosemary; cook until meat is evenly browned and crumbly. Add salt and 125ml white wine; cook until wine is evaporated.

To make the Bechamel sauce: Melt 50g butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until well incorporated. Stir in milk and bring to a slow boil until mixture thickens. Stir into the meat mixture and mix well. Stir in the mozzarella and egg yolks; set aside.

Preheat oven to 200 C / Gas 5.

.Spoon a line of filling into each shell, starting from one end and using your finger to push the filling inside of each shell. In a 22x33cm baking dish, place cannelloni and cover with tomato mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until heated through; when finished baking, allow to stand for 5 minutes and serve. Ideal to serve with mixed green salad.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

800ml chicken stock

420g tinned cream style corn

75g shredded, cooked chicken meat

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

salt to taste

2 tablespoons cornflour

125ml water ·

1 tablespoon sesame oil ·

1 egg white ·

spring onions, to garnish

Method

Prep:10min › Cook:15min › Ready in:25min

In a medium stock pot combine stock, cream style corn and chicken. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and add pepper and salt. Bring back to the boil.

In a separate bowl mix the cornflour with water. While the soup is boiling add this mixture and stir constantly until well mixed.

Season with sesame oil by adding a few drops at a time. Reduce heat and slowly add egg white while swirling the soup with a fork in order to break egg pieces apart.

Add chopped spring onions to garnish and serve hot.

chinese chicken and sweetcorn soup

Butter Shortbread

Ingredients

9oz plain (all purpose) flour

3oz caster sugar

6oz unsalted butter (NOT MARGARINE)

Preparation

Mix flour and sugar. Rub in butter and knead with warm hands until thoroughly combined and smooth (no cracks) – overwork rather than underwork.

Divide into two equal parts and press into the bottom of 2 x 7” lightly buttered cake tins (it should be quite thin). Flute edges with your knuckle. Prick all over with a fork and mark each one into six sections. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake at 160C for 30 mins. When done it should just start to brown and look a little risen and spongy. Leave to cool just a little then retrace the sections right through the shortbread (do this before it gets cold as the cake becomes very brittle and will break when you try to cut it). Turn out the sections when cold.