Birria Beef Tacos

My son came back from a meal with friends at a taco restaurant, raving about the Birria Tacos he had.  So I had to try to re-create it at home.  I based my recipe on BBC Good Food's Birria Tacos, without the range of chillies in their ingredients list, added pinto beans to stretch the meat a little further, and cooked in a slow cooker rather than the oven.

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 kg braising steak cut into large bite sized pieces

400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp chipotle hot sauce

1 tsp white wine vinegar

2 cloves

3 black peppercorns

A large pinch of salt

2 bay leaves

16 soft mini tortilla wraps

Topping ideas

Lettuce

Pickled red cabbage

Chopped coriander

Finely sliced onion

Grated mozzarella

Guacamole or avocado

Jalapeños 

Refried beans or drained pinto beans, warmed

Fresh lime to squeeze over

Soured cream, useful to cool the chilli if you find it too much

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat.  If cooking in the oven, heat the oil in a lidded ovenproof casserole dish.

Dot the beef pieces around the pan, without overcrowding it, and brown on all sides.  You may have to brown the beef in several batches.  Once browned place in the warming slow cooker, or set aside if cooking in the oven. 

If cooking in the oven turn it on to heat to 140C/120C fan/gas 1.

Heat another tablespoon of oil in the pan and brown the onion.  Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic.  Heat to boiling, then turn off the heat and leave to cool enough to liquidise.

Liquidise the tomato mixture together with all the remaining ingredients apart from the bay leaves

If cooking in a slow cooker, pour the liquidised tomato sauce, add the bay leaves, and add recently boiled water to just cover the meat if required. Cook on High for 6-8 hours until the meat is tender and falling apart.

If cooking in the oven, return the beef to the casserole dish, add the bay leaves, and add 400ml recently boiled water to just cover the meat if required. Cover and cook in the oven for 3 hrs until the meat is tender and falling apart.  Check the beef every hour to ensure it is not drying out, and add recently boiled water to just cover the meat if required. 

When cooked, remove the meat with a slotted spoon and shred using two forks. 

To serve, put some shredded beef onto a mini wrap together with the toppings of your choice, and dip into a small cup of the sauce.  Do not build tacos in advance, as they will go soggy and fall apart.  For the same reason don't use larger tortilla wraps as I did - they fall apart before you get to the end of them!  But even with small wraps this is messy, but delicious.

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Feijoada, Brazilian Pork & Bean Stew

Last night was the first slow cooker meal of the autumn/winter, prompted by a glut of beans.

It was such a treat to come home from tidying the allotment during the tail end of Storm Amy in southern England to dinner already cooked.

Serves a hearty 4

8 pork belly strips (I had 4, as my butcher cut me 4 massive one!)
4 cooking chorizo (I used 8 mini chorizo, or use 200g cured chorizo cut into 8)
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
A pinch of hot chilli flakes
2 cans beans (black, borlotti, pinto, cannellini), or 250g dried beans, soaked and cooked

If using dried beans, soak and cook these before hand.  Keep the cooking water.

Brown the pork belly and the whole chorizo in the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat, and place in the slow cooker in a single layer on the bottom of the slow cooker that is warming up.

Turn the heat down under the frying pan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.  You can brown the chorizo now if it didn’t fit in the frying pan with the pork belly. Add a little more olive oil if required. Spread over the pork belly in the slow cooker when soft.

Heat the liquid from the cans of beans or the equivalent of two cans of cooking water (about 400ml) in the frying pan, together with the vinegar, chilli flakes, and bay leaves.  When boiling pour over the pork belly and onion mixture. The liquid should just cover the pork belly at the bottom of the slow cooker (don’t worry about covering the odd piece of chorizo or onions).  If it doesn’t cover the pork, add little more boiling water from the kettle but go easy.  Slow cooker dishes can be quite watery as they do not reduce like casseroles in the oven or on the hob.

After 5 hours on High, stir in the canned/cooked beans.  Leave for another hour on High to heat the beans through.

Serve with white rice and a Kale Chimichurri.

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Chicken, Lamb, or Vegan Pasanda Curry

We have lured our eldest daughter home for the evening to watch the Lionesses play in the Euros, and have a homemade Lamb Pasanda. 

I mostly followed BBC Good Food's Chicken Pasanda recipe, using cashews as I had no almonds, adding cumin seeds and more ground coriander as one of the reviews said the curry was a little bland, and omitting the cream.  Our Lamb Pasanda was tasty and with a medium kick of chilli.

This curry can be 'veganised' but substituting the meat with chickpeas/white beans and firm tofu, and using plant based yoghurt and milk.

Serves 4

500g diced lamb or chicken, or 200g black of firm tofu and a can of white beans/chickpeas

200g plain dairy or plant based yoghurt

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated

2½ cm root ginger, finely grated

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

½ tsp salt

Curry sauce

50g blanched almonds or cashews

100ml whole or plant based milk

4 tbsp sunflower oil

4 onions, peeled and thinly sliced 

4 garlic cloves, peeled & finely crushed

2½ root ginger, finely grated

4 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 red chilli, thinly sliced or ½ tsp chilli flakes

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

Marinade the meat in the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli powder, and salt for 30 minutes or more whilst you make the curry sauce. I tip the yoghurt and flavourings into the plastic tray or bag it comes in to save on washing up. 

To make the curry sauce, warm the milk for 1 minute in a mug in the microwave, add the almonds or cashews, and leave to the side to soften.

In a large pan, fry the onions in the oil over a medium high heat for about 5 minutes until golden brown.  Stir in the whole spices (cardamon pods, cinnamon stick, cumin, and chilli), followed by the garlic and ginger, and then the ground spices (turmeric, coriander, and garam masala).

Liquidise the almonds/cashews with 300ml water and add to the pan with the onions.  Add the marinated meat, making sure you scrape out as much of the yoghurt mixture as you can.

Stir well, bring to the boil, then cover and turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes.

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Easy Caponata (Sicilian Vegetable Stew)

Caponata is a Sicilian vegetable dish, similar to Ratatouille.

This Caponata recipe, from Jamie Oliver, has a lot less ingredients than many online and much more to my taste ie no raisins nor celery.

Serves 4

2 aubergines

1 red onion, peeled and thinly slice

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Olive oil2 tablespoons capers

1 handful of green olives

Tin of cherry tomatoes

½ a bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley (15g)

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsps flaked almonds

Cut the aubergine into large chunks and fry in a wide saucepan or sauté pan over a medium high heat in a large glug of olive oil.

While the aubergine is frying, prepare the onion and garlic.

When the aubergine is golden on most sides (about 5 minutes) add the onion and garlic, and fry for a few minutes.

Add the capers and olives. Stir around then add the vinegar.

When the vinegar has almost evaporated away add the tinned cherry tomatoes and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Stir in the parsley and flaked almonds before serving.  Season to taste.

Caponata can be eaten hot or cold (room temperature).  

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Spicy Chana Masala

Chana Masala is surprisingly easy to make.  You could even get away with just garam masala (and chill obvs) if you don't have all the dried spices.

Serves 4-6

2 cans chickpeas including liquid (or 200g dried, soaked overnight then cooked in fresh water until tender)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 
1 tbsp grated root ginger
30g fresh coriander, finely chopped
2-4 green chillies, finely chopped, seeds and all
1-2 tsp chilli powder to taste
500g passata 

1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice

Fry the onion in the vegetable oil in a saucepan over a medium low heat until they start to turn golden brown.

Stir in the cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala, grated ginger, and garlic. When you can smell the warm spices, add the rest of the ingredients including the liquid from the canned chickpeas or enough of the cooking water to cover the chickpeas with about 1cm of liquid.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with basmati rice or naan.

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Easy Marry Me Chickpeas

Marry Me Chickpeas, or Marry Me Chicken, have been appearing frequently on my social media feeds.  When Marry Me Chickpeas appeared just after I had cooked some chickpeas I thought I'd give it a go.  These make a very tasty change to chickpeas in curry or Middle Eastern dishes.

Serves 4

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 leek, cleaned and finely sliced
1 pot red pesto*

2x 400g tin chickpeas

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
½–1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
500ml vegetable stock

grated parmesan to serve (optional)

*if making a vegan version, substitute the pesto for 100g sun-dried tomato and 50g cashews or almonds whizzed into a paste with some of the oil from the tomatoes and little water to make a paste.

In a saucepan, fry the sliced leek, chopped onions, and crushed garlic in the olive oil over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the leeks and onions have start to soften.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes.

I served ours over brown rice, and the children's with pasta.  Some recipes suggested serving with a green salad and crusty bread.

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Ghanaian Red Red Bean Stew

To complement the Ghanaian Very Hot Shito Sauce we bought our son at Christmas, I made a Red Red Bean Stew last night.  Red Red is a Ghanaian dish, make with black eyed beans, tomatoes, red peppers, scotch bonnet chilli, and red palm oil - hence it's name.  Given the strength of the Shito Sauce I decided substitute scotch bonnet chilli for sweet red pepper.

Although a plant based dish in itself, Red Red is often served with tinned mackerel or pilchards. I added chicken, as my teens are less keen on vegan/vegetarian dishes that we are.

Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 chicken thighs (optional)

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped

1 cm root ginger, roughly chopped

400g carton of passata

2 tins cooked black-eyed beans and their liquid

2 vegetable stock cubes

1 tsp Caribbean curry powder (or 1 tsp Indian curry powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, & 1/2 tsp ground allspice)

1/4 tsp chilli powder

Brown the chicken thighs, if using, in the olive oil in a pan big enough to make the stew, and remove from the hot oil.

Liquidise the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and root ginger with some of the bean water to make a loose paste.

Fry the liquidised onion and pepper mixture in the hot oil for a few minutes.

Stir the curry powder and chilli into the onion paste, then stir in the tomatoes, beans, and crumbled stock cubes.

Add the chicken back to the stew if using.  There should be enough liquid to cover all the ingredients in the pan with about 1cm of water.  Add more tap water if there isn't.  If too much liquid, you can reduce this whilst the stew cooks.  Cover (leave the lid off it too much liquid), and simmer for 20 minutes.  

Red Red could be cooked in a slow cooker. After frying the onion paste and dry spices,  pour into a slow cooker together with the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Serve with rice, or plantain.

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Spicy Aubergine & Bean Soup

I was gifted several large aubergines that needed eating.  The one that didn't find it's way into an Aubergine Parmigiana or Babaganoush has been made into a warming hearty soup on this frosty day.

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 large aubergine, cut into 2 cm cubes

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

400g tin of borlotti beans, pinto beans, or chickpeas

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

100g roasted red peppers, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp hot chilli flakes

1 tsp red wine vinegar

500ml recently boiled water

2 vegetable stock cubes, crumbled

Chopped flat leaf parsley or coriander to garnish (optional)

In a soup pan, fry the onion in the olive oil over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until it starts to soften.

Add in the aubergine and fry for another 10 minutes until lightly browned.  The aubergine will absorb the olive oil.  You can add more olive oil if you wish, or keep moving it around the pan to brown.

When the aubergine is browned, stir in the garlic and cumin seeds, and then the rest of the ingredients apart from the parsley/coriander if using.

Simmer the soup for 20 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped herbs if you have any.  The herbs not only add a nice contrast of colour, but another layer of Middle Eastern flavour.

This soup can be thickened into a stew by adding 100g red lentils or 50g soup pasta with the wet ingredients, or simply reducing the water by half.  Serve over couscous or rice if serving as a stew.

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Nordic Salmon Soup/Chowder

Lohikeitto (Finland), Fiskesuppe (Norway), Laxsoppa (Sweden), and Fiskisúpa (Iceland) are all Nordic creamy salmon and potato soups or chowders. This is a simple warming meal in a bowl that takes just over 30 minutes to cook.  I based my recipe on an online recipe for Lohikeitto, and added extra potatoes to make this into a simple dinner for 4.

Serves 4

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 leeks, washed and sliced

2 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

1kg potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed 

1 litre fish or vegetable stock

400g salmon, skinned and cut into large chunks

200ml double cream (I only had 100ml hence mine not looking very creamy)

Small bunch of dill, finely chopped (didn't't have any but would definately add it next time)

Sweat the leeks in the olive oil in a large covered pan over a gentle heat, stirring from time to time.

When the leeks have wilted down to half their size at the start (about 20 minutes), add the carrots. Sweat in the covered pan for a couple of minutes whilst you chop the potatoes. 

Add the chopped potatoes, garlic, and stock which needs to just cover the potatoes.  Put the lid back on the pan, bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.

When the potatoes are cooked through stir in the cubed salmon, cover and simmer for 5 minutes to cook the salmon.  When the salmon is cooked, pour in the cream and chopped dill.  Heat the creamy soup gently and remove from the heat when it is steaming but not boiling.  

Serve.

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Caponata, Sicilian Vegetables

Caponata is Ratatouille's Sicilian cousin.  Apart from the aubergine, ingredients seem to vary. Tomatoes, onion, celery, olives, and capers seem common from recipe to recipe. Courgette, pepper, pine nuts, and raisins (should only be in a cake in my opinion) slightly less so.

2 aubergines

1 courgette

1 red pepper

1 onion, peeled

1 stick of celery

2 large cloves of garlic

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 can cherry or chopped tomatoes

20 unpitted green or black olives, destoned

2 tbsp capers

30g pine nuts

Can of cannellini beans, black beans, or green lentils (optional)

Chop the aubergine, courgette, onion, and celery into chunky bite sized pieces.

Toss in the olive oil, together with the unpeeled garlic cloves and salt, and bake in a high sided baking dish for 40 minutes at 200C, stirring halfway through the cooking time.

At the end of the cooking time, stir in the rest of the ingredients into the hot baking dish to warm up.  There should be enough residual heat in the baking dish to heat the tomatoes enough. If not, pop back in the oven for 10 minutes.

To make this dish a little more filling (and add more carbohydrate, fibre, and protein) add a can of cannellini beans, green lentils, or black beans.

Eat hot or cold. The flavours of this dish will develop if left to cool overnight.

Caponata can be cooked on the stove, frying the vegetables in the olive oil until browned and they adding the remaining ingredients.

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Potato & Beef Goulash

Most goulash recipes call for at least 1kg of beef for 4 people, but I found this recipe for Goulash Soup in my saved recipes.  In fact it only called for 250g of beef and 250g of potato to make a soup for 6.  So I increased both the beef and potato to make a soupy frugal stew for 4.

Serves 4

1 large onion, peel and finely sliced
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced 
500g braising beef, cubed 

1 red pepper, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil
1tbsp paprika
1tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tsp caraway seeds

400g chopped tomatoes

1 litre beef stock

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 kg potatoes

In a casserole dish, fry the sliced onion in the olive oil over a medium high until golden brown.

Push to one side and fry the beef until outside of the cubes looks browned/cooked.  Stir in the red pepper and garlic, and fry for a few minutes.

Take off the heat for a minute and stir through both kinds of paprika and caraway seeds. Then stir in the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, and vinegar. Return to the heat, cover and bring to the boil.  Once boiling turn down simmer, keep covered, and cook for 1 hour.

After one hour, chop the potatoes into large chunks and push under the liquid in the stew.  If there is not enough liquid, add a little boiling water to ensure everything is covered by about 1cm of liquid.

Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Serve with leafy greens or a salad.

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Slow Cooked Courgette/Marrow & Beans

A made up dish, to use one of my three overgrown courgettes

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

2 large courgettes/marrow (about 1kg)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 can white beans

500ml vegetable stock

Fresh chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, or mint) to serve 

Chilli flakes (optional)

Finely slice your courgettes/marrow, peeling if the skin is tough.

In a sauté pan over a medium heat, fry the courgette in the olive oil until the released liquid has evaporated away. This can take 20-30 minutes.

Add the garlic and beans, using their liquid to make up part of your 500ml of vegetable stock, and stock.

Cover and bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. If the dish starts to dry out too much, add a little more boiling water.

Serve with a sprinkling of fresh herbs, a pinch of chilli, and crusty bread.

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Loubia, Moroccan Bean Stew

Loubia is a hearty Middle Eastern Baked Beans, traditionally made with beef or lamb.

I based my version on this recipe from Taste of Maroc.  Their recipe includes meat, but I prefer a vegan version.

Serves 6

2 cans of haricot or cannellini beans, or 450g dry beans soaked overnight and cooked according to their instructions 

2 cartons of passata

1 large onion, peeled and diced

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp cumin

2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp turmeric - (optional)

1/4 tsp chilli powder  - or fresh chili peppers (optional)

2 tbsp olive oil

Fry the onion in the olive oil in a casserole dish with a lid.  When it starts to brown add the garlic and cumin, stir then add the rest of the ingredients apart from the salt.

Bring boil, cover and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes until the onion is soft.  Add the salt just before serving.

Serve with crusty bread or couscous.

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Slow Cooker Pork Belly & Beans

Cooking pork belly and beans in a slow cooker is a great midweek, or lazy weekend main meal.

I usually cook Boston Baked Beans but thought I'd try a few different flavours, based on BBC Good Food's Braised Pork Belly with Borlotti Beans

Serves 4

400g cubed pork belly, or 4 pork belly strips (skin removed)

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 large stick of celery, diced

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp fennel seeds

Small sprig of rosemary

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 cans beans (borlotti, cannellini, pinto beans) and their liquid 

200ml white wine

Recently boiled water

1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

2 tbsp plain flour, or gluten free alternative (I used chickpea flour)

Turn the slow cooker on to warm up.

Fry the cubed pork in the vegetable oil over a medium high heat in a high sided frying pan.

Once it starts to brown, push to one side and add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic.  Stir, and fry for a couple of minutes then stir the tomato paste, fennel and rosemary.

Scrape the contents of the frying pan into the slow cooker, together with the beans and their liquid.  Bring  the wine and crumbled stock cube to the boil in the frying pan then pour over the pork and beans in the slow cooker.  Mix, and top up with recently boiled water so everything is just covered with liquid.

Cook on high for 6-8 hours.  30 minutes before you want to serve, mix a little of the cooking liquor into the flour to form a loose paste.  Stir the flour paste into the stew, squishing any lumps if you see any.  Cover, and stir once before serving.

We served it with roast potatoes and cauliflower, but it works well with mashed potato, rice, pasta...

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Salmon Tikka Masala Curry

 

Healthy, Omega 3 rich, salmon works really well in a curry.  

Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil

1 large onion, peeled and finely diced

1 tbsp peeled, finely grated root ginger

5-6 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp brown mustard seeds or English mustard powder

1 tbsp ground coriander

¾ tsp chilli powder

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 carton passata 

500g side of salmon, skinned and cubed

400g greens, green beans, or squash (optional)

300ml double cream,  or a can of thick coconut milk

1 tsp salt

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.  Add the chopped onion and fry for 10-15 minutes until brown.

Add the all the dried spices, stir around, then add the garlic and ginger. Fry for a minute or so then add the passata, 400ml recently boiled water, and coconut milk and vegetables if using.

Bring the boil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes whilst you put some basmati rice on to cook.  

After 20 minutes stir the cubed salmon in gently then cover again for 5 minutes until the salmon is just cooked.

Remove the lid and simmer to reduce if you've already added coconut milk.  If using cream, add it at the end then heat gently but do not boil.

Serve with basmati rice.

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Pasta e Fagioli, Veg Rich Pasta & Beans

Once a poor man’s meal, padding out a meagre bean harvest with pasta, Pasta e Fagioli is now an Italian comfort food with lots of regional and household variations.

At its simplest it is just pasta and beans, with meat and/or vegetables if available. I make it like I make Minestrone, but with more pasta and less tomato.  I use ham or bacon in my Minestrone, but ingredients can simply be left out or swapped to make a vegetarian or vegan meal.

Serves 4

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1/2 tsp chill flakes

1 tbsp olive oil

500g diced vegetables, including 1 stick of celery and 1 carrot. I topped up with homegrown courgette as I like to add something green. You could add cabbage, kale, leek, peas, green beans, fennel, sweet potato, potato... There are no set ingredients!

100g smoked ham/bacon (optional)

400g tin borlotti, pinto, or cannellini beans

200g macaroni 

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock 

1 medium tomato, finely diced

50g parmesan, or extra mature cheddar in our house

Fry the onion, garlic and chilli gently in a pan big enough to take a litre of stock + veg.

When the onion is translucent and soft, add the diced vegetables, cover and fry/soften for 5-10 minutes checking from time to time that they are not catching on the bottom of the pan.

When the vegetables are beginning to look soft and slightly brown, add the meat if using. Stir the meat around for a minute or so then add the stock, pasta, and beans including any liquid from the can. 

Bring the stock to the boil then turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes until the pasta is  soft (it takes longer in stock than it says on the packet). Whilst waiting, finely chop the tomato and mix in the grated cheese. I blitzed the tomato in a mini food processor as I have a child who does not like discernible bits of tomato.

When the pasta is soft, turn off the heat, stir though the tomato and cheese mixture, cover and leave standing for 5 minutes for the pasta to absorb a little more of the stock and cool a little. 

Serve, with extra cheese and chilli oil if desired.

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River Cottage's Stewed Venison with Juniper & Bay

OH fancied a venison stew for his birthday last weekend. I googled a few recipes but ended up (mostly) following River Cottage's Stewed Venison with Juniper & Bay 

Serves 6

Cooking time 2-3 hours, plus overnight marinading 

2 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
200g bacon lardons
800g casserole venison
2 onions, finely sliced
2 large carrots, cut into big chunks
2 celery stalks, sliced
6–10 juniper berries, bashed slightly
2 bay leaves
A large sprig of thyme
At least 500ml beef, venison, chicken or game stock
150ml red wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ideally, marinade the venison overnight in the red wine with the juniper, bay, and thyme in the fridge in a sealed container.

When ready to cook, fry the lardons in 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan. When browned, scoop out with a slotted soon and remove to a casserole dish.

Add the rest of the oil and gently fry the onions until soft but not brown. Add the carrot and celery and gently fry for about 5 minutes. Scoop out with a slotted spoon again, and add to the lardons in the casserole dish. 

Pick the venison out of the red wine marinade, shaking off (but keeping) as much liquid as possible, and brown in the frying pan in batches. Once browned, transfer to the casserole dish. 

When all the venison has been browned and in the casserole dish, pour the red wine marinade into the frying pan and stir around to heat up and deglaze the the pan.  Pour into the casserole dish, then rinse the pan again with a little of the stock and pour this into the casserole dish too. Pour the remaining stock into the casserole dish. The liquid should just cover the meat, so add a little hot water too if there is not enough stock. 

Bring to a simmer, cover with a well fitting lid, and cook over a very low heat for 2–3 hours, until the meat is completely tender.  This can be cooked in the oven at 120°C for the same amount of time, or in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours.

When the meat is cooked, taste the stew and season. The sauce will be thin but well flavoured; if you prefer a thicker sauce, you can either strain the liquid off the meat and boil to reduce and thicken it, then return it to the pan, or add 2 tbsp cornflower mixed to a cream like consistency and stirred into the simmering stew. 

Serve with greens, and a buttery mash or just plain boiled potatoes to be mashed into the sauce.

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Vegan, Vegetarian, or Meat Jalfrezi Curry

I generally cook vegetarian curries, having enjoyed these in Rajasthan many years ago, and having a part time vegetarian son. But the vegetables could be easily switched for meat, or half meat half vegetables...

Serves 4

4 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil 

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric


1/2-1 tsp chilli flakes


4 cloves garlic – smashed and finely chopped


1 inch piece of ginger – grated


1 large onion, finely sliced


1 carrot cut into 2mm thick pieces


1 green pepper cut into strips


700g vegetables and/or meat (chickpeas, sweet potato, cauliflower, beans, diced chicken, diced lamb)

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 bunch coriander leaves finely chopped


1 tbsp garam masala


Juice of 1 limes
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1 tsp salt

Heat the oiI in a large pan. When hot add the mustard and cumin seeds. When they begin to pop, add the ground coriander, turmeric and chilli powder and sizzle for about 20 seconds. Add the onion and fry for about 2 minutes until slightly browned. Add the garlic, ginger, carrots,  green pepper and stir fry for about 2 more minutes.

Add your vegetable and/or meat.  Stir around in the spiced onions then add the chopped tomatoes and a can of recently boiled water to just cover the vegetables/meat. Jalfrezi is typically a 'dry' curry without much sauce, but I personally like a curry with a bit of sauce, and also think you enough to cook the meat or vegetables.

Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil then simmer gently with a lid on for 30 minutes whilst you cook some basmati rice.

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Vegan Courgette & Cashew Nut Curry

The kids were horrified to learn I was planning to make courgette curry (or any dish for that matter) with my courgette glut.  I've made a couple of courgette curries before, a Courgette Sabzi and Malai Kofta, so thought I'd kind of combine the two. I am honoured to learn that this curry has made it onto my 15 year old daughter's very short list of acceptable courgette dishes.

Serves 4

500g/3 large courgettes, grated

2-4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, finely sliced

1 large clove of garlic, finely diced or crushed

1cm fresh ginger, finely diced or grated

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

2 tsp ground coriander

500g carton of passata 

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

Large pinch extra strong chilli flakes

50g cashew nuts

1 tsp salt

Ideally, fry the grated courgettes in advance. If not, just fry the courgettes best you can after frying the onions.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. When hot add each courgette as you grate it and spread out to a single layer fry for a few minutes. You want them to fry rather than steam. Add each courgette as you grate it, push the courgettes the pan to the side, and spreading  out the 'new' courgette out as much as possible and continue frying. The courgette is ready when slightly translucent and lightly brown. Turn off the heat.

In a large saucepan heat another 2 tbsp oil and add the sliced onions. Fry gently until they start to go lightly brown and caramelise.  Add the dry spices, stir around, then add the courgette and passata, half a carton of recently boiled water. Stir and bring to the boil. Cover and turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Weigh the cashews into the carton then pour over half a carton of boiling water and leave to soften whilst the curry simmers.

After 20 minutes, liquidise the cashews in the warm water and add to the curry together with the salt. Bring to the boil again. Like most curries this benefits from standing as long as possible for the flavours to develop. But it can be served as soon as the cashew cream shot.  Serve over basmati rice.

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Simple Ribollita - Tuscan Bean, Vegetable & Bread Soup

A description of this soup was given to me on a Facebook Allotment group I am on. I had a meagre borlotti bean harvest (92g of beans from 6 plants!), and wanted a fitting send off for them. I only realised after I made it that it is in fact a Ribollita.  

Ribollita literally means 'boiled again', and according to Wikipedia it is "a famous Tuscan bread soup, a hearty potage made with bread and vegetables. There are many variations but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans, lacinato kale, cabbage, and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, beans, chard, celery, potatoes, and onion." 

Serves 4

1 tin of beans (borlotti, pinto, cannellini)
1 bag of washed roughly chopped spinach, or kale
4 slices of stale sourdough (or ciabatta, French baguette)
3 tbsp olive oil

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 litre recently boiled water

2 vegetable stock cubes

Cut the bread into mouth sized cubes. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large soup pan. Stir fry the bread cubes over a medium high heat until they start to brown. Add the crushed garlic, stir through quickly so it doesn't burn then take off the heat.  Tip the 'cooked' bread into a bowl.

Using the same saucepan, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the spinach. Don't worry about it being too wet. Turn the spinach so it all looks wilted then add the beans and hot vegetable stock. If you still have the bean liquid you can use this to make your vegetable stock up to 2 litres rather than water. Bring to the boil. Add the bread back to the soup, mix in well, and when the soup comes back up to the boil it is ready to serve.

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