Bangers and mash with onion gravy and peas

Ingredients For the sausages and onion gravy

6 sausages

1 onions, sliced

½ tsp dried mixed herbs

500ml chicken stock

salt black pepper

1 tbsp softened butter

2 tsp plain flour

For the mash

800g potatoes, peeled and cubed

50gunsalted butter

50ml double cream or milk

To serve 280g frozen peas

Method

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 12-15 minutes or until soft.

2. Drain the potatoes and mash with the butter and the cream.

3. Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and cook until soft.

4. Heat up a frying pan, add a little sunflower oil and fry the sausages cook until they have a good colour on the outside.

5. Preheat the oven to 180C 6.

6. For the sausages and onion gravy, mix the softened butter and plain flour together to form a paste. Add the sliced onions to the oven dish . Mix the sausages ,onions dried herbs and stock together.

7.  Return the oven dish to the oven for a further 20-25 minutes, or until the sausages are cooked through and the onion gravy thickened.

8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

9. Cook the peas in a saucepan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, or steam them for 1-2 minutes. Drain thoroughly and set aside.

10Serve the sausages, mash and peas with the onion gravy spooned over.

Salmon Fish Cake

Ingredients

400g potato cut into chunks

300g salmon

zest ½ lemon plus wedges to serve

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 cup plain flour

2 egg beaten

200g dried breadcrumb
6 tbsp sunflower oil
salad, to serve


Method
1.Place the potatoes in a pan of water, bring to the boil, cover and cook until tender. then mash. 2.Season the salmon and cook for 12-15 mins. Cool for a few mins, then break into large flakes
3.Put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in 3 shallow dishes. Dip the fish cakes into the flour, dust off any excess, then dip in the egg, and finally coat in breadcrumbs.
4. Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the fish cakes over a medium-low heat until deep golden and heated through. Serve with salad and lemon wedges.

homemade-mushy-peas

Ingredients
500g  frozen garden peas                                                                   
25g of butter 1 handful fresh mint (chopped)
Pinch ground black pepper and  salt

Method
Boil or steam the peas
Add the butter and mint
Mash with a potato masher and season to taste

Very Special Potato Bake, with Bacon Savoy Cabbage

Ingredients:

2 Large Baking Potatoes
100gm Small Prawns (cooked)
100gm Red Leicester Cheese, Grated.
1/2 Small Savoy Cabbage
4 Rashers of Smoked Bacon
Salt, Pepper, Butter, milk.

Method:

Wash the potatoes, pat dry then prick with a fork.
Place in oven at 160C (Gas Mark 5) for around 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, shred cabbage, place in boiling salted water and cook for 20 minutes.
Grill Bacon until well cooked (crispy) and cut into strips.
Drain the cabbage well, then mix in the bacon strips.
Take the potatoes and cut them in half. Scrape out the potato from inside into a dish, add a little salt, pepper, butter and milk and mash.
Mix the prawns with the potato and refill the potato skins with the mixture. Top with the grated cheese and place under a grill to melt the cheese.

Serve hot.

Poached Pears In Red Wine

Ingredients:

3/4 Bottle of red wine
4 dessert pears
100gms sugar
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Star Anise
Whipping cream

Method:

Peel the pears, leaving them whole, and stalks attached. Carefully core using an apple corer from the bottom of the pear, if you have one (leave uncored if not).
In a small saucepan, heat the wine and stir in and dissolve the sugar.
Break the Cinnamon stick into two, and add it as well as the Star Anise and the pears to the wine.
Simmer gently for about an hour, until pears are tender.
Remove the pears and Cinnamon, return liquid to the heat and reduce to about 1/3 by boiling.

To Serve:

Whip cream until very firm.
Place warm pear upright in dessert dish, spoon red wine sauce around it, and then add a dessert spoonful of cream to the dish.

Lamb Lasagne

The person I made this for doesn't enjoy the strong taste of beef - lamb has a milder taste in this case and made a very enjoyable alternative.

Ingredients

500g Lamb Mince

250g Lasagne Sheets

1 Tin Chopped Tomato with Garlic

1 Tspn Italian Seasoning

1 Tblspn Tomato Puree

2 Packets Cheese Sauce Mix

1 Pint Milk

2 Medium Sized Mushrooms

200g Mature Cheddar Cheese

Method

1. Fry the lamb mince until not pink - but not browned.

2. Chop mushrooms fine and add to mince.

3. Add Italian Seasoning (or any herbs you like to taste)

4. Add Tomato Puree and tinned tomato

5. Simmer for a few minutes until liquid reduced and reserve.

6. Check seasoning, add a little salt to taste.

7. Cook pasta sheets in boiling salted water for 6 minutes (slightly undercooked) and drain.

8. Meanwhile, make Cheese sauce as directed on packet, using milk, and add half the cheese.

***At this point you should have lamb, cheese sauce and pasta ready to assemble the lasagne.***

9. Place a layer of lamb in an ovenproof glass dish.

10. On top of this goes a single layer of pasta, followed by 1/3 of the cheese sauce.

11. Then another layer of lamb mince, then pasta, then cheese sauce.

12. Finally a third layer of lamb, pasta and top with cheese sauce.

13. Finish dish with sprinkle of remaining cheese on top, brown in oven for 30 minutes at 150C.

14. Serve with local vegetables and / or chips.

Victoria sponge

Ingredients
110g/4oz butter or margarine
110g/4oz caster sugar
2 medium eggs
110g/4oz self raising flour

Method
1. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Line 2x18cm/7in cake tins with baking parchment
3. Use a hand mixer to cream the butter and the sugar together until pale.
4. Beat in the eggs.
5. Sift over the flour and fold in using a large metal spoon. The mixture should be of a dropping consistency - if it isn't, add a little milk.
6. Divide the mixture between the cake tins and gently spread out with a spatula.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
8. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before turning on to a wire rack to cool.
9. Sandwich the cakes together with jam, lemon curd or whipped cream and berries or just enjoy on its own.