Local Mum Renee Davis shares her very own, family-friendly recipes. Watch out for her delicious new recipes every month
November 16, 2012
Five ways to eat the seasons
1) Melt a large knob of butter or tbsp of olive oil over a med high heat in a large saucepan. Sauté half a finely chopped leek until soft, then add a handful each of shredded cabbage and kale, season to taste. Reduce the heat to med-low and cook with the lid on for 5-10 mins. Great accompaniment to any veggie, meat or fish dish.
2) For a delicious alternative to potato fries try using swedeinstead. Peel and wash the swede, then cut into inch thick matchsticks. Coat generously with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake in a hot oven (180-190 degrees) for half an hour. If you are watching your salt and pepper intake season with dried mixed herbs instead.
3) Although more labour intensive than opening a bag of mixed leaves, for a fab winter salad or coleslaw base usetwo parts grated beetroot, to one part celeriac and pear.Wash, peel and grate your fruit and veg, then top with good quality balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and a handful of mixed seeds.
4) Give field mushrooms a good clean, then cut into large chunky strips and coat generously with equal parts sesame oil, soya sauce (tamari for gluten free) and honey. Fry over a med heat for 5-10 mins and use as a meat substitute.
5) Get prepared for Christmas! Melt a large knob of butter or tbsp of olive oil over a med high heat and sauté half a finely chopped leek until soft. Add a handful of shreddedred cabbage, a tbsp of mulled wine spices, the zest of a clementine and a large glass of red wine. Simmer on a low heat with the lid to the saucepan gently resting on the top but not fully closed until all the alcohol has evaporated. Store in the freezer and use on Xmas day.
For a great source of local seasonal veg check out Sutton Community Farm
November 5th, 2012
Boozy Bangers
I think it's essential to make your life in the kitchen as simple as possible, without compromising the quality of food you're serving. Now that the weather is getting colder I'm mostly turning to my comforting slow cooked recipes. This old faithful is perfect for feeding the family with lots of leftovers. Or taking to a bonfire party, which is what I’ll be doing this weekend.
Ingredients (for 6-8 large portions)
1kg good quality high pork content sausages
2 bottles of ale
2 large sweet potatoes
2 large carrots
Small swede
Large leek
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Tin of baked beans (optional)
Tbsp olive oil
Tbsp butter (optional - I use goats butter due to dairy intolerance)
Tbsp sage
Method:
- preheat your oven to 160C/Gas Mark 3
- wash your leek and chop into large rings. Melt the butter and oil in a saucepan over a med-high heat and cook the leek for 3-5 mins until soft, adding the sage at the end. Remove from the heat and leave to one side
- peel your veg and chop chunky, then lay them at the bottom of a large casserole dish
- cut your sausages into three pieces each and place over the top of the veg
- pour the leek and buttery juices over the top of the sausages, then slowly pour the ale over the top until everything is submerged in liquid
- cook with the lid on for two hours, at which point most if not all the alcohol should have been cooked away
- add the tomatoes, stir well, and cook for a further hour with the lid off
- after three hours you will be left with a thick, rich sauce. The sweet potatoes will have melted giving a unique flavour combined with the pork, ale and a subtle hint of sage in the background
- if you want the casserole to go further add a tin of baked beans just before serving
- this dish goes well with rice, mashed potatoes, crusty bread or lots of green veggies
October 2012
Ultimate ‘free from’ chocolate brownies
In 2006 I was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries and after lots of research discovered that if I didn’t start watching my sugar intake I would likely end up with diabetes by the age of 40. Fast forward several years and I feel I’ve become fairly adept at making treats using natural sweeteners. Friends are always amazed that my deserts do not contain refined sugar. These fudgey chocolatey brownies are also gluten and dairy free, and are loaded with vitamin D and iron. Next time you’re in the mood for something sweet try them out, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Ingredients (for 12 generous squares):
4 free range eggs
400ml tin of coconut milk
200g dates
150g ground almonds
150g pecan nuts
75g cocoa powder
Method:
- preheat the oven to 170C/350F/GM4 and grease a 20cm cake tin
- if you have a fairly powerful blender or food processor grind up the pecans and dates, then add the rest of the ingredients and whiz on the highest setting for about ten seconds until you have the consistency of a thick shake
- if you do not have a powerful mixer chop the pecans and dates finely by hand and mix in the ground almonds
- in a separate bowl whisk the eggs for a full minute to get lots of air into them, whisk in the cocoa incorporating well, then slowly add the coconut milk. Tip your bowl of nuts and dates into this bowl and mix together with a spoon
- pour your batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30 mins
- leave to cool, cut into squares and store in the fridge for maximum fudge-like consistency
- for a smaller batch halve the ingredients, bake in a loaf tin and cook for just 20 mins
Puttanesca Pasta
Pasta is a quick and simple midweek meal for most busy mums, and this super easy puttanesca is no exception. The last thing most of us want to do after putting the kids to bed is stand in the kitchen cooking, and the great news about this dish is from thinking of eating to serving up it you’re only looking at 15-20 minutes. It’s a very versatile sauce that lends itself well to any leftover meat you’d like to add to the mix, but is also fab as is. It also freezes great, so why not double up the recipe and make a batch for another time.
Ingredients (to serve 2):
Med sized red onion – finely diced
2 cloves of garlic – crushed
Small red chili
50g pitted black olives – halved
50g large capers – drained
50g anchovies tinned in olive oil
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Tbsp olive oil
Fresh spaghetti or cauliflower to serve
Method :
- finely dice the onion and gently fry in olive oil over a med-high heat until translucent, stirring constantly to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
- at this stage add the crushed garlic and red chili. If you like your food hot then take the stalk off the chili, chop it up chunky and chuck in the whole thing seeds as well. If you prefer a milder flavour then deseed it first and chop finely before adding.
- once you have something resembling the photo above add the anchovies including the oil from the tin, olives and capers. Give everything a good stir and cook for one minute to ensure all the flavours mingle together.
- now add the tomatoes and any meat you wish to include. Turn the heat down low and simmer for ten mins.
- your sauce is now ready to serve over freshly cooked spaghetti or tagliatelle.
for a low carb option try serving your puttanesca with finely chopped cauliflower instead of pasta. Wash a small head of cauliflower and chop it finely (as pictured below) then add it to the sauce at the simmering stage.
September 2012
Lamb Pot Roast
Roast dinners can be very stressful to cook, however on the flip side there are fewer meals as simple as a one pot roast. All you need to do is peel and chop your root veg, place the meat on top and voila a tasty roast without the new grey hairs.
The recipe below is for the meal I cooked last weekend which fed 2 adults, a toddler and a baby with enough leftover meat for two of the sample dishes at the end of this post.
Ingredients:
Half a leg of lamb (1.2kg)
3 carrots
3 parsnips
½ a swede
2 red onions
2 large sprigs of rosemary
2 cloves of garlic
Tsp olive oil
Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper
Method:
- Prepare your lamb in advance, using either the plastic supermarket container it came in or a Tupperware box. Rub the olive oil over the skin of the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Chop up the garlic, remove the rosemary from its stalks, sprinkle both all over the lamb and finally, drizzle over the balsamic vinegar. Cover with cling film (or the Tupperware lid) and leave to marinade in the fridge for up to 24 hours
- When you are ready to start cooking preheat your oven to 200 degrees*
- Peel and chop your veg into bite sized chunks and place at the bottom of a large pot or casserole dish
- Place your lamb on top of the veg, along with all the juices from the marinade
- Cook for 30 mins, after which time take out of the oven and check all is well (see pic below)
- Place the lid on top of the pot and cook for a further 2 hours on 150 degrees*
- Remove from the oven and leave everything to rest with the lid on for at least half an hour, and up to three hours
- This will create a lovely gravy at the bottom of the pot
- Serve with green veggies and said gravy
Suggestions with what to do with the leftovers
- Roast an aubergine (cut in half), 2 red peppers (deseeded and cut in half) and a red onion (cut in half) in a drizzle of olive oil, salt & pepper for 20 mins on 170 degrees. At this point take out of the oven and place large chunks of lamb on top of the aubergine halves, then top again with thick slices of goats cheese. Pour over a tin of tomatoes and put back in the oven for 10-15 mins until the cheese has melted. Serve with a green salad.
- Stir fry large chunks of lamb in a tbsp of sesame oil, with 3 chopped up spring onions, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, tbsp of fresh ginger, handful of broccoli florets and 2 courgettes (chopped small) until all the veg is cooked. Add a tsp of soya sauce, tbsp of fish sauce, handful of coriander and half a tin of coconut milk. Serve with rice or noodles.
- Melt a knob of butter in a pan over a med-high heat. Sauté half a finely chopped leek, 6 quartered mushrooms, 2 courgettes (chopped small), a handful of cauliflower florets and a handful of lamb. Add a tbsp of balsamic vinegar, tsp of smoked paprika and a tin of tomatoes. Turn the heat down and cook with the lid on for ten mins. Serve as a jacket potato filling or with buttered mashed potatoes and green veg.
*these temperatures are for a fan assisted electric oven - for a non fan assisted oven please increase by 10 degrees
August 2012
Thai Stir Fry
My husband and I travelled South East Asia in our younger days and have been obsessed with Thai food ever since. There are four distinct flavours that go into all its cuisine: salty, sweet, sour and bitter which often come from fish sauce, soya sauce and coconut. Once you have these essentials, as well as a few other fresh ingredients, you'll be able to knock up Thai style food quickly and effortlessly. If you're in the Wallington area check out TFX International (http://www.tfxfoodcentre.co.uk/) just before the train station for very reasonably priced sauces and coconut milk saving quite a bit on supermarket prices. A good cheat of mine is buying freshly frozen herbs, which saves so much time. I always have garlic, ginger, coriander and shallots in my freezer. Here goes, a super-fast and easy Thai stir fry. You could always add chilli if it's just for grown-ups and you want some spice.
Ingredients:
Tsp sesame oil
Tbsp fresh ginger
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 tbsp fish sauce
Tbsp soya sauce
Tbsp almond or peanut butter
Tsp honey
1/2 tin coconut milk
6 mushrooms
3 spring onions
2 carrots
2 courgettes
handful of fresh coriander
optional handful of meat (I used leftover chicken from a roast, but you can use anything you have - even sausages would be good in this!)
Method:
- heat the sesame oil in a wok or large pan over a med-high heat. Chop the spring onions into one inch chunks, and peel and quarter the mushrooms, add to the oil. Cook for a few mins, then add the ginger, garlic, soya & fish sauces, nut butter, honey, coconut milk and meat if you are using it. You can add any other veg lurking in your fridge that you want to use up at this point too
- turn the heat down to med-low and cook for five mins, allowing the flavours to infuse
- while this is happening top, tail and peel your carrots and courgettes. Then using your peeler, make fine strips of these veggies as pictured below
- add to your wok and give everything a good mix
- turn the heat back up to med-high and cook for 3-5 mins until your strips are nice and tender
- add the coriander and serve immediately
- this recipe feeds my hubby and I without the need for rice, but if you are serving with rice you'll get about four portions
July 2012
Utterly fabulous beef stew
(prep time: 10 mins, stove time: 10 mins, oven cooking time: 4 hours, easy/hard: EASY!)
I've been making this stew for a few years now, and it is without doubt the tastiest one pot dish in my collection. Beef shin is cheap (approx. £6.60 per kg), and easy to find. The chap or lady on the fresh meat counter at the supermarket will even cut it up into chunks for you if you ask them kindly enough. Kids and adults usually love this stew because the meat is so tender once it's been cooked for hours, it literally melts in the mouth. I often put it in the oven and go out to run errands while it's cooking. You'll get 6-8 portions out of the recipe below, and it freezes really well. I always put some away for another time when I make it.
Ingredients:
1kg beef shin (cubed)
4 carrots (peeled & cubed)
3 large onions (peeled & quartered)
6 garlic cloves (crushed)
1litre stock (beef is good if you have it, but any will do)
large bottle or can of ale (whatever you have, it all works well)
Tbsp oil
50ml Thai fish sauce
50ml tomato ketchup
2 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
Method:
- put the oil in a large ovenproof pan and brown off the beef over a med-high heat. This should take a few minutes
- add the onion, garlic and carrots and stir well. Pour in a little stock if you are concerned about things sticking to the bottom of the pan
- in a small bowl mix together the ketchup, fish sauce, soya sauce and tomato purée. Pour it all over the meat & veg, stirring well to ensure everything is coated
- add the bay leaf and star anise
- pour over the ale and stock so that everything is completely covered, and bring to the boil
- while this is happening, heat your oven to 160 degrees (155 for fan assisted)
- put your pot into the oven and cook with the lid on for three hours, and a further hour with the lid off
- your meat should fall apart and the sauce will have reduced to almost half looking something like the picture below after cooking for four hours. Serve with mash and loads of seasonal green veggies. For under £1.50 per serving, you really cannot go wrong!
Polly-friendly chocolate cupcakes3JUN
Since being diagnosed with various food intolerances my daughter's ‘treat list’ has dwindled massively. Shop bought cakes are now completely out of the question, and most of my recipes contain an ingredient or two she can’t have any more. It was time to start experimenting, and after a couple of batches I think I came up with something rather fab. These choccy little sponge cakes are gluten and dairy free, very light and fluffy, and only have 2.5g of sugar in each one. Perfect for all the lovely picnics we have planned this summer.
Ingredients (for 12):
75g ground almonds
60ml almond oil
2 eggs
Ripe pear
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp dark muscavado sugar
Tsp baking powder
Method:
- preheat the oven to 175 degrees and prepare a 12 hole cupcake tin with cases
- whiz all the ingredients except the almonds in the blender until smooth
- put the almonds in a bowl and pour the blended mixture over. Stir well and divide into the cases
- bake for 15 minutes…leave to cool and try not to scoff the lot!
Renee Davis, Cookery Editor
Reneé Davis is a Sutton Mum, a full time wife and mum of two young girls, part time City PA and self-proclaimed food fanatic. She became really interested in cooking after her first trip to Asia ten years ago, and the passion has grown daily since then. She takes every opportunity she can get to experiment in the kitchen, and loves cooking for family and friends. She also loves sharing her recipes with us!