Dongella's Shepherd's Pie

(From Taste.com.au)

Get This - 

500g beef mince
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
clove of garlic
2 teaspoons mixed herbs
1.5 cups of beef stock
1 cup frozen peas
1 grated carrot
1 grated zucchini
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon butter
3 potatoes


Do This -

• Heat Oil in a large frypan, Saute onion and garlic, add mince and cook until brown.
• Add tomato paste, beef stock, mixed herbs, sauce, peas, carrot and zucchini, mix thoroughly and simmer until liquid is absorbed.
• Meanwhile boil potatoes until soft. Mash with butter.
• Place mince mixture in a casserole dish, top with mashed potatoes.
• Sprinkle with cheese and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted and is lightly brown.
• Enjoy!

Roasted Red Potatoes

Quarter the potatoes long-wise.
Toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary.
Arrange potatoes in muffin tin as shown.
Add garlic clove in the middle of the potato quarters.
Add half a teaspoon of olive oil on top of each garlic clove.
Bake 375Fahrenheit or 190Celsius for 25 minutes!

4 Ingredients - Cottage Pie

Jamie Oliver Inspired Potato Salad

Serves 6

Get This -

1kg baby potatoes, halved or quartered
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon (or white wine vinegar)
extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon horseradish cream
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon of capers, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely diced

Do This -

1. Cook the potatoes in a pan of salted boiling water for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

2. In a large bowl, mix the lemon zest and juice with twice as much extra virgin olive oil. Add the mustard, horseradish, sour cream, capers, red onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.

3. Drain the potatoes, leave to steam dry for a couple of minutes, then tip into the bowl of dressing and toss to coat. Leave for 5 minutes.

Potato Bake

Hubba wanted to cook a roast on his new Weber barbecue tonight so I thought a potato bake would be the perfect accompaniment. The only problem...I've never cooked a potato bake before! So I put the call out on Facebook and Twitter and six lovely ladies came to my rescue with six different recipes! I particularly liked this recipe from Sass. But I ended up putting the ideas together to make my own version. It had to be very plain because I was attempting to entice my 8yo Mr Fussy into trying something new. This is what I came up with...

The bad news is Mr Fussy wouldn't even try it.
The good news is Hubba loved it! And so did I!!

Serves 4

Get This -

6 potatoes
300mL cream
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon plain flour
salt
cheese

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 180degC.
2. Peel and slice the potatoes.
3. Place in the bottom of an oven proof dish and sprinkle generously with salt.
4. Whisk together the cream, milk and flour.
5. Pour over the potatoes.
6. Cover with alfoil and bake for 40 minutes.
7. Remove the alfoil, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake uncovered on 200degC for a further 20 minutes.

Fi's Minestrone

I found this recipe on Fi's blog Mummy Daze and thought it looked so good and so easy that I'd give it a go! It's absolutely delicious!!

Not my image, as per usual!

Serves 4 - with enough for seconds and leftovers

Get This -

2 tablespoons oil
ham/bacon/salami
onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons tomato paste

800g tinned tomatoes

2 teaspoons stock powder

4.5 cups cold water

2 medium potatoes, cubed

1 large carrot, diced

zucchini, sliced

1/2 broccoli, chopped finely

1/2 cup frozen peas

750g tin cannellini beans, rinsed and strained

1/2 cup macaroni/broken spaghetti pieces

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 cups fresh baby spinach (if you have some)
salt & pepper

fresh basil

serve with a dollop of pesto

Do This -

1. Add diced bacon, onion, crushed garlic and oil to large pot. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until onion is softened.
2. Add tomato paste, tinned tomato, stock and water. Cover, and bring to the boil. Add potato and carrots. Cook, uncovered for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
3. When you are nearly ready to serve, add the beans, zucchini, broccoli, peas and pasta. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is just tender. Add sugar and vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in baby spinach leaves just before serving.
4. Ladle into bowls and dollop with pesto and basil. Serve with toasted bread or oven-baked rolls - whatever you have handy.

I served it with parmesan instead of pesto, and fresh basil.

Crispy-topped Cottage Pie

from Taste.com.au

Serves 4

Get This -

• olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 750g beef mince
• 1 cup beef stock
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons plain flour 
• 2 carrots, peeled, diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 500g Desiree potatoes, thinly sliced
• 100g tasty cheese, finely grated

Do This -

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic, stirring, for 8 minutes or until soft. Add tomato paste. Cook for 3 minutes.
2. Increase heat to high. Add mince. Cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until browned. Add stock, water and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Stir in flour and carrots. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Add peas.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 10-cup capacity ovenproof dish. Spoon in mince.
4. Combine potatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper. Arrange one-third potatoes over mince. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat layers, finishing with potatoes. Drizzle with a little oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Increase heat to 230°C. Remove foil. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until golden. Serve.

Note - to hide the vegetables from Miss 4, I grated the carrot and swapped frozen peas for grated zucchini.

This recipe is from Taste.com.au

Lamb Massaman Curry

This recipe is from the Australian Women's Weekly.

I love how easy a lovely curry is!
And the longer it's cooked, the better.
So my favourite thing to do is put it on in the early afternoon and walk away.
Then when dinner time comes...it's done!


From the Australian Women's Weekly

Serves 4

Get This -

1kg lamb shoulder, cut into 3cm cubes
100g diced onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
210g jar Valcom massaman curry paste
2 x tins quality coconut cream
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons palm sugar (or 2 tablespoons brown sugar)
200g potato cubes (2cm)
fresh coriander roughly chopped

Do This - 

1. In a deep pan (5 litre with heavy base ideal) heat oil and cook onions until they change colour to a light caramel colour. Add curry paste and stir for several minutes on medium heat. Add half-cup coconut cream and stir.
2. Bring to the boil and add fish sauce. Bring back to the boil again, add lime juice, salt and sugar.
3. Pour in remaining coconut cream and bring to nearly boiling then add lamb and potato. Stir occasionally. Simmer on very low heat without lid for 90 minutes or until meat is tender.
4. Garnish with coriander. Serve with steamed rice.

Madras Beef Curry

I do love curries.
And this one is a winner.
So easy and so yum.


Just for a change, this is actually my image.
Yes, it's my dinner that I'm eating right now! :)

Serves 2

Get This -

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 400g gravy beef, trimmed, cut into 3cm cubes
• 1/2 large brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
• 1/4 cup madras curry paste
• 3 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 large potato, peeled, cut into 3cm cubes
• salt & pepper
• 1 stalk spring onions, chopped
• Steamed basmati rice, to serve

Do This -

1. Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook beef, in batches, for 5 to 6 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Heat remaining oil in dish. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add curry paste and cardamom. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Return beef to dish. Add stock, tomatoes and potato. Season with salt & pepper. Cover. Bring to the boil.
3. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 2-3 hours or until beef is tender. Remove and discard cardamom pods. Serve with rice and top with plain yogurt or raita and spring onions.

Massaman Curry

I was going to make the 4 Ingredients Calendar version but it was completely tasteless.  I added a few more ingredients and it was so yummy I ate way too much!

Serves 4

Get This -

500g beef cubed
1 tablespoon massaman curry paste
3 potatoes peeled and cubed
400ml coconut milk
(that was their bit...here's my added extras...)
1 brown onion, cut into fine wedges
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
juice from 1 lime
salt

Do This -

1. Heat 1/4 cup water on high heat in large saucepan.
2. Add beef and onions and cook until beef is browned.
3. Mix coconut milk, curry paste, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice together and add to saucepan with beef and onions along with potatoes.
4. Simmer for at least 2 hours. (The original recipe said 20 mins but I find meat is always chewy unless it has been cooked slowly for a couple of hours at least.)
5. Stir occasionally and season with salt to taste.
6. Serve with rice.

Extra extras...

You could add peanuts or cashews.
You could garnish with your favourite herbs.
You could serve with green vegetables and carrots.
Or you could eat as it but try not to eat too much!!

Easy As Chips/Wedges/Potato Skins

WHAT YOU NEED

Washed potatoes, roughly 1 per person
salt
oil spray

WHAT TO DO

Preheat oven to 200oC.
Spray a baking tray with oil.
Pierce potatoes all over with a sharp knife then microwave them until tender.
Let cool slightly then cut the potatoes into wedges.
Slice skins off or leave them on, whatever you or your kids prefer.
Place wedges and skins onto a baking tray, give them a light spray with oil and sprinkle with salt.
Bake in oven for about 30 minutes or until golden.


Easy as!!  Enjoy! :)