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Lovely simple weeknight dinner. Works with pasta or rice. Ingredients 500g steak strips 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided 1 large onion, sliced 300g mushrooms, sliced 3 tbsp butter 2 tbsp flour 500 ml beef stock 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 150ml sour cream or cream Salt and pepper Chopped chives, for garnish (optional) Instructions Slice the steak into 3cm strips, discarding excess fat. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat, scatter

My pursuit of the perfect roast trimmings continues. This was really nice but needs to be balanced against other sides to ensure it's not overall too sweet. For example alongside parsnips I think the sweetness of the whole dish would be too much. Ingredients   1 red cabbage, coarsely chopped. 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar 4 tbsp of sweetener or sugar 4 tbsp of butter Salt and Pepper to season   Method   Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the red cabbage and c

Brining tests continue. I had to really trust the porcess on this one and the house took on the aroma of a fish and chip shop. It actually worked really well. The skin was cripsy and excellent (I did add a bit of seasoning before cooking too) and the meat was nicely salted with a subtle flavour that I wouldn't have picked out as vinegar. Easy ingredients too compared to some of the brines I have on my list to try.   Ingredients   Small to medium whole chicken 6 bay leaves

Yes another creamy pasta! I can't help it. It's much more flavoursome than the picture looks becuse the original recipe said 350g of pasta and it swallowed the sauce. You only need 250g really. Ingredients 250g short pasta For the Garlic Butter Chicken: 600g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp butter 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp Italian seasoning For the Creamy Mozzarella Sauce: 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 1/2 mediu

Like lasagne but with short pasta and more bechamel. Ingredients For the meat 500g minced beef 90ml olive oil 1½ onions (finely chopped) 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped 1 tbsp tomato puree 1 tbsp pesto 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp chicken stock powder ¼ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp salt 2 tsp black pepper 300g short pasta (I used maccheroni)   For the bechamel 100g unsalted butter 100g plain flour 1l milk Pinch of salt 1 tsp chicken stock powder

Who doesn't love cheese, chicken and pasta? Ingredients 300g penne pasta 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 450g chicken, bite-size pieces 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 250ml chicken stock 2 tbsp plain flour 1 ½ cups single cream 1 tsp Italian seasoning ¼ tsp red chili flakes ¼ tsp ground black pepper 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, grated Parsley leaf (optional)   Method Cook the pasta until al dente and reserve 1-2 cups of pasta water. Heat the oil and but

I'm experimenting with different fats and this week's guest was mayoinnaise. I was sceptical but would use again (probably if I didn't have beef dripping or goose fat available). They had an amazing smell, crisped up nicely and brough a subtle sweet element (sort of caramelised crunch). I preheated the mayo but it doesn't melt so definitely toss the par boiled potatoes in it when warm. Ingredients Potatoes, peeled and chopped 3 tbsp mayonnaise (full fat) Sprinkle of polent

Yes, yes and thrice yes! Make this, make it all the time. Absolutely delicious. The cut of pork is so cheap this is an amazing way to elevate it. Ingredients   500g pork tenderloin 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp butter 250g mushrooms, finely diced 1 red onion, finely diced Small bunch fresh thyme leaves only 50ml white wine 250g puff pastry Sliced prosciutto 1 tbsp Dijon mustard Small bunch fresh sage leaves chopped 1 egg, beaten Sea salt and black pepper Method   Heat the ove

The search for the ultimate roast package continues. This was a perfect accompaniment to pork wellington which also has a mustard element. Will 100% be adding into rotation as I love cabbage but it can be bland.   Ingredients   1 head of cabbage, chopped into 2cm slices 300ml single cream 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder Salt and pepper   Method   Add the oil and chopped cabbage to a large pan. Season with salt and pepper and

A nice way to use up leftovers. I will take a much better picture next time I make this as I opened the oven door by accident so it was slightly flat. We hadn't had roasties so I made some to go with. Ingredients   ½ cup leftover roast meat ½ cup leftover roast potatoes ½ cup cooked vegetables (carrots, sprouts, peas..whatever you have left) 150g plain flour 185ml milk 2 eggs ¼ tsp salt ⅛ tsp black pepper 1 tbsp vegetable oil   Method   Preheat the oven to 220C. Drizzle the

We piled this into wraps like an almost-burrito! Ingredients   170g basmati rice 3 chcken thighs, cut into chunks 1 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, roughly chopped 1.5 peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika ¾ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp groundcoriander ½ tsp dried oregano 1 lime, juice only Small handful fresh coriander, chopped Salt salt and freshly ground blakc pepper   Method   Cook the until just tender. Drain well and set aside to cool. Season the chic

The breadcrumbs on this add an amazing extra layer of texture. Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp butter  500g chicken, chopped 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp dried parsley 3 cloves garlic minced 1 onion, chopped Salt and pepper to taste 350g penne pasta 2½ cups chicken stock  2 cups milk ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped 1 cup Parmesan, freshly grated   Topping 1 tbsp butter ½ cup panko breadcrumbs 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tbsp dried parsley Method Add the tbsp butter to a skillet and me

This is creamy wthout being overly rich. I used M&S Italian sausages which were really tasty. Ingredients 400g penne 2 tbsp olive oil 400g Italian sausage, casings removed 1 small onion, finely diced 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1/4 cup white wine 1 cup double cream 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, grated Freshly ground black pepper, to taste   Method Cook the pasta and cook to al dente. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and fry it for 5-6 mins until sl

Just like my Mum used to make. And boy did it take me back! So much more cost effective to buy a big bag of peas and just make the batch size you need. Ingredients    250g dried marrowfat peas (must be marrowfat  peas which are larger, have a higher starch content and contribute the right flavour and texture for traditional mushy peas) Boiling water 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 3 cups water 1 tsp salt   Method   Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in boiling water.  Place the dri

I'll be trialling different brines for chicken, having absolutely loved the turkey brine at Christmas. This one had a really strong smell so I was a bit worried but it actually came through as a lovely subtle warm flavour. Ingredients   250g soft light brown sugar 150g sea salt 1 tbsp fennel seeds 1 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tsp allspice 2 bay leaves 1 tsp juniper 1 head garlic 1 small bunch thyme A few cloves 1 star anise 1 tsp black peppercorns 2 litres water   Method   Mix e

I'm on a quest for the ultimate meat cut and marinade for roast dinners. First lamb was a boneless lamb leg with Greek marinade. It was really effective and definitely carried through into the cooked dish. Despite the accidental overcooking it was still moist. Ingredients   1 leg lamb 4 garlic cloves, minced 4 tbsp olive oil Juice 1 lemon 1 tbsp dried oregano 1 tbsp thyme leaf 2 bay leaves   Method   Mix the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and bay and season

I love braised cabbage but this adds a bit of cream if you're not making cheesy leeks or similar.   Ingredients 1 savoy cabbage, leaves cut into thin strips 2 tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp sea salt Pinch black pepper 100ml double cream  2 tbsp water   Method   Add the butter to a large pan and heat. Add the garlic and fry off for 1 min. Add the cabbage and toss into the butter, fry off for 2 mins. Add in the water and cover with a lid to steam for a few minutes.

Sprout recipe 3 and my personal favourite so far. Sweet and sticky. Would be great with guanciale if you want a more savoury flavour. Picture could have been better. Ingredients   200g Brussel Sprouts 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp olive oil   Method   Prepare the Brussel sprouts by removing any brown outer leaves and halving them. Mix the Soy Sauce, Balsamic, Garlic and brown sugar together to form the marinade. A