Tina's chestnut stuffing and other secret and not so secret recipes

Re-posting Tina's stuffing again for those who don't want to go back checking every page:

TINA'S CHESTNUT STUFFING

Chestnuts x 2 pack roughly chopped

Chopped Bacon x 2 packs

Peppers x 3 chopped

Onions x 1 bag pre chopped

Egg x 1 or 2 (to bind)

Breadcrumbs x 2 tubs

Sausage meat x 2 packs

Chorizo x 1 sausage chopped

Garlic x 3 cloves chopped

1. Pan fry chopped bacon & chopped chorizo. Set aside to cool

1. Pan fry chopped onion & chopped peppers. Set aside to cool

1. In a bowl mix sausage meat, chopped garlic, breadcrumbs and egg.

1. Add sprinkle of salt and pepper

1. Add bacon, chorizo, onion, peppers and chestnuts to the bowl. Mix in with hands until all blended.

1. Put in oven tin. Greaseproof paper lining helps. Press with fork and score the top.

1. Bake at 180/200 until top is dark brown and crispy.

1. Allow to cool then slice. It cuts easier when cold but delicious hot or cold.

Merry Christmas DM

Oh and my tip is to use as much tomato puree as possible in a bolognese sauce. I use one whole jar for 500g mince, not just a squirt or two out of a tube.

Re Risotto: according to Jamie O, you are supposed to add small amounts of stock while "massaging the starch out of the rice", hence all the stirring.

I might try the 'lob-it-all-in-and-go-away' method next time, I like the sound of that!

Stuffing mix made up but not too wet, mix caramelized onion, tomatoes, courgette all cooked slightly in frying pan. Let cool add crumbled Feta cheese. mix all ingredients together with a beaten egg and form into balls. Place on baking parchment lined tray and roast till brown. Best stuffing balls ever. You can change veg mix to whatever you like or can get hold of

Yes MNHQ it should definitely go in classics!!

This thread is amazing - it should go in Classics

Sorry - late to the party but here’s mine :

Packet of bog standard chocolate chip cookies
Dunk each cookie in a mixture of orange juice and sherry (to taste) and stick to the next one with honey . Cover the whole lot in whipped cream and grated chocolate. Chill.
Tastes much fancier than the sum of its parts!

Pineapple casserole. Got from a friend in the states, it’s a staple at her family’s thanksgiving dinner but it goes down an absolute storm here with a roast pork dinner.

2 15 oz Cans pineapple chunks drained
1 cup Sugar
6 tablespoons of flour
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 ½ cups Ritz Cracker Crumbs (can also use Cheeze Its for extra cheesy taste)
½ cup melted butter or margarine

Mix sugar, flour, and shredded cheese together, add drained pineapple and mix altogether until all dry ingredients are moist.

Spread in oblong casserole dish, cover with cracker crumbs and drizzle with melted butter or margarine.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Sneaky stealth veg pesto besto:

Roughly 500g of courgettes, aubergine &/or peppers
2 cloves garlic
125g whatever cheese - Egyptian cottage cheese is excellent
Olive oil, a glug or two
2 tbsp tahini
100g basil
500g pasta spirals (or whatever)

Light the biggest gas ring, prop the veg up on it & turn over every few minutes as they blacken & blister. When they are mostly scorched to bits, pop in a plastic bag in the fridge for at least an hour.

Strip the leaves off the basil & peel the garlic (save the stalks & skins for stock).
Chop up the cheese unless it’s already soft cheese or grated.
Dump basil, garlic & cheese in blender.
Take vegetables from fridge & remove any skin or seeds etc - the blackened skin should peel off easily except with the bloody courgettes - you’ll need to slice off the scorched bits with those buggers. Add veg pulp to blender & stick all the weird burnt skin in the same freezer bag as the basil stalks etc for later stock.
Add tahini & oil. Blitz.
Cook pasta. Stir ‘pesto’ through pasta.
Do not tell spawn they’ve just ingested at least one vegetable each. Mwahaha.

We live in the ME, where pesto is imported & about £5 a jar. This is brilliant - & it freezes if you have a veg glut.

Ahhhh thank you @Namechabged but honestly it’s just perfect as it is. So many fab recipes and so many bloody lovely lovely people I’d vote for it to go in classics but it would seem a bit self serving

Super easy mixed bean chilli,
Fry onions and a bit of garlic once softened add a tsp of chipotle paste and good squirt of tomato purée. Add mixed beans of your choice and frozen sweet corn simmer for a couple of minutes then it’s ready to serve

Alternative instead of chipotle add harissa paste and rather than tomato purée add a tin of tomatoes and some orzo simmer for 10 mins then add some mixed beans in and maybe grilled halloumi on the side
Both go down well and take zero effort

Skinless and boneless chicken thighs. Mix together maple syrup, Dijon mustard (about 2 tablespoons of each for enough chicken for 4) and a teaspoon of white wine vinegar. Cover the chicken. Salt and pepper. Bake for about 30 mins or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle a bit of rosemary on top. Very tasty!

Also use half maple syrup and half dark soy sauce as a terryaki sauce. Fry chilli, garlic, ginger (I usually use frozen or lazy). Add cooked meat or fish (salmon or chicken work well). Pour over the sauce and continue to cook until it coats the meat/fish. Serve with noodles or rice.

@Nutmegpapaya great minds!! Much easier than faffing with eggs and running the risk of scrambled egg pasta.

Beef and banana curry.

Brown chunks of stewing steak (I use beef shin)
Sweat down chopped onions in a little oil, add your favourite curry spices or paste (not tomato-based), garlic and fry off.
Add beef and cover with hot water or stock.
Add huge dollop of smooth peanut butter and 2 - 3 chopped bananas.
Simmer for hours, top up water if it looks too gloopy.
(adjust quantities of everything according to taste)

@stumpedasatree that's exactly how I make carbonara now too!

I used to make it with single cream and eggs but i do it that way now as a "healthier" (but still tasty) version

Pork chops. Flour, egg and then, instead of breadcrumbs, dry sage and onion stuffing mix. Ensure good covering and press down well.
Bake in moderate oven.

Mine is for cheat's carbonara: Saute some chopped up pancetta or bacon until crispy, add a couple of cloves of crushed garlic, and some sliced mushrooms if wanted, then a tub of creme fraiche. Let bubble and thicken, lots of ground pepper and grated parmesan. Stir into cooked pasta.

[quote Cavagirl]@MidnightFlit just having the mackerel pate for lunch - bloody delicious!![/quote]
Hurray! I'm so glad it worked!

(I should probably have edited to say, Start at one tsp of horseradish and add to taste, as some people don't like it too hot.)

I've discovered that adding all the stock at once, putting the lid on and leaving it to simmer for 15-20 mins works just as well as adding a bit at a time

you know I have always wondered why you need to add it a bit at a time. I can't think of any reason at all, so next time I will try with the lid.
The person I got the recipe from cooked it in the oven anyway (never worked out exactly how, just made up the recipe from what she served me!)

@biddybird - I think it's less 'secret recipe' and more 'what have you found works for you cooking wise that isn't time consuming, over fiddly or really expensive', but that's one hell of a heading for Mumsnet.

My slow cooker go-to 'I invented' recipe is two chicken breasts, one of those individual bottles of white wine, chopped spring onion and diced ginger. Cook as long as you want (I do mine for seven hours while I'm at work), stir some spinach through, a spoonful of double cream if you've got any and serve with noodles. I call it my chinese chicken, no idea why.

I don't understand people that have "secret" recipes. Unless you're Colonel Sanders!

@explorerdog I use this recipe now for all in one risotto. Perfect every time www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/lunch/baked-pumpkin-and-sage-risotto