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

[Namechabged]

Mine is equal measures of buttermilk and mayo, and then double of Greek yogurt, half the juice of one lemon, two tbsp of dried Parmesan, a teaspoon of dill, garlic granules, Maldon seat salt, onion powder, and cracked black pepper.

Makes that amazing ranch dressing you get on the side of fried shit in America and is great for pizza crusts but you can also make kids eat ANYTHING dipped in it.

I’ve watched my kids enthusiastically eat celery, radishes and green peppers which aren’t normally things they will eat raw.

Two I get asked about

Quick pasta sauce - either pancetta or chorizo in a pan until crispy, add creme fraiche and stir, add some form of cheese (Parmesan or cheddar work well) and stir until it looks sauce like. Add some pasta water if you need to. Also good with cubed courgette in it

Beef stew with no browning. No quantities really as I just chuck it in. I think at some point it had flour in it but it doesn't really need it

Celery, onion, pancetta and carrots all chopped, fry until softened, add bay leaves
Add mushrooms, a tin of tomatoes and about 500ml ale/stock/red wine, rinse the tin of tomatoes out and use it to add more water if needed. Bring to the boil, add 750g diced beef (fatty is best), season it, stir and cover
Sometimes I add some lea and perrins or a tiny bit of marmite or an oxo cube depending what it looks like technical
Stick in oven for a few hours at about 180c, stir every so often so it doesn't stick and add more water wine if needed. Should come out pretty thick and beef falling apart

Oh and crispy kale!
Spray or rub olive oil into kale, shove on a baking tray into the oven and watch like a hawk until it's crispy but not black. Add Nando's peri peri salt when it's out the oven

Placemarking!

Frittata. Boil new potatoes and set aside to cool. Fry in butter spring onion if you have, or just chopped onion if you dont. Then add chopped fresh tomatoes and the sliced new potatoes. Fry till potatoes are catching a bit of colour. Pour over mixture two beaten eggs as evenly as possible then sprinkle good amount of grated cheese on top. Cook bottom for few min then put pan under grill to cook top. Grill till cheese melted and brown. My mums favourite, serve with chutney, coleslaw, salad and crisps

Oooooh following

@Ddot. I do a cheat version of frittata using tinned new potatoes. They work brilliantly and no one can taste the difference.

@AnneLovesGilbert

Anyone got any secrets for a brilliant veg chilli? It’s a freezer and store cupboard meal as we need to shop.

Sorry, late coming back to this thread but I have a fab veggie chilli recipe. It's oven baked and SO easy. Recommend the salsa recipe with it too. It's from the green roasting tin:

I use cold roast potatoes in a frittata. Or fry them up with a few toms, some chilli, some pepper or courgette, bung a poached egg on top or break an egg into them. And eat.

[quote EmmaGrundyForPM]@Ddot. I do a cheat version of frittata using tinned new potatoes. They work brilliantly and no one can taste the difference.[/quote]
My cheats frittata - add a packet or 2 of ready salted crisps instead! Honestly works.

AnneLovesGilbert I use lots of mushrooms tinned beans, whatever you prefer, peppers, onion, cauliflower cut small, tinned plum tomatoes (squashed), not the chopped yuck, any meat substitute but dont need to. Chilli, stock cube and finish with cube of plain chocolate, ALL can be from frozen or tinned. If you want you can add a packet of chilli con carne. Top with grated cheese, which can be frozen too.

Frittata. yes tinned potatoes are great to have in store cupboard I used when on lockdown. Yummy just fried with butter

I’ve got another one. It’s butter and olive oil heated in a pan and then you add finally chopped red onion to soften and then loads of garlic, salt and pepper, cook it down and add shredded Brussels sprouts from raw, cook in, chicken stock and finish off with Philadelphia and Parmesan. Either with chicken and rice as a side or in pasta. My children never noticed it was Brussels sprouts and we tell them it’s baby cabbage pasta.

When onions are abundant and cheap chop lots in quarters, place on tray lined with tin foil drizzle with oil (little) and sprinkle with brown sugar just a little, fold foil up to make a bag. Roast for 2hours or until brown and sticky. Put in pan and blend till smooth add drop of water if needed. Freeze in small bags or silicon muffin tray ( once frozen bag up) use for soup, stew, casseroles. Saves time and stinky house smell

Thanks for the lovely chilli recipes everyone

Chilli recipe I've used baked beans in tomato sauce when I've got nothing else, it's quite tasty

@steppemum our waitrose has it, with their noodles and coconut milk.
www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/cooks'-ingredients-ketjap-manis/588926-672549-672550

Waitrose sell Borderfields garlic oil its rapeseed oil and is totally delicious😋

Oh the onions reminded me of this Italian dish.

Take 6 medium sized white onions, peel but leaving the root intact.

Into a pot creat a stock to submerge the onions in.

A veg stock cube, pinch of chilli, bay leaves, garlic cloves, juniper berries, star anise....anything to make a good flavoursome stock.

Submerge the onions and poach gently until cooked through and super soft.

Gently remove from the stock and place in a circle on an oven proof dish.....cover with lots of single cream and lots of freshly grated parmigiano.

This is a peasant dish but incredibly delicious and adored by anyone I have given it to.

I serve it with lasagne and a nice green salad.

@Ddot

When onions are abundant and cheap chop lots in quarters, place on tray lined with tin foil drizzle with oil (little) and sprinkle with brown sugar just a little, fold foil up to make a bag. Roast for 2hours or until brown and sticky. Put in pan and blend till smooth add drop of water if needed. Freeze in small bags or silicon muffin tray ( once frozen bag up) use for soup, stew, casseroles. Saves time and stinky house smell

Love that idea.

Ddot

Frittata. yes tinned potatoes are great to have in store cupboard I used when on lockdown. Yummy just fried with butter

They also make a very acceptable potato salad - particularly good if you're catering for a more people that you usually would.

I once made onion parcels, medium size onion peeled and a cross cut in top. Place on a square of pastry, put a knob of butter and a pinch of brown sugar on top of onion. Fold pastry up over onion and pinch to seal brush with milk put a tini slit bear top with knife for steam. Cook till pastry golden brown. Delicious but rather unsociable

Love, love, live this thread!

Today I added some horseradish sauce to my cheese sauce for cauliflower cheese and it was delicious! Not sure if that's a well known addition but it just suddenly occured to me that it would probably work and it did and we all really enjoyed it.

Good for you x

So glad to see this in classics!

This is the no churn ice cream recipe I tried this summer and is now a firm favourite.

Double cream, 2 cups (I just used the container)
Condensed milk (standard tin)
Teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip the cream, mix in condensed milk and vanilla. Freeze.

Add flavours as you like - I rippled through salted caramel sauce and dark chocolate chips through one, strawberry jam and white chocolate chunks through another and good instant coffee granules and dark chocolate through another.

Fish pie. Poach mixed fish chunks including smoked and set aside. You can buy frozen bags of mixed fish. Make a white sauce (cheese sauce is nice too) place fish in bottom of pie dish, sprinkle with defrosted frozen peas, quarters of boiled egg and pour over the sauce. Top with mashed potato and grated cheese and bake till browning Prawns are nice in this pie too. I left an easy white sauce recipe earlier