Cheesy Cottage Pie

The humble cottage pie isn't the most glamourous of dishes, but it is the perfect antidote to a miserable Sunday evening. Mash potato is the ultimate comfort food, add melted cheese and juicy beef into the mix and you've got yourself a delicious dinner!

Serves 4-6

500g beef mince

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsps tomato puree

250ml red wine

500ml beef stock

1 tbsp plain flour

A couple of bay leaves

Worcestershire sauce

For the topping:

900g floury potatoes

Butter

Milk

100g cheddar, grated

1. Fry the beef in a little oil for 10 minutes until it has begun to brown. Add the onions, garlic and carrot and cook for a further 10 minutes until softened. Add the flour and fry for a few minutes, next add the red wine. Bubble away until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the beef stock, tomato puree and bay leaves. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Taste and add the Worcestershire sauce and seasoning
2. At this point you want the sauce to be nice and thick, so that mash can sit on top of it rather than just melting in. If you need to reduce it further, remove the meat & vegetables with a slotted spoon, you can discard the bay leaves at this point. Then put the gravy over a reasonably high heat and simmer until it has thickened
3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 20 minutes or until soft. Mash with the butter and milk and season. Pour the meat and gravy into a large dish and top with the mash - make sure you rough the mash up with a fork so it goes nice and crispy. Grate the cheese over the top and bake for 45 minutes. Serve with your vegetable of choice, I went for stir fried cabbage with caraway seeds

Beef & Mushroom Pie with Parsnip Mash

I made this beef and mushroom pie for our pre-Christmas day, it's one of my favourite recipes as it's easy and doesn't have too many ingredients. The recipe is originally from Good Food, but I made a few changes (mainly more wine, garlic & herbs). It's easily the best pie I've ever made, largely due to the excellent meat I bought from Meat N16. I normally just pick up beef from the supermarket, but it is often a little tough, even when cooked for hours. If you live anywhere near Church Street, I'd definitely recommend heading to Meat N16. Their braising steak is beautifully marbled, when cooked it is perfectly tender and adds an incredibly rich flavour to stews or pies.

I served the pie with parsnip mash; simply boil parsnips in salted water until tender, mash with a little milk, butter and a dollop of horseradish to perk it up. Parsnips can be a little stringy, so I like to add a little potato to improve the consistency. I also served braised leeks, but any greens would be lovely.

Serves 4

500g beef braising steak

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

250g mixed oyster & chestnut mushrooms

A few sprigs of rosemary & thyme

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp flour

250ml red wine

300ml hot beef stock, use one of the Knorr stock pots

350g potatoes, peeled

25g butter, chopped into small pieces

1. Pre-heat the oven to 130 degrees. Cut the beef into cubes a couple of centimetres across. Using a heavy based pan, brown the meat in batches using a little oil. Once all the meat has been browned, remove from the pan
2. Add a little extra oil, turn down the heat and fry the onion until softened. Now add the mushrooms and garlic and soften for a further 5-10 minutes. Mix in the flour and tomato paste, and gently fry for a few minutes
3. Turn the heat up and add the red wine, simmer until most of the liquid has cooked off. Now add the stock, beef, herbs and seasoning, bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook in the oven for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender
4. For the topping, boil the potatoes whole, leave to cool, then grate. Transfer the beef to a pie dish, top with the grated potato, dot with butter and sprinkle over a little paprika if you fancy. Pop in the oven at 170 degrees for 30 minutes. Finish off under the grill to make the topping super crispy

Chicken & Chorizo Stew

I made this easy one pot dinner a few weeks ago. Chorizo is one of my favourite ingredients as it does all the hard work for you, the incredible oil it releases adds plenty of flavour to whatever you're cooking without having to use dozens of ingredients. I added a little honey to sweeten the tomatoes and some hot sauce to add a little heat, paprika or chilli powder would also have been a welcome addition.

Serves 3
5-6 free range chicken thighs and/or legs
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red pepper, chopped
100g chorizo, skinned & cut into 1cm chunks
Tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp of tomato paste
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp hot sauce
Small bag spinach
Jacket potatoes & creme fraiche to serve

1. Fry the chicken in a little oil, until the skin has browned. The meat does not need to be cooked through at this stage as you will poach the chicken in the sauce later
2. Fry the onions, peppers and garlic over a medium heat in a little oil. Once softened add the chorizo and continue to fry until it releases its delicious oil and starts to colour
3. Add the chicken back to the pan with the tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce has thickened
4. Add the spinach for the final few minutes. Once it has wilted, add the honey and hot sauce to taste along with plenty of seasoning. Serve with jacket potatoes and a big dollop of creme fraiche

Lamb & Harissa Meatballs with Spaghetti

On Monday night I made these spicy meatballs, I served them with spaghetti but they'd also be lovely with cous cous and a dollop of yoghurt. Using ready made harissa paste is a quick and easy way of adding lots of flavour without spending hours over the stove. It works perfectly with lamb and adds a nice kick to the sauce, without being too spicy.

Serves 4
500g lean lamb mince
4 tbsp harissa paste
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500ml creamed tomatoes
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
Small bag baby leaf spinach

1. With your hands, mix together the lamb mince and 2 tbsp of harissa paste. Shape the lamb into 16 meatballs. 
2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a heavy based pan and cook the meatballs in batches, until browned all over. Remove from the pan and add the onion and garlic. Fry on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until soft.
3. Add the creamed tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, a further 2 tablespoons of harissa paste and season well. 
4. Add the meatballs back into the sauce and gently simmer for 30 minutes, until the meatballs have cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Fold the spinach in for the last 5 minutes, so it wilts. Serve with spaghetti and pecorino!