Venison Tagine

We love venison as its such a rich and lean meat that's full of flavour and I was lucky to have been given a 3kg haunch of venison a while back by a colleague in exchange for making her daughter's Christening cake. Her husband shot and butchered the venison, so I can be sure of it's provenance.

After boning the joint of meat, I divided it and used one portion to make a tagine in my slow cooker as follows:

500g Venison, cubed (you can use beef or lamb if you prefer)
30ml Rapeseed oil
2 Onions, sliced
2 Cloves of garlic, crushed
1tbs Ground coriander
1tbs Ground cumin
2tsp Ground ginger
1tsp Ground cinnamon
250ml Beef stock
400g tin Plum tomatoes
100g Dried apricots, chopped
2tbs Ground almonds
400g tin Chick peas, drained and rinsed

1. Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan and fry the venison in batches until browned.
2. Transfer the venison into the base of your slow cooker.
3. Gently fry the onion & garlic in the pan for 5 minutes until softened, then add the ground coriander, cumin, ginger and cinnamon and fry gently for 2 minutes.
4. Add this onion & spice mixture to your venison in the slow cooker.
5. Pour your stock into your frying pan to deglaze and heat until just boiling.
6. Pour this stock mixture over your meat and spice mixture.
7. Add the plum tomatoes, chopped apricots, ground almonds and chick peas.
8. Stir well then place the lid on top.
9. Cook in the slow cooker on low for 12 hours or on medium for 8 hours.

Serve with cous cous and a little fresh, chopped coriander to garnish.

Colmans Season and Steam Sachets with Crispy Sage & Onion Stuffing

Using some more of the ingredients from the kit I was sent by the Unilever kitchen, I created a whole tasty meal, which I'll share with you here:

CHICKEN

4 chicken breasts, cubed

15ml Rapeseed oil

50g Paxo Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix

50g Flora buttery

4 Cloves garlic

1. Cube the chicken into bite sized pieces.

2. Place into an oven roasting dish.

3. Drizzle with oil.

4. Sprinkle with the stuffing mix and dot over with the flora buttery.

5. Throw in the whole cloves of garlic.

6. Roast at 180C for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile...

POTATOES

500g Potatoes

100ml Water

1 Sachet of Colmans Season and Steam Garden Herb & Potatoes mix

30ml Rapeseed oil

1. Cube the potatoes into even sized pieces.

2. Place the potatoes into the steam bag and sprinkle with the Season Mixture in accordance with the instructions on the back of the sachet.

3. Add the water and use the to tie the top of the steam bag. Shake well to coat the potatoes with the Garden Herb mix.

4. Cook in the microwave on high power for 9 1/2 Minutes, according to the timings provided for your microwave.

5. Remove from the microwave and allow to stand for 1minute, then drain.

6. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the potatoes until nicely browned all over.

VEGETABLES:

150g Courgettes, sliced 1cm thick

1 Medium red onion, diced

120g Red pepper, cubed

130g Vine ripened tomatoes, quartered

Colmans Season and Steam Mediterranean Vegetables mix

1. Prepare the vegetables as above and place into the steam bag.

2. Sprinkle the season mixture over the vegetables and use the tie to seal the bag, in accordance with   packet instructions.

3. Shake the bag to coat evenly.

4. Microwave on high for 5 1/2 minutes according to the timings provided for your microwave.

5. Remove from the microwave and allow to stand for 1 minute.

Serve

Fusilli Al Vegetali

A quick and easy supper for 2.

150g Pasta Shapes
30ml Rapeseed Oil
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
1 Bay leaf
1 medium Carrot, cut into Julienne (thin strips)
1 medium Courgette, cut into Julienne (thin strips)
100g Mushrooms, sliced
400g Tomatoes (tinned or fresh, chopped)
Salt & pepper to taste
25g Fresh Parmesan, grated

1. Put a large pan of water on to boil for your pasta.
2. Heat your oil and gently fry the onion, garlic and bay leaf together until the onion is transparent.
3. Add your carrot, mushrooms and courgettes and cook for a further 2 minutes on a high heat.
4. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.
5. Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.
6. To the juices in your pan, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes.
7. Return the vegetables to the pan to warm through.
8. Drain the pasta.
9. Add the pasta to your vegetables and mix well.
10. Serve sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan.

Veggie Pasta Pie

Continuing the pasta and vegetarian theme of recipes.  This is a mixture of pasta, vegetables and a creamy, cheese flavoured béchamel sauce.  Simply delicious!

30ml Rapeseed oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 each, red, green and yellow pepper, sliced

2 medium courgettes, sliced

225g Mushrooms, sliced

400g can Chopped tomatoes

15ml Tomato Puree

Salt & Pepper to taste

275g Pasta shapes

25g Plain flour

25g Butter

300ml Milk

115g Cheddar cheese, grated

50g Fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Parsley to garnish

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C.

2. Heat your oil and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until soft.

3. Add the peppers, courgettes and mushrooms, then fry for about 8-10 minutes.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree, bring to the boil and simmer (uncovered) for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened.

5. Season to taste.

6. Meanwhile cook your pasta in boiling water for 8-10 minutes until al dente (just firm).

7. Drain your pasta and rinse well under cold water to cool.

8. Place your flour, butter and milk into a saucepan and heat gently, whisking constantly until you have a smooth, thick sauce.

9. Add your pasta and half of your grated Cheddar cheese to the sauce and stir until the cheese has melted.

10. Spoon the vegetable mixture into a shallow, ovenproof, dish and top with the pasta and cheese sauce.

11. Sprinkle with the remaining Cheddar cheese and the Parmesan.

12. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden.

13. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

Mozzarella Pasta

This one is a favourite in our house.  It's both simple and tasty and relatively cheap to make.

175g Pasta shapes
400g Chopped tomatoes
10ml Rapeseed oil
150g Mozzarella cheese, diced
125g Parmesan, freshly grated
10ml Chopped, fresh basil
Salt & pepper to season

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Put the pasta in to boiling water to cook for approx 10 minutes until tender.
3. Meanwhile, gently heat your tomatoes and oil in a pan.
4. Add the mozzarella, half of the grated parmesan, the basil and seasoning.
5. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat.
6. Drain your pasta and place into an ovenproof dish.
7. Pour over the sauce and mix well.
8. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.
9. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 10 minutes until the cheese is golden.

* If using dried parmesan or dried basil, then remember to half the quantities above as they are more intense in flavour.

Chilli for dinner

Autumn is definitely on the way and what better meal to have than a warming bowl of fresh chilli. Not from a jar plucked from a supermarket shelf, but from your own fair hands and a few simple, store cupboard ingredients.

10ml Oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped

500g Lean minced beef

1 Beef stock cube

5ml (1tsp) Chilli flakes (or more, if you're feeling brave & like it hot!)

400g Can chopped tomatoes

15ml (1tbs) Tomato purée

10ml (2tsp) Oregano

1 can Red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1. Heat your oil gently in a saucepan.

2. Add the onion & garlic and cook until softened.

3. Add your minced beef & cook until browned.

4. Add the stock cube, chilli flakes, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, oregano and kidney beans.

5. Bring to the boil & cook on a gentle simmer for at least 30 mins (uncovered) or for an hour (with the lid on).

Serve with boiled rice, grated cheese, soured cream & tortilla crisps.

* if it's not hot enough, you can add extra chilli flakes, a chopped fresh chilli, or some Tabasco sauce.

Basmati rice the Rosie way...

1. Tip the quantity of rice you want into a large jug.

2. Pour over boiling water to cover plus about 1-2cm above.

3. Stir to break up any clumps.

4. Leave it alone while you.

5. Bring a large pan of cold water to the boil.

6. Stir then drain your rice.

7. Add the rice to your boiling water, stir & return to the boil.

8. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

9. Cook uncovered for about 7 mins until the grains have started to fluff & it's cooked (taste a few grains to check).

10. Drain & serve.

**You're wasting your money if you add oil to the water. Oil is lighter than water and simply floats on the surface whilst your rice sits below the surface. It doesn't stop your rice grains from sticking together (you pour it down the sink when you drain your rice)