Cupcake Burgers: Beetroot, chilli & ginger

Ingredients Burger: 400g beef mince, 1/2 white onion, 2 portobello mushrooms, butter Frosting: 4 Maris Piper potatoes, 1 small beetroot, ginger, chilli flakes

Serves: 6 Preparation: 1 hour 30 minutes

This is possibly one of the weirdest of my creations, but I'm actually really proud of the way it has worked out! Cupcakes persist in being ridiculously hot in popular culture and ever more elaborate flavour combinations and decorations come flooding in. But what about people who don't like cake, or can't have sugar? Why should they suffer? Enter... the Cupcake Burger.
I have done a series of different "frostings" - this fabulous coloured and zingy mash is wonderful. If you'd rather try a different burger, including one of my vegetarian or vegan options... check out these ideas.

1) To prepare the beetroot, wash it and slice off the stalks and leaves. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. 

2) Peel and cut the potatoes, then boil in hot salted water for 20 minutes and strain away the water.

3) Finely dice the onion and mushroom and fry off in a very little butter until the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add the mixture to a blender along with the beef mince. Pulse to combine and then separate into rough patties.

4) Press firmly into the cupcake tins, remembering the burgers will shrink a little when cooked, so be generous and pack it in tight. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees.

5) Carefully peel the beetroot with the nick of a knife and grate into your blender along with a teaspoon of powdered ginger and dried chilli flakes to taste

6) Spoon the mash into a piping bag and top the burgers with a swirl of "frosting" just like a cupcake!

Cupcake Burgers: Avocado, cheddar & bacon

Ingredients Burger: 400g beef mince, 1/2 white onion, 2 portobello mushrooms, butter Frosting: 1 avocado, 4 Maris Piper potatoes, 50g cheddar, black pepper, pancetta

Serves: 6 Preparation: 30 minutes

This is possibly one of the weirdest of my creations, but I'm actually really proud of the way it has worked out! Cupcakes persist in being ridiculously hot in popular culture and ever more elaborate flavour combinations and decorations come flooding in. But what about people who don't like cake, or can't have sugar? Why should they suffer? Enter... the Cupcake Burger.
I have done a series of different "frostings" - this fabulous coloured and fabulous tasting avocado mash is exquisite. If you'd rather try a different burger, including one of my vegetarian or vegan options... check out these ideas.

1) First make the avocado mash, then finely dice the onion and mushroom and fry off in a very little butter until the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated. 

2) Pour away the juices from the mushroom and add the mixture to a blender along with the beef mince. Pulse to combine and then separate into rough patties.

3) Press firmly into the cupcake tins, remembering the burgers will shrink a little when cooked, so be generous and pack it in tight. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees.

4) Spoon the mash into a piping bag and top the burgers with a swirl of "frosting" just like a cupcake! I topped this with crispy fried pancetta for decoration.

Cupcake Burgers: Roast pepper & goats cheese

Ingredients Burger: 400g beef mince, 1/2 white onion, 2 portobello mushrooms, butter Frosting: 150g goats cheese, 1 bell pepper

Serves: 6 Preparation: 30 minutes

This is possibly one of the weirdest of my creations, but I'm actually really proud of the way it has worked out! Cupcakes persist in being ridiculously hot in popular culture and ever more elaborate flavour combinations and decorations come flooding in. But what about people who don't like cake, or can't have sugar? Why should they suffer? Enter... the Cupcake Burger.
I have done a series of different "frostings" - this roast pepper and goats cheese being the richest. Just be warned, the heat of the burger will begin to melt the "frosting" if you don't let it stand just a little before serving. If you'd rather try a different burger, including one of my vegetarian or vegan options... check out these ideas.

1) Finely dice the onion and mushroom and fry off in a very little butter until the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated. 

2) Add the mixture to a blender along with the beef mince. Pulse to combine and then separate into rough patties.

3) Press firmly into the cupcake tins, remembering the burgers will shrink a little when cooked, so be generous and pack it in tight.

4) Slice the top from a bell pepper and remove the core and seeds. Slice into slivers and roast on a foil tray at the top shelf of the oven, with the burgers on the middle shelf at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.

5) Take out the peppers and leave to cool for 2 minutes, turning off the oven to keep the burgers warm, but not allowing them to overcook.

6) Add the peppers and goats cheese to the blender and pulse until a mousse is formed. Spoon into a piping bag and top the burgers with a swirl of "frosting" just like a cupcake!

Stuffed pumpkin: Beef & chorizo mole

Ingredients Chorizo, beef, white onion, dark chocolate, tomato puree, mixed beans, red wine, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, olive oil

Preparation: 45 minutes

Halloween is a comin' and I'm filled with festive ideas for serving food. These TEENY PUMPKINS are adorable but there's not a lot of good eating in them, so they're merely a receptacle for this amazingly rich, beef and chorizo Mexican Mole. If you're a vegetarian - here's how to make my Quorn mole.

1) Slice the top from your munchkin pumpkin and carve out the flesh and seeds.

2) Roast in the oven for 25 minutes and set aside.

3) To make the filling - melt 4 squares of dark chocolate in a pan and add 1 finely chopped white onion and a glug of olive oil. When the onions have just begin to soften add the beef and chopped chorizo and stir thoroughly until the chocolate has coated the onions and meat. Add in 1 tablespoon of tomato puree, a teaspoon of Cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of chopped coriander. Stir thoroughly and add in a glug of red wine with the mixed beans - red kidney beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans and haricot beans (Tesco sell "taco beans" for convenience) and stir well.

4) Spoon the filling into the munchkin pumpkin and bake for a further 15 minutes before serving.

Southern Comfort fajitas

Ingredients 300g Quorn steak strips (or beef steak strips), southern comfort, tomato passata, 1 white onion, iceberg lettuce, soured cream, butter, jalepenos, cumin, cheddar, tortillas, Guacamole: 3 avocados, jalepeno, lime, coriander, soured cream, avocado oil.

Serves: 6 preparation: 20 minutes

I have never been a fan of Southern Comfort - the smell turns my stomach and I find the taste too sweet. Usually when cooking Mexican food I use tequila but a lack of tequila and the dregs of a bottle of SoCo that someone brought to a party recently made me wonder if the fruity, spicy flavour would work well as an alternative. Turns out it did! Enjoy...


1) To make guacamole, see my previous recipe.


2) Marinate the Quorn in Southern Comfort for about 5 or 10 minutes (it's like a sponge and will soak it right up - if you're using beef you might want to make it an hour beforehand).


3) Peel and finely dice the onion and sautee in a little butter until completely soft. Add the Quorn and any excess Southern Comfort and cook off the alcohol.


4) Add a little tomato passata, cumin and some chopped jalepenos to taste


5) Serve with shredded iceberg lettuce, grated cheddar, guacamole and some soured cream in a tortilla.

Guinness beef & cabbage hash

Ingredients Potato, cream, butter, stewing steak, Guinness, beef stock, leek, cabbage, plain flour.

Serves: 2 preparation: 1 hour


This came together as a sort of desperate cobbling together as leftovers but The Boy loved it so it's come on the list of recipes to post as an alternative to my Guinness pie. Yet another St Patrick's Day cliched idea!


1) Peel and dice the potato and boil in hot salted water for 20 minutes


2) Dice the leek and cabbage and sautee in a little butter. Sift in a little plain flour to form a sort of roux, then add the chunks of beef and allow to brown before pouring over just enough Guinness to cover the meat.


3) Allow the Guinness to bubble away for about 10 minutes, then add a little beef stock and cream before stirring through. By now the sauce should have thickened to a glossy, dark brown hue.


4) Spoon the beef, cabbage and leek mixture into a casserole dish and set aside.


5) Strain the potatoes and mash with a little butter and cream. Season well with salt and black pepper, then pipe over the meat. Bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes until the top is golden brown and crispy

Lasagne

Ingredients    Quorn mince (or beef mince), passata tomatoes, 1 white onion, basil oil, butter, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, red wine, double cream, white flour, salt, 8oz pasta flour, 1 tsp olive  oil, 6 eggs, mozarella, cheddar.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 1 hour (+5 for preparation)


Lasagne is amazing, you don't need Garfield to tell you that! Layers of delicious bolognaise and creamy bechamel, all topped with golden bubbling cheese... this is comfort food at its best.



1) Pour 8 ounces of grade 00 flour (pasta flour), 1 teaspoon of olive oil, a good pinch of salt, 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk into a bowl and kneed with your hands until you have a firm dough. Wrap this in cling film and chill in the fridge for 2-5 hours.


2) Put half a bulb (yes that's bulb, not clove!) of garlic into a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

3) Finely dice one white onion and sautee in a tablespoon of basil oil and a teaspoon of butter until they have completely softened. Add a glass of red wine, some finely chopped basil, oregano and parsley and stir through.

4) If you are making this with meat - brown the mince and strain off all of the meat juices before adding it to the pan. If you are making this with Quorn - add the Quorn mince from frozen and stir through.


5) Stir the passata tomatoes through the Quorn mince and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.


6) Stir through on a low heat for a further 2-3 minutes and then remove the roast garlic from the oven. Once roasted, it can be squeezed from the skin like a puree and stirred through the sauce.


7) Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and stir a tablespoon of plain flour into it to form a roux. Whisk 2 eggs into the roux and finish with a generous dash of cream or milk. Whisk through for about 5 minutes and set aside.


8) Roll out the pasta on a floured surface and level out with a rolling pin. Either feed it through a pasta machine or with the rolling pin until you are left with a thin sheet. Cut sheets to the size of your lasagne dish.


9) Spoon a layer of bolognaise into an ovenproof dish and top with a sheet of pasta. Continue to layer the bolognaise and bechamel sauce until the dish is filled. Top with grated mozarella and cheddar.


10) Bake covered for 10 minutes and uncovered for 5 to allow the top to crisp and then serve.

Guinness pie

Ingredients 250g plain flour, 1 tsp salt 250g butter 450g stewing steak, 2 white onions, 1tsp grainy mustard, 1 tablespoon chopped sage, 1 tsps honey, 1 pint Guinness, 3 rashers bacon, mushrooms.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour and a half

1) To make the pastry - Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and rub in the butter. Make a well in the centre and mix in about 100ml cold water until you have a firm rough dough. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to chill.

2) Dice the onions and sautee them in 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir the stewing steak into about a quarter of a cup of flour, then add into the pan to seal the meat and form a fine roux that will be the base of the gravy.

3) Pour in the pint of Guinness and stir through thoroughly until it has been completely incorporated. At this stage add the bacon and mushrooms, chopped into slivers.

4) Flavour with the sage, honey and mustard then simmer on the hob for about 15 minutes. 

5) Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it's no more than 1cm thick.  Line the pie dish with half of it and blind bake for 10-12 minutes.

6) Spoon the meat and onions into the pie dish using a slotted spoon which will ensure that there's some sauce left to make gravy with (add a little water to thin it down, then simmer on a low heat as the pie is baking) but also distributes enough into the pie.

7) Cover the pie with the remaining pastry, poking a steam hole in the centre and ensuring the edges are pinched tight to seal it shut. Bake for 30 minutes and serve smothered with the gravy.

Enchiladas

Ingredients Quorn Mince, 1 white onion, dark chocolate, tomato puree, mixed beans, red wine, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, olive oil, Rachel's organic Greek yoghurt, mozarella, 6 tortillas.

Serves: 6 Preparation: 1 hour

1) Melt 4 squares of dark chocolate in a pan (I used some chilli and lime chocolate from BonBon to give this some extra heat) and add 1 finely chopped white onion and a glug of olive oil

2) When the onions have just begin to soften add the packet of Quorn mince (you could use some cooked, drained beef mince if you are not a vegetarian) and stir thoroughly until the chocolate has coated the onions and beef.

3) Add in 2 tablespoons of tomato puree, a teaspoon of Cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of chopped coriander. Stir thoroughly and add in a glug of red wine.

4) Add in the mixed beans - red kidney beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans and haricot beans (Tesco sell "taco beans", 2 cans of which are perfect) and stir well

5) Add salt, tomato puree and chopped chillis to taste

6) Slice each tortilla in half and add 2 tablespoons of the Mole to the centre of each. Roll the tortilla into a tube and rest them side by side in an ovenproof dish. This mixture should fill 12 tortilla halves.

7) Add the greek yoghurt and grated mozarella into a milk pan with a pinch of salt and stir on a low heat until the cheese is incorporated. Pour over the tortilla rolls and add extra cheese and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper.

8) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees.

Bolognaise stuffed marrow

Ingredients Quorn mince (or beef or lamb mince), passata tomatoes, 1 white onion, basil oil, butter, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, red wine, marrow, parmigiano.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 35 minutes
If you let a courgette keep growing you end up with a marrow - a juicy, fresh and delicious marrow that is perfect for stuffing with something heady like my bolognaise.

1) Wash the marrow thoroughly and cut off the ends. Slice the marrow in half lengthways and then depending on the length of the marrow cut in half sideways. The average marrow will give you four pieces suitable for stuffing.

2) Using a spoon or a flexible filleting knife, remove the core where you may see seeds developing like a melon. For future reference, these seeds are edible, but the flesh you remove from the marrow centre can be discarded for this recipe.

3) Put the marrow pieces on a baking tray along with a whole bulb of garlic and roast them both for 30 minutes.

4) To make the bolognaise: Finely dice one white onion and sautee in a tablespoon of basil oil and a teaspoon of butter until it has completely softened. Add a glass of red wine, some finely chopped basil, oregano and parsley and stir through.

5) If you are making this with meat - brown the mince and strain off all of the meat juices before adding it to the pan. If you are making this with Quorn - add the Quorn mince from frozen and stir through.

6) Add the passata tomatoes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Leave to simmer on a low heat until the garlic has been roasted - once roasted, it can be squeezed from the skin like a puree - mince the garlic in a press to ensure it can be evenly stirred through.

7) Spoon the bolognaise onto the baked marrow pieces and sprinkle freshly grated parmeggian over the top. Bake for a further 5 minutes in the oven and serve sprinkled with freshly topped parsley.

Beef & cheddar burger

Ingredients Beef mince, white onion, cheddar cheese, 1 egg.

1) Whisk an egg and add half of it to a bowl. Season with salt and black pepper and set aside.


2) Finely dice a white onion and fry in a little butter. Stir the onion into the egg and add the beef mince.


3) By hand, mix the ingredients, squeezing the meat until it is integrated.


4) Cut a lump of cheddar and form the burger around it. Wrap in cling film and allow to cool in the fridge for 20 minutes, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes or barbeque. Serve slathered with ketchup.

Steak with stilton sauce, leek & pancetta mash

Ingredients    Steak, double cream, milk,  plain flour, butter, stilton, potato, pancetta, parmigiano, leek.

To make the leek & pancetta mash


1) Peel your potatoes and cut them into chunks before boiling in boiling salted water for 20 minutes.


2) Finely slice the leek and sautee in butter for 10 minutes, adding the pancetta during the last 3 minutes.


3) Mash the potatoes and stir through the leek and pancetta.


To make the stilton sauce


1) Melt some butter in a pan and whisk through flour to make a roux. 


2) Add a little milk and continue whisking until a thick sauce has formed. Stir through the stilton and serve on top of grilled steak


If you have any mash left over, why not try my leek & pancetta croquettes?

Roast beef & beef dripping vegetables

Ingredients Beef joint, sweet potato, butternut squash, olive oil.

1) Halve and de-seed the butternut squash, remove the seeds and dice the flesh into large chunks.


2) Peel and dice the sweet potato into equally sized chunks and arrange in a roasting tin around the joint of beef.


3) Roast in the oven for an hour (unless you have a particularly enormous joint - this was 850 grammes), basting the meat and stirring the veg in order to coat the vegetables in the meat juices every 15 minutes.


4) Slice the beef and serve - ideal with horseradish or dijon mustard.

Steak and ale pie

Ingredients 1 white onion, 1 carrot, 1 potato, 800g beef stewing steak, 1 pint Hobgoblin ale, thyme, Jus-Rol™, plain flour, butter.

1) Ordinarily I make my own pastry but it was 2 for 1 on Jus-Rol™ in Tesco so I cheated today. To make puff pastry yourself - I swear by Gordon Ramsey's recipe. Line an oven-proof dish with the pastry, prick the bottom and bake it in the oven for 12 minutes.

2) Finely dice the onions, carrots and potatoes and sautee in butter just until the onions are soft. Add the pint of hobgoblin ale to the pan and stir through.

3) Coat the beef in plain flour and drop into a hot frying pan to sear the outside of the meat. (please note - this does not seal the juices inside the meat, it merely ensures that your meat will be more tender and taste better. As you will see from the picture above I did not use stewing steak because I only had finely diced steak suitable for stir-frying. Small pieces of meat do not require searing in the same way that mince does not). Stir the meat in with the vegetables and simmer gently as the gravy thickens, adding thyme to taste.

4) Sprinkle a fine layer of flour onto the pre-baked pastry in your oven proof dish and spoon the meat and vegetables into the dish.

5) Lay a sheet of pastry over the top and press down, pinching the top crust to the sides. Prick the top with a fork, bake for 30 minutes and serve.