Baked Bean Chilli - great for kids

Here's another quick to make, delicious evening meal that your kids will love: Baked Bean Chilli.
Many kids aren't overly fond of kidney beans but most of them like baked beans. To make this recipe, use a mild chilli powder and swap the kidney beans for the baked beans. It's a regular favourite with my boys. I always try to use organic meat - organic mince isn't much more expensive than regular, but whatever you can afford is just fine.
No need to buy fancy ingredients - the point of my recipes is to make is easy to rustle up something tasty without needing to buy a whole load of strange ingredients. Mums are far too busy for that on an average weeknight!

Baked Bean Chilli with rice and cheesy sprinkles

Ingredients for 4.

• 500g pack of mince (beef, lamb, pork or quorn - though lamb can be fatty so drain off excess fat after frying)
• 1 Onion
• Olive oil for frying
• Clove of garlic, chopped or 1 teaspoon of puree from a jar.
• 2 tins of baked beans
• Mild Chilli powder
• Stock cube to match the meat you're using. (I always use Kallo Organic cubes)
• Sweetcorn, frozen or tinned (optional)
• Salt, black pepper, a few mixed herbs to taste.

Method.
Fry the onions and garlic (if using puree, add when you add the mince). When softened, add the mince and fry until browned. Add one or two teaspoons of chilli powder and stir into the meat. It's always better to add too little than too much at this stage - if you can't taste it by the time it's cooked, you can always add more - but you can't take it away. Be guided by your kids' palettes.
Add the stock, dissolved in a small amount of boiling water.
Add both tins of baked beans and some water, if needed, to loosen the consistency. Add the sweetcorn if using - I think it always gives it a nice sweetness.
Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for about half an hour.
Season during cooking with salt, black pepper and dried mixed herbs.
If it's too watery before serving, you can thicken it with some cornflour, or whatever you usually use as thickening.
Serve with rice, baked potatoes or even nachos with a sprinkling of cheese on top.

Even picky eater, Youngest who complains about most stuff, doesn't moan when it's "The Bean Thing" for dinner!

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Forty minute meal - Chicken and bacon risotto

You know what it's like - you get home after school and the kids are starving. You could easily shove some good old nursery food in the oven - burger and chips or chicken goujons.. but here's something that takes only a few minutes longer and is much more delicious. And, as my boys have an Italian heritage, it's something I've honed from watching Nonno in the kitchen..
It's a great dish to customise according to what you like. Everything in the ingredients is available at any supermarket.

A family favourite, chicken & bacon risotto

Ingredients:

• Pack of quick cook chicken or turkey breast
• Packet of bacon lardons/pancetta or streaky bacon cut into small pieces.
• Arborio or carnoroli rice, enough for your family size. (see hint for measuring later)
• One Onion (You can use frozen diced for speed, but it's a bit watery)
• Garlic - 1-2 cloves fresh or pureed in a jar.
• Dash of white wine (optional)
• Frozen sweetcorn or peas or other diced veg, if desired.
• Olive oil
• Hot chicken stock - cube is fine. How much depends on how much rice, but if not enough you can always add extra water to the pan.
• Salt, black pepper
• Italian herbs, fresh or dried. (eg, oregano, marjoram, basil or a dried Italian herb mix in a jar)
• Cream, Cream Cheese or Creme Fraiche, whichever you prefer.
• Heavy risotto/paella pan or large frying or saute pan.

Method. 
Fry your onion and garlic, if using fresh, in a good glug of olive oil  for a few minutes until softened. Then add the chicken, diced, and the bacon and fry for a few minutes.
Then add the rice. I measure it out by using the plates I'm serving the meal on - imagining it doubled in size, not forgetting the other ingredients. This way I can measure the correct portion for each person according to their appetite. Keep stirring the rice in the pan so it doesn't stick.
Then, add the wine, if using, or a small amount of your hot stock. If using pureed garlic you can add this now. Stir and when absorbed, add some more. Then when that is absorbed, add a larger amount - your ingredients should be swimming but not submerged.
Then you can add your seasoning and any vegetables you want in it- go easy on the salt as your bacon will be salty. Better to add more if needed than to have a salty risotto!
Simmer until the rice is soft - you may need to add additional water as you go. Do not leave it alone for too long in case the water is absorbed.
When the rice is soft and the water absorbed, add a wodge of cream cheese (any type), a glug of cream or a good dollop of creme fraiche, whatever you prefer. This makes it really creamy and my kids love it.

When you're comfortable with making it, you can change it up by adding different ingredients, different meats or no meat, just vegetables. You have to go with what you know your kids will eat, though I have been known to sneak tiny chopped up courgettes in it which they boys won't touch in a larger size...
Buon apetito!

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Brioche Butter Pudding

Youngest, who is autistic, has a problem with breakfast. He's not a big eater so when he settles on something he likes for the most important meal of the day, we go with it. For a while, it's been brioche rolls filled with chocolate paste.
They were on BOGOF in Tesco for a bit, so I made the most of it. But he went off them and we still had a bag and a half left, nearing expiry date. Son1 can't have them, he's allergic to hazelnuts. So I had a brainwave - bread and butter pudding with a difference!
Using a base Bread and Butter Pudding recipe from Prue Leith's Step-by-Step Cookery, now almost two decades old, I changed it to suit my ingredients. It's not for those on a diet, but as a special treat, your family or guests will be in dessert heaven.

Ingredients:
Brioche rolls
Butter
Dried fruit (I used sweet cranberries & sultanas but use whatever you fancy)
225ml of milk
225 ml of single cream
1 vanilla pod (Mine was quite big so I cut it in half as I needed some for something else)
175g caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten

To convert weights & measures to US go here

First I melted the butter in a bowl, then split open the brioche rolls and dipped the insides in the butter. I actually melted it by accident as I was softening it, but it was much quicker to use melted.
Then I layered them into a loaf tin (you can use whatever you have that's big enough).
Then add dried fruit between the layers.

Layer the rolls dipped in melted butter into an overproof dish
 and add dried fruit between the layers

With the last layer, I laid the rolls face up and compacted them all down.

End with a face-down later and sqiush down

 Then take the three eggs and beat them
 

Beat three eggs

Then add the milk and cream to a pan and put the vanilla pod and sugar in. Bring to boiling point. Next, add the beaten eggs and stir until thickened to a custard consistency.  

Keep stirring so it doesn't stick

When it's thick enough, pour over the top of the brioche mix. I used a sieve to make sure there were no lumps.

Pour over the brioche through a sieve

Then place in  large tin like a roasting tin, cover with foil and pour hot water into the LARGER tin until it comes half way up the outside of the brioche tin

Don't get confused and pour the water in the wrong tin..

It should look like this...

Bake in the oven at 180c for around 50 mins until it's set.

When it's ready it should look like this

Then you can turn it out onto a plate or serve from the cooking tin. It's delicious  with cream or ice cream.

OMG it's just fab..

I think my husband loves me just a little bit more now...

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Jamie's Flavoured Butter Turkey - for a tasty moist turkey

Now the gravy is frozen and Youngest has strict instructions to remind me to remove it early on Christmas morning (which of course, he won't), it's time to turn to the turkey.
My favourite recipe is, once again, from the god of chefs, Jamie Oliver. It makes for an incredible flavoursome, moist turkey that practically bastes itself.
Ready? Here's the ingredients, taken from the recipe page on the JO website

• 1 x 250g pack of butter • 75g dried cranberries, really finely chopped • a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked • 4 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked • a few sprigs of fresh sage, leaves picked • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1 clementine.

First, I took the butter out for an hour to soften it, then added it to a food processor with the cranberries, herbs, zest and seasoning. JO says to mix it by hand, but whizzing it up in the blender on pulse saved me time.

Whizz up the ingredients 

Then, using a spoon, I carefully separated the skin from the breast as far back and across as I could, making an opening for the butter.

Separate skin from breast starting from the arrow

Then I pushed half the flavoured butter in the space I'd made. James says to use your hands, but I have this hands slim soft spatula from Pampered Chef that does the job and is much less messy.

Carefully stuff half the butter mixture in the space

Then I used the remaining butter to cover the top of the turkey, finally covering it with clingfilm and putting it back in the fridge until tomorrow morning. Make sure yo get it out when you get up so it has time to warm up a bit before you put in the oven.

Smother the top with the rest of butter

We had this last year as well and I can safely say it's the best, moist and flavoursome turkey I've ever had.

A reminder of the recipe page on the JO site. And to make The Best Turkey in the World, check out this page for cooking the bird.

My  well-used Christmas JO 'Bible' - note greasy smudge marks!

All that's left is for me to wish you all a fantastic Christmas. If you like this blog, please follow, or subscribe by email or RSS so you never miss another post. (At the top of the site)
There are several other recipes in past posts such as:

• It's more faff than Bisto, but Jamie's Get Ahead Gravy is worth the effort
• Asparagus, Watercress and Pan Roasted Cherry Tomato Risotto 
• Asparagus, haddock and smokey bacon fishcakes with herby mayonnaise
• Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Pate
• Goat's Cheese and Swiss Chard Tart

Merry Christmas!

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It's more faff than Bisto, but Jamie's Get Ahead Gravy's worth the effort

So, 23rd December, and I've started the gravy for the big day. This may seem extreme, but it's to save me the hassle of it on Christmas Day and to make sure I serve up the best gravy of the year.
I'm making Jamie Oliver's Get Ahead Gravy. As far as I'm concerned, Jamie Oliver (my fondue disaster not withstanding) should be knighted in the New Year's Honours and then made Prime Minister, or perhaps King. Or both.
Here are the ingredients:
Starting
• 2 celery sticks, trimmed and roughly chopped • 2 carrots, roughly sliced • 2 onions, peeled and quartered • 5 fresh bay leaves • 5 fresh sage leaves • 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary • 2 star anise • 2 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, the best quality you can afford • 8 chicken wings • olive oil • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper •
Finishing:
4 tablespoons plain flour • optional: 60ml sherry or port • 2 heaped dessertspoons cranberry sauce, for finishing.
How I did my best impression of the great J.O 

So first, I put all the staring ingredients (see above) in a roasting pan, added some fabulous olive oil that we brought back from Tuscany this year, then some salt and pepper. I put it in the oven for an hour at 200c.

Put all the starting ingredients into a big roasting pan

When I got it out, it was all golden. I got a non-scratch masher as Jamie instructs, and mashed it all up hard.

When they come out of the oven, mash them up

I scraped the bottom to make sure it was all mixed in. Then I added two tablespoons of flour bit by bit and made sure it was all stirred in well.

Scrape the bottom of the pan

Then I added two litres of hot water and boiled for ten minutes, then simmered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 2 litres of water, then boil for 10 mins and simmer for 25mins

After than I added a glug of port. This is optional.

Add port if desired. I desire very much.

Then sieve. I first sieved in a colander as my sieve is quite small. This got rid of most of the mashed up ingredients. Then I strained it again in my sieve into a freezer box, let it cool and popped it in the freezer until Sunday.

Strain it, put it in a freezer box and freeze until the big day.

On Sunday I will get it out first thing, defrost it and put it in a pan. When the turkey is done, Jamie says to add 2 large dessertspoons of cranberry sauce (which is good as there's always too much) and the skimmed juices from the turkey.

Decant into a gravy boat, and there you have it, Jamie Oliver's Get Ahead Gravy. It's a lot more faff than Bisto gravy granules, but it's Christmas!

And click here for the link again to the full set of instructions from the Jamie Oliver website
Images on this post are All Rights Reserved c. Tania Tirraoro. Use Contact form to request reuse.

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My Jamie Oliver Fondue Disaster

Ah, the kids are back in school and it's the half term that runs up to Christmas. It's always a busy time - Christmas Fayre at school, so books and unneeded things to dig out and it's my eldest son's birthday in early December so lots of things to think about. This year, now he has a good group of friends, he's having a paint-balling party.
One thing we won't have to worry about this year though is the neighbourhood Christmas party, because we did it last year, so it's definitely not our turn.

Cheese Fondue.. just not like ours.

We live down a dead-end, un-paved lane, hidden away on the edge of a town. We have lovely neighbours - families like ours and older couples whose children have flown the nest long ago.
So last year, I bought in everything I might need - stocked up ahead of time, taking advantage of supermarket offers.
We decided to make it a bit retro and do a cheese fondue.
One of Jamie Oliver's Christmas magazines that I ferret away each year had a nice looking recipe, "Easy Cheese Fondue", so I checked out the ingredients and made sure we had everything in. We even had a genuine seventies fondue set, courtesy of my in-laws. How hard could it be?
The night arrived and I was super-organised - everything ready except the last-minute fondue. I had a nice table arrangement with candles, which we lit.
The boys skulked about, not sure if they were looking forward to the party or not. They knew all the guests and the kids - no nasty surprises - but still, they aren't used to lots of people in their home space. I put my eldest in charge of entertaining the children, as he is the oldest child in the lane. Thankfully, they perked up and planned some things.
Now for the fondue!. Following the directions to the letter, we lit the meths in the fondue burner and added the Cheddar, Gruyere and Blue cheese to the other ingredients, stirring gently.
For a while, it was looking good. It was difficult to control the burner underneath but we did our best.
Then, disaster. The mixture started to go lumpy, then gloopy and elastic until you could pick the whole lot up in one solid mass. This did not look like Jamie's lovely picture at all. Curses! I think it was very possibly over-heated. Stupid seventies fondue equipment! (That's my excuse and I won't be budged!)
Then, I started to smell burning.
I looked up from the toxic waste that had been cheese fondue. To my horror, the burning candles had set the Christmassy centrepiece alight and it was on the table, engulfed in flames. I shrieked loudly enough to make even the boys think there was something worth investigating.
Leaving the solidifed cheese fondue, I grabbed the base of the burning centrepiece, opened the double doors in the kitchen that leads to a patio area and hurled it into the snow that still lay on the ground from earlier in the day. I grabbed a few handfuls of snow and threw them on top of it to extinguish the flames. Fortunately nothing else had caught alight inside the kitchen, which was lucky as there are sheer voiles hanging only inches away.
As I opened up the double doors fully to let the acrid smell of burning pine cones out, the doorbell sounded and the first guests arrived, trudging up the path in their wellies. Our across-the-lane neighbours had brought their slippers to change into - see, that's what nice about neighbourhood gatherings, no need to dress up!
Everyone came and a good time was had by all, with rest of the evening passing off without incident. Even the dog was well-behaved.
Does this ever happen to Jamie Oliver? I think that's most unlikely, don't you? If you want to have a go at making a proper job of his "Easy" Cheese Fondue (Ha!), you can find it here
What's your worst party disaster? Leave a comment...

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Asparagus, haddock and smokey bacon fishcakes with herby mayonnaise

It's Asparagus season and this recipe from British Asparagus is sure to tickle the tastebuds. Enjoy it as a Bank holiday lunch or supper and then kick back and relax while reading This Last Summer or Sweet Seduction. Read sample chapters here

Serves 2 adults and 2 children

You’ll need:

1 bunch British asparagus
25g butter
2 rashers streaky smoked bacon, diced
500g mashed potato
500g cooked haddock, flaked
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped chives
Sea salt & black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
Flour and 2 beaten eggs
200g fresh breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil

Herby mayonnaise
4 tbsp mayonnaise
4 tbsp chopped fresh herbs e.g. parsley, chives, basil, tarragon
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea salt and black pepper

What to do:

1. Clean the asparagus and trim any white ends or peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut the tip off each spear and reserve. Chop the rest of the spear into small pieces.

2. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the asparagus and bacon for 2 minutes, allow to cool slightly and remove with a slotted spoon. Add to the mashed potato and haddock. Add the egg yolks, mayonnaise, parsley, chives, seasoning and nutmeg and combine together.

3. Divide the mixture into 6, shaping it into patties with your hands. Dust each cake with flour, dip in beaten egg and roll in breadcrumbs, re-shaping if necessary. Refrigerate for 1 hour, 2 if possible.

4. Mix the mayonnaise ingredients and set aside.

5. Pour ½ inch of vegetable oil into a heavy based frying pan and place over a moderately high heat. When the oil is hot, add the fishcakes and cook for 4 minutes each side until golden brown, basting with oil to brown the sides.

6. Remove the fishcakes from the pan and place on a warm plate. Add the asparagus tips to the hot pan and fry for 1 minute.

7. Serve the fishcakes with the pan fried asparagus, a little wilted spinach and the herby mayonnaise.

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Another supper recipe for a spring evening

When I'm not writing, I work in PR and at Hampshire Farmers' Market we've been working with local environmental group, Greening Petersfield on developing great recipes made with farmers' market produce. This month's recipe is another spring/summer supper special is Goat's Cheese and Swiss Chard Tart. Visit the site for lots more recipes, market dates and great offers as well as for a PDF download of this recipe.
Goat's Cheese and Swiss Chard Tart 
Shortcrust pastry
150 gm plain flour
75gm butter
Filling
350 gm shallots
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp cooking oil
500 gm swiss chard
1 roll soft goats cheese (can use your favourite) from Nutknowle
Salt and Pepper
Method:
1. Light oven gas Mk 4,180 C
2. Make pastry. Rub together flour and fat until resemble breadcrumbs. Add a little water and gathe into a ball.
Roll out thinly (1/2 cm) on floured sur-face. Line a 10 inch flan tin. Put aside.
3. Chop shallots & garlic,. Pull chard leaves from stalks, chop stalks into 1cm lengths.
4. Fry onions until they go golden.
Add shallots, chard stalks & garlic. finish frying on gentle heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
5. Add chard leaves and place in pastry case. Cut the goat’s cheese into chunks and place these on top of the vegetables, pushing them in slightly.
6. Cook for 30mins until golden
 Visit the HFM recipe page for a full colour pdf download with photo of this recipe.
Read Excerpts of This Last Summer and Sweet Seduction at http://www.tirraoro.com/preview.html

or buy this book in other formats from  Smashwords

Or buy in other formats from Smashwords

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Romantic Recipe for a spring evening...

We're coming up to Asparagus and Watercress season in the next couple of months so, while you're peckish after reading This Last Summer or Sweet Seduction, why not gather together some yummy ingredients and cook up a storm? It's the perfect dish for a romantic summer evening.
See links for my books below. The recipe is courtesy of Hampshire Farmers' Markets, the home of great local food and the holder of the UK Urban Farmers' Market of the Year award. Check out the link for more great recipes and, if you're in the area, market dates.
Asparagus, Watercress and Pan Roasted Cherry Tomato Risotto

Serves 4 -

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil or Pratt’s Rapeseed oil

4 shallots finely chopped

2 garlic cloves sliced

2 bundles of asparagus trimmed and cut into 3cm lengths

100g red and yellow cherry tomatoes cut in half

200g  risotto rice

1 small glass of white wine

1 ltr hot chicken or vegetable stock,

2 bunches of watercress roughly chopped

50g lightly salted butter, cut into cubes

50g grated Parmesan

Salt and cracked black pepper

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then add the shallots and garlic. Sweat for 10 minutes until the shallots and garlic turn translucent without any colour.
2. While the shallots and garlic are cooking, heat a medium sized frying pan, add the rest of the oil. When the oil stars to smoke add the asparagus and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, cook for a 30 seconds or until the tomatoes start to wilt slightly, then remove from the heat and set aside.
3. By now the onions should be ready, stir in the rice and keep cooking and stirring until the rice has also turned translucent, then add the wine and simmer until it has reduced by half.
4. Now start to add the hot stock, stirring the rice every now and then. Keep adding the stock a little at a time until the rice is cooked with a slight bite to it. About 20 minutes.
5. When the rice is cooked, stir in the watercress, asparagus and tomatoes. Remove from the heat and add the butter and half of the Parmesan, season with salt and pepper.

Buy This Last Summer
or buy this book in other formats from  Smashwords

Or buy in other formats from Smashwords

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