BEEF RAGU

800-1000 gms chuck steak
salt and pepper
plain flour
large pasta, eg. pappadelle, fettuccine etc
oil
RAGU
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic , crushed
1 carrot, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
250gms sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup of beef stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tin crushed tomatoes 

Chop steak into cubes or slices, toss with seasoned flour. Brown in oil, then remove. Clean pan.
Add the 2 tablespoons oil and saute the onion and garlic, add carrot and mushrooms, cook for few minutes, add remaining ingredients and simmer , covered on low heat 2 - 2 1/2 hours or place in 160o oven for 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Add cooked pasta to sauce to serve.

SALLY'S DEVILLED SAUSAGES

Thank you Sally for this delicious recipe.

3 onions, peeled and cut into wedges
6 thick sausages
2-3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, and cut into quarters
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

Cook onions in a non stick pan with a small amount of oil or butter
 While onion is cooking, skin sausages and roll meat into small balls (walnut size)
In another pan add meatballs and cook. Pour off any fat.
Cut each quarter of apple into 3-4 slices and add to onion pan.
Add brown sugar, vinegar and chilli sauce. Add extra water, wine or stock if too dry.
Add sausages.
Serve with rice or potatoes.

TIRAMISU

• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 250ml strong coffee, cooled (for dipping)
• 2 tbsp Kahlua or Tia Maria or Marsala liqueur
• 250g marscapone cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups cream, whipped
• 50 mls coffee, cooled (additional)
• 3 tbsp pure icing sugar, sifted
• 1 pkt (250g) Sponge finger biscuits (also called Savoiardi)
• 100g dark chocolate

Method:

In a shallow dish, mix together the liqueur and 250mls of coffee and set aside.

Using a mixer, combine the marscapone cheese, vanilla, 50mls of coffee and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in the whipped cream.

Using a small dish (5-6 cup capacity) dip half of the biscuits into the coffee mixture and lay onto the bottom of your dish.

Pour half of the marscapone/cream mixture over the top and spread to cover.

Dip the rest of the biscuits in the coffee mixture and layer on top of the marscapone mixture.

Top with the remaining marscapone mixture.

Grate the dark chocolate over the top. Refrigerate for 6 hrs or preferably overnight.

Notes:

• If you don't want to use the liqueur you may just replace this with the equivalent amount of cooled coffee. Fresh orange juice is another thing you can use in place of the liqueur.
• You can make this into individual serves using a small glass or bowl. This quantity will make 4-6 serves depending on the size of the dish.
• I like to freeze the chocolate so it is easy to grate and doesn't immediately melt in your hands.
• This recipe makes 6 servings. If you are making it to feed a crowd, you can use a large baking dish and triple the ingredients and it will make around 20 serves.

FOOD COURT BUTTER CHICKEN

This version of Butter chicken is very simple and very tasty. 

• 500g diced chicken (thighs are very nice in this)
• 50g Butter
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup cream
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon sugar (taste and add a little more if needed)
• 1 1/2 tsps nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsps turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsps ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 1/2 tsps cornflour, mixed with cream (if it needs thickening)

In a large fry pan sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until soft. Toss the spices through the chicken then add to the fry pan. Add the tomato paste and sugar. Stir in the cream and simmer till cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

* I often toss the spices through the chicken and then let them marinate for a few hours.

This amount would probably serve two or three with rice.

VEGETARIAN BAKED BEANS

These are really nice, sweet and smokey and easy to make.
I can't see why you couldn't add some chunky bacon or ham to the mix if you wanted to.

1 tablespoon oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4oog can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
100 grams passata
black pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan, and add onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until translucent.

Add the tomato puree,paprika, thyme, sugar and soy sauce, and cook for a few more minutes.

Add the beans and passata, and simmer for 5 minutes, until hot and thickened a little.

Season with pepper. Taste to see if you need a little salt.
Serve hot.

CHICKEN ,LEEK AND MUSHROOM PIE

• Annabel Langbein's version of a classic . Very easy, and very good. Freezes well too, either cooked or uncooked. Place on a baking tray to cook as it can overflow easily.
• Serves 4-5
• 
  
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 large leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
• 400g button mushrooms, sliced
• ½ tsp each finely chopped fresh rosemary and thyme leaves
• 1½ cups chicken stock
• 3 tbsp cornflour
• 1 cup milk
• salt and ground black pepper
• 800g-1kg boneless chicken thighs or other boneless chicken, visible fat removed, flesh cut into 2-3cm pieces

Pot pie topping:

• 1½ cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• a pinch of pepper
• 2 tsp chopped rosemary or ¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tbsp flavourless oil, eg grapeseed
• or use bought flaky pastry

Melt butter in a large pot and cook leeks and mushrooms over a gentle heat for about 10 minutes, until softened but not brown.

 Add herbs and stock and bring to a simmer. Mix cornflour to a smooth paste with a little of the milk. Add to pan with remaining milk and stir over heat until lightly thickened. Season generously. Sauce can be prepared ahead to this point and chilled. About an hour before serving mix chicken through sauce and place in a pie dish.

To make the topping, mix flour, baking powder, salt and pepper and optional rosemary or parmesan. Make a well in the centre and pour in milk and oil. Use a knife to mix to a soft dough. Roll out on a lightly floured board to fit pie case.

Cover pie with rolled out topping, pressing firmly to seal edges. Cut a couple of notches in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 180ºC and cook 20-25 minutes until golden.

SMOKED FISH PIE

This recipe is from The Coffee Factory, Pomeroy's at Wakatu. 
A bit fiddly with the filo pastry, but easily doable.

SAUCE 

2 cups of milk
1/4 cup each vegetable or fish stock, cream
finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
50g of butter
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup of plain flour

300g skinless, boneless smoked fish, broken into pieces
1 spring onion, sliced
500g savoury short pastry
25g butter, melted
8 sheets filo pastry
1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

Place milk,stock,cream and zest into a pan and heat. 
Melt butter in another pan, add onion and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes over a low heat. Stir in pepper and flour. 
Slowly add the warm milk mixture, stirring until smooth and thick.

Add the fish and spring onions to the sauce and heat through. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 180C and lightly grease 8 holes of a Texan muffin tin.
Cut shortcrust pastry into 8x15cm diameter circles and line the holes of the pan. 
Divide the fish mixture evenly between the pastry cases.

Lightly butter one sheet of filo, scrunch it up and place on top of one pie. Repeat with the remaining filo and butter.
Sprinkle the pies with cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes until golden. Serve with green salad and lemon wedges.