Saturday 31 December 2011

Venison Casserole, again

Repeat of previous Venison Casserole

Ingredients

750g venison (two packs( from Alder's (I'm guessing Roe)
625g chopped onions and shallots
Half a swede
Packet of rhydrated portobello mushrooms and water used to rehydrate
8 fresh closed cup mushrooms
4 large carrots
4 sticks of celery
1 large red pepper
10 steamed sweet chestnuts
Tablespoon of red currant jelly
Sage, bay, thyme
2 cloves Garlic
Half pint red wine
Hazelnut oil

Fry mushrooms and shallots in hazelnut oil in a large wok, decant to casserole.

Fry venison in hazel nut oil in wok, adding a little pepper.

Add mushrooms to soak up juices.

Pour all out into a casserole.

Fry the carrots.

Add the meat pieces back to the frying carrots, cutting the pieces up finely.

Add a large tablespoon of red currant jelly, bring to boil.

Put everything back in the casserole.

Slice celery and red pepper and add to casserole.

Place in oven for half an hour at 200°

Served with new potatoes and cabbage.

Fed us; very sweet.

Tuesday 13 December 2011

German Friendship Cake

Ellie and I followed the recipe we had been given by Rosie, who had been given it by Nancy.


Hello. My name is Herman. I am a sour dough cake. I'm supposed to sit on your worktop for 10 days without a lid. You cannot put me in the fridge or I will die. If I stop bubbling I am dead!

Day 1, You get Herman and put him in a LARGE mixing bowl and cover loosely with a tea towel.
Day 2, stir well.
Day 3, stir well.
Day 4, Herman is hungry. Add 1 cup milk, sugar and plain flour. Stir well.
Day 5, stir well.
Day 6, stir well.
Day 7, stir well.
Day 8, stir well.
Day 9, Herman is hungry. Do as for day 4 and stir well. Divide into 4 portions and give 3 away.

Day 10, Herman is very hungry! Add the following:

1 cup sugar
2 cups plain flour
1 cup raisins
2/3 cup cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 heaped teaspoons cinnamon
2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
2 cooking apples cut into chunks

Mix all together, put in a lined traybake tin.
Melt 1/3 of 250g block of butter, pour over.
Sprinkle with 1/3 cup brown sugar.
Bake for 45 mins at 180 C.
When cold cut into fingers.
Freezes well and good with cream or ice-cream when warm.

We passed Herman on to the Ruddocks and the Greens and kept a quarter to have another go.

One of the nicest cakes ever!

Sunday 4 December 2011

Fish pie

6 tiger prawns
328g Pollack pieces
54g undyed smoked haddock fillet
two sticks of white celery
One onion
Three leaks
6 capers
Two sprigs of flat leaved parsley
25 fresh nasturtium seeds
black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard
2 teaspoons cornflour

Fry onion, finely sliced celery and leaks until soft.

Place fried onions, celery and leaks in bottom of a large pyrex dish.

Boil fish in milk, remove any skin.

Place fish in dish.
Add 6 capers.
Add nasturtium seeds

Add large knob of butter to milk, then two teaspoons of cornflour, 1 teaspoon of mustard and quite a bit of black pepper.
Add white sauce to fish, add flat leaved parsley.

Peel and slice potatoes. Par boil, drain and let cool. Arrange on fish.

Using a cheese slice cover first layer of potatoes in cheese.
Cover that in a second layer of potato.

Add a layer of cooked brown rice and grated cheddar cheese.

Cook in oven at 150° for 30 minutes.

Reheat to serve.

Beef Casserole


4 shallots
655g steak from Fellers
6 carrots
5 stick celery
1 mug red wine
juice of half a lemon
2 parsnips
Bay, thyme and sage
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon full of cornflour

Fry ingredients in a wok, leave over night, casserole for one and a half hours.

Serve with celeriac mash and brussels sprouts.