Meat & potato pie

Those winter nights are drawing in and whatever you call your evening meal depending on whereabouts you're from in the UK, the one thing we all want when its cold & gloomy is something warm, comforting & taste bud tingling delicious 

Well my recipe for a meat and potato pie is just that. Delicious slow cooked beef, paired with potatoes & encased in a rich short crust pastry.

The perfect centre peice for a family winter evening dinner. To serve 4-6 people you will need :

800g boneless beef or lamb

2 medium onions chopped

3 tbsps plain flour

300ml veg stock

2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp onion salt

2 tsp marmite/veg extract

4/5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

1 tbsp tyme leaves ( fresh or dried ) 

2 tsp tomato puree

A good handful of steamed baby potatoes 

2 blocks of short crust pastry/2 sheets of ready rolled short crust

• Start by coating the meat peices in the flour in a bowl

• Seal the meat by cooking on a meduim to high heat until browned all over. You may find it easier to do it in batches. 

• Once the meat is browned all over, add in the chopped onion and cook until the onions are soft and beginning to colour. 

• Add in all the other ingredients except for the potatoes and leave to simmer on a low heat until the meat is nice and tender and the stock has reduced to a nice thick gravy. 

• Add in the steamed potatoes and stir through. Check the seasoning & adjust if required. Leave to completely cool 

• If you're using the pastry block, roll one block out to an inch thick and use this to line a 23cm round pie dish. For the sheet,  no need to roll - you can line your dish without rolling 

• Pour the cooled filling into the lined dish then roll out the 2nd block to the same thickness and place over the filling. Seal the edges by pressing them together with a fork or tip of a butter knife. 

• Brush the top of the pie with egg wash .. make a hole in the middle for the steam to escape. You can decorate the pie with the left over pastry trimmings - i used my leaf cookie cutter

• Bake for 25-35 mins at 210 fan or until golden brown all over & serve with whichever sides you like 

Here you go Saqi

My last post  ' Because the cousin's wife asked ' was done at the request of my cousin's wife. Tonight "Here you go Saqi" is brought to you at the request of my friend Saqiba. She asked for my recipe for Keema and potato and I'm actually surprised at myself for not blogging it already as it's not just one of mine but a firm favourite of my kids and husband, and any leftover mince makes a  great base for a chilli.

This is a dish where you literally put everything in at once, leave it cooking away slowly while you get on with other jobs and you end up with a delicious fragrant and comforting curry with minimal effort 


So to serve 4-6 people you will 

1 kilo lamb/beef mince 
6 medium onions
6-8 cloves garlic / 2 frozen cubes
1 thumb piece of grated ginger / 3 frozen cubes 
1 1/2  tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
1 tin tomatoes / 3 large fresh tomatoes 
50ml olive/vegetable oil
3 -4 green chillies 
2 bay leaves 
3 cloves 
1- 1 1/2 cm piece of cinnamon
1 -2 tsp garam masala 
fresh chopped coriander 
2 small tins of baby potatoes 

• Finely slice the onions and add to a heavy based pan, then add all the ingredients except the coriander, potatoes and garam masala to the pan. 
• Add just enough water to cover the mince and leave to simmer on a medium heat. You should leave it cooking till the mince has cooked through and all the ingredients reduce down- quite similarly as you would with slow cooking a chilli.
• As the mince is cooking away you may need to top up the water to ensure the onions and tomatoes break up to make the curry masala- I found this takes 40-50 minutes on a medium heat.
• Once the mince has cooked through and you have a smooth masala, you need to bhun the mixture which basically means to ensure all the water reduces, the oil separates from the mince and the masala sticks to the mince 
• Add the potatoes and on a medium heat, cook the mince till it's slightly browned in colour. At this point you can leave it as it is quite dry which is typical of a bhuna or re add a little water to loosen it up a little 
• Stir in the garam masala and the coriander just before serving with either chapatis or boiled rice   

Dial up or dial down Beef noodles

I don't know about you but I'm a nando's fan and I love that I can get my hands on them from practically any supermarket now and play around with recipes to my hearts content.. As well as saving a few pennies and keeping my purse that little bit heavier !



This one is a twist on my Sweet Chilli Chicken & Noodles and uses their hot peri peri sauce .. Question is are you one to crank up the heat or turn the heat dial down ?


To serve 4 people you will need :

500g cooked egg noodles
400g Beef Strips
1 red onion
1 x red & green pepper
handful mini corn on the cob
Nando's hot peri peri sauce

• Start by finely slicing your onion, and frying in a large frying pan till they soften, add the beef strips and cook on a high heat for about 5-8 minutes 
• Add in the mini corn on the cob and cook for a further 3-5 minutes- i like mine to have a slight crunch and not cooked all the way through. Finally add in the sliced peppers, and again just till they still have a slight bite to them .. soggy cooked peppers are a no no for me
• Add in the noodles and lower the heat as they just need heating through and they will burn quite quickly on a high heat, and stir in the  Nando's sauce to your  liking. Are you dialling up the heat or turning it down ?
• Finish off by garnishing with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and fresh chopped coriander 

Chilli Con Carne

Texas - the state that gave us Dr Pepper, (honest) the state where more land is farmed than in any other American state, the armadillo is it's mascot, its the home of girl group Destiny's Child and of todays recipe .. Chilli Con Carne .. yes it's a Texan dish .. not Spanish or Mexican that some people do assume 

Beef seems to be the most popular choice for Chilli but quite often use lamb which tastes just as good in honesty, if you're vegetarian you can swap the meat for vegetarian mince which again tastes just as good and obviously healthier too !

For my chilli con carne you will need 

4 medium onions

2 tbsp garlic paste

2 tbsp ginger paste

3 green chillies

piece of cinnamon (about 2 inch)

2 tsp curry powder

2 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp worcestershire or HP sauce

1 tbsp dark soy

1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g tin of kidney beans

1kg/lb mince lamb/beef

chopped coriander to garnish

• Start by chopping the onions, add to a heavy based pan and fry till they've softened. Add in your green chillies, garlic & ginger paste, salt, & cinnamon stick. Cook through till onions become golden brown & the chillies have softened. Add a splash of water if the mixture begins to catch.
• Add in the chopped tomatoes, curry powder smoked paprika & stir well. With a masher, roughly mash the mixture - don't worry about getting a completely smooth consistency .. chunky chilli is good
• Check the taste of your chilli base .. adjust the taste to your liking if any more of the ingredients need adding. Add your lamb or beef. Brown the meat on a high heat, once your meat has browned, lower the heat and add in the kidney beans, soy & Worcestershire sauce. Cook through  until the oil separates from the meat & beans. Again add a splash of water if it begins to catch
• Pour in just enough water (preferably freshly boiled)  to cover the meat. Stir through and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes. 
• Check the seasonings of the chilli and add any extra of the spices if needed to your liking
• Garnish with some fresh coriander and serve with my cumin rice or on jacket potatoes with cheese & sour cream & nachos on the side