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 

Lamb & cauliflower curry

It's been a while since I posted a curry recipe, purely because I try and be varied and adventurous with our family meals as possible so curries don't make as much of an appearance during the week.

I try and keep the weekends for curries as i can make them last to see us through the weekend, and don't have to rush around trying to get it all cooked at a decent time for dinner on a school night.

So this weekend I made lamb & cauliflower curry & served it with chappatis. I have to be careful when it comes to red meat as my poor husband suffers with gout if he eats it too much, so this was a real treat as I've not cooked a red meat based curry in about 6 months.

So to serve 4-6 people you will need:

3 large onions chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
3 green chilies
1 bay leaf
6 cloves garlic crushed
Thumb size peice grated ginger
Tin of tomatoes
3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
1 tsp garam masala
1kg lamb on the bone
1 1/2 kg cauliflower chopped ( i used frozen)

• Add all the ingredients except the cauliflower, fenugreek leaves & garam masala to a heavy based pan

• Pour in enough water to just cover the meat. Pop the lid on and leave to simmer on a medium heat for 45 minutes or until about 3/4 of the water has absorbed.

• Turn up the heat to high and cook ( stirring intermittently) until all the moisture has evaporated. Add in the fenugreek leaves & garam masala & stir through.. continue to cook on a high heat until the lamb is just beginning to tenderise.

• Add in the cauliflower, pop the lid back on and leave to steam on a low heat to soften the cauliflower

• Turn the heat back up and cook the lamb & cauliflower on a high heat until all the moisture has completely evaporated, the oil should begin to separate.

• The cauliflower should begin to break down and the lamb should be fully cooked & tender - this is what is referred to bhun the dish - cooking rapidly on a high heat whilst intermittently stirring

• Take a piece of the lamb and a little of the cauliflower to check the tenderness of them both.. once the cauliflower is soft with a very slight bite & the lamb is tender the dish is ready.

• Just before serving, garnish with fresh coriander & serve alongside chappatis