Ice Age - A Mammoth Christmas

Getting ready for Christmas ;))

Cottage pie

Since coming from London I'm into British food... so here it is: Cottage Pie thanks to BBC Good Foods

3 tbsp olive oil, 1¼ kg beef mince, 2 onions, finely chopped, 3 carrots, chopped, 3 celery sticks, chopped, 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 3 tbsp plain flour, 1 tbsp tomato purée, large glass red wine (optional), 850ml beef stock, 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, few thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves
For the Mash: 1.8kg potatoes, chopped, 225ml milk, 25g butter, 200g strong cheddar, grated, freshly grated nutmeg

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and fry the mince until browned - you may need to do this in batches. Set aside as it browns. Put the rest of the oil into the pan, add the vegetables and cook on a gentle heat until soft, about 20 mins. Add the garlic, flour and tomato purée, increase the heat and cook for a few mins, then return the beef to the pan. Pour over the wine, if using, and boil to reduce it slightly before adding the stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 mins. By this time the gravy should be thick and coating the meat. Check after about 30 mins - if a lot of liquid remains, increase the heat slightly to reduce the gravy a little. Season well, then discard the bay leaves and thyme stalks.
Meanwhile, make the mash. In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender. Drain well, then allow to steam-dry for a few mins. Mash well with the milk, butter, and three-quarters of the cheese, then season with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper.
Spoon meat into 2 ovenproof dishes. Pipe or spoon on the mash to cover. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese. If eating straight away, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for 25-30 mins, or until the topping is golden.

Michael Buble - Santa Claus is coming to town

Hey, hey, it's Christmas time again :D

Ragout fin Chasseur

Here is a German recipe from Maggi, really tasty and easy to make.

400 g chicken breast, 200 g mushrooms, 1 tbs lemon juice, 2 tbs butter, 300 ml water, 1 sachet Maggi fix & frisch Rahm Geschnetzeltes, 4 tbs cream, 1 tbs Worcester sauce, 1 tbs chopped parsley, 4 puff pastry disks

Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Wash the chicken breast fillets, pat dry and cut them into cubes and season them with nutmeg. Clean the mushrooms, cut them into quarters and drizzle them with lemon juice.
Brown the meat in butter, add the mushrooms and sauté. Pour in water, add the Maggi Fix, bring to a boil and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream. Season with Worcester sauce.
Put the puff pastry disks in the oven for about 10 minutes and them fill them with the stew filling. Serve garnished with parsley.

Lightly spiced carrot soup

1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 onion, finely chopped, 1 garlic clove, chopped, knob of fresh root ginger, grated, 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped, 1 tsp mild curry powder, plus extra, 1kg carrots, trimmed and sliced, 2 lemongrass stalks, bashed, 2 strips orange zest, 400g can coconut milk, 700ml vegetable stock

Heat the oil in a large pan with a lid. Tip in the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli, then cook for 3-5 mins until soft. Stir in the curry powder, followed by the carrots, lemongrass and zest, then cover and cook over a low heat for 10 mins more.
Give the coconut milk can a shake, then pour most of it into the pan along with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 15 mins until the carrots are really soft. Remove the lemongrass and orange zest, then use a stick blender or food processor to whizz until smooth. Ladle into bowls and top with a swirl of reserved coconut milk and an extra sprinkling of curry powder, if you like.

Linguine with mushroom, prosciutto and garlic cream sauce

400g fresh linguine, 3 garlic cloves, chopped, olive oil, 6 slices prosciutto, chopped, 500g chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and sliced, 250ml white wine, 300ml double cream, 50g Parmesan, grated, 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large deep frying pan. Add the garlic and mushrooms and a big pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes on a fairly high heat, stirring often. Add the prosciutto and cook for another couple of minutes. Pour in the white wine and then let reduce by half, it should take about 5 minutes. Add the cream and reduce a little. Remove from the heat, add half the cheese and all of the parsley.
Cook the pasta following the pack instructions. Drain then add the pasta to the mushroom pan and toss everything together. Serve with the rest of the cheese.

Pancetta & cheddar tart with thyme & paprika pastry

As always, a big thank you to Good Foods UK

150ml full-fat milk, 3 eggs, 250ml double cream, 200g pancetta or bacon lardons, 100g button mushrooms, sliced, 100g mature cheddar, grated
For the thyme & paprika pastry: 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ¾ tsp thyme leaves, 100g butter, chilled and finely diced

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
Sift the flour and smoked paprika with a pinch of salt. Grind the thyme in a pestle and mortar to release the flavour then stir into the flour mix. Add the diced butter to the flour and rub together lightly with the tips of your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 2-3 tbsp water gradually bringing everything together to make a dough. Form into a disc then wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Dust your work surface with flour then roll out the pastry into a rough circle, turning every now and again to keep the circular shape. Use the tin (a 24cm (3-4cm deep) tart tin) as a guide to check you have rolled the pastry big enough. Ideally you want a little bit of overlap to prevent shrinkage. Lift up the pastry onto your rolling pin then carefully unfold onto the tin. Ease the pastry carefully into the tin. Use the side of your little finger to make sure the pastry is pushed into the corners and flutes of the tin. Cut a circle of greaseproof paper big enough to line the tart case then scrunch the paper up to make it pliable. Line the tin with this then fill with ceramic baking beans or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes then take out the beans and paper and cook for another 5 minutes or until the base has dried out. Turn down the oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
Trim the overhanging edges of the pastry with a small serrated knife while still warm. Whisk the milk, eggs and double cream. Fry the pancetta and mushrooms in a non-stick pan until both are slightly golden. Stir them into the egg mix while still hot then mix in the cheese. Pour the mix into the baked tart case. Cook for 40 minutes until just set. Cool a little in the tin and serve warm.