Goat Ragu in Open Ravioli

Goat meat was, until recently, new to me. If I’m honest it’s not something I’d considered really, I don’t know why, it was just something I didn’t really understand and therefore trust. A sort of UKIP approach to cooking, this of course is not good.

It took in fact, the gift of a goat leg from my daughter’s boyfriend, Will, to get me to try it.

I would like to point out at this juncture that it’s not a local custom for a potential suitor to offer his beloveds father sacrificial offerings to receive his blessing. However it can’t hinder his prospects so far be it from me to dissuade him

Right then goat, now I’ve tried it, it is, taste wise, somewhere between Lamb and Mutton, in fact I had cook it like mutton i.e. slowly to get it meltingly tender.

Using white wine as opposed to red, made the dish lighter and as whole the it was slightly sweeter than my usual beef and pork ragu

I used the open ravioli for aesthetic purposes plus it gave me a chance to improve my pasta making skills. I have had the ragu with spaghetti and it tastes just as good.

The ricotta adds smooth creaminess to the dish that goes very well, its worth though, serving this on the side as you might want experience the true goatyness of the dish first

Ragu

Goat Meat 500g, Trimmed and cut into chunks

One onion diced

3 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped

2 Carrots diced

1 Stick of Celery finely chopped

4 or 5 Stems of Thyme

2 Bay leaves

1 400g tin of tomatoes

1 tbsp of tomato pure

200 ml of dry white wine

260g cubetti di pancetta or unsmoked streaky bacon

750 ml of chicken stock

Ravioli

Pasta Sheets

Ricotta cheese

Butter

A Few sage leaves

A few small thyme leaves

In a large saucepan, heat a small amount of olive oil and fry the pancetta for 5 mins until browned.

Remove the pancetta and fry the goat in batches until brown

Remove all the goat and tip in the onions, fry gently until soft, stirring well to avoid sticking and so that onions pick up all of the meaty flavours

Now add the carrots and celery , and fry for a couple of mins

Make a well in the centre of the veg mix, add the tomato puree and cook it out for about 2 mins

Add the garlic, stir well and cook for another min

Throw in the Thyme and Bay stir again

Add the wine and reduce slightly

Now add the tomatoes and stock, stir and bring to the boil

Add the browned goat and pancetta back to pan, reduce to a simmer, partially cover and simmer for 4 hours or longer if you want. Keep an eye on the simmer make sure its not bubbling too much and monitor the liquid levels.

What you’re looking for is a rich sauce where the meat falls apart

At this point you could just cook up some spaghetti and you’d be good to go

To make the open ravioli cook your pasta sheets as per instruction until they’re soft but not mushy

In the meantime, heat a decent amount of butter with a little olive oil in a large frying pan, then as its bubbling fry the sage leaves until crispy, remove the leaves and reduce the heat to barely a simmer.

When the pasta is cooked, using tongs remove from the water and to the pan with butter, gently cook for a further minute

Plate up alternative layers of buttered pasta, ragu and if you want it dabs of ricotta.

Finish with a top layer of pasta, a drizzle of butter from the pan, thyme leaves, crispy sage leaves and more dabs of ricotta

Warm Beef and Cannellini Bean Salad

Sometimes you know, simplicity makes for the perfect meal, especially when the sun is out and filling yet light meal is all you require. This is perfect for sitting outside on a summers evening as the heat beginnings to cool and your shiny forehead (unless you’re follicley blessed) glows red as if in competition with the setting sun. Add in some acceptable company a glass of your favourite tipple and perfection is pretty much there

One of the great things about this dish is the use of beef fillet tails. If you’re not sure what this is, it’s basically the end pieces of the beef fillet that don’t look as aesthetically pleasing as the rest of the cut. That’s where the differences stop, as a fillet tail is just as tender and succulent as it’s easier on the eye brother. If you can find yourself a good butcher, which I have with H.H Jackson, always helpful and will try and order for you what they don't normally stock

You can use other cuts of beef or even a steak from the middle of the fillet, the idea here is that you make an expensive ingredient go a long way , whilst maintaining the fantastic beefy taste and complementing it with other ingredients that give the dish a marvellous balance of flavours. This also works well with Rib eye steak as you get almost the same tenderness

As there’s little fat on the beef and it’s used sparingly, this is pretty healthy considering the red meat content

Serves 2

One Beef Fillet tail – Single Rib eye steak will do (basically just use a steak the size you would normally use for one person)

Handful of plain black pitted olives

2 Medium size tomatoes

1 400g tin of Cannellini beans

4 Tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon of Red Wine vinegar

1 Clove of Garlic

Half of a Heart or Romaine Lettuce

Half a red onion

20 or so Basil leaves

Parmesan Cheese

Begin by taking the steak out of the fridge, cover and allow it to come to room temperature

Drain the beans in a colander or sieve and wash thoroughly under cold running water, allow to drain.

Finely chop the red onion and place into a wide salad bowl

Cut the tomatoes into quarters, remove the seeds, juice and core, slice into strips and add to the Onion

Quarter the olives and add to the Salad Bowl

To prepare the steak season well with Salt and Pepper, add a small amount of cooking oil and rub all over the steak and set to one side

In a small bowl, add the vinegar and olive oil

Crush the garlic clove add this to the oil and vinegar along with a twist of salt and pepper plus a dash of lemon juice, whisk until thick and combined. Then taste, if its not to your liking, add a little at a time what you think it needs more of. I can’t be more precise than this as I have no idea what you like

Place a frying pan on the hob and heat until very hot

Now place your steak into the pan and cook to your preference, in this case more rare than medium.

Once cooked place the steak on a plate and cover with foil and leave to rest for around 10 mins

Put the pan back on the heat and until hot, pour in half a glass of water, careful is this will boil madly. Then using a wooden spatula scrape of the bits of meat stuck to the pan. Reduce the liquid to about a tablespoon and add to the dressing, whisk again

Whilst the beef is still resting, slice the lettuce into strips, tear the basil leaves and add both to the salad bowl. At this point get your hands in and combine well

Take the beef from the plate, pouring any remaining juices into the dressing

Slice thinly at an angle, add the beef to the salad, mix again

Give the dressing a last good whisk and taste, then pour onto the salad. Mix well again with your hands, this will get messy.

Four a flourish place shaved (using a potato peeler) parmesan on top.

Dig in

Brunch Burger

Of all the places to be inspired by, McDonalds would not be my first thought but it was Maccy D’s where I first experienced this meat, cheese and egg delight. Admittedly it was early morning and I was somewhat hung-over but from thereon in I was hooked.

I’d had this in mind for quite a while now and two things prompted me into action. A Nigel Slater book for Christmas which had almost this exact recipe and a special nod to Caroline Taylor who blogged about this a few months ago.

So, Sausage, egg, bacon and cheese inside a toasted muffin, drooling yet?

By using quality sausages and bacon you’ll get a robust and meaty flavour, the cheap n cheerful burger cheese adds that dairy hit and finally the runny yolk completes the picture. It’s worth seeking out a good muffin as well and Sainsbury’s Cheese and black pepper ones work wonderfully

Perfect for Dinner (lunch) Breakfast or after the pub, If you like the odd McMuffin but feel somewhat unclean eating breakfast at McDonalds then give this a go.

Makes 5 Burgers

4 Good quality pork Sausages

5 Rashers of Smokey Bacon, chopped

5 Eggs

5 Muffins

5 slices of burger cheese (Cheese slices) you can try cheddar or anything you want really

Using a knife, slit each of the sausages, remove the skin and place the meat in a bowl with the bacon

Season with a few twists of salt and pepper

Mix together well , then, using your hands shape into 5 even size balls, making sure they are tight and compact

Using your fingers gently shape each ball into a flat burger shaped Patty

Halve each muffin and toast until golden brown under the grill

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large frying pan

Place the patties gently into the oil and fry, turning frequently until each side has a colour akin to marmite.

Place a slice of cheese onto each burger and melt under the grill

Fry your eggs as you like them, its worth it trying to time these to cook as the burgers are going under the grill

Put the burger on one half of the muffin, place the egg on top , top with the final half and your ready to enjoy your meaty, cheesy runny yolked delight.

Serve with a cup of Builders Tea

Mutton Shepherds Pie

Shepherds Pie, really Andrew! 

Ok so most people can make a shepherds and have their own take on how it should go. I include myself in that as I’ve made it on many occasions but never with mutton.

I’ve blogged previously on the merits of mutton and I had an idea to make mutton shepherds pie. Is it worth hunting for the meat and then the inevitable slow cook when you could easily knock up the standard offering? In this case, most definitely it is

What you get, by using chunks of mutton as opposed to minced lamb is far deeper, richer lamb like flavour and those oh so tasty slow cooked strands of meat nestled underneath a pillow of mash. I’m sure I’ve used the term pillow before on this blog but I couldn't think of anything else

As per the norm this is relatively cheap to make, the mutton was only £3.49 and the rest is simple store cupboard fare or veg.

To find the mutton you may need to hunt around a bit and in all honesty I struggled until I found a halal butcher, they’ve got loads of the stuff.

The stuff I got, from Pak Foods in Shelton had bones in, this is good as it imparts flavour and the process I came up with involves removing the meat and shredding it so you can remove the bones at this point

I’ve included the mash as well, just in case you fancied a different approach, this includes the use of a potato ricer which is probably one of my fave kitchen gadgets and a raw egg!

For the Stew

500g Cubed mutton leg (search on line for your nearest halal butcher if you struggle to find it)

1 Onion finely chopped

2 Carrots sliced thinly

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

2 Tsp of Tomato Puree

1 litre of Lamb stock, chicken will do

3 finely chopped anchovy fillets

2 Rosemary sprigs

1 Bay leaf

2 Handfulls of frozen peas

Small pinch of chilli flakes

40G plain flour, seasoned

Good glug of red wine, omit this if your halal purchase was not just for convenience

For the Mash (you probably have your own method so feel free)

5 or 6 Large potatoes (Rooster are my current fave)

1/3^rd of a pack of butter

One beaten egg

You’ll also need flame proof casserole dish

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees

Dredge the mutton pieces through the flour so that each piece is nicely coated

Heat the pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil

Fry the meat in batches so that each piece is nicely browned remove from the pan

Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and fry until soft

Add the tomato puree and cook out for a minute

Next add the garlic and anchovies fry for 30 seconds

Add the Carrots and fry for a further minute

Add the wine boil rapidly and reduce

Stir in the flour so that it’s well combined

Add the stock, stirring as you go

Finally add the meat, chilli flakes and herbs,stir and bring to the boil, cover and place in the centre of the oven

Cook this for about 3 hours, stirring every 30 mins or so

Taste and then season if you need to

Remove the meat with a slotted spoon into a separate bowl

Using two forks start to shred the meat, this should be easy as by now it will be falling apart. At this stage remove the bones

Once shredded add the meat back to the pot along with the frozen peas, stir well and leave to cool

Meanwhile, peel cut and boil the spuds.

Cook them until you can push a fork in easily

Drain the spuds then mash, using a potato ricer here will give smooth mash

Add the butter and a generous helping of Salt and pepper, beat with a fork, add the raw egg and combine, don’t worry the heat of the potatoes will cook the egg

Taste and add more seasoning if you want.

Heat the oven to 200 degrees

On top of the cooled meat spoon the mash evenly then when covered lightly go over with a fork to create that ridge effect.

Dot all over with little pieces of butter

Place uncovered into the oven for 20-30 mins until browned on top and the meat is hot. Test this with knife of skewer into the middle, if it comes out hot its done.

That’s it; serve into bowls with chunky bread

Chipotle Chicken

Slowww cooked chicken in a sauce that’s full of deep, smoky, almost chocolaty flavours and that delivers a chilli laden punch to excite but not comatose your taste buds ! Wipe that drool from your chin Sir/Madam, if you crave some Mexican variety in your diet and “old el paso” doesn't do it for you, this one pot wonder is for you

A Chipotle chilli, pronounced “Chee-POAT-lay” which when said with a Stoke accent sounds perfect, is a smoked jalapeño. You can buy them in most supermarkets in little sealed pouches, which, when opened, produce a delightfully pungent dark smokey aroma.

 When you couple this with some chicken and add a sweet yet spicy Mexican salsa you get flavour combination to dazzle and excite the most educated of palates

This is another simple and slow cooked dish, the likes of which I’m favouring at the moment. The accompaniments , Salsa, Guacamole etc are also home made and may (if I can be bothered) appear here also

I bought the Chipotles on a whim, opened them up and instantly thought chicken , I don’t know why , it could have easily been pork. Still chicken it was and slow cooking was the obvious choice.

The recipe’s most exotic ingredient is the chillies themselves, so really you've no excuse not to

4 Chicken thighs

1 Onion Finely sliced

2 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped

2 Chipotle Chillies

2 Tomatoes, skinned and chopped

1 Tbsp of dark brown sugar

1 Tbsp of malt vinegar

1 Tbsp of dried oregano

1 Large carrot cut into fine ribbons

500 ml chicken stock

Tortillas, Salsa, Guacamole, sour cream, cheese and fresh lettuce and or cucumber to serve

Halve the chillies and de-seed (unless you want face meltingly hot) place them in a bowl, pour on about a cup full of boiling water and leave for 30 mins. Once softened remove from the water and chop finely, keep the water for later.

Pre-heat the oven to 160 Degrees

In a flame proof casserole dish, fry the chicken thighs so that they are brown all over, remove and add the onions, fry, stirring often until softened and brown.

Add the garlic and fry for one minute

Next add the tomatoes and Oregano then fry for a further min

Add the chillies, chilli water, sugar, vinegar and stock, stir until the liquid boils. Add the chicken again. Place in the centre of the oven and cook for about 2.5 hours, stirring every 30 mins or so. Towards the end the chicken should start to fall apart into chicken strings. Add the carrot and cook for a further 30 mins

Serve with Mexican type accompaniments, the pictures show what I chose but really it’s up to you

Inzimino - Italian Chickpea Stew

I saw this on TV a few weeks ago and couldn't believe how simple it was and had to make it really.

The basic recipe is adapted from Theo Randall’s (it was him on TV cooking it).

This basic Italian stew is perfect as compliment to a meat dish, good on toasted bread or even on its own.

It’s packed full of good stuff and is fairly cheap and incredibly easy to make. The additions of the greens makes it even more healthy

It has simple everyday ingredients and as standalone dish is perfect for your meat free day.

Very tasty, filling and perfect for colder days

OK I could have used some better bread but hey it’s what I had in.

I was really pleased with how it turns out and proves yet again, as it does with a lot of Italian Dishes, that a few good ingredients can make a sumptuous and perfect dish

1 Red Onion Finely Chopped

2 Medium Carrots, finely chopped

400g Tinned Tomatoes

2 x 400g tins of chickpeas

Juice of half a lemon

Pinch of Chilli Flakes

Two good Handfuls of shredded, Swiss Chard, Spring Greens, Cabbage – Whatever you have really, leave it out if you like

Handful of finely chopped parsley.

2 tbsp of olive oil for cooking

Good extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

In a large frying pan, add the cooking oil and heat, gently fry the onion and carrot for around 20 mins until tender.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and chilli flakes, stir through and simmer for 10-15 mins until most of the liquid has gone.

Add the Greens and simmer for 5 mins.

Season to taste, add some of the lemon, it should have “Freshened up” the taste, if it hasn’t done so to your liking, add  little more, tasting as you go.

Add the parsley, stir in and your ready to plate, either on bread/toast or as a side dish.

Finish off by drizzling over with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Bilberry Vinegar

So first off an admission, when I say I’ve made a vinegar, what I actually mean is I took some white wine vinegar and added some fruit. I could have taken the fruit and made some alcohol then vinegar out of it but I don’t really have the patience for that. This however was very easy to make

Bilberries, in case you’re wondering, are any of several species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium (family Ericaceae), bearing edible berries. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., but there are several other closely related species. Bilberries are distinct from blueberries but closely related to them. (Wikipedia). They also look like little blueberries and can be seen below.

I’ve had an idea for making a vinegar out of these for ages now. The Woods at Hanchurch are blessed with an abundance of the fruit baring shrub and this year the yield is very good indeed. Armed with a basket, Lisa and I spent a hour or so collecting fruit for this little experiment.

I’d looked around for ideas for making vinegar and settled on white wine vinegar base with the addition of the fruit and sugar.

So the taste, biased slightly, but it’s brilliant, it has a lovely fruity sweet note but with the all important tang that makes a vinegar what it is.

So far I’ve only used in with oil and bread, that said it is really, really good

Before we go any further, an apology from me. As I write this the bilberry season is pretty much over I think, so if you want to have a go, you’ll have to wait until next year

900g of Bilberries

700 ml White Wine Vinegar

350g Caster Sugar

Airtight Jar and/or sealable bottles

Remove and stalks and leaves from the berries, then wash in cold water. Put the washed berries in a large bowl, pour on the vinegar and then mash the berries. You can use a fork or potato masher for this. Once you’re happy that you’ve mashed them enough, pour everything into sealable, sterilised jar. Leave in the jar out of direct sunlight for around 4 weeks. You can, if you wish, about 2 weeks in, give them a further mash with your masher.

After 4 weeks drain the now vivid purple vinegar through some muslin and sieve to remove any bits, this could take a while to do, so you can if you want, squeeze the muslin around the berries to get the last bits of juice out, be warned though it’s wise to wear gloves as the juice is hell to get off your hands.

Once you’ve got all the goodness out, pour the liquid into a large saucepan. Taste it first it should be very tart but with a fruity taste. The Sugar volume above is a guideline, by tasting before you should have an idea as to how sweet it already is. I would start with about half the amount above and add to the pan. Over a medium heat dissolve the sugar into the vinegar and taste, if it’s not sweet enough add more sugar, if you’re happy then stop.

Pour into sterilised bottles or jars, seal and you can use it immediately, it does taste better after a few weeks though

Use it as you would balsamic or fruit vinegars

Chicken and Green Olive Tagine

It’s been a ridiculously long time since I last blogged. Work has kept me away from the kitchen with exception of old faves or frozen portions of previous cooking sessions, reheated.  When you work away all  week, most of the weekend is dedicated to turning around (washing, iron, pack) to come back and trying desperately to grab some time to relax before another busy week begins.

At last, this weekend allowed me time to think about what I wanted, adapt an idea and that all important spare time, to sit down and blog.

Whilst the weather was still warm I wanted something tasty, fresh, with a little heat and a nod towards North Africa. Although I’m not a big fan of food from that region this ticks all the boxes. Light, yet full of flavour, paprika adds depth and the tang from the lemon is marvellous. The olives give a bite of saltiness whilst all the time there’s a heady combination of tomatoes and cinnamon running through it. Something light like Rice ( in this case laced with cardamom) or couscous goes perfectly

8 Boneless Chicken Thighs

2 Onions Chopped

4 cloves of Garlic Chopped

Thumb size piece of Ginger finely chopped

2 Tbsp of Paprika

1 Tsp Tumeric

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

900 ml Chicken Stock

Juice ½ Lemon

150g Green pitted olives, halved

1 tin of Sainsbury’s Pomodori D’Oro Plum Tomatoes (Normal Plum tomatoes will do)

3 Preserved Lemons, Skin only chopped

1 Cinnamon Stick

Salt and Pepper

Add the dry spices, salt, pepper and 2 tbsps of oil to a large dish add, the chicken pieces, coat the chicken well, cover and leave for an hour, or overnight if possible

Heat the oven to 160 degrees. In a flameproof casserole dish add 2 tbsp of olive oil, place on the heat and fry the chicken, in batches, until golden then remove to a plate

Add the onions to the pan, and fry until soft, stir though the garlic and ginger, fry for one minute more. Pour the stock into the dish the chicken marinated in and stir gently to collect all of the marinade. Pour this into the casserole dish along with the lemon juice and tomatoes.

Add the chicken to the pan along with the cinnamon stick. Bring to the boil, cover and place in the oven for around 2-3 hours. Stir around every 20 mins or so. With about an hour to go and the chopped lemons and Olives, season to taste.

When you’re ready, remove from the oven, taste season if required. If it’s not spicy enough add some chopped chilli, or if its too much the other way serve with plain yoghurt

This goes, with rice, flatbread, bread, couscous, anything really and of course bushels of coriander