Texan Cotttage Pie

Cottage pie is traditional hearty British fare actually made from left-over roast beef, not cottages. Its close cousin "Shepard's pie is made from left-over roast lamb. Here I've given it a Texan twist - with left-over BBQed steak instead of the roast beef. I used Tri-tip which has a great flavour and can be grilled whole or sliced into steaks for the grill.





















Ingredients
For the mince:

• 1lb left-over grilled steak
• 1/2 red onion
• handful of baby carrots
• 1 green pepper
• bunch of fresh herbs (oregano and parsely)
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 1 tbs worcester sauce
• corn-starch to thicken
• Olive oil for frying

For mash topping:

• 1lb potatoes
• knob of butter
• dash of milk
• 1/2 cup of chedder cheese

Side:

• Four servings of fresh green beans
• A clove or three of garlic
  
• Olive oil

Instructions:
1. Chop potatoes and place in pan of water and bring to the boil. I usually leave the skin-on, 'cause its healthier, allegedly.











2. While potatoes are cooking, finely chop onion and fry with a little olive oil in an oven-proof pan. Finely chop pepper and carrots and add to the pan.




















3. Cut the steaks into thick chunks and put in your food processor. Process until the meat resembles mince -- don't make it too fine, else it will end up like baby food..










4. Add the minced steak to the carrot, pepper and onion mixture and stir-well. Add the chicken stock, worcester sauce and chopped herbs, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 mins.




















5. By now the potatoe should be ready for mashing. Drain and put back in the pan. Add a knob of butter and start mashing. Add a little milk until the mash is the desired consistency.










6. Check the mince mixture -- if it is too runny, then mix a little (1 tbs) cornstarch with cold water and add to the mince and stir to thicken.










7. Heat oven to 350F. Remove mince mixture from the heat and top with the mashed potatoe. Do it a bit at a time, else you'll end up with great clumps of mash floating about in your mince mixture, which is not what you want to happen. Once you've got all the mash on top of the mince, smooth over with a fork, then top with the grated cheese.




















8. Put in the oven, uncovered, for about 20 minutes until the cheese has melted golden brown.











9. Prepare green-beans - remove top & tail and add with a clove of garlic to boiling salted water for about 6 minutes. You don't want them mushy - they should still have a crisp texture. Remove and drain, then drizzle with a little olive oil. Serve with the cottage pie.

Three Pepper Ghoulash

The pepper theme continues with this great pork ghoulash recipe. Three types of pepper (fresh, roasted and dried) combine with pork shoulder cooked sloow and looow (patience is required!) to make a really tasty dish. Serve with mashed potatoes and stir-fried courgette.



















Ingredients

• 1 large cut of pork shoulder (eg 5lb)
• 3 fresh peppers (red or green)
• 1 jar roasted peppers (pimientos piquillo)
• 1 tbs pimienta ahumado (Smoked Spanish paprika)
• 1 tbs pimienta dulce (Sweet Spanish paprika)
• 1 red onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 800g tinned tomatoes
• Salt and olive oil

Instructions
1. Wash and pat-dry the pork. Score the fat side in a criss-cross pattern and season well all over with salt.










2. Heat a large pan (needs to be oven proof) and add a 1/4 cup of olive oil. Place pork fat-side down and then sear on all sides, 3-4 minutes per side.




















3. Remove pork from the pan, and add chopped red onion. Lower heat and saute for 5 minutes, then add the crushed garlic. Cook a minute or two more, then add the chopped peppers. Cook for a couple more minutes, then add the pimientos piquillo, 2 tablespoons of Spanish paprika, tinned tomatoes and chicken stock. Stir well and add the pork and bring to a simmer.









































4. Heat the oven to 350F, then cover the pan and put in the oven. Cook until the meat is literally falling apart -- you should turn the joint a few times during the cooking time. I cooked it for about 5 hours at 350F, then left it overnight to cool down (still in the oven). It was still a little warm in the morning. Move to a container and place in the fridge until you are ready to serve.











5. Before serving, remove the fat from the surface of the container - it will have congealed on the surface. Put as much ghoulash as you want to serve in another pan and slowly reheat. Meanwhile, prepare your sides -- mashed potatoes and stir-fried courgette in olive oil and garlic work well, though I'm sure fresh baked bread would also go well. Serve and tuck-in!!

Home-made hot pepper sauce

30 minutes is all it takes to make this hot and tangy pepper sauce!

But, a word of caution -- after you've tried this recipe, you'll find that store-bought manufactured hot sauce just won't cut it anymore... 'cause of the taste of all the preservatives.



















Ingredients

• 15-20 fresh chili peppers (eg Jalapeno)
• 2/3 cup apple-cider vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• sprig of fresh oregano
• Sterilized jar/bottle (placed in boiling water for 30 mins)
  

Home-grown chilis: I grow my own Jalapenos and wait until they turn from green to red before picking. The longer you leave them on the bush, the hotter they get!










Instructions

1. Prepare the chili peppers. Cut off the stems, slice in half and remove membrane and seeds (or leave in, if you want an eye-wateringly hot sauce...). When finished, make sure you wash your hands before touching anything or anyone...










2. Crush and peel garlic and place with chilis, salt, sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan.











3. Bring slowly to a simmer, and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You'll want the extractor fan on maximum, unless you're a fan of hot chili-vinegar fumes...











4. Remove from heat and let cool. Finely chop the oregano.












5. Put chili mixture and oregano into a blender, and puree.













6. Put into the sterilized jar/bottle and enjoy!!