Marie's Burger Delight

By heck!!! We've sure had a miserable week here in the UK weatherwise these past few days. All's there has been is rain, wind and . . . well . . . more rain. It's been cold and windy and downright horrible.



It's all a body can do to keep warm and dry . . . and comfortable. Where, just a few short weeks ago, we were complaining about the AGA being far too warm and wondering if we had turned it on too soon . . .

Our chattering teeth and cold damp tootsies now convince us that it was a wise move altogether . . . and we pat each other on the back in congratulations for having had so much forethought.



We are thankful though . . . Our little cottage is warm and dry, and it is not under eight feet of water . . . our hearts, prayers and thoughts go out to those whose homes are . . .



These are comfort food days . . . *stick to your ribs* food days . . .



Home . . . warmth . . . comfort . . . food . . . love. Funny how all those words make your toes curl with pleasure, and your heart feel all warm inside.

Is love . . . food for the soul . . . or is food . . . love for the soul . . .

You decide.



*Marie's Burger Delight*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Yes, this is an unusual list of ingredients, but trust me when I tell you that this is fabulously delicious. Everyone loves this. You will too.

2 TBS sunflower oil
750g of extra lean minced beef
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 OXO beef cube
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
salt and black pepper to taste
418g tin of creamed corn
295g tin of condensed tomato soup
1/2 jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce
300g spaghetti noodles, broken in to bits (I'll tell you how to do
this easily and quickly)
200g of grated strong cheddar cheese, or an Italian cheese mix

Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet. Add the beef, onion, garlic, crumbled oxo cube and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook, and stir until the meat is nicely browned and the vegetables are softened. Stir in the corn, tomato soup and the spaghetti sauce. Mix together well, taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Take your spaghetti out of the packet and roll it up in a clean tea towel, like a salami. Holding tightly onto both ends of the roll run it down the edge of the countertop from top to bottom several times. This will break your spaghetti into 1 to 2 inch bits. Drop these into the boiling water. Cook until al dente, according to your package directions. Drain well and then stir the cooked spaghetti into the meat mixture.

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F.

Stir half of the cheese into the spaghetti mixture. Lightly grease a 3.5 litre casserole dish. Pour the spaghetti mixture into this and then cover with the remaining cheese. Cover with a lid and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until nicely browned on top. Remove from the oven and serve.

Salmon Cobbler

Quite often you can find some tasty recipes on the backs and sides of boxes of food . . . you know, like cereal boxes and such. It's not quite as common over here in the UK as it is back in North America, but it does happen from time to time.

I recently bought a box of oats and there was this tasty recipe on the back for a Ham and Sweetcorn cobbler. It sounded quite good.



I mean . . . how can a recipe with the word cobbler in the title not be good, really???

I didn't have any ham though, or sweetcorn, and I didn't want to faff around with running to the shops to get any.



I decided to use salmon and peas instead.



A most tasty combination. I also adapted the flavours in the sauce to reflect this change. Dill and lemon go wonderfully with salmon.



The end result was a delicious casserole dish that I would and will make again. (Next time I will either use a larger casserole dish or place a pan under the dish though, as it did run over.)

We both really loved this.



*Salmon Cobbler*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is wonderful. I have used salmon and peas here, but the original recipe called for ham and sweetcorn. You could also use tuna and sweetcorn.

40g butter ( 3 TBS)
1 medium onion, peeled and small diced
40g plain flour (6 1/2 TBS)
600ml millk (2 1/2 cups)
1 418g tin of wild salmon, or the equivalent amount of leftover cooked salmon
(drain, remove and discard any bone and skin, and flake the fish) (2 cups)
1 teacup of frozen petit pois, thawed
1 tsp dried dill tops
the juice of half a lemon
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of tabasco sauce
Topping:
275g self raising flour (2 3/4 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
75g butter (1/3 cup)
75g porage oats (15 TBS)
2 ounces strong cheddar cheese grated
75ml natural yoghurt (1/3 cup)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 large egg, beaten
a bit of milk, if necessary
Pre-heat the oven to 220*C/425*F. Butter a 2 wide casserole dish. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened. Whisk in the flour. Cook for one minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk. Cook and stir until the mixture thickens. Season to taste with some salt and black pepper, the lemon juice, and the dill tops and tabasco sauce.

Place the salmon and peas into the casserole dish. Pour the sauce over top evenly, covering it all. Keep warm whilst you make the topping.

To make the topping sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the cheese and the oats. Beat the egg, Dijon mustard and yoghurt together. Add all at once to the flour mixture and mix to a soft dough, adding a bit of milk if necessary. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a 2 inch cutter. You should get between 12 and 14. Place on top of the hot salmon mixture.

Place in the heated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the topping has risen well and is golden brown.

*Summer Vegetable Lasagna with Blue Cheese and Pinenuts*

If you're like me, your garden at the moment is full to overloaded with courgettes. My goodness, but they are a prolific vegetable, and can grow to the size of a marrow overnight if you don't catch them in time. I like to freeze a lot of mine to use in the winter in breads, muffins and soups. I just grate them and them pack them in freezer bags in pint sized amounts. Just the perfect size.



I also like to use them fresh out of the garden. We sometimes eat them raw, cut into batons, with tasty dips, or chopped into salads. I often cook them into delicious casseroles, or cut them into sticks and bread them. Lightly fried these are lovely served with a tasty garlic dip as a starter.



You can stuff them with delicious stuffings composed of herbs, onion, bread crumbs and cheese.

My favourite way of all though is to stog them into a delicious Vegetarian Lasagna. I saw a version of this in last month's Delicious magazine and ear marked it for future use. I finally had the chance to make it yesterday.



This was amazing, purely amazing, but don't take my word for it. Make some for yourself . . .

Now . . .



*Summer Vegetable Lasagna with Blue Cheese and Pinenuts*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

This is one of the most delicious lasagna's I have ever eaten. Rich and creamy and full of flavour. Who says Vegetarian food has to be boring!

For the Bechamel:
50g of butter, plus extra for buttering the pan
50g of plain flour
1/2 litre of full fat milk
1 tsp of marigold vegetable boullion powder
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 TBS olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 medium courgettes, washed, sliced in half lengthwise and then into half moons
500g spinach, stalks removed
1 285-g jar of roasted peppers in oil, drained and sliced
50 toasted pinenuts
the grated zest of one lemon
200g of blue cheese, crumbled
80g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
200g ricotta cheese
9 fresh lasagna sheets



Heat the oil in a skillet and gently cook the onions, without browning, for 5 minutes or so, until soft and fragrant. Scoop the onions out into a bowl. Add the courgettes to the drippings in the pan and cook, until lightly browned, 6 minutes or so. Remove and place in the bowl with the onions. Place the trimmed spinach into a colander and pour boiling water over it until it is wilted. Refresh it under cold running water and then drain really well. Place it into an old tea towel and squeeze dry. Chop. Place into the bowl along with the onions and courgettes.

Melt the butter for the bechamel in a medium saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk. Return to the heat and cook, whisking constantly until this bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the bouillon powder and the pepper. Remove from the heat.

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/375*F. Butter a 2 litre lasagna dish.

Stir the pinenuts, peppers, lemon zest and all three cheeses into the spinach mixture, reserving a bit of the blue cheese and the parmesan for on the top of the lasagna.



LIne the baking dish with three sheets of pasta. Spoon over 1/3 of the bechamel. Spread half of the vegetable mixture over top. Add another 3 sheets of lasagna. Spoon over another 1/3 of the bechamel and then spread with the other half of the vegetable mixture. Top with the final 3 sheets of pasta. Cover with the remaining bechamel and sprinkle the last of the Parmesan cheese over all. Dot with the remainder of the blue cheese.

Bake in the heated oven for 50 to 60 minutes until bubbling and golden on top. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve cut into squares.

Lancashire Hot Pot

Lancashire hotpot is a culinary dish consisting essentially of meat, onion and potatoes left to bake in the oven all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat. Originating in the days of heavy industrialisation in Lancashire in the north west of England, it requires a minimum of effort to prepare. It is sometimes served at parties because, not only is it easy to prepare for a large number of people, it is also relatively inexpensive.

There are many regional variations, and it is frequently found listed amongst the usual pub grub dishes in various hostelries around Britain. The basic recipe consists of a mix made up of meat and vegetables (carrot, turnip, potatoes, onions or leek) which are then covered with a buttery thatch of sliced potato or pastry. (Don't you just love the idea of a "thatched" roof of potato covering the top?)The type of meat to be used in a true Lancashire hotpot is a matter of some controversy, with many being of the opinion that it should be lamb (with optional lamb kidneys) and some thinking it should be beef. As much food can be added as will fit in the pot.

Flavour can be enhanced with seasoning; salt and pepper would be the most traditional, and any other ingredients available in the kitchen. Some stock is usually added to cover the contents while it cooks to help keep them moist and aid in the tenderizing, although some recipes rely on a well sealed pot on a low heat to retain enough moisture within the meat, onion and potatoes.

The hot pot referred to is a brown pottery dish with straight sides used to cook casseroles in British cuisine. The basic recipe formerly included oysters at one point, when they used to be more affordable, but more often than not nowadays they are left out. (Good thing too because I am not overly fond of the little boogers, ooops I mean buggers!)

Can you believe that in all the seven and a half years I have been over here I had yet to experience this culinary delight until yesterday when I baked my very own hot pot for the first time???? Neither can I, but I can tell you this, it won't be another seven and a half years before I bake another one. It was absolutely delicious! I now know why people line up at the bar at the Rover's Return to sample this Lancashire piece of golden cuisine!

*Lancashire Hot Pot*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

I guess you could call this the English version of Irish stew. One pot cooking of the most delicious persuasion.

1 TBS olive oil
750g diced lamb
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
1/2 medium swede (rutabaga) peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
500ml lamb stock
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
750g of potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/350*F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the meat in batches and fry it until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large casserole dish (one with a lid) as it browns. Set aside.

Once all the meat it browned and removed from the skillet add the vegetables to the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring them occasionally. Return the lamb to the skillet and pour over the stock. Add the Worchestershire sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix it all in well and then carefully pour the mixture back into the casserole dish. Tuck the two sprigs of thyme into the mixture, burying it.

Cover the top of the mixture with a layer of half of the sliced potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and then dot with butter. Finish layering with the remaining potatoes and adding a final dusting of salt and pepper and dot once again with some butter. Put the lid on.

Bake in the heated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lid and bake for a further hour until the meat is very tender and the "thatch" is nicely browned in places and tender as well. Serve hot spooned out onto hot plates along with seasonal green vegetables on the side and plenty of crusty bread and butter to mop up the delicious juices.