Everywhere this week, people have been talking.
About…
The Weather!
Yes, we’re at that time of the year again when people have forgotten just how cold it was last year, how cold it gets every year. People everywhere are complaining of the cold.
I take the cold weather as a chance for some really great warming dishes. Food that reaches down to your belly and instantly warms your insides. The kind of dinners you feel you should nap afterwards to give them the send off they deserve!
I take my Autumn/Winter Food pretty seriously. In Summer it’s easy to play about with salads and BBQ’s when we get the chance but come this time of year I crave stodgey, full, wholesome dinners. Full of good vegetables, potatoes and meat. Basic comfort food at it’s very best.
So, this week I am here to encourage you all to get Stewing and making Casseroles!!!
They are simple to throw together, they last a couple of meals and they fill you up so deliciously 🙂
The only main difference between a Stew and a Casserole is essentially Stew is cooked on the hob whereas a Casserole is cooked in the oven. Both dishes were created to protect the meat from a direct heat therefore softening the texture. The great thing is you can pretty much put anything you like into either dish. In saying that, there are a few basic recipes that should be in everyones’ repetoire.
My personal favourite is the Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
1 onion (chopped)
6 mushrooms (chopped)
1 red pepper (chopped)
3 chopped chicken breasts (did plenty for 2 people)
1 Knorr chicken stock pot
1 chicken stock cube
1 teaspoon of Chicken bovril paste
3 carrots (chopped very thinly – helps with thickness)
Method
(preheat oven to 290 degrees celsius)
1. Fry onions and mushrooms until they start to soften, add your chicken and flash fry to seal.
2. Add your carrot and red pepper, leave in pan for about 4 mins (medium heat).
3. Crumble over a chicken stock cube and pour boiling water into saucepan (enough to cover mixture) and let it bubble for a minute, then add your knorr stock pot and a teaspoon of chicken bovril, stir well.
4. Pop casserole into a casserole dish and into the oven for about 45 minutes to stew away, check after 20 mins or so and give a stir.
When the carrots are nice and soft, you’re good to go!
I tend not to cook my potatoes in my casseroles, opting instead to serve them mashed with Vegetables on the side BUT you could of course pop them into yours!
The brilliant thing about this recipe is that it can also be applied to Beef pieces (I advise going to your Butcher and requesting a lean cut of Braising Steak), just start a bit earlier as beef tends to take a little longer to really cook well enough to be melt in your mouth gorgeous 
Using whatever other casserole ingredients you like ie leeks, parsnips – the lot! I just use the beef stock pot and beef bovril etc.
And instead of crowding your head with ingredients and ‘methods’ I am instead going to tell you that if you want to make a ‘Stew’ instead… Just cook on the hob! It’s the same method only instead of popping your dish in the oven, keep all the ingredients simmering in a big saucepan. It’s really that easy!
Why not try this simple recipe for a Meatball Stew
Ingredients
Extra Lean Beef Mince (rolled into walnut sized balls)
5 Good Sized Potatoes (peeled and quartered)
3 Good Sized Carrots
1 Onion
Heap of Mushrooms (halved)
3 Beef Stock Cubes
Method
This is so very easy to make; pop potatoes, carrots, onion and mushrooms into a big pot of cold water and bring to the boil.
When it has started to boil, put your meatballs in and add the stock cubes.
Cook until the potatoes and carrots are soft.
If you prefer a thicker gravy add some Beef Bovril and a Knorr Stock Pot.
Best served in a bowl with brocolli and a splash of Worcester Sauce – yummmy!!!!
The final but most important fact (for me) about these dishes are that they are?………. say it with me! SYN FREE they are great ways to fill up on all the vegetables and lean meats you could possibly need
