Meat Loaf with Cheese and Courgette

Recipe Ingredients:

• 500grs of lean minced beef
• 4 dried toast slices (made into crumbs) or 4 soup spoons of bread crumbs
  
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 pinch of chilli powder
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (good quality)
• 1 egg (large)
• 8 large potatoes
• 6 slices of ham
• 3 slices of cheese (Gouda or mozzarella)
• 1 courgette
• 1 onion
  

Cut the potatoes into cubes and parboil them, following that drain them until dried.
While that is happening place the mince in a bowl add one garlic minced the egg the bread crumbs and half of the parsley (finely chopped) salt and pepper to taste and the pinch of chilli powder, blend it well with your hands. Once all well mixed spread it over a large chopping board into a square shape about 2-3 cm deep, slice (very thinly half of the courgette) and lay it on top of the mince to cover the whole of it, then layer the ham to cover it too, and finally lay in the middle the three cheese slices, with the help of a spatula roll it up into a torte shape, then insert it inside a foil parcel put it in a tray and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes (gas mark 200), once that is done to brown the top open foil and cook for a further 10 minutes. As to the potatoes there is two ways you can do them, deep fry them and drain them or (my preferred way) drizzle some olive oil over them and bake them in the oven (about 20 minutes) obviously add salt and pepper to taste previously.
Now while meat is cooking, chop the onion finely and the remaining garlic, and pan fry them until the onion is translucent, add to this the courgette and the tomato (tin) let it cook for a further 10 minutes and add the parsley at this stage and salt and pepper to taste.
plate composition slice the meat loaf (a couple of slices per plate) and serve this with some cubed fries and poor a couple of tomato sauce spoons over the fries, it is just delicious. See picture bellow.

Xau-Xau Rice (vegetarian)

I was in a hurry so I thought to make a rice similar to what I used to eat when I lived in Africa, Mozambique, they called it there xau-xau Rice. This is a rich rice, rich in the sense that was full of veg as well as fish or meat protein. But my wife is vegetarian and I wanted to make something we all could eat at the same time, so with this one I used no meat and replaced it with quorn instead (be aware this is not vegan as has egg). recipe bellow feeds 4.


Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
  
• 3 garlic cloves
• one large bell pepper
• a full cup of peas (frozen will do)
• one large chilli (2 - 3 flames rating or medium)
• 2 standard size carrots
• a bit of fresh ginger
• 1 star anaseed
  
• a tea spoon of chinese five spice
• a tea spoon of sugar
• some light or normal soy sauce
• a full pack of quorn pieces (this can be other things, like soya pieces etc)
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 mugs of rice

Chop the following very finely: Garlic, onion, carrot, chilli, ginger, pepper, and quorn (be aware you may add more things like mushroom, corn whatever)(and that instead of quorn if you not vegetarian, you should use a mixture of very finly choped cooked beef, pork, chicken and prawns)
cook the rice in a seperate pan and in the cooking water add a crushed garlic, star anaseed and a little oil.
On a little frying pan scramble the two eggs, then put them in a bowl and chop them finely.
Seperatley get a little oil in a wok (about two soup spoons full) once pipping hot add the onions, garlic, ginger, chilli and pepper a little salt some pepper and the sugar. Once the onion goes transparent (after about 3-4 mins) add the rest, the peas, quorn bits & egg bits also add a good splosh of light soy sauce and the chinese five spice mix, stirr at all times you cook this for about 6 minutes, keep tasting and if needs more salt just add more soy sauce. Then drain the rice and rinse it in boiling water wich will leave it light and fluffy (I use basmati good quality) make sure it has been drained properly, and pore it into the wok, continue to stirr it at all times for about another 3 minutes (for more taste you can add a little fish sauce and rice wine, but not necessary).
It all just takes about 10-15 minutes to make and is delicious, and cheap. Sometimes I do this rice when I have left overs of chicken or beef etc.

American Style Pancakes and Fresh Plum Compote

Recipe Ingredients:

• About 2 mugs of self raising flour
• about a mug of milk (full fat better, if not semi will do)
  
• 1 large egg
  
• 2 large soup spoons of sugar
• 2 large soup spoons of veg oil
  
• 2 tea spoons of baking powder
• 2 large plums (not to ripen, as you want tartness)
• two soup spoons of maple syrup (for the smokiness)
• 1 large soup spoon of brown sugar (not muscovado)
• 1/2 of a lemon juice.
• 250mls fresh cream
• lemon zest
• vanilla essence

It sounds like a lot of ingredients and complex but is not, I done this as I needed some comfort as the whole family is suffering from a colds, so was a treat for them too.
Place the flour in a bowl and the sugar as well as the baking powder, whisk them together. Once well mixed add the veg oil and the egg to the centre and star mixing gently in a folding motion as is starts to get to thick add the lemon zest the vanilla essence and a little milk keep folding and adding more milk, keep adding milk and folding until a soft mousse consistence is achieved (that's why I said about a mug of milk as depending on size it might take more or less milk) once done cover bowl and let it rest for about 10 minutes this will allow the dough to get light and bubbly as the folded air reacts with the baking powder. while waiting de-seed the two plums and slice them very thinly and place them on a wok or frying pan, add the brown sugar the maple syrup some vanilla essence and a little cinnamon, if you want you may also add some good (one soup spoon) cognac or vintage port, or even sherry. Take this to the heat and to the boil once boiling reduce heat to minimum and let it simmer if it thickens too much add a drop or two of water every time is too thick.
Now back to the pancakes, the dough should be fluffy enough now, fold it a few times and heat a non-stick frying pan place a couple of spoons (full) of dough at the centre and with the back of the spoon spread it to a round shape (spread it thick) it will start bubbling and when is nearly cooked through (but not quite) turn it over leave it for another 2-3 minutes and it's done, repeat process until all dough is gone (you should get about 8 pancakes).
On a separate bowl pour the cream and whisk it once nearly thick add a couple of drops of lemon juice and a tea spoon of sugar, whisk it more and when thick add another tea spoon of sugar and just whisk it for 30 secs more.
Now you lay it one pancake cover it in cream and drizzle some plum compote you made, another pancake and repeat the process. And it's all done serve it with a nice cup of coffee and you are in Heaven, at least me and my family were, I just didn't like washing the pots after lol.
Now you can do this with various fruits I would prefer tart ones to compliment the sweetness of the sugar and the maple syrup, but it is really your choice.

Smoky Fish & Courgette Grattin (feeds 4)

Recipe Ingredients:

• About 12 large Charlotte onions
• enough (red organic) potatoes for 4
• 1 garlic clove
• 250grs white fish
• 150grs smoked fish
• 150grs frozen prawns
• 2 courgettes
• 2 large glasses of milk
• 200grs of grated cheddar
  
• 100grs of cheddar (or mixed cheddar and mozzarella) cheese
• one soup spoon of turmeric
  
• one tea spoon of smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 bay leafs
  

On two separate pans, one put the milk in add bay leafs the pepper and salt to taste and place all the fish in, on the other you put some water and add the potatoes (with or without skin) cut into slices about 1 to 1 .1/2 cm thick and the onions pealed and cut into quarters, cook both the fish until fully cooked the potatoes and onions until nearly cooked. while waiting you slice the courgettes diagonally wafer thin (as thin as possible) also defrost the prawns these cane be cooked and pealed frozen or uncooked and pealed frozen. Once the fish is cooked remove it from the milk and flake it into a bowl add to this the defrosted prawns, also drain the potatoes and onions on a pirex dish (or any other you have) you drizle the whole bottom with olive oil, and place the sliced potato to cover the whole bottom it should be about half of the potatoes, then cover these with the sliced courgettes, then put the whole fish and prawns again covering it all. The milk that you had left add the crushed garlic the tunmeric and the paprika bring it to the boil (add more milk if necessary as need to cover the whole of the layers you put in the dish and the top once you finished)once boiling add in a glass about 3 spoons of plain flour to some water or more until fully dissolved, little by little add it to the milk until this is very thick like very thick gravy at that stage add the 200grs cheddar cheese (always stirring) once done pour about half into the tray should cover the whole veg at the bottom then add the remaining potatoes and onions to cover the whole top, again add the cheese sauce all over the top till all covered, sprinkle allover the remaining greated cheese 100grs and also sprinkle the oregano to cover the top, oven bake gas mark 200 for about 30 minutes. is simply delish.