The best savoury mince

Mince. You either love it or hate it. Personally, and obviously I love it. So easy and versatile and able to be loaded with flavour.

Today I'm recreating something from my childhood. A weekly staple was mince on rice. For my husband too, but they sometimes had theirs with mashed potato, which is what we've done tonight. As kids it wasn't quite as refined. Literally mince cooked with onion, tomato sauce and frozen mixed vegetables, so I wanted to give our childhood staple an upgrade.

Half way through cooking I realised this is kind of just a deconstructed cottage pie, but either way, this should become your go to mince mix, do a double batch and freeze some too. The kids devoured it (the little one definitely takes after me, licking his plate clean of every last morsel) and we were all so satisfied from the depth of flavour.

I have a couple of things which I think make it. You may or may not agree. 1. Celery leaves, they hold so much flavour, so as well as the stalk, I reserve the leaves and add them later when the liquid goes in. 2. Tomato sauce, now I don't usually advocate for tomato sauce on a proper meal (it's for chips and pies) but in this case it adds a little bit of sweetness and is used instead of tomato paste and sugar. Adjust your quantity to taste.

I also haven't added any salt to this, with the stock, soy and Worcestershire I don't really think it needs more. Plus we served it with mash tonight, which already has salt too. I used white wine, but any would do. I just specify drinkable. If you wouldn't drink DO NOT cook with it. If you don't want to add wine, just add an extra 1/4 cup stock, and maybe a tsp of vinegar.

Serving suggestions:

• On toast, or in a bowl with crusty bread on the side
• On rice
• On mashed potato or kumara
• As cottage pie
• Add a tin of beans and perhaps an extra cup of stock and eat it as a stew
• As a healthy pie filling
• In a baked potato

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 stalks of celery, leaves reserved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 500g beef mince
• 1/4 cup your choice of drinkable wine, optional 
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp onion powder 
• 1 tsp dried parsley (2 tbsp fresh) 
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1/2 cup frozen peas

Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery, setting the leaves aside. 

Heat the oil to a medium heat in a large frying pan that has a lid. 

Gently saute the vegetables, stirring, till they are softened. About 5 minutes. 

Add the beef mince. Use the spoon to break the meat up, and cook till lightly browned and dry. 

Add the wine, use this to loosen any crusty bits off the bottom of the pan. 

Once the wine has cooked off, add the stock, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, soy and Worcestershire sauces, onion powder, parsley, and reserved finely chopped celery leaves.  

Simmer on a low heat, covered for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Remove the lid. Taste, and add more tomato sauce (or soy/ Worcestershire) if desired. 

Mix the cornflour with a tiny bit of cold water to make a smooth paste, stir this into your mince, along with the frozen peas and simmer, uncovered, stirring every minute or two for 10 minutes until reduced and thickened. 

Serve in one of the ways suggested above. 

Macaroni Chicken & Cheese (with hidden vegetables!)

This recipe is perfect for the upcoming cooler months. When you want more of that comfort food, or for when you want something that you can just pop in the oven at the end of a busy day that's tasty, but still full of all the good stuff you need. I like to have a bit of chicken for protein (aka extra fullness feeling) and for the little people, it's great to be able to sneak in some veggies. Peeling the zucchini (courgette) first means the colour of the dish is still cheesy and the pumpkin adds creaminess and a bit more of an earthy flavour.

Ingredients (Serves 6-8 people):

• 500g macaroni or other dried pasta shapes
• 600g chicken breast - two large breasts is about enough 
• 1 tbsp dried thyme 
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar - lemon juice would also work
• Olive oil
• 1.5 cup diced pumpkin 
• 2 or 3 zucchini peeled and roughly chopped 
• 50g butter
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1.5 cups milk 
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg - freshly grated nutmeg has the best flavour if you can get your hands on whole nutmeg. 
• 2 cups grated cheese (cheddar, colby, mild, parmesan or a combination - obviously the type of cheese you use will affect how cheesy the flavour is, so I tend to stick to cheddar/mild for toddlers) 
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the packet directions. Drain and toss through a few glugs of olive oil. 

In a small saucepan boil cubed pumpkin and zucchini for 10 minutes till tender. Drain & puree with a stick blender, food processor, or just mash. Set aside. 

Slice chicken breast lengthways through the middle so you have two flatter fillets. Heat another tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and fry each fillet for 4-6 minutes each side till lightly browned. Set aside and allow to cool. Add thyme, white wine vinegar and a splash of water to the pan and stir to remove all the tasty juices from the bottom of the pan. Add this chicken thyme juice to the pureed veggies. 

Finally make the sauce. Melt the butter and garlic over a medium heat. Once bubbling, add the flour and stir. It will be a little foamy. Gradually add the milk, stirring well after each addition to make sure you don't get any lumps. Continue stirring and once thickened take off the heat and add half of the grated cheese. Stir till you have a smooth sauce. Add the nutmeg and pureed veggies. Stir and season to taste. 

Roughly chop the chicken and combine with the sauce and cooked pasta. Spoon everything into a large baking dish (or two smaller ones if you want to freeze half). Top with remaining cheese and then breadcrumbs. Can be chilled for 24hrs, or frozen for up to 4 months at this point. 

Preheat oven to 180*C. 

Bake for 30 - 40 mins till heated through and lightly golden on top. 

Serve with a green salad, or steamed veggies and crusty bread. 

Devilled Sausages

My friend and I were reminiscing over this dish recently. What better way to enjoy your favourite sausage then simmered in a tangy, sweet and spicy sauce served over mash or rice. Now that the weather is finally cooling off, this is the perfectly lovely warming comfort food type of dish to start thinking about cooking.

Whether this was a childhood staple, or like me, your go to flat dinner when a poor university student, it's still just as tasty and satisfying. I historically always made it using the classic Maggi mix, but trust me, it's so much more satisfying (and surprisingly easy) making it from scratch. In fact you've probably already got most, if not all, of the ingredients at home.

You could just as easily cook this in slow cooker, brown the sausages (or not), and put in all other ingredients and leave on low for 4-6 hours. You could easily double this recipe to feed a crowd, or freeze leftovers to reheat on another day.



Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 6-8 good quality pork or beef sausages - I used Freedom Farms Pork & Fennel Sausage
• 2 small brown onions, sliced
• 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot, peeled, halved lengthways and sliced thinly
• 1 1/2 cups boiled water
• 2 tsp beef or chicken stock powder (use beef for beef sausages/ chicken for pork) 
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard powder, or 1 tbsp prepared mustard
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce 
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 tbsp cornflour (mixed with 1 tbsp water to form a smooth paste) 
• mashed potato or steamed rice, to serve

In a large saucepan with a lid, lightly brown the sausages in oil over a low heat. Once lightly browned, slice the sausages lengthways, or into smaller slices (which may be more suitable for children). 

Add the onion, apple, carrot, stir, then add the water, stock powder, soy sauce, curry powder, mustard, tomato paste and tomato sauce. Stir to combine, cover and reduce heat to as low as possible. Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes till vegetables are softened and sausages are cooked through.

Add the frozen peas, and cornflour mix, simmer for another 3-5 minutes to thicken the sauce. 

Serve upon a bed of rice or mashed potato and tuck in!

Lamb Casserole - Baby Friendly!

So this is a new series of recipes that I'm working on which are both baby and adult friendly. The Master of the house is currently 7 months old and enjoying exploring a range of foods. So I'm having to get a little more creative with what I'm serving. 

Initially I started him on single foods, pureed and either spoon fed (which wasn't very successful) or self-fed using a Boon Silicone Feeder. Turns out my little one is a "I-do-it-myself-Mama" kind of kid. Which has made feeding time .... interesting. I've certainly gained a lot of patience. 

Master 7 gave this the thumbs up
Note the distraction rusk in the other hand  

However, I'm finally making some progress. Master 7 months holds and gnaws on a piece of steamed veggie, fruit or a rusk (try these homemade ones from My Kids Lick the Bowl), while I strategically spoon food in. The fact that he's got his finger food means he's not constantly trying to swipe the spoon from me too!  

Anyway, back to the lamb casserole. I was over making individual mashes and purees... and I think he was too, so here is a tasty lamb casserole which we both enjoyed! 

Below is the complete list of ingredients you will need. Then I will put another list of how much actually goes into baby's pot, everything else goes into your pot, no precooking required; simply peel (if you can be bothered), chop and simmer. Also, chop the veggies for baby's pot a bit smaller. 

So you'll have two pots going. I made this in the morning, then left it on the stove during the day, just reheating when we were ready to eat, but you could easily do it in the afternoon. Just allow 1 hour cooking time for adults. I cook baby's one a little longer so that the food has broken down more. 

Ingredients (serves 4 hungry adults and 6-10 baby serves):

• 600 grams lamb steak, trimmed of fat
• 500 grams potatoes 
• 500 grams parsnip 
• 500 grams carrot 
• 1 apple, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 cups of frozen peas
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 
• Optional for baby's pot: 1/4 cup of baby rice or polenta 

Adults pot only 

• 1 onion, largely diced
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• salt and pepper 
• Buttered bread to serve, or creamy polenta, mashed potato or rice. 

To prepare have two pots on the stove. One a 1L capacity for baby and another 3L capacity for adults. As you prepare each ingredients chop it small to begin with for baby's pot, once you have the required amount, chop what's rest larger and pop it in the adults pot. 

For baby prepare: 100 grams of Lamb, 130 grams of potato, 50 grams of parsnip, 150 grams of carrot, 60 grams of apple, 80 grams of peas, 180 grams chopped tomatoes. Put all of baby's ingredients into pot and add enough water to cover. Simmer on a low heat for at least one hour, maybe 1.5 hour, adding more water if necessary. You want it to be cooked long enough that the meat shreds easily. 

Meanwhile place all other ingredients into a larger pot, including onion, spices, salt and pepper. Cover with water and simmer for an hour on a low heat, stirring occasionally and topping up with water if necessary. 

Once the baby pot has cooked add the baby rice, or polenta if using. This will also help to soak up any excess liquid if necessary. Wait for it to cool, then depending on the age of your baby you'll either want to puree it, pulse in a blender, or mash. Of course you can always add more water or baby rice/polenta to make it thick or thinner to suit. Once blended, I freeze it down in ice trays. Master 7 months will happily eat 4 cubes in a sitting, but every baby is different. 

For the adults pot, I like to mash it roughly also. This helps to thicken it up. Then serve with fresh bread and soft butter. Alternatively you can serve it with creamy polenta, mashed potato, or rice. 

Sausages with Veggie Mash and Onion Gravy

Sausages, mash, and gravy are a winter classic comfort food. So perfect for filling bellies and warming us up on these cooler evenings. This version is surprisingly healthy, thanks to the fact that the mash is laden with cauliflower! Steamed and pureed and disguised brilliantly within the mashed potato… perfect way to get your vegetables in, especially for those who usually try to avoid them. Plus being partly cauliflower, means you can dig in without feeling to weighed down.

I’ve managed to make this using only one pot, and one frying pan. Follow my directions, and you can avoid some dishes too.

The cauliflower and potato are cooked separately. This is because the cauliflower needs to be pureed, and the potato only mashed. Do NOT try to take a shortcut and puree the potato, it will become far too stodgy. You can however mash the cauliflower, just bear in mind that it won’t come out as smooth, and may be noticed by those you’re trying to disguise it from!! I season my mash with a pinch of white pepper and nutmeg, but good old salt and pepper will also do the trick.

This time I’ve used the new Hellers Stout Mushroom and Angus Beef Sausages, the stout flavour really sung through and added a depth to the dish. Of course feel free to use your favourite type of good quality sausage if you prefer.  

Ingredients (serves 3 adults or 2 adults & 2 children):

• 2 cups of cauliflower florets
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard, optional
• 1 cup beef stock (powdered is fine)
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 3 large potatoes (about 4 cups when peeled and diced)
• 1 tbsp butter and salt and pepper
• 6 pack of Hellers Stout Mushroom and Angus Beef Sausages or another favourite
• Steamed green vegetables to serve

Prepare the cauliflower and add to a pot with 1cm of water in the bottom. Cover and simmer on a medium heat for 5 minutes or until the cauliflower is nice and soft. Pour the cauliflower and cooking liquid into a container to puree with a stick mixer, or puree in a blender. Set aside.

While the cauliflower is cooking, peel and slice an onion. Heat the oil in a large frying pan (oven proof if possible, but not mandatory), and cook the onion on a low heat stirring often. This will take 5-10 minutes for the onions to become soft, but be sure to stir as we don’t want to brown them. Once softened, add the stock and mustard. Combine the cornflour with a little cold water, before adding to the onion gravy also. Simmer for another 5 minutes till reduced and thickened a little. Turn the heat off, and pour the gravy into a bowl to rest.

Using this pan, place the sausages, you can fry them gently in the pan, or pop the pan into a 180 degree celcius oven to cook. They take about 20-25 minutes in the oven, turning once.

Meanwhile, in the same pot that you cooked the cauliflower, place the peeled and roughly chopped potatoes, add salt and enough water to cover. Cover and boil for about 12 minutes till soft. Drain most of the water, leaving about 1cm in the bottom. Add 1 tbsp of butter and mash well. Once mashed fold in the pureed cauliflower and season to taste.

In bowls dish up the mash and top with two cooked sausages (just one for the kids, but if you halve them lengthways they feel like they’re still having two). There should be some sausage fat in the pan, I like to pour the gravy back in and gently heat to incorporate this fat, but that’s totally up to you. Once the gravy has been reheated pour liberally over the sausages.

Serve with steamed greens and enjoy.

Toasted Muesli

As the mornings get colder (and often wetter) firing up the oven and making your own muesli is the perfect way to toil away a wet weekend morning. This version is refined sugar free and is loaded with delicious clusters of crunchy oats as well as being loaded with nuts and seeds. 
Feel free to adapt it as you like. Here I've used a mixture of quick cooking oats (for the clusters) and larger wholegrain oats, but if you want a richer clusterful muesli, omit the larger oats at the end. 
Also feel free to adapt the combinations of nuts and seeds which are added. I love walnuts, so went with that this time, but cashews, macadamia, almond or pecan would also be delicious and no doubt I'll be mixing it up with my next batch. If you're a dried fruit fan, you can add that at the end once it has finished cooking. 

Ingredients (makes 10 cups of muesli; 20-30 serves):  

• 3/4 cup dried pitted dates
• 2 tsp vanilla essence 
• 1 tbsp cinnamon 
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water extra
• 3 cups of quick cooking oats
• 1 cup coconut
• 3 cups of traditional wholegrain oats - I used Harraways 
• 1 cup nuts - walnuts, almond, cashew, macadamia, pecan or a mixture
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup chopped dried fruit of your choice - sultanas, apricot, cranberries etc (optional) 

Put dates, vanilla, cinnamon, and 3/4 cup of water into a small saucepan. Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently. We want the dates to begin to dissolve in the water, and the water to reduce so the result is a date paste. 

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius, and place 3 cups of quick cook oats and coconut into a large roasting dish. 

Add 1/4 cup of oil, and another 1/4 cup of water to the date mixture. Mix well to combine, then stir through the oats. It should be a sticky mess at this stage. Excellent. 

Spread evenly across the roasting dish and break up any large clusters. 

Roast for 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. You want the oats to dry out. 

Now add the remaining wholegrain oats, nuts and seeds. Continue cooking for another 10 - 20 minutes turning once. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. If using dried fruit add it once cooled. Finally, store your muesli in an airtight container for up to a month. 

Serve with your choice of fruits, yogurt and milk.