Backpacker Stew

Or perhaps you prefer them roasted??? Stew is nicer...

I made a stew the other week that was a big hit with our packpackers. So I made it again to recall what I did, and wrote it down. This is it. Just a simple one.

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot finely diced

1 stick celery finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

500 to 600g backpackers, oops, I mean, stewing beef

2 beef OXO cubes

2 tablespoons flour

2 1/2 cups water

1 generous tablespoon mango chutney or some other sweet vinegary spicy stuff, like sweet chilli sauce, branston pickle or HP fruity sauce etc.

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C.

In a heatproof casserole, Dutch Oven type pot, like My Precious, heat 2 tablespoons oil, then gently fry the onion, carrot and celery, stirring all the time, for 8 minutes or so, till the onion is meltingly soft and sweetened off. Don't skimp this bit, it is an important flavour creator and the secret to converting onion haters. Like Adam.

Then add the arlic and fry another minute, then add the meat and brown it all over, stirring all the while.

Add the OXO cubes and the flour, stir together for a minute. It will go kind of gluggy looking, this is ok.

Then add the water and stirring all the while, bring to a simmer and it will thicken up a bit. Once there, add a large cubed potato, some mushrooms or some other wintry vegetables, what ever rocks your boat. I just used mushroom and potato. Chuck in the chutney now.

Then pop it in the oven for 2 hours.

Serve with rice for Adam and Mash for Anna. Double mash for KISA and me.

Mongolian Lamb

This one is for KISA's sister. I am sending her a few packet mixes of this stuff as she likes it. But they won't last long and this recipe is the one we use now and tastes just as good.

So D, hope you like it. Get your resident chef to make it for you.

500g lamb strips
2 onions, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced

Marinade:
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon crushed garlic

Sauce:
2 tablespoons water
1 tablesoon chilli sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
1/2 teaspoon chopped or crushed ginger

Combine the marinade ingredients, add lamb, mix, and allow to sit in the fridge for a few hours.
Like any stir fry, prepare all your ingredients and have them ready to go on the bench before you start.
Heat a wok or fry pan, add a couple tablespoons of oil, and fry the onions and red pepper.
Add meat and stir fry till just done.
Add sauce ingredients and warm through.
Serve over rice or noodles.

Sara Douglass's Lamb Shanks

I used to hang out on a forum online a few years ago and one of the other posters was Sara Douglass, famous Australian author. She is into domesticity and cooking too. Anyway we were all exchanging crock pot recipes and she posted this one. I have made it a couple of times and adapted it a bit to reduce the grease factor. There is a very similar one at Taste.com.au so not sure which one came first. But since I originally got it from Sara I am sticking to the above title. I have tweaked it a bit and this is the final version.

Start the day before you want to eat this, unless your arteries need clogging up.

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 or 5 or 6 lamb shanks, frenched (this means they have cut off the knobby end bone and it helps them fit in the dish better. Coles sell them frenched. Some lamb shanks look like they came off a dinosaur, so choose smallish ones. One per person is plenty usually, depends on how many you are feeding)
about 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken stock, home made is best but bought ok, low salt though.
1 cup of red wine, drinkable stuff
1 jar of cranberry sauce, whole berry
3 or 4 rosemary sprigs, leave whole so you can fish them out later
1 to 2 tablespoons garlic butter, I use the bought stuff, you could just use regular butter and crushed garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons flour or more depending on how much juice you end up with

Heat a frypan, add the oil, and brown off the shanks about 3 to 4 minutes each side, turning till brown all round. Place in a big casserole dish. Mix together the stock, red wine and cranberry sauce and pour over shanks. Bake, covered in oven at 180 C for an hour and a half.

Remove from oven, remove shanks to a plate and cover with cling film and put in the fridge. Pour sauce into another container and refrigerate, preferably overnight.

Next day, peel off the layer of fat from the sauce. It should look like white chocolate. Discard this, because that's where the resemblance ends, and fish out the rosemary stalks. Microwave the bowl till the jelly like sauce has warmed up and it is liquidy again. Measure the sauce, it should be around 3 cups or so. (I have a big pryrex measuring jug which I use instead of the bowl, they are worth every cent)

In a saucepan, melt the garlic butter and add flour and cook for about a minute. I allow about a level tablespoon of flour per cup of sauce maximum for a thick sauce, maybe err a little on the less side, since it will be cooked for another hour yet. Pour in the warmed sauce and whisk till it comes to a boil and thickens.

Put the shanks back in the (now clean of course) casserole dish aand pour over the thickened sauce. Put in a 150C oven for an hour maybe an hour and a half but watch for over browning. The meat should be just about falling off the bone and fork tender.

Serve over mashed potato with a green veg. This is just yummy.
You could also do this in a slow cooker. I have also done the first stage in a pressure cooker.

Spag Bol

This is a special request for Leanne. Hi Leanne, good luck with the recipe!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic (or more depending on taste, no such thing as too much in this house)
500g minced beef
1 OXO beef stock cube
2 heaped tablespoons tomato paste
1 tin tomatoes
squirt of sweet chilli sauce
splosh of red wine (optional, I don't always do this)
1 tomato tin of water stirred with the spoon you measured the tomato paste with

Heat onion in a large frypan on medium heat. Fry onion till soft and golden and has released its sweet flavour. Stir it constantly while you do this so it doesn't burn. Add the crushed or grated garlic and stir fry quickly for a minute, then add the mince and stir fry that till it is browned off and crumbly. Keep chopping at the big lumps till it looks like mince should. I use an egg slice for this bit. Then add the crumbled stock cube and fry that off for a minute. Then add the tomato paste and mix that all together for another minute to release the flavours. Then add the tomatoes, sauce, wine if using, and the water. Add a teaspoon of sugar if you are not using the chilli sauce to soften the acidity of the tomatoes. If you have fresh basil and oregano, add a handful of each chopped up. Don't bother with dried herbs, they smell like dust, though a dash of rosemary doesn't hurt.Now lower the heat and simmer gently for AT LEAST AN HOUR!!! This is another secret. Most people think spag bol is a quick and easy after work meal. It isn't, it is a slow simmered stew and this really helps the flavours develop. Make a big pot on a weekend and freeze half. This recipe doubles well. Serve over boiled pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. The real stuff please, from the chill cabinet. Enjoy!!!!

Slow Baked BBQ Ribs

Son 24 is home for a visit. The other night he cooked these for us. These were delicious!
1 rack of pork short ribs per person
crushed garlic, lots
Vegeta seasoning (or salt and pepper)
Smoky BBQ Marinade Sauce (we used Masterfoods)
Lots of time.

Preheat the oven to 150degrees C. Smother both sides of the ribs with the garlic and sprinkle on vegeta. Make a tent out of foil to completely enclose ribs. (*I am going to try an oven bag when I try these for myself) Bake in the oven for 3 hours.
Take out of oven and allow to cool. Crank up the oven to 250 degreesC. Smother both sides of the ribs in the smoky BBQ marinade sauce. Put back into the oven till sauce caramelises and sizzles about 10 to 20 minutes. Serve with Jacket potatoes and salad. The meat should just fall off the bones. Absolutely delicious.
* Made these with an oven bag for each rib rack and they turned out lovely and tender. I may have overdone them at the last bake so adjust that to 10 minutes. Of course all ovens vary.

Beef Vindaloo Curry (Slow Cooker)

Great winter meal for the working family. Or family that goes out all day. Leftovers freeze up well for workday lunches. KISA would eat this every day if he could.

2 onions, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 jar Pataks Vindaloo Curry Paste (Test your palate first, this stuff is HOT!)
1kg gravy beef (shin of beef), chopped into 1 inch cubes or so
2 tin chopped tomatoes
any veges you fancy adding, or none if you don't want to

Spray the sides of the crock pot insert, plop everything in and stir up.
Put on low and leave it for the day.
Serve with rice.
Warms your cockles.

Corned Beef (Slow Cooker)

Another staple meal. Best to do this when you are out most of the day as the smell makes you hungry in the afternoon!

1 corned silverside about a kilo or so or more
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 onion
8 - 12 cloves
water

Put the corned beef in the crock of the slow cooker. Add sugar and vinegar.
Peel onion leaving as much as the root as possible so it will stay together, cut it into 4 pieces lengthways. Stud each quarter with cloves. Toss in crock.
Cover the lot with water, cook on low for 7 hours or so. Crock pots vary a lot so if yours cooks fast give it less time. If it is an old one it will need 8 hours. You could also just boil this on the stove for an hour after it comes up to the boil.
Serve with cauliflower cheese and boiled or roasted potatoes and a green.

Rissoles and Gravy

This is a staple at our house. Popular with the male of the species. Especially with bread for the POMs amongst us.

500g mince
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 egg
1onion
1 garlic clove
dash BBQ sauce
dash sweet chilli sauce
2beef OXO cubes
2 cups water
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 onions, sliced or handfuls of mushrooms, sliced.
oil to fry

Put mince, breadcrumbs, egg, grated onion, grated garlic, sauces in a bowl.
Take off your rings and moosh together with your hand.
Press flat and cut into 8 equal parts with a knife, like you were cutting up a cake.
Take each wedge out and shape into a round patty with your hands.
Place on a plate and pop in fridge till you are ready to cook.
Slice onions or mushrooms and put in a bowl.
Mix water, oxo cubes and cornflour in a jug or shake up in a large jar if you have one. Put aside.
Heat a large frypan, add oil, spread then add rissoles to brown on each side. Just brown, no need to cook all the way through. Put aside.
Lower heat. Add onions or mushrooms and scrape up the pan while you fry them till soft.
Add water oxo mix and stir till thickens. Add more water if too thick.
Put rissoles back in pan and simmer them in the gray for 5 minutes or so till they are cooked through.
Serve with mashed potatoes, carrots and peas or broccoli.

Steak and Corn Slice

This was Jessie's favourite dinner when she was a little girl!

500g minced beef
30g butter
1 onion, chopped
1 apple, peeled and grated
1/3 cup packaged breadcrumbs
1/3 cup tomato sauce
3 eggs, lightly beaten
440g can creamed corn
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup tasty cheese

Heat butter in pan, add onion and cook until soft, add mince and fry until brown. drain mince mixture, combine with apple, breadcrumbs and tomato sauce. Press mixture into a greased 25cm flan dish.
Combine eggs with corn and cream, pour over mince and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake in moderate oven 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Stand slice 5 minutes before cutting into wedges. Very yummy cold next day.
Great for work lunches as well.
Serve with salad.

Great Grandma Wickbold's Glazed Meat Loaf

This is actually my grandmothers recipe, but to the kids she was their great grandma. She was a station cook out west in her day. I love this recipe and it is yummy cold.

2 pounds mince(1kg)
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 apple, grated
1 onion, grated
1 clove garlic crushed
1 level tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 dessertspoon holbrooks sauce
good pinch mixed spice

Mix all ingredients together. Pack in a greased loaf tin and cover with foil. Cook for 20 minutes in preheated moderate oven. Take out then lift off tin. Cover meat top and sides with glaze. Put back in oven for 2 hours, glazing again halfway.
Glaze:
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon holbrooks
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 good tablespoon carnation milk stirred in last (perhaps cream would substitute here? Not everyone has evaporated milk lying around these days)

Lasagne

THis is very popular with men! Especially KISA , the boys and Jdubya.
This recipe is a great way to feed a crowd. and makes 6-8 generous serves. Just add salad and garlic bread! A favourite with everyone.

250g instant lasagne sheets
Meat Sauce:
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion,
choppedgarlic, 2 or 3 cloves, crushed
500g mince
2 tins crushed tomatoes
1 x 150g tub tomato paste
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1/2 teaspoon basil, dried
1/2 teaspoon rosemary, dried
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Cheese Sauce:
60g butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
4oz cheese

Heat oil, saute onion and garlic for a few minutes, add meat and cook, stirring till brown. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and remaining ingredients. Simmer for an hour.

Meanwhile, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 -2 minutes. Gradually add milk and stir over a low heat till boiling. Stir in grated cheese till melted.

In an oblong dish place layers of meat sauce, lasagne and cheese sauce repeating till all are used up. Sprinkle top with extra cheese and parmesan as well.
Bake at 150 - 180 for 45 minutes

Canneloni

Ok I did invent this one. I started with a basic recipe from good old Day to Day Cookery and twiddled it.
1-2 packets of instant canneloni tubes
500g mince
1/2 - 3/4 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 medium onion
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 jar Leggos stir through pasta sauce, tomato, olive and chilli flavour
1/2 cup water rinsed through Leggo jar
grated cheese
Place mince, breadcrumbs, garlic, cheese, parsley in a bowl. In blender/food processor place chopped onion and egg. Puree, then mix through with mince till well mixed.
Alternately you may just chop onion finely, but it goes into the tubes easier if you puree it.
Fill canneloni tube with mince mixture and lay in a greased lasagne pan.
To make sauce, melt butter, stir in flour and cook for a minute.
Stir in milk, pasta sauce and water.
Stir over heat until thickened, then add a handful of grated cheese.
Pour over canneloni tubes and sprinkle with more grated cheese.
Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes.
Serve with salad and crusty bread.
This is a KISA Favourite.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

I think my Dad invented this, or Mum or adapted it, or I adapted it. Can't remember but it comes from my family anyway.

1 onion
1 potato per person
2 carrots
1 lamb shank per person and one over
tub tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
tomato sauce maybe 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon chilli sauce
4 tablespoons flour

Chop veges and place in a greased casserole dish with the lamb shanks. (Trim off excess fat first). Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a jug, pour over lamb and veges. Bake at 150C for 3 and a half hours. Alternately about 8 hours in a slow cooker on low would do it too, though I haven't tested it. Serve with mash and broccoli or a green of your choice