Lamb Shanks-More Winter Fare

This time of the year people with Citrus trees are blessed with so much fruit.

So what to do with it?

I was given a bag of Oranges, we had Lemon on the tree and Grapefruit

So much colour

So I decided to use some of the orange juice in a casserole, along with some left over Rose Wine

Yes I did have some leftover wine!!!

We also had two Lamb Shanks and some vegetables in the fridge so I  improvised

These two shanks fed 4 of us

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Lamb Shanks

3 tablespoons Flour

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 onion peeled and chopped

1 carrot chopped

2 sticks celery chopped

2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped

Piece of pumpkin peeled and chopped

1 oxo cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water

1 cup orange juice

1 cup rose wine

Heat the oven to 160C this is a long slow cook

Dry the lamb shanks in a paper towel

Dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper

Put the leftover flour to one side

In a pan drizzle the olive oil

Brown the shanks and place them in a casserole dish

Add more oil to the pan if necessary and add the chopped onions

Cook for about 4-5 minutes until soft but not brown

Add the carrot, celery, garlic and pumpkin

Continue to saute until softened

Add leftover flour and mix well, 

Add the orange juice, rose wine and oxo cube dissolved in water

Cook until thickened

Pour over the lamb shanks and pop into oven 

Cook for about 3 hours

When cooked take the meat off the bone

Return to casserole and best served with mashed potatoes and a green vege of your choice

Enjoy

Sausage, Pumpkin and Mushroom Bake - Can't eat Pasta? - Use Kumera Chips

Let’s Eat what We Have
It was a very cold day and the thought of going out to buy supplies was not on the agenda
So...I opened the fridge

There were some chicken sausages, not really enough to feed 5 people
So I surfed the net

There are a couple of food issues currently in the family
Someone is keeping away from wheat
So the dish I was going to make was a Penne Bake

So I substituted Penne for cooked Kumera Chips
Just lightly roasted
And by the way This is good for a Gluten Free diet
I grabbed a pumpkin out of the garden

Turned it into Pumpkin Purée
Just cut into pieces, bring to the boil and simmer till tender
Remove skin and blend till it is smooth
Season with S & P to taste

I had mushrooms
Onions, garlic, herbs
Great let’s go

So I peeled the kumera, cut into chip size

Toss with oil, season with Salt and Pepper
roast in 180C oven for about 10 minutes
Don't overcook them, you want them to stay in shape, not turn to mush

So you need
Ingredients
200 gms chopped mushrooms
400 gms Chicken Sausages
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup grated Gruyere Cheese (you can use cheddar)
1/2 cup cream
Sea salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
500 gms Kumera chips or of course penne pasta
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

 In a frying pan cook the sausage till just brown

Cool and slice diagonally, set aside
Add a tablespoon olive oil
add mushrooms season with Salt and pepper and cook till brown

Meanwhile in another pan
Melt butter and saute onion and garlic
Till translucent about 10 minutes
Add sage and grated nutmeg

 

Stir, 

Transfer to a big bowl
add pumpkin, sausage, mushroom, cream, Gruyere Cheese
Taste and season with S & P if needed

Add cooked chips to sauce
Pre-heat oven to 180C

Transfer mix to a greased gratin dish,
Top with grated Parmesan
Bake for about 30 minutes till bubbling
Whoops I forgot to take the photo, when I removed the dish from the oven
The Greedies couldn't wait

I served with Baby Bok Choy

 

I normally associate Baby Bok Choy with Asian Food
but if you cook it this way, it goes perfectly with other flavours

For 5 people
1/8 cup unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic minced
3 Bok Choy washed thoroughly and cut in half
1 cup chicken stock

In a large frypan melt butter
Add Garlic, season with S & P
Cook till garlic fragrant but but not brown
Lay bok choy in pan
Gently saute, turning once
add chicken stock and cook till bok choy is tender
Turn occasionally
It will take about about 8 minutes
Yum
It's a new basic in our house

Cooking for Kids - Chicken Lasagne with a Twist - Sausage Casserole

Our Grand daughter Sophia is about to turn 14 , where has that time gone, here she is with her friend Annabel, just little kids, only 5 years ago

now they are beautiful young ladies…anyway I digress, I am contributing my Chicken and Corn Lasagne for dinner on Sunday, to celebrate her birthday.
We are about to swan off for the weekend, so I needed to get it made and into the freezer .
It is not strictly speaking Italian.
The Chicken part is actually a Chicken and White Bean Chili that I have borrowed from Giada de Laurentis, Food Network.com
The kids like it and it makes an excellent filling for the lasagne.
I bought free range breast and thighs and minced them in the food processor.
Nothing but the best for our kids!
I cut out the chili powder, there are some young mouths not quite ready for heat, but I did add a little red chili flakes. You need a little bite.
The addition of celery salt, I really like, I feel it helps to give an authentic flavour to the chili.
I also disregarded the Swiss chard (Silverbeet) for the kids...but have left it in the recipe, I think I would like it, if making for a wider audience. it would add great colour

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds/1 kg ground chicken
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 tablespoons flour
2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard,(Silverbeet) stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

Directions
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven,
heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, celery salt and chili powder.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Stir the flour into the chicken mixture.
Add the beans, Swiss chard, (if you are using it) corn, and chicken stock.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened.
Add the red pepper flakes and chopped parsley, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Also make a béchamel sauce
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoon white flour
2 cups milk infused with peppercorns, a peeled shallot and 2 bay leaves
Just pop the milk into the microwave about 2 minutes
Heats and infuse all at once.
20 gms grated Parmesan
20 gms grated Feta
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grated Mozzarella for the topping
Melt the butter
Add the flour
Cook for about 3 minutes to cook the flour out
Add the strained hot milk
Stir well and bring to the boil to thicken
Simmer about 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

Cool a little
Add cheeses
Stir well
Taste and adjust seasoning

To assemble
Lightly cover the bottom of gratin dish with béchamel
Place lasagne sheets on top
Layer of chicken

Lasagne
More béchamel
Lasagne
More chicken
Lasagne and then cover with the remainder of the béchamel

Pre heat oven to 180
Into the oven for 20 mins

Cool
add grated Mozzarella then a sprinkling of breadcrumbs for a little crunch at the end

I then covered it and into the freezer for Sunday.

Now onto the Sausage Dish for the Thursday Night Feats With Grandma
Veal Bratwurst Casserole

I love Veal Bratwurst and its not easy to find in the local Supermarket, but Faro Fresh, over on the North Shore has a wonderful selection of Deli meats. IN fact all of their meat is excellent. More about that later. I bought a few packets while I was there. Some for the Freezer
Great dinner, for the kids and to get the vege into them, how about a nice casserole.
Just a base of carrots, onions, celery and garlic.
I added some White Balsamic vinegar for acidity and also it has a lovely sweetness to it
And separately, I fried some onions. Sausages and onions. Oh Yes
This is so tasty and so, so simple, soft meaty sausages, topped with a fluffy Cheesy Potato Topping.
A kids delight.

5 Veal Bratwurst Sausages
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion fine chop
1 small carrot finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 stick of celery finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A little water
2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

For the fried onions
1 large onion peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups chicken stock
I browned the sausages in a pan and then transferred them to a casserole dish

Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pan
Season and sauté till they get a little colour and start to tenderize.
Add a little water and let that absorb
Add white balsamic vinegar

Meanwhile in another pan
Add olive oil and the sliced onion
Cook slowly to caramelize
Add flour stir well and let cook for a few minutes

Add chicken stock
Bring to the boil stirring while you do
Simmer about 5 minutes
Add the other vege

Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary
and then pour the finished sauce over the sausages

Potato Topping
4 large potatoes peeled and chunked
3 tablespoon milk
Big knob of butter
70 gms cream cheese
1 shallot peeled and finely chopped
1 egg
Sea salt and ground white pepper

Meanwhile cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender
Strain and make sure they are quite dry

Heat the milk and butter in the microwave or a small pot
Now I am with Delia Smith, when it comes to mashing.
You can either put the hot potatoes through a ricer, or just get out your hand beater
and whip them up with that.

Start off slowly, you don't want to end up with it all over you
Add the hot milk and butter

Beat them up
When they are smooth
Add the shallots and cream cheese
You can start beating with a fork now
Add egg
Season with salt and white pepper
Continue to beat till smooth
Pile on top of sausages

I have popped this into the fridge and will finish it off tomorrow night
From room temperature,
180C for 30 mins
Should be a winner