Homemade Vegetable Stock:
2 Large Carrots
2 medium Onions
1 Clove Garlic
3 Sticks Celery
2 Leeks
2 Bay Leaves
2 sprigs fresh parsley
3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
Pinch Salt
5 Black whole peppercorns
Method:
Wash to remove any soil from the carrots and chop roughly. Peel outer skin from the onion but leave inner skin on and cut onion into chunks
Wash and roughly chop celery and leeks. Smash garlic clove with skin on.
Place everything into a large stock pot. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Once it's reached boiling reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours with a lit on the pot. Do not agitate through simmering.
Sieve the stock gently from the stock pot and its ready to use.
Homemade Chicken Stock:
1kg chicken Bones
1 Onion
1 Leek
1 large carrot
2 sticks celery
1 clove garlic
1 Bay Leaf
2 Sprigs fresh thyme
Few Sprigs fresh parsley
6 whole black peppercorns
Method:
Wash to remove any soil from the carrots and chop roughly. Peel outer skin from the onion but leave inner skin on and cut onion into chunks
Wash and roughly chop celery and leeks. Smash garlic clove with skin on.
Place everything into a large stock pot. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Once it’s reached boiling reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours with a lit on the pot. Do not agitate through simmering.
Sieve the stock gently from the stock pot and its ready to use.
Brians Tip: If making in the slow cooker increase the time from 3 to 4 hours simmering.
Homemade Beef Stock:
2kg beef bones
1 leek
2 carrots
2 medium onions
2 stalks celery
4 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
6 whole black peppercorns
Pre heat the oven to 200°C, Place the beef bones in a roasting tray and roast until browned approx 45 minutes.
Wash to remove any soil from the carrots and chop roughly. Peel outer skin from the onion but leave inner skin on and cut onion into chunks
Wash and roughly chop celery and leeks. Smash garlic cloves with skin on.
Place the bones and all the other ingredients into a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for at least 4 hours.
Strain the stock and it’s ready to use as a fresh stock.
Homemade Fish Stock:
1 KG White Fish Bones
100g Celery chopped
100g Leeks chopped
20g Olive Oil
200g Onion peeled roughly chopped
1 Clove garlic peeled
200ml White Wine
6 Whole White Peppercorns
2 Bay Leaves
2 Stalks Fresh Parsley
Half a fresh lemon
Method:
Add olive oil to a large pot and warm the oil.
Add the onion and peppercorns and lightly sweat on medium heat but don’t allow onion to go brown. Add the celery, leek, garlic and bay leaf and sweat until you achieve a golden colour.
Add the wine and allow it to reduce by half.
Gently place in the fish bones and cover the bones with water. DO NOT STIR.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and add the parlsey and lemon. Allow to infuse with no heat for 15 minutes.
Strain with as little agitation as you can.
Hearty Chicken Broth:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
150g carrot
150g celery
150g leeks
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic
50g butter
2 bay leaves
200g Potatoes peeled and diced
100g barley (soaked in cold water)
200g Cooked leftover roast Chicken
1.5 litres Chicken Stock
Ground White Pepper
Handful Fresh Parsley
Method:
I usually pack chicken thighs in water with a chopped carrot, bay leaf and half an onion for my cooked chicken in this recipe.
Soak the barley in cold water for at least 20 minutes while you are preparing the vegetables.
Peel and dice the carrots
Wash celery sticks and dice. Slice and wash the leeks. Dice the onion and mix all vegetables together.
In a saucepan melt the butter and sweat for 5 minutes the onion, crushed garlic, leeks, carrots, celery with the bay leaf. Add the potatoes and soaked barley.
Season with pepper and cover with chicken stock.
Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until the barley is cooked.
Drop in the cooked chicken pieces and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add chopped fresh parsley and serve piping hot.
Brian’s Tip:
Make homemade Chicken stock using a whole chicken and serve the meat back into the broth.
Add half the chopped chives to the broth and serve in a bowl and sprinkle the remaining chives on top of the broth.
Cottage Pie:
Ingredients
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
500g minced beef
100g mushrooms, sliced
40g plain flour
50g Tomato Puree
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 Bay Leaf
Drizzle of rapeseed oil
400g chopped tinned tomatoes
250ml beef stock
freshly ground white pepper
Drop of Worcestershire sauce
450g potato mashed
Knob of butter
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180 ° c
In a saucepan heat the rapeseed oil and brown the minced beef. Stir it all the time to break up the minced beef. Add the onions, carrots and garlic followed by the mushrooms. Drop in the bay leaf and lightly fry for a further 4-5 minutes.
Add the flour and mix thoroughly then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree followed by the stock. Allow to simmer for 45-50 minutes stirring occasionally.
Season with pepper and add a drop of Worchester sauce.
Warm up the already mashed potato in a pot with a drop of milk. It spreads better when warm.
Spread the cottage pie into an earthen ware dish and spread a layer of mashed potato on top. Brush with melted butter and place in the oven for 25 minutes
Allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving in the middle of the table to share
Brian’s Tip:
Make individual ones in small dishes and freeze for the perfect portions in a hurry.
Seafood Chowder:
Serves 6/8
Ingredients
200g Smoked Whiting or Haddock (boneless)
200g Haddock Fillets (boneless)
200g Salmon Fillets (boneless)
500ml Milk Full Fat
50g Butter
50g Plain Flour
Sprinkle of Dill (dried)
150g carrots peeled & diced
2 Stick Celery Peeled & Diced
160g Onion Diced
100g Leek thinly sliced
Half a bulb of Fennel diced (optional)
2 Bay Leaf
3 Sprigs Thyme
2 Cloves Garlic
2 Potatoes peeled & diced
Pinch Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Fresh Chives or parsley to sprinkle when serving
Method:
In a pot, place the boneless fish fillets and cover with milk and 1 bay leaf. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and poach for 8 minutes. Turn off and leave aside.
In a separate pot, melt the butter and sweat the diced onion and crushed garlic for 3-4 minutes then add the carrots, celery, leeks and bay leaf. Sweat for a further 5 minutes then add the sprigs of fresh thyme.
Add the flour and mix in thoroughly. Add the chopped dill.
Set aside while you drain the milk from the fish pot and add the milk straight into the vegetables. Put back on low heat, add the diced potatoes and stir occasionally.
Season with fresh ground pepper and cook for 15/20 minutes on a low heat occasionally stirring. The chowder will thicken to a rich and tasty seafood treat.
Add some chopped parsley last minute and before serving.
Add some broken fish pieces to a bowl and serve the chowder piping hot straight on top of the fish.
Savoury Chicken & Ham Pie:
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
400g Raw Chicken Diced
500g Shortcrust or Puff Pastry
1 Egg beaten
750ml Chicken Stock
300g Cooked Ham (cut into thick Cubes)
2 Sweet Potatoes peeled and diced
4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Carrots Peeled & Diced fine
2 Cloves garlic Sliced
1 Onions Diced
8 Mushrooms halved
250ml Cream
100ml White Wine
20 ml Rapeseed Oil 50g Butter
50g Plain Flour
Fresh Parsley
Method:
Preheat Oven to 180 °C
Using a thick based pot melt the butter in the oil and sweat the onions, garlic and mushroom for a few minutes.
Add the carrots, potatoes, half the thyme. Then add the chicken and cook the chicken pieces without colouring them too much.
Add the wine and allow it to reduce for 3 minutes then add the flour and combine.
Add the stock and allow the sauce to thicken by simmering on a low heat. Once the sauce thickens add the cooked ham followed by the cream and allow the sauce to simmer until the vegetables are soft and chicken is cooked. Stir frequently.
Roll out the pastry by dusting the table with some flour.
Add chopped parsley to the pie filling and remove from the heat.
Place the pastry on top of the pie and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden in colour.
Brian’s Top Tip: Replace the ham with bacon and feel free to add some peas.
Carrot & Red Lentils Soup with Bacon:
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
250g Red Lentils (soak in cold water)
1.5 Litre Vegetable
150g Carrot, peeled & diced
1 Onion peeled & diced
2 Cloves Garlic chopped
150g Pancetta lardons (or smoked bacon)
1 teaspoon ground Cumin
Half teaspoon Turmeric
2 Springs Fresh Thyme
2 Tablespoons Rapeseed Oil
Fresh Ground Pepper
To Serve: (optional)
Chilli Oil
Parmesan
Method:
Heat the rapeseed oil in a pot and add the onion, carrots, half the pancetta & fresh thyme. Sweat on low heat for approx. 8 mins stirring occasionally.
Add the crushed fresh garlic, turmeric, ground cumin and work in through the base vegetables.
Add the soaked red lentils and lower the heat. Add Vegetable or chicken stock (heat stock before adding ) and allow to simmer for 12-15 mins. You may have to Increase to 20 mins if lentils are not soft.
While the soup is simmering heat a frying pan, add a drizzle of rapeseed oil and fry the remaining bacon lardons with sprig fresh thyme and twist of pepper.
Serve the soup with crispy bacon on top, grated parmesan and a drizzle of chilli oil.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew:
Serves:4
Ingredients
1- 1.5kg beef of your choice (topside, silverside, eye of round, pot roast)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 large parsnip, finely chopped
2 Stick celery washed and diced
2 cloves garlic crushed
6 mushrooms sliced
Drizzle of rapeseed oil
Knob of butter
200ml red wine
50g Tomatoes puree
500ml beef stock
fresh ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
40g plain flour
Few sprigs fresh time
Method:
Preheat oven to 160°C.
Heat rapeseed oil in an ovenproof pot. Brown the beef on all sides. Add the butter and season the beef with salt and pepper. Remove the beef and set aside.
In the same pot then add in the onions, garlic bay leaf and thyme. Sweat for a few minutes then add the celery, leeks, carrots and parsnips. Sweat for 4-5 minutes stirring all the time then add the red wine and allow the wine to reduce by half.
Stir in the flour followed by the tomato puree and combine. Then add the warm stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the sliced mushroom and return the beef to the pot. Transfer to the slow cooker and cook 4/5 hours or until meat falls apart.