Minced meat has to be one of
the most versatile of ingredients, its
very easy to cook with, easily absorbs flavours and can cook for a long period
or a shorter quick cook without loosing flavour or texture…
Tip: Buy good quality lean minced meat – use
within 24,hours of purchasing an if you are going to freeze cooked product do
so within 24 hours to keep the flavours..
Some of my tried and tested
favourites..
Last nights dinner @ my house
– Asiany Turkey Mince roll ups.. babycorn, sugarsnaps, beansprouts, chilli,
garlic, coriander splash of soy & teriyaki beansprouts & iceberg..
A Mexican variation using
Turkey mince either for nachos, or tortillas…
fry off with garlic, chilli, cumin, coriander, add the turkey mince and
a few chopped fresh tomatoes with coriander…
Asian Turkey patties… Fab
flavours of kaffir lime leaf and lemongrass….
Turkey mince, egg, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, garlic, chilli … mix up
and form little patties..Pan fry and transfer to the oven to finish for 10
mins.
Serve with a Asian salad,
beansprouts, grated carrot and cucumber with sweet chilli fres lime coriander
dressing
and more.....
Minced pork or a mixture of
minced pork and beef make very tasty meatballs…. Add a bit of spice or herbs to
mixture.
Minced Lamb very tasty
burgers, meatballs, Lamb lasagne with
feta, chilli & olives.. & of course I love this fab moussaka…
I got this idea from a friend of mine I worked
with while living in Australia (many years ago)
her family were originally from Macedonia and this is a variation of
their Friday night meal. At the end of a
working week the extended family would come together to eat and share stories …
This one has lots of
aubergines, minced lamb, potatoes, topped with natural yoghurt mixed with 3
eggs sprinkled with breadcrumbs and baked till just bubbling hot…
Serve with a salad….
Chilli Beef in nachos, tacos, wraps, or jacket potatoes, vary it
with different topping for example salsa, cheese, guacamole, lime juice,
coriander.
Meatloaf – spice it up with chilli or
add some fresh herbs and serve with tossed salads.
Cottage pie – top with carrot &
parsnip mash or potato & parsnip with horseradish
Lasagne -
forget the béchamel and use cottage cheese & fresh basil pesto.
Meatballs, serve with a tomato & basil sauce, arabiatta or
do them Moroccan style add some ground cumin, coriander & chilli serve with
couscous
Last Night’s Dinner @ my
house…
Asiany Turkey Mince Roll ups…
500g Turkey mince – lovely and
lean
6is Baby corn chopped
1 handful Sugar snap peas
3 handfuls of mushrooms
1 red pepper cubed into small
pieces
1 red chilli chopped very
finely
2 cloves of garlic chopped
very finely
1 red onion chopped very
finely
Small piece of ginger
1 bunch of coriander chopped
3 handfuls of beansprouts
8 iceberg lettuce cups
Couple of Splash of soy & teriyaki sauce
Splash or spray of oil
Heat a wok, add the onion,
pepper, chilli, garlic& ginger cook for 3 mins, add the mince stir fry with
a splash of soy and teriyaki, add half the coriander, cook for 5 mins.
Meanwhile Steam the chopped baby corn
for 5 mins, chop the sugar snaps into small pieces add to the mixture with the
baby corn , stir to combine cook for another 5 mins add the remaining coriander
with another splash of soy & teriyaki.
Pop the beansprouts on top of
the mixture just as you are about to serve.. combine and pop mixture into a
bowl. Serve in cups of iceberg… roll up
and eat… just delicious!!
Sophie’s Macedonian Moussaka
500g minced lamb
500g natural yoghurt
3 raw eggs
2 red onions finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 glass of red wine
2 large aubergines in big
cubes
4 rooster potatoes sliced
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
1 large handful of basil
Fry the aubergine in oil
remove and place on kitchen paper.
Heat a little oil and cook the
onion & garlic for 3 mins, add the mince cook until browned add the wine
and tomatoes cook for 10 mins, pop the aubergine and basil into the mixture and
bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile Steam the rooster
potatoes for 5 mins just to remove the big bite…
Combine the yoghurt with the
eggs.. Layer the lamb mixture with
potatoes and top with the yoghurt mixture on top…. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs
and bake for 45 mins @ 190… serve with a green salad…
Homemade Burgers…
Everyone loves a good homemade
burger… here’s a few variations that
will satisfy everyone..
Basic ingredients..
500g minced good quality
beef, 1 egg, 1 handful of fine
breadcrumbs, salt & ground pepper.
(you don’t have to use
breadcrumbs, however do pop them into the fridge for at least 30 mins to set
before cooking)
This is a simple plain recipe
however, you could top with melted cheese & bacon or why not top with a
little with mixed pepper sauce..
These variations will keep
everyone interested..
Mexican – 1 teasp chilli
powder, 1 handful of coriander, juice of 1 lime
Italian inspired – add some
sunblushed tomatoes,
basil pesto into the mixture
Aisany – grate ginger, garlic
& sweet chilli sauce into the mixture
Spanish – chopped chorizo
sausage & carmelized red onions
Delicious Chilli Beef..
This chilli con carne is ready
to go in the pan in a few mins.. then it will bubble away happily until dinner
time
Ingredients
500g good-quality beef mince
1 glass of red wine
2 onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 red peppers, diced
1 heaped tsp chilli
powder
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
salt and freshly ground black
pepper
1 x 400g/14oz can red kidney beans, drained
2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped
tomatoes
To serve
sour cream
chopped fresh
coriander leaves
lime wedges
nachos
Preparation method
Heat two tablespoons of the
oil in a large frying pan over
a medium heat. Add the mince
and fry until golden-brown all over.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining
oil in a saucepan over a medium to high heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots,
celery and peppers and fry until softened.
Add the chilli powder, cumin
and cinnamon and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Fry for a further 4-5 minutes, stirring well.
Remove the mince from the pan
using a slotted spoon and add to the vegetable mixture.
Add the drained kidney beans
and the chopped tinned tomatoes and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the
heat until the mixture is simmering, then half-cover the pan with a lid and
simmer for about an hour, stirring every now and again to stop it from catching
on the bottom of the pan.
To serve, ladle the chilli
into four serving bowls. Drizzle over the soured cream. Sprinkle with the
chopped coriander. Garnish with the lime wedges and serve with nachos or
steamed alongside
Penne Pasta with Meatballs
& Tomato Sauce
500g beef minced
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 red onion chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic finely
chopped
Sprinkle of chilli flakes (if
you like spicy food)
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 carrot grated
2 eggs beaten
Olive oil
2 tbsp of warm water
500g Penne Pasta
Tomato Sauce
2 cans of tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 red onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 glass of white wine
Sprinkle of chilli flakes
(only if you like spicy food)
1 handful of chopped basil
Cook off the onion and garlic
for a few mins, then add the wine and cook for 3 min, pop in the tomatoes,&
chopped basil. Bring to the boil and
simmer for 20 mins.
Meatballs
Place the mince, tomato puree,
egg, onion mixture breadcrumbs, carrot and warm water into a large bowl and mix
well with your hands.
Using your hands shape the
meat into bit sized meatballs, roll in flour and place on a tray while you
finish rolling all the shapes.
Cook the meatballs on a hot
pan in small batches until browned. Keep
warm in the oven while cooking the remaining meatballs..
Cook the pasta according to
the instructions on pack.
Pop the meatballs into the hot
tomato sauce mixture for 15 mins until cooked through.. serve scattered with fresh basil & grated
parmesan cheese.
Oven baked Lasagne
Using cottage cheese instead of béchamel
Ingredients
500g lean beef mince
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, seeds removed,
finely chopped
2 generous handfuls of chopped mushrooms
1 tbls of tomato purée
1 large glass of red wine
10 fresh basil leaves shredded
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper
Approx 15 dried pasta sheets
300g cottage cheese
150g/5oz grated mozzarella cheese
Olive oil to cook..
Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and
grease a medium sized oven proof baking dish.
Heat a dash of oil in a large heavy-based
frying pan over a high heat. Fry the mince until browned all over. Remove the
mince from the pan.
Add another dash of oil to the pan over a
medium heat. Gently fry the onion, peppers and mushrooms until soft.
Add the mince back into the pan together
with the tomato purée and wine. Cook for
a further five minutes.
Add the tomatoes and herbs, and bring to
the mixture to the boil. Simmer for at least 30 minutes and season to taste
with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Line the base of the baking dish with
pasta and cover with about one-third of the mince mixture. Pop
teaspoonfuls of cottage cheese evenly across the mince, using up about
1/3 of the cheese.
Repeat this in layers once or twice depending
on the size of your dish…finally cover the lasagne with the grated mozzarella.
Bake in the over for 45 minutes, or until golden-brown and bubbling on top. Serve with a fresh baby leaf salad.. enjoy..
Best Shepherds Pie
Ingredients
1 large onion chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
500g beef mince
400g can tomatoes
290ml beef stock
1 bay leaf
fresh thyme leaves from 1
sprig
2 tbsp tomato purée
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the topping
8 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, 2 parsnips, peeled and
chopped
1 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of butter
Olive Oil for cooking
Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the
onion and carrot and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until soft.
Add the minced beef and cook for 3
minutes to brown.
Add the
tomatoes, purée, beef stock, bay leaf and thyme.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Season.
Meanwhile, to make the topping, boil the potatoes, carrots
and parsnips in water until soft. Drain and mash with the butter and milk.
Spoon the meat into an ovenproof dish. Top with the mash and
bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.
