Gus's Sausage Casserole

Somerset sausage and potato casserole

Serves 4

Preparation time less than 30 mins

Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour

Ingredients
15ml/1 tblsp vegetable oil
8 large Cumberland sausages
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 leek, sliced
1 large waxy potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion, chopped
15ml/1 tblsp plain flour
300ml/ 1/2 pint Somerset dry cider
1 red skinned eating apple, quartered and chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper



Method
1. Heat the oil and fry the sausages for 5 minutes.
2. Using a slotted spoon transfer the sausages to a casserole dish.
3. Add the celery, onion, leek and potato to the oil and fry for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the flour and continue to cook for 1 minute.
5. Gradually add the cider then pour over the sausages with the apple. Season to taste.
6. Cover and cook for 50 minutes.
7. Serve on apple mash.

Rack of Lamb

Carre di Agnello (Roasted Rack of Lamb with Rosemary Crust)

Cooked at Al's April '07

Great w. Charmaine Solomon's herby peas + roast jacket tatties w/ sour cream + chives

In Italy, spring lamb is highly prized and indeed more expensive than fillet steak. Lamb and rosemary are soul mates.

Serves 4 generously

You need:

Rack of lamb 1.5kg (approx. 8 ribs)
3 cloves of garlic crushed
30g fresh breadcrumbs
Small bunch of Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 sprigs of rosemary finely chopped
1 small egg lightly beaten
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper



Method:

Preheat oven to 220 degs. C.
Season the rack of lamp with salt and pepper and place it meat side down in a lightly oiled roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, rosemary, beaten egg and some salt and pepper to taste.
Turn the rack meat side up. Spread the meaty side with the Dijon mustard. Using fingers press the breadcrumb mixture onto the meat.
Roast for a further 15-20 minutes depending on preferred doneness.
If breadcrumbs look as if they are beginning to brown too early, tent the rack loosely with oiled aluminium foil.
Rest rack for 10-15 minutes before carving.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with roasted potatoes and lemons.

Kedgeree

Kedgeree is traditionally a breakfast dish, also makes an ideal supper dish.

Ingredients
350g packet of smoked haddock fillets
175g American easy cook rice, rinsed
1-2 teaspoons mild curry powder
half a green pepper, deseeded and chopped
125g sweetcorn
150g carton of natural yogurt


To garnish
lemon wedges

1. Put the haddock fillets in a jug or a shallow dish and cover them with boiling water.
2. Put the rice in a pan, cover with 450ml water and add the curry powder.
3. Bring to the boil, cover tightly and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the pepper and sweetcorn and simmer for a further 10 minutes, when all the water should have been absorbed.
5. Skin the haddock, and fork the flesh into the rice.
6. Stir in the yogurt.
7. Turn onto a warmed serving plate and garnish with lemon wedges


Sainsbury's - one we used to cook in London..

Alex's Chicken Casserole

We cooked it without the water chestnuts and it was fine. You could up the brocolli to make up for it if you wanted to..

Cooked at Uncle Sam's

Ingredients
For the casserole
4 chicken breasts
2 onions, 1 roughly chopped, 1 thinly sliced
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 stick celery, roughly chopped
6 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
water, to cover
55g/2oz butter
30g/1oz plain flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 x 220g/7¾oz can water chestnuts, drained
1 small head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched
1 free-range egg yolk, lightly beaten
2-3 tbsp double cream
squeeze lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, to serve



Method
1. Place the chicken breasts, the roughly chopped onion, the carrot, celery, peppercorns and bay leaf into a large pan and add enough water to cover the ingredients.
2. Bring slowly to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through.
3. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside in a warm place. Reserve 450ml/16fl oz of the cooking liquid and set aside.
4. Heat half of the butter in a large pan and add the flour. Stir over a low heat until the mixture forms a smooth paste which leaves the sides and base of the pan cleanly. Gradually add the reserved cooking liquid to make a sauce. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Add the water chestnuts and broccoli to the sauce.
6. In a bowl, mix the egg yolk with the cream and slowly add this mixture to the sauce. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and stir.
7. Cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir into the sauce.
8. In a separate pan, heat the remaining butter and fry the remaining thinly sliced onion until soft and golden.
9. To serve, sprinkle the onion over the casserole and garnish with parsley.