Bangers & Mash

This is a traditional English meal. It is great to have on a cold wintery night.
To make it a balanced meal, you could serve it with a salad or steamed vege.
It is a simple recipe but requires lots of work to get everything ready.

Bangers and Mash with Caramelized Onions

Equipment

Potato peeler

Pot and lid

Sharp knife & chopping board

Potato Masher (1 per table)

Fry pan

Tongs

Measuring cup/spoons

Oven tray (for sausages)

Sieve

Ingredients

Mash

Potato's, 2-3 medium size, washed, peeled and chopped into chunks

Salt, pinch

Parsley, 1 tsp, chopped finely

Cheese, grated, 1 Tbsp

Butter, 1 tsp

Bangers

4 sausages per pair

Oil for frying

Caramelized onions

Onion, 1 sliced

Balsamic vinegar/ Worcester sauce, 1/2 tsp

Brown sugar, 1 tsp

Oil for frying, 1 tsp

Gravy

Bistro gravy, 1 tsp

Water, 50ml, hot

Method

Potatoes

1.    Wash, peel and chop up potatoes.

2.    Place in pot and bring to boil (enough water to cover the potato's).

3.    Add a pinch of salt.

4.    Boil until potatoes are soft (when a fork can go through them).

5.    Drain and let sit in hot pot (off the heat) for 5 minutes.

6.    Mash until fluffy.

7.    Add butter and chopped parsley/cheese and mix through.

8.    Season with salt/ pepper.

Sausages & Onions

1.    Fry the sausages in a little oil until they are brown all over. Remove from pan, put on tray and place in oven on a low heat to keep warm.

2.    Fry onion in the same fry pan until they have gone soft and begin to brown. 

3.    Add balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, stir through the onions and simmer (low heat) for 5 min.

Gravy

1.    Mix bistro gravy powder into the hot water.

2.    Microwave for 30 seconds, stir again and let stand for 2 min.

Serving

Place a dollop of mash in the centre of the plate.

Arrange sausages lying on the mash on an angle.

Top with the caramelized onions.

Drizzle the gravy around the mash and over the sausages/ onions. 

Chocolate chip Muffins

These have half wholemeal and half plain flour. They are a bit denser and healthier than normal muffins.
If you use a metal muffin tray at home, don't forget to spray it with oil first to stop the muffins stick.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Equipment

Large bowl

Small bowl

Whisk

Wooden spoon

Measuring cups/spoons

Sieve

Muffin tray (silicone)

Ingredients (makes 6 large muffins)

Butter, 25g, soft

Brown sugar, 1/2 cup

Egg, 1

Wholemeal flour, ½ cup

Plain flour, ½ cup

Baking powder, ½ tsp

Baking soda, 1/2 tsp

Salt, small pinch

Milk, 1/2 cup

Chocolate chips, 1 ramekin

Method

Oven on to 175⁰C

1.    Cream the butter and sugar in a small bowl.

2.    Beat in the egg.

3.    Sift the wholemeal flour, plain flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Add in the chocolate chips.

4.    Dissolve the baking soda in the milk in a measuring cup.

5.    Add the contents of all bowls and measuring cup together.

6.    Fold gently together. Do not over-mix!

7.    Spoon into large muffin tray (use 6).

8.    Bake for 15-20 minutes or until risen and soft, not mushy.

9.    Remove from oven and let cool down before removing from muffin tray.

10. Dust with cocoa and icing sugar to finish.

Beef Sausage rolls

Once you make your own, you will find that the supermarket frozen sausage rolls are not as good.
You can change the mince to suit (beef/lamb/pork/chicken) and the seasoning/sauces.
Let them cool down before serving with tomato sauce.
To make a complete meal, maybe add a side salad and a baked potato.

Beef Sausage Rolls

Equipment

Sharp knife

Wooden chopping board

2 Bowls

Wooden spoon

Measuring cup

Whisk

Basting brush

Oven tray

Ingredients

Beef mince (or spinach if vegetarian), 1 ramekin

Onion, ½, diced finely

Breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup

Egg, 1, whisked up

Tomato paste/sauce, 1 tsp

Seasoning (salt, pepper, herbs etc)

Flakey puff pastry, 1 sheet

Parsley, 1 tsp, chopped finely

Flour for rolling

Method

Oven on to 200⁰C

1.    Combine beef mince, diced onion, breadcrumbs, tomato paste, chopped parsley and whisked egg into a bowl and mix well with wooden spoon.

2.    Season and mix again.

3.    Sprinkle some flour on to the clean bench, divide the mince into half and roll out mince mix into 2 long sausages.

4.    Set out the sheet of puff pastry and cut in half.

5.    Roll the mince onto the middle of each pastry sheet and roll up the pastry, sealing the edge by brushing with egg/water mixture.

6.    Brush more egg/water mix over the sausage roll.

7.    Cut the sausage rolls into 10cm lengths.

8.    Place on baking paper on the oven tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

9.    Serve with a small amount of tomato sauce.

American Brownies

Watch out, these brownies are full of fat and sugar but they are so good to eat.
Eat only a few!

American Brownies

Equipment

·      Small pot

·      Wooden spoon

·      Measuring cups/spoons

·      Mixing bowl

·      Rectangular Baking dish, greased

·      Chopping board and sharp knife

·      Sieve

·      Cooling rack

Ingredients

·      Butter, 100g

·      Sugar, ½ cup

·      Vanilla, 1 tsp

·      Eggs, 2

·      Cocoa, 2 Tbsp

·      Baking powder, ¼ tsp

·      Salt, pinch

·      Flour, ½ cup

·      Chocolate chips, ramekin

Method

1.    Oven onto 150⁰C bake.

2.    Melt the butter in a pot on low heat. Cut up butter into small pieces first to make the melting easier.

3.    Stir in the sugar and vanilla.

4.    Take off the heat.

5.    Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

6.    Mix cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl.

7.    Pour in the melted ingredients and mix together well with wooden spoon.

8.    Sieve in the flour and stir in chocolate chips.

9.    Pour into a greased baking dish.

10. Bake at 150⁰C for 20 minutes (should spring back when touched).

11. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes.

12. Cut into shapes and dust with icing sugar.