Absolutely Morish Lasagne

Everyone knows lasagne (or lasagna), almost every family has their own take on it, as well as each restaurant. I have made over a dozen different kinds of 'classic' lasagne. This one is the latest version I have come up with and I think it is one of the best I have ever done. It incorporates all the versions I have done before as well as a few experiments.

Lasagne is actually just the flat, wide pasta sheets but has taken to mean the dish itself. It can be traced back to city of Naples in the 14th Century and is considered one of the oldest types of pasta.

This is a great family dish that can be made in bulk the day before and reheated or even frozen in portions and used for your weekly lunches. It goes great with salad and garlic bread but you can serve it with anything. Most British pubs serve it with some kind of potatoes (carb overload).

Although this is a 'classic' style lasagne, you can produce many different varieties using the same principal.

This will feed up to 10 people:-

700g Beef Mince
1 large onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, grated
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tins (400g) whole tomatoes
250ml water
1 beef stock cube
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
seasoning
5 Fresh Pasta
1 litre whole milk
1 tbsp nutmeg
150g flour
150ml oil
100g parmesan cheese
200g Edam cheese
100g Swiss cheese

Put the butter and olive oil to a fairly large pan and put over a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the mince and brown off. Now you can put the whole tomatoes, water, stock cube, basil, parsley, oregano and seasoning in. Cover and allow to simmer for an hour.

While your ragu is reducing, time to start the bechamel sauce. In another pan add the milk, nutmeg and some seasoning. Place it over a medium heat and bring slowly up to a simmer. Once it is simmering mix together the oil and flour together and whisk into the milk. It will thicken up quickly and then leave it to cook out for a couple of minutes and take of the heat. Stir in the parmesan and taste.

With your pasta cut it into 10 pieces and roll it out to about 5/6 on your machine. Put the sheets to one side and cover with a slightly damp cloth.

Check your ragu, correct the seasoning if needed. If all good, now we can assemble. Preheat your oven to 175C.

Grease up a pyrex dish and put a layer of your bechamel on the bottom. Add some cheese and then place a sheet of lasagne on top. Spoon some of the ragu on top of the pasta and spread out thinly, put a spoon or two of the bechamel and spread out too. Spread some cheese on top and add another pasta sheet. Repeat until you have 4 layers. For the last layer add the remaining bechamel and cheese.

Place your assembled lasgane into the oven and cook for around 40-45 minutes until it is nicely golden on top.

Serve immediately and watch the dish magically clean itself. This will become a family favourite and you'll never want to use dried pasta sheets again.

BBQ Bacon Meat Sushi

My wife posted a video on her Facebook wall. What transpired in the video was pure genius, a mince mix wrapped in bacon and glazed in BBQ sauce. So I decided that this needed to be experimented upon.

(Warning! this dish has no sushi based ingredients or components)

This is a pure meatfeast but is so moreish that we found that the whole thing to be just too little for us (however I'm certain that the nutritional contents disagree). On the plus side, it is super easy to make.

You will need to have:-

8 slices of streaky bacon
350g beef mince
3tbsp grill seasoning (or similar)
1tbsp salt
1 egg
100g Emmental cheese, sliced
50g crushed nachos
40ml BBQ

Start off by preheating your oven to 180C then put your beef mince, grill seasoning, salt and egg into a bowl and mix all together. Place a piece of baking paper flat on your kitchen side and layer with the bacon, overlapping slightly to from a mat. Press your mince mix onto the bacon and spread out thinly, about half a cm. Place your cheese about a quarter of a way in and then roll up the paper. Try and make it as tight as possible, then place onto a wire racked baking tray. Place into oven.

After 15 minutes open the oven and with a pastry brush, brush some BBQ sauce all over your mince log and close door. After another 15 minutes repeat. Then after ten minutes repeat and leave for 5 more minutes before taking out of the oven. Place your crushed nachos on a tray and then roll your mince log all over until you get a nice coating of nachos. Slice into 1cm thick slices and serve with a side of BBQ and chopsticks for that authentic Sushi feel.

It is great as a snack for movie nights or as a buffet item for house parties. You can make them up beforehand and freeze if you like.

Simple and Easy Spring Rolls

Springs Rolls have become increasing popular in the Western since Asian cuisine took off in the early 60's. They are normally given as an appetiser and come with various fillings. When I started working in Fortune Castle, one of the jobs I was given was making the spring rolls and for something so simple there is a technique to it.

Fast forward several years later and i'm making spring rolls still, alongside my wife and I am not boasting when I say, we make some of the best spring rolls north of the 60th Parallel. It has taken about a year, but we have also got our technique and filling down to a unbelievable tasty product. We make around 40 every couple of months or so, the idea is we freeze them down for snacks or appetisers, but they don't always get that far. However, you don't have to take my word for it, here is our recipe so you can make them yourselves.

This recipe makes 40 spring rolls (you can modify and experiment to your tastes but this is our standard):-

1 packet of 40 Spring Roll sheets (You can get these in Asian markets)
700g minced beef
100g bamboo shoots, sliced
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 medium carrots, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
200g cabbage, finely diced
1 paprika, finely diced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp curry spice
pot of cold water

Start by brown off your mince, then set it aside to cool down. Then mix all the other ingredients in a mixing bowl, adding the cooled down mince. Put on your deep fat fryer, or put some oil in a pan and heat up. You want the oil around 180C. If you are using a pan/wok, one trick to know how hot it is is by using chopsticks. Place them straight into the oil, if you see little bubbles, then it is hot enough. Don't do this with plastic ones as they will melt.

Now we can start putting the rolls together. To save time, instead of separating your sheets as you go, do them all at once and then cover with a lightly damp cloth. Be careful at this stage not to rip them. This is a great tip from my Wife.

 Start by putting your filling in, about a tablespoon is enough, too much and it won't cook.

Fold over tightly.

Fold until half way.

Then take the sides and fold to the middle.

Dip your fingers into the water and spread onto the unfolded side of the wrapper.

Continue folding until all wrapped.

Put onto a tray, don't pile on top of each other. Then repeat the process.

Carefully put them into your hot oil, CAREFULLY! Don't overcrowd the fryer, and allow to cook, turning them to cook evenly. Once a nice golden colour, take out and place onto a wire rack to drain. If you don't have a rack, use some kitchen towel on a plate instead. Serve immediately. 

If you want to freeze, cook them and allow to cool. When reheating,place into a preheated 225C oven for 10 minutes, turning half way through.

It really is that simple, now you can host your own Asian themed party and wow your guests. 

Karjalanpaisti, Karelian Hot Pot A National Dish from Refugees.

Karelian Hot Pot (or Stew) is considered the national dish of Finland but its popularity throughout Finland is a recent occurrence. 75 years ago Finland was plunged into a war that it didn't want, the Soviet Union invaded with over 750,000 troops and all that Finland could do was send 250,000 young men, with antiqued equipment to stand against the Red Bear. After a valiant defence which saw the Soviet Union stalled on every front, peace negotiations managed to end the war. However, despite all that Finland did, it lost 11% of its territory and 30% of its economy. The territory was mainly the eastern region of Karelia and given the choice, the Finnish citizens decided to pack up and move away from the Russia areas leaving a ghost region. This caused the biggest refugee crisis that Finland has seen. With the move, the Karelians brought with them many things, like food, music and history.

One such dish, and the most recognised alongside Karelian Pastries, is the Karelian Hot Pot. This dish arose as a festive meal due to the scarceness of meat. It is another dish that exemplifies the simpleness but wholesome tastiness of Finnish foods. It traditionally uses bits of beef and pork cooked in water, black peppercorns and salt. However, nowadays, it is usually seen with added ingredients like allspice, carrots and onion. It is so quick to prepare and is just braised in a iron pot in the oven.

This is a great dish for those with little time, like on Sundays.

So for a nice feeding of 4/5 people you will want to have:-

250g stewing beef, cut into 1" pieces
250g stewing pork, cut into 1" pieces (alternatively you can use just 500g of beef or pork)
1 large onion, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1tsp salt
1tsp black peppercorns
1tsp allspice
2 bay leaves
250ml beef stock
500ml water

Preheat your oven to 150C. Brown your meat in the iron pot over a medium heat, take out the meat and set aside. Now add a little bit of oil to the pot and add the onions, cook for 30 seconds, add the carrots and meat, salt, peppercorns, all spice and bay leaves. Stir until all mixed and add the stock and water. Cover with a lid and place in oven for 3 and a half hours.

You can also turn it down to 125C and cook for 5 and a half hours.

It is normally served with mash potato and lingonberry jam.

So go on, give it a try, this is a perfect dish for Sundays as you can make it all up the day before and just pop in oven before you head out to church.

Eighth Wonder of the World: Yorkshire Puddings

When I think back to my childhood meals, one of the things that really sticks out is the Sunday Roast Dinner and when we look closer at that meal we know that the crown that tops it all off is the Yorkshire Pudding. The origin of these delights is a mystery, some have suggested they were brought to England by ancient Egyptians escaping the war with Atlantis (well maybe some people say that...) others that the Wizard Merlin created them for King Arthur and His Knights to give them a hearty meal before quests. Whatever the real origin is, we do know that the first recorded recipe appears in 1737 where a pancake batter was put in a pan under mutton and used to catch all that lovely dripping fat, they were occasionally shaken and would become risen and fluffy. The first recorded use of the name Yorkshire Pudding appears in a cookery book ten years later (1747). My wife has really come round to liking them, as well as her family, but states that she does not understand the function of them...pfft, like they need one.

Over the years many people have developed different recipes and ideas on how to create the perfect Yorkie. I know that I have tried and it has taken me until recently to find the best one for me. However, I'm not a selfish guy and so will share my entire recipe with you all so you can taste the wonder that is the Yorkshire Pudding.

To make a standard muffin trays worth (12), you will need:-

150g plain flour
2 large eggs
250ml whole milk
1 tsp salt and pepper mix
4 tbsp Oil (I use rapeseed oil but vegetable, sunflour or even beef fat will do, Don't use olive oil.)

Ok so in a mixing bowl put your flour and seasoning in, combined and make a well in the centre. Pour in the milk and eggs and whisk until smooth, I like using a hand whisk but you can use your fancy electric whisks. Then put in the fridge to sit for 30 minutes. While this is happening, turn your oven on to 225C and put in a muffin tray with a little oil in each one, use all 4 tbsp, then place inside.

After the thirty minutes take your batter out, grab a ladle and here comes the trick, take your muffin tray out, close the oven door and quickly but carefully divide the batter into the muffin tray. The batter should start sizzling. Place back into oven and leave for 20-25 minutes until nice, tall and golden. Take out and serve immediately.

They are also fine for freezing and/or reheating later.

Now there is no excuse to having those frozen things in your freezer.

Billionaires' Shortbread

In the UK, Caramel Shortbread is a favoured confectionery. However not many people know that it actually originated in Australian in around the 70's. I love the stuff, have fond memories of getting a small square from the local bakery in my town of upbringing. Over the years I have experimented with the recipe and tweaked it.

About 12 months ago I told my wife about Millionaires' shortbread and she asked could I do it with white chocolate so she could take it to her workplace. I thought i'd give it a go. It went down a treat, the creamy white chocolate made this rich biscuit even richer. I decided to name these adaptations Billionaries' shortbread on account that White Gold is worth more than yellow gold.

So Tuesday just gone we had a Professor of the Philosophy of Religion come over to our house, accompanied by the missionary Sisters. I had met this learned guy before, he wasn't interested in joining the Church but wanted to know more about our Church and what made us different from other faiths. So for the snack I was originally going to make just some normal, boring biscuits until my wife asked could I do the white chocolate caramel shortbread. They went down a storm, so much so that I didn't have many left.

So to make a 33cm * 25cm tray you will need:-

2 cups of flour (225g)
175g butter (not marg)
75g/5 tbsp caster sugar

150g butter (not marg)
1 tin (379g) condensed milk
100ml golden syrup

260g white chocolate

First preheat your oven to 150oc and greaseproof your tray.

Put the flour, 175g butter and the sugar into a food processor and blitz until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. If no food processor then rub with your fingers. Put the mixture into your tray and even out and press flat using a spoon (you can use your hands too), then put in oven for 30 minutes (or until a light golden brown).

Pour your milk, butter and syrup into a pan and slowly heat until all the butter is melted. Then bring to boil. Make sure you stir frequently otherwise you will burn the caramel, I use a silicon spatula for this. Keep stirring until it gets thicker and turns a nice golden colour (about 15/25mins). Put aside and leave to cool for 10/15 mins. Do the same with your shortbread.

Once both have cooled a little pour the caramel on top and spread evenly. Leave to cool completely.

Then melt your white chocolate using a Ban Marie (a pan with boiling water over heat and another pan/bowl on top of it). Then pour over the caramel and smooth out. Then leave to cool and harden, then cut them to your desired shape.

Finnish Cabbage Casserole

Cabbage Casserole (Kaalilaatikko in Finnish) is a traditional Finnish dish that is fairly simple to make and can be done in large quantities and frozen for future meals. Like many Traditional Finnish dishes, every family has their own version and way of making and serving it. My take on it comes from making it at work and also from Tanja's version. It is highly nutritional and very filling, a great winter dish. Also it can be made the night before (most Finns say it tastes better left overnight in the fridge). It is normally served with Lingonberry Jam, but you can serve it with cranberry or, as my wife likes to, with cottage cheese

So to make a portion that will serve 8 people (or do 4 meals for a couple), you will need to have:-

1.25 kilos Cabbage
500g mince (I used beef-pork mince)
300g rice (Easy cook is best in my opinion for this dish)
1 onion, diced
2 medium carrots, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 litre of beef stock
3 tbsp Dark Syrup (Treacle)
salt and pepper¨
Lingonberry (or other savoury jam) or Cottage Cheese to serve

Firstly heat you oven to 180oC. Then in a pan, add a tiny bit of oil and fry your onion and cabbage, you want to cook it until the cabbage is al dente (has a bite but still edible), then put it in a large bowl. Return the pan to the heat and add the mince and garlic, brown the mince then add to the bowl. Add seasoning, carrots, rice and the syrup, mixing it thoroughly. Add to a large casserole dish, add half the beef stock and put into the oven.

Cook for 20 minutes and then stir, adding the other half of the stock. It is very important not to let the stock run out as it will turn your cabbage bitter. Cook for a future 20 minutes. The rice will have soaked up all the stock and other juices and become edible. Serve straight away, goes great with fresh bread and butter, or allow to cool down and put in fridge.

If you are going to leave it overnight, do as above then when you want to reheat, add about 200ml of water and put in a preheated 180oC oven for 10/15 minutes.

I hope you will love this Finnish one-pot, I know I do. The syrup gives it a nice sweet under current, mixing well with the savouries.