Baked Sausages With Veggies

Some nights, time or ingredients are limited and in order to get meat and three veg on the table I need to take some shortcuts! Tonight was one of those nights.

What was supposed to be gluten free toad in the hole, quickly morphed into sausages and veggies to save on dishes and make sure the boys did eat some vegetables on a busy night.

The better your sausages the less likely you are to need any gravy, I serve this with some hot English mustard.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

12 large fat, gluten free, pork sausages, around 1kg

12 rashers of streaky bacon

a little olive oil

2 red onions sliced

4-6 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped into large chunks

750-1000g tiny baby potatoes

1-2 large heads of broccoli, florets and a little stalk

pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

In a large roasting tin, lay out the onion slices, carrot chunks and potatoes.

Wrap each sausage with a bacon rasher and place on top of the vegetables.

Drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with pepper.

Pop the roasting tin into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Turn the sausages and return to the oven for 15 minutes.

Now, place the broccoli on top, tucking it into the other ingredients a little and bake for 15 minutes.

Pancetta Wrapped Mushrooms With Sausage

As simple as it sounds, these are a bit of fun for breakfast!

I love mushrooms baked with a whole egg in them but my meat eating boys would rather have this version, they even eat the mushroom!

If you can’t find pancetta, thinly sliced streaky bacon is perfect!

Serves 4.

Ingredients

8 large portobello mushrooms

32 thin slices of flat pancetta, rind removed

8 small sausages

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.

Scoop out the insides of the mushroom.

Lat it on the chopping board, top uppermost and lay four strips of pancetta over the top with an overhang.

Turn the mushroom over and tuck the pancetta into the centre.

Remove the skin from the sausages and push the meat into the centre of the mushroom, covering the pancetta ends.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins.

Quiche Lorraine

I love quiche and just because I have Coeliacs I don’t see why I should miss out!

So, gluten free pastry. Basically forget everything you know about regular pastry, I don’t roll this out, it’s too sticky, think more along the lines of a rustic tart, that way any wonky edges can be explained away! As sticky as this can get it does make lovely “short” pastry, I have given it to friends and nobody picked up on it being gluten free.

If you would rather regular pastry use, 175g flour, 100g butter and 1 egg yolk.

I always double this recipe as these quiches freeze really really well, ideal for lunch boxes and picnics at a later date, I even tend to make the spare quiche in a long rectangular tin, the slices fit more easily in the lunch boxes.

Makes one quiche, I use a 23x 3cm fluted edge tin. Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

Pastry

75g glutinous, sticky, rice flour, plus extra

75g buckwheat flour

75g fine corn polenta

150g butter, salted, cubed

1 egg

1-2 tablespoons water

Filling

3 eggs, beaten

150mls cream

200mls sour cream

150g Gruyere cheese, 125g cubed, 1cm,  25g finely grated

200g speck or bacon, cubed, 0.5cm

a little freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper

Method

Process the flours and polenta.

Add the cubed butter and pulse until forming breadcrumbs.

Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water.

With the motor running, add the egg to the flour.

Give it a minute to come together, if it isn’t, add the remaining water.

Allow the processor to bring the dough together a little.

Take a large piece of plastic wrap, lay it on your work surface, sprinkle with a little more rice flour.

Scoop the pastry onto the prepared plastic wrap, sprinkle with a little more rice flour and top with another large piece of plastic wrap, forming the dough into a large disc.

Pop in the fridge for 30mins.

Cook the cubed meat in a frying pan with no added fat, set aside to cool on some kitchen towel.

Remove the pastry from the fridge, break off small pieces and start pressing them into the tin, I tend to do the base first and then work up the sides.

Return to the fridge for 30mins.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade.

You need to blind  bake the pastry first so, line the inside of the pastry, where your filling will go, with a piece of baking parchment and pour on a layer of baking beans or dry rice.

Bake for 15 mins.

Remove from the oven and gently lift out the paper and beans/rice.

Cover the base of the quiche with the cubed cheese followed by the cooked bacon.

In a jug, whisk the eggs, cream and sour cream, add the nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Place the quiche tin on a baking sheet. Move it onto your stove top, so it is nice and close to the oven, less spills!

Fill gently with the egg mixture and top with the grated cheese.

Place in the oven and bake for 25mins.

Remove once golden and puffy, it will sink back down.

Allow to cool a little before serving.

Chicken Stuffed with Pork, Fennel and Garlic

The stuffing for this chicken is similar to sausage meat so to save time feel free to replace with and Italian style sausage meat, just skin the sausages and stuff the chicken as below.

To make ahead, stuff the chicken and then freeze without the prosciutto topping.

If you can get chicken breasts with the skin on, omit the prosciutto, I only use it to protect the breasts if my butcher only has skinned breasts.

Leftovers are great, thinly sliced through a salad or even in a toasted sandwich with sundried tomatoes and a little cheese!

Serves 6.

Ingredients

6 chicken breasts

150g minced pork

100g minced bacon

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 garlic clove

salt and pepper

6 slices prosciutto

Method

Begin by making the stuffing.

In a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic, fennel, a very small pinch of salt and a good grinding of fresh pepper.

In a bowl, combine the pork, bacon and garlic mix, set aside if you have time for a few hours in the fridge. If you don’t have time just continue.

Take the chicken breasts and cut along the side to create a pocket.

Divide the stuffing into 6 equal portions.

Stuff each breast with the stuffing and wrap over lengthwise with prosciutto.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade and prepare a baking sheet.

Roast the chicken for 40 mins, uncovered.

 

Smokey Baked Beans with Bacon

Not quite baked beans in the traditional sense but a quicker stove top version using chipotle chilli for a little heat and smokey ness and good old caramelised onions, check the recipe out on the blog, to save time and add some sweetness along with some maple syrup!

Served in a baked potato or on toast with a little grated Cheddar on top and some avocado on the side, a very filling meal.

For a vegetarian option,  omit the bacon and maybe use two kinds of bean and use a vegetable stock instead of water.

Leftovers are even better the next day, perfect with an egg for a gluten free breakfast.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

400g bacon rashers, cut into 1cm pieces

1 clove garlic, chopped roughly

120g caramelised onions

2 chipotle chillies with adobe sauce

1tablespoon smoked paprika

2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes in tomato juice

2 x 400g tins borlotti beans, drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons tomato paste

500mls water

150mls maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large pan, cook the chopped bacon, over a medium heat, until colouring and the fat is rendering.

Add the garlic and onions and cook for 1 minute.

Add the chilli and paprika followed but the tomatoes, beans, tomato paste and water.

Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for 60. Stir occasionally to stop beans sticking to the base of the pan.

Add the maple syrup, stir well through.

Simmer for 15mins until thickened and deep red. Season with salt a pepper to taste.

 

 

Texan Sausage Hamburgers

Friday again and the fast food challenge continues. Tonight we are doing hamburgers.

I discovered these breakfast sausages when we lived in Texas, they make a great change to our usual beef burgers and certainly feel like a lighter option.

They are very adaptable, I happily swap them between burger buns and corn tortillas for the gluten free option. They also work well as a stuffing in sausage rolls and as part of a breakfast taco.

The sausage meat can be frozen uncooked.

Traditionally bacon is not included but you need quite fatty minced pork, around 20%, so, when the minced pork has been too lean in the past I have added minced bacon, I think it adds another element to the sausage meat.

Ingredients

1kg minced pork

500g minced bacon

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper, ground

Method

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients.

Shape into patties.

Heat a non stick frying pan over a medium heat.

These do not require oil in the pan.

Cook the patties for 4mins then flip and repeat on the other side.

Ensure that up the meat is fully cooked before serving.

 

Canadian Log Pie

I was given this recipe when I left home, simple and satisfying during the colder weather and gluten free too!

If you have a mandolin this is the perfect excuse to use it, just watch your fingers and use the guard if you have one.

I can’t pretend it’s healthy but maybe serve it with lots of greens to counteract the bacon and cheese.

Consider only seasoning with pepper depending on how salty your bacon is.

Serves 5.

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, peeled and finely sliced

1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced

500g bacon rashers, chopped up

250g Cheddar cheese, sliced or grated

salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180degrees Centigrade, lightly grease a deep oven proof dish.

Finely slice the potatoes and set aside.

Finely slice the onions, set aside.

Chop the bacon and set aside.

Place a quarter of the bacon into the prepared dish.

Top with onions followed by potatoes.

Sprinkle or place a quarter of the  grated or sliced cheese over the top, season with pepper.

Repeat a further three times with the final layer being cheese.

Cover and bake for 1 1/2-2hours until the potatoes are cooked.

Bacon and Egg Pie

This recipe manages to sneak some spinach into fussy kids with the flavours of bacon and cheese disguising a vegetable.

I make two pies at a time and freeze one, great for lunch boxes and picnics. Using a cake tin allows for more depth so I use a 20cm fixed base tin.

The pies in the picture have been made with home made pastry, only because I didn’t have any frozen at home! Frozen butter puff pastry works well and usually I have some in the freezer, frozen spinach is very handy too.

Over time I have changed the layering depending on what the boys aren’t eating at the time so feel free to mix it up, bacon on top, cheese through the spinach mix, whatever works for your family!

Serves 6

Ingredients

500g block of puff pastry, defrosted

150g bacon, diced

125mls sour cream

125mls milk

7 eggs

1 egg beaten

150g frozen spinach, defrosted and all water squeezed out

Freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper

50g finely grated Parmesan

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.

Heat a pan over a medium heat and cook the bacon, set aside.

In a jug, combine the sour cream, milk, spinach, 3 eggs, grated nutmeg to taste and salt and pepper.

On a floured surface, cut 2/3 of the pastry off and roll out until it fits the tin including the sides, leave any overhang.

Spread the bacon on the pie base, pour over the spinach mixture.

Gently crack the four remaining eggs on top, try to keep them a little separate.

Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Roll out the remaining pastry, until slightly larger than lid required.

Brush the beaten egg around the edges of the pie base, top with the lid.

With a fork, gently press all around the pie to seal.

Take a sharp knife and gently remove any excess pastry, giving you a smooth edge against the tin.

Make two slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Brush the lid with beaten egg.

Place on a baking tray, just in case it leaks.

Bake for 40 mins until golden.

Allow to sit for 20mins before cutting.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

 

A great pasta dish, loved by kids and adults. I use a gluten free spaghetti for this so that I can enjoy it too!

At the moment I am using a corn pasta, Pasta d’oro by Sam Mills, available at some Coles.

This is quite a forgiving gluten free pasta, it holds it’s shape well and doesn’t go to mush quite as quickly as some of the others available.

Ingredients

500g spaghetti

300g bacon, diced

100g Parmesan, finely grated

1 egg, beaten

4 egg yolks, beaten

100mls cream

150mls milk

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Cook the pasta as per packet instructions.

In a large non stick frying pan cook the bacon until crispy, turn the heat off.

Combine egg, yolks, cream, milk and 80g Parmesan in a jug.

Once the pasta is cooked remove 250mls, 1 cup of cooking liquid and add to the bacon pan.

Put a low heat under the bacon pan, just enough to warm the pan, not to scramble the eggs!

Drain the pasta and add to the bacon pan.

Pour the egg mixture into the bacon pan, stir through well. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle reserved Parmesan over the top and serve.

Enjoy