Cheese And Bacon Puffs

I have shared my cheese puff recipe before but these combine two of my all time favourite foods.

These little gems are crispy on the outside, slightly gooey on the inside and utterly delicious!

I like to use a smoked bacon as it gives more flavour.

Makes 48-60 mini muffin sized puffs. Leftover batter happily lives in the fridge for 48hours.

Ingredients

200g bacon

350g tapioca flour

170g Cheddar, grated

2 eggs

150mls oil

350mls milk

A pinch of cayenne pepper

A little salt

Method

Over a high heat, fry the bacon until crispy and the fat has rendered.

Spoon the cooked bacon onto some absorbent kitchen towel and squeeze to get as much fat out as you can.

Place the bacon in a food processor and pulse to create bacon crumbs.

Now add all of the remaining ingredients and whizz to form a thick batter.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Grease 2 x 24 hole mini muffin tin, I just use the fat from the bacon!

Fill the muffin hole to two thirds and pop the tin in the oven.

Bake for 15-18 minutes. 

Depending on the size of your muffin tins you may have batter leftover, you can repeat the above or cover and keep it in the fridge, it will last 48 hours.

Mega Macaroni Cheese With Pancetta

This recipe is a life saver if you need to plan ahead or feed in bulk!

The quantities are LARGE, I use an 8 litre stock pot for the final mix through but you end up with truckloads of yummy mac cheese, perfect for during the holidays when you might want a night off as it freezes really well. I also freeze it in a variety of sized trays, family, three portions or teenage boy portions!

The mac cheese in the foreground has just been baked, all the rest are heading into my freezer.

Serves 14-18 depending on your portions.

Ingredients

500g pancetta, speck or smoked bacon, rind removed and finely diced

1 kg macaroni

300g butter

200g plain flour

2 litres milk

1kg cheddar, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large frying pan, cook the pancetta over a high heat until the fat renders and it is crispy, set aside.

Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions in a very large pan, that’s the 8 litre one I use!

In another large pan, I use a 6 litre pan, melt the butter, add the flour and stir while bubbling for one minute.

Pour in the milk and use a whisk to combine well.

Continue whisking the milk until it just comes up to the boil and thickens.

Take off the heat and add 750g of cheese, stir well until melted.

Drain the pasta and return it to the enormous pan! Add the pancetta and rendered fat if you like.

Pour the cheese sauce over and stir well to combine.

Spoon the macaroni into your oven proof dishes, I tend to use foil dishes for in the freezer.

Sprinkle over the remaining cheese.

If freezing, allow to cool, cover with lids or foil and freeze.

If cooking, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade and pop into the oven for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is golden.

Con Queso Beef Chilli

Oh dear, this is what happens when you fancy making some con queso dip and need to make some beef chilli for dinner!

The trick with this is having the oven low and slow so the cheese in the chilli doesn’t stick to the pan. Leftovers freeze well, in fact I always make double for the leftovers, just again, re heat very gently in the oven.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

50mls olive oil

1 onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, finely sliced

2 jalapeño chillies, deseeded and finely diced

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 chipotle chillies in adobe sauce

600g minced beef

400g tin chopped tomatoes

350mls sour cream

300g Cheddar cheese

125mls milk

420g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees Centigrade.

In and oven proof pan, with a lid, heat the oil over a medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic and jalapeño chilli, cook until the onion is soft.

Add the coriander, cumin, chipotle chilli with adobe sauce and beef, increase the heat to high and brown the beef.

Add the tomatoes, sour cream, cheese and milk, stir well and season.

Cover the pan with a piece of baking parchment and the lid, pop in the oven.

Cook for 3 hours, add the beans and cook for a further hour, covered.

Cheese and Chive Scones

One of my favourite scone recipes, these are lovely with a bowl of soup or hot out the oven with butter spread in them.

They are also a super option in the boys lunch boxes instead of a sandwich. The scones freeze well so I just pop a frozen scone into their boxes, knowing it will be defrosted by the time they get to lunch.

Makes 12-14 scones.

Ingredients

450g plain flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

110g butter, cubed

pinch of salt

150g cheese, grated

25g fresh chives, snipped

300mls buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

Method

Preheat the oven to 210degrees Centigrade. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.

Add the butter and, using your finger tips, rub the butter in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the cheese and chives and mix through.

Add the buttermilk and combine gently to form a dough.

Tip the dough onto a floured work surface, gently use your hands to flatten.

Take the cutter and cut out your scones, once there is no more space to cut, reform the dough and cut again, repeat until all of the dough is used.

Place on the baking sheet and brush with the beaten egg.

Bake for 7-10 mins until golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Bean and Cheese Chowder

This was one of the first soups that the boys would eat,  nothing beats the flavour of baked beans and cheese.

Check that your ingredients are gluten free if cooking for a coeliac, Worcestershire sauce is often not gluten free.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

50g butter

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

2 x 400g tins baked beans in tomato sauce

500mls chicken stock

250mls full cream milk

250g Cheddar, grated

60mls Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

Method

In a large pan, melt the butter and add the onions.

Cook the onions until soft, add garlic and cook gently for 1 minute.

Add the baked beans and chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins.

Remove from the heat.

Using a stick blender, liquidize the soup.

Return the pan to the heat, add the milk, cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.

Heat gently, stirring the cheese until melted.

Check seasoning and serve.

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