I recently found porcini powder in my local green grocer and it’s my new favourite ingredient!
The boys are not fans of mushrooms but it is more the texture than flavour that they have an issue with so, this powder still gives loads of flavour without the slugs as the boys call them!
Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
1kg baby potatoes, finely sliced, most of the way through
1/2 teaspoon porcini powder
A large pinch of salt flakes
Freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.
Combine all of the ingredients.
Tip into a roasting tin, potatoes with their cut side up.
Bake for 1 hour, spooning over the oil in the pan occasionally.
These keep the energy levels up when we are having a full on day running around the boys sporting commitments!
The boys version omits the mushrooms and the gluten free option omits the muffin but adds a sliced avocado, sometimes I really don’t mind having Coeliacs!
Makes 8.
Ingredients
300g minced pork
1/4 onion, peeled
good pinch of chopped fresh thyme
good pinch of chopped fresh sage
salt and pepper
8 muffins, toasted
30mls oil
16 medium mushrooms sliced
8 eggs
Method
Tip the meat into a mixing bowl, season really well.
Process the onion and herbs and add to the meat, mix well, using your hands is ideal.
Form into 8 flat, thin patties.
Heat a large frying pan, add the oil and cook the mushrooms. Set the mushrooms aside.
Cook the patties in the pan and then draw them to the side, heat the egg rings, if using, and cook the eggs.
Return the mushrooms to the pan while the eggs cook to warm through.
Top the base of the muffin with mushrooms, add the pattie and egg and finish with the lid of the muffin.
This is a great meal to pop in the oven in the afternoon and have a delicious dinner come evening.
I always use 2kgs of meat to allow for lots of leftovers, this stew makes an absolutely brilliant pie filling and the boys love a pie!
As I make this gluten free I don’t flour the meat before browning it, instead I thicken with cornflour towards the end. Double check your cornflour if you are cooking for a coeliac, one popular brand here in Australia is made from wheat!!!
Serves 8 and gives leftovers for 14-16 pies, see below.
Ingredients
100mls olive oil
2kgs diced beef, I use blade
300g pancetta, diced
500g mushrooms, halved or quartered
14 large shallots, peeled and broken into bulbs
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
150g tomato paste
750mls red wine
400mls beef stock
bouquet garni, thyme, parsley and rosemary tied with cooking twine
Salt and pepper
6 tablespoons cornflour
Method
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Centigrade.
In a large oven proof pan, I use a 6l casserole, heat the oil over a high heat.
Once the oil is hot, brown the meat in batches, set aside in a large bowl.
Once the beef is all browned and removed add the pancetta and cook until crispy and releasing its fat.
Remove to the bowl with the beef.
Now throw the whole shallots in and brown over a high heat.
Remove and add to the beef bowl.
Lastly throw the mushrooms and garlic into the pan and brown a little.
Return the beef, pancetta and shallots to the pan.
Add the wine, stock, tomato paste and bouquet garni. I tie one end of the bouquet garni string to the pan handle, makes it so much easier to fish it out later!
Season with salt and pepper.
Cover the top of the pan with a piece of baking parchment and top with a lid.
Place the pan in the oven and cook for 4-5 hours.
By this point the meat should be very tender.
In a jug, combine the cornflour and a little water to make a cream like mixture.
Remove the casserole for the oven, while stirring, pour in the cornflour mixture mix until the meat sauce thickens.
Check seasoning and remove bouquet garni.
Serve with spinach or buttered cabbage and potatoes.
Leftovers
Left over delights
This casserole is fabulous in a pie, cook a few extra potatoes when making this meal, cut them up and add them to the meat mixture.
Take pastry sheets, cut to shape, line pie cases, fill, brush edges with beaten egg, top with pastry, seal edges with a fork, trim excess pastry, brush with egg and cut a slit in the lid to allow steam to escape.
At this point I freeze most of the pies and keep a few out for dinner.
Cooking Up The Pantry 