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Note on Recipes:

I apologise if some of the instructions are too basic. I dont know what people are used to doing and I
have used these for friends in the past who couldnt cook!!

In all the recipes below the onions and garlic have been peeled and sliced or chopped finely. I have
mentioned this in the first recipe but not after.

To peel garlic, no need to mess around with funny garlic squeezers or bowls of hot water. Lay garlic
clove on chopping board, cut off the root end, the wider hard end, place blade of knife sideways (flat)
on garlic and hit or press down smartly. Not too hard or the garlic will spread all over the kitchen. The
skin will be loosened and can be removed easily, hold the skin with one finger and pull the flesh out
with the point of a knife, or a blunt implement such as a chopstick, if you prefer. The garlic will be
partially crushed and only needs slicing and adding to the recipe. No need to mess around adding
excess salt to get a pulp. Remove garlic from fingers with lemon juice or peel or with Fairy liquid. If
stubborn use Swarfega, but use washing- up liquid and then soap before going back to preparing food!!
(Swarfega also works for getting rid of chilli juice from the skin!)

Picadillo: A `little mistake'!? Serves 2-4 or more as a snack.


Ingredients:

1 lb Minced Lamb or Beef, but you could use pork or chicken or even Goat!
5 oz. tin double concentrated Tomato Puree
1-2 Onions peeled and chopped finely
4-8 oz. cooked Kidney Beans
(Can use tinned, but wash and drain them in a sieve as they come with brine or sugar)
1-2 cloves Garlic peeled and chopped or crushed
1 teaspoon (more or less) Paprika, tsp each of Cumin, Mild Chilli Powder, Cinnamon
1" piece peeled Root Ginger (optional)
1-2 tsp. Cocoa Powder (optional)
1 15 oz. tin Tomatoes
Salt, Pepper
A Bay Leaf and a few mixed herbs.
4 oz. Sultanas or a few dried Apricots, sliced (optional, but we sometimes use both)

Method:

Fry Mince and pour away excess fat, when all the meat is browned add the chopped onion and crushed,
chopped, garlic, fry for 2 minutes, more then add the chopped root ginger and the tomato puree and
tinned tomatoes. Add the cinnamon, about a heaped tsp. or more, followed by 1 tsp. Paprika and 1/2
tsp. each Cumin and chilli. Feel free to experiment. I like to add more than these quantities and some
cocoa and bay leaf or herbs, but Sarah doesn't agree with me. The recipe should be mild and fruity, with
only a little hint of heat.

Cook on a low heat for about 40 mins to an hour Add the fruit and simmer until the meat is done.

Check for salt and for strength, the spices may have weakened and need adding to before serving.
Serve with Rice.
All in One Soup: Serves loads.
Ingredients:

1-2 lbs. meat with bone. Times are for Beef, you may wish to adjust them if using meats that cook
quicker.
Originally a piece of cheap brisket or stewing beef was used. Sometimes my Father would use chicken
bits, wings, neck, etc., although almost any meat or chicken will do. Dont use Bacon or salty meats for
this soup, though.

A whole onion, skin on, but with roots and straggly bits cut off
A couple of Garlic cloves
2-3 lbs. whole Vegetables
Use any vegetables that you have; Carrots, Parsnips, Celery, Peas or Beans, etc.
Potatoes and or Rice (both optional)
A few black peppercorns or a bit of dried chilli, with seeds removed. (optional)
A Bay leaf (optional)

Lots of water, this is a clear soup without thickening.

Method:

1) Put the piece of brisket, meat or chicken pieces in a large pan of slightly salted water and bring to the
boil, skimming the surface from time to time, then simmer for about an hour. If using brisket you should
now remove the meat and bone it and discard bones and fat.

2) Return meat to the water

3) Add the peeled whole Vegetables to pan, along with Onion and Garlic and Bay leaf (if using)

4) A few black peppercorns or 1-2 dried chillies can also be added to give a little more flavour.

5) Return to the boil, turn down and simmer on very low heat for about 30-40 mins

6) Then add Potatoes, simmer for 20-30 mins, you can add Rice about 10 mins before the end.

When its ready taste some Rice (if its hard give it a few more minutes) and test the potatoes or Veg.
The Veg should be soft but not mushy, the potatoes should still hold their shape.

Serving whole veg. is the traditional way but very large vegetables, such as turnip or swede can be
quartered, and carrots can be split lengthwise and then cut across. Celery should be cut into two inch
lengths.

Some people dont like the idea of serving a whole onion, so you can fry the peeled and chopped onion
and garlic in a little oil and add that to the stock with the vegetables instead. Still add a whole onion
and a whole garlic clove for flavour but take them out before serving.

You can chop all the veg into chunks or very small pieces, instead, but be careful not to over cook it.

If you decide to leave the meat out, cook some larger pieces of veg in the water for 20 minutes before
adding the main veg. Or use veg stock.
Tomato Soup:
Ingredients:

2 x 15 oz. Tins of Tomatoes


5 oz. tin double concentrated Tomato Puree
1-2 Onions
2-4 cloves Garlic
A few rashers of bacon (optional)
A handful of rice
Paprika, *Chilli powder, Chillies, Herbs

Method:

Cut bacon into small pieces and fry with a little oil until it has rendered most of its fat, add chopped
onions, and crushed, chopped garlic, fry for a moment and then add the rice.

Stir the rice into the fat for about a minute and then remove the pan from heat and add paprika, a pinch
of chilli and the tomato puree. (This version doesnt use any flour so it will be thinner.)

Return to a low flame and stir for a few seconds over heat, then add the tinned tomatoes, which can be
sieved to remove seeds if you wish, and about 2 cans full of water. At this stage you should stir it very
well to make sure that the rice and tomato puree are not stuck to the bottom.

Season with black pepper and salt, some lemon juice or vinegar, a little sugar, a few bay leaves, and
oregano or marjoram. You can also add a little more of the chilli powder, a few drops of Tabasco sauce,
or 1-2 dried chillies.

Simmer till bacon is tender and rice is cooked. Stir frequently, so it doesn't stick and add more hot
water or stock if needed to keep the soup thin.

The soup should be just spicy enough to be pleasant, if you like it really hot you can add more Tabasco
at the table as I do.

Variations: Add some strips of Green Pepper, but remember to remove the seeds and veins. A small
pinch of Cumin or cumin seeds can also be added at the frying stage to give more flavour and spice to
the soup, but start small and work up.

* Note on Chilli. There are two types of spice called `Chilli Powder', it used to be possible to
distinguish them by the spelling, "Chilli" meant it was pure ground chilli peppers, while "Chili" with one
L meant it was a blend of chilli and other herbs and spices. The blended variety has a better flavour and
is slightly milder, but you still have to be careful as `slightly' means `slightly'. If you do decide to buy
this, look on the tin or jar for a list of ingredients, such as: Chilli powder, Oregano, or Paprika, and
Cumin. If you use chilli peppers it is best to start with the dried variety as they are less vicious than the
fresh ones and it is a good idea to remove the seeds. Just break the chilli open and shake out the seeds.
Remove chillies before serving unless you really like them!!
Potato `Goulash': Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1-2 Onions
2-4 Cloves of Garlic
4-8 Rashers of Bacon (cut into pieces or whole, rinds removed)
4-8 Potatoes, floury ones are best
1 tsp. - 1 Tbsp. Sweet or Mild Paprika
Caraway Seeds (optional)
1 oz. Lard or 1 Tbsp. oil as needed
(I use both, a little lard for flavour, and oil for the bulk of the fat for healthy eating, or at least less
unhealthy eating!)
1-10 Black Peppercorns. (To taste)

Method:

If you are using carraway seeds put a few in the dry pan and let it warm up, add any fat or the bacon
and fry gently on a low heat. The bacon will release fat and you can raise the temperature. It may need
a little fat adding to them to prevent sticking.

Fry onions in the bacon dripping, Lard or oil, until clear, add garlic and fry for a few moments.
Remove pan from the heat. Add the paprika and mix until the fat turns bright red. Add the potatoes,
return to low heat, and stir around in the fat to coat everything with paprika. Cover with water, just
enough to cover the potatoes probably a pint or two. Not too much, or the `soup' will be thin.

Remove the peppercorns from pepper mill and crush between two dessert spoons held over the pan,
(they fly everywhere) the pieces should be larger than from the mill. Add to the soup. You may also add
some ground pepper and or some whole pepper corns. Whole pepper will be milder than crushed and
crushed is milder than ground.

Bring the pan to the boil and simmer for 20-40 minutes; the potatoes should be cooked but not mushy.
The bacon will be quite soft.

If you want you can grill the bacon, and add it at the end, just begin by frying onions and garlic.

Layered Potatoes. A Hot Salad. Serves 4 or 2 with seconds.

Ingredients:

4-6 Potatoes or more


1 Onion, Large
Bacon or thick Continental Sausage; as much as you wish
(The thicker types of Sausage, like Kilometer or Polish Boiling Ring are best)
2-3 Boiled Eggs
A little Olive Oil for frying
Herbs (optional) Oregano, Thyme, Herbes de Provence or mixed herbs, etc.

Method:

Cook the peeled, sliced, potatoes in boiling salted water till done (10-15 mins), drain.
(You can cook them whole, - 20 mins -which I prefer, and let them cool a little before slicing.)
Hard boil the eggs, (about 5 mins) cool them in cold water and shell and cut into slices.

Meanwhile fry or grill bacon, sliced sausage must be fried gently, to avoid burning. Fry onion, this can
be done with the bacon or sausage if you wish.

When the potatoes are ready, arrange the ingredients in alternate layers in an oven-proof casserole:
Start with potatoes, then meat, potatoes, then egg, potatoes onions, potates etc. finishing with a layer
of potatoes. The order is up to you, but finish with potato.
Dont put the eggs too near the edge of the dish as the white part tastes awful if it burns.

If you use the herbs, you may sprinkle them at random or under the top layer of potatoes, don't put
them on top. A little water may be added to keep it moist, this is important if using dried herbs. The oil
or fat from frying can also be added for flavour, but this is optional.

The casserole should be placed, uncovered, into a medium hot oven, Gas 6, 200 C, for 15-30 minutes,
until the potatoes go golden brown. To prevent it going too dark, put thicker potatoes on top, if you
like it crispy use thin slices.

You could cook it, covered, on a low heat if you wished, and take the lid off for the last 5-10 minutes.
Make sure it doesn't dry out too much.

Serve this hot or cold, with bread; or if you use less meat it could be used as a side dish. Salad Cream
goes well with this.

Variations: A vegetarian version would work, but you would have to include the oil from frying or
some cheese to compensate for the loss of flavours from the meat.

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