Wren's Recipes

Well here we are, all settled into 2009. I hope you all had a super time over the holidays, and are ready to face the new year bright-eyed and bushy- tailed.

The credit crunch is biting harder every day, and we have to think carefully about the food we buy and put on our plates. Not only is it wasteful to throw food away, but it's something we can no longer afford to do, so one of the first tips from me this year is this...When you go food shopping, PLEASE make a list! Not only will it save you money, but you'll end up wasting far less food as well. Look out for those special offers, cut out coupons and remember to take them with you! Buy seasonal vegetables, they are far better for the environment and the local economy and cheaper than anything that has been flown miles. If you can, buy from local markets. The veg may not look as clean and pristine, but it will be much better for the environment and cheaper.

‘Blimey,' I hear you cry, ‘Where's the recipes Wren? Get on with it woman!'

OK, coming right up. Many meals from just one cheap joint of meat...

Ham Hock

The first of this month's recipes is ham hock - that cheap and much-neglected piece of meat, that can really do you proud. Pay your local butcher a visit and ask him for the largest hock he can provide. You'll be surprised at how little it will cost. If I remember rightly, the last time we bought one it was around £1. Yup a squid!

Take your hock home, and place it in a pan with enough water to cover it, then bring it to the boil and simmer it for around an hour. The time very much depends on the piece of meat, so check it after 45 minutes, and every 10 minutes after that. It'll be tender right through when it's ready. Serve 2-3 slices per person.

Celeriac and Potato Mash

I like to serve ham hock with celeriac and potato mash. Peel and chop the celeriac, using the same amount of celeriac as potato. Again this depends on how many you are catering for, but as a general rule, allow 8oz (225g) of raw potato per person. Boil the celeriac and potato until soft and then mash with milk and a little butter or margarine. Done!

You can have any other veg with this too, but by far the nicest is cabbage. Toss it in a little butter and black pepper just before serving, and there you are, a delicious meal for you.

Sandwich Filling

The plus side is that if you have only catered for 2 or 3, you'll have some meat left over. My tip for this is simple: don't just slice it for sandwiches, it goes a lot further if you do the following:

Mince the meat together with an onion and I'm afraid you will need a mincer for this, nothing else does the job as well. You will end up with a pile of bacony-oniony loveliness. This will keep in an airtight box in the fridge for around 3-4 days, sometimes up to a week, and is fabulous in sandwiches.

Or you can make the following.

Egg and Bacon Pie

For the pastry:
12oz (340g) plain flour
4oz (115g) lard
4oz (115g) butter
pinch of salt
cold water

Combine the flour and fats in a bowl and rub in. One tip is to use the butter and lard straight from the fridge, and grate it into the flour. It makes all that rubbing in so much easier! Once you have a breadcrumb like appearance, slowly add the cold water and mix until you have a nice firm ball of dough. Let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

For the filling:
4 eggs
a little milk
bacon/onion mince mixture
salt and pepper

While the pastry is resting, beat the eggs, milk and seasoning together, as you would for scrambled egg.

Roll out 2/3 of the pastry and line an 8" (20cm) pie dish or tin (you can use a larger dish if you want to, but you might need to add another egg). Put the bacon and onion mix in the base of the pie, spread it around if you don't have much left over, pile it in if you do and want to use it up! Then cover with the beaten egg mixture. Roll out the remaining pastry and put on the top of the pie, sealing the edges. Make a couple of little holes in the lid to let the steam escape. Cook in a moderate oven, around Gas Mark 4-5 for around 45 minutes or until it's nice and golden. You can serve this with vegetables, chips, homemade bread or almost anything you like.

As a variation, you can add 4oz (115g) strong cheese to the egg and bacon mix.

And finally...

If you have any pastry left over, don't throw it away. Roll it out until it's around 5mm thick, cover a third with currants or raisins and a sprinkling of demerara sugar. Bring the other side over to cover the currants, and put another layer of fruit and sugar on a third, then cover with the remaining third, as if you were making puff pastry.

Now, roll that until it's around 5 mm thick again, put it on a greased baking tray in the warm oven that is already cooking the pie, and you'll have your very own variation of Garbaldi biscuits!

I hope you enjoy whatever you cook. If you use the best ingredients possible you won't go far wrong, and the family will notice the difference.

Have fun in the kitchen folks. See you all next time.

Love
Wren
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© Karen Dobbin 2009

photos (c) Jilly Graham 2009 

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