Knorr Gravy Pots, Award Winners!

I got a fabulous hamper  in the post the other day. I love it when that happens.  Nestled inside was .this!!


Everything that anyone could possibly need to cook a delicious Roast Beef Dinner, with fresh carrots, potatoes, parsnips, broccoli, a joint of beef, a lovely porcelain gravy boat and these gravy pots from Knorr!



I have long been familiar with the Knorr stock pots and use them frequently, but I have not had a lot of experience with the gravy pots.  I was interested to learn that Knorr Gravy Pots have wond the Gravy/Stock category in the product of the year awards for 2014!  Exciting news for Knorr!

Launched in 2012, and now available in three flavours . . .  Beef, Chicken and Onion . . . these gravy pots provide a quick and easy accompaniement to any roast dinner.

 

Igor Zago:  (Knorr Professional Chef and mastermind behind Gravy Pots)

"Myself and the team that created this fantastic product are extremely proud of winning this award.  I love the Gravy Pots because they provide an authentic consistent result every time."

I am no stranger to the powdered gravy mixes that are out there.  I have used them from time to time. Their results however can often be mixed, and you end up with either lumps, or little specks of undissolved gravy mix throughout the gravy. I often have to seive it so that it is smooth.  My mother never used gravy mixes.  She always made her own from scratch using the meat juices, and flour and water.  Her gavy was always pretty good and that's basically how I have always done it myself, unless I am in a rush.



Today however, I used the Knorr Pots, well the beef ones anyways and I was pleasantly surprised.   It was dark in colour, compared to my homemade stuff, which I rather liked and the flavour was really nice without being overly salty.  I like that.  I did add some of the juices from cooking my roast to the pot with the gravy pot.  The instructions were easy to follow and the end result was quite tasty.    I give them 10 out of 10 and am not surprised in the least that they have won an award.  I think they should be very proud of this indeed.   Innovative, easy to use, good flavours and perfect results.  You can't ask for more than that.

 

I used my method for cooking the perfect roast beef, which you will find here.  It always ends up with the perfect roast beef.  Seriously.  Trust me on this.

Many thanks to Knorr and the Unilever kitchen people for sending me these to try out.  Although I was sent this lovely hamper for free, any and all opinions are my own.

Knorr Gravy Pots are readily available in most Grocery shops here in the UK, at a very reasonable price.

Irish Supper

 

I don't know about you, but I find that it's getting harder and harder to stretch my food budget these days.  Food just seems to be costing more and more and sizes are getting smaller.  (Don't get me started on that scam!!) I am always looking for ways to make a little bit go further, but at the same time keeping things to the same standard of deliciousness and nutritiousness that we are used to.

 

Pasta is a great meal stretcher.  I know it's not Todd's favourite thing to eat, but he does like the idea of saving money, and so he tolerates it.  Myself . . . I adore pasta, and so these types of meals are my absolute favourites!



Meals which take a little bit of protein, some vegetable and some pasta, combined in a tasteful way.   Simple recipes which make good use of simple ingredients in a delicious way.



I have no idea why this is called Irish Supper.  I am not even sure if this is actually Irish!  Certainly there would be cabbages and sausages in Ireland, but the pasta noodles?   Well, I am not too sure about that!!



What I know for sure it that it makes a little bit of meat go a very long way and that it is delicious.  Two things that are positives!  I do hope you will try it and that you will enjoy it as much as I do!



You want to use a good quality sausage with this.  Not those cheap and nasty ones that are all filler and fat.  You get what you pay for.  Paying a tiny bit more and using a good quality sausage makes sense as you won't be pouring half of it away and they'll also taste a lot better!  Choose a nicely flavoured one!  I am partial to a peppery Cumberland myself!

*Irish Supper*

Serves 4 to 6

Printable Recipe  

I don't know if this is Irish, I only know it's economical, easy and very delicious!

1 pound of wide egg type of noodles, uncooked (I used some German ones I found in Aldi,
but you could use any type, so long as they are wide and flat)

1 pound good quality, well flavoured sausage meat, crumbled

1 small head of white cabbage, cored and finely shredded with a sharp knife

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 tsp sugar

a knob of butter

finely grated cheese to serve

Crumble your sausage into a large skillet.  Cook over medium high heat until it is browned.  I use a potato masher to mash it up as it is browning.  This helps to break it up all crumbly like.  Once the sausage is browned add the cabbage.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme leaves.   Cook, stirring until it begins to wilt.  Turn the heat to low and cover with a lid.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

While the cabbage is cooking, cook your noodles according to the package directions in a pot of lightly salted water.   At the end of five minutes remove the lid to skillet and turn up the heat and cook stirring, until the cabbage begins to brown a little.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Turn out the heat and drain the noodles well.  Toss the drained noodles into the skillet along with a knob of butter.   Toss to combine.  Serve immediately without or without cheese as desired to your grateful family which will be sitting at the table drooling in anticipation.

 

Do you think they might approve??  I like to think they would . . . ☺ to be sure, to be sure . . .

Pork Chops with Apples Sage and Stilton

 

I have to say that one of the Toddster's favourite meals has to be a good old pork chop.   Nice and thick, with a good round of fat along one edge.  I like to slash the fat at 1/2 inch intervals.   This helps the chops to lay nice and flat in the skillet when I cook them, and it gets all crispy and brown too.  I confess that I am not adverse to treating myself to a small bit of that succulent crispness  . . . I know, naughty girl.



I think the most delicious and succulent pork chops are the old fashioned bone in rib cut. You get the tender loin meat along with some tasty rib bits that are just yum yum yum!

I happened to be in the grocery store the other day picking up a rib roast for work, when I noticed the meatman cutting up a rack of pork into chops and they were just so darned good looking I had to pick up a couple for Todd and myself.

You know how it goes . . .



Anyways, these were absolutely wonderful. I cooked them up yesterday, all panfried and nicely browned, with crispy bits of fat clinging to the edges, and then finally roasted with some lightly sauteed apples laid out on top and crumbly bits of stilton.

Fabulous, darlings . . . just fabulous. A real marriage made in heaven . . .




*Perfect Pork Chops with Apples, Sage and Stilton*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is simple but impressive and gives you perfectly cooked pork chops every time. I like to use a good porkchop, like a rack pork chop. Delicious!

4 8-ounce pork chops, preferably free range
sea salt (I like to use smoked)
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and sliced into thick wedges
1 TBS butter
fresh sage leaves
3 1/2 ounces of good Stilton cheese, crumbled



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Slash the pork fat along the edge of the chops all the way to the meat. Fan open. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add some olive oil and allow it to heat while you season your chops well on both sides. Cook the chops in the hot oil until they are golden brown on both sides and the fat is crispy, some 3 to 4 minutes. I always hold them up with a pair of tongs fat side down to make sure the fat gets really crispy. Remove them to a shallow metal baking dish. Add the butter to the pan and then add the apples. Fry gently until golden, but still fairly solid. Fan these out on top of each pork chop. Scatter some sage leaves over top. Place into the oven and roast for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, scatter the stilton over top. Pop back into the oven long enough to melt the cheese.



I like to fry some tender sage heads in the pan drippings until crispy and garnish the finished dish with them.

Sausage and Mushroom Casserole

 

Now and then in the wintertime when all is grey and filled with drizzle, in between storm and gale,  God sends a golden day, a day filled with skies of blue and warm sunlight, almost too lovely to be real.   You want to hang onto the sunshine in hope, but . . . before too long the rain and drizzle return . . . sigh . . . such is winter on these verdant green isles . . .

There is nothing for it but to hunker down and keep warm by the fire.  Hearty casseroles, soups and stews are the order of the day.   Sustaining comfort foods . . . just like this sausage and mushroom casserole I am showing you today.

It's a simple casserole, using simple things.  Most of my recipes are . . . I am a simple woman with simple tastes and I live with a man of the same ilk.  He would be happy with meat and potatoes every day of the week, every day of the year.   He is very easy to please . . . which is not an entirely bad thing I don't think.

You want to use a well flavoured meaty sausage for this delicious casserole.  I had some lovely ones in the freezer which I had been sent a few months back from the Heck Sausage people, if you recall.  Lovely sausages.   These were the 97% pork ones.  Nice.  Nice.

Browned in a flame proof casserole along with some bacon, onions and button mushrooms and then baked in a low oven until everything is meltingly tender and the gravy nice and thick . . . a delicious gravy flavoured with cloudy apple juice, thyme and garlic . . .  this went down a real treat on this cold and dismal day.

We had  celeriac and potato mash with it along with some carrots.  It was a lovely meal.  

*Sausage and Mushroom Casserole*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

A simple and deliciously heart warming and comforting casserole for a cold winter's day.  Serve with celeriac and potato mash, and some buttered peas and carrots for a taste treat.

8 thick and meaty good quality pork sausages (about 1 pound) 

1 tsp sunflower oil

100g of thick bacon lardons (about 1/2 cup)

1 large onion, peeled and sliced into thin wedges

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 tsp plain flour

350ml of cloudy apple juice (can use white wine if desired) (1 1/2 cups)

1 bay leaf, broken

1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed

250g of button mushrooms, halved (about 2 cups)

salt and black pepper to taste

Prerheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.   Using a heavy based flameproof casserole, brown the sausage in the oil for about 5 minutes.   Remove to a plate.  Add the bacon lardons to the pan along with the onion.   Brown for 5 minutes.  Add the thyme, mushrooms and garlic and cook for several minutes longer, until very fragrant.  Sprinkle with the flour and then slowly whisk in the apple juice.  Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.   Return the sausages to the dish, along with any juices.   Cover tightly.   Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.   Serve hot and spooned out onto heated plates along with the buttery mash and veg on the side. 

A few Nibbles for New Years

   

We did a One Night in Bethlehem activity at our chapel prior to Christmas.   We tried to serve all biblical or middle eastern foods . . .  finger foods, foods that would make great nibbles for the New Year's Eve Buffet table.

  

I made this lovely feta dip, which was really delicious and tangy and so simple to make.  It is basically just feta cheese, olive oil, thyme and lemon zest and juice blitzed until smooth in the food processor or blender.   Very simple really.  

  

It was absolutely wonderful!   It was nice served with vegetables for dipping and crackers for spreading.  You want something crisp to go with the smooth richeness of this dip.   It went down a real treat.  

*Creamy Feta Dip*

Makes about 2 cups

Printable Recipe  

Creamy, sharp and herby.   Goes well with toasted pita chips, raw vegetables, crackers.   Quick and easy to make. 

400g feta cheese (1 3/4 cups)

125ml of extra virgin olive oil (1/2 cup)

1 fat clove of garlic, peeled

the finely grated zest of two unwaxed lemons

the juice of two lemons

fine sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

a few springs of fresh thyme 

To finish:
a drizzle of olive oil
a few thyme leaves  

  

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.  Cover and chill until needed.  Place into a serving bowl.  Drlzzle the top with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a few thyme leaves.  



I also made these lovely little Lamb Kofta Meatballs.  Spicy and just wonderful served with some pita breads and Tzatziki for dipping.    You could fry them if you wanted to, but I just bake them in the oven because they brown nicely, evenly and as lamb is a rather fatty meat anyways it helps to cut down on some of that extra fat.

*Kofta Meatballs*
Makes about 20

Printable Recipe  

Moist and spicy.  Serve with some Tzatziki sauce for dipping.  (Your own or purchased) 

2 pounds lean ground lamb

1 medium onion, peeled and finely minced

1/2 bunch of fresh flat leaf parsely, finely chopped

1 TBS ground cumin

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

fine sea salt and fine black pepper to taste 

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/gas mark 6.   Have ready several rimmed baking sheets.  Place the cumin, cinnamon and allspice into a dry frying pan.  Cook over medium heat until very fragrant.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool. 

Crumble the meat into a bowl.   Add the chopped onion, parsley and cooled spices.   Season with salt and pepper.  (If you wish you may cook a small bit of this in the frying pan and taste it to see if you have seasoned it correctly.)   Shape the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place them evenly spaced on the baking trays.  Bake in the heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until nicely browned and cooked through.  Serve warm or at room temperature with sauce for dipping if desired.  

Note: These are also nice served hot and tucked into warm Pita Breads with some lettuce and sauce. 

Happy New Year!  Have fun and stay safe!

Christmas Tourtiere's 2013

  

 

When I was growing up it was a Christmas Tradition each year for my mother to make Tourtiere.    My father is French Canadian and the Tourtiere was a tradition in his family.  Tourtiere is a type of a meat pie which is served in French Canada during the Christmas Holidays, normally on Christmas Eve during their Reveillon celebrations, which last pretty much all night.  My father is from the Saugenay Lac St Jean region of Quebec.

My mother was English however and staying up all night was not an option in our home.   Neither was meat pie on Christmas Day, and so we always had it on Boxing Day.  Truth be known  it was a very important part of our Christmas holiday celebrations no matter when we ate it and it was something all of us looked forward to each year.



I do believe that there are as many recipes for Tourtiere as there are families that eat it.  Some opt to use finely chopped meat . . . pork, or veal . . . and others use ground meat, sometimes just pork, and often a combination of pork and beef.  My mother always used just beef.  I like to use pork and beef.  My ex sister in law always used chopped pork shoulder.  (She was Acadian French.)

 

Some use dried bread crumbs to absorbe some of the moisture from their filling.  Some use grated raw potato cooked in with the meat.  Some grate cooked potato into the filling . . . I like to use dried potato flakes because you don't get any lumps of potato, but it thickens the filling nicely.



All will have finely chopped onions and ground cloves.   Garlic, savory, thyme, etc. . . . these are optional.  I do use them, but my mother only used the savory along with the onion and cloves.  I also add a few chopped celery leaves and some parsley.  It changes each year.  I keep fiddling with it a bit here and a bit there in my quest for the perfect Tourtiere.  I think my sister always makes the best ones, but alas . . . she is 2,000 miles away, so mine will just have to do.  The Toddster isn't complaining!

*Tourtiere 2013*

makes two nine inch pies
Printable Recipe

I have been working at finding the perfect tourtiere my whole life.  Tourtiere is a French Canadian meat pie which is generally served at Christmas.  I grew up with them.  My sister makes the best ones ever.  This one comes close.

For the pastry: (make this recipe twice, don't double)

200g plain flour (2 cups)

3/4 tsp table salt

75g of butter (1/3 cup)

73g of lard (1/3 cup)

5 to 6 TBS of ice water

one egg yolk beaten with a bit of water to glaze

For the filling:

1 pound extra lean ground pork

1 pound extra lean ground steak

2 small onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 small cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

salt and black pepper to taste

finely chopped parsley and celery leaves to taste

1 tsp savory

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 cup boiling water or chicken stock

3 TBS instant potato flakes

First make the filling.   Place the meats in a large pot along with the onions, garlic, parsley, celery, savory, cloves and some seasoning.   Mix with your hands.  Add the boiling water/stock.  (It should be just barely covered)  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through and is no longer pink.  Simmer for about half an hour.  Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.  Stir in the potato flakes.  Set aside to cool.

Make the pastry. (You will need to do the pastry recipe twice for the best results.)  Sift the flour into a bowl and whisk in the salt.  Cut the fats into bits and drop in.   Cut them in until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs with a pastry blender.   Add the ice water a bit at a time, using a fork to blend until you have a pastry that comes together.  Just use as much water as you need to do this.  You may need more or less, depending on the weather.    Shape the pastry into two round flat discs, wrap  in cling film and chill for half an hour.  Repeat.

Roll two of the pastry discs into a round large enough to fit into each of two nine-inch pie tins with an overhang.  Divide the cooled filling between each crust.  Roll out the two remaining discs to cover the tops with an overhang.  Wet the edges of the bottom crust and place the top crusts over each.   Seal and trim.  Cut out a steam vent in the centre of each pie.  Roll out the scraps if desired and use to decorate the tops.  Brush with the beaten egg yolk to glaze.

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.  Place the two pies on a large baking try and bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for 15 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4 and bake for a further 30 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden brown and crisp on the bottom.



I did a little one for Todd so you could see how flakey that pastry is and what the filling looks like.  He really enjoys this each year, and of course he doesn't have to watch his waistline!



(My sister's pies this year!  Yes we both like to take photos of what we cook and eat!  It must run in the family!)

Note:  If you only want to make one pie, just cut all the ingredients for the filling in half.  Or make the full batch and freeze half of it for another time.   You can also bake this in individual pies.  My sister does and uses canning jar lids for the pans.  Works perfectly!

Dad's Pot Roast

It's a simple recipe which basically cooks itself into a tender juicy pot roast with beautiful flavours . . . fork tender it is.   Absolutely delicious.  I got the recipe from off a packet of dry onion soup mix back in the 1970's and have tweaked it through the years to make it my own.   An improvement on the original, which was really very good to begin with I think.

I cook the beef on a bed of carrots, onions and swede, which help to flavour the resulting gravy . . . and give you the added bonus of deliciously cooked vegetables to serve up with your meat.  Sometimes I mash some of them into the gravy for added flavour.

I like meals like this . . . they cook themselves.  They're economical.   They're delicious and they're easy to do.  I like to serve some peas and mashed potatoes on the side, which pleases my meat and potatoes loving husband to no end!  Using this gravy mix added a slightly different flavour to the finished dish, which we both quite enjoyed and which may come a regular thing from now on!

*Dad's Pot Roast*
Serves 8

Printable Recipe  

This is a recipe I have been using for years and years.  It always turns out fork tender. It is a delicious way to prepare a cheaper cut of meat!

1 (2 to 3 pound) rolled brisket of beef roast

8 medium carrots, peeled and quartered

1 small swede, peeled and cut into chunks

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 package of dry onion soup mix

1 bay leaf, broken

apple juice

500ml of beef stock (2 cups)

225ml of boiling water

1 envelope of gravy mix

Preheat the oven to 230*C/450*F/ gas mark 8.

Place the onions, carrots and swede in the bottom of a roasting casserole that has a tight lid.  Nestle the brisket amongst them.  Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix over all, along with the pepper, and thyme.  Add the beef stock and enough apple juice so that the liquid comes halfway up the sides of the roast.  Cover tightly.

Roast in the preheated oven for 1/2 hour, then reduce the temperature to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Continue to roast without disturbing for about an hour and a half.   At the end of that time, flip the roast over carefully.  Recover and roast for another hour and a half. (Check periodically to make sure it is not going dry.   Don't worry if the liquid is reducing somewhat.  That's ok.  You just don't want it to go dry.)  Flip the roast for a final time and cook for a further hour to hour and a half until the roast is very tender.  Remove the roast and vegetables from the pan, leaving any cooking juices in the pan, and discarding the bay leaf. Tent with foil to rest and help to keep it warm for about 20 minutes.  Add the boiling water and then whisk in the gravy mix.  Cook on top of the stove to thicken.  Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.  Serve the roast cut into slices along with a portion of the vegetables for each person.  We like to have mashed potatoes with this.

Alternately - if you can't get any gravy mix you may shake together 3 TBS of flour in a jar with 125ml (1/2 cup) of cold water in a jar until smooth and whisk it into the hot pan juices and boiling water.  Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens.   Taste and adjust seasoning as required.

Honey and Garlic Roasted Pork

 

When I was a very young bride, many moons ago the old Italian mother of a friend of mine taught me about making slits into pork and beef roasts and inserting slivers of garlic to add fabulous flavours to the meat.  It made such a wonderful difference I have been doing it ever since.   And it doesn't take a lot to add a real flavour boost.



Honey is another thing which goes really well with pork, and garlic for that matter.   Pork is naturally kind of a sweet meat, and very rich.  Honey helps to accentuate that richness very well.   Think honey garlic spareribs . . .but there is no soy in this recipe.  Not needed. I use orange juice instead, because you know pork is also a meat that goes very well with fruit . . .



A lot of the flavour comes from the rub mixture of salt, pepper, paprika and thyme.  It's such a simple way to get extra flavour and colour.    The combination of the rub, the sauce . . . heavenly.



A bit of chicken stock in the bottom of the tin helps to keep the meat moist and along with frequent basting ensures that you will have a beautifully flavoured, coloured, succulent and tender roast.   A few slices of this with some of the pan juices spooned over top and you're in heaven.   Fabulous contrast of flavours that marry together in bliss!

*Honey and Garlic Roasted Pork Loin*
Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

It doesn't take a lot of effort to create something tasty.   Honey, orange, garlic, thyme.   It's a winner!

1 2-lb boneless pork loin roast

1 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and slivered

2 TBS orange juice

2 TBS olive oil

60ml of liquid honey (1/4 cup)

125ml of chicken broth (1/2 cup)  

 

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Mix the salt, pepper, paprika and thyme together.  Set aside.

Take your pork loin and cut deep slits into it at regular intervals from the top.  Push a sliver of garlic down into each.   Rub it all over with the salt mixture.  Place it into a small roasting tin.   Mix together the honey, juice and oil.   Pour this mixture over top of the pork roast.   Pour the broth into the bottom of the pan.   Roast it in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, basting it frequently.  The juices should run clear.  (145*F/62*C)  Remove the pork from the pan to a heated plate and cover lightly.  Keep warm.   Strain the juices from the pan into a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and reduce until slightly thickened.

Slice the roast to serve with some of the juices spooned over top.