Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• Leftover meat, fish or veg half a cup
• Mushrooms sliced half a cup
• Peppers, chopped half a cup
• Parsley to dress (optional)
• Salt and ground pepper

Method:

Heat a drop of olive oil in your frying pan or our great non-stick paella pan and add in the left overs, mushrooms, peppers and salt and pepper.
Let it cook through until nice and hot, approx. 5 to 10 mins.

Then crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk you can add a little milk if you want to bulk them out.

Add the egg mixture to your hot ingredients and scramble together with a silicone coated whisk or spatula, that will protect your non-stick surface.

Once the egg is all cooked through transfer to a bowl or plate and sprinkle over the chopped parsley and more salt and pepper if needed.

Beef Bourguignon:

• 6kg / 3lb 8oz good quality braising steak (chuck steak)
• 4-5 tbsp sunflower oil 200g / 7oz smoked bacon lardons,
• Cut into 2cm pieces 1 large onion,
• Finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 75cl bottle red wine
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 beef stock cube
• 2 large bay leaves
• 3 bushy sprigs fresh thyme
• 25g / 1oz butter 450g / silver skin onions or 24 baby onions
• 300g chestnut mushrooms, wiped, halved or quartered if large
• 2 heaped tbsp cornflour 2 tbsp cold water
• Flaked sea salt and fresh ground black pepper chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Creamy Spring Onion Mash:

• 1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into even - sized pieces
• 25g butter 1/4 cup milk Natural Yogurt
• Salt and Fresh Ground black pepper
• 3-4 spring onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Equipment used:

• Potato Ricer
• Garlic grater and slicer or peeler
• Salt and Pepper grinder
• Bright Trivets
• Folding Chopping Board
• Oil and Vinegar Drizzler
• Oven Gloves

Method:

1. Cut the braising steak into chunky pieces, each around 4 - 5cm. Trim off any hard fat or sinew.
2. Season the beef well with salt and pepper.
3. Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan.
4. Fry the beef in three batches over a medium - high heat until nicely browned, transfer to the slow cooker.
5. Pour a little more oil into the pan in which the beef was browned and fry the bacon for 2-3 minutes, or until the fat crisps and browns.
6. Scatter the bacon over the meat.
7. Add a touch more oil to the frying pan and fry the chopped onion over a low heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often until softened.
8. Stir the garlic into the pan and cook for 1 minute more.
9. Add the onion and garlic to the pan with the meat and pour over the wine.
10. Stir in the tomato puree and 150ml / 5fl oz. water.
11. Crumble over the stock cube, add the herbs and bring to a simmer.
12. Stir well, transfer to the slow cooker.
13. Leave until the beef is almost completely tender or until desired.
14. A few minutes before the beef is ready, melt half of the butter in a large non-stick frying pan with a touch of oil and fry the onions over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Tip the bowl. Add the remaining butter and mushrooms to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes over a high heat until golden brown, turning often.

La Cocina Method:

1. Mix the cornflour with the water in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Stir in the cornflour mixture, followed by the onions and mushrooms.

Cook for 45 minutes more, or until the beef is meltingly tender and the sauce is thick. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon - if it remains thin, simply add a little more cornflour, blended with a little cold water and simmer for a couple of minutes on the hob. To serve, remove the thyme stalks. Sprinkle the casserole with the parsley and serve.

Microwave Ham & Mushroom Omlette

You will need/Mel used

Microwave omlette maker, Animal farm measuring cups,
Mini Whisk

Ingredients:-

2 large Eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1/3 cup of chopped up ham
1/2 cup of sliced fresh mushrooms
Salt and Greshly ground pepper to taste.

Method:-

Whisk up the two large eggs with the milk.
Pour into the microwave omelette maker.
Add all the other ingredients and give a little stir.
Close the lid and cook for 1 1/2 minutes, remove from microwave and turn upside down cook for a further 30 seconds to 1 min, check it’s cooked and turn on to a plate.
Lovely for breakfast or with a salad for lunch.

You can use lots of other ingredients too the choice is yours!!!
Enjoy
Love Mel xx

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour, plus a little for dusting
• 50g cold butter, diced
• 50g lard (or use butter if you prefer)
• 4 tbsp milk, plus a splash
• Or 250g block of ready-made shortcrust pastry

For the filling

• 125ml milk
• 175ml double cream
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
• 100g cheddar, grated
• 180g cooked spinach, liquid squeezed out and lightly chopped
• 60g cooked broad beans or soya beans (double pod the broad beans, if you like)

Method

• STEP 1

Sieve the flour into a bowl with ½ tsp salt. Add the butter and lard, and rub the mixture together using your fingertips until you get a sandy, breadcrumb-like texture. Add the milk, a little at a time, and using a cutlery knife, start to bring the dough together, using your hands, making sure it has no dry patches and feels smooth. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 30-45 mins.

• STEP 2

Put a 20cm loose-bottomed tart tin or a 20cm pastry ring on a baking sheet. Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry to a circle a little larger than the top of the tin and approximately 5mm thick. Carefully lift the pastry into the tin and gently press into the corners, taking care not to have any holes or the mixture could leak. Cover and rest for a further 30 mins in the fridge. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.

• STEP 3

Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper – to do this cut a disc of greaseproof paper larger than the tin, scrunch it into a ball (this makes it more pliable), then unwrap and place it in the pastry case. It should come above the sides. Fill with baking beans or uncooked rice and bake blind for 20-25 until nicely golden and dry. Carefully remove the greaseproof paper and baking beans, and return to the oven for 5 mins to dry the base. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.

• STEP 4

Beat the milk, cream, eggs and herbs with some seasoning. Scatter half of the grated cheese in the blind-baked base, top with the chopped spinach and beans, then pour over the liquid mixture. If required, gently give the mixture a delicate stir to ensure the filling is evenly dispersed, but be careful not to damage the pastry case. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20-30 mins until set and very lightly golden.