Shepherd's pie

8 medium potatoes
50g butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup grated cheese

800g mince
1 onion
1 leek
Garlic and ginger
Herbs and spices
1 cup beef stock
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp chutney
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Peel and quarter the potatoes and boil until soft.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Brown onion, leek, garlic and ginger.
Brown the mince.
Add in herbs and spices and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the stock, chutney, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.

Mash the potatoes and add the butter, milk and grated cheese.
Pour the mince into a baking dish and cover with the mashed potato.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden.

Spaghetti bolognese

1/2 packet spaghetti
800g mince
1 onion
Garlic and ginger
Herbs and spices
Tin tomatoes

Place the spaghetti in boiling water and cook until al dente.
Brown the onion, ginger and garlic.
Then add the mince and brown.
Add the herbs and spices and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the tin of tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes.

Bobotie

So there I was listening to Afternoons with Jim Mora on National Radio on Friday (when they have regular cooking slot) and missed the start of the recipe. Just listening to the ingredients, I thought "Hang on - this sounds suspiciously like Bobotie" and indeed it was. A dish that brings back many childhood memories.

Now the Saturday Kids had a painful experience with a previous incarnation of this which was far too strong so they scaled back on the curry powder. Personally, they could have added a bit more! but it was delicious anyway.

The recipe is here but just in case it's ever removed, it's copied below:

Chef: Lois Daish, as heard on Afternoons with Jim Mora, 15 June 2007

Ingredients
1 thick slice white bread
1 and a half cups milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 large knob fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 kg minced beef
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
3 tablespoons fruit chutney
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons seedless raisins
1 cup tomato puree

Topping
2 eggs
large pinches salt and turmeric
6 bay leaves
flaked almonds
Method
Soak the bread in the milk. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions, ginger and garlic. Add curry and spices. Stir until aromatic, adding a little water to prevent scorching. Add minced beef and stir until no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients, including the squeezed out bread. (Reserve the milk). Mix well and spread in a large lightly oiled baking dish (20x30cm). Bake at 160 for 45 minutes.

To make the topping, whisk eggs with the reserved milk, salt and turmeric. Pour over the baked meat. Slip in the bay leaves and scatter the almonds. Bake for another 45 minutes.

Serves 8

from ‘Fabulous Food’ by Lynn Bedford Hall (Struik/New Holland)

Burritos

We normally use a burrito kit available at most supermarkets. The kit contains the burritos, seasoning and salsa sauce.

1 kg mince (don't need it all but can freeze the rest of the mixture)
1 onion
Garlic and ginger
1/2 cup water
1 green pepper
1 tin baked beans
Lettuce (chopped up)
Tomatoes (chopped up)
Grated cheese

Fry the mince, onion, green pepper, garlic and ginger until cooked.
Add the seasoning and water and simmer for 5 minutes.
Warm through the baked beans and salsa sauce.
Assemble at table by placing small quantities of the mince mixture, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, salsa and cheese and then fold over the burrito like an envelope.
Fingers are a must!

Thai green curry

500g mince
1 onion
Garlic and ginger
Tin tomatoes
Mizuna
Thai green curry kit - sauce and Singapore noodles

Brown the mince and the onion.
Add the garlic and ginger.
Add the tin of tomatoes and warm through.
Add the sauce.
Add the mizuna and cook until limp.
Soak the noodles in boiling water for 2 minutes.
Place some noodles on a plate and cover with the green curry mixture.

Quick stir fry with noodles

500g mince
1 onion
Garlic / ginger / herbs and spices
Packet frozen wok stir fry
Packet wok sauce mix
2 - 3 cups shredded cabbage
1 1/2 cups crispy noodles

Heat wok or deep saucepan
Brown mince, onion, and flavourings
Add the frozen wok stir fry mixture and cook for 4 minutes
Add the cabbage and the sauce and cook until cabbage has wilted.
Sprinkle with noodles before serving.

Cheesy mince and pasta bake

500g mince
1 onion
Garlic and ginger
Herbs and spices
1 tin savoury tomatoes
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup cheese
Cooked pasta

Brown mince, onion, spices, garlic and ginger in frying pan.
Add herbs.
Add tomatoes and bring to boil.
In an oven-proof dish, layer the pasta and mince mixture.
Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese and scatter over the dish.
Bake at 180 degrees C for 20 minutes or until topping is golden.

Mince and pasta

500g mince
Garlic and ginger
Herbs and spices
2 cups pasta
Tin of tomatoes
1 onion
2 cups frozen vegetables

Pre cook the pasta
Put the frozen vegetables in a jug and cover with boiling water.
Pre heat oven to 160 degrees C.
Brown the mince, onions, garlic, ginger.
Add herbs and spices.
Drain the frozen vegetables and stir into the mince mixture.
Layer the pasta over the bottom of an oven proof dish.
Cover with the tin of tomatoes.
Cover the tomatoes with the mince mixture.
Cook for 15 minutes in oven until warmed through.

This recipe is an example of not having much in the fridge and trying to come up with a tasty dish. The layered effect make a nice change from mixing everything together. The recipe can be endlessly adapted e.g. use rice instead of pasta.

Beef and beans

500g mince
1 onion
1 green pepper
Leeks
Celery
400g can tomatoes
400g can mild chili beans

Topping

2 cups breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon garlic

Brown the onion, pepper, leeks and celery. Add the mince and cook until brown.
Pour over tomatoes and chili beans.
Add herbs and spices. Simmer for around 5 minutes.
Spoon into ovenproof dish.
Mix the breadcrumbs and garlic. Spread over the mince mixture.
Bake at 180 degrees C for 20 minutes.

Cottage pie

8 medium potatoes
Frozen veg. (soaked in boiling water)
1 onion
1 pepper
Ginger / garlic
Herbs / spices
500 g mince
1 cup grated cheese
Milk

Quarter the potatoes and boil until tender.

Brown the onion, ginger, garlic, mince and pepper. Add herbs / spices. When warm add frozen veg.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

When potatoes cooked, mash with milk and cheese until smooth.

Place mince etc. into oven-proof pot.

Cover with mashed potatoes and brown in oven. (About 20 minutes)

Quick lasagne

1/2 kg mince
Chopped garlic and ginger
Herbs and spices
Chopped onion
3 Tbsp tomato puree
Packet soup mix - tomato or onion is best
1 tsp beef stock
Worcestershire sauce
HP sauce
2 cups hot water
3 cups lasagna squares - NOT lasagna sheets
Cup grated cheese

Sauce

2 tsp cornflour
Cup milk
2 eggs
Cup grated cheese

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Pour boiling water over the lasagna and leave for 5 minutes. Mix the ingredients from the mince to the HP sauce together. Add the hot water and combine together.

Layer in ovenproof dish as follows:

Mince
Lasagna
Cheese
Mince
Lasagna
Cheese
Mince

Bake for 50 minutes.

For the sauce, mix ingredients together and pour over lasagna bake. Bake at 160 degrees C for 10 to 15 minutes or until set.

Hamburgers

Some stale bread - 1 or 2 slices
1 finely chopped onion
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp beef stock
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp HP sauce
1 egg
1/2 kg mince
Herbs and spices
1 tsp garlic and the same for ginger

Sliced red pepper and tomatoes

Remove the crusts, cube the bread and soak in the milk.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl - hands are best.
Make into 4 large patties.
Place on a greased oven tray.
Cook for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees C. Check regularly as it burns quickly.

Serve on toasted buns with mayonnaise, tomato sauce, the sliced red pepper and tomatoes.

Hamburgers may not be gourmet cooking but home-cooked hamburgers are an order of magnitude better than the fast-food variety - and you know what went into them.

Burritos

1 Burrito kit
1 onion
Chili beans
Cheese
Tomatoes
Lettuce

1/2 kg mince.
1 onion

Brown the onion and add the mince. When almost cooked, add in the burrito mix and 1/2 cup of water. You don't want the mince to be too "wet".

Grate some cheese, chop tomatoes and lettuce finely.

Warm burrito in microwave for 1 minute.

Assemble mince, salsa sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese and chili beans inside burrito, fold over and enjoy.