Loaded skins

Bacon or gammon in a garlic tomato sauce topped with potato wedges and mozzarella.


Serves four (but easy to scale up and down).

Cut four large potatoes (or unsuprisingly more if they are smaller) into wedges (I cut each into eight: cut longways in half, then half and half again. Put in an oven tin, drizzle over a couple of teaspoons of oil then rub all the potato slices together to coat. Spread them in one layer and put them in the oven (about 200c/GM6) for about 45 mins.

I usually leave them for about half an hour, then check them and begin making the next bit. If they aren't yet cooked through (stab a thick one to make sure it's soft) and starting to go a bit crispy yet (depends on how thick the slices are and how packed the tin is), you might need to leave them in a bit longer, or turn the oven up a bit.

(If you are using leftover cooked gammon or bacon, make the sauce and then add it)

Cook the bacon or gammon chopped into small bite-size pieces for a couple of minutes in a pan. (You probably won't need to use any oil, as the meat will release some fat if you start cooking it gently.) You can use sliced bacon, chopped up bacon or gammon steak, lardons et cetera. I usually find cutting a bacon or gammon joint up is the best value and freeze the rest for another meal. How much is up to you, a pound of meat (450-500g) is more than enough for four, and less wouldn't seem mean in this dish. Especially if I am using chunky pieces from a joint, I sometimes take the meat out of the pan and spread over the oven dish I will be baking it in and pop it in the oven while I make the sauce to give them a roasted taste and texture.

Chop a couple of onions (I usually chop one fine to thicken the sauce and one a bit chunkier) and soften them in the pan for a couple of minutes with some crushed garlic (up to you how garlic-y you like it, I usually use about half a bulb).

Then add a tin of tomatoes, some black pepper, a big pinch of oregano and a squirt of tomato purée (2-3 tsps). Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for a few minutes so it is thick and not runny.

Mix the sauce and meat and spread evenly over an oven dish. Put the lightly crispy wedges over to cover and then thin pieces of mozzarella here and there over the potatoes.

Put back into the oven for about ten minutes for the mozzarella to melt and bubble.

You might also like:

Potato and Bacon Soup - this is an idea for any unused meat

Other meals with mozzarella

Beef in Beer

Chicken and Bacon Casserole

Chilli Beef Stew


Stuffed Peppers

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Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Tomato Soup

Makes 4-6 bowlfuls of a tasty and filling 'everyday' tomato soup.

Put a tiny amount of oil in a pan, roughly chop a couple of onions (three if they are small) and a clove or two of garlic (it's all going to be blended later, so no need to be dainty) and soften for a couple of minutes.

Add a tin of tomatoes then refill the tin with water and add this to the pan too. Bring to the boil adding a couple of chopped carrots (three or four if they are small). Add some black pepper, a pinch of parsley, a pinch of basil and a squirt of tomato purée (about 2-3 tsps). Leave to simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes, until the carrots are soft.

If I am making this is in advance I usually switch the heat off at this point and leave it to cool for an hour or so before sticking the wand blender in. Taste it and adjust the seasoning (it may benefit from a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar).

If I was going to serve it straight away I would probably simmer it for an extra 5-10 mins and then blend.

If you don't have a blender, then give it a good bash with a potato masher (and push it through a sieve with a spoon if you want it a bit smoother)

This reheats well and is fine in the microwave, so is good to take to work for lunch. It should freeze okay too.





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Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Beef in Beer

Serves four

Gently heat a tiny drop of oil and dot of butter/spread in a heavy casserole pan that will go in the oven (if you don't have one, use an ordinary pan and transfer it into a oven dish later) and lightly brown 1lb of stewing/casserole/shin beef. Stir in an ounce of flour (I don't measure, a rounded tablespoon or a heaped dessert-spoon is about right), cook it gently stirring for a minute or two and then slowly add a can of beer (a pint, 440 - 500mls), stirring into the flour paste.

(It is up to you what beer you use, stout and bitter is rich and strong, and best made the day before to let flavours develop, lager is fine too and has a sweeter taste.)

Add a couple of crushed cloves of garlic and a couple of large onions (I usually chop one fine to disappear into the gravy, and chunk the other). You can also chop a carrot or two in if you like.

Add a small pinch of nutmeg, a teaspoon of brown sugar (and a bit more if using stout or bitter), a large pinch of dried thyme and parsley, some black pepper and a bay leaf (you can add a half or whole beef stock cube too if you like).

Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for about half an hour. It needs time for the flavours to develop, so it will end up smoother and richer than it tastes now, before putting it in the oven for a couple of hours, about 130c/GM3.

If you are making it in advance, you can either put it straight in the oven and then just reheat tomorrow, or switch it off and do in oven tomorrow. (Or you can leave the oven off all together and just leave it on a very low heat with the lid on for a couple of hours, stirring every 15-20 mins.

This is really nice with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Or Yorkshire puddings. Dumplings would work too.

You might also like:

Chilli Beef Stew

Chicken and Bacon Casserole

Stuffed Peppers

For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Things to have with poppadoms

It's so nice to have a few little bowls of things to load onto poppadoms.

Here are a few quick-to-make ideas to go alongside plain yoghurt and jars of mango chutney and lime pickle.


Finely slice an onion, mix with a spoonful of mint sauce out of the jar diluted with a little bit of lemon juice (best made and left to soften for at least half an hour)


Cut a piece of cucumber in half longways and scrape a spoon along to take out the wet seedy centre. Chop it into matchstick pieces (cut along each piece once or twice, then cut across), stir into some plain yoghurt and add a sprinkle of garam masala.


Spring onion finely sliced into plain yoghurt


Red or green chilli chopped into plain yoghurt (some fresh coriander in too is nice)


Please feel free to share your own favourites in comments!


You might also like

Potato and/or Cauliflower Curry

Chilli Prawn Curry


For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Whether for spaghetti and meatballs or as an accompaniment to grilled chicken or steak, this quick and easy tomato sauce recipe won't let you down.

Tomato Sauce (Spaghetti and Meatballs)

Serves four

The Sauce

Chop one or two onions as finely as you can, and soften on a low heat in a small splash of olive oil.

Crush some garlic (I think about half a bulb is right) and add to the pan to soften.

Blend a tin of tomatoes (I use a wand blender, as less washing up), and then strain through a sieve into the pan, pushing it through with a spoon to remove the pips and any skin. (This just takes a couple of minutes but if you are short on time and effort, you could just pour the tin straight in and mash it up with the spoon, but I think this is better with a smooth sauce.)

Stir in a big pinch each of dried oregano and parsley, some black pepper and about half a teaspoon of sugar while you bring it to the boil. Stir in a squeeze of tomato purée (about 2-3 tsps) and let it simmer for about five minutes, and adjust the seasoning to your taste.

This can be made the day before and reheated, it also freezes well. (Although the sauce doesn't take long to make, reheating it is one less thing to sequence when also making meatballs and boiling spaghetti)

(I sometimes make this as a sauce to go with grilled chicken, roast or new potatoes and eg green beans/mange-touts/sugar-snaps)


Meatballs

As they are going into a tasty sauce, I make really lazy unseasoned meatballs in the microwave. This takes most of the fat out and you get meatballs which hold their shape in the sauce.

Divide a pound of minced beef into however many meatballs you want to make (I usually chop a slab of mince into quarters, half each quarter, and then split each piece into two to make 16 fair sized meatballs)

Place evenly on a microwaveable dish and microwave for two minutes (this will release a fair amount of fat from the mince, so don't use a shallow plate).

Turn them over (if some of the ones at the centre aren't as cooked, you might also want to swap them with ones at the edges) and cook for probably about another 30-60 seconds.

They should look brown and still be a bit springy. Don't over cook them in the microwave; they are going into a hot sauce and so will continue to cook.

When they are cooked, add to the sauce while you are waiting for the pasta to finish cooking.

(You can also pour the fat off and add any meat juices to the sauce if you like.)


You might also like

Kofta curry

Stuffed Peppers

For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Stir Fry Sauce

Try this with stir-fried chicken and vegetables (for example onions, peppers, baby or frozen corn, courgettes, tinned bamboo, tinned water chestnuts, whatever you have or fancy), stir in at the end after you have added any noodles or rice; just enough to coat (it is too rich to have as a 'gravy')

(I often make a small pot of this to drizzle over or dip spring rolls into)

Equal quantities of honey and Worcestershire sauce

a dash of Tabasco to taste

(a pinch of dried coriander leaf or a few fresh leaves if you have some growing)

I sometimes also grate in some root ginger with the vegetables (root ginger freezes well, peels easily with a potato peeler and can be grated from frozen into dishes)


You might also like:

Things to have with poppadoms

Spicy prawn salad

Ribbon Salad


For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Mushroom Soup

Makes four generous bowlfuls.

Put a tiny amount of vegetable oil and butter/spread into a pan, just enough to soften two chopped onions for a couple of mins (can be roughly chopped as it is going to be blended later).

Add 8-12 ozs of mushrooms (if they are big, chop them roughly or tear them up as you add to the pan) and soften with the onions for a couple of minutes, then lower the heat and put a lid on for five minutes to keep softening.

Then stir in about an ounce of plain flour (I don't measure it out, a heaped dessert spoon or a rounded tablespoon is about right) and let it cook while stirring for a minute.

Add a pint of liquid slowly at first while stirring to mix in flour paste . This can be all milk if you like it creamy, but can be mixed with water (I would recommend you use at least half milk).

Add in a pinch of dried basil and some black pepper (you might also want to add in about a half a vegetable or chicken stock cube) and bring it to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Turn heat down low and let it simmer for 10-15 mins partly covered (ie put the lid on but leave the spoon in), giving it the odd stir.

Finally, blend it to however smooth you like. (I use a wand blender; it's far less washing up). Have a taste and add more basil, pepper or salt/stock to taste. If it is too thick, add a bit more milk or water and reheat.


(This reheats well. so I usually make it the day before, when I'm cooking that night's tea, as it doesn't take a lot of preparation or attention, and just leave it simmering or switch it off while eating, and come back to blend quickly after. It also reheats in the microwave quite well, so is good to take to work for lunches, but I wouldn't imagine it would freeze well.)


You might also like:

Potato and Bacon Soup

Tomato Soup

Mushroom Rice

Potato/Cauliflower Soup

Curried Parsnip Soup


For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )