HOW TO...EAT LESS MEAT, adapted from the Daily Telegraph

Adapted from Xanthe Clay, Daily Telegraph, 10 November

• For maximum flavour, brown the meat really well – to a proper teak colour – for maximum flavour.​

• The expensive cuts aren’t the best when you’re cutting down; they may be tender, but have little flavour and are less satisfying. Opt for smaller, and cheaper, cuts.  

• Mince is perfect for stretching. Try swapping half the mince in a bolognese sauce for finely chopped mushrooms. Fry until all the liquid is cooked off; brown and carry on with the recipe.  (Blogger: replace mushrooms with  defrosted pre-frozen firm tofu that's been processed to a mince texture) 

• Coating thin pieces of meat with egg and breadcrumbs makes them seem twice the size.  Bake to a crisp crust.  

• Spiced sausages add heaps of flavour to bean, lentil & vegetable one-pot dishes.

• Douse vegetables in meaty juices for added flavour.

• Save juices from the Sunday roast for cooking in the week

• A good side dish turns into the main attraction with a bit of meat. Think cauliflower cheese with a few chopped rashers of bacon (Blogger: smoked back, fat removed), or shredded ham hock added to the sauce.

• Take a tip from restaurants: slice the meat before it goes on the plate for portion control and to make the meat go further.

DISCLAIMER: The author accepts no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  Any information not sourced to a second party is the copyright of the blogger.

TASTE SENSATION; CHOCOMINT 'POKE' CAKE

This gorgeous gooey oozy dessert is an out-of-the-world taste sensation - and its so easy!

An incredible indulgence: Simple Chocolate & Peppermint 'Poke' Cake
'I could roll naked in this cake' 'Background mintiness is wonderful' 'Gorgeously gooey'

What makes this indulgent cake so special is the icing/filling, a blend of melted chocolate, (store-bought) custard and beguiling undertones of peppermint. It's ambrosial, rich in texture and flavour.  

The topping sits in a lovely shiny pool on top and can also be slathered between layers.  Holes have been poked into the the cake layers (though the photo doesn't show them) and the icing pools into them.  Every mouthful is shot through and around with gorgeous gooey custardy chocolate.  

Some foods are worth every single calorie and this is definitely one of them.  

The cake itself is surprisingly easy to put together; though 67 prefers to use the standard 'cream butter & sugar' method, the sponge can be one of your one-bowl wonders.  

Kids could have fun making this on a rainy day but some supervision is wise at critical stages.

This incedible indulgence was inspired by cookbook author Donna Hay*

Cost: £3.50
Makes:  8 good portions but doubling the recipe would not go amiss for a crowd 

Ingreds:

  Sponge
     65gm/2oz white self raising flour (for plain flour add 1/2 tsp baking powder)
     30gm/1oz cocoa (not drinking chocolate)
     25gm/1oz brown self raising flour  
     1 tsp baking powder

     115gm/4oz soft butter
     115gm/4oz sugar, about 1/3 soft brown (opt) 
     2 large eggs

     1 tsp peppermint extract 

  Filling:
     75gm/generous 4oz dark 70% baking chocolate, coarsely broken
     25gm/1oz chocolate after dinner mints**
     210gm/7.5oz supermarket good quality thick custard (67 used reduced fat & conventional custard, some in a tin; all were good)
  
Method:

HEALTHIER FOOD: CHICKEN SAUSAGE & BURNISHED GRAPES, wallet friendly

Savoury-sweet combo of hot grapes and sausage: succulent and luscious  

Chicken Sausages, white & green grapes braised in Sherry & Balsamic Vinegar 

In 67goingon50's view, it's a shame that sausages have such a bad reputation, mostly because of high fat contents and the use of nitrate preservatives linked to cancer.  

But high-meat sausages from an independent or even organic butcher is a wonder to behold.  And to eat.  Highly flavoured and packed with great meat, the many varieties include low-fat wild boar and venison.  

Wallet-friendly, only one or two-high meat sausages are needed to make a splendid meal.

Several brands of sausage are now completely nitrate-free*  but even supermarket sausages have got the message and are lower in nitrates.

67 stumbled upon nitrate-free chicken sausages at one of the many farmers markets in North London.  They were double the length of an ordinary sausage and cost a pretty penny but were delicately flavoured and gorgeously textured; perfect for a recovering invalid.

Teamed with tangy-sweet grapes and burnished to a glossy brown, the sausage dish was light but ever-so-satisfying.

The ones pictured were cooked in an air-fryer but the same effect can be achieved in an oven.

Cost:  £2.50 (11/22)
Serves: 1 but multiples easily 

Ingreds:
   2 chicken, wild boar, venison or other high-meat sausages, low or no nitrates
   olive oil   
   handful of purple or green grapes, or both, stems removed
   half a wine glass of sherry
   balsamic vinegar
   pepper & salt

Method:

1. Pierce the sausages in a few places with a fork; drop into a pot of boiling water; turn off heat, leave to poach 10 mins (this step releases some of the fat)
2. Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat
3. Drain sausages
4. Spray pan generously with olive oil; add sausages; brown lightly
5. Add grapes to the pan
6. Add sherry; allow to bubble up
7. Pour all the contents into a baking tin suitable for an air fryer or the oven
8. Bake: air fryer 20 mins at 180c;  oven 30-35 mins at 180/350 or until sausages are dark brown and grapes are soft without splitting
9. Remove from oven; add balsamic vinegar, pepper & salt
10. Serve, using juices as gravy

*Coombs, Duchy, Heck, Dukeshill, Green Pasture, Ellise's & Pelham Farm

Comments:

'I was expecting this to be nice but it was actually quite, quite wonderful.  The hot tangy grapes and balsamic vinegar added wonderful counterpoints to the delicately flavoured sausages.  Healthy, too! I'll definitely make these again'  Blogger

Tips:

• Save time and effort by poaching the entire package of sausages in one go then pack in pairs and freeze for future use

More poultry on NavBar: Recipes I

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This recipe  has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.  

SCALLOP & WHITE BEAN POTAGE, a healthy indulgence

An unusual pairing in a winning dish...

Scallop and White Bean Potage with Vegetables (has frugal option) 

Scallops are one of those special treats to be indulged in at high-end fish restaurants - the burnished outers and tender, sticky interiors are so difficult to reproduce at home.

67's 'high, low' thick soup was created after a debilitating bout of some 'flu or other, when the body was screaming for something tempting, comforting, filling and easily digested.

The thick vegetable soup supplemented with creamy beans and topped with perfectly poached cubed scallops fitted the bill beautifully.

67 in this instance hadn't the strength to shop around and opted for fresh scallops, which came in at £3+ for two lovely fat generously portioned ones.   Frozen - roe free - are a better bet; they come in small packets (150 gm, Tesco £4) and large (500gm £12, Iceland).

If scallops are out of your budget, replace with chunks of chicken sausage poached in boiling water and drained

Cost:  min £4
Feeds: 2-3

Ingredients:
    2-3 large scallops, roe removed, halved horizontally and in med dice
  
    1 med onion, in small dice
    2 small sticks celery, washed & peeled, in small bite-size chunks
    1 large carrot, washed, in small bite-size chunks
    2 med potatoes, washed & unpeeled, in small bite-size chunks
    generous handful peeled swede, in small bite-size chunks opt)

   good stock

   1/2 pkt cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
   1 teacup quick cooking green veg such as small broccoli florets, green beans, mange tout, diced courgette 

Method: