The cooking thread and what are you having for dinner tonight beansnikpoh?

seanoconn

hopkinb said:

That's the Irish style black pudding. I love them all. Bury style curls, boudin noir, morçilla. It's just sausage. Better than most sausage.

Clonakilty black pudding. Can get rings of the stuff from Ireland for next to nothing, sold here as a delicacy for £2:50 for a tiny piece. Good oats to blood ratio. A good haggis is just as tasty.

itboffin

seanoconn said:

That’s a good sized plate of food. I’d swap out the tomatoes for some sausages and add some good quality black pudding.

Really don’t get the appeal of fried tomatoes and even less so tinned tomatoes slopped on to my beautiful fry up, their icky juice running amok. And why the need for tomatoes if you have beans anyway.

Sorry for the grumble. Good job 👍

Everything apart from the toast and egg was grilled 😉

itboffin

Oh and the beans of course those went in the microwave

itboffin

Breaking my own rules today after a gruelling 80 mile ride yesterday and no dinner afterwards, two helpings of duck and noddles

itboffin

By two helpings I mean two of that sized plate in the posted picture

pinno

Black pudding - worse than Marmite.

Good ole mince n tatties for me tonight.
Though I do a more ornate one, not the Calvinistic Scottish version.

itboffin

pinno said:

Black pudding - worse than Marmite.

Good ole mince n tatties for me tonight.
Though I do a more ornate one, not the Calvinistic Scottish version.

I agree on the black pudding but white pudding wow why can’t we buy that in the uk? It’s the nuts

orraloon

itboffin said:

pinno said:

Black pudding - worse than Marmite.

Good ole mince n tatties for me tonight.
Though I do a more ornate one, not the Calvinistic Scottish version.

I agree on the black pudding but white pudding wow why can’t we buy that in the uk? It’s the nuts

Do you mean mealy or mealie depending on where one is from pudding? Certainly can buy it. Maybe get in quick before the Scotland - England border closes as well...

itboffin

orraloon said:

itboffin said:

pinno said:

Black pudding - worse than Marmite.

Good ole mince n tatties for me tonight.
Though I do a more ornate one, not the Calvinistic Scottish version.

I agree on the black pudding but white pudding wow why can’t we buy that in the uk? It’s the nuts

Do you mean mealy or mealie depending on where one is from pudding? Certainly can buy it. Maybe get in quick before the Scotland - England border closes as well...

from Ireland of course

itboffin

Back to OMAD mushrooms instead of meat and very filling

pinno

That ^ looks far more palatable than wot Seano was eating the other week.

itboffin

pinno said:

That ^ looks far more palatable than wot Seano was eating the other week.

tasted good and was healthy if you exclude the garlic bread but damn i had no energy today, i'm upping the carbs and protein without meat this week, vegan next week

hopkinb

hopkinb

Bloody sideways. Anyway. Cottage pie. With leftover roast potato and mash topping. Surely could even keep 'boff going, easily enough for 6 greedy folk with veg? It's for tomorrow.

pinno

So what's your version of a Cottage pie Hoppy?

Most, I have found dull. I prefer Shepherds pie and do a mean one myself, so would like a recipe for Cottage Pie that's, let's say; smak.

hopkinb

Literally as shepherd's pie, except with the leftovers of the beef rib joint.

Approx so much (maybe 500 to 700g) of the leftover beef. Chopped, but by no means minced. Leave some fat in there.

Stick in one of those cast iron pots, turn the heat up to low/med and let the fat render out. Lift out the meat with a slotted spoon.

Add some cheap olive oil if more lubrication required.

To the pot, add 2-3 finely chopped onions, 2-3 finely chopped carrots, a stick of celery (finely chopped) and finely chopped garlic to your taste. 3 or 4 fat cloves for me. A scant fistful of thyme on the stick (mix with rosemary if shepherd's pie). Teaspoon of salt, pepper as you wish.

Cook on medium heat until slightly golden and fragrant.

Add half a mini bottle of red wine, or approx 100 ml. Bubble until nearly gone.

Return the beef to the pot and put on maybe 1 to 1.5 kg of peeled potatoes to boil.

To the meat, add a couple tablespoons of ketchup, any gravy you have leftover (or beef stock if you have no gravy) you need about 200 ml liquid. Simmer the meat while the potatoes cook.

When the spuds will take a knife, add a tablespoon or two of the cooking water to the meat (unless that would make it too wet).

Turn out the meat into the cooking dish. Drain the spuds. Let them dry in the colander for 10 mins. Use a potato ricer to press the spuds into the cooking pan with some melted butter and (if you like,a dash of milk or cream). Season with pepper, but stay off the salt. You want the contrast between the savoury filling and the relatively bland topping. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth, but not gluey.

Smooth the potatoes onto the cooled meat. Add sliced leftover roast potatoes, or drag with a fork.

If cooking immediately, about 35 to 40 mins at 180, if from cold, maybe an hour. You'll know. The potato will be golden, the sauce will be bubbling up at the edge. Let it stand for 5 to 10 while you cook whatever veg you like.

hopkinb

Don't use your fingers to clear a blocked plughole if your idiot wife has left broken glass in it. This will lead to unwanted colour and flavour in the finished dish.

pinno

Hmm, okay, ta.

Funny, I use the onion, carrot and celery in with beef for a beef pie or beef and ale pie in the same manner (cooked with lid on for 1 hour and then another hour with the lid off. Meat goes very tender).

hopkinb

pinno said:

Hmm, okay, ta.

Funny, I use the onion, carrot and celery in with beef for a beef pie or beef and ale pie in the same manner (cooked with lid on for 1 hour and then another hour with the lid off. Meat goes very tender).

Not so many secrets or variations in cooking. It's just important to take care.

hopkinb

Shepherd's or cottage pie I only make with leftover roast meat.

pinno

I have an old hand crank mincer for left over Lamb roast that I use for Shepherds pie. I Roughly chop onion and put through the mincer with the Lamb, then cook it in my pie dish before baking it with the gravy and mash.

hopkinb

I have one of those, but I'm not sure where it is. Excellent idea. Must see if I can find it.

orraloon

Is this the (non)Hairy Bikers?

Stevo_666

I reckon a few people on here should get their 15 minutes of fame on Masterchef.

Pity there isn't a Masterpisshead show then we could all have a go

elbowloh

I find it amazing that there is enough meat left over from a roast to make a cottage or shepherds pie.

pinno

elbowloh said:

I find it amazing that there is enough meat left over from a roast to make a cottage or shepherds pie.

When your little one's are bigger...

hopkinb

elbowloh said:

I find it amazing that there is enough meat left over from a roast to make a cottage or shepherds pie.

You buy a bigger joint! I don't get to make it all that often, but in the last few weeks I had a 2.5 kg leg of lamb (Mrs H3's mother's day request), and a 3.1 kg rib of beef (bargain too good to be ignored).

hopkinb

elbowloh said:

I find it amazing that there is enough meat left over from a roast to make a cottage or shepherds pie.

There'd be loads left Chez Elbow though wouldn't there? You're both veggies aren't you? Plenty left over for a delicious pie. You could leave it by an open window to cool, then one of the local scamps would have it away on its toes, and you wouldn't mind one bit! You could shake a rolling pin at the rascals for comic effect, but you wouldn't actually mind!

elbowloh

hopkinb said:

elbowloh said:

I find it amazing that there is enough meat left over from a roast to make a cottage or shepherds pie.

There'd be loads left Chez Elbow though wouldn't there? You're both veggies aren't you? Plenty left over for a delicious pie. You could leave it by an open window to cool, then one of the local scamps would have it away on its toes, and you wouldn't mind one bit! You could shake a rolling pin at the rascals for comic effect, but you wouldn't actually mind!

I'm reminded of the time i left a string of sausages on a plate by the window and a scruffy black dog ran off with them.


Oh no, that was the beano ;-).

Yeah, both veggie (well kind of, i eat fish). We give meat to the boy though, until he's old enough to choose for himself.

itboffin

elbowloh said:

I find it amazing that there is enough meat left over from a roast to make a cottage or shepherds pie.

Exactly! Leftovers what’s that?