It’s been a wonderful celebration running this series of Winter Warmer recipes. All inspired by The Restaurant @ The Mill. I’ve had some lovely guests come along and share their favourite home-cooked recipes:
“thank you” to fabulous Emma Calin, chef Caroline James, Janice Horton and Rosa The Rose for sharing:
It’s been a delight to share my own home-cooked favourites, too! Just click on the cover below and you can either save the PDF to your device, or you can print it off.
It seems only fitting to end the series with a quote from the book. Hilary and Ben had just viewed the mill for the first time:
As we left the estate agent that day and walked back to the car, Ben looked at me and for the first time I saw a level of excitement in him that completely overcame his inherent shyness.
“Hi five?” he asked, hand held aloft and as I raised mine in triumph, the deal was struck.
The Restaurant @ The Mill was born. It might not have been perfect, but as I’ve learned from past experience, perfect isn’t always the best option …
My guest today, in this feature celebrating The Restaurant @ The Mill, the tale of six couples whose search for love and happiness is linked as they all frequent diners, is Rosa The Rose. I met Rosa online and began following her blog, which is a wonderful read. She has had a varied life and truly has a writer’s heart! I thoroughly recommend dropping by :
Rosa has kindly allowed me to reproduce one of her recipes and to follow I’m sharing my own ‘Lemon & Pear Bread and Butter Pudding’.
Rabbit stew for hungry hunters
“This is a good recipe when the boys have been hunting.
My husband would just roast them on a stick over the fire, often under the hedge – which is nice – but this is a good feed too.
I’ve been serving this dish for more than 25 years, now, and it remains a family favourite.
I used to make it with farm rabbits and it is worth noting that the bunnies in the wild have much tougher back legs. The saddle and the front ones are fine. Young rabbits are tender and old bucks are not.
So skin, gut and joint the rabbit into back legs, front legs and saddle cut in two. That’s six pieces, and I can eat at least three, so if you have hungry hunters to feed, they’d better bring a few home.
Keep the livers and kidneys to add at the end of cooking. You can add the heads to the pot for extra flavour if you’re not squeamish.
Warm some clarified butter in a good heavy fireproof dish or pan and brown the joints all over. It’s worth taking the time to do this thoroughly, because all the caramelised meat juice adds to the colour of the dish. When your rabbit is brown, remove the joints and keep to one side. Add finely diced onion and a couple of crushed cloves of garlic and keep on a gentle heat until translucent. Add a small glass of dry white wine or splash of vermouth and scrape up all the rabbit juice. Add a small amount of chicken stock – probably to the depth of about one to two inches in the bottom of the pot – and season, adding some herbs. Oregano, thyme, tarragon are all candidates to choose from, but not too many, this is not meant to be a very robust dish. Put the rabbit back in. The rabbit pieces will be adding their own juice as they steam in this liquor and the dish benefits from the more intense flavour if it’s not swimming.
I would cook this on a gentle heat for about an hour and a half, checking for a gentle simmer and from time to time give the pot a good shake and swirl to make sure all the joints get in the juice.
At this stage add the smallest button mushrooms you can find. Allow about 6 – 8 per person so you don’t swamp the flavour. Actually, the small cans of whole button mushrooms are good for this dish, because they are really juicy but blander. I’m sure that wild mushrooms would be good, but I can’t buy them and I’m too ignorant on the subject to dare to forage for them. This is when you add the liver and kidneys too – just lay them on the top of the meat and cook on for a half hour or so, until all is tender.
If you find, on tasting that the sauce is bland then turn up the heat a little and cook with the lid off or crossed until the sauce is reduced. Take your rabbit out if is already cooked and add it back when you have the sauce to the right intensity.
I serve this with creamed potato, or it’s fantastic with fresh done, thin cut, homemade chips.
The boys’ll just eat it with their fingers, sopping bread in the sauce if I let them.
Sometimes I do insist on a knife and fork, though.”
A big thank you to Rosa for allowing me to reproduce her fabulous recipe. What I loved about this dish was that it’s all about intensity of flavour and I too would love to take a chunk of bread and dip it in that wonderful sauce!
Lemon & Pear Bread and Butter Pudding with white wine & honey sauce (with variations)
4 firm pears White wine 1 tablespoon honey
Prepare this the day before you are serving it for the best results.
Place the four, peeled pears in a small, but deep pan. Cover with white wine and add the honey.
Simmer/poach until softer but still firm. Place the pears in a dish to cool, then halve and take out the core and stalk. Cover and refrigerate. Turn up the heat on the liquor remaining in the pan, add some thinly sliced lemon rind (only the outer yellow part, try to avoid the white pithy part as that is bitter). When the liquid has reduced by half, cool and refrigerate.
On the day: 8 slices of white, crust-less bread A few slithers of thinly sliced rind of the lemon 2 eggs 3 level tablespoons of caster sugar 500ml milk A little brown sugar
Lay the halved pears in an ovenproof dish. Butter the crust-less bread lightly and cut into 2 inch pieces, layer over the pears. Beat the eggs and milk, add the caster sugar and pour the mixture over the pears and bread. Sprinkle the lemon rind and brown sugar on the top. Cook at 190ºC for 30-45 minutes, until the mixture is firm to the touch, but springy and the top is golden brown.
Serve: hot, or cold. Drizzle over the white wine and honey sauce. Indulge – add a spoonful of clotted cream, or a little drizzle of single or double cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ring the changes: make a marzipan and apricot version. Instead of pears, add tinned apricots to the dish and small balls of marzipan. Equally as delicious!
The Restaurant @ The Mill is a place where diners go with friends and loves ones to celebrate special occasions or simply to enjoy good food in a wonderful setting. Each of the six stories is very different … just like true life!
This concludes the recipes in the Winter Warmer series! Thank you to guests Emma Calin, Caroline James, Janice Horton and Rosa The Rose for sharing their favourite recipes (see the links below if you want to catch up on any of the earlier articles):
It’s been a blast celebrating the new-look cover for The Restaurant @ The Mill. Published by Sapphire Star, it’s a series of stories in one novel. It’s about relationships – beginnings and endings, young love and ‘old’ love … love that never dies and love that falls by the wayside …
The Winter Warmer recipe booklet will be available to download here on 2 February 2014 – thank you for dropping by!
Today’s recipes, in celebration of The Restaurant @ The Mill feature I’ve been running called ‘Winter Warmers’, I’m sharing my hearty ‘when dainty doesn’t do it’ canapés. One is a hearty snack in a slice and is also perfect for a light supper, or cut into slices to hand around with drinks. The other is for when you run out of time …
The Quick and Easy canapé:
Make sure you always keep a packet of garlic bread slices in the freezer. No need to defrost them – simply lay them on a baking tray. Grate a tasty cheddar cheese over the top, slice some tomatoes (halve cherry tomatoes, or thinly slice larger ones. Sprinkle some dried mixed herbs on the top, then season with black pepper. Bake in the oven, 190ºC until the cheese bubbles and the crust is crisp.
It’s perfect finger food AND quick to assemble!
Tomato and Bacon Ciabatta Slice
Serves: 8 as a supper dish, or cut up into slices to give around 20 slices as a canapéé
3 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes (chop them roughly in the juice, cutting off the stems)
500g passata (your supermarket will stock a variety, I use one with basil added to it)
Two large ciabatta breads
Eight rashers of back bacon (smoked or unsmoked)
Five or six cloves of garlic (or to taste) finely chopped
Dried mixed herbs (one teaspoon)
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
One large red onion, finely chopped
Grated ‘tasty’ cheddar cheese
Shaves of Parmesan cheese to finish
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A dessertspoon of olive oil
Using a large, heavy bottomed pan, tip in the olive oil and gently fry the finely chopped onion for a few minutes; add the chopped garlic and continue to fry until golden brown. Tip the mixture into a dish, then chop the bacon into small pieces and fry gently in the same pan.
When the bacon is lightly cooked, add this to the onion and garlic. Into the same pan tip the passata, the chopped tinned tomatoes, a few twists of sea salt and black pepper, 2 bay leaves, the dried mixed herbs and the finely chopped rosemary.
Tip back into the pan the onion, garlic and bacon. Bring to the boil and then simmer over a low heat to reduce this mix for about an hour. The tomato juices should have thickened so that the mixture will not soak the ciabatta slices, but sit on the top.
Slice the two ciabatta breads in half. You will need two baking trays, sit two halves alongside each other. Spoon the tomato mixture over the top, distributing it equally between the four slices of ciabatta. Layer generously with grated cheddar cheese and put in the oven at 190ºC for about 40 minutes, until golden brown on the top. Lay a few Parmesan shavings over the top whilst hot.
Slice as required. If serving as a supper dish add a fresh green salad. If serving as a hearty canapé, slice and serve on a small napkin. This is also delicious served cold, the next day.
The Winter Warmer collection will be free to download or print off, here on 2 February, 2014. Don’t forget to pop back. Tomorrow there is one more post to complete this series … and I do hope you’ve enjoyed visiting my kitchen.
The Winter Warmer recipe series is a small collection of recipes that, for me, are reminiscent of wintry evening meals around the table! Recipes I’ve used for many years and it will be available for you to download or print out for FREE, here on 2 February 2014.
I’m celebrating The Restaurant @ TheMill – a novel where the lives of a group of people are linked by the fact that they are all diners at this restaurant. I can imagine chef, Ben, plating up some of these favourites to present to his diners …
Today It’s Red Wine Chicken in a potand three special red wines I’m happy to recommend – each with a very different and distinctive array of flavours. Enjoy!
Red Wine Chicken in a Pot
Serves: 4 people (and some will want seconds)
4 large or 6 small chicken breasts
1½ oz (or 3½ level tablespoons) of cornflour
Chicken stock cube (or small stock pot)
2 bay leaves
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Dried mint and thyme (or mixed herbs) about 2 level teaspoons
1 level tablespoon of sugar
8 small onions
8 rashers of lean bacon
A little olive oil
½lb button mushrooms
¼ pint red wine
¾ pint water
Method:
Wash and dry the chicken breasts; season the cornflour with salt and pepper and coat the chicken. Add any cornflour remaining to the water and set aside. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and brown the chicken until the cornflour crust is golden. Place the chicken in an ovenproof dish.
Peel the onions and clean the mushrooms, leaving them whole. Slice the bacon into one inch strips. Saute the onions, mushrooms and bacon in the pan, then add to the chicken. Use the same pan, adding the water (with cornflour), wine, stock, sugar and herbs; bring to the boil stirring continuously.
Pour the sauce over the chicken, onions, mushrooms and bacon; add the bay leaves and cover with a double layer of silver foil. Cook in the centre of the over at 190ºC for an hour and a half.
Serve: with roasted root vegetables. Chop into small pieces, scatter on a baking tray, season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about an hour.
Note: perfect for a dinner party when you need something you can turn down low and leave in the oven if there is a delay in serving
To accompany this warming and tasty dish I have three red wines to recommend – each bringing a very different, and distinctive flavour to make this a main course to remember!
Marlborough Pinot Noir 2011 – this New Zealand wine is typically silky smooth and full of raspberry fruit flavours. Perfect to accompany any chicken dish.
Chemin des Papes 2011 – a wonderfully robust French wine from the Cotes du Rhone. Deep ruby in colour and benefiting from an intense, preserved fruit aroma with spicy notes. For lovers of a rich and hearty red!
Campo Viejo Rioja Garnacha 2012 – this bright and lively wine has vibrant red fruits flavours – strawberry, raspberry and cherries, with nuances of flowers and sweet spices. Soft and silky, with a fresh intensity – it goes well with chicken, vegetarian dishes, pastas and appetizers.
Thank you for joining me in my kitchen – please pop back on 2 February 2014 to download the Winter Warmer collection! In the meantime, find out more about the novel that inspired me to pull together my favourite home recipes …
In The Restaurant @ The Mill it’s about fine dining, but chef Ben loves to rustle up some of the old-fashioned, hearty recipes that people often yearn for when it’s cold, wet and windy outside… So curl up for a rustic lunch with restaurant owners Ben and Hilary – it’s their day off and they are in the mood to indulge and try out author Janice Horton’s Haggis Bake and my own Heavenly Crepes!
Well, what better winter warmer could you possibly ask for? And this is a lady who lives in the wilds of bonnie Scotland and really appreciates food that warms from the inside out…
Janice Horton lives a cottage on the side of a hillside in Scotland. Previously traditionally published and now writing as an Indie, Janice writes contemporary fiction with humour and heart.
Look out for her Amazon Kindle bestselling ebooks ‘Bagpipes and Bullshot’ and ‘Reaching for the Stars’ and her voodoo romance series of novellas.
Janice has also written a guide for authors ‘How To Party Online’. She is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association and Associate Editor of the innovative Loveahappyending Lifestyle Magazine.
Janice is a regular blogger and you’ll also find her on Facebook and Twitter.
Haggis Bake
You will need:
One large haggis (I’m using a traditional Macsween of Edinburgh haggis).
1kg lean Scottish steak mince.
One large onion.
Two tbsp plain flour.
Tin of chopped tomatoes.
One and a half pints of beef stock ( I used OXO cubes x 3)
Potatoes (peel as many as you think you will need to cover a large shallow oven dish) then slice lengthways into medium thick slices and part boil.
Method:
Brown the minced beef in a large pan with the chopped onion. Add the flour. Stir and cook until the flour is absorbed. Add the tinned chopped tomatoes and the beef stock. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cover.
Cook the haggis by following the instructions on the wrapper. For this recipe I used the microwave method. Chop up the cooked haggis and add to the minced beef and gravy. Stir and add boiling water if more liquid is required. The oats in the haggis will absorb a lot of the liquid and you should allow for this. You probably won’t want to season the mixture as the haggis is well seasoned.
In a separate pan, parboil the sliced potatoes for about 5 minutes. You want them half-cooked and still firm. Drain in a colander. Transfer the beef mince and haggis mixture to a large shallow oven dish and arrange the slices of potato on top.
Brush with melted butter and pop into a moderately hot oven. This would be the middle shelf of the roasting oven for an range cooker or 190 degrees/ gas mark 5 for a conventional oven. Bake until bubbling and golden brown for approx 30-40 minutes. Serves 8-10 generously. Enjoy with seasonal vegetables like ‘neeps’ and carrots.
4oz. plain flour Pinch of salt Grated rind of half a lemon 1 egg 1/2 pint milk 1/2oz. butter, melted Butter for frying For orange butter sauce: 5-6 white sugar cubes (very important) 3oz. butter 2oz. caster sugar 2 large oranges 1 tbsp. juice of an orange 1 tbsp. cointreau 1 tbsps. brandy
Sift the flour and the salt; mix in the grated lemon rind. Add the egg and beat into a smooth batter. Add the milk and melted butter, beating well. Heat a small knob of butter in a 7″ frying pan until hot, pour off any surplus into a small dish. Pour in enough batter to cover the pan thinly and cook until golden brown. Turn using a palette knife, and brown the other side.
As the crepes are ready stack them on a large plate. Leave to cool, then wrap in cling film and place in the fridge.
To make the orange buttery sauce, rub the sugar cubes over the skin of the washed orange until each cube has absorbed the oil in the skin. Crush the cubes in a pestle and mortar. Beat the butter until soft, add the crushed sugar cubes and add in the caster sugar. Beat until soft and creamy, then add in the orange juice and Cointreau. Mix well, cover and pop into the fridge.
To assemble the dish (same, or next day): take one crepe and place a little of the orange butter sauce in the middle, fold into four and repeat, arranging the crepes in a shallow ovenproof dish. Melt the remaining orange butter in a small pan and pour over the crepes. Put the dish in the oven for about 20-30 minutes 180ºc, turn down the temperature a little if the edges start to over-crisp. At the table, place the dish on a warming dish (the sort with tea lights), pour the brandy into a tablespoon or serving spoon and heat the bowl of the spoon with a long-stemmed match or lighter. Pour over the crepes in the dish and ignite the brandy. Serve at once. Delicious served one crepe per person, with a scoop of good quality, vanilla ice cream.
Good food and wine, pleasant company … what more could you ask from a restaurant? But what Hilary finds is that as she looks around it isn’t just celebrations that bring people together around a dinner table. Sometimes it’s the need to get away to talk and sometimes she notices tears, or troubled sighs as she busily flits from table to table. Each couple have their own story to tell and some guests are frequent visitors so in a way, their story plays out in front of her. A young couple who meet, celebrate their engagement and then wedding, and then there’s a baby on the way. But in between there is a tragedy that impacts upon this young couple … it’s all inThe Restaurant @ The Mill.
This is a good book to curl up with in front of the fire. If you love peeking into other people’s lives then you will be surprised to find that no matter how different their backgrounds, ages or professions – everyone has their our own problems to contend with, they are just all very different!
Every restaurant should have its own signature Apple Pie dish. This one is Hilary and Ben’s, the two owners of The Restaurant @ The Mill. Of course, it’s a fictional story so I’m lending them an old-fashioned favourite that has long been one of my Christmas special puddings.
As this Winter Warmerfeature continues in celebration of the very romantic new-look cover for this series of love stories, it has taken me back into the world of the characters in this novel. You can read an excerpt here:
There is a love story for every decade in life, from a couple in their twenties through to the twilight years. The one thing that connects them all is fine dining at the mill! Food really is something that brings people together and sharing a meal out with someone special is wonderful, but staying in and cooking can be very relaxing too!
Coming soon – Heavenly Crepes and Haggis Bake (courtesy of Janice Horton) and don’t forget that the Winter Warmer recipe booklet will be free to download here on 2 February, 2014.
Pastry: 4oz plain flour
1oz butter
1oz lard
Juice of half a medium-sized orange
Filling: Grated rind of 1 orange
1½lbs windfall* cooking apples, peeled and sliced
5fl oz of single cream
Juice of half a medium-sized orange
3oz caster sugar
*Peel, core, slice and blanch them in the autumn, then freeze in ‘pie dish’ size portions. Defrost thoroughly before use.
Method:
Heat oven to 200ºC.
Rub together with your finger tips the flour, butter and lard until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Use enough orange juice to bind the pastry together. Chill the pastry in the fridge whilst you prepare the filling.
Put the sliced apples into a 1½ pint pie dish. Add the grated orange rind. Pour on the cream and coat the apples. Add the sugar to the remaining orange juice and sprinkle over the apples.
Gently knead the pastry and roll out to a little larger than the pie dish so that you can cut a narrow strip to line the edges of the pie dish and still have a large enough circle to cover the pie. Wet the edge of the pie dish with a little water and press a thin strip of pastry around the entire dish. Dampen the top of the strip, lift the circle of pastry and lay over the pie dish. Press down the edges and trim, using the handle end of a large spoon press down to make a small pattern on the edge of the pastry and to help seal it.
With any remaining cuttings, form a ball and roll it out. Cut out some pastry leaves. Cut a whole in the centre of the pie and lay the leaves around the hole. Score each of them with a knife to give them the markings of a leaf.
Place in the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180ºC and cook until golden brown – at least 10-15 minutes.
Serve: best served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
The very fabulous Caroline James is visiting and sharing a superb recipe that I can’t wait to try!
Caroline’s Red Lentil Dhal
This healthy dish is so simple to make and truly delicious. The flavours are even better the next day (if you can keep it that long!). It’s certainly a winter warmer/comfort food on a cold day. I use chicken stock but for vegetarians substitute a vegetable stock.
Ingredients:
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
550ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
5cm piece root ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 tsp tumeric
2 tbsp medium curry powder
110g red lentils
50g puy lentils
1 large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into small chunks
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into small chunks
4 large tomatoes – sliced thinly
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/ fan 160 degrees C / gas mark 4
• Add olive oil to a pan and gently sauté the onions and carrots, cook until slightly softened.
• Add the garlic, chilli and ginger and cook for one minute before adding the tumeric and curry powder. Blend together then pour in the stock and bring to the boil
• Add the red lentils and puy lentils
• Place the squash and carrots in a large oven proof dish and pour the lentil mixture over.
• Arrange tomatoes on top and cover
• Cook for an hour and a half on a low shelf
Serve with rice and a side dish of plain yogurt with a little chopped coriander or basil
Caroline has been busy with the release of her smash hit So You Think You’re A Celebrity … Chef? She also had an exclusive interview on Loveahappyending Lifestyle magazine with Downton Abbey food stylist, Lisa Heathcote. A big THANK YOU for being my guest today on Winter Warmers!
When it’s cold outside and I’m looking for hearty, winter dishes – this is the one I pull out of the freezer and it’s a fitting one for the Winter Warmer series! It’s perfect for when the family come home after a long walk on a cold, wintry day …
Pork and Stuffing Casserole
– best served reheated the next day
Serves 6 people
1 pork loin joint to serve 6 10 fl oz of red wine and 30 fl oz water 1/2 packet (or 40g) of dried sage and onion stuffing mix A selection of winter vegetables (3 large x carrots, 1 x swede, 3 x parsnip, 1 x medium turnip) 2 medium size onions Freshly ground salt and pepper 2 packets of pork gravy mix A little olive oil Dried sage 2 bay leaves
Method:
Wash the joint of pork and place in a large saucepan. Whisk the two packets of gravy mix with the wine and water in a jug and pour over the pork. Add two bay leaves. Simmer, covering with a lid, for 90 minutes and until the meat is tender. Place the meat on a platter to cool and then cut into 6 slices. Keep the cooking liquid but remove the bay leaves.
Slice and dice the onions and saute them in a little olive oil for ten minutes, until they go slightly brown and put to one side. Dice the vegetables into 2-3cm pieces and place is a large saucepan. Add the liquid from the pork – the red wine and the water – to the vegetables and season with salt, pepper and dried sage. Add half a packet of dried sage and onion stuffing mix. Stir well and bring to the boil, add the onions, then simmer gently STIRRING FREQUENTLY SO THE STUFFING DOESN’T STICK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SAUCEPAN. The vegetables should still be whole and slightly ‘al dente’ – about an hour. Add additional water if the gravy becomes too thick.
To serve: If using small earthenware, single portion dishes – place one slice of pork in the bottom and one very generous ladle of vegetables/gravy over the top. Pop in the oven for 30 minutes to finish cooking; if you are going to cool and freeze some of the portions then cover those with silver foil.
Best either a) reheated the next day in the oven, 200ºC 30-40 minutes until bubbling OR b) frozen, defrosted and then re-heated. Serve with green peas and a side of mash, or with sliced potatoes (below). Alternatively, add a dumpling to each dish as a substitute for a potato side dish.
Sliced potato dish – cut some small potatoes lengthways, part-boil them, baste with olive oil and season with freshly ground pepper, sea salt and a sprinkling of mixed herbs. Cook in the oven alongside the Pork and Stuffing Casserole.
Note: If freezing do this in individual portions and don’t forget to defrost thoroughly before re-heating.
This is a dish that chef Ben might serve in The Restaurant @ The Mill as a main course following scallops in a saffron broth. The stuffing would be handmade, of course, and the casserole would be served in a small dish with a lid. He might add ‘winter greens’ mash, piped into delicate rosette shapes on the plate.
But what is it like to be a chef? In Ben’s case, he’s a chef who defends his kitchen as his domain and prefers his own company. Could it be that he’s running away from his emotions? To give up his life in London as a chef at a top restaurant and go into partnership with someone he only knew by reputation – unless, of course, they had met in the dim and distant past. But if that was the case, wouldn’t Hilary have remembered – especially if they had spoken? And what of his relationship with his father and brothers? Why is his mother the only one who stays in touch … Ben’s life unfolds and Hilary is in for a few very unexpected surprises!
Thank you for joining me in my kitchen and I’ll be back with more Winter Warmerrecipes. Don’t forget to come back on 2 February 2014 to download your FREEcopy of the recipe booklet! Perfect for those family meals around the table on a wintry evening!
Celebrating a brand new romantic look for The Restaurant @ The Mill with a ‘Winter Warmer‘ feature!
This is week 2 in an 8 week series of recipes to ward off those winter blues and warm you up from the inside out!
Along the way there are a few guests who will be bringing their own winter favourites too. Look out for the free downloadable Winter Warmer recipe booklet available here on 27 December 2013!
8 sausages
Two large onions (one white, one red)
3 medium size sweet potatoes (or two large ones)
2 large carrots
2 large parsnips Olive oil Fresh rosemary and two bay leaves Freshly ground salt and pepper and some mixed herbs
Method: Peel and cut into 1 inch pieces the sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots, bring to the boil in a pan of salted water for about 10 minutes so they are still ‘whole’ and firm. Drain.
Peel and chop the onions into four quarters. Pop sausages into a pan of boiling, lightly salted water. Simmer gently for ten minutes, cool slightly and remove the skins, but leave whole. Place the sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and onions into an ovenproof dish. Pour a little olive oil over the top, add the seasoning and herbs, mix lightly with your hands. Cook at 200ºC in the centre of the oven. After 10 minutes add the sausages and cook for a further 35-40 minutes (turn the sausages half-way through the cooking time) until everything is golden brown.
Note: Simmering the sausages first enhances their flavour – you will be surprised at the difference it makes!
Serve:
1) Delicious with a hunk of crusty granary bread and a home-made tomato sauce on the side, or
2) Serve with cauliflower cheese for a hearty meal, or
3) Serve it in a large Yorkshire pudding and top with red wine gravy
Turn the sausages half-way through the cooking time
Whichever way you serve it, this really is winter comfort eating!
Sharing a meal with friends and loved ones is special; meals are for sitting around a table enjoying good food and good conversation. It’s about laughter and love – whether you are in a restaurant or at home.
What do you drink with this hearty dish?
I suppose my love of food and the social element is exactly why I wrote The Restaurant @ The Mill. The building featured in the story is a composite of two mills I have visited and between them they combined to create the perfect setting.
The owners, Hilary and Ben, met up because of their professional aspirations. A perfect partnership, as Ben is an exquisite and talented chef, whilst Hilary’s management as the charismatic front of house and incredibly efficient ‘mâitre d’‘, sets their restaurant apart.
Add in the fact that they were both tired of the hustle and bustle of London … and the rolling farmland and greenery of Gloucestershire beckoned. They both fell in love with the old mill the moment they stepped out of the car and looked up at the wonderful old building.
But what makes the restaurant come alive are the diners. It IS Ben and Hilary’s story, but as the lives of some of their guests unfold the picture begins to open up. What links them all isn’t JUST The Restaurant @ The Mill, but life – love in all its forms; happiness, sadness and hope … It’s a snapshot over time – autumn to autumn. The diners vary from the newly-weds to those in their twilight years; they come from all backgrounds. But lurking beneath the surface of their lives is a melting pot of emotion …
Follow the series – it runs for 8 weeks, until 27 Dec, 2013, and I can promise you some very tempting and easy to cook recipes to ward off those chilly days. I’ll also be pulling them together into a free downloadable document you can save on your desktop and refer back to or print out. Perfect for those family meals around the table on a wintry evening!
http://smarturl.it/InLovewithLoveBk3
There are more recipes to come – and the Winter Warmer recipe booklet will be available to download or print out, here on 2 February, 2014!
It’s been a wonderful celebration running this series of Winter Warmer recipes. All inspired by The Restaurant @ The Mill. I’ve had some lovely guests come along and share their favourite home-cooked recipes:
Read chapter one here
You will need:
The very fabulous Caroline James is visiting and sharing a superb recipe that I can’t wait to try!
– place one slice of pork in the bottom and one very generous ladle of vegetables/gravy over the top. Pop in the oven for 30 minutes to finish cooking; if you are going to cool and freeze some of the portions then cover those with silver foil.
Sliced potato dish – cut some small potatoes lengthways, part-boil them, baste with olive oil and season with freshly ground pepper, sea salt and a sprinkling of mixed herbs. Cook in the oven alongside the Pork and Stuffing Casserole.
This is a dish that chef Ben might serve in The Restaurant @ The Mill as a main course following scallops in a saffron broth. The stuffing would be handmade, of course, and the casserole would be served in a small dish with a lid. He might add ‘winter greens’ mash, piped into delicate rosette shapes on the plate.
and carrots, bring to the boil in a pan of salted water for about 10 minutes so they are still ‘whole’ and firm. Drain.
I suppose my love of food and the social element is exactly why I wrote