Cake and Bread

Serves 4

Mash Topping
700g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chuncks.
150 ml milk
75g vegetarian wensleydale cheese, crumbled.

Ingerdients
15 ml (1 tablespoon) vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 stick of celery, chopped
1 leek, halved and sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 x 420g can mixed bean salad, drained & rinsed.
1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes.
1 x 5 ml (tablespoon) dried mixed herbs
2 x 5 ml (tablespoon) dried chilli powder (or to taste)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Method
1. cook the potatoes in a pan of light salted boiling water for 20 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile heat the oil, add the onion, garlic, celery, leek and carrot and fry gently for 10 minutes.
3. Add the bean salad, tomatoes, herbs and chilli powder and tomato puree with 3×15 ml (tablespoons) water. Season to taste and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. When potatoes are cooked, drain them and heat the milk to boiling point. Pour the milk over the potatoes and mash until smooth. Season to taste, Beat in half the cheese.
5. Spoon the beans and tomato mixture into an oven proof dish and top with cheesy mash. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
6 cook for 20 minutes (180C/350F/gas mark 4) until the topping is golden brown.

There’s nothing better than a hot pie to heat you up on a cold night and this recipe is fairly easy to rustle up and won’t cost a fortune to make.

INGREDIENTS

500mg minced beef

1 potato, peeled and diced

2 carrots, diced

1 onion, chopped

100mg mushrooms, chopped

Salt and black pepper

150ml cider

225g puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

METHOD Mix together the mince, potato, carrots, onion and mushrooms.

Add salt and pepper and place the mince mixture in a 1-litre pie dish.

Make a hole in the middle of the mixture and pour the cider in.

Roll out the puff pastry and cut away a 2.5cm (1inch) strip of pastry.

Wet the rim of the pie dish and place the pastry strip around the rim.

Cover the top of the pie dish with the remaining pastry and brush with some beaten egg.

Make a hole in the centre of the lid to let the steam out.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 220oC, 425 oF, gas mark 7. Then reduce the heat to 180C, 350F, gas mark 4 and bake for a further 40 minutes or so.

Serve with some crusty bread or salad.

This recipe and many more plus amusing facts about mince can be found in The Complete Book Of Mince by Rene La Sagne, priced £9.95 out next week.

Source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/entertainment-catch-all/2008/09/20/scoff-how-to-make-the-most-of-mince-86908-20744803/