Cook some lamb sausages, then slice thinly.
Warm the pittas so they are easier to fold.
Spread pittas with tzaziki, then choice of veggies - shredded lettuce, sliced pepper, cucumber sliced into long thin strips, green onions, olives, tomatoes - then add slices of sausage.
Fold into a parcel. Enjoy!
In a large saucepan, fry a chopped onion and garlic in butter. Separately fry a few chopped rashers of streaky bacon - I do this separately because the bacon provides more than enough fat to cook itself.
Once the onion is golden and the bacon is crispy, add the bacon to the pan. Add chopped leek and diced potato and saute for a few minutes. Add stock and seasoning, bring to the boil and simmer until the veggies are tender. At this point, you can either blend for a smooth soup, or leave it chunky.
Stir in a good measure of cream and boil to thicken.
Add some more crispy bacon to finish, and serve with warm crusty bread.
Same as for Beef Wellington, except use a firm-fleshed white fish instead, something like cod or halibut. The fish goes into the pastry uncooked and will cook in the oven.
Sear either a beef tenderloin or individual steaks - they will continue to cook in the oven so you don't want them fully cooked at this stage.
Roll out puff pastry.
Fry a finely-chopped onion and some finely-chopped mushrooms. When cooked, stir in some smooth pate, then a dollop of cream and mix thoroughly. When the mixture has cooled, spread onto the middle of the pastry and set the beef on top. Fold the pastry over to make a parcel (or individual parcels), and bake until the pastry is puffed up and browned.
We like trying a new spin on potatoes every once in a while, and this random discovery was an all-round hit. In some ways it's similar to Duphinoise potatoes, but a lot richer. It does take a lot more preparation though, but if you have the time, the effort is worth it.
Cube and boil potatoes in salted water for a few minutes. They should be slightly tender but not too soft.
Saute a couple of diced shallots and minced garlic in butter until tender.
Stir in a spoonful of flour and cook for a minute, stirring to stop it catching on the pan. Stir in a couple of cups of chicken stock then cream to make a moderately thick sauce. Simmer for a few minutes stirring constantly.
Stir in a generous handful of cheese, a squirt of mustard, and season with salt and pepper. Finally stir in the drained potatoes.
Spread the mixture into a greased baking pan and bake for up to an hour. Sprinkle another handful of grated cheese and chopped chives or green onions on top and either return to bake or put under the grill to brown.
When we want a change from regular wraps (tacos, fajitas etc.) pitta makes a nice change with a Greek twist rather than Mexican.
Warm some pittas in the oven to make them more flexible. Spread a spoonful of tzatziki, then salad and meat, and roll it up. Eat with care :)
For salads, you we use thinly sliced cucumber, pepper, tomato, onion, olives, and shredded lettuce.
For meat, a favourite is lamb sausages, fried then thinly sliced.
A very tasty home-made sauce. For once I'll include quantities to get the balance of flavours right.
Blend together: 2 tbsp vinegar, 1/2 tbsp corn starch, 1/2 tbsp ketchup, 1 grated onion, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp oil.
Drain the juice from a can of pineapple chunks into a saucepan and stir in the blended ingredients. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in the pineapple.
