PIE & MASH & LIQUOR

There are only a handful of pie and mash shops left these days,
which is a great pity when there are so many vile burger bars and
greasy fried chicken shops to choose from.
Anyway, even if pies go further out of fashion than they are
now, you can still make them at home. I nearly always make mine
with shortcrust pastry, but use ready-made puff pastry if you
prefer. Either way, these little pies can be made in advance and kept
in the fridge for a couple of days.
The other point I should make is that although the tin I use is
meant to be a Yorkshire pudding tin, it’s actually about the same
size as an extra large muffin tin (I’ve also seen much bigger
Yorkshire pudding tins than mine) but as long as the holes in the
tin are deep enough and the tin looks about right to you, don’t
worry too much about the size, it should be fine.
You should get between 6 and 10 pies from the quantities in the
recipe.
For the pastry
8 oz (225 g) plain flour
2 oz (50 g) butter or margarine
2 oz (50 g) lard
Cold water (approximately 4 tbsp)
For the filling
1lb (500 g) beef mince
1 large onion
2 tsp gravy browning
1⁄4 mug of cold water
1⁄4 cup of milk for glazing
Method
1. Make the pastry by sifting the flour into a large mixing bowl
then adding the fat to the bowl in small pieces and rubbing the
fat and flour together with your fingertips until the mixture
resembles medium-fine breadcrumbs.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour then add about half the
given quantity of water and mix together with your hand or a
tablespoon to make the dough, adding a little more water if
necessary.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for a
minute or two until the dough is smooth and workable, then
wrap in cling film or foil and keep in the fridge while you make
the pie filling.
4. Cook the mince in a large pan while you finely chop the onion,
then add the onion to the pan and cook for a few more minutes
until the mince has browned and the onion is soft.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 (200ºC) and use
a mug to make six circles on a sheet of greaseproof paper (or
one circle for however many pies you’re making). Place a
greaseproof circle at the base of each hole in the tin and grease
the whole of the inside.
6. As soon as the meat is cooked, strain as much of the fatty
liquid out of the pan as you can and mix 2 teaspoons of gravy
browning in 1⁄4 mug of cold water, making sure there are no
lumps.
7. Pour the gravy browning into the pan with the meat and stir
well for a minute or two until the sauce thickens, then remove
the pan from the heat.
8. Roll out the pastry to about 1⁄8 in (3 mm) thick; use a side plate
or saucer to cut out six pie bottoms, and a mug to make six pie
lids, re-rolling the pastry trimmings as necessary.
9. Carefully place one large circle of pastry in each hole in the tin;
prick with a fork several times then fill with the meat mixture,
leaving about 1⁄4 in (5 mm) of pastry at the top.
10. Brush the pastry edges of the pies with a little milk then put a
lid on top of each pie and fold the top edge of the pastry over
the lid, pressing down gently to seal the pies.
11. Prick the top of the pies with a fork, brush with more milk and
bake the pies in a hot oven for about 25 minutes, or until the
pastry is golden.
12. Serve with mashed potatoes and parsley liquor.
How to make liquor If you don’t have fresh chicken stock, use the water you’ve boiled
the potatoes in, or even a mixture of each. And although it’s better
to use fresh, chopped flat-leaf parsley, dried herbs are more than
good enough.
2 oz (50 g) butter or margarine
1 tbsp cornflour
1 pint (500 ml) fresh chicken stock or 1 pint (500 ml) potato
water, or a mixture of stock and water)
1 tbsp vinegar (preferably white wine vinegar, but brown malt will
do)
A handful of fresh parsley or 2 tbsp dried parsley
Salt & pepper
Method
1. Melt the butter or margarine in a saucepan and stir in the
cornflour to make a paste.
2. Gradually pour in the stock or water, plus vinegar, and whisk
continuously to prevent lumps forming.
3. Add the finely chopped fresh parsley to the sauce and season
with a very little salt and pepper.
4. Serve with the pies and mashed potatoes.
Tip
Instead of using cornflour, thicken a watery sauce with a
small cup of (uncooked) couscous stirred in a few minutes
before serving.

CHIPS

Greasy French fries from fast food outlets deserve their bad
reputation but home-made chips, chip shop chips, and even oven
chips don’t. So what if one portion of chips uses up half your daily
fat allowance? I don’t see why that should be a problem when a
bag of chips is a meal in itself and once you’ve eaten them you still
have the other half of your daily fat allowance left …
Chips are often condemned as the most offensive ‘unhealthy’
food of all, and while I agree that thin, soggy, oily chips are no good
for children or anyone else, chunky chips that were deep fried in
very hot oil so the nutrients are sealed in are actually a lot healthier
and tastier than boiled potatoes that lose most of their vitamins in
the water. My advice would be, tempt your children with chips and
they’re far more likely to eat the other vegetables on their plate
without complaining. Honestly. It always worked in my house.
In fact, chips are the ultimate comfort food – with or without
ketchup, mayonnaise, salad cream, or curry sauce – so forget about
calorie counting and fat grams for once, stop thinking of them as
‘an occasional treat’, which is the advice given in just about every
article I’ve ever read on the subject of ‘healthy eating’, and make
chips a regular part of your diet. They’re full of vitamins, taste good
and fill you up without making you fat, and you can’t ask for much
more than that.
Home-made deep-fried chips:Maris Pipers are ideal. Serve
with anything and everything.
1. Peel the potatoes, cut into chips, roughly 1⁄2 in (1.25 cm) thick,
and rinse well in cold running water for about 10 seconds.
2. Allow the chips to drain while you heat the oil, making sure you’ve
got rid of every last drop of water by blotting with an old, clean
tea towel or kitchen roll. (When a cube of stale bread dropped
into the oil turns golden within seconds, the oil is hot enough.)
3. If you have a chip basket big enough, use that, otherwise cook
the chips loose, lowering them into the hot oil as carefully as
you can.
4. Cover with a lid and check them often; they should be ready in
about 20 minutes.
Home-made oven-baked chips: Sprinkle with salt, or any kind
of ready mixed seasoning from a jar, or just leave plain.
1. Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks in the usual way while
you preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7 (220ºC).
2. Pour a few tablespoons of oil onto a large baking tray or
roasting dish, add the chips and use your hands to mix and coat
with the oil.
3. Bake in the oven for 20–30 minutes, shaking the tray halfway
through the cooking time.
New potato chips: Serve with fish or cold meat and salad.
1. Wash the potatoes in cold water; don’t peel, leave them in their
skins and dry thoroughly. Cut into halves or quarters
depending on size.
2. Heat enough oil in a very large pan to completely submerge the
potatoes and deep fry for roughly 15 minutes, or until crisp
and golden brown on the outside, soft on the inside.
3. Drain on kitchen paper.
Plantain chips: Serve with any spicy food and a cool yoghurt
dressing.
1. Peel the plantain with a sharp knife, cut each one in half then
each half into quarters to make long chips. Deep fry or bake
the plantain chips in the same way as home-made potato chips.
Mixed root vegetable chips: Mix up parsnips, turnips, potatoes
and sweet potatoes and serve with onion marmalade, or sausages
and tomato ketchup or brown sauce.
1. Peel and cut all the vegetables into fairly large, same-size
chunks.
2. Simmer the potatoes in boiling water for a couple of minutes
while you warm enough oil in a large pan to submerge the chips
completely.
3. Strain the potatoes thoroughly and mix with the other
vegetables.
4. Deep fry for about 15 minutes until golden brown and drain on
kitchen paper.

CHIP SHOP CURRY SAUCE

If you thought nothing could beat a good chip shop curry sauce,
think again. The home-made version is better. I put celery in mine
because it leaves the sauce with a slightly crunchy texture even after
the sauce has been blended, which I like, but if you want a smoother
sauce, leave out the celery and put in extra apples.
And if my memory serves me right, I’m sure I’ve come across
sultanas in chip shop curry sauce before, so there’s no reason why
you couldn’t add some here if you like sultanas and want a bit more
sweetness.
These quantities make enough for at least six very large servings
of sauce.
1 big tbsp curry powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp allspice
1 onion
3 apples
2–3 celery sticks
2–3 carrots
2 tbsp gram or plain flour
1⁄2 tube tomato purée
1 pint (500 ml) cold water
2 tsp gravy browning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Oil
Method
1. Warm some oil in a very large pan while you peel and roughly
chop the onion, celery and carrots and, finally, peel, core and
cut up the apples. (Do the apples last to stop them going
brown.)
2. Mix the curry powder, cumin, cinnamon and allspice together
and add the spices to the hot oil in the pan, followed by the
vegetables and fruit.
3. Stir well and cook over a low heat for a few minutes until the
onion has softened a bit then sift in the flour and cook for
another minute or two.
4. Meanwhile, put 2 tsp of gravy browning in a cup with a little of
the water from the 1 pint (500 ml) and mix well with a
teaspoon to make sure there are no lumps.
5. Pour the rest of the water into the pan and bring to the boil,
stirring occasionally.
6. As soon as the water is hot, slowly pour the gravy browning
into the pan and keep stirring.
7. Finally, add the tomato purée, sugar and salt, cover the pan with
a lid and leave the sauce to simmer for 20–30 minutes. Blend
the finished sauce and adjust the seasoning with a very little
salt and pepper if you think you need to.
8. Serve with chips. Also good with sausages or chicken and rice.

SPAM FRITTERS

When I first thought of making Spam Fritters for this book, every
time I suggested it to someone they were horrified, which is why
I had to put them in.
I must admit that until now I hadn’t eaten Spam in any shape
or form since I was at school, and I can’t find anyone else who
admits to eating it either, but tins of Spam are on the shelves in
every supermarket so somebody out there must like it. Maybe Spam
is another one of those secret vices, like Pot Noodle and tinned
spaghetti hoops (see also Trifle and Butterscotch Crunch in
Chapter 5, ‘Something Sweet’), but because Spam is made from
around 90% pork it’s a pretty good source of protein in addition to
being – I hate to say it – quite tasty.
In fact, the worst thing I can say about Spam is that,
unbelievably, it’s even harder to get out of the tin than corned beef,
so perhaps if the packaging wasn’t potentially so hazardous and
liable to cut your fingers off, even more people would eat it.
The batter in this recipe is very light and crisp so the fritters
won’t be too oily. One or two small Spam fritters will easily feed a
child and you’ll get eight from one tin of Spam. (This amount of
batter is more than enough for two tins.)
1 or 2 tins of Spam
4 tbsp plain flour
1–2 tbsp cornflour
1⁄2 pint (250 ml) cider
Oil
Method
1. Sift the flours together into a bowl and make a well in the
centre; pour the cider into the well and gradually whisk in the
flour to make a fairly thin, frothy batter.
2. Cut the Spam into 4 thick slices and cut each slice in half to
make 8 small squares.
3. Warm enough oil in a large pan to just cover the fritters. Once
the oil is hot enough, use a fork to dunk the fritters in batter
then put them into the pan and fry for a very few minutes until
the batter is crisp and just golden. Serve with baked beans and
chips (what else?).

PACIFIC PIE

Like Pasta Bake, Pacific Pie is now something of a modern classic.
Both meals are perfect for those times when you can’t face proper
cooking, and it also helps that you get to crush up lots of crisps,
accidentally tearing open more bags than you need in the process,
which is always a good thing.
There are no rules really; a couple of tins of fish and a sauce
made from any combination of yoghurt, mayonnaise, condensed
soup, crème fraîche and tomato purée with tinned or leftover
vegetables and a cheesy, crunchy topping are all you need.
2 tins of salmon or tuna
1 tin of sweetcorn
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
Spinach
Natural yoghurt
Lemon juice
Grated cheese
Ready salted crisps
Salt & pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 (200ºC).
2. Wash and tear up the spinach; drain the tins of fish and
sweetcorn then put everything in an ovenproof dish and add
lemon juice, salt and pepper according to taste.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and a couple of spoonfuls of
yoghurt with whatever else you’re using and mix it all up.
4. Crush the crisps and sprinkle on the top of the pie with lots of
grated cheese. Bake in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.

CREAMY PASTA BAKE

I wouldn’t normally precook the pasta for an oven-baked dish;
pasta cooked twice is too starchy and rubbery, and cooking what
should be a basic one-step recipe in two stages defeats the object
of the exercise for me. That said, you only have to leave the pasta
to stand in a pan of boiling water for as long as it takes to make a
two-minute sauce, which doesn’t really count as cooking, and the
result is another perfect pasta bake in the space of half an hour;
very tasty and easy to make.
As with all pasta bakes you can swap the ingredients around to
suit yourself and, for an even quicker option, make the sauce with
a tin of condensed soup diluted with a pint (500 ml) of milk –
chicken, mushroom or asparagus are all good – and use tinned
vegetables instead of frying onions and mushrooms at the
beginning.
Pasta shapes
2 red onions
Mushrooms
Chorizo sausage
2 oz (50 g) butter or margarine
2tbsp flour
1 pint (500 ml) milk
Grated Cheddar or mozzarella (or a mixture of both)
Black pepper
Oil or butter
Method
1. Warm about 2 oz (50 g) of butter in a large pan, fry the
chopped mushrooms and onions for a few minutes until the
onions are golden, then turn the heat right down.
2. Meanwhile, cut the chorizo sausage into small pieces.
3. Bring a saucepan of slightly salted water to the boil then turn
the heat off, add the pasta to the pan (one or two handfuls per
person), cover with a lid and leave to stand while you make the
quick sauce.
4. Sift 2 tablespoons of flour into the pan with the fried
mushrooms and onions, stir well and cook for about a minute.
5. Gradually pour the milk into the pan, stirring all the time, then
turn the heat up and cook for a couple more minutes until you
have a smooth, fairly thin sauce (whisk any lumps out with a
fork or a small hand whisk). Season the sauce with black
pepper.
6. Drain the pasta and transfer to a large ovenproof dish with the
chorizo. Pour over the sauce and mix everything together
thoroughly.
7. Sprinkle with plenty of grated cheese and bake in the oven on
Gas Mark 4 (180ºC) for 15–20 minutes.

GROUNDNUT TURKEY STEW

You can get at least 1⁄2 lb (225 g) of meat from a turkey drumstick
that costs around £1.25 in the supermarket, so as long as you’re not
resigned to buying nothing but free range meat and poultry, turkey
drumsticks are one of the cheapest options going.
Depending on what you’re making, it’s sometimes easier to
cook your turkey drumstick whole and carve the meat off
afterwards (using the bone to make stock) but for this recipe you
need chopped raw meat, so cut the turkey away from the bone
with a pair of kitchen scissors.
1–11⁄2 lb (450–675 g) turkey
2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
1 orange or yellow pepper
1⁄2 lb (225 g) monkey nuts (or shelled peanuts)
1pint (500 ml) chicken stock
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper
Oil
Method
1. Heat some oil in a very large pan and fry the chopped onions,
pepper and garlic for a few minutes until just soft.
2. Mix the fried vegetables with the peanuts and stock and whiz
the whole lot in a blender or food processor for a minute until
it’s fairly smooth.
3. Meanwhile, warm some more oil in the same pan you used to
cook the vegetables then fry the chopped turkey, quickly
browning the meat on all sides.
4. Add the vegetable and peanut mixture to the pan with the meat
followed by the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, peanut butter
and cayenne pepper.
5. Bring to the boil, stirring frequently, then turn the heat down
and simmer the stew for about 45 minutes until the meat is
tender.
6. Adjust the flavour and consistency with salt and pepper, extra
cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce for more heat, a little more
tomato purée or peanut butter for thickness, or more stock to
thin the sauce down.
7. Serve with plain boiled rice.

BEAN & FRANKFURTER RAGOUT

This is a very basic bean stew, which would be a bit boring without
the addition of the frankfurters and cider to liven it up. (Still very
cheap though.)
2 large packets of frankfurters
1⁄2 lb (225 g) dried red kidney beans
1⁄2 lb (225 g) dried haricot beans or chickpeas
1 red onion
Mushrooms
1 bottle of cider (330 ml)
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp cornflour
1⁄2 pint (250 ml) cold water
2 tsp chilli powder
Oil
Method
1. Soak the beans overnight then drain, rinse well under cold
running water and put in a large pan with enough water to
cover the beans completely.
2. Bring to the boil then boil rapidly for 15–20 minutes before
draining the beans and rinsing in fresh cold running water
again.
3. Meanwhile, fry the sliced onion and mushrooms in a large pan
or flameproof casserole; mix the cornflour with the cold water
then add to the pan with the cider, tomato purée and chilli
powder.
4. Stir well and bring the liquid to the boil, then add the beans,
cover with a lid and cook the ragout in a slow oven, Gas Mark
3 (170ºC) for 2–21⁄2 hours until the beans are tender. (Check
a couple of times throughout the cooking time and stir the
ragout to stop the sauce sticking to the bottom of the pan.)
5. As soon as the beans are done, cut the frankfurters into thick
slices diagonally and mix into the casserole, adding a little water
if the sauce is too thick.
6. Cook for another 5 minutes. Serve with mashed or fried
potatoes.

SWEET & SOUR PORK

Make sweet and sour with seedless jam instead of sugar. This
works well with cuts of pork that require longer cooking.
6 large pork fillets (or similar)
2 tbsp seedless jam (apricot, raspberry, strawberry or plum)
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp water
2 tsp mustard
2 tsp vinegar
Method
1. Wrap the pork in a parcel of foil inside a large ovenproof dish and
bake in a low oven, Gas Mark 2–3 (160–170ºC) for about an hour.
2. Meanwhile, put the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl or
measuring jug and mix together with a fork to make the sweet
and sour sauce.
3. Remove the foil and place the pieces of pork side by side in the
dish, coat well with the sauce and turn the oven up to Gas
Mark 5 (190ºC).
4. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning once.
5. Serve with mashed or small roast potatoes and mixed vegetables.
Tip
King Edwards make perfect roast potatoes: parboil the
potatoes and let them simmer for about five minutes, then
strain the water off and bash the potatoes up a bit by
giving them two or three good shakes in the saucepan
with the lid on. When you put the potatoes into very hot
oil or lard the soft outside absorbs some of the fat; that’s
what makes them lovely and crisp.

MUTTON DRESSED AS LAMB

Mutton is meant to be making a comeback as a more affordable
alternative to lamb, but I can’t see this happening when you don’t
often come across it in the supermarket, and most butchers I’ve
asked say they have to order it in on request – although you’ll
almost certainly find mutton in halal butcher’s shops.
Not only that, mutton can actually cost more than a good,
cheap cut of lamb, which is a shame, because with the usual slowcooking
rule that applies to all but the most expensive cuts of meat,
mutton can be just as tasty, with a texture and flavour of its own.
2 lb (1 kg) mutton
2 parsnips
1 turnip (or 2–3 small)
1 onion
Carrots
2 pints (1 litre) beef or lamb stock
1 glass of sherry
2–3 sprigs of rosemary (or 1 tbsp dried)
1⁄2 bunch of mint (or 1 tbsp dried)
1 tbsp sugar
Balsamic vinegar
Oil or lard
Method
1. Warm the oil or lard in a large saucepan while you trim and
cut up the meat into roughly same-size pieces and prepare the
vegetables in the same way.
2. Brown the meat in the hot fat as quickly as you can, transferring
to a very large casserole or ovenproof dish as you go.
3. Put the rosemary on top of the meat – if using fresh, snip most
of the leaves off but put the stalks in too; you can take them out
later – and fry the vegetables for a few minutes, adding more oil
to the pan as and when you need to.
4. Put the vegetables in a layer on top of the meat but don’t mix
them in with the meat; you’ll need to remove them later, once
the casserole is cooked, to make a sauce.
5. Make 2 pints (1 litre) of stock with 2 stock cubes, add the
sherry and pour the liquid over the casserole. Cover with a lid
and cook in a very low oven, Gas Mark 1–2 (150–160ºC) for
at least 3–31⁄2 hours or until the meat is very tender.
6. Use a large serving spoon or ladle to remove the vegetables and
most of the stock from the casserole and blend the whole lot
together in a liquidizer or food processor to make a purée,
keeping the meat warm at the same time.
7. Mix the mint, sugar and balsamic vinegar into the vegetable
purée; remove the rosemary stalks from the casserole and stir
the purée into the meat. Adjust the seasoning and consistency
of the sauce and serve with roast or mashed potatoes, or rice.
Tip
If you buy a big bundle of fresh herbs and know you won’t
be able to use it up before it starts wilting, put what you
don’t need immediately in a sealed food bag and freeze.

STEW & DUMPLINGS

Irish stew is traditionally made with lamb and potatoes, whereas
English stews tend to leave out the potatoes and have dumplings
instead. This stew has both because I don’t like giving up one for the
other, but either beef or lamb will do so use whichever one you prefer.
Also, Irish stew includes pearl barley which I’ve left out here,
but which could easily be added with the vegetables straight from
the packet, or blanched in boiling water first according to the
instructions on the box.
2 lb (1 kg) lamb neck fillet or stewing beef
4 large potatoes
2 turnips
1–2 onions
Carrots
11⁄2 pints (850 ml) lamb or beef stock
1–2 tbsp plain or gram flour
1 tsp gravy browning mixed with 1⁄4 mug of cold water
Black pepper
Lard or oil
For the dumplings
4 tbsp self-raising flour
2 tbsp suet
1⁄2 tsp salt
1 tbsp Herbes de Provence or mixed herbs
1⁄2 mug of cold water
Method
1. Trim the meat and season with a little black pepper while you
warm some lard or oil in a very large pan and preheat the oven
to Gas Mark 2–3 (160–170ºC).
2. Slice the onions and chop the vegetables into roughly same-size
pieces. (Not too small though or they’ll turn to mush in the oven.)
3. Seal the meat in the hot oil as quickly as you can and transfer
to a large casserole dish.
4. Fry the onions, potatoes, turnips and carrots together, stir in
the flour and cook for another couple of minutes before adding
the vegetables to the casserole with the meat.
5. Make 11⁄2 pints (850 ml) of stock with 1 stock cube and mix 1
big teaspoon of gravy browning in about 1⁄4 mug of cold water.
6. Stir the gravy mixture into the stock then pour the liquid over
the meat and vegetables.
7. Cover with a lid and cook in a slow oven for about 3 hours, or
until the meat is completely tender.
8. Make the dumplings by mixing the flour, salt, suet and herbs
together, gradually adding the cold water to make a soft but
not too sticky dough.
9. Form the dough into very small dumplings and place on top of
the stew.
10. Cook the stew for another 20 minutes or so without the lid,
until the dumplings are risen and slightly golden.

GOULASH

Maybe there’s no such thing as a classic goulash because the
ingredients vary considerably from one region to another according
to the country of origin – Hungary and Austria most typically.
In fact, veal is traditionally used in the majority of goulash
recipes, but apart from any principles you may have about eating
veal, it’s expensive and not particularly accessible, so I make mine
with stewing or braising steak instead.
2 lb+ (at least 1 kg) stewing steak
Onions
Mushrooms
2 or 3 carrots
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp sugar
1 level tsp cayenne pepper
1–11⁄2 pints (600–850 ml) stock
1⁄2 glass white wine (or red, or sherry)
Worcestershire sauce
Tomato purée
Salt & pepper
Oil
Butter
Method
1. Warm some oil in a very large pan, trim any excess fat off the meat
(there shouldn’t be much in any case), preheat the oven to Gas
Mark 2 (160ºC) and prepare and roughly chop the vegetables.
2. Season the meat with a very little salt and some pepper then fry
over a high heat a few pieces at a time to seal and brown it quickly.
3. Put the cooked meat into a large casserole dish, discard any
liquid left in the pan then add a little more oil or some butter (or
some of each) and fry the carrots, peppers and onion for a few
minutes until they soften up a bit and brown slightly. Add the
mushrooms to the pan and fry for another couple of minutes.
4. Turn the heat right down, sift in the paprika, cayenne pepper
and flour and cook for another minute, stirring well.
5. Make the stock, add a couple of dashes of Worcestershire Sauce,
a tablespoon of sugar and plenty of tomato purée then pour the
stock and 1⁄2 glass of wine or sherry into the pan, stirring again.
6. Pour the stock and vegetables over the meat in the casserole
dish and cook in a low oven for 2 1⁄2–3 hours until the meat is
very tender. Serve with mashed potatoes and green vegetables.
Tip
No need to wash red meat, just snip off any excess fat,
season and use straight from the packet. (If you really
have to rinse it first, dry it thoroughly or the meat won’t
seal well in the pan and the end result will be dry.)

CHICKEN KIEV

Try making a paste with olive oil rather than stuffing the chicken
with garlic butter in the usual way; that way you get nice moist
chicken and just as much flavour without so much grease. If you’d
rather have garlic butter though, mix the same amount of garlic,
onion salt and parsley with roughly 2 oz (50 g) of butter.
Use regular breadcrumbs instead of biscuit crumbs if you
prefer, or a mixture of both.
4 chicken breast fillets
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp salt
2 tsp onion or celery salt
2 tsp parsley
11⁄2 tbsp olive oil
8 cream crackers
2–3 handfuls of cornflakes
1 egg
Splash of milk
Flour
Method
1. Remove the skin from the chicken, rinse and dry the meat
thoroughly and trim any little fatty bits. (If the fillets are very
large, cut them in half.) With a very sharp knife, slice through
the middle of each piece of chicken about 3⁄4 of the way through.
2. In a small bowl, crush the garlic and mix to a paste with the
salt, onion or celery salt, parsley and olive oil.
3. Whiz the crackers and cornflakes in a food processor, or put
the whole lot in a large food bag and crush with a rolling pin or
other heavy object, then tip the biscuit crumbs onto a dinner
plate or shallow tray. Put a couple of tablespoons of flour on
another plate and mix the beaten egg with a big splash of milk
in a fairly large, shallow bowl.
4. Warm about an inch (2 cm) of oil in a large pan and preheat the
oven to Gas Mark 6 (200ºC) while you spread the garlic paste
(or garlic butter) in the middle of each piece of chicken.
5. Dust the chicken pieces with a little flour then dip first in the
beaten egg mixture before covering completely in biscuit
crumbs.
6. As soon as the oil is hot enough – i.e. a small piece of bread
turns brown in about half a minute – put the chicken fillets in
the pan two or three at a time and fry for a few minutes until
crisp and golden.
7. Finish cooking the chicken in the oven for about 15 minutes,
depending on size, and serve with fried potatoes, or rice and
salad.

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

Quark mixed with herbs and garlic makes a good low fat
alternative to Emmental or other hard cheeses.
4 chicken breast fillets
4 slices of lean ham
Quark
Garlic salt
Herbes de Provence
4–6 oz (100–150g) breadcrumbs
1 egg
Splash of milk
Flour
Oil
Method
1. Remove the skin from the chicken, rinse and dry the meat
thoroughly and trim any little fatty bits. (If the fillets are very
large, cut them in half.) With a very sharp knife, slice through
the middle of each piece of chicken about 3⁄4 of the way through.
2. Open out the chicken pieces and put in the ham.
3. Mix about 3⁄4 of the tub of Quark with garlic salt and herbs
(according to taste) then roughly spread the cheese over the
ham and fold the chicken making sure the fillings are tucked
neatly inside.
4. Spread the breadcrumbs out on a large plate or tray. Put a
couple of tablespoons of flour on another plate and mix the
beaten egg with a big splash of milk in a fairly large, shallow
bowl.
5. Warm about an inch (2 cm) of oil in a large pan and preheat the
oven to Gas Mark 6 (200ºC) while you dust the chicken pieces
with a little flour then dip them first in the beaten egg mixture
before covering completely in breadcrumbs.
6. As soon as the oil is hot enough – i.e. a small piece of bread
turns brown in about half a minute – put the chicken fillets in
the pan two at a time and fry for a few minutes until crisp and
golden, turning once.
7. Finish cooking the chicken in the oven for about 15 minutes,
depending on size, and serve with fried potatoes, or rice and
salad.

RAISED PORK PIE

This is so old-fashioned there are records of this recipe dating back
to the 15th century, meaning raised pork pies were absolutely
ancient hundreds of years before Mrs Beeton’s time, so it’s a pity
our experience of pork pies tends to be limited to the very pink
and unnatural mass-produced shop-bought variety today.
Originally, raised pork pies were so called because the pastry
was pulled up or raised around a jar or a thick collar of greaseproof
paper to get its shape, and some people, including my sister-in-law
Claire (who gave me her recipe) still make them this way; far too
demanding for people like me who only have as much dexterity
and patience as it takes to fill and unload a spring-release cake tin.
You can’t knock one up in a few minutes flat either – there’s a
long cooking and waiting time – but home-made pork pies are
actually very easy to make, and so much better than the
aforementioned pink ones that they’re definitely worth doing
occasionally, especially as they’re also pretty economical if you
think about it. The amount of meat in this recipe, roughly 3 lb
(1.5 kg), costs around £6; the other ingredients are cheap store
cupboard items, and the result is a huge, impressive-looking pie,
made in an 8–9 inch (20.5 cm) tin, which is enough to feed at least
a dozen people.
You can either use boneless leg or shoulder of pork cut into
cubes, or minced pork and good-quality sausages, which could be
pork and herb, pork and apple, Cumberland or Lincolnshire, or a
combination of any of these, but there’s no point in making a
home-made pie with value sausages or cheap sausagemeat. You
may as well not bother.
Finally, although all traditional pork pie recipes involve making
aspic for pouring into the pie at the end, I can’t see the point of
making jellied stock or, heaven forbid, boiling up veal bones for
the real thing, which adds at least two more stages to the method,
makes the pastry soggier than it needs to be and contributes very
little to the whole pork pie eating experience since I’ve never met
anyone who doesn’t immediately remove the jelly and leave it on
the side of their plate. (Although admittedly, home-made jelly is a
lot nicer than the thick, white glutinous stuff in shop-bought pies.)
Anyway, I’ve included the jelly-making bit just in case, so put
it in or leave it out – it’s up to you.
For the pastry
1lb (500 g) plain flour
1 level tbsp salt
4 oz (100 g) lard (or Trex)
1⁄2 pint (250 ml) water
For the filling
1 lb (500 g) minced pork
2 packets x 6 good-quality sausages, total 2 lb (1 kg)
1 big tsp each of sage, parsley, marjoram, nutmeg, onion salt and
black pepper
1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg, beaten
For the jelly
1 stock cube
1 bouquet garni
1 bay leaf
1 sachet of gelatine
1⁄2 pint (250 ml) boiling water
Method
1. Put 1⁄2 pint (250 ml) of water and the fat into a small saucepan
and bring to the boil; meanwhile sift the flour and salt into a
large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Once the fat has melted and the water has just reached boiling
point, pour the liquid into the well and quickly beat in the
flour with a wooden spoon to make a dough. (Don’t worry if
the dough looks a bit dry and doesn’t come together perfectly
at this stage; it will once you start working it by hand.)
3. Start pinching the dough together with your fingers (do it
carefully, it’s still very hot) and knead well until it becomes a
smooth, shiny ball. Cover the dough with a damp cloth or cling
film and leave in a warm place to rest for about half an hour.
4. If you’re making the jelly, dissolve the stock cube in 1⁄2 pint
(250 ml) of boiling water in a measuring jug at this stage, add
a bay leaf and a bouquet garni bag and leave to cool for about
half an hour before covering and keeping in the fridge.
5. While you’re waiting for the dough, preheat the oven to Gas
Mark 4–5 (180–190ºC) and baseline the tin with greaseproof
paper, lightly oiling the whole inside of the tin. Prepare the
meat mixture by squeezing the sausages out of their skins and
mixing them with the minced pork, herbs and spices, then
squishing it all together with your hands.
6. Roll out 2⁄3 of the dough on a lightly floured surface till it
makes a rough, thick circle slightly larger than the base of the
tin. Put the circle of dough in the tin and raise it up the sides
of the tin by gently pressing and stretching the dough from
the centre, outwards and upwards.
7. Fill the pie with the meat mixture in a dome shape to give the
finished pie a more pleasing appearance than if it was just flat
across the top.
8. Roll out the remaining 1⁄3 of the dough into a rough circle
about the same size as the first one to make the lid. Cover the
pie with the lid, trimming the lid into shape and firmly
pinching the edges and sides of the pastry together with your
thumb and forefinger all the way round to make a crust.
9. Use the pastry trimmings to decorate the pie by cutting out
leaves with a small sharp knife, or making any shapes you like
with pastry cutters. Make a hole about the size of a pencil in
the centre of the pie if you’re making jelly later and glaze the
pastry with the beaten egg.
10. Bake the pie on Gas Mark 5–6 (190–200ºC) for about half an
hour, then turn the oven down to Gas Mark 3–4
(170–180ºC), cover loosely with foil and bake for another 2 1⁄2
hours until the pastry is a deep golden brown.
11. Release the spring immediately and remove the ring leaving
the pie on the base to cool down for about 1 hour. Put the pie
in the fridge as soon as you can and leave for at least 4 hours
and preferably overnight to become completely cold.
To make the jelly
It’s very important that the jelly is cold when you pour it into the
pie; if it isn’t the hot stock will warm the meat up just enough to
create a haven for bacteria. Don’t try and pour warm jelly into a still
warm pie either; the pastry will soak it all up and turn to mush.
And although you’re making 1⁄2 pint (250 ml) of stock you won’t
need this much so pour it into the pie really slowly.
1. Remove the bouquet garni and bay leaves from the stock and
heat it thoroughly, either in the microwave or by bringing it to
boiling point in a small saucepan.
2. Sprinkle about 2⁄3 of a sachet of gelatine into the boiling hot
stock, whisking with a fork for about a minute until you’re sure
the powder has dissolved.
3. Put the stock into a very big oven dish or similar; anything with
a large surface area that will cool the stock right down in a
matter of minutes so it’s completely cold while it’s still in liquid
form. (If you leave it to cool slowly the jelly will set.)
4. Transfer the stock back into the measuring jug and pour slowly
and carefully through the hole in the middle of the pastry.
5. Refrigerate the pork pie for at least another 2 or 3 hours then
remove the base of the tin and the layer of greaseproof and
stand the pie on a plate.
6. Keep the pork pie in the fridge and use within one week.

LIVER CASSEROLE

Lots of people are put off liver because they remember being forced
to eat it as a child, usually at school, and it’s true that in its raw
state, or just fried, it’s really not very nice – calves’ liver excepted.
The answer lies in the preparation. Spend a few minutes
removing the skin and trimming the nasty bits away then cook the
liver in a nice sauce with more appealing ingredients and you’ve
got a result. Best of all, liver is packed with protein and it’s still dirt
cheap.
2 packets of liver
1⁄2 lb (225 g) of bacon
Onions
Mushrooms
1⁄2 pint (250 ml) gravy
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Tomato purée
Mustard (English or French)
Flour
Salt & pepper
Oil
Method
1. Wash the liver in a colander under cold running water then
trim carefully, cut into small pieces and coat well in the
seasoned flour.
2. Snip the bacon into small pieces and get rid of any rind or
excess fat.
3. Chop and slice the onions and mushrooms while you warm
some oil in a large frying pan. Start cooking the onions first,
adding the mushrooms after a couple of minutes, and when
you think they’re ready transfer to a large casserole dish.
4. Fry the liver and bacon pieces together over a high heat, adding
a little more oil to the pan first, if necessary, then add to the
casserole with the onions and mushrooms.
5. Empty the tin of chopped tomatoes into the pan and make up
1⁄2 pint (250 ml) of instant gravy in a measuring jug. Add the
gravy to the pan with about one tablespoon of tomato purée
and a little mustard, stir well and allow to warm through for a
couple of minutes before pouring into the casserole dish.
6. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven, Gas Mark 5 (190ºC)
for 10–15 minutes.

FAGGOTS

Traditionally, faggots are wrapped in some kind of skin, rather like
sausages, and poached in stock or gravy, which is what gives them
that lovely soft texture, but these faggots are partly baked to stop
them falling apart (without a skin), so they’re soft in the middle
and crisp on the outside.
Don’t be put off by the ingredients – or the name – if you
haven’t tried these before. They’re very tasty, and with 1lb of pork
mince costing around £2 and 1 lb of lambs’ liver at less than £1 in
the supermarket, they’re also very cheap.
(Wrap a rasher of streaky bacon around each faggot if you like,
or leave them as they are.)
Makes 10 faggots
1 lb (500 g) pork mince
1 lb (500 g) lambs’ liver
1 onion
2 oz (50 g) breadcrumbs
3⁄4 pint (450 ml) stock
Mixed herbs
1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper
Method
1. Prepare the liver in the usual way by rinsing in a colander under
the cold tap and snipping off any little bits of skin or sinew
with kitchen scissors.
2. Break up the mince in an ovenproof dish and mix with the
roughly chopped liver and onion then pour on the stock, cover
with a lid and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.
3. Remove the cooked meat and onion from the stock and mince
coarsely, either by putting it all through a mincer, or by pulsing
in the food processor for a few seconds. (Don’t overdo it and
reduce the whole lot to slush.)
4. Add the breadcrumbs, herbs and cayenne pepper to the meat
mixture and squish it all together so it’s properly combined.
5. Form into cakes with your hands and place the faggots on a
lightly oiled baking tray.
6. Bake in the oven on Gas Mark 5 (190ºC) for another 30
minutes and serve with gravy, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

PORK SATAY

Needless to say, you can also make chicken or beef satay with this
recipe, which can be cooked on the barbecue in summer or under
the grill in winter.
It doesn’t matter whether you use metal or wooden skewers,
but if you use wooden ones soak them in cold water for a couple
of hours then wipe them over with a little oil first to stop them
charring – or igniting – on the barbecue. (Alternatively, you could
cook the pork still in its marinade in a covered casserole dish in
the oven and serve it on a bed of rice.)
2 lb (1 kg) lean pork fillet
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
1⁄2 tin of coconut milk
2 tsp black treacle
1 tsp each of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, 5 Spice, coriander, garlic
salt, onion salt
1⁄2 tsp chilli powder
Lemon juice
Method
1. Crush the mustard and cumin seeds (put them between 2
pieces of greaseproof paper and press down hard with a rolling
pin a few times if you haven’t got a pestle and mortar) and put
them in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients – except the
pork – then beat everything together with a fork or a wooden
spoon to make a smooth marinade.
2. Trim excess fat from the pork and cut the meat into cubes with
a pair of kitchen scissors then put the meat in a casserole dish,
mix well with the marinade, cover and keep in the fridge for
about 4 hours.
3. Remove the pork from the marinade, set the sauce to one side,
and thread the meat onto metal or wooden skewers. Grill or
barbecue the pork for 10–15 minutes, turning frequently.
4. Meanwhile, warm the marinade over a gentle heat, stirring
occasionally, and serve separately as a dipping sauce with the
pork satay, a side dish of rice and an assortment of crudités.
Cucumber and carrot sticks, spring onions, strips of red and
green pepper are all good.

Benihana Hibachi Chicken And Hibachi Steak

Benihana Hibachi Chicken And Hibachi Steak
Yield: 4 Servings
1 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 lg Onion
2 md Zucchini
2 c Mushroom
2 TB Vegetable Oil
6 TB Soy Sauce
4 TB Butter
: Salt
: Pepper
2 ts Lemon Juice
3 ts Sesame Seeds
6 c Bean Sprouts
: Mustard Sauce
: Ginger Sauce
Slice chicken, onion, zucchini and mushrooms into bite-size pieces.
Spread 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium high. Spread
another tbsp oil in another pan over medium high heat. Begin by
sauteing the sliced chicken into one of the pans. Add 1 tbsp soy
sauce, 1 tbsp butter and a dash of salt and pepper to the chicken.
Add the onion and zucchini to the other pan. Add 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1
tbsp butter and a dash of salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables as
long as the chicken is cooking, being sure to stir both pan often.
When the chicken has sauteed for about 2 minutes or when it appears
white on all sides, slide the meat to one side of the pan, pour lemon
juice on it, then add the mushrooms to the other side of the pan.
Pour 1 tbsp of the soy sauce over the mushrooms, then add 1 tbsp
butter plus a dash of salt and pepper. Continue to stir both pans.
After 6 to 8 minutes, or when the chicken is done, sprinkle 1 tsp
sesame seeds over the chicken, then mix the chicken with the
mushrooms. Spoon the chicken mixture in 4 even portions on 4 plates
next to 4 even portions of the vegetables from the other pan. Pour
the bean sprouts into the same pan in which you cooked the vegetables
and cook over high heat. Add 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp butter and a
dash of salt and pepper. Cook the sprouts for only a minute or two,
or until they have tenderized. Just before you serve the sprouts,
sprinkle 2 tsp sesame seeds on them. Serve the sprouts next to the
chicken and vegetables with mustard sauce and ginger sauce on the
side.

CHICKEN CHASSEUR

You can buy Chasseur sauce in jars or packet mixes in the
supermarket, but it’s almost as simple, and certainly more cost
effective, to make at home.
Use whichever cut of chicken you like, but thighs are a cheaper
option than breast meat and you can get away with a smaller
quantity of any type of meat when it’s served in a thick sauce. (If
you haven’t got white wine, use red, or even sherry will do.)
6 chicken thighs
Button mushrooms
Baby onions or shallots
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
3⁄4 pint (450 ml) chicken stock
Glass of white wine
1 tbsp sugar
Tomato purée
Garlic purée
Tarragon
Oil
Salt & pepper
Butter
Method
1. Remove the chicken skin, wash and trim any fatty bits off the
meat then season with salt and pepper. Peel and chop the
onions, or leave them whole if they’re small enough, ditto the
mushrooms.
2. Warm a very little oil in a very large pan and brown the chicken
thighs two or three at a time by cooking for a few minutes and
turning once. (Don’t put all the meat in the pan at the same
time; if you do the chicken will just cook in its own steam
without browning.)
3. Put the chicken thighs in a large casserole dish and sprinkle
with tarragon.
4. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan then fry the onions and
mushrooms together for a few more minutes before putting
them in the casserole dish with the chicken.
5. Add the stock, wine and chopped tomatoes to the pan with the
sugar and a good squeeze each of tomato and garlic purée; stir
well, bring to the boil and thicken the sauce with more tomato
purée (or a little gravy browning or instant gravy granules) if
necessary.
6. Cook in a preheated oven, Gas Mark 5 (190ºC) for about half
an hour until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is
bubbling. Serve with potatoes or rice and extra vegetables or
salad.
Tip
Don’t chuck out tomatoes, even if they’re slightly soft and
wrinkly and past their best; make an alternative to sun dried
tomatoes (kind of ) by baking them in the oven. Keep
covered in the fridge and use in meat and other tomato
based sauces.

SHEPHERD’S PIE

Shepherd’s Pie is a well-worn classic and there’s no excuse really for
printing a recipe that most people could make in their sleep, except
it’s one of my all-time favourites, so here it is again.
1 lb (450–500 g) minced lamb or beef
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
Mushrooms
1 carrot, grated
Frozen sweetcorn
1 lamb, beef or vegetable stock cube (or a teaspoon of Marmite)
1–2 tbsp tomato purée
1 heaped tbsp instant gravy granules
Dried rosemary
Potatoes: however many you think would make a serving of mash
for each person.
Milk
Grated cheese: approx 1 oz (25 g)
Method
1. Peel potatoes – or wash them and leave them in their skins if
you prefer – then boil and mash in the usual way, adding butter,
a splash of milk and the grated cheese to the finished mash.
2. Meanwhile, dry fry the meat in a very large pan over a moderate
heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, while you get the
vegetables ready.
3. Add the finely chopped onion, crushed garlic and mushrooms
to the pan, and cook for a few minutes until the onions are soft
and you can clearly see the meat’s fatty juices.
4. Strain the fat off the meat then crumble in the stock cube (or
a dessertspoonful of Marmite) and add the rosemary, tomato
purée, grated carrot and as much frozen sweetcorn as you like;
say a couple of handfuls.
5. Add the gravy granules to the pan with a little water and
simmer for a few minutes.
6. Transfer the meat mixture to a large ovenproof dish and top
with the mashed potatoes. Cook on Gas Mark 5 (190ºC) for
roughly 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are brown and the
gravy is bubbling.
Tip
Potatoes make one of the best toppings for pies and
casseroles: mashed potatoes with added herbs and soft
cheese or grated hard cheeses; or boiled potatoes cut into
slices and dotted with butter.

Blueberries & Cream Sauce

This creamy sauce is soooooo good! I can hardly keep from spooning it straight from the pot
and into my mouth. The higher the fat content of your sauce, the thicker it will be, so I
recommend using soy milk, but I’ve also used almond milk and rice milk and the sauce has been
delicious every time.
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon
cornstarch
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon good quality vanilla
½ cup fresh blueberries,
or ½ cup frozen blueberries,
thawed and drained
In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar and cornstarch
until well-combined. Whisk in milk and cook over mediumhigh
heat until mixture reaches a boil, whisking continuously.
Lower heat to a simmer, stirring constantly, until sauce
thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 to 7
minutes. Add vanilla and let simmer for one more minute.
Remove from heat and pour sauce into a bowl. Let chill in
the fridge or freezer for 10 to 15 minutes or until it is a bit
more set but is still warm. Add blueberries and gently stir
to combine. Do not overmix blueberries or sauce will look
blueish-gray. Serve warm or cold over Blackest Forest Cake
(page 94) or on top of just about any treat your hear t
desires.
Yield: 1½ CUPS
Prep time: 15 MINUTES ACTIVE

Peppermint Icing

This icing is like a Peppermint Patty sans chocolate. The peppermint flavor is distinct and
creamy but never overpowers.
4 teaspoons milk
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
In a small bowl combine milk, peppermint extract and
powdered sugar and stir until smooth. Depending on how
you prefer your icing, you may want it thicker, like a glaze,
or thinner, like a spreadable icing. Add small splashes of
milk to thin the icing or add additional powdered sugar 2
tablespoons at a time to thicken it to desired consistency.
Yield: ½ CUP
Prep time: 5 MINUTES

Chocolate Ganache

This ganache is perfect to top off a creamy Boston Cream Pie (page 91) but is also great for
dipping fruit in. It can be refrigerated to help it set, but it will harden if it is left in there for a
while. If you store your leftover cake in the fridge, be sure to let it sit out at room temperature for a few
minutes to let the ganache soften before serving.
¼ cup margarine
3 tablespoons milk,
room temperature
½ cup chocolate chips
In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt margarine
completely, stirring constantly. Add milk and whisk to
combine. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips,
stirring rapidly to melt. Let ganache cool completely to
room temperature, stirring from time to time to keep a
crust from developing, then spread cooled ganache over
the top of the cake.
Yield: ¾ CUP
Prep time: 15 MINUTES ACTIVE

Lemon Frosting

This Lemon Frosting is the perfect blend of sweet creaminess and tart lemon. While it’s
obviously a great frosting, it is also delicious as a dip with your favorite fresh-cut fruit. This
recipe will frost a pan of bars or a 9-inch single-layer cake.
½ of an 8-ounce container
soy cream cheese
1 tablespoon margarine,
room temperature
½ teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2½ to 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Using an electric hand mixer, cream together cream
cheese and margarine. Add lemon juice and zest. Blend
in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until frosting reaches
desired thickness.
Yield: 1¼ CUPS
Prep time: 10 MINUTES

Coconut Glaze

This glaze is super on Tropical Coconut Cake (page 95), but it can also be used for lots of other
treats. Thicken it up a little and try it on Baked Chocolate-Glazed Donuts (page 126) for a change
of pace!
2 tablespoons low-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons milk
1½ to 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
In a small bowl, whisk together coconut milk and powdered
sugar until glaze reaches desired consistency. Pour over
cooled cake.
Yield: ½ CUP
Prep time: 5 MINUTES

Fudgy Frosting

When I went to college, I bought containers of fudge frosting and ate spoonfuls of it as a treat.
And I wondered how I gained my freshman fifteen! This fudge frosting is thick and creamy and
reminds me of those indulgent days of skipping class and watching reruns of Saved by the Bell
with a spoon of frosting in my mouth. This recipe will frost the top and sides of a 9-inch single-layer cake
or a pan of bars.
cup chocolate chips
3 tablespoons margarine
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla
In a saucepan, combine chocolate chips and margarine and
heat over medium heat until melted, stirring continuously.
Pour out mixture into a medium bowl and whisk in
powdered sugar, salt, milk and vanilla until combined. Let
frosting set in the fridge for 15 minutes before using.
Yield: 1 CUP
Prep time: 10 MINUTES

Buttercream Frosting

Simple, classic buttercream. This is a go-to frosting when you want something light and creamy
to dress up your dessert. This recipe will frost 12 cupcakes or a 9-inch single-layer cake.
3 tablespoons margarine,
room temperature
1 tablespoon shortening,
room temperature
¼ teaspoon vanilla
2 to 2½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
In a large bowl, cream margarine and shor tening with an
electric hand mixer until well blended. Add vanilla. Add
powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, until mixture is crumbly.
Incorporate milk 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture is
fl uffy and spreadable. Adjust milk and powdered sugar until
frosting is at desired consistency.
Yield: 1 CUP
Prep time: 10 MINUTES

Peanut Butter Frosting

This frosting is just peanut buttery enough to please nut fans, but it’s still very creamy and
light. Try it with other nut butters if you can’t eat peanuts—almond butter would be lovely.
This recipe will frost the tops and sides of a 9-inch double-layer cake.
1 8-ounce container soy cream
cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
¼ cup peanut butter
(or more, to taste)
2 to 2½ cups sifted
powdered sugar
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, margarine and peanut
butter with an electric hand mixer. Add powdered sugar
and blend to desired taste and consistency. Add more sugar
or nut butter to taste.
Yield: 2 CUPS
Prep time: 10 MINUTES

Chocolate Frosting

This is a great, all-purpose chocolate frosting. It is perfect for decorating cakes with an icing
bag, or you can just slather it on there and enjoy! This recipe will frost the tops and sides of a
9-inch double-layer cake.
2 ounces bitteror
semisweet chocolate
½ cup margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2½ to 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk
In a glass bowl over a pot fi lled with water, or very carefully
and slowly in the microwave, melt the chocolate. Let sit to
cool slightly. In a large bowl, with an electric hand mixer on
low speed, cream together chocolate and margarine. Mix in
vanilla and powdered sugar until mixture is a little crumbly.
Add just enough milk to make frosting smooth to desired
consistency.
Yield: 1½ CUPS
Prep time: 15 MINUTES