Slow Cooker Lasagne (Update)

 

I am reposting (originally posted on the 29-11-13) this recipe because I have added a few updates. This is just a brilliant recipe and perhaps you were lucky enough to get a new slow cooker over Christmas, this might give you some inspiration!

Since I bought my slow cooker a couple of weeks ago, I still take great pleasure in coming through the door (after multiple school runs!) to the smell of dinner cooking. Especially when the recipes I have been cooking for years taste even better than before.

Minced Beef Pie

This is an old fashioned Irish recipe that I got from an 1980's cookbook that was only sold abroad, titled Traditional Irish Recipes. My father is the owner of the copy I've been using and he guards it closely, I got it on loan on condition that I return it pretty sharpish because my mother got this copy in Haiti!
It is full of old recipes like Yellowman (honeycomb) and homemade buttermilk. I decided that this recipe was the most appealing and made it, but without the stout, it was a great success here and well worth the effort. My Pyrex dish is fairly large so I could have easily fed six adults and I've made a second pie and frozen it, I think I'll defrost it and then reheat it in the oven.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
500g - 750g Minced Beef
2tbsp Oil
1 Onion, chopped
1tbsp Tomato puree
1 ½ tbsp Plain flour
75g Mushrooms, chopped (Optional)
250ml Stout or Beef stock
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
250g - 350g Ready rolled shortcrust pastry or Step- by- step handmade shortcrust pastry.

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Grease and flour an ovenproof pie dish. My glass Pyrex dish is 22cm across and 4cm deep so it took all 750g of the beef to fill the dish, if your dish isn't as deep then 500g should be enough. I greased and floured the dish in order to slip the pie out of the dish to serve.
Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion until soft. Add the beef and cook for 6-7 minutes until completely browned. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the flour, add the stock and a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce, stirring all the time. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool.

Meanwhile roll out two thirds of the pastry fairly thinly and larger that your pie dish.

Gently drape the pastry over the dish and press into the edges.

Trim the edges with a sharp knife, pour the slightly cooled minced beef into the pie dish. Brush around the edges of the dish with the beaten egg.

Roll out the remaining pastry and lay on top, trim with a knife, press down firmly with a fork until the lid is sealed.

Cut a X to let out the steam, brush with the beaten egg and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Memories of Home - Meat Balls and Mash

I think that most Irish mothers made this dish or a variation of it and for very good reason too, it's delicious. I have memories of cycling into Kilbeggan in the late 80's to the local butchers and buying a "pound of mince" and heading home to make meat balls. As children we usually ate our meat balls with pasta and tomato sauce but you can also try this recipe with curry sauce and some boiled rice if you prefer. Just to assure you, the oxtail soup isn't a very dominant flavour in this recipe, it's just like a mild gravy. I made double, cooked it right through, cooled and froze half, so I'll have a day off cooking some day soon.I took this recipe from All About Home Economics which is in daily use in this house anyway!

Serves 4

Ingredients
400g Minced beef
50g Breadcrumbs
1 Onion, finely grated
1 Clove garlic, chopped
1tbsp Parsley
25g Cheese, grated
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 tsp Salt
Pepper
750ml Oxtail soup packet
1kg Potatoes, scrubbed and pierced

Method
Preheat the oven to 175C/350F/Gas 4.
Place the potatoes in the oven (make sure you pierce the potatoes with a knife or a skewer otherwise they'll explode, and that takes ages to clean up!)
Mix beef, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, parsley, cheese and seasoning together in a large bowl. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Shape into about 16 balls (walnut sized).

Brown the meat balls in a large frying pan over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, drain well.

Meanwhile make up the soup as directed and set aside. Place meat balls in a large casserole, pour over the oxtail soup and place in the oven for 45 minutes.

Scoop out the baked out the potatoes and mash with butter and milk (or not!) 

Serve in the casserole with the mash and fine beans.

Nigella's Mini Meatloaves

Nigella is the one of my favourite authors when it comes to cookbooks, her food is tasty and simple. I had an impression that she was a bit of a lightweight and it was just about good television, but having received as a present Nigella Express, I'm a convert!
I have her recipes dotted throughout my blog  and this is a firm favourite. Now just so you know I used ordinary rolled oats in this recipe, the Sausagemeat was skinned sausages and I've replaced A1 steak sauce with BBQ sauce, all for handiness. You can eat these hot or cold we've done both, plenty of times waiting for my husband to registered for a run, we've happily sat and eaten these as a picnic. Your choice, enjoy either way.

Serves 6
Ingredients
500g Sausagemeat
500g Minced Beef  (Iused Quorn Mince)
80g Quick Cook Oats
70g A1 Steak sauce
2 Eggs, beaten
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Table salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 Degrees C/ Gas mark 6. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl really well with your hands or a fork.




Divide the mixture into 12 balls, and then shape into mini loaves. Sit the mini Meatloaves on a lined baking sheet with space between each and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

Nigella's Quick Chilli

This is my all time favourite meal, especially when I need to be comforted and warmed. The majority of the ingredients are very easily stored in your cupboard until you are in need of a feast.