Minced beef hash

When I was at uni I always said that if I were to write a cookbook it would be 101 ways with mince. At the start of each term, mum and I would go to the butchers and buy 2lb of minced beef which we'd portion up in freezer bags for me to use. I was lucky to go to university with slightly more than a working knowledge of the kitchen. Unlike one of my flatmates in the first year who genuinely survived on beans on toast - with beans and sausages on toast for highdays and holidays. No word of a lie. Every day.

Many of the recipes I use then, I still use now - with some tweaks thanks to either additional equipment (God bless the food processor) or my own changing tastes (no more dried garlic). One that I never made at university was minced beef hash - I actually made a tuna hash with red pepper which I keep threatening myself with revisiting.

I saw the origin of this recipe on a Jamie Oliver programme, and scrawled down the ingredients and a kind of method a couple of years ago. I've since then kept to the rough idea of it, but changed it up fairly significantly.

Minced beef hash - by me (with some help from Mr Oliver)
Serves 4

4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
500g minced beef
4 sticks celery
4 carrots
250g chestnut mushrooms
1 red onion
Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Pepper
2 small baking potatoes (I work to half a potato per person I'm feeding and have been known to double this when money is tight and there are extra people around the table).
Olive oil

First off, use a food processor or knife to thinly slice the celery, carrots, mushrooms and onion and set aside
Now brown your mince in a little olive oil in a non stick pan
Add the thyme, rosemary and a good grind or 12 of pepper
Add the veggies and stir well so it's all mixed up
Add the Worcestershire sauce - about 6 tablespoons (you'll notice we've not added salt so far - this is why)
Now using the food processor or knife, thinly slice the potatoes - add these into your pan
Put a lid on and let it simmer for 30 minutes or until everything has cooked down

Now this can be served so many ways - it's already got potatoes so you don't need an extra carbohydrate, but it goes epically well with garlic bread. Or so I'm told. Ahem.

The other way I cook this is exactly the same, but instead of adding sliced potatoes - bake up a potato per person in the oven and then after an hour or so, remove the potato. Split in half and take out the cooked middle. Mix this with the cooked minced beef, and pile it back it, topped with grated cheese. Heat through for about 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and crispy. Epic. The mince goes a lot further this way so this much ends up serving 8. 

 

Filling the freezer

Auditing, emptying, defrosting and refilling the freezer is something I try to do at least annually (my life is just that exciting!) and whenever I do it, I reluctantly declare that I should really do it more often. I regularly subject M to 'freezer surprise' dinners which on some days are wildly successful, and on others mildly perturbing - stewed apples with pasta anyone?

In advance of the baby arriving I felt that I should really get on top of the random contents of the freezer and try to organise them a bit more fully in order that we might have a good few weeks of being able to get something quick and easy for dinner out of our stocks.

As part of this planning, I've been going through my recipes and noting what would work best either doubled up, or cooked with leftovers portioned off and frozen. So far I've made and frozen the following:

• Lasagne
• Cottage pie
• Chicken and butternut squash casserole
• Chicken and spinach curry

Last week when I gave M another 6 carefully labelled takeaway containers he asked if we should get another freezer. I'm hoping that by the time the baby comes (9 weeks) ours will be nice and full of things that will see us through. I'm also planning a new currency whereby I swap cuddles (with bubba, not me) for roast chicken and salads. There are no flaws in this plan.

I've never posted my recipe for lasagne, and despite being sure that anyone actually Italian might want to kill me merely on sight of it I thought I'd pop it here as it's a long held favourite of ours - it's not changed that much since uni... OK well it has a bit, but it's very similar in essence.

Lasagne

2 cloves garlic
1 red onion
2 sticks celery
250g (ish) chestnut mushrooms
2 large/ 4 small carrots grated
350g minced beef
1 tin tomatoes
1 glass red wine
Dried oregano
Bay leaf
Splash of milk
Tomato puree
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Worcestershire sauce

30g (ish) Equal quantities butter & flour
300ml (ish) Milk
Nutmeg
Grated cheddar cheese
Parmesan, grated
If you're feeling flush - add some mozzarella too

Lasagne sheets

 Put some oil in a nice big pan, cook down your onion, garlic and celery until soft over a medium heat
Add the minced beef, and brown this off too
Add the grated carrots and chopped mushrooms and stir to combine
Add the tomatoes, wine, oregano, bay leaf, tomato puree and milk. Stir to combine and leave to simmer gently for about 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
This can stay over a low heat simmering gently (if it starts reducing too much add a wine glass of water - or more wine - and put a lid on) until you're ready for it.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat (if you're using a non stick saucepan and want it to stay that way use a non stick whisk. Don't wreck your pans like I do) and whisk in the flour.
Once they've combined to make a sticky paste (roux) add your milk slowly, whisking as you go
Add the nutmeg and bring to a gentle simmer whisking as it warms through
As the sauce starts to thicken add the grated cheddar and switch to a wooden spoon - the sauce should thicken quickly now

Get a nice large, but shallow square dish
Line the bottom with a third of the meat sauce
Cover with lasagne sheets
Add a third of the cheese sauce
Then the meat sauce, then Lasagne sheets... and so on until you've used the final lot of cheese sauce
Top the lasagne with the grated parmesan - and if you're feeling flush some torn up mozzarella too

Put it in a preheated oven - about 180 for 30 - 40 minutes until the top is crunchy and if you stick a knife in it the pasta sheets feel cooked.

Serve with lots of red wine and good company.


What are your ideas of dishes to cook to stock your freezer up in advance of a big event?