I like cooking and this is the time of year when the slow cooker comes back out. In case you haven't used one may I just say that it is one of the most simple ways of making a hearty winter warmer that you cannot really fail at. You can put in pretty much whatever you like meat(browned off in a frying pan before adding)/stock/and or a mix of vegetables. Add your favourite herbs/condiments/Maggie seasoning/hot pepper sauce(you get the idea). Leave all day if you like or cook for a couple of hours. You can go out and come home knowing that you haven't burned your dinner. It's not necessary for me to be more specific but a slow cooker is pretty cheap and it doesn't use much energy either. Give it a go if you haven't tried it.
They don't show it on cookery programmes because it would put them all out of business!!

...braised celery, stuffed lamb breast (stuffing being breadcrumbs, 1 egg, rosemary, onion, garlic (last two cooked), chopped prunes, a drop of red wine salt, pepper and mace. 1 hourish @ 200 degrees in one tin with some spuds baking round it.

here's some goodies:

Chicken Filo Pie

serves 4
3lb/1.4kg chicken roasted and cooked
6oz/175g cream cheese
quarter pint/150ml double cream
8oz/225g button mushrooms wiped and sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 sheets filo pastry
4oz/100g butter, melted

Into Method
Remove meat from chicken and cut into strips.
Place in a 9ins ovenproof dish.
Mix cream cheese in a bowl.
Stir in mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon over chicken.
Place 1 sheet of filo pastry on top of chicken and trim edges.
Brush with butter and repeat.
Cut remaining filo sheets into strips, one at a time, covering unused pastry with damp cloth.
Brush strips of pastry both sides with butter then place over chicken in a ribbon effect.
Repeat using all the pastry.
Cook at gas mark 4/350f, 180c for 35 mins. or until pastry is golden brown.

Manicotti
1oz. Plain Flour
1 Egg beaten
1 dessertsp. Vegetable or Olive Oil
half level tsp. Salt
2 fl.oz. cold water

for the Filling
4oz. Ricotta or Cottage Cheese
1 level dessertsp. grated Parmesan Cheese
Pinch of Pepper
Pinch of Salt
half Egg beaten
2oz. Mozzarella Cheese coarsely grated

for the Sauce
quarter oz. Butter
4oz. Mince
7 and a half fl.oz. Tomato Ketchup

for the Tomato Sauce
1 tablesp. Vegetable Oil
half onion skinned and chopped
half clove Garlic skinned and crushed
15oz. can of Tomato Juice
2 and a half oz. can of Tomato Paste
1 level tsp. Brown Sugar
1 tablesp. chopped Parsley
half level tsp. Dried Oregano
half level tsp. Salt
Pinch of Pepper
1 Bay Leaf

Method
1. Beat together the flour, eggs, oil and salt with a wooden spoon until they are well blended add the water gradually and beat the batter until smooth
2. Brush a small frying pan lightly with oil and place over moderate heat
3. Pour about 2 tablesp. batter into pan; tip it so the batter coats the bottom evenly
4. Cook for about 30 secs. until top is set and dry and the underside browned, repeat with remaining batter
5. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the meat and cook until it is well browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato sauce
6. Heat through the meat sauce, then spoon one third of it evenly over the base of a roasting tin or ovenproof dish, keep the remaining sauce hot
7. Mix together the Ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, add the pepper, salt and egg and stir well
8. Spoon some of the cheese mixture down the centre of each pancake and sprinkle over some of the Mozzarella cheese
9. Fold the pancake sides over the filling, so that it is completely enclosed, arrange the Manicotti seam side down in rows in the tin
10. Spoon the remaining sauce over the top and bake at 190c/375f/mark 5 for 30mins. until hot and bubbling

Tomato Sauce
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and garlic and fry for 10mins. stirring frequently
2. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the mixes to the boil, reduce the heat partially cover and cook for 30mins., remove bay leaf.

Super easy, super tasty. (From memory, I'll edit when I get home if I've errored somewhere)

Four chicken breasts, chunked to mouthsize
one chopped red onion
couple of tablespoons of oil
Good handful of prunes
Can of tomatoes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
tablespoon of capers if you have them
Teaspoon of oregano

Combine in roasting pan and season. Roast at about 350 for 45-60 mins.

Probably be good in the slow cooker, come to think of it.

A nice starter for all of the great slow cooked stews above.

1 large onion
450g parsnips
1 large tart eating apple
1 litre vegetable stock
Natural yoghurt

1. Chop and gently fry the onion in a large saucepan
2. Peel and chop the parsnips and add to the pan
3. Core, peel and chop the apple and add to the pan
4. Cook everything for another 2 or 3 mins
5. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
6. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins, partially covered (lid askew)
7. Transfer to blender/food processor or just use a hand blender and squoosh till smooth
8. Stir in 4 tbsp of natural yoghurt.
7. Serve, adding more yoghurt to the top to taste and season with black pepper.

Very simple. Unbelievably tasty.

Baked Apple Sponge

750g dessert apples
3 tbsp caster sugar
2 cloves
Pinch of cinnamon
2 tbsp of blanched hazelnuts (chopped)

(for the sponge)
100g butter
100g caster sugar
2 large eggs
100g self raising flour

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg or gas mark 4
2. Peel, core and chop the apples
3. Place in a saucean with 3 tbsp of caster sugar and just enough water to form a film on the bottom of the pan
4. Add the cloves and the pinch of cinnamon
5. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and cover until the apples have softened (about 10 mins usually)
6. Now, make the sponge mixture - cream the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy
7. Whisk the eggs separately then beat into the mixture a little at a time
8. Fold in the flour gently
9. Tip the apples into a pudding basin (or anything similar - about 1.5 ltr capacity)
10. Scoop the sponge mix on top
11. Scatter the hazelnuts over the top of the sponge mix
12. Bake for 40 - 45 mins until sponge is springy but firm (do the skewer test)
13. Let it settle for 10 mins then horse it down you with jugs of custard to hand.

A Proper Pudden.

All my own recipe, this. A cracking topping for grilled lamb or chicken.

Juice and microplaned zest of a lime, zest chopped finely
Handful of fresh mint, chopped finely
Couple of teaspoons of soft brown sugar

Combine all in small pot and spoon over desired nosh. Nice.

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 or 2 pieces peppered smoked mackerel
about half a tin of sweetcorn
some green veg (cavallo nero or curly kale work very well)
1 red pepper
a few mushrooms (can you tell I'm not Heston Blumenthal?)
1 ikea glass (the ones that everyone has, you know...) of bulghur

So, you chop the onion and garlic finely, fry in some oil (in a wok), then when browning add the green veg and stiry fry for 2 or 3 minutes before adding the pepper, chopped (of course), then the mushrooms, then the sweetcorn, then the mackerel, cut or torn into small chunks.

This is all pretty quick, about 15 minutes. About halfway through it, put the bulghur in a saucepan with hot oil, and stir it around for a minute or two. Then add a heaped teaspoon of stock and some hot water (erm, can't tell you amounts, about a cupful); stir until the water is absorbed, then keep adding a bit at a time, risotto style, til the bulghur is cooked - sort of al dente. If you've timed it right, this will be at precisely the point the stuff in the wok is ready: tip the bulghur into the wok, mix the whole thing together, crack an egg into it, stir that around, and you got yourself a tasty meal for two.

Homemade crumpets
I made your own crumpets recently which is entertainingly pointless Foodie thing to do. They taste much lighter and have moist airy bready texture and flavour.
here's the recipe I posted elsewhere

I didn’t have any “crumpet rings” so made some out of greased tin foil folded into a strip and then into a circle; they worked well in a one off way.

Adapted from Jo' Pratt recipes
Preparation time: 1-2 hours
Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins
Makes 18 crumpets (I made half these amounts and made 8½ ish with one for the pan!)

Ingredients
•450g/1lb plain flour, sifted
•½ tsp salt
•1 tsp sugar
•2 tsp/1x7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
•300ml/½ pint warm milk
•300ml /½ pint warm water
•vegetable oil
•4 crumpet rings or 7.5cm/3in plain pastry cutters, greased

Preparation method
1. Place the flour and salt into a large bowl and stir in the sugar and yeast making a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and water and mix to give quite a thick batter. Beat well until completely combined and cover with a tea towel or cling film.
2. Leave in a warm place to rise for about an hour until it's a light, spongy texture. Stir well to knock out any air and pour into a large jug. ( I put the bowl over another bowl of warm water)
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a very low heat (I had to turn up 2 to 3 on my electric hob) with a drop of oil. Wipe the pan with kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Sit the greased crumpet rings in the pan and leave to heat up for a couple of minutes.
4. Pour in enough mixture to fill the rings just over halfway up the sides. Leave to cook until plenty of small holes appear on the surface and the batter has just dried out. This will take about 8-10 minutes. I would make one first to get the heat right slightly hotter temp made them cook properly.
5. Remove the rings and turn over the crumpets to cook for a further minute or two on the other side. Sit the first batch of crumpets on a wire rack while continuing to cook the remaining mixture.
6. A light toasting brings out the flavour perfectly and cooks them through totally.
Oh you'll need butter and possibly jam .

Cut 4 turkey breasts into cubes and put into a bowl with 2 quartered limes, crushed garlic cloves and salt. Stir and leave to marinade overnight in the fridge.

Roast small potatoes so that they are ready to add to dish before serving.

Heat 3/4 onions until they start to caramelize (may take 20 minutes to turn brown). (Best to cook in a wok or large frying pan).

Add the turkey and limes and cook through.

When turkey has cooked add small roast potaotes.

Then add cherry tomatoes, cubed feta cheese and black olives. Serve just as feta cheese starts to melt.

Add watercress as a side salad.

At the risk of too much information it's also known as my legover dish!

both involving good vanilla ice cream (haagen dazs is ideal).

First one is to pour a decent, fresh espresso over the ice cream. Works really well at the end of a dinner if you have been hitting the wine a little as it's little effort, suprisingly chic and the coffee hit helps.

Second is to take some fresh raspberries and gently heat them with a little sugar until the raspberries start to burst and give off a little juice. Spoon over the ice cream. Never fails.

60g butter
200g caster sugar
3 eggs, separated
60g plain flour, sifted
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
250ml milk

.Beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest until pale and creamy.
Add the egg yolks, then the flour, then the lemon juice, then the milk, until you have a smooth batter.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until firm but not stiff, and fold into mix

Pour into a buttered, ovenproof soufflé or baking dish, and place in a baking tray half-filled with water and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes at 180c/Gas Mark 4 until the top is lightly browned and set, and there is a sort of gooey lemon curd below.

I usually make two as it's equally nice cold.

Good stuff team. Any tips for cooking steak? Mine always end up a bit chewy. Which cuts? Marinade? etc.

I did this recipe the other day, and mmmmmmmmm it was absolutely delish, in a quite yummy and scrumptious sort of way.
The cooking time given in the recipe is 1 hr 15 mins, but I found that my cake was done after 55 minutes, so it's best to keep an eye on it.
The recipe is by Nigel Slater. I can also recommend "Toast", his memoirs of growing up in the Midlands in the 1970s. If you only read one chef's autobiography in your life, make it that one.

WHOLEMEAL APPLE AND ORANGE CAKE

Fortunately, there are still some very good local apples around. Serves 8.

220g butter at room temperature
210g light muscovado sugar
4 eggs
250g wholemeal flour
a lightly heaped teaspoon of baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
200g apples (peeled weight)
100g golden sultanas or raisins
125g orange marmalade
finely grated zest of an orange
Demerara sugar

You will also need a 20cm round cake tin with a removable base, lined with paper.

Set the oven at 160C/gas mark 4. Beat the butter and sugar together until light, fluffy and pale coffee-coloured. Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs with a fork. Sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Core and roughly chop the apples. They should be in pieces under 1cm square.

Toss the chopped apples with the sultanas or raisins. Stir in the marmalade.

Add the beaten eggs a little at a time to the creamed butter and sugar, introducing a spoonful of flour if the mixture starts to curdle. Gently but firmly fold in the rest of the flour.

Fold in the fruit and marmalade mixture, along with the grated orange zest. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, scatter a fine layer of Demerara over the top and bake for an hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer comes out moist but without any cake mixture sticking to it. Cool before serving.

Not that difficult and always impressive for dinner with friends. Ramsay's red wine / shallot reduction is a good recipe (Google it), and the duck breasts just need searing for 4-5 mins and then in an oven for 20. Fondant potatoes are a foodie trick - again, look up Ramsay's version. Serve it up with green beans or your other favourite veg. Needs a robust red to wash it down. You can replace the duck with another rich tasting meat such as loin of venison - it all works.

Marvellous with a roast dinner or cheese. Try them, they taste nothing like you think they will.

This is as good as Lucozade for curing Absolutely Anything.

Rice Noodles
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion
3 or 4 Cloves of Garlic
About 2 ins Root Ginger
2 skinless Chicken Breasts
Pack of Shiitake Mushrooms
3 or 4 Spring Onions
2 Pak Choi
3 pints water
1 tbsp Miso paste

Put noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave while you make soup.

Chop onion, crush garlic and peel'n'grate ginger. Lob in bottom of soup pan with oil; on a low heat. Don't allow it to go too brown. While that's looking after itself, chop up/slice chicken and mushrooms and add to pan. Stir.

Slice spring onions and shred pak choi.

When chicken looks cooked and its juices are flowing (so to speak, add water and bring up to simmer level, but do not boil. Add miso. Stir till paste disappears.

Add spring onions and pak choi.

Leave at sub-boil simmer while you rinse noodles with boiling water. Add them to soup.

Then it's ready to serve, with a side order of Word. Best eaten in pyjamas, in front of the fire.

My steak tip is Bistecca a la Fiorentina, a Tuscan speciality. It works well with fillet, less so with sirloin. Take your steak, marinade in some olive oil with added oregano (dried or fresh) for a couple of hours. Cook it on a griddle or barbecue without added oil. No more than five minutes each side, less is better. Once cooked, place on plate, apply some salt and freshly ground black pepper, drizzle with a good olive oil and some freshly squeezed lemon juice. Add some saute potatoes and a mixed salad. Enjoy!

Tonight I'm doing lamb noisettes in a port and redcurrant jelly sauce, accompanied by dauphinois potatoes and some green beans and baby carrots.

The noisettes are browned in vegetable oil on all sides in a saucepan and then put to one side. Soften a chopped onion and a couple of garlic cloves in the same pan and then add half a pint of lamb stock and a 'good scoosh' (technical term) of port; also a bay leaf and seasoning. Replace the noisettes and then simmer for 30 - 40 minutes. Once done, remove the noisettes and place in the oven in a warm serving dish on a low heat. Strain the cooking liquid into a jug and return it - sans veg - to the pan. Add two tablespoons of redcurrant jelly and, over a highish heat, reduce the liquid by about half. Stir constantly until the jelly has been assimilated and the sauce is of a coating consistency. Pour over the noisettes and serve with your vegetables of choice.

This is a rich dish and we'll be having a decent claret - Clos du Marquis 1998 - to go with it. Cheese to follow and I'll be comatose by ten o'clock!

Everyone should own one, they're awesome.

but if a person were to have a bad cold/flu thing and Chicken Soup (above) fails, and Lemsips have run out, this is excellent for relieving symptoms.

Put just under a mug of fizzy lemonade into a pan with the juice of a lemon, or a squirt out of one of those plastic things if the last of the lemon went on gin and tonic.

Chip away at the remains of the honey from a jar loitering at the back of the cupboard. Give up and put it in microwave. Add to lemonade and wait till it dissolves.

Find a very tall receptacle (this is Very Important)

Add two fingers of whisky to tall receptacle. Use space between forefinger and little finger for the correct 'two fingers'

Pour lemonade mix on top.

Check their is sufficient headroom in receptacle.

Chuck in two soluble paracetemol. Quickly cover receptacle to prevent resulting fizz from going everywhere.

Drink within falling distance of something comfortable.

..known simply in the renkadima household as 'Special':

Fry chopped onions and garlic in a pan and add a tin of tomatoes with herbs of your choosing. Throw in a tin of butter beans, a can of tuna, a reasonable amount of mature cheddar and liberal doses of Worcestershire Sauce and simmer for a few mins until it reaches a satisfying gloopiness and warmth.

Easy, peasy and, indeed, lemon squeezy!

Eat with garlic bread and chill out for the evening.

reminds me of a Nigella recipe for poached chicken, kale and chorizo beans.

Poach chicken breast in chicken stock for 10 minutes. Cook some kale in boiling salted water. Meanwhile, cube a large chorizo sausage and fry over a medium heat. When it's crispy and has given out loads of oil, chuck in two cans of beans (any type works - I usually use Cannellini) and cook through. Add a bit of the chicken stock to the mix and season.

When the chicken is done, pile up some beans, put some kale on the top and then top with a chicken breast.