The Rose Cottage Recipe Book

Ingredients

Method

1. Cover the ham with water (or a mix of other liquids such as juice, cider, etc.) and boil for 40 mins per kg.
   
2. Take out of the fluid and drain for 10 mins.
   
3. Heat up the oven to <span class="temperature">200°C</span>.
   
4. In a pan or microwave, heat up the glaze ingredients.  (Don’t expect it to taste good at this point.)
   
5. Cover the ham with the glaze.
   
6. Roast in the oven for 45 mins, basting every 10 mins until cooked.
   
7. Eat hot or cold.
   

You will Need

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Roll out the pastry into a large rectangle approx 30x45cm.
   
3. Cut this into 6 rectangles.
   
4. With a sharp knife, score a line 1cm in from each side on each rectangle - this will form the edging crust.
   
5. Prick the area inside the scored line to stop it rising.
   
6. Put each piece of pastry onto a baking sheet.
   
7. Spread the pricked area with a half teaspoon of pesto.  Make sure not to put it on the crust.
   
8. Chop the cherry tomatoes into chunks, and the goats cheese into 1cm cubes.
   
9. Sprinkle the tomatoes and cheese over the pesto.
   
10. Cook for 20 mins or until the cheese is melted and the pastry is a golden brown.

Serve hot with a leafy salad but can equally be eaten cold as part of a picnic.

Optionally, you can create it as one big slice, and cut slices from it when needed.

You will need

Method

To make a decent gravy, you need good ingredients.  Stock can be ideally from previously made stock, but can also be from a stock cube and boiling water (either from a kettle, or – even better – from water being used to cook vegetables.

The fat should ideally be from around the roast, as that will contain all the flavour of the meat, but in the absence of all of that you can use butter.

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, and if making onion gravy you can add the onions at this point, cooking them very slowly until they are thoroughly cooked.
   
2. Stir in a tablespoon of flour until it is all absorbed by the fat.
   
3. Add the stock, a little at a time, whilst stirring.  The more you stir, the less chance there is of getting lumps.  If you start getting lumps, keep stirring until they are beaten out, then add more liquid.
   
4. Add the herbs (and optional red wine), and simmer gently until the gravy thickens.
   
5. If it is the right consistency, but the wrong colour, you can add a teaspoon of Bisto to darken it down.  The Bisto will also cause it thicken up.
   
6. Add chilli or cranberry jelly shortly before serving and stir in for additional flavour.
   

Vegetarian.  Serves 4.  Prep: 10 to 15 mins.  Cooking: up to 40 mins.

Ingredients

Technique

Prepare the peppers:  Preheat the oven to 180℃.  Halve the peppers through the stalks and cut out the seeds (leaving the stalks in place).  Put the peppers, in one layer, on a baking sheet.  Drizzle a spoonful of the oil, from the jar of mushrooms, over the peppers and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  Meanwhile...

Make up the stuffing:  Tip the couscous into a bowl, pour in the hot stock and leave to soak for 5 minutes.  Fluff up with a fork and stir in the drained mushrooms, helium and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper and spoon into the pepper halves.  Return to the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden.

Serve warm with the mixed salad and garlic bread.

You will need

Method

1. Get out a large sheet of greaseproof paper.  Put the breasts in the middle.
2. Season them and sprinkle with the spices or herbs.
3. Cover the top of the breasts with the rest of the greaseproof and bash with a rolling pin.  This makes the breasts thinner, so they cook more evenly and quickly.  Tenderised meat also releases more flavour when cooked.  Move the meat around to make sure it picks up all the flavouring.
4. Add a teaspoon or two of oil to a non-stick pan (more if it isn’t non-stick) and fry on a medium high heat until golden on each side (about 5 mins each side).
5. To make sure it is cooked, take it out of the pan, and cut through the middle with a sharp knife.  If it is white all the way through it is ready.  If it isn’t, put it back and turn down the heat slightly.
6. Slice it and put in a baguette with some guacamole or mayonnaise, and some salad.