The Rose Cottage Recipe Book

Macaroni Cheese

100 g	pasa shapes or macaroni
25 g	butter or margarine
25 g	flour
300 ml	milk
100 g	cheese, Cheddar or similar
½ tsp	mustard
optional ingredients	small can tuna 100 g ham 50 g peas or sweetcorn cooked onions or peppers

Cook the past and drain.
Mix the margarine, flour, milk and mustard in a saucepan and whisk until the flour dissolves.
Heat gently stirring all the time. Bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat, add half the cheese, cooked pasta and any extras. Season & stir together.
Place in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Grill under a hot grill until bubbling and browning.

2 kg	red onions (or regular), halved and thinly sliced.
4	garlic cloves, thinly sliced
140 g	butter
4 tbsp	olive oil
140 g	golden caster sugar
1 tbsp	fresh thyme leaves
pinch	chilli flakes (optional)
70 cl	red wine
350 ml	sherry (or red wine) vinegar
200 ml	port

Melt the butter with the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a high heat.
Add the onions and garlic and give them a good stir so they are glossed with butter.
Sprinkle over the sugar, thyme leaves, chilli flakes and some salt and pepper.
Give everything another really good stir and reduce the heat slightly.
Cook uncovered for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions are ready when all their juices have evaporated, they're really soft and sticky and smell of sugar caramelising. They should be so soft that they break when pressed against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Slow cooking is the secret of really soft and sticky onions, so don't rush this part.
Pour in the wine, vinegar and port and simmer everything, still uncovered, over a high heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring every so often until the onions are a deep mahogany colour and the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds. It's done when drawing a spoon across the bottom of the pan clears a path that fills rapidly with syrupy juice.
Leave the onions to cool in the pan, then scoop into sterilised jars and seal.

1 bulb	garlic	already roasted (A whole bulb not just one small clove.)
500 g	onions	finely sliced
sprigs	thyme
1 pack	puff pastry
1 can	anchovies
handful	black olives
	olive oil	for cooking

Heat the oil in a large, wide pan. Fry the onions for 20 – 30 mins until softened and lightly golden, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the thyme, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes more. Leave to cool a little.
Heat oven to 200°C.
Unroll the pastry into a neat 40 x 25cm rectangle. Put on a large, lightly oiled baking sheet. Score a border and pop in the fridge.
Spread the mashed garlic and then the onion mixture over the pastry. Arrange the anchovies in a criss-cross pattern, and stud each with as olive.
Bake for 25-30 mins until golden.

Serve hot or cold.

1	medium onions
1 tsp	finely chopped or minced ginger
2 tsp	red Thai curry paste (very salty so don't overdo it)
4	medium sweet potatoes
2 pints	chicken stock (preferably from bones or make up with chicken OXO cubes or similar)
1 tin	coconut milk

Preheat the oven onto 180°C.
Put the sweet potatoes directly onto the oven shelf for 20 to 30 minutes.
(until mostly soft - which depends on size and shape of the roots).
When cooked, take the potatoes out of the oven and cover with a damp tea towel for 10 minutes.
(This loosens the skins as they cool to make them easier to remove.)
In a large pan, fry the onions and minced garlic in some sunflower oil until soft and transparent.
Add a small teaspoon of Thai curry paste and stir gently for a couple of minutes.
Remove the sweet potatoes from their skins. Dice and add to the pan of onions and spices.
Add the stock and bring to the boil. Then, turn down to a simmer and cook until the sweet potato is soft.
Put everything through a blender, or food processor and process until smooth.
Pour back into the pan. Add the can of coconut milk and heat through. Ready to serve.