Thanks for coming back!
In the time since the last post, I have been thinking about what things I can write about and whether I have enough content to keep writing about cooking. So I decided to start a Mindmap (If you don’t do these you should, it gets your thoughts out). The upshot was I think I have a few posts in me to start with.
One thing I thought was, what is my credibility to write about cooking and food! So I thought I would do a step back in history and talk about my history with cooking.
In the last post I mentioned my Mum was the cook in our residential care home and that big old cooker she used, well that is what I was taught to cook on. I mean I don’t remember her saying “Right today I’m going to teach you to cook ….” but I was always in the kitchen with her helping out and obviously learning.
As I got older the reply to can I have something to eat was “If you want it, make it yourself!” so that is what I did, learning to cook eggs in every format possible. I also loved cooking at school, and quiche became a favourite, but there was nothing like my Mum’s which looking back might have just been cheese!
When I ended up moving in Jane, we were two weeks before she told me to cook. I like to plan my food for the day, but apparently asking her what was for dinner at 7:15 when she was dropping me to the station was too much, getting the reply “I have no idea, I have only just had breakfast, why don’t you cook!”, and for the last almost 21 years that is what has happened. I took over cooking day to day, so that I could plan what I was having for lunch. You don’t want a chicken sandwich if you’re having chicken for tea do you!
But it was 2002 after we got married that cooking really started to become important, we started Weight Watchers in the September, and that was a whole new ball game, changing the type of food and not using Jars and packets, but making sauces and food from scratch. The first cook book I got was the 35 Year of Weight Watchers Favourite Recipes, and to this day it remains one of the best.
Now, 19 years later, two kids later, cooking is just part of everyday life. One thing I’m proud of is that my kids eat almost everything, they are not fussy (unlike me) and this comes down to cooking fresh food each day.
So the recipe that comes along with this blog post really has to be one that comes from the above book I think. This is a great winter warmer, but I like to tinker with my recipes to suit what we want. I have replace the mince with sausages, I have replaced the beans with just Cannellini beans to reduce the points, but remember to make it your own.
Boston Beef & Baked Bean Hotpot
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10min
Cook Time: 25min
Ingredients:
- 350g Extra-lean minced beef
- 2 tsp Vegetable oil
- 1 Whole onion (chopped)
- 500 ml Beef stock
- 225g Chopped tomatoes
- 415g Can of baked beans
- 200g Pasta shapes
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Tomato puree
- 2 tsp Bbq sauce
- 1 pinch Mixed herbs
- Salt and pepper
Steps:
- Saute the minced beef in a large non-stick frying pan for 4-5 minutes, until browned. Drain off the fat.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan then gently the onions, until soft. Stir in the mince along with all the remaining ingredient, except the parsley. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, until the meat and pasta are cooked and tender.
- If the mixture is still wet, leave the dish covered to allow it to soak up the fluid.
Cooking by Matt 