Roasted Garlic!

Not a lover of garlic because it can be too strong or even bitter?

If you roast garlic it becomes sweet and delicious – here's the science!

It all boils down to the presence of allicin, the sulphur compound responsible for that instantly recognisable garlicky taste. Those all important garlic enzymes are inactivated by heat, and the allicin compound is destroyed during cooking. Garlic mellows as it cooks and is most pungent in its fresh, raw form.

Some may recognise “Allium” a genus of flowering plants which includes the cultivated onion, garlic, scallion, leek and chives. Allium is the Latin word for garlic.

Moving on, you might think this recipe is a faff in itself since you have to “pop” the garlic cloves from the bulb and box, preferably in tiny pots – messy I know - I can only say it's worth it.

Roasted Garlic

2 bulbs of garlic

olive oil/rapeseed oil for drizzling

2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme - optional

salt and black pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 200c/180f/Gas 6.

Slice the tops off the bulbs or not, as you wish and place in a small ovenproof dish, garlic roaster or foil dish so that they fit snugly. Drizzle with oil and season with thyme, salt and black pepper.

Roast in the oven for about an hour – until the garlic has softened.

Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the bulb. It's a good idea to wear gloves and to have a compostable bag ready for disposal. To store in the fridge, add a little more oil and keep in a screw top jar.

You can use the paste in the same way as you'd use fresh garlic – the difference is that the roasted version is sweeter and ready to use!

The paste will keep in your fridge for one to two weeks or you can freeze in tiny pots.

If, like me, you forget to take stuff out of the freezer another plus here is that because the pots are so tiny they don't take long at all to defrost!

Speaking of freezing and tiny pots ...

Under your belt!

I know the holidays have gone but I'm including this recipe so that you've got it “under your belt” - you'll use it all year round I promise you.

You'll never buy another cheese straw/twizzle or whatever other fancy name they give them, again. If you think I'm exaggerating then try the recipe just because you deserve a savoury treat!

You will guard this recipe with your life - these biscuits will become your best friend.

Parmesan biscuits

Makes 25-30

100g/4oz cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

100g/4oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting

pinch salt

pinch cayenne pepper

1 heaped tsp mustard powder

50g/2oz finely grated mature cheddar cheese

50g/2oz finely grated Parmesan, plus extra to decorate

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 180c/160fan/Gas 4.

Place the butter and flour into a food processor with the salt, cayenne, mustard powder and cheeses. Process together then pulse the mixture in short spurts until you notice the mixture coming together. It will eventually bind without the need for egg or water. Tip the mixture onto a sheet of cling film and use the cling film to bring it together into a round. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Leaving longer will do no harm.

Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the pastry thinly. Cut out the biscuits in shapes to suit the occasion. Lay them on a greased or non stick baking tray – 2cm apart. You'll need two trays.

Brush the surface with egg and sprinkle over a little of the finely grated Parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Use a palette knife to ease the biscuits off the tray and place on a rack to cool.

They will keep for a few days – good luck with that - take my advice and bake and freeze when there's no-one around – otherwise the aroma from the oven will bring everyone into the kitchen and it'll be bye bye biscuits!

Chicken for the soup

You could push the boat out and cook a chicken this way – it's easy peasy and economical too. Alternatively you could use the remains from your Sunday roast and not bother!

Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

OR

Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity

and omit the herbs

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs OR add the whole star anise to the cavity and omit the herbs. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold if you're not using it, strip the chicken, keeping aside what you need and then bag and freeze the remainder.

You'll get approximately 250ml of stock from the chicken and so make it up with a stock pot for the remaining 250ml

If you want to make your own stock - use a large saucepan, cover the carcass with water and any veggie stock you've got and bring to the boil, turn it down to a simmer and let it do its magic for 30/45 minutes. Strain the stock, cool, cover and set aside until you're ready – you may find more chicken to add to your stash.

You don't have to make your own chicken stock – I use Knorr Stock Pots – chicken or vegetable – if need be.

I always have leftover Charlotte potatoes in my fridge – an ideal way of avoiding waste!

You'll get cooked chicken too for sandwiches and a slaw or a curry, with noodles or a stir fry – the world is your lobster.

Next comes a Classy Chowder ...

Rich shortcrust pastry

Here's the recipe I used :

The recipe makes enough to line a shallow

23cm/9 inch flan tin

Serves 8

115g/4oz plain flour

55g/2oz cold unsalted butter, diced

25g (a scant 1oz) icing sugar, sifted

1 egg yolk plus 1 tbsp cold water

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar.

Lightly beat the egg yolk with 1 tbsp of cold water. Add to the flour mixture and mix with a round-bladed knife. Gather together to make a soft dough.

Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

Add 1 tsp pure vanilla extract to the beaten egg yolk and reduce the amount of water slightly – optional.

Bake at 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 15 minutes or until they are golden in colour – leave to cool.

If you prefer individual tart cases then you'll get 12 based on using a cutter 7cms/2¾” in diameter from the recipe given. Prick the cases with a fork before baking.

After I'd rolled out the pastry I used my trusted tamper to ease the cases into the tin for an even shape.

If you don't want to make your own pastry cases you don't have to - you can buy ready-made either individual or a 23cm/9 inch tart case.

More quick and easy summer puds!

Rummage pie – photo guide

I know I shouldn't blow my own trumpet but it tasted as good as it looked.

What's not to love.

P.s. You don't have to stick to the exact “recipe” for the cheese, it's just what you've got in the fridge that needs using up – but note that it's hard cheeses suitable for grating.

If you wanted an alternative pie filling and have been stashing leftovers in your freezer from the holidays combine 150g each of cooked gammon and turkey and add either a Sauce Supreme if you've got the time or an Alfredo sauce if you haven't – failing that a Campbell's condensed mushroom or chicken soup – if you've a drop of double cream left over add it to the soup.

Check out the Sauce Label on the blog for the Sauce Supreme recipe – under “More entertaining – The method in the madness and after the weekend” and for Alfredo sauce under “Or there's an alternative”.

Easy Peasy!

Time for a rummage!

Back to normal!

We all get to a point where there is nothing left in the tank and totally devoid of any inspiration.

It's time for a rummage – in the fridge and the freezer! I'm sure I've got a shortcrust pastry sheet in the freezer - it's a start. Hmm, the fridge - an odd onion here and the remnants of cheese I've always got in my fridge, particularly after Christmas and the New Year – yippee, the usual suspects are there - Gruyere, Mature Cheddar and Red Leicester - I think we're getting there, then there's the ever faithful baked jacket potatoes I didn't use. I can feel a pie coming on!

Hmm I know this is probably sounding predictable and you'd be right. Experience has taught me that when it's a horrible grey and cool day there's nothing like a pie, especially when it's cheating using a ready-made sheet and easy - whether it's with shortcrust or puff.

Here's my thrown together recipe :

Rummage Pie – Serves 4

300g grated hard cheese, mixed – whatever

is in your fridge – 125g Mature Cheddar, 125g Red

Leicester and 50g Gruyere

1 medium onion, finely diced and softened

with a knob of unsalted butter until opaque

1 tsp Dijon mustard

4 medium jacked potatoes, baked, peeled and

cut into small cubes

black pepper

1 shortcrust pastry sheet – 320g

1 egg, beaten

To assemble :

Make sure you take your pastry out of the fridge to allow it to “warm up” - you'll find the pastry is easier to use and won't crack. Line your pie dish with half the sheet – you may need to roll it a little to fit – for guidance my pie dish measured 27x9x5 cms approximately.

Tip the cubed potatoes into a large mixing bowl, season with black pepper. Add the mustard to the softened onion and then mix with the potatoes. Add the grated cheese and your filling is ready for the pie dish. Add your pastry lid, egg wash and fridge until you're ready to bake. Don't discard the beaten egg. Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas6, egg wash the pie again and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Note to self – may be add both the shortcrust and the puff pastry sheets to the emergency kit for the freezer – sounds like a plan!

Photo guide up next.

Save time and money – Part 6

Speaking of Christmas Eve – and whilst we're on the subject - here's another idea.

Did you ever wonder what to do with that jar of preserved lemons and black olives? This recipe is a Middle Eastern “hat tipping” to the wonderful tagine, cooked in stages for convenience. You could slow cook the dish altogether if that's better for you so – Plan A or Plan B!

Chicken and Preserved Lemon Tagine

Serves 4

2 tbsp of olive oil – or rapeseed

125g diced chorizo - 225g

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

sweet baby peppers, de-seeded and finely sliced

30ml – 2tbsp preserved lemons – rinsed and

chopped

400g passata

60ml medium white wine

500ml chicken stock

black olives – pitted – 150g drained weight - 350g

2 cloves of roasted garlic or 2 cloves

peeled and finely chopped

15ml sweet paprika

salt and black pepper

4 medium chicken breasts

Plan A

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the garlic paste, onion and paprika until soft – 10 minutes. Add the chorizo and fry until crispy. Add the wine and simmer until reduced – 5 minutes. Add the passata, stock and slow cooked chicken breasts and simmer gently, lid off, for about 20 minutes.

Add the olives and preserved lemons and season well – taste and adjust!

I'd slow cook the chicken breasts the day before required, using the 500ml of chicken stock in the recipe and then set them aside to cool, box and fridge. You can make the “sauce” when it suits you too. Complete your “tagine” adding the chicken breasts to the sauce and finish off as above, heating through gently on the stove.

Plan B

You could slow cook this recipe all together, completing the dish with the olives and preserved lemons either as you're re-heating or for the last 10 minutes of cooking time if serving straight from the slow cooker. If you're using this method then I'd slow cook for three hours. If you prefer your chorizo crispy I'd leave the chorizo until the last 20 minutes of slow cooking time then fry until crispy and add, with the oil, to your tagine, together with the preserved lemons and olives.

If you'd like a veggie version, use Quorn fillets.

What to serve with?

Keep it simple - new potatoes – boiled or steamed and or even roasted in their skins. Mange tout – sliced lengthways and stir fried.

Yum – now back to the cheap & cheerful!

Save time and money – Part 5

Autumn thoughts and a Christmas Eve “think ahead”.

Make a chilli but not any old chilli - when I think of chilli I think of minced beef. Another confession – I hate minced beef. What makes this chilli special, nay posh, is it uses diced steak and slow cooks it. The only remaining task is to add the red kidney beans and any garnishes. A word of warning – just in case you've forgotten – do not slow cook the kidney beans.

Posh Chilli

Serves 4

500g diced steak

A glug of rapeseed oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of roasted garlic paste or 2 cloves crushed

tsp = teaspoon

half tsp ground cumin

half tsp ground coriander

half tsp ground cinnamon

quarter to half tsp chilli powder (to taste, depends how much of a kick you like – I used a quarter tsp)

500g jar of passata

60ml sweet chilli sauce

390g can of red kidney beans, rinsed

optional extras :

150g small dice or sliced chorizo

sweet baby peppers, de-seeded and

finely sliced

Method …

Seal the diced steak in batches in a large frying pan using a drop of rapeseed oil then set aside in your slow cooker.

Gently fry your onion and garlic, using another drop of rapeseed oil if necessary. Add the spices and cook together so that the spices are able to release their deliciousness!

Add the passata and the chilli sauce and bring to the boil. Add to the sealed diced steak and then slow cook for 4 hours. Turn off and then leave to cool. Freeze in boxes to suit your needs – remember – you can pull out two boxes if you need to, rather than have to throw away from a larger quantity.

Defrost thoroughly in your fridge. Re-heat gently on the stove adding your kidney beans, sweet baby peppers or chorizo.

For the optional extras :

Use a large frying pan and fry the chorizo gently so that it releases its oil. Set the chorizo aside, leaving the oil in the pan.

Sauté the sliced, sweet baby peppers in the chorizo oil.

If you enjoy a spicy hit you can use mixed beans in a chilli sauce instead of ordinary red kidney beans.

Serve with rice if you like but I think it's fab in a bowl with a blob of sour cream served with some rustic bread of your choice on the side or with wraps with bowls of relish of your choice – mango would work well.

Freezing serves dishes like chilli or curry very well – the freezing process allows the spices to develop. Here's a thought – you could double the recipe and serve as a supper or as part of a larger supper buffet. Hot food seems to go down so well and it's easier to cook and serve.

A great Christmas Eve idea – but you might want to double the recipe if you've got a houseful!

Step by step photo guide up next ...

                                                  Sealed diced steak in the slow cooker

                                                            softened onion and garlic

the four “c”s – cumin, coriander

cinnamon and chilli

the four “c”s cooked out with the onion

the chilli – ready to slow cook and perform its magic!

glistening with the beans and a blob of

sour cream

ditto with flat breads

What's not to love and it's a perfect Christmas Eve meal – done and dusted!

Save time and money – Part 4

… or you could try a posh Shepherd's Pie Upside Down.

SPUD

(Shepherd's Pie Upside Down)

Serves 4-6

940g braising steak – 1kg will do it doesn't

have to be precise

980g beef stock - ditto

Glug of rapeseed oil

salt and pepper

2 x beef stock pots

salt and black pepper

I zoomed to the butchers and bought 3 x trays of cubed braising steak for £10. A good start! A little patience is required here – using a large frying pan heat the rapeseed oil, place braising steak in the pan – it should sizzle – season with salt and pepper. Don't overload the pan, brown the meat and then set aside in your slow cooker making way for the next batch and repeat until you've browned all the meat. If you insist in ramming it all into the pan it will turn grey and stew – it's not a good look.

Add a litre of water to the juices left in the frying pan, bring to the boil then add the stock pots – stir until melted – pour carefully into the slow cooker with the meat. Pop the lid on and slow cook for four hours.

Switch off and cool – if you want to freeze all or part then divide the stock between two “pour and store” freezer bags and divide the meat between two in strong freezer bags.

Other than the slow cooking of the braising steak there's no work involved - the mash and turning the stock into a gravy beyond all gravies is easy, peasy, just thicken the stock as required with 1-2 teaspoons of slaked cornflour.

All that remains is the mashed potatoes – a large pan! Leftover mash is perfect for bubble & squeak or corned beef hash.

Was it worth the fifteen minutes I spent prepping the braising steak for the slow cooker … you betcha!

P.s. You might want to offer your guests a spoon too, to scoop up the leftover gravy. In the North we have a less refined custom but much more satisfying – use small pieces of crusty bread to dip and mop up the remains.

Yum!

Save time and money – Part 3

Here's a “flexible” family sized recipe for Gammon, Chicken & Leek pie. The beauty of it is there are three options here from the same recipe. The first is a healthy version, the second is not and the third is somewhere in between – something for everyone I think you'll agree!

I will concede that you'll have to think about your shopping list but if you are now subscribing to “getting organised” you'll have jacket potatoes on your list ready to bake.

Here we go :

Option 1 – healthy

Gammon, Chicken and Leek pie

Serves 4 - 6 portions

You'll need a casserole or foil tray 23x23cms/9” square

Gammon joint – smoked or unsmoked to suit your taste – approx 500g

4 chicken breast fillets

2 stock pots – chicken or vegetable

4 medium leeks, topped, tailed and sliced thickly

Rapeseed oil – approx 1 tbsp

black pepper

2 tins (295g) of Campbell's condensed low fat chicken soup (this is now low salt, low fat and only 77 calories per serving)

3 large jacket potatoes, baked, cooled, then peeled and sliced

Salt and black pepper for potato topping

Seal your gammon joint and slow cook in the stock pots, repeat with the chicken fillet. If your slow cooker is big enough cook them all together. 4 hours is fine. Remove the gammon and chicken and leave to cool.

Break up the gammon and the chicken into medium chunks and transfer for the moment into a large food bag and fridge. Reserve the stock and fridge.

Peel and slice your leeks, then soften in the rapeseed oil, set aside.

Tip the soup into a large mixing bowl. Next add a ladle of stock into the soup to loosen it, then fold in the gammon, chicken and leeks. Transfer the filling into your casserole or foil tray.

Place your sliced potato on top, season with a little salt and black pepper.

Pre-heat your oven and bake at 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 30-40 minutes – check after 30 - until the top is golden and crispy.

Then there's option 2 – definitely not as healthy, more indulgent!

Option 2 – not as healthy, more indulgent

This is a luxury version, perfect for a supper with friends.

Replace the soup with a Velouté sauce. A Velouté sauce is one of the “Mother Sauces” - a light white sauce made with chicken or fish stock and a roux – it is also used as a base for other sauces, for example, a Sauce Supreme, known as a “Daughter Sauce” using Velouté and then enriched with cream.

Here's the Sauce Supreme recipe :

half a pint (300ml) of cold stock

15g unsalted butter

15g plain flour

½ tsp Dijon mustard

200ml double cream

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk. Return to the heat and cook out the flour for 2/3 mins, stirring continuously – do not walk away.

Then tip your cold stock straight into the roux and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 20 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the mustard and cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

Fold your gammon, chicken and leeks into the sauce.

Top your sliced potatoes with seasoning and 2/3 knobs of butter, finish with a mixture of grated Red Leicester and mature Cheddar cheese. Bake as before.

Option 3 – somewhere in between

Omit the potato, butter and cheese topping and replace with a puff pastry lid. This option can also apply to Options 1 or 2. Bake as before. You could “hit the middle” and make Option 1 enriching the tinned soup by adding double cream. The world is your pie!

For those sceptics among us who think that a slow-cooker is only capable of producing stews and casseroles I hope you might be persuaded otherwise.

Save time and money – Part 2

Then again you could choose a soup - how about a hearty, cream of chicken soup?

This is “chicken soup for the soul” – it makes you feel better when you're in need of comfort.

Dice, box and fridge your leftover chicken - ready to add to your soup later – amounts don't matter, it's whatever is leftover.

You will need 500ml of stock – you can use your liquid gold – you have 250ml. Make up another 250ml using a Knorr stock pot .

Alternatively if you want to make your own stock, using a large saucepan, cover the carcass with water and any stock you've got - chicken or veggie - bring to the boil, turn it down to a simmer and let it do its magic for 30/45 minutes. Strain the stock, cool, cover and set aside until you're ready – you may find more chicken to add to your stash.

Another rummage produces a few Charlotte potatoes that need using plus a large onion that's always in the veggie basket – these additions will definitely make this soup more substantial!

Here's the recipe :

Cream of Chicken Soup

Serves 4

30g unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic – preferably roasted

500ml chicken stock

250ml whole milk

celery salt and white pepper

diced chicken stash

garnish of grated nutmeg

50-75ml double (heavy) cream

leftover Charlotte potatoes, peel and cut

into small dice

a handful of frozen petit pois

Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté gently for 2-3 minutes – there should be no colour, season with celery salt. Add the stock and diced potatoes and simmer gently for 15 minutes then add the milk and simmer again for 10 minutes Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Blitz 2/3 ladles of the soup until thick and return to the pan. Add the cream, nutmeg, peas, ground white pepper and chicken - heat gently until piping hot.

Don't forget to warm the soup bowls.

If you don't have a huge amount of leftover cooked chicken adding the potatoes supplements and gives a hearty thick soup – a rib sticker as we say!

It's no big deal if you don't have the inclination to make a chicken soup - box and freeze your leftover chicken and likewise bag and freeze the strained stock, for another time, when you are in the mood!

The next idea is “a sandwich for the soul”

It's my take on a “takeaway” chicken idea for the weekend. If there are four in your household then you might want to consider slow cooking a whole chicken just for this purpose, lets be honest, it doesn't take a great deal of effort, nor break the bank either. I'd recommend too that you use the star anise option in the cavity, the flavour is divine. You'll also produce lots of moist chicken which shreds very easily, it almost melts before your eyes.

We've already had chicken soup for the soul – now here's a chicken sandwich for the soul – I have it on good authority that this is the best ever and well worth slow cooking a whole chicken solely for that purpose!

You'll need delicious bread and when I say delicious bread I mean a loaf (or may be two) that can be sliced into doorsteps.

Who likes what?

It wouldn't be a sandwich without the extras, here are my

suggestions and it is not an exhaustive list!

Avocado, sliced or mashed to suit, with lemon

juice

Crispy bacon – and bits are better!

Good quality mayo

Beef tomatoes, sliced thinly

Beetroot relish or slices if you prefer

Any salad item you love – spring onions, shredded

iceberg lettuce

capers, cornichons

A slaw of your choice – here's an Asian

recipe that will compliment your anise infused

shredded chicken

Asian Coleslaw

110g white cabbage, finely sliced – approximately

one third of a medium size cabbage

1 carrot – peeled and sliced with a

julienne peeler

1 spring onion – 15g finely sliced

if you want to create a basic slaw stash then

double the amounts given above

3-4 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp caster sugar

Half tbsp rice wine

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp peanut butter

Half tsp chilli powder

4 tbsp fresh coriander

Combine all the above ingredients except the fresh coriander.

Marinade for at least an hour – 2-3 is better still!

Just before serving strain off the excess liquid, stir in the coriander and serve!

If you don't want to go to the bother of making the coleslaw you could buy a good quality alternative, then serve with wedges sprinkled with a seasoning of your choice.

The perfect idea for a Saturday night supper – everyone can choose whatever they want – it's a win win. You can delete the takeaway delivery numbers you have on speed dial!

You should be feeling very pleased with yourself – you've used every last morsel of the chicken and it's not taken you three weeks of preparation, cooking and the aftermath.

I say every morsel, what you were left with, literally, was the carcass of the bird. If you have the time and are sufficiently enthusiastic you've made a stock. Making stock from scratch is a worthy but long winded process, but may be not appropriate for the time saving, speedy stuff.

These recipes are not set in stone – they are only a guide - not a rigid set of rules. I'm just trying to give you an idea or two that might inspire your own creation or an old favourite that you'd forgotten.

If it moves freeze it – in portions that are practical for you – you can always take out more if you need to.

One thing is for sure, slow cooking a whole chicken means you'll get the most from the bird and you'll use every morsel – it's the perfect emergency food!

Save time and money – slow cook!

The moral of this slow cooking lark is that it allows you to make the most of the time you've got. If you're in your kitchen anyway why not spend an extra five minutes and fill your slow cooker and stock your freezer. It may not seem like much at the time but you might change your mind in the middle of the working week when you're worn to a frazzle and can't string a sentence together, let alone split an atom and create a meal!

Stuff you might find useful - Slow cooking – hints and tips

You can slow cook all sorts apart from meat and poultry – soups, veggies, desserts, the world is your slow cooker!

I've used slow cookers for years and still apply the same principles as I've always done (which does not include the whole chicken recipe – rules are meant to be broken!). I seal my meat/poultry before it goes into the slow cooker and although these days you can buy slow cookers that are suitable for hob to hotplate I use a frying pan to seal – I know it creates washing up but the method in my madness is that I can set aside the protein and then use the juices in the pan, adding stock and whatever else I feel like, then bringing it to the boil, de-glazing and getting the best flavour possible, ready to place everything in the slow cooker. I can see what I'm doing too!

Don't overfill the cooker with liquid – as a guide half to two thirds maximum.

Thickening. I'm not a lover of coating meat in flour and then sealing it. As far as I'm concerned you're slow cooking the coating and not the meat. I prefer to thicken with a teaspoon or two of slaked cornflour at the end of the cooking time.

If you're thinking of investing in a slow cooker you might be tempted to buy a small version. It's my experience that you'll regret it – if you are cooking for yourself but feed family and friends too it's the perfect vehicle for saving you time, effort and of course dosh.

I find that stainless steel and a separate hotplate is most practical for me. I can decant from the slow cooker to freeze but leave enough for a meal and then transfer the cooker to my hob to re-heat later.

If you're new to this slow cooking malarkey invest in a slow cooking recipe book - there are some excellent ones out there – Lakeland publish at least two.

Check out bargains and deals – you'll usually find a chicken. Rocket science it ain't but if you want to make the most of your good deal with a chicken then let the slow cooker take the strain and do the cooking for you - that's two massive ticks!

I make no apology for repeating this recipe. It should read “Slow Cook a Whole Chicken or how to make the most out of your slow cooker – how did I manage without one”.

Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

OR

Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity

and omit the herbs

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs OR add the whole star anise to the cavity and omit the herbs. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold, strip the chicken, keeping aside what you need and then bag and freeze the remainder.

Here are the photos :

The whole chicken, lifted from slow cooker onto the foil lined tray, ready for action or to be cooled, covered and fridged.

The stock, strained into a jug, ready to be cooled, covered and fridged.

The stock the following day, decanted into a “pour and store” bag ready to freeze. The stock forms a golden jelly with some natural fat from the bird – you've not added any fat at all – nice colour don't you think?

Here's the chicken stripped and portioned into four.

Top right and bottom left are the breasts. I would freeze each breast individually – you may only need one in the future but should you need both it's not an issue. Top left is a leg as is, again to be frozen. There's no doubt that if you leave meat on the bone it is less likely to dry out. Finally bottom right we have a mixture of leg and thigh meat. What you'll also find when you strip the chicken the next day is that you'll have blobs of the jellied stock – don't waste it, freeze it in ice cube trays, the flavour will be great, whatever you decide to cook.

What to do with? Rocket science it ain't!

Who doesn't love a pie – how about chicken and mushroom? You get to use your chicken stock – it's now called liquid gold in my kitchen. It's intense and rich and what better way to show it off than by making the sauce for your chicken and mushroom filling. I apologise, I should have said that you get between 250/300ml of stock depending on the size of your chicken.

Chicken & Mushroom Pie

2 x slow cooked chicken breasts and/or

a mixture of leg and thigh meat -

400g in total, diced and placed in

a large bowl

250g chestnut mushrooms

Sauce Supreme – using your

chicken stock

Sliced cooked baked potatoes – 3 medium size

skin on or skin off, whichever you prefer

salt and black pepper and a dot or two of

butter

Preheat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Ensure that your chicken and stock have been taken from your best friend (the freezer) and fridged overnight.

There are only two elements to cook – the mushrooms and the sauce.

Heat a medium sized frying pan, slice the mushrooms and sauté with 50g of unsalted butter adding salt and black pepper. Turn the mushrooms – they'll produce water and the idea is that you use a high heat to reduce the liquid. Add a glug of dry sherry or red wine and reduce again. The sherry or wine enhances the flavour of the mushrooms. Whilst I'm at it don't be afraid to use mushrooms that might be past their “best before” date. They have more flavour.

Your sauce recipe :

15g unsalted butter

15g plain flour

½ tsp Dijon mustard

200ml double cream

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk. Return to the heat and cook out the flour for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously making a roux sauce – do not walk away.

Tip your cold stock straight into the roux and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 20 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the mustard and the cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

You can freeze the sauce if it's more convenient – it's every bit as good from the freezer.

You have choices for your pie lid. I'm using the potatoes I've already baked and have stashed in my fridge.

You could use the ever popular puff pastry sheet, again taken from your freezer stash.

Add the mushrooms to the chicken and then fold through the sauce. Pour the filling into a casserole measuring 23x23 cms approximately or, in my case, a foil tray - layer the sliced potatoes over the top, add a little salt and pepper and a dot or two of butter . Place in the oven for 25 minutes and serve.

That's the first idea …

Chapter XVI – if on the other hand …

… you don't fancy a bowl of soup, how about paté to go with the soda bread?

Here are three easy, peasy recipes.

Mushroom paté

250g chestnut mushrooms

250g cream cheese

4 cloves of roasted garlic

30g unsalted butter

a glug of extra dry sherry*

salt and black pepper

2 tsps of tapenade – optional

Trim the mushrooms, clean and then slice finely. Using a medium frying pan – mine measures 28cms in diameter - melt the butter and then add the sliced mushrooms with the garlic and sauté. Mushrooms release liquid and they need to be sautéed until it has disappeared – 10 minutes. 7 minutes into the cooking time add a glug of sherry. Continue sautéeing until the sherry has been absorbed – 3 minutes.

Let the mushrooms cool.

Blitz the mushrooms in a food processor, add the cream cheese and blitz again. Season to taste and leave to cool. Decant the paté into pots or boxes to suit and fridge until required.

Serve with whatever form of bread that takes your fancy. Me – I've just baked soda bread – tee hee!

*A glug refers to liquid, usually oil or alcohol too in my culinary book. If you want to be reasonably accurate then a glug is what I'd call a generous tablespoon.

*A word about dry sherry. If you're not a sherry drinker – not my favourite tipple – then you might find it useful to know that, for the purpose of this recipe, and anything to do with enhancing the flavour of mushrooms, fino is the driest followed by manzanilla and then amontillado – any of the three will do very nicely. Alternatively you could use a glug of a good red wine.

Pushed for time – need inspiration? Take 150g of your paté, loosen it with 150g of double (heavy) cream and warm through. Hey presto, you have a mushroom sauce to serve with cooked chicken, Quorn fillets or fold through pasta.

By my reckoning a mid week supper would probably take the time it takes to cook the pasta and warm the sauce.

That's got to be a result!

OR

Cream cheese and cashew nut paté

1 carrot, finely grated

225g cream cheese

100g roasted cashew nuts, crushed to a rubble – not

to a dust!

1 tbsp of chopped chives

salt and black pepper

black olives – pitted and sliced (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together, box and fridge. If you are feeling really virtuous have a side of raw carrot!

Serve on whatever takes your fancy – rice cakes, gluten free cheese oatcakes, toast or even as a sandwich filling – a toasted bagel would be good.

 OR if you fancy fish :

Smoked Mackerel Paté

250g smoked mackerel

250g quark (it's a soft cheese made from skimmed milk – not nice on its own but great as a low fat product for healthy pate!)

Glug of lemon juice

Black pepper

Two tsps of creamed horseradish

Remove the skin from the mackerel, flake it and pop into your food processor. Add the quark and blitz with the mackerel, then add the lemon juice, black pepper and horseradish, blitz again. You can gauge the consistency of the paté to your personal taste.

You can then add, for example, chopped onion, chopped capers.

Serve with anything you like, toasted bread, rice cakes or add to warmed pitta slit, with salad. Add to cooked pasta, hot or cold – perfect for lunch on the run!

If you can't get hold of quark you can use cottage cheese - low fat of course!

Very healthy – very virtuous!