WHAT DID WE HAVE FOR TEA?

[Wendyf]

I've been given a rabbit, anyone got a good recipe?

[Marilyn]

Wabbit in Wed Wine??
( haven't cooked rabbit for about 20plus years. It seemed a bit hit and miss to me as far as tenderness went. Sometimes I cracked it ( fluke) and sometimes we just chewed quietly and no one said a word....)

[Wendyf]

Same experience here Maz, I've cooked it in red wine before and found it a bit tasteless. I'll search online for an inspiring recipe.

[Bradders Bluesinger]

I've been given a rabbit, anyone got a good recipe?

They tend to like their lettuce plain !

[Moh]

I cut it up, brown it and put it in the slow cooker with some stewing beef, onion and garlic, throw in a chopped up carrot part way through. Also make it into a casserole with onions then make a rabbit pie.

[Moh]

I've typed this post before but it has got lost - so here goes. Cut the rabbit up, brown it and put it in the slow cooker (or a casserole ddish in the oven), brown some stewing steak and add it to the rabbit with onion, garlic and a beef stock (or red wine) and throw in a chopped carrot part way through cooking. Or make the casserole minus the beef, add some bacon and make it into a rabbit and bacon pie.

[Stanley]

Moh has it about right in my opinion. Key is to joint it and slow cook. Not a strong meat if fresh and very easy to smother it.
Oxtail stew hit the spot, proper cold weather grub. I looked at the number of hunched backs during my walks yesterday and reflected on the advantages of a Crombie overcoat and a belly full of good warming food. Are we losing the ability to recognise warming food? When I was wagon driving and poor, one of my favourite winter warmers was a bowl of good soup, well-peppered, with a small packet of digestive biscuits crumbled into it. I learned this trick in Scotland and it worked.

[Wendyf]

The rabbit was delicious. I took in Maz & Moh's advice and studied a few recipes too, then did my own thing.
Jointed and browned the meat, then sauteed some onions and garlic followed by chopped carrots, celery and a red pepper. Added the bunny's kidneys, finely chopped, and because I had no smoked bacon I sliced up some smoked sausage and stuck that in. Stirred in a tbsp flour followed by chicken stock and good glassful of red wine, bay leaf, thyme and a dash of Lea & Perrins. Cooked in a lowish oven for at least a couple of hours and served with baked potatoes and green beans.

[busybees]

I am salivating at the thoughts of oxtail stew, it really is a wonderful cut of meat. Slow cooked in a stew and eaten the next day is how I cook it.

My partner sometimes goes out shooting rabbits at Hill Clough up Esp lane but he said they haven't had as many up at Hill Clough farm on Esp lane . Farmer reckons there's lots of foxes this year. Next time he fetches me one I am going to try it cooked really slow in a curry.

Marilyn , try growing potatoes in bags I have had good success with that, and you can grow lots of salads and herbs etc in a back yard.

We are on roast pork ,apple sauce stuffing ,sprouts, carrots and parsnips roasted in dripping (ahhhh naughty but nice) and blackberry and apple crumble to follow. It feels so cosy and smells so fab with the oven on and the snowy scene outside. Kids are playing out in the snow so I reckon they will be ready for a roast dinner. I love homely sundays.

Helen

[Moh]

We are on roast lamb - boy has it got expensive. with mash, roasties, parsnips, carrots, corn on the cob & gravy - don't do puddings unless we have visitors as I don't eat them and hubby shouldn't have them!!

[Stanley]

Helen, Stewart Brown has plenty of oxtail! I finished it last night and today I'm considering fish pie made with some smoked haddock I bought the other day on a whim....

[Moh]

Cold lamb ronight with similar veggies.

[busybees]

We are having left overs of roast pork with veg and the crumble tonight.

I will get some oxtail at Browns for later in the week, I don't know about everybody else but the cold weather makes me crave traditional stodgy food.

I have noticed Chubby has started selling fresh fish. I love fish pie but it is an expensive meal when it's for a family. I love smoked haddock it is so tasty in a fish pie. I like to use Coley in mine too. We had fresh mackrel the other day, I filleted it and cooked it really fast on the griddle pan , it tasted fantastic and was so juicy. Mackrel is so cheap and plentiful we should eat more of it.

Helen

[Wendyf]

Lasagna for us yesterday, and Col is just cooking us a chilli for tonight. He makes a quick and very tasty version using tinned corned beef and beans of one sort or another. Very cheap and cheerful.

[Marilyn]

Using the oven economically today.
Had an oversupply of ripe tomatoes, so have a roasting pan going on the top shelf making pizza sauce. Full of tomatoes, chopped capsicums, onions, herbs and Kalamata Olives. Smells divine.
I will make a batch of pizzas for the freezer later in the week.

Shelf below is slow cooking a casserole for dinner tonight.

Which is all taking care of itself rather nicely, so I am off to do some painting.

[Stanley]

Helen, there is a good reason for 'stodgy food'. Think suet puddings! I had a menu malfunction yesterday. Plan was to not bake a loaf as I had enough bread for a sausage butty for brekkers this morning and to make fish pie after dinner ready for teatime. Went to bed and had a sleep and forgot the fish pie so I made a bowl of porridge for tea and had half a Soreen malt loaf for afters. That filled the nooks! I shall not forget the fish pie today and will bake a loaf as well.

[Moh]

Doesn't Soreen have a lot of sugar in it? Sort of mixed grill tonight with pork and black pepper sausages, two small pieces of steak cut off the rib eyes we had the other night, and a small piece of gammon cut off from when we had it last week - waste not want not. I shall be doing something in the slow cooker this week and making a steak & kidney pie one day as well - good warming food.

[Stanley]

Moh, yes but I don't have much and like a bit of comfort food every now and again. Think of the sugar in my fruit.
I got my act together yesterday and made the fish pie. Dead straight, no flavourings or herbs in it and the smoked mackerel came through nicely. Two helpings left for today...

[Moh]

Gammon joint, mushy peas and jacket potatoes tonight with a nice bottle of Merlot.

[Whyperion]

Stir Fruit Loaf ( chopped as best ) into porridge. Too many carbs today -Pasta for Lunch and Toast tonight. Weather too cold for much else.

[Marilyn]

Spicy Beef Noodles.
Have made the 'spicy beef' sauce this afternoon ( with Chilli and Chinese Five Spice etc) and will just melt the noodles in at the last minute.
Made BBQ Chicken Pizza last night, and gosh it was nice...I would eat that often, but Febby only likes it occasionally.

[Stanley]

Fish pie bit the dust after adding a few peas to bulk it up. Day of bits today, there's a black pudding looking lonely in the fridge. Butcher's day tomorrow so clear the decks.

[Wendyf]

Fish & Chips for us. Once a fortnight we force our presence on our son, who lives on his own down in Colne. (Just to make sure he is taking care of himself and his home!) Sometimes he cooks, sometimes we collect fish & chips on the way. Last night's from the Cemetery Chippy were delicious.

[Nolic]

Beef bourginon with tagliatelle for us. Plenty of leftover in freezer for another meal. Nolic

[Moh]

Rump steak in a casserole tonight with creamed parsnips and mashed potatoes. Out to eat tomorrow night for my birthday at the Waggoners up Manchester Road. It has just reopened, the new owner is the son of the couple who have the Calf's Head at Worston I believe.