I've been craving cherry pie for ages. A guilty childhood pleasure. Now I was a bit cheeky as I found some pastry in the fridge which the wife had bought. Used that for the base. Two tins of cherry pie filling inside. 
Now the topping. My eldest son does not eat dairy. The pastry I'd already used was dairy free, but was now all gone. So I made a crumble topping using flour, dairy free yoghurt, olive oil and sugar. In his words...."that's peng!" (Means good)
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An improvised dinner tonight. Roasted sweet potato, red peppers and feta cheese all mixed together with some wholemeal pasta.
Once again it was bloody lush. By lush, I mean that the kids actually ate it. They are my toughest clients.

The sweet potatoes were roasted whole, skin on, with a little extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper. Once cooked, I allowed them to cool a little then peeled them. Chopped them up a bit and then mixed with the drained pasta and the other bits. The roasted peppers were from a jar by the way.
All good.

This is not so much of a recipe but more of a suggestion. I'm giving you a method if used for a few years now. The recipe changes every time due to the ingredients used. For instance, I used Stokes ketchup this time but have used Heinz in the past.
For this, you will need:

• Short Rib of Beef (Speak to your butcher)
• Ketchup
• honey
• orange juice
• smoked paprika
• chilli flakes
• oyster sauce
• orange juice

Smother the ribs of beef with the ketchup and oyster sauce. It's about 5 parts ketchup to 1 part oyster. Massage it in while it's in a roasting dish.  Then sprinkle, quite liberally, the dry ingredients. Pour in  enough orange juice until the beef looks like it is sitting  in enough sauce. See first picture. Then drizzle with honey.
Cover with foil and then shove it in the oven at around 150°c for 4 hours. At this time the sauce should be have come together. Baste the meat and re-cover. continue cooking for around 2 hours at 140c.

The meat should feel soft and very tender once finished. Allow to cool in the sauce.

Ideally this dish can be made the day before required. It is easier to cut into portions once cooled. The sauce can be drained off too. left in the fridge over night the fat will lift to the top and can be discarded. leaving you a very tasty, sticky barbecue sauce.

I will work out a scaled down recipe, with the exact measurements in for you soon. Check back with me later.

Method:

Start with the onions and garlic in the pan. Sweat them off slowly. When I say "sweat" this is the process of cooking without colour. Just until they start to soften.
Next add the smoked paprika, chilli and cumin to the pan and continue to stir for a couple of minutes.
Add the minced beef. I like to use a bigger wooden spoon to help smash up the beef in the pan. You want to keep it moving and break down the lumps of minced beef.
After a few minutes of the heat, you'll notice some liquid coming out of the beef. Just keep stirring. Don't drain it!! This juice will act as your timer! 
When the juice has all but evaporated, you'll start to hear the sizzle of the meat in the pan. This is when you should add the Tomato puree. Yes, all of it! mix it in. Then add the tin of chopped tomatoes and the drained and rinsed kidney beans.
From this point you should let it cook on the stove for around 30 minutes. Keep and eye on it and stir as required. Be careful as it may start to burn at the bottom. This is where you need to know your good pans. 
Don't be afraid to transfere it to another pan if you need to.
So, after 30 minutes, make up a little bit of the bouillon into a strong liquid stock required amount to your dish. 
add a little salt n pepper if you want. 

Serve with rice, baked sweet potato or even over a tortilla chip!

This recipe will make more than enough. This is where you portion up the rest and freeze it. Lovely!

Cheers
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Brian's tip: Goes great with a glass of Merlot
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*OXO cube or Aromat powder. 

For those fans of liver out there. Here's a variation for you. Quite literally spice your Lambs liver with a little Turmeric, coconut oil, Garam Masala, chilli flakes and garlic. Long marinade is not essential on this dish. 10 to 15 minutes  and it's ready to go. That gives you enough time to dig out your favourite mixed curry spice and fry up those left over potatoes and vegetables together. You know...the ones you've got in the fridge that you told yourself you'd use up for something. Get'em in a pan with a little more oil or butter or even some ghee if you fancy it.
Cook your lamb. Just how you'd normally have it. Pink or cremated. It's your choice.

Enjoy

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This month I have taken inspiration from my instagram feed. The onset of springtime makes for lighter dishes, potential for al fresco dining and longer evenings.
Affectionately know as Whore's/Tarts/Sluts pasta sauce. This is a simple classic with its origins unknown. Several stories surround this dish but none confirmed. Always a great dinner party conversation starter, if not, a finisher:-)  
This sauce is very simple and very flexible. A real entry level sauce which can be leant to fish, meat, pasta or Gnocchi.

https://instagram.com/knifeofbrian/

The Recipe.

• olive oil
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic  thinly sliced like in Goodfellas movie
• 4 anchovy fillets (the nice ones, not the dark brown salty ones)
• 1 small red chilli (finely chopped or a little dried chillies )
• 2 teaspoons capers (rinsed and drained)
• a handful of black olives (pitted and sliced)
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes 
• salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• fresh parsley or/and Basil. Alternatively a light sprinkling of dried oregano

Start with the extra virgin olive oil in a good thick based pan. Added the sliced garlic. Once you start to get that beautiful smell of the garlic filling the kitchen, add the onion, chilli and capers. Allow to sweat. Next drop in the chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer .
Now add the desired amount of Olives and Anchovies. If you are not a fan of the anchovy go with a splash of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce (a cheeky cheat).
Before serving add a generous sprinkling of herbs and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. 
Mix with cooked pasta or Gnocchi.

Enjoy. Let me know how you get on if you try this recipe.

Alternative Links:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/sep/25/how-to-cook-perfect-pasta-puttanesca-recipe

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/sugo-puttanesca-prostitutes-sauce-908



Thanks,
 Brian.
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Coming soon....(January 2017)Recipes and cookery tips from my home kitchen. For now, check out this video I put together a while back. It's far from perfect, but its just content for now.