planner: for fortnight beginning 15th march 2010

butternut squash hummus
This fortnight’s taster is our own roasted butternut squash hummus - as I understand it, the squash has been roasted with Paul’s harissa paste and then added to our own hummus. Sounds good enough to warrant a flat bread-making session. I make a regular habit of using hummus to thicken soups and casseroles and see no reason why this one won’t add an extra dimension to the same.

minced beef
I’m loath to include recipes for meat loaf as it goes against my better instincts - taking minced meat and pushing it back into a form that can be cut into slices? Sorry, don’t like it. But then I know a good many people who indulge in a meat loaf regularly and I can appreciate that it may go down well with a family. Turkish meat loaf sounds reasonably appetising - mixing allspice into minced beef along with some milk-soaked breadcrumbs, finely chopped onion, garlic and dill it is then formed in a buttered bread tin, covered tightly with foil, and baked in a bain mairie for about an hour. It is then served hot with pickles and herb flavoured yoghurt.

pork roast
For many years I was a fan of roast leg of pork, now it is shunned in favour of rolled shoulder or - even better - pork belly. These joints do require a lot longer in the oven (3 hours at least) but the moist, sweet results far surpass the lean leg (which can so easily end up dry because of over cautious cooking). Roast in a high oven to begin with to get the crackling started then lower to medium and be careful to add a little liquid - water and white wine or stock - at intervals to prevent the joint from ending up glued to the roasting pan with burnt meat juices. For the final hour add generously sliced sweet onion, quartered apples, rosemary and fennel seeds and they will colour, cook and add flavour to the developing sauce. All you need now it some garlic flavoured mash and some new season’s purple sprouting broccoli.

beef escalopes
Save all the small, tender florets of purple sprouting and make a quick mid-week dish with stir-fried beef. Cut beef escalopes into thin strips, season and dust with cornflour - shaking off any excess. Heat sunflower oil in a large wok to the depth of 4cm and once hot carefully drop in the strips, a few at a time, to cook to crisp and browned - removing with slotted spoon to drain on kitchen paper. Once the beef is done remove most of the oil then quickly stir-fry florets of broccoli with sliced spring onion, some thinly sliced green chilli, sliced garlic and shredded ginger. After a couple of minutes return the beef to the pan, shake a few times to mix and finish with a few drops of lemon juice and a splash of soy sauce.

sausages
Toad in the hole? Get those sausages roasting in the oven with sliced red onion, a sliced red pepper and thyme leaves. After about 20 minutes, turn the sausages and pour mustard flavoured Yorkshire pudding batter in - continue to cook until risen and golden. Divide the spoils at the table.

Sandra Tate

Below is a connection to a selection of recipes that use the contents of the winter warmer box - though you are likely to find the occasional recipe or mention of items within the newsletter/planner that accompanies the basic meatbox.