Boys Don't Cook

  Beef and Chickpea Biryani: Works very well with lamb as well (Feeds 4-6) This really isn’t a ‘Back Pocket’ recipe, it’s quite involved, but it’s one of my favourite dishes, and It also is a great way to use up leftover mixed grill Turkish/Lebanese Kebab meat. (chicken & lamb shishes, or donner/Kofti - dice them up into small chunks and fry them in a little oil before adding them back in place of the cooked beef.) Ingredients:  2x 500g packs of diced beef braising steak (or shoulder) 2x large onions 6x gloves of garlic or 3 tbls of garlic puree 150ml non-dairy ( unsweetened ) milk, or full fat cow’s kind 1 heaped tsp of tumeric (or safron if you’re feeling very posh) 2 tsp cumin (or seeds) 1 tsp coriander or (seeds) ½ tsp cinnamon (or about the same size stick) 12 cardamom pods worth of seeds (take them out the pods!) 2tsp of salt (adjust to taste) 2/4   nutmeg (it’s going to be ground, so chop it down) 140ml sunflower oil (not olive this time) 200ml dairy free unswe...

  One Pot Sausage Casserole! Just like mum used to make! one pot, and an absolute crowdpleaser of a recipe to have in your back pocket. Full of veg and sausages two ways, Serve with roast potatoes (I really must put up a recipe for those!)  Spot the Dutch Oven again! Oh yes, I love this thing! Sausage Casserole: (Feeds 2, easily double for 4+) Ingredients:  6x high quality British pork sausage (Cumberland or Lancashire) Glug of olive oil ( ~ 1tbsp) Salt and Pepper (to taste) 2tsp Smoked Paprika, 2tsp Ground Cumin, 1tsp Thyme, 1tsp Oregano   4 Cloves minced garlic (or puree) 1 x Large bell pepper 1 x Large Red Onion 150g Chorizo Ring (sliced) 1x400g Mixed Beans (can of, in water or tomato sauce) 2x400g Chopped Tomatoes (cans of) 200ml Chicken Stock or 100ml Stock + 100ml dry white wine Equipment: 1x Dutch Oven (Enameled Iron crock pot) 1x Rubber Spatula Knife/Board Method: Peel your onion, slice it in half then slice the halves into ribbons.  Slice your Peppe...

  Back Pocket Fajitas! This quick, one pan dinner is the very definition of a recipe to have in your back pocket. It uses things you should always have in your kitchen, takes about 30 minutes to feed 2+, and goes down well with even the pickiest eaters (ie: me!) - and it includes a cheat mode, which we do like around these parts! Now the main part of this dish is the Fajita Seasoning. A wonderful blend of South American style flavours, that in a British Kitchen looks something like this… or… cheat, and buy a pot of it, I won’t tell anyone! Honestly the results will both be delicious, and you can have fun inventing your own blend on a day when you’re not just pressed to get dinner on the table! Back Pocket Fajitas: (Feeds 2, easily double for 4+) Ingredients:  3tbs Fajita Seasoning Salt and Pepper (to taste) 2 x Chicken Breast (400g) 1 x Large bell pepper 1 x Large Red/Brown Onion 115g Chorizo Ring 3 Cloves minced garlic (or puree) 200g Refried Beans* (pouch of) 8x wheat f...

Jambalaya style One Pot  Before I even get started here I want to make it very clear I have no claim to Creole/Cajun-American, African, French, Spanish or any other cuisine that this dish has its colourful roots in. I just know it tastes great, is moderately healthy, and is a quick and hassle-free dish to always have in your back pocket! The name literally means mix up or ‘jumble’ - the dish has culinary historians connecting it with Jolof Rice, Stews, and even Paella, and as such the ingredients vary wildly.  My take uses ingredients you would also find in Valencia style Paella, simply because that’s the things I most often have in the fridge, but you can swap and change things as you like. Most sausages could replace the chorizo (although add the paprika back), and garden peas could be swapped for black beans , or okra. Oh - I’m going to say “Dutch oven” in this one, maybe, this is an Americanism I think that I’ve started using, I mean a Crock Pot, or large heavy-based, enam...