March recipes: Dinners for winners

Round & About

We’re sharing three hearty recipes from The Hairy Bikers’ Everyday Winners by Si King and Dave Myers, published by Seven Dials, out now £22 hardback

Cumberland sausage pie

Ingredients:

• Eight Cumberland sausages (about 500g)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 15g butter
• One large onion, diced
• Two large carrots, diced
• Two celery sticks, diced
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 100ml red wine
• 400ml beef stock
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Two bay leaves
• One large thyme sprig
• 1–2 tbsp Cumberland sauce
• 1 tsp orange zest (optional)
• sea salt and black pepper

Topping

• 1kg floury potatoes, cut into chunks
• 30g butter
• One bunch of spring onions, cut into rounds
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional)
• 50ml single cream
• 100g Cheddar cheese, grated

Prep: 20 minutes | Cooking:  90 minutes | Serves: 4 people

Cumberland pie is similar to shepherd’s pie, so we thought: why not make a pie with Cumberland sausages for the full Cumberland experience? We’ve broken the sausages up into little balls so everyone gets a bite of banger satisfaction. Add the cheesy potato topping and this is a dish to be proud of.

Method

Skin the sausages. Divide each into four and roll each into a ball. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and lightly fry until browned on all sides, then set aside.

Heat the remaining oil and butter in a large saucepan or a flameproof casserole dish. Add the veg and sauté for a few minutes, until well coated. Cover and leave to cook, stirring regularly, until tender – this will take at least 10 minutes.

Stir in the flour, then when it has disappeared, stir in the tomato purée. Turn up the heat and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, then pour in the red wine. Bring to the boil and continue to stir, then add the stock, sauce and herbs. Stir in the Cumberland sauce and orange zest, if using, then add the sausage balls. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook the sauce for 20 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn’t catch on the bottom, until it has reduced a bit and thickened. Meanwhile, make the topping. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add potatoes, season and cook for 10–15 minutes until tender. Preheat oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Drain the potatoes and mash until smooth. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the spring onions. Fry until they start to soften, then add the potatoes to the pan with the mustard, if using, and the cream. Beat together until well combined.

Put the filling into a pie dish or casserole dish. Spread the mashed potato over the top, then rough it up with a fork. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes until browned and piping hot.

If you’re a burgerholic like we are, you’re always on the look-out for something new. Here’s our latest incarnation of the veggie burger which has bags of flavour and a nice hit of chilli. Good served Mexican style with avocado and a dash of soured cream.

Ingredients:

• 2–3 tbsp olive oil
• One small onion, very finely chopped
• ½ red pepper, very finely chopped
• One small carrot, finely grated
• Two jalapeños, very finely chopped (include seeds)
• 3 tbsp coriander stems, finely chopped
• Four garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1-2 tsp chilli paste or hot sauce (such as chipotle)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 400g can of black, pinto or kidney beans, drained
• 50g cooked brown rice
• 75g breadcrumbs
• One egg
• Sea salt and black pepper

To Serve

• One avocado
• Juice of one lime
• Cheese slices (optional)
• Four burger buns
• Four lettuce leaves
• Four slices of red onion
• Soured cream (optional)
• Coriander leaves, to garnish
• Hot sauce

Prep: 20 minutes + 1 hour chilling | Cooking: 15 minutes | Serves: Four

Chilli bean burger (vegetarian)

Method

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add the onion, pepper and carrot and cook until the onion is soft and translucent and the vegetables collapsed down and glossy, but dry. Add the jalapeños, coriander stems and garlic and stir for another couple of minutes. Stir in the chilli paste or hot sauce, soy sauce, cumin and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Put the beans into a bowl and mash roughly – you want a mixture of textures. Add the rice, breadcrumbs, egg and the cooled vegetables. Season and mix.

Heat a little more oil in the frying pan, take a dessertspoonful of the mix and form it into a small patty. Fry on both sides and taste for heat and seasoning. Add more salt, pepper or chilli, if necessary. Form into four patties and chill them for at least an hour – this will help the flavour develop.

Remove patties from the fridge. Prep the avocado, toss in the lime juice and season with salt. Heat more oil in a frying pan and add the patties. Cook over a medium heat until a brown crust forms underneath. Carefully flip. If serving with cheese, add it to the burgers now and cover the pan to help the cheese melt. Lightly toast the buns, then layer up the lettuce leaves, onion, avocado slices, burgers, cheese, if using, and soured cream, if you like. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with extra hot sauce.

Barley & Beetroot Salad (Vegetarian)

Ingredients:

• 100g barley, well rinsed (or farro)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, grated or crushed
• 150g salad leaves
• 200g green beans, topped, tailed and blanched
• 2 large cooked beetroots, Peeled and diced
• Small bunch of dills, leaves only
• Small bunch of parsley, leaves only
• Small bunch of mint, leaves only
• 50g walnut pieces, lightly toasted
• Sea salt and black pepper

Dressing

• 50ml buttermilk
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or
• white wine vinegar
• ½ garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 tsp honey

Prep: 10 minutes | Serves: 4 people

Barley is great in a salad like this or you can use farro – a super-healthy grain that has a similar nutty taste to barley and is quicker to cook. Whichever grain you use, this is a big earthy salad with plenty of flavour and texture. You could add some goat’s cheese, if you like.

Method

Put the barley in a saucepan, cover with cold water and leave to soak for half an hour. Drain and cover with fresh water, then season with salt and bring to the boil. Simmer for half an hour until the barley is cooked through – you want it quite al dente. Strain, drizzle with the olive oil and add the garlic. Leave to cool to room temperature.

If you prefer to use farro instead, cook according to the packet instructions, then dress with the olive oil and garlic.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together and season with salt And pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning or sweetness as necessary.

Arrange the salad leaves on a large platter. Add the beans and beetroots, then drizzle over some of the dressing. Sprinkle over the herbs, barley and walnuts, tossing everything very lightly so the top layers combine well. Drizzle over the remaining dressing and serve.

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