red tractor Archives - Munchies and Munchkins

Keema Nachos

September 5, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 10 Comments

I was recently invited to take part in a new campaign from Red Tractor Lamb, The Keema Sutra – all about the pleasures and delights of cooking. Keema is a spicy minced meat dish, typically using lamb and often including peas. Keema Nachos sounded right up my street.

I had only ever had Keema before inside of a Keema Naan, I had never thought of it as a standalone dish and one which could be the base of so many different meals.

On the subject of Keema Naans.. if you would like to meet the Keema Nans ( Mamta Gupta & Pervin Todiwala ) go check out this video.

If you visit the Red Tractor website you can find recipes for the base Keema and then lots of recipes for ways to use it such as pasta bakes, meatballs, hash, tacos and the dish I recreated which was Keema Nachos. You will also find tips from the Keema Nans and a bit of history behind Keema, click here.

I also really want to try these Scotch Eggs:

The great thing about the base keema recipe is that you can adjust the level of heat in it by adding more or less chillies/hot sauce so that you can make it just the way you like it. Keema is a like an Indian version of bolognese, minced meat, tomatoes, onions but with a lot more added in and like bolognese sauce it has endless uses.

I made a double batch of the Keema as the intention was to use one batch for my Keema Nachos and make a different dish the following night..however the nachos were so good they were made again the next day!

I don’t often cook with minced lamb, I am not sure why but that is going to change as I loved the flavour it produced. It is also budget friendly which is handy if you are trying to cut back. When cooking with Beef or Lamb always look out for a quality mark like Red Tractor logo – It means the meat is farm assured and is of top quality. You can find out more here.

Take a look below at the creation and end result of my Keema Nachos:

The Nachos were served with simple dips made up with greek yoghurt and lime pickle and mango chutney.

I urge you to try Keema for yourself and give some of the Keema Sutra recipes a whirl.

Check out some of the recipes my fellow bloggers have been trying out:

Indian Lamb Meatball Curry

Spicy Lamb Keema Pizza

Lamb Keema Tacos

Keema Meatball Curry

This post was commissioned by Red Tractor and I was compensated for my time.

Beef Cobbler With Rosemary & Cheese Scones #LivePeasant

April 6, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 11 Comments

I used to love the Beef Cobbler my mum made when we were younger, it was the ultimate in comfort food and its one of my earliest food memories. When Simply Beef & Lamb asked me to join in their live peasant challenge to make an easy one pot dish I knew I would try to create my own take on it. My mum used to use beef mince but I have instead used beef pieces instead. Whilst this may not be the most traditional version it worked out perfectly and we all loved it. Adding fresh rosemary to the scones gave them a wonderfully herby flavour.

When buying beef or lamb look out for a quality mark like the Red Tractor logo which guarantees the meat you are buying is farm assured. Using casserole beef pieces in a slow cooked dish means you get gorgeously tender meat at an affordable price. This is also the kind of dish you could make early in the morning ready to eat to eat in the evening or even the next day – the flavour only improves with time.

You can find out more about the Live Peasant challenge here but here is a little info:

Red Tractor Beef & Lamb has launched a campaign to celebrate the peasant food trend, and inspire families to rediscover traditional cooking techniques, from around the world that are simple, warming and hearty.

With the launch of the #LivePeasant challenge, we want families to reclaim traditional cooking and let the oven or slow cooker do all the work. Using inexpensive cuts of beef and lamb, which are perfect for slow-cooking, dishes can be prepared in advance and left to cook so that delicious, melt-in-the-mouth home-cooked meals are ready and waiting when you are. So take a little time to discover the peasant food trend and enjoy the benefits of a meal with less haste more taste!

Without further ado here is my Beef Cobbler recipe:

Beef Cobbler With Rosemary & Cheese Scones

450g diced casserole beef – please use red tractor approved meat
1 large leek, washed and thinly sliced
1 long stick of celery, sliced
1 onion diced
2 carrots sliced
1 sweet potato cut into 1 inch chunks
300ml red wine
400 ml beef stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp cornflour
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp seasalt
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 bay leaf

For the scones:

175 g Self Raising Flour ( plus extra to dust your surface )
25 g butter
75g mature cheddar, finely grated
1 large egg
50ml milk
1tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Good pinch ofsalt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 180c. Prepare your vegetables.

Mix your flour, salt and pepper in a bowl, toss your beef in the mixture.

Now add 2tbsp of your oil in a casserole dish ( which is suitable for both hob and oven cooking ) then brown your meat on all sides. Remove and set aside. Now add your remaining oil and sauté your vegetables until softened – add your tomato puree. Pour in your wine and stock, stir well.

Add your bay leaf and place a lid on top and oven cook for 1.5 hours.

In the meantime make the scone mixture. Mix your flour with the salt, pepper and rosemary then rub in your butter, add your egg(reserve a small amount to glaze), cheese and milk and mix to a dough.

Place your dough on a floured surface and flatten into a circle. Using a small round cutter, cut out 8 rounds.

Remove your dish from the oven and place your scone rounds on top,glaze with egg and return to the oven without the lid. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the scones are golden brown. Add a few sprigs of rosemary to garnish.

Tip: take it up a notch by brushing the scones lightly with melted butter when you remove from oven – adds an indulgent taste.

Serve alone or with fresh bread or a mound of mash and some greens.

What are your favourite one pot dishes?

* This recipe was created as part of a campaign with simply beef and lamb – I was compensated for my time and the ingredients.

An Arabian Nights Inspired Meal – Spiced Turkey Meatballs & Flatbreads

August 20, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 2 Comments

I was recently invited by Red Tractor to take part in a recipe challenge.

The challenge was to devise a recipe using British Turkey and two other Red Tractor ingredients with an Arabian Nights theme.

I instantly thought of spiced turkey meatballs, Tzatziki… and flatbreads.

I also thought of a photo I once saw of a middle eastern mint lemonade that I had always intended to try and so there it was. My meal:

Spiced Turkey Meatballs With Flatbreads, Tzatziki and Halloumi Salad served with a mint lemonade slushie.

Like all good plans they don’t always go the way you want. I forgot to get yoghurt..then my two cucumber mad daughters munched a whole cucumber in two days and I simply have not found enough time to make the lemonade as yet! Arrgghh.

BUT.. I have made my meal of turkey meatballs and flatbreads, with cous cous and halloumi salad and it was good. So good.

You will need:

For the meatballs:

900g of turkey mince ( I used 7% fat mince from Aldi – red tractor approved of course)
3 small British shallots minced or diced ( red tractor approved)
1 large bunch of flat leaf parsley finely chopped ( red tractor approved)
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 tbsp of oregano
1 tbsp of Garam Masala
1tsp of allspice
1/2 tsp of crushed black and pink peppercorns
1/2 tsp of seasalt
Olive oil

For the flatbreads:

250g of plain flour
150ml of warm-hot water
1tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp of garam masala
1/2 tsp of oregano
1\2 tsp of seasalt

For the cous cous

250g of cous cous
400ml of boiling water
Olive oil
Butter
Lemon zest and 1tbsp of juice

For the salad:

Little Gem Lettuce ( red tractor approved)
Vine tomatoes
Spring onions ( red tractor approved)
Halloumi
Pomegranate molasses

Mix together all meatball ingredients apart from oil in a large bowl. Use your hands to ensure it’s all well blended.

Form meatballs ( size is entirely up to you- the smaller they are the quicker they will cook) and place on an oiled tray or plate. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up and make them easier to cook. Whilst your meatballs are in the fridge make the dough for your flatbreads by combining all dry ingredients and then adding your oil and warm water and mixing quickly to make a dough, knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes then cover and rest for 20 minutes.

Prepare your salad now and assemble it all but the halloumi and molasses. Cover and set aside. Once out of the fridge, heat an oiled pan and start to cook your meatballs. You may need to cook in batches. Once cooked place in a foil covered dish in a warm oven to keep warm and moist.

Roll your flatbread dough into a sausage and cut into six pieces. Roll out each piece into a thin circle ready for cooking.
Make your cous cous by following packet instructions – we kept ours simple with a bit of butter and lemon but feel free to experiment with flavours and herbs. Cover while you cook your flatbreads and halloumi
Place a pan on a high heat ( no oil required) until almost smoking. Cook your flatbreads one at a time, you can tell when one side is cooked ( approx after 1-2 minutes) as it will start to bubble up in areas, you then need to turn it over and cook the other side for about 45seconds. Don’t worry if some bits are blackened and scorched – it adds to the flavour. Sprinkle with sea salt and oil as soon as you remove from pan and place in a dish wrapped in a clean tea towel to keep soft and warm. Using your already hot pan drizzle some chilli oil in and place your sliced halloumi in carefully. Cook until golden and put atop your salad.

Serve your meatballs, flatbread, cous cous and salad with a dip or two – Tzatziki would be best but if not sour cream and a chutney would work well.

We all thoroughly enjoyed this meal. The meatballs were succulent and full of flavour. I don’t often cook with Turkey mince but I can certainly see this changing!

Let me know if you try.

Keema Nachos

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Beef Cobbler With Rosemary & Cheese Scones #LivePeasant

Beef Cobbler With Rosemary & Cheese Scones

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An Arabian Nights Inspired Meal – Spiced Turkey Meatballs & Flatbreads

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Beef Cobbler With Rosemary & Cheese Scones

For the scones:

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