Recipes for Bonfire Night
Great recipes that the whole family will love for Bonfire Night:
White bean and chorizo stew
This hearty stew is quick and easy to make
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 200 g chorizo sausages, halved lengthways and sliced
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 225 g celery, chopped (optional)
- 300 g carrots, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chilli powder (optional, depending on how spicy your chorzo is and if you like a bit of a kick)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 x 400 g canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 x 400g cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- Small pinch of sugar
- Crusty bread, to serve
Method
1. Fry the chorizo in a large pan until turns golden and has released its spicy oil.
2. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrot to the oil in the pan and fry gently for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, chilli powder (if used) and cumin and fry for a further minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar, and season with a little salt and black pepper.
3. Stir well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add in the beans and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
5. Serve with crusty bread.
Bangers and mash
Rich onion gravy transforms this family favourite into a meal fit for a king
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the onion gravy
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 25 g butter
- 4 onions, sliced
- 1 tsp leaves of thyme
- 125 ml red wine (optional, add more stock if omitting)
- 400 ml chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and freshly ground pepper
For the mash
- 1 kg floury potatoes, King Edwards or Maris Piper are good
- 100 ml milk
- 75 g butter
- 1 grate of nutmeg
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sausages
- 8 meaty pork sausages
- 1 drizzle olive oil
Method
1. First make the gravy. Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan and soften the onions and thyme over a very gentle heat. It’s best to cook them, without colouring, for about 10-15 minutes. Give the onions a good stir now and again.
2. Remove the lid, turn up the heat and continue frying the onions until they turn a deep russet brown. Add the wine and bubble until it has almost evaporated. Pour in the stock and add the bay leaf. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. Simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes, until thickened. Leave on one side.
4. Fry/Grill/Roast sausages
5. While the sauce and sausages are cooking, start with the mash. Peel, half (or quarter) the potatoes and transfer to a deep saucepan filled with lightly salted water. Boil until the potatoes are tender.
6. Drain in a colander and return to the pan. Shake the potatoes over a very low heat for a few seconds until they have dried out. Crush with a potato masher.
7. Heat the milk with the butter, nutmeg and seasoning and gradually add most of it into the potatoes, beating well between each addition. Check the consistency by adding more hot milk if needed.
8. Warm the gravy and serve with the sausages and mash.
Parkin
Simple to prepare, James Martin's unusual but deliciously sticky parkin makes a supremely satisfying snack
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 hr 5 min
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
- oil, for greasing
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 115 g caster sugar
- 60 g butter
- 115 g golden syrup
- 225 ml milk, milk
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas 2.
2. Grease a 25 x 18cm cake tin and line with greased greaseproof paper.
3. Sift the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Stir in the egg and then the caster sugar, mixing well.
4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and the golden syrup, stirring to mix. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk.
5. Gradually stir the milk mixture into the flour and egg mixture. Stir until smooth, then pour into the prepared tin.
6. Bake for about 1 hour or until the mixture starts to shrink away from the sides of the tin.
7. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
8. Cut into squares and serve, preferably after about 3 to 4 days when the parkin will have become nice and sticky.