Norfolk Burgers
There's nothing better on a hot summer's evening than a barbecue and a cold beer. But kids in particular can be adverse to the texture of meat. Making burgers at home has helped the son of one of our regular Farm Shop customers break some of his food fads - handling the meat and shaping the patties has given him confidence and allowed him to enjoy eating beef for the first time. So thanks Connor for suggesting this recipe idea! Making homemade burgers is very straightforward: simply prepare all the ingredients, mix them all together, then shape into patties and cook. Of course, if the weather is not so hot, these burgers taste just as good grilled. Serve with all the usual burger accompaniments.
Ingredients:
500gm good quality minced Frettenham beef
1 medium onion, grated or chopped finely.
2 tbsp Nortons double cream
1 tsp Colmans mustard
A splash of Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
Mix the minced beef, onion, cream, mustard and Worcestershire sauce together in a bowl. Divide the mixture into four and shape into patties. Cook on a high heat for 4-5 minutes each side, or until cooked through.
HOMEMADE, TODDLER-FRIENDLY PIZZA
I am the proud owner of a 3 year old CBeebies addict, who has been known to be a fussy eater. Certain things he loves though, and bread is his favourite of all. In an effort to broaden his horizons, I used a recipe idea from the CBeebies programme "I Can Cook" for a pizza that even a little person can make. I was astonished at how straightforward it was, and have since used the recipe on several occasions - particularly to use up leftover meat like chicken, which my toddler seems not to object to when it is surrounded by pizza. We constantly get bombarded with warnings over how bad processed food is for us, but the convenience of it is undeniable. However, please put this recipe to the test - it is great fun for kids or adults to make, costs very little, has no packaging, scary additives, salt or preservatives to worry about, and tastes so good you'll think it's bad for you. Delicious.
Ingredients: (makes a 8-10" pizza, depending on how thick you like the base)
For the base:
6oz/180gm self-raising flour
1oz/30gm Norfolk butter, slightly softened
2.5 fl.oz/80ml Nortons Dairy milk
For the topping:
3 medium tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2oz/60gm cheddar cheese, grated
A little bit of imagination, or leftovers - as available.
Simply rub the butter into the flour until crumbly (or use a food processor), then blend in enough of the milk to form a stretchy dough. Fling charismatically from finger to finger around the kitchen to form a round base of desired thickness (or just roll out on a floured surface for the less Italian amongst us), then put on a greased baking tray. In a bowl, chop up the tomatoes into small chunks, then mix in the tomato paste. Spread the tomato mixture evenly over the pizza base. Now add the topping of your choice: shredded chicken, herbs and sliced onion; bacon, chilli and peppers; spinach, egg and olives... The possibilities are endless. Then spread with the grated cheese and put in the oven at 200oC for 15-20 minutes. Simple and scrummy.
Nortons' Pheasant Pie
Pheasant is a dry meat that takes very well to cooking in a creamy sauce. This recipe does just that, but works equally well with chicken or other white meat if pheasant is not available.
4 pheasant breasts – sliced (the rest of the pheasants can be made into a stock, then the leg meat taken and added to the pie later)
1 Large Leek
4 Carrots
1 Onion
1 Parsnip
Rape seed oil
1 pint of whole milk
plain flour
1 kilo of potatoes sliced thickly and par boiled.
Poach the pheasant breasts in the milk until cooked. Meanwhile, dice the vegetables and in another frying pan, gently fry the vegetables in the oil until soft. Add the flour to the vegetables to soak up the juices. Remove the cooked pheasant breasts from the milk using a slotted spoon, then add the poaching milk to the vegetables. Heat gently, stir continuously until the sauce has thickened. Add more milk and stock if necessary to make a creamy sauce. Add the pheasant meat to the sauce and then pour the whole lot into a large deep pie dish. Top with the sliced potatoes, brush rape seed oil over the potatoes and dot with butter. Cook for 45 minutes approx. in 170 c.
Serve with crusty bread and green vegetables.
Autumn Squash Soup
Ingredients:
2 red onions, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, sliced into 1cm chunks2 carrots, sliced into 1cm chunks
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2kg butternut squash or other autumn squash, peeled, de-seeded and diced into 1 cm cubes
2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
Dash of Nortons Double Cream
Heat some oil in a pan and add the onions, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook for 10 mins or until the veg is soft. Add the squash and stocK, bring to the boil and simmer for about 30minutes. When the squash is soft, use a hand blender or masher to puree the soup to the desired consistency. Stir in some Nortons Double Cream before serving with bread and a warm fire.
