Economical Home Cooking: with Mum as Your Guide

Index

Casseroles and Oven Bakes

Mum’s Hints:

Read recipe right through first. Get all ingredients ready – cut and chop up what needs to be cut or chopped. Have saucepan, casserole dish, cooking sprays etc. ready.

Casseroles take at least an hour to cook, sometimes up to 2 or 3 hours, so plan ahead and allow enough time. A casserole is great when you can prepare it before going out and then come home to have a hot meal waiting for you.

You start by browning the meat over a medium heat, along with onions, garlic etc. and then place it in the casserole dish along with vegetables, liquid and flavouring. Cover dish with a lid, or use alfoil if your dish doesn’t have a lid. Bake in the oven. Remove the lid for the last ½ hour of cooking time if you want the top browned, e.g. if you have sliced potatoes on top or a cheese topping that needs browning.

The tougher, and cheaper, the cut of meat the lower temperature you use and the longer it takes to cook. To give you an idea:

For beef – cut into 2 to 3cm cubes. The cheaper cuts – Chuck, Shin or Gravy Beef need to cook for 2½ to 3 hours at 160 to 170°C while the dearer cuts of beef - Topside, Blade or Round steak need to cook for 1 to 2 hours at 170 to 180°C.

Where recipes state ‘1 teaspoon of crushed garlic’ you can crush 1or 2 cloves of garlic, or use 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic bought in a jar or tube from the supermarket.

If you prefer you can leave out the garlic or substitute with another herb of your choice.

Cooking times are often given with a 5 to 10 minute variation e.g. ‘bake in a moderate oven for 25 to 35 minutes’. This is because ovens vary, so it will be trial and error to find out if your oven is hotter or cooler than the average oven. Recipes are usually given for regular ovens (unless stated fan forced) and fan forced ovens can be 10°C hotter than regular ovens, can be 20°C hotter in a very hot oven.

So if you have a fan forced oven, that you know is hotter than a regular oven, reduce the given temperature by at least 10°C and check your casserole or oven bake at the earliest time mentioned. The temperatures in these recipes are for a regular oven.

Make the most of the hot oven and bake vegetables, a pudding, cake or biscuits while the casserole is cooking.

Some casserole or pie dishes will be ‘lightly greased’ - spray with cooking spray or spread 1 teaspoon of cooking oil over dish. Spread oil with a clean finger or remove any excess oil with paper towel.

Use a separate chopping board for meat and vegetables – different coloured boards for meat, chicken, fish and vegetables are a very good investment.

Make sure that chopping boards (especially after chopping meat) are washed in hot, soapy water and given a good scrub with a brush and rinsed in hot water.

Make sure that you wash your hands after handling raw meat to prevent cross contamination.

Chicken, Corn and Vegetable Pasta Bake - Serves 6

Preheat oven to 180°C and have ready a large casserole or lasagne dish

On a chopping board prepare the vegetables:

2 cups diced carrots – peeled and finely chopped – about 1cm

1 cup diced sweet potato – peeled and chopped the same size

1 cup sliced capsicum – washed, seeds removed and sliced thinly

2 sticks of celery – washed, leaves trimmed off and finely sliced – about ½ cm 1 onion – peeled and sliced

1 cup sliced green beans – washed, ends trimmed and sliced in halves or quarters

On another chopping board cut the chicken into strips – remove skin and as much fat as possible. Mum’s Hint: Make sure you wash your hands after handling chicken.

Heat a large frying pan, over medium heat. When hot place 1 teaspoon of oil, add onion and crushed garlic. Stir through and cook until onions look clear and lightly browned (about 2 minutes) – place in a large casserole or lasagne dish.

Return frying pan to stove, over a medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to frying pan and then the chicken pieces. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until browned.

When browned (all turned white – no pink meat showing) add meat to casserole dish. Then add chopped vegetables to the casserole dish and mix through the chicken.

Drain the liquid off the can of corn kernels and add corn to the casserole dish along with 1 cup of small pasta. Mix well through the chicken and vegetables.

Pour 2 cans of cream of chicken soup and the milk over the chicken and vegetables and stir through until well mixed.

Mum’s Hint: Use some of the milk to rinse out the soup can before adding to the dish.

Cover dish – use alfoil if you don’t have a lid – and bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, stir well, replace cover and return back to oven. Bake for another 30 minutes, stir well and sprinkle grated cheese over the top.

Return to oven and bake, uncovered, for another 15 minutes or until cheese has browned nicely.

Mum’s Hint: Change the vegetables to suit your family’s taste – or use 500gms of frozen vegetables

You can use chicken breast instead of thigh if you prefer.

Variation: Change the soup and milk to 2 cans of condensed tomato soup and 1 can of water and add 2 to 4 rashers of bacon (rind and fat removed and chopped into bite sized pieces).

Savoury Mince and Vegetable Pasta Bake - Serves 6

Preheat oven to 180°C and have ready a large casserole or lasagne dish

500gms minced beef

1 onion – peeled and sliced

2 teaspoons crushed garlic – optional

1 teaspoon dried oregano – or herb of your choice

250gms pasta – shells or spirals

1 x 420gm can condensed tomato soup

1 x 400gm can crushed or diced tomatoes

1 cup grated cheese – optional

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups mixed vegetables – fresh or frozen

cooking spray or ½ teaspoon cooking oil

Peel and slice the onion. Grate the cheese (if needed).

Prepare 3 cups of mixed vegetables (choose from carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini, broccoli or use vegetables to suit your family) – wash or peel and chop or slice as needed – or use frozen mixed vegetables.

Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and spray with cooking spray or add ½ teaspoon of oil. Add sliced onions and crushed garlic – with a wooden spoon stir the onion and garlic through the oil for 2 to 3 minutes – until onion looks clear.

Add the mince and keep stirring until it completely browns – no red meat showing.

When completely browned - add the teaspoon of dried oregano, the can of condensed tomato soup and the can of crushed (or diced) tomatoes. Stir through until well mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste (if needed - start with a pinch of each). Pour into the casserole or lasagne dish.

Add the pasta and vegetables and stir through the mince mixture until evenly distributed.

Cover the dish with alfoil and bake in a moderate oven (180°C) until cooked – about 1 hour.

After ¾ hr remove the dish from the oven and with a large spoon stir through the mince mixture. Replace the alfoil and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.

Or if you wish you can sprinkle on top 1 cup of grated cheese. Return the casserole dish to the oven, uncovered, and cook for another 15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through (stick a fork into the vegetables to make sure they are soft) and the cheese is melted on top.

Mum’s Hints: For extra flavour you could add 2 to 4 rashers of bacon (rind and fat removed and chopped into bite sized pieces).

For a change in taste you could add a small can of corn kernels, sliced capsicum, some tomato paste, or additional herbs.

Chicken Casserole - Quick’N Easy - Serves 4 to 6

Preheat oven to 180°C and have ready a large casserole or lasagne dish

1 x 420gm can chicken and corn soup plus ½ cup water

4 to 8 chicken drumsticks (depending on how many you are feeding!)

Prepare vegetables – wash or peel and slice or chop:

In a casserole (ovenproof) dish place drumsticks (with skins removed) - microwave on High for 5 minutes and then drain off all liquid.

Mum’s Hint: Make sure you wash your hands after handling chicken.

Add the prepared vegetables to casserole dish, add can of soup (tip ½ cup of water into can, rinse out can and add water to dish). Mix well together.

Cover with a lid or if you don’t have a lid cover the dish with alfoil.

Bake at 180°C for 1 hour – check that chicken and vegetables are cooked.

Mum’s Hint: You can use cream of chicken soup or a soup of your choice as well as adding any vegetables your family likes.

Apricot Chicken - Servers 4

Preheat oven to 180°C and have ready a large casserole or lasagne dish

In a casserole (ovenproof) dish place:

500gms Chicken Drumsticks - with skin removed (or any chicken pieces).

Mum’s Hint: Make sure you wash your hands after handling chicken.

Sprinkle over them 1 packet French onion soup mix and pour over them

1 x 500ml can apricot nectar and

1 x small can apricots (roughly chop them up) – optional.

Cover casserole dish - cover with alfoil if you don’t have a lid - and cook in a moderate oven (180°C) for 1½ hours.

Serve with rice – put rice on to cook after Apricot Chicken has been cooking for 1 hour. (To cook rice - See page 26).

Mum’s Hints: For a more nutritious meal you can add sliced carrots, sweet potatoes or vegetables of your choice.

To serve 6 just add another 200gms of chicken.

Chicken Casserole - with Bacon - Serves 6

Preheat oven to 180°C and have ready a large casserole dish

1kg chicken thigh fillets

3 bacon rashers

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 packet cream of chicken soup mix

1½ cups water

1 x 310gm can creamed corn

200gms frozen beans

parsley – washed and finely chopped (or herbs of your choice)

cooking spray or cooking oil

Prepare vegetables first:

2 onions – peeled and sliced thinly

3 medium sized carrots – peeled and sliced (½ cm thick)

2 sticks of celery – leaves discarded, washed and sliced (1cm)

2 potatoes (medium sized) – peeled and sliced thinly

On another chopping board prepare the chicken – remove any skin and fat and chop into pieces approximately 2 to 3cm square or 3 to 4cm strips.

Mum’s Hint: Make sure you wash your hands after handling chicken.

Prepare the bacon – cut off rind and fat, then chop in pieces approximately 2 to 3cm square (wash hands again!!).

Heat a large frying pan (medium heat or No. 7 or 8 for electric fry pan), spray with cooking spray or add ½ teaspoon of oil to pan and cover base of pan with oil.

When hot add the chopped chicken pieces, garlic and chopped bacon rashers. Stir these ingredients around with a wooden spoon until everything is ‘browned’. Chicken pieces will go white, onion will look clear and bacon will look cooked.

Then add the packet of soup mix, 1½ cups of water and the can of creamed corn. Rinse out can with the water before adding to the pan.

Add all of the vegetables, except the beans, and mix all ingredients together. Stir until everything is evenly mixed, soup mix is dissolved and chicken and vegetables are all covered with the soup mix and creamed corn.

Tip into a large casserole dish, cover with a lid - or if you don’t have a lid use alfoil and bake in a moderate oven (180°C) for 45 minutes.

Then take dish out of the oven, add frozen beans and parsley (or other herbs of your choice). Stir through the other ingredients, return dish to the oven and cook, covered, for another 15 minutes.

Mum’s Hints: If you do not have enough room in the casserole dish for the frozen beans, cook them in a little boiling water and serve along with the casserole.

You can use chicken breast instead of thigh if you prefer.

Chicken Casserole - with tomatoes and mushrooms

Serves 4

Preheat oven to 180°C and have ready a large casserole dish

4 x 100gms skinless chicken breasts

freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

2 tablespoons Plain flour

450mls chicken stock or 450mls water and 2 chicken stock cubes

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley - optional

Peel and prepare vegetables:

1 large onion – sliced

1 large or 2 medium carrots – sliced into rings

250gms potatoes – cut into cubes - approximately 1cm in size

115gms mushrooms – cut into 3 or 4 slices

3 good sized tomatoes – washed and chopped

Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a frying pan over a fairly high heat.

Season chicken breasts with freshly ground black pepper on both sides, add to the frying pan and quickly brown on both sides. Take out of the frying pan and place on a plate lined with paper towel to drain and then place the chicken in a large casserole dish.

Mum’s Hint: Make sure you wash your hands after handling chicken.

Lower the heat under the frying pan and add the onion, carrots, potatoes and mushrooms, along with garlic and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so that they don’t catch and burn (lower the heat again, if needed).

Remove the vegetables and drain them on paper towel before adding them to the casserole dish.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Plain flour into the frying pan and blend in 450mls of chicken stock, stirring until thickened.

Mum’s Hint: You can make up the stock by crushing and mixing 2 chicken stock cubes with 450mls of water in a plastic shaker, with a secure lid, and then adding the flour and shaking until completely mixed (no lumps). Add to the frying pan and stir until thickened.

Add flour and stock mixture to the casserole. Add chopped tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh parsley