Tin Can Stew

This is a bit of a kitchen cheat recipe, but its a great back-up meal if you haven't fresh food in the house. This is a vegetarian stew made out of my can cupboard... mainly non-perishables and a few herbs. Using whole cans, it make a cauldron full and will last two or three people a couple of days. You can add or take away any of the ingredients so its real easy going! Of course if you have fresh veg you can use those instead, but I will stick to the tin-can recipe as an example.


Ingredients:


2 stock cubes
1 can new potatoes
1 can baked beans
1 can button mushrooms
1 can red kidney beans
1 can peas
1 can carrots
a handful of pearl barley
3 cloves garlic, sliced
a healthy pinch of herbs - I like rosemary, thyme and corriander but it doesn't matter


to these if I have them I may also add:
two small onions, cut in half
a handful of frozen mince
a spoonful of gravy granules if it seems too watery


Because of the amount of the ingredients, you'll need to start out with a large and deep saucepan.


Dissolve the stock cubes in a little under 2 pints of boiling water, then add to the pan. Put this over a hot temperature while you add the ingredients. Add all the cans, pouring away about half of the liquid in the can first. Add the barley, mince and garlic before giving it all a good stir. Turn the heat down to a simmer and leave for about half an hour, or whenever it looks cooked - especially if you decide to use fresh veg.


Right at the end stir in your herbs. If it still looks to liquid then stir in some gravey granules and likewise if it has gone too thick (this will depend on things like the quantity of barley and mince used) then add a little more stock.


This is great served with fresh bread and will sit quite happily on the hob til the next day when it just needs reheating.

Spiced Rhubarb Cake

Serves: 6 Preparation time: 30 mins Cooking time: 60 mins

Ingredients



5 oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
300g self-raising flour
2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
100g dark muscovado sugar
200g golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs, beaten
300g rhubarb, cut into short lengths
icing sugar, for dusting


Heat oven to 180C/fan 160Cand put the kettle on. Butter and line a deep 20cm square cake tin (or loaf tin as I use).


Sift the flour and spices into a bowl. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in the food processor, then beat in the golden syrup.

Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 200ml boiling water, then gradually pour through the spout of the processor.


Pulse in the flour, then add the eggs, mixing briefly.


Remove the bowl from the processor, then gently stir in the rhubarb.


Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50-60 mins, until the cake feels firm to the touch and springs back when pressed.


Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar.


Personally I love this with hot custard, but it is just as good with cream or evaporated milk.

Note: because of the fresh rhubarb, only lasts about three days!