The Efx3 Recipe Collection

500g lean steak, cut into chunks

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 medium to lge onion, chopped

2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard

1 slice white bread, crusts removed

pinch of salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper (or seasoning to taste)

method.

blitz everything in a food processor until very fine, shape into around 8 burgers, depending on how thick you like them, then chill for at least 30 mins.

grill under a hot grill for a few minutes on eavh side untill cooked through, again depending on how thick you like them, and according to taste.

Serve in buns with salad and mayo

Something I cook often, especially when I’m lazy (which is very often). A great one bowl snack,  party dip or picnic dish. Can be served with crusty bread, corn chips or poured on fresh vegetable filled tacos.

Ingredients:

half a head of garlic (use less/more depending on your love of garlic) – chopped roughly
one large onion – chopped roughly
1 – 2 tbsp meat curry powder mix (or one/two teaspoons each of  these powdered spices – cumin, turmeric, chilli, fennel) (or your favourite chilli mix)
500-750grams of minced beef (or chicken/turkey, if you like)
1/2 cup stock
8 tbsps tomato paste (more if you prefer)
half a 300ml can of black beans
one 175ml can of sweetcorn niblets
as much cheese sauce or grated cheese you like
Optional: chopped peppers, zuchinni, tomatoes, etc
a few tbsps of your favourite vegetable oil
salt, sugar, pepper to taste

Preparation time:
How ever long it takes to defrost the mince meat, chop the garlic and onions and open the cans

Cooking time:
30 minutes on medium heat

Method:

1) In a deep saucepan, saute the garlic and onions till browned and fragrant. Add in the spices and let it fry for a bit (10-15seconds) to release the flavours. Add in the mince meat, stir and let it brown.

2) Pour in the stock and add the tomato paste. Stir well and let it simmer till sauce thickens.

3) Add all the beans/corn/vegetables in, let cook if necessary till they reach your desired tenderness.

4) Add in the cheese. Mix it well or until the cheese is melted (if using grated cheese). Season with salt/pepper/sugar to taste.

I’ll try to post my recipe for homemade cheese sauce that you could use in this recipe.

A yummy, scrummy, Chinese-inspired chicken stir fry! Made with packet noodles I’m afraid, because that’s all we ever have. If you have fresh or dried noodles instead, adjust the cooking times to suit your ingredients. This recipe normally feeds about 3 people in my house.

Ingredients:
500g diced chicken breast
1 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 large green pepper, chopped
1/2 large yellow pepper, chopped
2 tsp chinese five spice
1/2 small glass of sweet white wine (I like Liebfraumilch)
2 level tsp lemon juice
3 level tsp soy sauce
4 knobs of butter
1 heaped tbsp plain flour, sieved
2 packets of Amoy straight-to-wok noodles (or whichever noodles you prefer to use)

Preparation time: 5-10 minutes (or 10-12 if you can’t get pre-diced chicken)

Cooking time: roughly 25-30 minutes on a medium heat

Method:
1. Heat about 100ml water in a wok until it’s almost boiling. You can do this on a high heat, and then turn it down before adding your ingredients.
2. Add the chicken and fry it in the water until it’s white all over. If you don’t think you have enough water, add more! Water has no calories and is being used here as both a sauce base and an alternative to cooking oils.
3. Slowly add the five-spice, lemon juice, soy sauce, wine, and half the butter, stirring after each ingredient is added (and until the butter is entirely melted).
4. Leave to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the meat is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the onion, garlic and peppers. Cook just enough to retain some crispiness. This also helps to keep a lot of the flavour.
6. Add the rest of the butter, and the flour, to thicken your sauce.
7. A few minutes before you serve, add the straight-to-wok noodles and stir through the sauce until cooked.

Notes:
*Sauce looking a little on the dry/thick/gloopy side? Add more water! To prevent slowing your cooking time, use hot water.
*Teetotal? Try using non-alcoholic wine, or a sweet grape juice. Even just using water instead works, although you might want to use less lemon juice as it may be overpowering without the wine’s sweetness to compliment it.

This is a pretty experimental dish that I threw together one evening, so it’s not 100% up to par yet, but I’ve never had any complaints so far! Please let me know if you try it, and if you can suggest any variations/improvements!