The Efx3 Recipe Collection

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.

You can use this crumble topping to top any savoury casserole-type dish. I used it over cauliflower and broccoli in a cheese sauce.

Ingredients:

60g butter, softened
120g wholemeal flour
1 tsp grain mustard
2 tsp Provencal herbs
75g strong cheddar cheese, grated
40g whole porridge oats

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20-30 minutes at around 250C

Method:

1) Rub the butter and the flour together into breadcrumbs. It helps if your hands are very cold so that the butter doesn’t stick to your fingers.

2) Stir in the remaining ingredients, being careful to not over-mix so that you keep the crumbly texture.

3) Spread evenly over whatever you’re using as your ‘filling’ and bake at around 250C until the crumble starts turning golden on top.