I’m always looking for easymeals to feed my family. Well, today, I have justthe woman to talk to about thistopic. Sally Wise— cook, author, wife, Mum of six, and regular ABC local radio guest — is here on the blogtalking about her favourite family recipe, leftoversand the value of family meals.
Sally, I’m in to simple, easy family meals. Can you give me a slow cooker recipe that’s a winner with your family?
There are so many – I love slow cooking and my slow cookers (I have 4) because they help to organise your day. When my children were small, I would put something in the slow cooker in the morning, and even if the sky fell in during the day, I was guaranteed a meal to feed everyone at dinner time. They are, in a sense, a form of slow fast cooking – it only takes a few minutes to throw the ingredients in and all you need to do at the end is adjust the seasonings, maybe thicken it a little and serve. Brilliant.
An all time family favouriteisTilly’s Indian Sweet Curry Beef. It’s on page 61 of the Slow Cooker book. Here it is:
{I made Sally’s recipe myself this week! Delicious. The pictures here are mine.}
Tilly’s Indian Sweet Curry Beef
Ingredients
2 carrots
1 onion
2 stalks celery
2 apples
1kg lean diced stewing beef
1 tablespoon sultanas
1 tablespoon relish or chutney
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon golden syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon curry powder (or to taste)
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup stock or water
3 teaspoons cornflour, optional
* I personally tend to make it without the celery and sultanas
Method
Peel the carrots and cut into 1cm cubes. Cut the celery into 1cm slices. Dice onion. Peel, core and grate the apples. Place in the slow cooker, then place the meat on top.
Add the sultanas, relish or chutney, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, golden syrup, brown sugar, curry powder, salt and stock or water. Stir gently to combine.
Place lid on cooker and cook for 4 to 5 hours on High or 8 to 9 on Low.
If necessary, mix the cornflour with about 2 tablespoons cold water to a paste and use some or all of it to thicken the curry. Add salt and pepper to taste.
“When my children were small, I would put something in the slow cooker in the morning, and even if the sky fell in during the day, I was guaranteed a meal to feed everyone at dinner time.”
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What’s the secret to transforming leftovers into another meal so there’s no waste?
Make them into a new meal in their own right. I don’t know if all other children are like my six were, but if I dared to mention dinner was leftovers, it was rejected immediately on principle. So it’s more than mere reheating, it’s all in the disguise. That’s why my book Leftover Makeovers was such fun to put together – with all the tips, tricks and dishes I developed over the years.
What are you favourite 3 herbs/spices to cook with?
Top of the list: fresh basil, closely followed by rosemary and mint
What’s your best tip for organising the kitchen?
Organisation? Not my strongest point as I tend to cook with wild abandon and go with the flow, letting one recipe lead to another, leaving a trail of dishes and pots in my wake. However, on the days when I wash up as I go, I feel ever so virtuous and things run much more smoothly. I always think a dishwasher would be good, but doubt that could keep up either.
I do however, like to have my ingredients organised and at hand. I have labelled containers in easily accessible places and the storeroom has back-ups at the ready to refill them. Where we live there is no supermarket for over 60 kilometres, so it’s essential to be organised with an ample supply of ingredients.
“I tend to cook with wild abandon and go with the flow, letting one recipe lead to another, leaving a trail of dishes and pots in my wake.”
Can we take a peek at your kitchen?
We live on the edge of the rainforest by the ocean in Tasmania. Here’s my kitchen on a tidier day than today.
What are you making today?
Hot of the press, Sally sent me these pictures as she was making the Marmalade jam (I’ll have the recipe to give you in a later post).
What do you value about eating a meal together as a family?
I think eating the evening meal together is the best time of day, a privileged time actually. Not only do children help to prepare the meal wherever possible (a great conversation time), but it’s a great time to de-brief and chat about all the day’s happenings at the table. It develops a real family culture, where everyone knows what is happening for the others. It binds a family together with communication that just doesn’t happen with a plate of food on your lap in front of the television.
“[Dinner time] is a great time to de-brief and chat about all the day’s happenings at the table. It develops a real family culture, where everyone knows what is happening for the others.”
Sally Wise
Take a look at Sally’s website and blog.
Here some other easydinner ideas:
Meatloaf Recipe
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Zucchini Slice — No Oil Recipe
Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe
Savoury Mince Recipe
