Mini-Meatloaf Perfect for Lunch

These mini meatloves are best eaten cold, either dunked in mayo, ketchup, brown sauce or mustard, or sliced up and made into sandwiches with the whole fandango of sauces. I sometimes add lingonberry sauce to the mix too. Throw in a gherkin and some pickles and this is lunch nirvana. Don't forget the napkins though.

Ingredients

• 1 lb sausagemeat
  
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• ⅓ cup steak sauce (such as a1 sauce)
• 2 large eggs (beaten)
• 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (or ½ teaspoon table salt)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6/400ºF.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mixing really well with your hands or a fork.
3. Divide the mixture into 12 balls, and then shape them into mini loaves.
4. Sit the mini meatloaves on a lined baking sheet with space between each and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. You could eat them hot, but best let them cool and keep in the fridge to slice and eat in sandwiches, or to dip in mayo.

Special Summer Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

for the shortcakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 5 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter (frozen)
• 1 large egg (beaten)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg white (lightly beaten)

for the filling

• approx. 10 oz strawberries
• 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
• 3 drops balsamic vinegar (optional)
• ½ cup heavy cream (or creme fraiche)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/gas mark 7/425ºF.
2. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl. Grate the butter into these dry ingredients and use your fingertips to finish crumbling the butter into the flour. Whisk the egg into the cream, and pour into the flour mixture a little at a time, using a fork to mix. You may not need all of the eggy cream to make the dough come together, so go cautiously.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll gently to a thickness of about 2cm / ¾ inch. Dip a 6½ cm / 2½ inch round cutter in flour and cut out as many rounds as you can. Work the scraps back into a dough, re-roll and finish cutting out  you should get 8 in all. Place the shortcakes about 2½ cm / 1 inch apart on a greased or lined baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg white, and sprinkle them with the remaining 2 tablespoons of superfine sugar. If it helps with the rest of your cooking, or life in general, you can cover and refrigerate them now for up to 2 hours.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden-brown, and let them cool for a short while on a wire rack. Meanwhile, crush half the strawberries with the spoonful of sugar and the few drops of balsamic vinegar if using, and halve or quarter the remaining strawberries, depending on their size. Whip the heavy cream, if you're using.
5. The shortcakes should be eaten while still warm, so split each one across the middle and cover with a spoonful of the crushed strawberry mixture, a few halved or quartered strawberries, then dollop some whipped cream or creme fraiche on top, and set the top back on.

New Orleans Coleslaw Perfect for Summer

I can't remember why this is called New Orleans coleslaw now (I've been making it, or a version of it, for so long), but I think it has something to do with all the wonderful pecan trees I saw when I was there.

Ingredients

• 1 white cabbage (about 1kg / 2lbs before trimming)
  
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks celery
• 4 scallions
• 1 cup mayonnaise (preferably organic)
• 4 tablespoons buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• ⅔ cup pecan nuts (fairly finely chopped)
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. Trim and shred the cabbage, either by hand or with a food processor.
2. Peel and grate the carrots, and finely slice the celery and spring onions.
3. Whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, maple syrup and vinegar and coat the shredded vegetables with this dressing.
4. Season, and toss through the chopped nuts.

Easy Orange Ice Cream a Great Treat

Ingredients

• 1 eating orange and 2 limes (or 3 Seville Oranges, if available) 
  
• 1 ¾ cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 wafers (to serve)

Instructions

1. If using Seville oranges, grate the zest of 2 of them. Squeeze the juice of all 3 and pour into a bowl with the zest and sugar. If you're going for the sweet orange and lime option, grate the zest of the orange and one of the limes, juice them and add to the sugar as before.
2. Stir to dissolve the sugar and add the heavy cream.
3. Whip everything until it holds soft peaks, and then turn into a shallow air-tight container (of approximately 2 litres / 8 cups) with a lid.
4. Cover and freeze until firm (from 3 to 5 hours). Remove to ripen for 15-20 minutes (or 30-40 in the fridge) before eating.
5. Serve in a bowl, in cones, with wafers - however you like.

Mini Meatloaf Good Hot or Cold

Ingredients 

• 1 lb sausage
  
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• ⅓ cup steak sauce (such as a1 sauce)
• 2 large eggs (beaten)
• 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (or ½ teaspoon table salt)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6/400ºF.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mixing really well with your hands or a fork.
3. Divide the mixture into 12 balls, and then shape them into mini loaves.
4. Sit the mini meatloaves on a lined baking sheet with space between each and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. You could eat them hot, but best let them cool and keep in the fridge to slice and eat in sandwiches, or to dip in mayo.