• 3 oz butter
• 1 small onion
• 6 to 8 chicken livers, depending on size
• 6 oz mushrooms
• 1 small red pepper
• Salt and pepper
• 12 oz  arborio rice
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 pints boiling chicken stock (Oxo cubes are fine)
• 2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 medium glass dry white wine (optional)

Method:

1. Peel and finely chop the onion. Quarter and de-seed the pepper and cut into thin slices. Wash and chops the mushrooms, including the stalks. Clean and chop the livers.
2. Heat half of the butter in a large heavy pan and add the onion. Fry until it begins to soften.
3. Add the livers, mushrooms, red pepper, salt, pepper and lemon juice and cook over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Make up the chicken stock and ensure it is boiling hot.
5. Stir the rice into the pan with a wooden spoon and cook for 4 or 5 minutes.
6. Gradually add the stock, stirring well but gently and continue cooking until all of the stock has been absorbed into the rice and the rice is cooked but still has a bite to it.
7. If you’re using the wine, stir in and cook for a couple of minutes longer until it is absorbed.
8. Take from the heat, add the other half of the butter and about half of the cheese.
9. Stir and serve hot with the rest of the cheese passed around separately.

Serves 4.

• 1 rabbit, jointed
• 1 large onion
• 2 teaspoons tomato puree
• Olive oil
• Flour for coating
• Salt and pepper
• Stock (chicken or game)
• Sprig rosemary
• Sprig thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lb mushrooms
• 6 oz  streaky bacon

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy, deep frying pan.
2. Peel and chop the onion and fry with the rabbit pieces until a golden colour.
3. Sprinkle the rabbit with flour, add the tomato puree, salt and pepper and enough stock to cover.
4. Bring to the boil, add the herbs, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Wash and chop the mushrooms, cut the bacon into smallish pieces.
6. Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 7 (425°F/220°C).
7. Transfer the rabbit to an oven-proof casserole and strain the sauce.
8. Spread the mushrooms over the top of the rabbit and sprinkle with the bacon.
9. Pour over the sauce, cover and bake in the oven for about 1 hour (maybe longer if the rabbit portions are large or the rabbit is old).

Serves 4.

• 1 rabbit
• Salt & Pepper
• 1½ pints water
• 1 onion
• 1 sprig parsley
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 blade of mace
• 3 cloves
• 3 oz streaky bacon
• 1½ oz butter
• 1½ oz flour
• ½ pint full or semi skimmed milk
• Bacon Rolls

Method:

1. Cut the rabbit into joints. Season with salt and pepper and lay in a casserole.
2. Add the sliced onion, diced bacon, the water, and the parsley, thyme, bay leaf, mace and cloves tied in a piece of muslin.
3. Cook in a covered casserole on a pre-heated low oven at Gas Mark 2 (300°F/150°C) for about 2 hours.
4. Strain off the stock, removed the bag of herbs and keep the rabbit hot.
5. Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour, blend it well and let it cook for a minute or two without colouring.
6. Gradually pour in ½ pint stock, stirring constantly. Bring to the boil and cook for at least 3 minutes.
7. Add the milk and re-heat with boiling.
8. Pour the sauce over the rabbit and garnish with sprigs of parsley and bacon rolls.

• 1 rabbit
• 3 oz streaky bacon
• 1 onion
• 1 oz (28g) flour
• 1½ pints stock or water
• 3 cloves
• 1 sprig parsley
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 blade of mace
• Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Prepare and cut the rabbit into joints.
2. Dive the bacon and fry in a pan. Lift out and put into a casserole.
3. Fry the rabbit in the bacon fat until well browned and then put with the bacon in the casserole.
4. Add the flour to the fat remaining in the pan and let it cook to a good rich brown.
5. Add the stock or water gradually, stirring all the time.
6. Pour the sauce over the rabbit, add the sliced onion, salt and pepper and the cloves, parsley, thyme, bay leaf and mace tied in a piece of muslin.
7. Cover the casserole and cook in a preheated oven at Gas Mark 2 (300°F/150°C) for about 2 hours until the rabbit is tender.
8. Serve the meat piled on a hot dish and strain the sauce over it.

• 1 rabbit
• 8 oz (225 g) salt pork or fat bacon
• 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley
• Grated lemon rind
• Salt & Pepper
• ½ pint stock or water
• 9 oz (253 g) rough puff pastry

Method:

1. Prepare and cut the rabbit into joints.
2. Cut the pork or bacon into dice.
3. Put alternative layers of rabiit and the pork mixed with the parsely, lemon juice and seasoning into a casserole. Pour in the stock.
4. Cook in a pre-heated low oven at  Gas Mark 2 (300°F/150°C) for about 2 hours until the rabbit is tender.
5. When cold, transfer to a pie dish, cover with rough puff pastry and bake in a pre-heated hot oven at Gas Mark 7 (425°F/220°C) for about 45 minutes.

Serve with vegetables of your choice.

• 1 chicken carcase and trimmings
• 2 pints water or stock
• 1 oz rice
• 1 large onion
• 2 stalks celery
• Salt
• Blade of mace
• 6 black peppercorns
• Chopped parsley

Method:

1. Break up the chicken carcase and put in a pan with the water or stock, rice, salt and the blade of mace and peppercorns tied in a piece of muslin.
2. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours.
3. Strain off the broth, re-heat, and add more seasoning if necessary.
4. Sprinkle with chopped parsley when serving.

Cheats method!

This feeds our family 2 adults 2 middle sized children
if you have more to feed use a bigger mug.

2 chicken breasts diced or similar amount of leftover chicken chopped small.
Large mug of rice (Risotto rice is best but any will do)
1 finely chopped onion or a few chopped spring onions
2 large mugs of hot stock or boiling water with a stock cube in
1/2 a mug of peas
salt and pepper

To garnish a few raw nuts added at the last minute to warm up and/or fried mushrooms.

Method:

Add all ingredients to a large microwaveable dish.
Microwave on full power for 12 minutes.
Check consistency and add nuts if using.
Microwave for another minute or 2 , all of the liquid should be gone

Serve with fried mushrooms

Filling cheep, tasty and very very easy

Ingredients:

• ¾ lb belly pork, cut in to three strips and then cut each strip into three (cut roughly from the rib bones but remember to include the bones inthe cooking)
• 6 large sausages,  cut in half or thirds depending on size  (I favour strongly flavoured sausages like boar as they provide most of the flavourfor the dish)
• 4 large chicken thighs cut in half
• 1 large onion
• 1 large potato
• 1 large carrot
• 2 bay leaves
• Small handful of fresh parsley
• Salt and  pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic or a teaspoon of minced garlic
• Either a pound of dried haricot bean that have been soaked over night in fresh water or two tins of (beans of your choice) I use chickpeas and red kidney beans.
• 2 pints of good stock  (chicken or vegetable)

Method:

1. In a heavy cast iron Casserole, or Dutch oven on the top of the stove, fry the belly pork until the fat is crispy, remove and drain, next fry the sausages until coloured, drain most of the fat, add the chicken (with orwithout the skin, I normally take off the skin) and cook until coloured.
2. Remove meat and add the garlic and the finely chopped onion fry until theonion is translucent but not brown, add the belly pork and the sausage,and the stock.
3. Bring back to a rolling simmer, and then add the chicken, the beans and the roughly chopped vegetables along with the two bay leaves.
4. Place in the middle a medium oven gas (mark 5)  with a heavy lid cook for two hours,  remove,  taste,  season, and add the parsley.
5. Cover with a round of bakers’ parchment and cook for ¾ of an hour or until the stock has reduced to made a fine gravy.
6. Serve with thick wholemeal bread or rice.

Serves 8 – 10 on its own or 12 -16 with rice

The last time I made this, the cost worked out to be roughly 35p per meal.