Spicy Scottish Venison Cheeseburgers

Scottish venison grillsteaks on rolls with cheese, onion and peppers

Scottish venison grillsteaks quickly griddled before Scottish cheddar cheese is melted over the top and stir fried mixed peppers and onion are subsequently added. Sound good? This idea actually came about when I had bought the grillsteaks to serve in an entirely different way but before I could do so, I discovered some forgotten mixed bell pepper slices and half an onion in my fridge requiring using if they were not to go to waste. Although therefore an accidental creation in a sense, this was super delicious and definitely something I'll be making again.

Scottish venison grillsteaks

Ingredients

2 Scottish venison grillsteaks
Vegetable oil
Handful of mixed sliced bell peppers
1/2 small white onion, peeled and moderately thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
Generous pinch of hot chilli powder (optional)
2 wholewheat bread rolls or similar
4 slices of Scottish cheddar cheese or as required
Teaspoon of freshly chopped coriander (cilantro)

Starting to griddle the venison grillsteaks

Directions

Start your griddle pan heating on your highest setting. It has to be very hot and this is likely to take a few minutes.

Oil the venison grillsteaks all over and lay them in to the hot griddle.

Grillsteaks are griddled on the second sides

The size of the steaks will vary but these ones took three minutes on each side to cook. Cooking tongs make them easier to turn. It's best not to risk using a plastic implement with a hot pan like this. When the steaks are ready, lift them to a heated plate and cover with foil to rest for a few minutes.

Stir frying peppers and onion

Add a little oil to a small frying pan and stir fry the peppers and onion over a medium heat for two or three minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper and a little chilli powder if desired.

Rested venison grillsteaks are laid on roll bases

Cut the rolls in half and lightly toast on their cut sides under your overhead grill/broiler.

Cheese slices are laid on venison grillsteaks

Lay a grillsteak on each bottom roll half and top with cheese slices.

Cheese is melted over grillsteaks

Melt the cheese under your grill until just bubbling.

Spiced peppers and onions are laid on top of cheese

Lift some peppers and onion on to each burger top with cooking tongs.

Coriander garnishes the burgers before they are closed over

Scatter with the chopped herb before adding the tops to the rolls to serve.

Ready to eat spicy Scottish venison cheeseburgers

Leftover Turkey Chili Sloppy Joes

Leftover turkey chili sloppy joe with simple salad

Leftovers provide us with a wealth of opportunities when it comes to deciding what to have for dinner of an evening. Using them up cuts down on food waste thus expenditure, they can save significant amounts of time in the preparation of a meal when all you want to do is relax after a hard day and they provide excellent opportunities for experimenting with different ways in which you can actually serve them up to your family.

Sloppy joes (just like chili!) are traditionally made with beef as the meat ingredient. When I experimented one night, however, in making this pretty unusual but absolutely delicious turkey chili recipe with different coloured tomatoes, I had some leftovers and decided to borrow the sloppy joes concept for a very quick and easy dinner for two the following evening. You should also note that this idea could also be prepared with ordinary chili or indeed any similar type of meat or even vegetable stew.

Leftover turkey chili

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Generous portion of leftover turkey chili
Two handfuls of peashoots or similar green salad leaves
1 medium red tomato
1 medium yellow tomato
Salt and white pepper
2 soft bread rolls
Chopped coriander/cilantro to garnish

Salad ingredients are washed in cold water

Directions

Take the chili from the fridge (where it should of course have been stored overnight) and put it in to a saucepan. Put the pot on to a low heat and gently reheat the chili, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Wash the salad leaves and tomatoes in a colander under running cold water and dry.

Toasted roll base is plated with salad

Cut the two bread rolls in half horizontally and lightly toast on the cut sides. Cut the tomatoes in to segments and mix through the salad leaves, seasoning with salt and white pepper. Lay a bottom roll half on each of two serving plates and arrange half the salad alongside in each instance.

Turkey chili is spooned on to roll base and garnished

When the chili is fully reheated, divide between the two bottom roll halves and garnish with the chopped herb. Sit the roll tops in place and tuck in.

Fresh Tuna and Mayo Sandwich

Fresh tuna slices with mayo on a bed of fresh watercress sandwich

Fresh tuna is as different from canned tuna as tuna itself is from cod. It really is like eating an entirely different foodstuff - provided, of course, the fresh tuna is not overcooked as the canned stuff is to such excess. I quite literally can't eat canned tuna I dislike it so much but I love fresh tuna and rate it as one of my most favourite types of eating fish. What I did here therefore was make a simple tuna and mayo sandwich but used fresh tuna cooked on a hot griddle or grill pan rather than canned.

Starting to griddle tuna loin fillet

Ingredients (Serves 2)

6 ounce tuna loin fillet (around 1 inch thick)
Vegetable or sunflower oil
Salt and pepper
Generous handful fresh watercress (or salad leaves of choice)
2 bread rolls
Mayo as required

Watercress is washed under running cold water

Directions

Start your griddle pan preheating on as high a heat as possible. It has to be smoking hot for cooking the tuna and it is likely to take three or four minutes to get up to the required temperature.

Put the watercress in to a sieve and wash thoroughly under running cold water. This is always essential, even when the pack claims it is washed and ready to eat. Sit it aside to drain off.

Tuna fillet is turned in griddle pan

Lightly oil the tuna fillet all over (never the griddle pan) and season on both sides with salt and pepper. When the griddle pan is smoking hot, very carefully lay the fillet in it to fry for three minutes. Turn with cooking tongs and fry on the second side for a further three minutes.

Griddled tuna fillet is rested

Lift the tuna fillet to a chopping board and allow it to rest for a couple of minutes.

Watercress bed is fashioned on bread roll

Cut the rolls open and very lightly toast on the cut sides. Divide the watercress between the two bottom roll halves to serve as a bed for the tuna.

Tuna slices are laid on watercress bed

Slice the tuna to around a quarter of an inch and divide between the two watercress beds. Add the mayo and place the tops on the rolls to serve.

Fresh tuna, mayo and watercress sandwich