​Ice Cream, why bother making it when you can simply buy it. Well, one because buying good ice cream is expensive. Two, homemade ice cream is nothing like the store bought stuff, the flavour combinations are endless, you just can't buy it. Three, it is so easy to do. Recently while on holidays in Croatia we tried so many new flavours of ice creams, you can't buy half of them in the supermarket, you need to make it yourself. So I promised my kids I would start making ice cream when we got home and this is flavour number 4. So far I have been very successful.

And this ice cream, is delicious. The cheesecake flavour is so good. I love this recipe as a lot of recipes require just egg yolks to make the custard, and a lot of them. That is fine if I have been making pavlovas, but when I haven't this recipe comes into play. It uses 2 whole eggs, you can even make it with one, I added a second egg to the original recipe, a few other ingredients and you have creamy delicious cheesecake ice cream that you can flavour however you like.

Now I use an ice cream machine, and I advise you to buy one. It doesn't have to be the most expensive one. I have two and I use the cheap one I bought years ago, as I don't throw things out, it works, and until it dies I will use it. The second one I bought as it was on sale and it was one of my I had to have it purchases.

If you really don't want to buy an ice cream machine, it is slightly more labour intensive, but nothing over the top. Just follow these steps. You put the cooled ice cream base into a covered container, place it in the freezer and whip it out every hour for 3 hours as it freezes and give it a good beating, either with an electric whisk, by hand or in the food processor. This gets rid of the ice crystals that form, and allows the ice cream to be smooth, not crunchy.
 
The original recipe used the juice of only 1/2 lemon, I found it needed more. So you might like to add the juice of 1/2 a lemon at first, taste, and if you find it needs more, add it. I also sometimes add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract, as well, as it just isn't lemony enough, it really depends on your lemons at the time.

You can use thickened cream instead of double cream, I have used both as I had them in the refrigerator and both worked in this recipe, even a combination of the two creams worked. If using only thickened cream, lightly whip it before adding it to the custard.

If your custard looks like it has split. Just fill a sink with cold water and plunge your saucepan into it, keep whisking, the custard should come back together. This hasn't happened in this recipe for me yet, but it is good to know.

So if you love cheesecake, and especially lemon cheesecake, you need to make this ice cream. The flavour is so fresh and tangy and you just can't buy that.

​Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's cookbook 'Forever Summer'

3/4 cup full cream milk
3/4 cup caster sugar
115g cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups double cream
A few drops of yellow food colouring, optional
1/4-1/2 teaspoon of lemon essence, optional
55g digestive biscuits or graham crackers, crumbled (optional)


Heat the milk over low heat, in a small saucepan, do not let it boil. While it's getting warm, beat together the sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and eggs in a bowl. Still whisking, pour the hot milk into the cream cheese mixture and pour into a clean medium sized saucepan.
​
Place the milk mixture over a low-medium heat, stirring constantly and cook until you get a velvety custard, the mixture will thicken and coat the back of a spoon.

Pour the custard into a bowl and let it cool, for about 15-20 minutes. Once cooled add the zest, juice of 1/2 lemon and then the double cream. Taste it, if it needs more lemon flavour, add the remaining 1/2 of lemon juice.
​
Place in your ice cream machine and churn until thick and ice creamy. If you don't have an ice cream machine see my notes above. Once it is thick, add in the crushed biscuits, if using. 

​Pour into an ice cream container. Place in the freezer for at least 4-6 hours, until set, or until needed.

To serve, take the ice cream out of the freezer 20 minutes before serving, it needs to soften slightly before serving. You want it frozen, but not rock hard. After 20 minutes, scoop out into bowls or cones. Serve immediately.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/lemon-cheesecake-ice-cream.html 
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​I'd love to know what you think about this recipe, and please let me know if you have made it, I do like to get feedback. Name and comment only required.

Do you have leftover roast chicken, have you had a party and you have leftover antipasto type ingredients. Do you love a pasta salad. If yes, this is the recipe for you. This pasta I make with leftover roast, usually the breast as my family always leave it, and the rest of the ingredients, most are found in my refrigerator, as they are sandwich fillers in my house.

This salad was so delicious, it is simple and packed full of flavour. The chicken breast was great, I loved adding cucumber to the pasta salad, never thought to do that before. It was great the next day also. It is a great refrigerator cleanser, post party, clean out all the bits and pieces you have left behind.

This would be great to take on a picnic, it can be prepared in advance, and is not messy to eat, one plate, one fork, lunch done.

Use pitted kalamata olives if you prefer, or whatever olives you have at home.

You can use ricotta salata cheese, grated, instead of feta.

​With the dressing, add more if you think it needs it, it is to taste.

I prefer home roasted capsicums, but in this you can use the ones out of a jar, it takes great either way.

If I've had a party and I only have sliced salami at home, I just tear that into the salad.

This pasta salad will now be my go to recipe when I have leftover chicken. I truly enjoyed every bite. ​

​Recipe is by Geoffrey Zakarian from www.foodnetwork.com

Serves 4-6

Sea Salt
3 cups dried elbow macaroni
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup cubed rotisserie chicken
1 cup diced English cucumber 
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped pitted Nicoise olives
1/2 cup chopped roasted red capsicums
1/2 cup diced hard salami
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
115g feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
​
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente, according to the package directions.

Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and shake until very dry. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl, drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over it and toss well to coat.
​
Add the chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, capsicums, salami, onions and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, toss well to combine.
​

​In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and remaining 1/2 cup olive oil; pour it over the salad and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. For best flavour, let the salad stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/italian-chicken-pasta-salad.html 
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It's cold weather outside and just perfect for a warm, hearty soup.

A food group I have joined had another five ingredient challenge, you need to try and incorporate the five ingredients chosen into your dish. The ingredients this week were ​

​Each time I play the game I try a new recipe, this one immediately said soup to me. So I found a basic goulash soup recipe and modified it to suit the game.

We loved it, it was so full of flavour, I loved it with the creme fraiche it just made it fabulous, while my husband had it without the creme fraiche and thought it was great also.

The brussel sprouts weren't essential to the soup, but as it was one of the five ingredients I added them also. My family actually didn't mind them in the soup, everyone ate the brussel sprouts.

Instead of the leek, you could chop one brown onion. You could use sebago potatoes instead of desiree and you can use sour cream instead of creme fraiche.

If you like firmer zucchini, add them when you add the potatoes. I quite like them soft, so I add them straight away with the cabbage.

This is a hearty, delicious soup that is easy to make and is perfect on a cold winters day.

Recipe adapted from www.taste.com.au 

​Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
500g beef chuck steak, trimmed, cubed
1 leek, sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
​1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 zucchini, chopped
1/4 cabbage, chopped
6 brussel sprouts, quartered (optional)
3 1/2 cups beef stock
400g can diced tomatoes
​1/2 tablespoon vegeta (optional)
450g desiree potatoes, peeled cubed
Creme fraiche, to serve
​Fresh chives or parsley, to serve
​
Heat oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook steak in 2 batches, for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl.
​
Add leek and carrot to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and paprika, cook stirring for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the zucchini, cabbage, brussel sprouts, stock and tomato. Stir to combine. Add steak, season with a little salt and pepper. Stir. If the liquid does not cover all the ingredients, add enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, simmer, covered, for 1 hour or until the steak is tender.

​After 1 hour, taste the soup, if you need to add vegeta, ad it now with the potatoes. Cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes or until slightly thickened and potato is tender.

Taste, season with salt and pepper, if needed. Ladle into bowls. Dollop with creme fraiche. Sprinkle with chives.
​Serve hot.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/goulash-soup.html 
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​I'd love to know what you think about this recipe, and please let me know if you have made it, I do like to get feedback. Name and comment only required.

​Everyone, I mean everyone has to make this dessert.

I got this recipe from a member of a food group I am in. He posted a picture of the dessert and I immediately knew I had to try it. So I did, the very next day. I am so glad I did. The pannacotta it is just set, it is wobbly, it is silky smooth, it really just melts in your mouth. And the berry compote, it is truly, truly delicious. And the two together, bliss, so delicious, it really is a special dessert.

This is so easy to make, it would be amazing as a dessert at any dinner party, your guests will ask for the recipe, they will think you put in a lot of effort and yet it is so simple and not only looks beautiful the flavour matches the beauty.

The compote flavour can be adjusted, for instance I decreased the amount of sugar from the original recipe. I also increased the amount of lemon juice. I have also at times added freshly squeezed orange juice. You could even use limes instead of lemons. You need to balance the flavours as they suit you.

I always double the berry compote recipe and any leftovers is amazing over vanilla ice cream. It is truly the best ice cream topping ever. Forget store bought strawberry topping, this is what you need to have over ice cream. even just the compote over ice cream is a perfect summer dessert.

​So please if you have a spare 30 minutes, as that is the maximum time it will take to throw this together, make this, you will love it.

​Makes 8-10, depends on the size of your glasses

Pannacotta:
1 cup milk
2 1/2 teaspoons gelatine powder
2 cups thickened cream
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rind of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of salt
1 cup sour cream

Berry Compote:
2 cup of mixed berries, divided
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup sugar

​Mint leaves, to decorate


Place the milk into a large saucepan, sprinkle over the gelatine, let it sit for 3 minutes, to bloom.

Add the cream, sugar, vanilla, peeled strips of lemon rind and salt. Heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring, frequently to dissolve the sugar. Do not allow the cream to come to the boil, you want it only heated enough to dissolve the sugar and gelatine. Once the gelatine has dissolved, and the mixture has thickened slightly, take off the heat. Remove the lemon strips. Whisk in the sour cream, until you have a smooth, creamy pannacotta.

I like to use a funnel, to stop making a mess to the sides of the glasses. Carefully pour the pannacotta into your serving glasses and refrigerate about 4-6 hours, until set.
​
Berry Compote: Add 1 cup of the berries, lemon juice and sugar to a medium saucepan. Mix until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a simmer, continue at a low simmer until the fruit breaks down and a syrup has formed, it doesn't take long. Here you need to taste the liquid, if too sweet add more lemon juice, if too tart, add more sugar.

Add the remaining 1 cup of berries, mix it through. Pour the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate until cold.

Just before serving, carefully pour the syrup onto the set pannacottas. 

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/vanilla-pannacotta-with-a-berry-compote.html
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​My kids love granita, they love the little icy crystals that melt in your mouth, they love the burst of fresh flavour they get with every spoonful.

I had an abundance of oranges, so today I made this orange version for my family. 

Although it is very easy to make, it is something you should make on a lazy Sunday when you don't have anywhere to go. Why, because you need to start it in the morning and while putting it together is super easy, after the initial 1-2 hours of freezing time, you do need to set your alarm for 30 minutes, because for the next few hours, you will need to stir it with a fork, every 30 minutes, breaking up the ice crystals that form, and you stop when it is all looking like small crystals and it begins to look like snow. Not hard, but it does take time.

​The granita will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 days.

Looking for a summer dessert that is refreshing, look no further.

​Recipe adapted from www.curtisstone.com

2 cups water
1/4 cup (50g) caster sugar
Finely grated rind of 2 small oranges
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice


Place the water in a saucepan with the sugar and orange rind. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, and strain into a bowl.

Stir in the orange and lemon juice, place in a freezer proof container, so that the liquid is only 2-3cm deep, and place in the freezer. 

After about an hour, ice crystals will start to form around the edges, stir the mixture with a fork to break them up. Return to the freezer, and continue this procedure every 30 minutes until the mixture resembles snow. This will take a few hours.

​To serve, spoon into serving bowls.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/orange-granita.html 
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​I love ice cream, I do, it is one of my favourite things to eat.

This one is a good one, the combination of vanilla and orange, so good. When you eat it, the orange part tastes like your eating orange sherbet. It actually tastes so good I plan on making this again and again.

If you added all the cream at the beginning, forgetting to leave 1/2 cup on the side for the vanilla component. Just add 2 cups of the milk mixture into the vanilla extract bowl and that will fix that issue.

If you have two ice cream machines, both flavours can be churned together and you can even add them to the same freezer safe container, vanilla on one side and orange on the other, so that when you scoop it, a little of each flavour goes in each scoop. Next time I make it, I'll try that.

I did not use orange extract, but I did add orange food colouring to enhance the orange colour.

​Recipe adapted from www.bakedbyrachel.com

​1 cup full cream milk
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 cups thickened cream, divided
pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon orange extract, optional
Orange food colouring, optional
​

To a large saucepan add milk, sugar, 1 and 1/2 cups thickened cream and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot, but not boiling.
​
In a small bowl, whisk yolks until pale in colour, about 1-2 minutes with hand mixer. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling the hot milk mixture into the bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan. Continue cooking over medium-low heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. 
​
Add remaining 1/2 cup cream and vanilla to one medium sized bowl. (If you put all the cream in at the beginning, don't panic, read my notes above on how I fixed that). Add orange zest, orange juice and orange extract (if using) to a second medium sized bowl.
​
Pour 1 and 1/2 cups of the milk mixture into each bowl, containing cream and orange juice. Allow to cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When the creams have chilled sufficiently, remove one flavour and place in an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Place in a freezer safe container and freeze until frozen.
​
Re-freeze you ice cream machine bowl. Once frozen, take out your remaining flavour and place in an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Place in a freezer safe container and freeze until frozen.
​
Scoop out both flavours into a bowl or cone.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/orange-creamsicle-ice-cream.html 
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​I'd love to know what you think about this recipe, and please let me know if you have made it, I do like to get feedback. Name and comment only required.

​We just spent six weeks in Croatia. The place, the people, the food and the ice cream. It was amazing.

My family loves ice cream, but the ice cream in Croatia, my goodness it was good. My kids loved green apple, any berry combo, lemon, I particularly fell in love with rockmelon, I could go on and on. There was so much choice and they were just delicious.

Recipe adapted from  www.bbcgoodfood.com

Serves 6-8

​500g frozen mixed berries
350ml milk
350ml thickened cream
1 vanilla bean, split
250g caster sugar
5 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
​
Place frozen berries in a large microwave-proof bowl and microwave for 30-40 seconds or until they have softened slightly. Do not cook them through, you just want to soften them to make them easier to work with.

Transfer berries to a food processor and blitz until they form a thick puree.

Place a sieve above a medium sized bowl and pour the berry mixture through, in batches. This will take a while and you will need to press the puree through the sieve. This step removes the bulk of the seeds and is well worth the effort. You should be left with a thick, smooth puree. Set aside.
​​
Pour the cream and milk into a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from your vanilla bean and add the seeds and bean to the saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer then remove from heat. Do not allow to boil. 

While the milk is coming to the simmer. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until pale. Once the milk is ready, remove the vanilla bean. With the beaters on, whisk in about 1/2 cup of the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then gradually pour in the rest of the milk, whisking constantly.

Transfer the milk and egg mixture to a clean saucepan, place over a low heat. Stir continuously with a spoon or rubber spatula. Do not leave the mixture at this stage, it can curdle. Stir continuously and don't allow the mixture to simmer or boil.

Allow the mixture to thicken slightly and, when it coats the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and place in a clean bowl. Allow to cool slightly.

Stir in the berry puree and the lemon juice. Refrigerate until cold.
​
Transfer to an ice cream maker and churn until the mixture reaches the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Transfer to a plastic container and place in the freezer overnight to set completely.

To serve, take it out of the freezer 10 minutes before needed, then scoop into bowls with fresh berries or enjoy it in a cone.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/mixed-berry-ice-cream.html 
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​My oldest son loves pies, and after many requests I finally got around to trying a meat pie for him.

It was delicious, the thick hearty slow cooked beef and mushroom stew filling was perfect with the super easy to make homemade pastry.

My whole family loved it, and it was gone very quickly.

The beef bourguignon filling is absolutely delicious, and the perfect filling for a pie.

The pastry was so easy to make, have yet to find an easier recipe to make. It literally takes minutes to make.

I have made this as one large pie and I have made 4 smaller pies, I'll give instructions for both, as both methods are great.

Also the filling needs to cool completely once cooked, so you either need to make it early in the day and allow it to cool, or make it the day before and refrigerate overnight. Make the pastry just before needed, pour in cold filling, cover and bake.

You could use store bought shortcrust pastry for the base (but this pastry is far superior) and puff pastry for the top, the base pastry is so easy to make, you should try it.

Now if you want to make 6 medium sized pies. Just use the homemade pastry for the bases and top with store bought puff pastry. This combination was perfect. In the picture above, puff pastry was used for the tops.

In the picture of the individual ones I had some with full pastry tops, some with a lattice pattern, I did the lattice to not waste a puff pastry sheet. In the end they looked amazing and if you make a tight lattice it gives you just as much pastry as a full top.

Give this a go, it is really nice.

Recipe for the pastry adapted from www.donnahay.com.au
Recipe for the filling adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Cookbook 'The Country Collection'

Makes 1 large pie or 4 smaller pies

12 pickling onions, peeled, halved
6 rindless bacon slices, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons olive oil
400g swiss brown mushrooms
1kg chuck steak, trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces
1/4 cup plain flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 cup (250ml) dry red wine
2 cups (500ml) beef stock
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, optional

Pastry:

150g butter, chopped
2/3 cup (160ml) water
375g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1 egg, lightly beaten


Cook bacon in heated large heavy based saucepan, stirring, until crisp. Drain on absorbent paper.

Cook onions, in same pan, stirring, until browned. Remove from pan.

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in the same pan; cook mushrooms, stirring, until browned. Remove from pan.

Coat beef in flour, shake off excess flour. Heat remaining oil in same pan; cook beef, in batches, until browned. Remove from pan.

Return bacon, onion and beef to the pan with tomato paste and thyme; cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add wine and stock; bring to the boil. Reduce heat, simmer, covered 1 hour. Add mushrooms, simmer uncovered, for further 40 minutes, or until beef is tender and the mixture has thickened to your liking for a pie. Stir in parsley, if using.

​Allow to cool completely.
​
Once the meat is cold. Preheat the oven to 200C.

To make the pastry, place the butter and water in a medium sized saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and add the flour and salt until a smooth dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. I kneaded it until had cooled.

Large Pie: If you are making one large pie, cut off 2/3 of the pastry and roll out into a circle 2mm thick. Place in a lightly greased pie dish, if you have any gaps, use some of the of the pastry to fill in gaps, the pastry can be pressed to shape also, it is easy to work with. Spoon in all of the beef mixture. Roll out the remaining pastry to 2 mm thick, it needs to be large enough to cover the mince mixture. Press the edges to seal and trim the excess pastry. Use a small, sharp knife to cut a slit in the top of the pie. Brush with egg and cook for 50-60 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and golden.

Small Pies: Roll all of the pastry out to 2mm thick and cut out 4 x 16cm rounds. Line 4 x 9.5cm round lightly greased pie dishes with the pastry. Divide the beef mixture between the pastry cases. Cut out 4 x 12.5cm rounds from the remaining pastry and use to top the pies. Press the edges to seal and trim the excess pastry. Use a small, sharp knife to cut a slit in the top of the pies. Brush with egg and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and golden.

​Allow to sit for 30 minutes to make the sauce cool enough to eat and thicken again slightly.

To save the recipe to your favourites go www.whatscookingella.com/beef-and-mushroom-pies.html 
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Now I've never had a real Orange Julius, they aren't something we have in Australia, but what I do have is five very large bags of oranges that my uncle gave me. This is something my kids are starting to get excited over, orange season and my uncles oranges.

Now they drink freshly squeezed orange juice, but I like try to and use the oranges in recipes and that is how I found this recipe. I had heard of an orange Julius, and thought it sounded interesting, but I could not have imagined it tasted this good, I would never thought of trying an orange, 'frothy milkshake', but it's delicious.

But even though I love to drink an Orange Julius, try making an ice pop (ice block) out of it. They are the best ice pops ever, my kids cannot get enough of them. If I am making them into ice pops, I don't add ice to the blender, it isn't necessary. And I always double the recipe if making ice pops, because you can't have too many.

You can control the sugar amount, but for me this amount works perfectly. 

This is now one of our favourite treats, it is winter now and we can't stop eating them, I can't imagine what summer will be like, I will be making it daily.

I forgot to mention how ridiculously easy this is to make, no excuses, this recipe needs to be tried.

So if you love oranges, and you are looking for a refreshing drink, and are looking for simple treats for the kids, this recipe is a must, trust me, you will love it. ​

Recipe adapted from  www.lynnskitchenadventures.com 

Serves 2

2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 cup ice
​
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth.

Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

OR 

Or pour into ice pop moulds and freeze these make great ice pops. 

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/orange-julius.html 
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​I'd love to know what you think about this recipe, and please let me know if you have made it, I do like to get feedback. Name and comment only required.

Recipe adapted from thepioneerwoman.com/

Serves 8

2 tablespoons butter
1kg pork and veal mince (you can use just beef mince)
1/2 whole large onion, diced
1 large green capsicum, diced
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste​
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons chilli powder (more to taste)
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes (more to taste)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
Tabasco Sauce (optional, to taste)
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 Soft Bread Rolls, sliced in half, horizontally
Shredded Tasty Cheese, optional
Sliced dill pickles, to serve, optional
​
Add butter to a large frying pan or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mince and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and cook until brown. Drain and discard most of the excess fat if you find you are left with too much fat, it will depend on the mince you buy.

Add onion, capsicum and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the tomato paste, stir it through for 30 seconds, then add the ketchup, brown sugar, chilli powder, mustard powder, red chilli flakes, Worcestershire sauce and water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes.  

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, add tabasco sauce now, if desired.

You can make these Sloppy Joes 2 ways

Method 1: Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or frying pan. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls, top with shredded cheese and gherkin, if using. Serve hot with kettle cooked chips.

Method 2: My preferred method, as the cheese melts: Place the bottom half of the rolls side by side in a baking tray or dish. Spoon on the mince mixture, top with shredded cheese and gherkin slices, if using. Place the tops of the rolls on top. Bake in a preheated 180C oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Serve hot with kettle cooked chips.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/sloppy-joes.html 
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