Macaroni and cauliflower cheese - with mushrooms and other veg

Tired and fridge nearly empty (actually not empty, but not full of stuff which goes together, bit of salami and a blueberry yogurt anyone?) - so russled together easy stuff which also fulfilled the need for comfort food (spinach was also available, but the swearing that suggestion initiated, from victim, will not be reproduced here).  So - 2 pans - one with salted water for pasta, one with olive oil for bacon/veggie mix.  Boil macaroni for just under packet instructions time - but add cauliflower florets after 2 mins or so - in the olive oil pan gently fried off chopped onion, red pepper, asparagus ends, choppped bacon, crushed garlic and handful of chopped mushrooms.  Seasonned well.  When pasta/cauli was just about ready tipped the whole lot (with the water, cos there wasn't a huge amount of excess, should be about 200mls or so) in with the veg and gave it a good stir.  Crumbled in chicken stock cube (not essential, but wanted a savoury undertone) - simmered a bit more.  Took off heat and added half a tub of left over cream cheese, and handful of frozen peas  - stirred - added some left over cream (small tub).  Good stir... it was then making that satisfying sschwaaapth when I pulled the spoon out (is there a proper word for that?).  Grated some chedder on the top - good grind of black pepper and put in hot oven for 20 mins (could be under hot grill - but we have to use the Aga, what!).   Serve in bowls, and watch gathered victims relax and smile... and scurry for seconds.


In other news, we have been avidly watching Great British Bake Off (go Mary-Ann) - and victim is making very unsubtle noises about setting baking related tasks... so there may be a bigger feature of baked goods in the near future - any suggestions?

bangers, roast veg and couscous

Whadya want? cordon bleu every day?  Bunged sausages in oven, chopped up veg tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic - bunged them in oven as well, made couscous to packet instructions - stirred in chopped parsley.  It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't horrid.  Victim, obv.. wanted more sausages and less veg and couscous.

Cowboy beans

sigh!  Fresh, delicious, porky beany slow cooked garlicy spicey stew... with nutty rice and a green veg.  AND VICTIM DECLARES PREFERENCE FOR THE PRODUCTS OF THE COMPANY OF 57 VARIETIES!!!! Never mind.  Despite many years of training, old habits and tastes die hard... and victim does keep sneaking contraband into the diet.... SO, putting my disappointment aside - and celebrating the fact that I think it was LOADS better than anything tinned... here is what I did... (OK, last warning... if you prefer plasticised sausges in a tin with sugary sauce - please open your tin - if you want real food with some flavour reading on might be useful....).  We had some pork belly slices in the freezer and none of us are keen on the fat, so I thought a sear - followed by a long slow stew would give tasty results - so chop pork belly into small bite size pieces and brown/sear in hot olive oil.  Add 2 chopped onions and about 4 finely chopped cloves of garlic.  Then added veg - in this case - orange pepper, celery and some nice mushrooms.  Stir in until all coated with pan juices - add herbs, tsp marmite, tsp mustard, big splash Lea and Perrins and whatever hot sauce (tabasco/ BBQ whatever is to hand... to taste), {erm .. if going even more from scratch here you need molasses, vinegar, chili, pepper, salt and other spices to taste) and good grind of black pepper.  Simmer / put in hottish oven if you have other stuff on - for about 30 ins - added soaked / tinned (prepared in a carton from S'sby) - cannelini or flagolet beans - taste - add whatever you think it needs - try salt first, then add herbs/ marmite for complexity - chili/curry powder for heat.  Add tin tomatoes and/or cartons of passata until it all looks OK...  Serve with rice (see the packet!) and a green veg.  Victim complained (unfairly I think, see above) but also commandeered good portion to feed outlaws - and 4 more dinners packed in boxes... so on economy scale I approximate - 65-70p per portion.

Steak and noodle stir fry

Boil noodles according to packet instructions.  Chop steak into bite sized pieces.  Chop veg and grate garlic and ginger.  Stir fry spring onions in peanut oil, then add steak to hot wok - stir fry for a couple or three minutes - then add veg - in this case carrot, red pepper and mushroom, add garlic, ginger, chili and tomato puree.  Stir about a bit then add soy sauce and rice wine, and maybe a spinkle of sugar.     After a few stirs add a mug of water and put a lid on to cook them through for about 5 mins.  Slake a spoon of cornflour with water and stir in until sauce is slightly thickened.  Add drained noodles, chopped chinese cabbage and big handfuls of spinach. Toss until everything is distributed and spinach is wilted.  Add small handful sesame seeds and stir in.  Next time I think I'll use sweet chili sauce in place of chili flakes, to add a bit of sweetness as well as the heat, and probably balck bean paste for depth of flavour.  Still not bad for less than 30 minutes from fridge to plate.

Aubergine stuffed with ostrich (or other mince)

Lovely glossy aubergines waiting for a destination, and some ostrich mince bought after the promise of ultimate low fat healthiness, prompted the combination.  I don't like aubergines, so this seemed a very obvious treatment which would be horrid - BUT - as long as you scrape the aubergine flesh out with the spicy filling, and leave the skin this is actually officially DELISH.
Cut 2 (or however many - adjust the recipe to about three quarters of an aubergine per person) aubergines in half longways - keeping stalk on.  Fairly liberally drizzle olive oil on a baking pan (enough to moisten, but not enough to completely counterat the fat free-ness of the ostrich mince - add halves of aubergine, drizzle oil over the top - roast in hottish oven turn over after about 20 mins.  Meanwhile saute ostrich (or whichever) mince with onion, garlic and chili - add sprinkles of cumin, coriander, mixed herbs and whichever mediterranean herbs you have to hand  - we had some mint and marjoram - add these flavourings to taste.  Chuck in small handful of pinenuts and the same of sultanas.  Make a pocket in baked aubergines by scooping out a little of the flesh - chop the extra and add to the mince mixture - this helps the final dish retain some moisture.  Spoon the mince mix into the aubergine halves, top with tomato slices and return to the oven for 20 mins ish.  Serve with garlic yogurt sauce (tzatziki would be nice).  We had chard and beans, as they were in the veg box.  Victim scoffed spicy mince, sauce and pitta but only picked at the other veg - but I will keep trying.  I reckon this could be at least 3, if not 4, of your 5  a day.

Mushroom and salami macaroni and cheese

Boil macaroni and steam brocolli.  Mix together cheese (grated cheddar, mozarella and pamesan) with natural yogurt and couple of spoons of sour cream - season and stir in mustard.  Stir cooked macaroni and quartered button mushrooms and salami pieces together with the cheese mixture.  Top with sliced tomatoes and bake for 20 mins or so.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy ... but hardly calorie free.

Moules mariniere

I have never really been a fan of seafood... but keep trying every now and again.  Today we found bargain mussels, so thought we'd give them another go - and beeping delish - they need LOTS of garlic and enough white wine - but with a generous handful of fresh parsley... yum.  Finely chopped 3 onions (would have been shallots but we didn't have any - but we did have smallish onions), fry off in olive oil - added 9 cloves crushed garlic and 1/2 tsp chili flakes and salt and pepper.  When soft chucked in 2kg of cleaned (wash, chuck out any which are open/ damaged/ don't shut tight with little tap, scrub off barnacles etc and pull off beards... once washed chuck any which are even slightly open).  Add about 1/2 bottle white wine - salt, pepper and lid on tight.  Shake every minute or so for about 5-6 minutes until the mussels are open.  Drain and reserve liquor - boil liquor rapidly and add splosh of single cream and big handful of chopped parsley - pour over mussels and chuck on remaining chopped parlsey.  Much slurping and sloshing.  Victims all approved heartily - even me. (Don't eat any which haven't opened in cooking).