Chinese chicken pancakes

Marinate chicken breasts in soy sauce, rice wine, chinese five spice, star anise, garlic and szechuan peppercorns for a few hours.  Poach in marinade topped up with water for about 15 minutes.  Fry off, add some of the strained poaching water to reduce.  Remove chicken and shred.  Steam pancakes.  Shred chinese cabbage, spring onions, cucumber and radish.  Serve chicken with spicy reduced marinade over, hoisin sauce for pancakes.  Get stuck in.  Grins and licked fingers from victim.

Cheese and tomato omelette

Yum - simple but delicious - because the chickens have started laying again.  Beat 4 bantam eggs and season, fry in hot pan with olive oil.  When bottom layer of egg is cooked gently pull the cooked bit into the middle and swirl the uncooked egg onto the pan to cook.  Chop tomato and grate cheese, roll omelette over the filling and serve with pea shoots.  Yum.

Chippy tea

Hmm - well, in no repeats February there have been some failures (only one outright cheat - pizzas) and this was amongst them ... it is national chip week, so chips were bound to feature at some point... but cheese and onion pie, chips and gravy... it wasn't pretty!  So there is no pic.  Still - that's chippy tea off the menu until March ... result?? perhaps not.  My score 2/10..

Yummy yummy curry

Yummy, yummy (as it's known round these parts) curry - is actually chicken curry, with a fairly standard mix of ingredients (veg change depending on what's in the fridge).  The yummy yummy comes from the creaminess, this often comes from greek yogurt, but this time was actual - real - cream... mixed in at the end.  Recipe (vague) - soften chopped onion, optional leek, optional celery and some crushed garlic in oil until  translucent - then chuck in enthusiastically - chopped pepper (usually red/orange/yellow ... green if it's all I've got), mushrooms, courgettes, squash/pumpkin, carrots, had all those - so chucked 'em in if I had available green beans, turnips, swede, aubergine, cauliflower, sweet potato, potato...... etc any/all of them could go in too.  Stir in curry paste/ curry powder mixed with water to a paste (I used a mixture of chana masala paste & biriyani dry mixture because I think they balance well - but whatever is in the back of the cupboard - to taste - if it's too mild add i) chili, ii) black pepper, iii) tabasco or iv) garam masala towards the end of cooking.  If it's too hot add i) sugar (go easy), ii) yogurt/ cream, iii) shed loads more ingredients and tomatoes.)  Add chopped chicken pieces while you can still see the bottom of the pan when you move the chopped veg - stir them in until they are all a little bit cooked on the outside (ie. they re all white, and not raw, some may well be browner).  Add tin or two of (chopped) tomatoes and some water, stock.  Bring to the boil, and then simmer - or stick in medium oven for a bit (30 mins will do - an hour would be better).   A few minutes before serving take off heat, add frozen peas if you want,  when it has cooled down a little stir in cream/ yogurt (or a mixture). Serve, scoff.  Victim gave it 7/10... points lost on presentation and not having "all those little picky bits" ... ho hum - school night, not a restaurant and all that...

Pot roast beef

Bargain roll of brisket needed long, slow cooking - so in the pot it went with onions, celery, bay leaves, wine, loads of seasoning, stock and a carton of passata.  Left to bubble away for 5 hours.  Sliced potato and onion in stock joined it, in another pot, for the last 2 hours.  Since it was going to be a long job thought I might as well bung in some red cabbage and onion in some orange juice with fennel seeds to bake for a couple of hours too. Later, about 30 minutes before kick off,  mixed some green veg and steamed them.  Gathered victims have a frozen pea fetish, so boiled up a few of them at the end.  Scoffed by all, seconds were had.

Chicken and cashew nut stir fry

Stir fry veg and chicken in peanut oil - adding black bean sauce, soy sauce, rice wine and crushed garlic.  Add cooked noodles. Chuck in cashew nuts and sesame seeds. It was OK.

Vegetable crumble

Sauteed onion, added cauliflower (well, romanesco actually, but any old cauli would be fine) and brocolli in small pieces.  Added glass of water and put the lid on for 5 minutes to let them soften a bit.  Then stir in tablespoon of flour and enough soya milk to make a white sauce.  The add unfeasibly large handful of grated cheese - cheddar and parmesan today - but some mozarella would add amusing stringiness, season.  Transfer mixture to baking dish and add topping.  Topping - crush crackers left over from Christmas/ dinner parties, and handful of oats, small handful of pine nuts and some chopped basil.  Stir in a few glugs of olive oil and season.  Bake for 20mins or so.  Meanwhile fry onions with green beans for 5 minutes, add crushed garlic (actually, don't this made it a bit bitter) and cherry tomatoes.  Season well.  Steam some cavolo nero (yum yum - victim doesn't like this - go figure! - but I do, so it makes another appearance).  Serve - observe appearnace is somewhat uninspiring - scoff - tastes significantly better than it looks.  Victim said - where's me dinner?  there's no meat! - but having eaten the lot requested that we have it again soon.

Beef and pumpkin curry

This was really tasty - made with beef and rogan josh paste, which I know is not the done thing - but it was good.  Chopped and sweated off 2 onions, celery, red pepper and 2 crushed cloves of garlic.  Added bite sized pieces of steak and pumpkin, tinned tomatoes and half a jar of curry paste.  Served with steamed rice, yogurt and tangy chinese leaf and radish salad (chinese leaf, radish, red onion in tangerine juice and splash of olive oil, season).  Scoff, scoff - victim had seconds, but predictably said it could have been hotter. Phooeee.

Pancakes, a day or so late, but lactose free

One year I'll get to pancakes on the right day, but obviously not this year.  Chuck about a cup of flour in a bowl and add a decent pinch of salt.  Whisk through to break up any tiny lumps, and introduce some air (lazy seiving).  Make a bit of a well in the middle and crack in an egg.  Splash in some soya milk.  Whisk in flour by starting with the whisk in the centre of the egg and breaking it open, stir around gently incorporating soya milk and flour.  When it starts coming together into a paste add some more soya milk and repeat ... what you are aiming to do is to draw the flour into the mixture without generating any lumps, so add more soya milk and whisk again until the consisitency is like double cream.  Leave to stand for 20 minutes, whisk again. On a crepe pan, or frying pan, heat - to hot - the smallest amount of peanut oil - you really only need a film - I have done it by wiping kitchen paper dipped in oil on the surface, but usually can't be bothered.  When pan is hot add ladle of mixture and swirl into a pancake.  Leave on the heat until pancake moves with a bit of a shake - then flip and cook the other side.  Yum - served, tonight, traditionally with lemon and sugar.  Infact it was that squeezy lemon out of the lemon bottle - but I thought it tasted of plastic, so will not be tempted by that again - it was the down to victim having a flash of nostalgia.  Victim loved them - I think even the plastic lemon nostalgia thing.

Chili con carne

I'm not sure that victim has got the gist of this no repeat February malarky - this time chili con carne was DEMANDED no less.  By next week there will be another hankering, but it'll have to be refused... scoffing all your favourites early in the month can lead to disappointment later - however, it may leave room for some more adventurous dinners.  Saute onion, carrot, celery and garlic - add chopped green and yellow peppers - add mince and chili powder and cumin - season - add chopped mushrooms, chopped fresh tomatoes.  Add tinned chopped tomatoes and simmer, after 20 minutes add tinned kidney beans and simmer again.  Check seasoning and spritz in lime juice at the end.  Serve with brown rice and yogurt.  Victim happily scoffed the treat, and so far is not phased by the rest being packed into the freezer for later (post February).

Haddock chowder

Haddock chowder, and a low fat version too.  Poached haddock briefly in a mix of soya milk and water.  Chopped and sauteed in olive oil onion and red pepper with crushed garlic - added 4 chopped potatoes and some stock, and the drained poaching liquor.  Simmered until potato was softish, added tin of sweetcorn to warm through.  Pulled out about half of the bits and zizzed the remainder.  Season.  Chuck bits back in along with the flaked fish.  Served with toast and good grinding of black pepper.  Victim ate it, but moaned as would have preferred version with double cream and butter... well, matey pants that's the way it goes for a while!  

Red Thai Chicken Curry

It may be pretty standard - but we like it!  Chop onion, celery, red pepper, green beans, mushrooms, some garlicky beans found in a Chinese supermarket - and saute in peanut oil with crushed chili and big spoonful of red thai curry paste (yes I have made my own often, but this is quicker), add diced chicken breast - turn a few times and tin of coconut milk and about the same of chicken stock.  Check seasoning - add fish sauce if you need salt, chili if you want heat.  Simmer for 15 minutes (ish) - meanwhile cook jasmine rice.  3 minutes before serving threw in handful of frozen peas.  Serve, scoff - would be nice to add fresh coriander (if you like it) and a squirt of lime juice.  Tasty said me and victim - quick, easy, gluten and lactose free to boot.

No repeats February

shop bought pizza!  What a cop out!  In my defense I didn't buy it, we didn't like it - and hurrah we can't have it again this month.

Morrocan lamb and pine nuts

This weekend has been a roller coaster of good food, big challenges and rubbish pics.  We have had - diabetic, coeliac, lactose intolerant, heart conditions and nut allergies - and also.... - elderly and damaged dogs... antisocial cats and chickens wanting to invade the kitchen.  And ... I left the memory card out of the camera, so most of the triumphs (and I was impressed, though I say it myself) ... are unrecorded. But, for the record of no repeat February .. last night we had - pork, apple, celery and green bean casserole, with rice and red cabbage, followed by gluten free waffles with ice cream and fruit (diabetic ice cream specially sourced) - today we had a big breakfast (again - no card in the camera).  And for dinner - morrocan savoury lamb (?) with rice and carrots in orange juice.  (Morrocan lamb mince - sautee onions and some crushed garlic, celery, mushrooms, butternut squash, lamb mince, courgette and green beans,,, (smidge of chili, bigger smidge of cinnamon, and some herbs) .. fry, add stock, simmer for  a bit... serve with extras (carrots, steam... fry gently in olive oil for seconds and add squirt of orange juice).  Victims are all fed - some appreciative, some less so - you have family - you understand :).

Baked cod and capers, with fennel and potatoes

Trying to get fish into primary victim is a losing battle.  This was eaten - but with a face like a slapped kipper.  I thought it was refreshing, light and tasty.  So, roast par-boiled potatoes in olive oil, with wedges of fennel - for about 50 minutes.  Bake cod on lemon slices, drizzle of olive oil, tablespoon each of capers and black olives - cracked black pepper - with a good squeeze of lemon juice.  Cod takes about 20 minutes - cooked frozen peas.  Easy peasy then lemon squeezy.  As I said victim ate and grimaced, me and second victim enjoyed it.  Primary victim grinned when I declared we couldn't have it again for at least 3 weeks. 

Chicken, salami and fennel macaroni

It's been a bit of a week this week - no repeat February is on track, but only through victim making a roast lamb dinner (on a Tuesday!) and a VILE take away pizza on Wednesday.  Managed to throw some dinner together last night - easy and quick macaroni with stuff in it.  Chopped and softenned some veggies in olive oil with garlic (leeks, fennel, celery, mushrooms and red pepper) - chucked in diced chicken breast and some chopped up salami.  Boil macaroni.  Bung it all in together when macaroni is nearly cooked.  Add some of the macaroni water, so that the mixture doesn't dry up too much - chucked in jar of pesto and small tub of greek yogurt. Baked for 10 minutes or so.  Top with lots of black pepper.  Easy, tasty and filling.

Spaghetti bolognaise

Well, despite my warning - if you have spaggy bog now - I won't be making it again until March - victim was insistent - so spag bog it was.  And I have to say ... mmmmm mmmm mmmm.  Sauteed chopped leek, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 3 inches of celery, peeled and chopped carrot and 500g minced steak.... then added mixed herbs, chopped red pepper and 2 chopped, big field mushrooms.  Stir, simmer, stir etc  - added chicken stock cube, 2 x tins chopped tomatoes, big squirt of hot dog mustard, tomato ketchup and some worcestershire sauce.  Simmer, season, taste , season. Serve on spaghetti - grate on parmesan.  Scoff.  Mixed feelings ... yum yum yum - comfort food at its best ... bugger... there's the favourite gone for the rest of the month.  (Victim has already made suggestions eg.  if you don't add carrot it'll be a different dish .. to squeeze in another version - will try to avoid.)

Sausage casserole in giant yorkshire pudding

Victim number one - as cherished as she might be - does have a habit of ambushing recipes at the last minute.  Today is a case in point.  We had lovely italian herbed sausages in the freezer and shed loads of organic veg in the fridge.  Being Sunday, we were also due to feed the outlaws one of their few healthy meals of the week.  So - my plot - hearty sausage casserole with brown rice and cabbage.  (Sautee twice as many chopped/ sliced onions as you think reasonable, add crushed garlic, add sauages and move around until they have some colour - add chopped root (and other hardish) veg (celeriac, swede, some carrots - butternut squash), stock cube, tin of tomatoes, half a pint of water (ish) simmer)... cook rice, steam cabbage... delish.  But, I was interrupted by primary victim hankering for yorkshire puddings - ideally, start this about 40 minutes before you intend to serve. ... I managed to (amazingly), and I have to say it was an improvement on the intended brown rice - though probably nutritionally compromised! Recipe was from Nigella Lawson's "How to Eat" (referred to here ny her own people http://www.nigella.com/kitchen-queries/view/701).   Back to nutritionally compromised... - when I added up starter to pudding - victims had 13 of their 5 a day... so that can't be bad.  (Just for clarification - this wasn't the most impressive pud - (the best was round and very cloud like) but the gathered victims were too intent on tucking in for a photo shoot).

Now what do I do with all that extra brown rice?

Mushroom and broccoli soup

Victim number one wanted mushroom soup, but I knew we had other veggies to use - so invented leek, mushroom, broccoli and parsnip soup.  Recipe is not complicated - start by softening onions and/or leeks with/ or without celery.  Add crushed garlic.  Add chopped veg - mushrooms, parsnips and broccoli in this case - and a splash of brandy (entirely optional - just adds a little zing).  Add water/ stock, season - enough to cover... and a little bit extra - it is soup you know! - simmer until all veg soft (20 mins?).  Zizz.  Plate up and splash of cream (optional) mine sank... scoff ... victims had seconds :)

No repeats February

Time to give it another go - no repeat dinners through February - so that's meat and potato pie already used up.  That doesn't mean that we couldn't have another 27 pies... but not that particular combination - at least 1 major ingredient HAS to be different.  ie. could be chicken and veg, could not be mince, leek and potato.  Left-overs do not count (smirk... meat and potato pie for lunch tomorrow).

Meat and potato pie

The pie fest continues!  Well, the pastry needed using up, so meat and potato pie with extra vegetables smuggled into it - mushroom, carrots and Kale - with brocolli.  Saute onion and chopped carrot until soft, add chopped mushrooms and steak mince, turn over a few times - add sprinkle of flour and some stock - season.  Add lots of chopped potatoes - make sure there is enough liquid to keep a bit of a sauce simmer for about 5-10 minutes - stir in chopped kale.  Cover with pastry - bake for 25(ish) minutes.  Steam broccoli.  Feed to victims.  watch them eat green things :)