fish and aubergine curry

Getting the victim to eat fish is no mean feat, so I tried again with a kind of Malayan fish curry (curry mix provided by globe trotting mate, so it is the genuine article).  I have made something similar before - but this time I used more authentic ingredients.  So - rice in usual way - and chopped and sauteed in peanut oil onion and garlic - added grated ginger and good shake of curry mix.  Then added celery and sauteed until until soft.  Then added chopped aubergine, courgette and red pepper and a can of coconut milk.  Simmer gently for 20 minutes or so, until vegetables are nearly done.  Then added bite sized chunks of haddock, and some good old frozen peas.  Lid on, simmer again for about 10-12 minutes.  When fish is cooked dinner is done.  Check for seasoning, squirt on lime juice and jobs a good 'un.  Victim ate it, but didn't say much. I liked it (and I don't like aubergine that much).  It was half fat coconut milk, so hopefully not too calorific, and fish is good for a person - however resistant!

Vegan party food

So, a couple of friends were celebrating their Civil Partnership, and I volunteered to help out with the catering.  Another chap had also volunteered, and he got all the meaty options.  So I was tasked with 2 veggie mains, and a couple of salads.  There was also the possibility that there were some vegan, some lactose intolerant and some gluten sensitive guests - so I decided on making my contribution completely vegan and gluten free.

Vegan moussaka - first I cooked up 1.5kgs of lentils... this is a lot of lentils!  I really only needed 1kg.  Then I parboiled 7.5 kg peeled potatoes... that's a lot of potatoes!  I really only needed about 5kg.  Anyway - the recipe - sautee chopped onions and garlic - infact 2 lots simultaneously, for the 2 bottom layers.  Heat 3 litres of soya milk with bay leaves and an onion.  To the onions and garlic add i) chopped celery, drained lentils, mint, cumin, a bit of chili and seasoning, squirts of lemon juice ii) mediterranean herbs, chopped peppers, aubergines, courgettes and tins of tomatoes.  Cook the bottom layers for about 20-30 minutes.  Make a bechamel type sauce with olive oil and gluten free flour, and the drained soya milk, grate in a little nutmeg.  Chop potatoes into slices.  Layer up - starting with about 3cms lentil mixture, 2 cms vegetable mixture, bechamel sauce and potato slices - drizzle with olive oil - bake for about 45 minutes.


Potato salad - boiled 5kg new potatoes - when cooked drain and stir in olive oil, chives and parsley and seasoning while still warm.


Potato, mushroom and chickpea spicy casserole - sautee onions and garlic in olive oil, with chopped celery and carrot, with a spice mix (chili, cumin, black pepper, cayenne, oregano) - add chopped potatoes (4kg), loads of mushrooms and vegetable stock and tins of chopped tomatoes - simmer for an hour.  Add drained tins of chickpeas, check seasoning.  Simmer a bit longer.


Also made tomato, red onion, radish salad with baslamic dressing


Other people's guests were the victims, and I did not hear any complaints.  There was shed loads of delicious food, including lots and lots of pork products (pastrami, roast pork, pulled pork, hams, sausages....) but even so, amazingly 2 enormous pots of moussaka, nearly 8 litres of casserole and 4 very large salads were pretty much demolished.  Whoever made the cakes also did a fantastic job.


And congratulations to the happy couple - it was a great night - with some fantastic entertainment - Samba dancing and some singing as well as the scoffing.

Pork, butter bean and apple casserole

Another autumnal day in July, calling for another autumnal comforting casserole.  So, today, pork, butter bean and apple with mash and peas.  Sautee one chopped onion with celery, diced pork shoulder, garlic, mixed herbs, pepper, courgette, green beans and mushrooms. When a bit cooked add a spoonful of English mustard and a sprinkle of flour to thicken the sauce.  Turn over until the flour is thoroughly mixed, then add some chicken stock.  Simmer for a good half hour, and add chopped apple and butter beans, and a sprinkle of paprika.  Simmer a bit longer and serve with mash (or rice).  It was OK, nothing more.

Stuffed roast peppers

Sunny day - that's more like it!  So something more summery, using what was in the fridge and poly tunnel.  Halve peppers and drizzle with olive oil - roast for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile cook some rice.  Steam some veg - in this case green beans.  When rice is cooked stir in chopped spring onions, the steamed veg, frozen peas, shredded mange tout, finely chopped red chili, chopped parsley, mint and basil.  Season well.  Chopped and added mozzarella and a handful of pine nuts. Spoon some of the ricey mixture into the pepper halves and return to the oven for about 15 minutes, until they are heated through again.  Yum.  Victim suggested replacing mozzarella with blue cheese, which would work - but make sure that you season well, and drizzle olive oil, so that they are not dry.  We had them on their own - I think a dressed rocket/spinach salad would be a great accompaniment.

Sausage casserole

Sausage casserole, in July?  Yes, because of the grim weather this sort of autumnal dinner was required.  Fry sausages with onion and garlic, add celery, red pepper, mushrooms, and because there was some in the fridge sweet potato.  Sautee for a bit until veg is a little soft, but not cooked add tin of chopped tomatoes, splash of hot sauce and a pint of stock.  Add chopped beans (or other green stuff) and chuck in the over for about 40 minutes. Served with brown rice.  Victim scoffed it but didn't say much.  However, chopped up, mixed with the rice and served to additional victims who had suffered car trouble and many hours on the motorway as "gunge" at 11:30pm it was very favourably received.

Nectarine and blueberry clafoutis

Like a sweet yorkshire puddingy thing with fruit in... the classic version would have cherries, but we had nectarines and blueberries.  Make a batter from 4 eggs and soya milk, with a dash of vanilla.  Let it stand while you prep the fruit.  Slice nectarines into flan dish and scatter over blue berries - sprinkle with a tiny amount of cinnamon and some brown sugar.  Finish the batter by adding a pinch of salt, and some sugar - whisk.  Add in sieved self-raising flour to form quite a liquid batter. Whisk well and pour over the fruit.  Bake for about 30minutes, until puffed up and oozy.  I liked it - but once again, not quite sweet enough for victim.

Tuna salad

This is not even a recipe, as it's so easy - but I include it because I have seen people buying jars of tuna sandwich filler etc... and it is so easy, and more delicious to make it yourself.  To a can of drained tuna add chopped spring onion, celery, roast red pepper, cucumber, radish and gherkin.  Mix in 1 spoon of mayonnaise and one spoon of natural yogurt, grind on black pepper.... easy, incredibly quick and delicious - and people buy this stuff at great expense from the chiller compartment.  Use as sandwich filler, baked potato topper or on its own.  Victim had breadsticks, and says it's yummy.

Caribbean(ish) turkey, squash, sweet potato and peanut casserole

Diced turkey in the fridge, and some random vegetables... What do you do? Well, I did this... Chopped and sautéed one onion, garlic, one red pepper, one courgette, one peeled sweet potato and half a chiquito (or butternut, or other) squash.... After a few minutes add turkey, stirred until edges were a bit cooked. Added tin of chopped tomatoes, pint or so of chicken stock and good splash of hot sauce. Stuck in the oven for an hour while watching Saturday night film ... Before serving added chopped spring onions and some peanut gravy mix ... Could have been peanut butter and chili. Served with brown rice and natural yogurt. Victim liked it! Shed loads left for freezer.

Pork biryani

Victim was hankering biryani (go figure!), and we had some pork shoulder steaks in the freezer... and loads of veg from the veg box... so I fashioned this... and it was DELICIOUS (even though I say so myself).  Downside... enough left over for the rest of the week... Upside ... palmed it off on the neighbours... and some left for the freezer.  So, instructions... marinade diced pork in rogan josh curry paste, garam masala, loads  of crushed garlic, star anise, bay leaves, and some olive oil for at least an hour.   Meanwhile cook rice, and parboil some potatoes.  Sautee chopped onion until soft, add chopped veg (celery, red pepper, courgette, mushrooms, a turnip and fresh tomatoes) and cook gently until veg starts to soften. Season.  Add chicken stock and tin of chopped tomatoes.  Simmer again.  Cook pork in hot pan for about 10 minutes, including marinade - this stage is to seal the meat, but more importantly cook off the spices.  When the meat mixture has sizzled away for 10 minutes or so, add vegetable suace and mix well.  Chuck potatoes on the top and layer cooked rice over these.  I then added chopped almonds and cashews, and sultanas.  Cover tightly and cook in medium oven for at least an hour and a half.

Bread and butter pudding

Until tonight I would have claimed, vehemently, that bread and butter pudding is absolute pants - and there is no way I would think it a decent end to a meal ... or a nice afternoon sweet treat.  Until tonight!  We had shed loads of stuff left over, and I am trying not to waste stuff, so when victim suggested bread and butter pudding I stifled the gag reflex... and gave it a go.  IT IS YUM.  When I have tried it before it has been cloyingly sweet, dry, heavy, soggy, plastic tasting ... and altogether nasty ... but today, it was warm, sweet, but not too sweet, the texture was light but not soggy, and the top was crunchy, in all it was fruity, custardy and delicious.  So - we had a lovely crusty loaf which we bought for gathered victims with cheese after dinner - but stuffed ourselves so full of dinner (no pics cos I was distracted - but it was butter bean casserole, green beans, wilted spinach with cottage cheese and rice) - and trifle (no pics cos victims dove in so quickly that I didn't get a snap - but used brand new beautiful trifle bowl, am sure this will feature here eventually)... that we didn't get around to cheese.

Anyway - back to the bread and butter pudding.  Sliced left over loaf and buttered, layered in oven proof dish... scattered on, and in between slices, big handfuls of raisins.  Made a custard mix of 6 eggs, sugar, splash of vanilla and about 2 pints of milk... whisked together.  Tasted eggy milky mix and adjusted sugar until it was quite sweet, but not tooth achingly... it does have to soak in to all that plain bread, it needs to be a "light" custard, enough eggs so that it will set, but not so many that it is gloopy and then hard in the cooked dish (in between texture of single and double cream).  Poured custard onto bread and fruit.  Push bread into custard to that every crust soaks in the milky goodness.  Weigh the bread down gently (eg put another dish on top) and let it soak in for 30 minutes.  Spinkle top with brown sugar and bake at medium heat for about 30-40 minutes - until custard is set and top is slightly browning.  Allow to cool slightly, then scoff.

I'm a convert - who'ld a thunk it! (Victim said it wasn't quite sweet enough - but has a legendary sweet tooth)