Roast rib of beef, braised onion, boulongere potatoes (?), french peas and lettuce...

Christmas Eve in style

Roast rib - hot oven, season beef, roast for 20 mins per lb plus 20 minutes ... leave to rest

Potatoes - layer thinly sliced potatoes and onions - add garlic and stock - bake

Braise onions in olive oil and loads of red wine, with seasoning, thyme and bay - for ages

Peas - sautee onion, garlic add white wine, peas and shredded lettuce

Start with the beef and work down the list ... prep for the peas, but only add them 5 mins before serving.

I am full!

Smoked trout pancakes

We had a huge lunch out - so didn't really feel like much tea - but about 8pm we got a little peckish, so I rustled up this - and it was delicious.

Pancakes

SR flour - gluten free for us
fennel seeds
1 egg
Soya milk
salt and pepper
peanut oil
smoked trout
Lemon
spinach
lettuce
basil
tomato
red onion
olive oil

1.  Sprinkle fennel seeds and salt and pepper into the flour.
2.  Add the egg, and then soya milk, whisking to form a batter.
3.  Fry pancakes in batches in peanut oil.
4.  Top pancakes with trout and spritz with lemon juice.
5.  Mae simple salad by tossing together shredded lettuce with baby spinach and basil leaves.  add tomato and onion, drizzle gently with olive oil.

Scoff

The fennel seeds make a difference!

Parsnip and beetroot burgers with gorgonzola, roast squash and red pepper - and sprout tops

All has been quiet at Kitchen Fairies HQ for a few weeks - it's not that food hasn't been cooked and eaten - it's that I am preparing for a new adventure - which will come into fruition in the New Year ... so watch this space.

The veg box was full of wintery wonderfulness, so, this is what happened ...

Parsnip and beetroot burgers

3 parsnips
2 beetroot
1 lemon
2 onions
porridge oats
olive oil
gorgonzola

1.  Grate parsnips, onions and beetroot - squeeze in the juice of the lemon to stop discolouration.
2.  Mix well, and mix in porridge oats - season.
3.  Shape into burgers and put on greaseproof paper.  (I wrap them individually in greaseproof for freezing - which works very well.
4.  Bake in hot oven, on a greased baking tray for about 10 minutes.  Turn, top with cheese and bake again until melted.

Roast squash and red pepper

1 squash
1 red pepper
4 fat cloves of garlic
Olive oil
chili flakes

Prepare veg - sprinkle with seasoning, turn in olive oil to cover all pieces, roast for about 40 minutes

Sprouts

Shred sprout tops and steam for 10 minutes.

Simple, delicious, vegetarian - gluten free - if you use the right oats.

Bonfire night butter bean casserole, mash and cavolo nero

I may have mentioned it before, but I LOVE cavolo nero, and get stupidly excited when it arrives in the veg box.  It doesn't have to be fancy or smartenned up - I love it steamed and plain.  Of course, it's fabulous in things, and with garlic etc etc  - but just steamed ... yum.

It wasa chilly bonfire night, so I thought that a nice slightly spicy, smoky casserole and some comforting mash would be great.  I was right.

potatoes
butter
onion
garlic
butternut squash
red pepper
carrots
butter beans
tin tomatoes
smoked paprika
dried mustard.

1.  Make mash ... no instructions!
2.  Make casserole - start with sauteeing onions, add bite sized prepped veg, add tomatoes and water, add spices ... simmer - taste - takes about 35 minutes.
3.  Steam cavolo nero.

Scoff

... rushed instructions as I have to go out now :)

Parsnip, mushroom and kale pasta

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, this was surprisingly delicious.

1 red onion
olive oil
garlic
2 parsnips
mustard powder
mushrooms
kale
white wine
stock
parmesan (optional)
pasta (gluten free in our case)

1.  Peel parsnip and cut into bite sized peices, fry gently in olive oil for about 10 minutes, add dried mustard powder and keep cooking gently.
2.  In another pan sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic.
3.  Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
4.  When the onion is soft add chopped mushrooms and fry a little longer.
5.  When the mushrooms are about cooked, add in shredded kale, white wine a little stock - allow to steam/fry for a few minutes.
6.  Drain the pasta, add the parsnips and pasta to the other veg, mix together.

Serve with plenty of black pepper and optional parmesan.

Cauliflower and chickpea salad

This is from Nigella Lawson's recipe, cos it was on the telly this week - you can find it here ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/warm_spiced_cauliflower_36652

though I used tandoori paste mixed with tomato puree instead of harissa (didn't have any) and spinach for the salad.

Delish - thanks Nigella

Roast chicken dinner

Meat and 8 veg, and potatoes.  Takes about an hour and 40 minutes ... do things in this order.

Parboil chunks of potato, then stick em in a hot oven in olive oil.

Stuff garlic and halves of lime/lemon into cavity of chicken.  Roast for about an hour and twenty minutes - start it on its chest, and then turn after 30 minutes.

Thinly slice aubergine, courgette and red onion, latyer in a casserole dish with oilve oil and lots of black pepper between the layers.  Cover with foil - bake for an hour or so.

Boil peeled and chunked parsnip and swede, steaming peeled carrot battons on top.  When veg are soft, drain - add carrots to the others and cut through with a sharp knife until it's nearly mash - add olive oil and seasoning - again plenty of black pepper.  Stick in oven dish and keep warm.

Make gravy with juices from the chicken and some white wine.

Steam shredded green and red cabbage, mix together before serving.

Indtant dinner: gnocchi and pesto

It was a drizzly old day, but it bucked up in the afternoon, so ended up exploring wine shops and a cocktail and coffee bar, and unexpectedly getting home latish and tired-ish - so dinner was gnocchi and pesto with a tomato and onion salad.

I really can't bring myself to call it a recipe as the gnocchi was out of a packet and boiled for 1 minute - the pesto was out fo a jar - but it tasted good, and it was super quick.

Mushroom and pea spaghetti "carbonara"

Our interesting dietary requirements mean that our dinners, if we are all to eat the same, need to be meat free, gluten free and lactose free - but I fancied something a little bit creamy, rather than the usual tomato based sauce ... so missing out the bacon, the cream and using gluten free pasta - came up with this, which was enjoyed by all.  It was improved by adding parmesan, for those of us who could.  I didn't want to, so had loads of black pepper ground on top.

Onion
Garlic
Mushrooms
Olive oil
frozen peas
gluten free spaghetti
egg
black pepper
parmesan (optional)

1.  Sweat onions gently in olive oil.
2.  Add mushooms and crushed garlic and cook together for about 8 minutes.
3.  Meanwhile boil pasta.
4.  Add frozen peas to mushrooms and heat through.
5.  Lightly whip the egg.
6.  When the pasta is done, drain and add to the mushrooms, take off the heat.
7.  Stir the egg into the pasta mixture and let it cook with the heat of the pan.
8.  Scoff

Potatoes, eggs and green beans

Our eggs from the bantams, and our potatoes from the allotment - some green beans and an onion ... delicious supper dish.

Olive oil
Onion - diced
New potatoes
Green beans
Garlic
chili

1.  Boil potatoes in salted water for about 8 minutes, steam the green beans on top.
2.  Sweat down onion in olive oil.
3.  Remove softened onion from pan and fry the potatoes in olive oil until they start to brown and crisp up.
4.  Add back the onions, the steamed beans and the crushed garlic and chili.
5.  Toss about for 5 minutes or so.
6.  Push the ingredients apart slightly, to provide little spaces for the eggs, break them in.
7.  Cover the pan so that the tops of the eggs, as well as the bottoms, cook.  It shouldn't take more than about 5 minutes.
8.  Serve with a grinding of black pepper.

Todmorden tapas

Some nibbly bits left over from a friend who brought them when they came for dinner last week ... and some random things which I wanted using from the freezer, along with veg box and store cupboard ... dah dah!  random stuff, some of which did not necessarily go together, but they ho ...

So ...

Patatas - boiled and then roasted to have with either bravas sauce, or aoili, depending on preference.  Calamari in cajun polenta crumb, (cremated) - griddled aubergine, tomato and fennel salad, manchego, vegetable spring rolls with sweet chili dip, olives and cheese stuffed pimentos ... don't mind if we do!  and we did ... and it was tasty

Onion bhaji, potato and pea curry, chickpea and pumpkin curry

Another end of veg box challenge.  Onions, butternut squash and kale ... and a handful of potatoes.

Onion bhajis

3 onions, finely sliced
chili flakes
bicarb
gram flour
oil


Potato and pea curry

Diced onion
black mustard seeds
cumin seeds
turmeric
crushed garlic
oil
diced potatoes
water
frozen peas
garam masala

Chickpea and pumpkin curry

Olive oil
diced onion
fennel seeds
cumin seeds
chili flakes
crushed garlic
butternut squash
tomato puree
water
chickpeas
shredded kale

1.  Start onion bhajis - sliced onions and add salt and spices.  Leave to sit - this will draw the water out of the onions, allowing them to bond better with the gram flour forming their own batter.
2.  Start other curries by sauteeing diced onion, and the spices and garlic.
3.  Add potatoes to one pan and butternut squash to the other, cook for a few minutes.
4.  Add tomato paste to butternut squash, and water to them both.
5.  Simmer curries for about 15 minutes, add more water if they get dry.
6.  Add chickpeas to butternut squash, and then cook a little longer.
7.  Add shredded kale to butternut squash and peas to potatoes, simmer for 5 more minutes.
8.  When other curries are ready, add bicarb and gram flour to the onions for the bhajis, and mix.
9.  Fry spoonfuls of onions, drain on kitchen roll and eat.

Salad nicoise

New potatoes from the allotment - some carrots, an avocado, green beans and carrots from the veg box - and a lettuce - well - seemed obvious really!  We have been picking up eggs, free range, from local farms recently - what a difference - look at the colour of those yolks!

So ...

New potatoes
Green beans
eggs
Garlic
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Cos lettuce
Carrots
Avocado
Black olive
Tinned tuna (pole caught in spring water)

1.  Boil potatoes, steam green beans.
2.  Hardboil the eggs - when cooked - cool under running cold water and peel.
3.  Drain potatoes, mix with green beans, crushed garlic and olive oil.
4.  Mix washed lettuce with ribbons of carrot, and sliced avocado, toss in a little lemon juice and olive oil.
5.  Place salad around edge of large serving platter, pile potatoes and beans in the middle - arrange tuna and eggs, chuck on black olives.

Call that cooking .... hardly!

Pizza - on World Vegetarian Day

The hens have started laying!  Yay!  and we have some of our own potatoes from the allotment, so wanted to do something a bit different.  Also, experimenting with gluten free pizza bases.  A success all round I say.

So, two different sorts of pizza a "fiorentina" of sorts with garlic, potato, spinach and the egg - and a vegatable one with tomato, courgette ribbons, olives and cheddar.



Pizza bases

I used "Isabel's" - and followed the packet instructions (flour mix, water, egg and olive oil), kneeded.

The difference, in cooking, between this and standard pizza dough is that after kneeding you don't prove them, they are rolled out and then they need pre-cooking for 10 minutes, before adding the topping and baking again for 15 minutes.

"Fiorentina"

Garlic
Olive oil
New potato
Spinach
Egg (pekin bantam egg in this case)

1.  Finely chop/crush the garlic and mix with the oil.
2.  Parboil sliced new potato and steam the spinach.
3.  Drain potato, chop spinach.
4.  Spoon and spread garlic oil onto pizza base, layer with potato slices and scatter on the spinach.
5.  Drizzle with a little more garlic oil, season, and put in hot oven for 5 minutes.
6.  After 5 minutes, crack the egg into the center of the pizza, and return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Vegetable one

Tomato
Courgette
Lemon juice
Onion
Olive oil
Oregano
Black olives
Grated cheddar

1.  Make ribbons of courgette using a speed peeler.
2.  Finely slice about half an onion.
3.  Mix the courgette and onion together, marinade in lemon juice, olive oil, oregano and a pinch of salt (for about 20 minutes as you faff with other things).  You could chuck the olives, sliced or otherwise into this mix too, or keep them separate to sprinkle over the top.
4.  Grate the cheese.
5.  Slice the tomato and layer over the pizza base.
6.  Drape courgette and onions over the tomatoes.
7.  Cover with grated cheese and a grind of black pepper (optional).
8.  Cook in hot over for about 15 minutes.

The crust was really good, a bit hard on exposed edges perhaps, but not that nasty chewiness or dryness that you often get with GF products.

It was nice cold too!

Black forest cantuccini

Wanted to make a special person a special birthday treat - but GF, and they don't like cake ... so, this was tried, and it was a huge hit.

2 cups GF plain flour
1 cup golden granulated sugar
1 heaped tsp baking powder

3 eggs
3 tbsp cherry liquer (OK, OK cherry B)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp brandy (I used armagnac ... cos it was for a proper treat ... use brandy .. or leave out)

2 cups (mixed together) of:-

toasted hazelnuts - roughly chopped.
dark chocolate chips (or chopped up plain chocolate)
Dried cherries
almonds - roughly chopped

1.  mix dry ingredients together -
2.  add fruit and nuts.  Mix together by lifting into the air and letting drop back into the bowl, so that all the fruit and nuts are separated and coated in the flour and sugar, and evenly distributed through the mix.
3.  Whisk eggs and liquids together.
4.  Mix liquid, bit by bit, into dry ingredients.  The mix might look quite wet ... but bear with it
5.  Turn out onto floured board, and mix together to a soft dough/batter.
6.  Shape into 3 rectangles shapes - put onto baking sheet, lined with baking paper,
7.  Bake for 20 minutes.
8.  Take out of the oven and leave for 15(ish) minutes until cool enough to handle.
9.  Slice into 1/2 (ish) cm pieces.  Lay onto new baking sheets lined with baking paper.
10  Bake again for 15 mins - until golden brown.

Watch out at a bake sale near you - these are definitely worth selling.

Courgette and broccoli spaghetti

Courgette, onions and broccoli at the end of the veg box ... so, here goes:-
 1.  Sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil.
2.  When a little softenned add diced courgette, and the broccoli stem, diced.
3.  Add a little water, so that it doesn't get too dry, and a few chili flakes, season.
4.  Make pasta (GF spaghetti in this case) according to packet instructions.
5.  5 minutes from serving add small broccoli florets and juice and zest of half a lemon.
6.  Drain pasta, toss together ... turn of black pepper
7.  Scoff - with, or without parmesan.

Delicious and under 20 mins to make.

Roasted squash with barley groat and vegetables.

Roast squash in olive oil with garlic and red onion.

 

Sautee onion and garlic, peeled and chopped carrots, green beans and sweetcorn (this was kernals taken off the cob), in a little olive oil.  Add water and simmer gently until veg is nearly done - add shredded kale a little vegetable stock and simmer again until done.  Meanwhile boil groats for 15 minutes, drain and mix with the veg.  Season - quite a lot - add some chopped herbs.

 

It's an earthy dinner, very filling and good for you.

Smoked mackeral, beetroot pasta salad with mustard dressing.

Corn on the cob glut in the veg box, and some beetroot cooked already to use up.  So cooked up a bit of pasta with the corn kernals and steam some green beans, flaked some smoked mackeral and toss in dressing.  Serve with some shredded iceberg.  Dressing - crushed garlic, mustard, fresh lemon juice and olive oil - salt and pepper.

Dry curry with potatoes, kale and paneer - with tarka dhal

 It looks, very much like my last entry - which perhaps says something about how tasty this curry is.  Today it was made with kale, with the addition of fried paneer.  Also, I did a tarka dahl ... cos I can - you know.  I wish I had some chapattis either in the cupboard - or had made some ... because they would have finished it off lovely, innit  - but it was delish as it was.   Oh yeas, can I just say - our potatoes and onions :)



So:-

Dry Curry

2 onions, chopped
Rape seed oil
cumin seeds
Mustard seeds
Chili flakes
Crushed garlic
Turmeric
Potatoes
Water
Kale - shredded
Garam massala

Paneer

Dhal

red lentils
rape seed oil
curry leaves
sliced garlic
chopped chili
fennel seeds
crispy fried onions

1.  Sautee onions in rape seed oil, add spices.
2.  Add potatoes, in bite sized pieces, add water and simmer, keep testing for doneness - add more water when necessary.
3.  Fry pieces of paneer in a dry pan - turn when browned, remove form the heat when ready.
4.  When potatoes are nearly done, add shredded kale.
5.  Simmer some more ... sprinkle on garam massala - cook through.

Dhal

1. Boil lentils.
2.  When boiled, fry spice in oil quickly.
3.  Toss cooked spices onto dhal.

Scoff ... delish.

Potato and pea curry

What can you do with some potatoes, green beans and some peas, and 20 minutes?  Well, this .... and it was truly delicious.

Olive oil
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Fennel seeds
Chili flakes
Turmeric
Diced potatoes
red onion, chopped
Garlic
Chopped green beans
Water
Frozen peas
Garam massala

1.  Sautee red onion, garlic and spices in olive oil.
2.  Add diced potatoes, turn over in oil and then add water.
3.  Simmer, add green beans.
4.  Simmer more, add frozen peas and a smidge of garam massala when nearly done.

Beware, you may need seconds, or thirds.

National burger day burgers

No recipe for this ... it's a burger, with all the trimmings including mushrooms, cheese and pickle ... cos it's national burger day.  Yum.

Veg box fritters with new potatoes - from the allotment.

The photo makes it all look a bit dark - I blame my photographic skills, not my cooking.  These fritters are NOT burnt, they were browned to perfection.

The new potatoes are our first crop from the allotment - very proud!  And, very delicious.

The fritters:

Corn on the cob
Carrot
Courgette
Red onion
Cumin seeds
Fennel seeds
Turmeric
Chili flakes
Salt
Gram flour
Bicarbonate of soda
Rape seed oil

1.  Scrape kernels from sweetcorn (or use tinned/frozen).
2.  Grate peeled carrots, onion and courgette.
3.  Mix all veg together and add salt, let sit for at least 10 minutes to draw out some of the moisture (not to drain off, to activate the bicarb).
4.  Add in spices, mix well.
5.  Add gram flour, bicarb, and mix well.
6.  Fry, gently, in rape seed oil.
7.  Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.

Yogurt sauce

Natural yogurt
Crushed garlic
Lemon juice
Olive oil

1.  Mix ingredient together, and season to taste.

Tomato and basil salad ... yup. tomato, basil and salt.

I would have added a green salad, but no leaves left from the veg box.  However, this was all delish and the yogurt sauce went spectacularly with the fritters.

Spicy, crunchy fish with new potatoes and peas and stuff

A neighbour, very generously, gave us some home grown new crop potatoes.  She was very proud of them - and quite justifiably so, they were DELICIOUS.  I just boiled them simply and sprinkled them with sea salt.  To accompany them I did spicy crunchy fish and lovely spring vegetables.

Fish

Pollock (or other white fish) fillets, cut into 2 inch(ish) piece

Polenta

Malaysian fish curry spice mix

Olive oil

1.  Toss polenta and spice together,  then toss fish pieces in the mix.

2.  Fry (in batches) in olive oil, drain on kitchen paper, and keep warm until veg and potatoes are ready.

Vegetables

1 onion, finely chopped

Olive oil

Clove garlic, crushed

Petit pois

White wine

Little gem lettuce, cut into 6-8 wedges

Radishes, finely sliced

1.  Soften onion in olive oil, add crushed garlic.

2.  Add petit pois and wine, heat through, about 3-4 minutes

3.  Add lettuce and radich, toss through until lettuce has wilted a little - about 2 minutes.

Serve - scoff - have seconds

 
 
 

Middle eastern lentils and rice with roast vegetables

Olive oil
Lentils
Bay leaf
Garlic
Rice
Onion
Mustard seeds
Cumin
Black sesame seeds
lemon zest, and juice
Fried onions

Butternut squash
Red pepper
Courgette
Aubergine
Garlic
Rosemary
Chili flakes

1.  Boil rice and lentils separately - add a bay leaf and a garlic clove to the lentils.
2.  Roast the veg in olive oil with bay leaves, garlic, a sprig of rosemary and a sprinkle of chili flakes.
3.  When rice and lentils are cooked, drain them and fry with softenned onion, mustard, sesame and cumin seeds.  When mixed grate in a little lemon zest and a squirt of lemon juice.
4.  Top the lentils and rice with crispy fried onions.

Delicious.  I think some lemon yogurt sauce would go very well if you want a bit of a sauce.

Cauliflower, mushroom and green bean curry

A vegan curry was called for - so a vegan curry was invented.  And very tasty it was too.  One of the people around the table had thirds.

Basmati rice - cooked as you normally would

Curry

1 onion, chopped
Garlic, crushed
Olive oil
urad dhal - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
fennel seeds 1/2 tsp
turmeric 1/2 tsp
1 cauliflower, in florets
Mushrooms, cut into bite sized pieces
Green beans, topped, tailed and halved
1 tin coconut milk
Garam masala - 1 tsp (to taste)

1.  Sautee onions until soft, add seeds and garlic and continue to fry until it has a little colour.
2.  Add cauliflower, mushrooms and beans, and water and put a lid on so the veg soften a little.
3.  After 5 minutes add coconut milk and stir through.  Simmer gently for 15 minutes (ish)
4.  Add garam masala, taste and season, simmer for 5 more minutes - the veg should be soft, but not mush.

Serve, scoff.

Peruvian potatoes

This is an adaptation of a Madhur Jaffries recipe which I have made a few times - it always goes down well.   The cheese sauce tastes very salty when you taste it after first zizzing, but adding the cheese and veg really makes a difference.

The red pepper, mange tout and parsley salad goes really well with it.

Serves 4

1 kg baby potatoes
1 egg yolk
225g feta
250ml milk (soya in this case)
1 green chili
1/2 yellow pepper
olive oil
1 clove crushed garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp flour (gluten free today)

Salad

Cos lettuce
Big handful of parsley
Chopped radish
2 spring onions
Mange tout
Red pepper
Salad cress

1.  Put potatoes on to boil.
2.  Zizz together egg yolk, milk and cheese, until it looks like double cream.
3.  Sautee gently the pepper, chopped green chili and garlic until soft - in the olive oil and turmeric.
4.  Add the flour, stir into the vegetables, then add the sauce and simmer, while stirring to thicken.
5.  Tip the sauces back into the blender and zizz again, until smooth.
6.  Make the salad - toss the leaves together, finely slice radish and onion, shred mange tout and cut pepper into rings.  Spinkle cress on top.
7.  Serve - drain potatoes, serve with cheese sauce on top with the salad.

The recipe suggests serve with boiled eggs and olives - but I prefer the salad option.  Next time I think I'll add more turmeric to make the sauce brighter yellow.

Smoked trout salad

The summer seems to have deserted the north - but the lettuces in the trug have still clung on, so despite thunder and lightening, it was time to have sunshine in the kitchen.

New potatoes
Hot smoked trout

Little gem lettuce
Parsley
Sorrel
Olive oil
Lemon juice

Tomatoes
Spring onions
Radishes
Salt
Olive oil
Basil

Carrots
Sesame seeds

So 4 salads ...

1.  start by washing and boiling new potatoes.
2.  Wash and spin lettuce leaves, add fresh parsley leaves and sorrel leaves (not chopped up as a garnish, but as salad leaves).
3.  Drizzle on olive oil and squeeze on the juice of 1/2 a lemon.  Toss gently as you serve.
4.  Chop the tomatoes, radishes and spring onions, drizzle with a little olive oil, tear in a few basil leaves and grind on rock salt.
5.  Peel and grate carrots, mix in a spoonful of sesame seeds,
6.  Flake smoked trout into the potatoes,
7.  Scoff

(Turn the heating up and pretend that summer is here)

Broad bean risotto

Olive oil
Red onion
Celery
Arborio rice
Garlic
White wine
Vegetable stock
Courgette
Broad beans, double skinned,
Salt and pepper
Grated parmesan
Parsley oil

1. Sautee onion and celery in olive oil.
2.  Add rice and turn over in the oil.
3.  Add a splash of white wine.
4.  Add chopped courgette and broad beans.
5.  Add hot stock a ladle at a time and simmer until absorbed.
 6.  When rice is ready turn off the heat and add a handful of grated parmesan.
7.  sit for 5 minutes, and serve with extra parmesan and a drizzle of parsley oil.

Cod baked with fennel, with parsley oil

Lovely cod fillet in the organic box today, and some fennel, courgette and new potatoes.  Loads of parsley growing in the trug.  The sun was also beating down, so time for a delicious summer supper.

New potatoes
Fennel
Lemon juice
Olive oil
salt and pepper
Courgette
Cod
Parsley

1.  Wash new potatoes and put on to boil (about 15 minutes).
2.  Chop fennel into 3/4 cm strips - removing outer tough leaves.  Place in oven proof dish and splosh on olive oil and the juice of half a lemon, season - and microwave to soften for 5 minutes (if I had more time I would steam).
3.  Chop courgettes and add to fennel. 
4.  Layer cod onto veg and drizzle with olive oil, spritz of lemon juice, season and bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes or so.
5.  Zizz huge handful of parsley in olive oil, add a spritz of lemon juice and a turn of salt and pepper.  Zizz a bit more, strain through a fine sieve.  Drizzle over the fish and veg when it is served.

This was light and very tasty.  Fennel and parsley oil is particularly delicious, and not something we had tried before.  Definitely a do again dinner.  Next time I might fry the courgette briefly first, and add some petit pois for colour, but it doesn't really need it.

Stuffed mushrooms with steamed veg and watercress sauce

This was delicious, the photo does not do it justice at all... I will be working on my presentation!

Anyway, I started with the rice and lentils, and got them on the way,  then I chopped the veg for steaming.  Then I prepped the mushrooms.  Then I made the watercress sauce.

When all that had happened -the rice was cooking gently in the oven, the lentils were 2/3rds cooked ... so I started off the mushrooms in the oven.

Brown rice
Lentils
Leek
Carrot
Green beans
Field mushrooms
basil
Rape seed oil
Crushed garlic
lemon juice
Watercress
Zatar spice
Spring cabbage
sesame seeds.

1.  Cook the brown rice, follow your favourite method - I do ... put in heavy pot, cover with water to 1 inch over the surface.  Bring to the boil.  Cover and leave in a medium oven for at least 20 minutes
2.  Boil lentils in loads of water for 20+ minutes.
3.  Chop veg (leeks, carrot, beans) and steam over boiling water for about 20 minutes.
4.  Drizzle rape seed oil in a baking tray, add mushrooms, stem side down, drizzle over a little more oil, grind over black pepper and bake for about 20 minutes.
5.  Chop an onion, and fry gently until golden brown, add garlic and zatar spice - stir in drained lentils and rice.
6.  Turn mushrooms over, layer in basil leaves and spoon rice mixture onto the top.  Pop back into the oven for 5 minutes.  At this point add the shredded cabbage to the steaming vegetables.
7.  Zizz together 1 small gherkin, large handful of watercress, 2 chopped garlic cloves, juice of half a lemon and good splosh of oil.
8. Serve ... sprinkling the vegetables with sesame seeds.

Scoff

Asparagus and green bean pasta salad with pine nuts

Yay!  Asparagus in the veg box! Yay!   oh, were you watching? How very embarassing!  But, frankly, I don't care - I was very very pleased to see the new season asparagus in the organic veg box - it's a late spring, and it's been a while coming.  I wondered whether to showcase the asparagus, as often happens, as a starter and then have our main dish - but I decided to go with our usual one dish dinner and to have asparagus as a delicious ingredient amongst others.

So, ...

Rape seed oil
Lemon
Chinese leaf
Lettuce
Watercress
Green beans
asparagus
Farfalle pasta
Pine nuts
basil
Parmesan (to serve)

1. Put water on to boil in a pan big enough to take the pasta, and hold steamers for the vegetables.
2. Remove the woody ends from the asparagus, chop the stems into 1 inch pieces, reserving the delicate spears.
3. Top and tail the beans and cut into bite sized pieces.
4.  Boil the pasta in water, after a minute or so put the veg pieces on to steam (not the spears, put them in 5 minutes later.
5.  Drizzle oil onto a serving plate, squirt on lemon juice and add some seasoning.  Chuck on the salad leaves .. whichever you are using.
6.  Lightly fry the pine nuts until golden brown - watch them, they WILL burn if you take your eyes off them.
7. Drain the pasta and veg, drizzle on oil and squirt with lemon, toss and add to presentation plate.
8. Liberally sprinkle on toasted pine nuts, shave on parmesan to date.

Scoff.  Bring on summer.

Lentil and spring vegetable casserole with spicy potatoes and grilled halloumi

Middle of May and still cold and windy.  So, something quite comforting it is then. 

Lentil casserole

Olive oil
Leeks, washed and chopped
Carrots, peeled and chopped
Sping cabbage shredded
Lentils
Crushed garlic
White wine
English mustard

Spicy potatoes

Olive oil
Potatoes, chopped
Blackenned Cajun seasoning
Italian herbs

Gilled Halloumi

Olive oil
halloumi

1.  Put the potatoes on to par-boil.
2.  Sautee leeks and carrots in olive oil, add crushed garlic.
3.  Add a handful, or so, of small lentils and some white wine and a teaspoon of english mustard, simmer.
4.  Drain potatoes and put in hot olive oil in an oven tray.  Turn them over in the oil, and sprinkle on speices and herbs.  Roast for about 45 minutes, in a hot oven.
5.  Simmer veg, add water if necessary for a while.  About 5 minutes before serving add in shredded cabbage.
6.  Fry the halloumi, at medium heat, in a tiny drop of olive oil, until golden on each side.

This was a fantastic finish to last week's veg box, the spring greens giving the casserole a nice sweetness at the end, balancing the warming earthiness of the lentils and mustard.

Todmorden tapas

Saw some nice looking Manchego in our local well known budget supermarket - it became the inspiration for this.

Potatas bravas
Garlic mushrooms
Garlic proawns and peas
Green salad
(Some pepper and cheese things from a jar)



1.  Peel and chop potatoes into chunks, boil.
2.  Peel and chop 2 red onions.  Sautee in 2 pans, one for the potatoes, one for the mushrooms.
3.  Add butter to the mushroom pan, garlic and chopped mushrooms, cook down.
4.  Add tomatoes, and a pinch of chili flakes to the onions for the potatoes, cook down.
5.  In a third pan, slosh olive oil, and handful of frozen prawns and frozen peas, crushed garlic and chili flakes, with a splosh of white wine.  Leave to sit and cook off hard when everything else is just about done.
6. Add cooked drained potatoes to onions and tomatoes.
7.  Dress green salad leaves with olive oil and lemon juice.

Scoff.

Roast cauliflower, jersey royals and vegetable medley

Once again the photo doesn't do it justice ... but this was lovely.  The cauliflower was roasted whole, the jersey royals were par boiled and roasted (yes, yes, I know ... should be boiled/steamed and served with butter .. but they were absolutely sweet and delicious roasted).

So, what did I do....?

1.  Take the big floppy leaves from the outside of the cauliflower.  Leave the nice cuddly soft leaves, they are delicious.  Drizzle with oil oil and sprinkle with salt, sumin seeds and sumac.  Squeeze on juice of half a lemon.
2,  Stick the cauliflower in a hottish oven - for an hour(ish)
3.  Boil the jersey royals, for 5 mins, and then stick in hot olive oil, in a roasting tray, in the oven.
4.  The veg ... in olive oil gently fry 1 chopped and washed leek, 1 celery stick, a small handful of green beans, a peeled and chopped carrot and some crushed garlic.
5.  Add some water to the frying veg and simmer until al dente ... add shredded spring greens.

Twas delish innit.

Broccoli, bean and anchovy pasta

It's quick, it used the veg from the veg box ... yum.

Olive oil
Leek
Garlic
Anchovies
Broccoli
Green beans
Spinach
Black pepper

Pasta

1. Put your pasta water on to boil.  When it's ready put in your pasta.
2.  Chop and rinse your leek, soften in olive oil.
3.  When a bit soft add garlic, anchovy fillets and stir in.
4.  Add chopped beans and broccoli spears, broken into bite sized pieces.  Cook through, adding water to boil and steam to cooked.
5.  Drain pasta, add to sauce, add a handful of spinach and grind on black pepper.  Turn over and spinach will "melt" into the pasta.

Serve, scoff.  Really healthy and very tasty.

Mushroom, brocolli and roquefort pasta

It's been very busy at Kitchen Fairies HQ recently, so very little opportunity to update here.  Hopefully things will settle now for a while.

Made this last night, it was great.

1 onion
Garlic
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Roquefort
Gluten free pasta

1.  Sweat onions and garlic.
2.  Chop broccoli stem and mushrooms into smallish pieces and seat them down too.
3.  Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
4.  Five minutes to go add broccoli spears and roqueforte.

Mix and scoff.

Parsley and lemon crusted fish, with chips and green vegetables

Traditional Friday night dinner - small ringing of the changes.

"Chips" ... boiled and roasted in olive oil.  Boil - 5ish minutes - into hot fat, in hot oven, for about an hour.

The fish is Alaskan pollock in a batter made from 1 whisked egg, a splash of soya milk, a half cup of polenta and a fistful of chopped parsley, with salt and pepper and the grated zest of a lemon.  The fish was coated in the batter, and then fried, a couple of minutes on each side just before serving everything else.  Drain on kitchen paper.

The vegetables - leeks, softenned in olice oil, then added crushed garlic, some mushrooms and a knob of butter.  Sautee gently, then season and add a splosh of white wine.  Simmer briefly, transfer to oven dish - tip on handful of frozen peas, and some baby spinach.  Cover with foil and stick in the bottom of the oven.

Fnatastic batter, really fresh tasting.  And the veg ... oooo ... lovely, buttery and garlicky and fresh.

Hot spicy prawns, vegetable stir fry ... more Chinese New Year deliciousness

 Gung Hay Fat Choi ... more Happy Chinese New Year.  Loving it!

I am not practised in chinese cooking, but I do give it a go now and again.  I was proud of tonight's dishes.  The spring rolls were from a chinese supermarket - they should be fried (deep fried or shallow fried is less important) and not baked for good tasty crispiness.

Dip in sweet chili sauce.

Jasmine rice - cooked according to packet instructions.

Spicy prawns

Spring onions
Garlic
Chili Flakes
Peanut oil

Stir fry spring onions in peanut oil.
Add prawns and spices, toss about for a couple of minutes.

Vegetable stir fry

Peanut oil
Spring onion
Celery
Red pepper
Carrots
Courgette
Mushrooms
Garlic
Ginger
Chili flakes
Chinese 5 spice
Chinese rice wine
Rice vinegar
Tomato ketchup
Light soy sauce
Pak choi
Beansprouts
Toasted sesame oil

1.  Prepare all veg and cut into bite sized pieces.
2.  Heat peanut oil in wok.
3.  Add spring onions, then hard veg, then spices, tossing all the time.
4.  Splosh in wine and vinegar - then tomato ketchup and soy sauce to taste.
5.  Just before serving toss in pak choi leaves, beans sprouts and a tiny hint of sesame oil.

I preferred this to the noodles earlier in the week, but both were delicious.

Chili and garlic squid, black bean vegetable, noodle, stir fry

Chinese New Year - and into the year of the sheep we go.

So, tonight we had garlic chili squid and a black bean, vegetable and noodle stir fry.

Noodles are traditional for a long life, I believe.  Rice noodles, in our case, to keep it all gluten free.




Chili and garlic squid

Peanut oil
Squid tubes - cut into rings
chili flakes
Crushed garlic
spring onion
salt
cornflour
water

1.  Cut squid tubes into rings, mix with chili, garlic and chopped spring onion.
2.  Make a batter (quite liquid) from cornflour and water.
3.  Dip squid into batter and fry in hot oil.

Scoff!

Black bean and vegetable noodle stir fry

Peanut oil
Black bean paste
Garlic paste
Fennel
Spring onions
Pak choi
Radish
Japanese mushrooms
bean sprouts
soy sauce
Chinese rice wine
Tomato ketchup
Water
Rice noodles

1.  Prepare all the vegetables, chopping into bite sized pieces.
2.  Heat oil in the wok, add spring onion and black bean paste.
3.  Stir fry, add veg ... from harder to softer, so they cook in time.
4.  Meanwhile cook noodles according to packet instructions.
5.  Taste veg and add soy sauce, rice wine and ketchup to taste.
6.  Add a little water if it's looking dry.
7.  When noodles are ready, drain and add to veg.
8.  Sprinkle chopped spring onions over the top.

Dipping sauce

Soy sauce
peanut oil
sweet chili sauce

Mixed to taste

Oh ... I am so full ... roll on the year of the sheep.

Leek and fennel risotto

Quite late home.  Cold again, but mostly salady things in the veg box - but you can do all sorts of things with a risotto.

Olive oil
Leek
1/2 fennel
Celery
Garlic
White rice
White wine
Stock
Frozen peas
Grated parmesan
Salt and black pepper
Roccolo

1.  Sautee chopped leek, fennel and celery in olive oil.
2.  After a couple of minutes add crushed garlic, and continue to sautee gently.
3.  Add a mugful of white rice, and turn over in the oil.
4.  Chuck in white wine and some stock.  Simmer, add more until the risotto is nearly done.
5.  Add frozen peas and cheese.  Simmer gently.

Season and top with roccolo.

Leek and mushroom savoury pancakes

 Pancake day!  But neither of us like sweet stuff much, so, I picked some tasty stuff from the veg box and some halloumi .. and these were the best pancake day pancakes ever.

Gluten free pancakes

Gluten free flour
Egg
Natural yogurt
Soya milk
Peanut oil




Leek and garlic mushrooms

Olive oil
1 leek
Mushrooms, sliced
Crushed garlic
Butter

Salad

Baby salad leaves
Baby rocket
Radish
Spring onions

Roasted beetroot
Roasted cherry tomatoes

Fried halloumi

1.  Start with the pancakes - make the batter.
2.  Then gently with the veg sweated down in oil and butter.
3.  Make the pancakes, keep warm.
4.  Fry the halloumi.
5.  Put everything on the table, and let people assemble their own.

Delicious.

Cauliflower and butter bean casserole, with rice

Rich, flavoursome and tasty - and healthy too.

Olive oil
1 leek
Garlic
Celery
Carrots
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Mixed herbs
Passata
Butter beans
Black olives
Frozen peas

Rice

Grated cheddar

1.  Sautee chopped leek, chopped celery and peeled and chopped carrots with the garlic in olive oil.
2.  When a bit soft, add florets of cauliflower and chopped mushrooms.
3.  Add a sprinkling of mixed herbs, passata and water.
4.  Put the lid on, and cook through for about 20 minutes.
5.  Add butter beans, peas and sliced olives.  Continues to cook.  Season.

When it's done, serve with rice and grated cheese.

Delicious - and healthy, and a veg box victory.

Chicory, celery and kholrabi pasta bake

Interesting selection of veg in the veg box this week - but they don't lend themselves immediately to hearty winter warmers.  I could've made several delicious salads ... but, what with snow and everything ... just didn't fancy that.  So, a bit of a think, a few staples and condiments from the cupboard - and dah-dah

It would have been lasagne, but I had no gluten free lasagna, so I used what I had which was gf fusilli - mixed it with the veg sauce - topped with tomatoes and grated cheese.

Olive oil
Onion, diced
Celery, about a cupful, diced
Kholrabi,  (half) peeled and diced
Mushrooms, diced
Chicory (endive), chopped
Garlic
Oregano
Mustard
stock
soya milk

Pasta shapes (GF fusilli today... but you knwo, whatever... )

Tomatoes, sliced

Cheddar, grated

1.  Gently sautee diced onion and celery in olive oil.
2.  When a bit soft add kholrabi and mushrooms, keep softening for a bit, add garlic and oregano.
3.  Cook pasta in boiling water.
4.  When veg are softenning a bit, add some stock (and/or white wine) and a teaspoon of mustard, simmer for a bit.
5.  Add chopped chicory, simmer.  I let the sauce down with a little soya milk because it was looking a bit dry, and I thought it would add a little "creaminess" - it worked.
6.  When the pasta is nearly done, drain it and mix it with the veg mix and put into an oven dish.
7.  Top the pasta mix with sliced tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil.  Bung in the oven at 180 C.
8.  Grate cheese and sprinkle on top of bake after 10 minutes.  Bake for a further 20 minutes until bubbling and lovely.

Serve, scoff.

It's an eclectic mix, but it was quite alright

Rice & lentils
Carrot and swede
cabbage
Garlic yogurt sauce