Mackerel, with warm potato salad and a saffron vinaigrette

Beautiful mackerel, jersey royals and a fresh crisp cos lettuce.  Magic.  Added an extremely tasty warm vinaigrette with saffron and fresh herbs.  The second best mackerel I have ever had - the best being mackerel I had caught myself and barbequed on the beach!

All of this gorgeous produce available on Todmorden market (except the wine).




Jersey Royal potatoes
White wine
Saffron
Sherry vinegar
Oregano
Chives
Wholegrain mustard
Olive oil
Black pepper
Lettuce

1.  Scrub the potatoes, and boil until done.
2.  Soak the saffron in white wine, heat gently in a small saucepan.
3.  Add a splash of sherry vinegar and a splash of water, reduce briefly.
4.  Take off the heat and whisk in herbs, mustard and oil.
5.  When the potatoes are nearly done pan fry, or grill, the mackerel - whichever needs to be hot - for a couple of minutes each side.
6.  Lightly crush the potatoes and stir in a couple of tablespoons of the vinaigrette.  Do this while the potatoes are still warm, as they will suck up more of the flavours.  The potatoes can be eaten hot, warm or cold.
7.  Serve the fish drizzled with the vinaigrette, which can also be used to dress the salad leaves.

It was FABULOUS.

Lentil stuffed mushrooms, mash and asparagus

Should I learn to be more poetic about my recipe titles?

This was very tasty - and the self declared lentil dodger had two helpings of the lentil mixture, so I take that as validation.

It takes about 40 minutes, start to finish.

Turn the oven on to medium high, about 180 - then start with the lentils and peeling the potatoes.

Lentils
Potatoes
Olive oil
Portobello mushrooms
Button mushrooms
Red pepper
Garlic
Mixed herbs
Vegetable stock
Chili flakes
Asparagus
Wholegrain mustard
Soya spread

1.  Put the lentils on to simmer.
2.  Peel the potatoes and boil - about 12-15 minutes.
3.  Slash the caps of the portobello mushrooms lightly, put them on a baking tray drizzled with olive oil, roast for about 15-20 minutes.
4.  Gently fry the red pepper, crushed garlic, chopped button mushrooms a pich of mixed herbs and a smallish pinch of chili flakes.
5.  When the veg are a bit soft add a little vegetable stock, and simmer.  When the lentils are done, stir them in with a teaspoon of good mustard.
6.  When the potatoes are done mash, adding soya spread to taste.  Put in an oven dish in the top of the oven to get a crispy top.
7.  Turn over the mushrooms, top with the lentil mix, return to the oven.
8.  Steam the asparagus.  10 minutes later - everything is done.
9.  Scoff, have seconds.

Chickpea burgers

I really need to sort out my photography skills!  The trouble is, my food is not staged, it is, quite literally, my dinner - so I don't want to faff about while it gets cold!  It is also somewhat irritating for anyone else who is eating with me.  Still, must try harder!

This, believe it or not,  is a chickpea burger, aubergine and courgette bake with some new potato chips, and it was very, very tasty.



New potatoes
Chickpeas
Red onion
Roasted red pepper (out of a jar is just as good as home roasting)
olive oil
Egg
Porridge oats
Oregano
Polenta
Mixed herbs
Chili
Aubergine
Courgette
Tomatoes
Basil

1.  Quarter or halve new potatoes (depends on the size), longways, so that they resemble chips. Toss in olive oil and put in a roasting tray in a medium hot oven for 30 minutes (approximately).
2.  Slice aubergines and courgettes, toss them, in a bag, in the polenta with mixed herbs and chili.
3.  Griddle the slices of aubergine and courgette, layer into an oven proof dish.  Top with sliced tomato and torn basil leaves.  Bake for as long as the potatoes are in.
3.  Drain the chickpeas, add finely sliced red onion and a couple of roughly chopped red peppers.  Mash.
4.  Whisk an egg, add to chickpeas with a handful of oats and some chopped oregano, mix to bind.  You could shape into burgers, and put in the fridge - but I just squished the mixture into a food ring, straight into the pan.  Fry in olive oil for 5 minutes on each side.
5.  Everything should be done together, so serve and scoff.

Chickpea curry and saag paneer

Olive oil
red onion
white onion
garlic
curry spices (turmeric, cumin, fennel, chili, mustard seeds, channa dhal mix)
basmati rice
chickpeas
red pepper
mushrooms
tomato puree
tin of tomatoes
coconut cream
creme fraiche
natural yoghurt
paneer
spinach

1.  Cook the basmati rice - 1 cup of rice, 2 cups of water - bring to the boil, lid on and turn RIGHT down for 15 minutes.  Keep warm if ready too soon.
2.  Chop onions and sweat down in 2 pans, add crushed garlic to both.
3.  To pan 1 add channa dhal spice mix, stir, then add red pepper, mushrooms and drained chickpeas.  After 5 minutes add tomato puree, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of water - simmer.
4.  To pan 2 add cumin, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, turmeric and a tinyt pinch of chili, then fry cubes of paneer - turning to get each side golden.
5.  When veg in pan 2 are softish turn to a medium heat and stir in coconut cream, creme fraiche and yoghurt (or whatever combination you are using).  Taste for seasoning - could add garam masala.
6.  Add spinach on top of paneer, with a little water, let it wilt down.

Fantastic.  Possibly the best curry dinner I have made this year.

Skate wings with saffron sauce

 Paul, the fish, had skate wings.  I have never cooked, or even eaten skate wings - so I thought I would give it a bash.

Most of the recipes found after a quick and dirty search of t'interweb were all about capers and gherkins and that ... but then I found one with saffron sauce ... ah hah, so I thought I would try something along those lines - and it was, though I say it myself damn good.

Baby potatoes
Saffron
White wine
Carrots
Green beans
Courgette
Stock
Olive oil
Butter
Skate wings
Creme fraiche

1.  Cut potatoes into "chips" and toss in olive oil, roast in the top of a hot oven for 30+ minutes, until done.
2.  Soak saffron in a glass of white wine for 10 minutes, then transfer to a pan add about the same volume of stock and a small peeled carrot, heat up.
3.  Steam the veg over the wine mixture.
4.  When veg is done transfer to oven dish and keep warm.
5.  Strain the saffron mix and return to the pan.
6.  Pan fry the skate wings in oil and butter, a few minutes on each side.
7.  Finish the sauce by whisking about 2 tbsps of creme fraiche into the reduced wine mix.

Serve, scoff ... the saffron really works well with the soft delicate flesh of the skate.  (Pulling the meat of the fish down the wing with a fork seems to be the best way of tackling the scoffing part).

Mushroom, spinach and tallegio paccheri

I have some fabulous, unusual pasta shapes on the stall, and thought I would try some tonight.  Stuffed pasta seemed a plan, so I chose paccheri - the shorter tubes make it easier to stuff than cannelloni.

So, with tallegio, parmesan and cheddar from The Crumbly Cheese - another mediterranean triumph, all sourced from Todmorden market.

Olive oil
Garlic
Mushrooms
Spinach
Tomatoes
Chili flakes
Paccheri
Cheddar
Parmesan
Salad leaves
Balsamic glaze

1.  Put the water on to boil for the pasta, put the pasta in as soon as it comes to the boil.  Turn the oven on to heat to medium.
2.  In two frying pans heat olive oil - in one, sautee some onions until soft,  then add garlic.  This is the beginning of the tomato topping.  Add chopped tomatoes (or a tin) and a small pinch of chili flakes when the onions are soft, keep over a gentle heat as the tomatoes break down.
3.  In the other frying pan gently fry chopped onions, with plenty of garlic and a good grind of black pepper.  Add chopped mushrooms.  When they are soft, add the spinach to wilt on top.
4. Cut the rind of the tallegio, and break into pieces into the mushroom mix, stir in until it melts.  Turn the heat off under both pans.
5.  Drain the pasta.  Allow to cool, so that you can handle it.
6.  Stuff the pasta tubes with the mushroom mix and layer into an oven dish.
7.  Spread the tomato sauce over the pasta.  Grate over some cheddar and parmesan, and bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden.
8.  Serve with a simple salad of salad leaves tossed in extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze.

Baked hake with chickpeas, red pepper and courgette with crushed new potatoes

Fish on Friday has become a real tradition. There is no religious background to this, merely a pattern which has formed and is reinforced weekly by the lovely fish sold by Paul the fish on Tod market.

Tonight, a Spanish sort of treatment.

Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Red pepper
Courgette
Paprika
White wine
Stock
Chickpeas
Oregano
New potatoes
Chives

1.  Gently sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil until a bit soft.
2.  Add chopped red pepper and courgette.
3.  Sprinkle in some smoked paprika, chopped oregano and add some drained chickpeas.
4.  Add a splash of white wine and/or stock and simmer gently for a few minutes.
5.  Transfer to an oven dish, put hake steaks on top (or other fish), drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little more paprika.  Bake for about 20 minutes in a medium hot oven.
6.  Meanwhile boil new potatoes.
7.  When the potatoes are done, drain them, splash in a little olive oil and a small handful of chopped chives, crush with a masher.  (They can be crisped up in the oven if you fancy)

Scoff

Courgette frittata with polenta chips, roast asparagus and a tomato and olive "sauce"

 Another mediterranean feast sourced from Todmorden market.  Absolutely delicious flavours of sun and holidays.

All ingredients can be found within feet of each other, from ....

The Mediterranean Pantry
The Crumbly Cheese
Garry outside, for the veg
Local eggs from various stalls (ours were from our own bantams)

Olive oil
Polenta
Parmesan
Fennel seeds
Chili flakes
Onions
Garlic
Courgette
Eggs
Asparagus
Mixed herbs
Cherry tomatoes
Olives
Oregano
Basil
Mixed salad leaves
Balsamic vinegar

1.  Cut the polenta into chip sizes.  Drizzle some olive oil in on a baking tray, and put it in a hot oven to heat up.
2.  Grate the parmesan and add fennel seeds and chili flakes, mix them together.
3.  Toss the polenta chips in the cheese mixture until every one is coated.
4.  Put the chips onto the hot tray, and drizzle with a little more olive oil.  Bake for about 40 minutes, until golden - turn once in the middle.
5.  While they are baking bung the asparagus in an ove dish, drizzle with oil, season and bung that on the bottom shelf of the oven.
6.  Start the frittata by sauteeing onion and garlic in olive oil.  Add sliced courgette and fry gently.
7.  Gently whisk eggs and add a pinch of mixed herbs.  Pour into the pan with the courgettes.  Transfer the pan to the oven and let bake while everything else finishes.
8.  Fry sliced onion and garlic in another pan, add halved cherry tomatoes, oregano and roughly chopped olives.  This will only take a few minutes.  When it's "done" you can turn off the heat - it's nice warm as well as hot.
9.  45(ish) minutes from starting you should be ready to pull everything out of the oven and serve with salad leaves, lightly dressed with olive oil and balsamic glaze.
10.  Receive rapturous applause.

Potato pie

Really didn't know what to call this ... omeletta al formo?

Basically it is Greek inspired comfort food at its best.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Onions
Garlic
Spring onions
Cherry tomatoes
Crumbly lancashire
Oregano
Chives
Eggs

1.  Boil sliced potatoes until almost cooked, drain and tumble into an oven dish.
2.  Gently sautee chopped onion and garlic, add to the potatoes.
3.  Chop cherry tomatoes into halves, and chuck them in too.
4.  Crumble over cheese (grate if you're using a more cheddar type cheese).
5.  In another boil whisk the eggs (I used 4, it depends on how many potatoes etc), oregano and chopped chives.  Add chopped spring onion.  Pour over the potato mix.  Drizzle with olive oil.
6.  Turn everything over a couple of times, so that it's mixed and stick it in a hot oven for 45mins (ish)

It's as easy as that!

Carrot and cabbage curry, with dhal and rice

Open fridge, see ... not that much ... some spring onions, some carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes and half a cabbage, add some rice, lentils, garlic, spices and a paratha each ..faff about a bit and .... ta dah! dinner!

1.  Put 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water in a pot.  Bring to the boil, lid on turn RIGHT down.
2.  Boil lentils.
3.  For the curry, start with curry spices (fennel seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, tumeric) onions, garlic and some grated ginger - in olive oil.
4.  Add diced carrot and water/stock, simmer for a bit.
5.  Add chopped mushrooms, shredded carrots and halved cherry tomatoes.
6.  When nearly cooked add garam masala to taste.
7.  Prepare the tarka for the dhal ... in olive oil heat curry leaves, cardamon, a little chilli and cumin.
8.  Throw the tarka onto the dhal, fry the paratha on each side.

Sunday roast - budget version

We seem to be having a bit of a run on baby roast potatoes at the moment, but they are sooooo good.

This is another VERY simple, but delicious dinner, and again - all available from Todmorden Market.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Chicken legs
Lemon
Garlic
Roast chicken seasoning
Carrots
Spring greens

1.  Cut potatoes into bite sized pieces, boil for 10 minutes.
2.  Put olive oil in 2 oven dishes - one for the potatoes, and one for the chicken.
3.  Put the potato one in the oven to warm up.  Put the chicken in the other, with 3 halved cloves of garlic, a sprinkle of roast chicken seasoning and a slice of lemon.  Chuck it in the oven.
4.  Drain the potatoes, add to the hot olive oil, and roast for 1 hour(ish).
5.  Prep the veg, and then steam for the last 12 minutes of everything else cooking.  When you put the veg on - have a look at the chicken - baste it with the juices.

Sea trout, roast potatoes and roast mediterranean vegetables

Another winner from Paul the fish on Todmorden market!  Garlic, olive oil and greek salad seasoning from The Mediterranean Pantry - and the rest from Garry the veg!

This takes an hour and a half start to finish - but after 15 minutes there is not much to do until the final 15 minutes.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Red onion
Red pepper
Courgette
Garlic
Greek salad seasoning
Sea trout
Lemon

1.  Wash potatoes and cut into bite sized pieces - par boil.
2.  Add olive oil to 2 big oven dishes, one for the potatoes and one for the veg.  Put the potatoes one in the oven to warm up.
3.  Prep veg into bite sized pieces and put into second oven dish, sprinkle with salad seasoning and turn over in the oil.  Bake.
4.  Drain potatoes and put into oven dish - roast for 1 hour +.
5.  Chat, wash the dog, do some gardening ... whatever.... 15 minutes before serving...
6.  Turn potatoes and veg over in their pans.
7.  Pan fry the sea trout in olive oil - 3-6 minutes each side (depends how big it is).  Squirt of lemon juice, grind of black pepper ... all done.

It was almost summer - so a summery dinner

It was a lovely sunny day in Tod - one of the very few we have had this year.  Infact, it seems to have been grey and wet since October with barely a break.  So, in honour of the improved weather, I choose to chuck together a summery type dinner.  It is, however, still Yorkshire, so an actual salad would have been too cold.

Once again, all ingredients available from Tod market ... from me in the Mediterranean Pantry:-



Olive oil
Garlic
Rice
Lentils
Greek salad seasoning
Calabrian fish crust mix

From Garry the veg:-

Onions
Spring onions
Green beans
Cherry tomatoes
Courgettes
Salad leaves

1.  Cook rice (1 cup rice, 2 cups water - bring to boil, lid on, turn right down and leave for 15 minutes).
2.  At the same time boil the lentils.
3.  Sautee spring onions and garlic in olive oil (quite a lot of olive oil), add a pinch of greek salad. seasoning.
4.  Add chopped beans and cherry tomatoes, Stir occassionally until its all cooked through, about 12 minutes.
5.  Meanwhile - put some calabrian fish crust mix in a bag - add sliced courgette.  Shake until all of the pieces are coated.  Fry these in a hot griddle pan, for a couple of minutes on each side.
6.  Finish the rice and lentils by frying onions in olive oil, then fold the rice and drained lentils through.
7.  Serve with salad leaves in a simple dressing (balsamic vinegar and olive oil for us).

Bacalhau (ish)

I had this in Portugal - well, you would, wouldn't you!  This was my first go at making it at home. Next time I might add saffron, tomatoes and/or mushrooms - but it was very nice as it was - a kind of fish hotpot.

Salt cod
Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Mixed herbs
Potatoes
Vegetable stock
Green beans
White cabbage

1.  Soak the fish for 24 hours, changing the water at least 3 times.
2.  Sautee the onion in olive oil, add crushed garlic and a few herbs.
3.  Peel and chop potatoes into chunks, add to the onion.
4.  Drain the fish, cut into pieces, and add to the potatoes, add stock and simmer.
5.  After 10 minutes, add chopped green beans.
6.  After another 5 minutes, or so, add the cabbage.
7.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
8.  Serve, scoff ... we all squished our potatoes with a fork to soak up the juices ... but you might be more couth!