Butter beans and mushrooms

I had some porcini mushrooms languishing in the fridge (in a jar, not the dried ones) so I thought I'd use them up.  Mixed with some field mushrooms, and butter beans this was a very satisfying vegan dinner, served with crispy roast potatoes

Potatoes
Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Rosemary
mushrooms (field)
porcini
white wine
lettuce
avocado oil

1.  Dice potatoes and roast in olive oil, for about 45 minutes.
2.  Sweat chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil, add sliced mushrooms and porcini mushrooms, stir until a bit soft.
3.  Add a spinkle of chopped rosemary and a glass of white wine, simmer.
4.  Add a drained, rinsed tin of butter beans and simmer a little, until the sauce is the right consistency.  Keep warm until potatoes are done.
5.  Simple salad of kos leaves drizzled with avocado oil.
6.  Serve, scoff

Simple, cheap, easy ...

Roast dinner - veggie style

It was Sunday, and I fancied a roast dinner, so I made one.  Well, when I say "I" I mean Lidl and I ... I don't mention may products on this blog, partly because most of the time I cook from scratch, and when I don't it's not usually worth writing about.  Don't get me wrong, convenience food has its place, but I don't like to use it all the time - I mean, if I did, I'd probably not be writing a food blog!  Anyway, we tried Lidl's cashew, quinoa and carrot nut roast - and it is very good.  I was glad that I made a gravy to go with it, because I think it needs it - but all in all - we'll be buying it again!

Potatoes
Olive oil
Cashew nut, quinoa and carrot nut roast
Onion
Garlic
Tomato ouree
Marmite
Polish mustard
Veg oxo cube
Courgette
polenta
mixed herbs
chili flakes

1.  Peel the potatoes, cut them into pieces and roast in olive oil, for about an hour.
2.  Follow the instructions on the nut roast - takes about 35 minutes.
3.  Make the gravy - sweat down chopped onion and garlic.  When it's soft add tomato puree, a spoonful of marmite, stock cube, water and mustard.  Stir and simmer until reduced to how you like it.  Make sure it's had a good 10 minutes to cook out the tomato puree.
4.  Slice courgettes, mix polenta, herbs and seasoning, toss courgettes in herby mix and fry for a couple of minutes on each side.  Keep wrm in the oven until everything else is done.
5.  Scoff, be impressed by the shop bought nut roast... have seconds.

Chickpea casserole with baked potato

Another open the fridge and see what's there sort of dinner ... and there were mushrooms, squash, kale and tomatoes - add a tin of chickpeas - and there you go.  Delicious and nutritious. (If not very pretty).

Potatoes
Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Fennel seeds
Chili flakes
Acorn squash
Mushrooms
Kale
Jar of chickpeas
vegetable stock
Tomatoes

1.  Prick potatoes with a fork, rub on oliev oil, sprinkle on salt and bake for about 45 minutes.
2.  Sautee chopped onion and garlic in olive oil, add fennel seeds and a pinch of chili flakes and stir in.
3.  Peel and dice squash, add that, stir, slice mushrooms, add them, stir.
4.  Prep the kale by removing hard stem and shred finely - add to the veg.
5.  Add chopped tomatoes and about a pint of veg stock, stir and simmer until veg are done.
6.  Drain and rinse a jar of chickpeas, add these to the mixture and simmer gently until the casserole has reduced a little.
7.  Serve, scoff ... it was actually very tasty.

Haddock, pepper and tomato fish pie

Incredibly easy, incredibly tasty - all ingredients (except frozen peas - but you could use fresh, or leave out) from Tod market - this fish pie takes literally minutes to put together.

Baby potatoes
Onion
Olive oil
Red pepper
Tomatoes
Frozen peas
Italian seasoning
Haddock

1.  Slice potatoes and par boil for 7 minutes.
2.  Splash olive oil into an oven dish and layer sliced potato, sliced pepper and sliced tomatoes.  Add a handful of frozen peas.  Sprinkle with herbs.
3.  Add portions of haddock to the top of the vegetables.
4.  Drain the potatoes and lay over the top of the fish, like roof tiles, drizzle with olive oil.
5.  Bake for 30 minutes.
6.  Serve, scoff ....

Fish and chips, but healthier, and easier!

Baked aubergine and courgette, with toppings and rice ....

Once again the mixed requirements of the dinner table meant a main feature, and varieties of extras.  Tonight we had veggie (doesn't like rice much), meat eating but lactose intolerant and blarghh aubergines (that's me) - so it was pick and mix from baked veg, white rice, a veggie topping and a minced beef and chickpea topping, feta and pinenuts - this is mine - obvs I got to have a bit of eveything apart from yucky aubergine ... I keep trying with them, but they need to be disguised for me to really enjoy them.

Olive oil
Aubergines
Courgettes
Onions
Garlic
Chili flakes
Minced beef
Kale
Stock cubes (veg and beef, respectively)
Chickpeas
Water
Passata
Feta
Pine nuts

1.  Cut the aubergines and courgettes in half, score the flesh in diagonals, bake for about 40 minutes.
2.  Make the toppings - in 2 pans sautee onion and garlic and a sprinkle of chili flakes.
3.  To the meat version add minced beef and brown off.
4.  Add the correct stock cube to each mixture, stir in.  Add a cup of water to each.
5.  Prep the kale by removing thick stem and shredding quite finely.
6.  Drain chickpeas - add 2/3rds to the veggie mix and 1/3rd to the beef mix.
7.  Add passata to both, stir and simmer.  Add more liquid if necessary.
8.  (optional) toast pine nuts.
9.  Serve, with crumbled feta - scoff.

We all had seconds of something - and there are 3 more portions boxed up for lunch .... win, win, win.

Curry night

Chicken korma (lactose free), veggie curry, dhal and rice ... it's not that difficult, just lots of ingredients. You need to soak the cashews, so put them in water in the morning.  I started with the chicken and veg curries, and then put the rice on to boil.  As soon as the chicken went in the oven put the lentils on for the dhal ... it all kinda came together in about 45 minutes.

Onions

Olive oil

Garlic

Chicken thighs

Tikka Massala paste

cinnamon

Cashew nuts

Mustard seeds

fennel seeds

cumin seeds

chili flakes

potatoes

Courgette

Mushrooms

Carrot

Tomatoes

Garam masala

Red lentils

Basmati rice

1.  Soak the cashew nuts for some hours, or boil them for a few minutes.  Zizz them up with approximately an equal quantity of water to nuts.

2.  Sautee onions in olive oil in 2 heavy pans - one for the chicken, one for the veggie curry.

3.  Add crushed garlic to both pots.

4.  Put the rice on to boil in a heavy pot, covered by water to 1 inch above the surface of the rice..

5.  Add turmeric and a tsp of tikka masala paste to the chicken pot, then the chicken pieces skin side down first.

6.  Add fennel seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and chili flakes to the veggie pot.

7.  The add peeled diced potatoes, diced courgette, mushroom and carrot to the veggie pot.

8.  Turn the chicken over, sprinkle on 1/2 tsp cinnamon and pour in the cashew mixture.  Transfer to the oven.

9.  When the rice boils, slam a lid on it, and put it in the bottom of the oven.

10.  Add tomatoes, in pieces if whole and veg stock to the veggie curry, stir and simmer.

11.  Put red lentils and water on to boil for the dhal.

12.  When ready to serve make the tarka by frying cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chili and curry leaves, if you have them, in a little olive oil.  Pour this, sizzling over the dhal.

13.  Serve, scoff.

Mussels!!!

I love Todmorden.  I do. And I love the stuff we can make when we have a trawl around the fresh and interesting stuff on the inside and outdoor market.  Today Paul had new season mussels from the Menai Straits. That was enough to start me off in the direction of this dinner.  The only ingredient not sourced from the market was the wine ... and you only have to cross the road for that.

Dry white wine
Potatoes
olive oil
Salt
White onion
Sweet picante peppers
Garlic
Mussels
Tomatoes
Basil
Parsley
Salad leaves
Baby cucumber
Radishes
Balsamic vinegar

1.  Pour half a bottle of dry white wine into a jug.  Put the rest in the fridge to chill.
2.  Wash potatoes, cut into chip sized pieces - skin and all - roast in olive oil.  Check on them after about 20 minutes, turn them over so that they cook evenly.
3.  Do stuff ... the washing, the crossword etc for half an hour ...
4.  Wash the mussels, pull off beards, scrub off any barnacles etc ... actually these were beautiful - I only discarded two which didn't shut on a gentle tap.
5.  Finely chop onion, sautee gently in a big pan, in olive oil.
6.  Add very finely chopped garlic (lots of...) and peppers, keep on a very gentle heat.
7.  Chuck salad together - leaves, sliced cucumber, sliced radish - drizzle of balsamic and olive oil - toss together on serving.
8.  Check chips .. finely dice tomatoes and chop herbs.
9.  When chips are 10 minutes away .....  turn the heat up under the onion - add garlic and peppers, stir and cook for a minute or so.
10.  Pour wine from jug into onion pan ... pour chilled wine into glass ... :-p
11.  As soon as the wine starts bubbling, chuck in mussels.  Slam the lid on.  Shake the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
12.  Add the tomatoes and herbs to the mussels, lid on, shake violently ... cook for 2 more minutes.
13.  Serve, scoff ... don't eat any mussels which have not opened.


You may need crusty bread to dip into the delicious juice.

This was good ... really, really good ...

Duck breast, with figgy greens and mash

More experimenting with the "pudding with me dinner concept", and I'm sorry to say, but in general I am still on the anti team .... this was perfectly pleasant, but ....

The sherry, fruit and cinnamon do give the greens a nice slightly spicy sweetness, but I still don't have a sweet tooth.  On the upside - 6 of my 5 a day in one dish.

Potatoes
Butter
Olive oil
Onion
Sherry
Vegetable stock
Figs
Raisins
Cinnamon
Chili flakes
Cavolo nero
White cabbage
Spinach

Duck breasts

1.  Peel and dice the potatoes, boil - when cooked mash with butter and put in the oven for the top to crisp up.
2.  Sautee chopped onion in olive oil.
3.  When the onion is soft add a splash of sherry and a cup of vegetable stock.  Add a small handful of raisins and 2 whole figs, simmer briefly.
4.  Remove figs, turn off the heat.
5.  Cook the duck breasts on a high heat, skin side first for a couple of minutes.  Turn the heat down, turn them over for a couple of minutes, then transfer to an oven dish and roast for 10 minutes.
6.  Cut figs into pieces.
7.  Add green veg to the stock, and simmer/steam for 5 minutes, stir the figs back in and heat through.
8. Serve, scoff, watch veg dodger eat seconds of cabbage mixture.

Tapas ... figs with blue cheese, cod and chickpeas, potatas bravas, heirloom tomato salad

Tonight's tapas was so delicious that we just dug in and forgot to take a picture until we'd had seconds ... so, have a look at the leftovers protected by plates, for supper snacking.

Patatas bravas

Dice potatoes, toss in olive oil and roast for about an hour.  Salsa bravas - sautee diced onion, add garlic, a pinch of paprike, a pinch of chili flakes and a load of tomatoes ... simmer and stir until it's a sauce.

Cod & chickpea ragu

Sautee diced onion in olive oil, add chopped sweet red pepper and fry a little longer.  Add a splash of sherry, stir in.  Tip in a tin of drained chickpeas, stir through.  Put fillets of cod on top of the beans and allow to steam for about 8 minutes, then gently stir into mix ... sprinkle a little paprika on topn

Figs, with blue cheese and almonds (and jamon serrano)

Slit the figs and wrap with serrano ham (if using) ... drizle with a little olive oil and bake for 10 minutes.  Stuff with blue cheese, and return to the oven.  Make the sauce by melting a little honey and add the almonds, turn over in the honey and pour onto figs.

Heirloom tomato salad

Cut tomatoes into tasteful shapes, delicately arrange them on serving platter (honestly, you just can't see them - lovely mix of red, orange, green and yellow.  Sprinkle on finely diced onion and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Leaf salad

Toss salad leaves with a drizzle oil oil and spritz of sherry vinegar.

Serve, scoff (do NOT under any circumstances take pictures) cover leftovers with plates.

Pork chop, brie and grilled nectarine

I'm not usually one for "me pudding with me dinner", but I saw a few recipes with round about this idea on t'interweb, and thought I'd give it a go.. it works!  The pork, mild mustard and cheese and really cut through by the bittersweetness of the grilled nectarine. The spinach was ours ... grown in the allotment.  Mostly the allotment has only grown weeds this year, as every time we get a minute it pours it down, and when we've been busy it has but sunny - perfect weed growing conditions.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Pork chops
Apple juice
Dijon mustard
Brie
Nectarines
Green beans
Spinach.

1.  Roast potato wedges in olive oil.
2.  30 minutes later - fry pork chops on each side.
3.  Steam beans and spinach.
4.  Smear top of chops with dijon mustard, top with slices of brie.  Put into oven dish and splosh in a half a cup of apple juice (just to stop it going dry).  Put in the oven for 10 minutes while brie melts.
5.  Griddle nectarine pieces.
6.  Serve, scoff ... be surprisingly impressed.

(Veggie had field mushroom and onion topped with brie).

Tofu bibimbap

We are spoilt at Todmorden market - we can venture way beyond our Yorkshire borders for some tasty dinners.  Today, I had a scout around t'interweb, and after reading a number of recipes thought I would create my version of a bibimbap ... big bowl of rice, topped with a protein source with assorted raw, pickled and cooked vegetables with a chili sauce ...ingredients are mostly available from the market - Oriental foods, The Mediterranean Pantry, a couple of vegetable stalls ... but I had to go to a local supermarket for the beansprouts!

Tofu
Jasmine rice
Peanut oil
Korean red chili pasta - gochujang
Soy sauce
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil
Sugar
Agave syrup
Sesame seeds
Garlic
Ginger
Radish
Carrots
Cucumber
Green beans
Cavolo nero
Mushrooms
Bean sprouts
Spring onions

Basically you cook all the ingredients separately, give each person a bowl of rice topped with pan fried tofu and a fried egg, and they choose which of the other bits they want, add some sauce, and stir it all together.  I started with putting the tofu in salted water, then pickled the radish and carrot, then chopped the rest of the veg ... put the rice on, steamed the cavolo nero and green beans, fried the tofu, made the sauce, and stir fried the veg - one at a time - keeping them hot in the oven while I finished the tofu.  Finally fry the eggs .. and begin the assembly.

The tofu:-

Soak in salted water for 15 minutes to tighten up the edges.  Slice into fork sized slices - return to the salted water to firm up further.  Fry in hot peanut oil, in batches, do not over crowd the pan, until crispy on both sides.  Keep warm in the oven.

The sauce:-

Mix 3 tbsp gochujang with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp water, 1 tsp (to taste) agave syrup and 1 tsp sesame oil.

The pickled veg:-

Prepare carrot and radish batons.  Heat together 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 cup rice vinegar and 1 cup water.  Put veg into pickling liquid, swish about and take off the heat.  After 10 minutes drain and chill.

The stir fried veg, one at a time, keep warm in the oven:-

Mushrooms, sesame seeds, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil
Cavolo nero, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, soy sauce
Green beans, garlic, tiny splash soy sauce
Beansprouts, soy sauce, tiny splash sesame oil

The raw bits, chop finely:-

Cucumber
Spring onions
Sesame seeds

On your marks - go ....