Crisp sandwich

Amazingly delicious ... don't raise your eyebrows until you've tried it :)

Bread
butter
crisps

1.  Butter bread
2.  Layer crisps on bread.
3.  Top with bread.
4.  Serve with a crisp garnish.

Hehehehehe

One pot pasta "bake"

Alright, it doesn't look amazing - but it was tasty, and rich and comforting.  I made it with GF pasta (red lentil fusilli), but obviously you don't have to.  I also think I put too much cheese in (particularly since I am lactose intolerant) but that just made it more luscious and gooey.

Onion
Olive oil
tuscan seasoning
red pepper
mushrooms
flagolet beans
pasta
water
passata
smoked german cheese (it gives a gentle smoky flavour and a silky richness)
emmental
grated cheddar
black pepper

1.  Sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil.
2.  Add chopped pepper and mushrooms, sautee again for a couple of minutes.
3.  Add a tin of flagolet beans and a layer of pasta.  Pour in a carton of passata, and about a carton and a half of water.  Lid on, simmer.
4.  After about 10 minutes stir and then add chopped cheese, and allow to melt into the mmix.
5.  Serve, scoff ... blimey it was rich.

Mushrooms on toast

Even the humblest of dinners can be made really quite special with the addition of a tiny twist.  Today I made a simple meal of mushrooms on toast, but made them really garlicky and spread the hot buttered toast with really good whole grain mustard - delicious.  The better the bread, the more delicious the dinner - I only had some wholewheat bloomer, sourdough would have taken it up a notch.

Olive oil

Red onion

Garlic

Mushrooms

Butter

Wholewheat bread

Grainy mustard

Baby spinach

Black pepper

1.  Sautee chopped red onion and crushed garlic in olive oil.

2.  Add loads of sliced mushrooms and a good knob of butter, cook the mushrooms until they release their water, and start to fry again.

3.  Toast the bread.

4.  Add big handfuls of spinach to the mushrooms, and stir in to wilt.

5.  Butter the hot toast and spread with a little good mustard, load on the mushrooms and top with a grind of black pepper.

6.  Serve, scoff ... 12 minutes, start to finish.

Herby potatoes, green beans and feta

Slightly Greek inspired dinner tonight.  Had it been warmer I probably would have done potatoes with a salad, but it was a cold drizzly kind of a day, so I opted for a warm dish - some might still call it salad.

Red onion

Olive oil

Garlic

Cherry tomatoes

Green beans

Potatoes

butter

Chives, parsley

Spinach

Feta

1.  Sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil.

2.  Add potatoes, green beans, tomatoes and a cup of water.  Cover and boil until potatoes are cooked.  Take the lid off and simmer to allow the water to evaporate.

3.  Add a knob of butter and a small handful of chopped herbs.

4.  Turn off the heat, stir in a couple of large handfuls of spinach to wilt.

5.  Crumble feta on the top.

6.  Serve, scoff

Tasty and refreshing.

Veggie curry

This was very tasty, and very cheap (about 50p per portion I think), and with the current slightly challenging kitchen set up I really was quite pleased with it.

Olive oil
Leek
Mushrooms
Curry paste
Red lentils
Water
Baby spinach
Microwavable basmati rice
Natural yogurt

1.  Sautee chopped leek in olive oil, add chopped muchrooms.
2.  Stir in a spoonful of curry paste, and briefly fry.
3.  Add a big handful of red lentils, water and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally - take the lid off if it is too wet when the lentils are nearly done, or add more water if it is getting too dry and in danger of sticking.
4.  When the lentils are done turn off the heat and stir in 2 big handfuls of baby spinach, stir in to wilt.
5.  Microwave rice following packet instructions.
6.  Serve, scoff ... add yogurt if you wish.

Leek and haddock "hotpot", take 2

Last week's version Leek and haddock hotpot worked really well, and Paul had lovely haddock out at the front of Todmorden market (again), so I thought I would do something similar for this week's fish on Friday ... it was lovely.  Seasonal and comforting.

Olive oil
Leeks
Garlic
Mixed herbs
Potatoes
Butter
White wine
Vegetable stock
Mushrooms
Haddock

1.  Sautee leeks in live oil, add crushed garlic and a pinch of herbs.
2.  Add discs of peeled potato (about 3/4cm thick).  They should be in one layer on the bottom of the pan - the idea being that the potatoes suck up the flavour of the stock, not that it's a watery mess. Add a knob of butter, a glass of dry white wine (optional) and stock to the level of the top of the potatoes.  Simmer for a bit.
3.  Add chopped mushrooms, lid back on simmer.
4.  After about 12-15 minutes test the potatoes, if they are nearly done lay the fish on the top, closed the lid and allow to steam for 10minutes or so, depending on the thickness of the fish.
5.  Serve, scoff .. delicious again.

Leek and haddock "hot pot"

Oops ... I forgot to take a picture of this in a pretty state - so this is a snap of the leftovers.  However, the recipe was too tasty and too easy to omit from the blog.  Especially with the current limited cooking facilities in our temporary kitchen - so, if I can do this here, anyone can make it.

Olive oil
Leeks
Garlic
Potatoes
Butter
Saffron
White wine
Cherry tomatoes
Green beans
Haddock

1.  Sautee leeks and crushed garlic in olive oil.
2.  Add peeled potatoes, cut into discs about 1cm thick.  The potatoes should be in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle over a pinch of saffron, then add a big knob of butter, a glass of white wine and a couple of glasses of water (until the water just reaches the top of the potatoes). Simmer briefly and then put the lid on.  The idea is that the potatoes suck up the lovely buttery, saffrony, garlicky flavours as they cook.
3.  After a few minutes chuck in a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved, and put the lid back on.
4.  About 10 minutes later add green beans, put the lid back on.
5.  About 10 minutes later layer the haddock on top of the potatoes, put the lid back on and let it steam.  It will take about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
6.  Serve, scoff (so quickly that you forget to take a pic of your dinner, oh, no that's not normal, that's just me - you don't need to take a pic of your dinner).

Butter bean and root vegetable hotpot

Easy, warm, wintery stew ... just what we needed on a cold night.  Cheap too!

Olive oil
Onion
Tuscan mix
Potatoes
Tomato puree
Swede
Carrots
Parsnip
Mushrooms
Marmite
Grainy mustard
Butter beans (tinned, drained)


1.  Sautee chopped onions is olive oil.
2.  Add a teaspoon of tuscan mix (herbs, garlic and chilli) and continue to fry.
3.  Add diced root vegetables, and chopped mushrooms - I didn't peel the potatoes, but did peel the others before dicing.
4.  Squueze in a spoonful of tomato puree and add some water.  Simmer for 10 minutes.
5.  Add a teaspoon of marmite, and a a big one of mustard.  Simmer with the lid on.
6.  Drain a tin of butter beans and add to the mixture.  Simmer until beans are heated through.
7.  Serve, scoff.

temporary kitchen

I said things would be a bit quiet for a while ... as the kitchen fairies have very limited equipment and space ... this is the kitchen for 6 weeks, while the old kitchen currently looks like this....  still, it'l be worth it when it's done.

Hopefully, I'll get to perfect some very simple one pot wonders as the days progress.

it's gonna be a bit quiet for a while

Kitchenfairies HQ is being packed up and put away, so things are going to be pretty quiet around here until the renovations are completed.  Hopefully we will manage a couple of imaginative one pot wonders, but I'm not holding my breath ... life without cooker, fridge or freezer commences Monday.