Roast gammon, with hasselback potatoes, butter bean leek and mushroom casserole and stir fried celeriac slaw.

Some days you fancy something just a little bit different … ie. a tiny bit different... so I hasselbacked the potatoes - other than that it really is a pretty standard roast gammon dinner.

Gammon
Potatoes
Garlic
Olive oil
Leeks
Mushrooms
Veg stock
White wine
Butter beans
Leftover celeriac slaw
Apple juice
Coleslaw
Chicken stock cube

1.  Roast gammon - 25 minutes plus 20 minutes per 500g - in foil, then another 20 minutes without foil.  10 minutes to rest.
2.  Wash potatoes, cut slices that don't go all the way through the potatoes by cutting between two chopsticks, or on a wooden spoon.  Brush the potatoes, into the gaps with crushed garlic mixed with olive oil.  Roast for an hour.
3.  Sautee leeks and mushrooms for a few minutes, then add a splash of white wine and a cup of veg stock.  Simmer, add butter beans, transfer to oven dish and keep warm while everything finishes.
4.  When you uncover the gammon pour in a glass of apple juice.
5.  After 20 minutes make the gravy using the apple juice and meat juice, chicken stock - simmer this and then thicken with cornflour (slake cornflour in water, add it to gravy, stir as it thickens).
6.  Stir fry left over celeriac slaw  (or prepare whatever veg you are using, obviously)
7.  Serve, scoff, have seconds

… loads of gammon left for tomorrow's lunch.

The bucket list dinner

We have introduced film night to Kitchenfairies entertainment, and, because I can't resist a food ritual I have decided to match the food to the film.  Tonight it was "The Bucket List" - so I asked for bucket list food suggestions.  
The requests were BBQ ribs, bacon wrap shrimp and cheese souffle.  To these I added potato wedges and celeriac slaw.

The ribs take a while - overnight to marinate and then 2+ hours to bake.  I have written the "recipe" in order of process, so omit the bits you don't want, or add in your own bits.  The soufflé recipe has a page of its own.

Baked BBQ ribs

pork ribs
barbeque spice rub

brown sugar
BBQ sauce

Celeriac slaw

red onion
white onion
red cabbage
carrots
celeriac
lemon juice

potatoes
raw shrimp
smoked streaky bacon
garlic


1.  Mix together the barbeque spice, a big pinch of salt and a spoonful of brown sugar.  Massage this mix into the pork ribs.  Wrap in foil and marinade for up to 24 hours.
2.  Bake the ribs, in their foil, on a tray for 2 hours - at 200.
3.  Start the cheese sauce for the soufflé.
4.  Prep and chop veg for the slaw (finely slice onions, peel and julienne carrots and celeriac, shred cabbage) mix, spritz in the juice of 1 lemon, and add a big pinch of salt, mix well.  Cover and leave in the fridge until everything else is ready.
6.  Prep potato wedges, roast in olive oil for about an hour.
7.  Bake soufflé.
8.  Wrap shrimp in bacon, toss in olive oil and roast for 10 minutes.  I also roasted some with crushed garlic for the pescatarian.
9.  Take the foil off the ribs, slather with BBQ sauce, put back in the oven - on the foil, they just get stickier - bake for 5 minutes
9.  Serve, scoff … also serve mayonnaise for those who like their coleslaw creamy.

Cheese souffle

We have introduced film night to Kitchenfairies entertainment, and, because I can't resist a food ritual I have decided to match the food to the film.  Tonight it was "The Bucket List" - so I asked for bucket list food suggestions.  One of these was cheese soufflé - check here for the others.

Souffle is notoriously easy to muck up - but if you make sure the cheese sauce is nearly cold before mixing in the eggs, and fold the egg whites in gently, and NEVER open the oven door, then it is achievable.


Soya milk  (about 500ml)
Cornflour
Gouda  (about 100g)
Cheddar  (about 100g)
Parmesan  (about 30g)
butter
4 eggs, separated

1.  Make the cheese sauce by heating the soya milk, slaking the cornflour in a little water and mixing in.  Simmer the sauce, whisking, until it has thickened.  Add grated cheese and stir until melted.  Set aside.
2.  Wait for the cheese sauce to cool, vigorously whisk in any skin which has formed on the top.
3.  Whisk egg yolks until they go a little creamy, stir into the cheese sauce.
4.  Whisk egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
5.  Butter an oven (or soufflé) dish.
6.  Fold the egg whites into the sauce mix.  Start by folding in a spoonful, quite quickly, with a metal spoon to loosen the sauce mixture.  Then fold the rest of the egg whites in, gently, until there are no blobs of white left.
7.  Bake at 180 for 30 minutes.
8.  Serve, scoff, gloat

St Patrick's Day - baked gammon and colcannon

St Patrick's Day - and I am now in a largely Irish household, so any excuse for a roast gammon dinner and a pint or three of the black stuff.  It was made even more special by the beautiful gammon from Bracewell's butchers in Todmorden market hall - absolutely first rate.

Gammon joint
Potatoes
Onions
Cabbage
Carrots
Apple juice
Chicken stock cube
Butter
Egg
Cornflour

1.  Bake the gammon at 180 for about 2 hours (obviously depending on the size of your joint, this was just under 3lbs).  Turn it over after an hour, and add a cupful or so of apple juice to help make the gravy.
2.  After 1 hour peel the potatoes and put on to boil for the mash - steam chopped onions and shredded cabbage above the potatoes, and steam the peeled batons of carrot over them, for about 15-10 minutes, until the potatoes are done.
3.  Drain the potatoes, mash in the cooked onions and cabbage with plenty of butter.  Place in an oven dish and put in the oven to brown the top.  Cover the carrots with foil and put in the boom of the oven to keep warm.
4.  Drain the juices from the gammon, and make a simple gravy with chicken stock and cornflour.
5.  After another 30 minutes the dinner will be nearly done, so fry an egg for all those who want one.
6.  Serve, scoff ..

This is the veg dodger's plate - 4 carrot batons!  honestly!  But everybody had seconds, most had thirds and fourths .. success

Chicken Korma, Chicken Tikka Masalla, Allo Gobi and Tarka Dahl - for movie night

 Tonight's film choice was A Theory of Everything - the story of Stephen Hawkings.   Did you know that curry was Professor Hawkings' favourite food?  No, neither did I!

So, curry it was - chicken two ways - Korma for the lactose intolerant,  tikka masala for the veg dodger, aloo gobi and tarka dhal for the veggie, and brown rice for all.

Lucky me - I can have all of it!

Chicken thighs
Tikka masala spices
Natural yogurt

Olive oil
Ground almonds
Cashew nuts (ground)
Onion
garlic
Brown basmati rice
red lentils
mustard seeds
coriander seeds
cumin seeds
urid dhal
turmeric
garam masala
chilli flakes
veg stock
potatoes
cauliflower
chopped tomatoes
curry leaves

1.  Marinate the chicken thighs.  Mix tandoori spices with natural yogurt and a little olive oil.   Massage into chicken.   Sautee onion and garlic with a little garam masala, add ground nuts - pour over the other dish of chicken thighs.
2.  Start the rice and lentils, cover both in an inch over the surface with water and bring to the simmer.  When the rice starts simmering, slam on a tight lid and put it in a medium oven until everything else is ready.  Watch the lentils, add more water if needed and keep simmering.
3.  Put the chicken thighs in to roast.
4.  Start the aloo gobi by sauteeing chopped onion and garlic, add spices (mustard, cumin and coriander seeds, urid dhal, turmeric and a pinch of chilli flakes).  Add cubes of peeled potatoes and cauliflower florets, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a cup of veg stock.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, add more liquid if needed.
5.  Magically everything should just about be done - so make the tarka by heating spice seeds and curry leaves in a little olive oil and fling onto the dhal.
6.  Serve, scoff … enjoy the film

Everybody had seconds - the veg dodger had thirds - and we all loved the film.

Fried chicken, macaroni cheese, collared greens and bean casserole: aka Walk the Line

 We have added a development to many of our Saturday nights.  We are having "movie nights", and as an added bonus will theme the dinner to the film.

Today was "Walk the Line" - the Johnny Cash biopic.  Johnny Cash lived in Nashville, so it was food of the American south.

Spicy fried chicken, macaroni cheese, collared greens and bean casserole.  I struggled to find many traditional vegetarian recipes which might also appeal to the veg dodger - how has a particular dislike of sweetcorn.

This dinner was declared a success, and we all enjoyed the film.

Spicy fried chicken

Chicken thighs

Flour

Barbeque spice

Soya milk

Olive oil for frying

Macaroni cheese

Soya milk

Cornflour

Macaroni

Cheddar cheese - grated

Mozzarella - grated

Collared greens

Red onion

Garlic

Cavolo nero

Vegetable stock

Spinach

Olive oil

Bean casserole

Olive oil

Onion

Garlic

Red pepper

oregano

Chopped tomatoes

Tin of mixed beans

1.  Place chicken thighs in soya milk and allow to soak for a few minutes.

2.  Mix barbeque seasoning, salt and pepper into flour.

3.  Start cheese sauce by heating soya milk.  Add slaked cornflour to soya milk and heating through, keep stirring.

4.  Add grated cheese to thickened sauce, reserving some for the top.

5.  Boil the pasta according to packet instruction, then drain when done.

6.  Start the collared greens and bean casserole by sweating chopped onion and garlic in olive oil in two separate pans.

7.  Dredge the chicken thighs in flour and set aside to dry a little.

8.  Add shredded cavolo nero to softened onions, with a cup of vegetable stock, and steam for about 12 minutes, then add spinach and wilt down.  

9.  Add chopped red pepper to the other onions, fry for 5 minutes, and then add beans and tomatoes, oregano and season and heat through.

10.  Drain the pasta, add the sauce, top with reserved cheese and bake for 20 minutes.

11.  Dip the chicken thighs in soya milk again, and then coat with seasoned flour.

12.  Finish the chicken by shallow frying in olive oil, bake for 10 minutes to ensure they are fully cooked through.

13.  serve, scoff … 

Fish pie, garlic courgettes and steamed veg

It's British pie week, and Paul had some fabulous fish, so I got to make one of my favourites, a really good fish pie.

Cooking the courgettes long and slow in olive oil with plenty of garlic even made the veg dodger sit up and have seconds.

Fish - a combination of cod, haddock, smoked haddock and a little salmon.
Soya milk
Cornflour
Potatoes
Butter
Frozen peas
Carrots
Leek
Courgette
Garlic
Olive oil

1.  Peel potatoes and boil for the mash.
2.  Cut fish into bite sized pieces and poach in soya milk (or dairy milk).
3.  Drain the milk from the fish and thicken with slaked cornflour, ie.  heat in a pan, add cornflour mixed to a paste in water, and heat through, stirring continuously until it thickens. add a good grind of black pepper.
4.  Place the fish in an oven dish and cover with the thickened sauce.
5.  Mash the potatoes with a knob of butter.
6.  Chuck a good handful of frozen peas over the fish mixture and then cover with mash.
7.  Bake to get a crispy brown top, for about 20 minutes.
8.  Dice the courgette, fry in olive oil with crushed garlic.  Kepp it on a low-medium heat and let them cook through gently.
9.  Steam washed, sliced leeks and carrot batons.
10.  Serve, scoff …

Sausage, mash and roman cauliflower

Shopping seasonally and locally, add a few herbs and ta da …

Sausages from Stansfield's, veg from Kevin on the outside market, herbs, stock, garlic and olive oil from The Mediterranean Pantry.  Jobs a good 'un.

Sausages
King Edwards potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Cauliflower
Courgette
Cherry tomatoes
veg stock
oregano
butter
Frozen peas

1.  Put the sausages in a medium oven.
2.  Peel and chop the potatoes for the mash, boil until done.
3.  Sautee 2 batches of onions - 1 by themselves, and 1 for the Roman Cauliflower.
4.  To the onions for the cauliflower add crushed garlic, chopped courgette, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower broken into florets, a mug of vegetable stock and a good pinch of oregano.  Simmer until cooked, cover if necessary.
5.  Mash the potatoes with lots of butter.
6.  Add the frozen peas to the cauliflower.
7.  Serve, scoff .. delish

Burritos - or something similar

 Tonight we felt a bit of an American vibe, so I thought we would go with burritos.  Probably not terribly authentic, but they tasted good and we were all filled up.

I cheated with microwave rice and shop bought wraps -but why ever not?!

There were two versions - one for the pescatarian and one for the veg dodger.  That's the beauty of things like this, people can pick and mic.

Onion
Garlic
Olive oil
Cumin
Red kidney beans
Red onion
Courgette
Red pepper
Fajita spice
Lettuce
Radish
Tomatoes
Avocado
Lime
Red chilli
Cooked rice
Salmon
Steak
Wraps
Sour cream

1.  Chop 2 red onions - one into small dice for the refried beans and one in strips for the spiced vegetables.
2.  Sautee the onions in olive oil, in 2 separate pans.
3.  Crush garlic and add to both pans.  Add a good pinch of cumin to the refried beans pan, and a pinch of fajita spice to the veg pan.
4.  Drain and rinse a tin of red kidney beans and add to the onion and cumin, add a splash of water and heat through.
5.  Chop courgette and red pepper into strips, add to the veg pan and stir fry.
6.  Chop the salad bits and present on a tray, spritz the avocado with lime juice.
7.  Roast the salmon in the oven for 15 minutes.
8.  Remove the beans from the heat and mash them gently, spritz with lime juice.  Keep warm in the oven.
9.  Sprinkle wraps with a little water, wrap in foil and put in the oven to heat through.
10.  Cook the steak - to your preferred level of done - ours was medium rare - 3 minutes on each side, leave to rest for 5 minutes.  Cut into strips.
11.  Serve, with sour cream and hot chilli mayonnaise …. scoff

Glamorgan Sausages, and other St David's Day treats

In honour of St David's Day (I was born in Wales after all) I decided on a Welsh themed dinner.

The lamb is not from Wales, it was born and bred in Todmorden by Bracewell's Butchers in the Market Hall.  The cheese is from Wales, its proper Caerphilly from The Crumbly Cheese.  The mustard is English, but from The Mediterranean Pantry.  The veg are from Kev on the outside market.

Using porridge oats instead of the more traditional breadcrumbs for the sausages makes them gluten free.

Todmorden rocks!

Potatoes
Olive oil
Leeks
Porridge oats
Mustard
Caerphilly cheese
Eggs
Turnips
Carrots
Butter
Lamb leg steaks

1.  Chop the potatoes into chunks, toss in olive oil and roast.
2.  Chop and wash a leek, sweat down gently in olive oil.
3.  Allow the softened leek to cool.
4.  Peel and chop turnips and carrots, boil until mashable.  Steam chopped, washed leek on top of the pan.
5.  Mix oats, cheese and cooled leeks with 2 eggs and a spoonful of mustard.  Form into sausage shapes.
6.  When the potatoes are nearly done pan fry the sausages and lamb in a little olive oil (separately in our case, to conserve the veggie credentials of the sausages).  They both take about 8 minutes, turning so all sides are cooked.
7.  Mash root veg with plenty of butter and black pepper.
8.  Serve, scoff …

The veg dodger loved the sausages!  Result.