Barbeque chicken bake

Chicken legs ... and various bits and bobs from the veg box - but wanted to make it a bit more tasty (but easy) ... so BBQ marinated chicken, and chucked it all into a baking tray ... it was delicious, and created its own sauce.

Olive oil
Potatoes
Carrots
Fennel
Onion
Red pepper and tomato relish
American mustard
Soy sauce
Ketchup
Black pepper
Chicken legs
Garlic
Red pepper
Peas

1.  Slosh olive oil into a big oven dish and add potato chunks.
2.  Add peeled carrots, chopped into decent sized pieces (ie. average carrot, chop top third off, halve the rest and chuck those chunks in)
3.  Add fennel bulb and onion, both cut into wedges.
4.  Make "BBQ" sauce by mixing relish, mustard, olive oil, ketchup, pepper and soy sauce - squish the chicken legs around until well coated.  Then add peeled garlic cloves.
5.  Stick in the oven, at 180 for 45 mins (ish)
6.  Add chopped red pepper, stir around.
7.  After about 20 minutes add podded peas (or frozen), stir around.
8.  10 minutes later - stir, scoff ... have seconds ... it was proper tasty.

Paella (well, an easy version)

Easy, quick and extremely tasty - this version of the Spanish classic can be on the table in 30 minutes.  All ingredients available from Todmorden Market (Paul's fresh fish, The Mediterranean  Pantry and the vegetables from Kevin).

Olive oil
Shallots
Celery
Red pepper
Tomato puree
Paella rice
Saffron
Smoked paprika
Vegetable stock (from bouillon)
Tomatoes
Prawns
peas

1.  Finely chop shallots, a stick of celery and a red pepper.  Sautee in olive oil until nearly soft.
2.   Add a good dollop of tomato puree, a pinch of saffron and stir in.
3.  Add a big handful of paella rice and stir in until every grain is coated in oil.   Add a mugful of stock.
4.  Add a pinch of saffron and a teaspoon of paprika and stir in.  Add grated tomatoes (or a tin) and more stock and leave to simmer.
5.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, checking that it's not going too dry.
6.  Taste the rice - when it is the tiniest bit "chalky" on the inside add the prawns and peas - probably more stock as well, just to finish off.
7.  When the juice has pretty much been absorbed turn the heat off under the pan, and let it sit for a couple of minutes to absorb the rest (it should sit as a spoonful and not leak juice into a puddle when it's served).
8.  Serve, scoff …. have seconds - be chastised for nicking prawns without the accompanying rice (I only pinched one!)

Meals in minutes: stir fries

We needed food fast, so this isn't a recipe as such - as it involved prechopped veggies and ready to wok noodles … however, it gave us two delicious stir fries - one featuring prawns and the other one cashew nuts.

Peanut oil
Garlic paste
Chilli flakes
Soy sauce
Ginger
Rice wine vinegar
Ketchup
Pre-prepared veg stir fry mixes (we had 1 x Chinese veg, 1 x mushroom stir fry & 1 x broccoli and butternut squash …) or chop up veg into bite sized pieces
Frozen prawns
Cashew nuts
Ready to wok noodles

1.  Make a paste from a couple of spoonfuls of peanut oil, garlic and ginger paste, a tablespoon of ketchup and chilli flakes to taste.
2.  Thaw frozen prawns by running hot water over them.
3.  In tow woks heat a little peanut oil until hot.
4.  Fling in veg - I used Chinese type in one wok, and the other two combined in the other one.
5.  Add the prepared mix to the Chinese mix, and a good splash of soy sauce.
6.  Add garlic paste and soy sauce to the mushroom etc mix, and a splash of rice wine.
7.  Toss the veg about for a few minutes, add a little water to help steam the veg.
8.  Add the noodles …. unknit them a bit with your fingers to make them easier to mix in.
9.  Toss around until veg is done and noodles are heated through.
10.  Serve, scoff … add more soy sauce/chilli sauce if desired.

Ten minutes, start to finish.

Smoked mackerel, courgette and green bean pasta

Cheap, quick and healthy - can't beat it.  All ingredients (except frozen peas) available at Tod market.  Mackerel from Paul outside, veg from Kev outside and everything else from The Mediterranean Pantry inside.

Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Courgette
Italian seasoning
Green beans
Frozen peas
Pasta (GF, or otherwise)
Smoked mackerel

1.  Gently fry chopped onion in olive oil until soft, then add courgette and garlic and continue to cook until courgette is soft, stirring occasionally.
2.  Cut green beans into bite sized pieces and place in a steamer pan.
3.  Boil the kettle, pour boiling water into a pan, bring back to the boil and add pasta and a pinch of salt.
4.  Steam the beans over the pasta, after 5 minutes add frozen peas.
5.  Break the mackerel into bite sized flakes, discarding the skin.
6.  When the pasta is done, drain and then throw in all the other ingredients and stir.
7.  Serve, scoff

Under 20 minutes and under £1 per portion.

Feta stuffed courgette, tomato and garlic green beans

Making the most of the lovely summer vegetables … today courgettes and green beans.  The feta added to the courgette adds a lovely salty sharpness.

Olive oil
courgette
red onion
oregano
feta
green beans
cherry tomatoes
garlic
new potatoes







1.  Cut the courgettes in half length ways, scoop out the central flesh with a spoon.  Dice this flesh finely.
2.  Finely chop a red onion, mix with the courgette flesh, a good pinch of oregano and a splosh of olive oil.  Mix well, squishing the courgette and onion together.  Fold in chunks of feta.
3.  Heap the mix back into the courgettes.  Drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 30 minutes.
4.  Top and tail beans, and cut into bite sized pieces.  Splosh a little olive oil into a frying pan - add beans, cherry tomatoes, crushed garlic and a cup of water.  Bring to the simmer and cook for about 15 minutes (add a little more water if it looks like its going dry).  The tomatoes will split - I usually help them along by squishing them with a spatula.
5.  Boil/steam new potatoes.
6.  Serve, scoff  … lovely summery goodness.

Smoked haddock and spinach hotpot

 Week 11 of kitchen renovations... dinners have not been exciting, and have been aesthetically challenged in the main (scampi and oven chips is hardly inspiring!) ... but I am managing a win with most Friday dinners.  Paul's excellent fish helps big style.

The chickens have decided it's spring, and have been laying despite the recent snow - so the classic combination of smoked haddock and poached egg led to this.

Red onion

Olive oil

Potatoes

White wine stock pot

Water

Grainy mustard

Garlic

Green beans

Spinach

Smoked haddock

Eggs

1.  Sautee chopped red onion in olive oil, add crushed garlic.

2.  When a bit soft add slices of peeled potatoes, ad a handful of chopped green beans.

3.  Pour on stock made with a white wine stock pot and a spoonful of wholegrain mustard.

4.  Put the lid on a stew until the potatoes are nearly soft.

5.  Add a couple of big handfuls of baby spinach and the fish.  Lid back on a steam until fish is nearly done - about 10 minutes.

6.  Break in eggs, put the lid back on and steam for another 5 minutes.

7.  Serve, scoff ... a triumph.

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.

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 "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.

Chick peas on toast

Like beans on toast, but a bit crunchier.  Very filling, very delicious, and probably cheaper than chips.

The sourdough bread is from the very lovely Cragg bakers who are here on the outside Todmorden market on a Saturday - their bread is outstanding.

All other ingredients can be found on the market, inside and outside.  Chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, passata, tomato puree and spices from The Mediterranean Pantry.  Butter from The Crumbly Cheese.

Onions
Olive oil
Garlic
Red pepper
Tomato puree
chilli flakes
mixed herbs
Dijon mustard
Chickpeas (tinned, jarred or soaked overnight and boiled for an hour)
Passata
Water/stock
Sourdough bread
Butter (Olive oil spread to make it vegan)

1.  Sautee chopped oniion and crushed garlic in olive oil.
2.  Add chopped red pepper, fry a little longer, then add tomato puree, a pinch of chilli flakes, a pinch of mixed herbs and a teaspoon of dijon mustard, stir in.
3.  Add drained chick peas and a tinful of water/ veg stock, simmer briefly.
4.  Add passata and simmer gently until it looks like the right consistency for you.  (if it goes too think just add a little water.
5.  Toast bread, butter ...
6.  Serve, scoff, smile

National curry week: Day 4: Dhal and rice, with pepper and courgette curry.

Dead easy, dead cheap and dead good for you.

Brown rice
Red lentils
Onion
Garlic
Vegetable oil
Curry powder
Courgette
Red pepper
Tin tomatoes
Curry leaves
Cardamon pods
Chillies
mustard seeds
cumin seeds

1. Cook the rice.
2.  Put the lentils on to boil for the dhal.
3.  Make the curry - sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic in oil.  Add curry powder.
4.  Chop courgette and pepper and add to the onion, then add a tin of tomatoes - bash them up and add a tin full of water - simmer.
5.  When everything is ready make the tarka - flash fry curry leaves, cardomon pods, chillies and cumin and mustard seeds in hot oil - sizzle onto the dhal.
6.  Serve, scoff.

Spiced haddock, with sweetcorn and black beans

It's Friday, so a pick of Paul's excellent fish.  Today, I went for haddock and some bang in season sweetcorn.  To give it a bit more body I mixed the sweetcorn with black beans, onion and red pepper, and to give it some zing I coated the fish with a paprika herby garlicky paste.  We had it with leftover mash with the leeks stirred through it.

Haddock

Corn on the cob

Tin of black beans

Onion

Red pepper

Paprika

Crushed garlic

Italian seasoning

ground cumin

salt & pepper

olive oil

1.  Strip the corn off the cob, rinse the beans, finely chop the onion and red pepper.  Mix together and layer in the bottom of an oven dish.

2.  Mix the garlic, herbs and spices into a paste with the olive oil.  Spread onto the fish.

3.  Layer the fish over the bean mixture and cover with foil.  Pop into a medium oven.

4.  Do what ever you want for 30-40 minutes ... drink wine and chat, watch Corrie, do a crossword etc etc

5.  Open oven door, take foil off the dish - serve ... scoff ... optional spritz with fresh lime.

Halloumi, with spicy tomato sauce

I don't suppose it qualifies as a recipe really, but some of the simplest things are the tastiest, and we certainly enjoyed this.

Potatoes
Onion
Garlic
Olive oil
Tin tomatoes
Chilli flakes
Leeks
Halloumi

1.  Peel potatoes, cut into chunks and boil.
2.  Sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic until soft, add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a pinch of chilli flakes, and cook until saucy ... add a little water to loosen if you need to.
3.  Slice leeks and wash well, boil in water with a dash of olive oil.
4.  Mash potatoes and put in the oven to brown the top a little (optional).
5.  Fry the halloumi in a hot pan, for a couple of minutes each side.
6.  Serve, scoff .... yum

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!

Roast trout, salsa verde and coleslaw

Friday - so, it'll be fish then ... no surprise there.  The beauty of this meal is that is suits everyone - the veg dodger likes coleslaw (albeit slathered in mayonnaise) and we all like fish.  I made a punchy salsa verde just to ring the changes, which wnet down well - I love the sharpness of the capers and cornichons chopped into the parsley and garlic - so dolloped on a load.  Others had a modest taste, but declared that it was surprisingly tasty.  This mix is firmly on the make again list.  It's also dead easy apart from some chopping.

Baby potatoes
Olive oil
Trout
Lemon
Spring onion
Red onion
Salt
Carrots
White cabbage
Cider vinegar
Sesame seeds
Parsley
Garlic
Capers
Cornichons

optional mayonnaise

1.  Parboil baby potatoes, then roast in olive oil.
2.  Put slices of lemon in the fish, fold them closed, drizzle with olive oil, roast covered in foil - for 30 minutes (about 160).
3.  Make the coleslaw - thinly slice onions, toss in a salad bowl, sprinkle with salt to start breaking them down.  Add julienned carrots (or grated) and finely shredded cabbage.  Toss gently and leave to stand.  After 10 minutes sprinkle on sesame seeds, splosh in some olive oil and a splash of cider vinegar.  Toss again, more throughly.  (at this point add mayonnaise/yoghurt if your household likes it - some of mine don't, so we have have it on the table for DIY concoction).
5.  Finely chop a pile of parsley with a small handful of capers and cornichons and a couple of garlic cloves.  Put the lovely green-ness into a bowl, add olive oil and stir until it looks and tastes right.
6.  Serve, scoff ... have seconds ... fight over last potato, leave leftover coleslaw for lunch tomorrow.

Chicken and chorizo

It was cold, and I was feeling lazy, so wanted a minimum fuss dinner. Chicken thighs are underused - they are cheap, tender and tasty.  To add a bit of oomph I added sliced chorizo, and to fox the veg dodger I included onions and red pepper.  So even though he body swerved the green salad, he did get some veg with his meat.

Olive oil
onion
red pepper
chicken thighs
chorizo
oven chips
salad leaves


1.  Fry onion in olive oil, add red pepper.
2.  When the onion is a bit soft, it doesn't need to be completely cooked - add chicken pieces, skin side down to brown.  The throw in slices of chorizo.
3.  Transfer chicken to an oven dish,  pour on the other ingredients, cover and bake for about 40 minutes.
4.  Cook oven chips and put out salad.
5.  Serve, scoff

Spicy haddock goujons, with baby roasties

Easy, tasty, and on the table in under 40 minutes.

Baby potatoes
Olive oil
Carrot
Courgette
Sugar snap peas
Haddock
Polenta
Piri piri spice
Fennel seeds

1.  Boil potatoes.  When nearly cooked roast in olive oil for about 20 minutes, just to give them a bit of colour.
2.  Prep the veg and steam for 12(ish) minutes.
3.  Mix polenta, piri piri spice and fennel seeds, lightly coat strips of haddock.
4.  Fry the fish in olive oil for a couple of minutes each side - drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the bottom of the oven.
5.  Serve, scoff.

See, I said it was easy!

Sunday roast chicken and cauliflower cheese

Just delicious - you really can't beat  good roast chicken sometimes, and this was one of those times.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Chicken
Garlic
Lemon
Chicken rub
Cauliflower
Green beans
Soya milk (or dairy milk)
Cornflour
Cheddar
Emmental
Grainy mustard

1.  Roast potatoes in olive oil, for about an hour and a quarter.
2.  Cut a bulb of garlic in half, and a lemon in half - stuff half the garlic, half a lemon, half a garlic, half a lemon into the cavity in the chicken.
3.  Rub chicken rub and olive oil all over the chicken - roast - breast side down first for about an hour and a quarter.  After 20ish minutes turn the chicken over and move the potatoes about a bit to allow even cooking.
4.  Steam cauliflower florets and green beans.
5.  Make cheese sauce by boiling the milk, slake cornflour in water and add to the milk to thicken.  Add grated cheese and a spoonful of grainy mustard.
6.  Put the steamed cauliflower in an oven dish and pour over sauce - bake for 20 minutes, or so.  Keep the green beans warm
7.  Check the chicken - if you insert a sharp knife into the fattest bit the juices should run clear.
8. Serve, scoff ... hide any seconds you might want for lunch. The veg dodger finished everything else off for a midnight feast.

Smoked mackerel biryani, roast beetroot with hard boiled egg

This dinner was made in stages, but is incredibly easy.  The beetroot was actually roasted yesterday, bunged in the oven while I was roasting potatoes.  The ricey bit - I'm calling it biryani because I used a biryani spice mix, and it uses raw rice, rather than kedgeree which uses cooked rice) takes a few minutes (about 8) to start, and then you just leave it gently cooking itself until 5 minutes before serving.  Eggs - simply put on to boil in cold water, done 3 minutes after the water starts to boil.



Roast beetroot

Beetroot
Garlic
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Smoked Mackerel biryani

Onion
garlic
Olive oil
Biryani spice
Basmati rice
Vegetable stock
Frozen peas
Smoked mackerel

Boiled eggs

Eggs!

1.   Wash beetroot, put, unpeeled, in a roasting dish with lots of garlic - just bash a few cloves and stick them in.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and cover tightly with foil.  Roast until beetroot is soft ... about an hour.
2.  Cool beetroot.  When cold - peel - I always wear gloves as otherwise you end up looking like an extra from the Texas chainsaw massacre - this time I had run out of gloves so improvised with 2 plastic bags on my hands ... clumsy, but it worked.  Chop into chunks and drizzle with balsamic.  Store in the fridge.
3.  Sweat off chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil, in a heavy bottomed pan with a tight fitting lid.
4.  Add a teaspoon, or so, of biryani spice mix (or curry mix of your choice).  Stir in.  Add basmati rice, stir until every grain has a thin layer of oil.  Add stock to 1 inch about the rice, bring to the boil.
5.  As soon as the rice boils stick the lid on it, and turn it RIGHT down.  Leave for 15 minutes.
6.  Boil the eggs.  (From cold, bring to the boil, simmer for 3 minutes, put under running cold water to cool quickly ... peel)
7.  Stir frozen peas into the rice, add flaked smoked mackerel - stir gently, slam the lid back on for 5 minutes.
8.  Serve, scoff