Smoked mackerel pilau

 

Another - what's in the fridge/cupboard? dinner.  

This was really tasty, really easy to make and really economical.

I happened to have fennel, golden beetroot, courgette and spinach - but you could equally well use celery, carrot, mushrooms, frozen peas etc etc

Olive oil

Spring onions

Garlic

curry spices (whatever you have got)

Fennel

Golden beetroot

Courgette

Basmati rice

Spinach

Smoked mackerel 

1.  Chop and gently fry onion in olive oil, add crushed garlic.

2.  Chop other firm vegetables - fennel, golden beetroot, courgette - and fry gently until nearly soft, for about 15 minutes, add curry powder and cook for another minute.

3.  Add basmati rice, turn over a few times until everything is coated.

4.  Add water/stock to cover the rice with a generous layer of liquid - at least 1 cm above the level of the rice.

5.  Turn heat up and bring to the boil.  As soon as it boils slam on the lid and turn the heat down to the minimum possible.

6.  Leave to sit - do not stir - for 10 minutes.

7.  Add generous handfuls of spinach and the flaked mackerel over the rice - slam lid back on, and leave for another 5ish minutes, for spinach to wilt and fish to heat through.

8.  Stir through, serve, scoff.

Tortilla pies - beef and tofu (not together) - Britsih pie week day 4, pie 2

National pie week - so I thought I would join in the fun again, and see what I could rustle up from the fridge and cupboards.  Basically, I came up with 2 pies  - one with minced beef, and one with tofu - both were very well received.

Served with sweet potato wedges, saffron braised fennel with leeks and a simple salad.

For both pies:-

Tortillas (2 per pie)
Olive oil
Leeks
Celery
Garlic
Red pepper
Courgette
Mixed herbs
White wine
Grated cheese (I used a mixed of smoked and plain cheddar)
Mushrooms
Soya milk (or dairy milk)

For the meat pie:-

Minced beef

For the tofu pie:-

Tofu
Ketchup
Soy sauce
American mustard
Olive oil

For the sweet potato wedges:-

Olive oil
Sweet potato
BBQ seasoning

For the saffron braised fennel with leek

Olive oil
Leeks
Garlic
Fennel
Tomatoes
Saffron
Thyme
Pinch of chilli
White wine

1.  Start by marinating cubed tofu in a mixture of the ingredients from the tofu pie list above.  Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.
2.  Chop 3 leeks.  Split between 4 deepish frying pans, with a splosh of olive oil - 1 for the fennel, 1 for the veg mix for both pies, 1 for the tofu and one for the beef filling.  Sautee gently.

If you were doing all 4 dishes you need to continue with the braised fennel and leek, then the sweet potato, then the vegetables for the pie(s), then the meat and mushroom mixture, then the tofu and mushroom mixtture.  The grate the cheese.  Then build the pies, and bake them for 25-30 minutes.

 so ...

3.  To one lot of sauteed leeks add crushed garlic, stir in, and then add wedges of fennel.  Sprinkle in a couple of strands of saffron, a pinch of thyme and add a few chopped tomatoes.  Stir.  Cover with white wine and water and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper.

4.  Peel sweet potataoes and chop into wedges.  Toss in olive oil, salt and BBQ seasoning and roast for 45 minutes.

5.  To the next lot of sauteed leeks add crushed garlic, chopped celery, courgette and red pepper, with the herbs and a slosh of white wine.  Simmer gently until beg are a bit soft.

6.  To the third lot of sauteed leeks add minced beef and fry until browned.  Add the half of the chopped mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes.

7.  To the final lot of sauteed leeks add marinated tofu, toss about a bit on a highish heat until tofu is a bit browned, then add the rest of the chopped mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes.

8.  Grate cheese.

9.  Oil two pie dishes.  Line them both with a tortilla.  Layer the mixtures - veg, meat/tofu filling, cheese.  Top with another tortilla.  Wash with milk (plant based or otherwise) and bake for 25--30 minutes.

10.  Throw salad together.

11. Scoff, serve .... my goodness they were both good.

Hake with fennel and cavolo nero

Gorgeous silver hake from Paul the fish - some baby roasties and seasonal veg made a very delicious Friday dinner. The aniseediness of the fennel and the celery go very well with the fish, tied in together with a spritz of lemon.

Potatoes
olive oil
Onion
Celery
Garlic
fennel
white wine
cavolo nero
hake
lemon

1.  Chop potatoes into bite sized cubes and roast in olive oil.
2.  Sautee chopped onion and celery, then add crushed garlic and chopped fennel, spritz with lemon juice.  Add half a cup of wine, and the same of water, and simmer gently.
3.  Pan fry the fish, skin side down first - at the same time add shredded cavolo nero to the veg.
4.  Serve, scoff, watch veg dodger have seconds of green veg ... chuckle ...

Tortilla with fennel, carrot and avocado salad

The organic box gave a lovely bunch of vegetables this week, and the biggest carnivore was away, so we figured on a meat free meal.  So, tortilla (or spanish omelette) with salad it was.

Onions

Olive oil

potatoes

Fennel

Carrots

Avocado

Lime

Sesame seeds

Avocado oil

Lettuce

Orange infuse olive oil

balsamic vinegar

eggs - lots of them

1.  Chop onions and fry until soft in olive oil.

2.  Cut potatoes into slices and boil.

3.  Finely chop fennel and carrots, sprinkle on sesame seeds.

4.  Beat together eggs, seasonned with salt and pepper, add a little water to loosen the mixture.

5.  Drain the potatoes and put into a large mixing bowl, add the onions, stir gently, then pour on the eggs.

6.  Tip the eggy potato mix into olive oil, in a large frying pan.  Cook over a a gentle heat for a few minutes  Then place in a medium oven, under a medium grill to cook the top.

7.  Finish the salads by drizzling orange infused oil and balsamic onto washed lettuce leaves.

8.  Slice and avocado and add to the fennel and carrot salad, squeeze on the juice of half a lime to prevent it from browning - drizzle with avocado oil.

9.  Serve, scoff.

Sea bass, braised celery and fennel and asparagus

Upmarket fish and chips for Good Friday - thank you Paul the fish from Todmorden market for excellent fish - as usual.

This takes about an hour and a half - start to finish.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Leeks
Fennel
Celery
Garlic
White wine
Sea bass
butter
Asparagus

1.  Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces, and put them on to boil.
2.  Chop leeks, fennel and celery, crush garlic - sautee in olive oil for a few minutes, splash in a glass of white wine and simmer briefly.
3.  Transfer veg to an oven proof dish, with a lid and put it in the bottom of a medium hot oven (180 C).  At the same time cover the bottom of quite a bit roasting dish with olive oil, and put it in the oven to heat up.
4.  Drain the potatoes, and add to the hot oil.
5.  Sit about chatting for about an hour, turn the potatoes over once in the middle.
6.  Heat olive oil and butter in a  frying pan, and put some water on to boil, to steam the asparagus.
7.  Prepare asparagus by removing the woody end.
8.  Season the fish and fry the fish fillets, skin down first in the hot oil - put the asparagus in the steamer.
9.  The asparagus should be ready when the fish is fried.  This should be about 5-6 minutes on the skin side - and a minute or two once turned over.
10.  Serve, scoff and receive fulsome praise.

Baked hake with potato and fennel gratin

Well, I call it gratin but there is no cheese involved, so really it's just a bake.

This is a gorgeous meal, with every single item available from Todmorden market - every single one!

So, from The Mediterranean Pantry ...

olive oil
garlic
salt and pepper

from Paul the fish

Hake

from Gary the veg

Potatoes
Onions
Fennel
baby plum tomatoes

(If you haven't got roasting dishes or a sharp knife, they are also available from the iron mongers!)

1.  Wash and thinly slice potatoes.
2.  Thinly slice peeled onion and fennel.
3.  Splosh a little olive oil in 2 roasting dishes.
4.  Squish some garlic, mix into a few tablespoons of olive oil.
5.  Arrange the sliced potato, fennel and onion in one of the dishes - season each layer, and splash in a little of the garlic oil.
6.  Stick potatoes in microwave for 10 minutes, then transfer to a medium hot oven for 40 minutes.
7.  Meanwhile, in the other roasting dish, roast halved tomatoes.
8.  After 20 minutes (ie. 20 minutes to go) add the fish to the tomatoes.
9.  Serve, scoff, receive adoring praise.

Cod baked with fennel, with parsley oil

Lovely cod fillet in the organic box today, and some fennel, courgette and new potatoes.  Loads of parsley growing in the trug.  The sun was also beating down, so time for a delicious summer supper.

New potatoes
Fennel
Lemon juice
Olive oil
salt and pepper
Courgette
Cod
Parsley

1.  Wash new potatoes and put on to boil (about 15 minutes).
2.  Chop fennel into 3/4 cm strips - removing outer tough leaves.  Place in oven proof dish and splosh on olive oil and the juice of half a lemon, season - and microwave to soften for 5 minutes (if I had more time I would steam).
3.  Chop courgettes and add to fennel. 
4.  Layer cod onto veg and drizzle with olive oil, spritz of lemon juice, season and bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes or so.
5.  Zizz huge handful of parsley in olive oil, add a spritz of lemon juice and a turn of salt and pepper.  Zizz a bit more, strain through a fine sieve.  Drizzle over the fish and veg when it is served.

This was light and very tasty.  Fennel and parsley oil is particularly delicious, and not something we had tried before.  Definitely a do again dinner.  Next time I might fry the courgette briefly first, and add some petit pois for colour, but it doesn't really need it.

Leek and fennel risotto

Quite late home.  Cold again, but mostly salady things in the veg box - but you can do all sorts of things with a risotto.

Olive oil
Leek
1/2 fennel
Celery
Garlic
White rice
White wine
Stock
Frozen peas
Grated parmesan
Salt and black pepper
Roccolo

1.  Sautee chopped leek, fennel and celery in olive oil.
2.  After a couple of minutes add crushed garlic, and continue to sautee gently.
3.  Add a mugful of white rice, and turn over in the oil.
4.  Chuck in white wine and some stock.  Simmer, add more until the risotto is nearly done.
5.  Add frozen peas and cheese.  Simmer gently.

Season and top with roccolo.

Leek, fennel and smoked mackerel spaghetti

Interesting veg box experience today.  No onion, no potato - and with smoked mackerel to use up.

So, I came up with this, which also had the advantage of being quite quick ... which was useful, as the van has to go to the garage tomorrow, so I had to empty it ... it's amazing how much you can cram into a small camper van!

So, put the water on for the pasta (gluten free spaghetti in our case), then start the sauce,  when the water is boiling, and the leek and fennel have started softening ... all done inside 20 minutes.

Olive oil
1 leek, chopped into rings
1 bulb of fennel, finely chopped
1 glass of dry white wine
smoked mackerel, flaked
1 big tbsp capers in salt, rinsed and roughly chopped
black pepper

Spaghetti - or other pasta

1.  Sautee leek in olive oil for a few minutes (as previously suggested, get your pasta water on first, for the speediest serve), until the crunch lightens.
2.  Add chopped fennel, and continue to sautee.  The two vegetables will soften and go a bit translucent - now chuck in the white wine and simmer - gently - for a few minutes.
3.  Chuck in flaked fish and roughly chopped capers.
4.  When the pasta is done, drain.
5.  Drain pasta.
6.  Toss sauce into pasta, serve and grind on black pepper.  ( a glug of olive oil if it looks a little dry)

Could have added lemon - but the wine was dry, so no real need.  Could have added a spoonful of creme fraiche for silkiness - but trying to keep it lactose free.

Fennel, red pepper and lemon risotto

Olive oil
Onion
Celery
Fennel
Red pepper
Garlic
Arborrio rice
White wine
Stock
Parmesan
Frozen peas

1.  Sautee chopped celery and onion in olive oil.
2.  When a little soft, add the chopped fennel and red pepper.
3.  Add rice and stir until each grain is covered in a film of oil.
4.  Add garlic, white wine and stock gradually, stirring frequently.
5.  Keep adding stock, seasoning and stirring until rice is very nearly cooked.
6.  Stir in grated parmesan and a handful of frozen peas.
7.  Serve - garnish with baby kale and parmesan shards.

Smooth, silky and comforting - with a nice fresh edge from the aniseed fennel and lemon.

No duck pancakes

Peking duck pancakes, from an Asian supermarket, freezer section
Hoisin sauce
Onion
Carrot
Fennel
Cucmber
Sesame seeds


1.  Steam pancakes for about 10 minutes.
2.  Julienne vegetables
3.  Scoff - by smearing sauce on pancake, topping with veg and sesame seeds - roll up

Delish - quick and healthy

Blue cheese and hazelnut vegetable crumble, baby roastie and carrot

Ooops... tucked in before I remembered to snap a pic - but it was worth recording, so I snapped this of the leftovers.  The baby roasties were so nice we had scoffed the lot.

Start with roasties, then the crumble - takes about an hour and 15 minutes.

 

Potatoes

Olive oil

 

Chop potatoes into bite sized pieces, parboil for about 5 minutes.  Drain, chuck into hot olive oil, move about until all covered - stick 'em in the oven at 180 for just over an hour.  Move them about a bit a couple of times so that they are crisp on all sides.

 

Crumble

 

olive oil

Leeks

Garlic

Fennel

Green beans

mushrooms

celery

mixed herbs

stock cube

white wine

gram flour

spinach

rolled oats
blue cheese
olive oil
chopped hazlenuts

1.  Sweat off leeks in olive oil - add chopped veg and soften a bit.
2.  Add herbs, garlic, white wine, stock cube and some water.  Simmer until nearly done.
3.  Add sprinkling of gram flour to thicken sauce, and spinach.
4.  Put into oven proof dish.
5.  Mix oats, crumbled cheese, hazlenuts and olive oil and plenty of seasoning - until moist, but still a crumble.  Put on top of the vegetables.
6.  Bake for about 45 minutes.

Carrots
Butter
Black pepper

Steam until just overcooked, chop them with a sharp knife, so that they are not mash, but they are in tiny pieces - add butter and black pepper.  Keep warm in the oven.

Scoff .. go ooops forgot to take pic!

Pasta bake with spinach and pine nut salad

Assorted veg in the fridge, lovely curry last night - wanted something to ring the changes a bit tonight.  It, in all honesty, wasn't as nice as I had hoped - I am trying to keep cheese to quite a low level - if there was cheese sauce instead of yogurt it would have been much richer and nicer ... having said that - it was low fat, tasty and full of good stuff.

olive oil
onion
celery
mushrooms
green beans
fennel bulb (1/2)
italian herbs
macaroni (gluten free for us)
white wine
gram flour
parmesan
natural yogurt
black pepper

spinach
pine nuts

1. Sweat chopped onions, celery and chopped fennel in olive oil.
2. Add, as you chop them the mushrooms and chopped ans and crushed garlic.
3. Sprinkle in italian herbs, season and splosh in white wine.
4.  Simmer for a bit, sprinkle in gram flour to create a bit of a sauce, stir in.
5.  Simmer until veg are at a done-ness where they are nice to eat.
6.  Meanwhile, cook pasta (in our case GF macaroni) to 1 minute before packet instructions.
7.  Turn off heat under veg when there is still a little, but not watery, sauce.
8.  Drain pasta, stir in, also add grated parmesan and enough yogurt to keep it all together.
9.  Stick it in the oven (more cheese on the top if you have it) to bake for 20 minutes.


Meanwhile...

1.   Put washed spinach leaves on a plate.
2.  Toast pine nuts in a hot frying pan - don't walk away from them - just toss them for a little while, and take off the heat before they start burning.
3.  You could make a dressing with oil, vinegar, seasoning and italian herbs ... but it's really not essentail

Serve - scoff - have seconds!  To be brutal I would prefer more soft cheese than yogurt for the bake, cos it was a bit sharp - but I enjoyed it anyway.

mushroom, fennel, kholrabi and blue cheese risotto

Well, I was so hungry that I forgot to take a pic until I was half way through my bowl of risotto.  However, it was a success, so I think I'll bung it on the blog - as it were...

We had big scoffy bowls full, and there is loads left, so I think there is enough for 6 servings...

1 onion
1/2 bulb fennel
1/2 kholrabi
garlic
risotto rice
white wine
veg stock
cavolo nero
frozen peas
blue cheese
black pepper

1.  Sautee chopped onion and fennel in olive oil.
2.  Add peeled and chopped kholrabi and crushed garlic, turn over in the oil.
3.  Add a handful of risotto rice, turn over so that every grain is lightly coated in oil.
4.  Chuck in a glass of white wine - listen to it sizzle and boil off, then add a ladle of veggie stock (OK, I cheat - crumble in a stock cube, and then add water as the risotto cooks)
5.  Keep stirring and add more liquid as you need it.  it should take about another 20ish minutes.  Season carefully.  Stir in shredded cavolo nero.
6.  When rice is just off done add a handful of frozen peas and blobs of blue cheese.  Simmer a little longer.
7.  Turn the heat off, and let sit for 5 minutes - then serve.

Enjoy the lovely silky texture.  If, like me, you have LOADS left, let it cool completely before freezing.

Baked cod with fennel, orange and olives with red rice

Red rice

Olive oil

Fennel
Cod
Oranges
Black olives
White wine

Cabbage

1.  Cook red rice by your normal method (bring to boil in water an inch above the rice in a cast iron pot, lid on, in medium oven until cooked).
2.  Splash of olive oil in an oven proof dish, add slices of fennel.  Pop the cod (frozen in this case) on top.  Layer on slices of orange and a handful of olives.
3.  Chuck in a glass of white wine - cover with foil and bake.
4.  Shred and steam cabbage.

Baked cod and capers, with fennel and potatoes

Trying to get fish into primary victim is a losing battle.  This was eaten - but with a face like a slapped kipper.  I thought it was refreshing, light and tasty.  So, roast par-boiled potatoes in olive oil, with wedges of fennel - for about 50 minutes.  Bake cod on lemon slices, drizzle of olive oil, tablespoon each of capers and black olives - cracked black pepper - with a good squeeze of lemon juice.  Cod takes about 20 minutes - cooked frozen peas.  Easy peasy then lemon squeezy.  As I said victim ate and grimaced, me and second victim enjoyed it.  Primary victim grinned when I declared we couldn't have it again for at least 3 weeks. 

Chicken, salami and fennel macaroni

It's been a bit of a week this week - no repeat February is on track, but only through victim making a roast lamb dinner (on a Tuesday!) and a VILE take away pizza on Wednesday.  Managed to throw some dinner together last night - easy and quick macaroni with stuff in it.  Chopped and softenned some veggies in olive oil with garlic (leeks, fennel, celery, mushrooms and red pepper) - chucked in diced chicken breast and some chopped up salami.  Boil macaroni.  Bung it all in together when macaroni is nearly cooked.  Add some of the macaroni water, so that the mixture doesn't dry up too much - chucked in jar of pesto and small tub of greek yogurt. Baked for 10 minutes or so.  Top with lots of black pepper.  Easy, tasty and filling.

British sausage week: Day 2: Hazelnut salami pasta salad

OK, day 2 of British sausage week and I am already facing resistance.  Which is odd, because victim is one of the sausage's greatest fans - admittedly normally for breakfast, and especially on a Sunday.  However, had some really nice salami (with hazelnuts, and sourced in the UK - but I have forgotten the compaby) in the fridge - so came up with this.  Gently sauteed chopped leek, fennel, courgette and mushrooms until just a little bie left - added chopped garlic, mixed herbs, and finely diced salami - then seasonned.  Put pasta (farfalle in this case) on... added about half a pint of chicken stock to vegetable and salami mix.  When pasta was nearly done added frozen peas to vegetable and salami mixture - stir through to heat.  Tipped sauce into big bowl, and stirred in spoonful of cream cheese.  Added drained pasta, and a big handful of rocket with a dollop of mayonnaise - stir gently until mixed and sprinkle with chopped parsley and grind of black pepper.  Thumbs up from victim, and I liked it too.  Bonus, though it won't freeze I have some left in a plastic pot for lunch tomorrow.