Plaice with a shrimp and garlic sauce

Paul the fish on Todmorden market has confirmed our Friday is fish day habits as his fish is so consistently fantastic..  There is no religious significance to this, but it has developed into a thing ... and today I choose plaice and to jazz it up a bit with a buttery, garlicy shrimp sauce.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Plaice
Butter
Garlic
Shrimps
Black pepper
Frozen peas

1.  Roast chopped potatoes in olive oil.
2.  Chat ... there's nothing to do until 10 minutes before you eat.
3.  Fry the plaice gently in a mix of butter and oil (to stop it burning) for a a couple of minutes on each side - keep warm in the oven.
4.  Boil peas.
5.  Briefly fry crushed garlic and peas in butter and oil in the fish pan - pour over the fish.
6.  Serve, scoff

Bruschetta

Recipe?  No, of course not!   Too easy to call it a recipe!  But, is it delicious?  Yes, yes, absolutely!  I sell all 3 ingredients from my stall - the ciabatta is imported (frozen) from Puglia (yes, normally I would frown on the air miles, but this bread is really delicious, so ... I am sorry, I will continues ot buy it) ... the olive oil is greek and very peppery (though any good olive oil would be great) and the garlic is the best french rose garlic.  This was the loveliest late night snack imaginable.

Bread
Olive oil
Garlic

1.  Toast the bread.
2. Drizzle with olive oil
3. Cut a clove of garlic in half, and run the cut end onto the hot toast.

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.

Roast chicken thighs, baked potatoes, roast squash and steamed brocolli

It's not a full roast dinner - but it's right good (and right good value).  There was also haloumi with leeks and tomato for the vegetarian contingent - but I forgot to take a pic...  Little extras which turn "bog standard" (not my words) into a bit special were garlic, mustard, bouillon powder (all available from The Mediterranean Pantry), and a splash of dry white wine (not available from the pantry - I'm not licensed.)

Also, I will admit, one of my biggest weaknesses in the kitchen is leaving the squash battling until it's unavoidable - or - as this week - done be a-n-other (thanks hun xxx), so the roast squash was not all mine.  It was prepped and roasted first, with some olive oil, garlic, lemon rind and black pepper for about 45 minutes.  I put it back into the oven 30 minutes before serving the rest ... ie.  after dealing with the potatoes and chicken, and about the same time as starting the leeks for the halloumi and putting the brocolli on to steam.

So:-

potatoes
olive oil
leeks
garlic
chicken thighs
bouillon powder
white wine
mustard
tomatoes
halloumi
brocolli

1.  Gratefully receive prepped squash :)
2.  Wash potatoes, prick with a fork and coat with olive oil (put a teaspoon of live oil in your hands and rub each pricked potato).  Put in microwave for 10 minutes (this just means that you  can bake them in under an hour - you could bake form scratch, obviously).
3.  Transfer the potatoes to the oven, and then start with the leeks for the chicken.  Sautee them gently for 10 minutes in olive oil for 10 minutes, add crushed garlic.
4.  Add chicken thighs, skin side down, to the onions and brown for about 3 minutes.
5.  Splash in white wine, stir in a splash of wine and stock made from bouillon and a big teaspoon of grainy mustard.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
6.  Transfer chicken to oven dish, add sauce - put in hot oven with potatoes for 30 minutes.  Put the prepped squash in the bottom of the oven to heat back through.
7.  After 10 mins - Cut broccoli into florets and steam. (takes about 15 mins from cold)
8.  Sautee leeks and crushed garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes, add chopped fresh tomatoes - season.
9.  Move leek mixture to the side of the pan and fry the halloumi (in slices) for a couple of minutes each side.
10.  It should be done now - so serve and scoff.

Lovely!

Pan fried cod, with garlic and rosemary mini roast potatoes and steamed vegetables.

Sometimes, when you have a real quality product - less is more.  So, I decided to treat the cod really simply and just to fry it at the last minutes (oil the fish not the pan) ... but had enough time to make crispy baby roast garlic and rosemary potatoes.  This gave me enough time to finish off a bit of paperwork before I steamed the veg and fried the fish.

Potatoes
olive oil
rosemary
garlic
carrot
green beans
broccoli
cod fillets
salt and pepper

1.  Cut the potatoes into 1cm(ish) cubes and par boil.  
2.  Prep the veg (ie. peel the carrots) and chop the veg into bite sized pieces.
3.  Put some olive oil in an oven dish, and heat it for a few minutes, ready for the potatoes.
3.  When the potatoes are al dente ... or not quite done - drain them - chuck them into the prepared dish.  Add rosemary and crushed garlic, and salt and pepper.  Turn in the oil so that every piece has a light coating of oil and herbs.  Stick back into a fairly hot oven for 35-45 minutes.
4.  Do the stuff you need to do ... 15 minutes before dinner is required - steam the veg.
5.  5 minutes before dinner is required fry the cod in a hot pan - as I said before, oil the fidh, not the pan - but make sure the pan is hot - fry skin side down first for 2(ish) minutes turn over and finish off.

Serve and scoff!  Delicious.

Roasted squash with barley groat and vegetables.

Roast squash in olive oil with garlic and red onion.

 

Sautee onion and garlic, peeled and chopped carrots, green beans and sweetcorn (this was kernals taken off the cob), in a little olive oil.  Add water and simmer gently until veg is nearly done - add shredded kale a little vegetable stock and simmer again until done.  Meanwhile boil groats for 15 minutes, drain and mix with the veg.  Season - quite a lot - add some chopped herbs.

 

It's an earthy dinner, very filling and good for you.

Todmorden tapas

Saw some nice looking Manchego in our local well known budget supermarket - it became the inspiration for this.

Potatas bravas
Garlic mushrooms
Garlic proawns and peas
Green salad
(Some pepper and cheese things from a jar)



1.  Peel and chop potatoes into chunks, boil.
2.  Peel and chop 2 red onions.  Sautee in 2 pans, one for the potatoes, one for the mushrooms.
3.  Add butter to the mushroom pan, garlic and chopped mushrooms, cook down.
4.  Add tomatoes, and a pinch of chili flakes to the onions for the potatoes, cook down.
5.  In a third pan, slosh olive oil, and handful of frozen prawns and frozen peas, crushed garlic and chili flakes, with a splosh of white wine.  Leave to sit and cook off hard when everything else is just about done.
6. Add cooked drained potatoes to onions and tomatoes.
7.  Dress green salad leaves with olive oil and lemon juice.

Scoff.

Re-imagined salad nicoise

The end of the veg box included courgettes, cabbage, green beans and tomatoes.  The new veg box brought lots of things, but including some nice new potatoes - so I re-imagines a salad nicoise - green beans in a tasty sauce - new potatoes and boiled eggs (could have added tuna, but preferred to stay veggie today).  Also, a spoonful of steamed cabbage - we have so much, and it's really nice, so why not?

Easy bits, boil - washed and chopped, diced new potatoes, steam - green beans and chopped cabbage on top.

Gently cook chopped celery, courgette, shallot and tomatoes in olive oil with garlic, wild rosemary and a few chili flakes.  Cook them slowly, stirring now and again, until they are all soft and silky in the olive oil.  Boil eggs - peel shells off.

Mix beans and veg sauce - serve with potatoes, eggs and cabbage.

Scoff - have seconds!

Veg box tapas

I should probably have taken a pic of all the separate dishes - as this really was a kind of tapas - have what you fancy mix - rather than a put together menu of main and sides.

The dishes were - roast cauliflower with cumin, garlic mushrooms, leek and kale smoked cheese gratin(ish), groats and steamed purple sprouting broccoli.

It took about an hour, the cauliflower and mushrooms going in to start with.  Then a 20 minute gap - then started the gratin - then in the last 15 minutes the broccoli steamed over the groats.

Roast cauliflower with cumin

Olive oil
cauliflower
cumin seeds

It's a simple as that!  Split the cauli into florets and put in roasting pan with olive oil, a sprinkle of cumin seeds and a pinch of salt - roast at about 180 for 45 mins to an hour... tossing occasionally to brown evenly(ish)

Garlic mushrooms

Olive oil
crushed garlic
chopped mushrooms
splash of white wine
black pepper

In an oven dish, chuck in ingredients, toss about a bit, add a drop of water/wine if they look dry - stick in the oven with the cauliflower

Leek and kale smoked cheese gratin

Olive oil
Leek, chopped and washed
crushed garlic
white wine
water
kale, shredded
corn flour
soya milk
smoked cheese, grated or diced

1.  Sautee leek in olive oil until soft.
2.  Add garlic, splash of whie win and kale.  Simmer as kale gets soft.
3.  When veg are soft, slake cornflour in a little soya milk - add the slaked mixture and another cup of soya milk and keep stirring to make a sauce.
4.  Add grated/chopped smoked cheese, mix until melted.
5.  Put in oven dish and bake until everything is done.

Groats & purple sprouting broccoli

Steam the broccoli over the pan of boiling water - boil the groats.

Drain, serve, scoff.

Grilled mackerel, beetroot in horseradish and leftover root veg bake

The only part of this which is a "recipe" is the beetroot in horseradish.  The root veg are yesterdays leftovers heated through, and the mackerel is grilled on a hot grill - skin side first, with a little olive oil on the fish.  My grill was not hot enough - it needs to get really hot.  I also braised some celery - in the oven, with olive oil and white wine - covered with foil.


Beetroot
olive oil
garlic
natural yogurt
horseradish

1.  Put beetroot, washed and whole in a baking tray, add splosh of olive oil and a small handful of garlic cloves.
2.  Cover with foil and roast for an hour or so.
3.  Peel and chop the roast beetroot, squeeze on the roast garlic, leave to cool slightly.
4.  Mix together 3 spoons of natural yogurt and 1 spoon of horseradish.  Stir into the slightly cooled beetroot.

New Year's Day Curry 2014

Homemade chicken korma, malaysian spiced fish, vegetable curry, tarka dhal, rice and naan ... blimey we were full.  But everybody enjoyed it.   The chicken was lovely, really moist but falling off the bone.

Chicken Korma

Oil
8 chicken thighs
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tin coconut milk
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 tsp garam masala
Splash of double cream (optional)

1.  Brown chicken thighs all over in hot oil.  When browned transfer to oven dish.
2.  Sweat onion in the chicken pan until soft. Add cumin and coriander seeds, crushed garlic and crushed ginger.  Cook through for a couple of minutes.
3.  Add tin of coconut milk and ground almonds and simmer until the gravy thickens slightly.
4.  Add garam masala, and whisk through - taste and adjust seasoning.  Add cream for extra luxury if there is some in the fridge.
5.  Pour over chicken and keep in medium oven for half an hour, or until required.


Rice 

Basmati rice
Water
Salt

1.  Put the basmati rice into cast iron pot with water an inch over the surface.
2.  Bring to the boil, transfer to medium oven.  Will be ready in 30 minutes - or when you are.

Tarka Dhal

Lentils (red split in this case)
Oil
Assorted spice seeds and leaves (cumin, coriander, fennel, chili flakes)

1.  Boil lentils until soft, adding more water if it looks like it's going dry.
2.  At the last minutes, fry the spices gently until they start releasing their fragrance, then chuck onto the dhal - sizzle - and serve.

Spicy fish

White fish (pollock, in this case)
Natural yogurt
Spice mix - (Malaysian fish head curry mix, in this case)
Gram flour

1.  Whisk together yogurt and spices, add enough gram flour to give an almost batter like texture.
2.  Coat fish fillets with the spice mixture - sit for 30 minutes (ish) in the fridge.
3.  Fry the fish to serve - takes about 6-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

Curried vegetables

Whatever is available - in this case onion, parsnip, carrots, potato, aubergine and mushrooms, fresh tomatoes.  Spice mix/ dry spices, chili, crushed garlic and crushed ginger.

In a large frying pan, in a little oil, start the veg off frying.  Add a little water as they cook to keep them gently simmering.  You can start with the harder veg, and then add softer closer to serving time.

Also served with re-heated naan - but they were the huge ones, from an Asian supermarket.

Price per portion?  I'm not sure - but this is something I will focus on more in 2014.  Basically £2.50 for the chicken (special offer), £1.50 for the fish (frozen from Lidl), £1 for coconut milk, probably £4 worth of veg and £2 for assorted extras (if you have them in already - much more to source them at the time), naan was £2.  Comfortably served 6.  So, I think about £2.15 per portion, for big portions.

The best homemade pasta in history

On the veg stall in the market on Friday there was a fabulous selection of mushrooms - field, cep, those little japanesy ones (enoya?), oyster and a few others ... so I bought a big handful.  Then thought they looked so good they needed special treatment, and I fancied playing - so decided to do them with really good olive oil - and fresh tagliatelli.  It was worth it, an hour and a half of playtime, and then the most delicious pasta dish I have had for AGES.


250(ish)g type OO flour
3 large free range eggs

3 big cloves garlic, crushed
lots of good olive oil
handful mixed mushrooms, brushed clean and torn, chopped into bite sized pieces
glug of brandy
black pepper
parsley
freshly grated parmesan

1.  Make pasta - take your time and do it properly.  This was extremely fine sheets cut into wide-ish tagliatelli strips.  Toss in as little flour as possible to keep the strands separate.
2.  Put a large pot of salted water on to boil, and start the sauce.
3.  Heat good glug of good olive oil, when warm (NOT spitting hot) add mushrooms and garlic.  Cook gently for about 5 minutes, adding more oil when the mushrooms have released their water, just to loosen the sauce.  Season thoughtfully.
4.  Cook tagliatelli in water for a brief time (about a minute in this case).
5.  Meanwhile chuck brandy into mushrooms and flame. Once flame has gone turn off heat and stir in chopped parsley.
6.  Drain pasta and chuck into sauce.  Toss, serve with black pepper and freshly grated parmesan.  A little green salad goes well.
7.  Sit back and receive much praise.

Pork biryani

Victim was hankering biryani (go figure!), and we had some pork shoulder steaks in the freezer... and loads of veg from the veg box... so I fashioned this... and it was DELICIOUS (even though I say so myself).  Downside... enough left over for the rest of the week... Upside ... palmed it off on the neighbours... and some left for the freezer.  So, instructions... marinade diced pork in rogan josh curry paste, garam masala, loads  of crushed garlic, star anise, bay leaves, and some olive oil for at least an hour.   Meanwhile cook rice, and parboil some potatoes.  Sautee chopped onion until soft, add chopped veg (celery, red pepper, courgette, mushrooms, a turnip and fresh tomatoes) and cook gently until veg starts to soften. Season.  Add chicken stock and tin of chopped tomatoes.  Simmer again.  Cook pork in hot pan for about 10 minutes, including marinade - this stage is to seal the meat, but more importantly cook off the spices.  When the meat mixture has sizzled away for 10 minutes or so, add vegetable suace and mix well.  Chuck potatoes on the top and layer cooked rice over these.  I then added chopped almonds and cashews, and sultanas.  Cover tightly and cook in medium oven for at least an hour and a half.

Moules mariniere

I have never really been a fan of seafood... but keep trying every now and again.  Today we found bargain mussels, so thought we'd give them another go - and beeping delish - they need LOTS of garlic and enough white wine - but with a generous handful of fresh parsley... yum.  Finely chopped 3 onions (would have been shallots but we didn't have any - but we did have smallish onions), fry off in olive oil - added 9 cloves crushed garlic and 1/2 tsp chili flakes and salt and pepper.  When soft chucked in 2kg of cleaned (wash, chuck out any which are open/ damaged/ don't shut tight with little tap, scrub off barnacles etc and pull off beards... once washed chuck any which are even slightly open).  Add about 1/2 bottle white wine - salt, pepper and lid on tight.  Shake every minute or so for about 5-6 minutes until the mussels are open.  Drain and reserve liquor - boil liquor rapidly and add splosh of single cream and big handful of chopped parsley - pour over mussels and chuck on remaining chopped parlsey.  Much slurping and sloshing.  Victims all approved heartily - even me. (Don't eat any which haven't opened in cooking).