potato and cabbage gratin, with cumin - and beetroot and carrot burgers

I have included a pic for completeness - but it's an awful one.  This is a shame because the dinner was delicious.  And comforting.  That was important after a long and trying week.

The feature today is the potato and cabbage gratin the beetroot and carrot burgers have featured earlier.  I have made them a few times now and they freeze beautifully.  Just bake them from frozen.

Potato, cabbage gratin, with cumin.

Chopped potato (1 huge, today)
Shredded cabbage
Olive oil
Chopped onion
Crushed garlic
Cumin seeds
Corn flour
soya milk
grated cheddar

1.  Boil potato with cabbage steaming on top.
2.  Sweat onion in olive oil, until soft.  Add garlic and cumin.
3.  Make the sauce by adding soya milk to onions, slake the corn flour in a little soya milk and stir into the onion mixture.   Simmer and stir while it thickens.
4.  Tip the cabbage into an oven proof dish, drain the potatoes and add and mix through.
5.  Add 3/4 cheese to the sauce and pour over the vegetables.  Sprinkle the last of the cheese on top.
6.  Bake at 180 for 25-30 minutes, till the top is bubbling and golden.  (The burgers will be great in the oven for the same time).

Comforting, and tasty. I'm supposed to avoid lactose - and cheese gives me head aches - but sometimes, just sometimes ... you have to say it's worth it.

Veg gratin, roast tomatoes and groats

The veg box came today, and was full of lovely stuff. So lovely gratin, roast tomatoes and some groats.  Ta da.







Veg gratin

1 leek, chopped and washed
Celery
carrots
turnips
cabbage
garlic
white wine
grainy mustard
herbs
Stock
cornflour
cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Cherry tomatoes
olive oil

Groats.

The tomatoes and groats are easy - stick tomatoes in oven dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast for 45 minutes-ish.  Groats - boil in the bag for 15 minutes - is. the last thing you do.

Gratin

1.  Sautee leek and celery in olive oil.
2.  When a bit soft add garlic, herbs and mustard.
3.  Add diced carrot, turnip and potato - and white wine and stock.
4.  Simmer for about 20 minutes until veg goes a bit soft.
5.  Add shredded cabbage, and soften.
6.  Add water to cornflour, and mix to form a paste - add to veg mix and stir in to thicken.
7.  Add grated cheese and transfer to an oven dish.
8.  Top with the rest of the cheese and bake for 40 minutes or so.

Scoff - have seconds!

First decent dinner of 2012

Really!! .. we have been living out of the freezer, cupboards and phoned for a takeaway... However, "decent" - may be an over statement, but at least it was homemade, fresh and generally wholesome - the potatoes and gratin were both over done - and the presentation is limited.  I put it down to sluggish brain combined with indecision after the lurgy.  Anyway - it was - chicken in white wine and mushroom sauce with cauliflower and brussel sprout gratin, roast new potatoes, grandma's carrots.  "Recipes" - par boil halved new potatoes, then roast in hot olive oil; for the gratin used this recipe (almost - much less rich.., had no sage  - used some thyme, and used broken up crackers - cos they were left over - for the crust - from here) http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2008/11/cauliflower_and_brussels_sprout_gratin, carrots boiled and drained, and chopped furiously with a sharp knife with butter and lots of black pepper.  Saute onion and garlic, turn up heat, brown chicken strips on all sides chuck in big handful of mushrooms and good splosh of white wine.  Cook chicken through - remove - stir cream into wine mixture for sauce - pour over chicken.  Serve all bits and pieces and scoff.  Victim said some rude things about overcooked potatoes, but actually we both enjoyed vegetable gratin, and all the elements together.  (Victim had seconds of moaned about potatoes).