Leek and potato soup

It's turning quite autumnal, so what better than a big hot bowl of soup?

Olive oil
Leeks
Onion
Garlic
Potatoes
Mustard
Mixed herbs
Vegetable stock

1.  Slice and thoroughly wash leeks, sautee in olive oil with chopped onion and crushed garlic.
2.  Peel and chop potatoes into small dice, add to the leeks.
3.  Stir in a spoonful of mild mustard and add a sprinkle of herbs, salt and pepper.
4.  Add stock and simmer.
5.  After 10-15 minutes, test the potatoes - when soft  zizzz
6.  Serve, scoff

Curry night

Chicken korma (lactose free), veggie curry, dhal and rice ... it's not that difficult, just lots of ingredients. You need to soak the cashews, so put them in water in the morning.  I started with the chicken and veg curries, and then put the rice on to boil.  As soon as the chicken went in the oven put the lentils on for the dhal ... it all kinda came together in about 45 minutes.

Onions

Olive oil

Garlic

Chicken thighs

Tikka Massala paste

cinnamon

Cashew nuts

Mustard seeds

fennel seeds

cumin seeds

chili flakes

potatoes

Courgette

Mushrooms

Carrot

Tomatoes

Garam masala

Red lentils

Basmati rice

1.  Soak the cashew nuts for some hours, or boil them for a few minutes.  Zizz them up with approximately an equal quantity of water to nuts.

2.  Sautee onions in olive oil in 2 heavy pans - one for the chicken, one for the veggie curry.

3.  Add crushed garlic to both pots.

4.  Put the rice on to boil in a heavy pot, covered by water to 1 inch above the surface of the rice..

5.  Add turmeric and a tsp of tikka masala paste to the chicken pot, then the chicken pieces skin side down first.

6.  Add fennel seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and chili flakes to the veggie pot.

7.  The add peeled diced potatoes, diced courgette, mushroom and carrot to the veggie pot.

8.  Turn the chicken over, sprinkle on 1/2 tsp cinnamon and pour in the cashew mixture.  Transfer to the oven.

9.  When the rice boils, slam a lid on it, and put it in the bottom of the oven.

10.  Add tomatoes, in pieces if whole and veg stock to the veggie curry, stir and simmer.

11.  Put red lentils and water on to boil for the dhal.

12.  When ready to serve make the tarka by frying cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chili and curry leaves, if you have them, in a little olive oil.  Pour this, sizzling over the dhal.

13.  Serve, scoff.

Healthy fish and chips

Fish and chips - potato wedges and batter with turmeric in it to make it a bit tastier, and quite a lot healthier.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Onion
Carrots
Haddock
Polenta
Egg
Soya milk
Turmeric
Fennel seeds
Peas

1.  Cut potatoes into wedges and roast in olive oil for about 45 minutes.
2.  Make batter by mixing polenta, a teaspoon of turmeric, a pinch of fennel seeds and egg and enough soya milk to form a batter.
3. Sautee chopped onion in olive oil, add carrot and a little water, simmer.
4. When the potatoes are nearly done dip fish in batter and fry fro a couple of minutes on each side.
5.  Add frozen peas to the veg.
6.  Done, serve, scoff - really very tasty.

Curried fish and chips

National Curry week:  day 5 - and Friday.  We love our fish and chip treat on a Friday - and Paul the fish has such good fish, that I decided to stick with tradition, but to do a spicy batter.  It tasted a lot better than it looks, but you can see how beautiful the haddock was in this pic.

Potatoes
olive oil
Haddock
Gluten free flour
Lahore fish spice mix
frozen peas


1.  Cut potatoes into wedges, toss in olive oil, and bake for 45 minutes.
2.  Make batter by mixing flour, spice mix and water - the batter should be about the consistency of double cream.
3.  Dip the fish into GF flour, then the batter and fry (make sure the oil is hot enough - that was my mistake - it wasn't quite, so it stuck to the pan a bit).
3.  Boil peas.
4.  Scoff.

Smoked haddock fishcakes

This tasted MUCH better than it looks - lovely fresh naturally smoked haddock from Paul the fish, and loads of vegetables - jobs a good 'un.  Leek and spinach in the fishcake and even the veg dodger gets 4 of the 5 a day in 1 meal!  Result!

Olive oil
Leeks
Soya milk
Bay leaves
Potatoes
Spinach
Bread crumbs (polenta to be GF)
Green beans
Peas

1.  Put potatoes on for mash.
2.  Chop leeks and put into a deep frying pan with soya milk. Add a couple of bay leaves and the smoked haddock.  Poach the fish for a few minutes - about 5-7ish depending on the thickness of the pieces.
3.  Turn the heat off under the fish and add handfuls of baby spinach.
4.  Mash the potatoes - don't add any fat as the soya milk will add enough liquid.
5.  Remove the bay leaves from the fish, and then mix into the potato - try to mix gently enough to keep some identifiable fish pieces, but well enough to distribute ingredients through the mixture.  Season.  If the mixture is too sloppy add some breadcrumbs/polenta to soak up the liquid.
6.  Shape into cakes, coat in breadcrumbs and fry for a couple of minutes on each side.
7.  Steam beans, cook peas.
8.  Serve, scoff ...

These were big fishcakes - but we're very greedy so we polished off 10 between 3 of us.

Shepherd's pie, and sheperdless pie, made easy

I have mentioned it before - but was reminded again tonight of the number of different requirements at Kitchenfairies HQ at the moment.  Tonight we have i) veg dodger, who doesn't like cooked tomatoes, ii) lactose intolerant and iii) gluten free vegetarian.  In order to satisfy all 3 of us, without making 3 separate meals I took the option of making one veg pie filling, adding fried mince to half of it - and topping with mash made with soya spread.  Everybody was happy.  We even got the veg dodger to eat some broccoli (nobody tell them about the veg in the pie).


Olive oil
Leeks
Mushrooms
Garlic
Celery
Bouillon
Chilli flakes
Mixed herbs
Bay leaves
Baked beans
Soya milk
Dijon mustard
Minced beef

Potatoes
Soya spread

1.  Sautee chopped leeks and celery in olive oil.  Add crushed garlic.
2.  Boil potatoes for the mash.
3.  Add chopped mushrooms to the leek mixture, stock made from bouillon, a small sprinkle of chilli flakes, a couple of bay leaves and a good pinch of mixed herbs.  Season.
4.  When the veg are cooked add a tin of beans, a spoonful of dijon mustard and a small cup of soya milk, just to give it a bit of sauce.
5.  Fry off the mince.
6.  Mash the potatoes, adding soya spread/butter.
7.  Divide the veg mixture between 2 oven dishes, add mice to one.  Top both with mash and bake for 20-30 minutes.
8.  Serve, with steamed veg ... scoff.

Just another Todmorden tapas

This time it was a sort of american-spanish take ...

Spicy mini potato roasties
Chorizo
Cauliflower with pine nuts and raisins
Pepper filled with stockfish
Coleslaw
Corn on the cob
Grilled chilli and garlic prawns

Not bad for a Wednesday night!

Start with the potatoes, and work steadily for about an hour, and it will all get done.

Ingredients.....

From The Mediterranean Pantry:  Olive oil, cajun spices, chorizo, pine nuts, raisins, garlic, chilli flakes, stuffed peppers
From Garry:  Potatoes, onions, cauliflower, sweetcorn, lemon, carrots, cabbage
From Paul:  Prawns

also ... sherry

1.  Chop potatoes into bite sized pieces, put into a roasting tray with a dusting of cajun seasoning.  Roast in a medium-hot oven (about 180).
2.  Finely slice 2 onions - one for the cauliflower, and one for the coleslaw - actually it's about 1 and a quarter for the cauliflower, and 3/4 for the coleslaw.
3.  Gently sautee the onion for the cauliflower in olive oil, then add cauliflower florets, and a drop of water, put the lid on and "steam" the cauliflower until done.
4.  Finish making the coleslaw by adding julienned carrots and shredded cabbage.  Season, add the juice of half a lemon and a splash of olive oil.
5.  Prep the sweetcorn, and put into a pan of water, ready to boil at 20 minutes to serving.
6.  Take the peppers with fish out of tin, into an oven dish and put into the oven with the potatoes to heat through.
7.  Marinate the prawns in chilli falkes, crushed garlic, lemon juice and a splash of olive oil.
8.  Chop chorizo into bite sized pieces.
9.  Check on the potatoes, I think you should be about 5 minutes from all done.
10.  Splash some sherry into the cauliflower and add a small handful of pinenuts and raisins, cook the alcohol off.
11. Fry the chorizo and the prawns in 2 separate pans - turn the prawns after a couple of minutes, keep the chorizo moving until it's done.
12.  Serve, scoff - some people will mix in mayonnaise to make their coleslaw creamy.

Fish and chips with a calabrian twist

Spice up fish and chips with a little calabrian crust - don't mind if I do.

Fish from Paul, potatoes from Garry, fish crust from The Mediterranean Pantry.  (Peas from the freezer) ... easy peasy Friday night dinner.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Haddock
Calabrian Fish crust mix
Frozen peas

1.  Cut potatoes into wedges and roast for about an hour in olive oil.
2.  Sit about, chat, drink wine ... whatever ...
3.  40 minutes later, check on the potatoes, put the water on to boil for the peas, and coat the fish with the crust mix.
4.  Fry the fish for a few minutes each side.
5.  Serve, scoff.

Sea bass escovitch, with sweet potatoes

 Caribbean food week:  Day 5

Also Friday - so the tradition in our house is fish from Paul the fish.

The idea is that you pour hot, sweet, spicy sauce over simply cooked fish ... it certainly was hot - look at all that steam.

It was the first time I have cooked anything quite like this, but the overwhelming opinion was definitely - put it on the do again list.

Sweet potato
Olive oil

White balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Lime
Onion
Carrot
Red pepper
Red chili

Sea bass

Green beans

1.  Peel and chop sweet potato into chunks, roast, in olive oil for about 40 minutes.
2.  Thinly slice onion, julienne carrot and red pepper.  Very thinly slice chili.
3.  In a saucepan mix together half a cup of olive oil, and the same of vinegar.  Squirt in the juice of half a lime.  Chuck in vegetables and all ow to simmer for about 10 minutes until the veg are softish.  A bit of crunch from the carrots and peppers is fine, but you want the onion soft.
4.  Steam the green beans.
5.  Brush olive oil onto the sea bass fillets and fry for a few minutes on each side.
6.  Place fish on a serving plate, and cover with the sauce.
7.  Serve, scoff ....

Baked BBQ ribs - potato wedges and coleslaw

Caribbean food week:  day 4

BBQ ribs which are actually baked in the oven - absolutely gorgeous.  Not really ideal for a mid-week dinner as they take 2 1/2 hours.

It was so worth it though, and the veg dodger had seconds of coleslaw.

Spices are available from The Mediterranean Pantry, and the ribs from Mellings butchers - superb.



Rack of ribs - pork for us
1/2 tsp each of:-

all spice
ginger
nutmeg
paprika
salt
black pepper
dried thyme

desert spoon of brown sugar

BBQ sauce

potatoes

carrots
cabbage
onion
salt
olive oil
mayonnaise

1.  Heat the oven to 180.
2.  Mix all the dry ingerdients and rub well into the rack of ribs - massage it is as much as you can.
3.  Wrap in foil.  Make sure that it is well sealed to keep in all the juiciness.
4.  Bake for 2 hours - literally - just chuck it in there and do something else, ignore it for 2 full hours - make sure you get the wedges in after about an hour, though, so that it's ready at the same time.
5.  Potatoes, olive oil, oven .... for the wedges.
6.  Make the coleslaw by finely shredding cabbage, carrot and onion.  Add salt and leave to stand for 10 minutes, then add a glug of olive oil and a blob of mayonnaise - stir, chill until everything else is ready.
7.  After 2 hours, unwrap the pork ... keep it on the foil, as it gets stickier and stickier from now, and foil goes in the bin - sticky trays take ages to clean.  Pop it back in the oven for 5 minutes to dry off the top a little.
8.  Smother the top of the ribs in BBQ sauce, and pop back in the oven for 5 minutes ... to get that gooey glossy coating.  Do this twice for a deepish layer of sticky deliciousness.
9.  Serve, scoff ... remember to have lots of kitchen roll to hand!

Fish and chips

Haddock today from Paul the fish - so old school battered fish, but baked wedges instead of chips.  Onion and green beans instead of mushy peas.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Gluten free flour
Egg
Soya milk
Onion
Green beans



1.  Cut potatoes into wedges, toss in olive oil and roast for 40 ish minutes.
2.  Whisk egg into flour, season and whisk in soya milk to reach a thick, double cream consistency.  Leave to stand while the potatoes roast.
3.  20 minutes in chop onion, put in a pan with a drop of olive oil.  Add chopped beans and a cup of wine or water and simmer.
4.  After 10 minutes - put olive oil and coconut oil in a large frying pan, and heat until hot.
5.  Dredge the fish in the batter, and fry for 3 minutes on each side.  Drain on kitchen paper.
6.  Serve, scoff.

Delicious - the batter is gluten free and lactose free, so we could all enjoy it - it's light, but crisps up well.

Butter bean cornbread cobbler, with steamed veg and salad

The pic over emphasises the salad - which was just a few leaves with red pesto garlic dressing, left over from yesterday ... I was trying to be arty  tsk.

A hearty veggie dish, with a little spice.

Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Jerk seasoning
mixed herbs
potatoes
red pepper
mushrooms
courgette
butter beans
stock
dijon mustard

cornmeal
baking powder
eggs
soya milk

carrot
broccoli
green beans

1.  Make a casserole base by sauteeing onion and garlic in olive oil, add spice mix and herbs, then add in vegetables and stock.  I used those listed above, but it's really look in the fridge and see what you have time.
2. Add a tin of drained butter beans, simmer gently for a few minutes.
3.  Make the cornbread by mixing seasoned cornmeal with baking powder, eggs with soya milk, and combining to form a batter.
4.  Make the cobbler by putting vegetable mix into a baking dish, top with the batter, and bake for 25ish minutes.
5.  Steam vegetables.
6. Serve, scoff ...

Even the meat muncher had seconds!

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.

Fish, "chips" n peas

Haddock this week, and gluten free lemony batter.  The new potatoes were boiled and then roasted briefly, in olive oil, to crisp them up, so though not chips, they were crispy on the outside and soft inside - as good chips should be.  The peas are frozen.  Yum.

The batter is the only bit that even remotely needs a "recipe".

Polenta
Cornflour
Egg
Soya milk (or regular milk)
Lemon juice.

Mix together approximately equal quantities of polenta and cornflour, whisk in an egg, add milk to form a light batter - season and squeeze in the juice of a lemon.  Whisk again - the lemon juice will make it firm up a little, let it down with more milk if it goes too far.

Dip fish in batter, fry in olive oil.

Yorkshire tacos

There was pancake mix left over from last night. There was root veg left over from veg box, and a red cabbage.  All lovely stuff, but not always an instinctive "turn to" when time is pressing.  Tonight, I achieved this inside an hour.... it's frenetic at the beginning, then you can chill, then a bit of faff in the last 10 mins.  (Using last night's pancake batter).

Red cabbage
olive oil
white wine
garlic
swede
beetroot
parsnip
carrot
butter/margarine
turkish beans
salt, pepper

1. Chop red cabbage.  Tip into big pan. Add crushed garlic, salt and pepper (fennel, caraway, juniper or sweet spices eg ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg could also be added now), Tip in liquid - white wine and/or water, cider, fruit juice .... simmer
2.  Start root veg mash - peel a nd chop into 1 cm cubes (ish) whatever root veg is to hand - today - swede, beetroot, carrot and parsnip.  Boil for about 15 minutes.
3.  Put beans in oven proof dish, and put in the bottom of a medium oven.
4.  Make pancakes - keep warm.
5.  When root veg are done (you can easily push a sharp knife into them) - drain, put back into the pan - add knobs of butter - slash in all directions with a sharp knife ... it's not mashed, but its all cut up into tiny pieces and the root veg are all mixed together - grind in some black pepper.
6. Serve, scoff ...

Was delish ... I did a taco type thingy with all the veg bits inside the pancake - but do exactly as you fancy.

Lactose free chicken Korma, and some other curry things

Special request for lactose free chicken korma, plus some other bits and peices, to fit into everyone's dietary requirements meant that this was Friday night's dinner.  It took about 35 minutes.

So, in order of what to do next-ish.

Rice

I cook rice using the adsorption method - so rinse basmati rice and put into an ovenproof pan, cover with water to about 2.5 cms above the surface of the rice - bring to the boil, then stick the lid on and shove into a medium oven, and forget about it until you are ready with everything else.

Start the korma and veg curries at the same time by sautee-ing onion and garlic in two pans.

To the korma pan add a little grated ginger.

For the veg curry, at this point I added some biryani spice, diced root veg (swede, celeriac and carrot), red pepper and mushrooms.  Add stock and let simmer away.

For the korma add bite sized pieces of chicken breast, a handful of ground almonds and a teaspoon of mild madras curry powder.  Turn the chicken over until it starts cooking, then add water and seasoning and simmer for a few minutes.  Then, turn into an oven dish and let it finish in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

For the dhal, simmer red lentils in water until done - you may need to add more water... then just before serving heat veg oil in a pan and quickly fry the tarka (or spices) - I used onion seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and a sprinkle of chili flakes.  Pour immediately onto dhal and serve.

Let each person help themselves to whatever their dietary whatsits allow them to - vegans just need to avoid the chicken (obvs) ... and enjoy.

Potatoes, eggs and green beans

Our eggs from the bantams, and our potatoes from the allotment - some green beans and an onion ... delicious supper dish.

Olive oil
Onion - diced
New potatoes
Green beans
Garlic
chili

1.  Boil potatoes in salted water for about 8 minutes, steam the green beans on top.
2.  Sweat down onion in olive oil.
3.  Remove softened onion from pan and fry the potatoes in olive oil until they start to brown and crisp up.
4.  Add back the onions, the steamed beans and the crushed garlic and chili.
5.  Toss about for 5 minutes or so.
6.  Push the ingredients apart slightly, to provide little spaces for the eggs, break them in.
7.  Cover the pan so that the tops of the eggs, as well as the bottoms, cook.  It shouldn't take more than about 5 minutes.
8.  Serve with a grinding of black pepper.

Black forest cantuccini

Wanted to make a special person a special birthday treat - but GF, and they don't like cake ... so, this was tried, and it was a huge hit.

2 cups GF plain flour
1 cup golden granulated sugar
1 heaped tsp baking powder

3 eggs
3 tbsp cherry liquer (OK, OK cherry B)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp brandy (I used armagnac ... cos it was for a proper treat ... use brandy .. or leave out)

2 cups (mixed together) of:-

toasted hazelnuts - roughly chopped.
dark chocolate chips (or chopped up plain chocolate)
Dried cherries
almonds - roughly chopped

1.  mix dry ingredients together -
2.  add fruit and nuts.  Mix together by lifting into the air and letting drop back into the bowl, so that all the fruit and nuts are separated and coated in the flour and sugar, and evenly distributed through the mix.
3.  Whisk eggs and liquids together.
4.  Mix liquid, bit by bit, into dry ingredients.  The mix might look quite wet ... but bear with it
5.  Turn out onto floured board, and mix together to a soft dough/batter.
6.  Shape into 3 rectangles shapes - put onto baking sheet, lined with baking paper,
7.  Bake for 20 minutes.
8.  Take out of the oven and leave for 15(ish) minutes until cool enough to handle.
9.  Slice into 1/2 (ish) cm pieces.  Lay onto new baking sheets lined with baking paper.
10  Bake again for 15 mins - until golden brown.

Watch out at a bake sale near you - these are definitely worth selling.

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.

Smoked trout salad

The summer seems to have deserted the north - but the lettuces in the trug have still clung on, so despite thunder and lightening, it was time to have sunshine in the kitchen.

New potatoes
Hot smoked trout

Little gem lettuce
Parsley
Sorrel
Olive oil
Lemon juice

Tomatoes
Spring onions
Radishes
Salt
Olive oil
Basil

Carrots
Sesame seeds

So 4 salads ...

1.  start by washing and boiling new potatoes.
2.  Wash and spin lettuce leaves, add fresh parsley leaves and sorrel leaves (not chopped up as a garnish, but as salad leaves).
3.  Drizzle on olive oil and squeeze on the juice of 1/2 a lemon.  Toss gently as you serve.
4.  Chop the tomatoes, radishes and spring onions, drizzle with a little olive oil, tear in a few basil leaves and grind on rock salt.
5.  Peel and grate carrots, mix in a spoonful of sesame seeds,
6.  Flake smoked trout into the potatoes,
7.  Scoff

(Turn the heating up and pretend that summer is here)