Spanish fish casserole

You could use any fish in this, really - but I had some lovely haddock and hake (from Paul the fish) in the freezer, so that was what went in for us.

The "spanish" about it is a little bit of heat, a little smokey paprika, peppers and garlic.  It was damn good.

Onion
Garlic
olive oil
Potatoes
courgette
Pepper (yellow or red)
White wine
Chilli flakes
Smoked paprika
Turmeric
Tin chopped tomatoes
Tomato puree
vegetable stock

1.  Sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil.
2.  Add chunky diced potatoes - I keep the skin on, but peeled on not - either is fine.
3.  Add chopped courgette and pepper, add a pinch of chilli flakes, a pinch of smoked paprika and a smidge of turmeric.
4.  Pour in about a glass of white wine, and about the same of stock.
5.  Simmer, after 5 minutes add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a tablespoon of tomato puree and a tin of water.  Simmer again, covered.
6.  When the potatoes are just about done (15-18 minutes) add fish to the top, and cover again, to let it steam through for about 5-10 minutes (depends how big your fish is).
7.  Serve, scoff ... could have had crunchy bread and a green salad, could have topped with aioli - but it was delicious by itself.

Fabada

Deliciously rich and smoky Spanish casserole, made with ingredients from Todmorden Market - mostly from The Mediterranean Pantry itself, but also veg from Garry outside.  Also, a vegetarian version was required ... so a similar stew with butter beans spiced with smoked paprika and a pinch of chilli.

Rice
Onion
Garlic
Olive oil
Pancetta
Chorizo
Morcilla
Red pepper
mushrooms
Butter beans
Tinned tomatoes

1.  Cook the rice.
2.  Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil.
3.  Cut pancetta and sausages into bite sized pieces, and add to the onion - fry off.
4.  Add chopped red pepper and mushrooms.
5.  Add tinned tomatoes, and a little water, simmer for a few minutes.
6.  Add butter beans, simmer again until cooked.
7.  Serve, scoff ... deep and delicious.

For the veggie version - add chopped veggie burgers at stage 3, also add smoked paprika and a pinch of chilli as these flavours are introduced by the lovely sausages in the non-veggie version.

I made enough for 6 - but it was all finished by 3 of us ....

Vegetable stroganoff

After a day at the seaside I needed something quick and filling.  Chop, fry, boil and it's done!

Onion
Garlic
Olive oil
Smoked paprika
Red pepper
Mushrooms
Frozen peas
White wine (optional)
Stock
Natural yogurt
Tagliatelle (gluten free for us)

1.  Boil pasta according to packet instructions.
2.  Finely chop onion and soften in olive oil.  Add crushed garlic and a pinch of paprika.
3. Chop red pepper and add to the onion, fry for 4-5 minutes, add chopped mushrooms.
4.  Add a little stock and/or white wine and simmer briefly.
5.  Drain the pasta when al dente and add to the vegetables with a big spoonful of natural yogurt.
6.  Toss it together and it's done.

Served with a green salad.

Chicken and mushroom stroganoff with cavolo nero

Day 3 of "training" for swimming the "channel" and I did my 40 lengths.  I am swimming the 22 miles of the channel - in a pool - between September and December to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society - see link to the right - and feel free to sponsor me.  (But more of that another time).  The victim, swimming with me, kept banging on about pie for dinner.  No, no, no ... there is no point swimming up and down just to reinsert the calories when you get out.  So, after the usual, spag bog, ricey stuff, pie requests we managed to land on stroganoff - which was good because a number of the ingredients were sitting in the fridge really needing to be used up.  Cavolo nero is just ready for harvesting in poly the tunnel, so I added that to mine.  Victim refuses anything quite so blatently green, so had some beetroot and radishes as a starter... go figure!  Anyway, there is too much cream to be really "diet", "low fat" etc, but I'm sure it's better than pie!

Chicken and mushroom stroganoff

Serves: 4.  Time: approx 30 minutes:  Calories:  approx 450 per portion  Cost:  approx £1.30 per portion

1/2 tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion
1 Leek
1 Celery stick
Garlic clove
2 skinless chicken breasts
Chicken stock (cube is fine)
About 12 Green beans
About 4 Runner beans
Some Mushrooms
Paprika & black pepper
100ml Half fat creme fraiche
100ml double cream
Chopped parsley

Tagliatelli - about 70g per portion

Method:

1. Chop and sautee in olive oil - leek, onion and celery.
2. Add bite sized pieces of chicken breast, turn over until edges are a bit coloured.
3. Add crushed garlic, and a cup of stock (add more if it looks like it's a bit dry).
4. Cook tagliatelli in salted boiling water.
5. Add chopped beans and mushrooms, and simmer until beg is soft and chicken is cooked, season with salt, pepper and paprika.
6. Just before pasta is al dente add creme fraiche and cream to chicken and vegetables.
7. Drain pasta and  mix into sauce.
8. Chuck in chopped parsley and sprinkling of paprika.
9. Scoff (with or without steamed cavolo nero (about 7 minutes steaming) or crunchy salad.

You couldn't call it paella

But ricey stuff with polish sausage isn't much of a title either.  Or gloop, which was victim's suggestion.  Victim was less than impressed with dinner, and later requested tuna salad sandwiches.... tssk - but it wasn't half bad - she just has an unreasonable objection to smokey paprika flavours - and the combination of smokey Polish sausage and added paprika and saffron was too much for her taste.  Also gloop does not do justice to the loving attention to detail entailed in removing green borad beans from their grey jackets!  Anyway, usual start fried chopped onions and crushed garlic with celery until soft.  Added chopped mushrooms, artichoke hearts and sliced sausage.  Stirred in handful of paella rice, chicken stock and some paprika and a pinch of saffron with a grind of black pepper.  Added tin of chopped tomatoes and left to simmer happily away for about 15-18 minutes.  Meanwhile boiled broad beans for a couple of minutes, then drained and removed the little buggers from their jackets.  Stirred the beans into the ricey mixture and glooped into a bowl.  Jobs a good 'un.

Beef, mushroom and green bean stroganoff

Had a massive 4 bean harvest from pot of runner beans - so while they weren't going to be the main ingredient they featured in the dinner.  Also, veg box is not due for a couple of days, so there were not so many choices - hence curly kale and peas were added instead of more traditional stroganoff main stays.  Still, it was tasty.  So, chop and saute one onion in olive oil, add 1 clove chopped garlic.  Chuck in about 400g of steak, in bite sized pieces,  brown, then add other veg you are including - in this case mushrooms and green beans.  Stir in tsp grainy mustard, a stock cube and about a tsp of paprika.  Season, sprinkle with about 1 tbsp flour - stir until flour coats other ingredients, then add about a pint of water.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, ensuring that it doesn't go dry.  Meanwhile cook pasta according to packet instructions.  Chuck softer veg into sauce mix - ie. frozen peas and chopped curly kale, simmer until pasta is done.  Take off the heat, drain pasta and add to sauce, stir in 2 tbsp creme fraiche and 4 tbsp natural yogurt  (in this order, if the yogurt goes in when it is roasting hot it will curdle).  Served, sprinkled with a bit more paprika.  No comment at all from victim.

This, hopefully, is the first of some more regular posts - the gap being due to holidays, and not having the camera handy, rather than some kind of month long fast.  Some intersting meals were had whilst camping eg. rabbit macaroni and competition picnic-ing at outdoor firework concert, but sitting down to write a blog post was considered as boringly too much like work :) by other holiday maker(s).