As I rent a house I am in the unfortunate position of being lumbered with the oven and hob that I’m given. Don’t get me wrong; having a hob and an oven is certainly one up from having no heating implements at all but they definitely leave a lot to be desired.
Creamy Pea and Bacon Pasta
After my last £6 supper on BBC Radio Berkshire, Paul Ross was quite disappointed that the recipe included no frozen peas. It got me thinking that actually there’s plenty to celebrate in the humble frozen pea. They’re cheap, you can always keep some in the freezer and they are a welcome shot of greenness and sweetness at this time of year. This quick, easy and cheap meal is a little mid-week fanfare of the frozen pea.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Bacon and Cheese Pasta Bake
It’s a bit weird here at the moment. The days are warm but the nights are surprisingly cold; light lunches but also still comfort food dinner season. The purple sprouting broccoli season is upon us and as much as I like it cooked simply, maybe with a butter sauce, I am craving carbohydrates and big warming meals at the moment. My bacon, purple sprouting and cheese pasta bake is ideal.
Leek, Cheese and Potato Pie
Ingredients
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You will need (for a pie for four):
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1 medium potato, peeled and in small cubes
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£0.20
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1 large leek, finely sliced
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£0.50
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1 tbsp plain flour
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£0.02
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75ml milk
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£0.05
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125g strong cheddar cheese, grated
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£1.00
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Small handful chopped chives
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£0.20
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Salt and pepper
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£0.02
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Small knob of butter plus extra for greasing
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£0.10
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Milk for brushing
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£0.02
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Readymade and rolled shortcrust pastry
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£1.50
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Total
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£3.61
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Method
Boil the potatoes and cook for 7-10 minutes or until tender then drain and put to one side. Fry the leeks on a medium heat in a little butter for around 10 minutes, until softened, then add the flour. Cook for a minute then add the milk and stir well while heating to make a thick sauce. Add the potato, cheese, chives and salt and pepper to the cooked leeks. Preheat oven to 180C and lightly grease a pie dish with butter. Take two thirds of the pastry and line the pie dish. Trim any excess pastry, prick the base with a fork, line with greaseproof paper then fill with baking beans or rice and bake for 12-15 minutes then remove the beans and greaseproof and return to the oven for 2 more minutes. Pour the filling into the pastry case. Brush the edge of the pastry base with milk and roll out the remaining pastry. Top the pie with the pastry and press the pastry well onto the pastry base. Trim any excess and brush the top with milk.Cut a slit in the top of the pastry then put back into the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
The leeks and chives in this give a brilliant green colour to the pie so it’s not all beige. I liked that the filling wasn’t too wet and stodgy but you could clearly see and feel the potato and leek. Comfort food is always welcome, particularly when it’s mostly carbohydrate based and this was my perfect dinner on a rainy evening this week. Not only exactly what I wanted but also a bargain for four people. You could of course make your own pastry but when I’m as busy as I am now, readymade and rolled is my best friend.
Cheat’s one pot Paella
I didn’t realise how much rice I had been eating until I thought about the last time I ate pasta or potatoes and I can’t remember when that was. I like rice as a plain side to something, a herb encrusted rice salad or as a risotto. This quick and easy rice dish (or a cheat paella) is not a paella by any means but it’s a great dish to knock up after a hectic day with a nice bit of chorizo for a mid-week Spanish pick me up. Get out your flamenco.
Review: Easy Indian Cookbook by Manju Malhi
ingredients
The below recipe is from Manju’s book with a few of my own tweaks.
For Murgh Makhani for two you will need:
- 50g peeled plum tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp. natural yoghurt
- 1 tbsp. double cream
- Black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 small dried chilli, ground
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp. rapeseed oil
- 250g chicken breast pieces
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- Salt
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
- Knob of butter
- Pinch garam masala
The below recipe for flatbreads is from Jamie Oliver and it makes fantastic cheat’s naan breads!
For 6 cheat’s naan breads you will need:
- 250g self raising flour plus extra for dusting
- A pinch of salt
- 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
- 250g natural yoghurt
I can safely say, hand down, that this is the best curry I’ve ever made. The level of spice and chilli was perfect for me and I loved the creamy taste even though the actual quantity of cream and butter was very small. Guilt free! I think next time I would double the quantity of the sauce for the same amount of chicken. I really like this book, the pictures are clean and simple and the recipes easy to follow. The recipes are certainly a step up from other ‘easy’ recipes (which are only easy because they require you to open a jar of paste) but you’re not cooking and preparing for hours either. There’s a good balance between meat, fish and vegetable curries too. I will definitely be cooking from this book again; the only problem being which recipe to choose!
Thank you to Manju for the book and for permission to print one of her lovely recipes.
Potato, Swede and Bacon Dauphinoise
Ingredients
You will need (for 4 as a side):
- 350g potato, peeled and thinly sliced
- 350g swede, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 4-5 rashers smoked, streaky bacon
- Oil for frying
- 150ml double cream
- Salt and pepper
- Butter
Method
Fry the bacon in a little oil until crispy then set to one side.
Layer up the potatoes, swede, garlic, bacon, and add a little salt and pepper to each layer, finishing with a layer of potatoes and swede in an ovenproof dish.
Pour the double cream over the veg then dot the top with butter.
Place into an oven at 170C for 1 and 1/4 hours or until soft through when tested with a knife.
If you find it’s browning too quickly cover the dish with some foil before returning to the oven.
Baked Vacherin Mont D’or with Rosemary Flatbreads
Ingredients
You will need (for two):
1 Vacherin Mont D’or (or Camembert)
1 clove garlic
250g strong white bread flour
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
60ml extra virgin olive oil
100ml water
Method
Mix together the flour, salt and rosemary. Mix in the olive oil and water. Using your hands, bring it all together into a ball then knead on a floured surface for a few minutes. Set it to one side for a few minutes more.
Preheat an oven to 200C. Slice the garlic and then cut slits in the top of the cheese. Put the slices of garlic into the cheese and then put into the oven for around 10 minutes.
Gnocchi with Broccoli, Toasted Walnuts and Blue Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
You will need (for four):| 2 500g packs of gnocchi (not the refrigerated ones) |
£1.30
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1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
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£0.80
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1 small onion, finely chopped
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£0.10
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Oil or butter for frying
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£0.02
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300ml double cream
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£1.10
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150g creamy blue cheese (I used Blue Monday)
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£1.20
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75g walnuts, roughly chopped
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£0.85
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Salt and pepper
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£0.02
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Total
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£5.39
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Method
Start by getting a frying pan on a low to medium heat and adding a glug of oil or knob of butter. Add the onion and fry slowly for around 20 minutes or until softened but not browned. While the onion is frying get another small frying pan on a medium to high heat. Add the chopped walnuts and toast them in the dry pan for a few minutes until you can smell they are toasted. Watch them carefully though as they can burn easily. Put to one side when done. When the onion is around five minutes from ready bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the broccoli and boil for two to three minutes.When the onion is soft, pour in the cream and stir frequently until it just starts to simmer.
Add the gnocchi to the pan with the broccoli and continue to boil for one to two minutes more or until the gnocchi floats to the top.
Crumble the blue cheese into the cream sauce, reduce the heat to its lowest setting and stir frequently.
Drain the broccoli and gnocchi and put to one side.
Ensure the cheese has melted into the cream and then add plenty of black pepper. Taste the sauce and add a little salt if needed; it will depend how salty your cheese is.
Chicken Tikka Wraps with Cucumber and Onion Salsa
Ingredients
You will need (for four):|
2 free range chicken breasts
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£3.42
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2 tbsp tikka paste
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£0.20
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150g organic natural yoghurt
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£0.49
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1/2 large lettuce
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£0.25
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1/2 cucumber
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£0.33
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1 small red onion
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£0.10
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Small handful fresh coriander
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£0.15
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8 wraps
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£1.00
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Salt and pepper
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£0.02
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Oil (for frying)
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£0.02
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Total
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£5.98
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Method
Start by slicing the chicken breasts into thin, inch sized pieces. Put these into a bowl with the tikka paste and 1 tbsp of yoghurt. Mix together and then cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.While the chicken marinates prepare the rest of the meal.
Wash the lettuce and drain well before shredding it.
To make the salsa finely chop the cucumber and the onion. Put half of the onion and all of the cucumber into a bowl. Tear in the coriander and then mix it all together with some salt and pepper. Put this to one side.
When you are ready to cook the chicken get a large frying pan on a medium heat. Add a little oil and the other half of the chopped onion. Fry the onion for around five minutes to get a little colour then add the chicken and all the marinade.
Continue to fry it all together for around ten minutes or until the chicken is cooked and some of the edges of the chicken have started to catch. Leaving the chicken to catch really adds to the flavour.
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