All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Beef Braised in Beer with Onions and Carrots

By 13 Comments

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.  read more

Creamy Pea and Bacon Pasta

By 12 Comments

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. read more

Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Bacon and Cheese Pasta Bake

By 14 Comments

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. read more

Leek, Cheese and Potato Pie

By 16 Comments

cheese potato and leek pie ready to serve
I like pastry. I also like cheese and I would happily barge anyone out of the way to get my hands on a cheese, onion and potato pasty. The perfect combination of cheese, potato, onion and pastry can be hard to find and I like chunks of potato and onion not a mush; so I thought I’d best go about making my own version so I can make it just right. It’s also British Pie Week next week so the timing of my pie baking is ideal.

Ingredients

 You will need (for a pie for four):
1 medium potato, peeled and in small cubes
 £0.20
1 large leek, finely sliced
 £0.50
1 tbsp plain flour
 £0.02
75ml milk
 £0.05
125g strong cheddar cheese, grated
 £1.00
Small handful chopped chives
 £0.20
Salt and pepper
 £0.02
Small knob of butter plus extra for greasing
 £0.10
Milk for brushing
 £0.02
Readymade and rolled shortcrust pastry
 £1.50
Total
 £3.61

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. read more

Cheat’s one pot Paella

By 21 Comments

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. read more

Review: Easy Indian Cookbook by Manju Malhi

By 17 Comments

murgh makhani
Spices in food have always made me curious. I like all spices, those that I’ve tried anyway, and a little bit of fresh or dried chilli is always welcome when spices are around. When I’ve attempted making a spiced dish before it’s always lead to interesting results. The ras-el-hanout I add to lamb is great, the fajitas are good but I am normally disappointed if I try to make a curry. The flavour never seems deep enough; too much of one thing and not enough of something else. Manju Malhi asked me to review her Easy Indian Cookbook published by Duncun Baird, so I thought I’d have one last attempt and try out her recipe for Murgh Makhani.

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
Blend the tomatoes until smooth and put to one side. Put the chicken into a bowl and add the garlic, yoghurt, cream, a nice helping of black pepper, paprika, chilli, cinnamon and 1 tbsp. of the oil and mix everything together really well. Refrigerate this for at least 30 minutes but ideally overnight. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the remaining oil. Fry the onions until golden brown then add the salt and dried fenugreek and fry for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes to the onions and keep cooking until thickened. Add a small knob of butter to the pan then add the chicken and all the marinade, reduce the heat to low and simmer for around 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Add the garam masala and serve with rice and the easy naans. To make the cheat’s naan breads mix together all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined. You might need to add a little extra flour if the mixture is looking a little wet. Put some extra flour onto the worktop and divide the mixture into six. Get a frying pan on a high heat. Roll out the dough so it’s quite thin and then dry fry the breads until they puff up a little, turn them over and cook until each one is cooked through and has some nice brown patches all over. It takes less than two minutes per flatbread.

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. read more

Potato, Swede and Bacon Dauphinoise

By 4 Comments

Festive Potato Gratin
Roast potatoes are important in any roast dinner. Sometimes I find I can pay them a bit too much attention and end up spending less time on the other vegetables. This dauphinoise recipe is a great way to use some swede to make a great side dish and also incorporates potatoes so you can do a two in one. Not to be greedy but there’s no reason you couldn’t have this and roast potatoes for a roast!

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. read more

Baked Vacherin Mont D’or with Rosemary Flatbreads

By 15 Comments

garlic baked camembert with rosemary flatbreads allthatimeating (1 of 3)
I do like a bit of cheese. Sometimes it’s best with crackers and pickles, sometimes it’s best melted onto or into something but then there are those times where you bake a whole cheese and then spoon it all out, all runny and lovely, mostly into your mouth and somewhat on the table. I’m not sure why I associate a Vacherin Mont D’or with Christmas but it doesn’t get much better than warm, melted, faintly garlicky cheese scooped out with delicious homemade (and quick) bread.

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. read more

Gnocchi with Broccoli, Toasted Walnuts and Blue Cheese Sauce

By 16 Comments

gnocchi with creamy blue cheese sauce allthatimeating (1 of 2)
Apparently we are due for one of the coldest winters ever; don’t they say that every year though? Either way it’s the same story for me; thick socks, snuggly jumpers and consuming an astonishing amount of cheese. When you’re having to defrost your car windscreen every morning the thought of coming home to a nice salad just doesn’t quite cut it. What is needed is lots of stodge; carbohydrates, cream and cheese. Dauphinoise is a classic choice but it’s not quite a meal. So to fulfil this instinctive desire for filling food, on a budget for four people, this gnocchi with broccoli, toasted walnuts and blue cheese sauce is perfect.

Ingredients

You will need (for four):
2 500g packs of gnocchi (not the refrigerated ones)
£1.30
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
£0.80
1 small onion, finely chopped
£0.10
Oil or butter for frying
£0.02
300ml double cream
£1.10
150g creamy blue cheese (I used Blue Monday)
£1.20
75g walnuts, roughly chopped
£0.85
Salt and pepper
£0.02
Total
£5.39

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. read more

Chicken Tikka Wraps with Cucumber and Onion Salsa

By 18 Comments

chicken tikka filling
I wanted to make something with meat for my next frugal recipe but I didn’t want to compromise on the quality of the chicken I decided to use. I bought two free range chicken breasts from my local farmers’ market as they are much more reasonable than buying them anywhere else. In order for this recipe for four to cost less than £6 the chicken needed to be bulked out with plenty of other bits. Enter the wrap; it looks like it’s not that filling but after just two of them I am stuffed! This recipe is fresh, vibrant and full of flavour and makes a light, quick and easy meal.

Ingredients

You will need (for four):
2 free range chicken breasts
£3.42
2 tbsp tikka paste
£0.20
150g organic natural yoghurt
£0.49
1/2 large lettuce
£0.25
1/2 cucumber
£0.33
1 small red onion
£0.10
Small handful fresh coriander
£0.15
8 wraps
£1.00
Salt and pepper
£0.02
Oil (for frying)
£0.02
Total
£5.98

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. read more

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