All That I'm Eating

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

Moussaka – without frying the aubergines

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Moussaka is one of my favourite dishes to eat. It’s a bit of an involved one to make, you need four different cooking pans going to make all the component parts; that’s why I don’t make it very often! Frying the aubergines, I think, is one of the most laborious parts of making the moussaka so I’ve got a different way of doing it. My moussaka without frying the aubergines is every bit as good as the original and you use far less oil than if you fry them. Win win.

Leaving the bay leaf in the sauce while it bakes really helps to impart a lovely flavour into the béchamel sauce. I’m not sure the potatoes on top are necessarily that traditional but I know so many people who add them to the top that I can’t imagine eating moussaka without them. This is a rich, full of flavour meal and cooking the moussaka without frying the aubergines does make things easier. The once or twice a year I make moussaka I try to make a double batch so that I can keep one in the freezer for a rainy day. read more

Smoked Chicken Caesar Salad

By 8 Comments

caesar salad with green beans

There’s something about an iceberg lettuce and I feel it is sometimes a little overlooked. When it’s properly crunchy it’s so refreshing and I think rather delicious. My Smoked Chicken Caesar Salad is a recipe which is perfect for the hot weather we are having at the moment. I didn’t make the dressing myself but a homemade dressing would be fantastic. Personally I didn’t fancy all that whisking, I much preferred the idea of sipping a well iced beverage outside. As green beans are in season at the moment it would have been rude not to add a handful.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 1 smoked chicken breast (or pack of smoked chicken)
  • Handful green beans
  • ¼ iceberg lettuce, washed and shredded
  • Large handful mixed salad leaves
  • Good quality Caesar dressing
  • Parmesan
  • Crusty bread

Method

If you can get your hands on some smoked chicken from your butcher I find it always has a great flavour and a delicious texture. I have seen it in supermarkets too which would be good to use. Dice or slice up the smoked chicken and put to one side.

Tip the green beans into a pan of salted boiling water and cook for two minutes then drain. You want them to retain some bite.

Layer all the ingredients up in a bowl, drizzle over the Caesar dressing (I am pretty liberal with mine!) and then add some shaved Parmesan over the top.

Serve with a nice crusty bread.

I made an extra serving of this and had it for leftovers for lunch the next day. A few of the salad leaves looked a little sad but as the flavours had had time to mingle together it had a great flavour.

Where’s the bacon? Well, because I used smoked chicken in this recipe I don’t feel that bacon is really necessary but you could add some if you so wish. I also didn’t add any croutons as I prefer to share some warmed bread which you can rip in to and mop up those last bits of dressing in the bowl. Crisp leaves, flavourful chicken, savoury Parmesan and sweet green beans; all rounded off with rich Caesar dressing, this is simple food at its best. Using some hot smoked salmon would be delicious in this recipe, especially with a little sliced cucumber.

Creamy Bacon, Spinach and Pea Pasta

By 11 Comments

pea, bacon and spinach pasta

This is a recipe I have actually made and eaten in a few different guises. Once I added the same ingredients but made it into a macaroni cheese, another time I added similar ingredients and had a cold pasta salad. My creamy bacon, spinach and pea pasta is a real favourite in our house for two reasons: we almost always have all the ingredients, and it’s cheap and quick to make. I don’t know what it is about peas and pasta but I love the combination of silky, smooth pasta and squeaky peas. With so many things going on at the moment, the World Cup, Wimbledon about to start, this excellent weather and doing up the house anything that takes less than half an hour to make is my best friend.

Ingredients

You will need (for two people):

  • Olive oil for cooking
  • 1/2 mug frozen peas
  • 2 nuggets frozen chopped spinach
  • 100g (ish) smoked bacon lardons or pancetta
  • 300g crème fraîche
  • 150g pasta
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parmesan to serve

Method

Add a little olive oil into a frying pan and add the bacon. Fry over a low heat until the fat starts to melt out of the bacon.

While the bacon is frying bring a large pan of salted water up to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to pack instructions.

Turn the heat up on the bacon so it turns brown and crispy then add the peas and spinach. Leave to cook for 2-3 minutes and break the spinach down with a wooden spoon. Stir the crème fraîche into the pea mixture then bring to a gentle simmer.

Drain the pasta reserving a small amount of cooking water.

Add a little salt and plenty of pepper to the peas and bacon before mixing with the pasta and cooking water to make a smooth sauce.

Top with grated Parmesan before serving.

If you haven’t tried frozen spinach it is such a great ingredient. I chuck it in everything from sauces to soups and pestos. Fresh spinach would be delicious to use and if any arrives in the veg box I would definitely use that instead; just wilt it first, squeeze out the moisture and roughly chop before adding in. Salty, smoky bacon with sweet peas, earthy spinach, pasta and a sharp creamy sauce is such a great combination. I think I’ll try stirring this mixture, without the crème fraîche, through a risotto soon too.

Tuscan Sausage Ragu

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Tuscan Sausage Ragu

The food in Italy was everything I wanted it to be and Tuscany in particular was filled with incredible locations to eat amazing food. We went to a restaurant in Montepulciano on our first night in Tuscany; it was in an old wine cellar and the food was sensational. I ordered the Tuscan Sausage Ragu and along with a glass of local red wine and Italian hospitality it was such a memorable meal. I wanted to try and recreate the flavours, if not the ambiance, at home and my version of this sausage ragu has been through a few different variations until I’ve reached the recipe below. It’s not exactly the same but it’s wonderfully delicious in its own right.

Ingredients

You will need (for eight portions in total):

  • 6 good quality preferably Italian sausages (a good herby one with a little spice would work well)
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 large stick celery, roughly chopped
  • Good lug of mild olive oil
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • Sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 small glass white wine
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 600ml hot chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • Gnocchi (or other pasta) to serve
  • Parmesan cheese to serve

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    Sticky Chilli Chicken with Avocado Rice Salad

    By 11 Comments

    sticky chilli chicken with avocado grapefruit rice salad

    I have to admit that I turn to a chicken dinner in some form or other most weeks. Especially as the evenings get lighter and warmer as it’s an easy meal to pull together and so flexible on the ingredients used too. My latest offering, this sticky chilli chicken with avocado rice salad, is full of colour and vibrant flavour and ready in 30 minutes. Trust me on the grapefruit. If you don’t fancy using chicken in this then I think tofu, halloumi or aubergine would be great alternatives.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two):

    • 2 chicken breasts
    • Rapeseed oil for cooking
    • Salt and pepper
    • 2-3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
    • 150g brown rice
    • 1 large avocado, skin and stone removed, roughly chopped
    • 1/2 grapefruit, peel and pith removed, roughly chopped
    • 1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped

    Method

    Pop a pan of water on to boil and once boiling add the rice and cook according to packet instructions. I find it normally takes around 20 minutes.

    Then, put the two chicken breasts between two sheets of clingfilm and whack them with a rolling pin to make them a little thinner; around 1-1.5cm thick is ideal. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

    While the rice cooks prepare the avocado, grapefruit and onion. Mix them all together in a bowl and add a little salt and pepper. The grapefruit juice will stop the avocado from turning brown.

    Around 10 minutes before the rice is cooked heat up a frying pan on a medium/high heat and add a little oil. Add the chicken and fry on both sides until cooked through and starting to turn golden brown. Pour in the sweet chilli sauce and leave it to bubble up, turn sticky and coat the chicken.

    Drain the rice well and stir in the avocado mix. Serve up with the chicken on the side.

    The chicken is so good! It’s sticky, spicy and, depending on the sweet chilli sauce you use, garlicky too! The brown rice brings a lovely wholesomeness while the avocado works to smooth everything out. Adding the grapefruit means there’s a fantastic sharpness to cut through everything. You could use so many different ingredients like mango and quinoa, miso or aubergine! And if you’re a fan of quick recipes during the week you might like to take a look at my other 30 minute recipes.

    Chipotle Sweetcorn Hash

    By 10 Comments

    sweetcorn and potato has with chipotle and paprika chicken

    I love looking in my fridge and cupboards and finding ingredients and flavours to try together. Recently I wanted to try adding chipotle chillies to more than just chilli con carne and I thought it would be worth trying a pinch with sweetcorn. This chipotle sweetcorn hash came out of a mish mash of ingredients I happened to have to hand and the end result was delicious. Sticky, sweet, spicy and moreish I’ll be making this one again soon!

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two):

    • Knob of butter
    • Rapeseed oil (for cooking)
    • 1 small onion, finely sliced
    • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • ½ tsp chipotle chilli flakes
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 mug frozen sweetcorn
    • 300g potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 1cm cubes
    • Juice ½ lemon
    • 2 chicken breasts
    • 2 tsp paprika
    • Salt and pepper
    • Plain yoghurt
    • Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

    Method

    Heat the butter and a glug of oil together in a frying pan and add the onions. Fry for around 10 minutes on a medium heat before adding the garlic and all the spices and oregano. Continue to fry for a few more minutes.

    Add the potato and continue to fry for around 15 minutes with a lid on, stirring from time to time. After 15 minutes add the sweetcorn and continue to cook with the lid off for another five minutes.

    While the potato cooks put the chicken breasts between two sheets of clingfilm and bash with a rolling pin to flatten. Sprinkle the paprika and a little salt and pepper onto each side.

    Get another frying pan onto a medium heat and add a little oil. Fry the chicken on both sides until cooked through and golden.

    Add a little seasoning and the lemon juice to the potato pan. Stir the coriander through the yoghurt.

    Serve up the sweetcorn hash topped with the chicken and coriander yoghurt.

    This would be delicious with tofu rather than chicken if you wanted to make it veggie.

    The smokiness of the chipotle is so good with the sweetness of the sweetcorn, it would be great with a few peas too I think. I love how the golden strands of onion become entwined with the cubes of potato. The chicken is succulent and the yoghurt takes the heat off the chilli. All in all, for a few ingredients I already had and threw together, this was a delicious dinner!

    Pea, Bacon and Sundried Tomato Risotto

    By 11 Comments

    forkful of pea and bacon risotto

    I love how a recipe evolves over time. Many risottos have been made in my kitchen over the years and I have to say a pea risotto has got to be one of my favourites. This recipe for pea, bacon and sundried tomato risotto is, in my opinion, the very best it can be. Other variations have included chorizo, fried speck, mint, goat’s cheese or spinach but this combination of ingredients gives such a variety and depth of flavour that is hard to beat.

    ingredients

    You will need (for two people):

    • 1 small onion, finely diced (preferably not a red onion)
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 small garlic clove, crushed
    • 4 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped or sliced
    • 175g risotto rice
    • 500-600ml hot vegetable or chicken stock
    • 1 mug full frozen peas
    • Small knob of butter
    • 4 rashers smoked bacon, chopped
    • Salt and pepper
    • 25g Parmesan cheese, grated

    method

    Start by adding the oil and onion to a saucepan and frying gently for at least 15 minutes until the onion is softened and not coloured. Add the garlic and sundried tomatoes and continue frying for a few more minutes.

    Stir the rice into the onion mixture and cook for another minute or two before adding a little vegetable stock.

    Add a little vegetable stock to the rice mixture at a time stirring well between each addition and ensuring the stock has been full absorbed before adding the next.

    While the risotto is cooking you’ll need to get a small pan of water boiling for the peas and a frying pan heating up for the bacon.

    Test the rice to see if it’s cooked and if so, remove the pan from the heat, pop the lid on and leave to one side for five minutes.

    While the risotto is resting cook the peas in the boiling water and fry the bacon until crispy.

    Blend the peas with a little butter to make a rough puree. If you’d rather add the peas whole that’s no problem, I just love the bright green colour blending them gives the risotto.

    Stir the peas, bacon and Parmesan into the risotto, check the seasoning and add a little salt and pepper if it needs it.

    At the heart of any good risotto is of course the perfectly cooked rice, cheese and onion combo. Adding the sundried tomatoes gives such a punchy, savoury flavour which coupled with the sweet peas and salty bacon is just the best. Slightly different to my normal weeknight recipes where I try to use as few pans as possible this recipe is definitely worth the extra washing up.

    Beetroot, Horseradish and Salmon Sandwiches

    By 14 Comments

    Chioggia beetroot, aka candy beetroot

    Just look at those Chioggia beetroot. Aren’t they beautiful? Not only do these beetroot, also known as candy beetroot, look brilliant their vibrant stripes can’t fail to cheer you up even on the gloomiest of days. These beetroot, horseradish and salmon sandwiches came about because I love the combination of earthy, sweet beetroot and fiery horseradish with smoked foods. That, and I fancied something for lunch that wasn’t just toast! Another great thing about this variety of beetroot is that you don’t need to clean the entire kitchen after peeling them; they have hardly any of the staining power of their deep purple cousin.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for four very generous open sandwiches):

    • Baguette, rye bread, crusty rolls or whatever bread you fancy; sliced or halved as needed to make it have an open face
    • 800g Chioggia beetroot (any other beetroot would be fine too)
    • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
    • 2 tbsp hot horseradish sauce
    • Salt and pepper
    • Smoked salmon
    • Squeeze of lemon

    Method

    Start by peeling the beetroot. Chop them up into chunks and then place in a roasting dish. Drizzle over the rapeseed oil, add some salt and pepper and mix it together well to ensure all the beetroot is coated in oil and seasoning.

    Roast in the oven at 180C for 40 minutes or until the beetroot are soft when tested with a knife.

    Blend the beetroot in a processor until it’s in small chunks (or chunkier or smoother depending on how you like it) then stir through the horseradish.

    Get your bread ready, maybe toast it, cut the crusts off, whatever you fancy then top with the beetroot and horseradish mix. Top each sandwich with some smoked salmon then drizzle over a little lemon juice and some extra black pepper.

    I think these open sandwiches have a little bit of everything. Sweet beetroot, punchy horseradish, crusty bread, silky smoked salmon and sharp lemon. You could also use smoked ham or smoked cheese instead of the salmon if you like. This was such a great lunch and one that I think would lend itself well to taking to work; you can just add the toppings when you’re ready to eat! That beetroot and horseradish mixture would be great added to mashed potatoes too.

    Sage and Black Pudding Pasta

    By 11 Comments

    black pudding and sage pasta

    I imagine that as you read sage and black pudding pasta you’ll fall into one of two camps of people; either the ‘a full English isn’t the same without it’ camp or the ‘I don’t like it’ camp. If you know what goes into making a black pudding I can understand that it doesn’t really help to sell itself: pork blood, pork fat, oatmeal and spices. The spices vary between producers so try out a local one if you can get your hands on it, it’s definitely worth it. Black pudding is such a polarising ingredient but it’s actually pretty cheap meaning it’s perfect for cooking on a budget.

    Ingredients

    For two:

    • 2 slices black pudding (the best you can get your hands on) £1.50
    • 1 large ripe tomato, deseeded and finely diced £0.15
    • 3 large fresh sage leaves, finely sliced £0.00 (free from the garden)
    • 300g pasta £0.50
    • 25g butter £0.15
    • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil £0.10
    • Salt and pepper £0.02

    Total £2.42

    Method

    Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Get a frying pan on a low heat and add the butter and sage. Let the sage infuse into the butter as it melts.

    When the water has boiled add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions.

    Turn the heat up to medium on the frying pan and add the black pudding. Fry on both sides and then break it up as you go. Add the olive oil, tomatoes and a little salt and pepper.

    Drain the pasta then mix the black pudding and tomatoes into the pasta. Serve.

    The black pudding is so rich, deep and with a gentle spice; the sage brings a lovely, homely herb note and the tomato a welcome freshness. Combined with some simple pasta it is a cheap, easy and delicious meal to make. You could of course use sausages if you don’t fancy black pudding. Morcilla and boudin noir are Spanish and French alternatives but if you haven’t tried it for a little while I really think our black pudding deserves another go.

    Proper Ragu

    By 7 Comments

    Proper Ragu served with spaghetti

    There’s ragu, and then there’s proper ragu. You know the two kinds I mean; the quick one that we Brits chuck on top of a pile of spaghetti and the one that takes time, effort, care and attention to make. Don’t get me wrong, the former has its place but this recipe is for the latter; which incidentally freezes very well meaning it is perfect for cooking up a big batch and then reaping the rewards in the weeks to come. It has taken a long time to get this recipe to be my version of a perfect ragu so I hope you enjoy it.

    Ingredients

    For 8-10 portions:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 3 sundried tomatoes (dried, not in oil), you can use 2 tbsp sundried tomato paste instead and add it when the tomato paste goes in
  • 500g beef mince
  • 500g pork mince (pork shoulder if you can can it)
  • 2 rashers smoked streaky bacon, finely sliced
  • 150ml red wine (optional)
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 700ml passata
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • Salt and pepper

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