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.
Review: Norwegian Skrei Cod in a simple Butter and Parsley Sauce
Skrei is a much loved Norwegian delicacy. Skrei must be caught fully grown and meet the strict quality standards to be labelled as such. This source of cod is a sustainable one and most of the Skrei are line caught. You can read more about Hugh’s Fish Fight here.
I didn’t want to mess around and over complicate this delicate fish so I cooked it very simply. I fried a piece in a little olive oil and butter only flipping it once to prevent it breaking up.
When the cod was almost ready I added a little extra butter, some salt and pepper and a small handful of parsley to make a quick sauce.
A Belgian Croque
ingredients
You will need (per croque):
- 2 slices thick white bread
- 2 slices Emmental cheese
- 2 slices smoked ham (not wafer thin)
- A few slices tomato
- Cream cheese with herbs
method
Preheat a grill and toast the bread. Spread a nice thick layer of cream cheese on one slice.
Put the Emmental on the other slice.
Top the cream cheese with the ham then the tomatoes and place both slices under the grill.
Keep the toast under the grill until the tomatoes are hot and the cheese has melted and started to bubble.
Stick the slices together, cut up and serve.
If you have a sandwich toaster you can of course use that but sadly I don’t have one of these handy contraptions. A Corby trouser press would work equally well.
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.
Christmas Couscous
Ingredients
You will need (as a light lunch for 4):
150g couscous
250ml chicken (or turkey) stock
50g walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted
4-5 rashers smoked, streaky bacon
10 sprouts, shredded
50g dried cranberries
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying
Method
Put the couscous into a large bowl. Bring the stock to a boil and pour over the couscous. Cover and put to one side for five minutes.
Add a little oil to a frying pan on a medium heat and add the bacon. Fry until golden brown.
While the bacon cooks add the walnuts and dried cranberries to the couscous with some salt and pepper and give it all a good mix together to fluff up the couscous.
Granny’s Sage, Chestnut, Apple and Onion Stuffing for Sausage Rolls
Ingredients
You will need for 16 sausage rolls:
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small apple, peeled and finely chopped
80g cooked and peeled chestnuts, finely chopped
400g good quality sausages
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
Butter or oil for frying
Salt and pepper
1 pack readymade and rolled puff pastry
Milk or egg for brushing
Method
Melt a large knob of butter in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Add the onion, apple and sage and fry for 5-6 minutes or until softened.
Add the chestnuts, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes longer. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Spiced Turkey Mini Meatballs with Chillied Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
You will need (for a good platter of nibbles):
500g turkey mince (not lean)
1 1/2 tbsp garam masala
200g cranberries
125g granulated sugar
250ml water
1 red chilli, finely chopped
Method
Mix the garam masala into the turkey mince until well distributed and well mixed together. Form into mini meatballs then cover and refrigerate until needed.
Put the water and sugar into a pan and heat slowly until the sugar dissolves. Add the cranberries and chilli and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until thickened and the cranberries have burst.
Put the sauce to one side to cool.
Chicken Tikka Wraps with Cucumber and Onion Salsa
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.
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