All That I'm Eating

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

Christmas Couscous

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Christmas Couscous
Around every corner there seems to be some sort of turkey and cranberry and/or stuffing sandwich. All those crazy festive sandwich fillings come out now for us to enjoy in an intense but short space of time; some more questionable than others. It seems you can put almost anything in a sandwich; I’m waiting for one to come out with a Brussels sprout and mincemeat filling. It is nice to be able to take in all the flavours of Christmas in one mouthful but what about when you just don’t want any more bread? Have no fear because you can have all the tastes of a festive lunch in my 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. read more

Granny’s Sage, Chestnut, Apple and Onion Stuffing for Sausage Rolls

By 16 Comments

apple onion and chestnut stuffing sausage rolls
A few years ago a friend of mine bought me one of those blank cookery books that you write up your recipes in over time. I had always cooked with my Granny and this seemed the perfect place for her to store some of her recipes for me to refer to in the future. One of the recipes she included was one for Sage, Chestnut, Apple and Onion stuffing which had a rather festive feel to it. She had also included a recipe for sausage rolls a few pages along so it seemed right to merge these two recipes together and create ‘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. read more

Spiced Turkey Mini Meatballs with Chillied Cranberry Sauce

By 12 Comments

Spiced Turkey Mini Meatballs with Chillied Cranberry Sauce
Although not my favourite meat you can’t very well ignore a turkey at this time of year. I’m not going to be cooking a whole turkey (there’s only two of us!) so instead, to make a nod to this festive bird, I made these spiced turkey meatballs. They are great with the chillied cranberry sauce. This recipe does have a whiff of a turkey curry about it but it’s an ideal dish to make for party finger food.

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. read more

Outrageously Orange Mince Pies

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Outrageously Orange Mince Pies
Confession time. I’m not a great fan of mincemeat. It’s just a bit too strong for me. Having said that I am a big fan of the mince pie; so long as there’s more pastry than mince. To mellow the minciness of these mince pies I have mixed the mincemeat half and half with marmalade. There’s also some orange zest in the pastry to give them a real citrus zing. I think if someone had given me this less intense mince pie as a child I would have been more inclined to eat the whole thing rather than just the pastry.

Ingredients

You will need (for 12 mince pies):
225g plain flour
120g butter
Zest of one orange
Cold water

130g mince meat
130g marmalade (all the better if it’s a whisky marmalade)

Milk or egg for brushing

Method

Make the pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb texture.
Stir through the orange zest.
Bring the mixture together with little drops of cold water until it forms a ball. Knead quickly on a floured surface then wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll the pastry out on a floured surface until just less than the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out 12 rounds (fluted or plain) with a cutter that will fit your tin and then 12 smaller rounds for the lids. I used an 8.5cm and 6.5cm cutter.
Preheat the oven to 220C.
Use the larger rounds to line bun tins. read more

Chicory, Walnut and Pomegranate Salad with Walnut and Clementine Dressing

By 11 Comments

chicory walnut pomegranate salad with clementine dressing
At this most wonderful time of year I would estimate that I’m around 10% booze, 20% pastry, 40% cheese, 10% bacon wrapped sausages and 20% mince meat. It’s not a good look. The thought of tucking into a cucumber really doesn’t appeal to me. Not at all. No. If I am in need of some cleansing and a break from all the indulgence it still has to be in keeping with the season. Hence walnuts, clementines and pomegranates all become great mates through the vehicle of chicory.

Ingredients

You will need (for 2 as a light main, for 4 as a side):
2 chicory heads
Small handful walnuts
1/2 pomegranate
2 tbsp walnut oil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clementine
Salt and pepper

Method

Chop up the chicory so you have individual leaves. Arrange these on a large plate so everyone can dig in.

Roughly chop the walnuts and toast these in a dry frying pan. Once toasted sprinkle these over the chicory.

Bash the seeds out from the pomegranate (or whatever method you choose) and add these to the salad.

Mix together the walnut and olive oil then squeeze in the juice of the clementine. Stir through some salt and pepper before pouring the dressing over the salad. 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

Caribbean Spicy Bean Burgers with Pineapple Chilli Sauce

By 22 Comments

caribbean spicy bean burger
I have been thinking for a while about posting some ‘themed’ recipes on here. The food I eat at home is rarely expensive so I know that almost everything I cook is reasonably priced. This means I can then buy the organic or free range versions of ingredients without breaking the bank. Most of the reason I eat cheaply is because I mostly cook vegetable based meals. If I do have meat I use cheap cuts, or less of it, but I do very occasionally have a fillet steak blowout. A new outlook for me recently is that humble doesn’t have to be hum drum. Hence the first in a new series of blog posts which coincide with my new Saturday morning radio slot on BBC Radio Berkshire (very excited!) where I will create tasty, easy recipes to feed 4 people for £6 or less. First up, these Caribbean spicy bean burgers.

Ingredients

You will need (for four):

For the burgers –
2x 400g cans of mixed beans, drained £1.58
50g breadcrumbs £0.30
2 tsp ground allspice £0.10
Few sprigs thyme, leaves only £0.10
1 egg £0.35
3 spring onions, sliced £0.35
Salt and pepper £0.02
For the pinepple sauce –
1x 227g canned, chopped pineapple in juice £0.43
125g caster sugar £0.19
175ml water £0.00
4 tbsp white wine vinegar £0.18
2 garlic cloves, crushed £0.05
1/2 scotch bonnet chilli, roughly chopped £0.08
2 tsp cornflour £0.03
Salt and pepper £0.02
4 crusty white rolls £1.20
Total £4.98

Method

Put the drained beans into a large bowl and roughly crush them with a masher or the back of a spoon.
Add all the remaining burger ingredients, except the egg, and thoroughly mix together.
Taste the mixture to check the seasoning and when you are happy crack in the egg, mix well and then form into burger shapes.
Put to one side while you make the pineapple sauce.

Drain the pineapple and then put into a saucepan with all the remaining ingredients except the cornflour.
Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring occasionally, and boil for around five minutes.
Mix the cornflour with a little water to make a paste and then mix this into the sauce.
Bring the mixture back to the boil then remove from the heat.
Blend the pineapple sauce until mostly smooth but with some pineapple chunks still left.
Put to one side to cool down. read more

Cardamom infused Porridge with Raspberries

By 20 Comments

raspberries on top of porridge
A weekend breakfast is a completely different thing to a weekday breakfast. I don’t know about you but my weekday breakfasts consist of shovelling yoghurt (if I’m lucky I’ve added some fruit or nuts) into my mouth while running around trying to get ready being very careful not to spill anything on myself. It’s not what you would call relaxing. A weekend breakfast is a whole new affair; the possibilities are endless. Pancakes, pastries, fruit, tea, coffee, juice, a full English, toast and jam and many others are all contenders but can sometimes involve a need to purchase these items in advance. This cardamom infused porridge is for one of those mornings where you feel like something luxurious but only have basic ingredients.

Ingredients

You will need (for 2 bowls):

  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1/2 cup of oats
  • 1 cardamom pod
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • Handful raspberries

Method

Crack open the cardamom and add to the milk in a saucepan. Heat the milk and cardamom very gently for about 20 minutes. Remove the milk from the heat when done. 

Put the oats into another saucepan and then sieve the milk into the oats. Cook the oats, stirring often, on a medium heat to the texture that you like; some like it so rubbery you could bounce it and others prefer it very thin. I go for somewhere in between the two.

When the porridge is ready remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar. Stir half of the raspberries into the porridge and then put the remaining berries on top. I enjoyed this with a nice cup of tea. read more

Rhubarb, Honeycomb and Hazelnut Fool

By 21 Comments

rhubarb honeycomb and hazelnut fool
It’s that rhubarb time of year. A little later than last year but it’s finally arrived and I am exceptionally pleased as it’s one of my absolute favourite ingredients. I love the smell, texture, flavour and sourness and the fact that it can be pink, white, stripy, green, tall or stumpy. To me it’s also a sign of changing seasons; its appearance in the garden and on market stalls tells me that there’s plenty more to look forward to in the coming months.

Ingredients

You will need (for two fools):

  • 2 sticks rhubarb
  • 1 tsp honey (runny or set)
  • 1 tsp water
  • 150ml double cream
  • 1 tbsp runny honey
  • Small handful chopped hazelnuts
  • A few pieces of honeycomb 

Method

Chop the rhubarb into inch sized chunks and put into a saucepan with the tsp honey and water. Cook on a medium heat until the rhubarb is soft and most of the water has gone. You do need to make sure it’s quite thick otherwise your fool will be more like a soup. Set the rhubarb aside to cool.

Put a small dry pan over a medium heat and toast the hazelnuts, watching that they don’t catch, then set aside.

In a large bowl whip together the double cream and runny honey until firm. Fold in two thirds of the rhubarb with the hazelnuts and crush in a few bits of honeycomb. Divide the fool into glasses and top with the remaining rhubarb and a few more hazelnuts and honeycomb. read more

Caramelised Rhubarb Galette des Rois

By 25 Comments

rhubarb galette
Oh rhubarb. Not only the choice swear word for the less potty mouthed among us but also a rather delectable vegetable. I know it’s sort of a fruit but as it doesn’t have any seeds I will class it as a vegetable. I acquired my most recent handful of stalks after spending a lovely morning at a local farm shop (more about that in a separate post). I was even allowed to pull this straight out of the ground myself which was a rewarding, if somewhat exhausting, activity.

I have wanted to attempt this classic French ‘King of Tarts’ for so long; the rhubarb seemed like a perfect addition. I have made many frangipanes in the past so just halved what I would normally put in my large fluted tart tin for this recipe.

Ingredients

You will need (for one finished galette des rois):

  • 1 pack ready rolled puff pastry
  • 3 large sticks of rhubarb cut into inch sized pieces
  • 2 tbsp demerara sugar
  • 75g unsalted butter, very soft
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 75g ground almonds
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp milk and 1 egg beaten together (for glazing)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C and put the rhubarb onto a baking tray in a single layer. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar and then toss the rhubarb in the sugar so it all gets nicely coated. Put this in the oven for 15 minutes to roast. When it’s done the rhubarb should have softened but retained its shape and be gently caramelised. Put the rhubarb to one side to cool. Leave the oven on after you remove the rhubarb as you’ll need it at 180C to bake the tart. read more

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