All That I'm Eating

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

Sausage and Bacon Toad in the Hole

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Sausage and Bacon Toad in the Hole - All That I'm Eating (1 of 2)

I had a grand vision. A toad in the hole to rival all others; one that brought together two of my favourite parts of a Sunday roast in one delicious meal. Pigs in blankets meet Yorkshire puddings sounds pretty amazing to me and so sausage and bacon Toad in the Hole was born. One slight issue with the version that I made was that it was almost a total failure. However, I decided to post this anyway (I think these posts are just as useful as those that are successful) so that if you try it for yourself you can use my ideas at the end to have more success than I did. read more

My favourite recipes from 2014

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It’s a funny time of year now, the days and dates get all a bit confused and everyone is in a state of simultaneous post Christmas relaxation and start of year enthusiasm. I use it as a time to reflect on the last year (of cooking and life in general) and also as a way to think about what I might like to do and try for the upcoming year. Below is a list of my ten favourite recipes from the last 12 months; although of course they are all my favourite these are my extra special favourite ones. read more

Beetroot Tzatziki, Beef Koftas and Quick Flatbreads

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Beetroot Tzatziki with Quick Flatbreads and Beef Koftas - All That I'm Eating (2 of 2)

Beetroot can be a bit of a pain in my house, other than putting it in a salad or putting it on the side with something I am sometimes at a loss for what to do with it. When I get a bunch I find the easiest thing to do is to cook it all at the same time then peel it and keep it in the fridge for when I need it. Using the beetroot for a beetroot tzatziki was a great discovery and was so good with the beef koftas and super quick homemade flatbreads.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

For the koftas:

  • 200g beef mince
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • Salt and pepper

For the beetroot tzatziki: read more

Pulled Duck Ramen with Gressingham Duck

By 17 Comments

I really like duck; usually in a pancake with plenty of spring onion, cucumber and hoisin sauce. If it’s on a menu in a restaurant I will normally order it because I love the flavour. Gressingham (the remarkable duck people) got in touch to see if I’d like to come up with a recipe with some of their duck and I thought it was a great opportunity to have a go at cooking something I enjoy eating but don’t cook that often. Ramen is something that I find both cleansing and filling and love that you can add whatever you like to it. This pulled duck ramen is a great way to use leftover duck and is really quick and easy to make. read more

Caramelised Fennel and Salami Pizza

By 14 Comments

caramelised fennel and salami pizza
Does it get much better than homemade pizza? If you can get the base crispy enough that is. I have been working on my dough and tomato sauce recipe for some time and I think I have finally cracked it. I make the dough fresh then divide it up and freeze in individual bags so I can have pizza whenever. The tomato sauce is made from obscenely ripe tomatoes for richness and sweetness. Caramelised fennel and salami pizza is the best pizza topping I have tried so far!

Ingredients

You will need:

For the dough (makes enough for four pizza bases):

  • 400g strong white flour
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 sachet fast action yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 250ml warm water

For the tomato sauce (makes enough for one pizza):

  • 4 large, very ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 small garlic cloves, crushed
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Toppings (per pizza):

  • 1 ball mozzarella, sliced
  • 1 fennel bulb, sliced
  • 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • Salami

Method

Make the dough by mixing together the flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Pour in the olive oil then add the warm water.
Knead for 10 minutes then leave for an hour or so until doubled in size. Divide into four, you can freeze what you don’t use.

Next make the tomato sauce. Add the onion with a little olive oil to a frying pan over a low to medium heat and leave to soften for around 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more then stir in the diced tomatoes. Put a lid on the pan and leave to cook for about 10 minutes then remove the lid, turn the heat up and continue cooking until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste then blend the sauce.

Add the fennel with a good glug of olive oil to a small lidded pan and leave over a low heat for at least 30 minutes or until well softened. Stir occasionally. Remove the lid from the pan and stir in the sugar. Continue to stir until evenly coated and caramelised.

Preheat an oven to 240C. Roll the pizza dough out on a floured surface so that it fits a large baking tray. Lightly flour the baking tray and put the dough on top. read more

Pea, Carrot and Paneer Pilaf

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Pilaf with peas, carrots and paneer

I hadn’t done a vegetarian option for my Feed 4 for £6 series for a little while so I thought it was about time I did. I am a big fan of recipes which involve putting ingredients into a pan, putting a lid on and leaving it to its own devices and this is one of those. If you can’t find paneer for this recipe you can use halloumi but it’s saltier. All you need otherwise is onions, carrots, peas, curry powder and rice. Sorted.

Ingredients

You will need (for 4):
Rapeseed oil for frying  £0.02
1 medium onion, diced  £0.10
2 medium carrots, diced  £0.18
200g frozen peas  £0.25
250g basmati rice  £0.45
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped  £0.05
2 heaped tsp curry powder  £0.05
700ml hot vegetable stock  £0.10
Salt and pepper  £0.02
225g paneer, cubed  £1.54
Total  £2.76

 Method

Heat around 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the onion, carrot and garlic. Fry for around 10 minutes or until softened.  Add the curry powder and rice and cook for a further minute. Add the frozen peas and pour in the hot stock. Bring the pan to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer, put on a loose fitting lid.  Simmer the rice for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed. Check on the level of stock while it’s cooking and top up a little if needed. While the pilaf cooks heat a pan up on a medium heat and add a little bit of oil. Season the paneer all over with salt and plenty of pepper before adding it to the pan. Fry the paneer until golden brown. Check the seasoning before dishing up the pilaf and divide the cheese between the plates.

Rice is always welcome on my table in whatever form it comes. In this it’s got a lovely curried flavour along with the sweet carrot, peas and onion and the peppery slightly salted cheese. My favourite bits are the golden edges of the paneer. I have to say that this has to be one of the most filling things I have ever made, I almost couldn’t eat it all (but I had just had some cake!). This costs less than £3 for four, is very satisfying and is easy to make. Ideal weeknight grub. read more

Wild Garlic Gnocchi with Mozzarella and Wild Garlic Oil

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wild garlic gnocchi with wild garlic oil
It all got a bit serious last weekend. I went all out for a foraging expedition; books, bags to carry what I picked and bigger bag to carry all my things, wellies, I was prepared for anything. While out I found a few new things I didn’t realise were edible but I headed straight to my favourite patch of wild garlic to get picking before the season is over. I did have to travel a little downstream to get to the good stuff and there was a wobbly moment where I thought I might have to go for an accidental swim but otherwise it was a very successful trip. I carried home my bounty and set to work on some Wild Garlic Gnocchi.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 300g waxy potatoes
  • Small handful (roughly 20-30 leaves) wild garlic, blended or very finely chopped
  • 100g plain flour
  • Salt and pepper
  • 25g Parmesan, grated
  • 125g mozzarella
  • 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

If you’re not sure where to find some take a look at this to find places where wild garlic grows near you.

Method

Peel and dice the potatoes to roughly the same size then boil them in salted water until tender.

Drain the potatoes then leave them to cool (take the lid off the pan to allow steam to escape). 

Mash the potatoes well then add the flour, most of the wild garlic, plenty of salt and pepper and the Parmesan. Mix together until you have a dough.

Knead the dough lightly then roll into sausage shapes and cut into roughly inch sized pieces. I pressed the top of each gnocchi with a fork, for looks more than anything. read more

Chorizo, Pepper and Potato Hash

By 17 Comments

I’ve always liked the idea of a hash; various bits of food all chopped up and cooked together. I tried to make a corned beef hash once which was somewhat eventful. I was at University in my student house with two of my friends. The can of corned beef was being somewhat stubborn so I used my intuition and tried to open the can with a can opener. Suffice to say there was some slippage and some slicing and next thing I know I’m running around the kitchen with all of us pretending to be braver than we are trying to wrap my hand in kitchen roll. Luckily we lived near the hospital so off we trudged, in the ice and snow, to sit in A&E with all the people who had dislocated something slipping on the ice. I ended up with four stitches and my two fingers bandaged up which provided much amusement for the following week. In my haste to leave the house I had left a pan of water on the hob; this was also the night I learned you can burn water. read more

Curried Lamb Pie with Bombay Potato Topping with Schwartz

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Curried Lamb Pie with Bombay Potato Topping All That I'm Eating (1 of 3)
Dinner parties have a set of criteria that they should fulfil; the host doesn’t want to be stuck in the kitchen away from guests, the food should be tasty and the guests want to be relaxed and leave full. This is why I think something that can be prepared in advance and then finished later on is ideal. I love lamb curry and I have really been enjoying my new Hairy Bikers curry book so I fancied having a go at a curry using lamb mince. So when Schwartz got in touch to see what dinner party ideas I could think of using their spices I set about creating an ideal dinner party dish: Curried Lamb Pie with Bombay Potato Topping. I thought this would meet the above ‘Caroline Criteria’ very well.

Ingredients

You will need (for 4):

For the lamb:
  • Flavourless oil for cooking
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 tomato, seeds removed and chopped
  • 2 tsp tomato puree
  • 3-4 tsp Schwartz Curry Powder (I used mild but you could use a hotter one if you like)
  • 400g minced lamb
  • 100g frozen peas
  • Salt and pepper
For the potato topping:

  • 700g potatoes, peeled and diced
  • Flavourless oil for frying
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
    • read more

    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


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