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

By 14 Comments

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

Chorizo Hash with Purple Spring Onions

By 11 Comments

purple spring onions

Sometimes the vegetables that arrive in my veg box are so stunning that it (almost) seems a shame to eat them. We all know that a romanesco cauliflower is mathematically wonderful and who can say no to a green lemon when it’s yellow inside and full of juice. A bunch of purple spring onions turned up on my doorstep and I knew simplicity would be the way to make the most of them; bold flavours from few ingredients. Chorizo Hash with Purple Spring Onions was certainly the way to go.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • One bunch purple spring onions
  • 1 chorizo, sliced (peeled if needed)
  • 500g new potatoes, roughly chopped and sliced as you wish
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Start by putting the sliced potatoes into a pan of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil and boil for 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes are just cooked.

While the potatoes cook put the sliced chorizo into a large frying pan and cook on a low/medium heat so that the fat from the chorizo melts out and fills the frying pan.

Drain the potatoes when cooked and put to one side.

Halve the spring onions lengthways, removing the dried green ends and any roots, then add to the frying pan with the chorizo. Leave to soften with the chorizo for a few minutes.

Add the potatoes to the pan with some salt and pepper and turn the heat up. Fry for another five minutes or so to allow the potatoes and chorizo to crisp up slightly.

A handful of ingredients prepared and cooked in less than half an hour; what a plate of pure loveliness. Making the most of an ingredient when it’s available is really important to me and results in meals like this. The potatoes absorb the beautiful colour and flavour from the chorizo oil, the chorizo shrinks slightly and turns crisp on the edges. The purple spring onions are silky and drape over everything else quite elegantly, retaining a little bite and some of their raw onion piquancy. Super simple, minimal fuss and absolutely delicious.

Summer Green, Smoked Bacon and Potato Bake

By 9 Comments

Summer Green, Smoked Bacon and Potato Bake

Potatoes, sliced and baked with cream have to be one of the best things ever. At least in my opinion. Maybe a little bit of garlic, or some sliced onion, even some smoked bacon added for extra deliciousness. Although undeniably tasty they always feel more suited to the colder months than in the middle of summer. Don’t worry though, I’ve found a way round this; and I had a swanky new baking dish to try out. By adding some summer greens and using a lighter sauce my summer green, smoked bacon and potato bake fills that dauphinoise hole perfectly.

For two (very generous portions) you will need:

  • 500g Jersey Royal potatoes (or new potatoes), scrubbed and sliced (2-5mm ish)
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 6 slices smoked streaky bacon, cubed (or lardons)
  • 6 big leaves from summer greens
  • 25g butter
  • 25g flour
  • 400ml milk
  • Small handful Parmesan, grated
  • Salt and pepper

Start by getting the bacon on a low heat in a frying pan and cooking until the fat starts to melt. Add the onion to the pan and cook with the bacon for around 20 minutes. Add the garlic and turn the heat up a little for another five minutes until the bacon and onion are golden brown.

While you are waiting for the onion put the sliced potatoes into a pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Boil for 6-8 minutes or until the potatoes are just soft, drain and set aside.

Remove the middle stalks from the summer green leaves then roll and slice the leaves. Put the sliced greens in a steamer above the potatoes. Steam for two minutes then set aside with the potatoes.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan on a medium heat then add the flour. Cook for a minute before whisking in the milk. Continue whisking until the sauce thickens. Add a generous amount of black pepper, a little salt and the Parmesan.

Layer up the potatoes, greens and bacon mix in a dish finishing with a layer of potatoes on top. Pour the sauce over everything then bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 20-30 minutes until golden brown on top.

You may notice that my potato bake is served in a very lovely Le Creuset baking dish. I was sent one to have a play with as this colour, Ink, is new out. I think we all know that the Le Creuset brand goes hand in hand with durability and quality and this dish is going to be indispensible in my kitchen. I love cooking with really good equipment and it seemed fitting that I should cook up a new take on one of my favourite dishes in my new dish! I really like how the colour fades up the sides and although the same quality that you would expect from Le Creuset it is amazingly light weight.

I really enjoyed this as a meal with a cracking glass of Chablis. By keeping the skins on the potatoes the dish has a fantastic earthy flavour with the summer greens adding freshness, the bacon giving smokiness and the onion sweetness. I happily ate this on its own but it would be a very fitting side to all sorts of things.

Thank you to Le Creuset for the baking dish. All opinions expressed are my own.

Mushy Peas Potatoes and Ham

By 6 Comments

Mushy Peas Potatoes and Ham

I absolutely love peas. For me, a life without peas isn’t worth living. I moved house late last year and I don’t have a freezer; no more emergency frozen peas for me. Happily it’s pea season now so lovely fresh peas are popping up in the veg box, at the farmers’ market and in the garden. If there’s one thing I like even more than peas it’s mushy peas. So for a deliciously easy summer dinner my mushy peas potatoes and ham is perfect.You will need:

  • Lots of fresh peas, podded (at least one mug full, the more the better)
  • 500g Jersey Royal potatoes, scrubbed, any larger ones halved or quartered
  • A few thin slices cured ham (I used Serrano), roughly torn
  • A couple fresh mint leaves, shredded
  • Small knob of butter
  • Salt and pepper

Start by podding the peas. This is one of my favourite kitchen jobs, no sarcasm.

Put the potatoes into a pan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook until tender, drain and set aside.

Put the peas into a pan of salted boiling water for two minutes then drain but retain a little of the cooking water in the pan.

Add the butter, mint, salt and pepper to the peas and blend it all together. The water you kept in the pan will loosen it all up a bit.

Mix the mushy peas with the potatoes and top with the ham.

I love the vibrant colour of this dish. It’s simple to make when you’ve had a busy hot day and tastes so summery, sweet and savoury. As it makes the best of what’s in season (particularly if you’ve grown some of it) it’s pretty cheap too. My kind of food.

New Potato, Green Bean and Iberico Salad

By 13 Comments

When I go out and there is a charcuterie board on offer I struggle to turn it down. I find cured meat fascinating and it’s one of my absolute favourite indulgences. One of my top five would have to be Iberico ham. I can’t get enough of it although my waist and bank balance would probably encourage me to eat a bit less. I like to make an expensive ingredient go as far as possible so this Spanish inspired potato salad is an attempt to do exactly that. read more

Paprika Topside of Beef with Roasted Garlic Mash and Peas and Onions

By 22 Comments

I wrote on my blog a little while back that humble doesn’t have to be hum drum and it got me thinking. Can I make what might be considered a luxury into a cheap, and hopefully humble, meal. Steak, for me at least, is considered an expensive luxury; it’s not something I buy on a regular basis. It is however something I enjoy and it was about time I tried a cheaper cut to see if it could cut the mustard. read more

Potatoes and Tomatoes

By Leave a Comment

I have discovered that adding any kind of vinegar, a bit of oil, salt and pepper and sometimes a herb or two with a load of tomatoes, then roasting it is one of the most delicious ways I have ever eaten the humble tomato.

I have also discovered the “healthier” potato dauphinoise which still manages to fill the hole created when craving a starchy meal. I fry the potatoes before layering them with onions or bacon or cheese or any combination of these! Then cover them with stock – usually vegetable – until just covered. Dab butter over the top and cook until crispy on the top and soft throughout. Sometimes I add milk to the stock for a bit of creaminess. I have found any of these potato themed meals never fail. read more

Recent Tweets

  • Error: Invalid or expired token.