quote:

---

Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
If you have access to Tillamook cheddar cheese, it melts very well. (I have had to work out Velveeta issues, too.)

---

I've never seen Tillamook cheese around here.

Moo
 

---

Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
The other thing is preserved lemons which are so useful in middle eastern and North African recipes.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moo:
I just came across a soup recipe which sounds very good, except that it says to add a large amount of Velveeta about twenty minutes before serving.

There is no way I will put Velveeta into anything I plan to eat. Can anyone suggest a substitute? I assume the Velveeta would affect the consistency of the soup, so I need a cheese that acts like Velveeta but doesn't taste like it.

Moo

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Palimpsest:
I have a favorite recipe instruction from the White Trash Cooking
"Use Velveeta, not other cheese will do.."

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by piglet:
Georgiaboy, that lemon/rosemary thing sounds lovely. Are Meyer lemons a particular variety, and does it matter if you use common or garden lemons?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:
Point of order!

Velveeta is not cheese! Not quite certain it is actuallyfood.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Arethosemyfeet:
I like to be creative with cake and related baking. A favorite of mine being what, in my house, is known as "cakey stuff":

1lb golden syrup...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Lidl had 5 large limes for £1 today, so I got some despite having 3 already. But I discovered over the holiday that lime juice/zest mixed into mascarpone with honey makes a very useful dessert component.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:
I had to look. Now every time I go to amazon.com (which I do about once a day) that title will show up in my recent history. They'll tell me that, "since you looked at 'White Trash Cooking,' you might also be interested in 'The Trailer Park Cookbook' or 'The Roadkill Cookbook.'" It's all your fault, Palimpsest!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Michael Snow:

quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:
Point of order!

Velveeta is not cheese! Not quite certain it is actuallyfood.

---

Having grown up with Velveeta, and used many of those long boxes for toys, I concur: It is not cheese!

Do non-burnt offerings count as recipes?

Today, I made a cranberry 'salad':

2 bags of cranberries [from the State of Washington via South Dakota and American Airlines...I'm in Romania]

1 large orange including the peeling

2 apples

one-half cup of sugar
[my Aunt's recipe called for a cup, but S. Dak. Norwegians are notorious for adding too much sugar]

I did it in a blender [first time for me] just assumed that was the way she made it; I had to run it through in small doses a couploe times. I am now convinced my Aunt used a food grinder of some kind.

This was a favorite holiday salad for me, esp. when eating roast turkey. Anyhow, it was a hit here, though while my wife was watching she said that I might have to eat it all myself.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by piglet:
Georgiaboy, that lemon/rosemary thing sounds lovely. Are Meyer lemons a particular variety, and does it matter if you use common or garden lemons?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
If you don't want to work by trial and error you could look up similar recipes online and see how the seasonings have changed to suit modern palates.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Martha:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Arethosemyfeet:
I like to be creative with cake and related baking. A favorite of mine being what, in my house, is known as "cakey stuff":

1lb golden syrup...

---

One pound of golden syrup? How big is your cake tin??? Cut into 1 inch squares, that sounds like about enough to last a year, but it does sound very yummy. Kind of uber-flapjack.

---

The Lakeland website tells me my tin is 15" by 10" by 3".
 

---

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
Thatza big pan!
 

---

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 
I have a pan that is about 10" by 15", but it's less than two inches deep.

Moo
 

---

Posted by nickel (# 8363) on :
 
I found and adapted this recipe which went over well at Christmas. Does anyone know if it would work with other dried fruit -- apricots, maybe?

Sparkly Cranberry Gems

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (craisins)
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons orange marmalade – optional
1 tablespoon whiskey or bourbon – also optional but highly recommended
3 tablespoons milk

Coating:
1/2 cup coarse white sparkling sugar (or regular granulated sugar)

Roughly chop cranberries; set aside. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Add butter by either cutting it in with a pastry blender, or use a cheese grater to grate most of the stick into the flour (much easier). Either way, next stir in the cranberries. Add the wet ingredients, using either a little more or little less milk at the end to make a stiff cookie dough. Don’t over-mix.

Form the cookies by dividing whole lump of dough into three even chunks. Form each chunk into a rectangle. Use a knife to cut the rectangle twice the long way, three times the short way, and you’ll have 12 even pieces of cookie dough. Repeat with other two pieces of dough = 36 balls.

Roll each cookie ball in sparkly (or regular) white sugar. Place on greased baking sheet, and use the bottom of a glass to flatten them to about 1/4 inch thick. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes – they should be brown around the edge but still pale on the top.
 

---

Posted by John Holding (# 158) on :
 
Not a comment on your recipe, Nickel, but I have to say I always have to look carefully at recipes that call for unsalted butter and then add salt.

On a different matter, what's "Sparkly sugar"?

John
 

---

Posted by Latchkey Kid (# 12444) on :
 
John,

I checked out a few recipes that did that and worked out that by using salted butter in place of salt and unsalted butter about three times the amount of salt was introduced, and I am trying to keep to a low salt diet.

OTOH I did not find the extra salt affected the taste in most instances.
 

---

Posted by Latchkey Kid (# 12444) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by piglet:
Georgiaboy, that lemon/rosemary thing sounds lovely. Are Meyer lemons a particular variety, and does it matter if you use common or garden lemons?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by John Holding:
Not a comment on your recipe, Nickel, but I have to say I always have to look carefully at recipes that call for unsalted butter and then add salt.

On a different matter, what's "Sparkly sugar"?

John

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
The other thing is preserved lemons which are so useful in middle eastern and North African recipes.

---

• 2 large onions, sliced thin
• oil or butter for frying same
• salt
• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 2 boneless, skinless breasts cut in half
• buncha sliced swiss cheese

quote:

---

Originally posted by Latchkey Kid:

quote:

---

Originally posted by piglet:
Georgiaboy, that lemon/rosemary thing sounds lovely. Are Meyer lemons a particular variety, and does it matter if you use common or garden lemons?

---

Meyer lemons are regarded as a lemon/orange cross. They are no good for preserves (marmalade) as they have a low pectin content.

---

quote:

---

What do you do with preserve lemons?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by nickel:
Sparkly sugar is (are?) larger crystals of sugar, about the size of jimmys.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
But if anyone has any ideas for leftover brandy butter, I'd be pleased to hear them.

---

Didn't know such a thing was possible! Nor did Sandemaniac (probably because he ate most of it last time I made a batch).

More seriously, you could try using it as the icing in the middle of a sponge cake. The parental Knotweeds often use Archers in the icing, so brandy might be even nicer.
 

---

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 
You can always spread it between plain cookies.

As a teenager, I loved hard sauce on vanilla wafers.

Moo
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:

But if anyone has any ideas for leftover brandy butter, I'd be pleased to hear them.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bostonman:
// I haven't heard sprinkles called jimmies by anyone who's not from Boston!

Regarding the discussion of cheese in soups up above...one thing that also works pretty well is putting a Parmesan rind, with most of the cheese cut off, into a pot of soup. //

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by piglet:
I haven't much experience of brandy butter - the sauce my mum used to make for Christmas pudding was more like a sort of boozy, pourable custard (along with pouring cream).

A friend of ours always gives us a pot of Cumberland Rum Butter for Christmas, which is excellent spread on toast or toasted cinnamon-and-raisin bread.

Would that work with brandy butter?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:

But if anyone has any ideas for leftover brandy butter, I'd be pleased to hear them.

---

Take one teaspoon. Remove lid of container. Hold the container in your left hand, teaspoon in the right ...

(reverse if you are left handed of course)

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
But if anyone has any ideas for leftover brandy butter, I'd be pleased to hear them.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by kingsfold:
I'm using up someone else's spare brandy butter by putting it with apple & pear sponge. Seems to work just fine...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by daisydaisy:
So here's a challenge.... I need a recipe by Friday for a dairy-free, wheat-free, oat-free, rice-free dessert that isn't fruit salad (far too virtuous) and that possibly uses blackberries, plums, rhubarb or gooseberries from my freezer.
Anyone have a suggestion?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
DaisyDaisy, interested in why you're oat and rice free - I can't have oats (but wheat is weirdly fine), but rice isn't an issue.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Yangtze:
My stepmother does a nice pudding that's basically tinned apricot halves baked with a topping of crushed amaretti biscuits. (Quite possibly some alcohol too.). I think those biscuits are just almonds & sugar so shoud be ok.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
Christmas pud truffles!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by daisydaisy:
Thank you for this crumble recipe - I had no idea that buckwheat is gluten free, so i'll try this next time. I've not noticed buckwheat flakes in the shop that i go to though - I use millet flakes almost daily as porridge, and made a passable flapjack with it too.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by UCCLynn:
I am going through some cookbooks of my mom's . In one that is a culinary history of a farmer's market, tnere is a recipe for a conord grape pie. I remember someone, possibly lutheranchik, looking for an amish grape pie recipe. I think this might be similar. This recipe is also germann heritage. If there is interest, I will post it (but not when i am limited to typing on my nook).

Btw, i enjoy the ideas here.
Lynn

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:

Poach your haddie in milk.

---

Who would cook it any other way?

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
That sounds delicious Firenze.
I usually poach smoked haddock in milk and serve it on a bed of spinach (or more likely chard, from the garden) with a poached egg on top and maybe a couple of slices of bread and butter.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Keren-Happuch:
Smoked haddock makes a mighty fine risotto too.

---

That would be a fancy Italianite name for kedgeree?
 

---

Posted by Keren-Happuch (# 9818) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by ken:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Keren-Happuch:
Smoked haddock makes a mighty fine risotto too.

---

That would be a fancy Italianite name for kedgeree?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
I take 'applesauce' to be American for 'stewed apple', but with the addition of cinnamon and sugar. As I don't much like cinnamon or very sweet things I just use straight stewed apple.

The only problem is that of moisture content, as home-made can vary wildly according to the variety of apple. If using a commercially prepared sort it would always have the same amount of moisture.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
Ooh, do you think a tin of apple pie filling would work?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rosa Gallica officinalis:
Mine is not a recipe query, but this is clearly the place where experienced cooks hang out. Has anyone any experience of using multisize cake tins ? Can anyone confirm or assuage my fears that cake mix would ooze out the bottom?
I'm planning to make madeira/pound cake for a tiered birthday cake, with a seaside theme.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
I take 'applesauce' to be American for 'stewed apple', but with the addition of cinnamon and sugar.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by John Holding:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
I take 'applesauce' to be American for 'stewed apple', but with the addition of cinnamon and sugar.

---

A little sugar may be found in most commercial north american applesauce, but cinnamon is almost never included. Homemade applesauce, which would be just as expected as commercial in a recipe, contains as much or as little sugar as you choose.

Most "organic" applesauce one buys is sugar free, I believe.

John

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by John Holding:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
I take 'applesauce' to be American for 'stewed apple', but with the addition of cinnamon and sugar.

---

A little sugar may be found in most commercial north american applesauce, but cinnamon is almost never included. Homemade applesauce, which would be just as expected as commercial in a recipe, contains as much or as little sugar as you choose.

Most "organic" applesauce one buys is sugar free, I believe.

John

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
The problem is that UK apple sauce is made with cooking apples, which are sour (like very large crab apples). A sugar free version of that would be mouth-puckeringly sour!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
The problem is that UK apple sauce is made with cooking apples, which are sour (like very large crab apples). A sugar free version of that would be mouth-puckeringly sour!

---

The apples I use for cooking are Bramleys, which cook down to a very moist fluff. I never add sugar if it is just for the family. We also used Bramleys as 'eaters' - back in the day when we had several Bramley trees.
If the fruit is left to ripen on the tree it becomes perfectly acceptable for eating raw.
Goodness know why they are come to market so green

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Hitherto my ideas of what to do with smoked haddock ... have begun and ended with kedgeree.

---

quote:

---

... a common commodity in Scottish fishmongers ...

---

... but sadly not in Newfoundland ones - you can't get smoked haddock here for love or money.

This talk of smoked haddock poached in milk for Friday supper is making me nostalgic too - Mum served it just as it was with a little of the cooking milk, and lots of bread and butter to mop up the juices, and the remains of the milk in a cup to drink.

It may not sound yummy but it absolutely was.
 

---

Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on :
 
My grandparents used to buy "finger and thumb" smoked haddock - apparently the markings on it are where Jesus held it when he shared it with the 5000.
 

---

Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on :
 
Can anyone advise? I need some easy recipes for a guest who has a dairy allergy and doesn't like spicy food. Oh, and its's got to be something that's fairly quick to prepare.My "standard" foods for guests are things like quiche, lasagne and pork somerst, none of which would be appropriate as they all have dairy produce in them.HELP!!!
 

---

Posted by Zach82 (# 3208) on :
 

quote:

---

Can anyone advise? I need some easy recipes for a guest who has a dairy allergy and doesn't like spicy food. Oh, and its's got to be something that's fairly quick to prepare.My "standard" foods for guests are things like quiche, lasagne and pork somerst, none of which would be appropriate as they all have dairy produce in them.HELP!!!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by St. Gwladys:
Can anyone advise? I need some easy recipes for a guest who has a dairy allergy and doesn't like spicy food.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
My uni chaplaincy has a fortnightly discussion group where we have a vegan (just because it is open to all and we want to cater to anyone who might come, and one of the regular attendees has a lactose intolerance) meal and bread and wine. I would like to do the meal this week but wondering what to do. I was thinking a veggie sausage casserole (I know Fry's meat analogues are all vegan) for this week, but was wondering if anyone else had suggestions? It should be vegan or at least easy to make dairy-free, cheap but not using pulses (I can't have them). Because we always have bread and wine with it, something that's not too carby with plenty of sauce is best I think.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jengie Jon:
One trick for something unusual is to search the net for "Orthodox" "Lent" and "recipes" which although some may contain fish are usually both vegan and are often low in fat or fat free. A Greek selection to get you started.

Jengie

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by QLib:
Speaking of margarine, I have two great tubs of allegedly olive-oil related marge, more than I can get through (if I jsut go on using it as a spread) before it starts to grow blue fur. I'm a bit wary of using it in baking, though. I tend to assume that I will need use more than the recipe states, and then cut back on liquid, but I'm not an expert baker and I wonder if anyone have any better (or at least more specific) advice to offer?

---

I don't think that sort of marge is very good in baking, from what I remember. Split it into manageable portions and freeze it? That's what we do with all the supermarket BOGOFfers, can't understand how so much food gets thrown away

Mrs. S, pretending to be domestic goddess piglet
 

---

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
I see the flagon of maple syrup was BB about a year ago. But it's been in the fridge, and doesn't seem to have any furry bits floating in it.

What's the consensus of durability of maple slurp?

(BTW, I'm intending using in on some pork and roast parsnips this evening)
 

---

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:

What's the consensus of durability of maple slurp?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sandemaniac:
I've just realised how much garlic we haven't eaten this winter, compared to how much I grew. I have at least a dozen bulbs of garlic (plus two of elephant garlic), that are now beginning to sprout.

Anybody any ideas what the flip to do with a huge stack of garlic?

AG

---

quote:

---

PS re the garlic: there is a well kennt French recipe for roast chicken which begins 'Take 40 cloves of garlic...'

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sandemaniac:
I've just realised how much garlic we haven't eaten this winter, compared to how much I grew. I have at least a dozen bulbs of garlic (plus two of elephant garlic), that are now beginning to sprout.

Anybody any ideas what the flip to do with a huge stack of garlic?

AG

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:
Speaking of excess ingredients, I have a large punnet (coupla dozen or so) of kiwis (the fruit, not the people). I've eaten one, but it was extremely sour. Apart from the obvious plan of just eating them with sugar, does anyone have any ideas?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lothlorien:

quote:

---

Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:
Speaking of excess ingredients, I have a large punnet (coupla dozen or so) of kiwis (the fruit, not the people)...

---

I assume it was actually ripe? Soft, squeezable sides.

---

quote:

---

Kiwifruit is a good meat tenderiser.

---

quote:

---

I haven't tried freezing the slices as I never have an excess. freezing would not work if you wanted to eat as fruit, but perhaps freezing pulp in iceblock containers would give you a result you could use as a meat tenderiser.

---

Dried kiwifruit is nice, but freezing might be less hassle.
Many thanks for that, Lothlorien
 

---

Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on :
 
My greatest apologies to h o s tatrices Jedijudy, Firenze and Ariel for reading the threads bottom to top and missing the h o s tly pronouncement on prepost appeasement.

I h o p e you will accept a in place of eating my post?
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
It doesn't taste quite the same
But that's fine. 'Tis part of the game.

Anyone got any recipes for *******s?
 

---

Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :
 
Guess what I've just done
Made pancakes just for one

Egg, 2oz of flour and milk
beat until liquid silk

Then onto griddle hot
tip a third of the lot

Toss once, or twice
cooked in a trice.

Jengie
 

---

Posted by TurquoiseTastic (# 8978) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
Christmas pud truffles! Crumble, stir into standard chocolate truffle mix (chocolate and cream melted together and cooled), cool, roll into balls and dip into tempered chocolate. Half-dip in melted white chocolate and decorate with sprinkles so they look like little christmas puddings if you like.

Crumbled pudding stirred into readymade custard and frozen makes a nice ice cream as well.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariston:
So, la vie en rouge has asked me to go biking with a string of onions. Even if I can find or make a string of onions, that's a lot of onions! I don't think I can use that many before most of them go bad, to be honest.

So, what's the best way you know to use up about, oh, ten to fifteen onions in a single session?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by infinite_monkey:
Cardamom Snickerdoodles.

They are FANTASTIC. Make them. Make them NOW.

---

Aagh!
I love cardamom - have saved the recipe for the day I am no longer eligible for the "Safe From Kidnapping" thread in All Saints
 

---

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariston:
So, la vie en rouge has asked me to go biking with a string of onions. Even if I can find or make a string of onions, that's a lot of onions! I don't think I can use that many before most of them go bad, to be honest.

So, what's the best way you know to use up about, oh, ten to fifteen onions in a single session?

---

Do you have/have access to a slow cooker? You can use it to caramelise onions and then freeze them in small portions to add to other things. Otherwise I would suggest French Onion Soup or an Alsatian onion tart.
 

---

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
Fried onions on toast

OK, that's just one or two onions, but its a start.
 

---

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Kept reasonably cool and dark, onions keep for yonks. Since I seldom commit a cooked meal without onions in it, 10/15 onions would last me about a week.
 

---

Posted by Percy B (# 17238) on :
 
The Times gave some simple recipes children up to 8 can do. What a good idea. They also did ones for older young people too.

In the youngest group recipes for the following were given:

Baked Potato
Leek and Potato soup
Scrambled eggs
bread
 

---

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Kept reasonably cool and dark, onions keep for yonks.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moo:
I stock up on Vidalia onions in May or June, and they last me until the next year. Some of them spoil, but I buy enough to allow for that.

---

How many onions is that?

(Or rather what weight of onions is that, I assume you don't count them!)

[ 19. February 2013, 15:29: Message edited by: ken ]
 

---

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 
Fifteen or twenty pounds.

Moo
 

---

Posted by Yangtze (# 4965) on :
 
I accidentally made a rather tasty tomato-lentil soup this evening out of stuff found in the cupboard. Thought it was worth sharing in case anyone else finds themselves in possession of a few lentils, a tin of tomatoes and not much else.

(Though I will say the amazing smoked bacon was a lucky find - I wouldn't normally have such a thing hanging around in the fridge and the soup wouldn't have been nearly as good without it.)

Tomato Lentil Soup
 

---

Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
A very timely recipe, Yangtze. I made it as a soup-in-a-hurry today for unexpected visitors. Added extra water and a stock cube to bring it up to a litre, but forgot the garlic but it was still delicious and gave us four mugs full.
Thank you!
 

---

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moo:
Fifteen or twenty pounds.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
A very timely recipe, Yangtze. I made it as a soup-in-a-hurry today for unexpected visitors. Added extra water and a stock cube to bring it up to a litre, but forgot the garlic but it was still delicious and gave us four mugs full.
Thank you!

---

Wow, someone made my recipe, that's so cool. Glad it worked for you.
 

---

Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on :
 
I am currently having adventures in veganism, which is making me think much harder about what I eat and turning up some fun surprises.

This morning I made porridge with coconut milk (1 cup oats, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 1/2 cups water plus I added some dried fruit). It needs quite a lot of sweetening but after that is much more interesting and tasty than normal porridge I think.

Another really delicious thing I made a couple of days ago -

Slice 1 onion and grate a bit of ginger. Soften for about five minutes in a bit of vegetable oil.

Add 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric and 3/4 tsp garam masala. You could also add more chili depending on how hot your masala is (mine blows your head off so I didn't add any more). Fry for a minute or so.

Add 4 chopped tomatoes and 2 tsp tomato purée. Cook down another couple of minutes.

Rinse and drain 1 large can of chickpeas, then throw them in the pan. Add 300 ml water. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

At the last minute add 200g spinach to wilt.

It's a bit time-consuming but not very hard and really tasty.
 

---

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
That reminds me of a Madhur Jaffrey recipe which I've been making on and off for years. It's chickpeas simmered with spices and tomato pretty much as yours, but at the end tip in half a cupful of raw chopped onion, green chilli and lemon juice.

Today is one of those clear the fridge days, so it's going to be waaaay too much chilli burger.
 

---

Posted by Zach82 (# 3208) on :
 
My long term culinary mission is to make a dessert called Charlotte Russe, which looks like this. One lines the bottom of a pan with slices of raspberry jelly roll, the sides with lady fingers, and then fills the middle with Bavarian cream.

I have had to learn how to make every step of the process. The first part I tackled was the jelly roll. That part was easy.

The lady fingers are the most frustrating thing I have ever tried to make in my life. I heard somewhere that the final exam at French pastry schools is to make lady fingers. I can see why.

I have been working away with Saint Julia's recipe, though I add a little cream of tartar to the whites to stabilize the meringue and bake them a little longer. When done right, they are delicately crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. They rise in the oven and form the ruffle along the bottom edge that fancy people call a "foot." My first 5 batches were miserable failures. I got flat, floppy little sponge cakes, and while they tasted fine, ladyfingers are all about the texture. And if I tried to make a Charlotte out of those, they would have gotten soggy.

After six tries, I have finally made a batch of passable lady fingers. God willing, I can make a few batches with consistent results. Then, on to the Bavarian cream...
 

---

Posted by Dormouse (# 5954) on :
 
My query is, Zach: What do you do with the failures? Do they get eaten? Tossed? Given to the birds?

I wonder this on The Great British Bakeoff when things go disastrously wrong. There seems to be such wastage...
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I made this yesterday to use up the last bits of meat from a ready-cooked chicken (after making stock and soup with the bones).

Piglet's Chicken and Tomato Pasta Serves 2

1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, ½ tsp each dried basil and oregano
2 small red peppers (I used the Ancient Sweets I mentioned last week), seeded and chopped
14-oz tin tomatoes
Generous squirt of tomato puree
4 or 5 large white mushrooms, halved and thickly sliced
About 6-8 oz cooked chicken
About 6 oz of pasta*

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or small casserole and sauté the onion and garlic along with the seasonings and herbs. Add the peppers, tomatoes, tomato puree and mushrooms and bring to a bubble, breaking up the tomatoes if they're not already chopped. Lower the heat and simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes until the sauce thickens. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente, adding a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water into the sauce. Stir the chicken into the sauce and allow to heat through. Drain the pasta and stir it into the sauce and serve on hot plates.

Vegetarian option: leave out the chicken.


* I used spaghetti, as it was what I had in the larder, but I think the sauce would cling better to penne or rigatoni..
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Any of you living on the chillier fringes of civilisation got any reindeer recipes?

I bought some steaks (more chunks really) from Lidl, which are currently lying around in oil, garlic, juniper berries and port. The gameplan is to fry them and serve with pan juices/more port - maybe orange juice? Red currant jelly?

Any ideas (that don't involve lingonberries preferably)?
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
I'd have thought that venison recipes would work well here and probably be a straight swop. Hopefully, the pieces wouldn't be too tough. (If you were to cut one of them would it slice very easily (= pan-fry) or be a bit of an effort (= braise)?)
 

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Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 
Redcurrant jelly would be good, I often add it to my venison casseroles.
 

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Posted by Zach82 (# 3208) on :
 
Cherry and venison are another classic combo.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
I've been making a Spanish dish of chickpeas with spinach as part of tomorrow's packed lunch for work. You need some chopped onions and garlic, which you fry in a little olive oil, then throw in some smoked paprika, then tomato puree, followed by wine vinegar (I used cider) and some vegetable stock. Add your pre-cooked chickpeas and stir together. Then a touch of ground cumin, which should add a pleasing note of earthiness, followed by the spinach leaves. Cook those until they wilt, stir all together, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve. It should be mostly, or half green, so you might need a fair bit of spinach. A squeeze of lemon as you serve it doesn't come amiss either.

Things to do with aubergines (for WW):

I generally slice them, brush the slices with oil then grill them. Just make a sauce to go over them:

a) garlic, tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt and chilli powder, cook until reduced nicely, then add some chopped flat-leaf parsley.

b) yoghurt (the thick kind). It's also nice with a touch of garlic and/or mint mixed into it.

c) garlic, crushed root ginger, cumin, chillies, honey, lemon and enough water to make a sauce. You can bake the sliced aubergines in this sauce as well.

ETA I did once have stir-fried aubergines in a Chinese sauce which worked really well - "sea spice" sauce I think it was.

[ 17. March 2013, 15:37: Message edited by: Ariel ]
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
The reindeer was good. Sauce as outlined with the addition of some crumbled beef stock cube for savouriness. If you are near a Lidl, 2 good helpings for 7.99, very lean and quite tender.

Tonight is fridge-clearing and has to involve pork steaks, potatoes and Parmesan - exactly how yet to be determined.
 

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Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:


Things to do with aubergines (for WW):

I generally slice them, brush the slices with oil then grill them. Just make a sauce to go over them:

a) garlic, tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt and chilli powder, cook until reduced nicely, then add some chopped flat-leaf parsley.

b) yoghurt (the thick kind). It's also nice with a touch of garlic and/or mint mixed into it.

c) garlic, crushed root ginger, cumin, chillies, honey, lemon and enough water to make a sauce. You can bake the sliced aubergines in this sauce as well.

ETA I did once have stir-fried aubergines in a Chinese sauce which worked really well - "sea spice" sauce I think it was.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
The reindeer was good. Sauce as outlined with the addition of some crumbled beef stock cube for savouriness. If you are near a Lidl, 2 good helpings for 7.99, very lean and quite tender.

Tonight is fridge-clearing and has to involve pork steaks, potatoes and Parmesan - exactly how yet to be determined.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Ferijen:
Parmo? (an interesting story on regional food)

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Why go to the trouble of crisp-frying something to douse it in gloop?

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quote:

---

Originally posted by la vie en rouge:
Slice 1 onion and grate a bit of ginger. Soften for about five minutes in a bit of vegetable oil.

Add 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric and 3/4 tsp garam masala. You could also add more chili depending on how hot your masala is (mine blows your head off so I didn't add any more). Fry for a minute or so.

Add 4 chopped tomatoes and 2 tsp tomato purée. Cook down another couple of minutes.

Rinse and drain 1 large can of chickpeas, then throw them in the pan. Add 300 ml water. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

At the last minute add 200g spinach to wilt.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Keren-Happuch:
I'm making goulash for tomorrow and looking for something interesting to do with cabbage and or broccoli as a side dish... Any suggestions?

---

Cabbage and bacon soup for a starter is a good, wintery dish.

Broccoli is easy. Cut into bite-sized pieces, then peel the stem and cut up as well. Warm oil in a pan, then throw in the broccoli when it's screaming hot. Sprinkle with salts, and stir fry until well browned. Add about a half cup of water, cover, and let steam until the water evaporates.

[ 22. March 2013, 03:51: Message edited by: Zach82 ]
 

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Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on :
 
I feel a deep sense of satisfaction from making this!

It needs a lot of tidying up before it comes out in public, but I got a real buzz from getting it to work first time.

As for aubergines... Madhur Jaffrey has two smashing recipes, especially the one fried with salt, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. She calls it Tala hua baigan (fried aubergine slices).

You do have Indian cookbooks out there, don't you?

AG
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sandemaniac:
I feel a deep sense of satisfaction from making this!

---

So you should. We love Battenburg cake but we've never seen it in the shops here, and I've never had the nerve to try it.

Very impressed piglet.
 

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Posted by Cottontail (# 12234) on :
 
Just posting to record a minor baking triumph: I have finally cracked the banana cake! After years of stodgy and sunken efforts (though still delicious), I adapted an inadequate recipe from an old Scottish Woman's Rural Institute, and it worked. The end result is light and flat-topped, and thoroughly scrummy.

So for those with a glut of uneaten bananas, here it is. I used a hand-held mixer throughout.

quote:

---

Grease and line the bottom of a 9 inch cake tin. Heat oven to 180C. Beat together 4oz soft butter with 8oz sugar until pale in colour and fluffy. Add 2 large eggs and beat together. Add 5 small overripe bananas and 1 tsp vanilla essense, and beat until the mixture is smooth. Sift in 9oz self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Beat together until smooth, then pour the mixture into the cake tin. Bake for 20 minutes, then cover with tin foil or greaseproof paper to stop the top burning, and bake for a further 15-20 minutes.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Keren-Happuch:
I'm making goulash for tomorrow and looking for something interesting to do with cabbage and or broccoli as a side dish... Any suggestions?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
. No real recipe, just cabbage, potato, onion

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Keren-Happuch:
In the end I did a big tray of roasted vegetables, including the cabbage and broc.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:
Would it be possible to freeze cookie dough until I need to bake the cookies?

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
Just speaking from experience, my mum is vegetarian and when people do Sunday roasts she's much happier having everything everyone else is having except the meat, just with an extra yorkshire pudding or two and more stuffing (bread stuffing of course).

---

When I do a roast, I usually do the potatoes in fat from the meat, and lard or dripping for the yorkshire puds. Oh, and everything with lashings of (meat) gravy. It's not a very veggie-friendly meal in my house

I'd far rather produce a meal that all my guests could eat, rather than do a single portion of something special for the oddball. It doesn't always work, but singling a guest out with a special individual nut cutlet or something feels a bit odd.

I've made this spinach and ricotta cannelloni before, and it's pretty good. I tend to think a single pasta dish is a bit dull, so I'd do another one - maybe a spicy tomato / aubergine bake with fusilli. Green salad, garlic bread - bake fresh bread if you can, a couple of bottles of something decent and red, and something rich and chocolatey for pudding.
 

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Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
I think a not too difficult option to accommodate vegetarians is to have a veggie casserole that may be used as a main dish for the vegetarians and as a side for the omnivores. Both groups could also eat another starchy side like potatoes or rice. Examples: Summer Squash Casserole or Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole for veggies and/or main dish plus Garlic Roasted Potatoes. Omnivores may have less of the veggie dishes and an added chop or cutlet.
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
Just speaking from experience, my mum is vegetarian and when people do Sunday roasts she's much happier having everything everyone else is having except the meat, just with an extra yorkshire pudding or two and more stuffing (bread stuffing of course).

---

When I do a roast, I usually do the potatoes in fat from the meat, and lard or dripping for the yorkshire puds. Oh, and everything with lashings of (meat) gravy. It's not a very veggie-friendly meal in my house

I'd far rather produce a meal that all my guests could eat, rather than do a single portion of something special for the oddball. It doesn't always work, but singling a guest out with a special individual nut cutlet or something feels a bit odd.

I've made this spinach and ricotta cannelloni before, and it's pretty good. I tend to think a single pasta dish is a bit dull, so I'd do another one - maybe a spicy tomato / aubergine bake with fusilli. Green salad, garlic bread - bake fresh bread if you can, a couple of bottles of something decent and red, and something rich and chocolatey for pudding.

---

Lol, I guess we're shown up as an Aunt Bessie's household then!

If everyone likes curry, then why not have a thali? Very veggie-friendly and it feels special.
 

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Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
The vegetarian half of my family usually have for their Sunday lunch a selection of roasted root veg and Yorkshire puddings, cooked in vegetable oil rather than animal fats. Plus greens of course. We don't eat much meat, so when they come here it is no problem for me to do the same, although I usually do some sort of nut/seed/pulse based roast or bake as well, and a vegetarian gravy (often of the 'instant' variety).
Should the more carnivorous half of the family be with us I add a small joint of meat, plus the appropriate gravy, to the menu - they don't seem to notice the absence of animal fat in the roast veg.
I've been doing this for years, and it really is no more trouble than doing the normal full Sunday Roast.
 

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Posted by birdie (# 2173) on :
 
Thanks people, this is helpful stuff.

I think I might just do the roast, while keeping the meat to one pan so M can enjoy the roast veg, and do an alternative to the meat for her. I make a mean onion and cheese tart type thing which is pretty hearty and could hold its own with the accompaniments, if you see what I mean.

Just need to make sure I have enough oven space...
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
Cheese and onion tart sounds good! My local chain pub offers a cauliflower cheese tart as the veggie option in their Sunday lunch specials, and it goes well with the other things. Yum!
 

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Posted by Keren-Happuch (# 9818) on :
 
I tend to do masses of roast veg anyway along with the meat - cauliflower, swede, parsnips, onions, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, potatoes, etc, etc.

Stuffed mushrooms or aubergines would be nice too. Tomatoes as well...
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
What are you planning for the rest of the meal? I'm guessing the veggie will want the roast potatoes, veg, yorkshire puds too so it should be something that goes with that. Just speaking from experience, my mum is vegetarian and when people do Sunday roasts she's much happier having everything everyone else is having except the meat, just with an extra yorkshire pudding or two and more stuffing (bread stuffing of course). YMMV of course but I would ask the veggie guest if there's anything they usually have at a Sunday lunch instead of the meat.

---

Jade - puddings, potatoes and then bread stuffing!!!! And remember that all these will have to be kept away from the meat, so nothing to flavour the stuffing or puddings.

You will need to provide some protein, so how about making a small lentil or chickpea bake, using some rice as the binder, and getting good flavour from some fried onions and fresh herbs? Then the same vegetables the others will have, but not much extra starch beyond the rice, and not cooked in the same dish as the meat.
 

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Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
Could you expand on what is in a lentil or chickpea bake? Thanks.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
Could you expand on what is in a lentil or chickpea bake? Thanks.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
Could you expand on what is in a lentil or chickpea bake? Thanks.

---

One I like to make starts with red lentils boiled until they are soft and have absorbed all the water - takes about 15-20 minutes. Add breadcrumbs, grated cheese, chopped chilli, onion (chopped and pre-softened), seasoning: bind with a beaten egg, put in a dish, more cheese on top, bake for about 25 minutes.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gee D:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
What are you planning for the rest of the meal? I'm guessing the veggie will want the roast potatoes, veg, yorkshire puds too so it should be something that goes with that. Just speaking from experience, my mum is vegetarian and when people do Sunday roasts she's much happier having everything everyone else is having except the meat, just with an extra yorkshire pudding or two and more stuffing (bread stuffing of course). YMMV of course but I would ask the veggie guest if there's anything they usually have at a Sunday lunch instead of the meat.

---

Jade - puddings, potatoes and then bread stuffing!!!! And remember that all these will have to be kept away from the meat, so nothing to flavour the stuffing or puddings.

You will need to provide some protein, so how about making a small lentil or chickpea bake, using some rice as the binder, and getting good flavour from some fried onions and fresh herbs? Then the same vegetables the others will have, but not much extra starch beyond the rice, and not cooked in the same dish as the meat.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
Since we only use frozen roasties and yorkshire puds

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
Since we only use frozen roasties and yorkshire puds

---

My word. I didn't know such things existed until today. Thank you Jade - i have learned something new.

---

Haha! They may not exist in the US but they are common in the UK.
 

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Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
For lunch on Easter Day we had a fabulous piece of pork - not traditional, I know, but... and it had just enough fat to make decent crackling.

TIP 1: Try starting pork in the microwave (80% power) for 10 minutes before roasting for the remainder; reduces shrinkage and meat retains more moisture without being under-cooked.

TIP 2: If you can't get the skin to crackle take it all off the joint: put on a rack with tin under in hot (c230 C) oven for 5 minutes then finish under a hot grill.

Delicious.

Two questions for all these veggies:
1. How can you eat gravy since its made with meat juices?
2. I cook veggie for you when you come to dinner so why don't you offer me meat?
Just asking...
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
1. Vegetarians will use vegetarian gravy, either instant or made with veg stock and seasonings.

2. Vegetarians do not eat meat and so will have nothing to eat if vegetarian options aren't provided, but meat eaters are perfectly capable of eating vegetarian food! Most meat eaters won't eat meat at every meal. Humans are not obligate carnivores.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Omnivore, rather than carnivore, to be accurate.

The mention of gravy though may have solved a current problem: how to make Sunday's chicken into a tasty pie filling for tonight. The normal bechamel thing isn't appealing, but it strikes me an onion gravy, with a little extra spicing, could work nicely.
 

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Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :
 
The alternative would be a tin of Campbells condensed soup as your base (chicken or mushroom according to preference) and you can lob in ham/gammon/leek/mushroom as you choose if you want to pimp your chicken.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
An entirely workable idea: but the original roast was a Sicilian recipe using orange, lemon and ginger - so I'm thinking that would marry better with onion and a dash of the North African spicing.
 

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Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :
 
The perils of making suggestions when you don't have all the relevant information

Mind you, Silician chicken with orange lemon & ginge sounds extremely scrummy - care to share the recipe?
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
As I recall it goes -

Grate the zest of a lemon, an orange and a cube of fresh ginger into a bowl. Add the juice, a tbsp of honey and a tbsp of olive oil. Bung some of the squeezed halves of fruit into the chicken. Baste with some of the mix. Roast for a bit. Baste some more. Rinse and repeat.

Pour off the juices into a small saucepan, skim the oil/fat, maybe add a little more fresh juice or a crumble of chicken stock to taste.

It goes well with a sweetish vegetable like carrots or squash or sweet potato, and couscous.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Yes. I think I may have a North Africa recipe for something like this, that involves citrus, ground almonds, spices, onions and is sweet and sour. Not sure if it would work in a pie (I'd have to have a look when I get home and see if it looks adaptable) but it was one of those things I couldn't stop eating.

It reminded me a bit of medieval cooking so actually it might well work in a pie.

(As thou wottest wel, muche may bee putte in a Pye.)
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I've been wittering in All Saints about the tablet I made for the Cathedral sale, so here's the recipe:

Piglet's Scottish Tablet

750g granulated sugar
⅓ cup cold milk
About 100g butter, cut in small bits
1 x 300g can sweetened condensed milk

You also need:
A large, heavy (not non-stick) saucepan or casserole (I used a 24-cm cast-iron one)
A wooden spoon and a teaspoon
A saucer for testing consistency and as a spoon-rest
A tumbler of cold water
A baking-sheet 13" x 9", lined with foil that's been generously buttered (I use cooking-spray)

Put the sugar in the pan, wet it with the milk and add the butter and condensed milk. Heat over a medium-high heat, stirring steadily, until it comes to the boil. If you start to get dark brown bits, don't worry, it's just starting to caramelise - lower the heat a bit and keep stirring.

When it comes to the boil (it should take about 10 minutes), turn the heat down to low and let it bubble, stirring occasionally to stop it sticking. It will increase a lot in volume, hence the need for a large pan. I usually set a timer for 18 minutes from when it comes to the boil, which gives a nice pale, golden fudge colour.

At this point take a teaspoonful of the mixture and dip it in the glass of water; when you lift it out let it drip on to the saucer. If it falls slowly off the spoon it's ready for the next stage.

Remove the pan from the heat, and stir vigorously for about a minute, trying to scrape down the crystallised bits.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking sheet (the bits that are left should be scraped onto the saucer for quality control purposes ). Leave it to set until the mixture is solid, but with a little bit of "give". Mark out squares with a pointy knife dipped in hot water, then put it in the fridge for about another half-hour to an hour. Invert it on to a board, peel away the foil then set it right-way up and cut it into squares (if you get the timing right, it'll break into squares like chocolate).

PS Don't tell your dentist.
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
What about your GP and dietician?
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Don't tell them either.
 

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Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :
 
Something for those people who don't like measuring things out. Everything comes ready sized.

Veggy Tacos. (Serves 2)

1 400g tin or packet of chopped tomatoes.
1 400g tin of canellini beans or red kidney bean.
1 medium onion - chopped, but nor too finr
1 large carrot - coarsely grated.
4 taco shells
130g of cheddar cheese - grated, (I use about athird of a 400g supermarket block
1 small carton of plain yoghurt.
about 1 teaspoon of chilli powder (to taste)
small pinch of salt
enough vegetable oil to generously coat the bottom of a saucepan.
Optional: a few cumin seeds and a few chilli flakes.

Toast the cumin seeds and chilli flakes in the saucepan and then crush them.

To the empty pan add the oil and return the cumin seeds and chilli flakes, heat till the oil turns yellow.

Add the onion and carrot, stir whilst heating till the onion is clear. Add the tomatoes and chilli and salt.
Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Add the drained beans. Simmer for a further 20 minutes.

Whilst it is cooking mix two thirds of the cheese with the yoghurt

Remove the pan from the heat.

Coat the bottom of a casserole dish with the tomato/bean mixture, fill 4 taco shells with more of the mixture and place in the casserole dish.
Cover the tacos with the rest of the mixture.
On top of this put the cheese/yoghurt mixture, then the rest of the cheese.
Place under a grill until the cheese melts and is turning brown.

Serve. 2 taco shells per person.
 

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Posted by Keren-Happuch (# 9818) on :
 
Following the discussion in All Saints of family meals, here are some recipes:


Fish pie
Ingredients (serves 2 hungry adults and 1 5-year-old):
Fish pie mix
Frozen king prawns
4 hard-boiled eggs
Mashed potato (quantity depending on how hungry you are, I used about 2lb potatoes and a dash of milk)
1 heaped tbsp corn flour
3/4 pint milk
2 oz grated mature cheddar


Spread one packet of fish pie mix in the bottom of a large oven-proof dish with half a packet (about 110g) of frozen king prawns and four sliced hard-boiled eggs.

Put the cornflour in a bowl and make a paste with a little milk. Boil the rest of the milk with a bay leaf and a little salt and pepper. When the milk boils up, pour it onto the cornflour and whisk hard till it thickens (removing the bay leaf!).

Pour over the fish mixture and top with the mash and cheese.

Bake for half an hour or so at gas 6/180 C (fan) until the cheese is golden and the fish cooked.

You can make a proper white sauce if you'd rather.

tuna bolognaise bake
tuna bolognaise bake: Make a bolognaise sauce, but with a tin of tuna instead of the mince, boil some pasta and mix the two together along with any veg, e.g. sweetcorn or broccoli you want to get in there. Top with grated cheese (and breadcrumbs if you have any handy) and bake in the oven for 20 mins or so until it's nice and bubbly on top.

Pastitio
Much the same as the above but with mince, or today I used shredded leftover roast lamb. Seasoned with cinnamon for the Greek effect. Layer cooked macaroni or penne pasta and meat and top with a thick cheese sauce and grated cheese.

Highly inauthentic and apologies to any Greek shipmates but chuffed to bits because KGlet1 ate 4 helpings of this today when he's previously spurned all tomato sauces.

This
Minestrone pasta pot from BBC Good Food always used to go down well too.
 

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Posted by Dafyd (# 5549) on :
 
Thank you.
 

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Posted by Surfing Madness (# 11087) on :
 
Anybody know how long powdered egg whites last? (they are in a sealed sachet, but have managed to lose the best before date off the box!)
 

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Posted by georgiaboy (# 11294) on :
 
Reading recently in Clemence Dane's 'London Has a Garden' I came across a reference to 'a pickle' (her words) made from windfall figs. This sounded intriguing, and I have not been to find any recipe which might resemble it.

Any ideas out there?

Thanks for your help!
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
Shelf life of powdered eggs

5 to ten years.. I think just powdered egg whites last even longer. I read an article once where the journalist visited the plant that made Marshmallow fluff.. basically egg white and sugar.
They pulled a sample out of the freezer for him to taste from the 1950's.
 

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Posted by Laud-able (# 9896) on :
 
georgiaboy: regarding pickled figs:

I hope that this site may be helpful.
 

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Posted by Keren-Happuch (# 9818) on :
 
Might be worth googling fig chutney too - loads of recipes for that.
 

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Posted by georgiaboy (# 11294) on :
 
Laud-able and Karen-H: Thanks very much! Looks like lots of variety, and not very difficult.

One further question: I'm thinking that during WW2 Clemence Dane probably wouldn't have been able to get much sugar, so probably not a sweet pickle. Is this right?
 

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Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 
I have a question.

I have a recipe which calls for a 15-oz. can of chickpeas. I would rather start with dried chickpeas and cook them myself. Can anyone tell me what quantity of dried chickpeas I need?

Also, does anyone know of a website which has this type of information?

Moo
 

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Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :
 
Just at a guess, I'd say about 2 ounces less of dried peas. Don't forget that part of the 15 oz is salt water.
 

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Posted by Deputy Verger (# 15876) on :
 
Oh my fur and whiskers! My evil procrastinating twin could have done without me stumbling across this thread.

Piglet, thanks. Tablet recipes abound but yours is so well expressed I am going to try it. (Procrastination fairy leaps for joy!)

Chick peas: General consensus (!) on the internet is that the answer is a generous half cup of dried is a 15-oz tin. Here's one source.
IndiaCurry.com
 

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Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 
Writes down tablet recipe to try tomorrow
 

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Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 
A while back someone posted a recipe for onion jam. I thought I had copied it, but now I can't find it.

Would someone please re-post it?

Thanks.

Moo
 

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Posted by Zach82 (# 3208) on :
 
I posted this a while back, though who knows if it's what you're thinking of,

Onion Marmalade
10 cups finely chopped sweet onions (about 5 large)
3 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¾ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
-Melt butter in heavy pan over medium heat. Add sugar, and cook while stirring constantly 1 minute to dissolve sugar. Add garlic and onions. Cover and cook over low heat 30 minutes.
-Uncover, add salt and pepper and vinegar. Cook off liquid over high heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, about 1 hour.
-When the liquid has cooked off, a fond will form on the bottom of the pan. When a fond forms, deglaze with a splash of water and stir well. Repeat 5-6 (or more, if you feel like it) times. The more times you end up deglazing the pan, the more intense the flavor will be.
-When cool, spoon into a jar and store in refrigerator.
 

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Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moo:
I have a question.

I have a recipe which calls for a 15-oz. can of chickpeas. I would rather start with dried chickpeas and cook them myself. Can anyone tell me what quantity of dried chickpeas I need?

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Different kinds of beans absorb different amounts of water when they cook. The ones that absorb most are the kidney beans and their relatives which can swell up to two or three times their original size.

Chickpeas absorb less water than most other beans - perhaps a little under their own weight - so I would use somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 of the weight.

But what is the weight of the cooked ones? I suppose it depends on how much water there is in the can of cooked chickpeas. In my experience that varies widely, depending partly on the poshness of the shop you buy the can in. Some cheap supermarket own brands seem to be about half water. Others have very little water in them at all.

But on the other hand, does it matter? Who really cares if you have a handful of chickpeas more or less than the recipie says? Exact quantities don't make much difference unless you are making pastry or cakes which I guess you aren't!

My mind only works in metric these days. 15oz is just under a pound, so about half a kilo. But if its 20% water that's 400 grams cooked, maybe 250 grams dry... or not. But chickpeas are cheap, so overestimate!
 

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Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :
 
Another answer here.

Jengie
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
I'd opt for overdoing the quantity. Cooked chickpeas keep well and are useful as a salad garnish, a sandwich filling when mashed with olive oil and garlic and lemon and if you save the properly cooking water as the base for a cup of light soup.
 

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Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on :
 
They freeze well too, and cook from frozen.
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
This is more of a perpetration than a recipe, I hope that is allowed.
The Chocolate Elvis.
Elvis Presley famously ate fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. And those are good, but adding chocolate to this is sublime. Even better if you caramelise the bananas.

Note: You can caramelise them without sugar by baking them in the oven with the skins on until they turn brown. Medium heat.
 

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Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
I'm looking for recipes using tarragon so that I can tame our tarragon plant, which is nearly four feet tall and has become something of an eyesore in the border garden. I've already made tarragon chicken and tarragon eggs. I still have about a half-peck of tarragon to go before the plant is down to a manageable size.;-) (This plant, by the way, was labeled by the greenhouse as French tarragon, but its vigor in our climate and its subtle flavor make me suspect it's actually Russian tarragon. Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
White fish and tarragon marry well.

But it sounds as if you may have to dry some of it, given the quantity.
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
There used to be a fish restaurant called Reggie's in Londonderry; at the front it was an ordinary, but very good chippie (takeaway), but the back was a much more up-market affair (with a licence) and my favourite thing on their menu was smoked haddock and tagliatelle in a tarragon and cream sauce, which was utterly divine.

I also understand that tarragon and mushrooms are quite good friends, although I've never really experimented with them; I love tarragon, but D. isn't wild about it, so I don't use it all that much.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
A chef friend of mine amazed me once by making a salad dressing out of Dijon mustard, wine vinegar and a whole bunch of tarragon.
 

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Posted by Keren-Happuch (# 9818) on :
 
We seem to have finally killed off our apparently indestructable tarragon bush, but I used to use it in place of parsley in a lot of recipes. It's good with chicken as well as fish too.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Herb quiche, with tarragon. (No, quiches don't have to be soggy and bland. Use extra-mature cheese for a bit of tang, don't overdo the eggs and bake until done.) Add mushrooms, or spinach, or whatever you fancy really, to your cheese and tarragon mix.
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
This is to avoid turning the British thread in AS into a cookery thread:

Piglet's Cranachan

2-3 tbs. whole oats, lightly toasted and cooled
2 tbs. brown sugar

1 pack frozen mixed berries, thawed and drained*
1 small carton double cream
About 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tbs. Drambuie

Add sugar to the berries to taste; you'll probably need a bit more if you're using fresh berries. Place the berries in the bottom of a glass bowl (or individual glass dishes), reserving a few for garnish

Whip the cream with the granulated sugar until it's almost stiff, then add the Drambuie and whisk until it's firm but spreadable.

Spread the cream on top of the berries.

Mix the cooled oatmeal with the brown sugar and sprinkle over the top of the cream, garnishing with reserved berries (or grapes, if you prefer)

* or the equivalent of fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries in a combination and proportions of your choosing
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Sometimes it's worth it. Normally I see ecomiums on homemade mayo or ketchup or neet's foot jelly and just reach for a jar of the shop-bought stuff. But firstly I really dislike commercial pesto, while simultaneously having distant but fond memories of having the real stuff in Genoa.

So tonight I did the chicken and pasta and the whole garlic/basil/olive oil/pine nuts/Parmesan. 30 seconds in a blender rather than half an hour toiling over a pestle and mortar - but it was fine. More than fine, delicious - and perfect for the evening of a day with temperatures in the 20s.
 

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Posted by Galloping Granny (# 13814) on :
 
This seemed more appropriate here then in General Questions.

I'm regarded as the expert in my field, but there's one thing I don't dare try. Maybe someone knows the answer, because an experiment could waste an otherwise perfect batch.

I make lots of jellies (that's jelly not jam):crab apple, quince, japonica, feijoa; and marmalades: NZ grapefruit, lime, currently sweet orange because people have asked for it (older folk like marmalade but keep getting little stickers on their meds:'Do not take grapefruit or its juice'). I sell it for Christian World Service.

Before I bottle my marmalade I stir in a knob of butter to dissolve the scum on the top. Before I bottle jelly I have to skim off the scum, which is becoming more difficult as I have shaky hands.

Question: Does the butter thing work for jelly or would it spoil it?

GG
 

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Posted by Cottontail (# 12234) on :
 
I have been baking for a friend who is gluten- and dairy-intolerant. I adapted a muffin recipe, and it worked rather well, so I thought I would share it here. (The blueberries all sank and formed a kind of jammy bit in the middle, but they were none the worse for that!)

Gluten- & Dairy-Free Blueberry Muffins

Makes 10-12 large muffins

125g caster sugar
250g all-purpose gluten-free self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g melted sunflower margarine
3 medium eggs
175ml unsweetened soya milk (or equivalent)
1tsp vanilla essence
100g blueberries (fresh or frozen)


1. Preheat the oven to 180C (fan)

2. Combine the sugar, flour, and bicarb in a bowl.

3. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, soya milk, margarine, and vanilla essence.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and fold together briefly - do not overwork the batter. Fold in the blueberries.

5. Spoon the mixture into large muffin cases, and bake for c. 20 minutes until risen and browned. Remove from oven and place muffins on cooling rack.
 

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Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :
 
I occasionally have days where I buy stuff because it's reduced, then bing it in the freezer and use at some point in the future.

I did this with a batch of Merguez Sausages amd now find myself wondering what to do with them to use them. Any thoughts? I'm sure there should be something spicy and yummy but my brain has gone blank....

[ 08. July 2013, 13:29: Message edited by: kingsfold ]
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Grilled and wrapped in a flatbread with a dollop of tzatziki. In a tagine with chickpeas and apricot. Cooked and eaten cold with olives, bread and houmous.

I actually have a similar issue with a pack of chorizo sausages for this evening. I'm thinking slices of griddled courgette and aubergine over pasta with chunks of saussies, or, simpler still, tip into a roasting tray with the addition of onions and tomatoes and skip the pasta. Sweet potato or squash would work as well.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
There's always homemade tomato sauce with a bit of your own favourite herbs or spices, and patatas bravas, or some variant thereon. It's essentially the old popular favourite of sausages and fried potatoes with tomato sauce, but with a bit of a twist.
 

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Posted by Surfing Madness (# 11087) on :
 
I foolishly invited a few people over for lunch next Sunday, and am now panicking about what to cook. It needs to be something that I can have ready very quickly after we return. I'm happy to do lots of prep on the Saturday. Also I have a slow cooker (but if I don't want to get up crazy early it will have about 5 hours cooking time).
Any thoughts, I'm average at cooking, but have only had people over when I'm around to prepare just before they arrive!
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
In this weather, are you able to do a barbecue outside anywhere, even with one of those little disposable kits? You then just need some sausages or other meat, burgers/vegeburgers, which can be done in batches as people turn up; fish if you're feeling more adventurous (barbecued marinated salmon); sauces, buns, and a huge bowl of salad. You could do chips/fries as well. Ice cream for afters, with fresh summer fruit (maybe with cream) as an alternative. The keynote here would be summer informality and minimal cooking.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
I would have well-marinated chicken pieces, or fish en papillote on a roasting tray and ready to go in the oven directly you come in. In the 30 minutes (or less) those take to cook, you can have either a cold starter, or nibbles and an aperitif, depending.

I microwave vegetables - so that's 10 to 15 minutes for new potatoes (depending on quantity) - pop in oven to keep warm. Green veg is 3 to 5. Or you replace the cooked veg wholly or partly with fresh crusty bread and a varied salad.

Seasonal fruit and cream to follow.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
If it's hot weather, large composed salad. Premake all the components and just assemble, dress and serve.

Tuna Nicoise is a classic.. good water packed light tuna, crunchy cooked green beans, potatoes, oornihon pickles, greens and a home made vinaigrette. Serve with crusty bread and good butter. Optionally add cheese, poached chicken, pickled beets and carrots, brown rice or pasta.

Or use Mark Bitman's idea.. make several grilled sharp cheese sandwiches, cut off crusts, cut into cubes and toss as croutons in salad.
 

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Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
I managed to "rescue" the remnants left over from the cheeseboards at my son's wedding last week, and put 8 X 3/4 lb bags of Stilton in my freezer for cooking purposes.
After-dinner drinks and nibbles with the next-door neighbours this evening meant that I could use up one bag making a batch of Stilton & Walnut Crackers.
All the recipes call them 'crackers', but they are like a shortbread in texture, and very calorific.
They are very moreish, so it's a good job I only cooked half of the dough, and froze the rest for a future occasion.
 

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Posted by Surfing Madness (# 11087) on :
 
Long shot I know, but am looking for a pudding/ sweet/ cake etc, which is gluten, egg and diary free! Any ideas people?
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Surfing Madness:
Long shot I know, but am looking for a pudding/ sweet/ cake etc, which is gluten, egg and diary free! Any ideas people?

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Fruit salad.

Baked fruit salad.

Stuff using agar agar and/or tofu (I don't have a specific recipe, but I know they're out there).
 

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Posted by Ferdzy (# 8702) on :
 
Surfing Madness, I have a pudding I make when I am on an anti-inflamation diet, the recipe follows. This diet requires me to eat as little sugar as reasonably possible so I don't add any, but you could add some to your taste. The pineapple should be in extremely small bits, so I have found that cheaper brands work better than the fancier brands.

1 (19 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice
1 1/2 cups soymilk OR almond milk
2 tablespoons minute tapioca
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup berries (to garnish) (optional)

Mix the pineapple, with its juice, the soymilk and the tapioca in a medium sized pot.

Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently.

Once it begins to simmer, turn it down and continue stirring, until thickened, about 10 minutes. There should not be any white specks left in the tapioca.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Divide amongst small serving dishes and garnish with a few berries if desired; blueberries, strawberries or raspberries would all be good.
 

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Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
Sounds yummy.

Speaking of almond or soy milk: do they typically work like milk even in cooked recipes? Regular milk is a bit sugary for me these days.

Thanks!
 

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Posted by Ferdzy (# 8702) on :
 
Yes, Lyda*Rose, they do, pretty much! The almond milk can look a bit thin and translucent in puddings and custards, but the taste is fine.

Also, both soy and almond milk tend to come in sweetened and unsweetened versions, and unless you specifically get the unsweetened, it's likely to be sweetened, so that's something to watch for too.

Lemon pudding made with the soy or almond milk is also really good - and it doesn't curdle like real milk would when mixed with lemon juice.
 

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Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
Hmm. I might give making my dad some pork or chicken gravy which I typically make with milk. I wonder if he'll tell the difference?
 

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Posted by Cottontail (# 12234) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Surfing Madness:
Long shot I know, but am looking for a pudding/ sweet/ cake etc, which is gluten, egg and diary free! Any ideas people?

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You could make little jam tarts.

I made this pastry recently, and it worked well:

quote:

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100 g Gluten Free Plain White Flour
100g cornmeal (fine polenta)
100 g Soya margarine
40g caster sugar
4 tbsps cold sparkling mineral water


Rub the flour, cornmeal, and the margarine together to make 'breadcrumbs'. Stir in the sugar, and then the water, and combine to make a sticky dough. Wrap in cling-film and chill for at least half an hour.

When chilled, press into the wells in a shallow non-stick individual tart/muffin baking tray. (It is easier to do this by hand than try to roll out the pastry, but make sure the pastry is not too thick or uneven.) Prick each base 3 times with a fork, and chill for another 10 minutes. Then bake at 180C for about 15 minutes. (Use baking beans if you wish, but I found they worked fine without them.)

Remove from oven, and while still hot, spoon in a generous portion of jam - raspberry and apricot both work well. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until jam is bubbling and party edges a light golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool - they will be the temperature of molten lava for quite some time after taking out of the oven.

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quote:

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Originally posted by kingsfold:
... Merguez Sausages ... something spicy and yummy but my brain has gone blank....

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quote:

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Originally posted by Clarence:
I've just been given (as a surprise gift from FD), a copy of 'Jerusalem' the Ottolenghi cookbook. Any other shipmates have this and can recommend what to try from what seems to be a breathtaking array of culinary delights?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Galloping Granny:
Before I bottle my marmalade I stir in a knob of butter to dissolve the scum on the top. Before I bottle jelly I have to skim off the scum, which is becoming more difficult as I have shaky hands.

Question: Does the butter thing work for jelly or would it spoil it?

GG

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quote:

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Originally posted by Firenze:
Anyone familiar with pomegranate syrup as an ingredient?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Palimpsest:
Was this Pomegranate Molasses? That's a wonderful ingredient that's hard to find here.

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That's what I enquired about, but this what the shopman offered. I would expect molasses to be a bit thicker. But I'm wondering if the flavour is the same and whether I can use it as a substitute.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
I've been meaning to try faisinjan for a while, but the ingredients don't seem to coincide in this area. However, if you have the bottled syrup you might find this an interesting use.

(Doesn't have to be pheasant; you can use duck, chicken or even lamb, if the internet is to be believed.)
 

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Posted by georgiaboy (# 11294) on :
 
A neighbor has offered me 'lots' of figs (his word).

So, what do I do with them? I've checked several recipe collections, but all I've come up with is preserving with lots of sugar and lots of cooking - not quite what I had in mind.

Any suggestions? I really like figs, just don't know what to do with them.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Bake with cinnamon, honey and a touch of brandy and serve with cream. (This smells wonderful while cooking.) Grill and eat with goats' cheese or wafer-thin slices of Parma ham. All these are good.

Or, if you google fig recipes you might find something else that appeals.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
Fig tart.
pie crust, frangipane and fresh figs.
I bought this at the local fancy bakery but the recipe looks simple
fig tart
 

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Posted by Deputy Verger (# 15876) on :
 
I have a seasonal glut of courgettes and, truth be told, marrows.


 

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Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
The traditional way to deal with a surfeit of marrows is marrow and ginger jam. You may then find you have an excess of marrow & ginger jam, but that is a better Xmas gift than a large, green, rotten vegetable.

Courgettes can be stuffed, used in ratatouille and risottos and in Indian-style vegetable dishes.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
I've always wanted to have a go at making marrow rum
 

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Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Deputy Verger:
I have a seasonal glut of courgettes and, truth be told, marrows.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Roseofsharon:

quote:

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Originally posted by Deputy Verger:
I have a seasonal glut of courgettes and, truth be told, marrows.

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I have a cupboard full of courgette pickles and chutney.
And still they come!

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quote:

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Originally posted by Porridge:

Another question: my grandmother (pbuh), under instruction from her Scots mother-in-law, used to make the most delicious finnan haddie. I last had it in my early teens. All I remember is Grammie's advice: when buying smoked haddock to make this dish, make sure it's more pale yellow than orange.

Can anyone offer up a recipe? I haven't been able to google one. Perhaps I'm spelling it wrong?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Deputy Verger:
I have a seasonal glut of courgettes and, truth be told, marrows.

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Grated courgette which is then fried off is a good way to make the mince in a bolognaise sauce go further, and to sneak some unseen vegetables onto the plates.

You can also make a courgette cake - same idea as a carrot cake. There are plenty of recipes online. Though I plead with you to peel the courgette first. My sister made one once (her inexplicable choice for my mother's 60th birthday cake!!!), and although it tasted delicious, the green bits in the cake looked for all the world like mould. We ate it eyes closed.

Mind you, a portion of bolognaise for 4 followed by a courgette cake will only use up two courgettes. Good luck for the rest.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Whole series of courgette recipes here That courgette mush recipe in the blurb is really worth doing (and you start with a kilo of courgettes / zucchini)
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
In the past few days I've done a courgette bake - layers of sliced courgettes interleaved with layers of tomato, onion & garlic sauce (add spices or herbs as you please) and grated tangy cheese, add salt and pepper to taste, bake until done.

I've also split courgettes lengthways and baked them with a spiced minced lamb topping and home-made tomato sauce over them.

Home-grown ones are less likely to have the tough, bitter skins and more likely to have flavour. They can be eaten raw, or cut into julienne strips and panfried in a little oil/soy sauce to serve as an accompaniment to fish. I tend to panfry a salmon fillet in the pan at the same time so that the courgette strips pick up some of the flavour. For extra savouriness try this with teriyaki salmon.

I'm currently considering stuffing the largest courgette (almost marrow size) with a mixture of fresh chopped herbs - mint and flat-leaf parsley - seasoning, pine nuts, a dash of lemon juice and breadcrumbs before baking it. The pulp can be used to thicken stews, soups etc. Alternatively I might just split it in half and have half with/in an omelette and the other half in a salad.
 

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Posted by Porridge (# 15405) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Firenze:

quote:

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Originally posted by Porridge:

Another question: my grandmother (pbuh), under instruction from her Scots mother-in-law, used to make the most delicious finnan haddie. I last had it in my early teens. All I remember is Grammie's advice: when buying smoked haddock to make this dish, make sure it's more pale yellow than orange.

Can anyone offer up a recipe? I haven't been able to google one. Perhaps I'm spelling it wrong?

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There's this.

Or these.

The thing about yellow rather than orange is natural smoked fish (which is a pale colour) rather than fish which has artificial flavour/colour added.

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quote:

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Originally posted by John Holding:

quote:

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Originally posted by Roseofsharon:

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I have a cupboard full of courgette pickles and chutney.
And still they come!

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[/QUOTE]
I like courgettes. We have some favourite main course recipes where it is a major ingredient; it makes a couple of good pickles; bulks up several tasty chutney recipes, and makes a nice moist cake - chocolate or lemon, and in a lime and ginger one you can pretend that the green bits are all lime zest . It is possible to make mock 'apple' pie with it - but the quantity of sugar and lemon juice involved seems a tad wasteful

Last year my courgettes hardly set any fruit, so I was glad of the stock of pickle from the year before - and put in extra plants this year.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Porridge:
Firenze, THANK YOU! Grammie's recipe is the first one, delicious as is, but I am definitely going to try the one with leeks and spices!

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Glad to be of assistance. My favourite thing with smoked haddie is kedgeree - simply rice, onions, hard-boiled eggs, the fish and waaay too much butter.

You might want to look into Cullen Skink as well.
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
For a light supper this evening (it was a very warm day) my Beloved made me a dish inspired by one I had in a restaurant in Juniper Green a few years ago.

Layer alternate slices of avocado, tomato and a creamy cheese (the original was Mozzarella, but this one was something else - maybe Fontina?) and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and freshly ground peppercorns.

Dead simple, but served with French bread and a glass of Pinot Grigio, it was heaven on a plate, and looked really pretty into the bargain.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
I've been eating my way through the real tomatoes. Sliced and stacked with mozzarella and strips of basil, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar or Vinaigre de Banyuls and a sprinkle of fresh black pepper.

I'll have to try adding the avocado.

And then there's panzella salad and gazpacho..
It's a short season here for non hothouse tomatoes but appreciated.
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Avocadoes also turn a BLT sandwich into a thing of beauty (and a BLAT ).
 

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Posted by daisydaisy (# 12167) on :
 
I love avocado with most things, or even on its own. In this recipe they are hidden, which in a way is a shame, but it's an amazing vegan wheat-free dessert.

I've got a coeliac friend coming to lunch, and I wondered about making cornbread muffins, but haven't yet found a recipe tat hasn't got wheat flour or rice flour (which I am highly allergic to). Any suggestions? Maybe an alternative is potato cakes with corn flour?
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
You can use a whole selection of flours - gram (chick pea), the rice and corn you've mentioned and potato flour. My daughter has got into mixing her own flour mixes to create the right tastes and textures for cakes and breads - she started from the list on the Gluten Free Girl site and plays around with the things she can eat.

And Yangtze introduced us to that site.
 

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Posted by daisydaisy (# 12167) on :
 
Interesting website, although I'd like to avoid buying lots of different bags of ingredients that will then be left on the shelf until next year.
 

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Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on :
 
I've had several garlic bulbs this year come out as a single huge round clove. Anyone any idea if these are still edible... and how many we might feed with one if they are? I think even the famous fifty clove chicken might pall in comparison to one of these brutes!

AG
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
I use buckwheat flour anyway - for blinis, it's got quite a strong flavour.

Of those flours millet flour would probably give you a reasonable result, mixed 40:60 with potato and/or cornflour - and millet cookies are edible.

By the way gluten free cornbread
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
I like courgettes sliced lengthways and used instead of pasta in lasagne, and instead of aubergine in moussaka. Also, courgette soup is nice and I like courgette batons in my fajitas. Oh and courgette and feta fritters! There are lots of things you can put courgettes in that freeze well.

My dad always sauteed sliced courgettes with tarragon which was lovely.
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by piglet:
Avocadoes also turn a BLT sandwich into a thing of beauty ...

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Actually, forget the lettuce.

Bacon + avocado + tomato + toasted bread = well-fed piglet.
 

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Posted by Clarence (# 9491) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Sandemaniac:
I've had several garlic bulbs this year come out as a single huge round clove. Anyone any idea if these are still edible... and how many we might feed with one if they are? I think even the famous fifty clove chicken might pall in comparison to one of these brutes!

AG

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quote:

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Originally posted by piglet:
For a light supper this evening (it was a very warm day) my Beloved made me a dish inspired by one I had in a restaurant in Juniper Green a few years ago.

Layer alternate slices of avocado, tomato and a creamy cheese (the original was Mozzarella, but this one was something else - maybe Fontina?) and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and freshly ground peppercorns.

Dead simple, but served with French bread and a glass of Pinot Grigio, it was heaven on a plate, and looked really pretty into the bargain.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Firenze:
For those still coping with a courgette/zucchini glut here are some suggestions.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Firenze:
For those still coping with a courgette/zucchini glut here are some suggestions.

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quote:

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Originally posted by birdie:
Oooh, RoseofSharon that looks like just the thing! I love boiled fruit cake.

I'm assuming it keeps well - and possibly improves if you make it a few days in advance rather than eating immediately?

Thanks!

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Birdie, here's another boiled one which used to be very popular down here. This one has been taken from our national broadcaster but I think the original came from the Australian Women's Weekly whose recipes were always well tested and reliable. Still are, actually. I have tried it with other fruit but think the pineapple works best.


Crushed pineapple fruitcake.

[ 28. August 2013, 23:22: Message edited by: Lothlorien ]
 

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Posted by Clarence (# 9491) on :
 
Birdie, I made the classic fruit cake from 'Delia Smith's Christmas' last year. It was fabulous. Shame no one else in my family (apart from FD) likes fruit cake... all the more for me.

On a different note, it is FD's birthday today and we had this: Kangaroo with raspberry glaze . It was YUMMY!

[Link edited to make it work. - Ariel.]

[ 29. August 2013, 20:53: Message edited by: Ariel ]
 

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Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
Lothlorien, that pineapple cake sounds delicious. I'm glad it says that chunks or rings can be chopped in a blender & used as I've seen many recipes calling for a can of crushed pineapple, but never found any in the shops.

Birdie, yes it keeps quite well - or at least, I've never kept one long enough for it to go mouldy
 

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Posted by Ferijen (# 4719) on :
 
I've got a free tub of quark with my online supermarket order. Any great recipes? I've used it before, but not for a while...
 

---

Posted by Thurible (# 3206) on :
 
Big mushroom - chop some garlic and chilli up, to taste, and sprinkle over the top. Dollop of quark. Wrap in foil and bake for 10/15 mins. Or the same with cream cheese.

Thurible
 

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Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :
 
In a moment of last minute inspiration serving some unexpected guests, I had a scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with few strawberries and looking around for something to drizzle across the top I added Sweet Soy Sauce. ( not regular soy sauce) Oh my, everyone at the table gave it a big thumbs up. I am going to be doing this again.
 

---

Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ferijen:
I've got a free tub of quark with my online supermarket order. Any great recipes? I've used it before, but not for a while...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Clarence:
... Kangaroo with raspberry glaze ...

---

I've never tasted kangaroo, and living where I do, it's unlikely I'll get the chance. The raspberry glaze looks lovely though - would it work with beef, poultry or game?
 

---

Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :
 
I imagine that it would work well with venison or moose, piglet. (Actually, even with the last one )
 

---

Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on :
 
Concerning "Quark" - I had to google to find out what the heck it is. After scrolling through the leptons and hadrons and such, I found a cheese product. Guessing this is what it is. It sounds like it's smoothed out cottage cheese, - no lumps, err... curds either large or small. Is this right?

Maybe something like this would work: box of lime jello (skimp a little on the water); grate a few cups of cucumber, and a piece of onion; add cottage cheese (or sour cream works too). Fridge until set. Very refreshing.
 

---

Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :
 
Quark is rather a bland variety of cream cheese.

Jengie
 

---

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ferijen:
I've got a free tub of quark with my online supermarket order. Any great recipes? I've used it before, but not for a while...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pearl B4 Swine:
Concerning "Quark" - I had to google to find out what the heck it is. After scrolling through the leptons and hadrons and such, I found a cheese product. Guessing this is what it is. It sounds like it's smoothed out cottage cheese, - no lumps, err... curds either large or small. Is this right?

Maybe something like this would work: box of lime jello (skimp a little on the water); grate a few cups of cucumber, and a piece of onion; add cottage cheese (or sour cream works too). Fridge until set. Very refreshing.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ferijen:
I've got a free tub of quark with my online supermarket order. Any great recipes? I've used it before, but not for a while...

---

Not a recipe, but in Germany they eat this in a big dollop on rye bread, with a spoonful of jam on the top. Delicious.
 

---

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by PeteC:
I imagine that it would work well with venison or moose, piglet. (Actually, even with the last one )

---

 

---

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
Fed up with the usual bland fruit coulis? Try this:

Half pound of strawberries, wiped and hulled
4 ounces of red currants, topped-and-tailed
1 lime

In a heavy based saucepan :
Cut strawberries small
add red currants
add grated lime zest plus juice
heat very gently until it starts to bubble, then switch off before adding
quarter teaspoon fresh-milled black pepper
Allow to cool before pushing through a sieve

Pour over ice cream or serve with fruit mille-feuille.
Bon appetit
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Back to the zucchini/courgette recipes. This one from Elizabeth David is easy and freezes well.

Grate a couple of zucchini. Cook some rice, so that you end up with about the same amount of zucchini. The absorption method is best, esp if you sue some light chicken stock. While you leave the rice to one side, sweat a chopped onion or leek in the same saucepan until it is soft and golden. Season and sprinkle some flour over that and stir while the flour cooks. Make a rather thick béchamel from that, and if you like add some grated cheese (emmental is best, but Mrs David would strongly disapprove of any cheese). Stir your rice and zucchini back in and pour the lot into a tray, so it's about4 or 5 cm thick. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and dot with butter. Bake for 30 minutes or so at 180, until the top is golden and crisp. Serve as a first course, or as a lunch dish alongside some cold ham, a grilled chicken fillet, or a veal chop.
 

---

Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
I should have said to put the grated zucchini back with the onion before adding the flour, not after making the sauce. That gives a better result. But there will be plenty of liquid from the vegetables, so make sure the sauce is thick to start with. Don't add cheese if you're serving it alongside chicken or veal.
 

---

Posted by Dormouse (# 5954) on :
 
This recipe which uses courgettes by Mr Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a great favourite in the Dormousehold

[ 02. September 2013, 14:52: Message edited by: Dormouse ]
 

---

Posted by Martha (# 185) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
Tried a new recipe a couple of weeks ago for a courgette & sweet potato 'lasagne' that used quark (I'd not cooked with it before)

Roughly this: Thinly sliced courgettes, thinly sliced sweet potato, tomato sauce (I think the recipe just called for a can of chopped tomatoes & tomato puree, but I cooked an onion & some garlic in with it to make a sauce), a carton of quark and some grated sharp cheese such as cheddar. Note: No Pasta
Layer 1/4 of the sauce, half the courgettes, a little more sauce, sweet potato, all the quark, the rest of the courgettes, more sauce, the rest of the sweet potato and the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with the grated cheese, cover with foil and bake at 180C for 45 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 170C and cook another 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender, and the cheesy top is browned.
I've made it once and it was good, so I've bought another carton of quark to do it again.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by piglet:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Clarence:
... Kangaroo with raspberry glaze ...

---

I've never tasted kangaroo, and living where I do, it's unlikely I'll get the chance. The raspberry glaze looks lovely though - would it work with beef, poultry or game?

---

It would be wonderful with venison or any game bird I would think.
 

---

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I turned a couple of spare red peppers into rather a nice dip/spread thingy this evening:

2 red peppers
1 large clove garlic, chopped
400g tub Philly cheese
About ⅓ cup mayonnaise
About ⅓ cup soured cream
Salt and pepper

Preheat the grill to High.*

Cut the peppers into rough quarters, removing the stems, seeds and membranes. Grill them skin-side-up until the skin blackens, then put them in a plastic bag for about 10 minutes to loosen the skin (it should peel off quite easily).

Chop the peeled peppers and put them into a food-processor along with the rest of the ingredients and whizz until fairly smooth.

Chill and serve with crackers or crudites.

* If you've got a gas-stove, hold the peppers over a flame until the skin blackens.
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
It's sloe gin making time ... and this year I really mean to do it. A friend has just told me where there are a load of sloes growing. So how can I tell if they are ripe, and how ripe do they need to be to make the sloe gin? Other sources I have found say that you need to wait till after the first frost, but that may be some weeks away. Will the sloes still be ok then - assuming there are any left by then!
 

---

Posted by birdie (# 2173) on :
 
You can put sloes in the freezer if you pick them before the first frost. I can't find any near me, which is annoying as I was determined to make sloe gin this year.
 

---

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
IMHO damson GIN is even nicer than the sloe variety, and a friend tells me that his brother has a damson tree in his garden.

I think some serious up-chatting may be in order ...
 

---

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
To stop damson gin being too sweet I always add a handful of sloes.

This year I'm branching out into raspberry vodka...
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
I've done raspberry gin in the past and that was (though I say so myself) sensational. Sloe gin will be a new venture.
 

---

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
I've made cranberry gin which worked well - same deal as the more usual sloe gin.
 

---

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I wondered about cranberries as an alternative to damsons - does it come out the colour of cranberry juice or a bit paler?

One of the things I love about damson GIN is the beautiful garnet colour.
 

---

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
More ruby red than that garnet colour
 

---

Posted by birdie (# 2173) on :
 
Referring back to the last page, RoseofSharon, my family, friends and I would like to thank you for that boiled fruit cake recipe!

Very lovely indeed - we need a suitable smilie.

I'll try the crushed pineapple one sometime too...
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:
I've done raspberry gin in the past and that was (though I say so myself) sensational. Sloe gin will be a new venture.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by birdie:
RoseofSharon, my family, friends and I would like to thank you for that boiled fruit cake recipe!

---

You are very welcome.

Mr RoS brought home three bags of damsons today, picked from a roadside tree. I told him that he'd have to stone them all before I could use them
He managed over 6lb this evening, so I'm making jam in the morning.
I have made damson gin in the past, also sloe gin & black currant gin, but they all sat in the cupboard for years because we don't much like alcohol (to drink, that is - it's great for cooking with, and the gin-soaked fruit makes lovely desserts )
 

---

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:
... Do they have any stones or seeds in that need to be taken out first, or can they just go in the gin as they are?

---

If sloes work the same way as damsons, then prick them with a darning-needle (tedious job: do it while listening to nice music or watching the footie results ), chuck them into a large sealable jar or bottle until it's about 5/6 full. Add 6 generous tablespoons of sugar, and top up with bog-standard GIN (there's no point in using an expensive brand)

Seal up the jar, then leave it in a cool, dark place for at least 6 weeks, turning it over once a week. Then strain through a muslin cloth, bottle up and drink as you would a liqueur - remember it's basically neat GIN.
 

---

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Traditionally you keep your maturing bottles of sloe gin under the bed and roll it from one side to the other each morning to stir it (this assumes there's nothing else under your bed - like Ship's mugs).

You need two bottles of gin, one empty, because you put half a bottle of gin back into each bottle with the sloes and sugar (or cranberry). The boring bit is pricking the sloes. Your fingers end up a very interesting form of wrinkled.
 

---

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
Have seen marmalade vodka in Waitrose - wondering if marmalade rum would be possible/drinkable. Considering making ginger and orange marmalade vodka for my mum for Christmas - she does drink vodka but prefers rum.
 

---

Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 
Marmalade vodka sounds interesting, I might try a marmalade whisky for dh for Christmas. I currently have lots ready for pressies; raspberry rum, blackberry whisky, raspberry and black currant brandy, berry vodka, sloe gin and I've just made blueberry gin today. I often use frozen fruit as it works so well, no risk of yeasts, and available all year round. My sloes were dried ones though.
 

---

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
For those worried about their weight or diabetic, I have made sloe and damson gin using artificial sweetener...
The only change to the usual process is to add a teaspoon of honey to some gently heated gin and add to the mixture - this takes away the sometimes slightly metallic taste of the sweetener.
 

---

Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
We made this years supply of brandied cumquats at the end of July. It's a bit tedious pricking each cumquat with a darning needle a half dozen times, but after then it's easy, and the result is worth it. Fill each jar with cumquats, pour white sugar over them to about the halfway mark, then fill with brandy. Put into a dark cupboard and shake every day or so until the sugar is dissolved. Leave a few months more. When you've eaten all the fruit, you still have the liqueur to drink. A tablespoon in a duck terrine is magnificent, or a teaspoon or so in sauce for duck breasts makes a good change from the traditional and rather boring bigarade sauce.

I imagine you could do the same with blood or seville oranges, or tangelos. We don't have them growing, but do have cumquat trees.

[ 14. September 2013, 03:02: Message edited by: Gee D ]
 

---

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by L'organist:
For those worried about their weight or diabetic, I have made sloe and damson gin using artificial sweetener...
The only change to the usual process is to add a teaspoon of honey to some gently heated gin and add to the mixture - this takes away the sometimes slightly metallic taste of the sweetener.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:
Do any of those picking fruit 'in the wild' for preserving wash it is anything other than water to keep your jam free from dog pee?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:

quote:

---

Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:
Do any of those picking fruit 'in the wild' for preserving wash it is anything other than water to keep your jam free from dog pee?

---

We don't pick anything from low down. Also don't pick from beside busy roads to avoid dust & particulates from passing traffic.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:
Point of order!

Velveeta is not cheese! Not quite certain it is actually food.

If one wishes to add cheddar or other hard cheese to soup, find a cheese sauce recipe. Make that then add it to the soup.

---

Here's a thought that will make your hair stand on end. It might even make you run for the toilet. A friend of ours makes fudge. It's creamy and rich and... it has Velveeta in it!! Yuck! He got the recipe out of some magazine and he, his husband, and my wife adore it! I just don't get the appeal. I tried the fudge and had to spit it into the garbage. My wife loves, loves, loves Velveeta and when I just now told her that all of you were dissing it, she laughed and said that secretly all of your really love it. Not likely! Ugh! Then again, my wife is one of these people who happily eats processed cheese on everything.

 

---

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I was wittering in AS about this recipe which D. did for lunch today - it really was very flavoursome, and being a "chuck everything in a roasting-pan and put in oven" job it was dead easy.

He added potatoes cooked with thyme, which drank up the (quite thin but v. tasty) sauce nicely.

We decided that it might be improved with a higher chicken:onion ratio, and a few chestnut mushrooms would probably be a nice addition.

From the recipe it looks as if it's meant to be a fairly flexible feast, so Experiments Will Be Done (and reported on).
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I need a recipe for using cream filled biscuits. I have a friend with hollow legs who devours biscuits at a rate of knots, so I buy boxes of broken biscuits which keep him satisfied. However, they always include little round creams, either white or chocolate, which neither of us like very much (and he's a custard cream fan). I've never seen them in a packet. There aren't enough in any one box to make the purchase uneconomic, but they do mount up.
I have used them in something trifle-y, but they aren't really right for that.
And because of the cream filling, they aren't really right for biscuit crumb bases for cheesecake.
Any ideas?
 

---

Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:
Do any of those picking fruit 'in the wild' for preserving wash it is anything other than water to keep your jam free from dog pee?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Penny S:
I need a recipe for using cream filled biscuits. I have a friend with hollow legs who devours biscuits at a rate of knots, so I buy boxes of broken biscuits which keep him satisfied. However, they always include little round creams, either white or chocolate, which neither of us like very much (and he's a custard cream fan). I've never seen them in a packet. There aren't enough in any one box to make the purchase uneconomic, but they do mount up.
I have used them in something trifle-y, but they aren't really right for that.
And because of the cream filling, they aren't really right for biscuit crumb bases for cheesecake.
Any ideas?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by cattyish:
... We've got loads of leftover crumble, a basket of apples to be distributed among friends, a full fruit bowl and more apples to come.

Cattyish, about to turn into an apple.

---

• 4 tired celery sticks, 1 very large red pepper, a handful of dubious mushrooms, 2 small carrots
• whatever meat I can get from 2 wings and half a leg of a tiny chicken
• some potted shrimps i MUST eat today
• half a tin of anchovies

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jade Constable:
Would like to recommend A Girl Called Jack - really cheap, delicious recipes, and an amazing woman and anti-poverty campaigner.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by L'organist:
Tonight is what the children used to call bottom of the fridge night: the challenge this evening is what to do with:

• 4 tired celery sticks, 1 very large red pepper, a handful of dubious mushrooms, 2 small carrots
• whatever meat I can get from 2 wings and half a leg of a tiny chicken
• some potted shrimps i MUST eat today
• half a tin of anchovies

At the moment its looking like a variant on risotto...

---

That looks like the kind of ingredients list I make Peasant Sauce for Pasta with - you would just need to add an onion & a beaten egg (roughly one egg for every two servings)

method.
Have a pan of pasta cooking.
Chop the onion (if you have it) & the other veg. Cook in a little oil until tender.
Pick the chicken meat from the bone and chop the anchovies, add to the veg with the shrimps and heat through thoroughly.
Season with plenty of black pepper. (Probably not salt, if using anchovies)
Drain the pasta and return to the pan.
Tip the hot veg mix into the hot pasta and quickly stir in the beaten egg.
Serve.

Other veg combinations can be used, with or without meat and/ or fish. Can also top with any leftover cheese you need to use up.

[ 05. October 2013, 07:36: Message edited by: Roseofsharon ]
 

---

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
I made risotto - and jolly tasty too, especially with a glass of wine at the end of a long day


 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Finding a large pack of Uncle Ben's Egg Fried Rice, last night I had half of it with some cut up cold meats, assorted, and a pack of mixed fresh vegetables intended for microwaving, and various condiments. DIY House Special, much cheaper. This morning the rest was mixed with a little curry powder, butter, parsley, smoked haddock and a hard boiled egg. Think I should have put some spring onions in as well. Cheat's kedgeree.
The rest of the haddock is probably going into cheese sauce. Or maybe have a poached egg on top.
 

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Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :
 
Tonight I made something in the slow cooker that looked really unappetizing on the website from which I got it (allrecipes.com) and not so lovely when I was placing all the ingredients into the crock pot but we are seriously chowing down on it now--it is FANTASTIC!

Take a goodly amount of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (the recipe calls for chicken breats but I use thighs because the flavor is much better) and put them in the bottom of your slow cooker/crock pot. Season with salt, pepper, a little bit of garlic powder, if desired. I made some broth with two chicken bouillon cubes, dried parsley, minced onions, and a dash of poultry seasoning and poured that over the chicken. I took a bag of frozen mixed veggies (carrots, peas, green beans, corn) and poured them in on top of the chicken thighs and then poured about two cups each of cornbread stuffing and cubed bread stuffing and a can of cream of mushroom soup on top of all that. I cooked it all on the high setting for about four hours and... wow! Yum! We are just gobbling it right now. Actually, I have to stop typing this to gobble some more!
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
You took time off from eating to type?!?!?

That, I think, is so far beyond the call of duty as to be over the horizon!
 

---

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
Last night we had roasted winter squash to go with our roasted chicken, and I tried a recipe I'd found online: I quartered the squash (one of those squat green buttercups), placed the pieces on a lined baking pan and coated them with a mixture of equal parts maple syrup and balsamic vinegar, along with a little olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. I roasted it at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, turning and basting the pieces occasionally. (Since the chicken roasts at a lower heat, I cooked the squash first, pulled it out, put the bird in the 400 oven and then reduced the heat to 350. I put the squash back in the oven shortly before the chicken came out, to warm it up.) This was fantastically good. I imagine honey would be a good substitute for the maple syrup for persons in maple-syrup-less places.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
I could see that working with chicken pieces in the same tray with the squash and the dressing over everything.

My w/end discovery was fondue sauce. I was doing cheesy cod and didn't really fancy the usual roux-based one, so I heated a glug of white wine in a saucepan, stirred in grated cheese and some mustard until it melted, thickened with a little corn flour (mix about a tsp with a teensy bit of liquid before adding) poured that over the fish steaks which had been seasoned and fried in a little butter. Couple of minutes under a hot grill until brown and bubbly.
 

---

Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
I could see that working with chicken pieces in the same tray with the squash and the dressing over everything.

My w/end discovery was fondue sauce. I was doing cheesy cod and didn't really fancy the usual roux-based one, so I heated a glug of white wine in a saucepan, stirred in grated cheese and some mustard until it melted, thickened with a little corn flour (mix about a tsp with a teensy bit of liquid before adding) poured that over the fish steaks which had been seasoned and fried in a little butter. Couple of minutes under a hot grill until brown and bubbly.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
an adequate vegetarian alternative to turkey.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
... C******** is looming however and we need some way to produce an adequate vegetarian alternative to turkey ...

---

quote:

---

The numbers of the Atlantic wolffish are rapidly being depleted apparently due to overfishing and bycatch, and is currently a Species of Concern according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service

---

I wonder if there are any species of sea fish plentiful enough to eat with a clear conscience
 

---

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
I think you'll find that Mackrel are still plentiful - but that could be because (a) people seem to find the bones 'difficult' to deal with, and (b) they really don't freeze well (that is to say the taste goes once they've been frozen).
 

---

Posted by Zach82 (# 3208) on :
 
Come to think of it, that may be why there wasn't any scrod. Last fall they slashed the quotas for cod and haddock in New England fisheries because of low stocks. Let's hope the stocks recover fast, because I do like a nice piece of cod.

Edit: turns out Pacific cod is doing quite well, and by all accounts the United States is doing a champ job managing those fisheries at sustainable levels.

[ 21. October 2013, 14:19: Message edited by: Zach82 ]
 

---

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Fish, in my lifetime, has moved from poor man's food to luxury item. Speaking of which, I did a take on Salade Niçoise which makes a posh starter for relatively little. Take -

1 tuna steak, seared
1 egg per person, hard boiled
Anchovies
Caper berries
Black olives
Shredded lettuce

Slice the tuna thinly and arrange on the lettuce. Quarter the egg, toss on the other ingredients and dress with a very lemony vinaigrette.
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
I have acquired a butternut squash, a vegetable I have never encountered before. I thought I would try roasting it and have found several recipes on line. They nearly all say, deseed it but don't mention peeling it, so I assume not. But then does one eat the peel or not?


 

---

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
It is quite tough - I think it would be optional. Rather like baked potato skin. Squash, btw, roasts a good dealer faster than root veggies.

You can also use it as a stew/casserole ingredient. In that case you do have to peel it. And it makes very nice soup.
 

---

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
If you peel it it will turn into a splodge. A nice-tasting splodge but still a splodge. It's very watery, just like most other squashes including marrows and pumpkins.
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
That's useful. I have a small butternut squash in the garden. I'm not sure if it is going to get any bigger. I did have a smaller one with its vine hitched up on a cane, but it has totally vanished. I suspect it was blown down and something found it

I'm just watching Mary Berry about to demonstrate a Sussex Pond Pudding - with apple in it. As my grandmother reputedly said of people who put dried fruit in the crust "They may do that in Surrey, but it isn't a Sussex Pond Pudding."

[ 01. November 2013, 18:07: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 

---

Posted by Clarence (# 9491) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:
I have acquired a butternut squash, a vegetable I have never encountered before. I thought I would try roasting it and have found several recipes on line. They nearly all say, deseed it but don't mention peeling it, so I assume not. But then does one eat the peel or not?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by ken:
If you peel it it will turn into a splodge. A nice-tasting splodge but still a splodge. It's very watery, just like most other squashes including marrows and pumpkins.

---

Very watery indeed. The best way to make mashed pumpkin etc is to chunk it up, cook it in the microwave, and then mash it with a dash of cream/butter. Boiling or even steaming it makes it far too watery.
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Depends on your pumpkin. I've used chunks of pumpkin in sausage and sage casseroles, which I've made a few times now, and it's never disintegrated into a watery splodge. It absorbs the flavours of the casserole in a very nice way. (And I always peel them before cooking them.) I haven't tried butternut squash, though.
 

---

Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
I'm confused between Butternut Squash and Acorn squash, but I have about half a dozen of one or other of them harvested from my garden, and a similar amount of pumpkin (usable size, not giant Halloween type).
I will experiment for their slushiness with various cooking methods, peeled and unpeeled - once I've finished working my way through the courgette/zucchini mountain that's still cluttering up my larder shelves.
 

---

Posted by Dormouse (# 5954) on :
 
I have never found butternut squash to be watery. Ever. It's delicious roasted, or (Mr D's very favourite soup)cooked in a pan with onion, garlic, ginger, chilli for about 5 minutes. Add 200 ml coconut milk and about 300 ml stock + 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes and then zuzzed to make a delicious soup.
 

---

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
I'm confused between Butternut Squash and Acorn squash...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
I'm confused between Butternut Squash and Acorn squash, but I have about half a dozen of one or other of them harvested from my garden, and a similar amount of pumpkin (usable size, not giant Halloween type).
I will experiment for their slushiness with various cooking methods, peeled and unpeeled - once I've finished working my way through the courgette/zucchini mountain that's still cluttering up my larder shelves.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Huia:
Today I discovered black chickpeas in an Indian grocery. I had a bit of difficuly understanding the shopkeeper(for some reason to do with my hearing disability I find Indian accents particularly hard to understand).

Are black ones the equivalent of brown rice ie not processed to the same degree as the whiter ones?

Do they taste very different?

Unfortunatley they come in a fairly large bag so I'm reluctant just to buy and experiment.

Huia

---

Google, and ye shall find.
 

---

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
On the subject of easy soups, I made a really rather good Scots broth the other day. D. had done roast lamb the day before, so there was a bone to be not wasted ...

Piglet's Scots Broth

Stock:
Put the lamb bone (broken up if it's very big), ½ a large onion, ½ a large carrot, left-over gravy if you have any, 1 celery stalk, salt, peppercorns, mixed herbs and a bayleaf and about 6-8 cups water into a large heavy casserole. Bring to a boil, skimming the surface, then simmer for 1-2 hours and strain into a bowl. Leave to cool.

Soup:
Stock (see above)
About 1-1½ lb carrots
1 medium or ½ large onion
1 celery stalk
1 large potato
½ cup pearl barley, rinsed
About 8 oz meat trimmed from the lamb bone, shredded
Salt, pepper and dried thyme


When you're ready to make the soup, lift the layer of fat from the stock and put it in a heavy pot over a low heat. Reheat the stock (I did this in the microwave).

Peel and chop the carrots, onions and potato into about ½-in. pieces, chop the celery finely and add them to the pot as they're chopped to cook in the lamb dripping along with salt, pepper, dried thyme and the barley.

Stir it all round a bit to get nicely coated, add the reheated stock and the meat trimmings and bring to the boil, skimming any excess surface fat.

Turn the heat down and simmer for 1½-2 hours.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I've just done a what's in the fridge and freezer soup which has turned out well.

Pack of frozen chopped onions.
Left over stir fry veggies from Waitrose, cabbage, bean sprouts, peppers etc..
Left over microwave veggie pack with different selection, beans, peas, courgette etc.
Last of the runner beans from the garden, cut in short sections.
Last large mushroom from nearby farm.
Tops and bottoms of two tomatoes, the remainder used in sandwiches.
A quarter of a pack of smoked ham bits.
A bag of homemade turkey stock from the freezer.
A handful each of brown lentils and pearl barley.
A small amount of left over beef gravy.

Browned the onions, added everything else, plus water to reconstitute the lentils and barley, slow cooked overnight. (The house smelled of Christmas this morning.)

It tasted good, I've a very small amount left for tomorrow, after one helping today, which I'll probably bulk up with something. There are three sealed bags in the freezer. Joining the vast amount of previous random soups in there. Must start using them instead making new.
 

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Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
Roadkill Recipe:
Mr RoS came home with a dead munjac in the car yesterday. His usual 'butcher', a local gypsy, brought me the two shoulders this afternoon and as the freezer is full to bursting with garden produce I had to cook them straight away with what I had to hand.
It went something like this:
4 red onions
2 carrots
1 parsnip
1 beetroot - all cooked gently in a little rapeseed oil with
2 big sprigs each of rosemary & thyme
2 bay leaves, 8juniper berries and 8 black peppercorns
I browned the two shoulders in a little more oil
and laid them on top of the vegetables and poured over
3/4 pint of beefy oxo stock and
1/4 pint rioja
I covered the pan and put it in a low oven for several hours.
I'll let you know if it was edible when we get round to eating it.
 

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Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
Zach Thanks for that.

I'm thinking of making hummus,in which case I probably could use up a bag.

Huia
 

---

Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Someone said that it was impossible to overcook chickpeas, and almost impossible to undercook lentils.
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I've been wittering on sundry boards in AS about the shed-load of tiffin I've got to make for my friend M's dreaded Christmas cookie-exchange party, so I thought I'd offer my version, adapted for ingredients readily available here:

4 oz butter
2 dessertspoons sugar
1 dessertspoon golden syrup
1 tablespoon drinking chocolate
8 oz Social Tea biscuits*, crushed
2 handfuls sultanas
8 oz milk chocolate/cooking chocolate

Line a 7½ x 11-inch baking tray with greased parchment.

Melt the butter, sugar and syrup over a low-medium heat. Add the drinking chocolate, crushed biscuits and sultanas and mix well.

Spread the mixture on to the tray and leave to cool.

Melt the chocolate, spread evenly on top and allow to cool again, then cut into the desired size of square (or triangle, or whatever takes your fancy).

* The original Scottish recipes that I have call for either Rich Tea or digestive biscuits, but I found the "Social Tea" ones in the Bulk Barn (cheaper) - they're a bit like a cross between the two, and worked very well.
 

---

Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on :
 
Is anyone familiar with baker's ammonia, a.k.a. ammonium carbonate? If so, can you tell me if I can substitute baking powder?

I ask because one of my mother's Christmas cookie recipes from the 1950s calls for this ingredient, with a footnote that says you can get it at drugstores! A bit of googling reveals that this substance is an old leavening agent that appears in German and Scandinavian recipes. You can order it online but it's almost impossible to find in stores. So I'm hoping I can substitute baking powder. Any suggestions?
 

---

Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mamacita:
Is anyone familiar with baker's ammonia, a.k.a. ammonium carbonate? If so, can you tell me if I can substitute baking powder?

I ask because one of my mother's Christmas cookie recipes from the 1950s calls for this ingredient, with a footnote that says you can get it at drugstores! A bit of googling reveals that this substance is an old leavening agent that appears in German and Scandinavian recipes. You can order it online but it's almost impossible to find in stores. So I'm hoping I can substitute baking powder. Any suggestions?

---

I've never used it, although a Greek cook told me that the board of health didn't like her putting it in the Christmas Cookies.

This article on Bakers Ammonia talks about the fact that baking powder can be used but isn't quite the same because the powder leaves a residue.
 

---

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
I'm thinking of making a veggie lasagna for part of Christmas dinner. My thoughts are to grill a variety of veggies, drain them, then use my regular recipe but substituting the veg for the ground beef.

Does that seem a reasonable way to do it? I see a lot of recipes using steamed and boiled veg, but not really seeing grilled ones.

I know one of you has tried and perfected this!
 

---

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :
 
Absolutely! There's possibly a variation on cross pond vocab here but yes. It will work. When I lived with son and DIL, we would have a roast every week on a Sunday night. A huge tray of vegetables would be prepared and baked at same time as meat. Leftovers were welcome in our place.

These were used up in various ways, lasagne being one of them. Roughly chopped or mashed a bit with a fork they would be put in layers with lots of tinned tomatoes between them, just like lasagne with mince.

Best lasagne son and I ever made according to DIL had other leftovers hidden in it while she was out at a yoof meeting. She arrived home very cold and tired and scoffed a large serve remarking on the good quality.

It was then we told her about the leftover paté and the bits of disliked gorgonzola also in the mix.

[ 12. December 2013, 02:27: Message edited by: Lothlorien ]
 

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Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :
 
Here's a pleasant homemade Christmas gift for antipodean shippies. It's cherry season down here now, all too short.

This is for pickled, spicy cherries.

600 ml apple cider vinegar

a couple of cinnamon sticks, each about 5 cm in length.

Several pieces of fresh rosemary with leaves on the twigs

Several pieces of lemon thyme

About a tablespoon fresh grated ginger.

Juice and zest of a large orange

Place all the above in a saucepan, bring to boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off and allow to cool to allow flavours to infuse.

While it is cooling, pit the cherries. You will need a kilo large firm cherries.This is much easier if unlike me you have not lost the cherry pitter three moves ago. I halved cherries and removed pits.

Strain liquid into another saucepan and add the cherries. Cook till cherries are just tender. Remove cherries with a slotted spoon and pack into warm sterilised jars.

Add 600-800 gm white sugar to the liquid . Original recipe said 750 gm but I prefer this sort of thing to be on the tart side so used 600 gm. Stir to dissolve and taste. Add more sugar if necessary to taste.

Strain syrup and pour gently into the cherries in jars to top up jar. Tap jar gently on bench to get rid of any air bubbles.

Seal and label. Best kept for several weeks before using.

Good with pork, duck, ham.
 

---

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
Thanks Lothlorien! I will let you know how it turns out!
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Came across a thing to do with potatoes which makes a nice variant on roasties.

Wash, but don't peel the potatoes and slice fairly thinly. Put some oil in a dish and add the seasoning, spices or herbs of your choice. Toss the potato slices until coated. Then, on a greased baking tray, arrange them in irregular stacks.

As roast veggies go, they cook quite quickly, plus they are more thoroughly embued with flavour and you get the maximum of yummy browned edges.
 

---

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
Firenze that might even tempt me to eat potatoes again.
 

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Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
A cooking show here recently demonstrated a recipe for a fast dessert using premade puff pastry, apples, sugar, lemon juice and rind and a pinch of salt. First the sheet of pastry was cut in half, making two rectangles. The apples, unpeeled, were cored, halved and then cut into thin little half-moons, which were overlapped in a pleasing way atop the pastry. Then came the juice of I think half a lemon, drizzled over the apples; then several spoonsful of regular sugar and micrograted lemon rind sprinkled over the apples; then a pinch of salt judiciously sprinkled over each rectangle. No other flavoring, which surprised me. Then the pastries were baked according to directions on the pastry package. The result looked beautiful, with the sugar, lemon and apple juice mingling to create a self-syrup.I think I'd like to try it with pears instead, and maybe a bit of spice.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Just made a v successful dessert with similar features - but minus the pastry.

Peel pears. Halve them and dig out seedy bits. Lay in a buttered dish and top with pats of butter, brown sugar and lemon juice. Bake for 20 minutes or until pears soften. Pour off the liquid and beat into some mascarpone. Spoon this over the baked pears.
 

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Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on :
 
I'm making caramel corn this Christmas to give to coworkers, and thought I'd share this wonderful recipe from a friend of my mom's:

Bring to a boil the following 4 ingredients, and boil 5 minutes:

2c. brown sugar
2 sticks butter (she actually had margarine, but that was the '70s)
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 tsp cream of tartar

Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. baking soda. Pour over 6 quarts popped popcorn (in an ungreased pan) quick!

Put in oven at 250 degrees for 40 minutes. While it's baking, break it up every so often.


I really like this particular recipe because the caramel ends up crunchy rather than chewy - less trouble for dental work! Plus it's quite tasty. You can, of course, adjust the amount of popcorn depending on whether you want more or less caramel on the popcorn. (Some people like a mere drizzle, others, like me, want the popcorn well-coated.) As it is, the recipe coats the popcorn somewhere in-between, i.e., just right.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
Jacque Pepin has a similar dish. It uses a non stick silpat sheet but I suspect you could do with buttered parchment paper.

Make a bit of browned butter and sugar. Put some on the non stick silpat and place a flour tortilla on it and add more butter/brown sugar. Cover with slices of pear and brush with apricot jam. Bake for a half hour, Let cool and remove from sheet. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
 

---

Posted by georgiaboy (# 11294) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by churchgeek:
I'm making caramel corn this Christmas to give to coworkers, and thought I'd share this wonderful recipe from a friend of my mom's:

Bring to a boil the following 4 ingredients, and boil 5 minutes:

2c. brown sugar
2 sticks butter (she actually had margarine, but that was the '70s)
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 tsp cream of tartar

Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. baking soda. Pour over 6 quarts popped popcorn (in an ungreased pan) quick!

Put in oven at 250 degrees for 40 minutes. While it's baking, break it up every so often.


I really like this particular recipe because the caramel ends up crunchy rather than chewy - less trouble for dental work! Plus it's quite tasty. You can, of course, adjust the amount of popcorn depending on whether you want more or less caramel on the popcorn. (Some people like a mere drizzle, others, like me, want the popcorn well-coated.) As it is, the recipe coats the popcorn somewhere in-between, i.e., just right.

---

quote:

---

candid potatoes

---

. Oh, how I laughed! Can you imagine? "Yes, we are delicious but we're fattening and will make your blood sugar rise rapidly and fall even quicker! Don't get us wrong, we're tasty but do you really need to consume us?" Anyway... back to recipes!
 

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Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
That was special.
 

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Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
Does that mean people actually candy potatoes?

Huia (the ignorant) hurries quickly from the room.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by The5thMary:
This is not a recipe, for which I apologize, but rather a funny typo related to food that I just wanted to throw in here for sheer whimsy.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Huia:
Does that mean people actually candy potatoes?

Huia (the ignorant) hurries quickly from the room.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Query: I've just been boiling a piece of gammon in cider. Any ideas for a future repurposing of a pint or so of rather appley, salty stock?

---

Maybe a nice apple and parsnip soup?
 

---

Posted by Mr Curly (# 5518) on :
 
I have just harvested some beetroots, roasted them ready for a salad for Christmas lunch. Picture and recipe here along with the menu for the rest of the meal.

mr curly
. . . who is recovering after three days of temps in the high 30 deg c.
 

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Posted by chive (# 208) on :
 
I've just made a clootie dumpling as my contribution for tomorrow's Christmas dinner. OK, I admit it, because I can't cook I made the microwave version, similar to this recipe except as is traditional I got mine from my mammy.

It does genuinely taste not too much different from the traditionally boiled for hours version, honest.
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
"Amount per serving: Calories 3562.8." Go carefully, chive
 

---

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by jedijudy:
I'm thinking of making a veggie lasagna for part of Christmas dinner. My thoughts are to grill a variety of veggies, drain them, then use my regular recipe but substituting the veg for the ground beef.

---

quote:

---

The veggie lasagna was a huge success! Some of the carnivores tried it just to say that they had done so, and reported that they would have been happy with that had I not also made the meat one.

---

 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Query: I've just been boiling a piece of gammon in cider. Any ideas for a future repurposing of a pint or so of rather appley, salty stock?

---

Maybe a nice apple and parsnip soup?

---

quote:

---

...emergency muffins...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jane R:
Firenze:

quote:

---

...emergency muffins...

---

[imagines muffins with jam stripes down the side and little flashing blue lights on top]

---

Quotes file!
 

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Posted by Clotilde (# 17600) on :
 
I wonder if kindly kitchen folk can help me.

We've a few large cooking apples here. I was wondering about putting them in the slow cooker.

Any suggestions how to do this - simple is good
 

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Posted by lily pad (# 11456) on :
 
Maybe check out this page for a way to use up apples. Personally, I would make applesauce. Do you deliver?
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Huia:
Does that mean people actually candy potatoes?

Huia (the ignorant) hurries quickly from the room.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Clotilde:
I wonder if kindly kitchen folk can help me.

We've a few large cooking apples here. I was wondering about putting them in the slow cooker.

Any suggestions how to do this - simple is good

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by PeteC:
Regarding using celery up before it goes bad: there is a simple solution - don't buy any. It is a useless vegetable and has no redeeming features whatsover.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by PeteC:
Regarding using celery up before it goes bad: there is a simple solution - don't buy any. It is a useless vegetable and has no redeeming features whatsover.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sandemaniac:

quote:

---

Originally posted by PeteC:
Regarding using celery up before it goes bad: there is a simple solution - don't buy any. It is a useless vegetable and has no redeeming features whatsover.

---

It's the world's greatest aphrodisiac.

You don't eat it, you use it as a splint.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by PeteC:
Regarding using celery up before it goes bad: there is a simple solution - don't buy any. It is a useless vegetable and has no redeeming features whatsover.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by PeteC:
... celery ... is a useless vegetable and has no redeeming features whatsover.

---

Not so long ago, I'd have agreed with you wholeheartedly about that, Pete, but I've discovered recently that the TV cooks are right - in tandem with onions and carrots it does lend a certain je ne sais quoi to stocks and casseroles.

A stick or two added when making stock does no harm at all (it's strained out at the end anyway) and if it's chopped finely enough it won't spoil the texture of a casserole.
 

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Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
Celery is one of the most lovely vegetables there is! I buy some pretty much every week. Good in salads and sandwiches, great chopped small and fried with mushrooms and onions, but totally vitally neccessary in casseroles, stews, and slow-cooked thingies.

If I was cooking almost any kind of stew or slow-cooking meat or veg I'd usually start by chopping up the onions and celery, while I ws thinking of what other ingerdients to use. Because they go in everything. Onions are more important than celery of course - without onions its hardly even a meal, celery just makes it taste nicer.

the nonsense about taking more energy to eat than you get from it is just, er, nonsense. Its niot exactly jam-packed with calories, but there are sugars in there.

And it does taste so nice.
 

---

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
I like braised celery...oftentimes I just don't think of making it as a side dish until it's too late. I do like the idea of freezing the chopped celery for soups and stews...thank you! (I'm also trying juicing extra lemons and freezing the juice in an ice cube tray -- it seems we always have a lemon in the house until I actually need one for a recipe...)

One neat DASH trick I learned this week was to, when pan-sauteeing meat, put the meat aside when done, then make a reduction of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar -- like, 1/3 cup vinegar to 1 scant tablespoon brown sugar, scraping up any browned bits of goodness in the pan.

I tried this substituting maple syrup for the sugar when we had pork tenderloin chops last night, and it was wonderful...also good to sop up with one's starchy side dishes. (In our case, roasted diced butternut squash.)

Now if I only knew what to do with the half-dozen jars of non-low-fat gravy we bought awhile back in a fit of madness during the local supermarket's BOGO sale!
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
Celery is a wonderful flavor ingredient for soups. It's also nice as finger food, either healthily by itself or stuffed with cream cheese if you're a New Yorker and peanut butter if you're a southerner.

Celery is pretty salty but has other compounds that often lower blood pressure. I'm on a low salt diet, so I use it to add a little crunchy saltiness to a salad.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Use the gravy in soup with a huge amount of vegetables to counteract the fattiness.
 

---

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by ken:
... Onions are more important than celery of course - without onions its hardly even a meal ...

---

I have a friend who can't eat onions, and I feel terribly sorry for her - I mean, how many recipes are there for soups, casseroles or whatever that don't begin with the words "peel and chop an onion"?

D. made me a really nice take on a Caprese salad yesterday - chopped up goat's cheese and avocado, halved cherry tomatoes and a dressing with herbes de Provence*, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Dead simple, and dead scrumptious.


* Rather a lot of herbes de Provence - he suffered a jar/lid malfunction ...
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Even more tragically, I have a friend who's allergic to garlic. And she's Italian.
 

---

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Even more tragically, I have a friend who's allergic to garlic. And she's Italian.

---

 

---

Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by LutheranChik:
Now if I only knew what to do with the half-dozen jars of non-low-fat gravy we bought awhile back in a fit of madness during the local supermarket's BOGO sale!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:

quote:

---

Originally posted by LutheranChik:
Now if I only knew what to do with the half-dozen jars of non-low-fat gravy we bought awhile back in a fit of madness during the local supermarket's BOGO sale!

---

Give it away or throw it away.
I know it seems wasteful, but it's just as wasteful to eat something that's neither providing you with the kind of nutrition you need, nor a really delicious eating experience.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by LeRoc:
Chinese leaf/Napa cabbage is really cheap here, and I'm trying to find new things to do with it. I found some recipes that stir-fry it together with spring onions, apple, maize kernels and aged cheese. I tried it for the first time this weekend, and to my surprise it tasted much better than it sounds.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Palimpsest:
I've never tried this, but if you like spicy stuff there's always Kimchi From my experiments with salt fermented sauerkraut I'd mention, be sure to put the crock someplace where if it bubbles over, it can be cleaned easily.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by ken:
It basically smells of garlic. As lovely a perfume as onion!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
I'm not anti-kimchi like Gee D, but for "someplace where if it bubbles over, it can be cleaned easily" I'd suggest "another building".

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gee D:
I'm reminded of appearing some 40 years or more ago in a non-airconditioned and crowded court. A colleague at the bar table came back from lunch reeking of the garlic prawns he he had for lunch - and still reeked the next day as the garlic worked its way through his skin. He did apologise.

On the other hand, Elizabeth David tells the story of a young lady (I use that phrase as indicative of the time) mannequin at a leading London couturier. She liked garlic, and was told to stop eating it. She resolved to do so, but had a last day when she consumed enormous quantities of it. The next day, she was complimented on the sweetness of her breath etc. The moral was that her body had become attuned to eating the garlic and it no longer had the consequences.

Kim chi is not in the same category. Perhaps it's the pickling, perhaps something else. But the stench the next day (I can't imagine anyone eating it for breakfast) is overpowering and just plain ill-mannered.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by ken:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Even more tragically, I have a friend who's allergic to garlic. And she's Italian.

---

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gee D:
I don't think you know what we eat Jade.

The offence is travelling to work on a train, reeking - no different to those who have not showered for a couple of days.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gee D:
It does not matter if it's been in a breakfast omelette (although they really should be eating their Weet Bix)

---

YMMV (and clearly does), but given a choice between a bowl of cereal with milk and a breakfast omelette I'd unhesitatingly go for the omelette. Cereal and milk are two of my least favourite things, especially in combination, and I wouldn't wish that on anybody unless they were exceptionally hungry. A well-made omelette is another matter, though I'm not sure about the kimchi.

Some people do like strong flavours to kickstart the morning. Continental-style is good in this respect, as it can mean smoked ham and cheeses with strong dark coffee. Blue cheese is particularly good here.
 

---

Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Nothing against omelettes for breakfast as such except the time taken to cook and eat one and then the getting into the machine in addition to or instead of the preparation of the Weet Bix; I'm already out of bed at 5.15 or so, and to make it 5 is just a bit too early.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Yes, I'm out of bed at 5.30 am so it's usually a sandwich, sometimes a toasted one, before I have to leave. I could pack it to take with me but on a cold winter morning, it's better to have something hot to eat before you leave if you can.

I have been known to cook a packed lunch to take with me for later, but that requires the sort of brain-hand co-ordination I can't rely on at that hour.

Anyway, back to recipes.
 

---

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
Most days I couldn't even eat at 5.30 never mind cook! I don't usually wake up till going on 8 or get up for some time after that but even then breakfast isn't often compatible with a working day.

Today I had a small piece of bread (very small) about 10am, some coffee at a meeting at 2pm, and that was the nearest I got to breakfast. Didn't eat anything of note till after 5pm. Still haven't had the salad I brought to work for lunch.
 

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Posted by Zach82 (# 3208) on :
 
So, I tried making chopped liver for the first time today, and the result is kinda fluid. Is it supposed to be like that? I've made paté lots of times and it usually sets into something firmer.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
You should be able to smear it on bread, but it should have some firmness. The recipes I read talk about avoiding over processing the liver into a puree, it should be somewhat coarse. Did you also use schmaltz and hard boiled eggs in the blend?
 

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Posted by Zach82 (# 3208) on :
 
The recipe had me simmer the livers in broth for an hour, then process in onions and a hard boiled egg. Even though I felt like it couldn't be right, the recipe didn't say anything about draining the livers, so I didn't.

Shoulda just made paté. Sigh. Maybe I can salvage the liver smoothie by processing in another hard boiled egg.

[ 28. January 2014, 00:32: Message edited by: Zach82 ]
 

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Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
An hour seems a long time to cook liver!

It's not super-delicate like kidney, which basically wants to be flash-fried in butter with some garlic and mushrooms and pepper and wine added at the end (unless stewed slowly into a steak and kidney pie of course but then its meant more or less as a flavouring).

I have a feeling that liver goes rubbery if cooked for a long time. Or is that what you are looking for when chopping it?
 

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Posted by Zach82 (# 3208) on :
 
I honestly don't know. I've never had chopped liver before. Usually when I make pate, I simmer the livers so that they are just pink inside.
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
An excellent and quite easy chicken liver pate recipe, which works even better with duck livers :

Finely chop a small onion and slowly melt in some butter with a chopped anchovy, some thyme leaves and a bit of chopped parsley until the onion is very soft and golden. Increase heat and quickly sear a half kilo of trimmed livers until they're cooked but still pink in the centre - a bit more butter may be necessary at this stage. Add a splash of port, brandy, dry vermouth etc, evaporate the alcohol and scrape up everything that has stuck to the base. Let it cool for a while and put into the food processor with 250g of butter cut into dice and softened, less a little bit. Purée until smooth and scrape into a dish with a small bay leaf on the base. Melt the remaining bit of butter and pour over the top to seal. Into the fridge for 24 hours or so.

It will keep 3 or 4 days if needed. Serve with water crackers or dry toast, and statins.

[ 28. January 2014, 02:05: Message edited by: Gee D ]
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I've adapted Delia Smith's chicken-liver pâté recipe: as I don't usually have brandy in the house I use a mixture of whisky and port instead, and I add a couple of tablespoons of double cream, as it makes it a bit more easily spreadable.

D's been re-discovering the joys of chicken-brick cookery, and did a boneless lamb joint this evening which was absolutely to die for, with potatoes and veggies cooked around it.

very well-fed piglet
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
I don't know chicken-brick at al and the recipes I've just looked at are enigmatic. We often have a boneless leg which I cook on a Sunday evening.

I cooked 2 smallish boned legs over charcoal for Australia Day dinner. We did not know how many would be there until a few hours beforehand, but the 2 legs together came to about 2.25 kg. We knew that would feed up to 10, but if only 4 were going to be there, Madame could put one into the freezer (the butcher was closed for the public holiday). With 5 for dinner, I cooked both over a medium fire for an hour, turning every 20 minutes and resting wrapped in foil for 10. The lamb was still deep pink, but firm rather then bleu, and delicious. I also cooked a large tray of small new potatoes rolled in olive oil while Madame did a bowl of green beans tossed with sweated onions and diced home-grown tomatoes, and a green salad with lots of rocket and basil.

Left over lamb will be diced and reheated in a sauce of onions, garlic, tomatoes and harrisa paste, with a drained can or 2 of chickpeas. This dish comes from Claudia Roden from memory and is called harrira. That will go well with some cous cous and a salad. The great thing about that is that Madame can have the sauce made and lamb diced, then the 2 can be combined when I get home.
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
This is a chicken brick - it's a terracotta dish, glazed inside but not outside.

Soak it in cold water for half an hour before you start, during which time you can prepare your chicken or meat with whatever flavourings take your fancy.

Our experiments have included:

Chicken with orange and lemon (put chopped half of each into cavity, sprinkle with the juice of the other halves, tarragon and seasoning and some oil)

Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic (put a few cloves of garlic inside, and scatter the rest round the chicken (unpeeled), season and rub with oil or butter)

Lamb (make slits in the meat and insert slivers of garlic, sprinkle over rosemary or lamb seasoning, add veggies round the edge, season and pour over red wine)

Once you've soaked the brick, pat it dry, add your meat, flavourings and veggies and put it into a cold oven. Turn the oven to its highest setting, leave it for an hour and it'll be done.

Warning: when you take the brick out of the oven, make sure you've got good, long oven gloves; I caught an unprotected wrist on the side of the oven once and the scar lasted for years.
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Thanks Piglet, we have had one of those for years and use it from time to time. I did not know it by that name. Ours is called a schlemmertopf or something like that. We also have a round version, slightly different finish, which is for roasting potatoes in their jackets.

Try soaking half the brick while the bread machine is making some pagnotta dough, put a sheet of baking paper in it if you like, form a loaf in the brick, put into a cold oven and turn it to around 240 C. You get a fantastic crust.

Pagnotta

3 cups unbleached white plain baking flour
1 cup either dark rye/soy/wholemeal plain flour
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil (we sometimes use 2)
1 tbsp gluten flour (optional)
1 1/4 teaspoons each dried yeast and salt
1 tbsp brown sugar (white's ok)

Put all into the bread machine and turn it to the dough cycle. It is a sticky dough, even more so if you use rye flour Sprinkle well with more unbleached fouler, make into a torpedo loaf, slash halfway round the long side just under the top, put into a cold oven and turn to 240. It takes around 40 - 45 minutes depending on your oven
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Sorry for double post, but when I looked up "chicken brick" I got recipes for cooking chicken pieces under bricks.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
A simple - but on the evidence of this evening - stunning recipe. You will need -

Stewing lamb (diced)
Cooking chorizo
Onion
Garlic
Red wine
Lamb stock

Toss the lamb in flour. Fry the diced chorizo, and in the resultant fat fry the lamb bits and then the onion and garlic. Tip everything back in the pan and pour over some red wine and stock. Simmer for about an hour.

Baked potato (halved, oiled and finished under a hot grill is always fun but not strictly necessary), and a good Spanish or Portugese red.

Life hath not anything to show more fair.
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
A simple - but on the evidence of this evening - stunning recipe. You will need -

Stewing lamb (diced)
Cooking chorizo
Onion
Garlic
Red wine
Lamb stock

Toss the lamb in flour. Fry the diced chorizo, and in the resultant fat fry the lamb bits and then the onion and garlic. Tip everything back in the pan and pour over some red wine and stock. Simmer for about an hour.

Baked potato (halved, oiled and finished under a hot grill is always fun but not strictly necessary), and a good Spanish or Portugese red.

Life hath not anything to show more fair.

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quote:

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Originally posted by piglet:
That sounds rather divine, Firenze, but what do you mean by "cooking" chorizo? One that needs to be cooked?

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quote:

---

Originally posted by la vie en rouge:
New soup* of the week: I made this last night and it is damn tasty and only takes about 15 minutes to prepare from start to finish.

I just made one change – I couldn’t buy cabbage in any smaller quantity than a cabbage and I didn’t want to have all the rest of it hanging around, so I replaced it with a bit of spinach. I think the cabbage would be better, but the spinach does work.

*Soup is largely responsible for my continued existence. If it wasn’t invented, I think I might actually starve to death.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by LutheranChik:
... I lessened the salt content ...

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I'm not an anti-salt freak, but I think you were probably wise - 2 teaspoons strikes me as a hell of a lot, especially with so much garlic, which is also quite thirst-making. It sounds nice though, and I say that as someone for whom wings about twice a year is more than enough.
 

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Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
Firenze: Your post reminded me of DP's jaw surgery a couple of years ago and my quest to find out which common foods taste (if not look) best when buzzed up in a blender. Roast chicken blended with mashed potatoes and gravy got a thumbs-up; pork and gravy not so much; Mexican food, especially anything including corn tortillas, was surprisingly edible. DP had a hankering for pizza one day a couple weeks post-op -- we tried a softer section of real pizza but she just couldn't eat it, so she asked me to do something with it in the blender; I almost vomited during the processing (I think I used a little heated tomato juice or something as a binder), but microwaved back to hotness with some parmesan added to it, she liked it. I would have been happy to have made soups for a month, but she would get so weary of the texture, and want something more substantial.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Thank you (I think) for that. It's not so much the food as the mope. Dinner is our social time, so sitting down with someone slowly and glumly picking their way through fairly boring food is a bit of a downer. (I mean, I do sympathise as a wife, but the chef/bon viveur in me is pissed off).

However, another week should do it.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
You might consider some version of the Chinese steamed chicken and rice. Process chicken to fine chicken add toppings of soy sauce, sesame oil and fresh ginger for those who can tolerate them.
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Texture is the problem, rather than flavour, isn't it? How about making one of your regular winter-time casseroles. Serve it with mashed celeriac, potato, pumpkin, kumera or what have you, serve your portion as usual and purée the other? Loads of flavour for you both, but his is in a form he can eat at the moment.
 

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Posted by Zach82 (# 3208) on :
 
Jesus finally answered my prayers and kidneys showed up at my local supermarket. Which means that I spent the day making steak and kidney pie, and my freezer is now stocked up with plenty of kidneys to see me through the year.

I am letting the pie set in the fridge over night, to be reheated for dinner tomorrow. That way, the gravy doesn't all pour out when I cut in to it.

[ 14. February 2014, 02:54: Message edited by: Zach82 ]
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
It's early and I'm ill-slept, but that first sentence entered my brain as 'Jesus finally answered my prayers and kidneys (and he) showed up at my local supermarket'.

Actually, I can't remember seeing kidneys that much in supermarkets here - sort of thing I would go to my local butcher for.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Yes, offal is somewhat out of fashion. Liver is probably the only one you're likely to see, though you can sometimes see hearts... I can't think where it was I saw tripe on sale the other day. It was packaged in plastic packets in a supermarket I don't normally go to, but can't remember which one.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Bet it was Morrisons. I've even seen hearts, and rolls of 'crackling' there (not very good though, not enough fat on it). I suspect my butcher processes a lot of offal into haggis, puddings and potted meat. They also sell stuff like soup cuts, ham hocks, lamb shanks and occasionally pigs' feet. Trouble is, as the numbers decline of people who know what to do with such cuts, they are likely to disappear as they have from the mass-market stores.
 

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Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on :
 
Tasty soup the next (baby it's cold outside):

Peel and chop up four medium potatoes.

Heat one litre of vegetable stock and add the potatoes, 500g frozen peas and three tablespoons of green pesto. Cook for about ten minutes until the potatoes are soft.

Take out 1/3 of the vegetables and set aside. Blend the rest of the soup smooth and then put the reserved veg back in.

I also made some crouton things to go in the top – slices of the baguette that was fossilising in my fridge, spread with pesto and sprinkled with parmesan and then stuck in the oven for a while. ‘Twas very yummy.

(This makes enough soup for four people. It’s very filling because of the potatoes. I now have a not inconsiderable quantity of soup in my freezer so another time I think I would probably halve the recipe.)
 

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Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :
 

quote:

---

posted by Firenze:
Trouble is, as the numbers decline of people who know what to do with such cuts, they are likely to disappear as they have from the mass-market stores.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Bet it was Morrisons. I've even seen hearts, and rolls of 'crackling' there (not very good though, not enough fat on it).

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quote:

---

Originally posted by kingsfold:
...I bought a ham hock. I have no idea what to do with it, other than just boil it up as I would a ham joint, and it's staring at me accusingly from the freezer every time I open the drawer. (This is what I get for trying to eat down the contents to make defrosting easier!)

So, what do I do with it?

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
Yes, offal is somewhat out of fashion. Liver is probably the only one you're likely to see, though you can sometimes see hearts... I can't think where it was I saw tripe on sale the other day. It was packaged in plastic packets in a supermarket I don't normally go to, but can't remember which one.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Zach82:
Jesus finally answered my prayers and kidneys showed up at my local supermarket. Which means that I spent the day making steak and kidney pie, and my freezer is now stocked up with plenty of kidneys to see me through the year.

I am letting the pie set in the fridge over night, to be reheated for dinner tomorrow. That way, the gravy doesn't all pour out when I cut in to it.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ken:
Kidneys are on sale in all the main supermarkets here.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Penny S:
Did you ever have a problem with keeping steak and kidney pie overnight in the fridge? I seem to recall a fermentation problem. Though maybe it was OK over one night, since I also recall cold pie.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Penny S:
Zach, what do you put in it, apart from the obvious? My family version flours the meats (which thickens the gravy) with seasoned flour, including pepper, salt and mustard powder, and also has onion and a stock cube. And it is in a deep pie dish - I suspect yours has a pastry base, because of the pouring out concern. And I never had any problems with any other pie.
And I'm now wondering if my mother's warning dates back before fridges, and if I have ever experienced the problem myself, or the bubbliness is from far back in my memory. Puzzling. I have always been very careful not to let it go longer than a day.
I'm currently feeling an offal hunger - spotted the liver in the shop today, and am now craving either an S&K pudding or pie.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Penny S:
Wine might make the difference. I'm somewhat tempted to experiment. I do remember the gravy -thick and jellylike when cold - starting to separate and bubble. And the kitchen I visualise this in is one I left at 14, and where, for a while, we had no fridge, only a device called an Osokool, a plaster cube containing a metal box on which one poured water to evaporate in summer.

But I do have, as you can tell, this deeply ingrained idea that the filling of steak and kidney needs special care, so much so that I need to issue warnings! Regard this as a weird hangover from the early part of the last century, along with not leaving sausages or pork uncooked.

How do you get yours out of the cake tin? Does it have a lid like a pork pie? (A lot easier to take a slice on a picnic than a pie dish version.)

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Zach82:
Well... I've never been afraid of a little cholesterol. I'm sure my cardiologist will have much to say about it in a few decades. My wife's too.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
My favourite liver recipes are the liver with juniper and yoghurt

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Care to enlarge? I can see references to it online, but not the recipe itself: juniper and yoghurt are my kind of ingredients.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Thin strips of liver (450g for 4), large onion cut into thin slices and half to make half moons (which separate into ribbons), crushed garlic clove - heavy frying pan with olive oil and butter, fry onion, garlic and heaped teaspoon juniper berries gently for about 10 minutes. Increase the heat, add liver and brown quickly - you're supposed to turn the strips carefully, I used to stir it, When browned and not overcooked, turn heat right down again and add 150ml natural yoghurt which you simmer gently for about 5 minutes, ignore if the yoghurt separates slightly. Taste, season with salt and pepper, serve with rice and green salad (but I used to do mashed potatoes and cabbage for this one too).
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Thanks. That sounds worth a fling for a weekday dinner.
 

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Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
Coming in late to the ham-hock question: We like to keep a couple of them in the freezer for soups (not supposed to keep smoked meats frozen too long, but that's generally not a problem at our house.;-)). We usually put them in a legume-based soup like split-pea, lentil or white bean. I've not tried this, but if you like having homemade stock on hand, it might be interesting to make a few pints of ham-hock stock for any soup recipe calling for a ham base.

Growing up, we usually had ham hocks in sauerkraut. (A culinary step up from the unsmoked neckbones that my grandmothers had to work with back during the Depression.) I think the acid in the kraut helps break down the connective tissue and tenderizes the the muscle in the knuckles, while the pork tames the acidic bite of the kraut. My mom used to add a handful of quick-cooking barley to the mixture just to thicken the juices and provide another texture to the mix; I've also tossed some chopped apple into the stew for some sweetness. Herb(s) of choice if you wish -- dill, thyme, bay leaf, etc.

Another alternative is to go the Southern US route and cook the hocks with greens like mustard or collard; something a bit tough and mildly bitey-bitter that benefits both from the smoky richness of the meat and the low-and-slow cooking process.

Regarding offal, aka "variety meat": I just can't love liver. I was anemic when I was little, and my poor parents tried to get me to eat liver; my mom made really wonderful (I'm told), tender fried liver with mashed potatoes that people loved; but I just couldn't get more than a few pieces down. On the other hand, I love heart, but it's really bad for those of us who watch our cholesterol, so except for the random chicken or turkey heart when we roast whole birds that flavor is pretty much a fond memory. My father's family truly engaged in nose-to-tail butchering and cooking, so he had happy memories of all sorts of other animal bits that my grandmother turned into delicious meals; but my mom was not interested in adopting that particular family tradition from the in-laws, and I also suspect that some foods taste better in memory than in reality! I think the most exotic variety meat I've ever had was a small-plate taste of lamb fries in a hipster restaurant a couple of years ago, and that was...erm...quite enough.
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Venetian style liver's delicious - strips of liver quickly fried with golden strips of onion melted in oil. A quick deglazing sauce using some dry vermouth, open a bottle of red and enjoy. You can be tossing a salad while the onions are cooking.

A glass or 2 of wine, preferably red, dissolves any cholesterol I gather. Or scares it away, or gives it dts. Whatever.
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I must confess to being an almost complete wimp when it comes to offal - the only uses I can find for it are chicken-liver pâté (the blessèd Delia again) and haggis - for that I'd use lamb livers if I could get them, but make do with chicken livers.

I've only once had devilled kidneys (we were at someone's house for dinner and I couldn't get out of it), and they were much nicer than I expected, but they still wouldn't be on my "favourites" list. I think it's the texture - I always find it a bit off-putting in S&K pie, which would be fine without the K ...

This talk of ham-hocks has reminded me that I must look out a recipe for Newfoundland pea soup, which we've been thinking we should try. It's traditionally made with salt beef, but stock made with a ham-hock and some of the meat from the bone would do just as well. I'll report back once further research has been carried out.
 

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Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
Stuffed lamb's heart is delicious.

You have to be very careful to cut out all the valve bits but once done, you can stuff it with something good - rice and sauteed mushroom is good - and serve in a rich gravy.
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
Stuffed lambs' hearts cook very nicely in a slow cooker. Sliced beef heart makes a tasty and extremely cheap alternative to braising steak in a casserole.

Delia's Complete Cookery Course (or is it Collection?) has an excellent range of fairly simple but tasty offal recipes.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
My best friend and I, during the stuffed hearts session at school, thought the meat looked so interesting that we ate a sliver each raw. A bit chewy, as I recall.
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Our butcher always has liver (both calves and lamb's fry), and kidney, and he often has tripe. Neither of us has never seen hearts there. In winter, we may ask him to get some in and we'll try cooking them in the slow cooker.
 

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Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :
 
We used to eat hearts, liver, kidneys as children. But Mr. C. has vetoed me cooking them for him (ewwwww). I do buy lamb's liver to cook for myself, though.

Strangely, he enjoys pate - made from chicken livers!
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
I've bought some cod pieces (no sniggering please) with a view to making a fish pie. Does anyone have a recipe they'd recommend? Suggestions welcome.
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
Cod, salmon, prawns (or even mussel meat) or since your white fish isn't smoked, you could maybe use some smoked mackerel or kippers? I'd leave out the shellfish if so. White sauce with capers and tarragon. Chopped boiled egg. Spinach. Mash topping, plenty of butter and seasoning, breadcrumbs and a little (very little) parmesan and cayenne on top of that.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
I've bought some cod pieces (no sniggering please) with a view to making a fish pie. Does anyone have a recipe they'd recommend? Suggestions welcome.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
I've bought some cod pieces ...

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The piece of cod which passeth all understanding?

I've never made a fish pie (D's not very keen, so I'd have to eat it all myself ) but if I did, I'd try and include some smoked cod or haddock as well, for extra flavour.

Over here, cod au gratin is very popular, and a good one can be delicious.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Well, I shall be making fish pie again during Lent. Thank you all - this is an enjoyably versatile thing to make.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I was once taken on a visit to St Augustine's Theological College in Canterbury by a friend engaged to one of the ordinands. It was Good Friday, and fish pie was served. And the piece of cod joke was made. And fasting was definitely not being done, as the young men were going up for second and third helpings.
I do find that fish pie is one of the two dishes which do not persuade me that I have eaten enough. I can go on until it runs out. (The other is lemon meringue pie.)
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Lamb and banana, is, it turns out, something that can be successfully combined. I made an Ecudorean casserole - which starts out in the usual way, by sealing the meat, softening the veg (red pepper and jalapeño), adding the liquid (chicken stock and white wine) and then throws in a quartered lime. Balance this at the end of cooking with a mashed banana - and Shazzam!
 

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Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
On fish pie, I'm with Jade - it has to have spinach: layer of fish and sauce, layer of spinach, crumbled hard-boiled egg, topped with mash (and I usually add 3 or 4 cloves of garlic to the potatoes and mash the whole lot together.

Serve either on its own or with baby broad beans.
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
Broad beans either double-podded (ie taken out of the pods and the pale green outer skin so you are left with the bright green inner beans) or very young baby pods left whole, naturally.
 

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Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
Does anyone know how well a home made quiche would freeze? As a single person, I don't like buying a bunch of ingredients and only using up half of them. I'm thinking of making a couple of chicken and asparagus quiches, eating one this week and freezing another to eat in a few weeks. Thanks.
 

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Posted by lily pad (# 11456) on :
 
Quiche freezes perfectly fine. I freeze it in single portions and then can have one slice at a time.
 

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Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on :
 
I tend to make a large quuiche and cut it i9nto 6. 2 pieces will just about fit into a tub to go into the freezer, so we have three meals from 1 quiche.
 

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Posted by John Holding (# 158) on :
 
Around here one can purchase a wide variety of frozen quiches. Freezing is no problem at all.

John
 

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Posted by basso (# 4228) on :
 
So I have a kitchen for the first time in ages. The other day I saw a recipe in the paper and said, ¨I could do that.¨ So I did.

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken That's a Little Less Sweet.

I think it's also the first time I've ever caramelized sugar. (Deliberately or not!)

Turned out pretty tasty. My flatmate agreed, and there are leftovers.
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
An equipment recommendation rather than a recipe - my housemate got a ceramic frying pan seriously reduced at the supermarket (reduced from £25 to £5!). I've used it a couple of times and I must say it's fantastic. Conducts heat really well and evenly, and cleaning it is an absolute breeze. Best pan I've used in a long time. It's the Vita Verde brand but I imagine most ceramic pans are going to be very similar. Given how good ceramic-plated hair straighteners are, I shouldn't be surprised at how good ceramic pans are.
 

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Posted by Yangtze (# 4965) on :
 
Tonight I made up a very cheats' paella. Necessity being the mother of invention and all that. (Not much in fridge or cupboard.) But it turned out rather tasty so I thought worth sharing.

Slice diagonally a spring onion and fry in olive oil. Add a chopped tomato or two and a little bit of salt. Stir around for a couple of mins then add 1/2 tsp smoked paprika followed by leftover cold rice. Stir. Add a few anchovies (the kind found in jars/tins of oil). Stir. Cook till rice heated through.

There was enough leftover rice for on. If you're cooking for more increase other quantities accordingly.
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
This is in response to a PM I received - I thought I'd posted this recipe before but it didn't appear when I "searched".

Red Pepper Jelly

Makes 4-5 jars.

2 large red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 cup white vinegar
4½ cups granulated sugar
1 envelope Certo liquid pectin*

Heat 5 1-cup jars (one cup is about standard jam-jar size) and their lids in a 100ºC/200°F oven for about 10 minutes.

Puree the chopped peppers in a food-processor with the vinegar. In a large pot, mix the pureed mixture and sugar, stirring well.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and continue to boil for ten minutes, stirring often.

Remove from the heat, add the pectin, and stir again.

Return to the heat, bring to a rapid rolling boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat, pour into the heated jars and cover. It'll keep for a very long time.

If you like a bit of heat, add a seeded, chopped red chilli pepper along with the bell peppers.

To serve, spread a layer of plain Philly cheese on a flat plate and a layer of the jelly on top, and serve with crackers. It also goes very well with Brie, or as an accompaniment to hot or cold roast meats, and a spoonful adds a certain je ne sais quoi to beef casseroles.

* Certo is the brand that was specified in the recipe I was given; I don't know if it's available across the Pond, but I imagine there'll be liquid pectin of some sort that'll work.
 

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Posted by Surfing Madness (# 11087) on :
 
Does anyone know how long homemade meringues will keep for? Thanks
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Homemade meringues keep for a surprisingly long time, as dry meringues. They have to be stored an airtight tin or box and ignore them. But it's weeks, maybe months. We were always rediscovering them as children as my mother used to make meringues to use up left over egg whites from mayonnaise and would pack them away in boxes, using them when she needed them. It wasn't unknown to open the other two layers on the biscuit/cake tin to find a Pavlova ring and a layer filled with mini-meringues.

The sugar content works as a preservative the way it does in jam, the big problem is if they are open to the air they get damp and soft.
 

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Posted by Ian Climacus (# 944) on :
 
I thought of you talented people when I saw the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year; all entrants here. I am starving now.

[ 27. April 2014, 00:27: Message edited by: Ian Climacus ]
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
When making pavlovas or meringues. my mother used put them into a very hot oven, turn it off as soon as the temperature returned to the setting, and leave them there overnight. They cooked as the oven cooled: the small meringues to crispiness throughout, the thicker pavlovas still moist and mousse-like in the centre.
 

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Posted by Boadicea Trott (# 9621) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
I thought of you talented people when I saw the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year; all entrants here. I am starving now.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
... if [meringues] are open to the air they get damp and soft.

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In the Cathedral Crypt tea-room they used to do little meringue mini-pavlovas (the size of a very small cup-cake), and because the summers here tend to be very humid they had the devil's job stopping them going soggy, even in air-tight boxes. Eventually they gave up and started doing mini-cheesecakes instead.
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
In the last couple of weeks, we've discovered the delights of making our own French stick bread. It's absolutely brilliant - the bread-machine does all the hard work, but you get the therapeutic satisfaction of rolling out the dough, and it tastes magic.

And, unlike our previous bread-making adventures, this one worked splendidly right from the first time we tried it.



 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Is that baguettes, or those little crunchy breadsticks?
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
How on earth do you fit it into the oven?
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I need some input to help with something I bought at Aldi. Lemon flavoured pasta. Can't quite get my mind round savoury... Any ideas?
 

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Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 
I love lemon flavored chicken with rosemary. Maybe you could combine the pasta with chicken and rosemary.

Moo
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
Lemon pasta goes nicely with seafood. A clam sauce with parsley, garlic and clams or pasta with scallops and butter is yummy.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 

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Originally posted by Moo:
I love lemon flavored chicken with rosemary. Maybe you could combine the pasta with chicken and rosemary.

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Originally posted by Chocoholic:
I've recently given up meat (but not fish) but am rapidly running out of things to make. I'm also trying to reduce my carb intake so am not having much rice/potato/pasta.

To make matters a but more difficult I don't like salad stuff.

So, other than various veg in various sauces, quorn and fish in breadcrumbs, any yummy suggestions?

Choccie x

(Not given up choc obviously!)

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Grilled tuna steak with new potatoes and mange tout... scallops with pasta... cod in parsley sauce with quinoa/buckwheat, carrots, broccoli, kale... salmon steak with grilled asparagus, new potatoes and peas... warm aubergine salad with sole/cod fillet... crab and avocado burritto... teriyaki salmon in noodles with bok choy... sole fillet with sweet potatoes and peas... salmon fish cakes with asparagus and salsa... fish and mushroom kebabs with couscous and spinach... warm aubergine salad with salmon steaks... trout fillet with mashed yams/sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and peas...
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
You could make a version of kedgeree with quinoa - it has a high protein content. Different fish are also tasty instead of the traditional smoked haddock - smoked mackeral, especially the peppered sort, is very nice.

It's worth trying alternatives to cod - ask your local fish counter if there are any offers. Haddock is much nicer and sweeter than cod imo, and plaice is lovely and mild-tasting - not very 'fishy' tasting so good for those not used to eating lots of fish.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Fish or prawn curries. They are legion, but Keralan or Thai ones, with lime and coconut milk are particularly delicious.

Do you have a Chinese grocer or supermarket near you? If so, have a look in their freezer cabinets: there are a lot of fish, tofu, fishy/tofu products which can be added to soup, stir fries or - my particular favourite - roasted.

Or can I recommend what I've just had for dinner - fried sea bream fillets with lime and chilli butter.
 

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Posted by Chocoholic (# 4655) on :
 
Ooh I've not tried quinoa but have heard of it. I shall look into that.

We do have a big Chinese supermarket, I'll give that a go. I'm tending to avoid tofu, partly I've just never fancied it but I've also come across storied about it being linked to deforestation.
Those curries sound fab too though.

Thank you, some amazing ideas!
I'm not very imaginative so they are very gratefully received.

[ 25. May 2014, 20:15: Message edited by: Chocoholic ]
 

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Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :
 
Tofu, in itself, is tasteless. However, it absorbs the flavours and taste of whatever it is cooked with. It can be quite yummy, in that case. Don't turn your nose up at it, until you have experimented with recipes.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 

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Originally posted by Jade Constable:
Turkey should be fine, as should prawns/shrinps. Pork is also usually good with lemon - maybe a lighter meat-based sauce using pork mince or sausagemeat? Onion, celery, carrot, garlic, herbs, white wine and tomato puree but no chopped tomatoes. Chicken stock if it gets a bit dry.

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Originally posted by Ariel:
Is that baguettes, or those little crunchy breadsticks?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jade Constable:
You could make a version of kedgeree with quinoa - it has a high protein content. Different fish are also tasty instead of the traditional smoked haddock - smoked mackerel, especially the peppered sort, is very nice.

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Or stick a grilled bream on a bed of quinoa, with some vegetables round the side. Easy to make and good. Bream should be in British waters now, avoid in winter as it's a warm water fish and will have come from further away, so it is not as fresh.
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Here's the French stick recipe. The book gives 1½-lb and 3-lb quantities, so I've given both - if you make one loaf you'll wish you'd made more.

I've reduced the yeast quantity, as we've found that using less yeast than they recommend works better.

For a 1½-lb. loaf:
1 cup water, hand heat (I microwave it for about 1-2 minutes)
1 tsp. salt
2¾ cups flour (bread flour or all-purpose white flour)
1 tsp. bread-machine yeast

Put the ingredients into the bread-machine in the order they're listed above, and select the Dough cycle (on my machine this takes about an hour and a half).

Remove the dough to a floured surface, cover with a bowl and leave 10-15 minutes. Roll out to 10" x 6". Working from the long edge, roll up like a Swiss roll, pinching the ends.

Stretch it out to about 14" and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment that's been sprinkled with a little cornmeal or wholemeal flour. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm, draught-free place to rise for 30-40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C and bake for 15-20 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the underside.

For 3 loaves:
2 cups water
1¼ tsp. salt
5⅓ cups flour
1½ tsp yeast

Proceed exactly as above, but before rolling out the dough, divide it into three equal parts, and bake them as far apart as they'll go on the baking sheet.

I use North American "all-purpose" flour, which is a kind of cross between plain and self-raising. A cup measure is 250ml.

[Fixed that strange measurement for you! ]

[ 27. May 2014, 12:47: Message edited by: jedijudy ]
 

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Posted by not entirely me (# 17637) on :
 
My pescatarian friend uses cauldron sausages to make a delicious sausage bake in a roasting tray with roasted veg and frozen cranberries - I think it's a Tom Kerridge recipe.

Quorn pieces in a stirfry are also yum.

Prawn curry is a winner.
 

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Posted by Jade Constable (# 17175) on :
 
Asda's own-brand faux meat (sausages, meatballs etc) are very tasty and nicer than Quorn or Cauldron imo.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
The Guardian had this.
Glamorgan Sausages
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 
We've been experimenting with substituting whole-wheat flour for some of the white* in the French stick recipe, and replacing the ⅓ cup with whole-wheat gives a lovely, slightly-heavier but still soft texture.

* Necessity is the mother of invention - D. was making a batch of loaves and ran out of white flour, having forgotten to get any in Costco that morning ...
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I am in urgent need of a recipe for celery pickle of the relish type which will keep. I have a giant plant which is edible, but much too big to eat at once, and no freezer room. A first look at the internet has things which will keep for a) a few days, b) a few weeks in the fridge. No good. I need to keep it for about a year. I have jars. I cannot bear the idea of composting it.

Can't find anything in my cookery books, either.

[ 10. June 2014, 16:49: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 

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Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
You could make chili con carne. For a battalion, that is. We always put celery in ours but you may need a lot of beans, meat and the rest to absorb that amount of celery.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Believe me, there is a lot of this stuff - I would need to freeze it if I did that. It needs to be preserved, outside the freezer.
 

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Posted by Kittyville (# 16106) on :
 
Sorry, not good at links, but there's a celery chutney recipe on lidiasitaly.com that "keeps for months" in the fridge. Perhaps if you offloaded some on friends, that would do?
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Thank you, but there isn't room in the fridge, either. I think I'm going to use the cloned Branston style recipe with just celery and leek instead of onion, and the needs to be used up dried apple etc from the larder. And I don't think I should unload it on anyone else until it has been tested!
I had to buy a new pan - the vinegar bottle insisted on not using aluminium. Currently cutting the celery up prior to weighing. I've got a spreadsheet for calculating quantities via a binary system of doubling and halving the basic quantities.

[ 13. June 2014, 12:28: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
It's on - and I didn't need the large pan at all when it all got chopped up.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
It's edible, but as my friend said, strong. Too much of something, but I'm not sure what. I can't see how it can be too much vinegar, especially as some of it evaporated all over the house. Maybe it'll calm down a bit in time.
 

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Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 

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Originally posted by Penny S:
It's edible, but as my friend said, strong. Too much of something, but I'm not sure what. I can't see how it can be too much vinegar, especially as some of it evaporated all over the house. Maybe it'll calm down a bit in time.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Penny S:
You need stock in both the custard and the sauce. What I would like to know is which spices would be appropriate to Iranian chicken and dairy dishes - it wasn't hot, so not chilli.

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Originally posted by Ariel:

quote:

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Originally posted by Penny S:
You need stock in both the custard and the sauce. What I would like to know is which spices would be appropriate to Iranian chicken and dairy dishes - it wasn't hot, so not chilli.

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Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, saffron; garlic, onions; lime or pomegranate juice. The Persian culinary tradition goes in for flavour rather than heat, and cooking meat with fruit and/or fresh herbs, and maybe nuts, are common keynotes. Popular herbs would be dill, mint and flat-leaf parsley. You will find chilli used, but it's not a staple the way it is in India.

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Originally posted by Penny S:
As a tangent from the combinations thread references to savoury bread and butter pudding, I offer something called, when I first met it, Persian chicken. On an OU course, we went to a pub near Milton Keynes where they served this dish. On the top was a layer of chicken and almonds in a white sauce, but beneath, a savoury custard with bread slices. I filed it under "I could make this" but did not ask for the recipe. I had a few goes which did not work. Waitrose food magazine used to do an item where people asked for the magazine to find recipes they had met when eating out, so I wrote to them, only to find they were finishing the series.
Then I was sorting out the books I had written recipes in before taking the source books (from which I only never make a couple of things) and found that years before I had written down something called "Chicken Strata", and lo, it was the recipe - minus the almonds!
You need stock in both the custard and the sauce. What I would like to know is which spices would be appropriate to Iranian chicken and dairy dishes - it wasn't hot, so not chilli.

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Originally posted by Sparrow:
Gluten-free friend will be coming to stay again ... I was wondering how cornflour works as a thickening agent for sauces and in casseroles etc?

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