My version of Thai curry!! #JustAboutThai #OrientalNewYear

I am really really partial to a Thai curry, and thankfully, Bob, who dislikes Indian curries intensely, and doesn't like coconut in anything other than milk form, also loves them.

So for Chinese New Year, we didn't eat Chinese, instead we just stayed in that side of the world and ate Thai chicken curry, with boned skinned chicken thighs, red peppers and cubed aubergine.

It is lovely and quick, only taking about 20 mins in total. The chicken is poached in the aromatic broth of coconut milk, red Thai curry paste, garlic and ginger paste, finely sliced kaffir lime leaves, lots of fish sauce and sugar.   The veg are added in at the same time as the chicken, and it is finished with chopped fresh coriander and lime juice.

I like to serve it with the rice in a separate bowl, so I can taste the clean flavours of the curry and then have a mouthful of rice.

So good!

Another one tray Mediterranean dinner.. with pork meatballs and olives

That one tray Mediterranean veggie & sausage dinner from yesterday's post was so easy and successful, I returned to the tray and the veggies again. I had only used 6 sausages out of a pack of eight, so took the last two sausages out of their skins, mixed the sausagemeat into some pork mince and seasoned with thyme and smoked agridolce paprika, made the mix into meatballs and scattered over the outside edge - the centre cooks less than the outer edges in my oven, so I try to keep the centre only thinly covered.

Cherry plum tomatoes and black kalamata olives added for the last 10 minutes again.

Perfection in 45 minutes...

Just chuck it in the oven...Sausages and mediterranean veggies

One baking sheet. One dish to wash up...

Sausages, peppers, courgettes, aubergines, onions, garlic, new potato wedges, chopped lemon. Tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, dried oregano. Onto the tray, into the oven at Gas Mk 7 (HOT) 40 mins, then scatter a few cherry tomatoes over the top, 10 minutes more and onto the plates.

Yummy --  there were two of us. We ate it all..... #GreedyPiglets

Valentine's Day dinner... fish and peaches...

Happy Valentine's Day for yesterday! 

We never go out for dinner on V Day, far too crowded with lovey dovery people who will probably have a row about the sheer expense of it all on the way home and spend the night on the sofa (well one of them anyway) ...

I like to cook something a little less basic on special days. Not restaurant-y, I can't plate up the way that my favourite restaurants can, so I just try for lovely flavours and something to go with a rather more expensive bottle of wine :)

Last night, we had smoked haddock (Bob's favourite fish) with wilted baby spinach, crispy bacon and roasted baby plum tomatoes.  Easy peasy, light as a feather and very delicious.   (the bacon was a bit over crisped, not quite burnt - though it certainly looks burnt in the photo!)

and for afters.. a luscious South African Peach Melba. 

Traditionally, the peach is served as a full half peach over the icecream, but I find that my spoon slides off this too easily, resulting in the peach-half skidding across the tablecloth. So I like to chop half a peach to put in the bottom and then slice the other half to go round the icecream. A blob of whipped cream or Greek yoghurt on top, a drizzle of fresh raspberry coulis and a sprinkling of chopped roasted hazelnuts.

 I could eat it all again right now!

A slow cooker's soupy pride...

I don't use my slow cooker often enough.... I am not at all organised and forget until it is too late.  But this time, it all went to plan.

At the weekend, I found some veal rib bones at Lucy's Veal at Walthamstow Farmers' Market.  Not much meat on them, not enough to make bbq ribs, but they were exceedingly cheap and perfect for enriching a stock to cook root vegetables and pearl barley for soup.

The bones were too long for the slow cooker, so I hacked them in half, and then stacked them in the cooker with carrots, swede, onions, celery, turnips , a teaspoon of salt and a fat little bouquet garni of thyme, parsley and bay leaves.  I covered this with water - probably a good couple of litres, but I didn't measure it, I just covered the ingredients.

I left this to simmer on the high setting for around 6 hours.  The meat slipped off the bones now, so I took the bones out, removed the meat, flaked any edible meat from the cartilage, and added that back to the stock.  In the meantime, I had been soaking a mug full of pearl barley, and now added that into the pot with a drained can of butter beans.  I checked the seasoning.. it was rather light on meatiness so I added a couple of teaspoons of Essential Cuisine Veal Stock powder, which beefed (or rather vealed..) it up nicely. 

I used some of the veg and pearl barley as a side vegetable dish for some roast chicken.

Then mashed some of the veg into the stock to make a delicious thick brothy soup for lunch the next day.

Deliciously easy and I have loads left. I shall be eating soup for days!!

Simple Sausages and Mash.... nothing wrong with that!!

I've been lazy about putting pics up of the very simple dinners we have most of the time, but I really shouldn't be ashamed of basic food. There is nothing wrong with bangers and mash is there?

Especially not with huge, fat, buttery flat mushrooms... mmmmmmmm

Heston's Pulled Pork... Slow Cooker Stylee

Family to dinner on Sunday, I fancied pulled pork with a lovely smooth spicey bbq sauce.  But my usual bbq recipe is too rich and tomato-ey for pulled pork, I wanted something with more zing and more vinegar.  My fab foodie friend Helen from The Foodie Gift Hunter suggested her go-to recipe from Heston. 

I NEARLY kept to his recipe, I didn't add in the golden syrup, and cut the sugar back a bit. And I gave the meat (a 2kg shoulder of pork, the skin removed rather than his shoulder steaks)  an initial blast in the oven to give a bit of colour to the fat, then moved it to a slow cooker and cooked for 3 hours on high, followed by 2 hours on low. Then back into the oven to crisp the fat further, and I tipped the juices into a saucepan and reduced them to a nice sticky glaze.

Gorgeous! Lots left over for Monday night too. 

Gnocchi with sausage meatballs!

We are eating from the fridge, freezer and cupboard today...being only two of us, we often end up using just three quarters of something for a meal, leaving not enough for a whole meal left maundering in the fridge. Salads and sauces need using up quickly, or they will end up in the bin, so a compound meal like this is quick and economical.

I have to use up:

a quarter of a pack of sausagemeat
few slices of Parma ham
few slices of Mortadella
half a tub of coleslaw
various nearly used up bags of salad
third of a bottle of spaghetti sauce (tomato & pancetta)
quarter of a can of chopped tomatoes
raggedy end of a supermarket basil plant
handful of button mushrooms
1 large tomato, still firm enough to slice (there were others too, but getting a bit soft, so they will be grilled for breakfast) 
end knuckle of a cucumber

the freezer and store-cupboard offer me:

green olives
parmesan cheese
home frozen from fresh potato gnocchi
Freshly made vinaigrette from olive oil and white balsamic vinegar

The sausage meat I made into little balls and fried, then combine with the tomato sauce and end of the can of tomatoes and simmer through whilst the gnocchi cook (only about 3 minutes straight into the boiling salted water from frozen) 

Meanwhile the bags of salad go into a bowl with the sliced raw mushrooms, chopped tomatoes and olives, to be served with the meat and coleslaw.

And it comes out like this...

a Fish Pie - one for you, one for me...

I usually make a big single fish pie for us, but this time decided to make individual ones.

I was trying out the Fish Pie mixed fish from Aldi, inexpensively prepacked with salmon, smoked haddock and cod ready cut into cubes. Not as inexpensive as I initially thought as there wasn't really that much fish.   Barely enough for the two of us. So to make sure that it was evenly shared, I made two pies. One each.

The way I make fish pie isn't tricksy, I poach the fish lightly in milk, use that milk to make a parsley sauce, mix fish and sauce, top with slice hard boiled eggs, and then with mashed potato. Flakes of butter on top, into the oven fast and furious and 15 minutes later (enough time for the green veg  - french beans and broccoli this time) on the table.

And we both got seconds from our little dishes :)

a dinner of watercress - The Watercress Company

I was hugely pleased before Christmas to receive a sample pack ( A HUGE sample pack...) of the most delicious watercress from The Watercress Company .  I stuffed it into egg mayonnaise sandwiches,  I made huge beds of it under chargrilled steaks,  I made soup and kebabs with watercress salad and watercress rice. It is such a good salad vegetable and can also be used as a herb,  rather like you would parsley. I can't get enough of it.

The soup is simplicity itself, just some potato and leeks or onions simmered in stock until very tender, watercress then added (no weighing really, just trust your judgement as to how much you need, LARGE handfuls though, more than you think...it does wilt down. You want the soup to taste of watercress, not potato) and allowed to wilt down until softened. Then blitz with a hand blender until smooth (or use a normal blender).  It can be kept at this stage for a while and reheated just before serving.  Once reheated, check the seasoning, add another large handful of cress and blitz immediately. The raw cress will give the soup a wonderful bright green colour,and the flavour will be lively and hot and spicy.

The kebabs are simple, lamb cubes marinated in oil, lemon juice and oregano, skewered with peppers and onions and grilled until tender and well charred along the edges.  Whilst the lamb is cooking, cook basmati rice and steam to dry it off thoroughly. Before serving, use a fork (not a spoon) and mix in a good couple of handfuls of finely chopped watercress.

Healthy eating... not half!

it's just a bowl of soup.....

What vegetables have you got in the bottom of the fridge? Shred and chop them all!
Have you got any ham or bacon? Chop it up!
Noodles in the cupboard?  Bung them in!
water... a dollop of chicken stock powder.... simmer for half an hour.

Look..... soup!

Happy New Year! Happy 2015 Dinners to us all...

Here's wishing us all a very Happy 2015 and lots of dinners to come this year.

Thanks to everyone who has commented on the quick, easy dinners I have eaten this year. I have been eating really boring things this winter, that haven't merited any blog posts, but I will try harder in 2015, I promise!

(Don't forget to check out my other blogs: A Greedy Piglet (for recipes) and A Greedy Piglet - the sidebar (for reviews and short notes)  )

what do you call a Shepherd's Pie made with Pork?

Do you have any ideas? I can't get further than Piglet Pie ...

It's really hard to make anything made with mince look attractive on the plate. Green veggies help, but honestly, the colour is in your mouth not in your eyes!

I made this by frying pork mince and pancetta, with onions and celery, adding gravy made with fabulous Essential Cuisine veal stock powder and some white wine. Creamy buttery mashed potato finished it off.

My personal view is that any form of shepherd's/cottage/piglet pie must be cooked long enough, and in a hot enough oven for the gravy to bubble through and form a sticky mess on top of the potato at the edge. That bit is MY bit.

Thank you very much.

Rack of lamb... Sunday Dinner on a Thursday....

Delicious little rack of lamb, started in my black enamel pan that I bought in Spain many years ago. I love that pan for things like this, I can sear them all over on the hob, then move the whole thing into the oven to carry on cooking.  

A little rack of 7 bones will feed two, and takes 20 mins on highest heat after a good searing, so make sure that you have put the potatoes in to roast at least half an hour before that.  After the 20 minutes, take the rack out and rest it whilst you use the pan juices to make the gravy. It needs a nice 5-8 minutes sitting under a hat of foil to be gently pink inside.

If you like it pinker then either cook it on a lower heat or give it a little less, but not too much or you'll have raw lamb. Which is not nice.  And which will incur the wrath of any Masterchef judge. Obviously, if you like it very well done then give it a bit longer, and make sure you rest it well.

Back and eating chicken again......

I've been away for a bit, as summer eating was so often meat and salad and then more meat and salad, and it felt so boring to repeat myself all the time.

But autumn is here!!!  Hot food, and veggies and sauces and all kinds of things.

So we are off and at 'em again. And to start here is yesterday's  dinner, pan fried then roasted chicken thighs, with a sauce of sliced mushrooms and capers - basically, you fry mushrooms in the chicken pan, then make your normal chicken gravy in the same pan, and add in a couple of spoonfuls of capers.

Really delicious for very little effort.

Fish & Chips home style without a deep fat fryer...

Fish and chips is definitely do-able without a deep fat fryer. Yes, proper crunchy fluffy chips. Triple fried no less.  And lovely crunchy panko crumbed fish. But it is the chips that are the thing isn't it?

I did these in a wok. I blanched the chips in water first, let them drain thoroughly, then popped them in a wok just a third full of rape seed oil (lower burn point than olive oil, which I prefer for shallow frying) on one of the medium burners.

In go the nicely dry potatoes, and I turned them over and over until they were nicely cooked through though they weren't browning very quickly. Then I slid the wok onto the front fast burner (I am not really a fan of modern 4 burner gas cookers - I don't need that titchy little burner at the front, give me another fast one!! ) and let the oil heat up further.

Keep the chips moving until you can hear them rustling as you turn them around.

Look! Crunchy chips!! 

No fat fryer and not a lot of oil to boot.  Mayo and tomato ketchup and I am happy.

Put your dinner on a plate...... and.....eat!

I love cooking, but I'm not always in the mood to cook dinner.  Sometimes, all you want to do is slice a couple of things open a packet or two and put it on a plate. 

Oh, wait a minute....I hardboiled the eggs.

Which is cooking of course..

Smoked Haddock and parsley sauce... mmmmm fishy

Last time I had smoked haddock for breakfast, this piece we had it for dinner.  The Other Half likes his unadulterated, so he has it just poached in water with a little butter on top, but I like good old-fashioned parsley sauce with mine.

My parsley sauce is a straightforward bechamel or white sauce, equal parts - maybe an ounce or so for two people - of butter and flour melted together, and then whisk in  milk  - add a good cupful and whisk thoroughly as it comes to a boil to avoid any lumps, then you can thin the until the sauce to the thickness you like. Let it simmer very gently for a good few minutes to cook out the flour, and then season with salt, pepper and chopped parsley. My top tip - add a good squeeze of lemon juice to the sauce along with the parsley to liven up the flavour. This is a brilliant sauce for slices of gammon too btw.

Red Flannel Hash... so pretty in pink

We have had a LOT of salads recently, and I got a pash on for something more autumnal.  A wander round the fridge presented me with beetroots, potatoes, celery, a rather manky half an onion, a pack of chopped pancetta and some eggs. The freezer finished it off with a pack of back bacon.  A Red Flannel hash was beckoning.

Whilst the bacon thawed out (with the help of the microwave - 20 mins on 10% power ) I popped the beets into the pressure cooker with half a pint of water. Brought to high pressure, cooked for 15 mins and then allowed to depressurise naturally - peel the beets while hot then allow to cool slightly and chop into half-inch cubes..

The potatoes meanwhile were chopped into half-inch cubes and boiled until tender, then drained and allowed to cool slightly.  The onion and celery were chopped mighty small and fried with the pancetta in a little olive oil then put into a large bowl to cool.

So now for assembly... the cubed potatoes and beetroot go into the bowl with the oniony mixture, and plentiful salt and pepper.  Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and a splash of garlic oil in a frying pan, and tip in the hash mixture.  Fry, turning over frequently, until it is nicely browned. 

Whilst the hash is cooking - probably a good 15 mins to get it nicely brown - fry a couple of eggs how you like them. I have mine turned over, Bob prefers his unturned and - to me at any rate - snotty on the top (ugh...) and grill some back bacon.

Decant the hash into a serving dish and put the eggs and bacon on top, then sprinkle with chopped parsley if you are in the mood for cheffing it up a bit.  Eat with horseradish cream on the side.

Fish for Friday - smoked haddock and grilled sole

Fish on a Friday. Such a tradition when I was little, we always had fish on a Friday, and never, ever on a Monday as my mum said that it was always stale on a Monday.

Well, I can't vouch for the spanking freshness of the fish we had this Friday, as both came from the cheaps counter. But they were very reasonably priced, and still tasted exceptionally good.

Breakfast was a low-carb delight. Smoked haddock simply poached in water, with lots of butter and black pepper. Followed by a large bowl of chopped summer fruit topped with Total Greek Yoghurt.

Dinner was the total luxury of Dover Sole. Far too expensive for my budget at a normal price, these were marked right down to £2.50 each.

People don't buy whole fish it would seem, these just needed skinning  before grilling. Skinning is really easy once you know how - the trick is to slit the skin across the tail on each side, then, working each side it turn,  ease the BLUNT side of a pointed knife under the skin along the side edges to loosen the skin there, use a teatowel to help grip the skin just above the tail, rip the skins up to the head from the tail and cut the head off with the skin.

Oil the fish on both sides and salt and pepper generously. Under a hot grill, baste them with butter frequently and cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side. Sole doesn't flake like cod and haddock, but if you can ease a fillet back from the middle you want to see the bones opaque in the middle when it is cooked through.  Don't overcook it, you will lose the succulence of this prince of fishes.

We ate these quite simply with boiled new potato slices in butter, and a green crunchy salad dressed with Crush Foods lemon dressing, perfect for the flavour of the sole without masking it at all.

 Fish should be eaten more often -  Meatless Monday must be joined by Fishy Friday!!