Since there's only me here (apart from Halo the kitten, who pretty much just eats crunchy kibbly stuff and drinks kitten milk), and work is often hideously busy, I have got into the habit of having a big session of batch cooking every few weeks, usually after payday. It helps me to budget for the month and cuts down enormously on waste as I essentially just shop to make specific things. I will admit that it takes a little getting into as there is the risk of living on one thing for weeks on end, but once you're into the swing of it (or maybe do it with a friend so you can swap some dishes) it makes a lot of sense and - for me anyway - gave me a lot of the pleasure of cooking what I want at weekends back, because it took all the effort out of the weekday food preparation.
This weekend I have made the following:
A turkey chili with white beans
Roasted cauliflower and lamb curry
Huge pot of homemade tomato sauce for pasta (which can be used from frozen as a base for quick meals in the week)
Pork with mushrooms, white beans and celery which is a variation on this recipe
Chicken with black beans and broccoli
Spicy pork and squash casserole
Italian style tomato soup with turkey sausage, white beans, pasta etc.
I've also got ingredients to make sweet potato and butter bean bake but need to pop out and get some foil containers so when it's ready I can spoon it into those and freeze them ready to cook in the oven.
Honestly, all you need is an afternoon set aside. What I tend to do is set out mixing bowls and sort of chop all the veg for everything all at once, just putting it aside for each dish with the other ingredients.
Sunday, 31 May 2015
Thursday, 28 May 2015
Butternut squash and feta salad with lemon, mint and honey dressing
I realise that I seem to have been eating an awful lot of butternut squash and chickpeas recently. I would counter this by noting that it's all in the interests of economy and that both of these ingredients are awesome so I think it's okay.
This is another recipe that I've made up myself having been inspired by something else I tried - in this case, it was a Tesco salad thing that I bought en route to work once morning for lunch; I ate it and thought, hmm. You know who could do a better version of this? Yes...me. Haha. I made it a couple of times and tweaked it and then finally tried it on other people (Sarah and Sunita) last night. It went down well and I can also say confidently that although I enjoy it hot it's also one that you can take and eat cold for lunch (leftovers woohoo!). It's very easy and very much a construction job, so don't be put off by the ingredient list. I find this is easier if you do all the component parts separately, let everything cool down, and then stir it all together before putting it back into the oven to heat through which also lets the feta melt slightly. So in theory although it's dead easy it's probably one to make while you're pottering about doing other stuff.
Ingredients to make one respectable bake, feeding 4 people as a main with salad etc:
1 butternut squash - average sized, peeled and diced into bite sized cubes
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
Generous shake of garlic powder or granules - just for ease, really; you want it to coat everything but not to have to use loads of fresh, or it will overpower everything
Good seasoning of salt
1 large sweet pepper - red, yellow, orange - sliced
1 large onion - sliced
Oil for sautee-ing and roasting
2-3 cooked, pickled beetroot, blotted dryish and diced finely
bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
1 package of feta
Handful of pumpkin seeds
1 package of spicy flavoured couscous - harissa, Moroccan style, etc. I think I used an Ainsley Harriot 'Spice Sensation' one, but they are all good.
1 pouch of cooked, mixed grains; the Merchant Gourmet ones are good but equally so are the Sainsbury's own version...I mean this kind of thing:
This is another recipe that I've made up myself having been inspired by something else I tried - in this case, it was a Tesco salad thing that I bought en route to work once morning for lunch; I ate it and thought, hmm. You know who could do a better version of this? Yes...me. Haha. I made it a couple of times and tweaked it and then finally tried it on other people (Sarah and Sunita) last night. It went down well and I can also say confidently that although I enjoy it hot it's also one that you can take and eat cold for lunch (leftovers woohoo!). It's very easy and very much a construction job, so don't be put off by the ingredient list. I find this is easier if you do all the component parts separately, let everything cool down, and then stir it all together before putting it back into the oven to heat through which also lets the feta melt slightly. So in theory although it's dead easy it's probably one to make while you're pottering about doing other stuff.
Ingredients to make one respectable bake, feeding 4 people as a main with salad etc:
1 butternut squash - average sized, peeled and diced into bite sized cubes
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
Generous shake of garlic powder or granules - just for ease, really; you want it to coat everything but not to have to use loads of fresh, or it will overpower everything
Good seasoning of salt
1 large sweet pepper - red, yellow, orange - sliced
1 large onion - sliced
Oil for sautee-ing and roasting
2-3 cooked, pickled beetroot, blotted dryish and diced finely
bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
1 package of feta
Handful of pumpkin seeds
1 package of spicy flavoured couscous - harissa, Moroccan style, etc. I think I used an Ainsley Harriot 'Spice Sensation' one, but they are all good.
1 pouch of cooked, mixed grains; the Merchant Gourmet ones are good but equally so are the Sainsbury's own version...I mean this kind of thing:
For the dressing:
Juice of one large lemon
1 bunch of fresh mint
2 tbsp honey
Approx 100ml EV olive oil
I use my trusty stick blender and beaker to make the dressing, if you haven't got a stick blender they are about a tenner from ASDA etc and you don't need an expensive one - I have had mine for years. I use it for soup, sauce, etc.
Heat the oven up to about 180-190 degrees.
Into your roasting/baking dish, put the cinnamon, cumin, paprika, salt and garlic, along with a generous slosh of oil, and stir it about. Add the diced squash and the drained, blotted-in-a-tea towel chickpeas, stir it so it's all coated, and put it in the oven.
In the meantime, in a big mixing bowl, just over the couscous with boiling water, and then put a clean tea towel over the bowl so the heat stays in.
Finally, on the hob, saute off the onion and pepper til it's soft and golden.
Keep an eye on the squash and chickpeas - you want them to look quite well roasted, a bit dark etc. Once they are done, take them out of the oven and set aside to cool a bit. Likewise, set the onions and peppers aside to cool, too.
Check the couscous. If it's done, add the mixed grains, making sure to crumble/separate them in. Stir the couscous and grains in together gently, being sure to mix them up well.
Then, layer; add the cooled pepper and onion, the chickpeas and squash, the parsley, the beetroot, the feta. Using a large spoon, gently fold it all together and then put it into a baking dish; I actually use the same one I bake the chickpeas and squash in to save on washing up but it's just because it's a good size. Pack it in reasonably tightly. That's ready to go now, and you can bake it straight away or whenever really - you could probably even make it a day in advance.
The dressing is super easy - just blend the ingredients together with a stick blender in a cup or whatever and put it into a jug, to be poured over the warm bake when it comes out of the oven. Depending on taste you might add more or less honey, mint, or lemon - it's up to you. I like it sharp and fresh and a little bit sweet.
Squash and chickpea curry
I made a vast pot of this earlier in the month and portioned it off. It freezes really well and it's one of those 'just keep adding stuff to it' dishes.
1 butternut squash, peeled and diced
1-2 peppers, I prefer sweeter for this, so red/yellow/orange, diced
1-2 onions
1-2 courgettes
2 cans of chickpeas, drained
1 can or carton of tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
Chili, chopped (as much as you liked; I used one big red one for this recipe)
Some medium curry powder - it's not necessarily a bad thing to use a blend. I like Sharwood's
Extra cumin - 1 tsp
Ground coriander - 1 tsp
Paprika - half a tsp
Cinnamon - half a tsp
Salt to taste
Directions: Saute the onions til the are soft and golden brown, then add all the other ingredients. Bring it up to a good bubble, then turn it down to simmer and leave it to do its thing.
You can serve it with brown rice, a boiled egg, mango chutney and Loxley's delicious cottage cheese like Shelley and I did on Monday.
1 butternut squash, peeled and diced
1-2 peppers, I prefer sweeter for this, so red/yellow/orange, diced
1-2 onions
1-2 courgettes
2 cans of chickpeas, drained
1 can or carton of tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
Chili, chopped (as much as you liked; I used one big red one for this recipe)
Some medium curry powder - it's not necessarily a bad thing to use a blend. I like Sharwood's
Extra cumin - 1 tsp
Ground coriander - 1 tsp
Paprika - half a tsp
Cinnamon - half a tsp
Salt to taste
Directions: Saute the onions til the are soft and golden brown, then add all the other ingredients. Bring it up to a good bubble, then turn it down to simmer and leave it to do its thing.
You can serve it with brown rice, a boiled egg, mango chutney and Loxley's delicious cottage cheese like Shelley and I did on Monday.
Beetroot and pearl barley risotto, two ways
This recipe is one I made up after going to a lovely training venue in the centre of Birmingham with some colleagues from Brook (the venue is The Studio on Canon Street, if you're interested) where we were served a delicious lunch, and this was part of it.
The first time I made it was the next day, and I tried to replicate it as closely as I could working to what I could identify from the flavours. This version has feta cheese and was served with thick, creamy yogurt as part of a selection of different complementary hot dishes.
I have still not quite conquered the fine art of working out exactly how much pearl barley you need to go with how much liquid, given that this is a one-pot, absorption method dish, but I feel quite heartened by the fact that apparently the formidable Jack Monroe's carrot and pearl barley risotto also takes longer than expected to cook (and she's amazing) so...let's roll with it.
Version 1: Vegetarian, with feta; serves 3-4, with some salad etc, and keeps nicely for lunch.
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced into bite sized pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small pack of cooked and pickled beetroot, dipped in vinegar, from the salad section at the supermarket, chopped
1 large or 2 small courgettes, diced
1 carton or can of tomatoes (about 400g - a standard sized one)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Smoked paprika, to taste (1 tsp for me)
Cumin, to taste (up to 1 level tsp)
1 pack of feta, drained and chopped into smallish cubes
Roughly 100g of pearl barley
1 vegetable stock cube or a level tsp of Marigold bouillon powder
Enough boiling water to just submerge everything, and then more as you need
Method: saute off the onions, and add all the other ingredients except the feta, pearl barley and boiling water. Cover and leave it all to cook down gently together.
When the vegetables are nearly tender, add the pearl barley and stir it through, then the boiling water to just cover. Leave it to simmer, covered, and keep coming back to check regularly. I'm not sure if this is how you're supposed to cook pearl barley, but it's how I do it and it worked fine.
When it's soft to your liking, stir the feta through, give it a few minutes to melt slightly, and serve with a thick dollop of plain tangy yogurt. NICE.
The second version includes meat and was inspired partly by my lovely dinner guest ("What do you like to eat?" "Bacon!" "Anything else?" "Beef!" ...okay then!)
Version 2: with thyme, honey, chocolate and slow-cooked beef
1 large onion, chopped
About 300-400ish grams of lean, trimmed, stewing beef (1 smallish pack, basically), cut into small, bite sized pieces
2 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped finely
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small pack of cooked and pickled beetroot, dipped in vinegar, from the salad section at the supermarket, chopped
1 carton or can of tomatoes (about 400g - a standard sized one)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 can of chickpeas, drained
Smoked paprika, about half a teaspoon
Cumin, to taste (up to 1 level tsp)
Cinnamon to taste (i love cinnamon but you might want to start with a scant teaspoon)
Thyme - or rosemary; I made mine with thyme this time
Splash of sweet balsamic vinegar
About 1 tbsp semisweet or dark chocolate chips (what I had to hand - some broken up dark chocolate would be fine obviously)
1 tsp honey (and then taste it as you go)
Roughly 100g of pearl barley
Enough boiling water to just submerge everything, and then more as you need
This one needs a bit more love and attention because there's meat in it and because you want to get the seasoning to how you like it.
Start by frazzling the bacon and onions together with a tiny splash of balsamic vinegar, and add the beef, along with the garlic and cinnamon. Let the meat seal, and then add the pepper, paprika and cumin, Stick a lid on and give it about ten minutes at a moderate heat before adding the tomatoes, beetroot, cumin and thyme. Lid back on, and let everything come together for another ten minutes or so before adding the honey and chocolate. Then really you need to let it cook slowly (for the beef) for as long as you can. I haven't tried but I will have a go in the slow cooker next time.
When the meat is tender, add the pearl barley and boiling water as for the other version, and again just keep an eye on things until the pearl barley is cooked.
Good with a splotch of soured cream, a la goulash!
Again, this was good the next day reheated.
The first time I made it was the next day, and I tried to replicate it as closely as I could working to what I could identify from the flavours. This version has feta cheese and was served with thick, creamy yogurt as part of a selection of different complementary hot dishes.
I have still not quite conquered the fine art of working out exactly how much pearl barley you need to go with how much liquid, given that this is a one-pot, absorption method dish, but I feel quite heartened by the fact that apparently the formidable Jack Monroe's carrot and pearl barley risotto also takes longer than expected to cook (and she's amazing) so...let's roll with it.
Version 1: Vegetarian, with feta; serves 3-4, with some salad etc, and keeps nicely for lunch.
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced into bite sized pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small pack of cooked and pickled beetroot, dipped in vinegar, from the salad section at the supermarket, chopped
1 large or 2 small courgettes, diced
1 carton or can of tomatoes (about 400g - a standard sized one)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Smoked paprika, to taste (1 tsp for me)
Cumin, to taste (up to 1 level tsp)
1 pack of feta, drained and chopped into smallish cubes
Roughly 100g of pearl barley
1 vegetable stock cube or a level tsp of Marigold bouillon powder
Enough boiling water to just submerge everything, and then more as you need
Method: saute off the onions, and add all the other ingredients except the feta, pearl barley and boiling water. Cover and leave it all to cook down gently together.
When the vegetables are nearly tender, add the pearl barley and stir it through, then the boiling water to just cover. Leave it to simmer, covered, and keep coming back to check regularly. I'm not sure if this is how you're supposed to cook pearl barley, but it's how I do it and it worked fine.
When it's soft to your liking, stir the feta through, give it a few minutes to melt slightly, and serve with a thick dollop of plain tangy yogurt. NICE.
The second version includes meat and was inspired partly by my lovely dinner guest ("What do you like to eat?" "Bacon!" "Anything else?" "Beef!" ...okay then!)
Version 2: with thyme, honey, chocolate and slow-cooked beef
1 large onion, chopped
About 300-400ish grams of lean, trimmed, stewing beef (1 smallish pack, basically), cut into small, bite sized pieces
2 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped finely
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small pack of cooked and pickled beetroot, dipped in vinegar, from the salad section at the supermarket, chopped
1 carton or can of tomatoes (about 400g - a standard sized one)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 can of chickpeas, drained
Smoked paprika, about half a teaspoon
Cumin, to taste (up to 1 level tsp)
Cinnamon to taste (i love cinnamon but you might want to start with a scant teaspoon)
Thyme - or rosemary; I made mine with thyme this time
Splash of sweet balsamic vinegar
About 1 tbsp semisweet or dark chocolate chips (what I had to hand - some broken up dark chocolate would be fine obviously)
1 tsp honey (and then taste it as you go)
Roughly 100g of pearl barley
Enough boiling water to just submerge everything, and then more as you need
This one needs a bit more love and attention because there's meat in it and because you want to get the seasoning to how you like it.
Start by frazzling the bacon and onions together with a tiny splash of balsamic vinegar, and add the beef, along with the garlic and cinnamon. Let the meat seal, and then add the pepper, paprika and cumin, Stick a lid on and give it about ten minutes at a moderate heat before adding the tomatoes, beetroot, cumin and thyme. Lid back on, and let everything come together for another ten minutes or so before adding the honey and chocolate. Then really you need to let it cook slowly (for the beef) for as long as you can. I haven't tried but I will have a go in the slow cooker next time.
When the meat is tender, add the pearl barley and boiling water as for the other version, and again just keep an eye on things until the pearl barley is cooked.
Good with a splotch of soured cream, a la goulash!
Again, this was good the next day reheated.
Saturday, 22 February 2014
Roast cauliflower and chickpea soup
Ingredients:
1 cauliflower
1 large onion (or 2 small)
2 400g tins of chickpeas in water (no salt added), undrained
1 400g can of light coconut milk
Approx 200ml water or milk
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
Your favourite curry powder, to taste
1 tsp cumin
1 stock cube - I thought I had picked up a vegetable one but I actually used chicken, so either will do.
Optional - couple of tbsp plain Greek yogurt
For the roasting:
Oil
Sprinkle of medium curry powder of your choice
1 tsp black onion (nigella/kalonji) seeds
Sprinkle of ground coriander
Start by cranking up the oven to about 200F.
Pour some oil into a roasting tray and add the curry powder, onion seeds and coriander. Then slice you cauliflower up into cm thick pieces and add them and the garlic cloves to the pan, turning them so they are coated with the spicy oil. Put the tray in the oven and let it go golden - you might need to keep an eye on it and keep turning it, so set it for 15 minutes to start with.
Into a big metal saucepan that you can use a stick blender in, slice up your onions and leave them to brown over a gentle heat. You want them golden and soft.
Add the two cans of chickpeas, undrained, into the onions along with the stock cube, coconut milk and spices, and let it all bubble together. When your cauliflower is looking good, add it to the saucepan. Then when you are ready, blend it all together til it is smooth and add it back to a gentle heat while you add any extra fluid (milk, water, yogurt) to get it to your desired consistency. Taste to check seasoning and it is done!
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Christmas in February: Leftovers Pie
Sometimes you just have a flash of inspiration. Mine was my mom dropping some turkey in gravy over that she had frozen at Christmas....which made me go running to our own freezer and cupboards...
Cocktail sausages
Leftover turkey in gravy
Cranberry sauce (warmed so it would spread easily)
Stuffing (sage and onion)
Sausagemeat (pressed out into a flattened patty, baked and fat drained off)
Bread sauce
Stuffing balls
Sautéed Brussels sprouts!
Saturday, 25 January 2014
Chicken tortilla soup
Now. I have never made chicken tortilla soup before but I woke up wanting some yesterday and couldn't stop thinking about it, so before I did the grocery shopping this morning I went forth to the magical interwebs and the first recipe I found was this one from Ree Drummond. It looked exactly what I was after but being in the UK I had to improvise with some of the ingredients, so this is my version of her recipe exactly as I did it; just tweak, I reckon!
3 small or 2 big chicken breasts
Half a red onion, chopped, plus a few spring onions, chopped (left over from making fajitas the other night)
2 small green bell peppers, chopped
2 cartons of chopped tomatoes with peppers and chili
2 400g cans of black beans (from Caribbean section in ASDA); one drained, one not
1large can of unsweetened sweet corn
1litre of chicken stock
About 1/3 jar of hot salsa (I just got Aldi's own) - maybe two heaped tablespoons worth
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 big tsp paprika
1 big tsp cumin
Small handful basmati rice (about 60g)
To finish/serve:
Bunch of coriander, chopped
Grated cheese
Avocado
Soured cream
Tortilla, grilled and cut into strips...whatever you like really (I had tortilla and avocado)
You literally just put it all in a saucepan except for the rice, bring it up to boil and then let it bubble til the chicken is cooked. At that point take the breasts out and shred them with forks, and add them back to the pot. Stick your rice in then and leave it to cook, covered, til the rice is done. Add your coriander in, give it a stir and serve. I reckon you could easily do this in the slow cooker (I will try that next time).
3 small or 2 big chicken breasts
Half a red onion, chopped, plus a few spring onions, chopped (left over from making fajitas the other night)
2 small green bell peppers, chopped
2 cartons of chopped tomatoes with peppers and chili
2 400g cans of black beans (from Caribbean section in ASDA); one drained, one not
1large can of unsweetened sweet corn
1litre of chicken stock
About 1/3 jar of hot salsa (I just got Aldi's own) - maybe two heaped tablespoons worth
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 big tsp paprika
1 big tsp cumin
Small handful basmati rice (about 60g)
To finish/serve:
Bunch of coriander, chopped
Grated cheese
Avocado
Soured cream
Tortilla, grilled and cut into strips...whatever you like really (I had tortilla and avocado)
You literally just put it all in a saucepan except for the rice, bring it up to boil and then let it bubble til the chicken is cooked. At that point take the breasts out and shred them with forks, and add them back to the pot. Stick your rice in then and leave it to cook, covered, til the rice is done. Add your coriander in, give it a stir and serve. I reckon you could easily do this in the slow cooker (I will try that next time).
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