Spaghetti with Chilli (Vegetarian)

A simple and delicious vegetable chilli made with carrot, red onion, red pepper, diced green finger chillies (2), tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock, olive oil, coriander leaf. Allowed to simmer together under glass for forty minutes at a low heat.

Served in a pasta bowl with wheat free spaghetti (cooked for fifteen minutes at a medium heat, stirring frequently). Judge readiness by eye. Dressed in a pinch of coriander leaf.

Madras Bean Curry, with Flat Cut Turmeric Potatoes

A simple vegetarian Madras bean curry, made with kidney beans, black chickpeas, white and red onion, diced orange pepper, Green peas, powdered ginger, carrot, salt, tomato puree, and diced green finger chillies (3).

The black chickpeas were soaked overnight, but the kidney beans and the peas came from tins. The curry was based on those, plus carrots, white onion, Madras curry powder, ginger powder, tomato puree, and diced finger chilli. Cooked for at least an hour and a half under glass.

The dish was served with flat cut potato pieces, cooked in turmeric and salted water for twenty five minutes under glass. Plus a side-serving of finely sliced red onion, strips of orange pepper, and garden peas, steamed for half an hour.

The dish was dressed in a large pinch of coriander leaf. Delicious!

Beef Chilli, with Mushrooms, Red Kidney Beans, and Plain Yoghurt

Diced Scotch beef, leek, carrot, chestnut mushrooms, red kidney beans, tomato puree, crushed garlic, paprika, red chilli powder, and beef stock. Plus some oregano, and basil.

The beef was browned for twenty minutes at a medium heat in some sunflower oil.

Allow to stand for a bit while the vegetables are prepared. Cook in boiling water for about two hours at a low heat, under glass, until the beef is tender. Serve with two or three spoonfuls of yoghurt.

Potato Salad, with Apple, Gherkins, Garlic, & Brunswick Ham

One unpeeled Braeburn apple, cored and cut into two parts, then into thin slices. Added to a bowl, with diced spring onion (3), three crushed and diced cloves of garlic, one quarter of an orange pepper, cut into strips, and two small pickled gherkins, halved and cut into strips. Add a little vinegar to the bowl from the jar that contained the pickled gherkins (three dessert spoonfuls). Stir together occasionally, and allow to stand for half an hour.

Served with semi-skinned boiled potato in two dessert spoonfuls of mayonnaise, two slices of Brunswick ham, and with a pinch of coriander leaf.

Chickpea Curry with Pilau Rice

Black chickpeas were soaked in water for six hours, until they became soft. Then they were boiled, and I added diced carrot, diced leek, diced green chillies (3), tomato puree, a dessert spoonful of Madras curry powder, half a teaspoonful of powdered ginger, and three crushed garlic cloves. Plus the vegetable stock, and a quarter teaspoonful of turmeric. Cooked slowly under glass for two hours.

The basmati rice was cooked slowly with pilau rice spices, and a pinch of turmeric, for fifteen minutes, in a partially lidded pan.

Served with a garnish of coriander leaf.

Brunswick Ham Salad, with Apple and Cambozola Cheese

Some delicious Brunswick Ham from Morrison's, served with diced spring onion, diced Braeburn apple, Camboloza cheese, and some commercially available standard coleslaw.

An utterly fabulous dish, which took very little time to prepare. I was going to add boiled potato pieces, but as I put the dish together, I realised this component was not necessary. Plenty to eat without the potatoes!

Dressed with a little coriander leaf before serving.

Mussels in Garlic Butter

Fresh mussels cooked in garlic infused butter. Cooked under glass for seven minutes. A favourite dish!

Black Pudding, Beans, and Chestnut Mushrooms

A simple dish of black pudding, chestnut mushrooms, white onion, and baked beans (from Sainsbury's).

I coated a flat pan with a little butter, and added the black pudding, the onion and the mushrooms. Cooked at a high heat at the beginning, then reduced to low heat, for twenty minutes, mostly under glass. The heat was increased and the lid removed for a final five minutes.

The beans were heated in a small pan at a low heat, so that they were ready at the same time as the black pudding. The beans were dressed with a little black pepper.

Breaded Cod Fillets

Two breaded cod fillets from Morrisons. Cooked for twenty two minutes in the oven, at 200 deg. C, in a roasting dish brushed with some olive oil.

The flat cut potatoes were pan-fried in a little butter, first at a medium heat, and then at a low heat under glass for half an hour. The potatoes were turned once.

Served with a couple of gherkins. Delicious and easy to prepare!

Beef and Chestnut Mushroom Stew

Some leftover cooked silverside beef was the basis for this dish. Stir-fried for five minutes in olive oil, along with some julienned red onion,  and then I added a mixture of cornmeal, onion granules and water. Stirred together thoroughly. Simmered for half an hour.

Three quartered chestnut mushrooms were added. Cooked under glass for another half an hour, along with the addition of beef stock (an Oxo cube will do).

Served with black pepper and basmati rice, cooked for around twelve minutes. A tasty dish!

Chickpea and Brocolli Risotto

A simple risotto, made with chickpeas, turmeric rice (Basmati), a quarter of a head of brocolli (diced), and one julienned red onion.

The rice was boiled for 12 minutes in water, a pinch of salt, a little olive oil, and two pinches of turmeric powder. Drained, and set aside.

The chickpeas were soaked overnight, and then boiled for twenty minutes or so until tender. Then they were fried in a little butter along with the red onion, for fifteen minutes.

After that, the diced brocolli was added to the pan, and cooked for about another ten minutes.

The rice and the chickpeas, brocolli and red onion were decanted to a bowl, and stirred together. Served with a little sweet chilli sauce. Can be eaten hot or cold.

Silverside Beef Stir Fry

Made with trimmings of silverside beef, sourced from Aldi, and a stir-fry mixture of bean sprouts, carrot, white onion, three fresh green finger chillies (topped and diced), plus green and white cabbage.

The beef came from the freezer, so was allowed to thaw for several hours. the pieces were fried in sunflower oil at a medium heat until they began to brown a little (about five or six minutes), stirring occasionally in the wok.

Then the vegetables were added, and the heat turned up to high for two minutes. Stirred together more or less continuously for six minutes or so, after turning down the heat (judge readiness by eye).

Served on a spiral of dark soy sauce. Excellent dish!

Caesar Salad

A Caesar salad is essentially a chicken salad with croutons, lettuce and mayo. This is a variation on the basic recipe.

Made with diced roast chicken pieces (chicken breast in this instance), fresh from the fridge. Plus bread croutons (wheat-free), fried in butter in an omelette pan until browned and crisp.

Once cool, the lettuce salad, the chicken, and the croutons were mixed together in a bowl with some mayonnaise. Along with some diced or crushed garlic, a couple of dashes of Worcester sauce, and also two dashes of Tabasco sauce. Simple and fabulous!

Ham and Brocolli Soup

A simple but delicious dish made with ham (actually course cut smoked bacon), white onion, and half a head of brocolli. Plus pork stock.

The ham was fried in its own fat for twenty minutes, starting at a high heat, and then reduced to a low heat. Then the julienned white onion was added, and cooked with the ham for another twenty five minutes at a medium heat, stirring occasionally.

I diced half a head of brocolli into small chunks, including most of the stem, and added the pieces to the pan. Cooked for ten minutes, stirring frequently. Then boiling water was added to the pan, along with the pork stock.Plus a dessert spoonful of ground arrowroot, to thicken the soup.  Cooked slowly for an hour and a half.

Served with potato bread.

Chorizo, Onion and Baked Bean Breakfast

I chopped up a quarter of a chorizo ring, and fried the sausage in an omelette pan, along with a rasher of smoked bacon. No oil was required because of the oil which came from the chorizo.

Once hot, I added a julienned red onion, and turned down the heat after a couple of minutes. Cooked slowly for ten to fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion became semi-transparent.

The beans were fridge leftovers, and were heated in a separate small pan. Once ready, they were decanted onto a slice of wheat-free toast (not buttered in this case). Quick to prepare, and easy.

Brussels Pate, with Baby Leaf Salad

A simple pate salad, made with an assortment of baby leaf lettuce, diced carrot, half a julienned red or purple onion, strips of green pepper, and half a teaspoonful of French course grain Mustard.No added herbs or spices.

The salad ingredients were prepared first, and then I added a drizzle of olive oil. All you need to do after that is to add a square of the Brussels pate, and the meal is prepared! Ideal combination for any kind of pate I think. I will explore.

Thai Chicken Curry with Jasmine Rice

A delicious and simple Thai style curry made with diced roast chicken from the fridge, with diced carrots, julienned onion, haricot beans, tomato puree, a dessert spoonful of shredded coconut, Thai spices, ginger, and chicken stock.

All the ingredients were added to a single pan, and cooked together under glass for forty five minutes.

The basmati rice was cooked in boiling water to which a single drip of Jasmine essence was added (fifteen minutes). The coriander leaf was sprinkled over the dish as a garnish.