King Prawns in a Lime and Tomato salsa

The rice for this dish was prepared first. A small handful of Thai black rice was boiled for twenty minutes, then drained and set aside. Basmati rice was cooked in a little turmeric at a low heat for about half an hour (the black rice was added after ten minutes), until most of the water had been soaked up, and the rice grains became stuck together (easier to eat rice with chopsticks that way).. 

The lime and tomato salsa was made with arrowroot, water, tomato puree, a pinch of turmeric, and a teaspoonful of lime pickle (a squeeze of lime juice would do just as well). I also added a red finger chilli for heat, and a pinch of basil. Simmered for ten to fifteen minutes until the salsa thickens.

The rest is easy. 140g of Nicaraguan King prawns were steamed for about seven minutes. I cut a quarter of a red pepper into strips, and diced a purple onion. The dish was assembled with a  lettuce salad. The prawns were added, and dressed in the salsa before serving. Delicious!

 

Chicken Gumbo with Green Beans and Red Pepper

Not an authentic Louisiana dish, but inspired by Cajun gumbo recipes. Chicken goujons from the fridge refried until slightly browned in olive oil. I added julienned onion (two small ones), half a diced red pepper, and about 75g of diced green beans.

I made the sauce with a teaspoonful of arrowroot powder in water (normally cornflour or flour), half a 400g can of chopped tomatoes, a teaspoonful of Cajun seasoning, a teaspoonful of paprika, and half a teaspoonful of red chilli powder. Then I added some chicken stock. Cooked for fifteen minutes. 

The sauce was added to the chicken and vegetables, along with about 100g of boiling water. Cooked slowly half under glass until the sauce thickened again. 

Served with some steamed basmati rice, originally cooked with diced root ginger. 

Chicken Curry with Parsnips and Chestnut Mushrooms

A Madras curry made with four quartered chestnut mushrooms, and two diced parsnips, along with diced chicken, finger chillies and two cloves of garlic.Fried first of all in some sunflower oil.  Then I added half a tin of chopped tomatoes and some coriander leaf.. Cooked twice - the second time on the next day.  

Served with Basmati rice, and delicious lime pickle (Patak brand). 

 

Chorizo and Chicken Risotto

 A simple chorizo and chicken risotto, with green beans diced red pepper, and tomato. 

I fried  some diced chorizo in a pan until the oil came out of the sausage, and then added the diced chicken goujons, the diced green beans, red pepper, and the sliced tomatoes. Cooked under glass for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Then I added the pre-prepared basmati rice. Again cooked under glass for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. No herbs, no stock. Excellent dish!

Sweet and Sour pan-fried Chicken

Basmati rice cooked with finely diced root ginger. Pan-fried chicken goujons, cooked slowly (mostly under glass). Plus a sweet and sour sauce which had been in the fridge for a few days, which I made for a previous dish (essentially two teaspoonfuls of tomato puree, a dash of fish sauce, a little sugar, and diced pineapple I added arrowroot as a thickener). I added diced spring onion. Served with a little white pepper and a dusting of coriander leaf. Delicious!

Prawn Salad

Nicaraguan prawns (150g) in mayonnaise and white pepper, served with slices of orange pepper and a lettuce salad, plus diced spring onions. The tomatoes were described as 'cocktail tomatoes on the vine', whatever those are. But the flavour was good. Easy to put together in a few minutes. 

 

Stilton Cheese Omelette

 A simple two egg omelette made with some stilton cheese. Cooked really slowly in some sunflower oil, to allow the cheese to melt (about twenty minutes). Dressed in some ketchup and coriander leaf.. Delicious!

Smoked Gammon Soup

A smoked gammon soup underpinned by a simple soup base of carrot and celery. The vegetables were blended together after cooking for about 40 minutes. After that I added three dessert spoonfuls of yoghurt. Then the diced gammon was added, along with some pork stock, and paprika. Cooked for at least another thirty minutes before serving. The accompanying bread is wheat free Genius bread.  

Sweet and Sour Roast Pork

Sweet and sour roast  pork served with brown basmati rice. 

The sweet and sour sauce was made from scratch, with a teaspoonful of arrowroot (as opposed to corn starch or cornflour), two squirts of tomato puree (ketchup will do fine), fish sauce, half a teaspoon of chillli powder, and three teaspoonfuls of sugar. Plus three diced rings of pinapple from a tin, along with a couple of dessert spoonfuls of pinapple juice.

The pork came from two previously roasted pork steaks, which were cut into strips and fried in sunflower oil until slightly browned.  Excellent dish.  

 

Potato Salad, with Carrot and Hummus

I usually make my own potato salad (boiled chunks of potato, allowed to cool, and mixed with mayonnaise), but the tub was a bargain price at the supermarket. The hummus was also shop-bought (essentially a chickpea paste). Served with carrot prepared with a rotary grater, which does the job inside a minute. Dressed with a dusting of dried coriander (chopped fresh coriander is better if you have some in your kitchen).

 

King Prawns with Spaghetti, Garlic, Chilli and Ginger

Some nice pre-cooked Nicaraguan King Prawns sourced from Sainsbury's today. I looked through a number of relevant recipes first, and then came up with this one. 

I filled a large flat pan with water, and brought the water to the boil, adding a drizzle of olive oil. I added a handful of wheat-free spaghetti.  Cooked for ten minutes, stirring frequently. Cooked for a further ten minutes with a couple of spoonfuls of chopped tomatoes and about 100g of diced green beans (under glass). White pepper and dried Basil were added shortly before serving. 

three cloves of garlic (diced) were fried in another pan containing a little olive oil, along with diced fresh ginger and two green chillies. I allowed the contents of the pan to brown just a little, and then added the king prawns (140g). Stirred frequently, but largely cooked under glass at a medium heat for five minutes. 

Served together in a pasta bowl. Will feed two, but I polished off all of it by myself :-). 

 

Carrot & Yellow Pea Curry

The yellow peas were soaked overnight, and cooked with the chopped carrot pieces for an hour or so. I added two teaspoonfuls of madras curry powder, one teaspoonful of chilli powder, diced garlic, and a dusting of ground cardamom. Cooked for another hour. After half an hour, I added the chicken stock, and three tablespoons of yoghurt, stirred through. . 

The rice was cooked slowly for twenty minutes or so, and then cooked slowly in a drizzle of sunflower oil under glass for half an hour, until the rice was crispy (but not burned).

Served with a generous helping of mango chutney. 

 

Blueberries, Mixed Nuts, and Yoghurt Fruit Salad

A couple of scoops of fresh blueberries from the fridge, plus mixed fruit and nuts sourced from the local co-op. Served with three dessert spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt. Prepared in 90 seconds. A breakfast that will keep you going all day. Delicious!

 

Tomato Soup with Coriander and Garlic Naan

A simple tomato soup, made with chopped tomatoes, three dessert spoonfuls of Greek style yoghurt, diced white onion, vegetable stock, and the herbs Oregano, Coriander and Basil. Cooked for at least forty minutes, and served with a shop bought toasted garlic and coriander naan bread. 

[This is recipe idea number 1000! Posted on February 13, 2021]
 

Chestnut Meatloaf with Brussels Sprouts

Made with outdoor bred pork sausage meat from Sainsbury's, one diced apple, one diced onion, three medium handfuls of porage oats, one beaten egg (actually optional, and it was skipped in this case), 100g of diced cooked chestnuts, and 40 g of salted butter, Mix together thoroughly by hand in a large glass bowl.

Herbs and spices used were a pinch of nutmeg and a generous pinch of rosemary.

 Cooked in the oven on the previous day at around 180 deg C, for forty minutes (watched carefully). Sliced when cold, and stored in the fridge.

Because the meatloaf contained pork sausage meat it was important to make sure it was thoroughly heated. Cooked under the grill, and the slices were turned once using a fish slice (about seven minutes each side - judged by eye). Can also be reheated in a flat lidded pan.

Served with brussels sprouts (6 to 9 minutes in boiling water under glass), and semi-skinned potatoes. Can also be served with roast parsnip chips.

Cumberland Sausage, with Peas and Chopped Tomato

A relatively simple winter dish, made with Cumberland sausage, peas, tomato, and a pork-flavoured onion gravy.

I used to love Cumberland sausage, because it was loaded with herbs, and the flavour infused the added gravy. You have to be careful about your choice of sausages now, because most manufacturers use fewer herbs.Which is why I added extra Sage to this dish. The coiled ones are probably best. 

The sausages were cooked at a medium heat for about twenty-five minutes, turning them every seven minutes or so. I made up the basis of the gravy in a jug (onion gravy granules and the stock). All cooked together in a separate pan. I added the chopped tomato and the peas. Cooked under glass for another twenty minutes. Delicious!

 

 

 

Winter Vegetable soup

A simple winter vegetable soup based on a bag of soup ingredients on sale in the local co-op. I added the turnip, the stock, and the herbs. We got through a lot of winters on the basis of this sort of soup. Easy to make, and the kitchen smells great while it is on the hob. Basically cabbage, celery, leek, turnp, carrot, plus herbs and vegetable stock. And some (optional) cumin seeds. 

 

Haggis in the Neolithic

Hard to know a lot of things about Neolithic culture. However the cooking strategies that we know about point to a way of cooking and eating which tell us how they might have prepared various dishes. Modern haggis in Scotland is made to be cooked in boiling water, as it was in the neolithic. Some of us now steam it instead, along with the vegetables which traditionally accompany the dish (turnip or swede, and potato). I commit heresy by adding mashed carrot to the turnip, because it needs to be sweetened a little. 

There were no carrots available in the neolithic (they arrived with the Romans), and potatoes didn't arrive until after Columbus. So how did they eat haggis in the neolithic? The turnip was easily available, though not the most attractive root vegetable.. It needs to be sweetened. What they did have was pease pudding (essentially mushy peas). That adds sweetness to the dish. So this experimental dish may be close to how they actually served this food.  Absolutely gorgeous!.