Leek, Carrot, Kale and Lentil Soup

A simple and delicious soup made with diced leek, several diced carrots, some finely chopped curly kale (a form of cabbage which looks more like seaweed), and a third of a cup of red lentils.

The vegetables were prepared first, and added to a pot of boiling water. I added the vegetable stock, and simmered the soup under glass for half an hour.

The contents of the pan were then mashed, and the herbs and the pepper were added. Simmered under glass for another half an hour or so, after which the soup can be served.

Accompanied by two lightly toasted potato scones.

Chorizo Stew with Kidney Beans

The Kidney Beans were soaked overnight. The rest of the vegetable items were stir-fried for fifteen minutes at a medium heat in sunflower oil (onion, carrot, potato, red pepper, and mushroom, along with the diced chorizo sausage (about 150 g).

Add boiling water (about a cupful), the vegetable stock, the tomato puree (three squirts), the beans, and the herbs (oregano, herbes de provence). Cook for one hour until the sauce has the desired consistency, and serve with some lightly turmericed long grain rice.

Blueberry, Strawberry, and Orange Fruit Salad

This morning's breakfast: a fruit salad with three fruits, served on a bed of Greek yoghurt, after being soused in some white wine and sugar overnight.

The (Stirlingshire) strawberries were quartered, and the blueberries served whole. The (Spanish) orange was cut into slices and the peel was cut off with a sharp knife. After that the orange segments were diced.

About ten minutes of preparation time, but the resulting dish is well worth it.

Madras Chicken Curry with Rice

The peas, leek and carrot essentially forms the underlying dahl (blended) for this dish.

After making that (if you don't already have some in your fridge), add the chicken stock, the diced chicken pieces, to a pan with a little hot sunflower oil, and stir-fry for ten to fifteen minutes at a medium heat.

Add a cup of boiling water to the dahl, and decant the chicken pieces to the pot containing the dahl, and add the Madras curry powder and turmeric, the garlic, and the finely diced root ginger. Cook at a low heat for about an hour.

Served with some dessicated coconut, sprinkled on top, finely diced strips of (deseeded) raw red chilli, and long-grain rice with a little wild black rice. Delicious!

Spanish Rice, Beans and Olives

A casserole oven-cooked dish, which is essentially a paella, but not cooked in a paella pan.

The onion was diced, the chillies were deseeded and diced, and placed in a little olive oil in the casserole dish, along with a third of a cup of American long grain rice. I added the olives and some minced garlic. Plus some turmeric and tomato passata.

The beans had been soaking since the preceding evening, so they were ready to be added also. The oven was preheated to 190 deg C. A cupful of hot water was added.

Like paella, the dish is ready when most of the moisture has been absorbed by the rice, but it should not be dry. I cooked this with the lid on for half an hour, and then I checked its progress. The dish went back into the oven, but this time without the lid. In another twenty minutes it was ready to serve.

I added no herbs or vegetable stock.A delicious and simple dish to prepare.

Red Beans and Rice with Chilli Sauce

Red kidney beans with black wild rice and American long grain rice, in a hot sauce.

Other ingredients are quartered mushrooms, two small julienned onions, red and green (deseeded) chillies, seven small crushed and diced cloves of garlic.

The dried kidney beans were soaked overnight, then boiled for ten to fifteen minutes (they are poisonous to a small degree if you don't do that, but if you do, they are fine). They were drained and set aside for a few minutes while I got on with the other ingredients.

The onion, the diced chillies and the garlic were stir-fried in sunflower oil for three to four minutes at a medium heat. Then I added the quartered onion, some white pepper, and a knob of butter. Stir fried for a couple of minutes, then I added the kidney beans and the hot sauce (in this case a favourite sweet chilli sauce), plus a little water so that it did not become too thick while heating. Stirred occasionally and removed from the heat when hot, and at the preferred consistency.

The rice had been prepared the preceding day for another dish, so essentially it was briefly reheated when taken from the fridge (two minutes simmering in water, or reheated in the microwave). The black rice takes longer to cook, so when the rice was originally prepared the black rice spent fifteen minutes in the pan before the long grain rice was added. Stirred frequently and ready after a further ten minutes of boiling.

Serve the beans on top of the rice. A delicious dish, worth the preparation and cooking time (about thirty minutes).

Chicken and Sage Stew with Chorizo

A chicken and chorizo sausage stew, cooked in a casserole dish in an oven heated to 180 deg C., with leek, potato and carrots.

Two chicken thighs were on top of the vegetables and the diced chorizo, and 100 mls of water was added to the covered dish.

The vegetables were finely diced, and around 100 mls of tomato passata was added, plus some sage. Cooked for an hour.

The chicken thighs were removed and allowed to cool, after which they were placed in the fridge. The sauce and vegetables were removed from the dish and placed in a lidded pot.

Later, the meat was removed from the chicken thighs, and added to the vegetables.

The dish was served with deseeded raw green chilli (not nearly so hot!), and french fries/chips made with herbs (oregano and rosemary), worcester sauce, ketchup, white pepper, turmeric, and dressed in sunflower oil. The chips were cooked for twenty minutes in a casserole dish placed in the oven,  lidded and at around 180 deg C, and then for another fifteen minutes without the lid. Perfection! But watch progress carefully.

Balti Style Chicken Curry

Dish prompted by some cheap vegetables from the local Co-op. Washed and diced leek and carrot, cooked with yellow split peas, which formed the basis of the curry sauce.

Mashed and blended, I added the curry powder (Madras), plus some turmeric, and tomato passata. Then I added a handful of raisins, a red and green chilli (deseeded), diced root ginger, chicken and vegetable stock, some fish sauce (Nam Pla). And finally the chicken slices from two chicken thighs.

Allowed to simmer for an hour. Served with long grain rice (or basmati, if you prefer), cooked for two minutes in boiling water before being shocked by cold water, and then another eight minutes of cooking. Served with lime pickle. Drizzle some lime juice on the rice before serving. Excellent!

Mushroom, Cashews and Prawns, with a Garlic and Sweet Chilli Sauce

A simple and delicious noodle dish, prepared with prawns, mushrooms, onion, and cashew nuts, plus a garlic and sweet chilli sauce.

The noodles were prepared first, cooked in salted boiling water until tender. Then diced onion, quarterered mushrooms and cashews were stir-fried in some groundnut oil for five minutes at a medium heat.

While this was happening, I blanched the prawns in boiled water. After two minutes, the prawns were added to the vegetables and stir-fried at a medium to high heat. The heat was turned down and the garlic and sweet chilli sauce was added. Stirred together until hot.

The noodles were drained, and decanted to a serving bowl. The prawns and vegetables in the garlic and chilli sauce were placed on top. Drizzle with some dark soy sauce.

Breaded Ham with Sweet Potato Wedges

A sweet potato was peeled carefully, and then cut into wedge shaped pieces. Cooked in salted boiling water for twenty minutes.

Served with two slices of breaded ham, rolled together, along with some rings of green pepper rings. Dressed with some freshly ground black pepper.

Garlic Naan Bread with Egg, Bacon and Mushroom

Something like a standard English Sunday breakfast, but instead of buttered toast, I used a toasted garlic naan bread. This works really well!

The bacon was cooked in a skillet. Often it does not require any oil, since it produces its own as it cooks. But sunflower oil will do, if it does.

The garlic naan bread was toasted in a toaster, after being cut in half. The egg was cooked in the skillet after the bacon and the naan bread were ready.

The quartered mushrooms were cooked in a separate small pan in a knob of butter (mushrooms and butter - mmm!). Served together with a couple of squirts of tomato ketchup, and some black pepper.

Singapore Noodle with Chicken and Peppers

Fabulous dish made with fresh and soft Singapore Noodles from Sainsbury's. First I julienned one white and one red onion, cut the peppers into strips, diced the two chillies, diced the root ginger, and crushed some garlic.

The chicken meat came from a steamed chicken thigh (deskinned), which spent the day before the preparation of this dish in the fridge. The groundnut oil (peanut oil) was heated to a high temperature in the wok, and the both the onion and the chicken meat were added.After which the heat was turned way down (I've mentioned before that my electric hob has a high degree of heat latency, meaning it takes a while to heat up and to cool down). Stirred continuously for about three minutes, and then the other vegetables and the cashew nuts were added.

The mixture of chicken and vegetables was cooked for another four minutes, stirring frequently.

The heat was turned up high before I added the noodles, and then turned down again immediately afterwards. Stir together continuously for another three or four minutes, until they are thoroughly heated.

Serve on a spiral of dark soy sauce. Delicious, and a trip down memory lane.

Roast Pork Stew

A really simple stew made to use up some left over pork in the fridge.

Two slices of roast pork were cut into strips, and cooked in a gravy made with some julienned onion, half a dessert spoonful of onion gravy granules, two pinches of Sage, and some vegetable stock. Cooked for fifteen minutes until the onions were soft.

Served with semi-skinned boiled potato. Simple and delicious.

Spicy Shepherd's Pie

Preparing the pie: made with ground lamb, diced onion, diced carrot, four red and green chillies, a clove of garlic, green pepper, diced baby plum tomatoes, chopped parsnip and chopped carrot, mashed potato and lamb stock. 

The mashed potato was mixed with a small knob of butter, and about 50g of Camembert cheese (cheddar cheese can be used instead, or you can skip the cheese component altogether). Seasoned with the herbs rosemary and thyme. 

Add the chopped parsnip and carrot to the bottom of the pie dish. Cover with the layer of spicy lamb. Add the potato on top, and texture with a fork. 

The pie was baked in the oven at a low heat (about 150 deg C for an hour and a half (watch carefully).. 

Served in this case with baked beans, with pepper and some dried basil.

Preparing the ground lamb: browned in a saute pan in its own fat at a high heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. The onion, chilli, green pepper and diced  baby plum tomatoes were added. The heat was turned down to medium, and the mix stir-fried for fifteen minutes.

After that, boiling water was added to the saute pan. The pot was covered, and allowed to simmer for at least an hour and a half at a low heat, to ensure the lamb was tender.

Add a little turmeric and some oregano after about half an hour, and stir through. 

Chorizo and Mushroom Omelette, with Focaccia Wedges

An excellent breakfast made with finely diced chorizo sausage, quartered mushrooms, and diced spinach.

Some water and salt was added to the beaten egg, which was whisked twice, before being added to the omelette pan and the sausage and vegetables. No oil or butter was added to the pan, on account of the oil produced by the chorizo pieces as they cooked.

The heat was turned down to the lowest level, and the omelette was cooked under glass for at least seven minutes before turning. Once turned, the heat was switched off altogether, and the omelette was left to cook slowly on the other side for three minutes.

Served with two toasted focaccia wedges, ketchup, and black pepper. Focaccia bread is made with what is known as 'strong' flour, which means it contains lots of gluten. So the omelette is pretty low in gluten, but the focaccia bread is not.

Sweet Potato Curry

Made with cubed sweet potato, onion, diced carrot, fresh root ginger, coriander leaves (the dressing), red chilli (deseeded), turmeric, and Madras curry powder. Served (Korean style) with black Thai rice and Basmati rice (cooked separately), and a four leaf salad.   

Lamb Chilli with Long Grain Rice

Made with ground lamb, diced onion, diced carrot, four red and green chillies, a clove of garlic, green pepper, diced baby plum tomatoes, and lamb stock. Served with American Long Grain .rice

The ground lamb was browned in a saute pan in its own fat at a high heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. The onion, chilli, green pepper and diced  baby plum tomatoes were added. The heat was turned down to medium, and the mix stir-fried for fifteen minutes.

After that, boiling water was added to the saute pan. The pot was covered, and allowed to simmer for at least an hour and a half at a low heat, to ensure the lamb was tender.

Add a little turmeric and some oregano after about half an hour, and stir through. 

Meatloaf with Garlic and Potato Salad

Meatloaf salad, made with a four leaf salad of chard, rocket, spinach, and purple lettuce, spring onion (optional), drizzled with olive oil,

Garlic was finely chopped and crushed, and added to two dessert spoonfuls of mayonnaise. Cubes of boiled potato were added to the mayonnaise, with a little salt.

The meatloaf was made using pork sausage meat, oats, cornmeal, diced leek and herbs (rosemary in this case, but sage is also a good choice).

The ingredients were mixed initially by hand in a large pyrex bowl, until the vegetables and meat were thoroughly mixed together. I also added a little sunflower oil, and one large egg.

The mixing can take up to ten minutes. I added a little salt and the rosemary during this process.

After that I continued the mixing process using a medium sized wooden spoon for another seven minutes or so.

Then the mix was decanted into a silicon bread tin, patted down and textured with a fork. Cooked for one hour at 190 deg C on the middle shelf of the oven (check progress occasionally). The meatloaf will shrink a little during the cooking process, so there is no problem getting the loaf out of the tin in one piece after it has cooled.

Silverside Beef with Curly Kale

 The gravy was made with parsnips, turnip, celery and onion, all diced, and cooked in boiling water for about half an hour, after which the ingredients were mashed. They continued to cook for a further half an hour. Then I added a pinch of paprika, a pinch of both Rosemary and Thyme, and some beef stock.

I blended the whole mixture with a hand electric mixer. Once the roast was complete, I added the juices from the casserole dish to the pan with the gravy, and simmered the mixture for fifteen minutes under glass. Mmm! A beautiful gravy.

Served with boiled potatoes and finely diced curly kale, simmered under.glass for ten minutes. Dress with some freshly ground black pepper.

Preparing the Silverside. The  joint was sealed on all sides in a flat-lidded pan in some sunflower oil. Once browned, the joint was put into a lidded casserole dish with about 300 mls of water, and the dish was put into an oven preheated to 190 deg C, on the middle shelf.

The joint was  900g in weight, so the cooking time was about 80 minutes (25 minutes per 500g, plus another 25 minutes is the basic formula). You can judge by eye how the joint is progressing. The final twenty minutes were spent unlidded, in order to further brown the joint.

The joint can be cut manually into slices with a large sharp knife once it has cooled.

Roast Silverside Beef, with a Parsnip and Onion Gravy

 The joint was sealed on all sides in a flat-lidded pan in some sunflower oil. Once browned, the joint was put into a lidded casserole dish with about 300 mls of water, and the dish was put into an oven preheated to 190 deg C, on the middle shelf.

The joint was  900g in weight, so the cooking time was about 80 minutes (25 minutes per 500g, plus another 25 minutes is the basic formula). You can judge by eye how the joint is progressing. The final twenty minutes were spent unlidded, in order to further brown the joint.

The joint can be cut manually into slices with a large sharp knife once it has cooled.

The gravy was made with parsnips, turnip, celery and onion, all diced, and cooked in boiling water for about half an hour, after which the ingredients were mashed. They continued to cook for a further half an hour. Then I added a pinch of paprika, a pinch of both Rosemary and Thyme, and some beef stock.

I blended the whole mixture with a hand electric mixer. Once the roast was complete, I added the juices from the casserole dish to the pan with the gravy, and simmered the mixture for fifteen minutes under glass. Mmm! A beautiful gravy.

Served with boiled potatoes and carrots.

Omelette Tortilla, with Sweet Chilli Hummus

I first encountered egg tortillas in 2007, in San Antonio, Texas, which is not so far away from the Mexican border. It is a great way to make a filling meal in a short space of time. It is an analogue to a number of meal formats found elsewhere in the world, and in Britain (Cornish pasties, Scottish bridies, etc.), which wrap food up in some form of bread or pastry.

I've included some earlier versions on this blog in which I used egg as the basis of the filling: Mexican Scrambled Egg Wrap, and Spanish Omelette Wrap.

This one is a little different, in that the commercially available tortilla wraps used were made with an infusion of sweet potato and feta cheese (sourced from Aldi).

I beat two eggs in a bowl, and added about 50 mls of water, which makes the omelette flexible after frying. The omelette (salted, and with a little paprika and white pepper) was cooked in a little butter in an omelette pan. At first at a high heat, but immediately turned down to nothing. After five minutes the omelette was turned, and cooked for another five minutes at the lowest heat (currently I cook with an electric hob which has a high degree of latent heat in the metal hobs. With a gas hob, you don't need to anticipate how hot the hobs will be in advance).

While the omelette was cooking, I smeared the surface of the tortilla with a sweet chilli hummus.

The omelette was then decanted onto the tortilla, the sides were folded in; the ends were sealed, and the tortilla was rolled. The tortilla was cut in two at 20 degrees with a sharp knife. Ready to eat, and delicious!

Parsnip, Carrot, Onion and Celery Soup

A simple winter vegetable soup, made with diced parsnip, carrot, onion, celery, and some diced brussels sprouts (they were in the fridge and needed to be used for something). Plus a quarter cupful of red lentils.

All added to a saute pan of boiling water and simmered under glass for forty-five minutes, and then mashed. Simmered again for fifteen minutes, along with vegetable stock, a pinch of turmeric and of paprika, and a couple of shakes of ground white pepper.

Finished with a light drizzle of sunflower oil, which gives it an attractive sheen, as if the vegetables have been cooked in a pot along with a joint of pork.

Mango, Orange, Grape and Apple Fruit Salad

A simple and delicious fruit salad, made with two colours of mango (white and orange), slices of red and green apple, chopped orange pieces, and purple grapes. 

Served cool, in some single cream.

Roast Pork, Pasta, and Tomato Salsa

The dish was begun with frying diced leek and onion in some olive oil, for about seven minutes at a medium heat. Then I added a third of a pint of boiling water, and added three squirts of tomato puree.

After that I added some finely diced fresh coriander leaf (dried will do just fine instead), some oregano and half a teaspoonful of paprika.

Then I deseeded a red chilli and cut it into thin strips. I diced two cloves of garlic, and added them to the pan. I broke a couple of slices of the roast pork into smaller chunks, and added everything to the pan. The resulting pork and tomato salsa was simmered for half an hour at a low heat under glass.

Served in this case with wheat-free pasta, cooked in salted water with a little olive oil to prevent sticking Ten to twelve minutes preparation time.

Dress with some freshly ground black pepper.