Mushroom and Chorizo Casoulet

Sixteen whole white mushrooms, four chopped chestnut mushrooms, around 200g of sliced chorizo sausage, 100g of chopped green beans, eight chopped spring onions, two shredded salad tomatoes, and half of a roughly cut swede. The chorizo and the swede were cooked in a little bacon fat under glass at a moderate heat for around 15 to 20 minutes. I added six whole garlic cloves which were in a chilli suffused sunflower oil. Then boiling water was added to the pot, along with a couple of squeezes of tomato paste, and two ham stock cubes. The casoulet was allowed to simmer for two hours, at the end of which white pepper and two generous pinches of thyme and rosemary were stirred into the stew. Naturally this dish could be made with potatoes instead of a swede. But I had a swede which needed to be used, so I chose to use the swede. The combo is fine. The other half of the swede will find its way into a soup.

Scrambled Egg and Bacon

Fabulous breakfast! The scrambled egg was made with two eggs, a pinch of salt, plus a quarter cup of whole milk, cooked slowly in a melted knob of salted butter. I used a small pan for that. Stirred about four or five times until ready.

The smoked bacon strips (two) were cooked slowly in an omelette pan in their own fat. Cooked until crispy at the edges.

Three quartered mushrooms were cooked slowly in the small amount  of bacon fat remaining, until they browned.

Served in this case with a squirt of American mustard and a dusting of black pepper.

Excellent served with buttered toast or slices of potato scone.

Lentil and Bacon Broth

Made with one leek, finely chopped celery, green lentils, half a turnip, three carrots, and two rashers of fried bacon, chopped into small pieces. I stir-fried the leek first (in a little bacon fat), then added boiling water, and then the chopped carrot, turnip the fried bacon pieces (crispy!), and then a third of a cup of green lentils.

Simmer for an hour and then mash. Add ham stock, black pepper, and simmer under glass at a low heat for another half an hour, stirring occasionally. Nutritious! Tasty!

Serve with some toasted potato bread, or another flatbread of your choice.

Chicken in an Oyster and Spring Onion Sauce

A simple stir-fry dish, served with flat rice noodles (Blue Dragon brand). I chopped a breast of chicken into small strips and stir-fried them slowly for ten minutes at a medium heat, in a little bacon fat (sunflower oil will do instead, if you prefer). Then I added six sliced mushrooms and a handful of chopped green beans to the stir-fry. Cooked for another eight to ten minutes, stirring frequently. The oyster and spring onion sauce came from Aldi, who do a small range of stir-fry sauces. Cooked for another four or five minutes before serving. 

The rice noodles take eight minutes to cook, unless you intend to add them to the stir-fry, in which case they should be cooked for around six minutes. 

Chicken in an Oyster and Spring Onion Sauce 

Vegetable Omelette

Made with the vegetable leftovers from a chicken stew. The original stew was made with a tin of chopped tomatoes, chopped green beans, a quarter each of red and green peppers, sliced, chopped spring onion, a little chilli flavouring (the chilli was removed before making the omelette), with some basil, oregano, bacon fat (optional - the pan was brushed with sunflower oil), and chicken stock. 

I drained the juice from the vegetables, and beat two eggs in a bowl with a whisk. Then I added the chopped vegetables to the mix. Beat for at least a minute, and allow to stand while the omelette pan heats up. Add the omelette mixture, and turn down the heat. Add a couple of pinches of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Cook for ten to eleven minutes at a low heat, turning halfway. Cook under glass to ensure thorough heating. Slide the omelette onto a plate, and serve with freshly ground black pepper.

Vegetable Omelette

Chicken in a Tomato and Ginger Sauce

Made with pieces of pre-cooked stir-fried chicken breast, a tin of chopped tomatoes, chopped green beans, a quarter each of red and green pepper, sliced, chopped spring onion, thin slices of ginger, a topped and tailed whole green chilli, with some basil, oregano, bacon fat, and chicken stock. Served with boiled potato. 

Since the chicken breast pieces were already cooked, this was a fairly quick meal to prepare. The chicken, tomato and chopped vegetables were added to a saute pan, along with the bacon fat (just a scraping - this ingredient can be skipped) and the chicken stock, along with a little water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for twenty to twenty five minutes under glass at a low heat. Stir occasionally.  Add the herb pinches five minutes before serving. The potatoes can be cooked during the same time. So, five or six minutes to prepare the vegetables, and twenty to twenty five minutes before serving!

Chicken in a Tomato and Ginger Sauce

Pan-fried Pork Loin Steak in a Smoked Paprika Sauce

Pork loin cooked in a little bacon fat for 20 minutes at a moderate heat, under a lid covering 90% of the pan. The steaks were turned after ten minutes. 

The sauce was made with cornflour (half a dessert spoonful), tomato passata (about 100ml) , a teaspoonful of smoked paprika, a sprinkling of thyme, a pinch of powdered ginger, and a large pinch of white pepper. Bring to the boil and turn down the heat. Stir for four minutes till the sauce has thickened. Four fresh basil leaves were shredded into the sauce a minute or so before serving. 

Served with two raw chopped spring onions, and a thinly sliced vine tomato. 

Pan-fried pork loin steak in a smoked paprika sauce.