Chicken and Torunska sausage soup, with Spinach

 This began as a chicken soup with carrot, diced orange pepper and mushrooms. After a day I augmented the soup with diced spinach and Torunska sausage. A fabulous result. Simmered for an hour on the hob.  

Diced Pepperoni Omelette

 A not terribly complicated omelette made with beaten egg (of course), tomato, mushroom, diced yellow pepper, spring onion, and diced pepperoni sausage. Fabulous dish. The beaten egg mixture was added after seven minutes. Cooked in a skillet at a medium heat for ten minutes, and then under glass for another seven minutes or so (judge by eye). 

Mushroom Stew with Brocolli Spears

 A pretty basic mushroom stew, made with paprika and diced cherry tomatoes. Served with brocolli spears. 

Chorizo and Black Olive Omelette

 Excellent breakfast omelette made with diced mushrooms and chorizo sausage, plus halved stoned black olives. 

The chorizo was cooking first in a skillet, and most of the oil in the cooking came from the sausage. Cooked for at least twenty minutes at a middling heat. Then I added the mushroom and the halved olives. The omelette mixture (beaten egg with a little water) was added after another fifteen minutes and cooked until the surface of the omelette became firm. 

Slid out of the skillet onto the plate. Delicious!

Ham and Mushroom Omelette

A basic pan-fried omelette, with mushrooms, green pepper, diced green beans, and cured ham (any variety of ham will do in fact). First the ham was cooked slowly in a little olive oil along with the mushrooms and the diced pepper and beans.

The egg (plus a little water) was added, and the omelette was cooked slowly under glass (along with a little tarragon) until it was ready.
 

Diced Pork Loin Steak with Cashews

The rice was steamed first and allowed to cool. Regulary turned with a fork until ready (20-30 minutes). Reheated shortly before serving the vegetables and pork on the bed of rice. The red pepper and the onion were diced, along with the mushrooms, garlic and chilli. Stir-fried along with the  (preroasted) pork steak pieces, and the cashews. Served together with a drizzle of soy sauce. 
 

Potato, Spinach, and Polish Sausage Casoulet

A simple casoulet begun as a stirfry of diced polish sausage, diced potato, spring onion, quartered button mushrooms, chopped green beans. I used a drizzle of olive oil. 

Cooked for about an hour at a medium heat. Then I added boiling water, along with some vegetable stock, plus chopped spinach, and the herbs sage and tarragon. Cooked for a further forty-five minutes. 

 

Garlic Sausage Casoulet

A straightforward casoulet made with chunks of Polish garlic sausage, along with red pepper, potato, diced onion, fresh coriander, and diced flat mushroom. With a little red chilli. Cooked originally with sunflower oil. The gravy was thickened with a dessert spoonful of arrowroot powder. 

 

Smoked Bacon, Baby Plum Tomato, and Spring Onion Breakfast

Great breakfast, which is simple to prepare. Baby plum tomatoes, diced into three pieces, halved button mushrooms,and spring onion, cooked slowly in a skillet for 25 minutes in some sunflower oil. Stirred frequently. 

The cured and smoked bacon was also cooked slowly, but in another smaller pan, until it was on the edge of being crispy. 

The chipped potatoes were parboiled for ten minutes, and then grilled in the oven with a little sunflower oil until browned (turn once). Watch progress by eye. Served with tomato ketchup. 

 

Tarragon Chicken in a Cream, Onion and Mushroom Sauce

Chicken breasts roasted in an open casserole dish for 40 minutes at 190 deg C, and then another fifteen minutes lidded. With a little sunflower oil. Dressed in some sea salt. Cooked a mixture of julienned white onions (two), plus five destalked and diced chestnut mushrooms, for twenty minutes in sunflower oil.

Decanted the onion and mushroom into a small pan, and mixed with a couple of dessert spoonfuls of single cream, and a shake of dried tarragon. Lots of freshly ground black pepper. 

Served with green beans boiled in salted water for seven minutes.  

 

Stuffed Roast Pepper, with Carrot, Mushroom and Napoli Salami

 Pepper stuffed with grated carrot and chestnut mushroom, diced spring onion, and finely diced napoli Salami (two slices). The mixture was drizzled with a little sunflower oil, white pepper, salt, and coriander leaf. Cooked in a metal tray on the middle shelf of the oven, preheated to 180 deg C for 35 minutes. 

Served with diced baby plum tomatoes and a baby leaf salad. Dressed in white pepper and a sprinkling of coriander leaf. 

Prosciutto and Mushroom Breakfast

Prosciutto is an Italian pork preserve, so is not normally found in a frying pan. But you can gently fry it, which is what I did here. Along with diced mushrooms, and an egg. Simple and delicious. Could be served with hash browns. 

 

Beef Chilli with Carrots, Red Pepper, and Coriander

A healthy ground beef chilli with lots of vegetables - red kidney beans, carrot, onion, mushroom, chillies, red pepper, garlic, tomato puree (or tinned tomatoes), plus the herbs coriander and basil. 

The beef had been prepared the day before (with the Bisto browning), and was added to the pot, along with the diced vegetables, the red kidney beans, the garlic and the chillies, and tomato puree. Simmered under glass for an hour and a half. Added coriander and basil during the final ten minutes. 

Served with basmati rice, and dressed with a dusting of dried coriander.  

Cavolo Cabbage Stir-Fry

Simple vegetable stir fry. The Cabbage leaves were removed from the stalks by hand (easier to tear them off than cutting them off with a knife). The leaves were chopped up.

Add julienned red onion, diced spring onion, diced mushroom, sliced yellow pepper, one clove of garlic, crushed, diced fresh ginger.

Mix together in a bowl with a little sunflower oil.

Cook in a flat pan or wok drizzled with sunflower oil, at a high heat for two minutes, and then for another six to eight minutes at a medium or low heat, stirring about every ten seconds or so, until the dish is ready.

Served on some dark soy sauce, and topped with a spiral of sweet Thai chilli sauce. Delicious!

Beef Casoulet with Yoghurt and Coriander

Ground (minced) beef, browned for twenty minutes, stirring frequently.

With added diced onion, diced spring onion, yellow pepper, chopped baby plum tomatoes (four), diced mushroom, diced carrot, a crushed clove of garlic, and potato chunks.

Simmered for an hour and a half at a low heat under glass. Add beef stock. Add a quarter teaspoonful of chilli for heat, if desired.

Served with Yoghurt dressed in two pinches of dried coriander.

Chcken Paella, with Chorizo Sausage

Chicken pieces with diced chorizo sausage, tomato puree, chicken stock, chilli, mushrooms, carrots, courgette, potato, red pepper, plus the herbs basil, coriander leaf and tarragon. Plus basmati rice cooked in a little salt and turmeric.

The trick is to do it in clearly defined stages (preparation of the vegetables and chorizo, stir-fried in olive oil or butter; preparation of the salsa; adding the pre-roasted chicken; and finally adding the pre-cooked rice).

The vegetables and chorizo, and the salsa, were allowed to simmer for an hour under glass before I added the chicken.

For presentation purposes in future I might just steam the chicken pieces, and add them on top before serving. But it was a delicious meal nonetheless, and well worth the effort.

Ground Beef with Smoked Paprika and Wheat-free Fusilli

This dish was made with diced Piccolo tomatoes, diced white mushrooms, diced leek, diced red pepper, sweetcorn (from a small tin) paprika, half a 400g  tin of tomatoes, and ground beef (Scottish). Plus three red chillies, and a teaspoonful of smoked paprika.

The 5% fat ground beef was browned for twenty minutes in olive oil, and then the diced leek was added. Cooked for a further twenty minutes under glass, stirring occasionally. Then the other vegetables were added, plus the herbs oregano and coriander.

Simmered under glass for another hour, after which vegetable and beef stock were added to the pot.

The wheat-free pasta (Fusilli, commonly known as Rotini in the U.S.), was cooked in boiling salted water in a pan for ten minutes, and then allowed to rest for a further five, and then drained. I used Sainsbury's pasta, since it cooks very much like the durum wheat version, and doesn't fall apart.

Potato Rosti Patties, with Pork Stew

A pork stew, accompanied with potato rosti patties.

The patties were made with potato rosti, one egg, two tablespoonfuls of cornmeal (cornflour will do just as well), and several pinches of the herb sage. I used an ice-cream scoop to shape the patties. Cooked under glass in a little olive oil,  until they were ready (about twelve minutes).

The pork stew was made with chopped selections from a roasted joint of pork. Cooked with tinned tomato, mushrooms, leek,vegetable and pork stock,  and numerous herbs (oregano, tarragon).

Pork stew with Grilled Courgettes (Zucchini).

A fairly uncomplicated meal, consisting of a roast pork stew (pork from the freezer), along with diced fresh spinach, and sliced courgettes grilled in a little sunflower oil for at least 45 minutes, turning occasionally.

The roast pork stew consisted of tomatoes, leek (instead of onion), and some diced white mushrooms. Plus vegetable and pork stock. Cooked for at least an hour.

Not bad. I bought the courgettes mainly because carrots were unaccountably unavailable, after a number of days. But these are the days we live in, and we do the best we can. I got three red peppers on the same supermarket day, which was a plus. I prefer peppers to carrots.

Wheat-free Spaghetti Bolognese, with Sweetcorn

Not a real Italian dish, as I've noted before, but a firm favourite in the UK.

This was made with diced Piccolo tomatoes, diced white mushrooms, diced leek, diced red pepper, sweetcorn (from a small tin) paprika, half a 400g  tin of tomatoes, and ground beef (Scottish). Plus three red chillies.

The 5% fat ground beef was browned for twenty minutes in olive oil, and then the diced leek was added. Cooked for a further twenty minutes under glass, stirring occasionally. Then the other vegetables were added.

Simmered under glass for another hour, after which vegetable and beef stock were added to the pot.

The wheat-free pasta was cooked in boiling salted water in a large flat pan for ten minutes, and then allowed to rest for a further five. Then drained.

The dish was served on a plate dusted with oregano, and dressed with dried (or fresh) coriander.