Haddock Risotto

 A simple fish risotto, with basmati rice infused with madras curry powder, and some diced chorizo. Delicious!

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.  

Mustard ham, Egg and chips

 Sainsbury's used to do a decent ham, egg and chips, but they seem to be outsourcing their restaurant facilities. This is not a difficult meal to make for yourself, even if you haven't got a deep fat fryer. I chipped some potatoes and soused them in a little vinegar, salt, and some rapeseed oil for half an hour while the oven was heating up. Spread across a roasting tray and cooked for about forty minutes at 180 deg C. (watch progress by eye!). The egg was cooked in a skillet on the hob. 

Leek and Streaky Bacon Soup

 I made this with some streaky bacon, fried at a medium heat for about ten minutes. Streaky bacon is hard to cut even with a sharp knife (lots of fat) , so you might want to chop it into pieces with kitchen scissors instead. Add a little cooking oil. 

Then I added diced leek, cut into circles, and stir fried under glass for about twenty-five minutes, with a little salt. While that combination was cooking, I grated a medium sized carrot. I added that to the mix, and added boiling water. Cooked under glass at a low heat for about an hour and a half. Stir occasionally. Then I added a half a pork stock cube, and a little paprika. Fabulous soup!

Poached Egg with fried Wheat-free bread

 Egg poached in water inside a silicon container. Ten minutes, half under glass. The bread was drizzled in olive oil and browned in a skillet. Delicious. 

Pasta Salad, with grated carrot and diced red onion

 Delicious, but there is not much to this one. Wheat free pasta cooked in salted water for about twelve minutes, and then dusted with powdered paprika. Served with a grated carrot, and about one third of a red onion diced. Dress in a little freshly ground black pepper. 

Chicken and Green Bean Minestrone

 The contents of the fridge needed to be reorganised. I rescued what could still be used to construct a dish, and I ended up with a minestrone. The onion and the chicken were cooked first in some olive oil, The rest of the vegetables were prepared and added to the flat pot at a medium heat, along with about half a pint of water. Cooked for ninety minutes under glass, stirring frequently. Delicious!

Smoked Pork and Leek Soup

Some smoked pork trimmings in the fridge needed to be used, so I put together this soup. The soup base is essentially half a courgette (diced), one medium sized leek cut into wheels, and one carrot (grated with a rotary grater). Plus a diced handful of fresh coriander, salt, and some ham (or pork) stock. The vegetables were first fried in some rape seed oil (ten minutes at a medium heat).

I added a generous amount of boiling water (about one pint).

I diced about 200g of the pork trimmings and added them to the pot about half an hour later. Cooked at a medium heat under glass for at least 90 minutes.

Completely delicious!
 

Lamb and Cinnamon Stew, with flat Noodles

 Ground lamb, with chickpeas, red pepper, spring onion, courgette and carrot (both spiralised before being added to the stew). With some added ground cinnamon. Plus lamb stock and vegetable stock. 

The lamb was cooked the day before for about two hours at a medium heat under glass until tender. Cooked again for another forty-five minutes with the spiralised vegetables. 

Served with flat chinese noodles (Blue Dragon brand in this case). The noodles were salted and infused with some sesame oil. 

Minced beef, with Spaghetti

 A jar of Polish preserved red peppers had been sitting at the back of a cupboard for a while, and I decided to open it. I diced the peppers and cooked them with the leek and the carrots and the chickpeas for about 25 minutes. Then I added the minced beef, and cooked the whole assemblage for another forty-five minutes under glass at a low to medium heat (stir frequently!). I added water a couple of times, plus half a dozen bay leaves. 

Served with Italian made wheat free spaghetti (Sainsbury's) and black pepper (remove the bay leaves). 

Chicken and Chickpea Stew

 The chickpeas were cooked in a slow cooker until soft, along with the chopped tomatoes and a diced clove of garlic. The green beans were cooked later in a separate pan. Served together with some sea salt and black pepper. 

Cheese Omelette

 A simple cheese omelette, which I haven't made for some time. Two beaten eggs and a little water and salt, cooked in the oven in a 100% metal and ceramic skillet until nearly done, then I added the chopped cheddar cheese and watched until the omelette was ready. Slipped out onto the plate. Dressed in American mustard (any other kind will do).

Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

Sometimes you get fed up doing the same thing with vegetables. This time I diced the vegetables (carrot, onion, potato and garlic) and put them in a casserole dish with a drizzle of rapeseed oil. Cooked in the oven for half an hour, lidded, and then another twenty five minutes without the lid. The slices of chicken were cooked in a lidded pan with arrowroot (as a thickener) and chicken stock, for about twenty five minutes. Served with black pepper. 

Paprika Chicken and Brocolli Spears

 Chicken Breast, roasted in the oven for 40 minutes at 200 deg C, wrapped in aluminium foil with diced white onion. Dressed in sea salt, paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil. Served with Brocolli spears boiled for seven minutes. Plus some black pepper. 

Cubed Beef and Pasta

 Cubed Scotch beef, cooked for an hour and a half in a lidded pan at a medium heat, with olive oil. The green beans and spinach were cooked for ten minutes along with some dried rosemary in a separate pan. The wheat free pasta was cooked in a third pan for ten minutes or so at a medium heat. Fabulous meal!

Onion Borscht

 A borscht made with white and red onion, along with diced beetroot which had been soused in malt vinegar. Cooked with one chilli to add extra bite. 

Basa Fish, Rice, and Pak Choi

Deskinned Basa Fish fillet, cooked in a preheated oven at 190 deg C on the middle shelf for twelve minutes (not turned), dressed in sunflower oil, and a little black pepper.

Served with diced and steamed Pak Choi leaves, and turmericed basmati rice.
 

Minced Beef with Sugar Snap Peas

Ground beef, browned and then simmered for two hours under glass, with herbs and paprika, plus diced onion, served with boiled semiskinned potatoes, and diced and boiled sugar snap peas. 

 

Spicy Garlic Lamb and Spinach

Ground minced lamb which had been browned and then simmered under glass for two hours. Then I added diced mushrooms, lamb stock, oregano, and two bay leaves. Then simmered again under glass for another 45 minutes, with some onion gravy granules. I added diced spinach leaves and spring onion, plus half of a chopped yellow pepper. 

I added several crushed cloves of garlic, and a couple of red chillies, which I removed (along with the bay leaves) after an hour or so. 

Served with steamed potatoes (thirty minutes or so), and boiled podded peas. 

Baked Potato with Ground Lamb

The baked potato was begun first, with a little butter, in a roasting tray in an oven heated to 190 deg C. It took one hour and fifteen minutes to cook (not wrapped in tin-foil). Check every fifteen minutes, particularly if you don't have an oven thermometer.

From the fridge I took the Fresh ground minced lamb I cooked a couple of days ago, which had been browned and then simmered under glass for two hours. Then I added diced mushrooms, lamb stock, oregano, and two bay leaves. Then simmered again under glass for another 45 minutes, with some onion gravy granules.

I added diced spinach leaves and spring onion, plus half of a chopped yellow pepper. Serve hot.