Vegetable Stir-Fry

 Pretty straightforward and tasty dish. Everything diced and sliced apart from the bean sprouts and the red chillies. Cook for five minutes at a high heat. 

Lancashire Hot-pot

 A dish based on the preceding beef chilli. The remains of the beef chilli was placed in a pie tin, and the red chillies were removed. The beef was covered by thinly sliced potato, drizzled in some sunflower oil, and cooked in the oven for about seventy minutes - fifty minutes at a high heat (190 deg C), and the rest at a lower heat (150 deg C). Follow progress by eye. The dish was dressed in coriander before being put in the oven. 

Traditional? Lancashire hot-pot would not have had chillies, or sweetcorn. Just beef, and perhaps onion and carrot. I added diced green beans and a splash of red wine before it went into the oven.  

Beef and Sweetcorn Chilli

 A simple dish of Scottish minced beef and sweetcorn. 

The beef was browned with a little sunflower oil. Stirred frequently for around twenty five minutes. Then boiling water was added, and the beef was cooked slowly under glass for two hours. 

The tinned sweetcorn (200g) was added after an hour. Along with three red finger chillies, four garlic cloves (diced), two pinches of coriander leaf, two pinches of oregano, two pinches of paprika, beef stock, and two glugs of Italian red wine (Merlot). 

Served with some potato bread, or another bread of your choice.

Ground Lamb, Sweetcorn and Ginger

Ground lamb cooked with onion or leek, peas and ginger. Plus diced garlic, and half a small tin of sweetcorn.

The lamb was browned for twenty minutes before the other ingredients were added.

 The ginger was diced, along with a clove of garlic. Added to the pot with the sweetcorn and peas, along with the diced onion. Cooked for another twenty minutes under glass. After that the tomato puree was added, along with some water.

Served with boiled rice, Chinese style (sticky enough to be picked up with chopsticks).

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.

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.

Beef and Chickpea Stew

Made with half a standard tin of corned beef, plus onion and chickpeas and sweetcorn direct from the cob, along with two dessert spoonfuls of tomato puree, plus beef stock.

The chickpeas were softened in water overnight, and then added to a pan of boiling water, along with the sweetcorn and finely diced onion. Cooked for ten minutes, and then I added the corned beef, which had been cut into small chunks. Cooked for another ten to fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.

After that I added the tomato puree and the beef stock.

Served with spicy chips, roasted under the grill for fifteen minutes, and turned once. The salsa they were dipped in was made with a little tomato ketchup, olive oil,  coriander and oregano, and black pepper. With a pinch of chilli powder and a dash of Worcester sauce. Plus two finely diced spring onions.

Beef Chilli Egg Noodle

Egg noodles from the local Co-op. Stir fried in olive oil for ten minutes, along with some turmeric rice from the fridge, at an intitial high heat, and then lowered.

The beef chilli was pre-made with corned beef, chillli powder (half a dessert spoonful) two varieties of chickpeas, plus red kidney beans,
and onions.

All the chickpeas and beans were dried, and soaked overnight until soft. Sweetcorn from the cob can be added.

I added beef stock to the chilli, and diced garlic.

Delicious and filling!

Beef Chilli, with Red Kidney Beans

Made with ground beef, chickpeas, red kidney beans, sweetcorn, red pepper, red chilli, tomato puree, chestnut mushrooms, diced leek, potato, garlic, and spring onion.

The ground beef was prepared first, browned in a little sunflower oil at a medium heat for about 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Then boiling water was added.

Thickened with half a teaspoonful of arrowroot, and flavoured with beef stock. The sweetcorn came straight from the cob, though tinned sweetcorn will do just as well.

The dried chickpeas and the kidney beans were soaked overnight, drained, and then cooked in fresh water with powdered red chilli and crushed garlic. Then simmered with the beef, sweetcorn, diced red pepper, mushrooms, tomato puree, potato, and chopped spring onion. The beef stock and another half a dessert spoonful of red chilli powder were added last.

Serve with plain boiled basmati rice, or with a chilled Greek yoghurt.

Spicy Mushroom, Chickpea and Sweetcorn Stew

Made with chickpeas, sweetcorn, red pepper, chestnut mushrooms and spring onion. Thickened with half a teaspoonful of arrowroot, flavoured with herbes de Provence and vegetable stock. The sweetcorn came straight from the cob, though tinned sweetcorn will do just as well.

Dried chickpeas were soaked overnight, and then cooked with powdered red chilli and crushed garlic. Rinsed, and then simmered with the sweetcorn, diced red pepper, mushrooms, and chopped spring onion. The vegetable stock and the herbs were added last.

Served with a mixture of Thai black rice, and basmati rice. The black rice was cooked for fifteen minutes, and then drained. Fresh boiling water was added to the pot, and then the basmati. Half a teaspoonful of turmeric was added.  I used an ice-cream scoop to create the rice balls, as they do in Korean restaurants. Wonderful vegetarian dish!

Cajun Maque Choux

This is a variation on a well known Cajun dish from Louisiana, which is essentially a stew made with sweetcorn.

I browned some diced leek in sunflower oil (normally diced onion). I added some pre-soaked chickpeas (not a standard ingredient), cooked earlier in some turmeric and Cajun spices (I used a commercially available Cajun spice powder, which contained garlic, chilli powder, paprika and cumin. But you could easily make this up from your spice cupboard). Stir-fried together for a little time. Then I added boiling water, some powdered ginger, a pinch of cumin seeds, and vegetable stock. and the sweetcorn.

Diced green pepper is usually also an ingredient, but I used diced green beans instead. I also skipped the addition of tomatoes. Finally I added a large pinch of dried coriander, plus another dash of Cajun spices, and stirred them through. Allowed to simmer for about twenty minutes under glass, at a low heat.

Served with basmati rice (or American long grain). The dish was served with a dusting of coriander. Delicious! Can be served with diced chicken.

Chicken Stew with Sweetcorn and Peppers

A simple and tasty dish, made to use up the meat from two roasted chicken drumsticks in the fridge.

First I fried some diced carrot in a flat pot, along with spring onions. Cooked until soft at a low heat under glass (about half an hour), and then the chicken pieces were decanted into the pot. Then after that, about two hundred mls of boiling water.

I added the peppers (cut into think strips - one third of a pepper each), boiled potato pieces, some diced brocolli stems, the sweetcorn (cut from the cob), two red chillies (deseeded), some diced button mushroom pieces, and the chicken stock.

Mix some cold water with half a teaspoonful of powdered arrowroot, and add to the pan. Stir through thoroughly. Simmer under glass for another forty minutes or so.

Served with basmati rice cooked with a small pinch of powdered turmeric. Add some fines herbes or tarragon if you like.

Garlic Sausage Stew

Made with diced Polish garlic sausage, onions or leeks, carrot and fresh sweetcorn, diced potato, tomato puree, garlic, ham stock, chilli powder, and some herbs (Basil, Coriander and Oregano).

Cook the vegetables first in a little sunflower oil until they soften. Add water, the tomato puree, the ham stock, and the chilli powder (half a teaspoonful is  fine). Add the diced sausage, and simmer under glass for between 45 minutes and an hour.

Add the herbs to the pot, and cook for a further ten minutes.

Served in this case with Basmati Rice.

Chicken Broth with Sweetcorn

A delicious broth made with brocolli, celery, chicken, garlic, mushroom, spring onion, sweetcorn, diced cherry tomato, and tomato puree. Plus herbs (oregano and basil), and flavoured with a little cardamom and vegetable and chicken stock.

The vegetables (diced) were cooked at a low heat under glass for forty minutes or so, before the pieces of chicken were added.

The cardamom and the vegetable and chicken stocks were added to the pot, along with the herbs (two pinches, plus some tomato puree. Cook for a further twenty-five minutes at a low heat and under glass.

Serve with freshly ground black pepper.

Corned Beef Chilli

An excellent chilli made with corned beef, red kidney beans, sweetcorn, onion, mushrooms, red and green diced pepper, along with garlic, tomato puree, paprika, beef stock, and some basil.

The kidney beans were soaked overnight along with some finely chopped garlic. The beans were cooked for twenty minutes with diced onion, until soft. Then about half a standard sized tin of corned beef was added,  broken up with a stirrer, and stirred through the mix.

Followed by the addition of beef stock, two squirts of tomato puree, a teaspoonful of chilli powder, diced red and green pepper, diced mushrooms (six), and half a small tin of sweetcorn (drained).

Cooked for about 50 minutes at a low simmer under glass, after which half a teaspoonful of paprika was added, along with half a teaspoonful of dried basil. Simmer for a further ten minutes, while the rice is being prepared.

Served with long grain rice, dressed in a sprinkling of coriander leaf.

Sweetcorn and Red Pepper Soup

A soup made to use up half a can of sweetcorn in the fridge.

The ingredients are carrot, sweetcorn, red pepper, potato, onion, turmeric, paprika, black pepper, plus a little dried basil and some vegetable stock. .

The potato and carrot were diced and batoned. Half a red pepper was also diced into small pieces. Everything was added to boiling water, and allowed to simmer for half an hour. Stir occasionally.

Afterwards the dish was mashed (sweetcorn survives this) and cooked for a further half an hour or so. Serve with some toasted potato bread, and a dash of Worcester sauce.

Pork Chilli with Spaghetti

A one pan dish, made with a pork chilli and spaghetti.

Dice a couple of pork steaks into small chunks, and stir fry in a little sunflower oil, until they brown. Once they do, add finely chopped leek (cut lengthways first, and then crosswise). Add diced red and yellow pepper, spring onion, a clove of garlic, and some drained sweetcorn.

Continue to stir-fry the dish for another ten to fifteen minutes, and then add boiling water and a little tomato puree. Add dried red chillies according to taste. Simmer under glass for twenty minutes.

Break a handful of spaghetti in two, and scatter round the pan. Add more boiling water and stir the spaghetti in to the pork chilli sauce. Bring to the boil, and stir the spaghetti until it is soft. Cover the pan and simmer slowly for fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring the mix occasionally.

Serve with black pepper. 

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Fried Rice

Chicken pieces in a sweet and sour sauce, with added dried red chilli, bamboo shoots, diced onion, sweetcorn, and diced button mushrooms.

Cooked for half an hour under glass, with some vegetable stock.

Served with fried basmati rice. Dress with some dark soy sauce.

Want to make your own sweet and sour sauce? It is pretty straightforward, and is describe here.

Chicken and Sweetcorn Salad

Two chicken drumsticks from the fridge needed to be used, so I made this salad for the purpose.

Made with basmati rice, cooked with a teaspoonful of turmeric. Ten minutes at a lowish heat under glass (the lid at a jaunty angle),  and some sunflower oil to prevent sticking, half a red pepper, and half a small can of sweetcorn from Aldi. Three diced spring onions. Plus a couple of dessert spoonfuls of mayonnaise. Stirred together thoroughly. Drain the rice and allow to cool before adding the other ingredients.

Add the chicken pieces, and serve. Delicious, without herbs or salt!

Honey Ham Wrap

This is a substantial meal which can be put together in minutes. Honey ham trimmings, sweetcorn, spring onion and mayonnaise, in a herbed bread wrap.

Chop up two spring onions and place in a glass bowl. Add a small tin of sweetcorn (drained), and two dessert spoonfuls of mayonnaise. Add a little black pepper. Stir together thoroughly.

Lay the wrap on a plate, and add the honey ham on one side. Add a few spoonfuls of the sweetcorn and spring onion salsa on top. Roll the wrap, folding at the side along the way to close off the ends. Then cut the wrap diagonally with a sharp knife. Voila!