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!

Stilton Cheese Salad with Black Olives

Sometimes, in the depths of mid-winter, it is good to have a summery salad, to remind you of other times. The weather here at the moment alternates between miserable, and dangerous. We are looking forward to the spring.

This is a very simple salad, which can be prepared in just a few minutes. About 100g of Stilton cheese, diced into pieces, plus about twenty pitted black olives, strips of red pepper, and diagonally diced spring onion.

No herbs, no seasoning required. Just raw and delicious!

The dish could also be dressed with olive oil, or served with lettuce leaves, or with diced coriander leaves.

Kala Chana Curry

A chickpea curry, made with diced leek, lentils, and standard chickpeas and black chickpeas. I used madras curry powder, cumin seeds (one pinch), dried coriander, turmeric and tomato puree.

The standard chickpeas were dried, so were soaked overnight. Cooked with the leek and the lentils for an hour. Then the contents of the pot were mashed.

After that I added the black chickpeas (200g from a tin), and all of the other ingredients. Simmer for around half an hour, and serve the curry with basmati rice, or with a toasted garlic and coriander naan bread. Delicious!

Cumberland Sausage with Beans and Chestnut Mushrooms

A simple and delicious meal of Cumberland Sausage, baked beans, chestnut mushrooms and carrot.

The sausages (pricked) were fried in a lidded flat pan for 25 minutes, half of the time unlidded (initially at high heat, then turned down to a low to medium heat). The sausages were turned several times. Cooked with the batonned carrot and the chestnut mushrooms (two, sliced).

The baked beans (200g) were augmented with dried basil, half a teaspoonful of paprika, and two dashes of black pepper. Heated slowly.

The sausages were served on a bed of beans, with half a teaspoonful of German mustard.

Mince, Potatoes and Green Beans

A delicious variation on this favourite British dish.

Diced leek and carrot were stir-fried slowly for twenty minutes in some sunflower oil. The vegetables were decanted to another pot and boiling water was added to it. Slowly simmered for half an hour.

The ground beef was added to the original saute pan, and browned over twenty minutes (judge progress by eye).

Then the ground beef was decanted to the pot containing the vegetables using a slatted spoon, leaving the surplus beef fat in the saute pan. Stir through thoroughly, and add the vegetable stock, two dashes of dark soy sauce, half a teaspoonful of paprika, and half a dessert spoonful of cornmeal. Stir together. Allow to simmer under glass for forty-five minutes or so, by which time the beef will be beautifully tender.

Serve with boiled potatoes cooked for twenty minutes,  and green beans boiled for seven minutes.

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.

Sirloin Steak with Caramelised Onions

Best quality sirloin steak (200g) from Sainsbury's, fried in olive oil for eight minutes each side at a medium heat after initial high heat.

The julienned onion was also cooked in olive oil, but for twenty-two minutes or so at a medium heat.

Served with some authentic German mustard (or American mustard), and a dash of black pepper for the onions. Great and simple dish!

Cullen Skink (with Leek)

Made with I tablespoon butter, half of a medium sized leek,
2 smallish potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes, 300ml water, 250g of dyed smoked haddock, 250ml milk, salt and (white) pepper to taste, Plus a little parsley.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the diced leek and fry gently until transparent. Cook for about 10 minutes at a low heat.

Add potatoes and water and bring to boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

In another pan, cover the haddock with the milk and poach it gently for about five minutes until  tender. Remove from the milk and, when cool enough to touch, flake gently into large pieces, removing bones.I used a plastic fork to flake the fish, in order to avoid scratching the non-stick surface. 

Add milk and flaked fish to saucepan containing the potatoes and the other ingredients. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Fabulous dish!

Mince, Peas, and Potatoes

A traditional British dish, particularly liked in Scotland, where it is known as 'mince an' tatties'.

The mince was browned in a drizzle of sunflower oil for twenty minutes, beginning at a high heat before the heat being turned down. I added half a large leek, cut into strips lengthwise, and then diced. Stirred frequently, and cooked at a low heat for another twenty minutes. Often an onion is used instead of a leek.

After that boiling water was added to the pan, plus the beef stock. Allowed to simmer under glass for an hour or so, by which time the leek has begun to dissolve and thicken the dish (stirring will speed up this process).

Served with garden peas, and boiled potatoes (peeled red rooster potatoes in this case).

That's it. No herbs used at all. Sometimes diced carrot is added in addition to onion or leek.

Smoked Haddock Risotto

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.

Half a red pepper, diced, and one julienned white onion, were fried in a skillet with sunflower oil for fifteen minutes, and then the drained rice was added.

The fish was cooked in a skillet for 12 minutes, turned once. Added to the rice, and broken up with a plastic fork.

Served on a bed of black pepper. Delicious!

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!