food, reviews and of course coffee
This was a quick and easy meal using a stir fry deal from Waitrose.
I took some duck strips, and coated them with beaten egg. I then dusted them with some plain flour. These were then shallow fried until cooked. These were removed from the pan.
I cleaned the pan and then stir fried some vegetables. Once they were nearly cooked, I added a Wagamama Korean BBQ stir fry sauce. After stirring I added the cooked duck and some cooked egg noodles.
Mixed in and served.
This is my go to recipe when making bolognaise. It has an intense flavours of beef and tomato. One thing I have found is that when using tinned tomatoes and tomato purée that not all are equal and some have better flavour than others. I have to say that my experience with own brand versions haven’t passed the taste test. More recently I have been using Mutti finely chopped tomatoes when cooking this dish.
It has the consistency and intensity of flavour I like when cooking bolognaise.
This serves four people.
500g minced beef, I try and get 5% fat mince, otherwise the end result can be a bit greasy. If you do buy the mince with the higher fat content, I would suggest after browning the mince to drain some of the excess fat or oil from the pan before adding the vegetables.
Splash of olive oil
One onion, diced
One red pepper, diced, I prefer the pointed peppers for this recipe
Handful of mushrooms, chopped
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Knorr chicken stock pot
Beef stock cube
Tin of Mutti finely chopped tomatoes
Mutti tomato purée
Garlic purée
I usually use a large pan with a lid, for cooking this dish. I heat the pan add the splash of olive oil and then brown off the mince until it is all done. If you have excess fat in the pan then drain the cooked mince and discard the excess oil and fat, then add the mince back to the pan.
Add the onion and pepper.
After a few minutes add the mushrooms.
Once the onion is soft and cooked, add the tin of tomatoes, the stock pot and stock cube, the tomato purée and the balsamic vinegar.
Cook for at least 30 minutes on a low heat. The plan is for all the flavours to infuse and for the beef mince to be cooked and tender.
Serve with spaghetti or a pasta of your choice. Add freshly grated Parmesan to taste, garnish with freshly topped parsley.
I used gluten free spaghetti, Rummo Spaghetti No 3 for this dish. I was really impressed with this spaghetti; it has a great texture and flavour.
Certainly, the best gluten free spaghetti I have cooked with. It isn’t the cheapest pasta on the shelf, but I think it’s worth the extra cost.
The last time I made this bolognaise, it was not as good as my previous versions. This one though was back on form.
For our Sunday lunch I made a gluten free cauliflower cheese. It didn’t quite go to plan, but I think I know what didn’t work and so will do it slightly different next time.
For my recipe, I take a spoonful size knob of butter and melt it in a pan. I then take a similar sized spoonful of plain gluten free flour and stir that into the melted butter to make a roux.
I then add milk and whisk. Now at this point the sauce isn’t very thick, don’t be tempted to add more flour, as I found that at some point the sauce thickens very quickly (and thickly).
I did add some more milk, but my sauce was very thick. I seasoned the sauce with salt and pepper, before adding a small handful of grated cheddar cheese. This is stirred into the sauce.
In an ovenproof bowl, add some florets of raw cauliflower. Then pour over the white cheese sauce. Now I had to spoon mine in as it was too thick. Top with more grated cheddar. I also added some grated mozzarella as well.
This is then baked in the oven for about thirty minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned. It was, despite the thick sauce, delicious.
After bemoaning my thick sauce on Bluesky, one recommendation was to make the roux “wetter” by adding more butter. So the next time I make this I am going to try that.
Having got a food processor for Christmas a few years ago, I use it quite often to make homemade hummus. I would probably make it more often, but don’t always have the ingredients in the cupboard.
I used this as the recipe for the hummus. It is based on my usual recipe, but as I didn’t have any lemons, so I used a lime instead. I used puréed garlic from a tube, as it was easier and quicker than using
400g can chickpeas, drained
60ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml water
1 teaspoon of purred garlic
1 lime, juiced.
3 spoonfuls of tahini
Drain and rinse the chickpeas in cold running water, and then place in the food processor with the olive oil.
Blitz until you get an almost smooth consistency. Then add the garlic puree, lime juice, tahini and 30ml of water. Blitz again until you have a smooth creamy texture. You can add more water if it is too thick. Season and then transfer to a bowl.
Served with warm flatbread and chargrilled chicken.
I made and cooked a paella, or a Spanish inspired rice dish.
I diced an onion, some red pepper, some green pepper, and some chestnut mushrooms. I also diced up some chorizo sausage as well.
In a hot large frying pan, I put some olive oil and I cooked off some smoked pancetta. I then added the diced onion, pepper, and mushroom. I also added some green beans.
When this was softened, I added 200g of paella rice. To this I added some paella seasoning, paella seasoning, Carmencita Paellero Paella Spice Mix.
This is according to the description the number one selling spice mix in Spain.
I ensured that the rice was coated added some chicken stock and water. Stirred once and left it to cook.
Before serving I added some cooked sliced chorizo and chunks of lemon.
I served this with some freshly cooked fish and salad.
I made and cooked a paella, or a Spanish inspired rice dish.
I diced an onion and a some red pepper, some yellow pepper, and some chestnut mushrooms.
In a hot large frying pan, I put some olive oil and I cooked off some smoked pancetta. I then added the diced onion, pepper, and mushroom. When this was softened, I added 200g of paella rice.
To this I added some paella seasoning, paella seasoning, Carmencita Paellero Paella Spice Mix.
This is according to the description the number one selling spice mix in Spain.
I ensured that the rice was coated added some chicken stock and water. Stirred once and left it to cook.
Before serving I added some cooked sliced chorizo.
I served this with some freshly cooked fish and salad.
I really like the Cirio Cannellini Beans that come in the Tetra Recart™ pack. As well as using them in cooking I also use them for salads.
This is a simple fresh tasting salad.
I add to the beans, some finely diced red onion, diced cucumber and then I dress the bean salad with salt, pepper, white wine vinegar, and olive oil.
If I have some, then I will add some finely chopped coriander as well.
Some variations I have made, include replacing the white wine vinegar with fresh lemon juice.
Another variation is to add some cheese, I have used crumbled feta cheese. A different cheese I have used is fried halloumi. In both these cases I reduce or eliminate the salt from the salads as both of these cheeses are quite salty.
This is my go to quick dinner recipe. Well, I say quick, it does take some time.
When writing this I did wonder if I had written up the recipe before. Well, I hadn’t written my recent bolognaise cooking, but had published a recipe back in March 2008. Looking at this post I realised I had posted a bolognese (note the different spelling) recipe in November 2022.
Those two recipes are very similar, but I have changed how I cook bolognaise, so here is my recent version of the bolognaise.
This serves four people.
I usually use a large pan with a lid, for cooking this dish. I heat the pan add the splash of olive oil and then brown off the mince until it is all done. If you have excess fat in the pan then drain the cooked mince and discard the excess oil and fat, then add the mince back to the pan.
Add the onion, carrot, and pepper. You can add extra vegetables at this point, or extra pepper. I have sometimes added courgettes or sweet potato. If you really like it, you could add celery I guess, I wouldn’t.
After a few minutes add the mushrooms.
Once the onion is soft and cooked, add the tin of tomatoes, the herbs, the tomato purée and the balsamic vinegar.
Cook for at least 30 minutes on a low heat. The plan is for all the flavours to infuse and for the beef mince to be cooked and tender.
Serve with spaghetti or a pasta of your choice. Add freshly grated Parmesan to taste, garnish with freshly topped parsley.
I did a variation adding a topping of pan fried pancetta and mushrooms to my dish. Just to be different!
For Sunday lunch I cooked some red cabbage. I didn’t have all the ingredients in the house for my festive red cabbage recipe, so I did a variation of it.
Ingredients
knob of butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely sliced or chopped
1 x 500g (or half a) red cabbage, shredded finely using a food processor (white core discarded) or with a knife.
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
splash of red wine
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 tsp cranberry sauce
Method
Heat the butter and oil in a lidded saucepan. When hot, add the onion and fry gently until softened. Stir in the cinnamon and season. Add the cabbage and fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glossy. Stir in the sugar, apples and Balsamic vinegar, cranberry sauce, add a splash of red wine. Cover with a lid and let it cook gently for 30 minutes.
If you aren’t using the cranberry sauce, taste the cabbage and add a little more sugar if it’s too tart for your taste.
I make this dish quite often, sometimes as a main meal, usually as an accompaniment.
In large frying pan, cook off some diced pancetta with a splash of oil.
When the bacon has been rendered and is browned add some diced red onion, diced peppers, and diced mushrooms. Cook on a low heat until the peppers and onions have softened. The mushrooms are there for flavour.
To the softened onions and peppers, add a spoonful of plain flour. Stir in.
I then add a Knorr chicken stock pot, some garlic puree, and dried herbs.
To this mix I add some water. I then let this cook for about thirty minutes. The key is to thicken the sauce.
I really like the Cirio Borlotti Beans that come in the Tetra Recart™ pack. These are ready to use and once added to the pan, they just need heating through.
If I am doing a main course, I may add a second pack of pulses, sometimes lentils, or cannellini beans.
Other variations are to remove the bacon and use a vegetable stock to make this a vegetarian (or vegan) dish. Sometimes instead of chicken stock, I use a deep rich beef stock, I also use some tomato puree when using beef stock.
You could add some protein, roasted or pan fried duck, slow roasted pork belly or grilled chicken, all work well with the beans. Other times I have added some sausages, I quite like the Polish hunters’ sausage you can get at most supermarkets.