Harvest

So this is a significant proportion of our harvest this year.  Fluffrick wanted to have a go at growing some potatoes and as we don't have a lot of garden we grew these is a large plastic tub.  Now it's not a huge quantity of potatoes, maybe three meals, but the do taste fantastic, better than any I've bought.

The Blueberry crop has been pitiful, One blueberry bush died in the cold winter weather, so we bought a replacement, but it hasn't cropped at all.  But there were just enough blueberries to have Blueberry Pancakes for Sunday breakfast, which was nice.

The Tomatoes are doing well, better than I've ever had before, but they don't seem to want to ripen.  They also taste good, although the skin is a little thicker than bought tomatoes and I wonder it that is because they are slower growing.

I have a little chilli plant again this year, which is cropping quite well, certainly well enough for my Mum who is not a huge fan of very spicy food, and these chillies are hot.

Fortunately were do not have to survive on this harvest, but each year we are growing a little more.  I might see if Fluffrick want to give Brussel Sprouts a go for our mid winter meals. 

What we're eating this week

I hate writing a blog post without any pictures, but as I haven't cooked any of these things yet I can't take a picture of them.

Wait a minute I've had an idea...

Home grown Blueberries

My somewhat small Blueberry crop, that I have plans for this weekend.

So here is our menu for the coming week:

FRIDAY:
Courgette Polpette with Tomato Sauce and Spaghetti

SATURDAY:
Veggie Burgers with Chips, Coleslaw and Tomato Salad

SUNDAY:
Salmon with Green Beans, Carrot and Potatoes

MONDAY:
Cauliflower Pilau with Sweet Potato Curry - thank you Jamie Oliver, or maybe I should reserve the thanks until after I've made it.

TUESDAY:
Moussaka - made with Turkey mince

WEDNESDAY:
Kale and Mushroom Lasagne

THURSDAY:
Creole Prawn - I have been making with for about 20 years and I can not remember where I got the recipe, but this will be the first time I have made it with raw prawns.

I'm also going to make some Cauliflower Soup to have for my lunch and some Beetroot and Chocolate Brownies.  The meagre crop of Blueberries will end up in Blueberry Pancakes on Sunday Morning. 

Thursday is Veg Box Day

I've now been getting a organic veg box delivered for about 5 years from Wild Star Food and I think they do a really great job. It may not be a most economical way I could be buying my veg these days, but I'm happy because I'm supporting a local company and what I have delivered changes every week.

Here's what I got this week, Green Beans, Green Pepper, Aubergine, Celery, Romanesque Cauliflower, Curly Kale and Beetroot.  

Last week I got, Carrots, Romanesque Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, Yellow Courgettes, Pointed Cabbage, Beetroot and a mass of Potatoes (so much so that we decided not to harvest Fluffrick's Potatoes last weekend).

So there were a couple of things the same, but most things were different and variety is one of the most important things to me.  Before I got the veg box, I would buy broccoli and carrots pretty much every week, boring, boring, boring. Don't get me wrong i really do like broccoli and carrots, but every week was horrendously unadventurous, I like to think I'm a bit more adventurous now.

So now I've got my veg, I've got to sort out what I'm going to cook from it...I'll be back later with what I'm going to inflict on my family this coming week.

Super Soup September - Kohlrabi Soup

So normal service is resumed - in other word intermittent and spotty.  There are times when I just don't have anything to say (my Mum would not agree this that statement), so I just won't say anything.  But for the moment I'm back and would like to share a new recipe.

Kohlrabi Soup

This is adapted from Janella Purcell's Wholefood Kitchen.

Ingredients - Serves 4

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Onion

1 Kohlrabi

500ml Vegetable Stock

1 Bay Leaf

500ml Milk (the original recipe used soy or almond milk)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pan, dice the onion and to the oil and gently cook for a couple of minutes, but do not brown.

Peel and dice the kohlrabi, then add to the onion.

Add the stock and the bay leaf and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the Kohlrabi is tender. Remove the bay leaf, season and add the milk.  Simmer gently for a couple of minutes, then blend until smooth(ish).

I sprinkled my with a little smoked paprika, to add colour more than flavour and served it with Lidl's best Ryvita knock-offs.

Kohlrabi is a strange vegetable, but we get it on a semi regular basis in our weekly veg box, so it was nice to find a recipe for it.  Kohlrabi can be a wee bit fibrous, so push the blended soup through a sieve, may be required.  It have a very mild flavour and so did the resulting soup, I think this recipe would also work it cauliflower or broccoli were substituted for the kohlrabi (which may not be readily available.  

How I've saved a third on our weekly food bill

Right off I should say I hate going to the supermarket.  I am not one of those people who is happy to trawl around several supermarkets just to find the best bargain.  I love watching Extreme Couponing (not that you can get such deals in the UK) but the notion of spending eight hours or more in a supermarket makes my blood run cold.  So just how do you go about cutting your food bill (without cutting quality).


1  Make a Menu  
The lovely Fluffrick and I have spent many a Friday night (we know how to live it up) wandering aimlessly around Sainsburys putting stuff in our trolley, getting to the checkout and having very little to make a meal from.  
If you know what you are going to eat, you can plan what you are going to buy.


2  Write a List
This may seem obvious, but it is something I have only started to do within the last year or so.  It means you will get all the ingredients for all the meals you have planned and if you happen to put Chocolate on the list then you will just have to buy it.  Having a list does not mean you will never make an impulse purchase, but it will mean you will buy what you need.


3  Cut Down on the Meat
I know not everyone will approve of this notion, but meat is expensive especially if you want to buy higher welfare meat (as I do).  Meat Free Mondays is a fantastic idea (although personally I don't find Mondays a good day as it is the only day we are likely to have leftover chicken).  Just one day a week will save you money, but we now have 3 or 4 days a week meat free (sorry Mum) and it has definitely had an impact on what we spend.  I have found that the more spice you have the less you miss the meat, try a mushroom curry and lovely dahl and gobi aloo with naan bread and see if you miss the meat.


4  Don't Waste Food
 If you have made a menu and written a list, you shouldn't end up with a fridge full of things going out of date or spoiling.   I like to buy apples and bananas, but invariably don't always get them eaten before they start to go a little sad, but don't bin them, make an Apple Cake or Banana Bread.  Love Food Hate Waste is a great resource for ideas to use up leftovers and to guide you about not making too much to begin with.


5  Make Your Own Lunch
Today (well everyday this week actually) the lovely Fluffrick will be having Spiced Couscous with Vegetables, last week he had Brie, Cranberry sauce, salad and a homemade bread roll, next week it might be spicey bean tortilla wraps.  It costs a whole lot less to make you own lunch than to buy a sandwich everyday.


There is nothing earth shattering here, but there is no doubt it is saving us money.  We could undoubtedly save even more money if I was willing to cut down on quality.  I don't really "do" brands, that doesn't say quality to me, shop own brands are fine with me. To me quality is buying high welfare meat, sustainable fish and organic or locally produced fruit and veg.  


It does pain me to say that the way to save money is to plan, a menu, a list and the eat what you buy.  The added bonus of using a shopping list is that I can get round the supermarket a whole lot quicker and that is always a plus to me.

Breakfast Banana Bread

I don't know why but I've just gone off breakfast cereal, I'm not keen on toast everyday and a cooked breakfast is definitely only for weekends in this house.  So what to eat for breakfast? Why Breakfast Banana Bread of course.

Ingredients:

125g Caster Sugar
80ml Vegetable Oil
2 Large Eggs
100g Self Raising Flour
100g Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
100g Milk Chocolate, chopped
75g Walnuts, chopped
3-4 Ripe Bananas
1 tsp Demerara Sugar

Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 4.

 In a bowl combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, walnuts and chocolate.

 Mash the bananas, I do this on a plastic chopping board rather than in a bowl, I just find it easier. In a jug combine the oil, eggs and mashed banana.  The add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well until; it is a smooth batter.

Grease a loaf tin and pour the batter into it. Sprinkle the demerara sugar on top.  Bake for 45 minutes, allow to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before turning out.

Getting to the root of the problem

I always start to plan my weekly menu on a Thursday after I have received by weekly veg box delivery from Wild Star Food.  We alternate between the Food Miles box and the Mini Gourmet, but at this time of year you will always get root vegetables, so what to do with them.  This weeks menu has very much been lead by an over abundance of roots, especially considering I hadn't used up all the veg we had received the previous week. So this is what I had to work with, Potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips, Swede, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Golden Beetroot, Sweet Potato, Onions, Green Pepper and Cabbage; and this is what we are going to eat.

• THURSDAY - Spouffle, this is one of my go to recipes at the moment, but as I didn't have any spinach or courgettes I substituted leeks and it turned out quite well. 
• FRIDAY - Smoked Salmon, Potato Salad, Beetroot Salad, Rye Bread and Dill & Creme Fraiche Sauce. I'm currently torturing Fluffrick every day by watching Jamie's 30 Minute Meals and I saw him do an iteration of this a couple of week ago.  It did take far longer than 30 minutes as I baked my own bread and cooked my own beetroot.
• SATURDAY - Tomato Cheesy Pasta Bake,  this I usually make with the addition of Broccoli the like, but instead I had to use Kohlrabi and Carrot and it turned out okay, well everyone ate it.
• SUNDAY - Country Chicken Casserole, I already blogged about this in Warming Food for Cold Days.  It's really good for using lots of root vegetables.
• MONDAY - Mushroom Dopiaza, Bombay Potatoes and Rice, I think I'll try and sneak some Cabbage into the Bombay Potatoes, just a little and hope Fluffrick doesn't notice.
• TUESDAY - Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Parsnip and Rosemary Rolls, this should use Parsnips, Leeks, Carrots, Onion and Swede.
• WEDNESDAY - Vegetable Stir Fry with Potsticker Dumpings and Noodles, this should utilise, Onion, Carrots, Kohlrabi, Cabbage, Green Pepper and Mushrooms.
• THURSDAY - Twice Baked Potato, if it's a cold day, this will be like a lovely edible blanket, yum.

I'm giving Mum an animal based protein some kind, every other day, hopefully that will go down okay and hopefully I won't get too many root vegetables in this week's box.

I don't know if I'm being unreasonable

It's been a very long time since I have eaten red meat.  I announced to my Mum when I was thirteen that I was becoming a vegetarian and she told me that I wasn't.  She was worried that as a teen age girl a vegetarian diet would not provide me with enough iron or protein, it was the 1980's, she probably wasn't wrong.  We came to the compromise that I wasn't going to eat red meat, but I would still eat chicken and fish.

This has been the status quo for almost 30 years.  However, I find that I am increasingly adding vegetarian meals to the weekly menu and cutting down on the meat and this is not always going down well with my Mum.  I made the cover recipe from "Vegetarian Living" for Sunday lunch this week, a Borlotti  Bean and Chestnut Stew and Mum's initial reaction was to ask why we weren't having Chicken or Salmon.

The are several reasons that I am switching to more vegetarian meals, it's cheaper, it's healthier, it's also more exciting for me to cook, I love trying new things.  Is it unreasonable for me to expect my Mum to eat this food?  I don't mean to give the impression that Mum is a whinger, most of the time she happily eats the food I put in front of her.  I am just being too sensitive about any negative comments?  Maybe I just need to chill a bit and cut back on the Celeriac.

Beetroot and Carrot Soup

I made Borscht last autumn for Fluffrick's lunch, but for the life of me I can't find the recipe again, so this is not an authentic Borscht but a slightly spicy very earthy Beetroot soup

 Ingredients - for 4 servings
1 Large Onion
250g Carrot
400g Beetroot
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 Teaspoon Mild Chilli Powder
1 Litre Vegetable Stock
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

 Finely chop the onion and sweat in a little olive oil for a couple of minutes.  Add the Cumin and Chilli Powder and fry for another couple of minutes.  Peel and finely grate the carrot and beetroot. I definitely use the food processor for this, if you only have a box grater it would be a good idea to use rubber gloves to avoid very pink hands.

Add the grated carrot and beetroot to the onion and mix everything together.  Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer, put a lid on the pan and very gently simmer for one hour. Blend the soup with a stick blender and serve.

Sprout Soup Anyone?

This is not a recipe of my own invention, it is courtesy of Mary Berry's Family Recipes circa 1979 and she called it Frugal Soup, did she not think Brussel Sprout Soup would be appealing?

Ingredients -  serves 4

225g Brussel Sprouts

1 Leek

25g Butter

500ml Stock (from a cube, I use Kallo) Chicken or Vegetable

25g Plain flour

300ml Milk

Salt/Pepper

Nutmeg

Wash and roughly chop the sprouts, you don't need to trim them other than to remove the bottom stalky bit.  Wash the leek and cut into rounds.

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the leeks and soften gently for 5 minutes, don't allow to brown.  Add the hot stock and then the sprouts and bring to the boil.  Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the sprouts are tender.

Blend or liquidize the cooked sprout mixture, I use a hand blender, but they weren't around back when this recipe was initially written.  Whisk the flour into a little of the milk and add to the blended sprouts, followed by the rest of the milk and mix thoroughly.  Bring the soup back to the boil, stirring until slightly thickened, season with salt and pepper.  Serve with a little grated nutmeg.

You could make it even more festive by adding some cooked chestnuts after the soup has been blended, I keep meaning to try it like this, but have yet to get sound to it.

If you wait until next week to make this soup, you should be able to buy a bag of sprouts that the supermarkets are trying to off-load for mere pence, just don't try to give this to anyone who doesn't like sprouts.

Festive Burgers

I wasn't going to write up this recipe as it is only 3 ingredients and beyond simple, but then I realised just how festive it is.  Green pepper, red onion and turkey mince, you can't really get more in the season.

Ingredients - for 8 burgers

1 450g Pack of Free Range Turkey Mince

Half a Green Pepper

1 Red Onion

 Chop the green pepper and red onion finely, it has to be fine as it is cooks with the burger, then add to the turkey mince.  By far the best way to combine the ingredients is just to get you (clean) hands in there, squidge everything together so that the pepper and onion is evenly distributed.

Divide into 8 equal (hopefully more equal than mine) portions and form into burgers.  Then chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Fry in a little olive oil for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.  Ensure that the burgers are cooked all the way through, before serving.  If you are an over achiever like me, serve them with home-made spiced oven chips and home-made baked beans, but you can serve them with whatever you like.

Yummy Aubergine Bake

For quite a while I never knew what to do when an Aubergine arrived in the veg box.  Of late I have been making Moussaka, with either a turkey or vegetable filling (no cute little baa lambs eaten in this house), but the frequency with which the Aubergine shows up has sent me looking for other recipes.  One of these days I will post a recipe that does not include tinned tomatoes, but that day is not today.

Serves 4 -  Ingredients:
1 Large Aubergine
2 Eggs
50ml Milk
50g Plain Flour
150g Breadcrumbs
1 Medium Onion
2 Cloves of Garlic
2 Tins of Tomatoes
Olive Oil
125g Mozzarella
250g Ricotta
50g Parmigiana

Peel the Aubergine and cut into slices just over 1/2 cm thick. In a shallow bowl mix the milk with 1 of the eggs, put the flour and breadcrumbs into 2 other shallow dishes. Flour the aubergine slices, dip into the egg & milk mixture and finally into the breadcrumbs.  Put in the fridge for half an hour to dry a little before frying.

 Fry the breaded Aubergine in olive oil (it may take quite a bit of oil)until golden, then drain on some absorbent paper.

Now for the tomato sauce.  Finely slice the onion and garlic, gently fry in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes then add the tomatoes and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes on a medium heat.

For the cheesy layer. In a bowl combine the half the grated mozzarella, the tub of ricotta, the parmigiana and the other egg.

In a large oven proof dish, put a third of the tomato sauce on the bottom and over with half the Aubergine slices.  Top with a further third of the tomato sauce and then all the cheesy mixture.

Top with the other half of the Aubergine slices and then cover with the remainder of the tomato sauce and the remaining grated mozzarella.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5 and bake for 30-40 minutes until it is bubbling and the cheese is melted.

Warming Food for Cold Days

The weather has been cold, wet and horrible; which just puts me in the mood for warming and hearty food. So let me introduce you to Chicken Casserole and Dumplings. It's also pretty damn easy to make.

Ingredients for 4 Hungry People:

For Casserole

1 Large Leek

2 Parsnips

2 Carrots

Half a Celeriac

5 Mushrooms

1 400g Tin of Tomatoes

8 Chicken Thighs or Drumsticks

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Plain Flour

Salt/Pepper

For Dumplings

200g Self Raising Flour

70g Vegetable Suet

1 Tsp Mixed Herbs

Salt/Pepper

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/190 ^oC/375 ^oF. Wash and slice the leek, both white and green parts, the long cooking makes it all tender.

Peel and chop the root vegetables into 1-1.5 cm dice. You don't have to use these vegetables, it's just what I had to hand. Also great would be, swede, turnip, jerusalem artichoke, sweet potato, I wouldn't use potato as they tend to turn to mush.

Quarter the mushrooms and remove the skin from the chicken portions.

Heat a large casserole (with a lid) on the hob and add the olive oil, gently fry the vegetables for 5 minutes with a little salt and pepper. Add the plain flour and stir it in well. Add the tinned tomatoes and then 1 tin full of hot water. Finally add the chicken portions and try to submerge them in the liquid. Heat on the hob until it is bubbling, then put on the lid and put in the oven for an initial 1 and a half hours. Now go and snuggle up on the sofa and keep warm, or as we did today go to a cold and wet Sharrowvale Market.

Now for the dumplings. Put the self raising flour, suet, herbs and seasoning in a bowl and mix together. Add enough cold water to make a soft slightly sticky dough. Spoon golf ball sized portions on top of the casserole, then return to the oven for a further 20 minutes, this time with the lid off.

Serve up to hungry people, all that will be left is the bones.

What to eat this week

Started the weekend by making Quark Pastry (from my Nordic Bakery cookbook) and making Jam Pinwheel Pastries. Very yummy.

SATURDAY:

Spouffle - quick easy and very delicious

SUNDAY:

Mushroom & Stilton Pie with Potato & Celeriac Mash and Broccoli

MONDAY:

Moussaka

TUESDAY:

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Chilli & Pine Nuts

WEDNESDAY:

Spaghetti & Meatballs

THURSDAY:

Smoked Salmon Tartiflette

FRIDAY:

Chicken & Mushroom Pie and Veg (lets see what comes in the box)

For Fluffrick's lunch this week I made "Mexican Tomato & Bean Soup" from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's new book.

What to eat this week

So we are already half way through the week, but I want to keep a record of what we are eating.

SATURDAY:

Cauliflower Cheese

SUNDAY:

Country Chicken Casserole with Dumplings

MONDAY:

Vegetable Fajitas

TUESDAY:

Trout, Potatoes, Broccoli and Dill cream sauce

WEDNESDAY:

Stuffed Butternut Squash with Blue Cheese and Walnut

THURSDAY:

Turkey Lasagne and vegetable

FRIDAY:

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto - we should have had this last Friday, but I've had a cold, so we had Chinese Take Out instead

For Fluffrick's Lunch this week I made him Five Root Soup a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Special, I was going to make some bread from my new Nordic Bakery book, but I haven't felt up to it, I hate having a cold.

A Day Out in Bradford - or the dangers of letting me loose in a fabric shop

Last Wednesday (yes, I know a whole week ago) Fluffrick and I had a day out in Bradford. It may not leap to the front of everyone's mind as a day trip destination, but it was a grand day out, which my love wrote a post about over on his blog.

As well as the cultural stuff at Salts Mill and The National Media Museum, I was indulged by going to the lovely fabric shop "The Shuttle". Despite the fact that I really do not need any more fabric, I came away with the following lovely things.

From Top to Bottom:

Sage Green Irish Linen - £1 a meter - 3 meters

Mint Green Baby Cord - £2 a meter - 2 meters

Brown with a blue Stripe Linen Mix - £2 a meter - 3 meters

Golden Irish Linen - £1 a meter - 3 meters

Lilac Baby Cord - £1 a meter - 1.1 meters

Navy Jumbo Cord - £3 a meter - 2.5 meters

They have wonderful shelves in the back with discounted fabric, I could not resist. I already know what I want to do with half the fabric, the Green Baby Cord is going to be another "Boden" inspired dress for me. The brown stripe and Navy Jumbo Cord and both going to be trousers for Fluffrick. When I pull my finger out and actually make theses things I will post pictures here, Fluffrick will be so happy to model again.

In addition to the David Hockney gallery at Salts Mill, there is a great Cafe on the top floor and a wonderful bookshop on the second floor. I do love a good bookshop. I know it is far cheaper to buy books on-line, but there is nothing quite like browsing round a well laid out bookshop and I came away with this little treasure.

There are lots of lovely breads, biscuits and sweet things to try, it should be fun.

What to eat this week

SUNDAY:

Moussaka

MONDAY:

Pumpkin & Prawn Curry with Naan Bread

TUESDAY:

Roasted Squash Falafel, Cous Cous and Halloumi

WEDNESDAY:

Twice Baked Potatoes

THURSDAY:

Pizza

FRIDAY:

Chicken & Mushroom Risotto

As I am a cooking from scratch sort of girl, this week's menu is dependent on me not be totally shattered. Fluffrick is on holiday this week and we have plans to tile the hall floor. It's about time too, as the tiles have been hanging around for ten months patiently waiting to be put into service. I just can say I'm looking forward to trying to tile a floor that is in constant use. We may just end up having Scrambled Eggs or Cheese on Toast all week.

Pretty in Pink

When my lovely Mum in Law was down to visit the other week, we went for Lunch at Endcliffe Park Cafe and I had the Borscht. So when I asked Fluffrick what he would like for lunch this week, he suggested Borscht.

So here is his very pink lunch. I got some lovely beetroot at Whirlow Hall Farm, with which to make the Borscht. The beetroot I bought had beautiful tops, which I chopped up to put in these savoury muffins.

What to eat this week

The menu planning seems to be going okay so far, what I planned I actually ended up making last week. So here we go again...

SATURDAY:

A trip to Green Steps Fish & Chips - should this be on the list as technically I'm not cooking?

SUNDAY:

Roast Chicken, Stuffing & Veg followed by Key Lime Pie

MONDAY:

Mushroom Omelette for Mum, Fluffrick & I are off out

TUESDAY:

Arroz con Pollo - Chicken with Rice

WEDNESDAY:

Tuna & Pasta Bake

THURSDAY:

Tartiflette 3 ways - Mum likes the classic with Onion and Bacon, Fluffrick likes his without the Onion, mine is without the Bacon but with Mushrooms instead.

FRIDAY:

De-constructed Toad in the Hole - My sausages in Toad in the Hole always seem to go rubbery, so I'm going to try cooking the batter and sausages separately, wish me luck.

Spouffle

So we had the Spouffle for tea last night and I've been given to go ahead to cook it again. I went with the courgette version and I think it turned out just like the picture (it's not very oftern that happens). This is a recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's new book River Cottage Veg Everyday. I bought this with the birthday money my sister sent me, which I thought was appropriate as she is also a Hugh fan.

That's yet another book to add to my Hugh collection, we may have to reinforce the cook book shelf. Once challenge I should set myself is cooking more than just one or two recipes for all my cook books. It is so easy just to keep going back to the same familiar recipes, rather than trying something different. It may be that neither me, Mum or Fluffrick like the new dish, but it could just as easily turn into a new favourite.