Spicy, creamy pasta dish!

Yes, I went a little bit naughty last night ... in fact, I had a bit of a "naughty" day all told, food-wise, but let's not go into that!

First, I fried some sliced chorizo in a hot pan (no added oil), then added some diced bacon; when these were pretty much cooked, I added four large chopped mushrooms, some black pepper and a few squirts of light olive oil (the natural, Filippo Berio one, not Fry Light) and continued to cook and stir occasionally.  Meanwhile, I put some water on to boil, in which to cook some Tripolini pasta (love the shape and texture - it feels a bit like vegetarian squid in your mouth!!).

When the mushrooms and meat were all cooked, I sprinkled in some dried tarragon and poured on some cream (double and extra thick - just what was left in the fridge), which I allowed to simmer and thicken with the other ingredients.  (I also added a bit of leftover sweetcorn from the fridge, which needed using up.)  We piled a huge salad onto half our plates, then the drained (undressed) pasta and finally the creamy sauce.  It had a bit of a kick from the chorizo, but was also creamy and delicious with the bacon and mushrooms.

V  For me, the best vegetarian alternative to this would be to just leave out the bacon and chorizo, then add a few chopped nuts of your choice for protein ... and maybe an onion for a softer finish.  The mushrooms, sweetcorn and cream already make a tasty dish, but you could add some paprika or chilli for a bit of heat, if you like.  Another idea would be to cook a vegeburger and add chopped bits of that to the creamy mushroom sauce.

Roast pork ... in the garden!

It was a lovely day yesterday (raining today, though) so we decided to eat our Sunday roast in the garden.  It was very pleasant, surrounded by the twittering birds, scented flowers and gently swaying trees ... and the fish jumping around in the pond!

Got a really good crackling on the pork, which was tender and succulent, served it with apple & herb stuffing, homemade apple sauce (I make it with a little artificial sweetener, rather than sugar, so diabetic hubby can also enjoy it) and plenty of veg - carrots, kale, cauliflower cheese, roast parsnips and roast potatoes.  Again, I didn't manage all the meat and only ate one-and-a-half potatoes, but chomped all my vegetables!

V  It's another Sunday roast, veggies, so (as usual) just replace the meat and gravy with a nutroast and meat-free gravy ... and enjoy in the garden!

Braised steak, Scallops & pea puree, Stuffed chicken breast!

Blogger has been "unavailable" to me for several days (still don't know what went wrong, but I seem to have got back here finally!) ... so I'm uploading three evenings' worth of meals in one day, here!

One Wednesday we had braised steak and mushrooms in red wine, served with a jacket potato and loads of veg.  I couldn't quite eat all of the meat - even though it was delicious and very tender - and I hardly touched my potato, but I ate all my veg (good girl!) and thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Thursday night's meal was nothing special, so on to Friday's ... which was!

We actually had a three-course meal, which is almost unheard of in our house ... but they were small meals, more like tapas, really.  We started with a sort of antipasti, consisting of homemade artichoke dip, spread on bruschetta (toasted homemade ciabatta), with Peppadews (stuffed with Philadelphia cream cheese - yum!), mixed olives & feta, and some gorgeous anchovy fillets from the deli counter at Tesco.

Next, we had seared scallops on a bed of pea puree (look out, Masterchef!), surrounded by red salad leaves with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  The puree was a little salty for our taste (but we are used to minimal salt, so it may be fine for others) and the scallops were not the best ever, but it was still quite a pleasant, light meal.  I would certainly try it again, with better scallops and less salt in the peas.  (Also, I made the puree a bit too runny and served too much on each plate, which is why it looks like a big, unappetising pile of green sludge ... but I am trying to eat as much fibre as possible at the moment!!)

And we finished off with a lovely fruit salad of fresh pineapple, strawberries, mango and an orange.  Very refreshing and delicious with a dollop of Rachel's Organic Greek-styly Coconut yogurt.

(The bowl was fuller than that, actually, but I forgot to take a photo until we were both already tucking in!!)

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

And finally ...

Last night we tucked into a gorgeous chicken breast, which Warren had stuffed with Brie and Italian seasoning, wrapped in streaky bacon (and then replaced the chicken skin, which became crispy and gorgeous!), pan-fried and finished off in the oven.  He served it with a jacket potato, carrots, kale and some light onion gravy.  It was really lovely, but I left most of the potato, choosing to only eat some of its skin.

There - hopefully caught up!

Cauliflower cheese ... with bacon!

Believe it or not, in the first of our two pubs this used to be one of the most popular dishes!  Served with crusty bread, it was a tasty, filling and comforting meal with a very small price tag.  I think the fact that it harked back to another era (along with childhood memories) was also significant, as many people seem to like eating traditional British food when sitting in a traditional British pub.

We didn't have any crusty bread last night, so we had a tiny portion of oven chips and a couple of battered onion rings ... just to soak up all that cheese sauce, you understand!  So ... I steamed the cauliflower and grilled the bacon while making the cheese sauce, then put it all in a shallow oven-proof dish and grated a bit more cheese on top, and gave it 5-10mins in a hot oven.  It was lush!

V  Well, it's obvious really, isn't it?  Cauliflower cheese (without the bacon!) used to be the only thing carnivores could offer vegetarian friends to eat ... oh, and the ubiquitous cheese omelette, of course!

My daily salad

This is pretty much what I eat for lunch every day ... yes, every day!  Ok, so I may occasionally fall foul of Warren's delicious homemade bread rolls ... and we do like our Devonshire "high tea" on a Sunday afternoon ... but usually, this is what constitutes my middle meal of the day.

This particular one is missing the usual sweetcorn and olives, but is otherwise exactly the same as every other lunchtime salad: shredded lettuce, chopped celery, diced and minted cucumber, sliced mixed peppers, grated carrot, halved/quartered tomatoes ... all dressed with a squiggle of balsamic glaze.

On top of all that, I have a spoonful of beetroot salad (from Tesco), some protein (usually a small amount of fish or meat, maybe a hard-boiled egg, occasionally cheese) and a dollop of coleslaw (Tesco Finest).  Yes, it is a BIG bowl of food for the middle of the day, but I don't have any bread with it and (with maybe an apple a bit later) it's all I eat between my (banana & yogurt) breakfast and my evening meal at about 7.00pm.

V  Just leave out the meat or fish, substitute a few nuts or beans for protein, and enjoy!

Pub-style shepherd's pie

Yes, proper shepherd's pie this time, as I minced the last meat from Sunday's lamb joint to make this ... and "pub-style" because it was made and served in individual pots!

First, I fried a chopped onion in a little oil, then drained off any excess oil before adding the minced lamb (I used the chopping blade in the food processor), seasonings (black pepper and Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce) and the last of Sunday's gravy.  (The meat and gravy had both been kept, covered, in a very cold fridge.)

Meanwhile, I had also boiled up some chunks of potato, which I then mashed with butter, black pepper and a little soured cream.  When the meat was fully heated through, I placed it in the bottom of two ovenproof bowls, topped it with the mash, grated a little cheese on top, then put it in a med-hot oven until the top was brown and crispy (about 15 mins).  I served it with some simple veg - sweetcorn and green beans - and a little extra gravy in a separate jug, just in case!

V  For a luscious vegetarian version, fry off some chopped onions and plenty of mushrooms (and/or any other veg you fancy - peppers, courgettes, etc) until tender.  Stir in a tin of baked beans and some flavourings (dried or fresh herbs, black pepper, Lea & Perrin's or soy sauce, paprika, etc, etc) then use in place of the meat - absolutely gorgeous!

"We have steak on a Tuesday"

Anyone recognising the above quote will probably also notice that I got it wrong; it's a line from the film, Shirley Valentine, but what actor Bernard Hill (who plays Shirley's husband) actually says, is, "We have steak on a Thursday ... we always have steak on a Thursday!"

Well, we don't always have steak on a Tuesday ... but we did last night and it was bloody lovely!  Griddled on the top of our lovely new cooker (see pics on my kitchen construction page), it was tender, juicy and delicious.  I put together a very tasty little side salad and re-heated some minted new potatoes from the previous night's dinner, while Warren cooked the steak, along with some luscious garlic mushrooms and griddled beer-battered onion rings.

V  *Laughs*  I'm only laughing because, unusually, the meat was the main event and somewhat irreplaceable in last night's supper and I'm quite tempted to say, "Oh look, just have the steak this one time and enjoy it!"  But I know you dear veggies can't and wouldn't do that, so if you fancy the look of this dish but want it meatless, just substitute your favourite vegetarian burger or bake.  It will still taste delicious!

"High tea" ... Devon style!

Welcome to sunny, beautiful Devon ... and a gorgeous Devonshire "high tea".  This is the sort of thing you read about in Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie ... but it's not fictional; a proper Devon tea is available to all, as long as you know how to put it together!

First, get yourself a two-tiered serving plate - we found this one in a Morrison's supermarket a couple of weeks ago, for around a fiver - they come in all manner of designs and colourways and you can even get three-tiered ones!  Great if you have a large family or a lot of guests coming.  Use the bottom tier for savoury food - we just had sandwiches (ham, cheese & pickle, egg & cress), but you could also have small filled rolls, slices of quiche, sausage rolls, crisps, etc - and decorate with a few bits of salad.

Now, for an authentic Devon tea, you really must include scones on the top tier - make your own or buy the best you can find.  Everyone has their own preferences for how to enjoy them (some people claim there are regional traditions, but I think it's a very individual thing) but this is how I like them: split in half, buttered very thinly, a bit of good quality strawberry jam and a generous dollop of West-country clotted cream - obviously I would always go for Devon cream, but the Cornish do a pretty nice one, too!  For a lovely, fresh-tasting extra treat (and visual pizazz) add a whole fresh strawberry to each half, complete with stalk.

It's also quite nice to add another type of cake (or several types) such as Battenburg, Swiss roll, Victoria sponge, etc, but I wouldn't do that unless we had guests, simply because Warren is diabetic and I haven't yet found a way to make diabetic cakes ... plus, he loves the scones and one type of sweet treat is enough!

V  Nothing you can't have here, veggies, apart from the ham in the sandwiches, so just swap it for peanut butter, vegetable pate (do they still make Tartex? ... yum!!), salad, sandwich spread, etc.

Oh, and the rose is from our garden ... Warren picked it for me and placed it in a pretty stem glass.  What a guy!

Smoked haddock & sweetcorn

This is something we learned from the previous managers in the first pub we had; it makes a very tasty filling for jacket potatoes (which is how we had it last night) but could also be the base for a delicious chowder ... in fact, that's probably what we'll do with the leftovers, as we made a huge amount!  (Warren had found a big bag of smoked haddock in Tesco for around £1.70 and a bag of frozen sweetcorn for £1.00 - of which we used half - so it made for at least two very cost-effective but wholesome meals!!)

First, we put the fish into a large, deep Pyrex dish, covered it with milk and put some foil tightly over the top of the dish.  That went into the oven (the potatoes were already in there) to poach for about half an hour (there was a LOT of fish!) and the sweetcorn was simply boiled in lightly salted water for 5 minutes.  When the haddock was cooked, the skin and (very few) bones were removed and the flesh flaked, retaining some large chunks for texture.

In a large pan, Warren fried some chopped red onion in some oil, then added a fish stock cube and a little Vermouth, which he simmered for a while ... he actually got into trouble for this bit, as the red onions spoiled the look of it (in my opinion), although they did taste nice.  His defence was that he can't cook anything without an onion and we didn't have any white onions!!  It's not actually necessary to use onions in this dish ... or Vermouth!!

Anyway ...

Once they were cooked, he added some butter and made a roux with some plain flour, then stirred in the cooking liquid from the fish, a bit extra milk and some black pepper, then brought it all to the boil, stirring continuously.  When the sauce was the consistency we like (fairly thick!) he put the haddock and sweetcorn in to re-heat through, then added a little grated cheddar and cream ... the last two ingredients are optional, but do make it a little more luxurious-tasting!

We piled plenty onto our jacket potatoes and topped it with some chopped parsley (in the pub, we used to shove it under the grill for a couple of minutes, to give a nice brown-speckled finish, but couldn't be bothered last night ... I was too hungry!).  We served it with a steamed veg mix, but green salad is also a nice accompaniment.  It's very filling, by the way!

Chilli with butternut squash

Well, this made a nice change - served chilli in half a (small) baked butternut squash, which was much lighter than a jacket potato and didn't need any butter!!  I used my own tried and tested chilli recipe, but you can get the full recipe from the BBC Good Food website.

I didn't bother with salad, as we had both had a large salad for lunch (and it was a big enough meal without any extra accompaniment!), but we did indulge in a bit of grated cheddar and a dollop of soured cream ... yum!

V  Vegetarians, just substitute your favourite meat-free chilli for the regular version.

Lamp chops

"Lamp chops?" I hear you ask ... yes, it was an intentional spelling mistake, unlike the menu at the Greek taverna where we first saw this error.  Funny how silly little things like that can stay with you ... we always call lamb chops "lamp chops" now!

Warren cooked up this little feast last night, starting with potato wedges, which were seasoned with salt, black pepper, chopped garlic and "bruised" rosemary, then roasted in olive oil, along with some chunky slices of red onion.  He turned the potatoes after about 15 minutes, then laid the seasoned chops on top of them and put it all back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes, turning the chops once.

He served these with simply boiled carrots and chopped savoy cabbage, which was butter-steamed with chopped pancetta and pine nuts.  We added a little gravy (Bisto granules) and tucked in ... it was scrummy!

A sausagey thing!

No name for this dish, I'm afraid ... it was just something I threw together using sausages!

We had some veg left over in the fridge from before our weekend away, which needed using up, so I defrosted some sausages and cooked up this tasty little number!  I sauteed a couple of leeks (sliced in rings) in some oil, then added a chopped courgette and some quartered chestnut mushrooms; I also pressed a huge clove of smoked garlic into the pan at this stage (we had bought a bulb of it at Darts Farm, near Topsham, on our way home on Monday) and the last few slices of a chorizo.  When this was all cooked nicely (about 15 minutes or so, and I stirred it around from time to time) I added a tin of chopped tomatoes, some black pepper and a few shakes of Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce.

Meanwhile, I had cooked the sausages in the oven until brown; these were added to the pan of sauce for the last few minutes, just to blend everything together, then I served it with a jacket potato.  Simple, quick, cheap, wholesome and delicious ... what more could you ask for?

Thai prawn stir-fry

Well ... the photo might be a bit rubbish, but the meal was delicious!  Stir-fried veg, noodles, green Thai sauce and big, juicy king prawns - gorgeous!  A little bit zingy with the Thai sauce, but really lovely.

This was tonight's meal, by the way, as we're off on our little weekend away tomorrow ... hope we have some nice food while we're there.  I'll post some photos and notes when we're back next week.

Baked sea bass

Surprisingly - as a fish lover - I've never tried sea bass before, but they were on offer in Morrison's yesterday (2 for £5) so we bought a couple and Warren baked them in foil, stuffed with herbs and topped with lemon.  Once you got past the bones (similar to mackerel, but not as many little ones) the flesh was light and delicate, almost "creamy" in flavour and texture.  We had it with buttered new potatoes and a simple stir-fried vegetable mix of courgettes (zucchini), onion, tomatoes and mushrooms.

I really enjoyed this light, fresh-tasting meal, but was slightly disappointed in the flavour of the fish; I had been told in the past that sea bass was a full-flavoured, meaty type of fish and was expecting more "depth" to it.  I suspect the reason was the size of the fish; they were very small and therefore probably very young. On the whole, I probably would have preferred mackerel, to be honest.  I will definitely try sea bass again, but will go for one larger fish that can be shared between two or more people.

I love pasta!!

I should have been born Italian!  It's true ... pasta, ice cream, music, art, literature, amore ... I love them all!  Not to mention the stunning landscapes, architecture and language ... ideally, I would like to have been born into a wine-producing dynasty, so that I'd have grown up alongside numerous tanned and dusty siblings and cousins, surrounded by sun-ripened vineyards and red clay-roofed villas in golden stone with huge family meals at tables on the piazzas under the bougainvillea .....

Okay, okay, dream over!  In fact what happened was, I grew up in a bed & breakfast establishment in Devon, surrounded by tall, Victorian red-brick semis, with a small garden ... and I played alone out in the street!  However ... I did eat well and my dear, late mother's cooking was good enough (comparatively, for the 1950s/60s) to give me an interest in food.  She wasn't a great lover of "foreign food", though, so it wasn't until I became an adult that I discovered international cuisine and my love for all things pasta!

Last nights topping was pan-fried smoked bacon and mushrooms, with a carbonara sauce (I used a ready-made one on this occasion, but it's SO easy to make your own with a flour roux, some milk and seasoning); I served it with a fairly simple salad, which I dressed only with a little mint sauce drizzled over the cucumber and a squiggle of balsamic glaze.  We also re-heated a ready-prepared garlic baguette from the freezer, mostly because I'm trying to clear the freezer of some stuff that's been hanging around long enough!

V  If you're using a shop-bought carbonara sauce, check the ingredients as many will include some form of ham or bacon.  Alternatively, make your own using just mushrooms, a thickened sauce and perhaps a little cream?  Quite delicious, but there are many different vegetarian toppings for pasta, from thick chunky Mediterranean veg sauces to simple pesto ... add some grated cheese (cheddar or parmesan) for protein and you have a fab and filling meal.