I don’ like liver, until I crave it, so when I read an excellent looking recipe for a Lebanese liver dish a few days ago I was suddenly craving it hard.
I’ve been craving scones and baked things. Sadly they’re not great for weightwatchers points. Today I stumbled upon cheese gridle scones on the excellent food blog tamarindandthyme.
BBQ masters will hate everything about this, but the result, tender, moist, hot but not crazy hot, is well work the pay off. These were baked in the oven then finished on a reasonably hot BBQ with a smoke box.
Lobster is one of life luxuries which is regularly abused. There’s just no need for cream, wine, fried onions etc, just let the gentle flavour shine right through.
As I started writing this up I realised I’d already written up sweet and sour pork which is pretty much identical. This one however is much lower in fat and thus far less WeightWatchers points (which I’m counting at the moment.
Hello! I am an interloper!
I usually cook weird things like ox heart and pigs tails (along with the more run-of-the-mill stuff) but my love of anything you can eat with chopsticks runs deep.
I follow and love several American food blogs, but one of the things that gets right under my skin is the trite banging together of cultures in one dish.
Kebabs have a bad name in the UK and looking at the pavement detritus on a Sunday morning, I’d agree. However a good kebab is a think of wonder, and one of the things which makes it great is a good bread rather than a poor pita.
Years ago I saw a South American dish on TV which involved a double chop (side to side, not 2 bones thick) with the strip of belly attached that was marinades in garlic and other things then deep fried.
I keep thinking I should eat more liver, but I’m really not sure i like them, but I do love pate, thus, using a very similar method to the delicious muthrooms on toast from a little while ago I had a very tasty dinner.
Perfect is a big claim, but these are pretty damned good. I’ve pinched a bunch of ideas from other people over time I’ve no idea who but probably my gran, Nigel Slater and Nigella.
It’s something of a tradition in my house to make sandwiches on Xmas night using the leftovers, but there is a rule: if it was on the table, it’s in the sandwich.
I love a good roast but it’s a tricky bit of timing sometimes. Roast potatoes take ages, rare meat doesn’t and making gravy can only happen after everything is ready to go, what a nightmare.
Back in October I finallly (a few weeks late) bottle up my [sloe-gin] and this evening, just in time for Christmas drinkies. Not much to say here, decant slowly to avoid sediment, sweeten if needed (I like mine dry so I didn’t) and bottle in something pretty.
A good way to use up Christmas trimmings or, in my case, christmas party leftovers and bargins to be had hen shopping.
You will need Chicken portions, I used drumsticks A handful of fresh cranberries 3 peppers A large glass of wine or beer One of these handy stock pots or some leftover gravy A couple of spoonfuls of cranberry sauce A chilli Little bit of garlic and lemon would not go amiss.
Snow started falling as I started cooking this, which is pretty fitting. It’s gently spiced, slightly sticky, sweeter than it should be and unctuous is exactly the right way.
Quick tea, very similar to the mushrooms on toast but with added seafood. Lemon peel for flavour, lemon juice to cut the grease.
You will need wholegrain pasta A handful of mushrooms A handful of cooked peeled prawns Zest of half a lemon Juice of a quarter of a lemon A big spoonful of soft cheese A few sprigs of thyme Black pepper Do Slice the mushrooms and dump the thyme and lemon zest in a pan with a dash of oil on a medium heat Put the pasta on to boil Keep the mushrooms moving until they are nicely softened and slightly browned Once the pasta is 2 minutes of being ready dump the prawns (defrosted) an cheese in with the mushrooms Drain the pasta, reserve a few spoonfuls of the water to slacken the mushroom mix if needed Mix lots, season, serve.
Braising steak is sometimes a difficult thing to use. You can use it in stir-frys etc but what it needs it a bit of slow cook to help break down the fibres.
Because I’m a lazy and inattentive cook I quite often leave pans on a bit high and food sticks to the bottom. Your nose will tell you before anything else but there’s something about the way the food separates and bubbles on the very surface that when you see it you just know, “thats stuck”.
This was a quick dish that I could stick on to cook whilst I did a million and one things one evening. It’s a bastardization of flavours and cuisines, but it’s tasty in your face.
Having a freezer clear out we were left with a 2kg chunk of mutton, prime for pot roasting and indeed just roasting. Muttons got a storing flavor than lamb and needs something with some punch.
A week or so ago my friends the two hungry boys posted a salad with two different fried meats. This sounds excellent. I doubled up on the greenary and added a lemony dressing and… fried chicken skin as coutons and roast potatoes for a gluten free tea with a friend.
This idea was everywhere a few years ago, especially on the American food blogs. I didn’t ever get round to having a go (as a packed lunch) but given how much noodly soups feature in our house, it was only a matter of time.
I love beef rib, but it does best when given a long and slow cook. At some point I’ll get round to doing some in the BBQ but until then, slow cooker it is.
I saw this on Smitten Kitchen a few years ago and was reminded about it this week (a retweet I think). The original recipe discards the skins of the cucumbers to create a much subtler colour and flavour.
After my last mushroom post by old mate Ali got in touch
This with added cream and brandy and tarragon in the place of parsley is my go to starter for dinners.
Mushrooms are one of my favorite foods but I get to eat them infrequently because they’re very much a marmite food and our house is 50⁄50 split, so when I get the chance I binge.
Today has been grey, cold, wet and exactly what the end of the summer shouldn’t be. Driving home tonight I decided to cook something full of summer colours and flavours.
I have a soft spot for pizza (other than my tummy) and probably always will have. From the brown self-raising scone mix bases topped with mature cheddar and slices of tomato of my youth (mum desperately trying to sneak in some whole grains), past the deep cheesy messes from the only takeaway place in town as a teenager to take in the delights of first thin crust real pizza in Rome and then deep pan Chicago style pizza eaten in down town Chicago (whilst hunting for hotdogs as it happens) through to what I honestly believe is the best pizza I’ve eaten in years at Cal’s Own, I’ll never stop loving the bread and cheese.
I have a love/hate relation with fried chicken. When it’s good, it’s amazing. When it’s bad it’s terrible, and no matter how good it is it is still absolutely terrible for you, so if you’re going to make it, make it brilliant and make it rarely.
Years ago I had crispy ginger beef in a restarunt in Vancouver. I’ve never found anything quite as good, but I’ve an idea how to reproduce the beef now.
This seems really odd but was really good and an excellent way to use the heat when you put the BBQ on.
You will need A couple of slices of watermelon (very ripe) Feta Mint leaves Rock salt Do Make sure the melon is very ripe (I stuck it in a bag with a couple of bananas to make the most of the XXXX effect) Get the BBQ seriously hot Cook the melon until the flesh starts to blister and caremalise.
I joked tonight that I should rename this blog to bastardisedrecipesforthelazyandtimeshortwhohatewashingup.com, and this post might be a perfect example. Culturally bereft, easy and delicious
Another chunk of lamb, spiced, blackened and then left to rest. This was a leg of lamb I boned out and flattened. The grape chutney was a use up of some past their best grapes, I’ve been rather facinated with “fresh pickles” of ate.
Since The Bangkok Cafe on Low Friar Street closed last year our house has been a somber place. It served freshly cooked Thai street food, quite different from the Royal Thai stuff that you typically get at Thai restaurants with carved carrot nonsense on the side.
Another warm salad this evening, this time a piece of topside done on the BBQ. Topside would probably better slow roasted but a hot short grill and a decent rest leaves it juicy and delicious.
Years ago I baked chicken pieces in cream, tarragon and carmelised onions for a dinner party. It was excellent, but very rich. This is a lighter alternative, perfect for a summer evening tea.
I doubt this is in any way authentic to any country, but get passed that and dig in.
You will need A chunk of bely pork A handful of kale Sweet chili sauce Five spice Dark soy White wine vinegar Noodles Sesame Do Score the fat right though Rub the 5 spice into the meat side of pork Mix sweet chili, soy and vinegar Stick meat and mix into an air tight plastic bag and marinade for as long as you can Pour off the marinade and reserve Wrap the pork in tinfoil and bake at 150 for about an hour Unwrap, place fat side up, pour over the marinade and shake on sesame seeds Bake at 180 for about 20 minutes until the top is crispy.
On this, the Summer Solstice, it shouldd not be a day for rice pudding, especially hot rice pudding. But it’s grey and Tupperware day, so here it is, my ultimate comfort food
Sometimes things come together perfectly, almost as if they were planned or predestined. Today was such a day. I was extolling the virtues of my new favourite drink at work and one of my colleagues mentioned something his partner said and the drink was named.
A while ago I made a cheating version of one of my favourite Chinese takeaway dishes, orange chicken. Last week I made a lemon version and it was even better!
Spring should have sprung by now, but it’s cold and crappy outside, so sometimes you need some comfort food (one that’s not just cheese and chilli based)
Out of date goats cheese? Check Slightly past it’s best leek? Check No pastry and can’t be arsed to make it? Check
Perfect dinner: Goats cheese and leek tartlets!
I’ve never really enjoyed sprouts but one of my friends pointed out that you could treat them like tiny cabbages and in the same week I saw another friend referring to “baconating the sprouts”.
I love a good pork chop but unless you’re careful they can get dry. Ignore those dreadful things with the fat taken off in the supermarket and get yourself with the skin still on and a good layer of fat on them from your butcher (or meatbox).
I’ve never considered doing anything with pearl barley other than sticking it in broth but since getting The Thug Kitchen Cookbook for Christmas (it’s mother fucking excellent) I’ve been playing around with it.
Turkey curry is the scourge of this country. I love turkey, I love leftovers and it breaks my heart hearing people whine on about “never ending turkey”.
Winter is here and a lazy Saturday afternoon demanded soup. Ready in 30 minutes, creamy and luxurious, the potato reduces the slimyness that you sometimes get with leeks and the butter ups the creamy feel.
One (of my many) guilty pleasures is cheap Chinese takeaway. I love real amazing Chinese food, but sometimes nothing else will do but crispy friend chunks of chicken in a slightly sweet sauce with enough chilli to make it interesting.
After an amazing pizza at Cal’s Own I decided it was time to have a go at making ricotta.
You will need 2 pints of full fat milk A good splash of white wine vinegar or lemon juice 200g of strong bread flour a pinch of fast yeast pinch of salr a hand full of spinach (fresh or defrosed frozen squeezed dry) half a jar of premade pesto Do Put the milk in a pan and bring almost to the boil Add the lemon or vinegar, turn off the heat and stir a little Leave for twenty minutes to stand.
I’ve not bee very well this week and not able to swallow easily so this super simple pasta dish was perfect.
Editors Note It has been pointed out that in fact my most wonderful girlfriend cooked this for me on Wednesday and that this recipe is not exactly what she did.
A rare vegetarian meal, but one I love hot or cold.
You will need 500g of fresh spinach (I actually used a mi of fresh which needed using up and frozen to make it up) an egg 300ml milk 200g of red lentils a small onion two slices of bread a inch of strong cheese a heaped tablespoon of premade horseradish a heaped tablespoon of tomato ketchup Butter for greasing Do Fine dice the onion Boil lentils and onion in boiling water until lentils are tender.
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After a rather excellent roast of lamb shoulder (from Cranstons) we had a load of cold lamb left over. Rather than a quick curry we made spiced lamb pies instead.
A little while ago I ran across a Reddit post talking about “Pizza Fries” which looked amazing. I had the left overs of a roast chicken which had been been roasted over tomato, onions and peppers and couldn’t resist having a go.
I hate letting things go to waste, and so discovering a bruised and over ripe mango plus a few past their best chillis in the veg rack was a little upsetting, however it was an excuse to make some mango pickle.
No real recipe here, just another (rather serious) chunk of beef from G&S Organics becoming dinner for a few friends.
You will need The beef A rib of beef.
You will need For the lamb A couple of ladles of yesterdays lamb Crunchy salad Use whatever you have around. I was trying to get a balance of crunchy, sharp and sweet.
Getting a regular meatbox from the awesome G&S Organics means that we’ve had a glut of roasting joints in the freezer of late, and much as I love a roast with all the trimmings, they’re not the most convenient of foods.
This all started with a blagging Facebook post. “Nobody mulls wine as hard as I do” (because frankly if you’re not making mulled wine in lab glassware on top of an open fire, you don’t).
