I don’t remember where I read this idea first, but roasting the lamb in a closed roasting tin keeps all the juices in means the potatoes cook in them getting sticky and delicious.
I’ve never been nervous about posting a recipe before, but since a friend linked me to this famous take down of Jamie Olivers fried rice I did consider it twice.
I’m writing this on my iPad because my laptop has died, and so far the experience is painful. however, last night’s tea was a good way too use up a pepper and leek that were well past their best.
When I saw La Cloake had published the perfect Bostin baked beans I couldn’t resist. Then when I was in Block&Bottle and the chap next to me only wanted half a piece of guanciale (cured pork cheek) I couldn’t resist having a go.
Another use up tea, super quick, idea to plate in less than ten minutes.
You will need A pack of gnocchi A large leek, finely sliced A good grating of Parmesan A couple of tablespoons of sour cream A couple of teaspoons of vegetable oil Do Cook the leeks in a teaspoon of oil on a pretty high heat until mostly translucent and a few crispy bits then set aside Boil the gnocchi in boiling salted water for 2 minutes then drain and set aside Put a a couple of teaspoons of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan on a high heat Add the gnocchi, cook for a few minutes, tossing occupationally.
A simple tray baked dinner that’s excellent with rice and can be dressed up for posh dinner parties by adding a glass of white wine and another of cream for the last 20 minutes of cooking
Every since Our Lady of Survival, Ellen Ripley first brought facehuggers to the worlds attention we’ve had a complex relationship. Yes, they’re harbingers of death, emerging from their cocoons, skitthing about and determined to paralyse you and implant a Chestbuster, but did you know they are delicious?
I love chicken soups, and I thought I’d written about various different styles here over the years but it turns out ( only the once ) but on a cold and miserable Sunday evening, having driven for 12 hours out of the previous 36, I was craving comfort food and the idea of adding dumpling (the stodgy kind, not the Asian kind) appealed.
Super simple, but it tasty, super savoury. Multiple options. Doing the potatoes under the grill makes it easier to get a good even crispy finish compared to in the pan and without using tonnes of oil.
Perfect for a cold day as the nights draw in, this used up some sausage meat in the freezer from last Christmas, some past their best parsnips and the last of my homegrown apples.
This week I read an article about redbeans and rice which looked delicious. I didn’t have any of the ingrediants, but the idea of soupy beans cooked with strong flavours and pork sounded great so I improvised.
Yep, it’s still winter, so it’s still legally required to eat stew once a week. Shin beef always slow cooks brilliantly but the probelm is you can’t do dumplings in the slowcooker (I’ve not tried it yet anyway), thus this was slow cooked for 8 hours, then finished in the oven.
It’s that time of the year (that most wonderful time of the year) where you can completely justify eating comforting food.
You will need 3 decent quality sausages per person (I used the Italian jobs from the most excellent Block’n’Blottle) A medium onion per person (halved and then quartered) A measure of sherry/masala/glass of wine/beer A bay leaf A tablespoon of plain flour A blob of butter (25g maybe) Half a stock cube Do Pop the sausages and butter in an oven suitable pan on a medium heat Cool under the sausages have some colour and then remove, keep them to one side Pop the oven on 180 Stick the kettle on Add the onions and bay leaf to the pan, reducing the heat Cook the onions until browned but still juicy.
It’s the time of year (the week really) when squashes and pumpkins are super discounted. I’ve generally no idea what to do with them, but I pinched the method that HelloFresh often uses, roasting in the oven and then saucing.
Even on the hottest day of the year, casserole with dumplings is still my favorite comfort food. The aubergine ended up in there becaue I was having a use up of veg, but the texture was tremendous.
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.
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
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
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)
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.