Feta and courgette frittata

Another one in the "ooh, look what I found in the fridge" series.

You'll need:

4-5 eggs, depending on how large they are
a little milk
a handful of sliced cooked potatoes
an onion, finely sliced
a couple of courgettes, chunkily sliced
half a packet of feta cheese, cut into chunks
some dried thyme
lots of black pepper
olive oil

You'll need a reasonably large, heavy-bottomed frying pan (it helps if you've got one without a plastic handle, so it can go under the grill at the end). Start off by frying the onion in a little olive oil until it's translucent. You'll then need to add a really good slurp of olive oil (probably a couple of tablespoons), and layer up the courgette/potato slices. Leave this to cook for 5 minutes or so.

Dot the pan with the chunks of feta cheese. Scatter some dried thyme over the top of everything, and give it a good dose of black pepper. Mix together the eggs with a little milk, and pour into your frying pan.

Turn the heat down low, and leave for 15-20 minutes, until most of the egg has set (I think I left mine for about half an hour - good if you like crispy potatoes on the bottom of the frittata). Turn on the grill, and sling the pan under it for another 5-10 minutes, until the top of your frittata is browned.

We ate this with just a green salad - it was surprisingly filling!

Cumin potatoes

We made these to go with the aubergine curry - they're very fragrant, and not too spicy.

You'll need:

500g potatoes (ish)
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
a squeeze of lime juice
2-3 tablespoons sunflower oil

Peel, cube and boil the potatoes until they are tender. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, and stir fry the mustard seeds and cumin seeds for a minute. Add the rest of the spices, and fry for another 1-2 minutes.

Add the potatoes, and fry for 5 or so minutes, until the outside of them has gone crispy. Squeeze over a little lime juice, and serve (they'd be nice with a little chopped fresh coriander on top).

It would also make a great way to roast the potatoes - once you've got the oil and spices ready, chuck the potatoes in a roasting tin, sling the oil/spices over them, and toss to mix. Roast in a hot oven (220 degrees C or hotter) for 15-20 minutes (they're only in small cubes, remember), until they've gone crispy.

Lamb hotpot

We spent the afternoon at the library today, and returned home in desperate need of a cup of tea (me, after an hour of reading aloud), and something warming to eat. Lamb hotpot hit the spot.

Makes enough for 3. You'll need:

4 or 5 medium-sized pieces of lamb (we had a right old rag-bag of pieces on the bone)
an onion, sliced
3-4 sticks of celery, chopped
a large carrot, chopped
the remains of a bottle of red wine that wasn't quite at its best (probably a glass)
dried thyme and lots of black pepper
5 or 6 large potatoes

Stick the oven on at about 160 degrees C.

Brown the pieces of lamb in a casserole dish (you may need to add a little olive oil so that they don't stick). Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add whatever wine you've got left and some boiling water, until everything's completely covered and there's no bits of lamb poking out the top.

Season with thyme and black pepper, bring to the boil, sling a lid on and shove in the oven for 2-3 hours. Check it occasionally, just to make it has enough liquid.

After 2-3 hours, start on the potatoes. Peel them, then boil for 15 minutes. Drain, slice and then place in a pretty pattern on top of your stew. Dot with butter, turn the heat up on the oven to 200 degrees, and sling the casserole dish back in for another 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are crispy.

Eat with something green - you can't beat a few frozen peas. Cooked, obviously.

Smoked haddock, potato and sweetcorn chowder

Not many posts recently, as there haven't been many new recipes - when I'm snowed under with work tea tends to head towards the family classics.

This one was new though, and inspired by the lovely Nigel's suppers on BBC1.

Makes enough for 4 greedy adults. You'll need:

a large fillet or two of smoked haddock (undyed is probably nicer, but day-glo yellow means it looks pretty...)
a large onion, finely chopped
a large tin of sweetcorn, or a mugful of frozen sweetcorn (defrosted)
lots of potatoes - 4 or 5 large ones, peeled and diced
milk - about a pint

First of all, poach the fish in the milk. Bung both into a large pan, and gently heat the milk until it's almost boiling. Turn down, and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Drain the fish (keep the milk!), and flake into large chunks (removing any bones, and discarding the skin).

Fry the onions in a little olive oil until they're translucent. Add the potatoes, and swish round in the oil. Add a mugful of boiling water to the potato/onion mixture and the rest of the fishy milk. Season with lots of black pepper, and simmer until the potato chunks are cooked.

Add the sweetcorn/fish, and warm through.

Serve with lots of fresh crusty bread, maybe topped with a little cream cheese.

Fishcakes

Perfect for a quick tea, after a busy afternoon jumping on beds and playing with Playmobil dinosaurs.

Makes 10 fishcakes

6 or 7 small/medium potatoes, peeled and chopped (or whatever leftover mash you have in the fridge)
a little milk
a good couple of knobs of butter
1 tin of tuna, drained
1 onion, finely diced
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
a handful of fresh chives, chopped
a couple of tablespoons of flour

Stick the chopped potatoes in a pan of hot water, and simmer until soft. Mash together, adding a little milk to get a smooth texture. Tip into a large bowl, and add the tuna, parsley and chives.

Fry the onion in a little olive oil, until it's translucent. Chuck into the potato/tuna mixture. Mix everything together gently, and form into smallish fishcakes (about the diameter of digestive biscuits, but a lot thicker).

Melt a little butter in a frying pan over a gentle heat. Coat each fishcake in a little flour, and let sizzle in the pan - it'll need a couple of minutes each side.

We ate our fishcakes with some homemade coleslaw, and a green salad.

Note: If you want to do this properly with fresh fish, you'll need to poach your piece of fish in simmering milk to start off with. Flake the fish (taking off the skin, and removing any bones), and use the milk in the mash.

Chicken, coconut and potato curry

This one was a bit of a 'let's see what there is in the fridge and chuck it in' curry. Makes enough for 4.

You'll need:

1 large chicken breast (or whatever cooked chicken you've got hanging about), sliced
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 yellow pepper, sliced
a handful of spinach
4 or 5 mushrooms, sliced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
about half a block of creamed coconut, dissolved in about a tin of hot water
2 teaspoons dried ginger (fresh would be even better)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

Chuck the onions and garlic in a frying pan with a little oil, and fry until translucent. Add all the spices, and fry for another couple of minutes. Add the chicken, and stir, coating it in the spices. Cook for 4-5 minutes, and then throw in the pepper/mushrooms/spinach/whatever, and stir round until they're soft.

Add the tin of tomatoes, and stir in the coconut/water. Tip in the potatoes, and bring everything to the boil. Leave to simmer for as long as it takes the potato to cook - the longer the better (45 minutes or so), though you may have to add a little extra water if it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Eat with lots of basmati rice, and a scattering of cashew nuts on top.

Cheese and potato scones

Or what to do with leftover mashed potato that will amuse a grumpy three-year-old.

Makes around 10-12 medium-sized scones, or lots of small ones that can be scoffed with some parma ham or smoked salmon. You'll need:

6oz mashed potato
8oz self-raising flour
1 1/2 oz butter
pinch of salt
2oz grated cheese
a little freshly grated nutmeg (paprika would be good instead of this, if you're making it for grownups rather than small people)
3-4 tablespoons milk

Stick the oven on at about 200 degrees C, and fish out a baking tray (you'll need to grease it or cover it with a silicon sheet).

Measure out the flour into a bowl, and rub in the butter. Stir in the salt, nutmeg and grated cheese. Mix in the mashed potato, and then add the milk a little at a time, until you have a soft, pliable dough.

Roll out the dough to about 1cm thick, and cut out rounds. Place these on your baking tray, and bung in the oven for 20 minutes or so, until they have risen and are golden brown on top.

Eat while warm. I'm not sure they keep particularly well, but to be honest that really wasn't a problem.

Rosti

The Swiss would probably take umbrage at this version, but it's rather good. We ate it with some chard from the allotment, and it all disappeared rather rapidly.

Makes enough for two greedy adults and one greedy three-year-old. You'll need:

700g potatoes
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 slices of streaky bacon, sliced into small pieces (lardons would be even better)
salt and black pepper
butter

Scrub the potatoes, and then sling them in a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes, until they're parboiled. Peel (you should be able to easily do this with a knife), and then grate using a coarse grater.

While the potatoes are boiling, fry the onion and bacon together for 6-7 minutes, until the onion softens. Tip into the grated potato and mix gently - if you find the potato starts to stick, you'll need to add a knob of melted butter - and season with salt and lots of black pepper.

Melt another large knob of butter in your frying pan. Divide the mixture in two, and press half into the pan. Fry for 7-8 minutes on a medium heat (if it starts to burn, add some more butter). Turn the rosti over (it's probably easiest to slide a plate on top, and flip the pan upside down), and fry for another 7-8 minutes until it's crispy on the bottom.

Eat as quickly as possible. Do try not to have a heart attack.

Summer bubble and squeak

We trekked over to Whitburn today to visit Souter Lighthouse, which has a rather splendid pirate ship outside to clamber all over. You had fun taking pictures, and dressing up in the princess/pirate outfits. Here's one of yours:



This 'sort-of' bubble and squeak seemed like the perfect idea for tea, and was remarkably popular. Makes enough for 3.

You'll need:

a small spring cabbage, finely shredded (nicer if you take the leaf ribs out too)
enough new potatoes for 3, scrubbed and chopped into small pieces
3 or 4 rashers of streaky bacon per person, chopped into small pieces

Stick the potatoes in a pan, cover with boiling water, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until tender, and then drain.

Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a large frying pan (you may have to add a little extra olive oil if it sticks) until it starts to go golden. Add the cabbage, and fry until it's tender. At this point, tip in the drained potatoes, and mix everything together. Fry for a couple of minutes (you may have to add a little extra oil if the potatoes start to stick), and then season with black pepper.

Turn out onto a plate and eat at once.

Spanish omelette with leek and feta

Anyone Spanish would probably die of shock at being served this, but we have a glut of leeks at the moment (especially as the ones in the back yard are finally large enough to eat). You rather like the potato and leek combo too.

You'll need:

half a pack of feta cheese (about 100g), cubed
4 eggs
5 or 6 medium potatoes, peeled
3 or 4 large leeks, washed and sliced into rings
olive oil
fresh parsley, finely chopped

Chop the potatoes into quarters, and throw them into a pan. Cover with boiling water, and cook until tender. Drain, and then slice (thickly).

Pour a good slug of olive oil into a heavy-bottomed frying pan, and add the leeks. Cook them on a low heat until they have softened. At that point, add the potatoes in a layer on top of the leeks, and scatter (a) the cubes of feta cheese and (b) the parsley over everything.

Break the eggs into a bowl, and beat lightly. Pour over the leek/potato mixture, and leave on a low heat until set round the edges. At that point, it's usually easiest to turn the grill on, and plonk the pan underneath - that will set the top layer of egg, and melt the feta cheese slightly.

Liberally apply black pepper, and eat with a tomato salad or winter coleslaw.

Bacon, leek and potato pie

A ribsticking pie for what turned out to be a surprisingly sunny day. Tea was a bit of a hurried affair yesterday after watching your Dad's promo screening at the Tyneside Cinema, but today was far more leisurely.

You'll need:

4 or 5 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped up
a good wodge of mature cheddar, grated
3 or 4 large leeks, washed and sliced
5 or 6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and halved
lots of black pepper
2 or 3 tablespoons of cream, creme fraiche, or at a pinch some milk
shortcrust pastry - enough to lay over the top of your pie dish

Stick the oven on at about 200 degrees C. Dunk the potatoes in a pan of boiling water, and cook for 12-15 minutes until they're tender. Drain, and then slice.

Fry the bacon pieces until they've coloured and start to go crispy (you shouldn't need to add any extra oil, but check they don't stick). Lift them out of your frying pan, and then chuck the leeks in - fry them for a couple of minutes, until they've started to soften.

Layer the sliced potatoes and leek/bacon mixture in your pie dish. Grate lots of black pepper over the top (and maybe sprinkle with a little dried thyme if you have any). Top with lots of grated cheese, and then drizzle over 2-3 tablespoons of cream/milk/whatever.

Roll the pastry out to the size of your pie dish, and place on top. Cut a couple of holes in the top for the steam to escape, and then stick in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry turns golden brown.

We ate this with some steamed broccoli and cauliflower (but it would be equally good cold, with a green salad - it holds together really well, and makes a good picnic pie).

Gnocchi with butternut squash, onion and sage

We spent the afternoon at IKEA, sitting on all the new garden furniture and pretending we were sunbathing in the garden. Well, a girl's got to dream...

I adapted this recipe from one in the April edition of Olive.

You'll need:

a pack of gnocchi
a small butternut squash, peeled and cut into tiny cubes
an onion, thinly sliced
a handful of sage leaves
olive oil
parmesan cheese to grate over the top

Chuck the cubes of squash into a large frying pan, together with the onion and a generous slosh of olive oil. Fry until the squash has softened and browned - it took me about 15-20 minutes. You'll need to keep an eye on it and swish it around, so that the onion doesn't burn. Once the squash is tender, add the sage leaves, and fry for a couple of minutes.

Tip your packet of gnocchi into a pan of boiling water, and leave to cook for 2-3 minutes. The gnocchi are done when they rise to the surface - drain them, then tip into the frying pan with the squash, onion and sage. Mix everything together so the gnocchi takes on the flavours, and then tip into a bowl to serve. Grate lots of parmesan cheese over the top, and a fair bit of black pepper.

We ate our gnocchi with a green salad, but I suspect something tomato-based would also be nice.

Leek and potato soup

Good when it's freezing cold. The temperature gauge on the car said -1.5 degrees C this morning, so I think that qualifies.

You'll need:

some leeks (I used three fairly skinny ones), sliced into rings
four or five small potatoes (or however many are starting to sprout in the cupboard and need to be used up), peeled and chopped up small
lots of black pepper, thyme and a little salt
stock - I had some vegetable stock in the freezer, but chicken would be even better

Fry the leeks in a little olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan for a few minutes until they've started to soften. Add the diced potatoes, and swish about for a couple of minutes. Pour in the stock (or hot water and a little vegetable bouillon powder), and chuck in lots of pepper and thyme. Add a little salt.

Bring to the boil, and then simmer for ages, until the potatoes are tender (I left mine on for about 45 minutes). Blend, and then add a little milk or cream. You could also add a few crispy bits of bacon on the top for maximum mmmmmm factor.

Really good chips

More lemony chicken tonight, roasted in the oven - so we made chips to go with it, and a nice green salad.

We dug up the potatoes last week - I still can't quite believe that we managed to get a good few pounds of potatoes by sticking some old sprouting ones in four black pots, covering them with soil, and leaving them in the back yard to work their magic.

You'll need

a couple of large potatoes per person
some olive oil (and a brush)
a baking tray

Stick the oven on fairly high - around 200 degrees C should do. Wash the potatoes (leave the skins on), and then slice in half lengthways. Cut into thin(ish) slices.

Place the potato slices on a baking tray (I put mine on a silicon sheet, so that they don't stick). Drizzle a little olive oil over the top of them, and then use a pastry brush to make sure that each chip is covered (you really like doing this bit).

Bung in the oven for a good 20 minutes or so. Have a look - maybe turn a few over. Depending on how thick you've sliced them, the chips might be ready - the only way to tell is to try them. If not, stick them back in for a bit longer. I think they took half an hour tonight.

Lamb and potato curry

Your Dad really liked this one, but I suspect it was a bit spicy for you. It's those red chillies - they're really unpredictable.

This makes enough for three if you're eating it with some rice and a side dish.

some lamb, diced - I used the leftovers from the lamb with pepper and onion pilaf but you could use lamb shoulder
an onion, sliced
three or four potatoes, peeled and cubed
a large clove of garlic, chopped
a squeeze of tomato puree (probably about a tablespoon)
a teaspoon of ginger (an inch or so of fresh ginger would probably be better)
a red chilli, sliced
a teaspoon of turmeric
a teaspoon of ground cumin
a teaspoon of ground coriander

Fry the onion in some sunflower oil until it starts to brown. Then add the garlic, ginger and chilli, and fry for a minute or two. Add the tomato puree, cook for a minute, and then tip everything into a blender. Add a little water to loosen, and then whizz round for a minute or so. Ta da! You now have curry paste.

In the same frying pan you started off in, add a little sunflower oil, the rest of the spices, and then the lamb. Fry for a couple of minutes (if it's raw meat you've started off with, you'll need to brown it for longer - say5 ). Add the potato, the curry paste and then some water, so that all the potatoes are covered.

Simmer for a long time - an hour or so, until the potato is cooked and the liquid has reduced. You may need to add some more water from time to time, so it doesn't get too dry.

Bacon, potato and onion pie

I took this from the rather good Pie, by Angela Boggiano, and then adapted it a bit. Mainly because I thought that 7oz of cheese was overkill, and I didn't have any puff pastry in the house.

You helped me make the shortcrust pastry (you're rather good at rubbing in the butter and flour), and then roll it out over the top of the pie dish. We didn't make a bottom, seeing as the pie was carbohydrate-tastic as it was.

You need: (this makes enough for four by the way, although there's mysteriously only one portion left in the fridge at the moment...)

a couple of potatoes, peeled
6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, chopped
2 large onions, sliced thinly
some cheese (we had Edam in it today, but I suspect that mature cheddar would be nicer)
a little cream - 2 or 3 tablespoons
black pepper

Boil the potatoes (whole) for 10-15 minutes until they're tender. Leave to cool a little and then slice. In the meantime, fry your bacon in a pan until it colours (a couple of minutes), and then add the onions. Cook until the onions turn translucent.

Layer the potato slices and onion/bacon mixture in a pie dish. Grate some cheese over the top, and drizzle the cream. Season with black pepper.

Next, stick your pastry over the top. Make a couple of slits to let the steam out, and then put in the oven at 180 degrees C for half an hour or so, until the pastry has gone light brown and crispy.

We ate this with a green salad, and a few runner beans/broad beans from the garden, which you really weren't keen on. Oh well.