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.
Showing posts with label mushroom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mushroom. Show all posts
09 September 2009
31 March 2009
Beef stew with cheese cobbler topping
We ate this on the balcony in the sunshine, after an afternoon spent digging at the allotment. It felt rather more like May than March.
This is adapted from a Hugh Fearnley-Whirligig recipe in the Guardian, and a fish cobbler recipe from Yorkshire. It's not a bad hybrid.
You'll need:
400g stewing beef, chopped into largish chunks
a little flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
a couple of medium-sized onions, cut into large chunks
3 carrots, cut into largeish chunks
4 large mushrooms, chopped into large chunks
a glug of olive oil
fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
150ml bitter/stout
400ml vegetable stock or beef stock
First of all, put the oven on at about 140 degrees C. Dip the chunks of beef in the seasoned flour, and then fry in batches in a frying pan until they're browned. Tip into your casserole dish.
Fry the onions in the meat juices (you may have to add a little extra olive oil) for a couple of minutes, and then tip them into the casserole too. Add the carrots, bitter, stock and the herbs (3 or 4 large stalks of parsley, a couple of bay leaves and the dried thyme. Shove a lid on the casserole dish, bung in the oven, and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes.
In the meantime, fry the mushrooms in a good glug of olive oil, until they soften and colour. You can also make the cobbler (essentially a cheesy scone topping).
You'll need:
8oz self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
2oz butter
3oz cheese (preferably something strong like cheddar, although Wensleydale would also be good)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 pint of milk
a pinch of salt
To make the cobbler, pour the flour, salt, baking powder and mustard powder into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter, until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, then add the cheese. Mix in the egg, and however much of the milk you need to form a soft dough (I used all of it, but it does vary depending on your flour).
Once the stew has cooked (you could happily leave it in for a couple of hours or so), bring it out, and crank up the oven temperature to 180 degrees C.
Chuck the mushrooms (and any juices left in the pan) into the casserole dish. Then top with the cheese scone cobbler. You could roll the dough out, and cut out proper scone shapes. I just divided mine up into small-ish balls, squashed them until they were about 2cm thick, and then placed them on top of the stew.
Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes - or until the scone topping is golden and crunchy.
We ate ours with some steamed cabbage and broccoli. It disappeared very quickly.
This is adapted from a Hugh Fearnley-Whirligig recipe in the Guardian, and a fish cobbler recipe from Yorkshire. It's not a bad hybrid.
You'll need:
400g stewing beef, chopped into largish chunks
a little flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
a couple of medium-sized onions, cut into large chunks
3 carrots, cut into largeish chunks
4 large mushrooms, chopped into large chunks
a glug of olive oil
fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
150ml bitter/stout
400ml vegetable stock or beef stock
First of all, put the oven on at about 140 degrees C. Dip the chunks of beef in the seasoned flour, and then fry in batches in a frying pan until they're browned. Tip into your casserole dish.
Fry the onions in the meat juices (you may have to add a little extra olive oil) for a couple of minutes, and then tip them into the casserole too. Add the carrots, bitter, stock and the herbs (3 or 4 large stalks of parsley, a couple of bay leaves and the dried thyme. Shove a lid on the casserole dish, bung in the oven, and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes.
In the meantime, fry the mushrooms in a good glug of olive oil, until they soften and colour. You can also make the cobbler (essentially a cheesy scone topping).
You'll need:
8oz self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
2oz butter
3oz cheese (preferably something strong like cheddar, although Wensleydale would also be good)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 pint of milk
a pinch of salt
To make the cobbler, pour the flour, salt, baking powder and mustard powder into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter, until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, then add the cheese. Mix in the egg, and however much of the milk you need to form a soft dough (I used all of it, but it does vary depending on your flour).
Once the stew has cooked (you could happily leave it in for a couple of hours or so), bring it out, and crank up the oven temperature to 180 degrees C.
Chuck the mushrooms (and any juices left in the pan) into the casserole dish. Then top with the cheese scone cobbler. You could roll the dough out, and cut out proper scone shapes. I just divided mine up into small-ish balls, squashed them until they were about 2cm thick, and then placed them on top of the stew.
Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes - or until the scone topping is golden and crunchy.
We ate ours with some steamed cabbage and broccoli. It disappeared very quickly.
11 March 2009
Chicken, leek and mushroom lasagne
The perfect food for a wintry day.
You'll need:
some cooked chicken (ideally 3 or 4 chicken thighs, or whatever you've got left from a roast)
any leftover gravy
3 or 4 large leeks, cleaned and sliced
an onion, sliced
some large mushrooms, sliced
lasagne sheets
about 1/3 pint milk
a knob of butter
a tablespoon of flour
freshly grated nutmeg, black pepper, mixed herbs
grated cheese
First of all, stick the oven on at about 180 degrees C.
Then, saute the onion and leeks in a frying pan with some mixed herbs and olive oil until they soften. Remove from the pan, then do the same with the mushrooms (you may have to add a bit more olive oil).
Now comes the fun part - the layering in a baking dish. You'll need a layer of leek/onion/mushroom/cooked chicken, followed by a layer of pasta. If you have some gravy leftover from a roast, then you can drizzle this over each layer. How many layers you create depends on the size of your baking dish or tray, but you need to end with a pasta sheet on the top.
For a bechamel (white) sauce to smear over it all, you'll need to melt a knob of butter in a non-stick pan, and add a tablespoon of flour to it. Mix to a smooth paste, then gradually whisk in the milk, to avoid any lumps. Add some freshly grated nutmeg, and heat gently for 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens (you'll probably have to do a fair amount of stirring, so it doesn't catch on the bottom).
Pour the bechamel sauce over the top of the lasagne, and scatter over some grated cheese (the stronger the better). Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until the insides are bubbling and the lasagne sheets are fully cooked.
If you're short of time, don't forget you could use a small pot of creme fraiche instead of the bechamel sauce.
You'll need:
some cooked chicken (ideally 3 or 4 chicken thighs, or whatever you've got left from a roast)
any leftover gravy
3 or 4 large leeks, cleaned and sliced
an onion, sliced
some large mushrooms, sliced
lasagne sheets
about 1/3 pint milk
a knob of butter
a tablespoon of flour
freshly grated nutmeg, black pepper, mixed herbs
grated cheese
First of all, stick the oven on at about 180 degrees C.
Then, saute the onion and leeks in a frying pan with some mixed herbs and olive oil until they soften. Remove from the pan, then do the same with the mushrooms (you may have to add a bit more olive oil).
Now comes the fun part - the layering in a baking dish. You'll need a layer of leek/onion/mushroom/cooked chicken, followed by a layer of pasta. If you have some gravy leftover from a roast, then you can drizzle this over each layer. How many layers you create depends on the size of your baking dish or tray, but you need to end with a pasta sheet on the top.
For a bechamel (white) sauce to smear over it all, you'll need to melt a knob of butter in a non-stick pan, and add a tablespoon of flour to it. Mix to a smooth paste, then gradually whisk in the milk, to avoid any lumps. Add some freshly grated nutmeg, and heat gently for 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens (you'll probably have to do a fair amount of stirring, so it doesn't catch on the bottom).
Pour the bechamel sauce over the top of the lasagne, and scatter over some grated cheese (the stronger the better). Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until the insides are bubbling and the lasagne sheets are fully cooked.
If you're short of time, don't forget you could use a small pot of creme fraiche instead of the bechamel sauce.
02 December 2008
Pancakes/crepes
A rotten sort of a day - cold, wet, and everyone with hacking coughs. We brought in the little Christmas tree to make up for it, and decorated it with tiny fairy lights, angels and chocolate baubles.
Tea was rather an afterthought, after all that excitement.
To make 15 thin pancakes you'll need:
500ml milk
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
250g plain flour
Bung the flour in a large mixing bowl, and add the salt. Make a well in the middle of the flour, and crack the eggs into it. Add about half the milk, and whisk, so there's not too many lumps in the gunge. Add the rest of the milk, and give the batter another really good whisk so it's nice and smooth.
If you can leave the batter for 10 minutes or so while you sort out the fillings, so much the better. We tend to like our pancakes rolled up with crispy bacon and a little something inside (pick any from sweetcorn, spinach, mushrooms and courgettes, grated cheese) or drizzled with a little maple/golden syrup and lemon juice.
Put your frying pan on a high heat, and add a little sunflower oil. Once it's really hot, add a ladleful of the batter into the pan. Swirl it round really quickly, and then leave for a minute or so, until you can feel it coming away from the pan when you shake it. Flip the pancake (the best bit is obviously when Daddy drops one on the floor - although I have to say he was remarkably restrained tonight), and stick a little bit of your filling in a line on the top.
Cook for another 30 seconds until it's starting to brown on the underside, and then flip one half over, to cover your filling, and slide onto your plate. Eat really quickly while it's still hot...
Tea was rather an afterthought, after all that excitement.
To make 15 thin pancakes you'll need:
500ml milk
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
250g plain flour
Bung the flour in a large mixing bowl, and add the salt. Make a well in the middle of the flour, and crack the eggs into it. Add about half the milk, and whisk, so there's not too many lumps in the gunge. Add the rest of the milk, and give the batter another really good whisk so it's nice and smooth.
If you can leave the batter for 10 minutes or so while you sort out the fillings, so much the better. We tend to like our pancakes rolled up with crispy bacon and a little something inside (pick any from sweetcorn, spinach, mushrooms and courgettes, grated cheese) or drizzled with a little maple/golden syrup and lemon juice.
Put your frying pan on a high heat, and add a little sunflower oil. Once it's really hot, add a ladleful of the batter into the pan. Swirl it round really quickly, and then leave for a minute or so, until you can feel it coming away from the pan when you shake it. Flip the pancake (the best bit is obviously when Daddy drops one on the floor - although I have to say he was remarkably restrained tonight), and stick a little bit of your filling in a line on the top.
Cook for another 30 seconds until it's starting to brown on the underside, and then flip one half over, to cover your filling, and slide onto your plate. Eat really quickly while it's still hot...
28 August 2008
Ham and mushroom risotto
We weren't going to have this for tea at all, but the chicken that I defrosted smelled hideous, and went straight in the bin.
You'll need:
risotto rice: Nigel Slater says 250g for two greedy people, and that usually feeds the three of us, and leaves some over for lunch the next day
an onion, finely chopped
a clove of garlic, ditto
mushrooms, chopped very finely (I did them in the food processor today, because I managed to slice into my thumb while chopping the onion, and had had enough by that point)
some ham, chopped up
a splash or two of worcestershire sauce
lots of black pepper, a little salt, a little thyme
stock (or indeed, just some water with a stock cube in it)
Fry the onion and garlic in some olive oil or butter until they're translucent. Add the ham and mushrooms, and cook until they're softened. Chuck in the risotto rice, and stir round in the butter/oil for 20 seconds or so until it's all coated. Add the herbs, worcestershire sauce, and a splosh of stock (to just cover the rice).
Start the simmering process. You want each splosh of stock to be absorbed before you add the next one. Keep popping back every 5-8 minutes to give the rice a stir and throw in a bit more stock (playing with the cars and train set is a very good thing to do in between, we discovered today).
It took about half an hour today for the rice to be ready - it becomes beautifully soft and velvety. I sometimes think that eating risotto is like curling up in an enormous duvet.
You'll need:
risotto rice: Nigel Slater says 250g for two greedy people, and that usually feeds the three of us, and leaves some over for lunch the next day
an onion, finely chopped
a clove of garlic, ditto
mushrooms, chopped very finely (I did them in the food processor today, because I managed to slice into my thumb while chopping the onion, and had had enough by that point)
some ham, chopped up
a splash or two of worcestershire sauce
lots of black pepper, a little salt, a little thyme
stock (or indeed, just some water with a stock cube in it)
Fry the onion and garlic in some olive oil or butter until they're translucent. Add the ham and mushrooms, and cook until they're softened. Chuck in the risotto rice, and stir round in the butter/oil for 20 seconds or so until it's all coated. Add the herbs, worcestershire sauce, and a splosh of stock (to just cover the rice).
Start the simmering process. You want each splosh of stock to be absorbed before you add the next one. Keep popping back every 5-8 minutes to give the rice a stir and throw in a bit more stock (playing with the cars and train set is a very good thing to do in between, we discovered today).
It took about half an hour today for the rice to be ready - it becomes beautifully soft and velvety. I sometimes think that eating risotto is like curling up in an enormous duvet.
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