Talking Borax

A Note On Recipes…

I have always loved reading recipes. It’s funny then that I rarely follow them. I don’t know if this is because I have been cooking for so long that I just kind of know how things should go or I just remember the recipes?

Sometimes I will start making something for tea and I don’t actually know what I am doing until it’s finished! Thankfully It always tastes ok.

I suppose I have learnt a lot of techniques and methods over the years which means I don’t have to rely on recipes so much.

A lot of people don’t prepare food at home, it seems to have become that ready meals or RTU (ready to use) sauces have become the mainstay of many homes.

I sometimes think that many people are afraid to cook, too scared to have a go. There is a generation of people that didn’t learn how to cook from there Mothers or Fathers and have relied on convenience foods simply because they don’t know what else to do.

I was lucky. I grew up with a family that food (and drink!) was an important part of life, something to be enjoyed and relished. Sitting at the table for tea was something that was done on a regular basis, not just for special occasions.

So what I’m trying to say is that I get into a lot of difficulty when someone says ‘Oooh that was nice, you must give me the recipe’.

I’m there frantically trying to backtrack to remember what ingredients and amounts went into the dish because quite frankly there is no recipe!

At times you may look at a recipe on this Blog and think ‘ well that’s not much of a recipe’.

I think recipes should be a guide only. People need to learn to have confidence in there own abilities and judgement. I use a lot of garlic, onions and spices. For some people it might be too much. If you are not overly keen on garlic, add a bit less. It’s your food. I’m not going to be there tapping you on the shoulder saying ‘well you’ve done that wrong!’

I hope that people will look at the photos and recipes on this blog and be inspired to go out, buy some nice ingredients and have a go. You can keep it as basic as you want or you could really go to town and create something stunning.

Whatever you cook I can guarantee it will be tasty and enjoyable and far more satisfying than eating something that you have nuked in a microwave for six minutes.

We’re Off To Button Moon

Right, off to a good start for the day.

Went outside with 3 eldest children to see to the chickens and ducks, which for a change was not too traumatic and the children, chickens and ducks all did what they’re supposed to do. However, when I came back in Kit’s walking round with a torch (it’s about 9:20am), I’m about to ask what’s wrong when I get a chorus of “Li’lMrM has put his button up his nose!”.

It appears that Li’lMrM was undoing his pyjama top when a button comes off, so what do you do… stick it up your nose, obviously! Don’t you just love kids! So, Kit’s off to the children’s hospital… I’m sure we’ll be laughing a bout it later… Oh and Kit and myself are supposed to be going to see Dave Spikey tonight, our first night out (without the children) in seven years!

The baby sitters enjoyed Dave Spikey. Apparently they haven’t laughed so much in years… Cheers Li’lMrM, I’m sure in years to come we’ll laugh about this!

And yes Li’lMrM was fine, the button was removed and he was completely un-phased or traumatised by the whole situation… wish the same could be said about the parents!

No recipes here! Just a well needed large glass of red!

Oh, the button? It now has pride of place on the mantelpiece just as a reminder that as a parent, just because you book something does not mean it’s a foregone conclusion you’re going to get there.

Smoked Chicken & Sweetcorn Chowder

So Kit has to go to the emergency eye clinic, turns out she has got viral conjunctivitis, not nice.

Hmmm, was going to be chicken & mushroom lasagne for tea, made with some ‘Ome smoked chicken (done at the same time as the lamb for Easter).Thinking about it though seems as our house is ‘house of the lurg’ at the moment maybe a nice warming smoked chicken & sweetcorn chowder might be in order. There is nothing like a soup made with real chicken stock to kick those pesky virus and bacteria into touch!

Chicken & Sweetcorn Chowder (Serves 4-6)

You will need:

Leftover roast chicken (approximately 300g or two good handfuls, it doesn’t have to be smoked!)

Butter

Flour

Onion

Garlic

Chicken stock (Boil up the bones from the roast chicken if you’ve had time. You want about a pint)

Milk or cream

sweetcorn (frozen or tinned)

Cooked potato (either leftover new potatoes or dice up a large baker and boil for 20 minutes)

Seasoning

Method:

Melt some butter, about 125g, in a pan. Add some chopped garlic (1 or 2 cloves) and some onion (1 medium sized). Fry gently for a couple minutes.

Add a tablespoon of flour to the pan and stir for a minute to help cook the flour out.

Add some stock (if it’s hot it will blend with the flour better and you will void lumps), a bit at a time and keep stirring to make a smooth paste. Once you’re at this stage you should be able to add the rest of the stock with no problems. Keep stirring until the sauce comes to a simmer (if it does go lumpy you can always get the hand blender in there or put in a liquidizer).

Add your chicken and potato and let that heat through for 10 minutes. You can then add the sweet corn and either a couple tablespoons of cream or about 1/4 pint of milk. The soup should be a nice thick consistency, if it’s too thick thin with a bit more stock or milk.

Season with pepper (ground white works best) and salt to taste. I also add a generous pinch of paprika (you could use smoked).

You can add some finely chopped fresh parsley or chervil if you have any.

After ten minutes the Chowder will be ready.

Serve with some nice crusty bread for a lovely comforting meal.

Lamb In Garlic & Lemon Sauce

Five days into the Easter holidays, wake up with sore throat and generally feeling a bit sorry for myself. Three quarters of the kids are playing up and my head’s beginning to hurt now too. It’s April… I should be full of the joys of Spring but there’s still snow on the ground and its barely a couple degrees centigrade outside!

Well at least there is some smoked lamb shoulder left over from Easter. I think it will be done Mediterranean style in a sauce thickened with the garlicky, lemony houmous (one m or two m’s… I’m sure some smart arse will correct me!) also left over from Easter. Winter may still have a chilly hold over Spring but a bit of Mediterranean sunshine in the kitchen may just help blow those winter blues away.

Lamb in Garlic & Lemon Sauce

You will need;

500g/1lb leftover roasted lamb or cooked chicken (For a non-meat version you could use some roasted vegetables)

1 medium onion

1.75 pints/1ltr of stock (chicken, veg or leftover meat juices)

225g/8 oz Houmous (or whatever you have available, this is a leftover dish after all. If you don’t have any houmous you can whizz up a can of chickpeas with some garlic and lemon juice and add that)

a few tomatoes roughly chopped (or a tin of tomatoes if you have no fresh)

some sliced peppers or mushrooms if you have any (or anything else that may be lurking in the recesses of the fridge!)

Method

roughly slice/chop your meat.

Dice the onion

Add a knob of butter or some oil to a pan and sautee the onion for a minute or so

throw your main ingredient into the pan stir to coat and then add the stock. bring to a simmer and stir in the Houmous the liquid should now thicken up and release a lovely aroma of garlic and lemons.

Add the rest of the ingredients.

Give a good grind of black pepper and a pinch of salt if desired (I go easy on the salt as I am quite liberal when I roast meats!)

The dish should be ready after 15 – 20 minutes.

If you have any fresh parsley add some roughly chopped before serving.

This dish can be served with mashed or new potatoes, plain rice or big slabs of crusty bread.