Garlic Bread and Tomato Bake

You know how it is on a Saturday when you haven't really planned what to eat for lunch?  Then suddenly you find that everyone is at home and looking expectantly for you to come up with something tasty for them to enjoy.

Well that's what happened to me last Saturday.  What could I make? What did I have in the larder and fridge?

Garlic Bread and Tomato Bake
Serves 4

A single garlic baguette
6 tomatoes
4 eggs
100 ml milk
2 tbsp red pesto
75g grated cheddar
freshly ground pepper
A few basil leaves (optional)

1. Pre - heat the oven to 180C
2. Slice up the garlic bread and place in a buttered oven proof dish.
3. Thickly slice the tomatoes and layer over the bread.
4. Cover with 2 tablespoons of pesto.
5. Beat the eggs and add the milk, pour it over the bread and tomatoes.
6. Season with freshly ground pepper and cover with the grated cheese. 
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until risen and golden.
8. Tear up a few basil leaves and scatter over the top.
9. Serve with salad.

And of course Credit Crunch Munch as this is a thrifty dish which will fill up the family at very little cost.   Credit Crunch Munch is run by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla at Fab Food 4 All

Labels: Bake, basil, bread and butter pudding, cheese, Credit Crunch Munch, garlic bread, No Waste Food Challenge, tomato

posted by Janice @ 19:45 24 Comments

Smoked Mackerel Pate

It has been some time since I made Smoked Mackerel Pate, I can't imagine why as we all love it. Usually I make it with cream cheese but today I went for a lighter version and it was very good, served on toast with a little side salad.

The smoked mackerel  and the lemons came from Aldi, who have a great range of produce.  The Smoked Mackerel is Scottish fish from the North East Atlantic and cost only £1.59 for 200g.



Smoked Mackerel Pate
serves 3-4

200g Smoked Mackerel, skin removed
2 tbsp 0% fat Greek Yogurt
1 tsp Creamed Horseradish
Juice of half a lemon

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.

That's it, so simple but packed full of flavour. 


I served the Smoked Mackerel Pate on toast, but it would be equally good on oatcakes, a crusty baguette or even as a topping for a baked potato.


I am entering this dish for Tea Time Treats, as this month the theme is ' Toast, on Toast or Toasties'.  Tea Time Treats is the Linky Party for tasty tea time treats which is run in alternate months by Karen at Lavender and Lovage and Janie at The Hedgecombers.


I'm also adding the Smoked Mackerel Pate to the Credit Crunch Munch Linky as it was a very thrifty dish with the mackerel only costing £1.59, half a lemon only 12p and the yogurt and horseradish would also cost only pennies. Credit Crunch Munch is the frugal food recipe sharing challenge developed by Helen over at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla over at Fab Food 4 All  This month is is hosted by Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary 

Labels: Credit Crunch Munch, fish, lemon, pate, smoked mackerel, spread, Tea Time Treats, toast

posted by Janice @ 20:09 17 Comments

Lentil, Cheese and Stuffing Loaf

In my pre-Christmas online shopping spree, I mistakenly ordered a couple of packets of dry stuffing mix rather than ready-made stuffing. By the time it gets to Christmas my cooking mojo has usually expired in a puddle of goose fat.  I threw them in the back of the larder and popped into the shop for the stuffing I wanted. However, once all the festivities had passed, I found the stuffing again and one of the things I like to use dried stuffing for is to bulk up meatloaf, it acts like breadcrumbs and adds flavour too. This time however, I decided to make a non-meat version, based on a couple of different Lentil Loaf recipes.

Lentil, Cheese and Stuffing Loaf
serves 6-8

180 g red lentils
240 ml liquid (I used wine, but you could use cider or water)
130g pack of stuffing mix, reconstituted as per packet instructions
135 g grated hard cheese (I used a herb cheddar)
1 egg, beaten

1. Place the lentils and the liquid in a pan and add just enough water to cover the lentils.  Bring to the boil and allow to cook almost until tender and until the liquid has been absorbed.
2. Mix the cooked lentils with the reconstituted stuffing, beaten egg and the grated cheese.
3. Line a 400g loaf tin with silicone paper and fill with the mixture.
4. Cover with buttered foil and EITHER bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for about an hour, taking off the foil ten minutes before the end of cooking to brown the top OR place the tin in a slow cooker, pour boiling water around the tin (bain marie) until it is about half way up the tin and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours.

I cooked mine in the slow cooker which kept it really moist, the texture is quite close and it cuts really well when cold.  I served it with gravy, but you could also serve with a tomato sauce.


The Lentil Loaf is also really good cold and makes a great packed lunch with some homemade coleslaw made simply with grated carrots, sliced red cabbage and a little leftover cream cheese dip from New Year as dressing. This was my lunch today and I really enjoyed it.

I'm entering this for Tea Time Treats the blogger event organised by Janie at The Hedgecombers and Karen at Lavender and Lovage.  The theme this month is Packed Lunches and it's being hosted by Janie.
I'm hoping it also fits with Cooking with Herbs  Great British Store Cupboard challenge, another challenge from my friend Karen at Lavender and Lovage.  Karen is asking us to use ingredients from the store cupboard as well as including herbs. As the cheese contained herbs and the stuffing mix contained sage, I think it should qualify.

I'm also entering the Lentil Cheese and Stuffing Loaf for Credit Crunch Munch  organised, and this month hosted, by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla at Fab Food 4 All  It's a thrifty dish, uses things that are in the store cupboard AND makes a great packed lunch!

Labels: cheese, Cooking with Herbs, Credit Crunch Munch, frugal, Lentil loaf, packed lunch, Stuffing, Tea Time Treats

posted by Janice @ 19:44 24 Comments

Smoked Mackerel Kedgeree - Fish, Feed our Future

I do love smoked mackerel.  It's such versatile fish, you can eat it cold with salad, whizz it up with creme fraiche to make a Mackerel Pate  or serve on toast in a Mackerel Sun Dried Tomato and Cheese Toast or add it to all sorts of different dishes.

I also have a soft spot for kedgeree, my mum used to make it with leftover rice and cooked smoked haddock. The whole lot was re-fried in butter and was so luscious and fun with the added sweetness of peas and topped with hard boiled eggs.

My recipe does include a little curry flavouring it takes about 20 minutes to make and was a perfect Friday night supper.

Smoked Mackerel Kedgeree
Serves 2-3

1 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup/195g basmati rice
2 tsp of korma paste
2 cups of stock or water
2 small smoked mackerel approx 200g (I used peppered mackerel as we love pepper)
50g frozen peas
small bunch of parsley
2 hard boiled eggs
salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the garlic and onion and cook until soft.
2. Add the rice and stir around till covered in oil, add the korma paste and cook for a minute.
3. Add the stock or water and simmer until the rice is soft and all the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes, add the peas.
4. Flake the smoked mackerel and add to the cooked rice, season to taste.
5. Finish by adding the chopped parsley and quartered hard boiled eggs.


I'm entering this for Credit Crunch Munch, the thrifty blog challenge run by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla at Fab Food 4 All, this month the challenge is being hosted at A New Addition.   I feel that this dish qualifies because smoked mackerel is really good value as well as being really good for you,  read about the health benefits of oily fish at Fish is the Dish.

Labels: Credit Crunch Munch, eggs, fish, Fish is the Dish, Kedgeree, Omega 3, rice, smoked mackerel, supper

posted by Janice @ 20:47 2 Comments

Slow Cooker Sausage, Tomato and Rosemary Casserole

Operation Dry Rot is finally progressing with construction rather than destruction now the order of the day.  However, I am still cooking without my stove, so Slow Cooker recipes are featuring heavily.  I like them because you can cook everything in one pot and there is less fussing around with the single electric ring and the microwave.

This is a simple casserole using everyday ingredients which make it tasty, thrifty and convenient.

Sausage, Tomato and Rosemary Slow Cooker Casserole
Serves 3-4
 6 pork sausages
1 seasonal root vegetable pack containing 3 carrots, 1 parsnip, 1 small turnip (swede), 1 onion.
2 large potatoes
1 400g can chopped tinned tomatoes
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 stock cube (I used beef)
1 tbsp vegetable oil 
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Heat the oil in a pan and brown the sausages all over (I have a Sear and Stew Slow Cooker so brown mine in the cooking pot on the hob), slice the onion and add to the pan, turn down the heat and cook slowly for about 10 minutes.

2. While the sausage and onion are sauteing in the pan, peel the other vegetables and chop into small even sized pieces. You can cut the potatoes slightly larger as they will soften more quickly than the carrot and swede.






Bloggers Around the World has landed in GB and this sort of sausages are very much a British tradition, so I'm sharing this recipe at Chris's site Cooking Around the World.

Labels: casserole, comfort food, Cooking Around the World, Cooking with Herbs, Credit Crunch Munch, Rosemary, sausages, slow cooker, thrifty

posted by Janice @ 12:07 30 Comments

Crespelle - Italian Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday

Next Tuesday, 4th March, is Shrove Tuesday this year.  Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is the day to use up all the rich foods in the house before Ash Wednesday and the start of the fasting season of Lent. It's also traditional to make pancakes, whether you take part in Lent or not, pancakes are a simple and delicious base for sweet or savoury toppings, so well worth using this annual reminder to cook some up. 

Winter Fruit Pancakes



Breakfast Pancakes - Roti Telor Style


I had three pancakes left over so decided to have them for our breakfast.  I would normally grill my bacon but am operating out of a temporary kitchen due to the work that is going on in my kitchen, so I fried  up the rashers in my Tefal Superior Frying pan then set to one side.







I drained off some of the fat from the bacon and added a pancake. Then I broke an egg onto the pancake and swirled it about.  Anyone who has been to Malaysia and eaten breakfast in a street cafe will have tried Roti Chanai (Pancakes with a curry sauce) but for added protein you can have Roti Telor.  All that means is that an egg is broken on top of the pancake, it was my husband's favourite when we visited Malaysia in the 1980s.  Before the egg is cooked add the bacon.

I found that I had to flip the pancake over to make sure the egg was fully cooked  and to enclose the bacon in the pancake.

There was only one thing missing...Maple Syrup!  Unfortunately, it wasn't something that I put in my temporary store cupboard, so we had to do without.





I'm entering both recipes for Shop Local, the blogger challenge run by Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary to highlight the great products available in our local area. Walkmill Cider products are available at my local farmers market and the eggs I used in the pancakes and on the pancakes come from a local farm.

I'm also adding this to Credit Crunch Munch as both are cheap, cheerful and filling. CCC is the blog challenge of Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4 All and this month is hosted by My Golden Pear.
 
And finally the Pancakes Roti Telor Style made to use up the leftover pancakes is going into the No Waste Food Challenge run by London Unattached and Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

I was provided with a Tefal Superior Fry pan, I was not paid for this post and all opinions are my own. 

Labels: breakfast, Credit Crunch Munch, crespelle, italian pancakes, No Waste Food Challenge, pancakes, Roti Telor, Shop Local, Shrove Tuesday, Tefal

posted by Janice @ 07:00 29 Comments

French Onion Soup

It's been quite a long time since I've made French Onion Soup and after eating it today, I realised that I must make it more often!  I was looking for a simple soup to make and knew I had plenty of onions in the vegetable drawer of the fridge.

I used my OXO Good Grips mandoline to slice the onions finely and gently sauted them with oil and butter until they were soft and golden.  It was only then that I thought I should, perhaps, check out a recipe.  I found the ideal recipe at BBC Good Food although I didn't use wine in my soup but replaced this with a bit more beef stock.

I had one pannini roll left over from the Chorizo Burgers so split it, divided it into triangles, drizzled with olive oil and some cheese slices and put it under the grill to brown.  The bread was perfect to float on top of the soup and then push down into it, soaking up all the sweet oniony broth.



This is such a simple soup to make and the ingredients are inexpensive and freely available, so I am entering it for this month's Credit Crunch Munch, the blog event run by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla at Fab Food 4 All. 

Labels: BBC Good Food, cheese, Credit Crunch Munch, French Onion Soup, onions, OXO Good Grips, Soup

posted by Janice @ 09:00 7 Comments

Cheesey Bites for Credit Crunch Munch

I had a bit of leftover puff pastry, you  know the scraps round the side that you have cut off your nice neat pie.  Sometimes I make little turnovers but there really wasn't enough, so I gathered up the bits and rolled them into a rectangle.  Sprinkled on some grated Mature Scottish Cheddar and rolled up from the long side.

I sliced the pastry roll up like a Chelsea Bun and placed them on the baking tray, ground over some black pepper and popped in the oven at 200C for a few minutes until they rose and turned golden and all the cheese had melted.  I guess they are a sort of savoury Palmier, whatever you call them, they were very tasty and would be perfect as canapes or even for children's parties.  You could also spread tomato puree or ketchup on the pastry before adding the cheese.  They certainly didn't last long!

This is my entry for October 2013 Credit Crunch Munch, the money saving blog event run by Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4 All.  Had I not made these Cheesey Bites the pastry would have been thrown out and a little bit of grated cheese turned it into a sophisticated canape.  Nothing wasted here!

This month Credit Crunch Munch is being hosted by Utterly Scrummy.

Labels: canapes, cheese, Credit Crunch Munch, nibbles, puff pastry

posted by Janice @ 21:29 8 Comments

Chocolate Crunchie Munchies

The way to my man's heart generally involves some kind of chocolate biscuit cake, although all cakes and biscuits are appreciated. These little Chocolate Crunchie Munchies are, not only a decadent and delicious morsel to munch on with your coffee, they are also a frugal make. Now that is bound to please your loved one!

I came home on Friday night and had a bit of a craving for something chocolatey, I knew there were no chocolates in the house but there was a bar of Rylands Dark Chocolate. I get this chocolate at the supermarket, it is about 89p for a 200g bar and tastes very much like Bournville chocolate. It's not in the league of specialist chocolate for eating, but it is excellent for baking and sweet making.

So I had the chocolate, now I needed to find something to mix with it. I rummaged around and found the end of a box of Special K, the flakes had gone a bit soft and chewy, but there is an easy way to rescue cereal, by putting it in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes. You need to use it up pretty quickly after that, but it crisps it up beautifully. As I was putting the oven on for supper anyway, this wasn't going to cost any more in fuel.

Special K being crisped up in the oven

 

I also found a bag with a few Amaretti biscuits in it and some sultanas.

Chocolate Crunchie Munchies

150g Dark Chocolate
50g White Chocolate
25g butter
225g cereal and/or crushed Amaretti biscuits
50g sultanas or small pieces of other dried fruit

1. Break up the chocolate and put it in a bowl with the butter, over a pan of hot water. Melt the chocolate being careful not to get any water into the chocolate or it will granulate.
2. Stir in the cereal crushed biscuits and sultanas and spoon into paper or silicone cases.

3. Put in the fridge for about 30-50 minutes.
4. Using a clean bowl, melt the white chocolate and put into a piping bag.
5. Drizzle the white chocolate over the Crunchie Munchies and return to the fridge for 10 minutes to set.

These little chocolate bites definitely hit the spot, you can adapt the recipe for any type of cereal or mixture of cereal and crushed biscuits, add nuts or seeds, smarties, M and Ms or anything that you like. Great for kids to make.

I received the heart shaped silicon cupcake cases in a lovely parcel from Dunelm Mill. I find that Dunelm Mill is a great place to get all your baking equipment, the prices are much cheaper than some of the specialist stores and there is a wide range of different products. I like to pick up items for food styling as well. As you can see I received a silicone madeleine mould, some large silicone cupcake cases, some silicone flowerpots and a Macroon Baking Set. The Heart Shaped Cupcake Cases are the first item I have had a chance to use but I am really excited about the Flower pots and the Macaroon Baking Set. I have made Macaroons before but they weren't very even and the set contains a baking mat which will keep my macaroons all the same size.

As this is a frugal recipe I'm entering it for Credit Crunch Munch the blog event run by Fuss Free Flavour and Fab Food 4 All. This month it is Elizabeth's Kitchen who is hosting the challenge.

I'm also adding this to Treat Petite, a NEW challenge from Cakey Boi and the Baking Explorer. This month the challenge is for any small cake or treat and The Baking Explorer is hosting.

I was sent these baking items by Dunelm Mill, I was not paid for this post and all my views are my own.

Labels: amaretti, biscuits, chocolate, cookies, Credit Crunch Munch, Crunch, Fab Food 4 All, Fuss Free Flavour, Mr Cakey Boi, Munch, The Baking Explorer, Treat Petite

posted by Janice @ 11:56 7 Comments

Risotto and Risotto Cakes for Credit Crunch Munch

I have to remind myself to include some of my recipes in blog challenges like Credit Crunch Munch.  Using up left overs and creating new dishes from those bits left in the fridge is second nature to me and I find it pushes my creativity to create something from almost nothing.

This wasn't really 'nothing', I had bought a large roast to have at the weekend when I had visitors.  I had marinated it and slow cooked it in a roasting bag, everyone enjoyed the tender slices of beef.  However, it really was a big joint of beef, so even after another dinner of roast beef slices with gravy and slices with salad, there was still some left.

I decided to dice the cooked beef and cook it in a risotto.

Beef Risotto

150g - 300g left over roast beef cubed
2 tsp butter
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
400g risotto rice
1 litre beef stock
100g frozen peas

1. Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add the onions and cook over a low heat for a bout 10 minutes until soft but not coloured.  Add a little water to the pan if the onions stick.
2. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the rice and cook until it turns opaque.  Add a quarter of the stock and stir until all the liquid has been absorbed.
4. Continue to add the stock, stirring constantly until the rice is soft but still has a little bite.
5. Add the cubed beef and frozen peas, stir, turn the heat off and leave with the lid on the pan for 5-10 minutes until it is heated through.
6.  If you have some flat leaved parsley you can add this before serving,  I didn't have any when I made this and it was fine without.

So now I have a large pan of risotto, too much for three of us to eat and more left overs.  So I thought I'd have a go at making risotto cakes.  The technique was very simple, add an egg to the left over risotto mixture.  Flour a large plate, form patties of risotto and egg mixture on the plate, dust with more flour.  Heat a couple of tbsp of oil in a frying pan and, using a fish slice, gently transfer the risotto cakes to the pan.  Fry until brown and crisp, turn and cook to the same colour on the other side.  Serve with creamed horseradish and salad.

Labels: Beef, Credit Crunch Munch, fried, horseradish, peas, risotto, risotto cakes, roast beef

posted by Janice @ 20:15 5 Comments