Well, 'champ' but I've bastardised it for my own means and called it 'chump' so as not to insult the traditional dish!
Mashed potatoes are great but chump is even better and squeezes some greens in.
Boil potatoes until soft - add sweet potato if you're feeling fancy, or celeriac or Jerusalem (f)artichokes*. There must be normal potatoes too though.
5 minutes before you drain them to mash, add a couple of handfuls of shredded spring greens (or cabbage, or sprouts).
If you fancy it you can also fry some leeks and/or chopped bacon while the potatoes are cooking.
Drain the veg and add some salt, pepper, a knob of butter and a splash of milk (use dairy free if vegan). You can also add a bit of mustard or horseradish or some herbs if you want.
Mash it all up and stop in the fried bits if you made them. It's great with sausages and gravy.
If you have any leftover, put it in the fridge then fry it the next day to make bubble and squeak or mix in some tinned fish and make fish cakes.
*jerusalem artichokes are often called artichokes because they give you serious wind! But it's so worth it. Supermarkets never seem to have them but local shops sometimes do and the market too. If the wind bit worries you then try to find some winter savoury herb as that cancels the wind effect.
Showing posts with label veg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veg. Show all posts
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Spring Greens
Spring greens are about 80p for a huge bag in the supermarket and even cheaper in the market. And they rule. They are actually early (in the year) cabbages but don't really taste like cabbage and are baggier.
Here are some ideas:
- Boil or steam and have with a knob of butter melted and lemon juice and black pepper.
- Shred, add to potatoes for the last 5 minutes until you drain to make mashed potatoes to make it 'chump'.
- Shred and add to a stir fry.
- Boil or steam and drizzle with tahini sauce (a spoon of tahini, a clove of garlic minced in, the juice of a lemon and some dried mint, a bit of water added gradually as you mix it to the consistency of double cream).
Homemade stock
Whenever you are cooking with vegetables, there is usually a little heap of peelings and odd ends created and you will probably have some wilting herbs in the back of the fridge that didn't get used up. And if you are a meat or fish eater and eat things on the bone, you will have a pile of bones left over.
Rather than putting these in your compost bin (or worse, rubbish bin), turn them into magical stock! Keep a bag in the freezer (separate ones for veg, meat bones and fish bones) and keep adding to it. When you have a full bag it's stock time. making stock on a miserable day when you don't plan on going out for a couple of hours is actually quite nice - and makes the kitchen smell amazing!
Veg stock:
Tip the veg bits into a large saucepan and cover with water (about 2 inches higher than the veg). Add a few peppercorns, some bay leaves, herb stalks or whatever you want. Boil it and then let it simmer for about 2 hours on a low heat. Strain it into another vessel (don't do what I often o by mistake and strain into the sink, forgetting that its the water I want to keep, not the veg!). Then freeze portions of this is takeaway containers or freezer bags - about 500ml each but nothing's exact.
Fish stock:
As above but particularly good with dill, aniseed or tarragon. Add some veg scraps too. Fennel and lemon rinds are particularly good.
Meat stock:
As with the fish but even better if you roast the bones off in the oven first as it intensifies the flavour.
Now you never need a stock cube again and you can make endless soups and stews. Cooking rice in stock is great too.
Rather than putting these in your compost bin (or worse, rubbish bin), turn them into magical stock! Keep a bag in the freezer (separate ones for veg, meat bones and fish bones) and keep adding to it. When you have a full bag it's stock time. making stock on a miserable day when you don't plan on going out for a couple of hours is actually quite nice - and makes the kitchen smell amazing!
Veg stock:
Tip the veg bits into a large saucepan and cover with water (about 2 inches higher than the veg). Add a few peppercorns, some bay leaves, herb stalks or whatever you want. Boil it and then let it simmer for about 2 hours on a low heat. Strain it into another vessel (don't do what I often o by mistake and strain into the sink, forgetting that its the water I want to keep, not the veg!). Then freeze portions of this is takeaway containers or freezer bags - about 500ml each but nothing's exact.
Fish stock:
As above but particularly good with dill, aniseed or tarragon. Add some veg scraps too. Fennel and lemon rinds are particularly good.
Meat stock:
As with the fish but even better if you roast the bones off in the oven first as it intensifies the flavour.
Now you never need a stock cube again and you can make endless soups and stews. Cooking rice in stock is great too.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Vitamin Wheat
This is fast, adaptable and good for using bits of veg up. Quantities here are for 2-3 meals.
2 mugs of bulgar wheat or couscous (or cooked rice)
1 small onion
1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced
A handful of chopped dried fruit (optional but things like cranberries, apricots, sultanas...)
About 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 apple, chopped
A slosh of cider (or water)
Other things you can add:
1 courgette, diced
1 pepper, diced
2 sticks of celery, chopped
3 handfuls Quorn chunks
a bit of cubed feta
Chickpeas
Dressing:
a glug of olive oil
juice of a lemon
handful of chopped parsley
half tsp cinnamon
half tsp cumin
half tsp sumac (optional)
half tsp advieh (optional)
chopped mint (optional)
Put the bulgar or couscous in a bowl and pour over boiling water until it is about a cm over the grains and cover with a plate for about 5-10 mins. If you are using dried fruit, add this too. Or cook the rice.
Meanwhile, cook the onions in a little oil until translucent. Add the quern here if using.
Add the garlic and other veg, a slosh of cider, and cook for about 10 mins or until they have softened and the veg (and quorn) has gone goldenish.
Tip it all into a big bowl with the grains and (add the feta now if using) and add the dressing stuff. Stir it all up and cover for 5 mins then serve.
You can leave leftovers to go cold and have it for lunch the next day.
2 mugs of bulgar wheat or couscous (or cooked rice)
1 small onion
1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced
A handful of chopped dried fruit (optional but things like cranberries, apricots, sultanas...)
About 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 apple, chopped
A slosh of cider (or water)
Other things you can add:
1 courgette, diced
1 pepper, diced
2 sticks of celery, chopped
3 handfuls Quorn chunks
a bit of cubed feta
Chickpeas
Dressing:
a glug of olive oil
juice of a lemon
handful of chopped parsley
half tsp cinnamon
half tsp cumin
half tsp sumac (optional)
half tsp advieh (optional)
chopped mint (optional)
Put the bulgar or couscous in a bowl and pour over boiling water until it is about a cm over the grains and cover with a plate for about 5-10 mins. If you are using dried fruit, add this too. Or cook the rice.
Meanwhile, cook the onions in a little oil until translucent. Add the quern here if using.
Add the garlic and other veg, a slosh of cider, and cook for about 10 mins or until they have softened and the veg (and quorn) has gone goldenish.
Tip it all into a big bowl with the grains and (add the feta now if using) and add the dressing stuff. Stir it all up and cover for 5 mins then serve.
You can leave leftovers to go cold and have it for lunch the next day.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Aubergines with Saffron Yoghurt
Aubergines rule. Even more so if you haven't got any meat lurking about but don't fancy salad. The vegetable equivalent of halloumi. This is super easy and I found the recipe (originally by Sabrina Ghayour in The Guardian) and have tweaked it a bit.
(per person)
1 aubergine, sliced
2 tablespoons of greek yoghurt
2 pinches saffron (or turmeric and cumin if you don't have any)
Olive oil
nigella seeds (if you have them)
3 pickled red chillies, thinly sliced (or half a turkish pepper or whatever chilli you can find*, to taste. I actually found finding pickled chilli's surprisingly hard to find but did eventually, in Sainsbury's)
Flat leaved parsley, chopped (about half a handful)
A clove of garlic
First heat either a griddle pan or a frying pan to medium hot. Then brush each slice of aubergine with olive oil and cook in whichever pan you're using until golden. Brush the other side with oil and flip until also golden.
Meanwhile, make the yoghurt. Grind up the saffron and add a tiny bit of boiling water to make a golden liquid. Grate the garlic and add both these to the yoghurt, mixing well.
Simply arrange the aubergine slices on a plate, drizzle the sunny yoghurt sauce, sprinkle over the chillies, nigella seeds (if using) and parsley. Nom.
* Scotch Bonnet is probably a really bad idea here. Tasty rather than deadly!
(per person)
1 aubergine, sliced
2 tablespoons of greek yoghurt
2 pinches saffron (or turmeric and cumin if you don't have any)
Olive oil
nigella seeds (if you have them)
3 pickled red chillies, thinly sliced (or half a turkish pepper or whatever chilli you can find*, to taste. I actually found finding pickled chilli's surprisingly hard to find but did eventually, in Sainsbury's)
Flat leaved parsley, chopped (about half a handful)
A clove of garlic
First heat either a griddle pan or a frying pan to medium hot. Then brush each slice of aubergine with olive oil and cook in whichever pan you're using until golden. Brush the other side with oil and flip until also golden.
Meanwhile, make the yoghurt. Grind up the saffron and add a tiny bit of boiling water to make a golden liquid. Grate the garlic and add both these to the yoghurt, mixing well.
Simply arrange the aubergine slices on a plate, drizzle the sunny yoghurt sauce, sprinkle over the chillies, nigella seeds (if using) and parsley. Nom.
* Scotch Bonnet is probably a really bad idea here. Tasty rather than deadly!
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Mary MacFarlane's 1st year of Uni recipe
This is what I lived on for my first year of college:
Chop half a courgette finely, and start frying in a tablespoon of olive oil. Meanwhile, chop about 4-5 mushrooms finely. When the courgettes are just starting to look cooked (slightly translucent, not yet brown), add the mushrooms. Then chop 4-5 medium-sized tomatoes (it's easier to chop tomatoes if you have a serrated knife), and add them when the mushrooms are starting to look cooked. Chop and add a clove of garlic and some cayenne pepper or chilli powder, then leave it all to cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the tomato juice is mostly cooked off. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, heat up a couple of tortilla wraps. When the veg mixture is cooked, spoon it into tortillas and add a spoonful of plain yoghurt and some cheddar cheese if you want.
Is VERY NICE, takes about 20 minutes, and has pretty much all the food groups! I've also added things like kidney beans or used tinned tomatoes if I've had some that needed using up, but this is the best version because the courgettes, tomatoes and mushrooms all come out quite sweet and the combination of sweet veg, cayenne pepper and yoghurt is really lovely.
Chop half a courgette finely, and start frying in a tablespoon of olive oil. Meanwhile, chop about 4-5 mushrooms finely. When the courgettes are just starting to look cooked (slightly translucent, not yet brown), add the mushrooms. Then chop 4-5 medium-sized tomatoes (it's easier to chop tomatoes if you have a serrated knife), and add them when the mushrooms are starting to look cooked. Chop and add a clove of garlic and some cayenne pepper or chilli powder, then leave it all to cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the tomato juice is mostly cooked off. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, heat up a couple of tortilla wraps. When the veg mixture is cooked, spoon it into tortillas and add a spoonful of plain yoghurt and some cheddar cheese if you want.
Is VERY NICE, takes about 20 minutes, and has pretty much all the food groups! I've also added things like kidney beans or used tinned tomatoes if I've had some that needed using up, but this is the best version because the courgettes, tomatoes and mushrooms all come out quite sweet and the combination of sweet veg, cayenne pepper and yoghurt is really lovely.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Greens & Tahini
Green vegetables are super cheap and super good for you. But they can be a bit boring if you have them as a side veg just boiled or steamed. This way makes them the main event and completely changes their taste. You can make this as an emergency lunch on its own or as a side dish for grilled meat, fish or whatever.
As much green veg as you want (broccoli, green beans, spring greens, or even mix in cauliflower)
Sauce for 1 portion (make more for more people):
1 tablespoon of tahina
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 teaspoon of dried mint
Juice of a lemon (or about a tablespoon of lemon dressing)
A drizzle of pomegranate molasses if you have some but it's not vital at all.
First put the veg on to steam or boil, being careful not to over cook.
To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients together I a small bowl with a fork. Then set the cold tap to a drizzle and gradually add water whilst mixing. It will get very stiff and then gradually loosen. Keep going until you have a sauce that's a bit like yoghurt thickness.
Drain the veg and pour over the sauce. Eat your greens!
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