Potato gratin

We like trying a new spin on potatoes every once in a while, and this random discovery was an all-round hit. In some ways it's similar to Duphinoise potatoes, but a lot richer. It does take a lot more preparation though, but if you have the time, the effort is worth it.

Cube and boil potatoes in salted water for a few minutes. They should be slightly tender but not too soft.

Saute a couple of diced shallots and minced garlic in butter until tender.

Stir in a spoonful of flour and cook for a minute, stirring to stop it catching on the pan. Stir in a couple of cups of chicken stock then cream to make a moderately thick sauce. Simmer for a few minutes stirring constantly.

Stir in a generous handful of cheese, a squirt of mustard, and season with salt and pepper. Finally stir in the drained potatoes.

Spread the mixture into a greased baking pan and bake for up to an hour. Sprinkle another handful of grated cheese and chopped chives or green onions on top and either return to bake or put under the grill to brown.

Dauphinoise potatoes

A remarkably quick & easy version if you want a slightly different (and tasty) way to serve potatoes.

Put thinly-sliced potatoes into a baking dish that can go on the stove top as well as in the oven. Add a layer of thinly-sliced red onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and grated Parmesan. Pour on a good slosh of cream and some water. Stir everything together, bring to the boil on the stove top, cover, and cook for 5 or 6 minutes.

Sprinkle on another generous handful of grated Parmesan and put in the oven, uncovered, for about 1/2 hour. It should be brown and bubbling. If necessary, brown it off under the grill

Liver pate

Something I used to make often, but haven't in a long while now. A more detailed post over on my other blog here, but the basics are as follows:

Fry a finely-chopped onion in about 4oz butter. When it's soft, add a few chopped cloves of garlic and 1lb liver. We usually use lamb's liver, but chick or beef will also do.

Once the liver changes color, add 1/2 pint of stock and seasoning (salt, black pepper, and a generous dash of Italian seasoning). Bring to the boil, cover, and then simmer gently for a couple of hours. You need the liver soft, and the stock reduced to a thick sludge.

Blend, add a dash of cream - just enough to make a thick paste - and blend again. Pour into a bowl, leave to cool, then refrigerate until set.

Cornbread

Cornbread is not something we ever encountered the other side of The Pond, and I only tried it relatively recently and decided to hunt down a recipe. I was delighted with how easy it was to get good results on a first try!

The recipe comes from this site: https://cafedelites.com/easy-buttermilk-cornbread/
But I'll repeat the basics here as the site is very cluttered with ads and you have to scroll down half a mile to get to the actual recipe.

In a bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well to remove any lumps.

Make a well in the center and add 1 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup honey, 2 eggs. Mix to combine ingredients, then add 1/2 cup melted butter. Whisk until the batter is smooth, but don't over-mix.

Heat the oven to 400F, and preheat a greased 9" baking dish. Pour in the batter and cook for about 25 minutes. The top should be slightly browned, and the toothpick test will tell you when the middle is cooked. Leave to cool a bit before cutting and serving.

Rice

Given that rice is such a staple for us, maybe even more so than potatoes, I thought I would share our easy, no-fuss approach to cooking plain boiled rice. This is adapted from a pilau rice recipe, but without the spices.

Heat a thin layer of oil in a pan, and add the rice. Stir around for a few seconds to coat the grains. Add salt and either stock or water. If you had the pan warm enough the liquid should hiss when you pour it in. You want about 1 1/2 to 2 times the volume of liquid to rice.

Bring to the boil, give one last stir, and put the lid on. If you're cooking on gas, you want to turn the heat really low for about ten minutes and then switch off for the remaining time. If you use an electric hob it's even easier - when you put the lid on, switch off the ring and just leave the pan where it is. The residual heat in the ring will do the rest.

Twenty minutes later, you have beautifully cooked, hassle-free rice. Don't be tempted to lift the lid and check on it. You need to keep the steam in the pan to cook the rice. Just trust the process.

If you are cooking brown or wild rice, increase the cooking time. You can also leave the pan on the stove for a while longer if you're not yet ready to serve. This approach is very forgiving.

Curried shrimp and spinach

A very simple side dish I made up on the fly last week, just to add a little something special alongside the more regular chicken curry that I made.

Fry a sliced onion long and slow until it caramelizes nicely. Add spoonfuls of ground spice (cumin, coriander, chili, and some curry paste), then a couple of chopped tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes mash down and mingle with the spices. About 10 minutes from serving, add some generous handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves. Stir carefully to bring them into contact with the heat and let them sweat down. Stir in a handful of shelled cooked shrimp and make sure everything is mixed in and coated with spices.

Parsnips in creamy horseradish

OK, this is a bit late posting as it was one of the side dishes we had with the Christmas turkey. It is another of our collection of tasty veggies for special occasions, although it is very quick and easy to do.

Peel and core parsnips then blanch them for a minute or two in boiling water. Drain and place in a casserole dish.

Mix 1/2 and 1/2 creamed horseradish and thick cream and pour over the top. The mixture should just coat the parsnips. Sprinkle over grated Parmesan and bake in the oven for about 1/2 hour.

Chana Saag

A chick pea curry, one of our favorite side dishes.

Fry a chopped onion until golden. Add spices (curry paste, cumin, coriander) then a couple of chopped tomatoes and a drained can of chick peas. Cover and simmer on a very low heat for at least an hour. Stir occasionally - the tomatoes should provide enough liquid for the dish, but it can catch on the pan if you're not careful.

Once the tomatoes have mashed down, add a generous squirt of tomato ketchup for a bit of sweetness. Near the end, stir in a good handful of spinach leaves.

Stir fried beansprouts

We often use this as an easy accompaniment to a stir fry.

Fry a sliced onion until it starts to turn golden. Throw in a handful of fresh beansprouts and a dash of soy sauce. Toss briefly until heated through and serve immediately.

If you want a bit of color, you can add some shredded carrot or other vegetables to the mix.

Sprouts with mushrooms and almonds

Everyone loves sprouts. Don't they? LOL. The vegetable everyone loves to hate, but I suspect part of that is rooted in being served sprouts badly cooked. Soggy? Ugh!

This simple twist won't guarantee perfectly cooked veg - the timing is still in your hands - but it's a great enhancement on the plain old boiled variety to accompany chicken or turkey.

Peel and prepare sprouts as normal. It's important to cut a cross fairly deep into the base to allow them to cook in the middle without the outside going mushy. Boil in salted water for about 5 minutes. A bit of crunch is fine, but overcooking is not good.

Meanwhile cut some button mushrooms into halves or quarters depending on size. You want pieces similar size to the sprouts and about the same quantity overall. Fry them in butter until starting to brown. Throw in a handful of flaked almonds. Drain and add the sprouts to the pan. Toss everything in the butter for a few more minutes, then serve.

Update January 2019: 

We've been doing a few variations on this theme in recent months. Firstly, I've found that it helps to halve the sprouts rather than simply cross the stems. Then, instead of mushrooms you can saute things like finely-sliced red onion or red cabbage instead. I'm sure there are loads of other things you can try to ring the changes.

Cauliflower cheese

A great side dish to go with a roast, when you're feeling in the mood for something a little more special than plain veggies.

Make a Roux sauce (small knob of butter melted in a saucepan, a spoonful of flour mixed in and cooked briefly, then milk whisked in to make a thick sauce) and melt in a few slices of cheese.

Meanwhile, briefly cook cauliflower florets - only a few minutes, you don't want them going soggy. Drain and tip into a casserole dish. Pour over the cheese sauce, then sprinkle a 50/50 mix of grated Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Either fresh breadcrumbs or something like Panko. Pop in the oven for 1/2 hour to brown and crisp the topping.

As an alternative to cauliflower, you can use broccoli or some similar variant. In this case we used broccoflower. 

Stir fried rice

A special twist on rice to accompany any Chinese style dishes.

Cook plain long-grained white rice as per normal instructions. If we're having rice with something else, we'll sometimes do extra and set aside for a stir-fry later on in the week.

Crack open and lightly beat three or four eggs. Pour the eggs into a large frying pan with a little oil. Stir gently, spreading the eggs thinly over the pan until they start to cook. Allow them to cook in a thin sheet, then scrape up into  bowl and set aside. This is basically scrambled eggs, but rather than scrambling them to a light and fluffy mass, you want to end up with thin layers.

Prepare whatever "extras" you want to add to the rice. If you're cooking anything, like finely-diced pork, do this now in the same pan. We usually go for a handful each of shrimp, peas, and sweetcorn which only needs defrosting rather than actual cooking.

Add the rice to the pan and heat through. Season with salt and black pepper. Add the toppings and stir in, breaking up the eggs into smallish pieces.

Couscous

A great alternative to rice or potatoes with many dishes and salads.

In butter, fry a small very finely-chopped onion and a handful of flaked almonds. Keep to one side.

Measure out the required amount of couscous and keep to one side - I usually use about 2oz per person.

Measure the same amount of water into a saucepan. I don't often bother with measurements, but the ratio of couscous to liquid is moderately important or it will either not cook properly or come out mushy. There is some leeway though. Whether you measure by volume or weight doesn't matter too much.

Add to the water a spoonful of chicken stock (dry or paste, or you can simply use liquid stock or broth instead of water), a spoonful of dark soy sauce, and a tablespoon of olive oil.

Bring the liquid to the boil, add the couscous, stir, cover, and remove from the heat.

Leave to stand for 5 to 10 minutes. The liquid should be absorbed and the mix not too dry. Add a knob of butter and stir in, breaking up any lumps. Put back on the heat, stirring in the onions and almonds.

Serve warm or cold.

Yorkshire pudding

A traditional British accompaniment to roast beef.

The trick with these treats is to have a very hot oven. This can cause logistical problems if you only have the one oven and it's already in use at a lower temperature for the rest of the meal. In this situation, timing is everything. You can get meat and potatoes pretty much cooked and then crank up the temperature. Put the puddings in and take the other things out to carve and keep warm and start serving. If you're a slow worker like me, the puddings should be risen and ready to serve last minute. If you have the luxury of separate ovens then it's a lot easier.

Put about a cup of plain flour in a mixing bowl, and add a teaspoon of salt. Break three eggs in and mix into the flour. It will be too thick at this stage to mix properly - don't panic! Slowly start mixing in a 50/50 mixture of milk and water, whisking out any lumps. Add enough liquid to make a thin batter.

Add a small knob of lard to each well in a cookie tray - depending on how many puddings you plan to make. This approach makes muffin-sized individual puds. Alternatively you can drop a spoonful of lard into a small baking dish and make one large pudding.

Put the tray into a hot oven (approx. 430F) until the lard is melted. Pour the batter into the dish. Put back in the oven and leave to rise, usually about 20 minutes.

If you need to open the oven door while cooking, do so very gently. Any influx of cold air will cause the puddings to collapse. If you have a glass-fronted door to monitor progress without opening the door, so much the better. When the puddings have risen and browned on top, take them out and serve immediately.

Stuffing

Either used to stuff chicken or turkey, or to accompany pork.

Rough quantities to stuff a small chicken. Scale up as needed.

1/2 small onion, very finely chopped.
1 cup breadcrumbs.
1/2 cup sausage meat.
Chopped herbs (e.g. sage, thyme, garlic) and salt & pepper to season.
1 egg.

Mix all the dry ingredients then mix in the egg to bind. If the mix is too dry to hold together, you can add in a dash of olive oil.

Tip: We save crusts or leftovers of bread, whiz them through a blender to make breadcrumbs, then store in a ziplok bag in the freezer to take out as needed.

Ratatouille

A great accompaniment to steak.

In a saucepan, fry a finely-chopped onion until soft. Add diced courgette, pepper, and tomatoes. Stir in a spoonful of Italian seasoning and tomato ketchup. Simmer gently for about 1/2 hour until the courgettes are cooked. Timing depends on whether you like them crisp or soft.

Barbecued chicken wings

Nowadays this is a popular accompaniment to pizza, but also great with a salad or just as a snack.

We used to buy ready-coated chicken wings, but these days I buy raw chicken wings and make up my own sauce.

Sauce is equal quantities (about a tablespoon each) of honey, Hoi Sin sauce, and Thai chilli sauce. Mix and coat the chicken. Spread out on a baking tray and bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked.

Pilau rice

A rice dish to accompany curry.

Heat a spoonful of oil in a saucepan. Fry a few whole black peppercorns, cloves, and some slices of onion until the onion is golden. Stir in a teaspoon of turmeric, followed by basmati rice. Cook for a few seconds, and then add salt and water. In my experience you want roughly one-and-a-half times as much water as rice.

Bring to the boil, then cover and turn off the heat. Leave for 1/2 hour, then it is ready to serve.

This assumes cooking on an electric hob. Leave the pan on the ring after turning off the heat and there will be enough residual heat to steam the rice. If cooking on gas, once it's up to the boil turn the gas down low for 15 minutes then switch off for the remaining time. Do not lift the lid while cooking to keep the steam in. Just trust that the rice will come out perfectly cooked every time.

Dhal

Place red lentils in a pan and cover well with cold water. Bring to the boil, skim of any scum, then stir in turmeric and a knob of butter. Cover and cook gently.

Dry fry a spoonful of cumin seeds until toasted, and set aside. 

With a knob of butter, fry onion, garlic, green chillies, ginger, and chopped tomatoes. When cooked, mix in the toasted cumin seeds, garam masala and ground coriander.

Stir the lentils. They should have the consistency of porridge. Add more water if necessary, then mix in the aromatic veggies.