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.

Ginger beer

We just started making our own ginger beer this summer. Cost-wise I don't think it's much of a saving on shop-bought pop unless you buy bulk ingredients, but it's a darned sight tastier and recalls a less commercial age.

The recipe we use is here, but it's very easy.

This makes a 2-liter bottle. We usually double everything up.

Place 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of water, and 2 tbsp grated ginger in a pan. Heat until the sugar is dissolved (yes, it looks a frightening amount, but it does dissolve, honest). Let the mixture steep for an hour or so until it cools.

Strain the syrup to remove the bits.

Get a cleaned-out 2-liter bottle and pour in 1/8 tsp dried yeast, the strained syrup, 3 tbsp lemon juice, and top up with cold water. Put the lid on and shake, then leave in a cool spot for a few days. Check it daily and crack the lid to let off pressure. There should be a bit of a fizz. It is now ready. Keep refrigerated to stop the fermentation.

Note - plastic bottles are probably safer than glass. Also you can feel the pressure building up by giving the bottle a squeeze. If there's no 'give' it's time to let off some steam!

Christmas pudding

This is a traditional English treat - a moist and rich steamed fruit pudding. We usually try to make these at the start of the year to give them plenty of time to mature before eating, and if you make more than you can eat in one Christmas they will comfortably keep until the next!

We are late this year, and only just got around to it last weekend.

This is an old family recipe that I blogged about in detail over on my other blog, including cooking instructions and pictures. Check it out here:
https://thebaldpatch.blogspot.com/2011/09/christmas-pudding.html

Pasta with creamy chicken and mushrooms

A really simple but tasty dish.

Fry some chicken pieces and sliced mushrooms in a generous knob of butter until cooked. We actually like to fry the mushrooms first to brown them, then set them aside while we cook the chicken so they don't go soggy. Add a good portion of cream and boil until it thickens. Having butter in the pan helps to thicken the sauce.

Serve over pasta of choice.

Pork in creamy mushroom sauce

This was an off-the-cuff concoction that worked pretty well. Not our normal light summer fare, but then this is hardly a normal summer :)

In a large frying pan, fry pork loin chops until browned both sides. Add a generous handful of sliced mushrooms - we usually go for the chestnut button mushrooms rather than their white cousins, for extra flavor. Once the mushrooms have browned a bit on a high heat, add a healthy slosh of brandy and let it bubble until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir and turn things over from time to time to make sure they don't stick. Reduce the heat and add a cup or two of thick cream, then bring back to the boil until the sauce is thick and creamy.

Serve with choice of carbs and healthy stuff. We had this with mash and corn on the cob this evening.

Sweet & sour pork

We gave this recipe a try this evening, and it was fabulous.

I'm only posting the link here, and skipping my usual quick reference summary of ingredients and method because there's a lot of bits to it - the marinade for the pork, the coating, the sauce, and other bits to add to the pork - https://thewoksoflife.com/2015/12/sweet-and-sour-pork/

Suffice it to say, there's a fair bit of preparation and cooking involved, but we elected to have a lazy day and take it slowly this evening. Preparation and cooking time overall was over 2 hours rather than the 1 1/4 suggested on the website. In part that was because we had other dishes to make as well (stir fried rice and spring rolls) and we weren't in a hurry. We could have shaved off some time if we'd been more focused and organized. We also did a lot more pork - about twice the recipe - which made for more frying. Having said that, don't underestimate the time it takes to bring a pan of oil up to temperature, and to coat and fry batches of meat.

Not something to do if you're in a hurry, but if you enjoy being in the kitchen the effort was well worth it.

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.