Brazilian Spiced Egg Rice

This is a cheap, tasty dish eaten in Brazil by people of African descent. Eat it with rice as a satisfying and exciting dinner.

You need:

This will serve five people

• 12 eggs
• olive oil
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• 1 heaped tspn grated coconut
  
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 onions
• 1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander
• Salt and pepper, to taste

To make it:

1. Finely slice the onion, mince the garlic.
   
2. Break the eggs into the bowl (a great opportunity to use up leftover yolks or whites). Gently beat the egg.
   
3. Put a generous splash of olive oil into a frying pan. Heat it on medium and throw in the garlic, onion, tomato, coconut and coriander, stirring constantly.
   
4. When they are a little browned (but just a little) add the eggs.
   
5. Keep stirring, and after 10 seconds reduce the heat as low as it will go.
   
6. Stir now and then for the next five minutes, when they eggs should be done.
   
7. Season with salt and pepper.
   

Tips

Delicious in a tortilla for lunch the next day!

photo with thanks to franck94

Dangerous Chocolate Cake

This cake is delicious, simple and quick. Perfect for when you have forgotten to make pudding!

You need:
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (If you need a quick fix) or divide into ramekins (cups and ramekins need to be microwave safe)

To make it:

1. Pop dry ingredients in the mug and mix well.
2. Add the egg, mix again
3. Add milk, oil, mix.
4. If you are using chocolate chips mix them in with the vanilla.
5. Put the mixture in the microwave and zap for 3.5 mins at 800 W (compensate more time for lower power)
6. Don't worry if the cake rises above the top : )
7. Let it cool a bit, and eat!

photo thanks to gurke

Kenyan Maize & Bean Casserole (Githeri))

Githeri originated amongst the Kikuyu tribe in Kenya, but is now eaten widely. Simple, nutritious and cheap, some families would eat this as a main meal everyday, cooking a large pot at the beginning of the week to reduce energy costs, as dried beans can take a lot of cooking . The beans and maize provide protein in a country where poorer people often cannot afford to eat meat.

Maize and beans would have been brought to the Kenyan coast 500-600 years ago by the Portuguese colonists, who would have brought them from their Latin American colonies, so they have been staples for a long time.

The traditional version would only use maize and beans, and is not very appetising, but I have had other, mouth-watering versions and that is what I want to share.

If you like this, why not also try this Brazilian, subtly spiced version?

To make:
Family sized dinner, with a little over for lunch the next day

3 cups of frozen corn
3 cups of cooked beans (or rinsed tinned kidney beans)
5 chopped carrots
Water to cover (could also include chicken stock, for maximum flavour)
Small bayleaf
One onion/ 2 shallots, finely diced
Tomato puree
Clove of garlic
Salt and black pepper (Kenyans would use a red pepper, such as paprika or cayenne as table pepper)

How to make it:
If you are cooking the beans (such as lima beans, black eyed beans, kidney beans or a mixture) from dried, you will need to soak them overnight in plenty of water. To cook, drain and rinse the beans and cook in more water, or to maximise the flavour, cook with garlic, bayleaf and herbs (bouquet garni), stock or a stockcube. Remember that stock cubes contain lots of salt, so you would not need to add as much salt in the water. The beans will absorb the delicious flavours. In Kenya maize and beans would be stored dried if it was not in season, so the maize would also need to be soaked also, and everything could be cooked together. To save energy and money, use a pressure cooker.

1. Put the corn and beans to a large pot, over a medium heat, with enough water/stock to just cover. Add herbs, salt and pepper.
   
2. When the pot comes to the boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 mins (or a bit less) until everything is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until cooked through, 8-10 minutes.

Recession Beating Tips:
This dish is a great way of using up leftovers. Why not add a little left over stew, , finely chopped left over meat, or the last bit of Bolognese sauce?
Kenyans might also add some cubes of potato, chopped small enough to cook though, or chopped tomato for flavour.
Play around with proportions and don't worry if you don't have everything!



photo thanks to jenwaller

Carrot Halva

Halvas are eaten from Bosnia to Bangladesh, and as far South as Somalia. This is a recipe for a delicious sweet dish, known as Gajor Halua in Bangladesh. This is an exciting, cheap, fairly healthy, gluten free pudding.

You need:

1 kg carrots/ 2.2lb

1 litre/ 2 pints milk

1 teaspoon cardamom seeds

3/4 cup water

3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)

2 tablespoons raisins

2 tablespoons almonds (blanched& flaked)

2 tablespoons pistachios

450 grams/ just under 1lb Sugar

To make it:

1. Soak the raisons in water for about half an hour
2. Prepare the carrots: wash, peel and grate them.
3. Bash the pistachios, in a plastic bag, into small pieces with a rolling pin.
4. Put the water into the pan. When it starts to boil add the carrot. Cook for 6 mins.
5. Pour in the milk and cook gently for one hour. You will need to stir it now and then
6. Add the sugar, mix thoroughly, cook until all of the sugar has dissolved and the milk is absorbed by the carrot.
   
7. Add the ghee (clarified butter). Simmer for 2 or 3 mins.
8. Add the crushes cardamom (or powder) and the soaked raisins. Mix again.
9. Remove from the heat and put into a serving dish.
10. sprinkle the nuts on top.
11. You can serve this hot or cold
    

Alternatives
There are many other types of halva, and hopefully we will be able to share some more here. To give this sweet an amazing (and natural) colour, why not add sliced beetroot, which you can remove before serving, to the milk?

Photo with thanks to Peter Rivera

ANZAC Biscuits

I cooked these from a recipe from Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks blog which I love.

They are DELICIOUS. And very easy. I first made them for a birthday picnic for around 20 friends and they went down a storm. Oats are cheap,

Here is her recipe:

There are many other things you can do with the tasty Anzac dough. It's great as a cobbler topping, or even a tart base. Leftover cookies keep well in an air-tight container for a few days. Have fun experimenting with other zests or spice additions, anything that pairs nicely with oats and coconut will likely work here. For a more traditional Anzac cookie leave out the orange zest and orange blossom water.

You need:
1 cup flour (all-purpose or whole wheat pastry)

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup fine grain natural cane sugar OR brown sugar

1 cup finely shredded non-sweetened coconut (dessicated coconut)

scant 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into little cubes2 tablespoons golden syrup or honeyzest of one medium orange
1 tablespoon boiling water

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon orange blossom water*

To make:
Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl; flour, oats, sugars, and coconut. Mix well.
In a small saucepan over low heat combine the butter syrup (or honey)I made it with butter and sugar, but you cold easily use golden syrup, which is also more typical for ANZAC biccies, and orange zest. Stir until melted and remove from heat. In a small bowl whisk together the boiling water and baking soda. Stir it into the butter. Now pour the butter mixture over the big bowl of oats and stir. Add the orange blossom water and stir again. This is a dough I like to mix it with my hands to make sure the butter is evenly distributed and the dough is moist throughout. I baked this batch of cookies in a well-buttered, heart-shaped cast iron pan, but you can simply drop them by the tablespoonful onto parchment lined baking sheets. Make sure they aren't too flat or they will get crispy. Bake for about 12 minutes or until deeply golden.**
Makes 18 - 24 medium cookies.

*Orange blossom water is sometimes available on Amazon.com, for example here and here. I also find it regularly at places like Whole Foods Markets and/or other natural food stores.
** The most recent batch that I baked in the heart-shaped pan took more like 20 minutes to fully bake and brown. Free-form on a baking sheet will take less - 12 minutes or so.

• If you are diabetic you might want to use agave nectar in place of the sugar/ syrup.


• Think about adding dried cranberries, raisins or chopped dried apricots.

photo- from Heidi's blog

Luscious Lentil Casserole

This is cheap, colourful and tasty. You can make a big pot and freeze half, or it will keep in the fridge for up to 3/4 days. It can all be cooked in one, large, heavy bottomed pot. So simple.

It can be made vegetarian, but I love the flavour that even a little chorizo or Italian salami bring to this.

You need:

Lentils/ beans

Red lentils are the easiest. They don't need soaking. You can make this just with red lentils, but for depth of flavour and texture I like to use a combination. Brown lentils would need to soak overnight, as do chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and lima beans. Basically, you could use any dried bean in this. A cup of red lentils, and half cups of chickpeas, brown lentils (or any other lentils) and lima beans would give you loads. When soaking, they need lots of water- they will expand up to three times their dried size.

Onion

Onions and shallots give flavour to this. I would use what was on hand- If I was making lots I would probably use a medium-large white onion, a shallot and a small red onion, but then I love onions. They add flavour and texture to this.

Flavours

Chorizo or Italian salami are delicious. You only need 50-100g in a large pot of beans so it is actually very economic. You could also use smoked bacon, or sausage.

Chili flakes

Garlic

Chicken stock

Thyme, Marjoram, bay leaf

Bell pepper, chopped.

Add chopped carrot for some sweetness

Tomato

Tinned, Puree, Passata or fresh

Garnishes

Baby spinach, olive oil

To make:

1. Saute the chopped onions, and any chopped meat on a low heat, in a big, hevay bottomed pot. It should be chopped into small pieces because it's flavour needs to get out into the rest of the dish/. I would usually use olive oil, or a mixture of butter and olive oil for maximum flavour.
2. Drain any soaked lentils and rinse.
3. If you are using stock cubes, make up the stock.
4. When the onions are transparent and the meat is cooked add the lentils.
5. You need to cover it with liquid plus an inch. This liquid could include tomato passata, or tinned tomatos, stock, or just water.
6. Add herbs, spices, chopped vegetables, peeled garlic cloves.
7. Simmer for an hour or until cooked, with the lid on making sure that it doesn't dry out. If there is lots of water left towards the end, take off the lid and let some of it evaporate.

To serve:

• Sometimes I like to stir in some baby spinach as I serve- it will wilt, adding nutrition, flavour and colour.
• It is delicious if you add some crispy fried salami/ bacon/ chorizo (whatever you used) and onions on top at the end, as a texture/ garnish
• If there is a lot of liquid, put 5 minute cous-cous into each bowl for serving, put the casserole on top and wait 5 minutes. The slightly sweet couscous will absorb the "gravy".
• On its own, with a drizzle of virgin olive oil, and some fresh bread to mop us the juice.

photo thanks to Dey

Egg Curry/ Simple Biryani

I have an Indian friend who loves eggs. This recipe is for egg Biryani, the versatile Indian dish that can now be found as part of the local cuisine anywhere where Indians have emigrated...

I am not sure that it is completely authentic- I am pretty sure this is a simplified version- but delicious all the same.

You need:

1. basmati rice (raw, 1 cup)
   
2. 4 eggs
3. 1 medium size onion (chopped)
4. HERBS and SPICES: 2 spoon chopped coriander leaves;1-2 sliced green chilies; 1bay leaf (finely chopped), 2 cloves, 1 cardamom pod, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds,1 spoon ginger paste (or a thumb sized piece, diced), 1 spoon garlic paste (or 1 clove, minced), 1 tomato (chopped or pureed), 1 teaspoon red chili powder,1 teaspoon coriander powder,1 teaspoon garam masala powder,½ teaspoon turmeric powder,1 teaspoon cumin powder
5. 3 spoon olive oil or butter
6. 1 spoon sweet pepper (red, yellow or green) (sliced)
7. 1 spoon grated carrot
8. 1 spoon green peas
9. salt to taste

How to do it:

1. You will need to soak the rice for between 1 and 2 hours before draining.
2. Cook the rice with 2 cups of water and a couple of drops of oil. This is the method where when the water has been absorbed by the rice it should be cooked. Be careful- don't let it over cook (don't worry if you prefer to cook the rice another way)
   
3. Let the rice cool.
4. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt in a bowl.
5. In a pan heat a spoon of oil.
6. In a deep pan (or a wok, but it is easiest if you can do it in a dish that can later be put into the oven) heat 2 spoons of oil (or clarified butter). Add the cumin seeds, bay, cloves, cardamon and cook, stirring, for one minute (don't let it burn).
   
7. Add the diced onion, garlic, ginger and salt. Wait until the onion goes transparent, before adding chopped tomato and the rest of the spices. Cook for 3-4 mins.
8. Add the chopped vegetables and cook for around 5 mins.
9. Add the cooked rice, cooked egg and mix, and put it into the oven, covered in foil. Bake for 10 mins, slow oven, 270 F/175 C/ Gas 1. If you haven't cooked it on the stove in something that can be put directly in the oven, either transfer it first or just cover the pan and keep on the stove for 10mins on a low heat.
   
10. Garnish with fresh, chopped coriander, a sprinkling of almonds or cashews, a few onion rings or all of them!

Tips and simplification
This recipe calls for some pretty inconvenient things. One spoonful of chopped sweet pepper? Who has that lying around. As with all of our recipes, don't be a slave- we want common sense, not complication. If you have some leftover pepper to use up, go ahead, put in one spoonful, but if not, why not add a spoonful of another capsicum, such as dried paprika, or a bit of chili powder? Healthier still, bung in a whole pepper.

The same with the carrot. One spoonful? Just grate the whole carrot. It will be more colourful and much more nutritious.

As for the spices, not many people have cardomom pods in their spice racks, or garam masala. If you don't have it fresh, use it dried. If you don't have it at all, just leave it out. Personally I am not a huge fan of garam masala anyway, and would probably just use a mild curry powder instead.

Want more protein? Add more eggs, or add some meat. A great way to use up leftover egg whites or yolks.

Want to make it healthier? Use brown rice.

The recipe isn't claiming to be authentic in its first incarnation, so don't be afraid to stray further!

photo with thanks to gavinbell

Rosalina's Filipino Fried Rice

A simple but delicious recipe for fried rice, which Rosalina explained to me after I commented on how delicious it was!

You need:
1 Cup Rice
Frozen peas
Bacon/ Chicken/ Prawns
Onion 1, small
Garlic 2 cloves
Carrot (3, grated)
frozen sweet corn
egg To make it:

1. Cook the rice, frozen peas and sweet corn together in boiling water (for an non-authentic, but fun twist, add a spoonful of turmeric to the cooking water for a great colour)
2. Fry the bacon, onion, chicken, prawns, fish (all or one of these, or none if you just want a tasty rice accompaniment) in small batches in a wok or large frying pan, setting them aside once done
   
3. Grate the carrot
4. Beat the egg. If you are making rice without meat, add two eggs. If you are using meat, add only one. Add black pepper and a tablespoon of soy sauce and the garlic.
   
5. Add some more oil to the pan. Add the beaten egg, and then quickly all of the other ingredients to the wok/pan, stirring constantly so that the egg is well distributed.

If you want to use healthier brown rice, adjust the cooking times as it will take longer, and you might need to add the peas and corn later.
photo thanks to sweet mustache.

Brocolli Pasta

This ideal recession-busting, energy saving healthy recipe can be adapted to whatever is in your fridge. This is from poor Southern Italy, where peasant farmers and poor Neopolitans have learned to make tasty food from the cheapest ingredients. Just make sure that you have pasta shapes and broccoli!

You need:
Pasta shapes (300g)
1 head broccoli
Olive oil
Garlic

Additional/ optional
Grated cheese (parmesan, Southern Italian pecorino, or even humble cheddar)
Chopped bacon, leftover chicken, pancetta, chorizo, other cured pork
Crushed chili flakes
Small onion

To make it
How often does it seem that we have wasted energy by cooking vegetables and pasta or rice separately? This recipe cooks them together.

1. You need two pans- one full of water for the pasta and broccoli, and the other for finishing it off.
2. Put enough water into a pan for the pasta and broccoli. Remember that if you are using healthier wholemeal or spelt pasta (which also contains much less gluten) it will take longer to cook.
3. Decide what ingredients you will use. If you are using the cured pork, leftover meat or onion it will need to be cooked. Cut up any meat into small pieces, heat a large pan (all of the pasta and broccoli has to fit in!), add some olive oil, and fry to your satisfaction.
4. Cut the broccoli head into small florets- mouth sized pieces. The broccoli will take about 5 minutes to cook (it needs to be quite soft for this dish) so throw it into the hot water five minutes before your pasta should be cooked.
5. Add chopped garlic (and chili if you are using) and some more oil to the frying pan just before you drain the broccoli and pasta.
6. Put the drained broccoli and pasta into the frying pan, stirring so that they get coated in the hot garlic oil, and any meat/ onions get well mixed. Add some salt and lots of fresh black pepper
   
7. Serve steaming hot, with the cheese of your choice on top

Tips
For people who can't eat dairy, to ring the changes or to add more protein:

1. Why not add 500ml of tomato passata to the frying pan once the onions have cooked a little?
2. If you don't want to use cheese, or don't have any, why not beat an egg and add when everything is in the frying pan. Stir well- as with carbonara you want the egg to be a little runny, so don't leave it in for too long!
3. Why not add crispy breadcrumbs/ croutons on top? A great way to use up some older bread, and extra delicious when cooked with garlic, onions and olive oil- add some crunch and flavour without meat.
4. You could also use preserved cheese, or the olive oil from the cheese preserving, or flavoured olive oil to serve.
   

Photo with thanks to churl

Chicken Livers with Tarragon and Orange

Reading old cooking books in the deep winter, I came across a recipe in "Floyd on Britain and Ireland". I love chicken livers if they are well cooked, and these flavours really appealed. Upon eating, they tasted good too. Chicken liver is a stronger flavour than chicken, and the flavours played off each other really well.

My version (makes a great starter for four, or serve as a light lunch with fresh bread)
chicken livers (250g)
one medium onion/ large shallot
fresh tarragon, roughly chopped.
one small orange, halved. Cut one half into wedges to serve, and zest the other half, keeping what is left for the juice. (if you are doubling the recipe, you might also want to segment another orange and add that as a good-looking extra)
olive oil

1. Prepare the chicken livers. Chop off any stringy bits and cut into mouthful sized pieces.
   
2. Dice the onion or shallot. Put a bit of olive oil into a frying pan and the sweat the onions until clear on a low heat.
3. Turn up the heat. Add the chicken livers and stir constantly. After a minute or so, add the orange zest. When the chicken livers are almost done, add the juice from the zested half of the orange, keep stirring and then put the chicken liver and onions onto plates.
   
4. Put plenty of fresh tarragon on top and garnish with the orange wedge, which can be squeezed onto the chicken livers.
5. Serve hot!

Tip: You can grow tarragon, which is delicious with chicken (and I like in my scrambled eggs) in your garden.

Photo thanks to Jasmine&Roses

Toasting Peanuts

A delicious money-saving and pretty healthy treat that I learned from friends in Kenya.

Peanuts can make a delicious snack, but I often find that they are too salty when bought in packets. I also love the crunch from the peanut skins.

Many shops sell raw peanuts still in their skins. Some of the most delicious peanuts I have eaten were the simplest: toasted in a frying pan over a low heat in Nairobi (you don't even need oil as they are naturally oily themselves). Put in enough to cover the bottom of the pan and keep stirring.

Delicious when they are still warm from the pan, or when cooled, you could think of adding chili flakes for more of a bite. Personally, I don't think that they need salt, especially when they are hot, as they are so tasty already!

Monkey nuts (peanuts still in their hard shells) are another great treat. When I last looked you could get them for pennies in Tesco. Put them in the oven, on a tray or in a casserole dish, and cook for around 25 minutes, Gas Mark 3, 325 F, 165 C.

Cool them for a while as they will be hot when straight from the oven, but they are delicious when still warm, great fun for kids to try to open, hot or cold, and use no added fat.

3 kilos of monkey nuts would produce 3-4 cups of peanuts.

If you wrap monkey nuts tightly and keep dry they should keep for up to 6 months in their shells.

photo with thanks to Miss Mass

Carrot Curry

I learned how to make carrot curry from a Sri Lankan Tamil friend. It quickly became a favourite of mine, and went down a storm with guests. Her recipe was for a vegetable accompaniment- something to go with rice, lentils (dal) and a meat curry. This recipe has the potential to stray quite far from the authenticity of the original (apologies), but with tasty results. You could also use this method with grated potato, parsnips, swedes and other root veg, or with boiled/ steamed broccoli, cauliflower etc

Basic recipe:

• one small onion, diced
  
• 6 grated carrots
• garlic clove
• cumin (jeera)
• mustard seeds
• curry powder (not garam masala- madras would be good)
• garlic
• oil

1. Put the oil (groundnut oil is best, but I usually use olive oil as it is at hand and it is still delicious) into a large frying pan. Add a teaspoon of mustard seeds and the same of cumin seeds. Let them cook for around a minute, but not until black.
2. Add the diced onion and sweat/fry them until transparent. Sometimes I like the onion crispier- it doesn't matter. With this curry it is never quite the same twice as there is so much room for experimentation.
3. When the onion has cooked, add the grated carrot and diced garlic. You must remember to stir often. It will take around 15-20 minutes on a medium heat to cook.
   
4. Authentically, this curry should be quite al dente but I like mine softer and possibly a bit crispy- for this to happen you will have to wait until the water (that will come out of the carrots) evaporates.
   
5. Towards the end add some curry powder (to taste). It always tastes better cooked with some oil or butter- add a drop of oil and add the curry powder on top, allowing it to sizzle before stirring it in. Add salt to bring out the flavour!
   

Alternatives and waste busting

• Also delicious if you add the juice from a thumb-sized piece of fresh garlic towards the end.
  
• Sometimes I like this as a main course on its own. It is wonderfully colourful. If I was doing this I would usually toast some peanuts (raw, with shells) in another frying pan and mix at the end. This is really simple and very tasty, and adds protein and substance.
• For a lazy, after work version I might stir in a couple of spoons of peanut butter. This is also great if you are microwaving leftover curry the next day or for a packed lunch. Tasty with leftover rice, or even in a tortilla/ chapati or naan.
• Use up left over carrots. The original uses grated carrots, but why not use leftovers instead? It would also be great with leftover broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, and other root veg
• For a wetter curry, add some coconut milk (100-150ml) when the carrots are almost cooked. You could even just add cows' milk.
  

bottom photo (of cumin seeds) with thanks to niznoz
top photo with thanks to hanacy

Keep Hens' Eggs Fresh For Longer

The delicious smell of rotten eggs. I'd be happy to never have to smell it again.

Buying eggs

• The colour of the shell isn't important, but shiny eggs are likely to be older (the eggs above have been died so are meant to be shiny).

Raw eggs

• Back in the day, when hens laid fewer eggs during midwinter, people would store eggs in advance by gently rubbing a little butter onto the shells. The butter stops air moving through the porous shells so that bacteria cannot get in. Instead of butter you could use oil or glycerine. Put them in a pot with a lid and store in a cool, dark place. A cellar is perfect. Best for fresh eggs- eggs bought in shops may already have been treated with preservatives and you can never tell how old they are. Make sure that you wash the eggs first do get off any dirt before you brush them with butter.
• Mark eggs with a pencil. You can devise your own secret code, but even a small line would help you tell older ones from newer ones.
• Find out how fresh your egg is. Put it in a cold water. Fresh eggs lie on their sides, older eggs will stand upright. Eggs that float to the top are old- avoid at all costs!
• If you aren't going to put oil or butter on your eggs, don't wash them before storing! Washing them will also remove the protective coatin and they will actually go off more quickly.
• Sometimes it can seem that the only place for a cracked egg is the bin. But you can still boil it if you wrap them in foil first, or you could always freeze it (see below). This is only a good idea if you cracked the egg yourself! If it arrives cracked, best to dispose of it as you cannot be sure what could have got into the egg.
• Cover egg yolks in water to keep them for longer
• Egg whites needs to be stored in a clean, dry, air-tight container.
• To insure lasting freshness of eggs, rotate and mark them. If you place a small pencil mark on old eggs you will be certain to identify them and use them before recently purchased eggs.

Keep cooked eggs fresh

• When you hard boil eggs and are intending on keeping them stocked in the fridge, have you thought of putting a drop of food colouring the water to make sure that you can distinguish them from raw eggs? Another, greener, more waste-friendly tip is the traditional Cumbrian method of boiling eggs with onion skins. The more onion skins, the stronger the dye.
• Don't be tempted to freeze boiled eggs. Their texture and taste will change.

Freezing eggs

• Break the yolks, as they don't freeze well otherwise.
• You can freeze yolks and whites separately, or together.
• If you mix yolks and whites together and freeze in an icecube tray, two cubes would be equivalent to a large egg.
• Whole eggs cannot be frozen; the shells will crack as the liquid expands.

Less waste when cooking with eggs

• If you add one teaspoon of vinegar to water when boiling eggs they may not crack.
• Cotton-buds are you friend if you only want egg white. Even a little yolk or oil can ruin a recipe, so remove drops of yolk with a cotton bud. If you are using an electric whisk ensure that there is no oil on the blades.
• Slice hard boiled eggs more easily by dipping the knife in water first.
  photo with thanks to ANDI2...trying to catch up

Spinach and Peanut Curry (Mchicha)

This tasty dish is satisfying, unusual and tasty. Tanzanian food often uses coconut, and this is no exception. Use in place of a vegetable with roast meat, or develop it into a delicious meal of its own.

You need:
makes enough for 5 people
1kg/ 2 lbs spinach (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 ounces peanut butter (the more natural the better) or a cup of finely chopped peanuts
1 tomato
1 onion
2 teaspoons curry powder (or paste, your favourite blend!)
1 cup coconut milk (or use fresh or dessicated)
3 tablespoons butter, margarine or oil
Pinch of salt

To make it:

1. Wash fresh spinach and chop.
   
2. If you are feeling dedicated, peel the tomato, for practicality, just chop.
3. Peel the onion, and chop.
4. If using them, mix peanut butter with the coconut milk.
5. Put the fat into a big frying pan, on a medium heat.
6. Add onion, tomato, pinch of salt and curry of choice. Cook for 5 mins, stirring and making sure it doesn't burn. If you are using chopped peanuts, add them now.
7. Add the spinach and cook for another 15 or 20 mins, until the spinach is cooked (if you are using frozen spinach, you will need to thaw it first)
8. If you are using grated coconut, put it into the pan straight after the spinach. If using the peanut butter/ coconut milk mixture, add it just before the spinach is cooked, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir it to make sure it doesn't burn!
   

Tips:

• Eat it with rice as a main course
• Why not add some toasted peanuts as a garnish?
• Add some leftover meat along with the onion.
• Why not wrap leftovers in a tortilla for a tasty lunch the next day?
  

photo with thanks to certified su

Nettles

If you ever ran outside in shorts as a child in the countryside, chances are that you realised the hard way that this country is full of stinging nettles.

But nettles, far from only being a blight, can also provide great (and free) greenery for you kitchen.

Nettles can be substituted for spinach in most recipes. Younger nettles will be sweeter than older nettles.

To pick nettles it is advisable to wear rubber gloves. Chop the nettles and blanch

To freeze nettles (they will last around 2 months in the freezer- defrost for ~ an hour in a bowl of cold water) 2lb of nettles will reduce, like spinach, to give you around 4 cups.

1. Remove the leaves from the stems
2. Blanch (to stop decay even whilst frozen and to get rid of the stingi-ness). You need to do this in a large pan of boiling water over a high heat. Drain, retaining two cups of water, once the water returns to the boil.
3. Saute gently in olive oil over a fairly gentle heat. You might want to add chopped garlic, chili flakes to the pan first. Stir them in the oil for a couple of mins to release their flavours. These flavours will intensify in the freezer. You need to cook them until they are mushy and most of the water has been cooked out.
4. Separate them into freezer bags, remove the air and remember to write on the date. Put in the freezer when they are cool.

Why not use your blanched or de-frosted nettles to make this wonderful looking Italian Ricotta and Greens Torte? Instead of ricotta you could also use home-made cheese as we explained here.

photo with thanks to Mr & Mrs Stickfingers

Easy Pancakes

Pancakes are an easy and delicious treat to cook. Sweet toppings, like lemon and sugar make a delicious addition to a breakfast. They can also be the basis for a hardy meal with savoury fillings leftover from yesterday's dinner, such as bolognese sauce or chili con carne.

Pancakes (serves 4)

• 1 Pint of flour
• 1 Pint of milk
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbspn vegetable oil
  

1. Put flour, egg, oil and half the milk into a mixer. Turn the mixer on slow and slowly add the milk. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the mixer with a spoon to get all the flour mixed in.
2. Heat the gridle on a high flame. Dip a kitchen cloth in oil and apply a thin layer to the pan.
3. Pour a ladle of batter onto the pan. when the pancake starts bubbling it is time to flip it
4. Put your toppings on the pancake and cook for 1 minute.
5. Roll up, serve and enjoy.
   
   Suggested Toppings:

Sweet

• Lemon and Sugar: (Add a few squeezes of fresh lemon)
• Maple Syrup: (Add a few squirts of maple syrup to the pancake for a tasty treat)
• Banana + Chocolate Spread (Spread some chocolate on the pancacke then slice up half of a banana)
  

Savoury

• Egg Ham and Cheese: (break the egg onto the pancake just after you flip it, and mix it with a fork till it starts to turn white. Put on some sliced (cooked) sausage, bacon or ham, grate some cheese over the top)
• Chicken and Cranberry Sauce: (Fill the pancakes with your chicken leftovers. Cut the chicken meat into thin strips Top it off with some tasty cranberry sauce)
• Chicken and Chorizo: (Fry some leftover roast chicken and thin chorizo slices in spicy seasoning, with some chopped tomato)
• Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato: (Cook some streaky bacon under the grill. Spread some mayonnaise on the pancake, put on the bacon and some finely chopped lettuce and tomato Roll up and enjoy)

photo thanks to: rachel is coconut & lime

Flavouring Olive Oil

Flavouring Olive Oil
Good flavours: garlic, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves, chillis, dried paprikas, cumin seeds, thyme and basil.

How to:

1. Take a jar or bottle, sterilised, clean and dry
2. Fill with oil, but not all the way to the top
3. Add your flavourings, which should be dry, not wet, and not washed, to keep their flavour. herbs from your garden or window box would therefore be ideal as you know where they have been, and where you have dried them!
   
4. Seal tightly
   
5. Store in a cool dry place for two weeks (1 week if using fresh chillis) before removing the herbs, which should have imparted their flavour. This will allow the oil to keep for longer.

Delicious drizzled over salads, as an accent on top of soup, with savoury pancakes, fresh bread, bruschetta... do you have any other ideas?

photo with thanks to cerolene

Mediterranean Inspired Cheese Preserved in Olive Oil

Olive oil, golden goodness. We have heard it said hundreds of times, but have you ever thought of it as a preservative? It keeps out air and the bacteria that lurk in it

It has long been used as a traditional preservative in Mediterranean countries, and you can often find Greek feta or halloumi, or the Spanish sheep's milk cheese, Manchega, preserved in olive oil.

If have bought lots of cheese which you are not sure how to get through, want to make an exciting tapas or are just feeling creative, why not try preserving cheese in olive oil?

Before you preserve the cheese:

1. It must be clean and dry. Use paper towels and cut off anything you have doubts about. Make sure your hand are clean before you touch it.
2. The jam jars or kilner jars you use must be completely clean and dry and sterilized.

To preserve the cheese:

1. Cut the cheese into small cubes and place in the jar
   
2. Cover the cheese with olive oil, although not right up to top of the jar. Extra virgin olive oil will give you the best flavour.
3. You might want to add some flavours to the oil, such as garlic cloves, sprigs of rosemary, chili peppers, oregano, thyme and basil. They should be dry.
   
4. Once you open it, remove any sprigs of herbs- once exposed to the air they might deteriorate and the oil will already have taken on the their flavour.
5. Don't waste the oil! Drizzle it over salads, fresh bread or as an accent on top of a bowl of home-made soup.
   

top photo with thanks to Dot!
bottom photo with thanks to Neven Mrgan

Keeping Cheese Fresh

A friend has kids who are lactose intolerant, but loves cheese herself. Buying a large amount of cheese can be cheaper, and I thought I would share a great tip for keeping cheese soft- hard and cracked cheese is not as attractive in salads and the crunch doesn't add anything particularly positive to sandwiches.

She tightly wraps her cheese in a cheese cloth which she has rubbed butter into and leaves it in a cool, dark place (fridges can be damp and can actually make cheese go mouldy more easily). Besides, cheese tastes better at room temperature. The cheese keeps fresh and neother goes mouldy nor cracks. The fat in the cloth stops bacteria, moulds and damp getting in.

Cheese needs to breathe, so wrapping in cling film is not always the best option for long term preservation, and remember that cheeses can absorb smells and strong smelled cheeses can make other food smell.

Other tips:

• You can always freeze cheese. You need to make sure it is airtight and sealed to prevent freezer burn. This is fine for cheeses like cheddar, and cheeses that you want to use for cooking, but I wouldn't recommend it for soft or cream cheeses, or a speciality cheese.
• Mouldy hard cheese is not dangerous, although it may not taste great. Just cut off the mouldy part and a little more (5mm, 1/4 inch) and it will be fine.
• You could just brush the cut end of the cheese with butter or olive oil
• If you have a bit of left over cheese you could always make a Mediterranean-inspired cheese in olive oil.
• The general principle is to try to keep it dry and airtight. Some people use aluminium foil, others may use a cloth or paper towel sprayed with vinegar to keep it air tight. The vinegar flavour would affect the taste of the cheese though...
  

photo with thanks to MarxFoods.com

Beacan Bruithe/ Traditional Baked Mushrooms

Oh, the olden days, when you could pick mushrooms in the fields...

But in the modern day you can pick them up cheaply in the supermarket and make a filling meal or breakfast for not too much. This recipe also allows you to use up stale bread and when it calls for sausagemeat, gives you the perfect opportunity to use up the last couple of sausages in the fridge (just take the meat out of the skins).

Ingredients
15 big mushrooms (or 1kg)
4 oz diced onions
4 oz bread crumbs (use up your stale bread or savoury scones- whole wheat is best)
4 oz sausage meat (you could use up the last few sausages)
1 tspn herbs (sage is good, but you could try chives, thyme, marjoram, garlic, parmesan, leftover cheese)
salt and black pepper to taste
butter or olive oil

Directions

1. Wash and peel the mushrooms. You can use the stalks- just make sure they are washed and cut off the dry end.
2. Set the oven to moderate.
3. Brush mushrooms with melted butter, or olive oil for healthier and quicker option
4. saute the onions in butter or oil. When they are translucent mix them with the breadcrumbs, the sausagemeat, herbs, salt and pepper.
5. Put the mushrooms in an oven proof dish, if you are using the stalks (we don't like waste around here!) also put them in the dish. Put a little water (~5oml) in the bottom and place the mixture into the mushrooms.
6. Bake for 15-2o mins

photo with thanks to ex.libris

Traditional Curd Cake

This curd cake is not only based on a traditional recipe, but it also gives you the opportunity to use up milk that has gone sour, by turning it into the cottage/ cream cheese that you need for the recipe. Please look at our post "milk it" to find out how. Also an opportunity to use up broken biscuits and left over egg yolks.

Traditionally this would have had a pastry crust, but in the interests of health, and speed, you might want to just bake the mixture in an oven-proof dish, or you could experiment with using broken digestive or ginger biscuits as an alternative base.

Lemon and Vanilla Curd Cake
You will need:

• 175g/ 6oz sweet shortcrust pastry or a pre-bought pastry case (if using)
• 50g/2oz caster sugar (+ 1 tbsp for the topping)
  
• vanilla essence or extract
• half a lemon (juice and grated rind)
  
• 1 egg (beaten)
  
• 2 egg yolks
• 225g/ 8oz cottage cheese (homemade or bought)
  
• 2 heaped tablespoons of plain flour
• 1tbsp melted butter
  

1. Preheat oven to gas mark 4/ 180°C/ 350°F
2. If you are using pastry: warm a baking sheet and grease a loose-bottomed flan tin. Roll out the shortcrust pastry until thin, then line the flan tin with the dough, trimming off any excess. Chill pastry case (that you have made or bought) in the fridge.
   
3. If you are not using pastry put your broken biscuits into the bottom of a dish for a more informal but equally delicious family pudding. Ignore this step if you simply want a set curd putting without pastry or biscuit.
   
4. Sieve the cottage cheese, or your freshly make paneer/ cream cheese.
   
5. Cream together until fluffy the butter and sugar, before beating in the egg yolks, 1 heaped tbspn flour, lemon zest, lemon juice and the cheese. Mix well.
6. Spoon the mixture into the pastry case/ onto the biscuit base or put into the dish on its own.
   
7. Mix together together the beaten egg, one tbspn flour, spoon of caster sugar, 1tbsp melted butter sugar (you might also want to add further lemon zest). Spatula evenly over the curd filling.
8. If you are using pastry in a flan tin, pop it onto the warmed baking sheet. Otherwise just put your dish into the oven and bake for around an hour. When it is done the top shoul dbe a little brown and a bit firm.
9. Best served cool, not chilled. You could dust with sugar or garnish with grated lemon rind.

photo with thanks to chotda

Milk it!

I remember a time when I was about 8. We were on holiday, staying on a boat, with an ice box and no fridge. It was the summer, and naturally enough the milk on our cereal wasn't quite as fresh as we were used to. We moaned.

But actually, milk which is "on the turn" is not bad for you, neither rancid or mouldy, and could be employed in other ways even if it not to your taste splashed into tea or liberally poured over cornflakes. In times passed curds were an important part of Irish food culture.

1. Check that it is actually "off". It sounds stupid, but as kids we were convinced that anything passed its sell-by date was bad. I have friends who are still like this. It is easy to tell with milk. If it smells fine, then it is fine, regardless of what the packet says. And you will know if it doesn't smell good!
2. If it is a little sour, it can still be used for baking- cakes, biscuits and so on.
3. Make cream cheese. You can leave it go sour (make sure it is still in its container or covered), cook until it boils wrap the remaining lumpy bits in a cloth (cheese cloth or muslim) and hang. The liquid needs to drain out but you will be left with delicious homemade fresh cheese, which you could mix with fresh herbs, finely chopped onions or garlic, or pretty much anything you fancy. For a different flavour you could also try adding white vinegar or lemon juice to the milk when it is cooling, which will help it to curdle.
4. Another version of this is the Indian fresh cheese, paneer, which is pressed after the curds and whey have been separated. Once made, you could also preserve this cheese in olive oil.
   
   
5. Make yoghurt. You need a bit of yoghurt to start with "live and active cultures" in it. Bring the milk to a boil. When it starts to get foamy on top, remove from the heat until it cools to around 46 degrees C (115 F) or until you can hold your finger in it without it burning. Put a couple of spoonfuls of yogurt in a jug and blend it together with some of the warm milk. Pour the mixture back into the pot of warmed milk and stir. Pour the warmed milk into clean containers (large glass bottles or washed and dried 4 pint milk cartons could be good), put the lids on, cover with the containers with a towel, and put them in a cool, dry, undrafty place over night. Wake up to fresh yoghurt!
   

Onions and Old Tights: The Perfect Pairing?

If you are like me, and wear tights to work most days in the winter, it is highly likely that you have laddered a fair few pairs in your time.

I always feel a bit guilty throwing them away when there is only a small hole, but in a very visible place where painting the hole with nail varnish or sewing it up is impossible- so much of the tights are still good!

Imagine my joy when I learned that old tights can be used to keep onions fresh for up to 6 months- especially as the red onions and banana shallots that I love to cook with seem to go mouldy really quickly.


Here's the trick
Take a pair of tights (clean please!) and put an onion in each food. If the toe has a hole, you might want to sew it up first, of tie a knot in the bottom. Above each onion tie another knot, put in the next onion and repeat, until the legs are full or all the onions are used up.

Hang them somewhere dry and cool- cellars, larders or in a cupboard.
top photo with thanks to Flickr To Me
bottom photo with thanks to J.C. Rojas

Egg Substitutions

How often to recipes call for something that you almost have?

• When making custards or salad dressings you can substitute two egg yolks for one whole egg.


• In dough containing yeast or cookie dough substitute two egg yolks for one egg, and add a tea spoon of water.


• If you are baking and find yourself one egg down (but only one! This won't work for more than that!) substitute two tablespoons of mayonnaise

photo with thanks to cobalt123

Banana Cake

Ripe bananas are not everybody's favourite fruit, but if you've bought them, do you really want to bin them? Why not make delicious banana cake, and remember that if you don't have time to make one today, you can freeze the ripe bananas until you do.

Prep time: ~15 minutes

You need:

Butter- 125g

Sugar-3/4 cup

1 egg

ripe, mashed bananas-2

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/4 cup of milk

you could also add a complementary flavour such as vanilla, poppy seeds or think about substituting some of the sugar with a brown or muscavado sugar.

To make:

Take the sugar and butter (and vanilla if you are using) and melt in a saucepan. Add the bananas and mix well. Beat the egg and then mix that into the mixture in the pan, followed by the flour. When the mixture is well mixed slowly add the milk and mix gently. Put the mixture into a cake tin and bake for around 4o mins at 170 degrees/ Gas mark 3-4.

Delicious :)

To serve:

Excellent as a cake, it is also wonderful hot with cream or vanilla icecream as a warming pudding.

===

Don't want to waste banana skins? Make them into fertilizer

photo with thanks to KCanard

Kedgeree- Indian Delight from Old Rice

Kedgeree was one of my favourite childhood dishes, and is still something that I love to tuck into.

The dish became famous when Victorian British colonial types brought it back from India as a breakfast dish, but it has been argued that it originated in Scotland, got adapted in the subcontinent, and returned in a spicier incarnation.

In hot, pre-refridgeration India, fish was served at breakfast time, whilst it was still fresh. This is too hearty a breakfast dish for me, but an excellent dinner or possibly brunch.

The recipe usually calls for curry powder, cooked rice, flaked smoked haddock, chopped boiled egg and perhaps some parsley or coriander garnish, but once you have the principle it is very adaptable.
Step by step:

1. The cooked rice (you might want to warm it first in the microwave so that you don't have to fry it for a long time, or warm it through with hot water)
2. Put some oil in a large frying pan or wok, and add curry powder, chili powder or other spices. If you wanted to add sauteed onions, now is the time to cook them.
   
3. Before adding the warmed rice, turn the chopped (quartered or sixteenthed) boiled eggs and flaked smoked haddock (you could substitute this for bacon or cold, chopped meat) in the hot oil and spices so that they are warmed through or cooked).
4. Add the rice, mixed it thoroughly until it is piping hot in the oil and spices

If you want to make it from scratch, why not try Delia Smith's version
photo with thanks to crisphin