Pistachio and Feta Dip with Tenderstem Broccoli

Posted on June 4, 2015 by tenuoustoaster

One thing Freya absolutely loves to eat is this dip. Since the first time I made it she was blown away and we’ve had it many times since.

It comes from Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour – which I bought after having a really disappointing Persian meal in a restaurant in Brentford, London. I decided I could do better – bought the book and have made many things from it since.

This is a very quick dip to make – if you have a Nutribullet, a Vitamix or (if you’re wealthy) a Thermomix.

Simply put shelled pistachios, olive oil, feta cheese, dill, coriander, garlic, a red chilli some greek yoghurt and the rind and juice of a lemon in a blender and blitz until smooth.

As you can see I served mine with some raw tender stem broccoli.

The dip has so things going on. It’s salty, nutty, has a chilli hit and is creamy and smooth. I don’t think I’ve ever made a better dip.

Persiana is a great book – the best one I’ve found in its category.

I made quite a few tagines from the book (which I loved). Unfortunately this left me disappointed when I went to Morocco and their food was bland and uninteresting in comparison.

Gammon and Chestnut Tagliatelle

Posted on June 3, 2015 by tenuoustoaster

I usually load myself up on chicken after I’ve had a session at the tattooist. I find I fall asleep from the three hours of constant needlework if I don’t load up on food. But today was an exception. I stuck to the diet and just had my regular diet replacement shake.

This evening while Freya tried on a new batch of clothes from ASOS to reward herself for her impressive weight loss – I put this together. And very quickly too. It only took 20 minutes to make. And I wasn’t even rushing. The recipe is from delicious magazine by the way.

They don’t sell pappardelle pasta in Morrisons so I subbed it for tagliatelle. It was close enough and still had the desired effect.

Very simply you fry a gammon steak that you have cut into lardon shapes, add an onion, some garlic, chopped chestnuts and cook a little longer. Then stir in some creme fraiche and some chopped parsley before combining it with your cooked pasta.

Like I said it was ready in 20 minutes; which included bringing the water for the pasta to the boil. This is very tasty indeed. The chestnuts really made this dish. Really nice contrasts of textures and flavours.

Freya loved this; as did I. She loved it even more when you worked out it came in at less than 400 calories. What she loved even more was fitting into everything she bought from ASOS and not having to send anything back. She even fits into my jeans now.

Can’t argue with that now can you!

Left Over Chicken Curry and Brown Rice

Posted on June 2, 2015 by tenuoustoaster

Having spent all weekend sanding, dyeing and lacquering the boat floors (not to mention tiling and grouting the wet room) we needed to put the living room and kitchen back the way it was on Monday evening.

Without a kitchen the plan for dinner was chicken wraps; with a cooked chicken from the supermarket and a load of salad. As nice as it was we were just being practical and quick – and there was a lot of chicken left over.

But what to do with the other half of the chicken?

The Guardian ran an article about 27 things to do with left over chicken. This curry was first on the list. There were many other lovely recipes in the article but I had all the ingredients for the curry. I may revisit them another time!

The curry is pretty simple and very low in fat. I don’t usually make curry (even though I love spicy foods) as Freya isn’t a big fan of spicy food and I always tend to fail in making something mild enough for her. This one looked like it might suit us both.

For this one you slowly sweat some onions and then add garlic and fresh ginger and sweat some more.

Add a mix of ground spices including cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, chilli powder and make sure all the onions are coated.

Add chopped fresh tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to be boil and simmer for 10 minutes or so.

Stir in the cooked chicken and once it had warmed through stir in a couple of spoonfuls of yoghurt.

Serve with some fresh chopped coriander and some rice.

I really liked this curry. The yoghurt made it very creamy and rich- just without the cream.

It was a little bit too spicy for Freya. I think it was the fresh ginger – it didn’t bother me though. Perhaps halving the ginger might be in order next time.

It’s certainly one that I’m going to squirrel away for other leftover days.

Where have you been!?

Posted on June 2, 2015 by tenuoustoaster

I’ve just realised I haven’t posted anything on this site since February. That’s pretty poor!

I have been cooking – but I haven’t been inspired by anything – and have been repeat cooking many of the things that I have previously posted and liked. I’ve cut back with the cookbook purchasing and have tried to get the boat in order – cooking was taking first place and it shouldn’t have!

On top of this I have started dieting to try and shift some of the excess pounds that are more than evident on our delayed honeymoon pictures in Morocco. Dieting for me means meal replacement shakes and a very light meal (sub 500 calories) in the evening and this seems to be paying off – but isn’t really much help for the blog.

Anyway – I must put this right. So today I resolve to reawaken the blog and get back into planning meals and cooking nice things. The extra bonus is the lighter evenings meaning I can take reasonable photographs rather than struggle in the dark.

Watch this space – tonight – Left Over Chicken Curry from the Guardian website.

Beetroot Buckwheat Risotto

Posted on February 20, 2015 by tenuoustoaster

Where are all the Deliciously Ella recipes I hear you ask. Well – I have been making them – I just haven’t blogged them yet.

This book is a tricky one for me. As are all the dishes I have made so far. The book is effectively a collection of blogged recipes from a lady that needed to change her eating habits to overcome illness. As a consequence Ella has had to cut out lots of good stuff.

I admire her for producing a whole book with the limited ingredients she has at hand but for me I am struggling with the lack of punch or pizzazz that I like to get from the things that I make.

Obviously this is going to put me in the doghouse with many people (especially those that love this book) but it isn’t working for me.

This risotto really isn’t a risotto at all – even though it looks like one. If you follow the recipe to the letter it isn’t particularly tasty either. I found it quite bland. I pepped mine up with a squeeze of lime. I think some coriander and some creme fraiche might be a good addition too!

To make it you roast some beetroots skin on, peel them once they are soft and blitz them in a food processor with coconut milk, lemon juice and seasoning.

While the beetroot is roasting, cook the buckwheat until it is al-dente. Then combine the two ingredients and serve.

It’s very easy to make and I absolutely guarantee it is good for you – just looking at the ingredients will tell you this – but for me there just isn’t enough flavour.

I’ve made four or five things from this book now and the same issue exists with all of them. My tastebuds just want more – so I usually add something else to liven it up.

That said Freya says she feels much better, less bloated and generally healthier this week – so this does seem to be having an effect.

My experience in the past is that low fat or diet books (not that this is really either of those) tend to cut out so much that the food is dull. You just know it’s low fat and it leaves you wanting. Not that this should be a problem for most – it just doesn’t float my boat.

One thing Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Hemsley and Hemsley and the Honestly Healthy girls achieved is both the light and health without sacrificing the great flavours and textures. For me this book falls down in this area.

Don’t let that put you off. One man’s meat is another mans poison!

Lunches

Posted on February 18, 2015 by tenuoustoaster

The Guardian posted a good article today about the cost of work lunches:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/17/the-ultimate-packed-lunch-save-1000-a-year

It is certainly true that I never buy anything from the sandwich trolley that comes round three times a day (even does bacon rolls!). The cost far outweighs the quality or the satisfaction that comes from eating a sandwich from a carton.

Freya and I tend to adopt the method of making too much for dinner and bringing the leftovers in for lunch the next day. Sometimes I’ll actually make two dishes the previous night – one for dinner – one for lunch.

My favourite recently – generating the most curiosity – was the Parsley, Walnut and Anchovy Pesto.

So – I plan on creating a new category and putting a bit more focus on lunches that you can bring in or easily prepare with just a kettle, microwave and toaster.

Watch this space.

Pancake Day

Posted on February 18, 2015 by tenuoustoaster

In the UK it was Shrove Tuesday yesterday; or pancake day if you prefer.

Most people forget pancake day these days. It was always a big deal when I was growing up – but the only pancake you’d ever get was dressed in a squeeze of lemon and some sugar. Maybe I was just deprived but it’s all I knew in the 70’s and early 80s.

We already had pancakes this week; Freya and I met up with her brother and his girlfriend in Chelsea for Dutch Pancakes in My Old Dutch. It wasn’t bad although £10 for a pancake with a few pizza toppings is a bit much. That said the beer was reasonably prices and I have a very nice Kriek Boon – which usually costs a lot more.

I promised Freya pancakes this week – and hoped to have a few for dinner before going to our regular Rock’n’Roll dancing class – but North Circular traffic put a stop to that. It did allow us a good two hours to think about the pizza toppings. It also allowed an amusing text exchange between a couple of my friends – who eventually admitted defeat to my relentless pancake puns.

Bacon, Spinach and cheese was the eventual winner – going totally against the ‘no cooking meat on the boat rule’. Rules are made to be broken though.

Pancakes are pretty easy to make – it’s only eggs flour and milk. Some people add melted butter to the batter, some add and extra egg yolk, some add oil. I opted for the extra yolk option but only because I had one lying around from a previous recipe.

You need your pan to be super hot. I always make my pancakes in a mix of butter and oil – and wait for the butter to brown. I also tend to make savoury pancakes a bit thicker than the sweet variety as the toppings tend to tear the base and it all goes horribly wrong if you need to grill the cheese afterwards. You just can’t shift them out of the pan! Thicker is better in this case.

I fried the bacon in a pan first – I used really cheap bacon bits from Morrisons – I think they were only 89p – in keeping with the frugality of pancake day. In hindsight a better quality of bacon might have been better – less salty for a start – although it didn’t bother me.

Once you’ve make your pancake, top it with trimmed spinach leaves, your cooked bacon and a generous handful of grated cheese. Pop it under the grill and let the cheese bubble.

When it’s ready slide it onto a plate and serve.

I made enough batter for two each but one was enough really. It was very filling and very very tasty.

I think I might start making pancake pizzas from now on. It uses up eggs and milk and there’s always something you can put on a pizza/pancake.

My Kitchen

Posted on February 17, 2015 by tenuoustoaster

My kitchen is … very small – it’s on a boat after all. I have lots of gadgets but they are all in storage. The only electrical gadget I use now is a Nutribullet. My limited cupboard space is full of: oils, spices, brown rice, quinoa, nuts. Everything else I buy fresh – every day – as required.

My favourite piece of kit is … my knives. If you don’t have sharp knives then cooking isn’t fun. If chopping an onion has the potential to injure you – then go buy better knives! My Globals are amazing.

My diet comprises largely … wholefoods and plants – I hardly every eat meat; I don’t cook meat on the boat. If we go out – we might have a cheeky bit of chicken here and there!

My storecupboard staple is … nuts. Adding nuts to any salad creates an extra texture, making the salad more exciting.

When I’m starving I … toast some pumpkin seeds, add tamari and serve on top of a grated courgette. It’s quicker than making toast!

Everything is better when you … swap rice for quinoa, pearl barley, buckwheat or freekeh. The substitutes are nutritionally superior.

My best-kept kitchen secret is … boiling cauliflower ruins it. Roast it after rubbing it in a little oil and cumin. Let it char. You’ll never boil cauliflower again.

I’m currently obsessed with … Moroccan and Middle Eastern food. We are going to Marrakech in April and food from that area inspired the choice.

Deliciously Ella

Posted on February 2, 2015 by tenuoustoaster

Exciting times – my new cookbook has finally been released. Just arrived at work!

Four recipes left from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and then I am going to cook my way through this book.

Watch this space!

Update:

And here’s my shortlist of what I’ll make in the coming week:

Chickpea salad with avocado mayo

Posted on February 2, 2015 by tenuoustoaster

Friday lunches are a bit hit and miss. Usually because Thursday night is Film Club at work and we don’t tend to get home until quite late. This week we watched ‘Cube’ which is a very low budget Canadian film about some people that have been put in a cube full of rooms and traps. It wasn’t bad but the acting was pretty poor. That said I will be giving Cube Two and Cube Zero a go just to see if they get any better!

We got home pretty late and I prepped the mayo for this before we went to bed. It’s a very good vegan mayo and is almost a runny guacamole. The ingredients are quite similar except for the lack of any chilli.

The may is simply a large avocado, rapeseed oil, a little english mustard and some cider vinegar in my Nutribullet and blitz until smooth. Couldn’t be easier.

Serving was simply some crisp lettuce, chickpeas, the mayo and some sunflower seeds.

The dish is another Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall offering from River Cottage Light and Easy. The mayo had me curious the first time I flicked through the book and I knew it could be used elsewhere so why not give it a go.

Personally I think the mayo didn’t go so well with the chickpeas. The dish was very balanced and was quite tasty but there are better things I would have put it with – even just dipping Nachos in it would have made me happy!

Not bad though! Sorry about the picture – It kind of all got thrown on the plate in a rush!