Easter trifle continued

The segmented orange ...

… you'll need a serrated knife – I use a bread knife.

Top and tail your orange and then follow the shape of the orange with the knife and peel away a section at a time. Take your time – you should finish up with this :

Hold the orange in your left hand and using the serrated knife – very carefully – cut along the inside of the white membrane of the segment - I start on the left hand side – you can see the white in the photo - repeat on the right hand side. Repeat until you finish with perfect segments and the discarded membranes, like this :

You should get orange juice too, reserve and then drizzle over the cubed sticky toffee cake.

P.s. You'll get 10 segments from a large orange.

How about more Easter treats?

Rocket Science and Light Bulbs - Part 2: Thrift

A “Tickle Tray” because quite simply it tickles the taste buds!

This recipe is ideal for the leftover bits and bats you've got from the roast, stashed in the fridge, with a little imagination thrown in and it doesn't require a massive amount of prep!

It's inspired cooking “all in one” tray, a dive-in dish.

A Tickle Tray

You'll need a large baking tray which will be greased with either rapeseed or olive oil* – measuring 43x31 cms.

Serves 4-6 depending on size of appetites

2 chicken breasts stripped into large pieces from the slow cooker

250ml of the strained stock

Leftover roast potatoes and carrots from the roast cut

into large dice

OR

2 large cooked jacket spuds from your stash – peeled and cubed

OR

1kg cooked Charlotte potatoes, peeled and cut

into large dice – prep ahead then bag and fridge

250g diced chorizo – I buy it ready diced

OR

bacon bits from your boxed stash

2 medium red onions, sliced – prep, bag and fridge

mini sweet peppers, de-seeded and sliced -

prep, bag and fridge – 150g -

orange, yellow and red

6 cherry tomatoes – or small bunches x however

many servings required

50g black olives, pitted and sliced – optional

easy to obtain in jars

A sprinkle of sweet paprika or sumac - optional

**100g each of Panko breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese to

garnish

OR

grated Mature Cheddar Cheese from your boxed stash

if you can't run to Parmesan

salt and black pepper

Bread of your choice to serve, with bowls of

balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil for extra dipping

Method and assembly – be creative!

Grease your baking tray.

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Using a large frying pan stir fry the chorizo, onions and peppers on a medium heat for 2/3 minutes, add the stock and then add the potatoes – set aside.

Scatter the chicken onto the tray and then the chorizo, onions, peppers and potatoes over the top. Cover evenly with the stock. Nestle the bunches of tomatoes on the top and scatter the black olives. Season with salt and black pepper, sprinkle with sweet paprika or sumac, complete the dish with Panko and Parmesan.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Serve straight to the table – make sure you have a heat proof surface and non slip proof mats to stop the tray moving around.

Serve with any good fresh bread of your choice – Italian would make the most sense with the bowls of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil mixed together for extra dipping.

You'll notice that I've not mentioned additional garlic or herbs in the recipe – they are already there – in the slow cooked chicken and therefore in the strained stock but if you'd like to add more of either, go for it – I'd use garlic paste and either oregano or garlic Italian seasoning.

I love pulling ingredients out of the fridge, ready to assemble and go – in addition to which minimal fuss, maximum flavour and one tray to actually wash up.

That's what I call thrift … next on the thrift list!

*Rapeseed oil is a light alternative to other cooking oils, it's low in saturated fat, so healthy! It can be used cold in a dressing or dip or heated and used in shallow and deep frying so the best of both worlds!

Olive oil has a range of health benefits too. By its nature it is a stronger flavour and can be used in a similar way to rapeseed oil but if you're not keen on olives then it's a no! You can sauté with it and so it is useful in cooking as well as salad dressings and mayonnaise.

It's purely a matter of personal taste.

**Panko aka Japanese breadcrumbs, they are coarser than ordinary breadcrumbs and so give a crunchier taste. If you can't afford ready-made Panko crumbs you can make your own :

2 slices of day-old white bread, crusts removed,

if you prefer

tear the bread into pieces and drop into a food

processors fitted with a blade. Blitz in bursts

until you have a large crumb

to dry the crumb, tear the bread and dry it out in a

low oven first, then process it as above

The bites of time

10 minutes here, 10 minutes there Part 2 – The bites of time

The first ten minutes …

is taken up with prepping your whole chicken and placing in the slow cooker as per the recipe given in Bite size cooking.

Next ten minutes …

When the chicken is cooked and cooled strip it and cut into medium chunks, wrap and fridge. Strain the stock into a jug, cover and “fridge”.

If you wanted to be exceptionally economical you could place the carcass in a large saucepan with an onion, leek, carrot and celery, garlic, mixed herbs and 12 black peppercorns, cover with water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 1½ – 2hours. Your very own home-made stock, which can then be frozen in small amounts, ready to use.

Next ten minutes …

Seal a gammon joint (smoked or unsmoked to suit your taste) and slow cook in vegetable stock (or chicken if you prefer).

Next ten minutes …

Remove the gammon joint and cool, cut into similar sized chunks as the chicken, then wrap and fridge – reserve the stock and when cooled freeze it for another day and don't forget to label and date – as previously mentioned small amounts are more practical.

Next ten minutes …

Make your Velouté sauce and/or your Sauce Supreme using your stock from the slow cooked chicken – cool, cover and fridge. At the same time you can multi-task and sweat 2 leeks, sliced, in a glug of rapeseed oil and an optional knob of unsalted butter – this will take 2/3 minutes on a low heat. Cool, box and fridge.

Next ten minutes …

Assemble all your elements to create your pie. In a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, gammon and leeks, sprinkle generously with black pepper and then fold in the sauce. Tip your pie filling into a casserole or foil tray. Top with sliced cooked jacket potatoes and sprinkle with grated cheese. (You shouldn't need any salt, you've already seasoned the Sauce Supreme and there's salt in the smoked gammon, the stock and in the cheese topping).

Bake in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 30 minutes until your cheese is golden. Freeze two portions individually, for another day.

You might want to add the Campbell's condensed chicken soup to your store cupboard – there's a mushroom version too – another very useful emergency stand-by for making another sauce.

Now for a sample menu ...

The “to do” list

Here's my cunning plan aka “to do” list :

Print out all the recipes and keep them in order.

Go through each recipe and make a shopping list checking pantry and store cupboard as I go – there will be two lists – a “buy now” list and by that I mean non-perishable ingredients and staples and the other - 2/3 days before the treats are due for delivery - for the fresh and perishable ingredients, ready to begin cooking.

I know the date of my friend's birthday, what I'm not sure of is when she'd like her treats delivered – top of the “to do” list is ask for a delivery date!

“Cook ahead” stuff. I can make the dessert and the pastry now – by “now” I mean two weeks ahead and into the freezer. Note to self – it's all very well cooking and freezing ahead – you have to remember to take it out of the freezer in time. This is where a daily planner comes into its own.

The birthday falls on a Wednesday and I now have a delivery date – Tuesday after lunch (the day before her birthday). The previous Friday is when the daily planner begins and it's up next.

Fast Fish Pie – assembly, plus hints and tips

When you're ready to assemble, preheat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

You can use foil trays – 24x24cms to serve 4 or smaller if you want individual servings, otherwise a square casserole.

Open up your foiled fish and tip it into a large mixing bowl. Break the fish into chunks, gently, then season with black pepper.

If you're using cooked, peeled prawns, now is the time to add them – if you're using frozen prawns make sure they are properly defrosted in the fridge and discard any defrosting liquor.

There will be jelly from the cooked fish – discard or include – it's all flavour and will combine with the sauce you've made. If you've not used any smoked fish then you may want to add a sprinkle of salt. Add your Mornay sauce and fold to mix, gently.

Tip the mixture into your tray or casserole.

Add the sliced cooked potatoes, add a knob or two of butter and ground black pepper. If you're feeling really decadent then sprinkle grated Parmesan over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with vibrant fresh veggies, preferably steamed or, dare I say, with a coleslaw or, if feeling really Northern, mushy peas!

A final word on fish.

Some may say it's extravagant to use cod loin in a fish pie – they'd be right. However if you're trying to convince your family to eat fish it would be a good idea to use a fish that doesn't have any bones. Using smoked fish with non-smoked gives a far less “fishy” taste. Shop smart if you can and a reminder that Aldi's range of fish – including cod and haddock loin too – is excellent and the best value. The trick here is the delicious strong cheese sauce. Tick, tick and tick!

Oh and by the way the Dijon mustard is optional but it does give an excellent zing so worth a try even if you're not a fan of mustard generally. It adds flavour without blowing your head off.

My final tip - each of the elements for this filling and the pie as a whole can be made ahead, all that remains is assembly, and whilst I probably shouldn't be advocating eating supper in front of Netflix all that's required is a deep bowl and a fork – delicious comfort food!

Next up – when is a pie not a pie ...

Sidetracked … from the memory bank!

Frittata takes me back to the best breakfast I've ever eaten – in Jake's Grill, Portland, Oregon.

Admittedly it was a late breakfast – the ultimate indulgence – an omelette made with Oregon Dungeness Crab. Its season is December through to April – supplies are limited from then on. If you're ever in that neck of the woods treat yourself – it's still on the menu, served with breakfast potatoes.

Some may say it's extravagant to put crab in an omelette – hey, it's a treat and I say a little bit of what you fancy does you good!

I've also discovered that they serve a Dungeness Crab Benedict – what a glorious thought!

I wouldn't normally mention Christmas yet awhile but it has been such a strange year nothing is “normal” as we know it so anything goes! I'm suggesting “back-burner” ideas that might appeal when you want to push the boat out. A crab benedict sounds like a great place to begin.

Add a packet of buttermilk muffins to your shopping list - you can stash in them in the freezer - they don't take up too much space - ready to toast and butter – add the crabmeat, not forgetting a drop of lemon juice and a sprinkle of celery salt and black pepper and then drizzle generously with a mornay sauce.

As I've said previously a mornay sauce is definitely less stressful than Hollandaise and to serve it with fish is a marriage made in heaven. Not for nothing did Wheeler's, the famous fish restaurant include a mornay in their sauce list to accompany their fabulous fish dishes so why not over crab for a Christmas morning breakfast!

If you like the idea then you might want to check out your supermarket ahead of the game – most sell crab meat – white or a mixture of white and brown and some is suitable for freezing which would be a good idea. Crab meat is also available in tins. If you're feeling very extravagant then you could buy it direct from specialist seafood suppliers – from Orkney to Folkstone and Cornwall to Cromer (in Norfolk) there's so much choice out there!

The “back-burner” ideas list begins ...