The humble spud – the spiced alternative

There are those of use who like spice so, again using the leftovers principle, but with extra flavour, here's a goodie. You don't have to go to the bother of making your own Panch phoran – it's available at the larger supermarkets as is mango powder too.

Spiced Sautéed Spuds

Serves 4

600g waxy potatoes, parboiled, peeled and

sliced into approximate 1cm rounds

2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

Panch phoran – 2 tsp

*see below

¾ tsp turmeric

¼ - ½ tsp red chilli powder

Sprinkle of mango powder

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the panch phoran, it should sizzle immediately. Cook for 20/30 seconds, stirring. Add the potatoes, toss well, ensuring they are all covered with the spices. Turn the heat down, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, turn the potatoes and repeat.

Increase the heat, turn the potatoes again so that they are lightly golden brown – 3 minutes each side. For a tangy finish sprinkle with a pinch of mango powder, toss again and serve.

Panch phoran is a blend of spices and seeds. It's used in Bangladesh, Eastern India and Southern Nepal. Literally it means “five spices”. You can make up your own blend easily.

½ tsp each of the following seeds

cumin

mustard

fennel

nigella

¼ tsp fenugreek

If you are a spice lover then it will probably be worthwhile. I'd remind you that if you are going to mix your own blend buy small amounts of each spice – they will deteriorate and therefore it's not economical to buy in bulk – unless of course you're going to make up the blend and distribute it to all your spice loving family and friends! If you have difficulty in sourcing any of the seeds they are available at Daily Bread Co-operative – www.dailybread.co.uk.

Not so boring!

The humble spud

The same principle applies to the potato as to the chicken - we run out of ideas and boredom sets in.

So, continuing with the detour and as a precursor to our multi tasking refresher course, here are some suggestions for potatoes that will hopefully hit the spot. The best thing about the recipes that follow are that if you cook extra potatoes and veggies whenever you cook, they'll take no time at all to create.

We have so many different “leftover” potato dishes from all over the UK – I suppose the most common in England is bubble and squeak – here are a couple more.

Adults and kids alike aren't keen on the green stuff like sprouts and cabbage and these days I'd bet that there are many out there who've never eaten swede or turnip! The beauty of swede, in particular, is that it's texture lends itself to mashing.

To kick off, if you'll pardon the rugby analogy, here is a fine Irish example - the recipe is given from scratch, just in case that's your preference :

Colcannon

Savoy cabbage, finely shredded – half a cabbage

approximately 350g in weight

30g butter

Bunch of spring onions finely chopped

1.5kg Maris piper potatoes,

Salt and black pepper

Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, drain, peel and mash. You could use a ricer for guaranteed lump free.

Put the cabbage in a pan with the butter and cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes until tender, stirring frequently.

Add the spring onions and cook for another minute or two.

Mix with the mashed potato and season well.

If you've cooked your potatoes ahead or are using leftovers, pop the completed dish into a pre-heated oven (200c/180 fan/Gas 6) for 20 minutes. You could use oven-proof ramekins and serve straight to the table.

It's a great way to eat green veg!

Two of my favourite things …

in my staples stash - one for the freezer and one for the pantry.

Baked garlic

Is there anyone out there who hates faffing with peeling and chopping 1 or 2 cloves of garlic for one recipe? I bake whole bulbs of garlic at the same time – see recipe attached – it's not rocket science and I think originally this recipe was also used by Nigel Slater. If you use garlic regularly this paste makes life so easy when you've no time.

Baked Garlic

2 bulbs of garlic

olive oil/rapeseed oil for drizzling

2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme - optional

salt and black pepper

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

Slice the tops off the bulbs and place the in a small oven dish, garlic roaster or foil dish so that they fit snugly. Drizzle with oil and season with thyme, salt and black pepper.

Roast in the oven for about an hour – until the garlic has softened.

Squeeze the garlic out of its skin. Add a little more oil , keep in a tightly fitting container and place in the fridge.

You can use the paste in the same way as you'd use fresh garlic – the difference is that the baked garlic is sweeter and ready to use!

The paste will keep in your fridge for one to two weeks or you can freeze in small containers.

Speaking of small containers - check out the baby aisle in the supermarket/cheap shops for tiny pots – inexpensive and don't take up space in your freezer.

Star Anise

Lots of Asian/Indian/fusion recipes include star anise. These pretty star shapes are readily available in most supermarkets but, if you are fortunate enough to have access to a Chinese supermarket you can buy ground star anise which is much more practical when you want a quick marinade – you'll get a more powerful result from using powdered star anise when you're in a hurry. Note to self – remember that it's more practical to buy herbs and spices in small quantities. They will deteriorate and so is a false economy - unless you've friends you can share with – in which case it's cheaper still.

I promise you won't regret either!

Just in case …

… you were wondering

PICCATA is a method of preparing food where the meat is sliced, coated, sautéed and served in a sauce. It originated in Italy using veal. It's very popular in the USA, using chicken.

The sauce is made by de-glazing the pan after having flattened and sealed the chicken on both sides and set aside. To finish the sauce add lemon juice, white wine or stock to the de-glazed pan and reduce. Shallots or garlic can be added with capers and slices of lemon. After reducing butter is added to finish the sauce.

An escalope is a piece of boneless meat that has been thinned out using a mallet, rolling pin or butterflied. The tenderising i.e. bashing with a mallet, breaks down the fibres in the meat making it tender and the thinner the meat the faster it cooks with loss of moisture.

Thought you might like a smidge of information!

Your Autumn Arsenal – take 2!

Next comes a chicken idea that ticks all the boxes - with a couple of different serving suggestions too, to suit your mood.

Miso Maple Glazed Chicken

4 chicken breasts

1 tbsp baking powder*

4 fl oz/½ cup maple syrup*

2 fl oz/¼ cup white miso paste*

Mix * together, add the chicken breasts and

marinate for 24 hrs

Sprinkle with chopped spring onions

Bake in a pre-heated oven 180 fan/200c/Gas 6

for 35 minutes

By the way, if you marinate the chicken in one of my famous, washing-up free foil dishes, it can go straight from the fridge, into the oven.

Serve with :

Maple Glazed Veggies

100ml dark soy sauce

50ml Maple syrup

1 tsp garlic paste

2 tbsp light olive oil

black pepper

You can choose any veggies you like, here's my choice :

Mange tout – cut in half diagonally

Baby sweetcorn – cut in half lengthways

Carrots – peeled, topped and tailed and cut into batons -

5 cms long x 1cm, as a guide – you'll get approximately

28 batons from 1 large carrot

Red Romano pepper – topped, tailed, de-seeded and

cut into a similar size to the batons

Salad onions – topped and tailed and cut diagonally.

If you can't be bothered or don't have time to prep the veggies, as an alternative you could, at the same time as the chicken goes into the oven, add another foil tray of new potatoes to roast and another tray of beetroot to honey roast, using vac packs (recipe is on the blog) – if saving time is your thing then this option would be perfect.

Note to self - add white miso and maple syrup to pantry shopping list!

Your Autumn Arsenal

Before we begin our multi tasking I'm making a slight detour but one with a purpose. It's true to say we are all creatures of habit, consequently food becomes boring – we tend to stick with what we know and then lapse into bad habits, hence the takeaway. It's ideas we need but, more to the point, quick and easy ones.

In the post “Get yourself organised” I mentioned the frying pan suitable for “hob to oven” or in my language “froven” – time to put it through its paces.

I think we'd all agree that chicken is a popular protein. The only trouble is it definitely falls in the boring category and it's easy to spoil. What follows are ideas using chicken, making the best use of the frying pan and also extending your pantry by adding ingredients that might not otherwise be there. These suggestions and the ones next week using potatoes are to show that you've more than one option for any supper dish with chicken or leftovers dish with potato, that appears in the multi tasking grid.

First up :

Chicken Piccata

4 chicken breasts

30g grated Parmesan

50g plain flour

salt and black pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

60g unsalted butter

120ml chicken stock or dry white wine

1 tsp garlic paste

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp capers

1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

**500g approx cooked potato, cubed

Pre-heat oven to 160 fan/180c/Gas 4.

Flatten your chicken breasts between two slices of cling film – or you can buy chicken escalopes ready flattened! Mix the flour, cheese and salt and pepper. Coat each chicken escalope with the seasoned flour.

Using your new frying pan, heat the oil and 30g of butter. Brown the chicken on each side for 2/3 minutes. Place the chicken on a baking tray (i.e. with sides) and pop into the oven. Add garlic paste, ** de-glazing the pan and then add stock/wine, lemon juice and capers, reduce, then add the remaining 30g butter to complete the sauce. Place the chicken on serving plate and drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Optional

If you wanted to create a one pot dish, **add cubed pieces of cooked potato, saute, de-glazing the pan. When the potatoes have a light brown colour add the stock (or wine), lemon and capers, reduce a little and then add the remaining 30g of butter.

There's more to follow and by the way – you might want to add a jar of capers to your pantry shopping list!

Get yourself organised!

Part of the process of getting organised is by equipping yourself with pieces of kit that make your life easier but that don't cost a fortune, for example :

In my kitchen I have certain essential pieces of kit, the smallest of which is a timer – inexpensive and comes into its own when you're doing your circus juggling act. There is nothing more infuriating than spoiling the supper because you've forgotten what's in the oven whilst supervising homework, sorting laundry or splitting the atom.

Many moons ago I invested in a frying pan (available with or without lid) that is suitable for use from hob to oven. It did not cost a fortune and has been worth its weight in gold. There are loads to choose from but, as a rough guide, approximately 30cms diameter costs £30ish. I've had mine for a few years now and the best recommendation I can give is that when it finally wears out I'd replace it immediately.

Reacquaint yourself with your slow cooker – if you haven't got one, may I respectfully suggest that you treat yourself, although treat is the wrong word – a slow cooker is an absolute must on every level. An electric slow cooker saves on your fuel bills – much cheaper than using a traditional oven – economical, saving time, money and waste. I could drone on, and on.

If there is anyone out there saying “but they are huge, I'm only cooking for one” - wrong on two counts – I cook for one meat eater using a medium/large slow cooker – I never slow cook for just one meal – I cook and freeze. The theory is that you get into the habit of deliberately cooking more than you'll use. You then create your own home cooked ready meals to freeze, so, if you suffer from what I call “revolving door syndrome” – you know what I mean - everyone coming and going at different times - you're able to pull your own ready meals out of the freezer.

I would accept that the larger versions take up space and not everyone has a large kitchen – you can buy tiny slow cookers, ideal for one person. If you've never used one, you'll never look back. The smallest capacity is 1 litre for one person, 1.5 would be sufficient for 1-2 people. They are inexpensive but shop around, the cheaper supermarkets have great deals so keep your eyes peeled!

Check out reviews – personally I'd go for a larger capacity than you think you'll need – you'll regret not buying a slightly larger version - give it some thought before you invest.

Just imagine coming home to a welcoming casserole on a chilly Autumn night.

I rest my case!