Musing V – “dive in” stir fry seasoning and method

For additional seasoning as always it's a matter of personal taste. As a guide if you're including both tail fillet and chorizo it makes sense to enhance the flavours already there – since chorizo already contains paprika and oregano you could add a little more of each. Italian seasoning works well too which is a blend of sesame seeds, salt, basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, onion and garlic. Don't forget the golden rule, gently does it with seasoning – one word – TASTE! You can always add, it's impossible to take away.

Choose any or all of the ingredients mentioned – or add some of your own! You'll need a large frying pan or wok. There are only two elements that need cooking ahead. The sliced tail fillet – heat a drop of rapeseed oil in your pan or wok, seal the slices on both sides, seasoning with celery salt and black pepper – set aside and wrap in foil – set aside the residual juices too. Do the same with the chorizo – fry until it begins to crisp, set aside and wrap in foil, again leaving the residual juices in the pan.

When you're ready to serve heat the meat and chorizo juices to a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and fry for 2/3 minutes, add the peppers and potatoes and the remaining veggies – continue to cook, making sure you cover and toss so that they heat through evenly – 3-4 minutes.

Add the tail fillet and chorizo and fold through with the veggies – 3-4 minutes. Finally remove from the heat and add a dressing. It might sound strange but mayo works really well folded through – it depends on how many you're feeding and how big your “dive in” is – working on serving four I'd add two tablespoons to begin with, folding through to coat – be gentle – you want your ingredients to hold their shape and not turn to mush.

You're aiming for a temperature of warm to hot - not hot enough to burn your mouth.

To serve – set the table with a large heatproof mat in the centre, place the frying pan or wok in the centre. Set warmed bowls with spoons and forks – dive in.

Lashings of garlic bread on the side would work very well.

Yum!

Musing V – the “dive in” stir fry

I feel I should explain the “dive in” stir fry. This dish falls into two categories – crowd pleaser and lip smackingly good – it's perfect for a weekend supper.

The following might read more like a novel than a recipe … all I can say is it's worth the read. Generosity in every way is what we need – those of us who love to cook by definition love to feed our family and friends so I suppose generosity of portions and love are the key!

It's difficult in lockdown to keep everyone interested in food. I don't think we want fancy and complicated – the reverse in fact but that doesn't mean we don't care about what we cook and serve, it's sometimes easier said than done.

If anyone mentions a stir fry I immediately think of a base of either rice or noodles – not everyone's bag. Here's my version which doesn't use either.

When the day dawns you're able to entertain your family and friends again this dish is perfect – you want to spend time with them so a recipe that enables you to prep ahead and takes minutes to stir fry and serve, has to be the answer!

There are no given amounts here – you can expand it as you wish and I've given ideas for alternatives along the way. Scale up or down depending on how many servings you want and how big the appetites are.

The “dive in” Stir Fry

New Potatoes

Jersey Royals are now in season!

Cook until firm and then peel. When cooled cut into similar sized cubes. An ideal way of using up leftovers too especially since you've used them with the Maple

Glazed Chicken – think ahead!

Red Onion

One medium as a guide, chopped finely or a

bunch of spring onions if you prefer

Baby Sweet Peppers

De-seeded and finely diced – red, orange

and yellow – great colours!

Garlic

A clove, crushed or 1 tsp of garlic paste

Veggie options

Asparagus is in season too – snap to remove the “wooden” ends then trim so that they are all of a similar size. Blanch them in boiling water for a minute or two then plunge into a bowl of iced water. Drain the asparagus and wipe off any excess water with kitchen towel. Box and fridge until required.

You could use fresh peas or broad beans, podded and blanched as above. Don't forget to peel the outer skin from the broad beans.

Mange tout, sugar snap peas and baby corn will all work well – treat the same way as the asparagus – make sure they are of a similar size so they cook evenly.

Tail fillet of beef

The tail fillet is each end of the whole fillet – the

tapered ends

If you're fortunate enough to have a “real” butcher if you ask

nicely he'll sell you tail fillet which is a lot cheaper than the middle cut

slice the fillet thinly – leave in slices or cut into strips ready

to season and seal for the stir fry

Chorizo

One loop of chorizo sausage, peeled and then sliced at an angle. You can use

diced chorizo if you prefer – it's probably more convenient since all the

work is done for you which is what I used

At this point you are ready to rock and roll as soon as you like -

prep completed the whole dish takes about 10 minutes, max.

Seasoning and Dressing

You'll need celery salt and black pepper and home-made

mayo or, if you don't want to bother try Farrington's Mellow

Yellow Mayonnaise to complete the dish

I'm not finished … read on

Musings – V

Can you remember what life was like before lockdown? It has changed our perspective I think and everyone I speak to refers to “the new normal”, whatever that means.

I've always been very close to my Sister, Whizzer and both her boys. Only geography separates us - Northamptonshire and the Peak District. Since the lockdown began Whizzer has taken to sending me parcels – I don't know whether it's deliberate – I must ask her – they always arrive on a Saturday, the start of the weekend (if you can remember what day it is).

Last Saturday was no exception – inside the box, among other treats was a sight I never thought I'd see – yep, you've guessed – the Marmite Peanut Butter Smooth!

Feast your eyes!

Absolutely!

H asked when I was going to open the jar. A sharp intake of breath on my part and I then explained that I needed to gaze lovingly at my jar for a while and revel in its magnificence – it's like new shoes (or in my case a new handbag) that have been your heart's desire for ages. When and if you're lucky enough to own said shoes or bag you don't wear the shoes or use the bag – you drink in the loveliness.

H thinks – and he's probably right – that I'm as mad as a box of frogs – no news there!

This weeks Musing Menu :

Steak & Onion pie

Smoked Salmon Stack with

avocado

asparagus

poached egg

Pizza – my version

hoi sin sauce

mushrooms, mozzarella, black olives

Maple glazed chicken

New potatoes

Mixed veggies – spring onions, sweet baby

peppers and mange tout – sliced finely to a

similar - stir fried

Nasi Goreng

Sandwich stack with wedges and sides

The dive in stir fry

Instead of a rant this week, a new subject – nature notes.

Picture the scene, I'm taking Rose out for her one hour walk. We live in “gardens” that are circular, split into two semi circles, with one road leading out onto the High Street. As we turn to walk onto the High Street I can see two birds on the ground. Initially, it looks as if they are having fun. As we drew closer I realised that there's a sparrowhawk on top of a baby thrush and the baby is in trouble. I ran towards them shrieking like a banshee and waving like mad and the sparrowhawk, startled by this racket, flew off. We reached the baby thrush who was, not surprisingly, stunned by the ordeal.

We stood and waited, quietly – even Rose - who seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. My antics were rewarded when, after couple of minutes, the baby shook itself and flew into dense shrubbery – that was close.

I cannot say how wonderful a sight it was to see the baby fly off, seemingly not hurt – right place, right time!

A big grin, a warm heart and a good deed for the day.

Back soon, stay safe and well,

Love xxx

Mini lemon cheesecakes – photos and tips

It's all very well needing muffin cases – can I find any?! I thought I had loads, clearly not. The nearest I could find were foil baking cases – not ideal – the cases taper at the base but the upside is that they look good and are actually quite robust – it could have been worse.

Here's the result :

Not too shabby – better than expected

Ideal if you want to serve with ice cream

or raspberries on the side

These will be better still made in muffin or cupcake cases – accidentally though there's a serving choice!

The other plus with this recipe is that the cheesecakes don't require baking. I've frozen them wrapped in cling film and then bagged – as usual I'll let you know how it goes.

I did serve one with vanilla ice cream – it disappeared in the blink of an eye – comment - “the perfect size, just enough”.

Note to self – muffin cases on the shopping list for next week!

Bye for now …

Musing mini cheesecakes

Like I said sweet stuff isn't normally on my radar but these mini cheesecakes appealed because they are lemon and use mascarpone cheese which is the perfect product for this dessert, silky and glossy - easy to use and they are quick and easy to make.

Here's the recipe :

Mini lemon cheesecakes

6 digestive biscuits

50g/2oz unsalted butter

250g mascarpone cheese

6 tbsp lemon curd

1 tbsp lemon juice

120ml/4 fl oz double cream

3 tsps lemon curd for decoration - optional

You'll need muffin cases

plus a bag you can seal for the biscuits

and your trusted rolling pin for bashing purposes

Place the muffin cases on a tray, ready for transferring to the fridge. Put the biscuits in the bag and bash to a fine crumb, using the rolling pin.

Melt the butter and stir into the crumb then divide between the six muffin cases. Press the crumb firmly to form a base – you can use your fingers, I used my trusted piece of kitchen kit the pastry tamper. Chill in the fridge.

Beat together the cheese, lemon curd and lemon juice – I used a wooden spoon and elbow grease. Whip the cream to soft peaks, fold into the cheese mixture. Spoon the filling into the muffin cases. Decorate each with half a teaspoon of lemon curd and swizzle with a small cocktail stick.

Chill in the fridge until ready for serving.

There's more ...

Miam Musings IV

Have you noticed how some weeks are better than others? Don't know about you guys but in this house we were on the edge of our seats for “easing” news last Sunday. In reality for us, no great change except … I can run with my friend – yippee! Whether I'll be saying that after the event is another matter entirely.

Anyway, an update. Remember me sending out a distress call to the North West re the alien abduction of all the Marmite Peanut Butter Smooth? Nobody likes a challenge better than my Sister, Whizzer (it's her nickname btw – those of us of an age will remember Billy Whizz from The Beano Comic – so called because of his speed everywhere – entirely appropriate in my Sister's case!) Having issued the challenge last Sunday it took her until Wednesday to find the illusive spread – I have awarded three Gold Stars for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity. Two jars with my name on both – it'll be worth the wait!

Moving on, here's my menu for this week :

Menu

Corned beef, potato and onion pasties

Raw slaw and roasted beetroot

A reprise of scallops and prawns with teriyaki

sauce and rice – by popular request

Pasta Alfredo

Fishcakes with stick blender mayo

and a slaw, seasoned wedges

You may have noticed there are only four mains mentioned above – that's because this week is “wing it week” or Treasure Chest week, or Lucky Dip week – any of the above will do! In other words, now is the time to reap the benefit of all that batch cooking over the last few weeks – a week off – three days really but it still counts.

My options are :

Venison

Pork

Spie

Braised steak

Four meat options to choose from on whatever night you want – jiggle them around to suit you. If you've done like I do and have cooked jacket potatoes in the fridge all you have to consider is the other veggies to serve with. Alternatively you might have new potatoes to serve and then leftovers to roast for wedges. Fly by the seat of your pants, but with help!

Last week the treat was cheese scones – they were yum by the way – this week it's a sweet treat. Not my favourite stuff but you have to look after everyone, all the more so at the moment. Mini cheesecakes here we come – lemon.

Which brings me to my rant of the week. I usually make my own lemon curd but decided to cheat and buy a jar of lemon curd – not any old lemon curd, it has to be Sicilian and my absolute favourite is M&S – there's a theme here – not a jar to be seen – in Waitrose they didn't have any “ordinary” lemon curd, consequently my options were limited, grudgingly settling for the Waitrose Duchy Organic version. However, I've set my heart on mini lemon cheesecakes – so just get on with it and stop whinging woman!

Finally, just before I go an update on flour - I'm now thinking that being able to buy a bag of flour was a mirage. If I didn't have the bag in the pantry and produced a photo to remind you what it looks like I'd think I imagined the whole thing. The shelves are completely bare again – the flour famine continues.

See you soon, stay safe and well,

Love xxx

P.s. Wouldn't leave without giving you the mini cheesecake recipe and a couple of photos!

If it ain't broke don't fix it recipe – cauliflower cheese

This dish is always a labour of love and therapy too – the ultimate veggie comfort food that always hits the spot.

Here's the original recipe, as promised :

Baked Cauliflower Cheese

I steam a whole head of cauliflower (medium to large), minus its leaves, until tender and then set it aside on a tray lined with layers of kitchen roll. This allows all the moisture to drain away from the cauliflower, ready to finish later on. Next make a mornay sauce – which can be made ahead and fridged if more convenient. I also grate Parmesan cheese in readiness to garnish the cauliflower dish and plan to be generous and sprinkle liberally!

Mornay Sauce

Serves 4-6

40g unsalted butter

40g plain flour

600ml of milk – I use semi skimmed

150g mature Cheddar cheese

(or a combination of Cheddar and gruyere)

celery salt and black pepper

½ tsp Dijon mustard - optional

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook gently for a minute, stirring – make sure you don't brown the mixture. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly and eventually bring to the boil, whisking until it's smooth and thick. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the cheese, mustard and season. I'd taste before you add salt – there's salt in the cheese – adjust accordingly.

Pat the cauliflower dry and kitchen roll and remove the florets – keep them to a similar size if you can and place in your serving dish (with any additional veggies). Season with celery salt and black pepper, spoon over the mornay sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan and add more black pepper to taste.

It's all cooked so will only need 30 minutes at 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Leftover cauliflower cheese is even better, re-heating gives you crispy, cheesy bits – always assuming you have any leftovers!

Just before I go, a thought - if you can try and look forward to food – if you're self isolating and alone I know that's easier said than done. Treat yourself to an ingredient you love – indulge.

If you're with family get them to pitch in prepping or cooking and make it fun – remember when we sat down at a table and shared not just a meal but a conversation too? If you love to cook how about teaching as you go?

Until next time … x