Christmas is coming......

Spicy-crumb Turkey Escalope
with warm yoghurt coleslaw and peppered wedges

In memory of the late Bernard Matthews, here's a reminder of how flexible turkey is...

I recently found a couple of packs of reduced-price breast cuts  in the supermarket - I batch-produced a load of spicy-crumbed escalopes, par-cooked and froze them. They take no more than 10 minutes in a hot oven, from frozen, to serve.

6 turkey breast escalopes;100g breadcrumbs, 100g flour,1tsp cajun spices (blend of chilli/cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, pepper),1tsp paprika, 1tsp mint,1tsp parsley, 1tsp cracked black pepper.

Dip the escalopes in beaten egg followed by the seasoned breadcumb mix. Deep-fry to seal them and bake in oven for approx 15 mins - a little less if you're going to freeze them.

This was the last of the batch - a bit on the small side so I treated myself to a fried egg too!

For the peppered wedges, use similar herbs & spices [to the meat]. Cut a couple of potatoes (skin on) into wedges; dredge with a little olive oil, a good shake of paprika, a pinch of cracked black pepper and one of salt. Roast in a hot oven.

The warm coleslaw was a bit of experiment - very tasty but I made a mistake by heating the yoghurt on full power in the microwave. To me, veg like carrots, cabbage and onions are excellent when nuked in a closed casserole dish - no added water - with the finished texture of steamed produce. I should have warmed the yoghurt dressing separately over water, I think though - it came out a bit scrambled-eggy!

Stir-fried Seafood Trio with Parsnip & Lentil Puree

I'd been at the reduced-price fish in the Co-op again.....
In a wok, in a little butter & oil, soften 2 handfuls of a mixture of peppers, red onions and courgettes; add a good handful of pollock in large dice,cook until the fish starts to colour. Add 1 tsp garlic puree.

Meanwhile prepare a sauce of 1 level tsp of soy, 1 level tsp of Hoi Sin,1  level tsp of balsamic vinegar, and 1 level tsp of sugar, all dissolved in 50ml of boiling water. To the wok add half a kipper fillet in large dice and a small handful of prawns (straight from frozen is fine) and stir for a minute. Move to the side of the pan and pour in the sauce to bubble. Mix in the fish and reduce to a syrupy consistency.

For the Parsnip & Lentil Puree:
Best made in advance and microwaved gently to serve.2 small parsnips cut into small dice with handful of red lentils; cover with lightly salted water in a saucepan with 1 tsp chives. Cook until parsnips are tender and lentils are cooked. Strain if necessary, retaining water. Mash and season with S+P, adding back cooking liquor if needed.

Rice would probably have been the obvious accompaniment to the oriental-style fish but wouldn't have sat that well with the vegetable puree so I went for spuds with lashings of real butter!

Baked Pork Kebabs & Mediterranean Salad

I'd been thinking about Chicken Tikka - mainated meat on skewers but cooked in a Tandoor oven rather than barbecued........

For the marinade:
Olive oil, 1 tsp garlic puree, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a splash of lemon juice, 1 scant tsp oregano and
1 scant tsp basil, half a tsp ground cinnamon;  S+P to taste.Add 225g diced pork and leave to stand for a couple of hours at least.
Thread onto skewers and roast for about 20 minutes - I've still got a thing about tapeworms etc (Jewish ancestry!) so I like my pork well-done,  though I have been known to eat raw bacon rinds! Go figure!



For the salad:
Dressed with same ingredients as the meat marinade but with extra lemon juice. Torn cos lettuce, shredded cabbage; handful of chickpeas; celery, green peppers, diced tomato, red onion and courgette - I've given up cucumber for the winter (they don't last) and find this a blandly-acceptable substitute!

 On a bed of Basmati rice with a home-made mint yoghurt relish.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Everyone's got their own way of making this - I don't think mine is particularly original but, as with Art, I know what I like.......and I like lots of sauce!

A handful of dried spaghetti per person, plunged into boiling, slightly-salted water. I then add a dash of olive oil and cook to al dente. Strain the spaghetti, reserving the cooking water, and rinse under cold water. Bring the cooking water back to the boil and when the sauce is ready put the spaghetti back in the cooking water for no more than a minute. Drain and serve.

For the sauce: 2 handfuls very finely chopped onions, softened; add 150-200g mince to the pan and when colouring slightly add 3 tsp garlic puree and continue to cook. Next, add 2 tsp oregano and 1 tsp basil; stir in1scant tsp flour to make a roux and cook though. Gradually add half a.5 tin of  tomatoes - break them up with a wooden spoon whether you're using chopped or whole - and as the sauce thickens whisk in 2 tsp of tomato puree and 50ml water. Season with 1 scant tsp veg bouillon powder, 1 scant tsp sugar and S+P to taste. Grated cheese and a good twist of black pepper to finish........

Stuffed Omelette

A heathy-ish lunch. A two-egg omelette bursting with onions, mixed peppers, courgettes and strips of ham: but instead of frying the fillings cook them for 2 minutes in a closed casserole dish in the microwave - almost the same effect as steaming!

I bound mine with a scoop each of a Boursin-style garlic & herb cheese and a full-fat soft cheese but I'm sure a low fat one would work just as well.

Multigrain bread and butter to complete!

Chorizo Sausages & tomato-braised vegetables

The cheating cook's at it again! As spanish as Andrew Sachs in Fawlty Towers but very tasty. I picked up these sausages in Asda, reduced to £1.40 for 3 - labelled chorizo but in my opinion just pork and paprika.

 Rather than trying to imitate Patatas Bravas, I roasted some new potatoes in their skin with garlic and went for a casseroled cousin of ratatouille: a handful of sliced courgettes, some button mushrooms, a red onion cut in rustic chunks, a tomato quartered, and some black olives. Add tomato juice to half-fill the dish, with 1tsp garlic puree & 1 tsp basil mixed in and bake for about 30-40 minutes - I did the sausages and potatoes at the same time.

Delicious with a big glass of red!

Pan-Asian Chicken Curry & Rice

This is about as authentic as Chicken Tikka Masala but I at least I was listening to Imrat Khan & Latif Ahmed Khan playing Rad Madhur Ranjani (for sitar & tabla) while I was cooking!

I hadn't previously decided what to eat so I went to the pub for a think - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! Vicky, the barmaid, and a drinking buddy had just ordered a takeaway curry - and, when it arrived, the smell......... Keith was having Chicken Tikka Masala ( 2 nights on the run/runs), which I delighted in telling him originated with tinned tomato soup in Brum (or somewhere in the West Midlands). So, curry it had to be!

My herbs and spices are running a bit low and I'd used up the last of a bag of sweet potatoes the previous day so I made this up as I went along.........

Ingredients:1 handful of diced potato microwaved for 2 mins and then fried in a little oil with 1 handful of softened onion and 1 chicken breast in slices. Add 1 tsp garlic puree, 2 tsp Madras Curry powder, 1 tsp Thai Green Curry Paste, 3 tsp dessicated coconut (I had no coconut milk in), 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 scant tsp chilli powder. When the meat and potato are coloured stir in 1 tsp flour to make a roux and then gradually whisk in 1cup of milk (but be prepared to add extra if the sauce thickens too much). Add 2 tsp of tomato puree, 1 scant tsp sugar, 2 tsp chicken bouillon powder and  S+P to taste. Finally add a handful of cooked chickpeas, heat through and stir in 2 more tsp dessicated coconut and  2 dstsp natural yoghurt just before service. I only ever buy Basmati rice for general use. Drizzle with mint yoghurt.

Braised Steak, Red Wine Jus, Mixed Mash & Veg

Approx 200g of braising or stewing steak - I bloody wish they'd label these in supermarkets by cut: e.g Top Rump, Shin etc - per person; 1 medium-sized onion, roughly chopped.

Fry the meat in a lttle oil to brown and transfer to a casserole dish; cook the onions in the same pan to colour and deglaze with 100ml of red wine and about 50ml of water. Add to the meat, season with S+P, put on lid and bake in oven at Gas Mk4 for about 90 minutes.

This is my favourite type of mash: one medium potato peeled and diced, and the same amount of sweet potato. The Co-op's selling some strange little ones at the moment which are pretty good value......
Boil vigorously in slightly-salted water until nearly collapsing. Drain and reserve cooking water; mash and add back a little liquor to a soft consistency - no need to use butter because of the taste and consistency of the sweet potatoes. Check seasoning and add S+P as required. I keep the rest of the water for a soup-base.

I served mine with batons of carrot and swede and buttered shredded Savoy cabbage.
Bon Appetit!

Jacket Potato Pizza

Not really!....Actually a baked potato scooped out and mixed with typical pizza toppings...

Bake a big potato in a hot oven for about an hour - or cheat like me and microwave for about 6 minutes and then put in the oven to dry out and crisp up. When soft in the middle, cut in half and carefully scoop out the flesh. Mixed with softened onion and peppers - or chilli for a bite - a good handful of mozzarella, some chopped tomato and diced ham. Put back into the shells, sprinkle with more grated mozzarella and bake for another 10 minutes or so..

Note the Virgin Mary Cocktail for the hangover!

Irish Stew Casserole

300g lamb chops - I used frozen misshapes from Cool Trader; 2 handfuls onions chopped; 3 large handfuls potatoes in large dice; 2 handfuls diced swede;3 handfuls carrot diced; a handful of cooked barley.

Fry the meat (from frozen is fine) to colour, and put in casserole dish. Cook the onions in the same frying pan for about 2 minutes and deglaze with 0.5L water mixed with 1 tsp mint, 1 tsp veg bouillon and 1 tsp chicken bouillon, plus S+P to taste. Add to the casserole dish with all the other ingredients. Put in the oven on Gas Mk 3.

I went out to the pub - for 2 hours - and had to add another 200ml of water when I got back! I would guess it was actually ready at 70-90 minutes.

Noodle Salad with Spicy Tomatoes & Tuna

This was a lunchtime dish of leftovers, really.
For the spicy tomatoes: 4 halved Cherry toms sauteed with a dash of olive oil, S+P, a pinch of chilli powder, a dash of worcester sauce and a dash of balsamic vinegar. On another day I might have added sugar & basil.

2 handfuls cooked noodles - in my case actually spaghetti from the night before! Shredded carrot - I use a potato peeler rather than grating. A quarter of a red onion, shredded  in 2cm lengths; a handful sliced celery and a handful of cooked green beans in 2cm lengths. 2 dstsp tuna (that's all I had left in the fridge).

For the dressing: 1dstsp French dressing mixed with 1dstsp lime cordial, 1dstsp soy sauce and S+P to taste.