Lucifer's Kidneys

Heaven not Hell!

Soften a small handful of chopped onions and a large handful peppers in a little butter and oil.

Add 1 tsp garlic and 3 or 4 lambs kidneys tossed in flour.

Stir-fry until lightly coloured and add 1 hpd tsp paprika.

Fry for a couple of minutes and add small handful mushrooms, loosening scrapings from bottom of the pan.

Lower heat and add 1 dstsp tomato puree and 1 hpd tsp mustard, 1 tsp Worcester and a pinch of S+P, plus a tiny pinch of cayenne.

Add 100ml natural yoghurt and stir gently. Check seasoning and cook through.

Love Food, Hate Waste

It was one of those nights when I'd been faffing round, and suddenly realised that the second part of "Room At The Top" was starting in 10 minutes. Something quick was called for - and a bit spicy was what was desired.

I started with a quickly defrosted sausage, cut into chunks and stir-fried with onion, peppers, broccoli and a little garlic.

When the meat was browning and the vegetables were softened I added a handful of frozen peas, some chopped-up chorizo (the ready-cooked type), and a pinch of hot paprika.

Out of the fridge came a tub of cooked rice, and was heated through before wacking the power up and adding a little milk to moisten. When all the liquid was absorbed, my faux-risotto was ready to serve.

To finish my meal - when the Tv programme was over - I raided the freezer again for some chocolate cake (Home Bargains), slathered with chocolate & hazelnut spread (ditto: Home Bargains), warmed through in the microwave and served with whippy cream and ice cream.

Hannah was not best pleased I'd been playing with chocolate again while she was out earning a crust or two!

Curried Pork Casserole (a bit west of Singapore)

East meets West

This was a hit with Hannah: a pork steak each, fried to seal and then pot-roasted for about 30 minutes in a closed casserole dish with button onions and parsnips, in a little salted water. When the veg was nearly tender I added a sachet (70g) of Singapore-style Laksa curry paste from Knorr Professional, which I had been sent to trial. Asda do something very similar: a 180g jar for £1.63. After a further 10 minutes I decanted the cooking liquor into a hot wok, boiled furiously to reduce and then stirred in about 50g of yoghurt. I returned the sauce to the casserole while I finished cooking the rice and stir-fried the veg: shredded savoy cabbage, broccoli and peppers, in a blend of rapeseed and sesame oils.

Hannah said the sauce tasted like chip-shop curry - which I think was a compliment!

An Eclectic Lunch

An unusual combination of components, which worked!

A slightly creamy cucumber soup - I'd bought a bag of diced cue reduced to 25p - which works as well cold as it does hot. The soft-boiled egg was just right: firm enough to slice in half, but still a bit runny.

Turkey Escalope, Ratatouille & Sweet Potato

Breast of turkey, egged and breadcrumbed, then fried, 

before finishing in a hot oven for about 15 minutes.

Sweet potato wedges, rubbed with olive oil and baked.

To complete the meal, a fairly simple ratatouille.

Berni Inn (revisited)

Bargain Mixed Grill

Reduced-price sirloin and bacon rashers from Morrisons, 

Gloucestershire Old Spot pork sausages from Frozen Bargains. 

Retro beef tomato with garlic mushroom filling, field mushroom, 

peas and new potatoes.

Autumn Snack

Homemade Carrot & Lentil Soup with a Salami & Brie Toastie