Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta Sauce

Fettuccine Alfredo is a pasta dish (fettuccine) coated in a rich Parmesan sauce originating in Rome in 1907/8.  Many additions/adulterations have come about over the last century, notably in the US - cream, chicken, salmon, mushrooms.  And now cauliflower.

In our house the cauliflower florets usually get air fried or used in Piccalilli, with the stalk and leaves used in Cauliflower Cheese Soup or Cauliflower Masala Soup.  But the weather is warming up in the UK so I'd thought I'd use the leaves in a pasta sauce.

I added anchovies, reminded of a Bagna Cauda Dip/Sauce, but you can omit these adding more Parmesan, or nuts if preferred 

Serves 4

350g cauliflower stalk & leaves, roughly chopped

1 large garlic clove

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tin anchovies in olive oil, or 100g parmesan, or 40g walnuts or cashews

Parmesan/Grana Padano for serving (optional)

Chopped parsley for serving (optional)

Chilli oil or flakes for serving (optional)

Cover the cauliflower with water in a small pan.  Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 10 minutes until really tender.  If using nuts, add these to the pan to soften with the cauliflower.

When tender, drain the cauliflower and nuts, keeping the cooking water.  Liquidise the cauliflower and nuts together with the rest of the ingredients in a heatproof container, adding enough cooking water to make a thick hummus consistency sauce.

Serve over pasta, with freshly grated parmesan, parsley, and chilli to taste.

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Prawn & Pea Risotto

Prawn & Pea Risotto is a simple dish with big flavour for only a few ingredients.  Frozen prawns and peas make this an easy quick supper.

Serves 4

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, peeled & finely diced

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and crushed

1 small glass of white wine (optional)

300g risotto rice

2 fish or chicken stock cubes

1 litre recently boiled water

250g frozen prawns

Large pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

Chopped parsley (optional)

Freshly grated parmesan (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan over a medium heat.

Sweat the chopped onion for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not coloured.

Stir in the risotto rice and garlic into the onions.  Pour in the wine, and stir until evaporated away.

Add a ladleful of hot water and the crumbled stock cubes, stirring until evaporated and the stock cubes have completely dissolved.  Keep adding one ladle of hot water at a time, and stirring until evaporated.  Halfway through the hot water add the frozen prawns, and then continue adding the ladles of hot water.  After about 25-30 minutes the rice is tender but not mushy.

Stir in the frozen peas and chilli flakes, turn off the heat, cover with a lid and rest for 5 minutes.

Serve with a topping of chopping parsley and parmesan if wished.

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Egg Foo Yung/Chow Mein

Egg Fu Yung is a Chinese style omelette, popular in American and British Chinese restaurants, usually served with a soy based gravy. 

Chow mein is a Chinese dish of stir-fried noodles with leftover vegetables, meat or tofu, also popular in America and the UK.

I thought I'd combine both Egg Fu Yung and Chow Mein to use up some leftover cooked chicken, and some eggs that needed using.  This recipe would work well with leftover turkey after Christmas.

Serves 4

3 layers medium egg noodles

4 eggs

300g cooked chicken, turkey, pork, beef, or prawns

1 onion, peeled & thickly sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled & sliced

100g frozen peas

1 chicken stock cube

500ml recently boiled water

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)

1/2 tsp paprika (optional)

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp cornflour

Vegetable oil for frying 

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.  Leave to cool in a pan of cold water.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok over a medium high heat.  

Beat the eggs, and fry in the wok like a omelette for a few minutes so you have a side plate sized disk of cooked egg. Flip the egg over carefully to ensure the egg is cooked through.  Slide the egg onto a plate, chop into bite sized pieces, and wipe the wok out with a piece of kitchen paper.

Heat another tablespoon of oil in the wok over a medium high heat.

Stir fry the onion for 1-2 minutes until it starts to soften or go golden brown.  Add the peas and garlic.

Crumble in the stock cube and melt in the oil and heat.  Add 500ml of hot water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, turmeric and paprika.  Stir well.

Mix the cornflour with two tablespoons of cold water.  When the 'gravy' is boiling, pour in the cornflour mixture whilst stirring to thicken it.

Drain the noodles and add to the gravy together with the meat or prawns, and chopped egg.  Mix well and serve.

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Sesame Prawn Toast

I resisted the urge to buy some half price raw prawns in Aldi last week, and then saw a recipe online for Sesame Prawn Toasts. So when Aldi had some more half price prawns yesterday (and three tuna steaks - straight in the freezer), I grabbed them for my protein obsessed 17 year old son.

Makes 12

3 slices of bread

175g raw prawns

1 medium free range egg

1cm root ginger, finely gated

1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 spring onion, chopped into 1cm rounds

Sesame seeds

Sesame oil

Light olive or vegetable oil for frying

Whizz the prawns, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and spring onion together in a mini food processor.

Drizzle sesame oil on each side of the slices of bread.

Divide the prawn paste between the slices of bread and spread smoothly right to the edges.  The two recipes I looked at said to cut the crusts off, and to use white bread, but I left the crusts off and used light wholemeal bread.  Sprinkle the prawn paste with sesame seeds.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.  If you have a larger non-stick frying pan that will fit more than one slice of bread, add 1 tsp oil per slice.

Fry topping side up for 1.5-2 minutes until the bottom is golden brown.  Lift the slice of bread up with a fish slice and pour in another 1 tsp of oil, then carefully flip it prawn paste side down into the hot oil.  Cover the pan with a lid or plate and fry for 1-5-2 minutes until prawn paste is golden brown.

Cut each slice of bread into quarters.  If the prawn paste looks slightly undercooked (grey rather than pale pink) when you cut up the toast, just fry again for another minute or microwave all four quarters for 1 minute.

Sesame Prawn Toasts can be cooked in an air fryer.  Drizzle the bread with sesame oil as above then toast  in the air-fryer for 3 minutes at 200°C until one side is golden. Spread the prawn paste on the untoasted side of the bread followed by the sesame seeds.  Cut into quarters and arrange as many as you can in the air fryer basket. Cook for 12 minutes at 180°C until golden brown.

Serve warm with sweet chilli sauce and/or soy sauce for dipping.

Can be reheated in the air fryer - 5 minutes at 180C. And can be frozen and reheated in the air fryer from frozen - 10 minutes at 180C.

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Sweet & Sour Fried Rice

Knocked up a quick pescatarian (could be vegan if made with vegetarian oyster sauce) Sweet & Sour Fried Rice which I thought would make a great student meal.  Preparing the vegetables probably takes longer than the stir frying.

You will need a large wok to cook and stir this stir fry successfully.

Serves a greedy 4

500g cooked white or brown rice

400g block of firm tofu, grated 

2 medium carrots, grated 

Half a sweetheart cabbage, shredded

1 small onion, peeled and sliced into half-moons or a bunch of spring onions, chopped into 1cm pieces

4 rings tinned pineapple, chopped into 1cm pieces (optional)

2cm root ginger, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

6 tbsp tomato ketchup

4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

4 tbsp (vegetarian) oyster sauce

4 tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes

If you don't have any cooked rice, cook a large mug of basmati rice before you start.  It only takes 20 minutes, whilst you prepare the vegetables.

Grate/chop the tofu, vegetables, ginger & garlic, pineapple.  Put them on separate plates as they are stir fried at different times.

Heat the oil in a large wok over a high heat until smoking.  Add the tofu and stir fry until you can see it start to go golden brown in places.

Push the tofu to one side as best you can and tip in the vegetables, ginger & garlic, and chilli flakes.  Push the tofu on top the vegetables so the vegetables are in contact with the hot pan.  Leave for a minute or so and then start stir frying.  After a minute or so of stir frying add in about 50ml of water to the wok to help the vegetables steam and soften, whilst still stir frying.

When the vegetables are softened to your liking, turn down the heat to medium and stir in the rice and the sauce ingredients.  Add a little water if the rice and sauce starts sticking to the wok.

Serve when piping hot

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One Pan Salmon Biryani

A simple but flavour packed one pan Salmon Biryani.  If you don't have the individual spices listed in the recipe below, you can always use curry paste.  

Defrosted cooked prawns can be used instead of salmon, and a vegan version can be make with 2 cans of drained chickpeas instead of salmon or prawns.

Serves 6

500g boneless salmon fillet joint cut into 4 fillets, or 4 boneless salmon fillets

250g baby spinach leaves 

1 large mug (300g) basmati rice

2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cm fresh ginger, finely grated

2 large garlic cloves

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

Recently boiled water

4 tbsp mild curry paste (only if not using the dried spices listed below)

1 heaped tsp cumin seeds

5 green cardamom pods

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes

1 tbsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp dried mint 

2 bay leaves

In a large casserole dish with a well fitting lid, fry the onions gently in the oil over a medium low heat, stirring from time to time until golden. This takes about 20 minutes, giving you time to assemble the other ingredients.

When the onions are golden, add all the dried spices if using. Stir the spices in well then add the garlic and ginger.  Add the curry paste now if using and stir in.

Weigh the rice into a large mug and note where it comes up to inside the mug.  Add the rice to the pan, then pour in 1 & 3/4 mugs of recently boiled water, so the water comes 1cm above the level of the rice.  As this is a little hard to see with the spices or curry paste colouring the water, the dry end of a wooden spoon works well as a level indicator.  Crumble in the stock cube and mix in well.

Cover the rice with the baby spinach leaves, and then lay the salmon skin side up on top of the spinach.  Put the lid on the pan and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to the lowest and cook for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes remove the lid and peel off the salmon skin and discard.  If the skin doesn't come away easily, put the lid back on and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. If the skin does come away easily, flake the fish with a serving spoon. Again, if it doesn't flake easily and is not cooked through, put the lid back on and cook for a further 5 minutes.

When the salmon is cooked, turn off the heat and flake the salmon.  Mix the salmon and spinach into the rice. Serve immediately.

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Chinese Style Cooked Lettuce

Another recipe to tackle the ongoing lettuce glut at my allotment.  I am now searching the internet for different national lettuce recipes. Today, Chinese Style Cooked Lettuce.

According to Wikipedia, China is the world leader in lettuce production, producing half the world's lettuce.  Lettuce is a symbol of wealth and good luck in China, and served on birthdays, New Year's Day, and other celebrations. Lettuce is always cooked in Chinese cuisine.  It is served as a 'vegetable' accompaniment as I cooked it, stir fried with meat or tofu, or in a soup.

Serves 2

200g lettuce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce (or mushroom/vegetarian oyster sauce)
2 tbsp water

Wash the lettuce thoroughly. Most of the US recipes I looked at cooked long Romaine lettuce leaves whole.  I think my lettuce (the seedlings were gifted to me) was a Little Gem before it went to seed.  It was quite tatty and nibbled by pests, and whilst cooking would hide these cosmetic defects, I sliced it to make it more manageable to eat.

Wilt the prepared lettuce for 20 seconds in a pan of boiling water. Drain, reserving 2 tbsp of water, and place in a serving dish.

In the same pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium high heat. Once hot, tip in the crushed garlic, quickly followed by the soy sauce, oyster sauce and reserved 2 tbsp of water. 

Heat to a simmer, then pour over the cooked lettuce. Serve immediately.    

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Caramelised Onion Pasta

Social media keeps on pushing caramelised onion spaghetti/linguine recipes my way.  So I gave one a go.

The recipe I roughly followed was a little greasy, not a surprise with all the butter, oil, cream, and cheese, so I added anchovies, chilli flakes, and lemon zest to cut through the richness.  If you don't mind having pasta without much sauce you can omit the cream and add the parmesan and zest after tossing through the cooked onion mixture.

Serves 4

400g spaghetti

4 brown onions, peeled and finely sliced

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

15g butter

1 tbsp olive oil, including anchovy oil using

1 tin anchovies in olive oil, chopped

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

300ml double cream

100g grated parmesan or grana padano

Zest of 1 lemon

Fresh parsley

Fry the sliced onions in the melted butter and olive oil over a medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring from time to time, until brown and meltingly soft. 

Stir in the chop anchovies, garlic, and chilli. Fry until the anchovies start to break up.

Pour in the cream, cheese, lemon zest and heat gently whilst you cook the pasta.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and mix into the creamy sauce.  

Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving if using.

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Nordic Salmon Soup/Chowder

Lohikeitto (Finland), Fiskesuppe (Norway), Laxsoppa (Sweden), and Fiskisúpa (Iceland) are all Nordic creamy salmon and potato soups or chowders. This is a simple warming meal in a bowl that takes just over 30 minutes to cook.  I based my recipe on an online recipe for Lohikeitto, and added extra potatoes to make this into a simple dinner for 4.

Serves 4

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 leeks, washed and sliced

2 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

1kg potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed 

1 litre fish or vegetable stock

400g salmon, skinned and cut into large chunks

200ml double cream (I only had 100ml hence mine not looking very creamy)

Small bunch of dill, finely chopped (didn't't have any but would definately add it next time)

Sweat the leeks in the olive oil in a large covered pan over a gentle heat, stirring from time to time.

When the leeks have wilted down to half their size at the start (about 20 minutes), add the carrots. Sweat in the covered pan for a couple of minutes whilst you chop the potatoes. 

Add the chopped potatoes, garlic, and stock which needs to just cover the potatoes.  Put the lid back on the pan, bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.

When the potatoes are cooked through stir in the cubed salmon, cover and simmer for 5 minutes to cook the salmon.  When the salmon is cooked, pour in the cream and chopped dill.  Heat the creamy soup gently and remove from the heat when it is steaming but not boiling.  

Serve.

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Tandoori Salmon & Potato Traybake

Oven season begins, and with a surplus of potatoes I thought I'd combine Tandoori Salmon with potatoes and cook a hands off traybake.

Serves 4

500g salmon fillet

100g greek yoghurt

2 tbsp tandoori masala powder

1 clove of garlic, peeled & crushed

Juice of a small lemon

1kg white or salad potatoes

1 tbsp light olive oil

Mix the yoghurt, tandoori masala, garlic, and lemon juice together.  Spread over the flesh side of the salmon and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

About an hour before you want to eat turn the oven on to preheat to 220C/200C Fan.

Cut the potatoes into wedges, or in half if smaller salad potatoes.  Place in a high sided baking dish big enough to spread them into a single layer, toss in a tablespoon of light olive oil and turn skin side down.

Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes then remove the dish from the oven.  Toss the potatoes so the ones on the outside are moved to the middle then make space in the middle of the dish for the salmon. Scrape all the marinade onto the salmon, and arrange the potatoes around it.

Return the baking dish to the oven for 15 minutes.

Serve with something green like wilted spinach, peas, green beans, or cucumber raita. 

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Mediterranean Rice

OH came up with this dish whilst cooking in the cramped static caravan in the south of France, and with the limited supplies in the small campsite shop (we had sweetcorn instead of yellow pepper, and he mistakenly picked up tuna in tomato sauce) 

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced 
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 cans tuna chunks in oil
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and diced 
1 beef tomato, diced 
500g cooked rice (we could only find rice in sachets, which only took 12 minutes to cook)

Chilli powder (optional)

Soften the onion, pepper, and garlic in a large saucepan in either olive oil or the oil from one of the tuna cans.

When the onion is translucent, add the chopped tomato and cook gently until it starts to soften.
Stir in the tuna and rice and heat to piping hot. 

Serve with chilli powder if desired 

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Singapore Chow Mein Noodles

I ordered Singapore Vermicelli last time we had a birthday Chinese takeaway. So the next time I made a stir fry, I thought I'd try Singapore Noodles.  I prefer rice noodles, but I find them hard to stir fry without going sticky, so this was made with egg noodles

Serves 4

4 layers of noodles

1 tbsp mild curry powder

¼ tsp turmeric

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp low-salt soy sauce

2 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil

600g sliced stir fry vegetables (if slicing your own vegetables include an onion, and then a rainbow of colourful vegetables - red pepper, carrot, pak choi/cabbage, mushroom, sweetcorn, beansprouts)

250g protein (optional), choose from 200g firm tofu, 2 free range eggs, or 250g cooked prawns

1 red chilli, sliced (optional)

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.  Leave in cold water once cooked until ready to use.

Mix curry powder, turmeric, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce and 1 tbsp water in a small bowl.

If using egg, beat the eggs in a mug.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok/large frying pan over a medium high heat. Swirl the oil around when hot, and pour in the egg, cooking it like an omelette.  Turn the egg over after a couple of minutes and cook the other side.  Take out when cooked, chop into bite sized pieces, and leave to one side.

If using tofu or prawns, heat 1 tbsp of oil in the wok. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok over a medium high heat. Grate the tofu if using.  When the oil is hot, stir fry the grated tofu or prawns for a few minutes until slightly brown. 

Add another tbsp of oil after you've removed the egg, or when the tofu/prawns have been stir fried.  When hot again, add the rest of the vegetables and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until softened and starting to brown in places. 

Drain the noodles and add to the wok, along with the sauce mixture and egg. Stir-fry for a further 3-4 mins, mixing thoroughly and reheating the noodles.  

Serve with sliced chilli if you like some spice!

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One Pan Asian Salmon & Rice

I've been seeing a lot of recipes for rice cooker 'all in one' meals.  Whilst I do have a rice cooker (in the garage), I thought I'd try cooking it my Perfect Basmati Rice way.  It worked brilliantly.

Serves 4

1 mug basmati rice

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 large garlic clove, grated 

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp light soy sauce

200g baby leaf spinach or frozen edaname beans 

1 large carrot, grated 

500g salmon fillet

Put the rice, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce into a pan with a good fitting lid, wide enough to fit the salmon fillet.

Mix the rice and flavourings, then place the spinach and grated carrot on top of the rice.

Pour over 1.5 mugs of boiling water, put on the lid, and place the pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil.

When boiling, place the salmon skin side up on top of the spinach and carrot.  Put the lid back on, and when the pan comes back to the boil again, turn down to the lowest heat and set a timer for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes is up, turn the heat off and set a timer for another 10 minutes to finish steaming the rice and salmon.  DO NOT LIFT THE LID!

After the second 10 minutes, remove the lid and lift off the skin of the salmon and discard. Break the salmon into flakes and gently mix the rice, spinach, and carrot.

Serve with an extra drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil.  I also added a sprinkling of chilli flakes and sesame seeds because I had some.

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Harissa Salmon, Broccoli, & New Potato Traybake

As the weather cools in southern England, turning the oven on for a traybake doesn't seems a bad idea, particularly if you can cook something else for later in the week on another shelf (roasted homegrown Crown Prince squash).

A relatively quick midweek dinner.

Serves 4

500g side of salmon
1kg new potatoes 
Small head of broccoli 

1-3 tbsp harissa

2 tbsp olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

Mix the harissa, olive oil and lemon juice and marinade the salmon for as long as you can beforehand. The recipe I loosely followed stated 3 tbsp of harissa but ours was old, fiery, and the genuine article (Le Phare de Cap Bon from France) and just 1 tbsp was surprisingly hot.  I presume supermarket homebrand harissa is not as hot?  Our salmon marinaded whilst boiling the potatoes.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, adding the broccoli florets for 2 minutes at the end of the cooking time. Drain.

Lightly oil a high sided baking dish and place in the salmon.  Toss the potatoes in any remaining marinade and around the salmon as suits. I would have cooked the piece of salmon whole, but was worried that once child would find the harissa too spicy, so cut the salmon into four portions and kept one of portion well away from the marinated portions. To further complicate things, another child does not like broccoli (but thankfully likes harissa), so I had to separate the potatoes and the broccoli as well as marinated and non-marinated fish, otherwise I would have mixed the vegetables all together.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180C, until the salmon is cooked through.

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Fish Finger Tacos

Fun family finger food.  You could do this with fish fillets, but don't think the kids would have eaten so many.

Serves 4

8 mini tortilla or 4 large tortilla wraps

8 fish fingers 

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp white wine or apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

4 gherkins, finely chopped

2 tbsp capers

4 tbsp soured cream or mayonnaise

4 handfuls shredded lettuce

Optional - sliced tomato, jalapeños, guacamole

Scrunch the sliced onions together with the vinegar, sugar, and salt and leave to one side.

Stir gherkins and capers into the soured cream or mayonnaise.

Fry, grill, or air fry the fish fingers. 

Prepare tortillas, sharing out the lettuce, pickled onions, and tartare sauce along the middle, and lay 1-2 fish fingers on top of this when cooked.  

Serve two mini tortillas or 1 large tortilla per person.

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Smoked Mackerel & Goats Cheese Pâté

I bought smoked mackerel and goats cheese with two separate lunches in mind, but ended up combining them to make a very tasty spread on toast. The first time I made it, my daughter took one of the slices, despite not liking goats cheese or smoked mackerel.

Serves 2

1 peppered smoked mackerel fillet (about 65g)

50g soft goats cheese

1 tbsp greek yoghurt

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Small garlic clove, crushed 

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp chopped chives (optional)

Mash the goats cheese with the yoghurt, olive oil, and garlic. 

Place the smoked mackerel fillet in a lidded takeaway container cracked open. Microwave on high for 30 seconds.

Flake the hot smoked mackerel and stir into the goats cheese.

Serve hot toast, ideally sourdough.

You could mix all the goats cheese together, with more yoghurt, in a food processor to make a whipped goats cheese, similar to Whipped Feta 

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Curried Tuna & Sweetcorn Soup

Popped round to my 92 year old mum's who told me she'd just made Curried Tuna & Sweetcorn Soup.  This was one of the first recipes she taught/asked me to make as a young teenager.  So I just had to go home and make some.

Serves 2

1 can of tuna

125g can of sweet corn kernels (or mug of frozen sweetcorn)

1 tsp curry powder or powdered cumin

1 tbsp flour (gluten free or gram flour works well)

1 tbsp olive oil (or tuna oil)

600ml cold water 

1 chicken or vegetable stock cube

In a cold saucepan, gently whisk water, flour, milk, oil, crumbled stock cube, and curry powder until the lumps have gone.  Place of a medium heat stirring constantly until it starts to thicken, then turn down to the lowest heat.  

Flake the tuna with a fork and add to the soup, together with the sweetcorn.  Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with sprinkling of chopped parsley you have any,

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Bagna Cauda, Creamy Garlic & Anchovy Dip or Pasta Sauce

Bagna Cauda is a rich, creamy, salty, garlicky dip for raw vegetables (think hummus) that works well as a pasta sauce.

Traditional Piedmont recipes use a lot of butter, and olive oil, and I thought the suggestion in one online recipe of using a litre of milk and discarding half after cooking ridiculous.  So I combined the best frugal bits of several recipes, coming up with a sauce that will serve 4.

Serves 4

300ml whole milk

6 garlic cloves, peeled 

1 tin of anchovies in oil

40g walnuts

120ml olive oil

Simmer the garlic and walnuts in the milk for 10 minutes, taking care it does not boil over.

Ideally, leave the milk to cool for 10 minutes, but this is not necessary (I think it emulsifies better when cooler, but none of the recipes I looked at recommended this).

Pour into the beaker that comes with a stick blender (mine is plastic, which is another reason to wait for the milk to cool a little otherwise it might crack).  Add the anchovies and their oil, the vinegar, and whizz until smooth.

Placing the beaker on a damp cloth to stop it sliding around, whizz the sauce with one hand and dribble in the olive oil with the other hand until incorporated.

Serve with raw vegetables (carrots, celery, beetroot, cauliflower, fennel, endive) as a dipping sauce, pour over roasted vegetables (we had ours over roasted cauliflower and leek, with extra sunflower seeds), or as a pasta sauce.

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Indonesian Egg Fried Rice with Smoked Mackerel

A quick midweek Omega 3 rich family friendly fried rice, based on BBC Good Food's Indonesian Fried Rice with Mackerel.

For a fish dish, this went down really well with the kids.

Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tbsp red curry paste

800g cooked basmati rice (about 250g-300g uncooked)

4 fat spring onions, sliced

140g frozen peas, edamame beans, or sliced cabbage

4 smoked mackerel fillets, flaked

4 tbsp kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce),  or 2 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp sugar

Sriracha Chilli Sauce, to serve

Cook the rice if you don't have any ready cooked, and leave to cool.

Heat the oil in a wok.  If using cabbage, stir fry this for a couple of minutes, then add the curry paste and fry breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon.

Pour in the egg and swirl around as if making an omelette, then break up with the wooden spoon and push to one side.  Add the mackerel to the side of the wok you've just cleared, then add the spring onion and peas or edamame.  Stir and mix well then add the rice and stir everything through well.  

Once the rice is well mixed, cover and turn the heat down low for a few minutes to heat the rice through thoroughly.

Serve with a tablespoon of kecap manis per person, and Sriracha chilli sauce to taste.

I would have made this with brown rice had we had some, and possibly would substitute the red curry paste for garlic in ginger as in Nasi Goreng, Indonesian Fried Rice with Chicken & Pork I was taught years ago by someone who lived in Singapore.

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Jamie Oliver's Speedy Homemade Flatbread Tuna Melt Toastie

Watching Jamie Oliver's One Pan Wonders series I've been inspired to make the Speedy Folded Flatbreads with a tuna and cheddar filling.

They are quite small, and it took a little trial and error not to put too much filling in.  After making four think I've got it right.

4 tbsp bread flour (I ended up using 2 tbsp wholemeal, 2 tbsp white)

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt
1 tbsp yoghurt, or milk

4 tbsp water

1/4 tin of tuna, drained

20g grated mature cheddar

1 tbsp chopped onion (optional)

oil for frying

Mix up the flatbread ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Put a small pan over a medium heat to heat up whilst you get your filling ingredients prepared.  

When ready, put a drizzle of oil in the hot pan, swirl or brush around, then add the flatbread mixture.  Swirl around with a spatula or back of a spoon, patching any holes caused by bubbles, and thinning out any raw mixture. 

When the top looks less wet, shake the pan to loosen the flatbread.  You may need to loosen it with a spatula first.  Sprinkle the cheddar on one half of the flatbread, followed by onion (if using) and tuna. Using a spatula, fold the half of flatbread with no filling over onto the filling, cover with a curved lid that doesn't touch the flatbread, and turn the heat down low.  Cook for a further 2 minutes then serve, warning your diner it may be hot!

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