FEELING INSPIRED!

I don't know whether or not it's because I discovered that The Food Network was rerunning Jamie At Home or not, but I've been a bit inspired this week with cooking.  Well, I say inspired, more enthusiastic probably.

I started the week with buying a reduced price celeriac, 4 red peppers, 8 large garden tomatoes, a punnet of baby plum tomatoes, bunch spring onions, 2 red onions, large punnet mushrooms, small fennel bulb, 2 bunches of spinach, 2 packs of feta, 1 pint of double cream, large fresh green chilli and a humongous jar of red peppers.  That lot cost approx £17 give or take a few pennies, but was spent across a couple of shops.

My Bargain Red Pepper Jar

I also had half dozen celery sticks, half dozen rhubarb sticks, leftover slow cooked lamb and venison hock plus gravy.  Also the usual potatoes and onions.

Decided, as not done for ages that I'd do a dauphinoise of potatoes and celeriac. Slice up the potatoes, quartered and sliced the celeriac and placed in large bowl with fresh chives, thyme and rosemary from garden, 300ml cream and 300ml of milk.  Hands in and tossed together to coat all the veg before placing in a roasting tin, topped with grated cheese and cooking for about an hour at 180C.

Before

After

Served this with green beans (frozen) tossed in chive butter and the meat mixed with gravy and warmed through for half an hour with the dauphinoise.

Tuesday I fancied veggie food and as I had lots of nettle in the garden I toddled off to pick the tips to add to the spinach I'd bought.  Prepared the nettle by washing thoroughly (use marigolds for this) and then pouring a kettle of boiling water over them through a colander to kill the stings.  Then I sweated 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, large tsp of paprika and once onions transparent added a big squirt of tomato puree and 2 tins of chopped tomatoes.  I had a large tin (probably the size of 2 standard tins) of white beans in the cupboard, so added those (you could use any white bean) and cooked for about half an hour before adding chopped washed spinach and nettle. This was seasoned with salt, pepper, fresh parsley and mint from garden.  To go with this for the boys, I glugged some olive oil in a small baking tin, added salt and pepper and a tsp of paprika.  Rubbed 3 chicken breasts with the oil and cooked for 25-30mins at 180C in the same baking tin whilst beans and spinach was cooking.

Remember the tomato and pepper salad I did last week, well my son liked it so much that I cooked it again but on a larger scale to go with pasta on Wednesday.  Earlier in the day I baked 6 small potatoes in the oven so I could scrape out the innards for some gnocchi for me as I can't eat pasta and avoiding 'grass' foods in general so gluten free pasta is also out.  The gnocchi was made with the cooled 'mash' from potatoes, 1 egg, salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese and potato flour to form a 'dough'.  A teaspoon of mixture was then made into a 'ball' and these dropped into boiling, salted water until they rose to the surface meaning they were cooked.  The sauce for the pasta was made with sliced red onions, 3 cloves of crushed garlic, sliced peppers, halved plum tomatoes, quartered normal tomatoes and cooked down until soft.  Then a large glug of balsamic vinegar added along with chopped black olives, fresh basil leaves and crumbled feta.

Thursday's dinner wasn't such a success.  Pre cooked some rice and green lentils (separate pans) and presoaked mixed dried mushrooms.  Later on fried off bacon until crispy and chopped.  Sweated down onions and garlic and chopped fresh mushrooms adding the soaked and drained (keep liquid) and cooking till soft(ish).  I mixed the mushroom mixture separately into a casserole dish of rice and another of lentils and divided up the soaking liquid.  Bacon was added to the rice and both dishes were put in the oven for 30mins at 180C.  Meanwhile I fried off mussels in butter and the remaining bacon fat from pan and these were served on top of the dishes.  So I had lentil and mushroom mixture with mussels, partner had rice and mushroom/bacon mixture with mussels and my son had rice and mushroom/bacon mixture as he doesn't like mussels.  I have to say that it was ok, but nothing to really write home about so probably won't do again exactly that way.

However, so as not to waste potato skins from yesterday, I fried off a couple of rashers of bacon until really crispy and chopped small, roughly chopped a couple of tomatoes and divided these between the skins, grated lashings of cheese on top and grilled until melted and brown.  Son and myself had these for brunch and I can definitely say I'll do these again.  Need to add tomato as otherwise a bit 'rich'

Brunch potato skins

I have to admit that this week, although busy, hasn't been hectic, so I've managed to do some prep work in the day which is always handy.

Oh and look what I picked up in a charity shop for £3.  Do love books and especially cookery books.

Am looking forward to experimenting with the lavender one as I have two bushes in my garden.

Still have fennel, celery stalks, rhubarb, a few tomatoes and the chilli left.