BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, CRASH!!! Plus Chutney, Scone and Aubergine tray bake recipes

What a week? A week of two halves. Fantastic from Monday to Wednesday and a complete wipe out from Thursday!  Oh well, such is life.

Monday was full on out and about with Osteopath, Aldi shop and son's trampoline lesson. Needless to say I was a tad wiped out by the evening as it had been 6 weeks rather than my normal 4 weeks since my last osteo appointment and I cracked and creaked like a good 'un, but I felt taller. It does get everything moving though, so I do find that I feel a bit 'dead' afterwards.

Luckily Tuesday I felt pretty good apart from a late start and managed to do everything on my kitchen list plus extra.  Ached like hell afterwards, but felt it was worth it as I made:

Apple Cake - Thanks to the excellent North Wild Kitchen and her excellent book.

I also made 8 jars of green tomato and orange chutney: recipe below. You will need a food processor or plenty of muscle to chop it all up.

A batch of cheese, olive and onion scones: recipe also below.

Soaked my fruits for a chocolate and orange Christmas cake and made a batch of lemon and pesto falafels from the bag of soaked chickpeas and half a jar of pesto I had left in the fridge.

No wonder I was knackered 😂😂 All that standing about (four and a half hours to be exact) played havoc with my tilted pelvis.

Wednesday was a day with my daughter with a trip to B&M to get some bits of furniture for her office and a nose at the Christmas bits and bobs. Needless to say I spent/bought far too much, but I have completed my granddaughter's present.

Now to the crash!!  I literally couldn't get out of bed on Thursday!!  I couldn't keep my eyes open and I ached everywhere.  I literally spent the day dozing, drinking tea, eating chocolate and watching Netflix as I just couldn't do much else.  Still don't know what causes it, but I have since found out that endometriosis can cause fatigue and as mine is fourth stage and I now have a 'stuck' womb, it probably is that that causes it.  Either that or I do suffer from CFS. Friday wasn't much better but I did, at least manage to cook dinner.

Aubergine and potato with feta cheese tray bake

It was quick and easy and pretty damn tasty.  Recipe also below.  This week is a long one. Sorry!

The weekend is now here and I intend to catch up on some bits and bobs; got my Halloween candle holders out and my autumn scented candles. His Nibs has repainted the kitchen ceiling and I'm hoping to get some seeds planted, depending on weather, which will be good for Spring. It's currently blowing a gale and raining.

Anyway, here we go:

GREEN TOMATO AND ORANGE (CLEMENTINE) MARMALADE

4 large sweet oranges or 8-10 clementines (I used 8)

2 lemons

1kg green tomatoes

750ml water

1kg granulated sugar

Cut the oranges and lemons into slices and remove the pips and place the pips into a muslin bag. I didn't have any pips in either so couldn't do this and mine set fine, so I don't think it's absolutely necessary.

Then put the tomatoes, lemons and oranges into a food processor, in batches, and chop into small pieces.  Think small chunks.

Put this into a large preserving pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 45 mins until the orange and lemon peel is soft.

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.

Bring back to the boil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick and a wooden spoon leaves a clear trail when drawn through the mixture.  It will reduce a lot!! This stage can take anything from 40 mins to an hour and a half depending on how juicy your fruits are. Keep an eye on it, you don't want it to burn or turn into toffee.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly so you can skim off any yucky bits from the top and then ladle into clean, sterilised jars *

Allow to go cold, label and store for up to a year.

* I wash my jars in hot water and detergent, rinse and then place upside down in an oven preheated to 100C/225F/Gas 1/4 and leave them there for a minimum of 10 minutes.

CHEESE, ONION AND OLIVE SCONES - GLUTEN FREE*

175g self raising flour (I use Freee From flour)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1tbsp olive oil

large pinch of salt and black pepper

1/2tsp English mustard powder

25g butter/marg

40g parmesan cheese, finely grated (I use the bags where it's already done for you)

40g cheddar cheese, grated

2-3tbsp milk

1 egg

6-8 pitted black olives, chopped

Preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas6

Fry the chopped onion in the olive oil until soft and slightly browned.  Set aside to cool.

Sift the flour, salt, mustard powder and black pepper into a large bowl.

Rub the butter/marg into the flour mix until breadcrumby, then stir in the cooked onion, the chopped olives and the grated cheddar cheese.

Beat the egg and pour into the mixture using your hands to bind along with enough milk to make a soft dough that isn't too sticky. Knead on a floured surface/board until smooth.

Roll out the dough until approx 2cm thick.  Then using whatever size cutter you like (obviously the smaller the cutter, the more you get) and transfer to a lightly greased tray. Brush with milk and sprinkle on that parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at the top of your oven until browning.  Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack.

*This recipe is based on a Delia Smith recipe from her Christmas book, but I've adapted for gluten free ingredients and my ease.

And finally!!

FETA, POTATO & AUBERGINE BAKE WITH GREEN LENTILS *

1kg potatoes, unpeeled, but washed and cut into chunks

2 aubergines, cut into chunks

1 red onion, chopped in any way you wish

A squirt of garlic puree or 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped.

2 tins of green lentils or a large mug of dried.

1tbsp of Ras-el-hanout(Steenbergs is the one I use)

1tbsp of dried oregano (again Steenbergs)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes plus an empty can of water

1 packet of feta cheese

Olive oil

Large pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas7

Boil your potatoes until a knife goes through, but not until they are mushy. Then drain.

Fry the aubergines in a little olive oil until softened and turning brown. This will take about 8-10 minutes.

Tip both the aubergine and potato into a oven proof dish and season with salt, dried oregano and ras-el-hanout. Turning until coated.

Then fry off the onion and garlic if using fresh until soft and add to the other veg. If using puree, just squeeze some in that dish.

Tip in the green lentils (drained if using tinned), the tin of tomatoes and the empty tin of water. Place this in the oven covered either with a lid of tin foil and cook for about 40 minutes or until lentils are cooked if using dried or for about 30 minutes if using tinned.

Break up the feta on top of the dish and return to the oven, uncovered, for approximately another 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

This can be served with crusty bread or a salad or as it is.

*Loosely based on an Abel & Cole recipe that came as a recipe box. I've missed out ingredients I didn't think it needed and changed the quantities of herb and spice and changed the spice itself as the original recipe is just mixed spice so if you don't have Ras-el-anout, just use normal mixed spice.

VEGGIE CRUMBLES AND PASTA SAUCE

Yay!  Finally managed a Saturday post!

Been a week of ups, downs, outs and headaches.  Oh well, par for the course at the moment until the weather decides what it's going to do. 

A couple of years ago, I discovered vegetable crumbles!  Can't remember where I first found it, but I've been slightly addicted ever since. They are a great way of using up vegetables in the fridge, but are also warming and comforting which we need at the moment.

The recipe I use has cheese in the crumble part, but you can always change it to vegan cheese if you wanted. To be honest, don't be scared to change anything up as they are dead easy to adapt.

MY VEGETABLE CRUMBLE

1 small cauliflower, roughly chopped

1 kohl rabi, cubed

6 carrots, peeled and cubed

bunch of flat beans, cut into approximately 2cm pieces

1 white onion sliced

1 vegetable stock cube (I use Kallo)

1tbsp of butter/marg

1tbsp of wholegrain mustard

1tbsp of Doves Freee From plain flour (use whatever flour you have)

300ml of milk or water or water/milk mixed

For the crumble:

250g of Doves Freee From plain flour (see above)

110g butter/marg

2tbsp freshly chopped parsley (or use dried)

30g of grated cheddar cheese

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/350F

2. Take a large pan and gently fry the vegetables in the butter/marg until beginning to soften, but not necessarily brown.

3. Add the flour and stir to coat the veg, crumble in the stock cube and do the same.

4. Slowly add enough milk or water or milk/water to just cover the vegetables and bring to the boil, stirring until it starts to thicken.

5. Stir in the wholegrain mustard and transfer to a tin or tray that can go in the oven.

6. Make the crumble by putting the flour and butter/marg into a bowl and, using your fingers, rub together to form a very lumpy mixture.  It does not have to be fine breadcrumbs!!!

7. Stir in the parsley and grated cheese and sprinkle over the vegetables.

8. Cook for 30mins or until the topping is beginning to brown.

NB: Any combination of vegetables can be used although root vegetables and squashes make the best base.  Add beans, onions, leeks, whatever you have but avoid watery veg like tomatoes. Although you can use a tin of tomatoes and reduce the stock/milk. 

Swap up your mustard to whatever you like and your herbs to go with whatever your vegetables suit.  It really is up to you. Enjoy!!

..............

I'm getting a glut of tomatoes at the moment; too many to use up quickly.  Tomatoes should also be fairly cheap to obtain from shops too.  If you fancy making your own pasta sauce, try this:

HOME MADE ROASTED TOMATO PASTA SAUCE

You'll need a large pan for this.  I'm lucky in the fact that I have a large jam pan and a couple of large saucepans. You'll need them for the heat treatment afterwards. Also a few kilner jars or large pickle jars are a good idea. Oh and a blender or food processor or big muscles and a masher 😄.

1kg of ripe tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size

1 red pepper, coarsely chopped

1 red onion, coarsely chopped.

1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

Salt and Pepper

Basil (either fresh or dried; I used dried)

1tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/350F

2. Take a roasting tin and tumble in the chopped tomatoes, red pepper, red onion and chilli.

3. Sprinkle on the dried basil (miss this step if using fresh)

4. Pour over the olive oil, get your hands in and toss until everything is coated.  Add a little more oil if you think you need it.

5. Roast in the oven for 20-30mins until the tomatoes are squishy and the red pepper and onion are soft.

6. While this is happening prepare your jars. I used 3 IKEA kilner jars (medium size).  Wash in soapy water, rinse through and then place in the cooling oven once you've removed your tomatoes. You need the jars to be hot!! As in hot that you cannot touch with bare hands.  10 mins on 100C/Gas 1/250F should be enough, but if you put them in the oven when the tomatoes come out, turn the oven off and let them sit until you are ready to use them; at least 10 minutes.

7. Blitz your tomato mixture either in a food processor, blender or by mashing the hell out of it (this will give a chunkier sauce).

8. Taste and season.  This is when you would put your fresh chopped basil in. Stir.

9. Take a large pan and put either a grill in the bottom or a folded tea-towel.

10. Remove the jars from the oven carefully and fill almost to the top.  Seal.

11. Wrap each jar in either layers of newspaper if you have it or another tea-towel each as I did.  Place in the pan and fill with water until the jars are covered.

12. Bring the water to boil and boil for approximately 20-30 mins.

13. Remove the jars. If using kilners you can test the seal by removing the clip and gently lifting the lid.  The lid should NOT OPEN!!!!!!! Jars with tin lids should dent in the top as they cool.

NB: You do not have to heat treat, but the sauce will only last 1-2 weeks in the fridge. If heat treated, it should last a year, so make sure you put a date on the label.

Good Luck!!!

CHATTING TO MR CROW (includes recipe for 'Fakeaway')

Working last night, so no chance to get blog done.

I've now used my slow cooker every day this week so far and will be using it again tomorrow as I'm back at work in the evening.

Surprising what you can do in it, haha

Yesterday was pumpkin chilli using another one of the pumpkins I picked in October at the pumpkin farm; yes, they are still ok!  I have one huge one left and it's still really firm.  Actually the one I used yesterday was a smaller version of the big one and the skin was so hard on it, I nearly sliced off my thumb; whoops!

http://pumpkinmoon.uk/ - Pumpkin Farm where we picked our own pumpkins for Halloween 2016

Ended up finding that the quickest and easiest way to do it was to wedge it into manageable bits, then cut into cubes using a very sharp knife and a tea towel so I could whack it and then cutting the skin off.  Bit laborious, but it worked.  Then I just shoved it all in the slow cooker with a wedged onion, some garlic, coriander, cumin, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and a tin of tomatoes and a tin of butter beans as I didn't have any kidney beans!!  Very unusual for me I have to admit.  Must get back into buying the dried, soaking and cooking and then freezing in batches.  Works out a lot cheaper. The chilli was then cooked for 4 hours on high.  They had it with rice and I had it with some pickle and yogurt when I got home.

Pumpkin Chilli before cooking

Today was another beautiful day; yesterday was overcast and I had another headache (convinced they are to do with air pressure), so quick trip for supplies in Aldi, quick visit to Wilkinsons for toiletries and home to put washing out on the line and have a general peruse around the garden.  Obviously I got distracted by Mr Crow and his constant cawing; it would appear there maybe a rival crow about as he wasn't very happy when another appeared.  Also saw the first bumble bee of the year and happily watched him buzzing about for another 10mins.

Mr (or Mrs) Crow

Decided that as I was out there I'd tidy around the 1st pond area and cut back the dead stalks from the tansy and the foxgloves, dug up some weeds and grass clumps and then watched the water snails and whirlygigs busying themselves in the water.  I can spend rather a lot of time just watching wildlife in my garden, haha.

Tonight's dinner was a first for me.  I'm on a slow cooker page on Facebook and they are always going on about a 'fakeaway'; basically a kebab type thing made with mince, onion, garlic and herbs which you moosh together until smooth (I did it in the food processor) and then cook, wrapped in foil, in the slow cooker.  I cooked mine for 4 hours on medium along with several sweet potatoes which had just been scrubbed and put in whole.

I would have taken a photograph, but they descended like vultures before I got the chance, so maybe next time.  It was alright, I wouldn't rave about it, but it was simple and served in pitta breads alongside some homemade coleslaw and a green salad it made a good meal.

'FAKEAWAY'
500g of lamb mince
1 onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
1tsp of dried oregano (although I used fresh as didn't have any dried)
1tsp of dried mixed herbs
1/2tsp paprika
salt and pepper

Blitz the onion, garlic cloves, oregano, mixed herbs, paprika in a food processor until very finely chopped.  Add the mince and blitz again until smooth (it looks a bit like sausage meat).
Turn out onto some tin foil and squish together into a cylinder/sausage shape.
Wrap in foil and place direct into slow cooker and cook on high for 3hrs or low for 6, or, if like me you have a medium setting, 4hrs on med.
Unwrap and thinly slice.

WELL THAT WASN'T A GOOD START WAS IT? (includes recipe)

Missed out on a post yesterday as was ill all day until about 3pm and then off to work at 4.30pm so no real time to write anything up.  Stonking headache, neck ache and felt sick.  Tucked myself up in bed with water, paracetamol and slept as much as I could which did, eventually, help!

Luckily I'd prepped the slow cooker dinner the night before and as we have so many timer switches which are used at Xmas for all the lights, I dragged one of those out and plugged the slow cooker in meaning I didn't have to worry about dinner at all. Whoop, whoop!  Satay Chicken and it was devoured with relish apparently. Unfortunately it does mean that there were no photos.  Hey ho!

Felt a lot better today and as beginning of the month and weather was a bit brighter I went out and done the main bulk of the shopping.

Iceland for frozen fish and a few veggies and some cheese, then Aldi for sarni stuff (popped in to see a mate for a cuppa whilst round there as she only lives over the road) and then Holland & Barrett (our other independent health food shop closed down 😢 ) for flours and peanut butter.

Tonight's dinner was a new recipe for polenta; polenta and mushroom 'tart'.  Kind of like a pizza with the polenta being the base and then the veggies and mozzarella on the top.  I like polenta, but I'm never sure on quanties and always end up making either too little or way too much.  Tonight was the latter.

Polenta 'tart' (those are tomatoes not carrots, haha)

The mushrooms were cooked with spring onions, loads of garlic and thyme and some frozen sliced green beans.  The polenta was made using stock and then lashings of cheese, butter and rosemary added.  Not the most healthiest of meals, but was filling and tasted a lot better than it looked.


POLENTA AND MUSHROOM 'TART/PIZZA'

butter, plus extra for greasing
1.27 litre vegetable stock
300g quick-cook polenta
Chunk of cheese, grated
2 rosemary sprigs, leaves finely chopped
punnet of chestnut mushrooms, halved
4-5 spring onions, chopped
couple of cloves of garlic finely chopped
small bunch thyme, leaves only
couple of handfuls of green beans
2 balls mozzarella, drained
6 cherry tomatoes, halved

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Grease a large baking tray or roasting tin.
Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan, then slowly pour in the polenta, whisking all the
time and let bubble for 8 mins, whisking continuously.
Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, butter, rosemary and plenty of seasoning.
Spread the polenta over the tray and bake for 30 mins.

In a frying pan fry the mushrooms in a little olive oil along with the chopped spring onions and then add the finely chopped garlic, thyme and some seasoning.
Add the green beans and heat through.
Once the polenta has had it's 30mins, remove from the oven and place the mushroom mixture onto the polenta and dot with torn mozzarella and halved cherry tomatoes.

Return to the oven for another 15mins or until cheese is bubbling.
Allow to cool a little so that the polenta firms up a bit and it becomes easier to serve.

I didn't do that last bit and it was rather sloppy to serve, but then firmed up in the eating bowls.  Oh well, will learn for next time.