Vegan Onion and Carrot Soda Bread with Rosemary

Following my last post, I still had lots of peeled carrots leftover. Lots. I could've made one of the other million recipes that called for carrots, but I'm enjoying this vegan/dairy free baking lark. And actually I find that (although this may have lots to do with my rubbish oven) using leftover white/rose wine actually gives me bread with a better texture than the thinned yoghurt I've had to use in the absence of buttermilk in London. Strangely, I bought it in Belgium often by mistake- it's easy to get buttermilk there- fresh milk, less so. Still struggling to understand that... But back to the subject at hand. This bread is definitely savoury but not pungent in flavour. It would be brilliant, thinly sliced, with cheese.  

You need:
Two cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax
Half cup white/ rose wine (great way to use up leftovers a little past their prime). 
1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds, soaked in water
Baking soda (I teaspoon)
Salt (I teaspoon)
2 inch sprig of rosemary, chopped finely (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
One cup finely grated carrot, loosely packed (approx three small carrots)
One onion, finely grated.

1. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, making sure you add in the bits too big to go through the sieve.
2. Add the carrot and onion and stir through well
3. Make a well in the middle and add the wine (this will evaporate off and I used up some old wine here). If you need more than the half cup and water until you have a dough where all flour is absorbed but not any stickier.
4. Place in a tray or bowl in the bottom of the oven on greaseproof paper and let it bake until when a life goes in and comes out clean.

In light of the uselessness of my oven, I cooked this at the bottom, in a tray sitting in a tray of water, so that it wouldn't just dry out and burn. I also had to cover the top. I just want a new oven! It would take about 40 mins at 220 in a normal oven. Shove in a spike or sharp knife and if it comes out clean the bread is done :)

Makes one small but action-packed loaf which feeds many more than you'd expect!

Carrot and Orange Nutty Soda Bread

Vegan wholewheat carrot and orange soda bread with sunflower seeds and cinnamon. Like a cake but not. Simpler than a cake, less fatty and jam-packed with stuff that's good for you! A hint of sweetness, but not sugary. I've been experimenting with soda bread for a couple of months and this one is a winner! It's easy, it doesn't need time to rise (great when you are living in shared accommodation and cannot just leave things around for hours!). Vegan because it uses wine instead of buttermilk. No alcohol (and surprisingly no wine flavour) is there at the end...

You need:
Two cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax (v healthy)
Half cup white/ rose wine (great way to use up leftovers a little past their prime). 
1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds, soaked in water
Baking soda (I teaspoon)
Salt (I teaspoon)
Zest of two oranges
Level teaspoon cinnamon
One cup finely grated carrot, loosely packed (approx three small carrots)

1. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, making sure you add in the bits too big to go through the sieve.
2. Add the carrot and orange zest and stir through well
3. Make a well in the middle and add the wine (this will evaporate off and I used up some old wine here). If you need more than the half cup and water until you have a dough where all flour is absorbed but not any stickier.
4. Place in a tray or bowl in the bottom of the oven on greaseproof paper and let it bake until when a life goes in and comes out clean.

In my rubbish, one temperature, oven that was about 2 hours, covered - in a normal oven on 220 it should be about 40 mins.

Makes one small loaf- delicious with honey, butter or marmalade or as an accompaniment to a bowl of carrot soup :)

Fishcakes, but not as we not them

Simple, quick, cheap and using my favourite freezer/ store cupboard ingredients- I haven't had much time for grocery shopping recently, so have been getting creative with my trusty old faithfuls- frozen spinach, sustainably caught frozen pollack, eggs and gram flour.

This took only minutes, most of which I spent catching up on emails and complying with various requests for information!

Serves two
1) defrost frozen pollack fillets and spinach in the microwave. Allow a maximum of 1 fillet per person and about 100-200g of frozen spinach each.
2) dice about 2 spring onions per person (or a small onion)
3) mash/ chop the defrosted fish and spinach into small pieces. Add the onion and spices to taste- I added a thumb sized piece of diced ginger, five spice, fresh black pepper and chilli flakes, but you could try fennel and garlic, or cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric and curry powder for a curried take.
4) Add half a cup of gram/ chick pea flour, slowly, stirring well. Continue adding until the water is absorbed and the mixture can be formed by hand into patties.
5) Pan fry 1cm/ 1/2 inch deep patties/ 7-10 cm diameter patties in a hot pan, until done (about 5 minutes each side).

n.b. you could also use left over fish of any sort in this recipe, and you could use less fish- just increase the amount of spinach and spring onion/ onion.

these are great cold so leftovers/ make extra for packed lunches.

make them smaller for an unusual canape or snack

Easy. Simple. Delicious

Quick and tasty sausage penne

This is so simple- other than the sausages it used things in my store cupboard or that needed using up : )

This feeds four

I used:
400g Penne (any shaped pasta would be good)
6 normal sized sausages
2 onions
grated cheese
Fresh tomatos and/ or tinned tomatos (one or two tins)
pinch of sage
pinch of pimenton
1/4 chicken stock cube
two cloves garlic, crushed
Good handful of spinach or rocket
Glass of red wine.

To make:
Dice and saute the onion. Add the sage and pimenton. Chop the sausage into bite sized pieces (this meal should be able to be eaten with a fork) and brown with the onions.

Boil the water for the pasta.

When the sausage is browned, add any fresh, chopped tomatoes, the tinned tomatoes, garlic, red wine (I had a half bottle left over from another evening) and the stock cube. Obviously, you can use all fresh or all tinned tomatoes, the wine and stock cube are optional extras. If you are not using the stock cube, add some salt. If you don't have any wine, just add a glass of water. Stir in the spinach/ rocket.

Simmer until your sauce until nicely thickened and whilst your pasta is cooking (about ten minutes). Drain the pasta, mix into your sauce and serve immediately. Sprinkle cheese to taste!

Red Pork Casserole

This casserole was a lifesaver! My eyes were bigger than my brain when I went into the supermarket after Christmas- I bought lots of pork on special offer, and lots of peppers. We had also had a party, and ended up with three bottles of red wine. For some reason, a glass full had gone from each, and there was a limit to how much wine we could reasonably drink during the week!

I used:
Pork- I used 6 loin chops (chicken would also work- 6 thighs)
Peppers (4- red and yellow)
Pimenton (smoke paprika)
Garlic (4 cloves)
Wine (I used 3/4 bottle)
one stock cube (chicken)
Two medium onions
Couple of bay leaves

Would also be great : )
Tomatoes (tinned or fresh, chopped)
Chick Peas
Potatoes

To make:
Saute onions and peppers with a generous heaped teaspoon of pimenton. Add pork when they are transparent, and brown. de-glaze pan with the wine. Add stock to cover everything. Add garlic. At this stage, you could also add chick peas and/ or potato, and any tomatoes. Adding chick peas would mean that you could feed more people with less meat!

To serve:

I've been eating this from a bowl- could with some fresh bread, or re-heated in the microwave with a generous handful of baby spinach which can be stirred in. It would also be great with rice.

After Party Turkey/ 2

Following on from this delicious version, and having also stocked up on Turkey steaks at Morrisons, I made another version of my After Party Turkey.

I marinaded the turkey steaks (4 thin slices) in the leftover wine (in this case, red, about 1/3 of a bottle or two small glasses) with two peeled garlic cloves, about 8 squished tomatoes (they had mysteriously frozen in our amazing fridge and had thawed to a pulpy splat) and half a teaspoon of pimenton (smoked paprika).

The next evening I browned the turkey and also sauteed a medium sized onion. When done, I added the wine, tomatoes and garlic and simmered until the wine was well reduced, created a lovely sauce.

Great meal from two ingredients that would so easily have ended up in the bin- the tomatoes and wine : )

Huntsworth Pork Stirfry

There is nothing quite like a stirfry to use up ends in the fridge- the vegetables you bought on two-for-one or because they were cheaper by the kilo but you really only needed 500g.

I had a couple of friends coming over for dinner, and then invited a couple more, and a couple more. Which could have been 8, but ended up as four. Stirfry again is perfect here- you can add a bit of this and a bit of that, until you have the right quantity. One couple said they had a pork roasting joint that noone had time to roast, so I took it home, chopped it into mouth sized chunks and marinaded it. I HATE the idea of an animal dying to be binned. The marinade was also experimental, depending on what we had in the cupboard.

Juice of one Lime
Juice of one Lemon
glug of Olive Oil
glug of toasted sesame oil
heaped tablespoon of red curry paste
good pinch of ginger powder (fresh would have been better)
generous amount of brown sugar

The pork was marinaded for 3-4 hours in the fridge.

The cooking took 20 mins tops. Into a hot wok went the pork- there was plenty of oil in the marinade, some cashew nuts (if more people had come, we would have added more).We used up two heads of spring greens, which were just still fresh, cut into strips, one beautiful red pepper finely chopped, a not so young bunch of spring onions. There were courgettes waiting for some love. but we already had enough food. I chopped a couple of them into fine circles and stirred them into a pot of bolognese sauce I made for tonight. Extra nutrition- they will cook when I warm up the bolognese.

I had been a bit worried about the marinade- the sesame flavour have been overpowering when it was raw, but upon cooking the warm thai flavours came through and it was well balanced.

Worth doing again? Yes. Just what we needed on a Sunday night before a long week ahead!

Raw cashew nuts and peanuts are always worth having on hand to make a wok full of fried remnant vegetables into something quick delicious (and vegetarian).  This would have also been great with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Hum Hum Bean Soup

I needed to make space in the freezer the other day- I had made a much larger batch of fruit compote (rhubarb, pear and apple) than I had intended which needed freezing so that it didn't go off, so I took out the load of cooked beans that I had put in there before for similar reasons.

I had about a kilo of large white beans, boiled, once I had soaked them overnight out of their dry state (by far the cheapest way to buy beans is dried- you're not carting loads of water around) if I remember, with pepper, onions and dried red pepper flakes. Probably a sprinkling of chili flakes went in, maybe some herbs and a couple of bay leaves.

Also found in the freezer- delicious home made chicken stock (don't bin anything until all the goodness has been taken from it!). I had cooked this up with some herbs, bayleaf and some wine that noone was going to drink.

Combining the beans and the stock in a pot with some water, some more unloved red wine, another onion and some of the canned tomatoes that I always have on hand, it came together into a lovely bean stew, which I blitzed to turn into a nourishing and delicious soup. I even gave some to my veg- detesting colleague (he had dated a vegan) and he was surprised to find himself enjoying it.

Now I need a way to use up 2l of fruit puree! Ideas, anyone?

After Party Turkey

Turkey is cheap, but it is difficult to desire. It is never quite chicken, and it is often tough and tasteless.

After party Turkey is delicious and adaptable. The key ingredient is a load of wine. That opened bottle of plonk that is not quite drinkable three days or a couple of weeks later is actually just what you need.

Put your turkey steaks in a bowl. As you put each one in add some ground black pepper and any other spices you would like to use (I used some crushed red pepper flakes and some thyme. I also added some chopped garlic and a diced shallot). Cover the turkey with the wine (Do not worry if you don't have enough- just make sure that all the turkey gets covered) and marinate. I marinaded mine for 24 hours.

When the time comes for you to cook the turkey, pop some olive oil in a frying pan and lightly coat with some flour (I used wholemeal). Fry until it is no longer pink in the middle and for no longer!

It should be deliciously succulent!

The same but different- After Party Turkey 2

Mumble Jumble Potatoes

For some strange reason do I always find pretty much everything I need for this recipe at home so I love to make it (and it is very tasty and popular with the husband). It is easy to just add more to serve more people and it is really delicious- the ingredients come together to make a really tasty meal!

For two persons:
3-4 large potatoes (~1lb)
spring onions
pickled dill cucumber (gherkins)
1 hard boiled egg, roughly chopped
cooked ham, cut into small pieces
sour cream or creme fraiche
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
horseradish sauce or freshly grated, salt, pepper (quantities according to taste)
optionals:
finely chopped apple
cooked beetroot, diced
salted anchovies, roughly chopped

This recipe is extremely flexible so just use what you have or replace one thing with something else e.g. ham for roast beef leftover; mayonnaise instead of boiled egg, cream cheese instead of sour cream. Just remember than you can always leave things out!

Bernie's Tiroler “Groestl” or “Roast”

I grew up in Austria, and this is my favourite “left over” recipe e.g. a little ham/bacon/veggies leftover and added to the potatoes that are always at home. It’s also quite simple to make and surprisingly tasty for the few simple ingredients used...

Tiroler “Groestl” or “Roast”

This is an original Austrian recipe which uses boiled beef, a regional speciality. I’ve adapted it so that it can be used with leftovers found in a British kitchen.

Ingredients for 2 people:

Basics

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion
• 400 g potatoes (boiled & peeled and sliced ca ¼ inch thick) These can be from the day before, unpeeled would also be possible but I always peel them.
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped 
• salt & pepper 
• 2 fried eggs (optional)
• Veggie option
• 200g mushrooms

Meat option

• 200g of bacon, ham, cooked beef, roast pork etc (whatever leftovers there are)
• The original recipe quotes ca. 120 g cooked beef, 70 g bacon; I usually mix bacon/ham and mushrooms

How to make:

1. Boil the potatoes, peel and slice them.
2. Heat up the oil, add chopped onions and meat and/or mushrooms and let them brown slightly (ca 5 minutes).
3. Add the potatoes and roast everything through by stirring frequently so everything is heated up thoroughly (ca 5 minutes). The potatoes should be cold before adding to the pan to avoid stirring it into a “mash”.
4. Season with salt, pepper and parsley.
5. Serve immediately with a fresh salad, adding a fried egg on top (optional). Guten Appetit!

Serve with Almdudler!!!

More Cauli for Your Lolly!

I was inspired to look at cauliflower. Cauliflowers are cheap and nutritious. I also have a great deal of memories of cauliflower cheese that I would rather forget- it wasn't so much that I didn't like it, but just that I need another then years before I eat if again! ...

 

 

1) Make the most of your cauliflower!!

There is nothing wrong with that stalk! Once you have washed it and removed any nasty bits, you just have to chop it into small enough pieces so that it will cook in the same length of time as the florets : ) More cauli for your lolly!

2) Be creative

WHY OH WHY in the UK do we only eat boiled/ steamed cauli or cauliflower cheese? There are hundreds of ways to cook other vegetables!

Cauli can also be pureed as an alternative (and low carb version) of mash potato. Puree the boiled/ steamed cauli with a knob of butter and LOTS of black pepper. Even add some chives and paprika if you feel daring...

 

3) If you still want to make cauliflower cheese!

• Put LOTS of cheese in it
• Don't skimp on black pepper (or red pepper if you like that)
• Try adding garlic
• Add the greens- they are nutritious and delicious
• Toast it under the grill before you serve it 
• Add a bit of leftover chopped bacon 
• Why not add some spinach as a variation upon eggs florentine?

4) Another alternative: an idea from seaweed snack, a blog that I was reading: http://seaweedsnacks.blogspot.com/2009/11/olive-oil-and-cumin-roasted-cauliflower.html. Below I have adapted from the original text:

 

Yesterday I coated cauliflower with olive oil, cumin, nutritional yeast, and then roasted it in the oven. Nutritional yeast is a yellow powder that is used by many vegetarians because of its high protein and B vitamin content. These tend to be in short supply in children's diets. Some contain B-12, but only if it is specially added.

 

I topped mine with fresh coriander, but that is the adult version. And, this took less than 10 minutes to prepare!

Olive Oil and Cumin Roasted Cauliflower
oven 375F/ 195 C for 20 min.

1 head cauliflower broken into pieces
1-2 tbls olive oil
1 tbls cumin (or less if you are not a cumin fan)
pinch salt
1-2 tbls nutritional yeast

In a bowl, drizzle olive oil over cauliflower and mix well with you hands making sure each piece is coated. Add cumin, pinch salt and nutritional yeast. Mix with a spoon to coat. Be sure to really get all the yeast and spice on the bottom of the bowl coated on the cauliflower. Carefully spread on a cookie sheet and bake.

Top with a couple of pieces of fresh torn coriander.

 

Other ideas:

Serve this as a vegetable accompaniment

If you don't like Cumin, or don't have yeast, why not roast it with a drizzle of honey, or a drizzle of sesame oil?

Kedgeree: Spicy Delight from Leftover Rice

Kedgeree was one of my favourite childhood dishes, and is still something that I love to tuck into.

The dish became famous when Victorian British colonial types brought it back from India as a breakfast dish, but it has been argued that it originated in Scotland, got adapted in the subcontinent, and returned in a spicier incarnation.

In hot, pre-refridgeration India, fish was served at breakfast time, whilst it was still fresh. This is too hearty a breakfast dish for me, but an excellent dinner or possibly brunch.

The recipe usually calls for curry powder, cooked rice, flaked smoked haddock, chopped boiled egg and perhaps some parsley or coriander garnish, but once you have the principle it is very adaptable.
Step by step:

1. The cooked rice (you might want to warm it first in the microwave so that you don't have to fry it for a long time, or warm it through with hot water)
2. Put some oil in a large frying pan or wok, and add curry powder, chili powder or other spices. If you wanted to add sauteed onions, now is the time to cook them.
3. Before adding the warmed rice, turn the chopped (quartered or sixteenthed) boiled eggs and flaked smoked haddock (you could substitute this for bacon or cold, chopped meat) in the hot oil and spices so that they are warmed through or cooked).
4. Add the rice, mixed it thoroughly until it is piping hot in the oil and spices

If you want to make it from scratch, why not try Delia Smith's version
photo with thanks to crisphin

Brilliant Banana Cake

Ripe bananas are not everybody's favourite fruit, but if you've bought them, do you really want to bin them? Why not make delicious banana cake, and remember that if you don't have time to make one today, you can freeze the ripe bananas until you do.

Prep time: ~15 minutes

You need:

Butter- 125g

Sugar-3/4 cup

1 egg

ripe, mashed bananas-2

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/4 cup of milk

you could also add a complementary flavour such as vanilla, poppy seeds or think about substituting some of the sugar with a brown or muscavado sugar.

To make:

Take the sugar and butter (and vanilla if you are using) and melt in a saucepan. Add the bananas and mix well. Beat the egg and then mix that into the mixture in the pan, followed by the flour. When the mixture is well mixed slowly add the milk and mix gently. Put the mixture into a cake tin and bake for around 4o mins at 170 degrees/ Gas mark 3-4.

Delicious :)

To serve:

Excellent as a cake, it is also wonderful hot with cream or vanilla icecream as a warming pudding.

===

Don't want to waste banana skins? Make them into fertilizer

photo with thanks to KCanard

Egg Substitutions

How often do recipes call for something that you almost have?

• When making custards or salad dressings you can substitute two egg yolks for one whole egg.
• In dough containing yeast or cookie dough substitute two egg yolks for one egg, and add a tea spoon of water.
• If you are baking and find yourself one egg down (but only one! This won't work for more than that!) substitute two tablespoons of mayonnaise

photo with thanks to cobalt123

Traditional Irish Curd Cake

This curd cake is not only based on a traditional recipe, but it also gives you the opportunity to use up milk that has gone sour, by turning it into the cottage/ cream cheese that you need for the recipe. Please look at our post "milk it" to find out how. Also an opportunity to use up broken biscuits and left over egg yolks.

Traditionally this would have had a pastry crust, but in the interests of health, and speed, you might want to just bake the mixture in an oven-proof dish, or you could experiment with using broken digestive or ginger biscuits as an alternative base.

Lemon and Vanilla Curd Cake
You will need:

• 175g/ 6oz sweet shortcrust pastry or a pre-bought pastry case (if using)
• 50g/2oz caster sugar (+ 1 tbsp for the topping)
• vanilla essence or extract
• half a lemon (juice and grated rind)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 2 egg yolks
• 225g/ 8oz cottage cheese (homemade or bought)
• 2 heaped tablespoons of plain flour
• 1tbsp melted butter

1. Preheat oven to gas mark 4/ 180°C/ 350°F
2. If you are using pastry: warm a baking sheet and grease a loose-bottomed flan tin. Roll out the shortcrust pastry until thin, then line the flan tin with the dough, trimming off any excess. Chill pastry case (that you have made or bought) in the fridge.
3. If you are not using pastry put your broken biscuits into the bottom of a dish for a more informal but equally delicious family pudding. Ignore this step if you simply want a set curd putting without pastry or biscuit.
4. Sieve the cottage cheese, or your freshly make paneer/ cream cheese.
5. Cream together until fluffy the butter and sugar, before beating in the egg yolks, 1 heaped tbspn flour, lemon zest, lemon juice and the cheese. Mix well.
6. Spoon the mixture into the pastry case/ onto the biscuit base or put into the dish on its own.
7. Mix together together the beaten egg, one tbspn flour, spoon of caster sugar, 1tbsp melted butter sugar (you might also want to add further lemon zest). Spatula evenly over the curd filling.
8. If you are using pastry in a flan tin, pop it onto the warmed baking sheet. Otherwise just put your dish into the oven and bake for around an hour. When it is done the top shoul dbe a little brown and a bit firm.
9. Best served cool, not chilled. You could dust with sugar or garnish with grated lemon rind.

photo with thanks to chotda

Beacon Bruithe- Irish Baked Mushrooms

Oh, the olden days, when you could pick mushrooms in the fields...

But in the modern day you can pick them up cheaply in the supermarket and make a filling meal or breakfast for not too much. This recipe also allows you to use up stale bread and when it calls for sausagemeat, gives you the perfect opportunity to use up the last couple of sausages in the fridge (just take the meat out of the skins).

Ingredients
15 big mushrooms (or 1kg)
4 oz diced onions
4 oz bread crumbs (use up your stale bread or savoury scones- whole wheat is best)
4 oz sausage meat (you could use up the last few sausages)
1 tspn herbs (sage is good, but you could try chives, thyme, marjoram, garlic, parmesan, leftover cheese)
salt and black pepper to taste
butter or olive oil

Directions

1. Wash and peel the mushrooms. You can use the stalks- just make sure they are washed and cut off the dry end.
2. Set the oven to moderate.
3. Brush mushrooms with melted butter, or olive oil for healthier and quicker option
4. saute the onions in butter or oil. When they are translucent mix them with the breadcrumbs, the sausagemeat, herbs, salt and pepper.
5. Put the mushrooms in an oven proof dish, if you are using the stalks (we don't like waste around here!) also put them in the dish. Put a little water (~5oml) in the bottom and place the mixture into the mushrooms.
6. Bake for 15-2o mins

photo with thanks to ex.libris

Keeping Cheese for Longer

A friend has kids who are lactose intolerant, but loves cheese herself. Buying a large amount of cheese can be cheaper, and I thought I would share a great tip for keeping cheese soft- hard and cracked cheese is not as attractive in salads and the crunch doesn't add anything particularly positive to sandwiches.

She tightly wraps her cheese in a cheese cloth which she has rubbed butter into and leaves it in a cool, dark place (fridges can be damp and can actually make cheese go mouldy more easily). Besides, cheese tastes better at room temperature. The cheese keeps fresh and neother goes mouldy nor cracks. The fat in the cloth stops bacteria, moulds and damp getting in.

Cheese needs to breathe, so wrapping in cling film is not always the best option for long term preservation, and remember that cheeses can absorb smells and strong smelled cheeses can make other food smell.

Other tips:

• You can always freeze cheese. You need to make sure it is airtight and sealed to prevent freezer burn. This is fine for cheeses like cheddar, and cheeses that you want to use for cooking, but I wouldn't recommend it for soft or cream cheeses, or a speciality cheese.
• Mouldy hard cheese is not dangerous, although it may not taste great. Just cut off the mouldy part and a little more (5mm, 1/4 inch) and it will be fine.
• You could just brush the cut end of the cheese with butter or olive oil
• If you have a bit of left over cheese you could always make a Mediterranean-inspired cheese in olive oil.
• The general principle is to try to keep it dry and airtight. Some people use aluminium foil, others may use a cloth or paper towel sprayed with vinegar to keep it air tight. The vinegar flavour would affect the taste of the cheese though...

photo with thanks to MarxFoods.com

Nutritious Nettles

If you ever ran outside in shorts as a child in the countryside, chances are that you realised the hard way that this country is full of stinging nettles.

But nettles, far from only being a blight, can also provide great (and free) greenery for you kitchen.

Nettles can be substituted for spinach in most recipes. Younger nettles will be sweeter than older nettles.

To pick nettles it is advisable to wear rubber gloves. Chop the nettles and blanch

To freeze nettles (they will last around 2 months in the freezer- defrost for ~ an hour in a bowl of cold water) 2lb of nettles will reduce, like spinach, to give you around 4 cups.

1. Remove the leaves from the stems
2. Blanch (to stop decay even whilst frozen and to get rid of the stingi-ness). You need to do this in a large pan of boiling water over a high heat. Drain, retaining two cups of water, once the water returns to the boil.
3. Saute gently in olive oil over a fairly gentle heat. You might want to add chopped garlic, chili flakes to the pan first. Stir them in the oil for a couple of mins to release their flavours. These flavours will intensify in the freezer. You need to cook them until they are mushy and most of the water has been cooked out.
4. Separate them into freezer bags, remove the air and remember to write on the date. Put in the freezer when they are cool.

Why not use your blanched or de-frosted nettles to make this wonderful looking Italian Ricotta and Greens Torte?
photo with thanks to Mr & Mrs Stickfingers

Spinach and Peanut Curry (Mchicha)

This tasty dish is satisfying, unusual and tasty. Tanzanian food often uses coconut, and this is no exception. Use in place of a vegetable with roast meat, or develop it into a delicious meal of its own.

You need:
makes enough for 5 people
1kg/ 2 lbs spinach (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 ounces peanut butter (the more natural the better) or a cup of finely chopped peanuts
1 tomato
1 onion
2 teaspoons curry powder (or paste, your favourite blend!)
1 cup coconut milk (or use fresh or dessicated)
3 tablespoons butter, margarine or oil
Pinch of salt

To make it:

1. Wash fresh spinach and chop.
2. If you are feeling dedicated, peel the tomato, for practicality, just chop.
3. Peel the onion, and chop.
4. If using them, mix peanut butter with the coconut milk.
5. Put the fat into a big frying pan, on a medium heat.
6. Add onion, tomato, pinch of salt and curry of choice. Cook for 5 mins, stirring and making sure it doesn't burn. If you are using chopped peanuts, add them now.
7. Add the spinach and cook for another 15 or 20 mins, until the spinach is cooked (if you are using frozen spinach, you will need to thaw it first)
8. If you are using grated coconut, put it into the pan straight after the spinach. If using the peanut butter/ coconut milk mixture, add it just before the spinach is cooked, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir it to make sure it doesn't burn!

Tips:

• Eat it with rice as a main course
• Why not add some toasted peanuts as a garnish?
• Add some leftover meat along with the onion.
• Why not wrap leftovers in a tortilla for a tasty lunch the next day?

photo with thanks to certified su