What's the point of Friday nights if not to invite friends over and have a curry? Admittedly I didn't cook tonight, but I did buy a lot of Badger Beer (and I'd had one or two fresheners at the Friday Night bar at work) so I'm more than happy to let Tiffin Box take the load.
Tonight Kate and Rob(in) come over and whilst we *do* learn slightly more about them biblically than we did before, this was off-set by excellent drunken silliness and a brilliant new side-dish Kate ordered: Brinjal Bartha - aubergines baked in olive oil and finished in a light sauce. Mmmmmm
The anas had mild old fashioned chicken curry, which has become her stock dish, and I had medium achari lamb, which has become my stock dish. I'd love to know what the quartered fruit stones are in it, they're slightly sour but I'm thinking maybe mango?
Anyway, it was an excellent night with only minimal real-ale-curry-bottom-burp repercussions in the morning.
Friday, 9 October 2009
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
beef carbonade
We're edging closer to 'stew' weather and for ages I've had my eye on this recipe from the magical black book. No idea where it comes from, by it's relative position in the black book and the surrounding recipes I'm going to guess NZ-era Delicious. So Bill Granger, or Donna Hay or even Nigella as I remember she seemed to appear loads.
Anyway, I've never cooked it, and with a bag of potatoes slowly mouldering in the veg bowl, and the lure of beer being a key ingredient we have it tonight.
However I'm being slightly disingenuous to suggest I cooked it tonight. In fact I cooked it last night, letting it simmer away for two-three hours whilst we had pasta. Which meant all I had to do tonight was get in, stick the oven on for an hour whilst we put monkey to bed, and make the mash. Naturally we still ate at midnight, but a smallish moral victory was won I think.
Food of the Milos
Another Julia day, and this time he has his dinner there because the anas have started to learn French after school (although she immediately bails on the first lesson): cheerios, apricots and raisins for breakfast, loads of rice cakes as snacks, capelletti pasta with tomato sauce and fromage frais for lunch, and chicken, mash, veg and mango for dinner.
sources
beef carbonnade - the black book
Anyway, I've never cooked it, and with a bag of potatoes slowly mouldering in the veg bowl, and the lure of beer being a key ingredient we have it tonight.
However I'm being slightly disingenuous to suggest I cooked it tonight. In fact I cooked it last night, letting it simmer away for two-three hours whilst we had pasta. Which meant all I had to do tonight was get in, stick the oven on for an hour whilst we put monkey to bed, and make the mash. Naturally we still ate at midnight, but a smallish moral victory was won I think.
Food of the Milos
Another Julia day, and this time he has his dinner there because the anas have started to learn French after school (although she immediately bails on the first lesson): cheerios, apricots and raisins for breakfast, loads of rice cakes as snacks, capelletti pasta with tomato sauce and fromage frais for lunch, and chicken, mash, veg and mango for dinner.
sources
beef carbonnade - the black book
spaghetti with garlic and spinach
Because I'm running behind (a week behind to be precise) I can't quite remember what's happening here. I know yet another week of classic Midsomer has been ruined by some shite chav ball, and looking at what we had I can only presume we're at the end of the shopping week, hanging on in for the next delivery. To be honest though, left-over spinach only goes two ways in our house - chopped and in the freezer for the spicy meatballs, or into this garlic and pasta concoction.
According to the accompanying pull-quote, Billy G uses spelt or wholewheat pasta because he 'really enjoys the nuttiness', which is obvious shorthand for 'totally not gay'.
Food of the Milos
He's at Julia's today, and for the second Wednesday running he refuses to go to sleep in the evening. It's not that he's being naughty of difficult, he's just not tired enough, so we let him run amok for a bit before he decides he's sleepy and goes to bed. This energy might be fuelled by the following: cheerios, raisins, apricots, toast and Phili. Pasta bolognaise for lunch, followed by grapes, and then pasta (again) for dinner because I didn't plan very well.
sources
spaghetti with garlic and spinach - Bill Granger, Every Day, p98
According to the accompanying pull-quote, Billy G uses spelt or wholewheat pasta because he 'really enjoys the nuttiness', which is obvious shorthand for 'totally not gay'.Food of the Milos
He's at Julia's today, and for the second Wednesday running he refuses to go to sleep in the evening. It's not that he's being naughty of difficult, he's just not tired enough, so we let him run amok for a bit before he decides he's sleepy and goes to bed. This energy might be fuelled by the following: cheerios, raisins, apricots, toast and Phili. Pasta bolognaise for lunch, followed by grapes, and then pasta (again) for dinner because I didn't plan very well.
sources
spaghetti with garlic and spinach - Bill Granger, Every Day, p98
Monday, 5 October 2009
minced turkey with thai basil
Experimental cookery madness tonight whilst Gok celebrates the country's bangers. Somewhere in the dim distant Delicious past, there was a weird recipe involving minced pork (I think) and lettuce leaves. We had it when were living in Lacy Road, but can I find the recipe now? Can I buggery, and the search on their website is terrible...
Anyway there's a similar recipe in the October issue so as the old and fat are getting their bits out for ana's entertainment I'm starting the first of my two meals of the evening.
I say 'two meals', but what I really mean is the first of two large helpings of the same dinner. Basically it's too easy to strip off lettuce leaves and help yourself as you plate up. Far too easy but on the other hand, what are you going to do with a third of a gem lettuce? Exactly!
Food of the Milos
MTB is in a funny-amusing mood at the moment. Rather than going to sleep he wants to stay awake and wear himself out spinning around in the front room OR lurk in the kitchen watching our dinner being cooked and claiming 'Milo eat whatever we're cooking'. In last night's case, 'Pie', and tonight he gets his wish. Pie!
sources
minced turkey with thai basil - Delicious, October 2009, p126
Anyway there's a similar recipe in the October issue so as the old and fat are getting their bits out for ana's entertainment I'm starting the first of my two meals of the evening.
I say 'two meals', but what I really mean is the first of two large helpings of the same dinner. Basically it's too easy to strip off lettuce leaves and help yourself as you plate up. Far too easy but on the other hand, what are you going to do with a third of a gem lettuce? Exactly!Food of the Milos
MTB is in a funny-amusing mood at the moment. Rather than going to sleep he wants to stay awake and wear himself out spinning around in the front room OR lurk in the kitchen watching our dinner being cooked and claiming 'Milo eat whatever we're cooking'. In last night's case, 'Pie', and tonight he gets his wish. Pie!
sources
minced turkey with thai basil - Delicious, October 2009, p126
Thursday, 1 October 2009
chicken and sweet leek pie
For one reason or another we're all knackered today. Okay, so it's a Monday but we're in deeper comas than usual for the beginning of the week.
Just as well dinner is half-cooked even if I still have pull the left-over meat off the chicken carcass. With the leeks, bacon and thyme stewing away slowly on the hob, I've got time to bath the milos whilst ana sorts his room out, before we put him down and the pie in the oven. An hour and half later (which works out as the first three episodes of Persuasion on podcast), we feast on MASSIVE portions of pie.
Amazingly I don't need the DVD anymore, I can do it all from memory, and in an extra twist this pie has added (left over) courgettes. Get me.
Food of the Milos
As there is no swimming today, the milos and anas have a busy day of visiting ahead of them. Swanning about with Beth and K Kats is broken up by a lunch of fish fingers, the default level of snacks, and spicy carrot soup I made yesterday. Sadly the soup isn't popular amongst the under twos of the house, but until they are cooking they can zip it.
sources
chicken and sweet leek pie - Jamie Oliver, Jamie's Christmas Show 2008.
Just as well dinner is half-cooked even if I still have pull the left-over meat off the chicken carcass. With the leeks, bacon and thyme stewing away slowly on the hob, I've got time to bath the milos whilst ana sorts his room out, before we put him down and the pie in the oven. An hour and half later (which works out as the first three episodes of Persuasion on podcast), we feast on MASSIVE portions of pie.
Amazingly I don't need the DVD anymore, I can do it all from memory, and in an extra twist this pie has added (left over) courgettes. Get me.Food of the Milos
As there is no swimming today, the milos and anas have a busy day of visiting ahead of them. Swanning about with Beth and K Kats is broken up by a lunch of fish fingers, the default level of snacks, and spicy carrot soup I made yesterday. Sadly the soup isn't popular amongst the under twos of the house, but until they are cooking they can zip it.
sources
chicken and sweet leek pie - Jamie Oliver, Jamie's Christmas Show 2008.
little mash pies & roast chicken
Another beautiful day and we've got plans. Because Fiiiiiiieeeeeeeeen's Christening is next Saturday, we've got to do all milo's birthday shopping today. As he needs to be out of the way, me and him head to Putney Leisure Centre to go swimming, and the ana's go on to Putney to buy his presents.
After an hour of whooshing down the elephant slides, we head home and brilliantly he sparks out in the back of the car. With him asleep we've got loads of time on our hands so I try an experimental brunchy-pie thing you cook in muffin trays. I suppose the mash is the most labour-intensive bit of it, but a top tip is to get a really garlicky sausage for maximum flavour. We had Toulouse Sausages, which seemed to tick a lot of boxes, mainly marked 'Garlic'. The only thing I was missing was The Observer and a hearty ale. I suppose it *was* only lunchtime.
Post-snooze we head into Sheen for a large Italian Ice Cream from Trente, where the milos gets to practise his Italian - Bongiorno, Ciao Ciao, Belissimo etc. He has vanilla and half of ana's lemon sorbet, but luckily he's less keen on my cherry ice cream.
Planning ahead for the week, we have Simon Hopkinson roast chicken and salad for dinner so we can have pie with the left-overs tomorrow night.
As happens, in another burst of use-stuff-up energy whilst the chicken is doing it's thing., I also manage to cook another batch of the spiced carrot soup for lunch this week. Lor' Bless you Bill Granger, and all ten of your definitely-not-gay fingers.
Food of the Milos
Toast and marmite for breakfast, then a wide variety of snacks after swimming - raisins, humzingers, grapes etc. No lunch as he'd conked out, ice cream in the afternoon and then, amazingly he ate a little mash pie, pancetta and all! Man he's a greedy guts.
sources
little mash pies - Jill Dupelix, Delicious, November 2007, p13
roast chicken - Simon Hopkinson, Roast Chicken and Other Stories, p36
spiced carrot soup - Bill Granger, Feed Me Now, p144
After an hour of whooshing down the elephant slides, we head home and brilliantly he sparks out in the back of the car. With him asleep we've got loads of time on our hands so I try an experimental brunchy-pie thing you cook in muffin trays. I suppose the mash is the most labour-intensive bit of it, but a top tip is to get a really garlicky sausage for maximum flavour. We had Toulouse Sausages, which seemed to tick a lot of boxes, mainly marked 'Garlic'. The only thing I was missing was The Observer and a hearty ale. I suppose it *was* only lunchtime.
Post-snooze we head into Sheen for a large Italian Ice Cream from Trente, where the milos gets to practise his Italian - Bongiorno, Ciao Ciao, Belissimo etc. He has vanilla and half of ana's lemon sorbet, but luckily he's less keen on my cherry ice cream.Planning ahead for the week, we have Simon Hopkinson roast chicken and salad for dinner so we can have pie with the left-overs tomorrow night.
As happens, in another burst of use-stuff-up energy whilst the chicken is doing it's thing., I also manage to cook another batch of the spiced carrot soup for lunch this week. Lor' Bless you Bill Granger, and all ten of your definitely-not-gay fingers.Food of the Milos
Toast and marmite for breakfast, then a wide variety of snacks after swimming - raisins, humzingers, grapes etc. No lunch as he'd conked out, ice cream in the afternoon and then, amazingly he ate a little mash pie, pancetta and all! Man he's a greedy guts.
sources
little mash pies - Jill Dupelix, Delicious, November 2007, p13
roast chicken - Simon Hopkinson, Roast Chicken and Other Stories, p36
spiced carrot soup - Bill Granger, Feed Me Now, p144
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
veggie rabbits & lime chicken curry
Last night's accidental squiffyness thankfully doesn't result in any payback this morning, which is just as well as it's the first Saturday of the rugby season *AND* my first driving lesson since Toscano starts bright and sunny.
The driving lesson passes remarkably well, and when I get back I'm immediately ready to take the beastie off for the rest of the morning. We do the usual chasing squirrels and birds in the park thing, and get back for a smackerel of lunch - some of the mutant veggie rabbits! I think you'll agree Sarah, they're almost as good as the sandwich art...
After lunch he goes to bed, and I go to rugby. I'm a bit apprehensive after Ronald's little tweak, but it goes okay despite having to lurk on the blindside. First game back, we stuff London Welsh, one try in the bag and I hereby dedicate it to S R White Esq - it was a cracker as well!
The anas and milo meet me at the club for a quick drink, then we have to dash back for Ocado. Whilst we're waiting we have a couple of brewskis out the front with Steve from upstairs. Monkey in bed, we have classic Delia curry for dinner.
Food of the Milos
Toast for breakfast, a smorgasbord of the mighty veggie rabbits and scrambled egg for lunch, and Swedish meatballs, avocado, and tomatoes from the garden for dinner. He also had a large orange juice with ice, sat at the bar, in the rugby club. His mother has gin.
sources
veggie rabbits - Annabel Karmel, Top 100 Finger Foods, p24
lime chicken curry - Delia Smith, How to Cook Book Two, p107
The driving lesson passes remarkably well, and when I get back I'm immediately ready to take the beastie off for the rest of the morning. We do the usual chasing squirrels and birds in the park thing, and get back for a smackerel of lunch - some of the mutant veggie rabbits! I think you'll agree Sarah, they're almost as good as the sandwich art...
After lunch he goes to bed, and I go to rugby. I'm a bit apprehensive after Ronald's little tweak, but it goes okay despite having to lurk on the blindside. First game back, we stuff London Welsh, one try in the bag and I hereby dedicate it to S R White Esq - it was a cracker as well!
The anas and milo meet me at the club for a quick drink, then we have to dash back for Ocado. Whilst we're waiting we have a couple of brewskis out the front with Steve from upstairs. Monkey in bed, we have classic Delia curry for dinner.
Food of the Milos
Toast for breakfast, a smorgasbord of the mighty veggie rabbits and scrambled egg for lunch, and Swedish meatballs, avocado, and tomatoes from the garden for dinner. He also had a large orange juice with ice, sat at the bar, in the rugby club. His mother has gin.
sources
veggie rabbits - Annabel Karmel, Top 100 Finger Foods, p24
lime chicken curry - Delia Smith, How to Cook Book Two, p107
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