Just for the fatties...

[Duncan]

Usually when I'm cooking I buy a bag of each ingrediant and look at that as the right amount of each thing for whatever meal it is that I'm making, and when it comes to the nutrient dense veggies and stuff that's a brilliantly healthy way of doing things but it can be expensive... Anyway, I was trying to save myself a bit of time and money by making up a load of food at the same time and freezing most of it in convinient meal-size food containers, thus allowing myself to divide veggies etc over different dishes to save money and getting a significant portion of my upcoming food preparation out of the way in one go.

Anyway, in doing so I wrote a little check-list of the stuff I'd need for everything I wanted to do to highlight the cross-over ingrediants and (obviously) put together a bit of a shopping list..... Which I've now realised gives me an easy opportunity to share a couple of recipes..

Unfortunately, I've not got time to go into fine details right now, but I would hope most of the implementation is fairly obvious.


Fish in cream sauce

750g wild salmon,
1 large onion,
2X 600ml pots double cream
1 bag frozen prawns, squid, mussels,
generous helping of dill,
juice of 2 lemons,
1 yellow pepper

Method: Remove skin from salmon by briefly putting into a hot frying pan skin side down then remove from heat and tease skin off with spatula. Cut salmon into chunks about half the size of the spoon you're going to eat the finnished dish with. Add salmon and double cream to a wok and start to gently simmer while you chop the onion. Add the chopped onion, pepper, lemon juice, remaining sea food and dill and continue to simmer for a couple more minutes. Don't overcook or raise the temperature above a simmer.

Comments: Lidl do 750g wild salmon for £4 so it's very affordable and any large supermarket will do packets of frozen prawns etc.

Chicken/coconut curry

2 bags frozen chicken breasts,
2 bags desicated coconut,
1 root ginger,
2 bulbs (not cloves) garlic,
1 packet beetroot,
1 large onion,
1 sweet pepper,
cayenne pepper to taste,
1 600ml pot double cream,
curry powder or individual spices to taste,
fresh chillies to taste,
2 tins tomatoes,
half tin red kidney beans

Method: This one's easy, just add everything except the chicken to a food blender in dribs and drabs, emptying into a large saucepan as and when. Defrost and chop up the chicken and add to the saucepan. Simmer the contents of the pan as you add more stuff. Simple as that.

Comments: I posted a similar recipe a while ago, but I've been working on this to bring up the micros and make it a bit more healthy. I think the ginger's an important ingrediant and it's amazing for the imune system, a couple of times I've felt like I'm coming down with a cold and ate some of this and been cured. Amazing stuff!

Mince stew

700g mince,
1kg mixed brocolli and cauliflower,
carrots,
peas,
1 bulb garlic,
1 tin tomatoes,
1 yellow pepper,
about 400g mushrooms,
1 red onion,
a little cayenne pepper,
oregano,
basil

Method: Put everything into a wok, heat and stir. I find it turns out best if you add the red onion raw just before serving for flavour and texture.

Comments: This is a dish I eat all the time. Might not sound like much, but it always makes my mouth water and I've been playing around with the ingrediants to make it as healthy as possible. I use free range mince from the butcher, which I have made to specification including liver and heart. You could try adding some blended offal.

As you might have guessed, I use a kilogram of mixed brocoli and cauliflower because that's how much you get in one bag frozen brocolli and cauliflower! If you don't like the sound of eating all those veggies adjust to taste, but I find the proportions work out pretty well and I reckon the more veggies you eat the healthier you'll be, so try it out.

Chilli

Mince,
2 Peppers,
1 onion,
2-3 tins peeled plumb tomatoes,
1 bulb garlic,
half a bag sultanas,
about 400g mushrooms,
oregano,
basil,
chillies to taste,
cayenne to taste,
half a tin red kidney beans

Method: As above, chop everything up, stick in a wok and heat. Add the onion raw later on. I add the sultanas as early as possible so they swell up nice and plump and juicy.

Comments: Just trust me on the sultanas! I know it sounds like a funny sort of thing to put into chilli, but well, you can thank me when you've tried it. Lamb mince is better than beef mince for this recipe, but either will do. Try not to overcook the veggies, it's good to preserve a bit of crunch and texture.

OK, hopefully that's provided some insight into how I'm eating on a high fat diet and using these recipes as a guide we might be able to get away from the 'whey and olive oil shake' mentality! Enjoy!

[Wotan]

Quote

... we might be able to get away from the 'whey and olive oil shake' mentality! Enjoy!

Not for as long as I am allergic to washing-up etc we won't. Ha ha ha!!!

Seriously, they sound really nice recipes. Excuse while I ring the ex up!!

[Duncan]

I'm a student, Wotan- these recipes are suitable for anyone who can handle a chopping board, knife, wok and wooden spoon!

[Dangerscouse]

Cheers Duncan, these look good, gonna give them a whirl sometime soon.....

[Duncan]

Now that we're headed for winter let's get some good hot comfort food going.

Stock:
As many bones as possible from beef/lamb/chicken/whatever
1 large sliced onion

Meat and veg:
1kg frozen diced lamb
30-50g butter
3 course chopped carrots
1 course chopped parsnip
1 course chopped onion
1 bulb garlic, skinned but not chopped (whole cloves)

Method:
Make up a couple of litres of stock by boiling up the bones and onion in water for about an hour. Only coursely slice the onion so that you can seive it out easily. Sieve the bones and onion out, retaining the stock in a mixing bowl or whatever. Set aside.

Briefly fry the diced lamb in the butter. You're not looking to cook it through, just a quick blast of heat on the sides of the meat. Put the diced lamb and chopped vegetables into a casserole dish and pour the stock over until everything is about covered.

Put the casserole dish in the oven, preheated to about gas mark 8 for about 20-30 minutes then reduce to about gas mark 3. Cook for a minimum of 3 hours.

Comments:
At the time of writing, ASDA is pretty economical for frozen diced lamb- at £4.90 a kilo. Good to know if you can barely afford to heat your house as it is..

In winter, when it's cold and the days are short but seem to drag on forever, it's the best thing in the world to come home to a nice hot casserole that's been cooking all day. Start it cooking before you go to work and you've got that to look forward to. However, you may not want to pay for the energy consumption of leaving your oven on for 9-10 hours, so consider buying a slow cooker. It's basically an electric casserole dish. Cost you about £20 at the moment and it might save you a lot of money if you want a nice hot meal waiting for you when you get home.

Also, try cooking brisket using the same method. Bit of stock, some reasonably nutritious vegetables and and a long slow cook and the meat will melt in your mouth.

[gia]

Mmmmmm.... I just made something similar to the chilli

Beef steak (chunks)
onion
mushrooms
red + yellow peppers
chilli pepper
garlic
red kidney beans
plum tomatoes
and sliced cheese on top

Delicious!!

[CoN]

Awesome stuff Dunc

i feel like making a huge casserole soon, i spotted the diced frozen lamb and beef at asda on sunday

how long would a casserole keep if i made it on sunday?

[daffy]

When you say you boil the stock for an hour, is that actual boiling or just simmering? I ask because I'd imagine a lot of water would get evaporated otherwise and you wouldn't be left with much stock.

[Duncan]

Start it off at a good rolling boil then take it down to just above simmer with the lid on. You will lose volume so if you're going to boil for longer than an hour you should keep an eye on it- you want to end up with a few litres of stock (depending on how many bones you use etc) and you need to avoid it boiling dry at all costs. I usually make up more stock than I intend to use and freeze some because it's good stuff to have around.

EDIT: Remember, as water gets boiled off the concentration of the remaining stock increases, so you can either make a small amount of really full-flavoured, nutritious stock or make a larger quantity of slightly less concentrated stock. As it's boiling, top it up with boiling water from the kettle if it's looking a bit low.

[Duncan]

Shepherd's Pie


The mash
1 packet fresh carrots
1 large head of cauliflower
3-4 parsnips
1 pot double cream
a little bit of butter

Meat and Gravy
1kg Lamb mince
1-2 onions
some garlic
Any type of home-made stock
a little bit of gravy powder (essential to thicken it up, I'm afraid)

Method
Steam or boil the vegetables and mash up with the cream and butter. You may find it a bit of a pain mashing the cauliflower and stuff, so you can use one of those electric 'wand' type hand blenders. If you use an electric blender. don't completely obliterate the veg into a paste, the occasional lump is reall nice when you come to eat it.

Brown the mince, onions and garlic in a frying pan and scatter into a baking tray. Make up the gravy with the stock and pour into the mince. You'll just have to do it by eye- don't make it too liquid or bone dry. Sorry, it's an experiance thing here.

Using a serving spoon, arrange a layer of mash on the meat and gravy. Put into the oven (gas mark 6-7? 'Bout right?) until the mash gets little brown spots forming on top and serve.