The Recipe Thread

[louisiana]

Gawd, there probably was a recipe thread some time ago, and it was maybe called something like 'I can't cook anymore', but I've trawled back through 3 months of stuff and can't find it.

So shall we start a recipe thread that does what it says on the tin?

I've had some PM requests for the mackerel and rice thing so here goes...

Mackerel and Rice

For the mackerel:

Mackerel is brill. Cheap, tasty, nutritious.

Moxon's on LL and Soper's in Nunhead will both provide. Buy a fishie for each person eating. So that's two fishies for the two of you, three if you are three etc.

Ask your fishmonger to gut, but if you're brave, leave the heads on. My gran is big on fish heads. They are kind of tasty, so don't be scared. It's an adventure!

Put your fish in a long oblong dish. Ikea do some that are just fine (long and deep). You can get four of five fishies in one of these.

In a small amount of oil in a broad pan, fry up some sliced red and yellow peppers (be generous) with a load of sliced onions, and some sprigs of thyme (the Turkish place on LL, or SMBS should be able to provide the thyme fresh). Cooks for a few minutes over a low heat. When slightly browning, throw them over the fish in the dishie.

Put the fish dishie in the oven for about 25-30 mins. You want the fish no more than firm, and the veggie stuff not burned to a crisp.

For the rice:[/b]

I love the Madhur Jaffrey rice. Say I'm I heart 1982, but I don't care. Peeps always ask for the recipe when they eat it. So here it is:

- in a small saucepan, put a small amount of oil and heat

- throw in some finely chopped onion (one small onion, or half a very large)

- then add a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a teaspoon of coriander seeds and a few green cardomom pods (opened/split)

give them a good turning regularly, slightly browning but not allowing to go burned or dark

- add your rice. Basmati: per person; around half a small glass for each person

- toss the ingredients including the rice around the pan to coat with the oil that remains

- add water; up to twice the water per volume of rice. When you add the water, it will all go 'wooosh'

- put a lid on it, and a really, really low heat. But it must be with a lid.

- when all the water is absorbed, you will have your rice

The whole rice thing will do inside the time you have for the fish, just.

For the extras: Can be accompanied by mange tout, green beans or anything similar.

[paragon]

Healthy Dinner number 1 - Chicken and Quinoa Salad

Stuff - Chicken, Quinoa, Spring Onions, Avocado, Red Pepper, Lemon, Herbs.

Cook Quinoa as packet instructions and leave to one side

Cut Avocado into small chunks and add to Quinoa.

Griddle or fry Spring Onions and Red Pepper in small bit of olive oil and add to Quinoa mix.

Griddle chicken with some olive oil and lemon juice, when cooked at to Qunioa mix.

Add salt and peper, rest of lemon juice and mint or coriander to taste.

Healthy dinner, done - think this is stolen from a book. Food Doctor one i think. Really nice taste and texture to the meal.

[louisiana]

Thanks Paragon.

Can you tell us a bit about quinoa and where it can be bought locally?

[Ladymuck]

Hello Louisiana,

You asked, on another thread, for my baked beans recipe. I may as well place it here.

Please note, there are no rules, measures, weights, volumes or limits. Everything is done by eye and dictated by personal preference and what the cupboard, fridge, and/or allotment hold. The result is that they taste different each time.

Soak haricot beans the previous night. Fry some onions, garlic, celery, fresh chillis and paprika in olive oil until the onions turn translucent and add some basalmic vinegar to turn this base sweet and sticky. Add a teeny bit of tom. puree, some worcs. sauce, some muscovado sugar, any herbs (I use thyme, basil, rosemary, parsley and bay leaves), haricot beans and tons of fresh tomatoes. Then cover the lot with water. Cook slowly for up to 4 hours on top of the cooker. You need to keep returning to give the concoction a good old stir to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Personally, I like them heavy with garlic, chillis and tomatoes.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I have bought quinoa in the turkish shop (official name!) and smbs l

[Ladymuck]

Sainsburys sell it too, as does Health Matters.

[Ladymuck]

PS: Sean, funny, I always refer to that shop as "the Turkish shop" too.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Everyone does. Its the law. A bunch of canadians could take it over, sell nothing but tofu and i would still call it tts

[Ladymuck]

tts = the tofu shop?:))

[louisiana]

Indeed, even though it sells buffalo mozzarella :-)

[louisiana]

LM, what's your view on intermingling of beans?

I mean, I'd say if the recipe says haricot, borlotti are also fine, flageolet should be mixed with some other darker beans but fine, field beans fine... I'm fairly catholic as far as beans are concerned... And chick peas in any mix are rarely bad news.

But grains should be 'taken with a pinch of salt' (they are not beans, and behave a bit differently.)

(From Spain, Tolosa beans are always a good bet, but not widely available here.)

What do you think?

[Tarot]

What salad type food would anyone reccomend eating with pasta.

I like pasta but i guess, must throw some roughage in the mix ,and what sauce,I,m not keen on olive oil or Pesto,

any suggestions people.

[Ladymuck]

louisiana Wrote:

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> LM, what's your view on intermingling of beans?

Blimey, never bean (ha ha) asked that one before.

To be honest, I just use what I believe will do the job - it usually works. Having said that, I think that a white bean would look odd in a chilli con carne.

The important thing to remember when intermingling is that different varieties have different cooking times (e.g. cooking time for a fava is considerably shorter than for a soy). It is also crucial to be aware of potential sickness being caused by the toxin present in some beans. Thus, I would never risk adding a bean (with a shorter cooking time) to the pot at a later time unless it had first been boiled for at least 10 minutes and then rinsed.

[paragon]

louisiana Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks Paragon.

>

> Can you tell us a bit about quinoa and where it

> can be bought locally?

I get mine from SMBS - i guess it is from the same family as cous cous and bulgar wheat type things. Nice light carb addition to make a healthy meal a bit more sustantial. Cook like rice, in water or stock for 10-15 mins until it sucks up all the water.

[paragon]

louisiana Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks Paragon.

>

> Can you tell us a bit about quinoa and where it

> can be bought locally?

Oh and it is pronounced keen wah, not quin - oh - a - as the nice chap in SMBS told me without laughing in my face.

[Fabricio the Guido]

This is such a cool thread. It's giving me ideas for when I go shopping. I used to eat mackerel but have been unsure what to do with it these days.

[felt-tip]

Tarot: tagliatelle mixed with puy lentils, carrots, chard, leeks and celery (garlic + olive oil, fry and then stewed in veg stock until tender) is very tasty and nutritious. Chuck some parmesan over the top and a drizzle of olive oil.

[Tarot]

Thanks Felt tip,but will I taste the olive oil in its raw state,

Some things I find quite erchy, olive oil is one and aubergine I find vile.

do you no of any with lettuce in etc.

[HAL9000]

Italians often serve green salad with pasta.

[Tarot]

Thanks Hal, but do they have the same green type vegatables as us.

Sort of lettuce cucmber,onions,etc or something more exotic,

Or do they use the big Spanish onions.

Talking about Spanish onions, Sainsburys say on their labels, that their onions are Spanish,but I dont think they are,

they are smaller,darker brown,taste aromatic, just like Chilean onions.

They dont taste nice either.

So if its Spanish onions, does the deli sell them?.

[HAL9000]

I had you down as a man who knows his onions! I, on the other hand, don't have a clue - sorry :(

[Tarot]

(tu)Thanks Hal,

[Narnia]

Probably mean Spanish speaking!

[Annette Curtain]

I once asked the man in the East st. market...

" Are the red onions Dutch or Italian"

"Dunno why do wanna eat 'em or talk to them"

That was me put right then.

( oh, but how I laughed when a bin lorry ran him over. )

Nette.:))

^{* I actually made that last bit up}

[wee quinnie]

Quinoa - pronounced "Keen-wa" is not related to couscous etc - and happily can be eaten by people who are allergic to wheat and or have a gluten intolerance. It originated in South America, and is highly nutritious, and is that rare thing....a non-meat complete protein source.

Very nice to have with salad on top for lunch.