A Little Bit of This a Little Bit of That

Toad in the hole - a twist on a classic

2011-01-08T12:41:00.005Z

So its Saturday today, but I rarely cook on sundays (thanks mom and dad!) so i tend to make something sundayesque (is that a word?) on saturday.
Today i think i will go with toad in the hole, this is the third recipe today with value sausage in it, so if you have some in your freezer theres plenty of choice here.
Now i believe that every englishman(or woman) should know how to make yorkshire puddings, if you dont, get ready to learn.

equal parts (by volume not weight) eggs, flour (plain if possible) and milk (semi best, skimmed or whole will work, half and half milk and cold water if your short on milk) salt and pepper to taste,

mix vigourously until the flour is completely mixed with no lumps (if you measure, flour then egg then milk you can use the same container to measure without the flour sticking to the sides!)
heat a cupcake tray to around 200C or gas mark 5 or err.. whatever that is in f around 390-410 i think with a drop of oil in each bit. let the mix settle for half an hour in fridge if possible then pour into hot tray about 1/4 of the hole and put into the oven for around 20 minutes (do NOT open the door if possible they can sink)

easy!

Now for the toad in the hole, put your yorkshire mix into a deep tray about 1/4 full and then add sausages, as many as you like but leave an inch gap in between. Sprinkle over some thyme and a little oregano and bake for 25-30 minutes until the sausages are done.

serve with veg and gravy and optionally potatoes, or on its own!

until next time, happy eating

P.S. check out my other blog full of random musings Musings of Lunacy 20% of the ad revenues from this and that site go to childrens charity NSPCC and if you get the revenue over £200 this month, ill double that to 40%!

Value/Own label doesn't have to mean bland

2011-01-08T11:13:00.003Z

How many times have you done your weekly shopping, only to get to an item and pick up a branded version?

Don't worry, its not your fault. In fact marketers and shops have special tricks to get you to do just that, firstly a shops layout is designed to make you spend, and on the most expensive things too! Also big brand items will have their own advertising campaigns so there is no avoiding them.

Often times branded items can be of a higher quality, but this isn't always the case, or at least when it is, that doesn't mean you should always avoid what seems like an inferior value product.

Case in point, I accidentally ordered the wrong type of sausage from my supplier (easy done when its all 7 digit product codes to me) the type that arrived were value rather than so called "best" sausage.

The difference in taste is noticeable, obviously less effort has gone into the recipe and the meat contains both more fat and more filler (usually rusk.)

However, this did not mean they had to stay bland. For my first dish I made a tomato based sausage casserole, very simple actually, I cooked the sausages, cut them up, and put the sausage, a tin of plum tomatoes (cut fine) mushroom (cheap button mushrooms are fine) some softly fried red onion (again cheap white onion would be fine) a bit of garlic (I use puree but actual garlic cloves or garlic salt is fine) and some bell peppers. If you have some, add some paprika and a bit of basil. If you want to be fancy, a little splash of red wine, bring to the boil and simmer for half an hour or so, eat or let cool to reheat the next day (tastes better the next day!) a one pot dish, and add whatever ingredients you want to make it your own.

You see, sausages will take on the flavour of anything its cooked with, take for example the next dish a simple pasta bake.

I wanted to use frankfurters but I was all out so again to my value sausage and some rather strong smoked ham I have for a menu item that I had extra of. I cooked some pasta to al dente (slightly firm still) and blended a tin of tomatoes (tomatoes in everything this post, always keep tinned tomatoes, very versatile, blended can replace "passata" something a few recipes call for) cut up the sausage, and some onion and the ham, fry it all together and then mix with the pasta and blended tomatoes, cover with grated cheese and oven till the cheese browns. Delicious, and the sausage took on the taste of the smoked ham, so much so that I was asked if I made my own sausage!

So remember, most bland value foods can be fixed with the addition of any of a number of spices, thyme and sage (I have a mixed Mediterranean herb tub that i put in a lot of things and even on pizza) work with a lot of meats and garlic can fix a lot of dishes.

Until next time, happy eating

Breaded alaskan pollock with skin-on oven chips

2008-03-15T19:43:00.003Z

Ok so recipe one... this is what im cooking right now, and all my recipes are for 6, so adjst accordingly

Ingredients.
6 Breaded alaskan pollock fillets
6 Large King Edward (any potatoes will do tbh but king edward i prefer)
6 Tablespoons vegetable/olive oil (im using cheap vegetable cooking oil)

Equipment.
Oven preheated to gas mark 7 (220 Celsius 425 farenheit)
Pan of salted water on to boil
Knife (i use a santoku for vegetables because of its flat cutting edge and the dips to prevent sticking)
Chopping board
Oven Tray (large enough for the chips to lie on one level so they roast evenly)

Method.
Put the oil into the pan and put into the oven (this must be done first as the chips must start in hot oil, the oil will be hot once you have completed the next few steps)
Slice the potatoes into halves then slice each half into wedges about half the width of a finger (1cm)
Place them to boil in the water for 4 minutes and then drain the water off (this is known as Blanching, its a method of part cooking in water to allow things to cook better, especially useful for chips)
Put the chips into the tray ad shake them so that they lay on one level (ie, not lying on top of each other)

Leave the chips for 10 minutes, then place the fish under a grill on a medium to high heat, turning once they brown (ideally have a temperature probe, in a commercial envrionment, meat products must be at 75 C to serve legally (82 C in scotland) once they have reached 75 C they must remain above 63 C to be safe)

Check on the chips after they have been in for 15 minutes total. Shake the pan to make sure they are cooking ok.

After about 15 minutes the fish will be ready. Turn off the grill, but leave them in place until the chips are ready (should be soon if not now)

Once your chips are golden brown, They are ready to eat. If you did not get them all onto one layer, some will still have a bite to them and wont be golden brown (mine are like this now, but i like them that way... its a personal thing. like most of my recipes, there is an amount of leeway given as not everyone has the large pans)

If you want to add some cracked black pepper (ground is ok, just not as nice) to the chips, now is the time

Serve with tartare sauce if you like it, or not if you dont.

Price.
The pollocks i got from morrison's (sorry if your not in england) for £1.49 for 2 fillets.
the Potatoes i got from tesco's for £1.38 for 2.5kg of them...

all in all, for 6 people this meal cost under £5... not too shabby.

Introduction: Day one of Many

2008-03-15T18:14:00.000Z

Ok... blogging... sure.

Im the first to admit im late to join the bandwagon, but as i couldnt find a blog with what i wanted. Ill make one myself.

The whole point of this blog is to help people learn new tips and tricks in the kitchen, get an insight into the way a professional kitchen works but most importantly, its to cook great tasting food in a non professional environment and on a small budget.

Now i enjoy being at work, i have a large well stocked kitchen, modern equipment and lots and lots of room.

At home i have a small kitchen, with outdated appliances, and little room for supplies but that doesnt mean i cant prepare great tasting healthy meals in there every single day.

If you follow my blog along you will find meal ideas for each day (as long as i get a chance to put one on here) each meal will have ingredient lists, prep methods, and cook instructions.

My aim is to make every meal you ever had in a fancy restaurant, but didnt believe you could ever reproduce at home possible!