tomato rice cooking away

There comes a time as a cook when you have to be inventive not because you have a yen to do so, but because you look in the cupboard the fridge and think ‘is that all I have in and what am I going to do with it?’  This is an opportunity to use your imagination.  I did this morning and came up with a lovely tasty dish.

Ingredients:

• 4 large ripe tomatoes
• half a red or orange pepper
• 1 small red onion
• half a mugful of rice
• 1 tsp of mixed olive oil and vegetable oil
• seasoning
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• 1cm cube of fresh turmeric root (optional)

Method:

1. First chop up all the vegetables very finely.  Skin the pepper if you wish (I have taken a tip from Mother of Marge and used a peeler on the uncooked pepper and this works a treat).  De-seed the tomatoes to avoid any bitterness.
2. Heat a large wok or frying pan and add the oil.  Now add the vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes or so.
3. Add the raw rice and stir well into the veggie mixture,  making sure the rice grains are coated in sauce.  Which rice do you use?  I used brown rice though you can use white or proper risotto rice.  Just remember to check how long the rice needs to cook as they all have different cooking times.
4. Keep stirring the pan every now and again on a low to medium light.  Add about 50ml of  water mixed with the tomato purée, the seasoning to taste, and the turmeric root if using (and do peel it).
5. The liquid in the pan will be absorbed by the rice in cooking so you will need to keep adding a little water every so often.  How long you cook the rice depends on what it says on the packed!  As I used brown rice I cooked the dish for 30 minutes.
6. When serving the rice make sure you have a nonchalant expression as if you have been making tomato rice for years 

Ingredient

• 1 1/2 kg of beetroot (about a bunch of 5 small-medium sized vegetables)
• 2 tsps cider vinegar
• pinch of salt
• 2 tsps sugar
• juice of half a small lemon

Method:

1. Take your beetroot (I got mine straight from the front garden) and wash them well in cold water to remove any mud/compost/bits etc.   Take your time and be thorough.
2. Cut off some of the green leaf, however do not top and tail the beetroots or the colour will bleed out in the water.  Also if from the garden cut away some of the straggly root, otherwise leave in tact.
3. Place the washed beetroots into a pressure cooker and add enough water to almost cover the vegetables.
4. Bring to pressure and then cook on the lowest light for 15 minutes.
5. To de-pressurise carefully (it will be heavy!) place the pressure cooker in a large bowl of cold water.  The pressure cooker pressure indicator should drop (well it does on mine), and you should be able to safely get the lid off.
6. Don’t be tempted to use the fast de-pressurise function as this can lead to purple water shooting out the vent!
7. Using a slotted spoon remove the cooked beetroots from the pressure cooker and place in shallow dish.
8. Put down plenty of newspaper for rubbish, and wearing rubber washing up gloves gently slough off the beetroot skins and leaf tops.  This should be really easy now.  Don’t try this with bare hands it is not manly – it is daft and dangerous as the vegetables will be very hot!
9. Now using an egg slicer slice the beetroot into a glass dish.
10. Add the seasoning and other flavourings.  It is a good idea to do this whilst the beetroot are still warm because they will more readily absorb the flavours.
11. Allow to cool and then keep in the fridge for a day or so.  Beetroots cooked in this manner go so well with a nice piece of salmon or some cold meat

For this recipe you will need bottomless tart dishes.  Now in the past they were rather an expensive item but I found some good quality cheap ones from Sainsbury’s of all places, so do shop around.

Ingredients:

• 180g plain flour
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 70g margarine
• seasoning
• 2 large courgettes (aka zucchini)
• 120g hard cheese
• 60ml milk
• 30ml cream cheese (optional)
• 2 tsps oil for frying
• extra oil and flour to prepare the tart dishes
• 1small egg for egg wash

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 (about 200 oC) for 20 minutes.
2. Whilst the oven is heating up make up the pastry with the flour and margarine using the rubbing in method and set aside to rest in the fridge.
3. Whilst the pastry is resting prepare the courgettes; wash (and peel if necessary), and grate).
4. In a frying pan lightly fry the grated courgette with the oil. As the vegetable is grated you want to be careful it doesn’t ‘catch’ or go mushy, and then set aside.
5. Now take the pastry out of the fridge and roll it out onto a floured surface.  Cut out circles of pastry to fit the tart dishes (remember the sides of the dish too)
6. Take a piece of kitchen roll and use it to wipe on a little oil in each tart dish, and then sprinkle a little flour over.  This will help the tart not to stick.  I even do this with non-stick tart dishes!
7. Place the circles of pastry into the tart dishes.  Do not stress if the pastry breaks or you don’t have enough, just patch it up with another bit of pastry – if anyone asks say this is ‘rustic’ style!
8. Prick the pastry a few times with a fork and tightly line the dishes with tin foil.  Now bake the pastry blind in the oven for about 10 minutes.
9. After 10 minutes remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil.  Now beat the small egg and brush a little over the pastry and put back in the oven for 2-4 minutes and then remove from the oven again.  This will help to stop the pastry going soggy when the other ingredients are added.
10. Grate the cheese – you can use any hard cheese you like, I used a mix of cheddar and red Leicester.  Place the cheese in a bowl with the courgettes and the other ingredients and mix well.
11. Ladle in the mixture to the pastry dishes and put back in the oven (near the top but not right at the top) for 10-15 minutes.  After this time take them out and check to see if the mixture has set.  You want a slight wobble in the middle of the quiches.  If the quiches need more baking place some foil carefully over the top of them and bake for another 5-10 minutes or so.
12. Once the quiches are done take them out and allow to cool.  Once cool remove the quiches from the tart dishes (I just carefully place them on top of a jam jar and they just slide off)
13. You can eat your mini courgette quiches hot or cold, and they will freeze well too.  Enjoy!

Chanukah (or Hannukah, Chanuka, Hanuka, or  however you spell it!) starts this evening and last for 8 days.  Jewish people all over the world will light the menorah (9 pronged candle stick) to commemorate the miracle of the oil.  If you want more info about Chanukah then click here: http://www.aish.com/h/c/

To celebrate Chanukah it is customary to cook foods in oil (and then wonder why our waist lines have expanded!   )  I had some left over aubergine from when I made aubergine chutney and was wondering what to do with it, so I came up with the idea of Chanukah Fritters.

Ingredients:

• a medium sized aubergine (eggplant)
• 1 large egg
• 100g matzo meal or flour
• salt
• vegetable oil for shallow frying

Method:

1. Wash your aubergine well and cut into slices about 1cm thick, leaving the skin on.
2. Lightly salt the aubergine slices on both sides.  This is not done to remove any water or bitterness (I have yet to come across a bitter aubergine these days), but to add seasoning.
3. Check the egg and place it in a shallow dish.  Beat the egg with a fork.
4. In another shallow dish put the matzo meal or flour.  If you like you can add a little pepper to the matzo meal, but I didn’t this time.
5. Open the kitchen window and do the 1970s housewife scarf thing because the smell of frying will get everywhere!
6. Heat a large non-stick frying pan on high and pour in a little vegetable oil.  How much depends on how big your frying pan is.  Essentially you want enough oil to shallow fry the aubergine fritters without drowning them.
7. Dip a slice of aubergine first into the egg and then into the matzo meal (coat both sides), and place carefully in the frying pan using a non-stick fish slice.
8. Keep doing this with all the slices of aubergine.  You may find you need to use another egg or matzo meal; use your own judgement.  Also if your frying pan is small that it is best to cook the aubergine fritters in batches.
9. The aubergine fritters need to be flipped over after a few minutes and cooked for a few minutes more (do keep an eye on the cooker heat and turn it down if need be), and then put on a plate with plenty of kitchen roll to soak up excess oil.
10. Note1: Remember don’t leave the fritters at any time to answer the phone or whatever – safety first (I know I’m being a mother hen     )
11. Note2: If you are unsure if the inside of the fritter is done then pierce with a knife and if the aubergine is soft, it is done.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Chanukah!

I have been blown away by tremendous positive response for my previous chutney recipe that I just had to come up with a new one.  It has taken some time – having a cold etc notwithstanding – to get this chutney recipe perfected but I think you will find it is worth the wait.

Ingredients:

• 500g courgettes or a marrow (after all a courgette is just a marrow-in-waiting!)
• 250g eating apples
• 250g aubergine
• 500g granulated sugar (if you want to use jam sugar then please do)
• 2cm root ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 150g equal mix of dried prunes and dried apricots
• 500ml mix of white malt vinegar and cider vinegar
• 2 large heaped tsps of French mustard (or you can use mustard seeds)
• 250g onions

Method:

1. In a large, deep cooking pot place the sugar and salt and then pour on the vinegar.  I have found that by doing this the sugar dissolves beautifully making things much easier.
2. In a food processor chop up the dried fruits and mix in with the sugar/vinegar to infuse.
3. Peel the aubergine  and chop it up roughly (I don’t bother to salt it), and do the same to the courgette.  Blitz the vegetables until close to a mush consistency as this chutney is more smooth.  If you like things more chunky then this fine.  Add the courgette and aubergine to the pot and stir in.
4. Put the onions and apples (leave the skin on the apples) in the processor and again, mushify!
5. Lastly add the French mustard or mustard seed and the root ginger, which you have peeled and squashed a bit (so you can remove it easily after the chutney is done).
6. Now put the heat on high under the pot and give everything a good stir with a wooden spoon.
7. Bring the chutney to a rapid boil and keep it boiling (though you can turn the heat down a bit if need be), for at least 5 minutes as this helps with getting the chutney to set.  You will need to keep stirring all the time so that the chutney doesn’t catch.
8. ** Remember be careful around hot chutney and watch out for splashes.
9. After the rapid boil turn the heat right down to a light simmer.  You will need to stir the chutney from time to time and be prepared for this to take a long time.  I found the batch of courgette and aubergine chutney that I made took 50 minutes to simmer.  You may find yours takes longer.
10. To test if the chutney is ready take a teaspoonful and place it on a cold plate, and see if the chutney ‘drags’.
11. Whilst the chutney is simmering you can take your glass preserving jars and sterilise them.  You do this by cleaning them until scrupulously clean (attack with steel wool soap pads if need be!) including the lids, washing the jars again in clear water, and then putting them in the microwave for 2 minutes on high.
12. Another note; the smell of vinegar will abound!  I suggest wearing a headscarf a la 1970s housewife  (or Mother of Marge suggests a shower cap!) and opening the kitchen windows!
13. Once you are satisfied the chutney is of the right consistency then you are ready to (carefully!) spoon the chutney into your glass jars.  Remember to remove the squashed ginger first.  Apply a layer of clingfilm directly on the top of the chutney to make a seal, and then put the lid on.  As you can see I used a bit of tin foil as I didn’t have a lid for the littlest jar!
14. Keep the jars of chutney to one side for at least a week (if you can!), or a month if possible before trying.
15. This courgette and aubergine chutney goes particularly well in a cheese sandwich.  Serious yum time!

mushroom and courgette quiche complete with pastry Succah!

Ingredients:

• 230g plain flour (50:50 wholemeal to white)
• 120g margerine or butter
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 pint of milk
• seasoning
• basil (optional)
• soy sauce
• oil for sautéing
• balsamic vinegar (optional)
• a dollop of green tomato chutney (optional)
• 60g grated cheese
• 450g mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 3 large courgettes
• 2 tsps cornflower (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 (200oC) for at least 20 minutes.
2. Take your quiche or flan dish and grease the inner surface and set aside.
3. Take the margerine and flour and combine using the rubbing in method.  Add the pinch of salt.
4. Adding a little cold water at a time make up flour mixture into a dough shape.
5. On a floured surface lightly knead the dough using the rock and roll method (pinch it together and roll it rather than bread style kneading).
6. Leave the pastry ball in a bowl and put it in the fridge whilst you prepare the vegetables.
7. Wash and chop up all the vegetables keeping each type separate.
8. In a large wok or deep saucepan lightly fry the onion in a little oil for a minute or so.  Add the courgettes and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.
9. Season the vegetables and add a dash of soy sauce and if using, the same of balsamic vinegar.  Stir fry well.  You can also add a good dollop of green tomato chutney if you wish.
10. Now add the mushrooms and fry them also.  (You can see why you need a big pan.  If you don’t have one then use two pans and split the vegetable mixture between them).  If using basil add a few washed leaves at this point.
11. Now do not be tempted to add more water.  The mushrooms will give out plenty of water and you want some of this to evaporate off as the vegetables cook down.
12. Once the vegetables are soft (10 minutes or so, maybe longer), transfer them to a large bowl and allow to cool off.
13. Now go back to the pastry:  flour the surface again and also a rolling pin.  Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll out to fit your quiche dish.  When rolling out pastry make sure you keep the pastry moving and do a quarter turn every few rolls.  Stay calm and relaxed too or your stress will go into the pastry – true! 
14. Roll the pastry onto the quiche dish.  Go around the dish and lift the pastry slightly from the edge so it sinks down into the dish.  Go around the pastry walls and ‘pinch’ lightly against the wall of the quiche dish.  Now comes the best bit – hold the quiche dish from underneath with one hand and cut around the edges of the quiche dish with a sharp knife to remove the excess.  This is bliss!
15. Now take a length of foil and place it in the quiche dish, also place either baking beans or a weighty oven proof plate (I used a pyrex lid), in the quiche dish, bake the pastry blind for 10 minutes.  This starts the pastry off without allowing it to rise 
16. Once you have baked the pastry blind carefully remove the weight and foil (it will be very hot).
17. In a bowl beat eggs and add grated cheese.  If you want a thick texture then add a couple of teaspoons of cornflower too.  Add the milk and beat again.
18. Mix the vegetables with the egg mixture and pour the contents into the quiche dish.  If you have any leftover pastry you can make pastry leaves and put them on top of the vegetables (in my case I did a pastry Succah!)
19. Bake in the top part of the oven for 40 minutes (though not right at the top you don’t want to grill it!
20. Enjoy and have a very happy Succot!

The Succah at Casa Marge

Now the first thing I would suggest when it comes to making chutney is to allow yourself a good few hours.  This is very much like jam making as you are effectively making a savoury jam, and cannot be rushed.  (I understand Tefal have produced a jam making machine which cuts the time down.  If you make a lot of jam and preserves them it might be worth considering?)

Ingredients:

• 1kg green tomatoes
• 2 medium size apples
• 500g soft brown sugar
• 500ml malt vinegar (or about 3/4 of a pint)
• 2cm of root ginger
• 3 red chilis (you can use more if you like things hot!)
• 125g raisins
• 300g shallots
• 1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Wash the green tomatoes well.  If you see any with blossom end rot (like a nasty bruise), or any yukky bits then chuck them out.
2. Prepare the chilis (carefully!) and set them aside.  I used chilis from the garden that I had frozen so I didn’t need to wash them again.  I also kept the chilis whole.
3. Peel the ginger using a sharp knife.  They are so knobbly it is too much of a faff to use a peeler! Give the ginger a light bash with a rolling pin.  You want to squash it a bit without breaking it into pieces.  Set aside
4. Take the green tomatoes, shallots, and apples and bung them in a food processor.  You want things nicely chopped but not mushy.  If you are a tough guy (or don’t have a food processor) you can chop things with a good sharp knife, but bear in mind this will take a while.
5. In a large, deep cooking pot place the chopped items along with the vinegar, sugar, raisins (I like to leave them whole for this recipe), and salt.  Give it all a mix with a wooden spoon.
6. Add the chilis and ginger and stir again.  Put the heat on and bring the chutney to the boil.  You will need to keep stirring to make sure the sugar dissolves and the bottom of the pot doesn’t catch.  When stirring make sure you don’t break the chilis or you will have chili seeds all over the chutney!  If you have one of those tea cage things you can use that to put the chili and ginger in if you wish.
7. Once at a good boiling stage turn the light right down to a simmer.   And this is where patience comes in handy.  You will need to simmer the chutney for ages, at least an hour, if not more.  Also you will need to stir the chutney from time to time.  Whilst the chutney is simmering you can take some ‘me’ time.  Personally I like to do a bit of tapestry needlework or read .net magasine – true!
8. One thing you can do whilst waiting for the chutney to simmer is to prepare the chutney jars.  Being resourceful you can use old coffee, jam, or pickle jars.  You MUST clean the jars and lids until scrupulously clean in very hot water.  Whilst the jars are still wet microwave them for 2 minutes on high.
9. Once the chutney has attained a jam like consistency it is done.  Take out the chilis and ginger (or just remove the tea cage thing) and discard.
10. Carefully spoon the chutney into the sterilized jars.  It is a good idea to make sure the jars are warmed too so as not to crack when the hot chutney goes in!  You want to pack the chutney in so there are no air bubbles.  Create a seal over the surface of the chutney with a bit of folded clingfilm. Put the lids on tightly.   Leave the jars to cool thoroughly.  Once opened keep the chutney in the fridge.
11. Serve in a nice cheese sandwich, or as a relish with a lovely meat dinner.

Green Tomato Chutney

Ingredients:

• Carton of creamed tomatoes
• Tabasco, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar (optional)

Method:

1. Take a set of ice lolly moulds. You can get these from cookware shops or possibly supermarkets. I picked up a set in a pound shop. And if you are really stuck you could use plastic cups and teaspoons.
2. If using, add a dash of Tabasco or soy sauce or balsamic vinegar (you can add one sauce or a few it is up to you) into the base of each lolly mould.
3. Pour in enough creamed tomato (or you could use sieved passata, pulped fresh tomatoes with the skin and seeds removed), to fill up each mould to about four fifths full. You need to allow a little expansion room as the liquid freezes.
4. Pop the tops onto the moulds or insert lolly sticks. Naturally this depends on the type of mould set you are using.
5. Freeze the lollies over night.
6. If you have trouble removing the lolly from its mould then simply pour a little hot water over the base of the lolly in the mould, and give it a wiggle. This should loosen the lolly and it should come out OK.

Ingredients:

• 3 large carrots
• 2 medium courgettes
• 1/3 of a mug of potato flour
• 1/3 of a mug of matzo cake meal
• 1/3 of a mug of ground almond
• seasoning
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• margerine

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to a medium high heat for at least 15 minutes.
2. Grease a two pound loaf tin (remember this has to be one only used for Pesach baking).
3. Grate the vegetables. I like to use a food processor. If you want to work on your biceps then use a hand grater!
4. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together very well. The mixture should not be too dry or too mushy, so you may want to alter the amount of dry to wet ingredients.
5. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin. It should reach about half way up the tin. You don’t want it to be full to the brim or it won’t cook through.
6. Place a bit of foil over the tin and put on the top shelf of the oven. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Remove the foil and bake again for another 20 minutes without the foil lid.
8. Make sure you let the slab cool before trying to remove it from the tin. If it seems still rather gooey then it may need some more baking.
9. Savoury Slab goes well with meat, fish, or dairy meals. And can be used instead of potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rice, cooked
• 2 cups sliced Japanese aubergines (cut them in half lengthwise, then slice into 1/2-cm thick half-moons)
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 fresh green chillies, cut into very thin rounds (optional)
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tsp oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced thin
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 5-6 fresh curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
• 2 tsp fresh coriander leaves, for garnish

Method:

1. Sprinkle salt over the aubergines, then mix with the ginger-garlic paste. Place in a colander, and put something heavy on top (a large bowl of water is what I used), so that the bitter juices drain away.
2. In a pan, heat 2 tsp oil and pop the mustard seeds and green chillies if using. Add in the sliced aubergines and stir well.
3. Cook on medium high, stirring occasionally, until the aubergine is cooked and acquiring brownish spots. Set aside.
4. In a large pan, heat the remaining oil. Add the curry leaves, cumin seeds, coriander powder and garam masala and fry for 30 seconds until the cumin seeds turn a darker shade of brown.
5. Add the sliced onions, mix well and cook on medium high, until they start to turn golden brown. (Add an extra tsp of oil if you wish.)
6. Put in the rice and stir well, keeping it on the heat until it is warmed through. Mix in the cooked aubergines and check for salt.
7. Serve hot with a side of chilled tomato or cucumber raita, pickle and papads.

Thanks for the recipe Paolo.