Hello

Welcome to Yet Another Cooking Blog.

As you may have guessed, this is a blog about cooking - in particular my cooking. It has been mentioned to me several times that I seem a little obsessed with food, so I have decided to blog about my menus, my successes, my failures and anything else that springs to mind

Sunday 30 September 2012

Week 41 dinner menu

Monday - Honey and mustard pork chop, new potatoes and carrots
Tuesday - Prawn and pea risotto
Wednesday - Jacket potato with chilli
Thursday - Macaroni cheese and salad
Friday - Home made pizza
Saturday - Chicken madras, roasted spiced cauliflower and flatbreads
Sunday - Roast beef with mash potato and shallot sauce

Sunday 23 September 2012

Week 40 dinner menu

Monday - Honey and mustard pork chops, mash potato and carrots
Tuesday - Chicken madras and brown rice
Wednesday - Pasta bolognaise
Thursday - Bean and artichoke salad
Friday - Lamb kofte, salad and pitta
Saturday - Chicken fried rice, chinese BBQ ribs
Sunday - Slow cooked sausage casserole with roast potatoes and veg

Sunday 16 September 2012

Bolognaise type pasta sauce

The recipe below isn't authentic by any means, but is a tasty sauce that is easily made in bulk and frozen.  It is a long slow cooking recipe, so you will need a few hours to spare to make this.  This will easily make 8 portions, more if you don't have large amounts of sauce on your pasta

Ingredients

2 onions, finely diced
4 sticks of celery, finely diced
3 large carrots finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
800g lean beef mince
200ml port
1/2 ring of black pudding, skinned and chopped into small chunks (optional but adds a beautiful richness)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
3 tins chopped tomatoes
Olive oil, for cooking

Method

1.  In a very large lidded pan, put some olive oil and heat to a medium heat

2.  Put in the onions and stir round until they are thoroughly coated in the olive oil.  Reduce the heat to low and cook for approximately 30 minutes until sweet and golden, stirring occasionally to ensure they don't stick in the pan

3.  Add the celery and carrots, stir well and cook for another 30 minutes until all softened and caramelised

4.  Add the garlic and cook for 10-15 minutes

5.  Push the vegetable mixture to one side of the pan, turn the heat up to medium, add the mince in batches and brown.  Once each batch browns, mix with the vegetables and then push to the side of the pan and add the next batch until all of the beef is in

6.  Add the chopped black pudding and stir well until the black pudding breaks down and coats the mixture in 'grains'

7.  Add the 200ml port and heat through to remove the majority of the alcohol

8.  Add the 3 tins of tomatoes and stir well.  Add the oregano, reduce the heat, put the lid on and let it simmer gently, stirring occasionally.  The mix may look a little dry, but as the tomatoes break down there will be alot of liquid.  The black pudding will thicken the sauce.

9.  Cook on a gentle simmer for 2-3 hours until the tomatoes and the beef have broken down

Serve with pasta such as spiralli, make into a lasagne or eat with garlic bread and a salad

Week 39 dinner menu

Monday - Jacket potato with cheese and coleslaw
Tuesday - Freezer surprise
Wednesday - Lasagne and salad
Thursday - Grilled salmon, new potatoes and peas
Friday - Chicken vindaloo and brown rice
Saturday - Cottage pie and veg
Sunday - Roast chicken and all the trimmings

Saturday 15 September 2012

Marmite salt and pepper pots

I'm definitely in the love Marmite camp, and decided it was time for some new salt and pepper pots as my current ones are about 20 years old.  I bought two small jars of marmite and decanted the marmite into the big jar I have that was nearly empty.  After washing out the jars and lids I drilled holes using a 2mm drill bit in the lid, and then filled with salt and pepper.


Monday 3 September 2012

Week 38 dinner menu

This menu is coming early, as we are doing a bit of a self catering holiday and needed to plan some of the week in advance

Monday - Beef enchiladas
Tuesday - Japanese pork curry and sticky rice
Wednesday - Pancetta and spinach gnocchi
Thursday - Quiche lorraine and salad
Friday - Takeaway
Saturday - Yakisoba and gyoza
Sunday - Duck a l'orange, rosti potatoes and creamed leeks

Week 37 dinner menu

Monday - Freezer surprise
Tuesday - Chicken fajitas
Wednesday - Toad in the hole with mash and baked beans
Thursday - Spaghetti amatriciana and salad
Friday - Jacket potato with chilli con carne
Saturday - Steak, mash and glazed carrots
Sunday - Roast pork and all the trimmings