A weekend lunch

I am home alone today, so music on, coffee on, paintbrush out. And now that I have managed to cover myself, and several areas of carpet, with white gloss paint it feels like a good time to stop for lunch.

Today lunch is leftovers. Last night for a quick supper I cooked up a cross between a frittata and a crustless quiche and served this with mashed white beans and a salad.

For the frittata / quiche:
Gently fry in a little oil an onion, some chorizo or bacon, courgette (chopped into bit size pieces), 3 or 4 mushrooms (also in bite size pieces) and a clove of garlic crushed or finely chopped. This all needs to be just cooked and must not have any excess liquid as this will water down the egg.

In a bowl beat 3 eggs with a splash of milk. Season well.

To get the shape and to enable me to bake this in the oven I used a cake tin, a round one that I would normally use for a Victoria sandwich cake. I used the base of the tin to draw a circle on grease proof paper to give me a disc of grease proof to put in the base of the tin. I brushed the tin with margarine (or butter or oil) before putting the disc of paper in as this creates a seal that the egg cannot leak into. Then I brushed the paper (now in the tin) with margarine as well. This sounds fiddly but is actually very quick to do and means that the frittata will not stick to the tin and can be more easily removed.

Once the tin was ready I added the cooked vegetable and chorizo mix, spreading evenly. Then I poured the egg mix carefully over the vegetables. Finally a topping of chopped cheddar cheese - this could be grated but to be honest I don't like making washing up so I see no need to use a cheese grater for this.

I carefully put the tin in a pre-heated oven (about 180 c) with a baking tray underneath as the tin was very full. This was baked for half an hour, although I would suggest checking after 20 minutes. Once cooked I left it to cool for 5 minutes before using a knife to release the edges. I then put a plate on top of the frittata, tipped it upside down to remove it from the tin, then another plate to flip back the right way up (similar to getting a cake out of a tin). Remember to remove the grease proof paper!

It was delicious hot. But today I am eating the leftovers cold with salad (lettuce, tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, almonds and a little crumbled stilton dressed simply in olive oil). And it is delicious.

A mushroom supper

I do like a mushroom. And there is something wonderfully filling and comforting about large, flat mushrooms cooked in the oven, especially if they are covered in something nice.

Today's mushrooms were happily dressed in the summer colours of red (a splash of passata and some fresh tomatoes), green (spinach and a handful of sharp salty capers), yellow (cheddar cheese, gloriously golden brown once cooked) and a scattering of black olives. I did sneak in a couple of anchovies, although I know these are not to everyone's taste. A splash of olive oil and twenty minutes or so in the oven and this was a tasty supper with a Mediterranean feel.

Get better broth

Ok, so even eating healthier can't stop the occasional poorly day. And on a poorly day when I am feeling delicate and washed out all I want is uncomplicated food, nothing too strongly flavoured but definitely comforting, thick socks or slippers and a quilt to curl up under.

This week I had a couple of poorly days. And once I felt ready to eat I knew that what I fancied was a broth, chicken, of course, because chicken soups and broths always feel medicinal when feeling unwell, but also full of pulses (pearl barley or spelt) and lots of vegetables, especially green ones becoming almost seaweed like in the liquid.

And so I made my broth, and only thought to take a photo on the second bowl! But it did make me feel better.

 

 

CHICKEN AND SPELT BROTH

3/4 pint chicken stock
1 large handful of spelt grains (or pearl barley), rinsed thoroughly
Chicken chopped into bite sized pieces
A good selection of vegetables (I used onion, courgette, carrot, mushrooms, spinach), also chopped into small pieces
A squirt of tomato puree (optional)
A splash of soy sauce (optional)

First a word on chicken stock - yes I would like to say that I started with a homemade stock, but I would be lying. When you are feeling under the weather, or even just leading a busy life, don't waste time on feeling guilty about whether the stock you are using is homemade or not. Mine wasn't!

Pour the chicken stock into a saucepan and add the spelt. Heat gently bringing the stock up to a simmering point. Then add the ingredients - I started with the longer cook vegetables (carrot / onion), then worked my way through until all vegetables were added. I also added a  squirt of tomato puree because I like the additional tomato flavour.

Lastly I added the chicken and let it poach in the broth, long enough to cook but not too long that it became at all rubbery. Pull apart a piece of chicken to check it is white, and therefore cooked, all through. For the size of my chicken pieces this took about 15 minutes. Also check the spelt is cooked (soft, but still holding its shape).

Just before serving I added seasoning to taste and a splash of soy sauce, because I like the salty depth of soy sauce.

Serve in a bowl on its own, or go mad and add thick slices of bread (granary, of course).