Happy To Give Advice And Tips On Cooking

[ranworthbreeze]

1 hour ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

It is strange  how shopping  patterns have changed. In the beginning panic took hold. Shortage of loo rolls and pasta then tomato puree, followed  by flour.Suppermarkets are very good at restocking. They know each day what sells the quickest and often  can reorder  overnight. In normal times if for example you have a morrisons in your area, some foods will be available  but may not be so in the next town.My morrisons has lots of Asian foods,due to a fairly large Asian community. They will always  stock up on bbq items due to weather. During this pandemic has turned  shopping  on its head.

One last thing

Lunch for use yesterday:grilled pork fillet,braised red cabbage,cauliflower  cheese,carrots roast spuds,gravy and some of these yorkies,Strawberries cream and ice cream,some home grown. 

Hi Ian those Yorkshires are almost as good as mine; I like to see a well used pudding tin, just wiped out rather than washed, yiu rarely get stuck puddings.

Regards

Alan

[Chelsea14Ian]

Alan not bad for a London boy.Mind you when I did event catering  I must of made about 10 ,12 thousands mini yorkies every year and I was there for almost six years.

[SteveO]

The shortages here strangely seemed to coincide with a cooking programme that Jamie Oliver was running on TV in the early stages of lockdown. For a week after he cooked broccoli, there was no broccoli to be had and the same thing happened with pasta and other ingredients. I think I had over-estimated the cooking skills and imagination of the nation. 

[ranworthbreeze]

5 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

Alan not bad for a London boy.Mind you when I did event catering  I must of made about 10 ,12 thousands mini yorkies every year and I was there for almost six years.

Please keep up with this topic of giving your professional advice to us novices. Tan would have loved your chicken dish sadly I have never liked chicken nor the smell of it cooking. Do you have a good recipe for a Cornish Pasty?

Regards 

Alan

[Chelsea14Ian]

Yes Will post one later,At present  I'm painting  Thanks Ian

[Chelsea14Ian]

Okay  my recipe  for cornish style  pasties.Enough for two.

6oz plain flour, 3oz trex or Lard pinch salt.

Gently rub in fat into  flour until looks like crumble, add cold water slowly until combined  but not wet or too dry.I use a folk.Wrap bowel leave in fridge until ready to use.

You want about 10oz of good braising  steak pre diced or cut yourself about the size of your thumbnail. One medium onion diced one large carrot one stick celery medium sized potato.Diced same size.This is the bit the Cornish would  shout at me.fry off the meat nice brown colour, add veg and potatoes  one pint good beef stock,cookfor about two hours,season  salt and pepper, thicken with flour and water,or use bisto which is fine.Add some mixed herbs fresh if poss.

Cook the beef and veg day before 

Divide pastry in two roll out as round  as possible, about the height of your small finger  nail.Egg wash edges of pastry, again  half the mix in each round, found the pastry, crimp edges  or press down with a fork,allow  to rest in the fridge for at least half  an hour set the oven about 180c.Place pasties on a nonstick baking  tray  or sheet  or parchment paper. Egg wash,cook for about  30,40 minutes. 

Can also do with lamb ,cheese and red onions..

Alan I  know your not a fan of onions just add another  root veg.

Not strictly Cornish but very nice.

 

[SwanR]

I must save that Ian. Sounds delicious and even I could follow that. 

Do you have any suggestions for substitutes for onion in recipes to still get a good flavour please? I don’t like eating onions, peppers or garlic ... they don’t agree with me although I can eat things that have been cooked with onion in them, just try to avoid getting any on my plate! 😂

[Chelsea14Ian]

Leeks are good,celery, fennel.Have you tried red onions much litter and sweeter.

[vanessan]

34 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

Leeks are good,celery, fennel.Have you tried red onions much litter and sweeter.

Interesting you should say that Ian as some of the red onions I have had lately have been somewhat vibrant! I’m sure they didn’t used to be. The white skinned variety have been much sweeter. I like using shallots too for a less sharp taste. 

[Chelsea14Ian]

Shallots  are fairly  mild as you said. You can also add a little sugar, that helps.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Spices: Ground spices dont like sunlight,try where possible to keep in the cupboard and or in meltal containers. Try to use  spices as quick  as possible. Ones that have been in the back of the cupboard for a few years,will lack flavour.Just snuff a new packet.You can tell fresh is best.Older spices won't  harm you but your dish will lack some flavour. 

Fresh herbs,I've had a bay bush for about 15 years.Thyme rosemary mint.All great easy to look after.Always good to have a few that you like most.You can grow some together if space is limited. 

 

[SteveO]

55 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

Spices: Ground spices dont like sunlight,try where possible to keep in the cupboard and or in meltal containers. Try to use  spices as quick  as possible. Ones that have been in the back of the cupboard for a few years,will lack flavour.Just snuff a new packet.You can tell fresh is best.Older spices won't  harm you but your dish will lack some flavour. 

 

As an experiment I dried some cayenne chillis and then blitzed them in my coffee grinder to make powder. The result was a revelation. The powder was around 5x hotter than the commercial stuff and had a beautiful fruity aroma and taste. Three years on it has lost the fruity overtones but is still very hot. 

[grendel]

we did that years back with a tiny plant that was full of tiny red chillies, we dried and ground them, the tiniest amount on the tip of a teaspoon in a chilli made it  very hot we did grind it seeds and all., but the chillies were only about 1cm long, the little bush was in a small flower pot and had about 30 of them.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Very true,whole spices ,like coriander  cumin,lightly  toasted  Ian dry pan,insuring there not brown then ground,much better in curries .Profsonally we use am of freshly  and ground spices. 

I wouldn't recommend coffee  grinder,if poss invest in a spice grinder.

Another  tip for curries when making curry about one third onions to meat,veg or fish.Brown without  burning as much as possible. You will taste the difference. 

[Chelsea14Ian]

Just now, grendel said:

we did that years back with a tiny plant that was full of tiny red chillies, we dried and ground them, the tiniest amount on the tip of a teaspoon in a chilli made it  very hot we did grind it seeds and all., but the chillies were only about 1cm long, the little bush was in a small flower pot and had about 30 of them.

Often bigger the better,with chillies the small ones are the hottest. However scotch bonnets are very hot.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Dinner tonight. Bacon pudding  new potatoes  and veggies. 

Fine dice medium onion sweat in a little veg oil until  soft. Six or seven rashers  of smoked back bacon cut into strips about the size of little finger, add to onion cook for two minutes. Set aside.

6oz self raising  flour,3oz suet a little  salt.Mix together  with a little cold water.Tip use a folk this will keep the mix cold not to wet or dry so add water little  at a time.Dont over work the pastry otherwise it will be tough. Again some chefs overwork  the mix.Oli a pudding basin.Roll out mix insure you set aside a small  piece  for the lid.Roll out nice even round taking care line basin ,fill  with mix,round out lid Place onto mix fold over joining together. Tin foil the basin,secure with a elastic band. Steam for about one and half hours.Also very good instead  of bacon,red onions and two good cheeses ie good strong cheddar and smoked cheese, also any cheese you prefer.

[VetChugger]

There is very little I don't really like that involves beef suet! Especially suet crust on a meat and potato pie!

[Hylander]

I agree about the shortages,   of all things thanks to Jamie Oliver,   uncooked poppadoms were out of stock.   Since March 23rd to the 1st of July it has taken me that long to purchase SR flour from Sainburys.    I have now got 1.25 kg of SR flour at last.

Can I ask all you budding cooks if you have any ideas for catering on a boat for 4 nights and 7 nights.   I am bored stupid with my own ideas and need some inspiration.   I dont mind making things before hand if i can freeze.

 

 

 

[Chelsea14Ian]

Loads of ideas,often I have  two meals ready. Cottage  pie, just make mash on the boat.Chicken casserole. Just pop back in the oven.Stir fry,this can be a one pot,get ready made sauce from the supermarket. Serve with noodles. See my recipe  for Spanish style  Chicken. Some prep at home.Chicken katsu:Chicken fillet cut four slices, flour egg and crumb.Prep at home cook in the oven for 10/14 minutes  just sprinkle a little oil.Serve with rice salad and curry sauce .look for a brand called good boy comes in block form lots like chocolate. I use two pieces add a little water and slowly bring to the boil,using a whisk.

 

[SwanR]

I did some very nice stewed plums the other evening. Recipe was to add castor sugar to water, add some orange juice, heat gently and stir until the sugar dissolved. Then add the halved or quartered plums and poach for 20 minutes. They were the most delicious plums I have tasted in a long time, though I say so myself. 

[Chelsea14Ian]

lunch today beef meatloaf,roast  potatoes  assorted  veg,Yorkshire  puds and Gravy.

This can be done on boats.

500g minced beef.One medium sized onions finely diced,one medium  sized carrot also finely diced  carrot, cook in a little veg oil until soft,allow to cool.

Make your loaf add onions  and carrots to meat,salt and pepper good pinch mixed herbs fresh if you have some.One egg lightly  beaten, good handful of breadcrumbs. Dessert spoon of Lea and Perrins,combine together. Mixture  should not be to wet ,wrap in clingfilm forming a savage shape.roll.and pull in the ends making it tight tie ends.Wrap in tin foil cook in oven for about one hour in a  roasting  tray 180c.After one hour remove from oven take off tin foil and clingfilm.Finnish in ove about 30/40 minutes,to give colour.

Apple crumble  and custard .Apples 🍎 from the garden.This year our best ever year.

Stick looking forward to Apple crumble.