Love Your Leftovers

25th June 201925th June 2019
by thefoodwife

This week I’m focusing on transforming leftovers into something delicious. One of the key lessons I learnt from my grandparents was ‘waste not want not’. Nothing would be wasted from a meal. Anything that wasn’t eaten would be used the next day. I’m a big fan of leftovers, less so when they are termed as ‘scraps’ which is my parents word of choice; “what’s for dinner, mum?” “Baked potato and scraps!” Hmmmm…

Anyway, on Sunday we had a roast chicken. I was going out for the day and prepared the potatoes in the morning, peeling them and leaving them in cold salted water ready to be par-boiled that afternoon. I was left with a large pile of potato peelings. I left them too, in a large bowl of cold water and went out for the day. Waste not want not. When I got home I drained them and then dried them in a clean tea towel, tossed them in a drizzle of garlic infused rapeseed oil, salt, pepper and smoked paprika and then spread on a lined baking sheet. I popped them in the oven for 30 minutes. I started at 200c for the first 15 minutes and then jammed it up to 220c for the final 15 (just check them every now and again to check how they’re getting on). The result? Potato peelings transformed into a pre-dinner crispy snack!

Now what to do with the leftover chicken? Well I’ve revisited a couple of my recipes; starting with my Thai-style Chicken and Mango Noodle Salad. So refreshing now the weather is heating up! And to finish up the remaining chicken I will be using my Instant Pot to make a Mexican Rice Bowl and will incorporate the shredded chicken breast at the end.

And finally don’t forget to use the carcass of the chicken to make a wonderful stock, perfect for soups. Boil up the bones in water with an onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and peppercorns for a couple of hours. Drain the liquid off and allow to cool before storing in the fridge for a few days (or once cool pop it in the freezer for another day). So love your leftovers and remember to waste not want not!

What’s Cooking?

21st May 201923rd May 2019
by thefoodwife

If you’re looking for some culinary inspiration here’s a round up of some of the recipes from The Food Wife that we’re having this week.

Pizza, The Food Husband’s favourite, has been off the menu for a while as he’s eliminating gluten from his diet, but I made up a batch of sourdough pizza bases with the addition of two teaspoons each of garlic powder and dried oregano to the dough. I had a go at a potato base for a gluten-free version, which was a big hit (think giant gnocchi base). Watch this space for the recipe as I try to recreate it next time pizza is on the menu.

We’re still working our way through the jars of wild garlic pesto I made recently, and tomorrow we’ll be enjoying it simply with pasta and green beans for a light and summery meal. I’ll also be adding it as a topping to a salmon fillet before roasting it in the oven another evening this week.

The Food Baby has not been forgotten either. Still in the quest to smuggle more vegetables into his diet (he can spot a pea from the other side of the room) I’ve batch-cooked a tomato and carrot pasta sauce and a three bean chilli along with a double batch of cheese and vegetable scones for the freezer. This time using grated parsnip, carrot and broccoli along with chopped spinach and sundried tomatoes, he devours them without the knowledge that I’m getting sneaky veg inside him!

And finally if, like me, you love rhubarb, then you’ll be loving the abundance of it at the moment. Why not give my rhubarb crumble traybake a go, or if you can wait a while, have a go at my rhubarb gin. It’s worth the wait!

(Instant Pot) Sausage and Pasta Casserole

28th January 201928th January 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 2 (+)

A perfect weeknight family meal, this sausage casserole is a one pot, Instant Pot, quick and easy satisfying meal that can be easily scaled up. The only things you scale up here are the sausages (2 per person), the carrot (1 per person), the pasta (75-100g per person) and the cups of water (1 per person). It requires about five or so minutes of work, and the Instant Pot does the rest. It’ll be on the table in no time.

N.b. If you do not have an Instant Pot, guidelines of how to cook this on the hob are included at the end.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil
1 red onion, large dice
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 pepper, deseeded, large dice
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm thick slices
4 sausages, cut in half (vegetarian/gluten-free if required)
150g-200g dried pasta (gluten-free if required)
500g passata
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (vegetarian/gluten-free if required, or simply leave out)
Pinch of sugar
Ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
2 (Instant Pot) cups of water (320ml)

Step 1: Using sauté mode, add the oil and onion to the Instant Pot and sauté for a couple of minutes.

Step 2: Add the garlic and pepper and stir, followed by the carrots and sausages.

Step 3: Lightly brown the sausages for a couple more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 4: Add the wet ingredients, salt, pepper, sugar and pasta. Stir.

Step 5: Close the lid and set the valve to sealing. Manually set the Instant Pot to high pressure for half the cooking time detailed on the pasta packet. It should be around four or five minutes.

Step 6: Once the Instant Pot has finished, carefully, using a tea towel and handle of a wooden spoon, turn the valve to venting to do quick release. Check seasoning and serve!

If you are not making this in the Instant Pot you can make this on the hob; cook the pasta separately, following the packet instructions. Make the sauce (without the water) in a pan on a medium heat, following steps 1-3, then cook for about twenty minutes on a low simmer. Stir through the cooked pasta and serve.

Instant Pot Mexican Rice Bowl

22nd January 201922nd January 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-4

The Instant Pot is excellent for one-pot meals, especially as you can sauté ingredients first without using multiple pieces of equipment. This is just such a dish, it is quick to prepare and can be as easy (or as (moderately) complicated!) as you like; you can use homemade or shop bought spice mixes, omit any toppings or have all the toppings.

It is gluten free, and if you are including the chicken, it’s a good way to use up leftovers from a roast and make a completely different second meal. However it can also be a vegan meal (just don’t include any meat and keep the toppings vegan friendly). If you’re not including any meat then using beans is a good alternative protein. If you are using meat, then it’s a good way to bulk the meal out to serve more people.

N.B. It is important to keep the rice on the top of the contents in the Instant Pot to avoid it catching or burning.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Oil
1 red onion, medium dice
1 pepper, medium dice
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 portion of fajita spice mix (or a shop bought sachet)
130g sweetcorn (tinned or frozen)
Optional: 1 tin of (kidney) beans, drained
150g basmati or long grain rice (approx. 1 Instant Pot cup)
320ml water (2 Instant Pot cups)
Optional: 2 raw chicken breasts or 250g cooked shredded chicken
Optional toppings:
Sliced spring onions
Grated/crumbled cheese
Shredded lettuce
Diced tomato
Sour cream
Avocado/guacamole
Sliced jalapeños
Lime wedges

Step 1: Set your Instant Pot to sauté and add the oil along with the onion and pepper. Cook for a few of minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Step 2: Add the tinned tomatoes and spice mix. Stir well. Sprinkle in the sweet corn and beans (if using). If you are using raw chicken breasts, place in the pot now.

Step 3: Add the water and rice (sprinkle evenly around the pot).

Step 4: Switch off sauté mode and place the lid on and ensure be valve is set to sealing. Manually set on high pressure for 10 minutes.

Step 5: When complete, carefully release the pressure using a wooden spoon and a tea towel.

Step 6: If you have cooked the chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, shred these now. If you are using ready-cooked/left over chicken, stir through the rice now. Replace the lid and leave for a couple of minutes to heat through.

Step 7: Serve each portion in bowls with a selection of toppings of your choice.

(Instant Pot) Vegetable Pasta Bake

26th September 201826th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

I’ve called this an Instant Pot pasta bake, but steps 1-3 can always be done on the hob over a medium heat. Simply make the sauce separately to the pasta (omit the 160ml of water and large pinch of salt from the sauce) and once you have boiled the pasta in salted water (following the cooking guidelines on the packet), stir through and then continue with step 4.

I’m a big fan of cooking pasta in the Instant Pot though. I love being able to cook the pasta in the sauce which helps swell the pasta with all its deliciousness. It also means I’ve used only one dish; saves on the washing up!

I included roasted butternut squash in this but it isn’t obligatory. I had peeled and diced (into 1cm cubes) a whole butternut squash, tossed in four cloves of crushed garlic and a tablespoon of rapeseed oil and roasted it at 200c for 35-40 minutes. I was saving half for a pasta salad and used half here.

You could leave out the ‘bake’ element all together and simple have this as a vegetable pasta dish. Leave out the cheese topping and this is vegan. If you are making this gluten-free you will need to use a suitable pasta.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
2 red onions, peeled, halved and sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped into half-inch pieces
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
10 basil leaves, torn
150g pasta (gluten-free if required)
500g passata
160ml water
Large pinch of salt
150g frozen peas
1/2 butternut squash, roasted (see above) (optional)
50g grated cheese (optional – leave out or use a suitable replacement if making this dairy-free or vegan)

Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and add the oil and sliced onions. Cook the onions for five minutes until softened, stirring frequently.

Step 2: Add the diced pepper and continue to cook for another five minutes.

Step 3: Add the vinegar, salt, passata and water, along with the torn basil and pasta. Stir well and then replace the lid, ensure the valve is set to sealing and programme it manually to cook on high pressure for four minutes. Once cooked, manually depress by opening the valve with a tea towel and wooden spoon.

Step 4: Stir in the frozen peas, and roasted squash (if using), season to taste and then transfer all of the pasta into an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle over the grated cheese (if using) and put in a preheated oven (180c) for twenty minutes until the cheese is golden.