thefoodwife – Page 45 – The Food Wife

Marinated Olives

9th February 20199th February 2019
by thefoodwife

Olives make a great snack and they are a favourite nibble with drinks in our house. I like to buy a jar of olives in brine, sometimes stuffed, sometimes plain, but then jazz them up at home.

The version below is just an idea, you can switch up your aromats; try lemon zest and rosemary as a combination. You can then use the flavoured oil in salad dressings too!

Ingredients:
3 cloves of garlic, crushed or sliced
Herbs of your choosing (I used 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 sprig of fresh thyme)
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Jar of olives
(Olive) oil

Step 1: Drain the jar of olives of their brine.

Step 2: Add the aromats (garlic, herbs and chilli), top the jar up with oil, and then replace the lid. Give it a good shake, and store in the fridge (they will last a few days) until ready to use.

Pork RagÃ¹

8th February 20198th February 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 8

This recipe uses leftover roast pork, transforming one meal into another, with minimal effort. This ragÃ¹ is similar to the ox cheek recipe I posted before, and I know it went down well, so here is a little twist for the next time you have some leftovers after your Sunday dinner!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 heaped tsp fennel seeds
500g leftover roast pork, shredded or diced
500g passata
350ml red wine
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the celery, cook for five minutes, stirring every now and again.

Step 2: Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook (and stir) for a further couple of minutes before adding the pork, passata and wine. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, put a lid on the pan and cook for 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve 3 table spoons of sauce stirred through pasta. Portion up any leftovers and freeze for a quick and easy meal.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Oat Cookies

1st February 20191st February 2019
by thefoodwife

Makes 15

Itâ€™s snowing outside and Iâ€™ve decided that is excuse enough to do some baking. My husband eagerly suggested brownies but Iâ€™ll be making those next week for a coffee morning with friends. So I decided Iâ€™d go down the cookie route. Iâ€™ve played around a little bit here and used peanut butter and chocolate in an oat cookie that have really hit the spot!

These could be made vegan (use coconut oil in place of butter and ensure you use a dark chocolate with no milk added). You can use smooth and/or chunky peanut butter (I used 50g of each) and any chocolate you like (I was using up left overs from Christmas which were a mix of milk and white).

Ingredients:
120g butter (coconut oil if vegan/dairy free)
100g peanut butter (I used half smooth and half chunky)
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
120g soft light brown sugar
120g plain flour
180g porridge oats
100g chocolate (vegan if required, roughly chopped or chipped)

Step 1: Over a low heat, melt the butter, syrup and peanut butter in a heavy bottomed pan. Stir every now and again. Once melted, leave to cool slightly.

Step 2: In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour and oats. Add the chopped chocolate and stir so everything is evenly mixed.

Step 3: Stir the bicarbonate of soda into the cooled liquid mix and then add to the dry ingredients, stirring thoroughly until all combined.

Step 4: Roll into 15 equal balls and spread out on two lined baking sheets.

Step 5: Bake in a preheated oven (180c fan) for 10-12 minutes, until golden and cracked on top.

Step 6: Remove from the oven and allow to cool (they will firm up as they cool). Leave them for five minutes on their trays and then carefully transfer the cookies, still on their baking parchment (hold diagonal corners taut), onto wire racks to cool completely.

(BLW) Sugar-free Blueberry Muffins

30th January 201930th January 2019
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

Recently, trying to get the Food Baby to eat any fruit has been quite a mission. Quite a change from just a few weeks ago. In fact, his recent teething has sometimes made him not want to eat anything much. These however went down very well, he devoured three in about 10 minutes and I was comforted to think he’d had both banana and blueberries.

All the sweetness here comes from the fruit, with no added sugar (although if you are making these for yourself then you may well want to add some; try 50g in step 1). There is some nice texture from the addition of oats and if you want to make these dairy free, simply use a suitable milk replacement.

Ingredients:
1 large ripe banana, mashed with a fork
50g rolled oats
125g self-raising flour
60g blueberries, dusted in a little flour
120ml milk
60ml vegetable oil
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

Step 1: Combine the banana, oats and flour in a bowl. Add the blueberries.

Step 2: Separately mix together the wet ingredients and then fold gently into the dry ingredients.

Step 3: Spread equally between a 12-hole muffin tin, lined with cases.

Step 4: Bake at 200c for 20 minutes and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Whilst still warm these will stick to the cases, but should peel off cleanly once cool.

Once cool, store in an airtight container for a couple of days (or pop in the freezer).

(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. Itâ€™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 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.