Magic sandwiches

I know, I know, I'm supposed to be taking a break from blogging, but my brother insists that I post this recipe – he named this a ‘Magic Sandwich’ the first time I made it for him. The recipe has a life of its own, and changes each time I make it, but certain ingredients must be included for it to qualify as ‘magic’ – I will italicize these.

Take 2 slices of brown or whole wheat bread.
Generously spread 1 slice with Helman’s low fat mayo, and the other with marmite.
Place the marmite slice on a sheet of cling wrap or grease-proof paper (paper is actually best).
Now pile on LOTS of mixed lettuce leaves, watercress, sliced cucumber and sliced tomato.

We used to get something called ‘cheese spice’ here, but I think it must have contained MSG, because it’s no longer available. So sprinkle the salad-y stuff with aromat or some similar seasoning, and some freshly ground black pepper.
Top with a good slice or 2 of Hickory smoked ham and slices of cheese.
Then add avocado slices.
Finish with the mayo-ed bread slice, and press down with the palm of your hand.
Do NOT attempt to cut the sandwich in half.

Quickly fold the greaseproof paper tightly around the sandwich.

To eat, hold with both hands, tearing the paper off in a spiral as you work your way down.

I can picture my brother now, begging for another!

Rosemary chicken : Wk28/1

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large sprig rosemary, leaves picked off and finely chopped
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (optional)
1 Tblsp capers, rinsed, drained and finely chopped
1 x 400gm tin chopped tomatoes
150ml dry red wine

Method
Spray a large, deep frying pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Brown the chicken pieces all over.
Once the chicken is sealed, remove it from the pan and set aside.

Fry the onion and garlic until the onion begins to soften.
Stir in the finely chopped rosemary and fry another 2 minutes.
Add the anchovy fillets, capers, tomatoes and wine.

Nestle the chicken pieces into the sauce.
Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile make a salad and warm some crusty bread.
Serve these alongside the chicken thighs.
Spoon the sauce over the chicken pieces.

Sabbatical

I'm taking a bit of a sabbatical, so that I can go hunting for new ingredients and ideas - I hope I find something different to try out. I will still be posting a main meal recipe every day, as well as the Thursday link to the .pdf files.

If you miss my ramblings, you can join me on my other blog, which has absolutely nothing to do with food!
The link is on the right and down a bit - or you can click Words of the Sphinx.
I'll be back in a couple of weeks.

Eat well and stay warm (or cool, if you're in the Northern hemisphere).

Beef casserole with mash : Wk27/5

Serves 4 : Very easy : 2hrs (less in a pressure cooker)

Ingredients
450gm stewing steak, cubed
1 onion, sliced
1 leek, sliced
2 carrots, julienne
2 parsnips, julienne
100gm button mushrooms, chopped
3 cups water + 1 Tblsp beef stock powder
2 tsp dried thyme
½ glass red wine (optional)
1 – 2 Tblsp corn flour

300gm potatoes
200gm butternut

Method
Spray a large saucepan (or pressure cooker) with non-stick cooking spray.
Brown the steak cubes all over.
Add the onion and leek and cook until they start to soften.

Now add the carrots, parsnips and mushrooms, followed by the water, stock powder and thyme.

Cover and simmer for at least 90 minutes (45 mins in a pressure cooker).

Cut the potatoes and butternut into chunks and boil in lightly salted boiling water.
Drain and mash well.
Season to taste.

Mix the corn flour to a thin paste with the wine (or a little water).
Remove the lid from the casserole and thicken the gravy with the corn flour mixture.

Serve the casserole with the mash.

If you use a pressure cooker please, please make sure you release all the steam and pressure before attempting to open the pan. Alternatively, you could cook this all day in a slow-cooker.

Link to .pdf files for Week 28

Go here for the recipes and shopping list for Week 28.

Collections update

I've just updated each of the recipe collections, up to and including the recipes in Week 28. It makes it easier if you are looking for a type of recipe - eg. chicken - then you don't have to scroll down here forever.

Chicken and sweetcorn soup : Wk27/4

Serves 4 : Very easy : slow (but well worth the wait)

Ingredients
2 skinless chicken thighs

2 carrots, chopped
2 leeks, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
½ large aubergine (optional)
Kernels from 2 sweet corns
70gm pearl barley
1 Tblsp chicken stock powder
1 ½ litres water

Method
Place everything in a large saucepan.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for one hour.

Fish out the chicken thighs and strip the meat off the bones.
Discard the bones and put the meat back in the pot.

Blitz, with a hand blender, 4 or 5 times, depending how smooth you want the soup to be.

Serve with a swirl of soy sauce.

There is something about chicken soup that makes you feel better – even if you don’t have the flu! This one is a really hearty meal.