Equipment essentials (non- electrical)

Have you ever stayed in a self-catering holiday flat or cottage? They don’t supply an awful lot in the kitchen, and it’s amazing how little equipment you can manage with. The extra fancy electrical stuff is nice to have and use but you can actually make do with far less and still cook healthy meals.

I couldn’t live without my wonderful knives, though I could probably dispense with quite a few of them. Mainly, I use a large butcher’s knife – even for de-hulling and cutting strawberries and filleting fish. And I like a small serrated blade for slicing tomatoes. If your knives have plastic or wooden handles attached, make sure to give the joint a good scrub when you wash them. Never put your kitchen knives in the dishwasher, it blunts them very quickly.

I have quite a collection of wooden spoons, but I seldom use them – stainless steel spoons are best for cooking. Wooden spoons are porous, so they absorb colour and flavour and never come entirely clean. And you have to remember which one to use for curry and which is safe for custard. A metal spoon is best because it washes completely clean and doesn’t get contaminated. Don’t leave it standing in the saucepan, though, or you will burn your fingers. I use my slotted spoon, large ladle, masher and fish slice all the time. And my steel whisk.

I don’t think you need more than three saucepans – preferably stainless steel, and ‘waterless’ if your budget can stretch to them; one small, one medium and one large. They are nice and easy to clean. Aluminium pans are not a healthy option. Then of course you need a large frying pan, with a lid. Mine is a non-stick, coated variety, but I trade it in about every eighteen months or so, because the coating does wear.

Wooden chopping boards are scary! Like wooden spoons, they retain smells and flavours – and if you have cut raw meat on them, then they will be full of bacteria too. No amount of scrubbing is going to get them properly clean. I use glass boards, or those inexpensive thin plastic bendy boards. The plastic boards need replacing quite often because they get scratched and cut allowing bacteria to build up.

Next week, I’ll be talking about essential electrical equipment. What do you really need?

Tuna basil pasta : Wk23/1

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
240gm pasta penne
1 aubergine, chopped
1 cup frozen peas

2 x 170gm tins tuna in brine, drained and flaked
150gm cherry tomatoes, halved
±10 large basil leaves, chopped
½ cup tomato puree
½ cup water

Method
Cook the pasta in lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes.
Add the chopped aubergine and the frozen peas and simmer for a further 5 – 10 minutes until the aubergine is transparent, and the pasta is al dente.
Drain and set aside.

Using the same saucepan, pour in the tomato puree and water.
Add cherry tomatoes and basil.
Simmer for five minutes.

Tip in the flaked tuna and the drained pasta and vegetables.
Turn gently to combine.
Allow to heat through.

Serve with a crisp green salad.

Mini-miracles

Today is miracle day. Just because I want it to be.

Be on the lookout for a miracle, not just today but every day – it could be a beautiful garden, or a bird on the lawn; a child’s laughter, or a welcoming hug. Look carefully or you might miss it.

Have a wonderful, miracle filled weekend.

Spanish style chicken : Wk22/5

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
450gm skinless chicken breast, cut in chunks
3 tsp paprika

1 large onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 x 410gm tin chopped tomatoes
140gm sweet pepper dews, sliced
12 pitless black olives, sliced
±16 large spinach leaves and stalks, chopped

Method
Spray a large pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Fry the onion and garlic until the onion starts to soften.
Add the chicken and paprika and stir fry until sealed.

Tip in the tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the pepper dews and olives and stir well.
Put the chopped spinach on top, cover with a lid and simmer another 5 minutes.

Remove the lid.
Turn everything gently to incorporate the spinach.

Serve with warm crusty bread.

I found crushed pepper dews at the deli counter of my local Pick and Pay, sold loose. They combine really well with the paprika to give a mildly spicy sweet flavour to this dish. You can also buy whole pepper dews in a bottle and shred them yourself.

Link to .pdf files for Week 23

Go here for the printer friendly recipes and shopping list for Week 23.

Cheesecake

Sunday was my husband’s birthday, so we had a buffet lunch for 12. Here is the dessert – definitely only an occasional treat! It keeps well in the fridge, and I have even frozen it for a short time – not that there is usually any left to freeze.

Serves 12

Ingredients
1 packet Tennis biscuits
80gms butter
3 large eggs
150gms caster sugar
2 Tblsp lemon juice
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla essence
20mls gelatin powder/granules
100mls cold water
125ml cream
250gms fat free smooth cottage cheese

Method
Spray a 19cm (diameter) spring form pan – or you can use a pyrex dish if you prefer.
Line the bottom of the spring form pan with baking paper.

Crush the biscuits into fine crumbs.
Melt the butter.
Combine the crumbs and butter and press into the base of the pan (or dish).
Set aside.

Put the gelatin to soften in the cold water.
Separate the eggs.
Put the egg yolks, lemon juice and rind in the top of a double boiler along with half the sugar and the vanilla essence. (Using a double boiler or a bowl over simmering water prevents the yolks from cooking too fast and becoming scrambled egg!)
Heat while whisking until the mixture thickens slightly.
Add the gelatin and keep whisking until it dissolves completely.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Beat the egg whites until thick and peaky, adding the remaining sugar a little at a time.
Whip the cream until thick.
Stir the cottage cheese into the cooled egg yolk mixture.

Gently fold the egg yolk/cheese into the whites, then fold in the cream.
Pour onto the biscuit base and allow to set in the fridge (about 3 hours).
Once set, remove from the spring form pan and carefully remove the baking paper.
Slide onto a serving plate and top with the fruit of your choice.

If you use a pyrex dish you can serve from there directly. The first slice is a bit difficult to get out, but after that it’s fine.
I know, using fat free cottage cheese is a bit silly, what with all the saturated fats in the butter and cream! But we save calories where we can, don't we?

Stirfry spaghetti mee : Wk22/4

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick
Ingredients
240gm spaghetti (or egg noodles)
1 flat Tblsp beef stock powder

400gm beef fillet, finely sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
150gm mange tout, halved lengthways
2 bok choy, roughly chopped
100gm baby corn, quartered lengthways
2.5 cm root ginger, peeled and cut in fine matchsticks
1 Tblsp soy sauce
4 Tblsp BBQ sauce

Method
Dissolve the stock cube in the water that you are going to cook the spaghetti (noodles) in.
Cook the spaghetti (noodles) until al dente.
Drain the spaghetti (noodles) retaining ½ cup of the cooking stock.
Keep the spaghetti warm.

Spray a wok (or deep saucepan) with non-stick cooking spray.
Quickly dry fry the steak pieces, and remove from the pan.
Dry fry the onion until it begins to soften.
Add the other prepared vegetables and ginger and stir fry for about 5 minutes.
Add back the steak and pour in the sauces and the retained stock.
Give everything a good stir to combine and coat with the sauce.

Tip in the spaghetti (noodles) and stir again.

Serve with extra soy sauce if desired.