What's for tea tonight? (#8)

[Saffy]

I had an early tea with my pal at the pub.
I had a chicken Caesar salad and a side of rosemary and garlic fries.
Lemon and ginger cheesecake for pudding.

 

[sojourner]

Freezer-foraged tsebhi birsen, brown rice, Skyr.

Last of the fruitcake and then some Cadbury's Caramel.

 

[surreybrowncap]

Late lunch / early tea of fish and chips.
A mere £10.48 + pint of Leffe included
So probably just a sandwich tonight if anything…

 

[mrsfran]

Pizza! I fancy ham and olives on mine.

 

[sojourner]

Methi dhal and leftover rice. This recipe for methi is the nuts, it's level pegging with tsebhi birsen as my favourite dhal.

 

[Epona]

Methi dhal and leftover rice. This recipe for methi is the nuts, it's level pegging with tsebhi birsen as my favourite dhal.

Any chance of the recipe?

 

[sojourner]

Any chance of the recipe?

Methi Dal Recipe (Menthi Kura Pappu) - Swasthi's Recipes

Methi dal recipe - menthi kura pappu made with fenugreek leaves, dal, spices & herbs. Serve with plain rice, ghee & papad or roti.

www.indianhealthyrecipes.com

But I use red lentils cos I always have them in, and I don't do the temper, I do the seeds first, then onion, then the spices, then toms, then leaves, then lentils and top up with boiling water to just above the lentils, and simmer for half hour. Lemon juice at end.

There's no onion in the recipe itself, but I did it without thinking first time, and it turned out well, so I did it again.

 

[Epona]

Methi Dal Recipe (Menthi Kura Pappu) - Swasthi's Recipes

Methi dal recipe - menthi kura pappu made with fenugreek leaves, dal, spices & herbs. Serve with plain rice, ghee & papad or roti.

www.indianhealthyrecipes.com

But I use red lentils cos I always have them in, and I don't do the temper, I do the seeds first, then onion, then the spices, then toms, then leaves, then lentils and top up with boiling water to just above the lentils, and simmer for half hour. Lemon juice at end.

Oh cool, that's essentially the same as the way I do Palak Dal, but with methi instead of spinach - no doubt equally delicious!
I'll pick up a bag of frozen methi next time I'm in the supermarket and give it a whirl.

Also can I just say hing/asafoetida and lentils - match made in heaven, brings out all the delicious deep earthy notes in the lentils, om nom nom.

 

[Numbers]

I'm making a toad in the hole this evening, never done one before - recipes I've googled seem pretty straight forward tho'. Am using proper good quality sausages so don't want to fuck it up as I've never made batter - any tips?

 

[May Kasahara]

The now traditional home made pizza last night.

Tonight we are having chicken wraps, possibly with some wedges on the side.

 

[Epona]

I'm making a toad in the hole this evening, never done one before - recipes I've googled seem pretty straight forward tho'. Am using proper good quality sausages so don't want to fuck it up as I've never made batter - any tips?

Make the batter now and put it in the fridge to rest. It needs to have time for the proteins in the flour to break down a bit and to get proper cold (at least an hour or two, you can do overnight rest though if you want to do some prep in advance in future)

Preheat the oven to a high temperature - 220C - If the sausages are very fatty then you might not need extra fat/oil, but usually you do - put your oil/fat in the tin - appropriate fats to use are ones with a high smoking point, so vegetable or sunflower oil out of your oils (not olive oil), or beef dripping, bacon fat are fine out of your solid fats (not butter). Heat up the fat and the sausages in the hot oven for 10 minutes, the fat should be spitting and starting to smoke, it's really important to have the fat really hot.
Then retrieve the tin from the oven and the batter from the fridge, give the batter a stir with a fork then pour your cold batter into the tin, it should be hissing and spitting all over the place and the batter on the bottom should be bubbling and starting to cook, put the tin straight back in the oven.
Do NOT open the oven for at least 20 minutes to give the batter time to rise and set in a risen position. After that time, if it is browning on top but a bit stodgy around the sausages, then you can turn the temp down to 200C and give it another 10 or so minutes until it is done to your liking.

Oh also make sure you use plain flour for the batter, not self-raising - it doesn't use raising agents to rise, and their presence will change the texture of the batter.

 

[Numbers]

Ffs mate, thanks like but I was thinking you'd just say don't worry Numbers you'll be fine.

 

[Epona]

Ffs mate, thanks like but I was thinking you'd just say don't worry Numbers you'll be fine.

Sorry
You'll be fine, just don't open the oven while the batter is rising but really the worst thing that can happen is your toad will deflate and be a bit flat - which is still tasty sausages and pancakes tbf

 

[Epona]

I was going to make toad tomorrow as it happens, but my sausages (not really special nice ones, just supermarket Cumberlands) have gone rancid before the use-by date so I might have to nip out tonight and get more sausages cos my heart was set on toad tomorrow.

 

[Epona]

Tonight I was going to have sausages with courgette and potato mash, fried mushrooms and onions, and gravy.
But due to aforementioned sausages being unexpectedly off I have hoiked a probably shit but yellow-stickered so still a bargain but hope it isn't 90% gristle emergency steak pie out of the freezer.

 

[Numbers]

Sorry
You'll be fine, just don't open the oven while the batter is rising but really the worst thing that can happen is your toad will deflate and be a bit flat - which is still tasty sausages and pancakes tbf

Really appreciate your post, made me gulp at first.

 

[Epona]

Really appreciate your post, made me gulp at first.

It's honestly not difficult, just some basic rules to follow so the science can happen - plain flour, hot fat, cold batter, constant oven temp while it rises and sets, and you'll be grand.

 

[Aladdin]

Traditional Irish curry rice and chips.

 

[Numbers]

Traditional Irish curry rice and chips.

I’d love that now. Me Mam and Dad always loved it.

 

[Numbers]

It's honestly not difficult, just some basic rules to follow so the science can happen - plain flour, hot fat, cold batter, constant oven temp while it rises and sets, and you'll be grand.

It’s in

We shall see.

 

[Epona]

Tonight I was going to have sausages with courgette and potato mash, fried mushrooms and onions, and gravy.
But due to aforementioned sausages being unexpectedly off I have hoiked a probably shit but yellow-stickered so still a bargain but hope it isn't 90% gristle emergency steak pie out of the freezer.

Thumbs up to the yellow stickered Morrison's steak and ale pie out of the freezer emergency rations - actually had several discernible lumps of beef, and no gristle, which for a supermarket steak pie I consider nothing short of miraculous - actually quite enjoyed it despite it not being the tea I was expecting to have.

 

[mrsfran]

Trying an Ottolenghi pasta and chickpea recipe, like a middle eastern puttanesca.

 

[Saffy]

Been to Costco and bought load of salmon. So salmon fillet with pesto, new potatoes roasted with cherry tomatoes and green beans.
Half a double chocolate muffin and cream for pudding.

 

[Epona]

I am having some Guylian chocolate praline seashells for afters.
Am now about halfway through my Xmas (2023) stash of chocolates.
I buy a load and make them last.

 

[Numbers]

Not risen in the middle as expected but looks good for first time effort - have an onion gravy warming up at the moment so gonna tuck in soon.

 

[mrsfran]

Trying an Ottolenghi pasta and chickpea recipe, like a middle eastern puttanesca.

This was DELICIOUS.

Yotam Ottolenghi's One-pot Orecchiette Puttanesca

This one-pan vegetarian orecchiette puttanesca is as easy as an Ottolenghi dish gets and with no compromise on his signature bold flavours. The perfect midweek meal, Ottolenghi style.

thehappyfoodie.co.uk

 

[Epona]

Not risen in the middle as expected but looks good for first time effort - have an onion gravy warming up at the moment so gonna tuck in soon.

View attachment 416213

That looks pretty decent for a first go, and you got a nice rise round the sides which is what you want.
If that were served up to me it wouldn't touch the sides.
Nice job

 

[Numbers]

That looks pretty decent for a first go, and you got a nice rise round the sides which is what you want.
If that were served up to me it wouldn't touch the sides.
Nice job

Technical question if I may - why would it not rise in the middle?

 

[newme]

Current problem, I am struggling with indecision, went through cupboards, shelves, spice cupboards, fresh herbs, fridges and freezers and organised everything after Friday shop came in then 'tarted up' some basic pepperoni pizzas and leftover rolls as requested by SO. Tend to go overboard with messing with simple stuff when in the right mindset and it works out tastily, my Piadina recipe is wildly inauthentic for example but is satisfying as fuck to eat especially with a hangover or nothing to do but chill on a sofa digesting for a while. Now have too many options and way too much fresh but thats more effort and I still forgot potatoes. Currently trying to maximise flavour and complementary things to cook and what takes how long. Food math after a drink and a smoke is underrated, especially if you are trying to bung in another one in between and not set off the fire alarm from burning stuff. Phone alarms are key I find, don't care what its for I get to kitchen and whatever it is usually obvious. Done 4 course snacks before instead of dinner, just things being ready, finished, eaten, mess with something, ding, repeat for like an hour. Extremely satisfying.
Unfortunately daughter fell asleep in the 9ft bean bag so whatever will need to be quite quiet (she sleeps like she is getting paid money for it but still seems rude to be noisy).

 

[Epona]

Technical question if I may - why would it not rise in the middle?

Your sausages look well spaced, could be type of dish you used (metal works best, could try heating it for longer first before adding other ingredients so it gets a bit hotter perhaps), not quite enough oil, batter a bit thick or a bit thin - all sorts of reasons can come together.
Personally, because I tend to do mine in small individual tins (because I want meat sozzies and N wants veggie ones), I find I don't get a lot of rise in the middle because there's not enough space between the sausages, but as long as the edges go up well then I'm satisfied with it. Nice well for the gravy