When you get in from shopping don't unpack it all. Do it this way.
Soup
take 1 onion, 1 stick celery, 3 carrots, half the sweet potato
Peel them and cut into small dice. Lob the lot into a large saucepan, add 1/2 tsp (teaspoon) of salt, grind in lots of black pepper and put it on to boil. Get the red pepper and cut it in half. Dice one half and add to the pan. Put on the lid and when it boils turn it down to a simmer. You can forget it for a good 40 minutes whilst the veg cook and flavours mingle. When it's cooked just turn it off and leave it.
Stir fry veg
Take the other half of the pepper and sweet potato and cut them lengthways into thin strips (julienne strips). Put them into a plastic bag or box. Do the same with a carrot, a stick of celery, half the courgette. Take 2 spring onions and discard grotty leaves and roots. Chop small and add to the bag. Put it in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch with 2 or 4 green beans. Put the rest of the beans in the bottom of the fridge.
Pork chop
Put the chop in the fridge..... if it's in a big pack put it between 2 plates and freeze the others individually. Do the same with the smoked mackerel.
Lunch
Now sort your ploughman's platter.
On a large plate put 2 slices of the ham; put the rest into a plastic bag in the fridge. If you don't put the ham in a bag it will dry out at the edges. Then choose your cheeses and add wedges to your plate. Again put the rest in a bag or box in the fridge.
Salad..... chop off as much lettuce as you want..add to the platter then put the rest of the lettuce in a plastic bag in the bottom of the fridge. Add a slice or 2 of cucumber and eating apple slices (slice them at the last minute so they don't go brown). Take the French stick, cut off what you want for lunch then halve the rest and put into separate plastic bags....1 in the fridge, 1 in the freezer.
French dressing In the little jar put 30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil, 15 ml (1 tbsp) cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon white sugar, 1/4 tsp dry mustard, 1/4 tsp salt, a grind of black pepper. Put on the lid and shake like mad. Use as much as you need on your lunch. Store any left over in the fridge (label it).
Pickled beetroot
If you found cooked beetroot peel it, cut off the top and tail if they're hard. Do this over the sink.....everything will be dyed red, as will your hands! Cut the beetroot into small dice, about 1/4 inch, put in a bowl or jar, add 2 tbsp white sugar and 1/2 cover with cider vinegar. Gently turn over the beetroot in the vinegar, cover and leave on one side. Every time you think about it turn it over again so it all gets pickled nicely. Have it with your ploughman's and your dinner tonight.
Alcoholic tomatoes
This adds zing to a salad or can be eaten as a snack.
In a small bowl mix 175ml gin with a dsp (dessertspoon) of lemon juice, 6 drops of Tabasco, 1 dsp Worcester sauce, a sprig of thyme, 3 basil leaves (roughly torn), 1 chilli. Prick about 200gm of cherry tomatoes with a cocktail stick or the point of a sharp knife and dunk them in the sauce. Turn them over so they are coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least a day. If the liquid doesn't cover the tomatoes (depends on the shape of the bowl) turn them over as often as you think about it so they get soused evenly. You can sprinkle a pinch of celery salt over them as you eat them.
Apples
Peel the cooking apples, remove the core and cut into quarters. Put them in a biggish pan (the apples will rise up the pan as they cook and if the pan's too small it will boil over the cooker top). Add 1/4 inch of water and 1/4lb sugar. How much sugar depends on the sweetness of the apples and if you haven't added enough you can add it later. Put on a lid and cook over a medium heat until they are soft. Apples such as Bramleys will 'explode' into foam. Lovely! When cooked, put a tbsp into a small dish for apple sauce to have with tomorrow's pork, cover and refrigerate.
Bread and butter pickle so called because you can eat it with just bread and butter! Slice the rest of the cucumber and 2 onions and put in a bowl with 2 tbsp of salt. Leave till after lunch (about 1 hour).
So you have made your lunch, unpacked half the shopping, prepared Sunday lunch, made salad dressing, pickles and soup. Not bad eh?
After lunch drain off the brine from the cucumbers and onions and pack into a medium jar, putting any left over into a bowl. In a pan heat 1/2 pint of white vinegar with 3oz sugar, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds. When the sugar has dissolved pour over the vegetables ... cover completely.. and put on the lid. When cold you can eat! If there is some pickle in a bowl then store in the fridge and use it first. (NB it's important that the lid has no metal parts which can come into contact with the vinegar).
Now you are going to bake but first get another onion...... cut one half into small dice. Heat a small frying pan with a little olive oil and fry the onion on a medium heat until it's translucent but try not to brown it. Leave it to cool. Cut the other half of the onion into julienne strips and add to the stir fry veg in the fridge.
Whilst the onion cooks take the shallots, peel and remove roots. Cut 1 into julienne strips and add to stir fry veg. Cut the others into rounds and put into a jar. Heat 200ml cider vinegar, 75gm white sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp peppercorns in a small pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot vinegar over the shallots and leave to cool... at least 1 hour. Use on any salad or cold meat. (NB it's important that the lid has no metal parts which can come into contact with the vinegar).
Chocolate cupcake
In a large mug (1/2 pint preferably) put 4 tbsp of SR flour, 4 tbsp white sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa powder. Mix up gently with a fork. Add 2 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 egg (not a large one) and 3 tbsp milk. Gently stir it all until it is smooth. Microwave on high for 1 or 2 minutes. Cool. You can have it at tea time.
Cheese flan and pasties
Carefully unroll the pastry....... if you already put it in the fridge it may be too cold. Cut the pastry in half to make 2 rectangles, then cut one of those in half.
Get your flan tin or plate, lay it upside down on the larger bit of pastry and cut round it. Flip the tin/plate over and very gently press the pastry down. If you are using puff pastry prick the flan pastry all over with a fork to stop it wrecking the flan as it cooks. Put each of the small rectangles onto a baking sheet or oven proof plate.... put them on separate ones so flavours don't get mixed during cooking.
Light the oven at 200.
In the flan dish put loads of grated cheddar. In a jug beat 2 eggs with 2 tbsp milk, grind a little black pepper and add a pinch of salt. This is an egg custard. Carefully pour the custard over the cheese......it doesn't need to cover the cheese. Put onto a baking sheet/tray and cook for 20 minutes or so till the filling is set and the top is light brown. Leave to cool.
Onto one pastry rectangle put grated cheddar and the cooked onion. Fold the pastry over and seal the edges by pinching them. Cut a small hole in the top to let the steam out when it's cooking. Put the pasty into a plastic bag or cover with cling film and put it in the fridge for Monday's dinner. It will cook in the oven (200) in about 15 to 20 minutes at the same time as the bananas.
For the other pastry, spoon cooked apple onto 1/2... don't overdo it....fold over the other 1/2, seal the edges by pinching them. Cut a small hole to let steam escape. Brush the top with a little water and sprinkle with white sugar. Cook next to the cheese flan. It will take about 15 minutes.
If there is pastry left over put it on a plate/ baking sheet, spread 1/2 with jam, fold over, seal, make a steam hole in the top and cook with everything else.
NB Cooking times vary because domestic ovens have rubbish thermostats and all of them heat differently.
There will be stewed apple left so put in a dish, cover and refrigerate for later in the week.
Crumble mix
It's useful to make lots of crumble mix...it doesn't take any longer than if you make a small amount. Store it in a plastic box in the fridge.
12ozs flour, 4 ozs white sugar, 8 ozs cold butter cut into small pieces. Rub the butter into the flour and sugar using the tips of your fingers and thumbs. The colder your hands the better. Or use a food processor (I don't think you have one. You need the crumble for Wednesday.
So what's left in the shopping bags? Put the new potatoes into a saucepan for dinner later. Store the rest.
Slice the 2 big tomatoes into a small bowl, add 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp celery salt, some black pepper and thyme leaves...... run your finger and thumb down a stem and the little leaves will fall off. Turn it all over gently so all the tomato slices are coated. Cover and refrigerate.
Lemon pickle
Take the lemons and wash them, then cut each into wedges lengthways. Put 1 tbsp salt into a plastic bag, add the lemons and shake well to coat them with salt. Then tip into a jar, cover and leave for 4 days. On Wednesday add 1 tsp easy garlic and 1 tsp easy ginger into the jar. Heat the sunflower oil, all of it, in a pan and when it's hot carefully pour over the lemons. Tap the sides of the jar to get rid of any air bubbles then put on the lid and leave for at least 2 weeks before you eat them. If there's any oil left leave it to cool and then pour it back into the bottle.
Spicy pizza oil
Take the bottle with at least 1inch neck and put in the following:
2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 small chillis (slice with a sharp knife but don't cut up), 6 peppercorns. Top up with olive oil. Add the cork or top and leave for 2 weeks for flavours to develop. Drizzle over pasta, pizza, lasagne or anything else you fancy.
By now you will be worn to a frazzle so sit down with a cuppa. Keep an eye on anything still cooking.
This week's tipple is a gimlet....... ice cubes in the glass, 1 measure gin,1 measure lime cordial. Enjoy! If you want it sweeter add a drop or 2 of syrup.
If there's anything left in the shopping bag put it away!
Serve with butter, cheese flan, tomato salad and beetroot pickle. And don't forget the chocolate cupcake.
After tea, peel the rest of the potatoes, store 1/3 as is. NB I usually put kitchen roll over the potatoes under the lid or cling film. Potatoes tend to attract water in the fridge!
Potato salad.... take the rest of the potatoes and chop into small pieces, add mayonnaise and turn gently to cover with 1/4 tsp celery salt. Sprinkle a few herbes de Provence or thyme leaves on top. Cover and refrigerate.
Soup
take 1 onion, 1 stick celery, 3 carrots, half the sweet potato
Peel them and cut into small dice. Lob the lot into a large saucepan, add 1/2 tsp (teaspoon) of salt, grind in lots of black pepper and put it on to boil. Get the red pepper and cut it in half. Dice one half and add to the pan. Put on the lid and when it boils turn it down to a simmer. You can forget it for a good 40 minutes whilst the veg cook and flavours mingle. When it's cooked just turn it off and leave it.
Stir fry veg
Take the other half of the pepper and sweet potato and cut them lengthways into thin strips (julienne strips). Put them into a plastic bag or box. Do the same with a carrot, a stick of celery, half the courgette. Take 2 spring onions and discard grotty leaves and roots. Chop small and add to the bag. Put it in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch with 2 or 4 green beans. Put the rest of the beans in the bottom of the fridge.
Pork chop
Put the chop in the fridge..... if it's in a big pack put it between 2 plates and freeze the others individually. Do the same with the smoked mackerel.
Lunch
Now sort your ploughman's platter.
On a large plate put 2 slices of the ham; put the rest into a plastic bag in the fridge. If you don't put the ham in a bag it will dry out at the edges. Then choose your cheeses and add wedges to your plate. Again put the rest in a bag or box in the fridge.
Salad..... chop off as much lettuce as you want..add to the platter then put the rest of the lettuce in a plastic bag in the bottom of the fridge. Add a slice or 2 of cucumber and eating apple slices (slice them at the last minute so they don't go brown). Take the French stick, cut off what you want for lunch then halve the rest and put into separate plastic bags....1 in the fridge, 1 in the freezer.
French dressing In the little jar put 30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil, 15 ml (1 tbsp) cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon white sugar, 1/4 tsp dry mustard, 1/4 tsp salt, a grind of black pepper. Put on the lid and shake like mad. Use as much as you need on your lunch. Store any left over in the fridge (label it).
Pickled beetroot
If you found cooked beetroot peel it, cut off the top and tail if they're hard. Do this over the sink.....everything will be dyed red, as will your hands! Cut the beetroot into small dice, about 1/4 inch, put in a bowl or jar, add 2 tbsp white sugar and 1/2 cover with cider vinegar. Gently turn over the beetroot in the vinegar, cover and leave on one side. Every time you think about it turn it over again so it all gets pickled nicely. Have it with your ploughman's and your dinner tonight.
Alcoholic tomatoes
This adds zing to a salad or can be eaten as a snack.
In a small bowl mix 175ml gin with a dsp (dessertspoon) of lemon juice, 6 drops of Tabasco, 1 dsp Worcester sauce, a sprig of thyme, 3 basil leaves (roughly torn), 1 chilli. Prick about 200gm of cherry tomatoes with a cocktail stick or the point of a sharp knife and dunk them in the sauce. Turn them over so they are coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least a day. If the liquid doesn't cover the tomatoes (depends on the shape of the bowl) turn them over as often as you think about it so they get soused evenly. You can sprinkle a pinch of celery salt over them as you eat them. Apples
Peel the cooking apples, remove the core and cut into quarters. Put them in a biggish pan (the apples will rise up the pan as they cook and if the pan's too small it will boil over the cooker top). Add 1/4 inch of water and 1/4lb sugar. How much sugar depends on the sweetness of the apples and if you haven't added enough you can add it later. Put on a lid and cook over a medium heat until they are soft. Apples such as Bramleys will 'explode' into foam. Lovely! When cooked, put a tbsp into a small dish for apple sauce to have with tomorrow's pork, cover and refrigerate.
Bread and butter pickle so called because you can eat it with just bread and butter! Slice the rest of the cucumber and 2 onions and put in a bowl with 2 tbsp of salt. Leave till after lunch (about 1 hour).
So you have made your lunch, unpacked half the shopping, prepared Sunday lunch, made salad dressing, pickles and soup. Not bad eh?
LUNCH TIME
After lunch drain off the brine from the cucumbers and onions and pack into a medium jar, putting any left over into a bowl. In a pan heat 1/2 pint of white vinegar with 3oz sugar, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds. When the sugar has dissolved pour over the vegetables ... cover completely.. and put on the lid. When cold you can eat! If there is some pickle in a bowl then store in the fridge and use it first. (NB it's important that the lid has no metal parts which can come into contact with the vinegar).
Now you are going to bake but first get another onion...... cut one half into small dice. Heat a small frying pan with a little olive oil and fry the onion on a medium heat until it's translucent but try not to brown it. Leave it to cool. Cut the other half of the onion into julienne strips and add to the stir fry veg in the fridge.
Whilst the onion cooks take the shallots, peel and remove roots. Cut 1 into julienne strips and add to stir fry veg. Cut the others into rounds and put into a jar. Heat 200ml cider vinegar, 75gm white sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp peppercorns in a small pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot vinegar over the shallots and leave to cool... at least 1 hour. Use on any salad or cold meat. (NB it's important that the lid has no metal parts which can come into contact with the vinegar).
Chocolate cupcake
In a large mug (1/2 pint preferably) put 4 tbsp of SR flour, 4 tbsp white sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa powder. Mix up gently with a fork. Add 2 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 egg (not a large one) and 3 tbsp milk. Gently stir it all until it is smooth. Microwave on high for 1 or 2 minutes. Cool. You can have it at tea time.
Cheese flan and pasties
Carefully unroll the pastry....... if you already put it in the fridge it may be too cold. Cut the pastry in half to make 2 rectangles, then cut one of those in half.
Get your flan tin or plate, lay it upside down on the larger bit of pastry and cut round it. Flip the tin/plate over and very gently press the pastry down. If you are using puff pastry prick the flan pastry all over with a fork to stop it wrecking the flan as it cooks. Put each of the small rectangles onto a baking sheet or oven proof plate.... put them on separate ones so flavours don't get mixed during cooking. Light the oven at 200.
In the flan dish put loads of grated cheddar. In a jug beat 2 eggs with 2 tbsp milk, grind a little black pepper and add a pinch of salt. This is an egg custard. Carefully pour the custard over the cheese......it doesn't need to cover the cheese. Put onto a baking sheet/tray and cook for 20 minutes or so till the filling is set and the top is light brown. Leave to cool.
Onto one pastry rectangle put grated cheddar and the cooked onion. Fold the pastry over and seal the edges by pinching them. Cut a small hole in the top to let the steam out when it's cooking. Put the pasty into a plastic bag or cover with cling film and put it in the fridge for Monday's dinner. It will cook in the oven (200) in about 15 to 20 minutes at the same time as the bananas.
For the other pastry, spoon cooked apple onto 1/2... don't overdo it....fold over the other 1/2, seal the edges by pinching them. Cut a small hole to let steam escape. Brush the top with a little water and sprinkle with white sugar. Cook next to the cheese flan. It will take about 15 minutes.
If there is pastry left over put it on a plate/ baking sheet, spread 1/2 with jam, fold over, seal, make a steam hole in the top and cook with everything else.
NB Cooking times vary because domestic ovens have rubbish thermostats and all of them heat differently.
There will be stewed apple left so put in a dish, cover and refrigerate for later in the week.
Crumble mix
It's useful to make lots of crumble mix...it doesn't take any longer than if you make a small amount. Store it in a plastic box in the fridge.
12ozs flour, 4 ozs white sugar, 8 ozs cold butter cut into small pieces. Rub the butter into the flour and sugar using the tips of your fingers and thumbs. The colder your hands the better. Or use a food processor (I don't think you have one. You need the crumble for Wednesday.
So what's left in the shopping bags? Put the new potatoes into a saucepan for dinner later. Store the rest.
Slice the 2 big tomatoes into a small bowl, add 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp celery salt, some black pepper and thyme leaves...... run your finger and thumb down a stem and the little leaves will fall off. Turn it all over gently so all the tomato slices are coated. Cover and refrigerate.
Lemon pickle
Take the lemons and wash them, then cut each into wedges lengthways. Put 1 tbsp salt into a plastic bag, add the lemons and shake well to coat them with salt. Then tip into a jar, cover and leave for 4 days. On Wednesday add 1 tsp easy garlic and 1 tsp easy ginger into the jar. Heat the sunflower oil, all of it, in a pan and when it's hot carefully pour over the lemons. Tap the sides of the jar to get rid of any air bubbles then put on the lid and leave for at least 2 weeks before you eat them. If there's any oil left leave it to cool and then pour it back into the bottle.
Spicy pizza oil
Take the bottle with at least 1inch neck and put in the following:
2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 small chillis (slice with a sharp knife but don't cut up), 6 peppercorns. Top up with olive oil. Add the cork or top and leave for 2 weeks for flavours to develop. Drizzle over pasta, pizza, lasagne or anything else you fancy.
By now you will be worn to a frazzle so sit down with a cuppa. Keep an eye on anything still cooking.
This week's tipple is a gimlet....... ice cubes in the glass, 1 measure gin,1 measure lime cordial. Enjoy! If you want it sweeter add a drop or 2 of syrup.
If there's anything left in the shopping bag put it away!
Dinnertime
Put the potatoes on to boil with 1/2 tsp of salt. They'll take about 15 minutes from when you turn them down as they come to the boil. You don't have to peel new potatoes.Serve with butter, cheese flan, tomato salad and beetroot pickle. And don't forget the chocolate cupcake.
After tea, peel the rest of the potatoes, store 1/3 as is. NB I usually put kitchen roll over the potatoes under the lid or cling film. Potatoes tend to attract water in the fridge!
Potato salad.... take the rest of the potatoes and chop into small pieces, add mayonnaise and turn gently to cover with 1/4 tsp celery salt. Sprinkle a few herbes de Provence or thyme leaves on top. Cover and refrigerate.
Comments
Post a Comment