What's everyone cooking this week?

[MagicMarmite Profile]

That sounds delicious, I love gorgonzola

[Sakkarin Profile]

I actually went for the Roquefort for a special treat, but couldn't resist the Gorgonzola offer.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

I brought some Roquefort AND some Gorgonzola back from Mexico.
I was a little disappointed; the last lot of Gorgonzola I bought was creamy, sharp, but not astringent.
This lot was fierce, even with a sweetish beetroot chutney to calm it down.

[Sakkarin Profile]

I read that as "swedish beetroot chutney"!

Shame it was a bit vicious. Mine was creamy and piquant.

[Sakkarin Profile]

Following on from the borscht and the stuffed cabbage a few weeks back, by coincidence I picked up a Russian cookbook (published 1982) from the Tesco charity table for £1, which has exactly the same pic on its cover as my other Russian cookbook (published in 2000) has as its endpieces.

Anyway, bottom line is I made a vaguely Eastern Europeany thing yesterday, breaded pork cutletty things with sauerkraut with bacon and a beetroot and carrot medley. No recipe.

I was contemplating an Eastern European thread, but there's not a huge variety of dishes I can think of, most of the obvious ones I've already made at some stage in the past.

Maybe I need to get a Polish cookbook to give me some ideas, although having dug out all my Eastern Europeanish books, it's odd that I seem to have lost a Hungarian one that I had, I've gone through my whole cookbook collection twice to track it down.

[dennispc Profile]

As we were going to be out for most of Saturday, we did a slow cooker beef stew on Friday. OH thought it didn’t have a lot of taste, so on Saturday added some duck gravy from the freezer. Sorted! Left overs we had last night with rice and peas. Four servings - used a lb of diced beef, cost £4.

[Binky Profile]

Leafing through a Nigella book for inspiration, I came across a liver, onion and pomegranate molasses recipe. Having all ingredients to hand, plus tenderstem broccoli, cauli and Lady Balfour spuds, this is the result. Very nice and highly recommended.

From having the inspiration to actually eating was about 45 mins, so a quick and easy dinner. Here it is


image hosting private

[Renee Profile]

Sauerkraut would go well with that meal Sakkarin! Do you make your own? I have thought about it, but haven't got around to it yet.

Binky that's a lovely combination. I wouldn't have thought of using pomegranate molasses, although I do have some in the cupboard.

[Sakkarin Profile]

If you meant the cuttletty one, that IS sauerkraut on there, Rénéé! However I have half a white cabbage in the fridge which I was toying with turning into sauerkraut...

And I too have a bottle of Pomegranate Molasses at the back of the cupboard. Use-by date probably around 1996.

[Binky Profile]

Ha! We must all have bottles of stuff lurking in cupboards or the fridge door, waiting for the right time to use them (which rarely comes).

I got my bottle from a local Indian supermarket, having read about the popularity of pomegranate molasses in a Claudia Roden cookbook. I think I've used it twice in the 3/4 months I've had it, and it definitely perked up what would be boring old liver and onions.

The recipe I used is on page 147 of Nigella's 'How To Eat' and is titled Liver with Sweet Onions.

[Sakkarin Profile]

I am afraid for me the only thing that can perk up liver and onions is a dustbin liner

Memories of my mum's disgusting great slabs of liver, overcooked to extinction, utterly gross. I've told myself I'll overcome that aversion one day by buying some decent liver and cooking it properly, but I've never got round to it. Is any of the liver you buy in supermarkets edible, or does it really need to be bought from a proper butcher?

[Binky Profile]

Buy some calves liver. It's not where you buy it from, it's how you cook it that matters. Properly cooked, it should be tender and have a pleasant mouth feel. And if you really don't like it, it has only cost you around £1.50 for the pack.

Forget casseroles and unpleasant memories of how our mams and grandmas used to cook it - get yourself a pack of lambs liver, cut the pieces into sizes that appeal to you, soak in water, then dry and roll in flour and ground pepper corns. Cook in a butter/olive oil mix for 5 mins each side (maximum) or at least until you can no longer see blood (could be 4 mins). Longer cooking makes it tough. You could add a splash of sherry or brandy to the pan to mop up juices.

[dennispc Profile]

Hake, sans potatoes, with crusty bread crumb top. Asked the fish van man for 1lb, cut a piece that was 450g. Not bad.

£8.10 for the two of us.

Hake.jpg

[Renee Profile]

If you meant the cuttletty one, that IS sauerkraut on there, Rénéé! However I have half a white cabbage in the fridge which I was toying with turning into sauerkraut...

Yes, I realised that Sakkarin, but was just agreeing with you that it went well with the meal.

I have pomegranate molasses and use it to make the dip with beetroot and walnuts, which reminds me that I have all the ingredients, so will make some more.

Petronius, I nearly swooned when I saw your lovely meal. Isn't hake expensive though ... or is it me not keeping up with the times?

[jeral Profile]

I shall be making mushy peas soon as our new chippy is opening today, at long last. It just has to be a typically British meal on Brexit day, but it's really because they're giving a 30% discount for opening day Hopefully the fish will be as good as Petronius's hake looks.

Probably ought to go the whole hog and make a British cuppa for once. Newsflash is that tea sales are disastrous now that fruit/herb teas have caught on. Who'da thought tea would go out of fashion?

Fish is expensive to me too, so I've gone the other way and ordered a decidedly cheaper mackerel to eat on Sunday. karadekoolaid's potato dish tomorrow plus an aubergine one which will also go with the mackerel. I've bought a jar of preserved lemons so one will find its way in there somehow.

[Pepper Pig Profile]

I shall be making mushy peas soon as our new chippy is opening today, at long last. It just has to be a typically British meal on Brexit day,

Not sure we'd all agree on that!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I was thinking of going the other way and being very Euro, but in fact it will be Chinese
Glass of something French though and I did have a bit of Brie de Meaux for lunch.

[Renee Profile]

No sorry, don't like mushy peas! You enjoy them though!

[dennispc Profile]

Loosen your stays Renee, here comes another one.

salmon.jpg

The plan was salmone on a bed of couscous etc., wrapped in paper, but we didn't have enough couscous.

Fennel in the garden has continued to sprout fluffy bits all through the winter, so chopped some up to add to the breadcrumbs to create the crusty topping.

[WWordsworth Profile]

That looks delicious.