What's everyone cooking this week?

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I had a great big (2 rib) lamb chop for supper, with veg



Very simple but it’s the first meat I’ve been able to taste properly and enjoy in months, my sense of taste has got better quite suddenly over the last few days

[Suffs Profile]

That’s very good news SSue

On Sunday I parboiled then roasted a gammon hock, glazed with brown sugar and studded with cloves. We ate it with roasted potatoes and carrots, broccoli and a cream and wholegrain mustard sauce.

On Monday I used some of the liquor from parboiling the hock to make a Suffolk-style pea soup, with split green peas, leeks, carrots and potatoes. That simmered on the hob for a few hours until the peas had softened and begun to break down ... then, 40 mins before supper time, chunks of the leftover gammon were added along with a knob of butter and some suet dumplings. It was wonderful. Just right for a frosty November day.

Yesterday I made Cardamom Butter Chicken using this GH recipe https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/foo ... r-chicken/.
I simmered it for a bit longer than the recipe suggested as I thing FR chicken thighs benefit from a lower slower cooking. We ate it with plain boiled basmati rice, Pataks aubergine pickle and Geeta’s mango chutney. OH is a happy man

[Badger's Mate Profile]

Good news Sue.

Suffs, I haven't had pea soup for years, possibly the last time was Dutch pea soup on the Albatros in Wells harbour. (Wells looks wrong without it, hopefully it will be back soon)

My Grandma (as opposed to my Nan) used to make lovely pea soup, using the stock from boiling bacon. I've never managed to equal it, which makes me wonder if it was better in my memory than in reality - whatever my soup is like it won't come with loving Grandparents. Nor in a small living room amply heated by a range. My first visit to the North Middlesex hospital was a result of me putting my hand on the top of that stove.

Boiled bacon, and pea soup (or yellow split pea soup, as Mum made) made with the scraps and stock were a staple when I was growing up. I seem to have got out of the habit.

That chicken sounded nice, those pickles are two of my favourites.

Apart from enthusing about other people's dinners, on Sunday we had venison steaks with roast potatoes and the first parsnips, plus some Romanesco, helped down with a glass or two of Primitivo. While the oven was on I made a bread pudding. Monday was a beef stew, leftovers from pre-restriction entertaining, with mash and cabbage. Last night was a stir fry of prawns with white cabbage, red pepper, the last of the achochas and some noodles. Tonight, pork chilli verde.

[Pepper Pig Profile]

I have been given an onion squash. What’s the best way to cook it? It’s larger than a grapefruit, smaller than a small pumpkin.

[KeenCook2 Profile]

I had a great big (2 rib) lamb chop for supper, with veg



Very simple but it’s the first meat I’ve been able to taste properly and enjoy in months, my sense of taste has got better quite suddenly over the last few days

Great news, Sue, gosh, it's been a long time.

[Gruney2 Profile]

I very much enjoyed the tv series, so bought Rick Stein's "From Venice to Istanbul", and made his "Turkish spiced cabbage and minced lamb stew, with tomatoes" - "Kapuska." I'm delighted to report that it's a long while since I've tasted anything so good for such little effort. One of those you're tempted to make time and time again until you're sick of it - and you end up losing a good friend.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

We love kapuska, which I hadn't heard of until Mrs B saw it on the RS series and asked me to check out the recipe. We have it quite often, there are plenty of cabbages on the plot at the mo and one makes several servings. Luckily it freezes and reheats well. A good way to eat your greens.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

Oooh, I've got that book but that recipe has never registered with me. I'm not always keen on the thought of minced lamb but it's usually nice in those sort of recipes. I might have a look.

Sue, that is such good news!

[Pampy Profile]

My Grandma lived in a big Victorian house with a large range in the kitchen. She always had a pot of pea soup on the go and I remember it as being like heaven in a bowl! I think it was her kitchen that initially sparked my interest in cooking. She cured her own ham and pressed tongue and always rendered the fat from meat and used it to make chips. To this day, all the family refer to "Grandma chips" if we have any particularly good ones!

[scullion Profile]

my mother used to make pea soup...

[Earthmaiden Profile]

.... so did mine -

[Suffs Profile]

I very much enjoyed the tv series, so bought Rick Stein's "From Venice to Istanbul", and made his "Turkish spiced cabbage and minced lamb stew, with tomatoes" - "Kapuska." I'm delighted to report that it's a long while since I've tasted anything so good for such little effort. One of those you're tempted to make time and time again until you're sick of it - and you end up losing a good friend.

Cheers Gruney ... on your recommendation, together with BM's, I've found the recipe and printed it off ... yesterday OH reported there is a block of lamb mince in the fridge ... all I need him to get are the red peppers ... or do you think a jar of Harissa paste would do the job?

[Gruney2 Profile]

Cheers Gruney ... on your recommendation, together with BM's, I've found the recipe and printed it off ... yesterday OH reported there is a block of lamb mince in the fridge ... all I need him to get are the red peppers ... or do you think a jar of Harissa paste would do the job?

It would probably be fine, with a bit of tomato puree, Suffs - I was thinking of doing that, myself, but I used a bit of mashed up roasted pepper from a jar I had open, and a bit of cayenne, as he recommends in the book - with a bit of cayenne. just beware of how much chilli and cayenne you use up front - you can always add... as they say. I do hope you like it.

[ZeroCook Profile]

I have been given an onion squash. What’s the best way to cook it? It’s larger than a grapefruit, smaller than a small pumpkin.

It's a winter squash, Pepper Pig, orange inside and firm fleshed - good for anything you might make with that type of pumpkin/squash. Roasted, soup, pasta and so on.

Fave regularly made pasta with pumpkin/squash, quantities as wanted: Prep: Cook some penne or cassarecce type pasta, drain, save some cooking water. Peel the squash and cut into 2cm chunks. Toast a handul or so of walnuts broken into small pieces. Grate some parmesan or similar. Set aside.
Cook: Heat a heavy pan on medium hot , add generous evoo, add some herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme etc), add squash, s&p, grated nutmeg, sizzle then cook on medium low until soft. Add a clove or two of chopped or minced garlic, a handful of chopped kale, cook for 15 mins. Serve: add pasta to pan and a little cooking water if needed. Mix thru adding walnuts, cheese, s & p if needed. Crisp some sage leaves in evoo or butter and sprinkle on top.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

For kapuska I usually liquidise a chopped pepper, fresh or jarred. A hint of harissa wouldn't hurt, I don't make it very spicy as Mrs B wouldn't like it, but it can be seasoned to taste.

I have served it with crusty bread or new/boiled potatoes, rice, pasta. It seems to go with any of them.

[jeral Profile]

Apols this is the wrong thread but topical. Just noticed Gregg Wallace is Inside the Factory in Cornwall at an enormous bakery producing 180,000 pasties a day.
Sunday, BBC2 7.10 - 8.10pm.

[WWordsworth Profile]

Tonight is a can't be bothered dinner of bacon, broad beans, peas, onion, garlic and parmesan stirred through pasta.
Topped with chopped parsley as there's a handful left.

[OneMoreCheekyOne Profile]

Snap, Wordsworth. Although we had mushrooms and thyme instead of broad beans.

Last night we had gambas pil pil with crusty bread and salad.

Tomorrow we’re having prawn, pea, spinach and lemon risotto topped with trout fillets.

We are trying to empty the freezer pre Christmas and so lunches are various soups, stews and ragu with whatever carb is readily available. We also seem to be eating vast quantities of oranges and quality street/heroes/other wrapped chocolates.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I have been given an onion squash. What’s the best way to cook it? It’s larger than a grapefruit, smaller than a small pumpkin.

The French word is potimarron, chestnut pumpkin, and it has the most flavour of all the tribe, more than butternut imo and when baked steamed or even microwave it makes a purée with a good texture for soup. Or I made gnocchi with my last one

[scullion Profile]

Apols this is the wrong thread but topical. Just noticed Gregg Wallace is Inside the Factory in Cornwall at an enormous bakery producing 180,000 pasties a day.
Sunday, BBC2 7.10 - 8.10pm.

it's only just in cornwall in order to be able to call them 'cornish' pastys.
it's the ginsters factory. need i say more?