Repertoire

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

My repetitious meals need expanding upon. I regularly make off the top of my head:

Prawn or salmon pasta
Chorizo and judiones
Caldo verde
Chicken and mushroom soup
Chile con carne
Pinchos
Cod curry
Salads of varying type
Roast chicken breast and steamed veggies

What dishes do you make with your eyes closed?

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

My goodness Gill... I had to look up some of your repertoire and apart from the thing that contains chorizo (bleurgh ) it all looks delicious.

I am much more of a savoury cook, than a sweet one. I use a breadmaker to mix (bread) dough ... I don't need to look up a recipe for that; My most baked sweet thing is my Mum's tea bread, but more recently made more than one easy apple sponge. I do most of my savoury stuff in my Instant Pot - just throw the stuff in and let it do it's own thing.

I do have a couple of friends who think I am a fantastic cook... but none of it is anything special - mainly stews ...

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

I've never met anyone who didn't like chorizo, Pat, you're a first!

Would you be able to tell me your teabread recipe please.
I made it once from a Waitrose flyer, and it was well received by others, eg Elisa and her hubby in Paris. But Tony didn't finish it = thumbs down.
However, he just had a teabread at a cafe in the week, and raved about it. Wanting me to make some - he doesn't remember not liking it, so I'll not remind him.

I shall need a fresh recipe however.

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

Here you go Gill:

All in old money though...

Oven 180c baking time about and hour

8 oz SR Flour
6 oz Dem sugar
6 fl oz cold tea (I sometimes use Earl Grey or a Spicy one)
8 oz Sultanas (or mixed fruit)
1 large egg - beaten
(Pinch of salt ) I always forget this.
I sometimes add a teaspoon of mixed spice or cinnamon if you like the flavour

The night before, make up the tea and tip it onto the dried fruit
Mix dry ingredients
Stir egg into wet fruit mix
Add to other ingredients (I sometimes add a tablespoon of milk or water if the mix is hard to incorporate)
Turn into a bread tin

bake for about an hour at 180c - until skewer comes out clean

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

I've never met anyone who didn't like chorizo, Pat, you're a first!

I don't like any preserved meat really - even ham is rarely eaten in this house.

I find with chorizo, I can't chew it away -- it just seems to stay in my mouth. In fact the thought of it makes me shudder

[aero280 Profile]

Our menu is also repetitive. I need to try harder!

My regulars are:

Bread
Flat breads (a new venture since the recent threads on here!)
Plain biscuits for snacks
Cauliflower Cheese
Malt loaf
Things on bought-in pastry - quiche, faux pizza, etc.

OH does main meals which also repeat

Sausages
Chicken wrapped in bacon
Pork belly
Pork/lamb chops
Beef casserole

It’s not quite as boring as that. There is the odd experiment! There is also the nice chip shop up the hill.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

I'm with you on chorizo Pat. There are supposed to be different kinds but all the ones I've had have been impossible to chew and overbearing on taste, guaranteed to ruin otherwise nice dishes. I still assume I haven't had the right sort yet. Agree re processed meat in general, I save it for a treat.

I'm one of those who, living alone, can't always be bothered to break off whatever I'm doing to cook elaborate things at supper time and meal planning goes out of the window. My go to repertoire for rare guests, depending on the meal, tends to revolve round home made quiche and salad or soup for lunch or beef casserole and jacket potato sort of things. All are so retro they've all forgotten how nice they can be and they go down very well indeed. If the guests are veggie or vegan I make much more of an effort and enjoy it!

Most meals are based on what's in the fridge or freezer. I'm incapable of buying small amounts of veg so my favourites are various forms of stir fry or roasted veg with an assortment of flavourings and protein/carb added.

All that said, I still love cooking and baking and love to experiment when I'm in the mood or to show off .

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I could repeat most of what Earthmaiden wrote about cooking for oneself - apart from the chorizo, which I love, in fact I have 2 tubs of butter beans with chorizo in the freezer, made with Brindisa cooking chorizo

I do make big batches of stuff when I’m in the mood and freeze single portions for when I’m not in cooking mode. Currently I have beef bourguignon, chicken tagine, lamb dopiaza, chilli, the beans and probably something else in the freezer.

I also have little pots of cheese sauce and tomato sauce ready to use - I don’t always have fresh milk in the house and it’s much easier to make a litre of good sauce than a single portion

I like to change around and make different things in different styles - most stir fry dishes can be made in single portions for example so Chinese and Thai versions feature regularly on the menu

I’d love to cook a big show off dinner party but I never get the chance

[Suelle Profile Website]

Considering I only cook for myself, I'm surprised at how long my 'regular' list is:

Pasta and vegetable bakes with cheese sauce
Fishcakes with vegetables (no need for extra carbs)
Bought pie with vegetables (no need for extra carbs)
Pasta with various sauces - some meaty, some not
Risotto
Curry
Spanish rice - not quite paella.
Pork chops
Sausages - various ways
Chilli (con and sin carne, but always with beans for protein)
Frittatas and similar egg dishes
Meat casseroles
Fish and oven chips

plus occasional new recipes - the last was Ottolenghi's mushroom tray-bake ragu, which gave me seven portions for the freezer - so that will be a regular for a few months!

A lot of the things I make regularly give me portions to freeze, or eat over two days, so it's not a lot of time spent cooking every day.

[Hickybank Profile]

Chicken & Mushroom Risotto
Pre cook Chicken breast & slice
Finely chop Onion
Thickly sliced Mushrooms
Bacon lardons ( I buy cooking bacon chop & freeze in portions
Grate Parmesan
Chicken stock
Risotto rice
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saute chopped Onion Bacon lardons
Stir in sliced Mushrooms (thickly sliced) cook for a couple of minutes.
Stir in Rice, cook till translucent
Add Chicken stock a little at a time ( add white wine,optional)
Cook till stock absorbed & rice cooked
Chuck in a handful of Parmesan & stir in
turn off heat & stir in cooked Chicken
Serve with Garlic bread

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

I've never met anyone who didn't like chorizo, Pat, you're a first!

I don't like any preserved meat really - even ham is rarely eaten in this house.

I find with chorizo, I can't chew it away -- it just seems to stay in my mouth. In fact the thought of it makes me shudder

I have just reminded myself that stupidly I bought a tin of Baxters hearty soup with chorizo the other week (reduced if you had a Tesco club card ) .... I opened it, tried it, and ended up straining and sorting out all the pieces of chorizo, then blitzing and throwing in with some more soup.

[halfateabag Profile]

Another chorizo lover here, it goes great with chicken and chick peas and red pepper & onions, one of my fave recipes. I need to go through my repertoire..... but to start I do smoked salmon trimmings, with cream stirred through pasta as a fave. I have a pack of gnocchi open in the fridge also some cream that needs using so that is supper tomorrow sorted. I do add garlic as I think it gives another level. Also quite a lot of coarsely ground black pepper. A very easy meal, especially with a sore wrist...

[smitch Profile]

Trying to think what we have regularly here.

Vegan ‘quiche’ with chickpea flour and whatever veg needs using
Chickpea & tomato stew with smoked paprika
Pasta with greens and vegan sausages
Home made pizza
Various stir fries
Macaroni cheese
Shakshouka
Rice one pots with veg and protein
Various curries
Lasagna or stuffed pasta shells
Katsu curry

[jeral Profile]

I'd have to keep my closed closed all day to think of regulars as I eat what I feel like on the day and I do like variety. Usually one day I cook, next day I don't - "cook" means time and washing up generated. As fish and veg are generally simple and quick, it's not really cooking, if that makes sense.

Includes:
- Veg filled Yorkshire puds, yay, well it is Sunday
- Veg stir fries with sesame noodles
- Smoked salmon, tinned tuna or onion/veg mix, with beaten egg chucked on top once items in pan are ready enough for egg to go on, then lid on, sometimes flipped over.
- Baked whole white fish, gilthead bream usually, lemony/herby with new potato spud slices and fresh cherry toms in the parcel.
- Fresh tuna steak with Chinese veg, ginger; five spice sometimes.
- Veg soups, various
- Black bean pie (takes me ages to do the veg bits included in it)
- Flaky or shortcrust pasties with a veg samosa-type filling usually.
- Pilau rice, with a mild/creamy mushroom curry*
- Plain basmati with two veg side curries*
- Stuffed paratha (pea or courgette)*
* only regular as enough to save in portions.

- Coming soon, quesadillas

[cherrytree Profile]

I have been married for 50 years and still try to make a new recipe every week which I have done all that time. I love trying out new things, but must confess that I’m not a great fan of chorizo.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I didn’t really answer the question about repertoire

Maybe I need to keep a food diary for a bit (this would be handy for other reasons too)

I think I have weeks when I cook only things I’ve cooked many times before and can do on autopilot and weeks when I cook lots of new stuff

[Seatallan Profile]

Love chorizio. Indeed, one of my repertoire is chickpea & chorizio stew

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Yes, as a variation, I love chorizo and hake stew too.

For those that do not like it much, I by far prefer the Navarra type of chorizo (for slicing). It's softer anyway, but a much nicer product.

All in old money though...

Thanks Patsy. Although I cannot calibrate my brain in old weights any more, I have a Dualit set of weighing scales that I hoik out for the purpose.

I forgot about fishcakes, Suelle. They are in my repertoire if we fancy a fish meal, but not really regular.
I love making them though.

What's shakshouka?
I could google I know but I won't.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

and still try to make a new recipe every week which I have done all that time

That's a great cooking habit. I've got more time on my hands since leaving my painting studio at the end of the month.
And am wanting to really enjoy kitchen adventures again.

[smitch Profile]

Shakshouka (various spellings) is a Middle Eastern dish of eggs cooked in a tomato and pepper sauce. I use Ottolenghi's recipe from 'Jerusalem' but there are loads of variations online. I made a scrambled egg version recently from 'Falastin' as well as a green one a couple of weeks ago. It is good for using up odds and ends from the fridge.