Wednesday 27 November 2013

OOOOHHHHH YUMMMM!

We have had such a mad few days thanks to life in general. The food situation may have suffered slightly, having indulged in a couple of takeaways, though the children really have been spoiled. It all started with another shocking mess up by the worst supermarket on earth. In my desperation on Friday morning, because my fav supermarket messed up my online shop, I bought a large pork shoulder for our weekly Sunday feast. Well, I went to cook this pork on Sunday, and, having bought it on the 22nd soon realized due to disgusting colour and stench that this pork actually went past its use by on the 15th! I managed to buy it a whole week after the use by. Oh, my oh my. By the time I had calmed down and realised I did actually have the receipt it was too late, it had been thrown away ready for bin collection on Monday morning.
Luckily, I had some fabulous and fresh Venison steak which was a bargain in the best supermarket, so we had an amazing casserole with very creamy mash. 
Among all the others, I have made a couple of soups (leek and potato) and yesterday, a Lamb stew, using minimal and cheap lamb cuts., and adapting a very old recipe. My children all absolutely adored it. 


I have Yule/Christmas feasts to plan and our Mexican night next week coming up, we are also very busy setting up a more formal website for the recipes and step by step guides to the shopping/cooking aspects of happily and healthily feeding so many people. If it is formal meals, themed nights, parties, or just everyday casual yummy stuff, I will post everything I know and I can about how to get the best food shopped for, cooked and eaten, for as cheap as poss. Very much looking forward to having my veg box delivered tomorrow too (hmmm... they said Wednesday, now I am told about 3am Thursday!) but I don't know what will be in it so loads of improvisation with gorgeous fresh, local vegetables to come!

IN THE MEANTIME: A very simple recipe for one of my favourite potato dishes:


Easy Daupinoise!

I find that so many people are scared of making this dish, but I find it so easy and totally delicious. It is quick to prepare even if the cooking time is a little longer than a portion of chips. Wonderful as an accompaniment to most meat steaks, chicken or good quality sausages.

Feeds 4

6 medium sized floury Potatoes (Maris Piper work wonderfully)
400 ml Double Cream
4 Garlic cloves, crushed
Fresh Thyme, leaves picked
good pinch coarse sea salt

Butter for greasing

Use the butter to (generously) grease a shallow casserole dish, I find glass ones work best. Preheat oven to 150 degrees or 140 for fan ovens. Finely slice the potatoes either by hand or with a food processor, they need to be about 3-4 mm thick. Put them in a mixing bowl and with your hands toss them around with the cream, garlic, thyme and salt, making sure to coat each potato slice. Layer them in the casserole, stacking up layers as you go. Try to make the top look a bit 'pretty' but don't worry too much about the lower layers, as long as they are even.Pour any left over cream over the potatoes and cook them in the oven for approx 90 mins or until tender. Check them frequently for the first 20 mins, if the cream starts splitting, your oven is too hot so turn it down a bit.
 For true indulgence dot some small chunks of broken up Brie or other lovely cheese on top for the last 10 mins of cooking. Wow!

C xxx

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