Stir-fried vegetables with fish (or whatever) and pilau rice

I rather think this is one of those unrepeatable dishes, but I had half a trout and half a pack of (packet) hollandaise sauce, and didn't fancy a fish pie, so improvised.  But the basic idea could work for all sorts of things....  This served 2

For the rice:

c 1 tbs cooking oil

a little salt

1 tsp Pilau seasoning (bought in Nour, Brixton)

1/2 cup (125 ml) long-grain white rice (I used Basmati, but whatever you like)

1 cup (250 ml) boiling water

Hot the cooking oil, then stir in the salt and spices.  Add the rice and stir thoroughly.  Add the boiling water, stir again, then cover and reduce the heat to as low as possible for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat, and let stand for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile

Another tbs cooking oil

Various vegetables, diced.  I used:

A slice of butternut squash

1/2 yellow pepper

1 medium courgette

1 small pak choi

A sloosh garlic paste

A few drops of sriracha

1 tsp Dunns River All-purpose seasoning

1/2 tsp each vegetable and fish seasoning (these are from Germany, but any similar ones will do)

Heat the oil, then stir-fry the vegetables for at least 5 minutes.  I then added the cooked trout and Hollandaise sauce and made sure it was heated through, but you could use any fish, or perhaps cooked sausages, cut into chunks, and if you don't have any sauce, then about 100 ml water, or just let the vegetables moisten it all - you don't have to use my choice of veg, but a range of different colours is always good.  If you wanted it veggie or vegan, you could add peas or beans and sweetcorn to balance out the proteins.  

Vegetable "sausages"

I've put sausages in quotes because honestly, I think it would be easier to form them into patties or burgers, but whatever.  I thought this would feed 2, but it was so filling we both left half to live to fight another day!

I adapted this recipe from one I saw on Facebook or YouTube or somewhere - really can't remember where.  I happen to have the most enormous courgette you ever did see, so cut a chunk off that to use.  

1 medium courgette, or a chunk off a large one

1 medium potato

1 medium carrot,

1 egg

2-4 tablespoonsful gram flour

1/2 packet halloumi cheese

Peel and grate all the vegetables (no need to peel the courgette unless the peel is a bit tough), squeezing as much liquid as you can out of the courgette and potato.  Dice the cheese, add about 2 tbs gram flour (aka besan or chickpea flour), season, and mix thoroughly.  Add the egg and mix until it holds together, then with very clean hands, form into sausage - or patty - shapes and put on a floured board.  Sprinkle with more flour and rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes or so.  Fry in a little oil in a covered pan for about 8 minutes each side.  I served this with a rich tomato sauce and green beans.

The original recipe used oatmeal, which might have been better for absorbing moisture, and also grated cheese that would have melted and bound the whole thing together, and I think, if I make them again (which I expect I shall), I might use grated cheese.  But the gram flour does add such a lovely texture!

Watermelon yelm

 I do love watermelon at this time of year, and tend to buy whole ones as being less extravagant than the boxes of chunks you can buy.  Okay, someone has to cut it up, but that's not difficult.  But, of course, you end up with boxes full of watermelon chunks in the fridge, and while it's a refreshing dessert, or a delicious salad with feta, but....

And I had run out of "yelm", and although I had the lemons to make more, I didn't have any mint.  While plain yelm is delicious, I am also not averse to experimenting.  I only made a small amount, to see if it worked.

Rind and juice of 2 lemons

About 300 ml watermelon juice (fill a blender goblet and see how much it makes.  Drink whatever is left over!)

25 g citric acid

250 g sugar

About 450 ml boiling water, maybe 500 ml.

Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved.  Allow to cool for awhile, then strain and bottle.  Keep in the fridge.  Dilute to taste, either with plain or sparkling water, ideally chilled!

 

Rich tomato sauce

This is absolutely lush, and well worth the time it takes!

2 tsp cooking oil 

1 large onion

3-4 cloves garlic

1 tin tomatoes (ideally tinned cherry tomatoes, if you can get them)

1/2 tub soft cheese, ideally garlic and herb

Seasoning to taste - I find it doesn't need salt, just pepper.

Place the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently.  Peel the onion, and chop it as finely as you are able.  Put the chopped onion into the saucepan and stir well to coat. 

Let them cook gently to soften and go translucent.  Meanwhile peel the garlic, and either chop, crush or grate it -  I always use a crusher, but I know other people have other ways.  Add this to the onion and oil, and again, allow to cook gently for a few minutes.  Now add the tinned tomatoes and about 1/3 tin of water.  Stir thoroughly and bring to a simmer.  Cover, and let it simmer for about 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Then add the half-tub of cream cheese and stir thoroughly to mix.  Delicious with pasta, either as is, or as a pasta bake.  I also made a roast vegetable bake with it earlier in the week, which was lush!

Hollandaise sauce

This is incredibly easy, really.  I always think it's going to be harder than it is - but it's no worse than mayonnaise, which is also massively easier than I think it's going to be!

1 egg

Juice of 1 lemon

About 125 g butter (1/2 packet)

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter - I use the microwave, and melt it in a little jug so that it is easy to pour.  Put the egg and lemon juice in a blender and process for a minute or two until smooth.  Leaving the blender running, pour the butter in a very thin stream.  When it's all in there, continue to run the blender until it thickens and is smooth.  Season to taste, and give a last whizz to mix the seasoning in.

Serve with fish and/or vegetables, especially things like purple sprouting or tenderstem broccoli, or asparagus.  It will keep, covered, for a couple of days in the fridge.

(The sauce in this photo is coating a salmon fillet and some new potatoes)

Strawberry-watermelon lemonade

 I have just made some "yelm", and one of my favourite drinks, when I can get it, is Lidl's raspberry lemonade.  Or, indeed, their strawberry lemonade.  They are not selling it in my branch at the moment, but they had a coupon for money off strawberries.  And I have (as I frequently do) a craze on watermelon just now, and as boxes of watermelon chunks are expensive, I thought I'd buy a whole watermelon.  I used some in a salad, but used the rest in our drink.

All measurements are approximate - I basically eyeballed it!  

Chunk of watermelon (about 30 grammes, I think; it wasn't a huge chunk)

1/2 punnet strawberries

2 tbs "yelm" concentrate (or a commercial lemon squash)

Iced water

Cut the melon into chunks, and hull the strawberries.  Put them in a blender with the yelm, and whizz until smooth.  Top up with iced water and shake or blend again.  Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

I think it needed the lemon to cut the sweetness a bit, but do experiment.  Maybe a spoonful of lemon juice instead might be nice....  

Asparagus risotto for beginners

If it doesn't rain, I have a Zoom tai chi class, so the Swan Whisperer has volunteered to get supper!

1 tbs olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

Small amount garlic paste

1/2 cup risotto rice

250 ml cooking wine

500 ml chicken stock (Fresh  is best, but from a cube if  necessary) 

1 packet locally-grown asparagus

Knob of butter

Handful grated or shaved Parmesan (use a vegetarian version of necessary) - about 1/3-1/2 pack

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the onion and garlic gently in the olive oil until translucent, stirrng all the time. Add the rice and stir for approximately 1 minute, then add the wine. Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring frequently, until the wine is almost all absorbed.

Meanwhile, heat the stock in another saucepan. Cut the very tough ends off the asparagus and discard, and cut the rest in roughly half. Steam the tips, and meanwhile boil the bottom end in the stock that is waiting to be used.

When the wine has almost evaporated, add roughly half the stock to the rice mixture, and again allow to simmer, stirring frequently, until absorbed.

Meanwhile, use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus stalks from the stock, and puree them with a tiny bit of the stock until smooth. Add the remainder of the stick to the rice and continue as before. The rice should be cooked by the time this last lot has evaporated. Add the pureed asparagus, the butter and the cheese, and beat thoroughly (ideally using a risotto spoon with a hole in it), check the seasoning and serve with the asparagus tips on the top. 

Clean-the-fridge traybake with halloumi

This is good for when you have a shedload of vegetables that you are not quite sure what to do with.  Feel free to mix and match!

For the marinade:

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

Scant tsp brown sugar

1 tsp soya sauce

1/2 tsp mustard

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Mix the ingredients in a blender or smoothie maker - the mustard will help it emulsify.  Don't add too much sugar (I did, and wished I hadn't).  You can substitute balsamic glaze if you have it, although then you'll have to put the garlic in with the rest of the traybake.

3-4 medium potatoes

1 red onion

1 large tomato

1/2 large red pepper

1/2 large courgette

1/2 punnet mushrooms

Large chunk butternut squash

1/2 pack halloumi cheese

Pre-heat the oven to Mark 6 or 200 C.  Cut the potatoes into chunks and either parboil or microwave steam for a few minutes.  Meanwhile, cut the other vegetables as appropriate and place in a baking tray.  Add the part-cooked potatoes, then drizzle with the marinade and stir.  Top with  the sliced halloumi, and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.  Not very photogenic, so here is a random photo of butternut squash!