Week 52- Journey's End

Well, I got there.

52 weeks and 52 menus.

I have to admit, it really was a challenge some weeks. Inspiration for something new often deserted me - and the straight jacket of 3 courses (starter, main and pudding) was a tough one to put up with. Often I could think of a main course and a theme - but struggled for a starter or pudding.

But- there it is: my blog of over 160 recipes and even more ideas for what to do with the leftovers.

Looking back through the stats, I see the most popular post was 'Take Half a Dozen Eggs' with it's simple recipes for boiled egg and asparagus soldiers and bread and butter brioche pudding.

This was closely followed by 'Boxing Day and Beyond' - when obviously you all had loads of stuff to use up!

Anyway, you can find all the recipes - from aioli to yaki soba - on the blog or in the cloud at the top of the page.

I've decided to make a compilation this week of my own three favourite starters, mains and puddings.

You may well have your own favourites.

For starters I've chosen : bubble and squeak with a poached egg, olive cakes and cake pops or chicken liver parfait.

Bubble and Squeak- just the best way to use up veg and make a light snack or supper

Chicken Liver Parfait- delicious and about 25p per portion!

Olive cakes- my most popular recipe still

Cheesy Brie cake pops- another savoury cake idea which I really enjoyed making and eating

For main course I've gone for : Mediterranean stuffed veg, Pastotto or Maki.

Mediterranean Stuffed Veg- colourful, cheap and cheerful

Pastotto- like a risotto but with pasta!

My take on Maki- easy and tasty Japanese-style mouthfuls

And for the pudding- Muscat jelly, Baked Alaska or Iles Flottantes.

Muscat jelly- for grownups only

Baked Alaska- a forgotten favourite

Iles Flottantes with fancy sugarwork

Thank you all for reading the blog- some of you all 52 weeks of it- for trying the recipes or for 'liking' it on Facebook.

I'm going to have a break for a bit I think- but I'm toying with the idea of making an e-book of the best bits. What do you think?

xxxx  Leftover Liz

Week 51- Nearly There!

Nearly at the summit!

Just one more week of the challenge to go- and the summit is just in sight!

I mustn't run out of steam yet- but my hopes of inspiration from an evening cooking class were dashed when it was cancelled due to lack of numbers.

So, I had to search elsewhere for ideas to tide me over the week.





Looking through my cupboard, I spotted one of those silicone cake-pop moulds which I bought in the January sales- and decided to give it a try using my savoury cake/muffin mix which readers on the blog seem to like. I also had a delicious slow roasted pork belly with a ginger beer gravy at my local pub and decided to recreate that as the main.

For pudding, I thought about climbing to the top of the blog mountain- and decided to make a dessert which represented that thought: Baked Alaska!

So, that's the menu for this week: Brie cake pops with cranberry relish, slow roasted pork belly with a ginger beer gravy and Baked Lemon Meringue Alaska.

I'll make the main course first.

Pork belly is a wonderful cheap cut of meat, which is transformed by very slow cooking. I'm using the crockpot, but a low, slow oven will work well too.

Pork belly, ginger beer, 5 spice and salt..

First slash the skin on the meat with a sharp knife and rub in some sea salt and Chinese five spice if you have it, pepper if not.
Heat a spray of oil in a frying pan until smoking hot and sear the skin until dark brown.

Sear in a frying pan

Lay the belly pieces on top of some sliced carrots and leeks in the crockpot.

Lay the belly slices on the veg

Deglaze the frying pan with the ginger beer and pour around the meat.
Leave to cook for 6 hours or more if you can.

Lift out the meat when it is very tender, place on a wire rack on a baking tray and flash into a hot oven for 15 minutes or so to crisp up the skin.

Scoop out the veg and thicken the gravy if necessary or thin it with some stock if that is more appropriate. If you want to crisp up the skin on the pork, flash it under a hot grill for a few minutes before serving.

Hearty comfort food for a wet and windswept Britain tonight!

Pork belly with ginger beer gravy

For the cake-pops, I'm using up some leftover bits and pieces of cheese - some Brie and some Cheddar. (This a good way to avoid throwing away those little bits of cheese leftover in the fridge.)

In a jug, combine 100g self raising flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, 1 cup of natural yoghurt, 2 eggs, 100g cheese (grated Cheddar and Brie with the rind cut off and the cheese cut into small pieces), 1 cup olive oil, salt and pepper and a teaspoon of mustard.

Lightly grease the silicone moulds with a spray of vegetable oil.
Place a small piece of Brie in the bottom of each pop-hollow and pour the mixture into the half-mould.

Put a small piece of Brie in each mould

Put on the lid and bake for 15-20 minutes or so at 200 degrees.
Allow to cool before un-moulding and pranging with a lolly stick. (Wooden coffee stirrers make a good substitute if you don't have lolly sticks... I'll leave it to you to think how you might end up with a pocket full of those..)
Serve with cranberry sauce or chutney (I bet you have a jar left over from Christmas still as I do.)

Cheesy Brie cake pops with cranberry relish

Now for the pud.
I use a sponge flan base, but you can use any cake (chocolate, ginger, whatever) if you have some needing using up. First preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
Whilst it's heating up,  shape your ice cream (again any flavour - but I had lemon meringue pie flavour in the freezer) into a mountain shape with a base the diameter of your cake. The easiest way to do this is to lay a piece of cling film out over the cake base, shape the ice cream on the plastic film, wrap, push and prod until you are satisfied with its shape. Seal it up quickly in the cling film and put back into the freezer to get really firm again.

Wrap the ice cream in cling film to shape it

Separate 3 eggs (I used the yolks for scrambled eggs for lunch- deliciously yellow and creamy!) and put the whites in a clean bowl.
Whip with an electric mixer, adding spoons of caster sugar as you go until you have a very firm white meringue, with peaks that stand up and hold their shape.

Now- quickly- lay the sponge base on a baking tray, unwrap your frozen ice cream mountain, lay it on the base and then cover quickly with the meringue. Use a palette knife to spread it evenly all over in a thick layer, paying particular attention to where it meets the sponge base.
Be sure to cover every tiny hole, where the ice cream could leak out.

Pop it in the oven and watch closely through the glass door. In four minutes it should turn beautifully golden. Out it comes and voila! Hot meringue and cold ice cream in a scrumptious pudding.

Lemon Meringue Baked Alaska

So, three more recipes to tempt you and use up stuff in your cupboards and fridge.

I've added a survey to this week's blog so you can vote for your favourite recipes (you can choose more than one category and vote as many times as you like). It would be good to get your feedback on what you've enjoyed - or even tried out - so do cast your votes and ask other people/ family members/ friends to tell me what they think too.

I'll keep an eye on your responses during the week and report back next weekend - when we reach the final frontier!

Week 50- German Bite!

Actually, it's more of an Austrian/Bavarian bite- but that wouldn't have made such a good pun. And in fact it's not even that good a pun - unless you follow the shipping forecast...you know, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger, Humber, Fisher, German Bight...

Moving on..(as Ronald Reagan once said: 'If you're explaining, you're losing'- wise words if you're telling a joke, although less so perhaps if you're heading up a world democracy.)

Anyway, the whole blog is a bit of a cheat this week.

Firstly, although it's three courses - two of them are puddings. And secondly, those puddings
are cheat's versions of the German classics.

It is Week 50 after all, so I hope you'll cut me some slack here.

This week's menu is Wiener Schnitzel, followed by a choice of Cheat's Strudel or Black Forest Express.

Let's start with the puddings.

The Black Forest Express (BFE) uses leftover chocolate cake or muffins (good if they are going a bit dry and need using up), a pot of chocolate mousse, some 'fruits of the forest' (either tinned or frozen), a bit of booze and a chocolate flake bar.

Slice your cakes into three discs- I used choc chip muffins. Spread each disc with chocolate mousse.

Slather on the chocolate mousse

Bring your fruit up to a simmer in a pan with 1/2 cup of water and a dash of kirsch or creme de cassis or even port. Strain the juice into a jug.
Now layer up your BFE in a glass or sundae dish- one chocolate cake disc topped with a spoonful of fruit, then the next and so on. When the tower is complete, pour over the syrupy juice and allow to soak in.
When ready to serve, top with whipped cream and the crumbled flake bar.

Black Forest Express

Et voila- a walk in the Black Forest- or at least a quick jog.

The Strudel is equally quick- although does require a bit of cooking.

I had leftover mincemeat and apple compote to use up- but you can put whatever fruit you like in a Strudel eg. leftover fruits of the forest from your Black Forest Express above, or peach and mandarin...up to you.

The mincemeat was a Christmas present from a friend so I give it star billing. The recipe will feature on the blog soon (when I can prise it out of her)- but she hinted that it contains crystallized fruit rather than candied fruit and nuts as well as all the usuals. Delicious!

Debbie's Special Mincemeat

For the strudel pastry, I use spring roll wrappers. Lay out the wrapper, spoon on your filling, then close it up any way you want- like an envelope, or a spring roll, or a samosa or a cigar. Then double wrap it in another square of  spring roll pastry. Seal the edges by brushing with water to make them sticky. then place on a well greased baking sheet and brush with melted butter or Flora.

Bake at 200 degrees until golden and serve sliced with icing sugar sprinkled over and cream or ice cream.

Easy Apple and Mincemeat Strudel

Finally, onto the main course. This I have tried to cook authentically. I've used rose veal which is humanely reared and slaughtered and although it can be expensive - a little piece goes a long way.

I bought mine from the butchers and it had already been tenderised and flattened into a large fillet (which I cut in two).

The schnitzel trinity- flour, egg, breadcrumbs

I laid out three dishes of flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs (the latter I always keep in the freezer and top up whenever I have leftover crusts or slices of bread).

First dip the meat in flour, then egg, then press into the breadcrumbs until well coated.

Heat a teaspoon of vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the schnitzels for a few minutes on each side until the breadcrumbs are evenly golden.

Wiener Schnitzel

Serve with a good squeeze of lemon and a green salad.

So, I hope you enjoyed my brief foray into German classics.
Next week, as I need something to fire my depleted imagination and keep me going to the end of the 52 weeks, I'm going back to cookery class for some inspiration.

Expect some interesting stuff- although possibly not cooked by me, as I think it may be mostly cooking demonstrations.

Anyway, better stop explaining...

Week 49- Burns Supper Leftovers

The great chieftain o' the puddin' race- dressed for battle!

The 25th January has come round again and Burns Night is upon us. We will be raising a glass to toast the Baird, and piping in the haggis this Saturday night.

This is as much in remembrance of my teenage years, growing up in the village of Alloway in Ayrshire, as it is a celebration of his poetry.

Smoked salmon starter

As last year ( see blog entry 'Here's tae us' ), we will be dining in Caledonian style with a Scottish seafood starter, (mussels or Orkney crab or smoked salmon with rye or soda bread), the main attraction- haggis, neeps and tatties, then a pudding of whisky cake with cream. All of these recipes are on the blog or in the cloud above.

Whisky cake

Soda bread

Scottish mussels

Rye bread

However, for this year's Burns blog, as you already have the recipes for the event itself,  I thought I would look at creative ways to use up the leftovers from the feast- so I'm making spiced clapshot soup with haggis samosas, followed by a haggis hash with crispy ham and eggs, and whisky cake pieces with cranachan topping.

The clapshot soup uses up the leftover root veg from your meal. I roast mine prior to 'bashing' for the 'neeps'- but if your leftovers are already bashed, that's even simpler.

Veg ready for the soup

I fry the root veg in a tablespoon of curry paste or powder and add 1 litre of strong stock (chicken is best but vegetable is OK if you're cooking veggie). Simmer for a short while (the veg is already cooked after all, you just want the flavours to mingle.) Blitz and serve with the samosas.

Spiced clapshot soup with haggis samosas

For the samosas, I use spring roll wrappers from the Chinese supermarket, but filo pastry is fine too.

Fold the square of pastry in half lengthways, put a  large teaspoon of haggis in the bottom right hand corner, fold over, then back on itself, and again, until you have a neatly wrapped triangle.
Brush the triangles with a little melted butter or Flora and a sprinkling of black onion seeds if you have them.

Place on a greased baking tray and bake at 200 degrees for 10 minutes or so until golden.

You could make spring rolls if you prefer using the technique below.

Fold over top corner

Fold in sides and roll

Any remaining haggis is delicious combined with leftover mashed potato and fried in a little vegetable oil to make patties. The flavour is like a hash.
Top with some crispy grilled Prosciuttio and a poached or fried egg.

Haggis hash with poached egg and ham

For dessert, I took some of my leftover whisky marmalade cake, cut out rounds and topped with ice cream (I used creme brulee flavour and it went well) and some toasted oats, with extra whipped cream and whisky/honey syrup.

To toast the oats, melt 100 g of butter in a frying pan, add some rolled oats and stir through until the oats begin to turn golden, add a drizzle of honey or golden syrup and as soon as it bubbles, pour over the ice cream.

Cranachan topping toasting in the pan

Whisky cake pieces with cranachan topping

Anyway, enjoy your haggis on the 25th- boiled, steamed or lightly grilled!

Lightly grilled haggis!

Slainte!

Week 48- A Flash in the Pan

Not everyone wants to have the oven on- it's expensive and it takes time to bake things.

A lot of my recipes call for oven baking- so this week I have changed tack and deliberately sought out a menu which can be made on the stove top.



I'm starting with halloumi and chutney fritters, followed by cod wrapped in bacon with mushy peas on black pudding mash with a tomato butter sauce, and finishing up with chocolate brioche pain perdu.

Whilst I think all of the above components are pretty tasty, I'm particularly pleased with the halloumi fritters, the genius tomato sauce and the black pud mash- but take a look for yourselves.

Halloumi cheese is a lovely ingredient- salty and dense with a delicious crispy crust when fried. For this recipe, the chutney adds a salty-sweet contrast and the breadcrumbs add to the crunchiness.

First, beat 2 eggs in a bowl. Take out a large tablespoonful and put in another dish. Keep the majority of beaten egg for the pain perdu later.
Slice the hallomi into tranches about 1 cm thick. Dip them in flour. Mix the tablespoon of beaten egg with a tablespoon of chutney (fig, plum or even mango). Dip the slices into the egg mixture, then onto a plate of breadcrumbs. Coat well.

Flour, egg/chutney mix, breadcrumbs

Fry until golden

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a non stick frying pan and fry the slices quickly until golden brown on both sides. Serve with a spinach salad.

Halloumi and chutney fritters 

For the fish dish, first make your tomato sauce. This is so simple- but it makes the best tomato sauce for pasta or fish. Gently fry 1 small finely chopped onion with a little minced garlic. Put it in a slow cooker or heavy saucepan along with 2 cans of chopped tomatoes, seasoning and 100g of unsalted butter. Cover and leave to simmer for as long as you like.

The result is an unctuous, creamy tomato sauce - which you can sieve if you like it smooth, or leave chunky.

Tomato butter sauce- three (or four) ingredients!

Now make your mash- fry some slices of black pudding (leftover from a breakfast fry perhaps) and crumble into a bowl. Add 300g of mashed potato (or the equivalent of 1 baking potato per person ) and combine the two. Adjust the seasoning to your taste and either keep warm over a pan of simmering water or microwave for 1 minute per portion when you are ready to eat.

Right- mushy peas. OK- I bought mine tinned. They are excellent as they are.

You can make your own by blitzing some cooked peas to a puree (this has a fresher taste and a more vibrant colour).

Fresh blitzed peas and tomato sauce

To make authentic mushy peas from scratch, you need  225g dried marrowfat peas.
Place the peas in a large bowl or stock pot, the peas will swell and so need plenty of room to expand.
 Add 2tbsp bicarbonate of soda and cover with 300ml / ½ pint boiling water and stir to make sure the bicarbonate has dissolved. Add the peas and leave to soak overnight, or for a minimum of 12 hours.
Drain the peas in a colander, then place in a large saucepan, cover again with cold water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for approx 30 mins or until the peas have softened and turned mushy. You could use your slow cooker for this if you prefer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

You can see why I prefer to use tinned!

Mushy peas- the easy way!

Finally, cook your fish. 
Wrap the fillet in bacon or pancetta and fry on all sides until the bacon is crispy all over. Turn off the heat, cover with a lid to allow the fish to cook through in the residual heat and assemble your dish.

Place a round of mash, topped with mushy peas in a dish. Place your fish on top and drizzle tomato sauce all round.

Bacon wrapped cod on black pudding mash with mushy peas and tomato butter sauce

Lastly, the pud.

Take 2 slices of chocolate brioche per person and spread one half of the 'sandwich' with Nutella, jam or fresh fruit puree. Sandwich together.

Beat the reserved egg with a splash of milk and some vanilla essence and then soak the sandwiches until all the egg has been absorbed.

Soak the sandwiches in the egg mixture

Melt a small knob of butter in a frying pan. Fry the sandwich quickly on both sides, cut in half and serve with cream, or ice cream and a dusting of icing sugar.

Chocolate brioche pain perdu

Any leftovers from this meal can be put to good use-  tomato sauce has a plethora of uses from pasta dishes to chilli to salsa to baked potato fillings and 

you can't beat fish and chips with mushy peas...