Meals from my Brexit Cupboard

My parents were children in the Second World War. They knew what it was like to be short of food, and to never know what was round the corner. Subsequently, for as long as I can remember they had a 'siege' cupboard under the stairs where they kept a supply of tins, packets and bottles to sustain them in the event of an unexpected crisis.







Many of us came round to that way of thinking at the start of 2019, when Brexit loomed- and we began to stock our cupboards with tasty Euro treats like pasta, pulses, sauces and tinned fish.
Well, the 29th of March came and went as a damp squib- as did June 2019 (Damp Squib 2), and October 31st (The Return of the Damp Squib).
Now however the 31st January looks like Damp Squib is back- and this time it means it.
So we are un-celebrating the date by eating a meal from my stock of tins and packets.

If you feel like un-celebrating with us, or just want some storecupboard ideas to use whilst camping or travelling- look no further.

I am making Moroccan Soup and Vegetable Chilli with flatbreads, plus Butter Bean Mash and Smash-ing Gnocchi.

For the Moroccan Soup, you will need 1cup of leftover vegetables or 1 tin of ratatouille, 1/2 jar fruit chutney ( plum or fig are good here) 2 tbsp red lentils, 1 tin mixed beans in tomato sauce, 1 tbsp Moroccan seasoning (ras-el-hanout) and 1 tsp chilli paste ( or harissa paste if you prefer).
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a deep pan or pressure cooker, and coat the lentils before adding the spices. Then pour in the contents of the tins. Fill the tins with water, swirl around to rinse and add this to the soup.
Stir in the chutney and taste- add more salt, chilli or seasoning to get the flavour you like.

Mix all together in a deep pan

Cook in the pressure cooker for 5 minutes or simmer in the pan for 15 minutes until the lentils are cooked.

Moroccan Soup

This soup goes well with pitta bread or homemade flatbreads:

Just blitz 220g of wholemeal flour and 1 tsp salt with 2 tbsp rapeseed oil in a food processor ( or rub in with your fingers).

Blitz flour, salt and oil

Gradually add hot water until you have a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface

Turn it out on a floured board, divide into four portions and roll out thinly.

Roll into four thin flatbreads

If you are not going to eat these straightaway, freeze them with a piece of greaseproof paper in between each one. You can cook them straight from frozen.

When you are ready to eat, fry them in a hot dry frying pan until the surface bubbles slightly. Turn them over and fry the other side for a couple of minutes and serve.

Fry in a hot dry pan and serve

These flatbreads go well with a vegetable chilli- again made from tinned goods.

You need 1 tin brown or green lentils, 1 tin kidney or borlotti beans in chilli sauce, 1/2 tin Eazy onions, 1 tsp minced garlic or garlic powder, 2 extra tsp chilli powder (optional), 2 tbsp tomato puree.

Bring the onions up to a sizzle and add the minced garlic.
Drain and rinse the lentils and add them to the pan along with the kidney beans.
Add the tomato puree and some salt and pepper to taste ( you can add extra chilli powder here).
Add some more water and then let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
Adjust seasoning before serving.

Vegetable Chilli

The leftovers make a great filling for baked potatoes the next day too.

Veggie chilli Baked  Potato

And talking of potatoes- do you remember these guys?

Well, I'm making a case here for the return of Smash ( instant potato ) to our stock cupboards.

Instant mash has fallen out of favour here- but the French have no such fashion fads. They love their pomme purée  and rightly so. Added to soups, it thickens and adds flavour- and in this gnocchi recipe, it's as good if not better than it's fresh rival.

Mix 40g potato powder rehydrated with 150 ml boiling water to 1 egg yolk ( freeze the white for later use ), 1 tsp salt and 1-2 tbsp plain flour. Add more flour as necessary to achieve a soft workable dough.

Mix mash, egg yolk, salt and flour in a bowl

Turn out the dough onto a floured board and roll it into a long sausage, like you used to roll Playdough.

Roll out into a long sausage

Slice at 2cm intervals and then flatten with the tines of a fork to give the gnocchi their traditional appearance-but also to help with them carrying a sauce.

Slice and shape the gnocchi

Bring a deep pan of salted water to the boil and add the gnocchi in batches. They cook quickly.

Gnocchi are cooked when they rise to the surface

Remove with a draining spoon and leave to cool (if you are not using them right away).

These little pillows are easy to freeze and refresh in boiling water when you need them.

Baked Gnocchi

They are lovely with olive oil and grated cheese on their own, or in a tomato sauce or baked with a cheese sauce and spinach as a main dish.

They are also tasty fried to accompany steak or chops.

If you want a change from potato or rice to accompany your dishes- try making a mash from tinned butter beans.

Gently cook 1/2 tsp minced garlic in some olive oil, then add the drained beans with lots of salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and a tsp of grated lemon zest.

Add lemon zest and juice to beans

Mash with a potato masher for a coarse puree or use a hand blender for a smoother one. You can flavour the mash with chopped chives or spring onions,

Mash to a coarse or fine puree

or leave out the lemon and beat in some Tomme cheese and nutmeg for a Butter Bean Aligot. Coarse grain mustard makes a good flavour combination too.

Butter Bean Aligot

So whether you are celebrating or un-celebrating this 31st January, I hope some of these recipes are useful.

And remember in these dark January days - you never know who will really have the last laugh.

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Week 1- Lamb Tagine and Middle Eastern Munchies

January has been a dull month.

It's hard enough to get into the right frame of mind for going back to work after Christmas, but the January weather makes it worse. Snow days, icy windscreens, wind, rain and mud all conspire to make the business of trying to earn a crust seem nigh on impossible.

Time to think about warmer climes, spicier flavours - and to use up some of those storecupboard ingredients bought in for Christmas that really shouldn't languish there until the Christmas decorations go back up in 2013.

I'm talking about dates, nuts, dried fruits, mulled wine spices- ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.

So, today's three course meal looks to North Africa for it's inspiration: roasted pepper hummus with flatbreads to start, lamb tagine with couscous for main course, and pears poached in mulled wine for pudding.

For the hummus- roast a red and yellow pepper (deseeded) in the oven until soft (20 minutes or so). You can do this earlier in the week when you have the oven on for another dish. Allow to cool completely before blitzing in the food processor with the juice of half a lemon, a can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed), a clove of garlic (more if you like), a tablespoon of peanut butter or tahini paste and a glug of olive oil. When smooth, taste and add salt or pepper, more lemon or more oil if it is too dry. Place in a bowl and chill well.

For the flatbreads, I used half a packet of bread mix from my storecupboard (125g mixed with 175ml of warm water.) You could use bread flour with a sachet of yeast in warm water or self raising flour with 1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder, a tablespoon of olive oil and 125ml of milk.

If using yeast, the dough needs to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours.

When double in size, knock back and roll out into circles ( saucer sized or plate sized as you wish).

Brush a pan lightly with olive oil and fry gently on one side. As they start to puff up, press them down gently with a clean tea towel. Turn them over and brown on the other side.

Carrot and nut salad

Serve warm, sliced with a serving of hummus on the side and a carrot and nut salad, if you wish.


Next- the lamb tagine.

Spring lamb is not yet in season, but it is best to buy tougher cuts of mutton (which is in season) anyway for this dish. I used neck fillet, but you can use boned shoulder or knuckle.

First make your spice mix- 1 tsp of minced garlic, 2 tsps of ground ginger, 1 tsp of cinammon, 1 tsp of turmeric, a pinch of saffron soaked in an egg cup of warm water, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp mild chilli powder and a good grating of nutmeg.
Mix to a paste with the juice of half a lemon (the other half of the one you used for the hummus) and a tablespoon of olive oil.

You will need about 100g of lamb per person- cut into cubes and then coated in the paste. Leave to marinade for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
Fry one onion, finely chopped in some olive oil, then fry the meat and add a handful each of apricots, dates and sultanas to the pan. Add a can of chopped tomatoes and the residue from the marinade bowl rinsed out with a cup of water, along with a teaspoon of honey to sweeten.

I cook mine in a slow cooker (but of course you could use a tagine pot if you have one, or a casserole dish in the oven.)

Lamb Tagine with Couscous

The dish takes about 7 hours to cook in a slow cooker - until the lamb is tender.

Serve with couscous and a drizzle of natural yoghurt if you like that.

For dessert, I poached some pears in a cupful of red vermouth (but red wine with a little vanilla sugar added is fine), with a good grating of nutmeg and a teaspoon of mixed spice.
Poach until the pears are tender and have taken on the pink colour of the wine or vermouth.

Pear in Mulled Wine

Serve warm or cold to your liking.

Beans means Tagines!

And what of the leftovers- well, there was no meat left over but plenty of sauce- so I mixed it with a can of butter beans, drained and rinsed, a small can of chopped tomatoes and a dollop of smoky barbecue relish. It made an excellent filling for baked potatoes, and went well with chips too!
It would have been good as well with a slice of garlic bread to make Posh Beans on Toast.

Tabbouleh

Any leftover couscous can be made into a tabbouleh with parsley, mint, tomatoes and cucumber, and the hummus makes a tasty addition to my lunch box during the week.

The flatbreads freeze well- and make easy pizza bases for another meal.

Even the leftover fruit syrup from the pears can be used again (if there was any left) in a fresh fruit salad the next day.

I hope this trip to North Africa and the Middle East helps lift the winter gloom- there's lots to look forward to in the next few weeks- Pancake Day, Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day.

I haven't decided where in the world I'm going next week.

Any preferences?