With the barbarians now being vegetarian, I often end up cooking two meals or leaving them to fend for themselves. However, as they are barbarians, this often means they eat very few proper vegetables! On Monday we all eat meat free, and I get to fill them full of vegetables. Using ready made pastry is […]
Category: Supper
Dhal again
Dhal is lovely comfort food but without being overly heavy on the calories. There are many variations of dhal and I do like to experiment with the ingredients and texture. Top with crispy shallots or coriander leaves or just spoon into a bowl for supper on a cold day. However you eat your dhal, enjoy!
Sausages
John is a huge fan of sausages, me, not so much. While we have been in lock down I have been experimenting with making sausages. Boerewors for my South African roots and some pork and apple sausages. I have about six kilograms of sausages taking up space in the freezer now! This dish is a […]
Barbecue pork ribs and a side of coleslaw
Fall from the bone, melt in your mouth pork ribs are a favourite with John and the barbarian boys. Even the one that is now vegetarian looked wistful when I made these and commented that they had been a favourite! These are easy enough to do, even for a busy weekday, as they can be […]
Venison stew with mushroom risotto
I love venison, it is leaner than beef and a so much more flavoursome. We are lucky that there are a number of farm shops near us that sell it in season. Ocado also has it in the flash sales on occasion and I stock up the freezer. Its perfect for a dinner party or […]
Crispy beef stir fry
Sometimes even I don’t feel much like cooking, but negotiating a takeaway is a mine field. You never can tell how seriously they will take the gluten free request. We do have a favourite one that has yet to poison John but most of the time it is just so much easier to cook. This […]
Paprika lamb hearts
I know lots of people are squeamish about eating offal, but I believe in nose to tail eating. I must admit that I draw the line at brains and I won’t contemplate tripe, but kidneys, hearts and liver make a regular appearance on our table. Organ meats have a greater concentration of vitamins and minerals […]
Smoked mackerel fish cakes
John doesn’t much like fish, not even a fish finger sandwich! He will however eat fish cakes without protest. I wanted to create some slightly different fish cakes, so I swapped potato for sweet potato and added chilli and coriander. Healthy easy recipe using sweet potato
Fort Mistake Curry
Somewhere between Newcastle and Ladysmith, overlooking the Mkupe Pass is an old fort called Fort Mistake. Many years ago a friend rang me up and suggested I meet him there. It’s been a standing joke between our families ever since. He recently sent me a Mauritian chicken curry recipe which has been handed down in […]
The Way to a Man’s Heart
Many years ago, John came to my house for his birthday supper. After a three-course meal, John never left. I have Nigel Slater to thank. The first meal I cooked for John was a simple hot prawn starter followed by Nigel Slater’s lamb shanks, slow cooked in red wine with whole grain mustard and lots of […]