Take two

So as I said yesterday when I make dinner I always think a day or two in advanced to save me time in the kitchen.
Whether it be making extra for Mr Lids packed lunch to take to the office the next day or making extra to use as a base to make something yummy for the next nights dinner- it’s a little something called mes en plas, which means everything in its place- sorta like saying get everything ready now, so later you can just put things together to make your dish- a fancy way of saying get organised.
There is nothing worse than coming home after a long day and having to start dinner from scratch.
Once you build a little confidence in throwing things together- left overs will become your best friend!

Parsnip and carrot fritters with spiced yoghurt

Leftover mashed carrot and parsnip
Ground cumin, coriander and caraway
Egg
Self raising flour
Chilli
Natural Yoghurt
Lemon
I prefer to get whole spices toast them on a low heat in a dry pan till fragrant, leave to cool and grind in a mortar and pestle.
Add spices and some chilli (either dried or fresh) to the left over mash, season with salt and pepper.
Add an egg or two- you want enough egg to help bind the fritters, but not do much that they are eggy.
If you want the fritters to be gluten free use a blend of rice flour and potato starch with some baking powder (a blend of gluten free flours is more stable than using one type on its own)
If you can have gluten use self raising flour- add 1/4 cup at a time and fold in- do not mix too much because you will develop the gluten and make the fritters doughy.
Lightly oil a fry pan and spoon mix into ring moulds, cook both sides till golden.
Put fritters on grease proof paper and cook in the oven till firm to touch.
180c dependent on size about 10-15min
For the spiced yoghurt add some of the spice mix, a squeeze of lemon and salt to taste.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_place

Kill two birds

When thinking of what to cook for dinner I am always thinking a day in advanced- at least.
Trying to kill two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.
Tonight Mr Lid has steak- it’s sitting in the fridge waiting to be turned into a magical experience as I type- lets be honest, it is just steak. As long as it turns into a well balanced meal and Mr Lid eats it all, my mission can be considered a success.

I skipped the fruit and vege shop on my way home from the gym this morning opting for a stop at the dairy instead to get milk for Mr Lids morning coffee.

So I shall make do with what I have, and I’m kinda excited about it.
Not because of what it will make for tonight’s dinner- but for what I going to turn the left overs into for tomorrow’s dinner!

Make more than you need so there are leftovers for tomorrow’s dinner…

Baked potato
Potato
Parsnip
Carrot
Goats cheese
Butter
Peel and chop carrot and parsnip- remove the core of the parsnip if too woody. Top the pot with water add some salt and boil till soft, drain and leave the lid off to help dry the mash out.
Pop washed whole potato in the oven 180-200c 30-40 min adjust time depending on the size of the potatoes.
Once soft when squeezed cut the top off the potato and scoop out the insides. Add the potato to the carrot mix- add seasoning and butter and mash, I like my mash a little chunky gives some texture.
Pull out the mixture you won’t be needing for tonight, save it for tomorrow.
Add goats cheese to mash and stuff back into potato shells- serve now or keep warm in the oven. If you don’t like goats cheese use nothing, or any cheese you have, or cream cheese, or even a dab of mayonnaise.

Cauliflower

So we have a thing in my family called a Cauliflower pie- its yum, I remember growing up my Mum making this tummy filling mixture of vegetables and cheese sauce covered in a creamy potato mash smothered in  more cheese baked till it was bubbling and hot, served usually with a steak proudly cooked by Dad on the BBQ, and peas. My Dad loves peas.

We would have this once a week, plates almost being licked clean, no one could ever say we were bad eaters- my sister and I ate grown man sized portions since I don’t remember when- my Mum was a hearty cook, now that I think about it she was never that great at portion control, but always on time. On the table ready to eat at 5:30 EVERY NIGHT -why so early you say?! She never liked cooking so she made dinner time for Dad the same time as the kids so she only had to do it once- get it over and done with, and the habit stuck- the time of 5:30 seemed to fit in well with just after Neighbours but before Home and Away or what ever it was that wasn’t the News.

When my sister and I finally left home (always to return mind you) Mum continued this tradition of the wonderful Cauliflower pie for Dad- until that fateful day he had to confess he hated it.

What a good Dad, ate it for the sake of the children. Didn’t phase Mum. She kept making it for him and he would eat it. As long as there was food on a plate my Dad would eat it whether he liked it or not.

I have to confess my Mr Lid also is not that fond of Cauliflower pie- I am. Its a great way to get rid of all the old vegetables in the fridge!!

Like I have said before I am not one for measuring things- be confident, trust me, as long as the ingredients are kinda the same I am sure it will be lovely.

Cauliflower Pie

Cauliflower

Carrots

Broccoli

(lately I love adding in Brussel sprouts and Leeks, Parsnips are yum too)

You can steam these till tender or microwave them (in a bowl with a tiny bit of water covered in cling film)

I cook Carrots and the Cauliflower at the same time about 5 minutes- depends on how much you have and just before it is cooked I add in the Broccoli for another 3-4 minutes- then run everything under cold water till cold.

Butter

Flour

Milk

Cheese- grated

Basic cheese sauce

 

Equal quantities of Butter and Flour- Melt butter in a pan- stir in Flour- should be a paste.

Next add Milk- about 1/4 cup at a time- “stir, stir, up to the boil, no lumps”

Keep saying this to yourself- every time you add milk stir it till it thickens and bubbles a bit doing this each time you add milk will ensure you are cooking out the starch in the flour and your sauce is not lumpy or floury.

Add enough milk till it is a silky smooth sauce consistency- then add a little bit more

 Next the cheese- this will thicken your sauce more (hence the little extra milk) add this stirring till it melts- start with a little, don’t be scared you can always add more- you just cant take it out once its in.

I use a Edam- because that is what we have in our fridge, tasty is great, or for a swanky dish try using a little blue cheese as well, nutmeg or bay leaves anything can be added- totally up to you.

Lastly Salt and Pepper- I like freshly ground Black pepper, just ads a bit of pep.

While all this stirring and steaming is going on have a pot of lightly salted potatoes bubbling away ready for the mash (now I say potato, but here is where this dish is awesome- Kumara, Pumpkin, Potato, Carrot, Parsnip- anything that can be mashed can be piled high on this dish)

Cook till soft, drain and let steam a bit to help evaporate some of the moisture, add a dash of milk and a knob of butter a smidge of salt and a bit of pepper and mash- by hand with a masher or with one of those fancy stick blender things which every kitchen should have!

In a dish large enough to hold your vegetables cover them in your cheese sauce and cover with your mash- any cheese left over? Sprinkle ontop and wait.

This can be made the day before, or in the morning, or just before you would like to eat it- just pop it in the oven (or microwave) and let it heat through till its all golden and bubbly.