Day 47: Chicken noodle stir-fry

Note to self…buy a wok. I love gadgets in the kitchen. I love dishes. I especially love cups. I especially love floral ones. I love plates. I love nice bowls. I love bright casserole dishes. I love different types of jugs and my delf butter dish but do I own a wok? No. And the only time I remember to buy one is when I’m exactly in need of one as I embark on yet another new recipe. So, I really am going to have put sticky notes everywhere to remind me to buy a wok! Tomorrow. Deal.

So the reason I needed a wok tonight was because I was making Chicken noodle stir-fry.  Now, I don’t like Chinese food – well, not the Western version anyway because of all the MSG in it. I just think it’s a tray of horribleness that isn’t good for anyone with all the MSG, salt, sugar etc. I’ve mentioned about Chinese food in my blog before and, since then, one of my students who works in a Chinese has confirmed to me that her Chinese employers do not eat the food they sell. They eat the authentic Chinese food but definitely not the Western version of Chinese dishes. Enough said.

For the chicken noodle stir –fry, I had to use rice noodles. Now, I searched supermarket after supermarket in Donegal and Derry for rice noodles and could find plenty of egg noodles but no luck with finding rice noodles so when I was ordering the sumac from Mr. Bell’s in Cork, I managed to get them. And why is it that you find things then when you’re not looking for them? The day I was in Sainsburys looking for tarragon, I found, of course, rice noodles – fresh ones in the fridge section next to the herbs. Typical. The rice noodles I got from Mr. Bell’s were dried so I had to soak them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, I had to use the gold old reliable frying pan on a very high heat. Also, this evening, I discovered the difference between a high heat and blatantly burning the bottom out of the pan. Not a good start to the meal; however, apparently the aroma wafting around the kitchen had caught Dear Husband’s attention and he said that if the food tasted as good as it smelled then it was going to be 10 out of 10!

In the frying pan, I added some oil followed by garlic and finely grated ginger which I fried for 30 seconds before adding in the sliced carrot and half of the chopped scallions. After about 3 minutes, I added in sliced breast of chicken and cooked it until it changed colour. Then, I added in a can of coconut milk and a tablespoon of nam pla. That simmered for just over 2 minutes while I drained the rice noodles and added them in. I finished it all off by adding the remainder of the scallion and some freshly coriander leaves.

The verdict…

Unfortunately, the noodles did not live up to expectations and Dear Husband scored them 5 marks out of 10. He said that it tasted a bit bland. I’m seriously beginning to think he had blocked sinuses or something. How can a dish with garlic, ginger and nam pla be bland?!!! However, in fairness, I admit that I did accidentally burn the garlic and the first half of the scallions which is why I need to get myself a wok! It really was the equipment that was at fault. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Seriously, you’d think Dear Husband would even have tasted the burnt garlic and scallions but nope. A no-go with Dear Son, also.  

Despite all that, I’m going to try this recipe again when I get a wok. That’s the thing about cooking, you must accept that not every recipe will turn out perfect but as long as you learn from where you went wrong and try again, it’s not been a waste of time. Sure isn’t that life all over…

Day 46: Lamb meatballs

Another Monday, only this evening, after work, I had to make a mad dash around the supermarket en route home seeing as I didn’t get the food shopping done on Saturday. Honestly, am I the only one who suffers from slight shopping rage at times?! There I am legging it in the door with the trolley, totally focused, game plan agreed in my head i.e. mental shopping list mapped up to the different areas of the store and it seems that a Monday evening is when a lot of people decide to do their food shopping – a lot! Now, just in case my Mammy is reading this, don’t get me wrong – I am the epitome of good manners; I always give way, wait my turn etc. etc. etc. but you know when some people decide to go up and down the aisles almost sideways so as to maximise the area they take up and minimise yours? Well, that does not figure in my game plan and thus increases the time which takes me to shop - precious time that I never seem to have enough of.

I also have to say this, as in case you are under some sort of illusion (as some of you are) that my life is absolutely perfect and with the blog and cooking all these different dishes every day and everything is all so perfectly easy, it’s not. Just want to dispel that myth right now. For most people I know, life is hectic and mine is no different. Factor in two young children and it's even more hectic but I wouldn’t change it for a second. The reality is that I, like the everyone else, try to do my best and, although I have an ideal in my head of the way I want things to be or the way they should be, I think those ideals are something which aren’t exactly within my grasp right now and maybe they never will be. But, at the end of the day, we all get out of bed every morning and get on with it. Remember my saying – suck it up and get on with it?!

Ok, rant over and back to the focus of this Challenge…

I decided to make Lamb meatballs this evening purely because I hadn’t used my fancy wee cocktail sticks in about two months. I first saw them on an episode of one of Nigella Lawson’s cookery programmes and, after a bit of research courtesy of the good old Internet, I eventually found them on the Lakeland website (www.lakeland.co.uk and then type in 41071 in the search box). I always use them for cocktail sausages for parties or even if I’m simply making lamb meatballs for Dear Husband and Dear Son.

So, for the meatballs, I grated lemon zest into a bowl along with chopped garlic, a grated onion, cardamom seeds and seasoning. I then added in the minced lamb and squished it all together (with my latex gloves, of course!). I then rolled the mixture into tiny balls – about the size of a walnut shell before frying them for about 12 minutes. While they were cooking, I made the sauce which consisted of natural Greek yoghurt, turmeric, lemon juice and diced cucumber. Then, I just served it all up and put my fancy cocktail sticks on the meatballs.

The verdict…

Dear Husband gave the dish 9 marks out of 10 and Dear Son gave them 10 out of 10 – yay! Although I suspect that Dear Husband told Dear Son to tell me that! Regardless, both ate them and, even better, Baby Daughter was happy to munch away on one. The recipe was very easy and the only tedious part is rolling the mixture into tiny balls. Other than that, it’s quick. I did taste the sauce and it was nice with the turmeric which I have learned is native to South Asia and belongs to the ginger family so it’s hot, peppery with a mustardy smell.

Lamb meatballs have been a staple in our house for quite a number of years since I first used one of Rachel’s lamb meatball recipes from one of her other books so I’ll definitely make this version again. Lamb really is a popular meat with children so it’s an all-round family pleaser when it’s clearly enjoyed by my three and it’s not often that happens. Now, if only everything I make could be enjoyed by all three, I really would be getting to some sort of culinary perfection in this house...  

Day 30: Mackerel with chorizo, sauteed potatoes and roasted cauliflower with gemolata

There they were. These bright eyes staring at me from across the counter. I tried to avoid them. Sure I only went over to get haddock for last night’s dinner but then I saw them. Didn’t recognise them at all. What gave it away though was the name tag…mackerel. In case you haven’t realised, those bright eyes were those of a dead fish! Bright eyed and…not bushy tailed…rather shiny tailed. When I was in the supermarket yesterday, I happened to notice the mackerel and, only for the name tag, I wouldn’t have had a clue what type of fish it was. Up until recently, my knowledge of fish extended to cod, salmon, scallops, squid, mussels, prawns but if you’d put haddock or mackerel in front of me, I wouldn’t have had a clue! I’m slowly getting to grips with it all. So, tonight, I made Mackerel with chorizo, Sauteed potatoes and Roasted cauliflower with gremolata.

I started the roasted cauliflower with gremolata first as it was going to take the longest to cook (or so I thought!). I cut the cauliflower up into florets, washed and dried them before putting them into a bowl which had olive oil and seasoning in it. I mixed them around with a spoon and put them on a baking tray. Into the oven they went for 20 minutes.

Next, I started on the Sautéed potatoes – I kg of them cubed, boiled for 5 minutes and then dried on kitchen paper and let them sit while I got on with the mackerel.

While I was standing at the fish counter yesterday waiting on the haddock, I knew that there was mackerel in at least one dish of the cookbook but as I stared at the poor wee fish’s eyes, I kept saying to myself “No way am I cooking that! Nope. No way!” And what do you know? Anytime I say I can’t or simply won’t do something, I end up doing it. It was only befitting that Ireland were playing New Zealand today as I needed some sort of Haka-inspired pep talk to psyche myself up for cooking this fish. It really looked like a real proper fish. Em, probably because it was but you know what I mean - there is a difference between buying a fillet of fish and an actual fish-fish like the mackerel was. Ask and you shall receive. Well, there was no way I was going to be-head the fish so I asked the lovely lady behind the counter very nicely if she would be-head and de-tail the fish for me and she did. Thank God for that! There is only so much I can take as a vegetarian who prepares meat and fish for the family!

To cook the mackerel, I fried sliced chorizo with 12 cloves of garlic in the pan for a few minutes on each side. I then took the chorizo and garlic out of the pan and put them on a plate while I left the oil in the pan. I had the beloved latex gloves on for the next part. (By the way, I use a different pair every time just in case you think it’s the same pair!). I had to slash the fish three times on each side and then fry them in the chorizo oil for 2 minutes on each side. I then added white wine and lemon juice before adding the chorizo and garlic back into the pan and then covered the pan and simmered for another 5 minutes.

While the mackerel was cooking, I put on the potatoes to sauté with oil, seasoning and thyme. I just had to keep flipping the frying pan so that they didn’t burn. Other than that, they were simple to make. To finish off the cauliflower, I had to mix the zest of lemon, chopped parsley, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper together and cover the cauliflower with it.

I served up the fish, chorizo and garlic with freshly chopped parsley sprinkled over and a wedge of lemon and the veg.

The verdict…

One mouthful into the mackerel and I knew it wasn’t going down well with Dear Husband. The first obstacle was the bone that he picked out of his mouth. Followed by the next one and the next one. So much for the fish being de-boned then. He didn’t like the taste of the mackerel as he thought it was too strong. Therefore, he gave the mackerel 2 marks out of 10. For the sautéed potatoes and cauliflower gremolata, he gave them 8 out of 10 so, I ended up with an average score of 5 marks out of 10 for the complete dish.

Dear Son took one look at his plate and I had to swiftly remove it to make the mackerel disappear. Wishful thinking on my part that he was going to go for it! He ate the sautéed potatoes at least but no cauliflower.

I ate the sautéed potatoes and cauliflower and I would agree with Dear Husband on the 8 marks out of 10. Again, potatoes and then lightly fried – yum. The cauliflower with gremolata was a real eye-opener. Definitely not something I’d come up with myself but it was so tasty so another good strategy for reaching your 5-a-day.

In retrospect, I really should have done the potatoes first as by the time I served dinner, I was hitting the 30-minute mark on the stopwatch by which time the cauliflower was well and truly baked. I definitely won’t be making mackerel again. I definitely will make the sautéed potatoes and cauliflower though. I really was disappointed with the mackerel as it’s a good source of omega-3 oils i.e. brain food so if Dear Son had have liked it, I’d have been happy. But alas, he knows what he likes and doesn't like and, unfortunately, it was most certainly a no from him. As my mother would say “Lynda, he’s very head strong. I wonder where he gets that from?!...Lynda”. Hmmm, I wonder…

Day 20

It’s hard to believe that almost 3 weeks completed of the Challenge and tonight was the first time I made a pasta dish considering that pasta has become a store cupboard staple in almost every Irish home. So, tonight, I made Tinned-tomato pasta which is by far one of the easiest pasta recipes I’ve ever made.

 

First of all, I put on the pasta to cook which I won’t waste time explaining because everyone knows how to do pasta! Secondly, I put on some minced beef to cook in a frying pan as I made two versions of this dish – one with meat and one without. I then sautéed two finely chopped onions and four cloves of garlic in oil for 8 minutes. I am gradually weaning myself off using my garlic press. Instead, I’m chopping the garlic up myself as it takes too long to do them using the press. Also, it’s one less utensil to clean and, believe me, if you could see the state of my kitchen while I have a work-in-progress whereby every square inch of worktop is in use, any way in which reduces the mess is a plus!

Once the onion and garlic were soft and lightly coloured, I added in the capers for 1 minute before adding two tins of chopped tomatoes. So tell me I’m not the only person in the world who doesn’t like eating the core of the tomato?!!! So what I do is pour a tin of the tomatoes onto a plate and then pick all the cores out. I know. A bit crazy. Anyway, I then added some caster sugar to the sauce. I left out the olives again as we don’t like them and, within 12 minutes, all was ready to eat. I split the sauce and added the cooked mince into the saucepan for the boys. Finally, I garnished the dish with grated parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley. I absolutely love parsley and it’s something which my father has been growing in the garden for years. Whilst chopping the parsley, it reminded me of a pregnancy craving I had when I was expecting Baby Daughter last year. I remember going to the hairdressers one Saturday to get my hair done when I was about 7 months pregnant with a bag of parsley in hand. I got the weirdest looks from this woman but sure there are worse things one could eat when pregnant than parsley! It’s a wonder I can still eat it after having ate so much over those months!

The verdict…

Dear Husband gave the meal 7 out of 10 which isn’t bad for a pasta dish the night after the ‘magical 10 meal’. Dear Son ate ALL of his and I mean ALL. That was so great to see him eating away even if he was completely covered from head to toe in sauce!!! For that reason alone, I am giving it 9 out of 10 on his behalf. Dear Sister No.1 happened to call in as I was serving up and she gave it 10 out of 10. Then, Dear Sister No.3 arrived as we were eating and she had a plateful worth 7 marks out of 10.

I really liked this recipe as everything was in the absolute right quantities. I have made my own variations of this over the years but very often the tomatoes wouldn’t be sweet enough and then I probably didn’t add enough sugar or there would be something else missing that I could never quite put my finger on. Also, Dear Sister No.1 loves chillies and said that this would be the perfect recipe to add some freshly chopped chilli so that’s what I’ll do next time. The only thing is, I’ll make sure I add the chillies and not Dear Sister. Otherwise, I’ll have to have a full carton of Donegal Creameries milk to hand. That girl really does like her chillies….