Crispy Fish Hotpot - MS Word document for downloading

We don’t like the bones in fish, so I’m very choosy about the fish dishes I serve. This is very tasty. Crispy Fish Hotpot can be made using any firm white fish fillets. It does have a lot of juice with it, but this is mainly taken up by the potatoes as you are eating. If you want to thicken the juices a little bit, toss the fish cubes in seasoned flour before adding to the casserole.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes, followed by 30 minutes cooking time, plus 2 minutes preparation time, followed by 35-40 minutes cooking time.

This is a very substantial “all in one” dish. It lacks colour in spite of the red skinned apples in it, so add some halved tomatoes for the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Season these well, and add a knob of butter.

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Chutney In The Raw - MS Word document for downloading

This is a quick- to- make chutney and keeps really well. I found Chutney in the Raw in a Rose Elliot cookbook in a school I was working in. I couldn’t quite believe how easy it was and confess to being very sceptical about it.

Once you’ve tried this, you may not want to eat those bought chutneys that leave such a nasty acid after-taste. I think it’s good with cheeses as well as cold meats. I also like it with curries. It doesn’t last long with us, as you can eat straight away and it smells so appetising! You can vary the type of vinegar and sugar. I prefer red wine vinegar and dark soft brown sugar. A cheap malt vinegar will not give a good flavour.

Wash the storage jars and lids really well. Sterilise the jars by placing them on a kitchen towel-lined oven tray. “Bake” in a preheated oven at 160C or Gas Mark 3 for 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before filling with the chutney. Store in a cool dark place. (I store mine in the fridge). Read more »

Apple & Mincemeat Crumble - MS Word document for downloading

I began to sort out the freezer at the weekend. With half - term coming up, I needed to make room for some Christmas dishes. I found two small containers of mincemeat left over from last Christmas. I had completely forgotten they were there! I decided I’d make an Apple and Mincemeat Crumble on Monday evening. It could cook while the Spicy Chicken casserole was re-heating. Preparing the apple wouldn’t take more than a few moments and I already had the crumble mix ready made in the fridge,(from the extra quantity I’d made when making the Apple and Blackberry Crumble).

After the day I had yesterday, I was so grateful for such a quickly prepared meal. It was cold and drizzling as I arrived home, so a Crumble seemed like real comfort food. The meal smelt wonderful as it cooked. As I was really tired, it did seem an effort to prepare the veg, so I opened a can of sweet corn . While that was heating, I made the custard in the microwave. It was a really delicious meal, with minimum effort on my part. (By the way, the sauce from the Spicy Chicken is good with pork and lamb, as well). Read more »

Fruit Salad - MS Word document for downloading

There are endless versions of Fruit Salad. You can choose your fruits according to the season and mix fresh fruits with canned or frozen, if you wish. You can opt for a colour scheme of, for example, all green on a hot summer’s day (green grapes, green apples, kiwi etc). Some cooks will tell you never to mix more than three fruits, as your palate will be confused by the flavours.

I like a variety of fruits and plenty of colour. The quantity of fruit to allow is roughly one piece of fruit per person. I like a large quantity of fruit salad, so I double this and I don’t add cream - at least not at the moment!

Serves 4-6  Read more »