Irish Supper

 

I don't know about you, but I find that it's getting harder and harder to stretch my food budget these days.  Food just seems to be costing more and more and sizes are getting smaller.  (Don't get me started on that scam!!) I am always looking for ways to make a little bit go further, but at the same time keeping things to the same standard of deliciousness and nutritiousness that we are used to.

 

Pasta is a great meal stretcher.  I know it's not Todd's favourite thing to eat, but he does like the idea of saving money, and so he tolerates it.  Myself . . . I adore pasta, and so these types of meals are my absolute favourites!



Meals which take a little bit of protein, some vegetable and some pasta, combined in a tasteful way.   Simple recipes which make good use of simple ingredients in a delicious way.



I have no idea why this is called Irish Supper.  I am not even sure if this is actually Irish!  Certainly there would be cabbages and sausages in Ireland, but the pasta noodles?   Well, I am not too sure about that!!



What I know for sure it that it makes a little bit of meat go a very long way and that it is delicious.  Two things that are positives!  I do hope you will try it and that you will enjoy it as much as I do!



You want to use a good quality sausage with this.  Not those cheap and nasty ones that are all filler and fat.  You get what you pay for.  Paying a tiny bit more and using a good quality sausage makes sense as you won't be pouring half of it away and they'll also taste a lot better!  Choose a nicely flavoured one!  I am partial to a peppery Cumberland myself!

*Irish Supper*

Serves 4 to 6

Printable Recipe  

I don't know if this is Irish, I only know it's economical, easy and very delicious!

1 pound of wide egg type of noodles, uncooked (I used some German ones I found in Aldi,
but you could use any type, so long as they are wide and flat)

1 pound good quality, well flavoured sausage meat, crumbled

1 small head of white cabbage, cored and finely shredded with a sharp knife

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 tsp sugar

a knob of butter

finely grated cheese to serve

Crumble your sausage into a large skillet.  Cook over medium high heat until it is browned.  I use a potato masher to mash it up as it is browning.  This helps to break it up all crumbly like.  Once the sausage is browned add the cabbage.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme leaves.   Cook, stirring until it begins to wilt.  Turn the heat to low and cover with a lid.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

While the cabbage is cooking, cook your noodles according to the package directions in a pot of lightly salted water.   At the end of five minutes remove the lid to skillet and turn up the heat and cook stirring, until the cabbage begins to brown a little.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Turn out the heat and drain the noodles well.  Toss the drained noodles into the skillet along with a knob of butter.   Toss to combine.  Serve immediately without or without cheese as desired to your grateful family which will be sitting at the table drooling in anticipation.

 

Do you think they might approve??  I like to think they would . . . ☺ to be sure, to be sure . . .

Curried Spam Fried Rice

Spam was not something which we ever had when I was growing up.  I am not sure why that was.  We never had tinned meat of any kind except for deviled ham, which my mother sometimes bought to make our sandwiches for lunch with.  It came in a tin which was placed inside a paper wrapper decorated with little red devils.  I am not sure, but I think the devils somehow made it taste better!



The one and only tme I can remember ever enountering Spam was at school.  A boy in my class wanted to trade his Spam sandwiches with my peanut butter ones.   I wouldn't trade because I did not know what Spam was and I was a bit afraid of trying something that I had never had before.   Besides, I really liked peanut butter.

 

I was very lucky.  I grew up in a country that was untouched by war in my lifetime and I had a father with a really good job.  People over here in the UK have not been that lucky.     Having been through two World Wars, and rationing, etc.  tinned meat is something which has pretty much been a staple on family tables for a long time.




I am ashamed to say I had never eaten it until I came over here, but I have to say . . . I quite like it actually!  You can buy the low fat one, and so it's not all that bad for you.  It's economical and quite tasty.   I made Spam Fritters last year and they were delicious.  When I saw a recipe recently on  unihomemaker.com  I just had to bookmark it to try here at home.  It looked really tasty.



I changed it a tiny bit.  I made use of store cupboard ingredients and used a pouch of the already cooked Uncle Ben's brown basamati rice that I always have in the cupboard and I added some shredded savoy cabbage both for colour and taste.  We like cabbage in our fried rice.



I also grated my carrot instead of cutting it into chunks, which meant it cooked much faster.   I was going to add some grated swede, but forgot.   Oh, and pineapple chunks.  I thought they would be really good, but it was bucketing down and the pineapple was out in the shed.  I didn't fancy getting wet.  But I reckon some pineapple chunks would go really well in this.  

 

In any case, I really hope that you will try this.  It's really, REALLY tasty and is now on our favourite list as Casa de Rayner.  I spose you could use leftover ham if you wanted to, but the Spam was really tasty.  In fact I am craving it again already.   I know . . . I'm such a glutton.

*Curry Spam Fried Rice*
Serves 4

Printable Recipe

This is delicious.   It's also quick and very easy to throw together.   A fabulous simple supper. 

2 large free range eggs, eaten with 1 TBS cream

olive oil for cooking

1 small tin of low fat Spam, chilled and diced

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 banana shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated coarsely

six savoy cabbage leaves, heavy centre veins trimmed away and discarded,
and cabbage thinly sliced (Roll up tightly and slice, easy peasy)

salt and black pepper to taste

1 heaped tsp of curry powder

1 (2 serving) sized pouch of ready cooked rice or 1 1/2 cups cooked rice

2 tsp dark soy sauce

a handful of frozen petit pois 

Beat the eggs and cream together.  Coat a large skillet lightly with olive oil and heat.   Dump in the eggs and quickly scramble them.  Remove the scrambled egg to a bowl and keep warm.  Add a bit more oil to the pan.   Add the spam and brown it well on all sides.   Scoop out and keep warm with the egg.  Add the chopped onions, garlic and shallot.   Cook to wilt and then add the carrots and cabbage.   Cook, stirring, until wilted.   Add the curry powder, salt, pepper and soy.   Stir in the rice and return the eggs and spam to the pan.   Stir in the frozen peas.  Heat through.  Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.  Serve hot.



Did you know that the 3rd to the 9th March 2014 is Spam Appreciation week?  Neither did I, but it's official.  2014 is going to be a fab year to remember for the iconic meat SPAM ® Chopped Pork and Ham, as  the Monty Python gang reunite, and a whole new generation of people get to enjoy their humor and acquaint themselves with their favourite meat!  This is no better time to realize just how unique, tasty and versatile SPAM with it's incredible 75+ year history can be.

To honor and celebrate this special week, fans are again being asked to demonstrate their love of SPAM ® by uploading a video, photo, drawing, or even writing a short sentence to show their appreciation of SPAM ® products.  There are five theatre wekeend breaks to be won courtesy of Show and Stay, plus 100 runner up prizes.   The competition opened on the 20th of January and will be closing on the 28th February, 2914.  The best entries will then be displayed on
www. spam-uk.com for appreciation.

Here's the video that won last year's competition.



A few facts about SPAM®

• More then seven billion cans of SPAM products have been opened since it's launch in 1937
• They may only be islands, but Hawaii and Guam go crazy for the stuff.  In Aloha State more than 7 million of the products are sold per year and Hawaii even hosts its own SPAM JAM festival in Honolulu.  While in Guam an average of 16 SPAM ® products are consumed by every person per year.
• SPAM ® Chopped Pork and Ham is made from more than 90% prime shoulder pork and ham.
• Clebrity SPAM® fans include James May and Heston Blumenthal.
• In South Korea, SPAM ® Chopped Pork and Ham is considered a gourmet delicacy and is often given as a gift.

So now you know it all!

SPAM ®, it's not just a fad to follow . . . it's dinner.

Layered Ravioli Bake

See this guy??? When I was a child, I was very familiar with him. He's the guy that was responsible for all the pizza, spaghetti and other Italian delicacies that we ate in our house.



In fact this (Chef Boyardee Ravioli in Tomato and Meat Sauce) was a real treat! I was an adult before I realized that Ravioli didn't have to come in a tin, and that Chef Boyardee didn't have to make it . . . that there was a whole world of different Ravioli out there . . . not just meat . . . there was delicious cheese ravioli, and vegetable ravioli . . . mama mia! What a delicious discovery that was!



But, alas . . . the kid in me still craves the comfort of Chef Boyardee once in a while . . . he's like a naughty addiction that I keep wanting to return to.

No Chef Boyardee here in the UK.



So . . . what's a gal to do . . . you put your big girl panties on and you adapt, that's what!!!
And sometimes, you even come up with something thats even better than the original . . . but really . . . . how hard was it to top pasta in a tin . . . hahaha . . . not hard at all.



I still used the convenience of storebought fresh ravioli, and jarred sauce.
I also used extra lean steak mince, and I always, always grate all my own cheese. Those pre-grated cheeses have something nasty in them to help keep them flowing easy. You don't want to eat that do you???? I thought not!!



It was way better than Chef Boyardee, and Todd even offered to don a chef's hat if I wanted him to . . . ☺☺☺



I don't want any e-mails from you purists out there . . . I know this isn't exactly Italian . . . nor is it English, but it is MY kitchen, and once in a while you just have to throw caution to the wind and go with it. C'est la vie. (yes, that's French.)



*Layered Ravioli Bake*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Quick, simple and quite delicious.

700g of spaghetti sauce
(I used two 350g jars of Napolini, about 4 cups in total)
2 pounds of cheese ravioli, thawed if frozen
1 pound extra lean steak mince
1/2 pound of mozzarella cheese, grated
(8 ounces, about 2 cups)
3.5 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 cup)

Prepare the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain well and set aside.

Spray a large skillet with some nonstick spray and brown the mince until there is no longer any pink showing. Stir in the spaghetti sauce. Heat to a simmer. (If your sauce is lacking in zing, add some dried basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.)

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.

Spoon about one cup of the meat sauce into the bottom of an ungreased 11 by 7 inch baking dish. Top with half of the drained ravioli. Top with half of the remaining sauce and half of each cheese. Finish off with the rest of the ravioli, sauce and cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes. 

This is a repeat.  I have something wierd going on with my arm and haven't been able to cook today.  Hoping to get into the Dr to look at it today and see what's up with it.  The Toddster cooked dinner tonight . . . man food.  Tinned beans, pasties and some frozen potato nuggets.  It was awfully nice of him to do that.  And he did the dishes too.  Wish me luck at the Dr.  I want to get back in the kitchen!  I have a lot of tastiness planned and it's making me sad I'm not able to do any of it!

Spicy Sausage Pasta

  

   

I don't know about you, but I am about done with all that holiday food of the past few weeks.  Today I was craving something simple.   I also wanted to use up a bit of stuff that I had leftover from the hols . . . but I didn't want it to be holiday food, if you know what I mean.  

  

I had some chorizo that was left from all the finger food snacking/tapas occasions . . . and some cheddar cheese that needed using up and so I decided to torture the Toddster with some pasta . . . because as all my readers have surmised.  He only thinks he doesn't like pasta.  He usually eats it up whenever it is served and seems to enjoy it.  Methinks he doth protest too much.  'Nuff said.    

  

Anyways.   I browned the chorizo in a large skillet and added onions and garlic, until everything was nicely softened and fragrant.   I then added some stock, tomatoes and pasta.  I am rather lazy (as you also know) and so I just added the pasta raw.  It cooked in the tomatoes and stalk, absorbing some of it and thickening it all up a bit.    

   

I then added some richness using double cream and a bit of cheese, stirred into the mixture, just to melt it.  I tasted the sauce and I could have eaten it right then and there!  But I wanted to make it extra irristable and so I topped it with some sliced spring onions, which also needed using and which added a bit of colour and crunch . . . and more cheese.  

I then popped it under the grill until that cheese on top started to bubble, melt and brown and then I scattered on some parsley for colour and served it up nice and hot with some crusty bread and a salad on the side.    

 

Oh boy, was this ever good . . . and definitely not holiday food.   This be comfort food.  January comfort food.   Dig in!  

*Spicy Sausage Pasta*
Serves 4 to 6, depending on appetites

(Printable Recipe)  

I had some chorizo that was getting close to it's end and so I put it together with some pasta and a few store cupboard ingredients to make a simple, tasty and economical dish.  If you don't have any chorizo, you could use any highly spiced or smoked sausage.  

1 TBS extra virgin rapeseed oil

8 ounces of dried chorizo sausage, sliced

(Or smoked sausage, or even hotdogs)

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 to 1 tsp easy chilies (depending on
how hot and spicy you want it to be)

450ml of hot vegetable stock (2 cups)

400g tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice, undrained (10 oz tin)

125ml of double cream (1/2 cup)

1/2 pound of curly pasta (I used Fiorelli), uncooked

salt and black pepper to taste

120g of strong cheddar cheese, grated and divided (1 cup)

4 spring onions, thinly sliced 

chopped flat leaf parsley  

  

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the sausage slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown and turn golden.   Tip in the onions and allow them to soften without browning, again stirring from time to time.   Add the garlic and cook, stirring until quite fragrant.  Stir in the easy chilies, stock, tomatoes and pasta.   Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer, cover and allow to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pasta is tender.  (Start checking at 15)  At the end of that time, stir in half of the cheese, allowing it to melt.  Stir in the cream.


Preheat the grill to high.  Scatter the remainder of the cheese and the spring onions on top.   Place under the grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling and golden in places.  Remove from the heat, scatter with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.   Delicious!

Dad's Pot Roast

It's a simple recipe which basically cooks itself into a tender juicy pot roast with beautiful flavours . . . fork tender it is.   Absolutely delicious.  I got the recipe from off a packet of dry onion soup mix back in the 1970's and have tweaked it through the years to make it my own.   An improvement on the original, which was really very good to begin with I think.

I cook the beef on a bed of carrots, onions and swede, which help to flavour the resulting gravy . . . and give you the added bonus of deliciously cooked vegetables to serve up with your meat.  Sometimes I mash some of them into the gravy for added flavour.

I like meals like this . . . they cook themselves.  They're economical.   They're delicious and they're easy to do.  I like to serve some peas and mashed potatoes on the side, which pleases my meat and potatoes loving husband to no end!  Using this gravy mix added a slightly different flavour to the finished dish, which we both quite enjoyed and which may come a regular thing from now on!

*Dad's Pot Roast*
Serves 8

Printable Recipe  

This is a recipe I have been using for years and years.  It always turns out fork tender. It is a delicious way to prepare a cheaper cut of meat!

1 (2 to 3 pound) rolled brisket of beef roast

8 medium carrots, peeled and quartered

1 small swede, peeled and cut into chunks

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 package of dry onion soup mix

1 bay leaf, broken

apple juice

500ml of beef stock (2 cups)

225ml of boiling water

1 envelope of gravy mix

Preheat the oven to 230*C/450*F/ gas mark 8.

Place the onions, carrots and swede in the bottom of a roasting casserole that has a tight lid.  Nestle the brisket amongst them.  Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix over all, along with the pepper, and thyme.  Add the beef stock and enough apple juice so that the liquid comes halfway up the sides of the roast.  Cover tightly.

Roast in the preheated oven for 1/2 hour, then reduce the temperature to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Continue to roast without disturbing for about an hour and a half.   At the end of that time, flip the roast over carefully.  Recover and roast for another hour and a half. (Check periodically to make sure it is not going dry.   Don't worry if the liquid is reducing somewhat.  That's ok.  You just don't want it to go dry.)  Flip the roast for a final time and cook for a further hour to hour and a half until the roast is very tender.  Remove the roast and vegetables from the pan, leaving any cooking juices in the pan, and discarding the bay leaf. Tent with foil to rest and help to keep it warm for about 20 minutes.  Add the boiling water and then whisk in the gravy mix.  Cook on top of the stove to thicken.  Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.  Serve the roast cut into slices along with a portion of the vegetables for each person.  We like to have mashed potatoes with this.

Alternately - if you can't get any gravy mix you may shake together 3 TBS of flour in a jar with 125ml (1/2 cup) of cold water in a jar until smooth and whisk it into the hot pan juices and boiling water.  Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens.   Taste and adjust seasoning as required.