Quick three-veg macaroni cheese

 This macaroni cheese is healthier than most because of the three types of veg in it. You can leave the spam out for a vegetarian version, but, sadly, it doesn't taste as good. You can also put fried bacon lardons or fried chopped bacon in instead of the spam. That tastes just as good, but the spam is a much easier option and surprisingly tasty. It's worth adding an extra 30 ml of milk if planning to serve it on more than one day, as it does dry out a bit when it cools. It will make it looser than ideal on the first day, but just as delicious, and a better consistency for the later days. We find it lasts 2 days in the fridge (it might actually last longer, but we've never tried).

Serves 6, takes about 30 minutes

400 g macaroni

400 g broccoli florets (frozen)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

340 g spam, chopped into small cubes (about 0.5 to1 cm) (optional)

2 tbsp plain flour

250 g soft cheese (e.g. Philadelphia - you can get away with just a 200 g tub of Lactofree soft cheese)

350 ml milk 

340-400 g tinned sweet corn, drained

50 g cheddar, grated (we use extra mature)

40 g breadcrumbs 

1 tbsp of chopped parsley (optionally frozen)

salt and pepper

1. Preheat the grill to high. Cook the macaroni following pack instructions. Add in the broccoli for the last 5 minutes. Drain when done.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a (very) large frying pan. Peel and finely chop the onions, then cook the onion for 5-10 minutes.

3. While the onions are cooking, chop the spam into cubes of about 0.5 to 1 cm across and add to the onions.

4. Also while the onions are booking, once you have drained the macaroni and broccoli, pick any big pieces of cooked broccoli out of it and chop it into bite-sized pieces.

5. Once the onions are soft, stir in the flour, then add the soft cheese, milk, sweet corn, cooked macaroni and cooked (and now bite-sized) broccoli.

6. Season with salt and pepper and stir gently for about three minutes.

7. Pour the macaroni cheese mixture into a large lasagne dish.

8. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and parsley evenly over the top. Grate the cheddar and sprinkle that over too.

9. Cook under the grill for five minutes until golden and bubbling. Optionally serve with lettuce and tomatoes for even more veg.

Sautéed apples and pork with mustard sauce

 

This serves four and takes about 30-40 minutes to make. It's good with mash. I recommend peeling the potatoes and peeling/chopping any veg you're having with it before you start, as once you do start, there's not a lot of spare time. I particularly recommend green beans or cabbage. Carrots are also nice with this.

4 tbsp plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 lean, boneless pork steaks (the original recipe recommended they be 85 g each, but larger is also fine)

3 tbsp (= 60 g) of butter

2 Golden Delicious or Jonagold apples (don't use red or green apples; it doesn't taste right)

1 small onion (minced)

250 ml apple juice

125 ml dry white wine

125 ml plain yoghurt (optionally low fat)

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves

1. If you are having mash with this, peel the potatoes, chop them, and put them on to boil for 20 minutes (once they are done, drain them and return them to the pan, and put the lid on to keep warm). Also, peel and chop any vegetables you are having with this that need peeling and chopping, but don't cook them yet.

2. Meanwhile, in a pie plate or shallow dish, combine 3 tbsp of the flour with the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Dredge the pork steaks in the flour mixture to coat all sides lightly.

3. In a large frying pan, heat 2 tbsp (= 40 g) of the butter and the 2 tbsp oil over a medium heat. Add the pork and cook until fully cooked, i.e. brown on both sides and the juices run clear. This should take about 4-8 minutes per side, depending on the size of the steak and the heat.

4. While the steaks are cooking, peel and mince the onion (i.e. chop it really finely). Also, make the yoghurt mixture in a jug or bowl by combining:

• the 125 ml yoghurt
• the 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• the 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• the remaining tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

5. Once the pork steaks are cooked, remove them to a plate (ideally a warmed one), then add the remaining tablespoon (20 g) of butter to the frying pan. Peel, core and slice the apples. Add the apple slices and the minced onions to the frying pan and sauté until both are tender (about 5 minutes). Remove to the plate with the pork.

6. Add the apple juice and wine to the frying pan and simmer for 5 minutes. This is a good time to mash your potatoes (put the lid back on afterwards to keep them warm) and boil water ready for your veg. 

7. This is the time to put any vegetables you are serving on to boil or steam for the appropriate length of time. Then stir the yoghurt mixture into the apple juice and wine in the frying pan. Simmer and stir for 4-5 minutes. Return the pork steaks, apple and onion back to the frying pan for a minute or two to make sure they are warm.

8. Once your veg is ready, serve with your mash and veg.

Lunch party in the garden

 

On the Sunday before the August bank holiday, four members of Curry Club (a club named after the first meal it ate together rather than any intention for the content of future meals) met together in my garden for the club's second meeting. Earlier meetings had been planned, but Covid got in the way. Then again, if it weren't for Covid, the meeting would probably have been indoors in the evening and not in the vegetable garden for lunch, and I'm very glad we did have it in the garden.

Did I remember this blog and take photos for it? I absolutely did not. I was far too busy with cooking, refilling glasses, listening to the stories of the other three members who came and telling my own. However, slightly less than a week later, I have taken some photos to capture the joy of the garden when Curry Club met. Like today, it was a largely cloudy day, but fortunately most of the flowers that grew in my garden this year (a mixture of self-seeded and sown by me) were bright oranges and yellows, bursting through the cloudiness of the day. In fact, my snails' choice of demolishing my veg and leaving largely flowers made the garden much prettier than it has been in previous years.

I even managed to serve two things from the garden: tomatoes in bruschetta and runner beans as an accompaniment to the pork steaks I served with sauteed apple and Dijon mustard and yogurt sauce. It is a delicious recipe and I can no longer find it online, so I have written it out in my next post.

I would have included raspberries in the meal as well, but at Curry Club, someone else brings the dessert, so no raspberries this time. I may sneak them into a dessert I bring to someone else's meeting. I'm currently harvesting probably around 100 g or more each day and slowly filling my freezer.

My other half's lockdown hobby came up as a talking point at the lunch. He's been making mosaics for paving stones for the back garden:

They are all based on Roman designs, with a few variations to the original design in colour, size and material (the Romans did not have Winckelmans cermaic tiles).

We drank prosecco and I also served Apfelschorle. Apfelschorle (pronounced ap-fell-shore-luh) is a German name for a drink that is half apple juice and half sparkling water. We don't have a name for it in English, which is a shame, as it means we don't tend to drink it either.

We ate in the middle of the grass, which I left long, as I like it a bit wild and shaggy and curling round your feet. In fact, the whole garden looks a bit wild. But that's exactly how I like it.