French Ham Toastie

A lazy lunch today. I simply whisked up a large egg with some grated cheese, salt and black pepper. In the meantime, I put a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and add a small spoon of oil.  Take some bread and put a good slather of mustard on each slice, I used Colman's English mustard, lay on a couple slices of ham and cover with the other slice of bread.

Then you must dip! This is messy but worth it. Lay the sandwich into the egg mixture and allow each side to soak up all the egg. Fry each side on medium heat until golden and the egg is cooked through. I sprinkled some chopped chives on top and tucked into it immediately, you don't want it to get cold.

Muffin B.L.C.

Aldi do lovely toaster muffins and I had these for lunch today with bacon medallions, cheese and lettuce.  I bought the smoked bacon medallions in Aldi also, they are from their Belight range so are pretty guilt free.  This is a simple lunch for simple people like myself.

• You grill or fry up the medallions until crispy on the edges. 
• Slice up some cheese as thick or as thin as you like. I used low-fat cheese.
• Rinse then dry 4 slices of Little Gem lettuce.
• Once toasted, spread some low-fat cheese spread across the holey centres of the muffins.  You can use Laughing Cow light or even some Philadelphia would be nice.
• Top the muffins with the rest of the ingredients, then sandwich the sides together.

Spicy Pasta Bake

In the search for tasty and different lunches I decided to try a home-cooked pasta bake this week.  The previous night I cooked up some pasta spirals and mixed them with the following:

• Some passata
• Crushed garlic
• Chopped chorizo
• Finely sliced shallots
• Finely chopped mushrooms
• A big pinch of chilli flakes
• Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Plenty of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

I put this mixture into a baking dish and topped with grated low-fat mozzarella and some grated parmesan. Let this cook in a medium oven until the cheesey topping is bubbling and golden brown.  

I ate some for my dinner and then put some into a lunch box for the next day.  Mr. Chops was slightly dubious that it would be nice unheated but it was a pleasant surprise.  Maybe it was because the chorizo is slightly oily but the bake hadn't lost any of its moisture and in fact, the heat had increased a little bit in terms of the chilli flakes.

Thursday Night Tapas

I felt like some picky things tonight so opted for my own version of tapas. I had Chilli Prawns, Chorizo in Wine with Shallots and Prawns with Garlic and Lime juice.

Chorizo in Wine

• Slice the chorizo into half inch thick slices.
• Finely slice a shallot and a garlic clove.
• Fry the chorizo until crispy and slightly blackened at the edges. Remove from the pan.
• Add the shallot and garlic to the pan and fry until slightly golden but not browned.
• Add the chorizo back to the pan and throw in a big splash of red wine.  Allow it bubble down to half its original quantity.
• Then add some finely chopped black pepper, flat-leaf parsley and fresh thyme. Give the whole thing a stir and place into a small dish and place in the oven at the same time as the prawns.

Prawns with Garlic & Lime
This one's easy. For this and the next prawn recipe, used cooked and peeled king prawns.
Mix the prawns well with a couple of teaspoons each of olive oil and lime juice, a finely chopped garlic clove, some seasoning and chopped flat-leaf parsley.  Heat gently in the oven for approximately 15mins.

Chilli Prawns

Mix the prawns well with chilli flakes, smoked paprika, finely chopped garlic clove, some seasoning and finely chopped flat-leaf parsley. As with the other prawn dish, heat gently in the oven for approximately 15mins.


These dishes are nice served with a crusty roll.

Any of these dishes would also make a nice starter or lunch dish.

My Greek Salad

I haven't been feeling great the last few days, the flu was beginning to take hold so major amounts of drugs were required and food wasn't really a priority. But last night I felt I could just about handle a salad. I'd bought some feta during the week so that led me to a Greek salad.  I used the following:

Little Gem lettuce, chopped up
Sliced red onion, soaked in water for 10-15mins then rinsed and dried with kitchen paper

A boiled egg, cut into 8

Cherry tomatoes, quartered
Feta cheese, cut into bite-sized cubes

Dressing:

1 part cider vinegar to 3 parts olive oil

Pinch of dried oregano, crumbled finely

Garlic clove, halved

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Put all the dressing ingredients into a jar and shake well until combined. Let it sit for a half hour or so, out of the fridge, to let the flavours mingle.  Put all the salad ingredients except for the egg into a bowl, pour over the dressing and then place the egg on top. Then eat!

Bruschetta

I love tomato bruschetta and I'd be lying if I said mine was an authentic version. I base it on a similar dish that was served in a restaurant now long gone from Limerick city 'La Romana'. It was a lovely little place that served delicious pizzas and pasta dishes and it was here that I tasted chorizo for the first time.

What I do is chop up large tomatoes in medium-sized chunks, mix them with some crushed garlic, olive oil, salt & black pepper, some balsamic vinegar and a pinch of sugar. I let this warm gently in the oven and spread it over toaste ciabatta loaf. This is nice for lunch, with salad for dinner or as a dinner party starter.

Lunch - Toasted Wrap

I firmly believe there is nothing more satisfying than gooey, melting cheese. Today is my last day on a short work week and so a long and relaxing lunch was in order before I tackled some housework.  It was very simple really:

All you need is a flour tortilla, a couple of slices of ham, sliced onion and grated cheese. I also slathered some English mustard on. Wrap it up tightly and fry it fold side down in a little olive oil for a few mins until nice and golden. Turn it over and let it get nice and golden. I find that if you keep the heat fairly low the cheese will be nicely melted!

Quesadillas

These are another quick dinner when you're rushing and lovely with a side salad.  All you need is a couple of flour tortillas and then you can add whatever you want. This week, I made mine with some Parma ham, grated cheese and red onion.  Sit your tortilla on a cold fry pan, no need to add oil, then add your ingredients, cheese first then scatter the ham and onion around, more cheese on top and a grinding of black pepper. Place the other tortilla and top and then sit it over a gentle heat. You want them between soft and very crispy. Turn it over once the bottom side is done, it should be nice and golden and repeat the process until both sides are cooked and the cheese is melted and gooey in the centre. 

These are nice for lunch as an alternative to sandwiches and you can add whatever you like to them really!

For Jackie: Stuffed Mushrooms

I had a party at a flat I lived in a few years ago and Jackie was staying with me for a few days. We decided to share the cooking between us. I remember I did some Indian chicken skewers but the thing that stands out is that Jackie did stuffed mushrooms with a rocket salad and I think I recall there was a balsamic dressing on the salad. I could be wrong but that doesn't happen too often!

Tonight I've had the house to myself and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do some mushrooms. Mr. Chops hates them and everything about them.

• I dry fried 2 rashers and when really crispy I broke them up into little pieces.
• Meanwhile, I'd roasted some red pepper until blackened to remove the skin, then sliced it into thin strips.
• In the meantime, I crushed a small clove of garlic and mixed it into some light cream cheese.
• I removed the stalks from some medium sized mushrooms and placed them on a baking tray.
• I then sprinkled the bacon bits into the mushrooms.
• Spooned on the cream cheese.
• Sprinkled on lashings of black pepper, a pinch of dried parsley and covered with a couple of slices of red pepper.

They were cooked in the oven for approximately 30mins at moderate heat. Leave them sit for a minute before you eat them it gives the cheese a chance to tighten up. These are nice served with a mixed salad or some rocket like the beautiful Jackie would do.

The First Bite

Smoked Salmon Mousse

This is my simplified version of what I have discovered can be a complicated dish. There's versions of it with gelatine and creme fraiche etc. I decided to make it more suitable for my needs, that is, a bit healthier.

Line a ramekin with a few slices of smoked salmon.

Mix the following together vigorously:
- A couple of tablespoons of light mayonnaise
- A couple of tablespoons of light cream cheese
- A couple of slices of finely chopped smoked salmon
- Finely chopped capers
- Tablespoon of lemon juice
- Pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

Spoon the mixture onto the salmon slices, pressing it down firmly as you go. Then cover with the overlapping salmon.

Put in the fridge for a couple of hours and hey presto! A fairly decent, quick and easy Smoked Salmon Mousse.

This would be nice served as a lunch or light dinner with homemade melba toast or Irish soda bread.  This would also make a really nice starter for a fancy pantsy dinner party, if you serve it with some peppery rocket salad and a couple of pieces of granary toast.

Gummy's Rarebit

It's been a lazy Saturday. I had a nice lie-in and got a little bit of study in. Mr. Chops is gone for the day so I've had the house to myself and the silence is lovely. Not that I don't like having Mr. Chops around but it is nice to have a little bit of time to yourself.  I had a craving for cheese on toast but as I had a late start it had to be a brunch style meal for me. I decided on a variation of Welsh Rarebit but it is probably more appropriate to call it an open toasted sandwich.

You need to mix together an egg, grated cheese, a teaspoon of English mustard, very finely chopped scallion, salt and lashings of freshly ground black pepper.

While I was I combining the ingredients I toasted two slices of white bread and preheated the grill to its highest setting. Once the toast is done, lay your slices of ham on top and then spread the cheese mixture over to completely cover.

Before you put them under the grill grate on some more black pepper. Personally I love lashings of pepper on grilled cheese. Let them bubble under the grill until they are golden brown. Don't fret that the egg won't be cooked it will.

This is them beginning to brown under the grill.

A couple of views of the finished article.

These were very delicious and there was a lovely hot kick from the mustard.

LUNCH TODAY

Monday has been a lazy day. I stayed up very very late watching the Emmys with a bottle of Rosé for company, therefore, a very late rise and a late lunch. I decided to take the lazy way out and just quickly fry up some Halloumi cheese sprinkled with chilli flakes. I toasted a large pitta bread from the freezer, cut up a plum tomato and a scallion and put the fried cheese on top. I gave it a couple of grinds of black pepper and I have to say as hangover cures go it was pretty good. Now if I could get Doggie Chops to stop barking at the neighbours dog it would be even better for my recovery. It doesn't look very appetising in the picture but appearances can be deceiving! Here's the pic: