The 'Here's what I had for dinner last night' thread - Part I

EI: Una

leahyl wrote: »

Good GOD! I'm confused and excited all at the same time! :pac:

leahyl wrote: »

I'm a bit embarrassed! I'm sure there are way better good deeds than mine But I'm delighted also

You're more than welcome leahyl - enjoy!

Minder

Dinner was a haricot bean soup with pan fried prawns with chives for a starter. Followed by a roast chicken leg with roast sweet potato seasoned with old bay seasoning.

dipdip

We had soft beef tacos, with home-made salsa, shredded lettuce and cucumber, sour cream and grated cheddar. Leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Faith

Last night we had roasted duck breasts served on a bed of red cabbage cooked with bramley apples and cider vinegar, with plum sauce on the side and creamy mashed potatoes. I took a picture but it's on my phone and I'm on my laptop...

Tonight we had mystery meat burgers . I bought lamb mince and beef mince together, and the butcher didn't mark the bags. Despite my best efforts to identify which I used to make the burgers, neither of us were really sure. I think it might have been lamb, but there wasn't a strong flavour either way. They were served with rocket and tomato on buns, with homemade twice-fried chips.

Billy86

Mixing pork and beef mince makes really tasty burgers actually, with a splash or milk, an egg and some spices all mashed together.

Loire

"Summer In Winter chicken" http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1521/summerinwinter-chicken

Really easy and yummy. I've made it before and prefer 2:1 creme fraiche vs pesto as opposed to the 1:1 ratio in the recipe. I also added (separately fried) mushrooms to the mixture.

Loire.

dipdip

Getting a bit excited about dinner tonight. Honey and mustard roast chicken, with mash, carrots and mange-tout, and shredded Brussels sprouts stir-fried with crispy bacon and a knob of butter. Chrismassy!

I'll try and remember to take a photo.

dipdip

Minder wrote: »

Dinner was a haricot bean soup with pan fried prawns with chives for a starter. Followed by a roast chicken leg with roast sweet potato seasoned with old bay seasoning.

What exactly is old bay seasoning? What is in it?

I make a nice southwestern style sweet potato, roasted corn and feta salad with a magnificent dressing (minced red onion, lime juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper) - but in the original recipe the potatoes are supposed to be roasted with old bay. Not knowing what this was or where to get it, I used a little celery salt, salt and pepper.

Gloomtastic!

The leftover four bird roast with the leftover veg from Sunday turned into a soup.

Just pulled this little beauty from the oven.......

Billy86

Loire wrote: »

"Summer In Winter chicken" http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1521/summerinwinter-chicken

Really easy and yummy. I've made it before and prefer 2:1 creme fraiche vs pesto as opposed to the 1:1 ratio in the recipe. I also added (separately fried) mushrooms to the mixture.

Loire.

Tries to tonight, it's absolutely amazing... I could probably drink pints of the sauce! Went about 3:2 creme freche, made with a fistful of frozen veg (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, boiled for 2-3 mins, cooked in sauce for 2-3 more) and gnocchi. Hence why the veg is a bit hidden away.

Probably best to take the chicken out when putting the tomatoes in, and the tomatoes out while the sauce is being mixed, then pop it all in for the last 2 mins. My tomatoes were a tiny bit too soft, nothing too bad just the skins slid off some.





I don't get why gnocchi isn't more popular either on that note, it's pretty cheap at €1.50-2.00/kg and quicker than rice or pasta.

Minder

dipdip wrote: »

What exactly is old bay seasoning? What is in it?

I make a nice southwestern style sweet potato, roasted corn and feta salad with a magnificent dressing (minced red onion, lime juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper) - but in the original recipe the potatoes are supposed to be roasted with old bay. Not knowing what this was or where to get it, I used a little celery salt, salt and pepper.

I made a batch after we were given a couple of branches of bay leaves. I hung them in the garage until they were dry. I was surprised just how many bay leaves are needed to make a small quantity of powdered bay. It was a recipe I picked up online - similar to this...

2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground celery seed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Use an electric spice grinder and sieve the results. Old bay can be used on chicken, fish, pork. Very good on crabs. Remember to cut out the salt in seasoning as there is celery salt in the mix.

dipdip

Thanks Minder.

Okay, terrible photo. But a photo nonetheless. You can see the honey mustard chicken at the back - in this light it looks burnt, but I promise you it wasn't. It was an oozing sticky pile of wonderfulness.

Toast4532

We had lamb stew this evening. Loads left over for dinner tomorrow too

Mrs Fox

Loire wrote: »

"Summer In Winter chicken" http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1521/summerinwinter-chicken

Really easy and yummy. I've made it before and prefer 2:1 creme fraiche vs pesto as opposed to the 1:1 ratio in the recipe. I also added (separately fried) mushrooms to the mixture.

Loire.

That looks incredibly tasty, and I happen to have all ingredients bar chicken so that's dinner for tomorrow figured out. Thanks Loire

Minder

Crab linguine and fennel & watercress salad with artichokes.

fussyonion

Minder wrote: »

Crab linguine and fennel & watercress salad with artichokes.

Don't know what's wrong with my eyes but I read that as "car lingerie"

Billy86

Mrs Fox wrote: »

That looks incredibly tasty, and I happen to have all ingredients bar chicken so that's dinner for tomorrow figured out. Thanks Loire

Make extra sauce, if you like pesto you will be guzzling it down.

Miaireland

Seasame crusted salmon with a soya and lime dressing. Friend green tomatoes and lovely seeded bread.

Gloomtastic!

Before it hits the oven later.....

Macaroni Cheese with bacon bits and tomato. Four types of cheese - Goats, Gouda, Brie and Cheeder.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

So simple yet so tasty!

Radharc na Sleibhte

BDJW wrote: »

So simple yet so tasty!

Ah yeah, cant beat it.
You need a tablespoon of butter in them spuds though....!

omb0wyn5ehpij9

Radharc na Sleibhte wrote: »

Ah yeah, cant beat it.
You need a tablespoon of butter in them spuds though....!

Added after the picture was taken

Toast4532

Tonight we had baked fish, served with baby potatoes roasted with oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

Minder

Made a batch of chilli sauce - a blend of chillies, white wine vinegar and sugar. Cooked and blitzed until smooth. The flavour was incredible for such a simple recipe. Big licks from the vinegar, then the sweetness, then the chilli kick.

Ate it on grilled chicken wraps with fennel salad, spinach leaves and some hard boiled eggs.

April O Neill

Toast4532 wrote: »

Tonight we had baked fish, served with baby potatoes roasted with oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

A favourite dish of mine too, so simple. A bitta steamed broccoli is a lovely addition too. :cool:

IvyTheTerrible

Goats cheese and caramelised onion tarte tatin, with a rocket salad.
It was absolutely gorgeous but a wee bit light for a main course. I discovered yesterday that Christmas dinner is in our house this year, so I was thinking I could make individual little tartlets of this for a starter.

dipdip

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Goats cheese and caramelised onion tarte tatin

How did you make this? I can't imagine how the goats cheese could go upside-down in the pan without falling apart? I'm intrigued.

IvyTheTerrible

dipdip wrote: »

How did you make this? I can't imagine how the goats cheese could go upside-down in the pan without falling apart? I'm intrigued.

400g onions, chopped
200g of young goats cheese
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 puff pastry

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C
Lightly fry off the onions in the oil and sugar for five minutes, keep an eye on the colour.
Put the onions into a tart dish.
Crumble/cut the cheese over the onions.
Roll the pastry over the cheese, put the edges of the pastry into the tin.
Cook for ~35 mins

When you take it out of the oven, put the serving dish you want to use over the tart dish and carefully turn it over.

The onions keep the cheese on the tart!

dipdip

That sounds beautiful, thank you. Gonna give it a go!

Merkin

Made a very rich cottage pie on Tuesday night (added red wine and smoked lardons) so finished that off last night, had it with lots of broccoli.

Wolfed it down so no time for photos!

Mr. Merkin making cassoulet this evening.