I needed to make something a bit different this morning for breakfast. There was no bread in the house! I decided to cook a frittata.
Ingredients:
1 medium potato - peeled, diced and cooked
3 large eggs - lightly beaten
Chorizo - about 5 cm length, sliced and cut again into halves
4 off the vine tomatoes - cut in half
6 stalks of marjoram - leaves only, roughly chopped
Splash of oil for the pan
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Warm oil in a frying pan, add in the potato and gently fry for about 4 minutes, turning occasionally
Add the chorizo and continue to fry for another minute
Add in the beaten egg and marjoram
Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on to the top of the mixture
Grind a bit of salt and pepper on to the top of the mixture
Cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes, until most of the mixture is cooked
Transfer pan to the grill to continue to cook the top for 3 minutes
Served with a couple of rashers of crispy grilled bacon and a pot of freshly ground coffee
Served two
After making the Sweet Chilli Jam I needed to get on and make something for tea. There was about 2/3rd of the jar of passata left so I thought I would use this and make a curry.
Ingredients:
1 onion - finely chopped
1 green paper - cut into strips
3 small potatoes - peeled and cut into small cubes
4 large florets of cauliflower - cut into quarters through the stalks
3 tsp garam masala
1 green chilli - finely chopped
1 clove garlic - crushed
passata (probably about 15fl oz) + a bit of water to rinse out the jar
small amount of oil
Method:
Soften the onion in the oil. Stir in the chilli, garlic and gram masala and warm through.
Add in the passata, potatoes, cauliflower and pepper.
Bring to the boil.
Turn down heat and gently simmer for about 30 minutes.
Served with basmati rice and naan bread.
Served two.
Yesterday I had a bit of free time and as the night before I had finished the last of the sweet chilli jam I had made before Christmas, I decided to make more. I wanted this next batch to be a bit more spicy and not quite so sweet. Before I have always used half a tin of chopped tomatoes, this time I decided to try passatta. The only way to remember how I make it each time is to write it all down.
And so starts this blog!
All the ingredients used are here:
6 red peppers
9 red chillies
350ml white wine vinegar
8fl oz passatta
2lb 8oz granulated sugar
6fl oz pectin
The first thing to do is put all the jars and lids which might be needed into the dishwasher. They will be washed, hot and sterilised by the time the jam is made.
Put a small plate into the freezer to use to check if jam will set.
Method:
Finely chop the red peppers - removing all the seeds and white membrane
Finely chop the red chillies (on this occasion I used the whole chilli including all seeds)
Put the peppers, chillies, sugar, white wine vinegar and passatta into a large pan and slowing warm through to dissolve the sugar. Once all dissolved, bring up to the boil. The mixture needs to then have a rolling boil to cook through - 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the pectin. Return to the heat and bring back to the boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and check if a small teaspoon of jam will start to set on the cold plate which has been in the freezer. If it doesn't seem to start setting after a few seconds, return pan to heat and boil again for one minute. Remove from heat and check again for a set. Keep repeating this stage until the jam starts to set on the plate.
This batch took 8 minutes of boiling to begin to set on the plate.
Remove from the heat and leave for a couple of minutes.
Ladle the jam into the hot, prepared jars. Put on the lids immediately. Leave to cool.
This batch made 4 jars of jam - each jar had previously held about 300g - 385g of food (capers/roasted peppers etc)
