MN Cook Club - September suggestions, everyone welcome

[ColdSancerre]

The idea is to have 'a book club for recipes' where every fortnight or so we choose some recipes to try, try them and report back on how easy they were, what went right, what went wrong and how everyone in your family liked them etc.

For special events like Halloween we'll see if we can do themed recipes and we'll have some weeks where the recipes are under a tenner, anything people want really.

For our first recipe club it's been suggested we have the following selection of recipes to try from:

1 starter
1 veggie main
1 meat/fish main
1 pudding

This is a thread for everyone to suggest recipes in those categories. I'll leave the thread open for suggestions until Saturday night then we can all vote on which we'd like to do.

So please post your suggested recipes from the above categories, either link to it or type it out.

[LaWeasel]

Just marking place, back in a moment.

[Itsjustafleshwound]

pudding - Apple and almond tart

[LaWeasel]

Okay I want to try a tomato and basil soup recipe as it's DD's favourite... although this seems to randomly have french bread chucked in it?

[LaWeasel]

or another tomato and basil here with fresh tomato

[Annunziata]

Braised pork with lemon (meat main):

Saute chunks of potatoes (about 2lbs worth) in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add about 2lbs worth chunks of pork, leave to braise with the cover on, add lemon juice, salt and pepper when potatoes and meat are thoroughly cooked (about hour and a half).

Homemade sugo pasta sauce (veggie main or can add chicken or meat):

Brown a clove of mashed onion in olive oil, then add 3 tins of tomatoes and 3 fresh chopped tomatoes, some basil, a tablespoon of salt and cook for 20 mins. Can add chili, olives, carrots, etc.

I have loads of pasta recipes too but they all need a pasta machine.

[ColdSancerre]

Itsjustafleshwound can you post link or recipe for the apple and almond tart please?

[californiaburrito]

Here's the recipe for the almond cake that I mentioned on the other thread. It is easy, and in my experience, reliable. I'm really selling it here, aren't I?

1/2 cup, 112g, 4oz butter
1 cup, 225 g, 8oz sugar
1 tsp almond extract (I like Star Kay)
1 egg
1 cup, 125g, 4.5oz flour
Flaked almonds

Cream butter and sugar, add almond extract and egg. Add flour, mix until combined. Spread into pie dish or round cake pan. Sprinkle flaked almonds on top and lightly press into cake. Bake at 325F, 150C, Gas Mark 3 for 20-25 min.

[TheSkiingGardener]

Choux swans.

Make choux pastry and pipe profiterole sized balls. On a non-stick baking sheet pipe s shapes to make the neck with a blob at the end. Use a cocktail stick to put a beak on the head

Bake

Fill with cream and top swans backs with white chocolate icing.

Will look up recipes if chosen!

[BitterAndTwistedChoreDodger]

I will post my recipe for slow cooked lamb casserole tomorrow

[Furball]

I'm in

[Itsjustafleshwound]

Apple and Almond Tart

750g/6 cooking apples (Granny Smith)
1/4 c honey
30ml butter
1 cinnamon stick
1t grated lemon rind
5ml lemon juice
15ml brandy

Peel and core the apples and cut into thin slices
Make a syrup by cooking the remaining ingredients together
Add the apple slices and cook for 10 minutes

Put this mixture into a greased pie dish

100g butter
100g castor sugar
2 eggs, beaten
100g ground almonds

Cream butter and sugar together
Add the eggs and beat well
Fold in the almonds
Put topping on to the apples
Bake at 180ºC for 45 mins/until golden brown and cooked

Serve with custard/ice-cream or cream

[TobyLeWolef]

Marking place.

[ColdSancerre]

I have linked to this on MN before but it is truly truly very very delicious so I'm doing so again as a suggestion for a meat main course.

Chorizo and pork belly with haricot beans

doesn't mention you can do it in the slow cooker as I know that's controversial

[TobyLeWolef]

That chorizo/pork belly thing gets my vote.

[ColdSancerre]

And the best thing is its a one pot dish. Just needs some nice bread.

[TobyLeWolef]

It's exactly the sort of thing I make often, without a recipe. I have made a version of this several times, by just bunging everything in. So definitely easy to do.

It would be nice to have something a bit more challenging sometimes (although I'm fucked if I'll be making choux pastry swans! ), but definitely a good one to start with.

[JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar]

Oh oh oh! I remembered my brilliant idea (not my ridiculous name association)!

When we report back we should include how much the recipe cost us to prepare (either in total or item by item) - it would be interesting to compare the cost between the supermarkets.

The pork belly absolutely gets my vote btw.

[TobyLeWolef]

Brilliant idea, Jenai!

I'd like to take that a bit further by having criteria for us to report back on.

For example:

Cost per portion (which would be interesting because some of us will have a lot of ingredients as store cupboard stuff, and some will have to buy them especially)
Ease of obtaining ingredients
Ease of following recipe
Time taken to prepare/cook
Family opinion on finished product

etc...

[TheSkiingGardener]

Where's your sense of adventure TobyLeWolef

They're dead easy BTW.

[TheSkiingGardener]

Pork belly and chorizo gets my absolute 100% definite final vote!

[TobyLeWolef]

I must admit that I've never made choux pastry and I would like to give it a go. But they're a bit of a faff and would only be eaten in my house by those of us who SHOULDN'T be eating them!

I would totally do it, though, if it were chosen as the recipe of the fortnight.

[ColdSancerre]

I've made choux patry but never swans but would have a pop too if it were voted. We don't often have pud as DP has diabetes but choux pastry has no sugar. They're probably actually very good for you. In fact almost a health food.

[TobyLeWolef]

Until you fill them with cream and put chocolate on them :o

[ColdSancerre]

shhhh

[LaWeasel]

I have no idea what choux pastry is