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.

I would love to do this too, but will need to think of recipes. Meanwhile, do we have a position on substituting ingredients?

I realise that sometimes it's necessary, or someone will have a brainwave (although that won't be me)..but I really get a little peeved with online reviews that say, "well, I used chicken instead of beef, and tarragon instead of chilli, and carrots not peas, and it turned out beautifully"!!
Just looked up the port and chorizo (def. voting for that!) and someone had written "didn't bother with the pork", .

Too picky for a first CCC post?

• pork, not port.

Recipe ideas - baked mushroom risotto, apple and blackberry cobbler,

Mushroom Risotto - always use this one, and it is great, but if Delia objects, i will dig out another form!!

one version of the Apple and Blackberry, can't find my written version

Love the pork dish, so not contributing a meat main... neither of my contributions need to be voted for, these are just things I make i the autumn and love.

Jackaroo I get annoyed at comments like that too, when it's then ends up being a completely different recipe so why are they commenting? But tbh if there are ingredients that family members just won't eat then it just has to be substituted. I would happily substitute the beans in the pork and chorizo recipe for a different type say cannellini if I didn't have haricot in for example. And I have done that recipe with pieces of chicken but it was nicer with pork.

Chicken Recipe my friend makes this alot its easy cheap and yummy I do like the flavour of chicken thighs.

This pudding is a winner too here

Still trying to use my apple glut you see !

Starter

Sweet Potato and Sweetcorn Chowder

For 2 people: (double for 4 ppl0
2 small leeks
1 tsp butter
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
(about 1/4 pint) of vegetable stock
1 sweetcorn cob
1 tsp cornflour
4 tbsp milk

Slice the leeks and soften them in the butter on a low heat.Add fresh rosemary (finely chopped) and the sweet potato (peeled if necessary and diced into 1cm pieces). Cook gently for two minutes before adding the vegetable stock, and bringing to a simmer.

After 6 minutes add the kernels of sweetcorn cob, and simmer for another 2 minutes. Stir cornflour into milk and add it to the pan. Taste and season, then very gently heat the soup.

Ooh all these look lovely,

I will add my Ministrone soup recipe which is a started and veggie and also a couple of large bowls and some crusty bread and its a veggie main.

1 large onion chopped
4 med carrots diced
3 celery stalks diced
i tin chopped toms
2 veg stock cubes
1 tin mixed beans
shredded savoy cabbage
salt and pepper
mixed herbs
tom puree

Sweat onion, carrots and celery in a large pan till soft and translcent (onions) add 2 pints stock and the rest of the ingerdients apart form the cabbage and bring to the boil then simmer untill carrots are softened. Test for seasoning. When almost done add cabbage for 2-3 mins till cooked and serve.

Am I too late to join....

I have some suggestions to throw in too, though the pork belly sounds DELICIOUS. IT's not something I can get hold of particularly easily here, but can go to Gib to get if necessary.

My suggestions are:

Starter: French Onion Soup or Broccoli and Stilton Soup

Main: Roast Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Basil

8 chicken thighs and legs, bone in.
Olive oil, good quality and fruity.
2 heads of garlic
1 lemon
Large handful of basil, about 30 leaves.
medium glass of white wine

Season the chicken and put the pieces in a roasting tin. Pour over enough olive oil to moisten them and make a shallow pool in the tin. Lightly squash the garlic cloves in their skin and tuck in with the chicken. Squeeze the lemon over the chicken and drop the empty shells in too. Roast for 30 mins in an oven preheated to 200°C/Gas 6, then tear up the basil leaves and toss them about a bit with the chicken. Return to the oven for 10 mins. Remove from the oven, pour the wine over the chicken, then put the roasting tin over a hot flame and let the wine bubble for a minute.

I serve this with a green salad and some potato wedges, but I peel the potatoes so more of the juices can be mopped up...

Veggie Main: Roasted Vegetable Lasagne. I use this Saint Delia one, it is seriously tasty and I mix and match veg according to what I have in the fridge.

Pudding: Bakewell Tart - this is one of the most delicious and easy recipes I've ever come across and will happily eat the whole thing

125g butter
125g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
125g ground rice
½ tsp almond extract
2 tbsp raspberry jam
Icing sugar for sprinkling

For the pastry

175g plain flour
45g chilled butter, cubed
45g chilled white vegetable fat, cubed
About 2 tbsp cold water
Milk for glazing

Make the pastry, line a loose bottomed 19cm flan dish and put in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Keep the scraps for decorating later.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the caster sugar, and cook for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, leave to cool a little, then gradually stir in the egg, ground rice and almond extract.

Spread the jam evenly over the bottom of the pastry case, and pour the almond mixture on top.

Roll out the reserved pastry trimmings, and cut into strips and arrange on top of filling to form a lattice, attaching them to the pastry case with a little milk.

Bake on a hot baking tray in a preheated oven at 200°C/gas mark 6 for 45?50 minutes until the filling is well risen and golden and springs back when lightly pressed with a finger. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve the tart warm or cold.

Defo vote for the pork one but just to play the game can I suggest the chicken and veg pie www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3429/crumbly-chicken-and-mixed-vegetable-pie

I am famous among family and friends for these Green Chile Enchiladas, despite the fact that it's an Internet recipe.

I am not sure what kind of chiles are available in the UK, the green chile in this recipe is the New Mexico Hatch chile. Here, a good substitute for Hatch is green Anaheim chiles with some jalapeño for heat.

I forgot to say "Tex Mex" cheese is just a combination of cheddar and Monterey jack.

Just marking my place I have no suggestions hence I joined this

Ok i will also add a main

Turkey Milnes - recipe pinched form the net and tweaked.

A turkey breast steak per person
wholemeal breadcrumbs
beaten egg
seasoned flour
Table spoon of mixed herbs

for the sauce

2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 diced onion
garlic
splash of white wine
Tome puree

Dried pasta of your choice

Dip the turkey in flour, then in egg then bread crumbs (mix the mixed herbs into bread crumbs) cook for 1-2 mins on either side till golden and pop in oven for 15-20 mins (i cook most things on 200c in my crap electric cooker so just adjust) wipe pan with kitchen paper to remove excess oil, sautee onion and garlic in smidgen olive oil and then add the wine.After the alcohol has cooked out add the tomatoes and tom puree. Cook pasta at the same time.

Serve pasta then sauce then turkey on top and sprinkle liberaly with parmesan. Also add parmesan to breadcrumbs if you like too.

Tis lovely and the kids liked it too.

Dessert for me would be pink pavlova with strawberrys and cream.

Voting here please everyone!!

Guess I should have posted here rather than voting thread first, but...

Hello,
Have recently turned vegan so have been watching this thread with interest for inspiration.

I have no recipes to offer as yet, but would welcome the chance to join in with the club!

LadyGooGoo - my ex was vegan and I got very good at adapting recipes, and many things I make are still vegan.

The chickpea and roast squash/pumpkin salad I suggested above is vegan - dressing is tahini, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.

The vegetarian lasagna I suggested has a white sauce with nutmeg but this is easily replaced with blended soft tofu, tofu ricotta or okara (if you make your own tofu, which is very easy). It makes the lasagna a bit heavier though.

I will post the recipes later on when I get home.

Ooh, thanks!

Voted for the salad already. Sounds like your very experienced, I've never heard of okara, as for making your own tofu...