Tuna and asparagus bake

A truly yummy combination of flavours that could use up some fridge fallout in the process. The original recipe is stuck in my do-it-yourself recipe book, having been cut out of some or other magazine at some or other point in my life.

Oven temperature
180C

Ingredients
750ml cooked rice (as in 750ml after cooking, not 750ml rice which is then cooked)
90ml butter
15ml lemon juice
15ml chopped parsley (I leave this out, because my husband loathes parsley)
410g tin of asparagus salad cuts
1 onion, finely chopped
2 courgettes/zucchini/baby marrow/whatever you call them, sliced (roughly 4mm slices)
Half a green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
25ml cornflour
60ml water
60ml sour cream
200g tin of tuna, drained and flaked
15ml fresh mint, chopped
250ml grated cheddar (or similar) cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Bake, uncovered for about 30mins

• Combine the rice with 30ml of the butter, lemon juice and parsley in a large bowl, then spoon over the base of a large ovenproof dish. Press this rice base down to pack it tightly.
• Drain the asparagus cuts, but keep about 125ml of the juice. Arrange the asparagus on top of the rice.
• Heat the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium heat and saute the onions lightly.
• Add the courgettes and green pepper. Stir fry for about a minute or until the veg begin to soften a bit.
• Stir in the cornflour and cook for a further minute.
• Stir in the reserved asparagus juice and water and keep stirring until a smooth consistency is achieved.
• Remove from heat and add the sour cream, tuna, mint and seasoning.
• Spoon this mixture over the asparagus and spread gently.
• Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes.
• If you like, you can top it with croutons after baking, but I have never found it necessary.

The rice forms a sort of 'crust'. I tend to mash the rice a bit to achieve a 'mealie rice'/grits texture.

A note about my comment about fridge fallout - you could add leftover vegetables to the tuna mixture, and I reckon peas and/or sweetcorn would be no bad idea!

Fish cakes

I hope you don't mind: you're going to get fish recipes twice this week. Ironic, considering my early disclaimer regarding a lack of fish in my repertoire. I guess I need to re-evaluate that perception of myself. It appears to be past its sell-by date.

When I was a child, my Mom used occasionally used to buy frozen fish fingers, which I loved (and still enjoy - no food snobbery, here!) and frozen fish cakes, which I loathed. They left me with such a negative impression of fish cakes, that I was well into adulthood with a family of my own before I even thought of trying to make them.

This is a great way to use up leftover fish and potatoes. I made these ones using the leftovers from the stuffed hake recipe I shared a while back, having monstrously over-catered on that occasion - forgetting that there would be just two of us at dinner.

Ingredients

200-400g cooked fish - you can use white fish, salmon, haddock, mackerel... you name it! You could even use shellfish, but you'd need to mince it.
1 large cooked potato
10ml chopped dill (I have explained about my Swedish husband and their addiction to this herb - feel free to use one you prefer, like chives or parsley)
2 eggs
10ml grated lemon zest
60ml flour
Fresh breadcrumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

• Mash the potato well.
• Mash the fish and stir it to the potato.
• Stir in the flour.
• Beat one of the eggs and mix that in.
• Add the zest, herbs, salt and pepper, and mix everything together well. If the mixture is too runny, add another mashed potato.
• Lightly beat the other egg and place it into a flattish bowl.
• Shape the fish mixture into balls with your hands. Flatten each ball into a patty shape and then dip in the egg, turning the fish cake over to coat each side. It's probably best to use and egg lifter/fish slice (whatever you call it in your neck of the woods) for this task.
• Dip in the breadcrumbs, and turn, coating both sides.
• Shallow fry in oil/Fry Light over a medium-high heat until browned on both sides.
• Serve with salad.

Barbara's crustless savoury tart

This is one of my Mom's recipes. I realise she hasn't had much of a look-in on this blog so far. This is partly because she only came to enjoy cooking in her retirement, by which time I had long since left home. My Mom had the disadvantage of being the daughter of a good cook and then the daughter-in-law of an even better cook (nothing my Mom ever made was good enough for my Dad).

After my parents split up, my Mom was a single parent, working full time. Cooking was something to be done as quickly and easily as possible each evening after work, in order to get the kids fed on a severely limited budget. Our meals tended to be very ordinary.

These days, my Mom is much more daring. This recipe dates back to my teens. Back then, it was quite adventurous by my Mom's standards.

Double recipe, single dish

The recipe makes two tarts. You can halve it, of course. When I made it on this occasion, I put the whole double recipe into a single large pyrex dish and it worked just fine. I didn't even increase the time (but then, I have a fan-assisted oven, which makes a significant difference).

Oven temperature

180C

Ingredients

250g bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 thick slices of bread (about 2cm), crusts removed
625ml milk
30ml butter/marg
6 eggs
500ml grated cheese (mature cheddar works well)
1 tin corned beef (aka bully beef), mashed/chopped
5ml chopped parsley and/or chives
5ml English or Dijon mustard (optional - I leave this out)
salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Fry the bacon and onion together lightly. You shouldn't need oil - there is enough fat in bacon.
• Place the bread, milk and butter into a saucepan and boil gently for 5 minutes.Mash the bread and leave to cool.
• Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
• Stir in the cheese, bacon and onion, bread and milk mixture.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Pour into two pie plates and bake for 30 minutes until the egg has set.
• Eat hot or cold with salads.

Notes:

Try using different meats. Frankfurters work really well, and if you have a few slices of ham left over from making the kids' sandwiches, chuck them in, too.
You could also try it with vegetables. It's a great way to deal with a few leftover vegetables. Broccoli works brilliantly, as do peas, grated carrot and chunks of potato. Just cook them lightly first.

Fridge fallout

For years, I have not had to deal with leftovers. I have sons. Teenage sons. Any chicken left on the carcass after a roast dinner would mysteriously disappear a couple of hours later. On the odd occasion I found myself faced with a bit of leftover soup or stew, it was easy to deal with: you just freeze it as a single portion meal for an occasion when someone is home alone of an evening, or when a teenager gets the munchies and begins to forage.

Fridge fallout 1

But, with one son taking a gap year on the other side of the planet, and the other regularly eating with his girlfriend's family, I find I keep misjudging things. So, last night, we had what my Mom calls 'fridge fallout'.

I took the leftover chilli con carne from Tuesday, and served it with a baked potato, the leftover salad and a dollop of sour cream. That was me sorted.

Fridge fallout 2

For John, I took the leftover fish pie from Wednesday night and mashed it up with an egg. I then created 'patties' with the mixture, which I floured and popped into the frying pan over a medium heat with the merest smidge of hot olive oil. Browned on both sides and served with veg. Of course, I had to test it, to see that it was okay. It was.

Okay, so it it doesn't make for a mouth-watering photograph, but everyday food is everyday food. I'll leave the brilliant styling to the professionals. You and I will focus on food we can serve up to the family. How's that?

Oh, and I do apologise for the sideways photos - the new Blogger editor insists on turning them that way, and then doesn't allow me to rotate them. :o(

A quick word about the vegetables you see on John's plate. I am not much of a one for frozen vegetables - most of them have a weird texture. I far prefer to use fresh ones. However, my freezer always contains at least one bag each of the following: petits pois, sweetcorn, and soya (edamame) beans. I usually prepare them as a combo, as you see in the picture. And this is how I avoid that overcooked, watery taste:

Method 1 - steaming

Add no more than 1 litre of cold water to the bottom section of the steamer saucepan (if you haven't got one of those, a 20cm saucepan and a metal colander will do just fine). Place the required quantity of the chosen vegetable(s) in the top layer of the steamer saucepan. No salt. Honest. You don't need it. Assemble the steamer saucepan and cover with the lid (if you're using the saucepan and colander Heath Robinson affair, just pop the saucepan lid over the veg in the colander). Choose a hob plate that is roughly the same size as the base of the saucepan - this is the most economical and eco-friendly option. Set the heat to high and bring the water to the boil. Oncethat happens, you're almost there. Check the veg from time to time. You know that they're done when the peas seem to shrivel or shrink back on themselves as soon as you lift the lid. Don't cook them for a moment longer than that.

Method 2 - boiling

Add the required quantity of vegetables to the smallest possible saucepan. Add enough cold water to just cover the veg. No salt. Really. None. Place on a hob plate the same size as the base of the saucepan on a high heat. Bring to the boil. Remove immediately, drain and eat.

A note about soya beans:

I used to be able to buy soya beans just about anywhere, but now only Waitrose keeps them. They're obviously considered a bit 'posh' for some reason. If you haven't tried them, I encourage you to do so. They are very nutritious and tayyyy-steeeee. If you'd like to try them somewhere else before buying them, you can get them as a side dish from Wagamama (where they call them edamame beans). As my husband says: "They're like sweeties!"