'Proper' fish pie.

This recipe was handed down from my father's granny, to his mother who passed it on to my mum.  Apparently, it's a fully authentic recipe, and because it's dead simple to make, I've included it here.

Ingredients:-

1 tin of salmon.  A small tin of farmed pink will do.  Obviously, if you're feeling 'flush', then red tastes even better.

Potatoes.

A knob of two of butter or margarine.

A splash of milk.

Method:-

You could peal the potatoes prior to boiling, but I prefer to leave them with their skins on.  More vitamins in the skin, apparently.

Boil the potatoes until ready soft, drain the water, add butter and milk and mash well.

'Prep Up' the salmon by removing the skin and bones.  Here's where ideally you should have a cat.  It will love you forever after this.

Gently mix the salmon in with the mashed potatoes then gently ladle into a pre-greased oven-proof casserole dish.

Cook in a fairly high oven (~200C) for about an hour, or until the top of the pie browns nicely.

Serve with peas and white sauce, and if you're feeling 'arty', sprinkle a little fresh parsley on before serving.

Enjoy!

Brie and Jam on Toast.

Just 'discovered' this:-

Ingredients:-

Decent 'granary' style bread.
Decent, 'mature' (...i.e. as smelly as you can stand...) Brie.
Your favourite jam

Method.

Simply toast the bread, no need to butter it, spread the brie, then liberally spread your jam on top.

Delicious!

Sardine Fun.

Things to do with tinned sardines in sunflower oil.

Ingredients:

One tin of sardines in sunflower oil.
Some pre-cooked pasta shells.
A handful of frozen peas.
A handful of pre-cooked frozen rice an' tings.
Half a large tin of tomato soup.
If desired, a dash of extra virgin olive oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

• Remove sardines from their tin, drain off the oil if desired.
• In a small mixing bowl, mosh up the sardines to crush any skin, small bones and other things.
• Mix all other ingredients together, add the moshed sardines and mix well to make sure the pasta shells are covered in sauce.
• Place in a microwave on medium heat for about a minute and a half.
• Re-mix the ingredients and leave to stand for a further minute.
• Microwave for another minute and a half to two minutes, then allow to stand for a further 30 seconds.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
• Enjoy!

    Eating this dish is a delight!  The pasta and sardines give it an almost Mediterranean tang that is refreshing to the palate, yet gives you many of the vital food groups that pre-packed microwave dishes seem to lack.  Also, because it's home prepared and cooked, you can be confident that there are no preservatives or flavourings.  None needed!
    If there is some left before you microwave, this dish will keep in a cool fridge overnight if properly covered.

Notes on sardines:
    Again, like 'Bovril', this little fish is much maligned in favour of its bigger brothers tuna and salmon.  What drew it to me was seeing it on the supermarket shelves and it bringing back all the memories of it on toast as a child.  What further drew me was the price!
    Over recent months, with the cost of living increasing so much, I have noticed that tuna, once the cheap bad-boy of fish has more than doubled in price.  Sardines in my local supermarket are less than half the price of tune, but they are just as tasty and good for you.  In my opinion...
    More sardine-type recipes to follow...

Wardian Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Wardian Scrambled Eggs on Toast.

Ingredients:

2 medium free range eggs.
Four slices of bread -preferably wholemeal.
Salt, ground black pepper, ketchup and mayonnaise to taste.

The Cast:

 'Brevil' type toasted Sandwich maker.

Method:

1. Turn on sandwich maker to allow it to heat up.
2. Beat together the eggs in a dish, adding pepper if desired.
3. Spoon a little of the fat you have been saving in the refrigerator from the George Foreman grill (...otherwise margarine will do...), into all four compartments of the sandwich maker.  It should sizzle at this point.
4. Place two of the slices of bread into the bottom of the sandwich maker.
5. As quickly as you can, spoon on and spread out the beaten eggs on those slices.
6. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of this concoction.
7. Before you bring the grill lid down on the bread, spread a little of the fat on top of those slice.
8. Bring the lid down and gently squeeze it together until it locks.
9. When steam appears from the back of the grill, your eggs are done.
10. Gently remove the two now toasted sandwiches and slice into halves.  Place on a plate and add ketchup and mayonnaise to taste.  And...
11. Enjoy!

    Dead simple, this.  Very little washing up and it literally takes two minutes to make; certainly less time than messing about with a separate bread toaster and a pan on the cooker.  A lot less washing up as well...

Nick Ward  16th July 2008

Tuna Pizza

    Not strictly speaking Rough Food, but I think worth mentioning, nonetheless.

    Many, many years ago when I first started dating The Blonde and we were still getting to know each other, she invited me round for an evening meal at her flat.

    As it was a beautiful, balmy summer's evening and the sun was just starting to set over the tall trees beyond the lawn at the bottom of her garden, she decided that she would cook and that we would eat outside.

    Now, I have mentioned in The Blog that The Blonde honestly is a superb chef, but at the time, I didn't know this -as I said we were still getting to know each other.  What I may not have mentioned is her sense of humour.

    So, after the obligatory first bottle of wine, she announced that dinner was ready, and so brought it down the stairs to the little table set out beautifully for two on the first floor balcony.  Looking resplendent in a short, light, cotton-print summer dress, barefoot and with a blue ribbon in her hair, she presented it to the table with a flourish.  Ta-da!

    Homemade pizza.  One of my favourites!
   That was until I saw just what she'd topped it with.
    Amongst other things a tin of tuna in brine.
    Oh, with some rather wilted looking lettuce, as well. 
    Yes, that's right.  Lettuce on a pizza.

    Now, I know this doesn't sound all that unappetizing, but trust me.  If you ever want to stop a suitor in his or her tracks, offer to make them this.  You can put all the toppings you want on to make it look cool, trendy and mouth-watering, but just a little of that one ingredient...
    It looked just fine, but the smell, taste and texture really did beggar belief!
    Oh, the fun you'll have as you watch your (...hopefully 'not-'...) soon-to-be-beau trying to look as if they're enjoying it!  You might now want to kiss them 'Goodnight' at the end of the evening though.  At least until they're brushed their teeth and had a good gargle with some mouthwash.

...

    After that, she managed to put me off for three whole days. 
    ...You may get luckier and longer...

Sprout and Peanut Butter Sandwich...

Sprout and Peanut Butter Sandwich.

Ingredients:-

Sprouts.  These can be fresh or tinned.
Peanut Butter -smooth or coarse, its up to you.
A couple of slices of your favourite bread.

Method:-

If the sprouts are fresh, cook until they have the consistency you like (...or should that be dislike the least?..), or if tinned, just heat them up.  While the sprouts are cooking, smear a good thickness of peanut butter on one slice of bread.
    Drain off the sprouts and while they are still as hot as possible, take them out one by one from the pan (...or kettle...) with a tablespoon (...or pliers...) and push each one into the peanut buttered bread.
    When you've done them all, place the other slice of bread on top and press down well.  This has the effect of squishing the sprouts and peanut butter together well enabling the bread to stick to them.

Then:-

Enjoy!  People will think you're a weirdo, but don't worry.
A couple of years ago the BBC Breakfast News did an item on weird food combinations.  While I was in the bathroom, my wife E-mailed the program, and they read it out on air, along with both presenters and their guests pulling grimaces.  Pah!  All I can say is just try it!

Okay, the following day you may not have any close mates, but you'll be happy that you got all your fibre the day before.

No sugar left...

No sugar left for your tea...

Sugar Substitute

    The other week, I ran out of the above, and after a little experimentation found that marmalade makes quite a good substitute, but in future, I'll try not to buy the 'coarse cut' that I like so much on toast.