Lamb chops in pizzaiola sauce

Ingredients 

8-12 lamb chops 

8 cloves of garlic 

Chicken stock and white wine 

One teaspoon of salt and a grinding or more of black pepper 

Two heaped teaspoons of oregano 

A squeeze of tomato purée 

Two bay leaves 

A little oil for cooking 

Two tins of crushed tomatoes 

A dash of Worcestershire sauce 

Method:

Fry the chops in a little oil.  My preference is olive oil. Using a large frying pan with a lid is a good idea, to fit all the chops in.

Drain the chops after sealing and set aside on a plate.  Add the garlic (crushed) to the frying pan along with the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to the boil and drop the heat back to a simmer before returning the chops to the pan.  Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes semi covered with a lid.

Serve with basmati rice or mustard mashed potatoes and a vegetable of your choice.  Today we are having asparagus.

Rumi, Persian Poet, circa 1200’s

 Either give me more wine, or leave me alone”

Sounds like great minds think alike!!!

ArrosQD Spanish restaurant in Fitzrovia, London

 The paella was a little different from those we’ve enjoyed in Spain, with a crispy bottom.

The scallops were tasty but super small.  The restaurant is very stylish and on the expensive side.  The open fire cooking is good to watch.  The desserts were beautifully presented and tasty too.  The wine was very good.

Paella 

Alioli dips 

The open fire 

Scallops for four 

Spooky Castles and properties in the UK

GLAMIS CASTLE

Only the Earls of GLAMIS know the secret of a hidden room in the castle’s thick walls. A tongueless woman, thought to have been a servant, unwittingly discovered the secrets of the castle.

The castle is outstandingly beautiful but you might shriek in terror at the spooks. Lady Jane Douglas who was burnt at the stake as a witch is thought to be the Castle’s resident. The Earl Beardie was condemned to a life of gambling after losing his soul to the devil in a card game.

 

Arabic Potato Chab

  Ingredients 

400g of minced lamb. 

One onion finely chopped.

Corn oil for frying.

A teaspoon of turmeric.

A heaped teaspoon of curry powder.

Flat leaf parsley, washed and finely chopped.

Salt and pepper.

Large potatoes for the mash.

A dessertspoon of cornflour.

Fry the onions until translucent. Add the minced meat and cook for 20 minutes. Add the salt and pepper, parsley and a teaspoon of curry powder. Cook another 5 minutes and then leave to cool down.

Boil the peeled potatoes in salted water and when soft, drain the water and mash the potatoes with turmeric and cornflour. 

Leave to cool down.

Take a tennis ball size of potato in your left hand and roll into a ball. Make a pouch to insert the meat mixture. Slowly work the potato dough so as to cover the meat completely and flatten into a patty. See photo. Freeze for 20 minutes before deep frying until golden in colour.

Nice served with a big side salad. Brown sauce and beetroot.

Did you know?

Halloween dates back 2,000 years to the Celtic festival of Samhain meaning “Summer’s end”

 Each week, the average person sheds around a third of an ounce of skin.

Apple bobbing goes back to the Roman festival for Pomania, the goddess of fruit and orchards

Bram Stokers, who wrote Dracula, never visited Transylvania

COOKING EVERY DAY

 

After over 50 years of cooking most days, I like to take a break. This week we have plenty of leftovers as well as meals prepped over the weekend. This will free up time to do other things. More time for blogging, shopping and chatting to friends. I also want to start sending my books to agents and publishers as I kind of gave up after so many rejections.

Unfortunately, I can’t batch cook for the freezer as my other half isn’t keen on food that has been frozen. He reckons it alters the taste. He is fussy about ready meals from the supermarket too.

One good thing is he enjoys cooking but as age creeps up, he’s less enthusiastic.