Store cupboard challenge

Stephen_Leak

Hmm. Third dinner date. It might be time to spice things up with a curry!

MEAT CURRY

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

375g of beef or lamb, chicken or turkey
1 clove of garlic
2cm (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger
2 onions
2 tablespoons of oil
200g (½ a 400g tin) of plum tomatoes*
1 teaspoon of chilli powder
1 tablespoon of garam masala
½ a teaspoon of ground turmeric
250ml of water

METHOD

Chop the meat into 1cm (½ inch) pieces. Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the ginger and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the onions and chop them into tiny pieces.

Put the oil into a saucepan on a moderate heat. Put the garlic, ginger, meat and onions into the pan. Cook for 20 minutes until the meat is an even colour, with no pink bits. Stir frequently to stop it sticking.

Open the tin of tomatoes. Pour the juice into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes while they are still in the can (it’s easier than chasing them around the bowl). Put the chopped tomatoes into the bowl. Put half the chopped tomatoes into the pan and save the other half.

Add the chilli, garam masala and turmeric and water. Stir thoroughly.

Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering). Put the lid on the saucepan and cook for 30 minutes, stirring as the mixture boils, until the sauce has reduced.

ADDITIONS & ALTERATIONS

The quantity of chilli powder above makes for a medium curry. For a hot one, increase this to 1½ teaspoons. For a mild one, add 100ml (½ a 200ml pot) of yoghurt 5 to 10 minutes before the end of cooking. For a mild chicken or turkey Korma, also add a 50g sachet of creamed coconut.

Add ½ a teaspoon of mint sauce to the leftover yoghurt to make some mint raita.
　
* Plum tomatoes can be used either whole or chopped. It is difficult to stick chopped tomatoes back together again if you need to use them whole.

Butterfly_Brain

I agree with a good hearty beef stew or how about making a meat and potato pie.
I find that most men enjoy good old fashioned English food the type that they are brought up on.

Heffi1

Stephen thanks for the curry recipe I will try that one, and BB a pie is always a good option he does like home cooking so that will get used one time too, if not on him then on the family lol

LegalBlonde

I read this earlier and was just coming on to suggest meatballs!!! My boyf is not that fussy about food, as in there is nothing he is really that bothered about and everything he has is "fine" but he loves loves loves my meatballs. I serve them spaghetti. My only weakness is the tomato sauce - I just use chopped tomatoes with herbs etc, someone here will probably have better recipes!

But for the meatballs - I use frozen Tesco mince which is pork and beef I think, add onions, tesco value herbs, garlic either powder or actual, black pepper, salt, mix it all together, an egg, breadcrumbs (i have no kitchen equipment, i just break up bread v small) roll into balls, put on baking tray 200 degrees top of oven 30 minutes.

I have just kind of adapted and invented this as I went along - strangely I first made them when our house was getting completely renovated by our Council landlord against my will and we had absolutely no kitchen or living room whatsoever. I was so depressed and tired of eating take away, so I plugged the oven in and went for it. It was a life saver!

LegalBlonde

Ps Good Luck on the hot date!!!!

Heffi1

LegalBlonde wrote: »

I read this earlier and was just coming on to suggest meatballs!!! My boyf is not that fussy about food, as in there is nothing he is really that bothered about and everything he has is "fine" but he loves loves loves my meatballs. I serve them spaghetti. My only weakness is the tomato sauce - I just use chopped tomatoes with herbs etc, someone here will probably have better recipes!

But for the meatballs - I use frozen Tesco mince which is pork and beef I think, add onions, tesco value herbs, garlic either powder or actual, black pepper, salt, mix it all together, an egg, breadcrumbs (i have no kitchen equipment, i just break up bread v small) roll into balls, put on baking tray 200 degrees top of oven 30 minutes.

I have just kind of adapted and invented this as I went along - strangely I first made them when our house was getting completely renovated by our Council landlord against my will and we had absolutely no kitchen or living room whatsoever. I was so depressed and tired of eating take away, so I plugged the oven in and went for it. It was a life saver!

I sometimes think the best recipes come when we dont have all of the utensils available or in my case I have made a lovely chicken pie which should have been chicken and ham but I had no ham in one time, now the kids love it without the pastry but with chips - so sometimes we have chicken pie mix lol and chips, and it is the easiest thing in the world to make, basically instead of a white sauce made with milk, substitute half the liquid with a chicken oxo made into stock and milk and it is lovely I cook the chicken and then chuck it into the sauce and have never had any complaints, it is quite neutral for those (me) who dont like too many spices but can be adapted with any flavourings.

Heffi1

LegalBlonde wrote: »

Ps Good Luck on the hot date!!!!

Thank you so much, both of us have come out of very long marriages so we are taking things slowly, but he is growing on me lol x

poppy-glos

sorry to reply so late but maybe inspiration for your next cooking for him, grilled pork chops and mash and gravy, and to make it special (if you're having a bottle of red to share) give a pan a third of the bottle of the red, a third of a red cabbage chopped, and an ounce of butter and simmer it down for an hour, and throw in some sultanas if you have them. proper winter supper x:beer:

lisa26_2

again, sorry its too late for this time but a lovely pork chops recipe.......mix together some soy sauce, garlic, chilli (dried or fresh) and some ginger if you have it. Coat the chops, leave to marinate for a minimum of 1 hour then grill. Serve with stir fried veg and noodles ( and if you want a sauce on the veg and noodles just stir in any combination of say sauce, oyster sauce and sweet chilli sauce....whichever you have).

nopot2pin

I did a bit more of the food shuffle malarky today :rolleyes:

From the freezer, I took out, smoked haddock, and cod fillets and some salmon fillets.
This was all poached, and divided... some broccoli, carrots and peas were added... and topped with cauliflower and potato mash, with cheese...
The results was 12 portions of fish pie ...
I will take a couple of portions to my parents... well, just cos
But a good day of batch cooking, I think

I feel the need to do a soup thing over the weekend :cool: