What food items will you never use/swap ideas?

whistler-alison

Poppycracker - to use up your mandarines (or any other citrus fruit for that matter) you can do Nigella's Clementine Cake from her How to Eat cookbook. It's also on her website:

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/recipe.asp?article=174

I always make it at Christmas. It might seem a bit long winded, but I always do the boiling part (which makes the house smell fantastic) in advance while I'm watching TV etc.

Punky

Great thread - this is like Ready, Steady, Cook!

I've got Kashmiri Chillies and Capers. Blame OH for these - he's no longer aloud to go food shopping as he always comes back with something strange!

Any ideas welcome - you guys are amazing!

whistler-alison

chop up capers and add to mayonnaise to make tartar sauce. Also nice chopped up in potato salad. Probably best to rinse them first if they are in salt or brine otherwise they will be salty.

Are the chillis dried or fresh. I think there's a recipe in my Madjur Jaffry book to make a small slit in the dried ones and put them in a curry so they leech some heat but no so much so they blow your head off. This is where I hold my hands up. I bought some dried ones too a couple of years ago to do this recipe but never got round to it! They are still in my spice rack and probably fit for nothing now. Again, if dried you can crumble them and use them like chilli flakes. I should practise what I preach

BrandNewDay

Well, at least you haven't all donated these things to a food pantry... sometimes they get overrun with the undeseriables - nobody donates stuff people actually USE.

I get ideas about cooking lentils or something, but it never happens. I SWEAR I'll use them this winter. Really!

Horasio

brokenwings wrote:

ill never eat anything gillian mckeith persuaded me to buy
its all festering and hidden away on the highest shelf possible!

I have eaten half my quinoa

whistler-alison

hardup hester - I saw some chef the other day make duck comfit. Can't remember what one. He did it with duck legs. After he made the comfit he refrigerated it for a few days, then picked out the duck legs, scraped off the remaining fat and put them in the oven until they crisped up and warmed through. I suppose it depends on whether the tins have whole joints in them whether it would work. This would probably go with puy lentils! He said to keep the fat for making roast potatoes. Perhaps make a cassoulet if they are cubed meat?

liz545

**purplemoon** wrote:

Puy lentils - not quite sure why we bought them, maybe spotted a recipe to try at some point, but they've sat in the cupboard for over a year now and no idea what to do with them!

I do a salad with Puy lentils, along the same line as tabbouleh. just boil the lentils until they're tender, then combine with chopped tomato, cucumber and lots of parsley, then dress with a squeeze of lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. it lasts quite well in the fridge, and it's great served with cold meat or grilled chicken.

Now, lurking in my cupboard I have a tin of shallots in vinegar (random purchase from the oriental supermarket, not sure why). There's not a lot else that won't get used at some point, but I'm drawing a blank with those!

Kelinik

susank wrote:

Think we need a swap shop for all the things we dont use!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was thinking that - if only things wouldn't cost so much to post. :rolleyes: I eat tinned tuna/salmon/sardines in sandwiches and love soups.

I have tons of lasagne sheets that I got super cheap. Love lasagne but I've made loads and have only opened box 1 of 3 - limit to how many lasagnes we're gonna get through in the next 10 yrs lol! :rotfl:

Rachie_B

Kelinik wrote:

I was thinking that - if only things wouldn't cost so much to post. :rolleyes: I eat tinned tuna/salmon/sardines in sandwiches and love soups.

I have tons of lasagne sheets that I got super cheap. Love lasagne but I've made loads and have only opened box 1 of 3 - limit to how many lasagnes we're gonna get through in the next 10 yrs lol! :rotfl:

:rotfl:

try variations of lasagne

chicken / bacon / mushroom lasagne is yummy
also lentil lasagne,spinach and ricotta lasagne

some easy lasagne recipes on the campbells soup site http://www.campbellsoup.co.uk/

HTH

calleyw

I don't like couscous but my husbadn bungs a load in with a tinned soup for a filling lunch time meal with some bread.

I have some quark in the freezer was trying to the follow the south beach diet got so hungry and it was so gross I just bunged in to the freezer until I could think of what to do with it :rotfl:


Yours


Calley