Food

[karen2205]

I did a fair amount of cooking over the weekend - recipes for my own reference:



Chicken risotto - vegan marg in casserole dish, add in chopped onion, stir till the onion looks softish (while defrosting the chicken in the microwave). Add in the rice - add more marg when you decide that you want to cook all of the rice. Stir. Boil the kettle and make up the stock. Add the chicken, stir until the chicken is sealed. Then start adding the stock a little at a time. Go back and read the instructions again because it doesn't seem to be sticking together. Have faith in the method and keep adding more stock. It took closer to half an hour to get the right consistency than twenty minutes. You'll know when it's right.

Tuna + non cows' cheese pasta - boil pasta as usual. Make up dairy free cheese flavoured sauce. Don't do this in a microwave, follow the instructions and do it in a saucepan. Taste sauce and check it tastes acceptable before adding to the pasta. Add in tuna, stir, grate (goats'/sheep's) feta on top.

Meaty mixture with stuffing and mashed potatoes. Peel and boil potatoes. Add vegan marg and grated goats cheese and mash carefully. Leave to one side.
Make stuffing up according to instructions and leave to one side.
Chop garlic and onion and add to casserole dish. Chop up bacon and add it, followed by the mince. Then chop and add a yellow peper and a red pepper and some mange tout. Have the cunning idea to throw some lentils in. Make up a stock cube - the lentils will soak up lots of liquid and add it. Let it cook for a while, adding more liquid as necessary. (Should have added Worcestershire sauce + mustard but forgot).



Anyway, now for the important question - how do you make porridge?

I've tried all kinds of methods and can't seem to get my porridge the way it tastes at camp having been cooked over an open fire. Yesterday morning's attempt turned out so sticky I started to gag on it.

Comments

[arkady.livejournal.com]

I make porridge in the microwave. About 2oz (55g) porridge oats in a large jug, stir in half a pint of milk. Microwave on high, uncovered, for 3-4 min in a 650W microwave or 2-3 min in a 750-850W microwave, stir, leave to stand for a couple of minutes, then drizzle in a little cold milk until it's the desired consistency (and cool enough to eat without causing 3rd degree burns!); add desired flavouring. I like a teaspoon of black treacle in mine. Tip into a bowl, put the jug into soapy water to soak immediately (because otherwise the leftover porridge sets like concrete), enjoy!

[simonb.livejournal.com]

Personally I just cook the porridge in the bowl I'll be eating it from, but I also leave the porridge for about 10-15 minutes to set/cool down after its finished in the microwave so its not like most porridge.

Its definately true that you have to soak the implements used to cook porridge in - when I finish with the bowl I use it gets filled with water; its far easier to clean it out when its been left for a while like that.

[karen2205]

I tend to cook in the crockery I'm going to eat from - I hate washing dishes, so try not to create them.

[karen2205]

*nods* re dribbling in extra liquid to get it to the right consistency.

You think a porridge jug is bad? Try a billy can - about 25cm radius, full of enough porridge to feed 25 people ish, that's been on a wood fire. Cleaning that pot is a horrible job - the outside's far easier to clean than the inside (washing up liquid painted on the outside makes it a lot easier to clean), and the job either goes to the girls who've been noisy at night or gets left for the adult cooks to do.