Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers/ BBC Dig In

BBC1, 8.30 pm Weds 24 November
Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers

4/8 Series 2.
The chef reveals how to make feasts out of ingredients that have seen better days.  Stale bread, brown bananas and hard cheese are all transformed to make meals that are truly delicious, including cheese pudding, banana and chocolate cake, and bacon and squash pan fry.

The series is part of the BBC's Dig In campaign encouraging people to grow and cook their own food.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/digin/

Here, you can watch exclusive clips from the new series of Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers.
The series features five dishes created by Nigel using the Dig In veg.


You can also print off the Dig In recipe booklet, browse more recipes and get top tips on growing and using herbs and vegetables.  Visit the blogs and message boards too.

Chilli and sweet spring onion feta on ciabatta toast

Ingredients:

Block of feta cheese - 1.17

3 or 4 spring onions (reduced from 85p to 20p) - 5p

1 fresh red chilli (reduced from 65p to 25p) - 5p

Piece of ciabatta (reduced from 95p to 65p) - 45p

Olive oil

Lemon juice

A little brown sugar (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

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Slice the cheese into four pieces- half and half again.

Roughly slice the spring onion, and finely slice the chilli.

Put the cheese into a grill-proof dish, scatter over the spring onion and chilli, and sprinkle generously with olive oil, squirt with lemon juice and sprinkle with a little brown sugar and fresh ground pepper.

Grill until soft and charred.  The sugar will 'caramalise' the onion if you use it, and contrast with the sharpness of the lemon juice and salty feta.

Serve on toasted ciabatta, drizzling the juice onto the toast before topping with the cheese, onion and chilli.

Omit the brown sugar for a more piquant and less sweet taste.

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Total cost: £1.72 (made four toasts - serves 2 as a snack)

Feta cheese on toast

A simple, quick and delicious way of using up the rest of the greek cheese, and a reduced ciabatta that had seen fresher days.

Ingredients:

A third of a ciabatta (Reduced from 95p to 65p) - 23p

Half greek style cheese (£1.17) -65p

Olive oil

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Split and toast the ciabatta.

Grill the feta on a tray of foil, sprinkled generously with olive oil and turning once.

Gently 'spread' the feta over the toasted ciabatta and eat whilst hot!

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Total cost: 88p (supper for one)

'Pink Lady' Fried Burritos

This was a very experimental process, and I seem to have ended up making a cross between a burrito and a chimichanga..  I always had the idea of making this, after enjoying a fried burrito style wrap which was greek cheese, potato and spinach flavoured with cumin and wrapped in filo pastry, fried to heat and eat. 

I found some salad leaves that were reduced and some very cheap tortillas, and had a bag of lovely little cumin seeds.  Of course I had a potato in my fridge, and bought some greek style cheese (feta).

This worked very well, but the tortilla fries very quickly so can burn if on too high a heat, and frankly the cress was not a good idea.  I wanted pepperiness, and the rocket was perfect for this, but the texture of the cress made the entire burrito experience stringy.  Still, you live and learn in this game.

If I could make this again, I would simply use -potato, cumin, spinach, rocket and feta, using the same approach.  And of course, more or less anything could be put into a fried burrito like this.  The thing to remember is that the final frying will only heat up the contents, and then only gently, so anything that needs to actually cook will need to be cooked beforehand.

Ingredients:

Bag of spinach & beetroot salad (reduced from 1.00 to 20p)

Bag of rocket (reduced from 1.00 to 15p)

Greek salad cheese - 1.17 (half used 65p)

Chilli & coriander tortillas - 59p (20p)

1 potato

Punnet of cress (reduced from 29p to 10p)

Cumin seeds

Black pepper

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Peel, cube, boil and drain the potato.  Then fry in oil with cumin seeds.

Add leaves and cubed feta and fry down until pliable and mixed.



Mix with the cress in a bowl and set aside.

Wipe the pan clean, then add oil.

Put a little of the mixture into a tortilla and fold into a parcel.

Fry (folded edge down first) and turn.

Serve when lightly browned and eat immediately.

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Total cost: £1.30 (made four fried burritos)

Haddock on watercress with sweet thyme carrots and chive mash

Fish and watercress were the reduced items, and of course the fish can be cooked any way you like, and with anything you have.  But here I have kept everything simple, as usual using things that I happen to have - in this case, chives and thyme.  The carrots were fantastic - a little butter and sugar really take them to a level of gourmet delight.

Ingredients

2 haddock fillets (reduced from 3.00 to 49p)

Bag watercress (reduced from 1.00 to 20p)

4 potatoes (in fridge) - 25p

Chopped chives (from pot on roof)

5 carrots (in fridge, had seen better days) - 20p

Butter

a splash or two of milk

salt

pepper

brown sugar

lemon juice

few sprigs thyme (pot on roof)

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Peel, quarter and boil the potatoes.

Slice carrots and season with salt, pepper and a tsp of brown sugar.  Heat a generous amount of butter in a dish in the oven and roast the carrots on a high heat for about 20 mins - 200, adding the time half way through cooking.

Pan fry the haddock, seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Wilt the watercress in a pan with a little butter.

Drain and mash the potatoes with butter, salt, pepper, milk and chopped chives.

 

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Total cost (served 2) - 1.14

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Cheats' Sheek Kebabs

This is a very easy way of making delicious sheek kebabs, using shortcuts with the spices.  It helps to leave the mince mixture to marinate in the fridge for a good few hours or overnight if you can, especially as the spices are not heated to piquancy as they would be authentically.

You can be very liberal with the quantities - ie more or less mince, onion, chilli, coriander etc.  And I used very approximate teaspoons of garlic & ginger puree.  In true Austerity style, the secret here is to just go with what you've got.  Some fresh mint would be great too, but mine had withered and died so I just used the coriander by itself.

Ingredients:

450g lean beef mince (special offer, reduced by 1/3, 2.01)

Bag chopped white onion (reduced from 55p to 19p)

3 green chillis (reduced to 35p for 4)

Handful of finely chopped coriander (grown in herb garden on roof)\

1 egg - 20p

salt and pepper

Pureed ginger - 2tsps

Pureed garlic - 2 tsps

Garam masala - 2 tsps

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.  Use your hands, and 'squidge' the mince through your fingers until its consistency becomes smooth and everything is very well mixed.  Leave and chill if possible, to let the flavours develop and take hold.

To make the kebabs, use the handle of a wooden spoon, and squeeze a handful of the mixture around the spoon, forming a long, even, kebab shape.  The mixture may be a little sticky, and if it is you can use water or oil on your hands to prevent this.  Ease each formed kebab off the spoon gently and either place on a grill to cook, turning regularly for about 15-20 minutes, or you can freeze these kebabs.

There are a myriad of ways to enjoy these kebabs - with a letuce, tomato and onion salad as a starter, or rolled into a naan bread with a little salad and either cucumber raita or chilli sauce, for example. The only limit is your imagination.

These quantities will make about 10 large sheek kebabs. 

Total cost: 2.50

Egg fried rice noodles with spring onion and chilli

I found a bag of rice noodles with spring onion, reduced from 1.19 to 35p.  With some very easy additions, this made a filling oriental style snack.

Rice noodles with spring onions - 35p

1 egg, beaten and seasoned - 20p

Little chilli paste

Sesame oil

Chopped coriander

_

Heat a little sesame oil in a pan.

Add the (ready cooked) rice noodles with spring onion.

Fry for five or six minutes, and add some chilli (fresh chopped would be ideal).

Make a little space in the middle of the pan, and pour in the beaten, seasoned egg.  Scramble the egg then stir through the noodles in the pan, and serve, sprinkled with coriander.

Total cost (served 2) - 55p

Balsamic seared scallops with garlic and butter cabbage and leek, and fried potatoes

The reduced scallops and greens prompted this dish. While I used some ready prepared potatoes with bacon, par-boiling some potatoes and frying them with seasoning - or including some bacon lardons - would be easy.



Ingredients:

12 scallops (reduced from 3.00 to 60p)

Bag shredded green cabbage and leek (reduced from 95p to 15p)

Aldi sliced potatoes with bacon pieces (in cupboard, 95p)

Butter

Garlic paste

Lemon juice

Balsamic vinegar

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Fry the potatoes in a pan with oil until soft and crisp.  This will take a good ten minutes.

Soften some butter in a pan, and fry the cabbage and leek with some garlic paste, salt & pepper, and a little lemon juice.  Be careful not to overcook the greens

Pan fry the scallops on a relatively high heat, with a dash of balsamic vinegar and a little seasoning.

_

Total cost (served two- 2.05)

Chilli Kedgeree with Spring Onions and Watercress

With some cooked basmati rice in the fridge, some frozen haddock fillets, leftover spring onions and some reduced watercress, I decided to create kedgeree with a twist.  The flavours were pefect.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice, boiled and drained

2 haddock fillets

6 spring onions, thickly sliced

4 eggs, hard boiled and quartered

Nutmeg, grated

Watercress, finely chopped (bag reduced by 50% to 50p)

Chilli paste, tsp

Tandoori powder, tsp
Lemon juice, to taste

Fry the fish with ground pepper and chilli paste.  Add spring onions and cook briefly.  Add rice and season with tandoori powder and a little salt, and nutmeg.  Stir through and cook.  Then add egg and watercress.  Stir through until heated and ready.  Serve immediately and save a helping for breakfast!

Kedgeree

The smoked haddock fillets were in the freezer, a chilli in the fridge, the parsley was growing on the terrace and I bought the eggs and spring onions at the market.  Everything else was storecupboard.

The simple but delicious flavours of kedgeree are wonderful, and this dish is a very easy way to stretch few indgredients.  The more fish the better, but in this case I only had 200g which isn't much at all.  Needless to say, you can really include or omit anything when making this.  Smoked fish, eggs, parsley and lemon juice are classic components, but really once you have cooked some basmati rice properly you can fry it with anything.  For my next experimental crunch dish, I am going to use some rice with reduced turkey steaks and other fridge items, and see what happens!

Ingredients:

Smoked haddock fillets (reduced by 75%, 62p)

Basmati rice (99p kilo bag, quarter used) 25p

Parsley

Fresh green chilli

4 eggs - 20p each, 60p

4 spring onions 60p a bunch, half bunch used -30p

Lemon juice

Nutmeg, grated

Tandoori powder

Butter

~

Boil the eggs and cool. 

Wash and cook the rice.

Heat a little butter/margarine in a frying pan and add the fish (skin removed).

After a minute or so add the sliced spring onion and season with pepper.  Squeeze in a generous amount oif lemon juice.  Then add the chopped chilli, and sprinkle with nutmeg.

When cooked, add rice.  Add a gentle teaspoon of tandoori powder (ideally this would be turmeric!) and stir regularly.  When nearly ready, add sliced egg and chopped parsley.  Taste and add more lemon juice and salt if required.

This a most versatile dish which is perfect either hot or cold.  Have it hot for supper and cold for breakfast, after the flavours have infused overnight in the fridge.

Tomato and chilli omelette

Omelettes are the new black.  I can't think of anything better you can do with three eggs and any other ingredients you happen to have kicking about in the fridge.

Ingredients:

3 eggs, whisked together and seasoned with salt and pepper

1 tomato

Half a fresh red chilli

Nub of gouda cheese, leftover in fridge

Sprig or two of thyme, old and dried in fridge.

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Melt a dab of margarine/butter in a frying pan and add chopped tomato.  When butter starts to bubble add the whisked eggs.

When omelette is starting to cook, add chopped fresh chilli and sprinkling of grated cheese and thyme.

Wait until nearly cooked but still a little runny on top.  Fold over the omelette and cook until ready.

Serve immediately.

Oriental style roast vegetables

This was an attempt to make some reduced vegetables taste slightly different.  They were roasted with fresh chilli and typically oriental flavours to add zest to simple flavours.

Ingredients:

Florets of broccoli and cauliflower (half price, 50p, half used)

Baby sweetcorn (reduced by 75%, 24p, half used)

Half red chilli (pack of 3 reduced by 50%, 24p)

half tsp pureed ginger

half tsp pureed garlic

salt & pepper

oil

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Mix pureed garlic and ginger with olive oil and pour over vegetables.  Stir and season.  Roast for 10 minutes.  Add sliced chilli.  Roast for further 15 minutes (times depend on oven temperature).

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These tasty but simple roasted veg were served with two chicken breasts wrapped in streaky bacon with chipolatas and stuffing (reduced by 50% to £1.50).

Although this made a meal for one, it would really be intended for two, with more vegetables and some roast potatoes.

Great British Waste Menu, BBC 1

"From supermarkets to our own kitchens, Britons have moved on from the 'waste not, want not' mantra of old, and now, as a country, we squander tons of perfectly edible food every year.  In response, four of the nation's top chefs embark on a mission to show how our scraps can be transformed into delicious dishes by preparing a banquet for 60 VIPs using food previously thrown away.  Before their recycled dishes make it to the table, however, they must meet the exacting standards of food critics Jay Rayner, Oliver Peyton, Prue Leith and Matthew Fort." (Mail on Sunday August 22 2010)

Watch the program here on bbc iplayer -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tkr88/Great_British_Waste_Menu/

Previous series have seen the Great British menu chefs compete to cook for the Queen, ambassadors from around the world, and war veterans.


But now, the programme takes a twist as they create gastronomic delights from leftovers.
Four of the nation's top chefs, and Great British Menu veterans, Angela Hartnett, Richard Corrigan, Matt Tebbutt and Simon Rimmer journey deep into the heart of Britain's food waste problem, exploring how and why the nation throws away and reject huge quantities of perfectly edible food.

Cameras follow the chefs as they source shocking amounts of unwanted food from every link in the food chain - from supermarkets to ordinary homes, markets to farms - and then transform it into mouth-watering dishes.

And it's surprisingly fascinating as the chefs visit farmers who regularly discard tomatoes that aren't perfectly red and round; dairy producers who throw away perfectly good cheese and milk if the packaging is slightly damaged; and butchers who waste an extraordinary amount of perfectly edible meat on a daily basis. It all amounts to a tragic waste.

The chefs face a unique and near-impossible task: can they create a fabulous banquet for over 60 VIPs using the food that the rest of us don't want? Can they create restaurant-standard food using ingredients that have been discarded, rejected or deemed unsuitable for sale? Will they be able to change the way Britons think about waste food?

The Great British menu's usual line up of tough food critics - Matthew Fort, Prue Leith and Oliver Peyton, are joined by Jay Rayner to decide which dishes go onto the menu for the lavish banquet designed to prove that saving scraps is good.

As the chefs source their ingredients and the banquet unfolds, the solution to the scandalous food waste crisis reveals itself to be a simple one: just eat it.

http://tv.sky.com/great-british-waste-menu-review

Dawn does Potatoes! Dawn Porter for the Potato Council

Dawn Does Potatoes 5 August 2010
Dawn Porter's been loving potatoes for one week! Watch her fab video blog to see how she's finding it and what she's up to in the kitchen...




So far the amazing versatility of potatoes means she's in no danger of becoming bored with the plan. What's more, potatoes are naturally fat free and bursting with nutrients including vitamin C, B1, B6, folate and fibre. The challenge is, just how much precious time can she save by following the plan?


http://www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/week-one-dawn-does-potatoes/

Chicken soup elaborated with seasoned croutons and parsley

Having picked some shards of meat from the carcass of the satsuma chicken (which were originally intended for a noodle soup), they were left over in the fridge.  Some ready-bought chicken soup was elaborated with this extra meat, some home-made croutons and some home-grown parsley.

Ingredients (Served 1)

carton Covent Garden Chicken Soup (reduced from £1.50 to 68p)

leftover chicken pieces

leftover bread bun (any bread will do)

fresh chopped parsley (grown in pot on terrace)

salt and pepper

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Add the chicken pieces to the soup and heat.

To make the croutons, slice the bread and fry in a little olive oil, generously seasoning with salt and pepper and making sure not to burn.

To serve, scatter the croutons on top of the soup, and then generously garnish with parsley.

Total cost - 68p

Satsuma roast chicken with roast vegetables and potatoes

A half price whole chicken was simply roasted along with some limp vegetables left over in the fridge,

and some tired sprouting potatoes. The satsuma was also left over, and included for a 'novel twist'.  It didn't add flavour to the chicken, but was a nice subtle addition to the flavour of the accompanying vegetables.

Ingredients (Served 2)

Whole chicken (reduced from £3.75 to £1.87)

5 small leftover carrots

1 courgette (reduced, 3 for 10p, and leftover)

1 1/2 red onions, leftover

2 large potatoes, leftover

2 twigs rosemary

leftover satsuma

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Place whole chicken into roasting/pyrex dish.

Wipe olive oil over the skin and season with salt and pepper.

Follow instructions to cook chicken -
25 mins every 0.5 kgs at 190 plus 25 mins is about right.

Cover the chicken with foil and put in the oven.

Meanwhile peel, cut and par boil the potatoes.

Prepare the vegetables - peel, and cut.

With about 40 mins left total cooking time-

Drain the potatoes and shake in a pan with a lid until fluffy.  Add salt, pepper and butter then put in a hot roasting tray in the oven.

Take the foil off the chicken and squeeze satsuma segments over it, dab with a little butter and sprinkle about a teaspoon of brown sugar over it.

Put all the vegetables around the chicken and add some dabs of butter to them and add generous sprigs of rosemary.

Roast all for the remaining time and serve when cooked (let chicken rest, covered in foil, before carving.)

Jamie's Thai Green Chicken Curry

Having some reduced chicken in the freezer and a jar of thai green chilli paste in the cupboard, and finding a bag of fresh coriander for 10p, it seemed the perfect opportunity to make Jamie Oliver's 'Ministry of Food' Thai Green Curry.

Having been sceptical about the Ministry of Food project, I actually think the cookery book is inspirational and due great respect - saccharine 'pass it on' sentiments aside, the way he introduces basics (eg a basic omelette, a basic stew) and then suggests different ways with them is very useful.  There are are also some 'standalone' recipes of which this is one. 

Phenomenally quick, easy and delicious - the lime juice, coriander and coconut milk is a must, but the chicken and vegetables could be substituted with pretty much anything else.  A fresh chilli is important if you like an authentic kick of heat.

Ingredients (Served 2)

2 chicken breasts (6 reduced from £5 to £2.27) - 75p

half jar thai green curry paste (39p) - 20p

8 asparagus tips (left over)

half bag mange tout (£1.30) - 65p

red chilli (reduced from 70p for 5 to 50p) - 10p

tin coconut milk - £1.74

juice of half a lime (35p) - 18p

bag coriander (reduced from 67p to 10p)

rice

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Slice chicken into strips and fry in sesame/groundnut oil until cooked.

Add curry paste and stir through thoroughly.  Add aparagus, mangetouts, finely chopped red chilli, stir through and pour in coconut milk.

Stir well and bring to the boil.  Then turn the heat down a little and cook for a few minutes. 

Squeeze lime juice into the pan and add chopped coriander.  Save some for garnish.

Serve with boiled rice, in a bowl.

~

Total cost: £3.72

Although this is very close to Jamie's recipe, I should point out that it is not a faithful transcript.  As with all recipes, it changed according to taste and convenience!

Alice Planel's Dinner Exchange - Food Justice Dinner Parties

Lucy Siegle, The Observer, Sunday 4 July 2010

"Cooking for 42 strangers who've never met was exhilarating," says Alice Planel, "but a few too many. Now I stick to a maximum of 30 guests." In the goodwill version of Come Dine With Me, once a month Planel feeds strangers entirely from waste food: "donations" predominantly from organic sellers at New Covent Garden Market, where she is a familiar and persuasive presence. And this waste makes for a luxurious menu that has recently included quinoa, rice and kale fritters, and aubergine and flaked-soya bake on a sweet tomato coulis.
The Dinner Exchange (http://www.thedinnerexchange.zzl.org/) menu is not available in advance because Planel hasn't got a clue what food she'll find for that night. She seems to thrive on the unpredictability of her ingredients, and on bringing waste to the table in a convivial, non-worthy atmosphere. "Food can be nutritious even if it doesn't look good," she says with feeling. "It is extraordinary that when we are surrounded by people with limited access to nutritious food we're dumping so much, often because it doesn't conform to ridiculous aesthetic ideals." Her aim is to raise awareness of food waste while also reducing it.

There is no set fee at Dinner Exchange, : "From the outset I didn't want to charge £50 or some costly sum." So , instead, Planel asks for a donation. She has been earning around £250 a sitting, which she donates to food justice organisation FareShare – it can then buy " 300 meals" with it. Although a seasoned dumpster diver (one who raids the skips of supermarkets to retrieve perfectly edible food), Planel doesn't serve her dinner guests anything rescued from a bin. "They just might not be as comfortable with the idea as I am," she reasons.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/04/lucy-siegle-innovator-alice-planel-dinner-exchange

'Reduced' green salad with vegetarian cheese-burgers

Very simply inspired by reduced ingredients, and supplemented with bread buns, cheese slices and some left over lettuce and onion.  The salad is spicy, zingy and sweet.  Quick and tasty.

Ingredients: (Served 2)

4 bread buns - 80p

4 Linda McCartney burgers - (reduced to 25p)

4 cheese slices - 40p

For the salad:

half a left-over lettuce

2 courgettes, shaved with a potato peeler - (reduced to 10p for 3) - 7p

handful fresh corriander - reduced to 43p

bag of rocket - reduced to 50p

a little finely chopped red onion (left over)

For the dressing:

olive oil (as needed)

lemon juice (few drops)

balsamic vinegar (tsp)

whole grain mustard (tsp)

brown sugar (little sprinkle)

ground black pepper (a little)

sea salt (a little)

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Total cost £2.45

Southern fried chicken wraps

Continuing the tortilla wrap theme - and using leftover wraps kept in the fridge - I used these reduced items to put together a delicious southern fried chicken style snack.

Ingredients: (made four wraps)

Tortilla wraps

Lemon pepper chicken goujons with sour cream and chive dip (reduced from £2.49 to £1.25)

Bag of 'garden salad' - iceberg lettuce and shredded radish - (reduced from £1 to 39p)

Cheese slices (already in fridge) - 40p

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Smear wraps with sour cream and chive dip.

Heap with salad and season if required.

Cook chicken goujons and then top with cheese til melted.

Add to wrap and roll up, ready to serve!

Total cost: £2.04

If the wraps have been kept in the fridge, warm them up in the oven for about a minute before using.  It will restore their freshness and suppleness.

Quorn sweet chilli and fresh spinach wraps

Having the tortilla wraps already in the larder meant that all these reduced ingredients could be used to make tasty spur-of-the-moment snacks.

Ingredients (made 2 wraps)

Quorn sweet chilli stir-fry strips (Reduced from £1.60 to £1.04)

Bag of fresh spinach (reduced from £1.00 to 50p -less than half used)

Tzatziki dip (reduced from £1.00 to 50p)

A little grated cheese (left over in fridge)

2 soft tortillas (about 10p each)

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Smear a generous amount of tzatziki on each tortilla.  Then add a pile of spinach and a generous twist of pepper.  Add quorn strips and a little sprinkle of grated cheese.  Then fold up the wraps and enjoy!

The tzatziki could be substituted with a little mayonnaise if you have this in the fridge, or some humous or salsa - the only limits are your imagination.  A light vinaigrette to coat the spinach would be an equally tasty and healthier option.

Tortilla wraps can be frozen and easily defrosted before use.

Total cost: £1.99