Stephen's Day

Back in work, today 27th, finished going through freezer yesterday, only a couple of pizza chillies, one chilli and one ratatouille, 3 chicken breast and some pork medallions left from before last week.
So, stuff I made over the weekend is all December 2017, ready for the return of San at the weekend.

As expeected Christmas dinner cook by B-I-L was excellent, while I am no fan of Christmas dinner, the Irish version (with turkey and ham, no cranberry, no bread sauce) is infinitely better than the British version. good desserts, obviously took much of everything, slightly sad missing a few people, but not maudlin.

I made roast pork, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, gravy yesterday v good, though gravy a little salty.

As I got new scales and a pasta machine for christmas from the girls, it was ravioli time.  I found a packet of  porcini in the press that I had bought in Sicily in the summer, some pancetta in the freezer.

Soaked the porcini for an hour or so, drained through a sieve to get rid of grit, reserved the liquid.  gently fried the pancetta, added the softened mushrooms, once cooked through, blended with a little cream and reserved liquid and olive oil then chilled.

Made standard pasta from Love Bites chilled, then rolled out, what I didn't used I frozen in sheets.
Softened shallots, reduce a carton of white wine, added rest of reserved liquid, reduced by half, added cream and a good bunch of parsley from the garden, going really well considering the time of year and some diced preserved (sort of) lemon that I made a few weeks ago.  Some pictures below:

December

With San in Oz playing with the new baby, I was on my own for a few days, invited my Mam over for a couple of weeks.
Been working our way through the freezer, virtually nothing left.  So had to remedy that.

Two lovely meals out, one with Mam and son in Grill House in Swords, great Lebanese food and the nicest of people, went to Pink Elephant with my Mam, Thai that has been there for ever and again great people.

So yesterday I made ragu both for dinner and freezer, chilli and beef and mushroom stew in a mustard cream sauce.  A lentil curry as well today, so freezer filling up a bit, I had a lot of stock in there, making risotto today to use more up.

Christmas day tomorrow, Paul cooking, will be a bit sad without a couple of people, but new ones always on the way

cannelloni and buttermilk chicken

Made cannelloni last weekend and buttermilk chicken wings yesterday

Part cooked lasagne sheets, ragu from freezer I had made before, simple tomato sauce, ricotta and parmesan.  Baked in medium oven, lovely.

cannelloni

Brined chicken wings in buttermilk, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper for a couple of hours, drained, baked (on foil, much easier to clean) at high heat with potato wedges - not great didn't crisp up at all :(
Made a tomato, red onion, chilli, coriander salsa.  Loads of chicken left over, I'd bought two lots v cheap in SuperValu, will do for a couple of lunches.

Fallon & byrne and a bit of cooking

Fallon & Byrne on Exchequer St for a good lunch for 50 people, great to catch up with people and a few drinks after.  Happily no Christmas menu yet, had lovely pate, hake and cheese board.

Was working a very Saturday, so picked up some bacon ribs, threw into pressure cooker for an hour, absolutely falling off the bone.  Made a kind of kebab

Red onion, lettuce, tomato, chilli sauce, 8 o'clock after a stressful 12 hours in the office had two of them, with a bit left over for a sandwich today.

Took a ragu out, will make cannelloni with ricotta, parmesan, a tomato sauce and shop bought lasagne (my pasta machine died and can't open new one until christmas day)

Nothing planned for this week, busy at work and on the flat, have to organise chrimbo decorations, and Mam coming over next weekend

Home Alone

Home alone for a while, so more spices and offal, also trying and failing to clear freezer, as I like to make stuff

Liver and onions, pork ribs, below, we got some diced beef from her Mam's freezer, decided to curry it, turned out to be mince, so made a meatball curry, with a baby aubergine and okra curry, spiced potatoes and roti.

On my way home tonight smelt what seemed like a lovely burger, so picked up some mince, defrosted some soft chorizo and did this:

 

Also boiled a smoked ham, had with mash and good German mustard, and for a few snacks.  Would have gone to Düsseldorf next weekend if San was here, so that plus a Lidl Schwienehaxe gave me a bit of a taste

weekend

Pleasant curry in Spice of India in Swords Friday night.  Burgers, wedges and coleslaw yesterday.  Made sauté potatoes for breakfast for a change, going out to the RDS to look at art, then roasting a chicken and making some BBQ ribs for the week

Cooking

Quiet week after holiday, had ragu from freezer Friday, made a good risotto with chicken supreme on Saturday, boiled some bacon bones for lunches, cooked some lentil / barley mix in the water from the bacon bones for other lunches.

Sunday steaks, wedges and home-made coleslaw, really good

Need to make some warming lunches for the weeks ahead, plenty of curry, maybe a bit of Thai

Nerja / Malaga

Week in Nerja, loads of great tapas, cooked in most days, burgers, prawns and fajitas. A few pictures below, one great new find - pescaderia el arteseno a fishmonger / tapas bar, did not smell fishy, people eating, others buying and taking home, had a fiduela with clams and a handful of mussels as tapas, all they had was wine, cans of beer and still water, really authentic, did not smell fishy as all fresh.  Went to Malaga for a night, went to usual places, booked Tapas de Cervantes, good, but not as fantastic as other times, but it has been perfect many times, still has one obnoxious waiter who always annoys, but owner is lovely and still v good and cheap. Saw a tweet saying one day was work tripe day, so found a bar with callos, so happy

Nothing good coming up will try and do a bit of cooking after loads of docorating

Apartment in Nerja

As always last week in October in Nerja, lovely apartment, bit of cooking, plenty of tapas, few pictures below

Making fajitas tonight, burgers last night, tuna salad for lunch.  v warm for this time of year, v happy

meatballs

Took a Jamie recipe, pesto meatballs, instead of his rolls, did bucatini:

Really loved them, San not as impressed but OK. Made some dahl for lunches, but mostly painted for weekend so little fun.