Scottish Jambalaya!

Two nights in a row I haven't slept and my goodness, do I feel grumpy.   I lay on the sofa this morning, eyes like a half shut knife, growling at anyone who came within three feet of me.   It was the same old story; after being intravenously fed a cup of tea, I came to, just in time to have my heart sink at the sight of yet another blanket of snow; I rushed around as fast as my tired legs could carry me and found a bizarre assortment of gloves and hats for the children to wear....Kelly had one pink fluffy mitt and a hand puppet, I kid you not.   Why the school haven't sent out a social worker yet, I've no idea.....

I managed a smile and a kiss for each of them...not Brian; think Rottweiler snarl...poor guy...and crawled towards the bathroom for a shower.   Going as fast as a speeding tortoise, I had no time to fix my mop of unruly blonde hair stop telling me it looks ginger or I may have to kill you...no offence to those beautiful, natural ginger headed lovelies of course...and walking along in the snow, I'm sure I saw people pointing and laughing from their cars as my hair got bigger and bigger and bigger.   My hair arrived at yoga 10 minutes before I did, lay out my mat and twirled itself around a passing leg.

We did flow yoga to music; very enjoyable in a "WTH-my-body-can't-bend-like-that; I-may-have-a-dizzy-turn-or-even-faint-anytime-soon" kind of way.   We looked totally knackered by the end of it and coffee was welcomed by all.   By the time I left, the sun was shining and I'd perked up so I strolled to Ann's for another wee coffee before heading home.   Having refused to eat anything, saving it all for my lunch, Brian, who was having lunch with me, became increasingly quiet as my lips curled up and my teeth seemed to grow a few inches.   One slice of toast and a poached egg later, I was much better and got on happily with the rest of the day.

 

Lola was finished this week

I fancied making Jambalaya; having had chicken breasts at the ready to make buttermilk chicken but with no buttermilk, this seemed like a good opportunity.   I also had a bag of prawns sitting in the freezer unopened from Christmas, vaguso using store cupboard ingredients which vaguely resembled the recipe I had, I went about creating Scottish Jambalaya...or JambalHiya as Lucy christened it.

Jambalaya                                                  Scottish Version
1 tbs plain flour                                          Same
1 tsp dried oregano                                    Half tsp dried thyme
2 tsp paprika                                              1 tsp smoked paprika
Half tsp celery seeds                                  Good sprinkling celery salt
750g (eight pieces) chicken thighs               2 chicken breasts, cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil                                1 tablespoon olive oil
225g/8 oz  chorizo skinned and sliced         Oh, I wish but had none left
3 cloves garlic peeled and chopped            1 big fat clove
500g raw shelled prawns                            250g cooked frozen tiger prawns
1 onion peeled and finely sliced                   Same
1 celery heart, leaves and all                        Nope
2 red peppers, thinly sliced                          1 orange pepper
1 tsp dried thyme                                        Same
5 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, quartered        Tin plum tomatoes, sauce and all
6 handfuls long grain rice                             A big dod of basmati rice
1-4 tbs tabasco sauce                                 That would have been nice but sadly, no
1 handful chopped fresh leaf parsley            Had some but was too hungry....
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper     Yup

Mix flour, herb of choice, paprika (I used smoked because I love it), celery seeds (celery salt in my case), salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Coat chicken in flour mix and fry in olive oil until brown.   Gosh, the smell from this alone....

Browning the chicken in spices

Remove chicken back to the floury bowl and fry chorizo, if you have it for a few minutes then reduce heat and add remaining  paprika, some salt, garlic and prawns (shrimps).   Stir until the prawns turn pink or in the case of frozen prawns, stew!   Prawns really shouldn't stew but well, I knew it would be good, I wasn't being too  pernickety.  Add onions, celery if using, peppers and thyme to the pan.   Stir every now and then until onion is soft...approx. 10 minutes.  

Sweating the veg and prawns with thyme

Return chicken and remaining flour to pan alongside tomatoes and  rice and cover with water.   Give it a good stir, bring to a gentle boil and simmer until rice is cooked-according to my recipe about 40 minutes but I don't imagine any rice would take that long.   I shall cook it for this long however when next using long-grain.   I was using basmati so I cooked it for approx. 20 minutes.   Everything was cooked through, the chicken was tender and the rice perfect.

 

Tomatoes, rice and water added

    

Season to taste with salt, pepper, tabasco and parsley.   Plate up, salivate, have husband tell you he isn't touching it because there are prawns in it and eat alone, mentally sticking two fingers up to him but then realising that it's now just yours...all yours and yours alone!   Mmmmmm.

 

A steamy bowl of Scottish Jambalaya!

Tender, spicy chicken and prawns

We made biscuits tonight, some in the shape of hearts since it's February.....

Iced and plain butter biscuits

Lovely!

Whatever happened to quiet weekends?

Kids.   

Yes, you!

That's what happened.   Kids I tell ya!   Remember going out on a Friday night straight from work?  You'd hit Fouquets and dine on their shared platter, eating a mozarella stick or onion ring for every martini drunk, heading home to change at 9pm to go to a club and falling into a coma like sleep about 3am.   Rising at noon, you'd head out to the local cafe for brunch and watch the world go by in large, dark glasses long before such a thing was trendy....no little dogs in large bags in Glasgow.....then stroll home through the park, napping on the sofa until dinner time and then spending an hour getting ready with the radio blaring and doing it all over again, with the addition of the Sunday papers this time and a huge fry up rather than Saturday's croissant.

I don't actually miss those days but isn't it funny that in my head, that was my definition of a quiet weekend?

This weekend was spent, amongst other things, entertaining, birthday celebrating Happy Birthday, Heather, my lovely little niece, swimming and bear shopping.   On Friday, we had friends come over...10 adults and 11 kids; there are times when I realise my optimism doesn't always overcome the space I have although gin does.....but we settled in to our limited space and enjoyed the night.

I opted for comfort food, food that kids and adults alike would eat....beef stew, chicken and chorizo casserole with dumplings, vegetarian lasagne, homemade pizza, bread, sausage and mash with lashings of gravy yes, that was a water jug I used and a big, fat, ungainly, cartoon like chocolate cake.

The kids helped; the messier looking, the better they said....

It was all fine and served fairly hot although I've discovered that the temperature to heat up beef stew and chicken and chorizo casserole should definitely be different.   Next time, one in a pot, one in the oven.

My lovely Irish bloggy friend,  Mise had a giveaway.   Having never won anything or having been told not to enter as Scotland is too far too post we do have airmail ya know...it might be in the form of pigeons but it still gets here....I was incredibly surprised and delighted to win a lovely tea cosy from the amazing peeps at Mabel and Violet.   This stuff is seriously lovely and the website, moreish!   Thank you, Mise, Mabel and Violet; I love it, the kids love it, husband thinks it's a bit mental and my friend tried to steal it  no-one's seen her for days......   All of which are good.  Now, if you could make a Helen cosy, I'd sure appreciate it.....

Kelly pouring me some funky tea!

 

Kelly wanted mash cakes and peas so we gave her The McGinn Family to scoff.

 

The kids made oat and choccy chip cookies! Well done, kids....sorry there are none left.....

Farmhouse Chicken and Chorizo Casserole

When I made this dish, I added the chorizo at the end because I couldn't get one at the time; I recommend cooking it with the stew to intensify the flavour and so that the chorizo is as tender as the chicken.   Adding it at the end was nice but it was still chewy and the oil didn't have the same chance to ooze out, coating everything in sight...always a good thing with chorizo.   Any spicy or not spicy sausage could be used.   I also make it without the chorizo as a cheap and tasty family dish.

I also recommend doubling up on the quantities; this freezes beautifully.

Oven 200oC, 400oF, Gas 6.

1.5kg/3lb chicken pieces (I use thighs, skin removed but use whatever you prefer)

1 whole chorizo sausage, sliced half an inch thick.

Seasoned flour, approx. 4 tablespoons

60g/2oz butter

1-2 crushed cloves of garlic

600ml/1 pt chicken stock

2 tablespoons tomato puree (mixed into stock)

1 tablespoon veg oil

Selection of root veg; turnip, parsnip, carrot, diced

4 small onions, roughly chopped or 8 shallots whole.

3 slices of bacon, chopped

8 new baby potatoes, quartered or 4 Maris Piper, cut into eight.

Salt, freshly ground black pepper, chopped parsley (fresh)

Toss chicken in flour to cook, brown in pan with melted butter over a medium heat and transfer to a casserole dish.   Throw in sliced chorizo, toss around the pan for a moment and add to chicken.   Remove with a slotted spoon so that the remaining butter and chorizo oil remain.  Add garlic to pan and leftover flour, cook over low heat for a minute, stirring all the time and then remove from heat and slowly add stock and puree mix.   Put back in heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens.   Pour over chicken and chorizo.   Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

 Browned and covered with sauce

Heat the oil in a pan and cook root veg over a medium heat for a few minutes; remove onto a plate and add onions and bacon to the pan.   Cook until the bacon is crisp.   Take chicken dish from oven and add in the root veg, the onions and bacon alongside the uncooked potatoes, black pepper and parsley.  

 Veg and parsley added

Cover and bake for a further 40 minutes.  If making dumplings, add them in 15 minutes before the end.  This is great to serve immediately or leave in the fridge to be reheated the next day.   Excellent dish if people coming over and time is limited.  

Shopping Week 4-6

I clutched my shopping list, barely able to contain my excitement at the meals ahead I do realise this comes across as rather sad...   I skipped round the supermarket, sans kids obviously, picking up bargains galore.   I was a teeny bit worried as I'd added some basic toiletries as well as the shopping and as you all know, I take cash with me these days, to stop me picking up that kg of smoked salmon or half price champagne.....mmmm...champagne......   I add up as I go along, rounding up.   Now this is where it gets good; my bargains and canny shopping meant that my bill for two whole weeks shopping came to....wait for it...£70.29.   Yes....that includes over £5 on toiletries so for food alone, £65.   Happy dance.....and the receipt to prove it.

As you can see from the meal list below, shopping on a budget does not mean skimping on meals or even on quality as some misguided wee soul suggested to me last week and will now rue the day....*evil, smug chuckle*...yes, I lose friends daily and expect to be clobbered soon...; the chicken was free range, the beef grade A, fresh herbs were purchased as well as good quality fruit and veg.  The remaining cash will be used for something nice from the deli or butchers or towards Friday night's soiree....entertaining is a separate budget usually although a lot of what I'll be serving is within the list below (stews, pizzas etc).

Dinners
Buttermilk chicken with smashed sweet potatoes and roasted veg.
Beef stew (enough for 15 servings) with pastry rounds
Farmhouse chicken & chorizo stew (Helen's recipe) with dumplings (10 servings)
Vegetarian lasagna x 2
Homemade pizza & hearthbread with mozarella and garlic
Artichoke Salad (still loving it!)
Macaroni cheese x 2
Salmon fishcakes with green veg
Vegetable and lentil soup with homemade rolls
Haggis, neeps and tatties
Vegetable curry and rice
Pasta with homemade tomato sauce with garlic butter swirls
Chicken and couscous
Omelettes & chips

I got some excellent beef for half price because the use by date was the next day; even if you are not going to cook it right away, it is worth buying to freeze.   As a result of this beef and the special offer already on, I made an enormous beef stew, taking a little of it for dinner that night (enough for five) and making a sour cream pastry crust to turn it into a pie.   Delicious.

I did the same with the chicken; I made the entire batch without chorizo as none was available, we had some for tea and froze the rest.   I shall defrost it for Friday night and add the chorizo, which I shall buy at the deli because I have plenty of budget and the West End deli rocks...to the dish before placing in the oven to reheat.   This is one of those dishes which is so much nicer the next day or after being frozen.

This is one of my best shops yet; I have lots left over, e.g. pasta sheets, flour, frozen meals and could easily provide 3 weeks worth of meals from it.

Lunches
Soup
Homemade bread/rolls/pancakes with chicken/cheese/jam/Nutella
French toast
Boiled eggs and soldiers
Pasta
Mini pizzas

Breakfasts
Cereal
Toast
Boiled eggs
Pikelets
Muffins
Pancakes
Cake bread

Desserts/snacks
Fruit
Chocolate, cherry and coconut bread
Biscuits
cookies

Beef stew baked in a pie

Farmhouse chicken stew minus the chorizo

Pikelet

Pizza....before baking

Hearthbreads...before baking

Roasted sweet potato and Maris Pipers

Recipes to follow.

Giveaway coming up soon; watch this space!!