Broccoli Salad with Asian-Style Dressing

by Amy

Substitutions: None
Rating: 7

Does this photo look blurry to you? It's making my eyes hurt. Or maybe it's just the smoke from the pan-fried salmon searing my oversensitive eyes. Course I didn't eat the salmon, Stu did. And I am glad: I wanted it gone. I've just watched a documentary about over-fishing and every time I opened the fridge I felt compelled to apologise to it. I'M SORRY SALMON! I knew you were farmed but I didn't know smaller fish were being harvested to extinction just to feed you! It's not your fault! You were powerless! My sore eyes are NOTHING compared to what your kind have suffered!!

So... broccoli. This was quite nice. You eat it at room temperature which was slightly odd but, quite nice. I was skeptical at first because, when you make up the dressing, NO WAY does it seem like this tiny puddle of soy will be enough to dress a whole head of broccoli. Actually it does do the job but the flavour is not super strong. If you like delicate flavours then it's probably just right. Also, major bonus is that this is super low in pointage because there is only one teaspoon of oil in the whole recipe so I'll be revisiting this one soon I reckon.

Leek and Cheese Toastie

by Amy

Substitutions: None
Rating: 8

Stu said this was really nice. Having said that, packing cardboard would probably be really nice covered in butter, cheese and cream. This is not really about the leeks.

Very simple to make: two leeks, fry in butter, add cream and cheese, pour over toast, more cheese, grill. Ca va. Hugh says this is midweek friendly. It is. It is not artery friendly, but these things are fine in moderation, right?

This is the perfect choice if you're pushed for time and want to blow your daily caloric budget on some middle-class cheese on toast.

Summer Stir Fry with Egg Fried Rice

by Amy

Substitutions: None
Rating: 8

Today has been so sunny that I've been hankering after this one again. We made this the other Friday instead of a Chinese takeaway, as takeaways now taste too artificial to our hippified taste buds.

Really the Winter Stir Fry would have been more seasonal, but I'm a little hesitant to try that one again after I almost set our heads on fire due to a spice miscalculation. This looked like a safer option, all sweet green watery things like pak choi and peas and courgettes. Yum! It was an easy stir fry to like.

What really impressed me was the egg fried rice: namely how easy it was to make. Srsly I don't think we'll ever bother to buy the stuff ever again now I know all you need to do is push some cooked rice around a pan and crack an egg in it. This felt simultaneously like a treat and a health kick, something you definitely don't get from a takeaway. Recommended!

North African Squash and Chickpea Stew

by Amy

Substitutions: 1 Cal spray, of course. That's all though.
Rating: 9

Looking at this photo in retrospect, I can see that this looks somewhat like vomit. Nevertheless my memory of this is unsullied: I honestly think this is one of the nicest tasting things I have ever made EVER.

Oh man, this was so delicious. Why was it so delicious? I'd made this once pre-blog, when it was perfecty fine but no nicer than I expect lentils, butternut squash and chickpeas to be (which is still quite nice actually, I love all those things). But this time I just wanted to eat it forever.

I think it was the saffron: last time, I didn't have it. This time I did, and it tasted amazing. I used it in the Chachouka: just a tomato ragout, really, but with saffron in? Amazing. I don't even know what saffron tastes like, I can't pick it out as a flavour, it just makes things taste better. I think it just tastes of amazing.

This is a shame considering it's the most expensive spice in the world. Damn you, Hugh! This stuff is sold by the unheaped teaspoon and has a security tag attached to it at Tesco.

I will make this again and again.

Vegetable Biryani WITH Tamarind Raita

Vegetable Biryani WITH Tamarind Raita
by Rhys

YUM.

Vegetable Biryani

Subs: None, I don't think. Oh, I didn't have any ground cumin, so I ground some cumin seeds, and it ended up looking a lot like ground cumin.
Score: 9/10

This was almost definitely the best thing I've made from the book, and definitely the best curry-type thing I've ever made. You do all these things, like with different pans and things, and you're all 'am I going to set fire to this tea towel?' But then you don't, and you make this yummy yum yummy meal that looks amazing and all your guests are full of praise and you feel POWERFUL AND AMAZING.


I'm possibly overselling this. But yeah, I really liked it. The one downside was the peas, which I think you could probably add at a later stage (like when you're doing the sultanas). I am not in love with yellow peas. Otherwise, I was very pleasantly surprised by how deliciously it turned out.

This is the kind of meal you need to prepare everything in advance, because things happen quite quickly once you start.

Oh, it does need some seasoning when you've done the stewy bit on the bottom. And I think you can afford to be reasonably bold with the chilli, because it's a big dish.

Tamarind Raita

Subs: None.
Score: 7/10

This was a nice alternative to normal raita, though I do love the old cucumber/garlic version too. It went well with the Biryani too, because it's all fresh and things.

One piece of advice: DO NOT TRY THIS WITH SET YOGHURT. It was disgusting, and I had to throw it out. It reminded me of this one Lent when I'd given up sugar and tried to make a pudding out of yoghurt and cocoa powder. It was the worst 'pudding' I've ever eaten.

Oh, I think the recipe says that the coriander is optional but I don't think this would have been anywhere near as good without it, so it's worth shelling out for, in my opinion.

Anyway, yes, this was delicious. And the serving size was very generous. There was three of us, who at least had seconds, and half of it was still left the next day! It wasn't as nice the next day though, so... probably a good one for parties.

Dhal

Dhal
by Rhys

Substitutions: 1 Cal Spray instead of oil, a Knorr jelly stock thing instead of Hugh's veg stock. I also added chilli flakes, for a bit of spice.

Score 8/10

This recipe contains one of my favourite things in the world: burnt onions. Also, you have to love a dhal, at don't you? I don't think I've ever had it as an entire meal, just as a delicious side, but I can now attest to it making a delicious main meal.

It's all fairly easy to make, and leads me to believe that Hugh may be a bit of a genius with lentils. This is the second recipe of his where I've done something weird with them (in this case, skimming off the lentil froth), and the end product massively exceeded my expectations.

And also, I love burnt onions.

I prefer my dhal with a bit more of a kick, so I added chilli flakes and that was nice. I guess you could also do that thing where you put a whole chilli in and take it out when you serve.

My only real complaint is that this supposedly serves four people, but it only made, like, two bowls. All of which I ate in one sitting. Maybe he meant as a side. Or maybe I'm just a disgusting pig!

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

by Amy

Substitutions:
Dried coriander, not fresh
1 Cal spray, not olive oil
I added carrots

Rating: 7

Hugh describes this as a "lovely, light curry" and after making pesto I was ready for a recipe that didn't give me calorie anxiety. I am in safe hands with Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry. This appears from its ingredients, and to some degree tastes, like a curry that's had its one really nice ingredient removed. You know, whatever it is that elevates cauliflower, tinned tomatoes and spices to something deliciously complete. It's probably coconut milk, or like, ghee. Or cream.

This has none of those things and therefore just tastes like cauliflower, tinned tomatoes and spices, but in the realm of calorie controlled cooking it's really very competitive. I mean, this is the second time I've made it which is the greatest compliment you can pay a recipe, right? It's largely down to the spices which work very well together. Except the star anise. Why do I keep buying that stuff when I don't like the taste? Because it's pretty, obviously. I guess I'll just leave it on my shelf, looking posh, next time. I think that's all I ever wanted it to do anyway.

Plus points: this is one of the speediest curries I've ever made. You parboil the cauli while you're chopping the rest of the veg so that once you've got all the stuff in the same pan it only needs simmering for 5-10 minutes. What this tight schedule does not allow time for is sauce thickening; like water, it was. Very unappetising. I know, I should have used oil. I cracked and got the cornflour out--that sorted it. I'm not sure if that's allowed or not. Can someone ask Hugh?

Lastly, the issue of vegetable sizing reared its ugly head again. Hugh thinks a medium-large cauliflower weighs about 800g. I weighed mind: 376g. Does Hugh pump his vegetables with growth hormones or something? I thought he was supposed to be organic. Anyway, to compensate for my cauliflower inadequacy I added some carrots. They worked fine.

Pasta with New Potatoes, Green Beans and Pesto

by Amy

Substitions: None!
Rating: 9

Full disclosure: I did not actually eat this. I would have loved to, obviously, I am a sucker for plates of green food, but I'm off the parmesan. I mostly just wanted to make my own pesto because believe it or not, despite mixing almost exclusively with middle-class people who work in publishing, I have never done so before.

This recipe makes up a whole jam jar of pesto. I took some time between the pesto making and pasta cooking to admire my homemade jam jar of pesto. I considered how useful it could be in other situations, sitting in the fridge for emergency weeknight dinners. I felt useful and smug. A few observations on the pesto making:

1. I can see that this is potentially cheaper than buying your own pesto: IF you have a herb garden. Otherwise, not. Maybe even more expensive.

2. It was quick! I just threw the ingredients into the food processor and, well I think the technical term is "wazzed it up"?

3. Hugh calls for leaves only, not stalks, on the herb front. He did not explain why, so in went the stalks. It's all getting wazzed up anyway.

Considering how much olive oil I had to glug in to get it to the right consistency, I assumed I wouldn't need to use my whole jam jar of pesto. I did though. In bed later, I will probably work out the number of calories per serving of this, which is the only mental arithmetic I am capable of doing, and it will bring on a panic attack.

Once the pesto was made the rest was very straightforward indeed. Slicing the new potatoes so thin seemed a bit faffy but it meant they cooked in the same time as the pasta so it was an efficient move in the end. The green beans went into the same pot seven minutes in: bonus points for reduced washing up, after I've spattered pesto everywhere. Then it's just a matter of mixing the pesto in and grating some cheese on top.

I had to leave the score in Stu's hands, and he scored this higher than he's scored anything yet. He said he was pleased to be eating something he recognised for a change. Here he is enjoying his pasta and pesto:

There's loads left over which I'm thinking will make good lunchbox fare. Next time I'll try it with less oil, adding some water instead, and without parmesan to make it Amy friendly. I can't pretend I wasn't jealous. It smelt amazing!

Pinto Bean Chilli: Mark II!

by Amy

Substitutions: That's right, this is pinto bean free! Having been inspired by other subs, this has both butter beans and kidney beans.

Rightso this is just a mini-post because I know we have pretty much exhausted the whole pinto bean chilli conversation and we have all moved on etc. I just made this again for some people who came over for dinner and I thought I'd take a snap of the leftovers in proof of its sauce thickness. For why? I used olive oil! PROPER REAL OLIVE OIL. Just look at the shine on this bitch.

It tasted about 15% nicer than the previous times I'd made it. I suppose my 1 Cal spray addiction is tanamount to a cooking disability. Will defo be cracking open the olive oil for guests in future.

Also, the bean choices here were an absolute winner. Butter beans! Nicely done, Rhys.

Chickpea, Chard and Porcini Soup

by Amy

Substitutions:
1 Cal spray for the butter and olive oil
I used spinach instead of chard. Hugh said I could though.
Dried rosemary instead of fresh

Rating: 6.5

You might have noticed that I give decimal-point ratings to the food I find slightly unfathomable and this is no exception. It wasn't complicated to make (save the porcini-soaking; I mention this mainly to Carol the soak-dodger) and the ingredients were easily available. It's the taste.

I don't know why either, really. Passata's easy to like and I know from my stoup adventures that I like porcini stock. I think I just found them strange soupfellows. You spoon this stuff into your gob expecting familiar tomatoey sweetness and you get this dark pungent hit in the aftertaste and it catches you by surprise. It's like tomato soup... with a dark side. I realise I'm now making it sound totally glamorous and cool when it's actually just damp spinach in mushroom water.

Having said that, to be eliciting such a reaction from me must mean it's quite flavourful, which is impressive considering it's only got a handful of ingredients in it--and is fat free. So I think it is good in its own evil way. But I'll be crossing the street to avoid it in future.

Spiced Spinach and Potatoes

by Amy

Substitutions:
No oil. Obv.
Although Stu had his with double cream. I had WW creme fraiche

Rating: 7

So I made this last week or something (I know, I know--I've been slacking) and though it's now all hazed out in my memory I recall no drama in the making. It was pretty straightforward. Mostly I wanted to make it because it looked almost identical to the New Potato and Spinach Curry, only without a) the overly complicated herb/spice sorcery and b) that pastel pink headfuck sauce.

Happy to report that this is exactly what it was, which confirmed my suspicions that all that cardomom pod-bashing time spent on the New Potato and Spinach Curry was time I should have spent painting my nails. Stu's observation was that the double cream Hugh suggested we stir in was luxurious but borderline sickly. Not a problem I had with my low fat creme fraiche, obviously.

This is in the mezze/tapas section, but it went very well with rice, I thought, and served 2 comfortably as a main.

Oven-roasted Ratatouille

Oven-roasted Ratatouille
by Rhys

Substitutions: We didn't have any peppers, so replaced with a jar of flame-roasted red peppers, and put them in later in the cooking. I suspect this may have actually improved the flavour.
Score: 9/10

So I should probably preempt this by saying that I didn't actually make this, I just ate it. Well I watched it being made, so I have a fairly good idea of what goes into it, ingredients and effort-wise. Oh, also, I took this photo the next day, straight out of the fridge, which is why it looks a bit... solid.

It's a bit of a faff, yeah, because you do the veg and the sauce separately but, I would like to say that this is hands-down the tastiest ratatouille I have ever eaten. Like, it's seriously delicious. I want to eat it all the time! Also, because you haven't just boiled the veg in the tomatoes, it's not all watery, it's rich and thick. AND DELICIOUS!

It's probably a bit weird to be this into a ratatouille, and I'm probably only raving about it because I had such low expectations (because nobody loves ratatouille, do they? Even when it's a Pixar film!) and now you won't. But it was a lovely hidden gem that I am almost scared to make again myself, in case it's not what I remember it being.

Mexican Tomato and Bean Soup

by Carol

Substitutions:

I used a vegetable Oxo for the stock instead of Hugh’s one

I used a tin of tomatoes instead of Hugh’s tomato sauce

I used more chopped tomatoes than I was supposed to so I only added a few real tomatoes

Kidney beans instead of black beans

Dried herbs and spices instead of fresh

Rating: 8/10

This was great! My faith in Hugh has been restored! It was easy and quick and even though it was a soup there was no blending or any of that faff. It had a fresh green chilli in it so that gave it a nice kick but not too much. The sauce went quite thick even after only about 15 minutes simmering. I know I’m ‘Queen of Thick Sauces’ so this may not be possible for you mere mortal, but give it a go!

I would definitely make this again and would probably make sure I made twice the amount so that I could freeze it and have instant soup. However, this is a definite store cupboard recipe so you probably would be able to knock this up on a week night when you don’t have much in.

I know the picture doesn’t look great, but it was. I promise!  

Quinoa with Courgettes and Onions

by Carol

Substitutions: Used dried herbs instead of real ones

Rating: 6/10

This was nice but it’s not going to blow your mind. I really like courgettes so it was good but if I didn’t like them quite as much I don’t think it would be much to write home about. It was really easy and quick though and I think it would make a pretty good lunch but I feel like I’m going to be hungry again in about 10 minutes.

Hugh has another variation using leeks and squash and I think this might be better as the squash would make it a bit more substantial but maybe not. I think the problem here might be the quinoa. It gets a bit lost amongst the courgettes and the pine nuts and even the onion really. It might be nice as a side with just the courgette and onion as this has a pretty impressive taste thanks to the thyme. But I don’t know what you would have with it. The potato dauphinoise? Actually, that sounds pretty good...

I don’t think I would make this again as it is. I enjoyed that the veg took centre stage again but in this dish I couldn’t help think something was missing. I just don’t know what. Any thoughts?!

Chillies stuffed with beans... WITH couscous salad with herbs and walnuts

by Amy

Chillies stuffed with beans

Substitutions:
Bell peppers for the chillies
No oil, obv
I added cheese in Stu's

Rating: 6

Carol and I were musing on existential themes earlier on. Can a recipe be considered a Hugh recipe if your substitutions render the name of the dish factually inaccurate? Carol's response to my question ("Er, yeah, pinto bean chilli that contains everything but pinto beans?") settled the issue. I reckon if Radio 4 invited us both on to the Moral Maze we'd achieve world peace within four episodes.

So on I went, stuffing common-or-garden bell peppers from the back end of my fridge, because I'm not going to order stuffable giant chillies from an internet site, not even if HUGH tells me to. And the bean stuffing was the perfect amount for four peppers, so I was pleased.

And I was also fairly smug when I dished these out onto our special dog plates, because they looked so pretty! All, like, restauranty, which makes a change from the bowls of unprepossessing vegetable slop that I normally dish out. Stu was all excited to be eating something that looked like it hasn't been prepared by a soup kitchen. But then, as he tucked in... he went all meh. It tasted a bit meh. I mean, it was still nice, just not worth fiddle of blistering and skinning the peppers. And grating whole tomatoes! What was with that?! I would advise anyone else to just use half a tin of chopped tomatoes; the result would be identical.

The peppers tasted amazing because roasted peppers do taste amazing but the filling just didn't bring much else to the party. Maybe it works in a whole different way with giant chillies but I'll never know until Tesco decides to stock them. And I'm fine with that.

Couscous salad with herbs and walnuts

Substitutions: Loads
I used ground cumin, didn't roast then grind whole seeds
I omitted the fennel and fennel seeds (because fennel is Stu's kryptonite) and added more celery
Normal sized couscous instead of the giant couscous
No tarragon or chives

Rating: 5

Where the hell are you meant to find that mutant couscous anyway?? Well I'm glad I didn't bother hunting it down because this was only okay. The parsley, walnuts and abundance of celery made it taste sort of bitter, although the lemon was nice and fresh. I just wasn't moved. It was easy enough to make I suppose, and perhaps it was lacking something without the fennel. I couldn't add the fennel though because Stu would have spat it back in my face.

Neither of these were bad, but I probly won't make them again. Also incidentally, making them has BROKEN OUR OVEN. After dinner it sputtered and collapsed. Normal blog service will not resume until it has been fixed. MEGA SADFACE.

Oven-Roasted Root Frittata & Lentil and Parsley Salad

Oven-Roasted Root Frittata & Lentil and Parsley Salad
By Rhys

So these things have nothing in common bar the fact that they share the flip sides of the same page in the book (in the Store Cupboard section - in your face, Amy!) but they are both dishes that can be eaten hot and cold, which I wanted to happen for reasons I won't go into. Sooooo... here is what I thunk.

 Oven-Roasted Root Frittata

Score: 8/10
Substitutions: No real subs but my local supermarket was WOEFULLY understocked, so the vegetables I chose were based on availability. Also, they only had cooked beetroot, so I just used that and cut it larger.


Man, when I went to the supermarket is was literally ON FIRE. And then I went in and they DIDN'T HAVE ANY SQUASH! Fortunately, I found some in our greenhouse. There were gourds all over the place! Also, our chickens have laid two eggs this month EVEN THOUGH IT'S WINTER! So I used those (plus half a dozen from the shop).

So I added a bit of extra garlic, because I need more, always, and I put these in: shallot, potato, squash, suede, beetroot and carrot. It's a good way of clearing out old, manky veg. Aside from cutting up veg, this is a pretty simple meal, with all the food groups. I used a bit of thyme and a bit of parsley, but I think I'd do all thyme next time.

Anyway, yeah, this was yummy! I make frittata about once a week, but this is the best I've ever made, definitely. Yum, yum.


Lentil and Parsley Salad

Score: 8/10
Substitutions: I didn't use Hugh's stock, I used one I made from a Knorr jelly vegetable stock.

The thing about lentil dishes is that they quite often taste like stock, and they have the consistency of porridge. But I liked that this one was covered in a dressing and mixed in fresh parsley and spring onions. (Speaking of spring onions, the supermarket-on-fire had THREE different kinds... but still no squash! WTF?!) And... I think it's the nicest lentil dish I have made, and possibly ever eaten.

Though it still tastes predominantly of stock.

I think the way that Hugh does things (boil the lentils in water for one minute, drain and then cook in stock), means that the lentils, while still well-cooked, remain separate and not at all stodgy. I'm not sure what boiling it all with the bay leaf, garlic and parsley stalks actually achieves, flavour-wise, but picking soggy parsley stalks out of the lentils at the end was a bit of a faff. The rest was very easy.

I will say though, that the dressing got kind of lost amongst the other flavours, but I'd rather that than something overly tangy. And it still tastes super-fresh and yummy and kind of good for you. So. Yeah. I will make this again! I love the concept of a lentil salad, it's brilliant.


In summary: two more recipes to add to my mid-week repertoire, for delicious evening meals and delicious leftover lunches.

Macaroni Peas

by Carol

Substitutions:

I used cheddar instead of parmesan but Hugh basically says that’s fine.

I probably used twice as much cheese as the recipe calls for because I thought it was a bit stingy and I like cheese.

Rating: 7/10

This is definitely not a one pot dish. I used 4 separate pots! But it was still easy and only took about 15 minutes to make. Considering this is basically just peas and pasta, it is so tasty! I think this is mainly due to the garlic that you fry in a load of melted butter and add to the whizzed up pea mix. I don’t know how Amy made this taste nice without cheese and butter. One day Amy, as a treat, you should try it like this and I think it will blow your mind.

I would definitely make this again, mostly because it is made with ingredients I always, always have and so it is definitely a store cupboard supper (although in the book it is in the pasta section, obviously). Also, it probably costs about 10p per serving which is great when you are saving up for all those porcini mushrooms to make the Mushroom Stoup.

That is all I have to say about this one as it was so simple. There was no drama getting the ingredients and no faff in the preparation. I would highly recommend it. 

Porotos Granados

by Amy

Substitutions: I bet you can guess the first one!
I didn't have "sweet smoked paprika", just normal paprika
Why doesn't anyone sell fresh oregano? But dried was fine anyway

Rating: 9

Well chaps, looks like the pinto drought ends RIGHT HERE. That's right, my "Chilean squash and bean stew" features the mythical speckled bean. To answer Rhys' question, there is nothing the least bit special about these. Having said that, I guess I'm just not a bean conoisseur, I mean I was 22 before I realised you could buy them without tomato sauce on them.

What you see above is not tomato sauce however, it's just, like, stock. But it wasn't boring! The secret is in the squash--of course, squash is amazing--and those South Americans know what to do with squash. Well, they ought to, since they've cultivated it for 2,000 years (not fact checked). I had never boiled squash before but when you do, the sugar leaches out into the water and the squash disintegrates a bit, leaving you with a deliciously sweet squash mush. I defy Carol, Queen of the Thick Sauces, to find fault with my soup consistency here. The sweetness goes brilliantly with the sweetcorn and the paprika and the mushiness is sharpened up a bit with some squeaky green beans.

Now, for me, this was a bit of a faff because I was using dried beans, but I reckon with canned beans you could knock this one out in 30 minutes, making it another ONE POT SUCCESS which I will come back to again and again. Me gusta!