Showing posts with label cooking for two. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking for two. Show all posts
This year I am planning on focusing more on small batch cookery, cooking for two or three, ie. the smaller family, as much as I can.
There are only two of us in our home most days and I just don't entertain as much as I used to do. Downsizing recipes only makes economic sense. I also hate waste.
I also want to work more on bringing my recipe index up to date. As you can imagine with over 10 years worth of recipes on here that is a considerable job to tackle.
I plan on decreasing my daily posts to maybe every other day so that I can use that time to do that. I think it will be worth it both to myself in the long run and certainly to you, the readers as well.
I hope you will support me to that end. There will be the odd recipe to feed a larger family and, in all truth, I don't know of many recipes that cannot be doubled successfully.
I really don't think anyone is going to lose anything in the long run.
The recipe I am sharing with you today is for a small batch classic Lasagna recipe. It is just as delicious and satisfying as my bigger batch recipe.
I have gone without a bechamel sauce topping however. Feel free to make a small batch of bechamel for on top if you wish, but I promise you, this recipe is so delicious, you won't miss it.
This delicious meaty sauce uses both lean ground beef and spicy Italian sausage, for plenty of meatiness and flavour. I am not a person who likes huge chunks of meat in my sausages, so I mash the meat well with a potato masher to an even consistency within the sauce.
For me it is a consistency thing. I can't stand the feel of it against my teeth. I am not sure if that makes me wierd or not.
I have also added a bit of double cream to the sauce to give a depth of richness and a velvety texture very reminiscent of a good bolognese.
You can't beat a bit of cream in a sauce, even a meat sauce. In North America just use heavy or whipping cream.
Here in the UK, our fresh lasagna comes in sheets, so I have chosen to cut them in half lengthwise. I know North American lasagna noodles are much narrower and so where I have chosen to use two sheets cut in half for this, in North America you can use 4 no-boil noodles.
I hope that makes sense.
I have chosen to bake it in a small pie dish, but you can easily bake this in a small loaf tin, where it will fit perfectly.
If you spritz it well with low fat cooking spray, you shouldn't have any problem spooning it out when done.
I have chosen to do a couple of layers of a delicious garlicky cottage cheese and Parmesan mixture instead of the bechamel on top, which adds both interest and additional texture and flavour.
The use of a beaten egg helps to set it up and it forms and almost custard cheese layer that is beautiful.
I have also used plenty of fresh basil in the custard layer for additional flavour.
I really hope that you will be inspired to bake this and that you will like it. Todd, who always says he hates pasta, was really happy with the results. That, in turn, made me happy also.
Yield: 2
Small Batch Classic Lasagna
Tender noodles, gooey cheese and a robust meaty filling, built just for two. Simple, easy and delicious.
ingredients:
For the sauce:
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 small brown onion, peeled and minced
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/4 pound lean ground beef (4 ounces)
- 1/4 pound Italian sausage meat (4 ounces)
- 2 TBS double cream (heavy cream)
- 1 (425g) tin of chopped tomatoes in juice, drained (reserve 60ml/1/4 cup of the juice (14 1/2 ounce tin)
- 8 ounces of tomato passatta (tomato sauce)
You will also need:
- 250g full fat cottage cheese (1 cup)
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 90g freshly grated Parmesan Cheese + 2 TBS (1/2 cup + 2TBS)
- 3 TBS chopped fresh basil
- 1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 sheets of fresh lasagna, cut in half lengthwise (4 no-boil noodles)
- 130g grated mozzarella cheese (1 cup)
instructions:
How to cook Small Batch Classic Lasagna
- First make the sauce. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and some salt and saute, without browning, stirring frequently, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then add both meats. Scramble fry until no longer pink. Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer. Cook until the cream has been absorbed. Add the tomatoes with their reserved juice and the tomato passata. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer and cook until the flavours have blended well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mash down large chunks with a potato masher. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter a small loaf tin or rectangular pie dish.
- Combine the cottage cheese, beaten egg, small garlic clove, basil leaf and salt and pepper to taste.
- Lay two dessertspoons of sauce in the bottom of baking dish (About 1/2 cup). Lay one noodle strip in the pan. spread with 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture, 4 TBS of the mozzarella and 1/3 of the meat sauce, repeating the layers two more times, finishing with a final layer of meat sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and the remaining 2 TBS of Parmesan.
- Butter a sheet of foil and cover the dish tightly with it. Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce bubbles around the edges (30 to 35 minutes). Uncover and continue to bake until heated through and the cheese on top is browned lightly in spots., about 10 minutes longer. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
You really don't need anything on the side when serving this except perhaps a tossed salad and some garlic bread or crusty rolls if you wish. The bread will be great in ensuring that you can mop up all of that rich and meaty sauce!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I wanted to share this delicious recipe with you on Friday but ran totally out of time! Never mind, I got here in the end. If you love fish, you are really going to love this wonderfully delicious recipe!
We really love fish in this house. Not only is it quick and easy to cook, but its fabulously tasty and oh-so-good for you! I especially love lemon sole. It has a beautiful texture and a wonderfully mild flavour that lends itself perfectly for use with other flavours!
This recipe I am sharing is adapted from one I found in Olive Magazine a number of years back. It borrows heavily from Oriental flavours with its use of ginger and red chilies. Yes, it is a bit spicy, but not obnoxiously so!
I get my fish from Seafresh, an on line Fish Monger. Their products are always high quality and so very fresh, plus their delivery service is impeccable. Did you know that when you buy fish as the grocery store that is labelled as being fresh, it is often more than a few days old, or it has been frozen already and thawed out. I think its a real shame as fish is not cheap, and for my money I like to know that I am getting the best quality that I can. That has never been a problem for me using Seafresh! I cannot fault them on any level.
The Lemon Sole comes in a 1KG package, skin on, with there being 4 to 5
fillets per package. I skinned it, which is very easily done. I am not
a person who is that fond of eating fish skin, but some people love it.
If you are like me you can find a video on how to do that here.
A good sharp boning knife is all you need. Of course you can also cook it with the skin on. Its all a matter of preference.
The ginger used in this recipe is Stem Ginger in Syrup. Essentially this is knobs of fresh ginger that have been boiled and the preserved in a sugar syrup. You can use both the knobs themselves and the syrup. I am never without a jar of this on hand. Its not just for cakes and baking as this delicious recipe will testify!
You will need one ball of the ginger and 1 TBS of the syrup. The ball of ginger gets minced, along with 2 cloves of garlic . . .
To that you add half of a minced red chili. You could use a whole chili, but I find that far too over-powering myself. I want to also be able to taste this lovely piece of fish!
A TBS of the ginger syrup and a TBS of dark soy sauce are added as well.
You lay your fish in a single layer on a baking tray, spoon the ginger dressing over top and then pop it under the grill. Its as easy as that!
4 to 5 minutes later you are rewarded with beautifully, perfectly cooked pieces of fish with a gorgeously flavoured dressing!
It is a tiny bit spicy from the chili, but not overly so, and of course the ginger also has a bit of a kick, but there is also that luxurious sweetness from the syrup . . .
And of course the saltiness of the soy . . . these flavours blend so perfectly together and really work with this lovely and delicately flavoured piece of fish!
You could serve it with some stir fried vegetables or an oriental salad. I served it with some steamed brown rice and a mix of beans, legumes and baby corn. Beautiful as always!
Gingered Lemon Sole
Yield: 2
Quick, easy and really delicious! If you like fish you will LOVE this!
ingredients:
- 2 skinned and boned fillets of lemon sole
- 1 ball of preserved stem ginger
- 1 TBS of stem ginger syrup from the jar
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 small red chili, seeded, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 TBS dark soy sauce
instructions:
How to cook Gingered Lemon Sole
- Preheat your grill to high. Mince the stem ginger and put it into a bowl, along with the ginger syrup, garlic, red chili and soy sauce. Whisk together well.
- Place the sole fillets onto a baking tray. Drizzle the ginger mixture over top. Pop under the heated grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with the tip of a fork. Cook time depends on the thickness of your fillets. Remember it will continue to cook a bit upon resting.
- Serve hot, with the pan juices. I like to serve this with some steamed brown rice and a mix of steamed vegetables.
I love cooking with fish, its just so very versatile and healthy. I plan on eating more of it in the new year as I am determined to get and eat a lot healthier over the next year! But first Christmas . . .
A few things about Seafresh:
- Same Day dispatch on orders received before 1 PM.
- All packages are carefully hand packed.
- Free delivery on orders above £50, £8 on orders below that amount.
- Responsibly and sustainably sourced.
- Air Blast Frozen at source within 4 hours of being caught.
- Wide variety to choose from.
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Note - Today's recipe feeds two perfectly, but can very easily be multiplied to feed more people.
I had some lovely salmon fillets in the freezer that we had gotten from Seafresh. Their fish is so amazing. I have never had any fish from them that I didn't like. Its frozen fresh at the source and so it is the freshest fish that you can find. Their salmon fillets are absolutely gorgeous. Boneless and skinless and individually frozen so that you can take out as many or as few as you want to cook.
Sourced from the clear cold waters of Scotland and the Farroe Islands, they are centre cuts, cut from the thicker mid-section of the salmon, rather than the tail. Fish cuts from closer to the tail are a lot "fishier" if you know what I mean. Stronger in flavour. I much prefer the higher quality centre cuts.
I fancied a rib sticking soup today and so I did some research online. I thought perhaps a chowder with maybe some spinach, but I didn't have any fresh spinach in the house, although I did have frozen . . . but in something like a chowder I feel fresh spinach is best.
I came across what looked like a very promising recipe on Spruce Eats for a Creamy Salmon Chowder. I did find a few others, but of all the ones I looked at, this one looked the best from my view-point and inspired me.
I adapted their recipe to my own tastes and knowledge, plus I sized it down to serve two people perfectly and generously.
I wanted a recipe that wouldn't over-power the delicate flavours of the salmon and which would allow the salmon itself to shine.
A lot of chowder recipes use bacon, and I am not against bacon, but I didn't want bacon in my salmon chowder, at least not today anyways.
A mirepoix of vegetables are softened in some butter. Mirepoix is a mix of aromatics used to give sauces, stocks and soups flavour. Usually it will consist of carrot, celery and onion, slow cooked in butter or oil without browning.
The goal is to sweeten the ingredients rather than caramelise them so that they will flavour your soup, sauce or stock beautifully.
After that you whisk in some flour and add a bit of chicken stock. Not an awful lot really, just enough that you can add your potato to the pan and it will basically almost cover it so that it can cook.
Once the potatoes were almost fork tender I added my salmon fillets and they poached quickly in the heat of the stock and the pan. It doesn't take long. Once they were poached I was able to break them into largish flakes . . .
It was then just a process of adding some whole milk, thawed frozen peas, and seasoning . . . I added some Tabasco sauce because I thought it would go well with both the fish and the cheddar cheese that is stirred in at the end. This was quite simply fabulous.
Yield: 2
Fresh Salmon Chowder
This is creamy and delicious. Adapted to feed only two from a recipe I found on another site.
ingredients:
- 1 1/2 TBS butter
- 1 stick celery, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
- 2 TBS minced onion
- 1 TBS plain flour (all purpose)
- 180ml chicken stock (3/4 cup)
- 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
- 2 boneless, skinless salmon fillet portions
- 75g frozen peas thawed (1/2 cup)
- 240ml whole milk or half and half (1 cup)
- 120g strong cheddar cheese
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- a few splashes of Tabasco sauce
- chopped fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish
instructions:
How to cook Fresh Salmon Chowder
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the chopped vegetables and cook over low heat, stirring periodically, until the onion is translucent and the celery is tender. Whisk in the flour and then whisk in the chicken stock. Add the cubed potatoes. Cook over very low heat, covered, until the vegetables are crispy tender. Add the salmon fillets. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the salmon is tender. Break up into chunks. Add the peas and milk. Heat through just until the peas are tender. Add the cheese and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. I like crackers with mine. Todd enjoys bread.
As with any fish dish, quality speaks for itself. When you are starting with really good fish, you really don't or shouldnt' have to do very much to it to get the best from it. The Salmon fillets from Seafresh are beautiful. I think they are the best I have ever eaten and that says a lot! If you are looking for quality fish at a great price with a fabulous delivery service I can't recommend Seafresh highly enough! Their product, delivery service, packaging and customer service are exemplary in my opinion and so is this recipe!!
A few things about Seafresh:
- Same Day dispatch on orders received before 1 PM.
- All packages are carefully hand packed.
- Free delivery on orders above £50, £8 on orders below that amount.
- Responsibly and sustainably sourced.
- Air Blast Frozen at source within 4 hours of being caught.
- Wide variety to choose from.
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Note - Although I was gifted with product free of charge for the purposes of review, I was not required to write a positive review in exchange, nor would my integrity allow me to recommend anything if I did not truly like it. Any and all my opinions are my own entirely.
Cooking for only two people can be somewhat of a challenge for people. It took me years to hone the skill.
After having cooked for a large family (7 of us) for quite a number of years, it was a struggle for me to teach myself to scale back to only two.
It can be done however and I think I have it down to an art now. Sure there are times when certainly I want to cook for more, but more often than not, that just isn't the case.
If you are only cooking a casserole, that's okay. You can always divide it into two casseroles and freeze one for later on. But when it comes to cooking a joint, it gets a little bit harder.
I am here to dispell all of the mystery. Its not as hard as you think!
I have always found that when cooking a large roast for two people
alone, you can't get rid of the leftovers quick enough. Also cooked beef never
quite tastes the same after having been frozen, but perhaps that is just me.
I am the Queen of leftovers, but even I have my limits. Eating leftover roast for four days in a row is not my favourite thing to do.
There is nothing much more satisfying than a fall-apart tender meaty pot roast to feed the soul and tummy on a cool autumnal day. This scaled down version of an old family favourite delivers on all levels!
Its comfort food pure and simple. Tender and delicious and provided just enough leftovers for two people in an amount that you won't get tired of!
Rolled Beef Brisket is the cut I prefer to use for pot roasts. Its not as fatty as other cuts and it cooks to a beautiful tenderness that we quite enjoy.
It also cuts beautifully into nice slices when its done without falling apart. This is especially nice when cutting for sandwiches.
The original recipe for this lovely pot roast is one that I got off the back of a packet of dry onion soup mix many moons ago.
I have gradually adapted it through the years to suit my family's taste and I believe that it is the best pot roast that you could ever want to make.
Potatoes, carrots and swede (rutabaga) cook along side of the roast in a delicious mix of broth and apple juice. This is so that when all is said and done, you have your meat and your vegetables done and finished at the same time.
A full meal cooked in one pot, and the oven does all of the cooking.
You could also add a peeled and quartered onion along with the other vegetables if you wanted to. I like to cook a green vegetable on the side to add some colour to the plate.
Either frozen peas or string beans. Whatever vegetable meets you fancy.
On this day I also did half a recipe of my late father-in-law's Yorkshire Pudding Recipe. This is the perfect Yorkshire Pudding Recipe as far as I am concerned.
I cooked half the recipe in a 9 by 12 inch glass baking dish.
I call it Genius Yorkshire Pudding because it cooks up perfectly every single time so long as you follow the directions.
You can have it ready to go into the oven when you bring the meat out to rest and it can cook while you cook the gravy. The recipe is here.
Actually you could cook the full recipe if you wanted to because these will freeze quite successfully and then you will have some for another time.
The gravy is also easy to make. You simply shake some flour and water together and whisk it into the pan juices, then cook until it thickens, whisking the whole while. Perfect gravy. I like to add some creamed horseradish because we quite enjoy that flavour, but you don't have to do that if you don't want to.
Yield: Serves 2 (with some leftovers)
Classic Pot Roast for Two
Deliciously tender meat with some veg and a fabulously tasty gravy. Perfectly sized for just two people, with some leftover for a tasty hash, sandwiches or casserole the day after. This is so easy it practically cooks itself.
ingredients:
- 1 (1 1/2 pound) rolled beef brisket
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1/2 small swede (rutabaga) peeled and cut into chunks
- 240ml beef broth (1 cup)
- 240ml apple juice (1 cup)
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp dry thyme leaves
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of paprika
- 1/2 package dry onion soup mix
- salt and black pepper to taste
For the gravy:
- 3 TBS flour, shaken in 120ml/1/2 cup cold water
- 1/2 TBS creamed horseradish
instructions:
How to cook Classic Pot Roast for Two
- Preheat the oven to 160*C/300*F/ gas mark 3. Have a medium sized flame proof roaster with a tight fitting lid ready.
- Whisk together the beef broth, apple juice, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Set aside.
- Season the roast all over with salt and black pepper. Place into the centre of the roaster. Place the cut up vegetables around the meat in the roaster. in the roaster. Sprinkle the onion soup mix over top of the roast, along with the thyme leaves, garlic powder and paprika. Push the bay leave down the side amidst the vegetables. Pour the apple juice/broth mixture around the roast, covering the vegetables.
- Cover the roasting pan with a sheet of foil, sealing it in tightly. Place the lid on top of the foil. Pop the roaster into the preheated oven and roast for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, at which time the roast should meltingly tender and the vegetables done. (I would check it halfway through the cook time to make sure there is still enough liquid in the dish. If not, top up with some boiling water.) Remove from the oven. Remove the roast and vegetables to a platter and tent lightly while you make the gravy. Discard the bay leaf.
- To make the gravy, place the roasting dish on top of the stove over medium heat. You should have approximately 2 cups of liquid. If you don't, top it up with some more beef broth. Shake together your flour and water and whisk it into the juices along with the creamed horseradish. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat, until the mixture bubbles and begins to thicken. Cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes to cook out any flour taste.
- Slice the meat to serve along with a portion of the vegetables and some of the gravy spooned over top. I like to serve with English baby peas on the side. Delicious!
I made a delicious hash with the leftovers yesterday. I just chopped up a small peeled onion, added some chopped cooked potato, the diced leftover beef, a splash Worcestershire sauce and some naughty chopped up Yorkshire pudding.
I melted a TBS of butter along with 1 TBS oil in a skillet and added the whole lot and cooked it until we had lots of crispy bits and the whole lot was heated through. (I used a small tin of cooked new potatoes, drained and chopped) Two delicious meals without a lot of effort. I like that!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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