Todd always likes to complain that I have too much food in the house.  I do like to keep the fridge and freezer full and I have a healthy store cupboard.  The last time I went to Canada without him, he made a huge dent in the store cupboard.  He bragged that he didn't have to spend more than £10 a week on groceries. (I seriously doubt that, but you know men!)  In any case I reckon he must have had the strangest meals, made up of whatever tinned food he could get his hands on. I dare not think of it.  I can only tell you that it took me a while to build it back up again, and he broke the can opener when I was away.

 

I can tell you one thing, however  . . .  in these past couple of weeks he has come to appreciate my store cupboard in a way he never has before.  I confess I am a bit worried that we won't be able to make it last.  We are quite lacking in fruits and vegetables.  I have tried to create an online order for some, but you can't get a delivery space at all, and there is no telling if you will even get what's on your list if you did.  I have heard stories of people only getting a fraction of what they needed.  I have also contacted some home delivery vegetable schemes, but again, have had no response. I am afraid we have what we have and that is that.

 

For the moment we do have plenty of frozen protein and I have potatoes and onions, garlic.  Canned tomatoes, beans, mushy peas, corn, apples, peaches, pears, mandarins and pineapple, and I also have tinned fish, chicken and ham, as well as corned beef and some spam. 

 

I am so very grateful for the frozen fish that we have.  We have cod and salmon, haddock and squid rings.  I get all of my fish from Seafresh Quality Foods, which is an online fish monger.  We have always been more than happy with the service and product which we have received from them.

 

Their Cod Loins are exceptional.  Sustainably sourced from the cold waters of the North Atlantic, they are meaty and sweet and beautifully white in colour.

 

They also have much more than fish and seafood available in their online shop. You can also buy chicken and duck, beef and lamb and an assortment of oven ready products.  I love, LOVE their fish fingers! 

 

All of the restaurants and pubs are shut down in the UK now.  Even McDonalds is closed.  Who would have ever thunk that such a day would come.  We are having to get really inventive at home, but really that's no hardship. We have plenty of time on our hands now . . .

 

Today I created a quasi-Fish & Chip supper for us, using some of our precious potatoes and some Cod Loins. I have given quantities for four people but you can easily cut it down to feed two.  I did.

 

You cut the potatoes into fingers and toss them together with some oil and Italian Garlic seasoning.  Spread out on a baking sheet, they go into a hot oven while you prepare your fish.

 

I had thawed my fish out in the refrigerator over night.  I just patted it dry with some paper towel and popped it onto another baking sheet.  I created an herb, garlic and cheese mixture to spread over it and once the chips were about halfway done I popped them into the oven to cook.

  

The end result was perfectly cooked, tender and flavourful cod and chips that we both enjoyed immensely.  I opened a small can of mushy peas to enjoy along with them.  Not quite like the chippy, but probably a whole lot healthier!

  

How are you coping with the restrictions we are having to live with at the moment?  I am a bit worried that what I have will last, but we will see.  In the meantime I think we are very blessed to have what we have.

A few things about Seafresh:

 

I confess that lamb was not something I had ever eaten prior to moving here to the UK. My mother did cook lamb chops once when I was a teenager, but they smelled like burning mittens so none of us would eat them.  I strongly suspect it was mutton and not lamb.  In any case, the smell was enough to put us all off for a very long time.

 

My mother often spoke of a lamb stew that she had enjoyed in the hospital when she was having my brother.  It was a taste memory that she carried with her all the days of her  life.  My brother just turned 60 last week, so that was a very long time to be thinking about what something tasted like.

 

I know all about that.  The summer before 12th grade I went on a school exchange trip and we stayed at Carlton University in Ottawa.  Each night we were taken to a restaurant in Ottawa called "The Cascade Restaurant."  The very first night I ordered the Barbequed Chicken.  It was so good I ordered it every night that we were there and I have been thinking about the taste of it ever since!

 

Taste memories can be very specific and they stick in your brain, often becoming even more delicious (or not as it were) in the memory as years go by!

 

My ex husband would never eat or try lamb because his father wouldn't and so it was not something I ever cooked when we were married. It was not until Todd and I got married that I took the risk of trying it. 

 

Our church congregation had taken us out for supper at a restaurant to celebrate our marriage and there was saddle of lamb on the menu at the restaurant.  I took a chance, ordered it and I have to say I fell in love with it at first bite.

 

This was proper lamb.  British lamb. Succulent, tender and almost sweet. It was incredibly edibly delicious.

 

Since the I have enjoyed lamb in many ways.  I do so adore a good lamb stew and I have several really delicious recipes fot that on here.  This Simple Lamb Stew is beautiful and probably my favourite. Then there is my Lamb Stew with Feather Dumplings, also very good. I also have a delicious recipe for Small Batch Irish Lamb Stew which is very pleasing!

  

I also have several recipes for lamb chops.  Spiced Lamb Chops with Roasted Roots. which has a very Indian-like feel to it.  One of my favourites is Garlic Lamb Cutlets with a Mint and Sun Blush Tomato Sauce.

 

There are actually quite a few Lamb Recipes on this blog.  You can access all of them here.  Tagines and stews, and steaks, etc.  All very delicious, I can assure you.  These chops I am sharing today are especially delicious.  They are seasoned and flash fried, and then a super simple honey, mustard and balsamic vinegar glaze is produced in the pan drippings.

   

They are coated in this and briefly reheated before serving.  Oh but they are so delicious.  Tender, perfectly cooked, and that flavourful glaze, well  . . .  its like manna from heaven.

 

We enjoy our lamb on the pink side.  Its so juicy and tender.  Today I servd it with some Dauphinoise Potatoes and Steamed Brussels Sprouts.  This was a fabulous dinner!  I have given quantities so you can either cook for 4 or for 2.  I also like to use French trimmed loin chops.  The meat is so succulent and delicious.

 

Our Camelia bush is already in bloom. It seems really early this year, but I saw daffodils blooming this morning and there are buds all over our bushes. The greening of England is about to begin and Spring really is just around the corner.  I look forward to Spring every year, but it also heralds the end of Comfort Food Season which I mourn just a tiny bit . . .  okay, MORE than a tiny bit. I am a comfort food lover at heart. I thought that it would be fun today to share ten of my favourite Home Style Comfort Dishes. Oh, to be sure we will have a lot more blustery days before Spring finally lands, but its definitely time to get in your last tastes of your comfort foods before its too late. Every single dish I am sharing here today is one that we love.

 

Stewed Brisket & Potatoes.   Crusty, buttery little drop biscuits . . .  tender in the middle and going oh-so-well with that beautiful rich gravy, potatoes and those tender chunks of meat!  

Macaroni Shepherd's Pie.  Shepherd's pie with the delicious twist of a layer of macaroni and cheese on top instead of the usual potatoes! Scrumdiddlyumptious!

 

Beef Casserole with Horseradish Dumplings.  Hearty and delicious! My own oven stew recipe with a lovely dumpling recipe borrowed from Mary Berry, and adapted to my own needs.  

 

French Onion Chicken.  All the flavours of your favourite soup  baked into a deliciously saucy chicken casserole beneath golden cheesy croutons. What's not to like!

 

Irish Stew.  Tender lamb and vegetables beneath a thatch of potato cobbles, in a flavour filled broth. Simplicity at its best.  

 

Chicken Savoyarde.  Tender pieces of cooked chicken beneath a rich and creamy taragon sauce, topped with crisp bread crumbs.  Delicious!

 

Beef, Ale & Parsnip Pudding. Kind of like a steamed meat pie, filled with lovely flavours.  Beef, parsnips in a lush ale gravy, served with cabbage and boiled potatoes. 

 

Chicken Rarebits with Melted Leeks.   A deliciously rich and indulgent chicken dish, which is simple to make and uses simple ingredients.   

 

Stuffed Cabbage Trou Style.  Layers of cabbage and the sausage meat create a magical taste combination that is unbeatable . . . the long slow cooking breaks the cabbage down until it is almost buttery . . . the juices of the cabbage and sausage melding together into a melting deliciousness that is just the best flavour in the world. 

 

Cottage Pie with Potato Cobbles.  This may be the most delicious Cottage Pie you've ever eaten and I don't make that claim lightly!  A really tasty meaty base topped with sliced rounds of potato and a layer of cheese baked until the potato cobbles are golden brown and everything is bubbling up nicely. 

Oh, I could have easily done 20 or more of my favourites.  This really is just the tip of the iceberg! 

 

As promised yesterday I am back today with a delicious casserole that you can make with some of your leftover cooked pork.  I think that this casserole would also work well with leftover cooked chicken, beef or lamb as well. 

 

I am a great lover of the casserolee and of using up my leftovers.

 

We've had some really cold days this past week or so, with heavy frosts on the ground in the morning and the days haven't warmed up too much either.  

Before things get a chance to warm up the sun is setting, and things are chilling up again! Wintry, cold, damp  . . .  these days call for proper comfort food. 

  

 

There is nothing we enjoy better on a cold damp night than a hot bowl of soup or stew.  My husband's very favourite is a stew. 

 Stews are lovely. You can make them with beef, or lamb, pork, chicken . . . venison.  Almost any kind of meat is good in a stew. Today I used beef.

 

My vegetables that I use for stew are pretty simple.  Onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, swede (rutabaga)  . . .  humble vegetables, comfort vegetables . . . winter vegetables.  I like to cut them into a pretty uniform size.  

I find there is something really mindful standing at the counter peeling and chopping. My mind is usually everywhere else and I am channelling my mom, nan, great nan, etc.  I also add potatoes, but I cut those into larger chunks so that they don't disintegrate in the long oven braising time.

 

One secret to a really good stew is to brown your meat really well. You will want to do this in batches. 

If you add too much to the pan at a time, it won't brown really well. There is a lot of flavour in the browning . . .  so do it in small batches and . . .

 

brown it really well.  Once you have it all browned you can add it back to the pan and add the aromatics . . .  (I use a flame proof oven roasting/braising tin with a lid for this.)

 

By aromatics I mean onions, celery, leek . . .  just bung them into the pan with the meat and cook and stir until the oven has softened . . .

 

I have a few secret ingredients . . .  you can see them above. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but they add fab flavours!  

The Balsamic adds a hint of red wine  and sweet . . .  the Worcestershire is a bit sharp and the Ketchup a bit of tomato and spice . . . back home I would add a splash of vinegar from a jar of sweet mixed pickles, but we don't get them over here in the UK.

 

I add the potatoes and some herbs and cover everything with beef stock/bullion, just to barely cover and I show a broken bay leaf right down into the mess.  

Did you know that breaking a bay leaf in half helps to release its flavours?  Now you do  . . .

 

And that's it pretty much, cover it tightly and bang it into the oven to oven braise for  2 or 3 hours. I check it every now and then to make sure its not boiling dry. 

You can add a little bit more of stock if it is.  The stews done when the beef and vegetables are tender.

 

The gravy will be nice and thick and beautifully flavoured with all of those browned meat juices and aromatics, herbs, etc.

 

The vegetables add lots of flavour also  . . .  yummy.

 

I like to serve it with plenty of crusty bread to help sop up all of those delicious juices  . . . .

  

If you wanted to you could add a cup of frozen peas to the stew about half an hour before it's finished for colour.    Its delicious either way.

 

I confess one thing I have always loved to do with stew, since I was a child is to mashe the potatoes up in that stew gravy . . .  and if I am feeling a bit indulgent I will dot  a bit of butter on top so it melts down into everything.  Yes, I AM naughty like that sometimes!