Is life too short to stuff a mushroom?

This week saw us pass through the 1 month to Christmas mark and finally the weather has turned a little nippy. Amazingly, however, we have yet to have our first frost here in Milton Keynes. Last year frost came fairly early in October and I was caught unawares and this lead into what I would call a "proper winter" with snow on the ground for a fortnight. This year I certainly won't be putting a bet on for a white Christmas. We could do with a bit of a cold snap to kill off some of the bugs that would otherwise be ready to infest the plants next year.

With Christmas looming large on the horizon I decided to make some stuffing balls to freeze until the big day. It also provided a useful way to use up some cut pumpkin I had in the fridge.

Christmas stuffing balls

3 slices of bread made into breadcrumbs

5 oz (150g) pumpkin

3 oz (85g) dried apricots (plus a few extra)

A sprig of sage

8 oz (225g) sausagement

4 ish mushrooms

Salt

A dash of nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut up the pumpkins, apricots and sage in a food processor then add the rest of the ingredients and whizz again until combined. The mixture can now be frozen for use in the crop of the bird or it can be rolled into balls and placed on a tray for freezing. Before freezing, add a third of a dried apricot to the top of each ball for decoration. Cook at 180°C, gas 4 from thawed for 25-30 minutes or from frozen for 35-40 minutes.

Last week on a whim I brought a bag of rocket, water cress and spinach whilst in the supermarket and we made a couple of salads out of it. Then this week, after the bag went past its best I decided to nip to the allotment to see what leaves we had left. With no frosts to damage them I had quite a few to choose from but in the end I just grabbed a big bunch of 4 different types of lettuce and a couple of beetroot. When I dished up salad for tea again my husband thought nothing of it but was somewhat surprised when I told him that the leaves had comes from the plot rather than a poly-bag. With it we had some of the beetroot and some tomatoes from the line across the conservatory. I'm truly staggered how well those tomatoes have kept. Good grief, it's almost December and we are still eating fresh homegrown tomatoes!

Salads aside, now is time to really get stuck into the joys of autumn and winter veg. My brussel sprouts are amazingly plump this year but I shall save those for Christmas. I'm not sure what we did right this year with them - probably made sure the soil was nice and firm around their roots. But now is the time to eat leeks, cabbage, and baked potatoes. Actually, speaking of baked potatoes I had a lovely one for my lunch today. It was an overgrown Charlotte as it happens but I decided to bake it anyway then I dolloped a couple of spoonfuls of pasta tomato sauce and some grated cheese on top. Baked potato, pizza style... yummy! Bring on the lycopene too!

Earlier in the week I turned 4 large flat mushrooms and a leek into a meal for two by making stuffed mushrooms. I have been told that Delia Smith once said that life is too short to stuff a mushroom. I don't know whether she did but I certainly don't agree. It is dead easy and really tasty.

Stuffed Mushrooms

4 flat mushrooms

1 leek

1 clove garlic

Grated cheddar cheese

8 rashers of streaky bacon

Preheat oven to 190°C, gas 5. Pull the stems off the mushrooms and finely chop them. Chop the leek and the garlic. Fry the mushroom stems, leeks and garlic together until softened then spoon this mixture equally into the 4 mushrooms. Scatter over with cheese if desired. Then place each mushroom on a cross made from two bacon rashers of bacon and bring the bacon up to meet in the middle of the mushroom. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked. Serve hot with potato cakes and salad.

Leeks for dinner again!

Having had a good rummage into the depths of my chest freezer to see what needs eating up before the soft fruit ripens, I decided to launch a serious frozen leek eating campaign!

On Monday we had leek frittata served with garlic bread made with part-baked baguettes and some of last year's garlic (still in surprisingly good condition).

On Tuesday we had spud pies made with some of Sunday's roast chicken and served with vegetables including a portion of last year's broad beans also found lurking in the bottom of the freezer and still surprisingly good.


On Wednesday we had stuffed mushrooms served with mashed potato and gravy and a portion of freshly picked mangetout.


Tonight I think we might have something else, delicious as the leek as proved to be!



Leek Frittata (serves 2)



Frozen leek - the equivalent of one large leek - cut into rounds
4-6 mushrooms
2 medium waxy potatoes, such as Jersey Royals
4 eggs
A slurp of milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Oil for frying


In a jug, beat the egg with the milk. Place the potatoes whole, washed and scrubbed in a pan of boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes until par boiled. Remove from the pan and run under cold water to cool then slice into rounds. Fry the leek and mushroom until the mushroom is just beginning to brown then remove from the pan and set aside. Saute the potatoes until browned on both sides then return the leek and mushroom to the pan. Pour the egg into the pan and shake to ensure it finds its way through. Season and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until just beginning to set. In the meantime preheat the grill. Remove the frying pan from the heat and place it under the grill for a further 5 minutes to cook the top of the frittata. Cut in half and serve immediately.




Spud Pies (serves 2)


2 large baked potatoes
About one breast of roasted chicken
Butter
A slurp of milk
6-8 mushrooms, quartered

Frozen leek, equivalent to half a leek, sliced

5 fl oz chicken stock
2 teaspoons of cornflour
Oil for frying
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Bake the potatoes using your preferred method. In the meantime pick the chicken off the remains of a roast chicken, reserving about one breast of chicken for use in this recipe. Put some of the bones and skin in a pan of boiling water and simmer with the lid on for half an hour. Drain the water into a jug to use as chicken stock in this recipe. Turn the oven to 220°C, gas 7. Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the potato from the skins. Place the potato in a bowl and mash with the butter, milk and seasoning. Mix the cornflour with a little cold water in a glass. Fry the mushrooms and leeks then pour in the chicken stock and the cornflour. Add the chicken and seasoning and stir until heated through and the sauce thickens. Spoon the chicken mix into the potato skins then top with the mashed potato then place in the oven for 10 minutes until the top of the potato is just beginning to brown. Serve immediately with a salad or hot vegetables.

Stuffed Mushrooms (serves 2)

Frozen leek - the equivalent to one large leek, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
4 flat mushrooms
Grated Cheddar cheese
Oil for frying
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Preheat oven to 200°C, gas 6. In a frying pan, cook the leek until just beginning to brown then add the garlic and fry for another minute. Place the mushroom in a suitable shallow ovenproof tin or dish. Spoon the leek evenly onto all the mushrooms. Season and sprinkle over the grated cheese. Cook in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes then serve immediately.