Christmas Music
What a pleasure to go to the shops now that the dreadful Christmas music has stopped.
But there is also another side to this. Before Christmas, I visited Waitrose and John Lewis several times. Did they have any Christmas music? I didn’t hear any!
But which store group has done very well over Christmas. Step forward John Lewis!
Economics of Home Cooking
I cooked a pan load of chilli con carne last night using the recipe on this blog.
The kilo of organic lean beef mince from Waitrose cost just under £10, the organic beans and tomatoes another three and if you add in the herbs, wine and spices then the total is under £20. Obviously, using cheaper ingredients could cut this cost. In fact when I made the previous batch a few weeks ago, I used some of the same organic mince, which was just about to go past its sell-by date. It cost just £6. So I always look for more of this, as lean meat is good for my cholesterol.
I make the chilli con carne in one large saucepan, so it really isn’t a great problem for washing up either!
I reckon that for my £20 or less, I get eight portions of about 400 grams each. Last night we ate three large portions with microwaveable rice and the rest I froze in one double and two single ones.
So each organic chilli con carne, with lean beef, lots of spices and included wine cost me £2.50. That’s about £6.25 a kilo.
Perhaps this is expensive, but it is very simple to do and I could cut the cost to about £1.50 (£4.25 a kilo), by using less expensive beef, cheap plonk and ordinary kidney beans and tomatoes.
A look on Waitrose‘s web site shows that they have a prepared chilli con carne at £5.98 a kilo.
Is mine better? Don’t know! But I suspect it has more meat in it and being a coeliac I know that it is totally gluten-free.
Searching for this Blog
As I said earlier, I’m now getting hits from Google.
I’ve just found that if I type venison redcurrant celeriac rosti into the search engine, the page I entered is second. Now I know it is a rather specific search, but the recipe is printed on Waitrose venison, so I would have thought it would be on their web site. It’s not!
The page on President Ahmadinejad’s Personal Hygiene is also being looked for and scores high too.
Tiffin-in-a-Box
Yesterday, we had this Rich and Creamy Tiffin from Waitrose for lunch. It was more than enough for a snack for two, despite being labelled as being for one. There is also a Hot and Spicy Tiffin.
Both are gluten-free and suitable for coeliacs.
Venison and Celeriac Rosti
Or to give the recipe it’s full name, Chargrilled Venison Steaks with Redcurrant and Celeriac Rosti.
This is a delicious and indulgent recipe that I got off the inside of a packet of two venison steaks from Waitrose. When you’re a widow, you need the odd indulgent recipe for when you need cheering up. It’s also very simple to cook and well within the capability of a man who taught himself cooking at 60.
As with all of the recipes that I’ll post here, it will be gluten-free, as I’m a coeliac and can’t eat any of the gluten found in wheat, barley and rye.
This is recipe for two steaks.
- Season the venison steaks.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan until it is very hot. Sear the venison steaks in the pan for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked. Lift onto a plate and keep warm.
- Add the grated zest and juice of one orange, three tablespoons of redcurrant jelly (the proper stuff made from sugar!) and a tablespoon of port or brandy.
- Season lightly and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until sticky, then spoon over the venison.
- Heat through and serve with the rosti.
For the celeriac rosti.
- Preheat the oven to 190 Degrees Centigrade (Is there anything else?). Or with me use the bottom of the top oven in the AGA.
- Peel and coarsely grate 200 grams of celeriac then place in a bowl with 50 grams of melted butter, half a teaspoon of grated nutmeg and seasoning.
- Pile the mixture into some tins brushed with melted butter and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Before I ate this, I had never eaten celeriac. I now use it as an alternative to potatoes.
The Anonymous Widower 