Cooking tonight (Mk4)

[greenishfing]

I've just taken bread out of the breadmaker. The aroma is driving me mad. I've now decided to take chicken out of the freezer to make chicken and vegetable soup tomorrow in the slow cooker to go with the bread. However I might add that as soon as the bread has cooled slightly and is hackable, if not sliceable, a fried egg sandwich might be for supper.

[Bren In Pots]

Lamb Bhuna, with rice, sourdough naans, Indian apply chutney and a yoghurt mint dip.

[Nicos]

Not decided yet for today - maybe a salad.

Yesterday we had a pastry fish pie from the freezer, with broccoli and scallops in a creamy sauce.

[Snoop Puss]

Lentil soup. And if that weren't carby enough, some bread to go with it.

Still haven't made the lemon cake... That might be on the cards.

Was also thinking of making some flaky pastry for another pie and for the freezer. Never made it before. What do you guys do? All butter or half and half butter and lard? All butter for sweet pies, half and half for savoury? Any other advice on flour, etc.?

[Nicos]

Ha - don’t ask me!
Apparently I make an ultra light , prizewinning shortcrust pastry but when it come to flaky pastry I just make puff pastry. It always fails and ends up as flaky pastry!!!

I just tend to buy mine now

Having said that , it’s difficult here to find ready made pastry which doesn’t contain palm oil.
Marie is the only make I’ve come across so far which doesn’t.

[greenishfing]

Lentil soup. And if that weren't carby enough, some bread to go with it.

Still haven't made the lemon cake... That might be on the cards.

Was also thinking of making some flaky pastry for another pie and for the freezer. Never made it before. What do you guys do? All butter or half and half butter and lard? All butter for sweet pies, half and half for savoury? Any other advice on flour, etc.?

I always make my own shortcrust and choux pastry. I have made flaky pastry and ruff puff pastry, but to be honest I mostly just buy it. If I do make it I use an ancient Be Ro recipe but with all butter and any brand plain flour.

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

I've got the Be-Ro book and had a look at that.

And yes, we're the same here, Nicos. Palm oil in just about all pastry. It is possible to buy all-butter puff pastry, but it's always ready-rolled and always has terrible cracks in it where it's been rolled, even if I'm the one that bought it and have taken care to stack it on top of all other shopping . So I thought I'd give it a go, just to see if home-made really is better.

[greenishfing]

I hope that your pastry is good Snoop. One of my grandmothers used to make the best flaky pastry ever. Her cream horns filled with homemade jam and whipped cream were legendary. Maybe one day I'll have a go. I think one of my sisters has grandma's cream horn moulds.

Tonight we are going to have chicken and vegetable soup as planned. It's in the slow cooker and I have just blended about half of it and mixed it back in. Mr GF has already asked for a "few" garlic and herb croutons with it and there is bread and butter too.

[Snoop Puss]

I've got some cannoli tubes - no idea why! Might be another go-er of a challenge, what do you reckon guys? For Easter?

[Mr Bones]

Linguine last night, drizzled with truffle oil and topped with lots of red kale, blue cheese and garlicky croutons.

[Snoop Puss]

Last night's lentil soup went through a strange metamorphosis into toad in the hole with cabbage. Will make the soup today instead.

My pastry research is over. I looked in the very last possible book I have - the National Trust Teatime Baking Book, not sure who recommended it but someone on here I think. Anyway, the book has next to nothing with pastry, maybe Eccles cakes, but it opens with recipes for puff, flaky and rough puff pastry on the same double-page spread, so easy to compare ingredients and methods. It's going to be perishing cold here this weekend, so I'll be making it then in the garage. How's that for dedication.

[Nicos]

It’ll be interesting to see your results snoop.
I fancy making some, but not over Easter as I have visitors so don’t want to spend too long in the kitchen.

I’m fancying fish tonight…OH is about to ‘skip dive’ into the chest freezer to see what he can find….

[Bren In Pots]

Pasta with meatballs in a tom and courgette sauce.

[Mr Bones]

Sourdough pittas, seared marinated squid, broad bean falafel with tzatziki, stuffed peppers and mixed leaf salad with feta, olives and red onion. Retsina to wash it down.

[Nicos]

Mmm ^^^ nice one Bones! Will you be plate smashing later on?

Decision time for us - cod in a sumac sauce with a side of a risotto type bulgar wheat mixed veg ‘warm salad’

fresh pears for pud