Good evening to you on this fine Thursday of the summer holidays. Two observations today. One being that I am raising a gaggle of boys for whom watching an animated Giant steal a small orphaned child and then catch dreams together falls just short of keeping their attention. I blame Pixar.
Took the eldest two to see The BFG at the cinema. I sat there cringing with anxiety. I just knew they weren’t that into it. And of course I had bigged it up. I am an idiot. It was just like when I took second eldest to see the Muppets Christmas Carole. The fun of the ’80s (on screen and in print) is not so much the fun of the ’10s. If you haven’t been, do go. It is an excellent film. Though it has a gentle pace. (Latterly they have agreed they enjoyed it).
My second observation is that I am being eaten out of house and home. I had no idea how much the free school lunches shield my shopping bill from the effects of a 5 and 7 year old. I find myself opening the fridge on a daily basis and being shocked at the depleted contents. Swarm of locusts springs to mind. So, with this issue in mind, I find myself shopping every other day for the essentials of grapes, bananas and yoghurts. I also find myself turning to the larder for support. In steps the chorizo and chickpea stew. Open a few tins, add spices, throw in some chorizo (which as you know, sits happily in the fridge for much longer than other sausages), sling in some veggies and you’re done. It was divine. I ate two portions. Don’t skimp on either using a pressure cooker or a long simmer – you need it to render the sausage melting.
Lots of great recipes like this in my books, Recipes from a Normal Mum, (available on Amazon, at The Works, Waterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets) and The Power of Frozen (available through Amazon).
Last year: Gravity defying cake and Bourbon ribs and Pink porridge and Chocolate sandwich biscuits,
Two years ago: Rocky road florentines and Gluten free brownies and Lemon button biscuits and Vanilla cut out biscuits
Three years ago: Orange rubble cake and Oatmeal & fudge cookies and Puffed up peaches
Four years ago: Clementine cake and Macadamia and white chocolate shortbread
Five years ago: Teacher’s pet chocolate and hazelnut oaty biscuits and Spelt loaf
Six years ago: Restorative chicken and leek risotto
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 200g chorizo, thinly sliced
- 2 red peppers, de seeded and roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
Pressure King Pro method: Set the PKP to 'stew' setting with the lid off. Add the oil, then fry the onion, chorizo and pepper until starting to brown. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir. Press 'cancel' and then add the lid. Set the valve to 'closed'. Press 'stew' and then adjust the time to 9 minutes. Once the stew is ready, release the pressure, remove the lid and if you wish to slightly thicken the sauce, press 'cancel' and then press 'stew' to reduce. Conventional method: Fry the oil in a large saucepan, then add the onion, chorizo and pepper. Fry gently until starting to brown. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, add a lid and turn down the heat. Leave to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
Disclaimer: I work with Pressure King Pro, but this is not a paid for post. I just like using my PKP as it saves me valuable time to sit in the cinema and ponder why my kids are less easily pleased than I was at their age.
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