What's on your menu today

"English" kedgeree today. Made with smoked haddock, rice, butter, S&P topped with poached eggs.

The smoked haddock is from a local smokery and is a slightly off-white colour, not that ghastly glow-in-the-dark-yellow commercial stuff. I poach the fish in water acidified with lemon juice, not milk as is the norm. This stops any persistent fishy smell in the kitchen. I use the same water to poach the eggs, the acid holds the eggs together - much the same effect as adding vinegar to the poaching water but without the acetic taste (faint as that may be, I can usually detect it).

I say English kedgeree as I understand the original is an Indian dish made with lentils rather than fish.

lamb chops today for us with sauteed potatoes and roast carrots and parsnips.

Friday is our regular fish day. 

We have a fantastic fishmonger in town, who sells the best fish imaginable - just like that available at the seaside.  A couple of days ago we went to his shop and purchased a variety of fish to last through the Christmas and New Year: Haddock, Cod, Turbot and Hake.  So, tonight it will be Haddock or Cod with Chips (cooked in an Actifry) and mushy peas.

Irene, how do you find the Actifry? I've been thinking about getting one but I'm put off by the number of negative reports there are floating around.

Are the chips like real chips or some sort of hydrid chip/roast potato?

Do you use the Actifry for cooking other things?

well my Thai DIL cooks these mysterious dishes that I just smell and then eat!

Japanese chicken and peanut curry - very moorish and just right for a seance on a wet sunday afternoon!

followed by Papaya orange curry with prawns - extra hot - not for the unwary! - I developed a fit of sneezing that people objected to!!

not sure if she has more in store - it is always a surprise - as long as it's not fish and chips!!  we intersperse the dishes with cuban ladies and bourbons of course! :cheers:

the final dish tonight - deceptively simple - Pad Thai - but cooked by a Thai exotic!  - rice vermiclli fried with omlette -sounds simple but is exotic - my son has eaten this all over Thailand but swears his wfes is the best - bud he would wouldn't he - so would I!

God it was famising!

-pops- wrote:

Irene, how do you find the Actifry? I've been thinking about getting one but I'm put off by the number of negative reports there are floating around.

Are the chips like real chips or some sort of hydrid chip/roast potato?

Do you use the Actifry for cooking other things?

I love it -pops-.  

When we bought the first one, I did try cooking other things and it was fine - no idea why I don't do it now.  :D

Mike usually does the chips.  Through what he calls trial and error and using Maris Piper spuds, the chips are excellent.  He insists that the timing is critical and dependent on batch size.  In all honesty, they are not like deep fried, probably more like oven chips.  But they are healthier.  Also, another advantage is that you don't get the smell of hot oil.

davo wrote:

the final dish tonight - deceptively simple - Pad Thai - but cooked by a Thai exotic!  - rice vermiclli fried with omlette -sounds simple but is exotic - my son has eaten this all over Thailand but swears his wfes is the best - bud he would wouldn't he - so would I!

God it was famising!

Sounds fabulous, but not the hot stuff for me. :evil:  :D

I've taken the plunge - Amazon will deliver tomorrow!

Enjoy it pops,I will stick with Aldi curly fries. 

-pops- wrote:

I've taken the plunge - Amazon will deliver tomorrow!

Mike is preparing the spuds (Maris Pipers) as I type. 

Depending on your appetite - we both have a good one - he says he uses approx 32-36 minutes.  Careful with the oil amount, it can make all the difference. 

Xmas fare - they have given me the easiest dish to prepare - salad platter- now how can I get that wrong? they've even told me what to put in it!  pass me the apron PLEASE!

Xmas eve Thai style - last minute dashing around for me salad items - but returned for a well earned beer and some sweet and sour pork spare ribs with sticky rice for brunch. the DIL simple shouts out "it's ready dad" and walks off! how simple can it get?  oh dear I do feel spoilt

Tiger baps filled with sliced medium rare beef.  Thick slices of onion on mine and sliced tomato for 'Er indoors.

If my Actifry arrives early enough (Amazon are delivering up to as late as midnight tonight) I will be having haddock and chips. If I'm Actifry-less at dinner time, I'll have the haddock anyway but with CURLY FRIES which I bought yesterday. With mushy peas.

-pops- wrote:

If my Actifry arrives early enough (Amazon are delivering up to as late as midnight tonight) I will be having haddock and chips. If I'm Actifry-less at dinner time, I'll have the haddock anyway but with CURLY FRIES which I bought yesterday. With mushy peas.

Are they Aldi curly fries?