Cooking up a Storm
MEETING Lesley Negus home at 2-4 on the 1st Tuesday of the month at Lesley's home, Willow Down, Street End Lane, Broad Oak TN21 8RZ
CONVENOR For further information, please phone Lesley on 01435 865 626.
Lesley is also the author of the popular blog Thrifty Lesley, where she demonstrates via 800+ recipes and meal plans, how to feed yourself for £1 a day. Do come over and have a look and say hello, you'd be very welcome! There is also a Facebook Group, currently with over 18,000 members
We had no meetings for a few months as Lesley's daughter was very ill and passed away on 21st December 2023. The group restarted in March 2024
Next meeting 1st Tuesday of April
March 2024 - we were only 4 today as several members had other commitments or were away. This month we made some lemon jam using lemon carcasses that had previously been zested and juiced, so would have been composted. Always satisfying making something from nothing!
Then we made a super simple sweetcorn soup. A chocolate cake made from just pureed apples and a bar of chocolate was next - amazingly good. Then finished up the afternoon with some egg shaped Easter biscuits which we decorated with chocolate and chopped pistachios and almonds.
July 2023 - we explored making Nutella, with much better nutrition; a delicious vegan pate made with sweet potato, currants, pine nuts and onions; a chicken and mushroom crumble
June 2023 - an easy and far too moreish No Bowl Chocolate Nut Bake; an aubergine ragu - very healthy! a vegan mayonnaise that refused to work, but makes a lovely salad dressing and a carrot and potato bake that can be used as a main course
May 2023 -
April 2023 - an Easter chocolate egg cheesecake, yum! Easter cookiesand a wonderful, if rather large egg and bacon pie
March 2023 - red lentil nuggets, very versatile, a wonderful chicken and mango salad and some carrot, ginger and goat cheese fritters
February 2023.
January 2023 - we explored some fresh salads ideas after all the Christmas feasting. We made a Salad Nicoise, but without the fish. Them a Shredded Brussel Sprout salad with toasted hazel nuts, and a cauliflower, date and walnut salad with a fresh and zesty dressing.
December 2022 - we had a gathering where everyone brought a little plate of something to share and Lin told us all about her experience with a certain famous chef! .
November 2022 - This months recipes included celeriac and potato gratin from a recipe in the Times, and Mary Berry's smoked haddock and celeriac fish pie.
October 2022 - we tried some recipes from Kwoklyn Gok's recipe book using his parents restaurant recipes. We mad Hot Sin Chicken, Beef with green pepper and black and a Chow mein, all of which were delicious!
September 2022 - this month we made 2 very fast salads. One that used grapes, fennel and Taleggio. The other was apple and blackberries with chicory and a walnut vinaigrette.
Then we tackled a recipe that used butterbeans, with spinach, bacon, tarragon, and cream. Delicious!
August 2022 - we tried recipes from a new cook book out - Home Cookery Year. My copy is bristling with Post Its of the recipes I want to try! We made a pasta salad with Sicilian Flavours - my favourite of the session. We also did a Courgette, Black Olive and Rice gratin. The courgette can be changed up to many other vegetables, so a versatile recipe. No courgettes from my garden though, I've had none so far.
Then we tried a Runner Bean Curry from BBC Good Food. Normally at this time of year, my garden is bursting with runner beans and I'm looking for ways to use them. This year, just a handful to date!
July 2022 - This month we made Cipolline Agrodolce (sweet and sour onions), lemon and mint pesto, Kounopidi Tiganito (Greek battered cauliflower) and a quick pickle. All of which were very successful - we haven't had a failure yet!
June 2022 - fried spaghetti, and erm, what else?!
May 2022 - the group has asked that we make unusual things. So, each month I ransack my extensive cook book collection, and the internet, in search of something unusual. No shepherds pies or pizzas for us! This month we made Date chutney, sliced carrot chilli and cauliflower tots
This month I found Chilla's - an Indian pancake, often eaten for breakfast, made with pulses and vegetables. Delicious! Very variable and I will be exploring different flavours and different vegetables.
We made a date and tamarind chutney to go with the chilla too.
And our third recipe this month was Cauliflower Tots. These were like croquettes, but made with cauliflower and 2 types of cheese, then baked in the oven. Really good and open to many variations.
April 2022 - we made Nigella Lawson's Double Potato & Halloumi Bake, a squash salad from Deliciously Ella, a chicken and sun dried tomato sandwich paste and a katjan sauce
March 2022 - we investigated using gram (chickpea) flour to make the Southern France delicacy pannisses and soca (pancakes).
We decided not to meet in January 2022, so our first meeting was February. We made a spinach roulade stuffed with mushrooms in a sauce, very tasty. Then a carrot roulade stuffed with watercress and boiled eggs in mayonnaise. I really liked this and am looking forward to trying the same recipe and substituting all kinds of firm vegetables for the carrots. Both recipes from Good Housekeeping
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The third recipe this month was a coconut curd, like lemon curd but made using coconut milk. It was not, amazingly, very coconutty. I have tried to make coconut cakes with much the same result. I'd love to know how to make things rich and creamy with coconut.
7th December 2021- when we'll be having a little Christmas gathering - no cooking today
2nd November 2021 - we made some savoury biscuits to go with all the Christmas cheese and chutneys coming up!
5th October 2021 - when we made Risotti
8th September 2021 - when we explored gnocchi. How to make it, what to put with purchased packs and how to pronounce it! We made three fabulous sauces and a batch from scratch too
3rd August 2021 - we made all the components of a meal this month. Chicken Shawarma, a salad to go with it, a tahini dressing to go on it and a pitta to put it in. We all liked the shawarma, although opinions were mixed about the dressing. And although we liked the pitta, next time we made shawarma, we would probably have it with something else