RECIPES FROM THE PANTRY (LET’S CALL THIS CHAPTER ONE)

Chapelure from the South

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My friend Lucie gave me this Chapelure, I think, and it’s what she uses and swears it’s the best for fish fries at the beach.   But, since I’m ONLY using what I have in my house, and I haven’t been fishing lately, I’m using it on the chicken that was in my freezer. 

Sauce

  • Mashed garlic
  • A little honey
  • Some sesame oil
  • Sesame seeds
  • Soya sauce – a few shakes

  1. Pour this over the chicken that you have dipped in breadcrumbs and sautéed.
  2. Bake for 10 minutes.

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My husband is lucky I didn’t kill him today (mine too).  I guess I’m lucky he didn’t kill me.  This book is turning into a diary.  BTW -- my mum died a week ago.  92. 


From a Friend’s Pantry

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My good and great friend (and editor), Kato, dropped these beauties on my doorstep when she heard about “Quarantine Quisine”. The only ingredient of interest to me was the book.  The library is locked down, but it looks like a great book, so I will volunteer to pay the overdoozies.  Kate and I are both addicted to reading (there are worse things), and we have been sharing and combining books since 1977.

For the last couple of days, I have been dropping my scribbled pages in a Ziploc on her front stairs, and there are usually a couple of books there as a reward for my walk.

That being said, I now not only have all the crap from my own spotlessly clean pantry to deal with, I also have a tin of bloody mackerel filets in sunflower oil! 

I know for sure that some people just eat them on crackers, and you can do that, but I won’t.

I also know that I’ve eaten this sort of thing in Spain, Italy and the Caribbean.  Just like that!  On a platter of antipasto, on a piece of Melba toast (but who buys that stuff anymore?)

ME – I buy Melba toast - I LOVE Melba toast!

Kate, who is a terrible cook and hard-to-feed (NOT resulting in emaciation), found it in her pantry.  Who bought it and put it there?

It was ME – I get whims you know, and mackerel is supposed to be very good for you.   You can make a helluva sandwich with mackerels.


Anyway, now I am going to cook the damn things – I consulted one of my favourite cookbooks “White Trash Cooking” and I got nothing about tinned mackerel filets, but I did get a few ideas, and the results are as follows...


Mackerel Smackerel

  • Splash of olive oil
  • Diced onion
  • Diced celery stalk
  • Minced clove of garlic
  • 2 tbsps tomato paste
  • 1 cup of veggie stock (or chicken)
  • I tin of mackerel, cleaned of oil and nasty bits of bone and skin
  • Juice from ½ lemon
  • A little chopped fresh (or dried) basil or parsley
  • A little dried jalapeño
  • Black pepper and salt to taste

  1. Splash that oil into a saucepan and warm it on medium heat.
  2. Add the onions until translucent, then add the garlic and celery and cook them up until they are kind of soft.
  3. Add the tomato paste and stir it all up.
  4. Add the stock and bring it to a boil.
  5. Open the tin of mackerel, drain it, and make sure there are no bones or gucky stuff like skin or whatever, and smoosh the filets in a bowl. 
  6. Reduce the stock to simmer and add the mackerel.
  7. Add the lemon juice, parsley, and whatever other salt/pepper/jalapeño that makes you happy.
  8. Serve it on the rice you just made or it might be good on mashed potatoes.

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In my pantry, I find this.

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The expiry date is February 2021 -- I guess this stuff lasts a long time.  Who knew?  Not me.

I have been making Spicy Butter Chicken from scratch, since my great and good friend, Ashok, taught me years ago.  The original recipe is a long-ass one, but this one will be fast.

I defrost (only) four chicken breasts.  Do NOT follow the recipe on the label (whichever label you have), as your Butter Chicken will not taste authentic in any way.


Butter Chicken from the Pantry

  • Leftover garlic butter OR 2 tbsp of butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, diced
  • 4 defrosted chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp grated ginger
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • Jar of butter chicken sauce you found in the pantry
  • 1 cup cream
  1. In a big saucepan, on low heat, sautée the onions, garlic and celery.
  2. Add the chicken, ginger and garam masala.
  3. Mix it all up and add diced tomatoes.
  4. Add the jar of Murg Makhini (or whatever YOU found in YOUR pantry).
  5. Stir it on low heat until reduced.
  6. Add 1 cup of cream.
  7. Serve over rice** (if you have some in your pantry).

**The best way to make a small amount of rice is to boil water in a small saucepan and add the rice until it feels sludgy.  Then turn off the heat, and in 20 minutes you will have perfect rice.

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