I want to thank all the bloggers who took part in this challenge. I was not going to take part, but Paula was going to have her ingredient list ‘orphaned’ so I decided to participate. I love making food with a random set of ingredients and so this challenge is a pleasure for me. Paula challenged me to use the following 7 ingredients:
- fresh spinach
- fish – fresh or frozen, freshwater or saltwater
- berries – fresh or frozen
- cheese – Gruyere or Emmentaler
- portabello mushrooms
- quinoa
- turnips, parsnips or rutabaga – or any combination of the three
Together with the 7 ingredients, I had devised quite an extensive pantry list of ingredients the participants could use – based on the original challenge I did, and I asked each blogger to add an ingredient. These were as follows:
- Milk/Cream
- Eggs
- Flour (or a flour substitute)
- Lemons
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Chillies
- Fresh Herbs
- Dried Herbs
- Dried Spices
- Sugar (or a sugar substitute)
- Butter/margarine
- Salt
- Pepper
- Oil – any of your choice
- Vinegar
- Pasta / Noodles / Rice
- Tinned Tomatoes
- Tinned Chickpeas
- Chocolate / Cacao
- Stock
For starters I decided to do a turnip and spinach soup. This was easy, and perfect for the night I decided to make my ready steady cook meal, as the heatwave had broken and it was raining.
© Turnip And Spinach Soup
Ingredients:
- 10mls olive oil
- 1 large turnip cut up into a large dice
- 250mls stock
- 250mls water
- 0.625mls ground nutmeg
- salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
- 80g baby spinach
Method:
- heat the oil over a medium heat in a soup pot
- add the turnips and stir well, until they are starting to cook
- add the stock, the water, the nutmeg and the seasoning
- bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cover and simmer for 30 minutes
- blend until smooth
- add the spinach and bring back to the boil
- blend again, adjust the seasoning and serve
My side dish for the main course was easy to prepare. I chose the biggest portabello mushrooms I could find and I chose a locally manufactured Gruyere cheese. The cheesery is less than 100km’s from us and they make a really nice selection of cheeses. I added the rest of my spinach to these and came up with a really good side dish, which could be served as a starter.
© mushrooms with spinach and gruyere
Ingredients: Method:
http://tandysinclair.com/turnip-and-spinach-soup-mushrooms-with-spinach-and-gruyere-quinoa-coated-hake-gougons-chocolate-and-berry-swiss-roll-for-ready-steady-cook/
For my main course I chose hake – a soft white fish that is fished for off the coast in False Bay. These come directly from the company that fishes for them. I have never used quinoa before and so the night before, I made up some to go with our meal. This is a low GI grain with an unusual taste and texture – and Dave loves it. We are quite addicted to Chopped and so I used the the program for my inspiration here. I took the quinoa and ground it up to ‘bread’ the fish with. It added a great texture to this soft fish, and I am going to do this again.
© Quinoa Coated Hake Goujons
Ingredients: Method:
http://tandysinclair.com/turnip-and-spinach-soup-mushrooms-with-spinach-and-gruyere-quinoa-coated-hake-gougons-chocolate-and-berry-swiss-roll-for-ready-steady-cook/
After such a healthy starter and main course, a decadent dessert was in order. I made a Swiss roll that has me thinking about other options with the base. Raspberries and blackberries were on special and so I bought a punnet of each, knowing the colours would be great in contrast to the chocolate base, and whipped cream centre.
© Chocolate And Berry Swiss Roll
adapted from James Martin BBC Hands On Workshop Ingredients: Method:
http://tandysinclair.com/turnip-and-spinach-soup-mushrooms-with-spinach-and-gruyere-quinoa-coated-hake-gougons-chocolate-and-berry-swiss-roll-for-ready-steady-cook/
Tandy
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Ooh! I was hoping you would use portabellos and then stuff them! Perfect – and stuffed mushrooms is one of my favorite starters or “pick-up” recipe for a buffet. The spinach and turnip soup really intrigued me! That’s something i never would have thought of in a million years, and gives me all sorts of good ideas! On thinking about it, it actually might make a very good cold soup for summer as well, maybe substituting a bit of sour cream for the stock!
You did a grand job with a rather odd assortment of ingredients! Such a good job! Thanks for offering me the opportunity, and putting up with my lack of photos. I also did not realize that I could add a pantry ingredient, which makes me feel better about the Jell-O in the watermelon ice! However, i notice that I did add some wine to the risotto – so sorry! Actually it is almost impossible for me to cook without it! I guess that makes me a wino of sorts. I don’t drink it as much as I cook with it. That makes me a winook or a cowino? Oh well – I’ll try to do better next time – if there is a next time. . .
I tried the soup cold and I really enjoyed it! Thanks for taking part – that is what counts the most
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I was a goner when I read fresh spinach. I just LOVE fresh spinach and knew you were going to do something incredible with it.. and of course you did
. Love the soup. And that chocolate roll.. yummy and divine. LOVE IT
thanks so much Kay – I really had a great set of ingredients to work with
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These recipes are like vegetarian heaven. The swiss roll is making me droll over my keyboard.
thank you so much! I never even thought of the vegetarian aspect to these dishes
Look at all those wonderful dishes. I especially like the quinoa and fish, that gives me lots of ideas… thanks Tandy
I hope to read some lovely quinoa recipes on your blog for some ideas
Mushrooms loiok divine!
thanks Cams xxx
What a round up. I still need to make those mushrooms.
I need to make them again as well
I love the spinach one!
Yum!
Thanks Jen, me too
Thank you for hosting it this time around
It was a pleasure
Very good, I still haven’t gotten around to do this challenge.
hope you have some time to do so
I’ve also never eaten or cooked quinoa, and now my curiosity is peaked! Particularly with the fish. Wonderful recipes that you concoted. well done !
thanks Claire! I am going to do more with the quinoa as I have a packet of it to use
Wow! A fabulous banquet indeed, Tandy. Those spinach mushrooms made my mouth water.
Thanks AD, they are worthy of a second go
What a great meal – I´d enjoy every single element of it!
and I would love having you here to enjoy it
Waw! That were fab idea & great invented recipes! Your recipes & ideas rock, Tandy!
I especially love the quinoa coated hake goujons! That’s my style of eating! Yum!
thank you so much Sophie
Nice Job Tandy your so creative! I especially love your Mushrooms with Spinach and Gruyere. I am in the mood for some savory fare today.
I will definitely do the mushrooms again
Wow Tandy, what an impressive menu! You are most inventive!
Mandy
thanks Mandy
if you’d like to cut me a slice of the chocolate and berry swiss roll, I’ll be waiting in Newlands for it…just by the rugby stadium
*sends lock and go container over*
I haven’t eaten quinoa either, is it similar to cous cous? nice idea to coat the fish with it.
Did you get the pectin?
It is not that similar – maybe between barley and cous cous – Dave loves it but I could give it a miss! I didn’t get the pectin – I can get 70g directly from Earth Products for R37 as opposed to the chemist charging R76 for 100g