Pattypan's Kitchen

Over the past few days, there has been an awful lot going on in the kitchen with me trying to squirrel away last minute goodies, or process goodies that I have frozen away in the freezer because of lack of time when they were in season.  Some of the projects include Marmalade and Plum Chutney which will taken out of the freezer on Monday night when I have a bit more time to myself.  However, I have been slotting in other projects as and when I have a few minutes.

I found a big bottle/jar of Sloe Gin which I had forgotten about and that needed straining and decanting into clean sterilised bottles which has now been done.  Ideal for your own use or to give away as part of a Christmas hamper.

I have also made Jumbleberry Liqueur, Jumbleberry jam, Damson Jam, Damson Gin, Pickled Cucumber, Pickled Shallots, Pickled Onions (with more to do of both), Pickled Beetroot and Pickled Eggs, Pickled Orange Slices, Pickled Clementine Slices and Pickled Pears.  There is still a lot to do and very gradually the Pantry is being filled.  I use the Orange and Clementine slices by overlapping them on a cooked gammon or ham to make it look more decorative and appealing before covering it with honey or brown sugar and roasting it with perhaps some ground ginger or ground ginger and marmalade to give a lovely glaze after being popped back into the oven. 

I have managed to find some bargain buys this week including 6 nets of Clementines reduced to 25p per net = £1.50 - the Clementine Slices have been made from these.  I also found two bags of Cox's apples for 35p per bag = 70p.  I am tempted to dry these in the dehydrator.  So I am not spending massive amounts of money to achieve these pantry shelf projects but taking advantage of reductions.

I also had some picked Rosemary left over from another project and rather than waste it I have taken off the leaves and layered them between salt to preserve the herb, but also create Rosemary salt for use on Roasties and homemade chips. A little something out of nothing which I always like.

I had more mint so more mint sauce has been made.

I have also strung a load of Red Holland chillies to dry on one of my dressers.  I use the dried chilli in my home-made Pickled Shallots and Pickled Onions. I am hoping to get another net of pickling onions during the week.

I have also gathered together a selection of veggies to sort out a couple of batches of the Souper mix.  That might get sorted tomorrow.  I have plenty of salt in, and it will be good to have another batch to hand to use in soups and stews during the winter months.

I have also bought more apples to make more apple sauce, and more beetroot to make more pickled beetroot. I intend to put these in the Ninja Foodie as I do not think they will take very long at all. Pickles tend to get used up quickly here.  I have also bought the first of the red cabbages to make pickled red cabbage as well.  There will be a couple of more batches yet to make. 

Some more passionfruit have found their way here again reduced to £1 a bowl again.  I have two bowls. There are approximately 10 fruits in each bowl so this lot of juice is going to be frozen in ice cube trays in the freezer.  Very useful to put into lemonade or a fizzy light wine at Christmas or to sauce a simple dish of ice cream.  Freezing them in the cubes gives me some options as to how i use them.  I wish you could have smelt the passionfruit as I was preparing them last night for the passionfruit gin, they smelt wonderful.

For our tea tonight we decided on something nice and simple.  It is now blowing a hooley outside and we wanted a hot comfort food meal with the minimum of fuss.  We are looking forward to having a couple of chicken Kiev's each to munch on.

We are not having a roast tomorrow evening, but are going to have Italian Sausage with fennel.   I bought both types the coiled sausage and the thick dumpy sausages.  We are going to have this served with mixed roasted veggies including celery, carrots, potato, courgette, onion red and white, leeks, sweet potato and red peppers and garlic with a side-serving of purple broccoli.  I am salivating at the thought.  It very much is a favourite tasty meal here.  I would one day like to have a go at making my own Italian sausage. There are various recipes on Pinterest.  I also want to do my own Porchetta and Braesola both of which we love. If I can find a suitable joint I may have a go at this for this coming Christmas. I am quite interested in having a go at doing my own charcuterie items in the longer term as well.  I will get there one day, so much am interested in and so much I want to do.  I am particularly fond of ham which has been cooked, roasted and then the fat scored with diamond shapes and then a clove studded in the centre of each diamond.  It is an old fashioned way of presenting ham but it imparts a wonderful flavour to the meat.  Well I think so but not everyone agrees.  OH does not like it prepared this way so I always do a small piece just for myself.

On the appliances front we have managed to sort out which fridge/freezer we are going to buy and which dishwasher.  I still need to source a very large chest freezer though. I am in desperate need of this as my upright freezer has no more room at the inn and I haven't got half the stuff I wanted in there yet.  I may have mentioned before but the shed roof leaked and blew the electrics. My deep freezers are predominantly stored i the shed.  I lost my chest freezer and an upright freezer as a result and then i have lost the fridges.  In the past month the dishwasher has also gone caput so not healthy for the purse.  Fingers crossed nothing else plays up.  

However we need to get rid of some of the appliances which have already broken.  We have made a booking for five of them to be removed in about six weeks time which is the earliest we can make a booking. The Covid 19 restrictions have played havoc with collections locally and indeed the service was suspended from March and has only just opened up again.  However that leaves another three appliances to be taken.  Collection fee of £23.50 for all five items. I am going to suggest to OH that we make a booking for the freezers in the shed to be removed a couple of weeks later so that we can get delivery of replacement chest freezer sorted.  We have a new Iceland Food Warehouse opening at the beginning of December so that could be very good timing.  Our Local Council only make bulk waste collections on your black bin (main bin) collection day (fortnightly).  So at least that has been partially addressed.

As I say lots has been going on and a lot more yet to sort out but on a positive note things are starting to move and things are starting to get done - just not as quick as I would like them to.

Anyways upwards and onwards.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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