What I'm cooking and eating

20 February 2012

Chicken, ham, leek and mushroom pie

Lots of cooked chicken - basically "Pick" the carcase of a roast chicken and chop the meat.
A similar amount of cooked ham, cubed if possible
1 leek
Small punnet mushrooms
About 20-25 g butter
250 ml milk
1 heaped tsp flour
2-3 potatoes
A little more butter and/or 1 tbs milk

Chop leek and put in saucepan with butter and mushrooms, which also chop if necessary.  Cover and allow to cook on a low heat for 6-7 minutes, until the juices have run.

Meanwhile, peel and steam or boil the potatoes, and mash with the extra butter and milk (and salt and pepper).

Whisk the flour into the milk and pour the result on to the leeks and mushrooms.  Bring to the boil, stirring all the time.  Now add the chopped meat, and transfer the lot into an oven-proof dish.  Top with mashed potato (or you could make your pie with a pastry topping, if you liked), and bake in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes.


17 February 2012

Healthy Egg Muffins

I have a totally shaming taste for Sausage and Egg McMuffins from McDonald's.  Yes, I know.... but every once in awhile I indulge it. 

But because I really can't afford the calories too often, and because it's junk food, I rather love a healthy home-made egg muffin; and this is what I had for breakfast this morning.  If you can't bear microwaved eggs, then either fry your in a ring so they stay circular or poach them, but for me, the rubberiness of the microwaved egg is part of the charm!

1 wholemeal muffin
1 large Portabello mushroom
1 tomato
1 egg
Large pinch of grated cheese (I used pre-grated Emmenthal, but Cheddar works very well, too).
Salt and pepper, as liked.

Split and toast your muffin;  meanwhile peel the mushroom, dot with butter (or spray with olive oil or even Fry Light) and cook in the microwave for 1 minute.  Chop the tomato and put in a ramekin dish with salt and pepper (and the juice from the mushroom, which will have run on to the plate).  Microwave the tomato for 1' or 1'30".  Top with the egg and cheese.  Pierce the yolk of the egg.  Return to microwave for a further minute or so, or until the egg is cooked to your liking.

Now assemble the mushroom on top of half the muffin, run a knife round the edge of the ramekin and turn the egg/cheese/tomato out on to the mushroom, and top with the rest of the muffin.  You'll probably need a knife and fork to eat this with.

Okay, it's not McDonald's.  But it is very nice!