Nachos Libres

After a busy week I'd planned a mexican fiesta of food to compliment the lager I've been rationing out in the fridge since we had hosted a kitten shower in September.
If you have time and patience you can have a go at making your own tortilla chips but a packet of plain chips from most regular supermarkets should'nt cost more than 50 pence. Also regular supermarkets are great for reduced avocados, it seems a universal law that they reduce them in price when they are at their best and fully ripe. Either that or supermarkets are of the opinion that avocados should be eaten hard and green. Anyway I have no complaints if they want to sell them at there best at ridiculous reduced prices.
However whilst picking up reduced non-native veg at the supermarkets can have its pleasures for your budget, I couldn't help feeling guilty over the fact that it seemed wrong both for the producer and for the environment. So with this in mind here is what I did to re-address the balance but still look after the budget.

Free from ....Nachos

1. Gather your tortilla chips (either home made or bought) on to a baking tray.

2. Drizzle over some spicy apple chutney (see previous posts) or a finely minced tomato, a finely chopped onion and thin slices of fresh chilli.

3. Now for the guilt free, guacamolesque vegan cheesy topping:
Take a can of cheap peas (marrowfat or garden) and mash with a fork. Add a drizzle of oil, salt and minced garlic. Add a splash of soya milk and mix well until its the consistency of cream cheese. Spread loosely over the tortilla chips.

4. Place the baking tray with your prepared tortilla chips under a low grill for about 5 minutes and serve immediately with friends and a lager.

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Winter preserving

If you followed my previous blog on apples you might be wondering what I did with them all. Well they are still in storage in a cool place, but its about this time that you need to check on any stored fruit for 'rotters' that can destroy your bank of winter fruit.
After rummaging gently through the crate I found 5 bad apples for the compost and a good kilo of apples that werent looking well.
I wasn't prepared to waste a kilo of dodgy fruit as it was more the fact they were wrinkly and pitted and looking worse for wear. The fruit was still intact and not showing signs of rot.
I'm more partial to the savoury so I decided to use them to make chutney, which is a great way of giving them a new lease of life and giving them an extra 6 months on the shelf. Of course you can use fresher fruit but chutney is a great way of preserving and adding that sweet and spicy tang to you winter stews and hotpots.
A good blend of spices is a must for chutney and plenty of salt, some sugar and thats about it. I used jaggery in my recipe which I had in already, which is a traditional indian palm sugar and works well but for cheapness use whatever you lay your hands on. I also left the skins on my apples as it adds texture and keeps in the vitamins.
Heres how:-

1. Wash, quarter and de-core a kilo of apples. Slice into chunks and place in big pan.

2. Cook apples until softened and add a dash of oil and a good handful of spices and a teaspoon of salt. You can buy spice mixes from asian superstores under the name of 'achar' spices but a good mix is a desertspoon of the following:
cumin seeds
turmeric
onion seeds
black pepper
corriander
hot paprika

I would recommend experimenting with your mix until you get one you like that you can call your own.

3. Fry off your spices with the apples and oil and then add a cup of vinegar and two cups of sugar.

4. Continue cooking until the mix gets sticky and jammy, just before it becomes toffee!

5.Add additional salt to taste and allow to cool. Put into sterilised clean jam jars when cool enough to handle.

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