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Friday 21 September 2018

Slop in a pot.

When I worked in the Deli food factory that was our pet name for all the soft salads, rice, potato, pasta and various bean and veg mixes bound in a sauce.

That is also what we have been eating this week, casserole type dishes and some really delicious soup. the idea was to go through the fridge and use every bit of veg therein.
It almost worked, I have a few sticks of celery, a yellow pepper, a few carrots and a swede and half of a big celeriac that were both reduced to clear on Wednesday and irresistible.

I love those old fashioned winter warming dishes but enough is enough. I need something more formed (not too hard as the mouth is still not healed) but I want a plate and a knife and fork in front of me, rather than a dish and spoon.

The problem is that my mind has taken a back seat and won't even come up with a single suggestion, the SO is no better.

I quite like the thought of pastry but then crisp Yorkshire Pudding and Roasties have a certain appeal.

Whatever it ends up being there will be mushrooms involved.
I love mushrooms and add them to every possible dish, I often pick them up with a yellow sticker on for pennies and then slice and freeze. The last few weeks there have been none to see and I worked my way through the ones in the freezer. I usually keep a couple of tins in for times when only a mushroom omelette will do. A couple of weeks back I was in Farm foods and spotted bags of them so one went into the basket.

Never Again, I tipped some out to use 2 days ago and the amount of water that came out of them was scandalous. I have just tipped the remaining 310 grams into a sieve, over a bowl, to thaw.
I will be weighing both mushrooms and liquid and will let you know the results.

I anticipate sending a "snottagram" off later in the day. in fairness the packaging does say to cook from frozen for "best results"
The microwave cooking instructions say to add water!! 
Boiled rubber anyone?

I also know that mushrooms do give off quite a bit of liquid, but this is dark and aromatic, not obviously water. From my food production background I deduce that these have been soaked in a major amount of water during the process. Mushrooms are akin to sponges in that can take up huge amounts of water.

Oh dear, I think I had a "soap box moment".

BUT, the sun is shining, the wind has dropped, it did escalate during the afternoon and evening and record wind speeds were recorded over the Gower peninsular last night.

I have a small shopping list, top of it is fresh mushrooms as once thawed and weighed I am not sure that I will want to eat those FF ones. They were fine in the soup, I did chop them very fine as they were a bit rubbery though.

Now I am off to throw all the windows wide open and give the house a good airing, I may even risk a load of washing to peg out. There is a small pile of socks to be hand washed so they will definitely be out there soon, very soon.

                       TTFN                                           Pam

18 comments:

  1. I am not a fan of frozen mushrooms but I do love a mushroom omelette made with fresh mushrooms cooked first in a little butter with a touch of garlic. Oh golly my mouth is watering :)
    We have wind today but not as fierce as I was expecting and we have had lots of rain this morning.
    Hugs-x-

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    Replies
    1. The mushrooms that I freeze myself are fine, they thaw with very little liquid ooze.

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  2. Record wind speeds on the Gower - yet the weather forecast here was saying something like 27 mph winds!! REALLY?

    Sorry about your soggy mushrooms. I guess the answer is don't buy them again unless they are fresh ones you cook yourself.

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    Replies
    1. I just caught it on the news and they were taking about speed in excess of 60 mph.

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  3. Add Chedder cheese to Sheila’s omelet and now I’m drooling.

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    Replies
    1. Cheddar cheese in almost anything will make me dribble.

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  4. Sorry about the mushrooms. Nothing worse than soggy.

    We have hit a cold patch here and so I have been busy trying to get the garden picked and processed. Today was tomato sauce, tomorrow could be tomato soup.

    God bless.

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    Replies
    1. I have cleared most of the garden now, I am boosting the raised beds with loads of home made compost and then covering with a layer of soil and topping off with cardboard.

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  5. I once wrote to an icecream manufacturer because the icecream was so full of air that you needed twice as much in your bowl! Frozen mushrooms have never appealed to me either.
    I have been clearing the salad and veg drawers as we are off on holiday on Monday. I have vegetable soup for lunch today (as well as yesterday).
    I think homemade pie might be my choice for tonight after watching Celebrity Masterchef. The actor from Eastenders cooked a wonderful cheese and onion pie. I’m from Manchester and it is a particularly Northern thing!

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    1. I am not a lover of ice cream unless I am at the coast. That light as air whipped up stuff is not for me at any price.

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  6. I am not a fan of frozen mushrooms either. I do however keep a tin of mushrooms in they are not much good either in fairness but are OK in a casserole as they take on the flavour of the sauce.

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    1. fresh is always my first choice but I do use quite a lot of mushrooms and will not drive out just to get them so I like a standby tucked away.

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  7. I tried the frozen mushrooms ... yeuck, no taste at all and when added to a casserole they disintegrated into nothing.

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    Replies
    1. Mine held their shape, possibly because they had been soaked.

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  8. I love the way you write! Oh my goodness, I can't imagine "loving" mushrooms. I've never liked them very much. I can handle a few on a pizza but that's it. Glad to hear your mouth is getting better.

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    1. I do love them cooked anyhow but funnily enough I am not over keen on them on a pizza. I do add them for the flavour that spreads out but will use mushroom ketchup if I have it in preference.

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  9. I buy fresh mushrooms when i find yellow sticker punnets. Any I don't use get laid out on kitchen towel to dry out & stored in a large old nescafe jar. Whenever i want to later use mushrooms, all I do is take a handful of the dried and soak them for an hour or 2 before chopping - gives a very intense flavour.

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  10. The ones that I freeze myself are always fine. I did consider a dehydrator but do not have the space. I will have to try your way, possibly in a very low oven with the door cracked open.

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