Treacle Oaties

Today is the second of Independent Age’s garage sales, where we use the garage behind our London head office to hold a jumble and baked goods sale to raise funds for the charity. Philip Rosser, Head of Volunteers and National Networks, contributed a batch of Treacle Oaties from the Thrifty Kitchen cookbook. Here is a picture of him hard at work in his kitchen:

Treacle Oaties are thick, chewy, moreish flapjacks that combine treacle, porridge oats, and a hint of coconut. Philip says it is, “probably best to prepare these oaties late at night so you the amount of sugar goes unnoticed – delicious. Size matters though to retain softness, if the mixture is spread too thin you have biscuits.“

We’ll be sampling them soon—can’t wait.

Watch us on YouTube

The first segment of Channel M's Thrifty Kitchen cooking programmes is now up on You Tube! Chef Rebecca Law shows us how to make a warming baked rice pudding, and gives Nigella a run for her money:

Keep checking this blog for more video demonstrations from the Thrifty Kitchen. We will put them up as soon as they air.

Thrifty Kitchen on Telly

By Rebecca Law, Editor of the Thrifty Kitchen

I’ve always fancied myself as a chef on the telly. I can’t tell you how many evenings I’ve wiled away on the sofa, eating pre-fab pizza, passively taking in re-runs of Masterchef/ River Cottage/ Ready Steady Cook. All the while, mentally honing my own TV persona in my head: a little more gracious than Gordon, a little less busty than Nigella. In the safety of my living room, I knew exactly who I was going to be when my time came to appear alongside the big culinary names on the TV screen.

And then it came. Ok, so I wasn’t exactly “alongside” the big names but, Channel M, which airs across Greater Manchester, did offer us the opportunity to film four three-minute segments, showcasing recipes from our Independent Age cookbook, The Thrifty Kitchen, to run on a weekly basis ahead of Christmas.

In preparation, it became less about the TV persona and more about which recipes were least likely to backfire in the presence of a camera. Suffice to say, the selected recipes, which were all very straightforward (and delicious!) included no chopping, no peeling and no egg-breaking (not for me, anyway).

I opted to cook the Friday Night Soup; a spicy lentil and tomato based soup, which I inherited from a friend in Holland, who had a knack of knocking up something delicious, regardless of what she had languishing in the cupboard. It takes about five minutes to prepare, with everything going into one pot, and about twenty minutes to cook. This is a lovely, textured soup, with no need to blend. My second dish was a baked rice pudding, another borrowed recipe, this time from a friend who once cooked for me on a blisteringly cold evening in Hamburg. This recipe is even simpler. It takes about three minutes to prepare (which translates as throwing everything into a baking dish) and then baking on a low heat for about an hour and a half.

I’m pleased to say I had a partner for the day, journalist, Ian Gilbert, who had contributed his grandmother’s lemon curd recipe to The Thrifty Kitchen. He was clearly feeling much braver than I, and knocked up several jars of this lemon curd, with awe-inspiring ease (and smoothness when it came to his egg-breaking skills). His second dish was Peter Gordon’s rather yummy hot-smoked salmon fish cakes with a dill and mustard dressing, which had us all clambering for tasters when the camera stopped rolling. That one’s a great example of The Thrifty Kitchen’s main principles, as even though it makes use of a relatively expensive ingredient – the hot-smoked salmon – it does make a very small amount go a very long way.

Watch this space for details on when the appearances will be aired, which can also be caught on Sky and Cable, for those of us who aren’t based in Manchester.

Peter Gordon's hot-smoked salmon fish cakes

Today's treat from the Thrifty Kitchen is a recipe from celebrity chef Peter Gordon: hot-smoked salmon fish cakes with dill mustard dressing. New Zealand born Peter Gordon is co-owner and Executive chef of London's Providores and Tapa room, and the author of several cookery books. He has also appeared on various TV programmes on the BBC, Discovery, Channel 4 and the Carlton Food Network.

These fish cakes are a simple, moreish favourite in the Independent Age office. Simon Bottery, director of Policy and Communications, made these for his family and said:

"They were lovely and really easy to make. If you want real thrift you could make them with tuna and not lose much. The dill dressing has unusual ingredients (I don’t think I’ve ever been asked by a recipe to mix vinegar and sugar together) but turns out brilliantly."

For another thrifty option, these fishcakes can also be made with smoked mackerel instead, for a nice smoky flavour. If you try these at home, let us know what you make of them.

Peter Gordon's hot-smoked salmon fish cakes

Makes 8 fish cakes or 20 smaller ones--allow two large ones per main course, or serve the smaller ones as a starter or chunky canape.

Ingredients:
500g/1 lb boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons grain mustard

2 tablespoons sugar (brown or white)

1 tablespoon vinegar (any kind)

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dill

4 tablespoons self-raising flour (plus extra for dusting the fish cakes)

250g/9oz hot-smoked salmon, skin and bones removed

A handful of roughly-chopped parsley

Vegetable oil for cooking (or use butter and oil together)

Rocket or watercress for garnish

Instructions:

Put the potatoes and half the sliced onions in a pot and cover with cold water. Season with salt and pepper and gently boil until the potatoes are cooked. While they're cooking, mix the mustard, sugar, vinegar and dill together and put to one side. Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander - making sure as much moisture as possible is drained off. Return to the pot and mash them then mix in the flour. Flake the salmon and add this along with the remaining sliced onion and the parsley and mix it all together. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Once it's cool enough to handle, divide into either 8 or 20 fish cakes - then roll into balls. Flatten them into barrel shapes then dust generously in more flour. Heat up a pan and add 4mm oil (or a mixture of butter and oil) and when it's hot begin to cook the fish cakes. Gently flip them over when golden and cook on both sides. If you're making a lot of these it may be easier to colour them in the pan then cook on a tray lined with parchment in an oven set at 180°C/gas mark 4 until warmed through - around 5-8 minutes depending on their size.

To serve: place the fish cakes on warmed plates and garnish with the rocket, then dollop some of the dill mustard to the side.