
Bought-too-many-herbs salad

Got a question? Ingredient you need help with? Get in touch:
ann@storrcupboard.com
Got a question? Ingredient you need help with? Get in touch:
ann@storrcupboard.com
Last weekend I stayed with a lovely friend, drinking prosecco, sitting on her fire escape, gossiping and eating Malteasers. Heaven. (We half pretend we’re in ‘Sex and the City’. Because we are grown ups and we can. Ahem).
On Sunday morning I pulled my ‘weary’ head from the sofa and headed for the kettle. Sitting there, on the counter top, I saw a familiar sight in her fruit bowl: 6 sad satsumas. Satsumas, tangerines, clementines, whatever How many of yours go off before you eat them? For me it can be at least 3 if I’m not careful. And once the mould sets in … well if even Mum Storr says they are beyond hope, well I believe her.
These citrus fruits will have been picked aaaaaages ago. Then from tree to pallet to packing to distribution to shipping and redistribution *at least*. Think of all that electricity and fuel that’s been used to get these fruits to you! From Spain (maybe) but most likely South Africa and beyond. And that is *far*. When I have citrus fruits, I store them in the fridge and take out more only when the fruit bowl is empty. This means a waste hardly any these days.
Thanks to Instagrammer Saz for asking me about satsuma ideas; I hope that these are even more ideas for your too-full fruitbowl.
This salad is a Ghanaian beauty from the *amazing* Zoe Adjonyoh. Sweet chunks of mango, pineapple and cool cucumber are dressed with the juice from your sad satsumas for a delicious and refreshing side salad. It might seem a little unusual mixing fruit and veg in a bowl, but come on! Redcurrant and lamb! A slice of cheese with a slice of apple! Ketchup and chips?
Ingredients
50ml fresh satsuma juice (about 3-4)
2 tablespoons apple juice, or more satsuma if you’re feeling skint
Juice of 1 lemon
2 ripe mangoes
1/2 ripe pineapple or
200-300g tinned pineapple in juice
1/2 cucumber
200g rocket or baby spinach
Pinch salt
50g roasted and salted cashew nuts
Tools
Scales
Two large mixing bowls
Sharp knife, chopping board
Big knife for the nuts
Peeler
Bread knife
Juice squeezer/fork
Mixing bowl
Time
30 minutes
Prep
Mix the juices in a bowl
Take your peeler and peel the mango
Cut the flesh off the fruit and cut it into cubes
Take your pineapple
Pick up your breadknife and slice off the bottom and the top
With the pineapple ‘standing’ upright, take you breadknife and cut the spiky skin off the sides
When all the skin is off, you’ll probably find some little pieces of skin left (the eyes)
Use a small, sharp knife or pointy potato peeler to take the ‘eyes’ out of the pineapple
When it’s free from spikey bits, use your bread knife to slice the pineapple into slices about 2cm thick
Stack them up
Cut into quarters
Cut the tough core out and discard
Place the mango and pineapple in a bowl with the satsuma and apple juice
Chop the cucumber; you may prefer to take the core out of the cucumber
Wash your leaves!
Method
Remove the mango and pineapple chunks from the bowl and place in a new bowl with the leaves and cucumber and gently mix together
Drizzle over a little of the reserved fruit juice and sprinkle over some salt
Garnish with the cashews
Serve with fish or meat (Zoe recommends amazing dishes but these would be quick options)
Got a question? Ingredient you need help with? Get in touch:
ann@storrcupboard.com
Here’s another food that I used to find a bit gross. Quiche.
For the leftover lover, though, quiche is brilliant. Buy a base, buy some shortcrust pastry or make your own, it’s up to you, Fill that pastry with egg, cream/creme fraiche and lots of cheese. And then, your veg.
In this quiche, I used handfuls of greens, because I had them. Frozen spinach, jars of roasted peppers and/or tomatoes would be great here, too. One big quiche and you’ve got lunches sorted for days.
Ingredients
Either:
1 shop bought pastry case
OR:
1 packet short-crust pastry + flour for dusting
OR:
50g cold butter/25g each butter & lard
110g plain flour + more for dusting
Pinch of salt
Cold water
Little butter/oil for greasing paper
Filling:
1 or 2 onions
50g butter/50ml oil
Around 200g cooked greens * or 300g raw
Around half a packet of feta
3 eggs
Salt & pepper
Optional: fresh nutmeg, bay leaf
*spinach, baby spinach, rocket, kale or a weird mixture (what I tend to have)
Tools
Scales
Mixing bowl
Measuring jug
Saucepan
Scraper/spatula
Teaspoon
24cm pie or shallow cake tin
Greaseproof paper
Baking beans/dried beans
Rolling pin
Frying pan
Grater for nutmeg
Sieve
Fork
Scissors
Whisk
Pastry brush
Wire rack
Time
20m if making pastry
30m prepping and cooking veg
1 hour to bake and soften onions
Level
Harder, and quite involved
Prep
If making pastry:
Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and add the cubes of butter/butter & lard
Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps of fat remaining
Sprinkle over 2 teaspoons of water & stir in with a regular knife or your hands. If this isn’t enough to bring the pastry together in a ball, add a little more and try again
And again if needed!
Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 20-30 minutes
Alternatively: use a food processor. Put the flour, butter and salt in the food processor and pulse until the fat is rubbed into the flour.
With the motor running, gradually add the water through the funnel until the dough comes together. Only add enough water to bind it and then stop.
Wrap the dough in clingfilm as before and chill for 20-30 minutes
Prep quiche filling
Slice onions & set aside
If greens are raw, cook them gently in a pan with some water for about 5-10 minutes (it depends on the greens: baby spinach will be quicker than kale), or just a minute or 2 in a microwave
If you have time, pour the cream into a saucepan and add the onion leftovers, salt & pepper, nutmeg and bay leaf (if using). Turn the heat to medium, stir once or twice, and turn off after 5 minutes
Cut a length of greaseproof paper that is wide enough to line the inside of your tin
Method
Place frying pan on heat and add butter/oil. Turn the heat to medium and add the onions
Turn the oven to 200C
Take pastry from the fridge; dust your counter with a sprinkling of flour
Place the pastry in the middle and start rolling it out: go backwards and forwards a few times then turn the pastry 45 degrees and repeat
Do this until your pastry is about 2mm thick
CHECK ON YOUR ONIONS, don’t let those fuckers burn; turn down the heat if you need to. You want them squidy, sweet and brown, and that takes time (around 30 minutes)
Bring your tart tin *close* to the pastry
Wiggle the pastry; if it feels as though it’s a bit stuck, take a spatula and wiggle it under to break the pastry free. Don’t worry if there are little gaps, you can patch them up later
Take the rolling pin and wiggle the pastry on, and then place the pastry onto the tin
*GENTLY* push the pastry down into the tin, right into the corners
If you have any holes, take a little pastry from the sides of the case and just patch it up
Take a fork & prick the pastry around 15 times
Take your greasproof paper and paint it with the butter/oil (use your fingers if you don’t have a pastry brush)
Place the paper greased side down onto the pastry
Pour in the baking beans/dried beans
Bake for around 20m, or until the sides of the pastry are golden brown
While the pastry bakes, take the cream and, if you’ve been letting it sit with the onion
etc, sieve it into a large bowl
Crack the eggs into the cream and beat until mixed in
Stir in the cooked onions, the cooked greens and crumbled feta
As soon as the pastry is cooked, remove it from the oven. Turn the heat to 180C
Pour the egg/veg mixture in
Return to the cooled oven for 35 minutes
After 35 minutes the egg should be set; the very middle will feel firm
Leave for at least 10 minutes and serve alone or with a salad
Storage
If you have any leftover, leave to cool completely and then place in the fridge
It should keep for 5 days; a little worried? First give it a sniff. Still not convinced? Nibble a little of the egg. You will know, very quickly, if the quiche has gone off.
If you want to reheat DO NOT microwave because the pastry will go gross; place in a warm oven for 10m, but that is a lotta electricity for a slice of warm quiche
Got a question? Ingredient you need help with? Get in touch:
ann@storrcupboard.com
Feta is the leftover that set StorrCupboard in motion. I was sitting at my workspace and thinking – why do I often end up staring at half a packet of feta and looking at that red mould that’s grown on the sides of the packet? (I think about food most of the time…)
And I thought: I am quite good with leftovers. My friends tell me so, but to me it’s just how I cook. Can I show how cheese, or some apples, or soggy pasta, that have gone a bit grungy and grim – can be amazing? And why do I struggle with feta?!
Salty, lovely but so strong that it dominates. At anything from 80p – £2.50 for a packet, it’s a lot of money to waste.
Cow and goat dairy production also uses a shit-tonne of resources, from feeding the animals through processing the cheese and getting it moved around the UK or even from Greece to get to your fridge. So don’t fucking chuck it, let’s get creative.
Your leftover feta will keep better in a container, as little airborne spores can’t get it. Also, the cheese will not dry out so quickly. I use small lock and lock style containers because they are strong and don’t flip open when they fall out of the fridge. Ahem. Now your feta is stored carefully, you’ve got a good few days. Before you even look at that bin, look at it:
Does it look okay? Yes?
Sniff it? Does it smell the same? Yes? Then it’s fine.
Maybe a tiny bit stronger? Fine.
Still unsure? Break off a tiny crumb and taste it. Fine? Eat it!
Gross? Chuck it.
If your feta is still okay, here’s a great, simple recipe. Warm tomato sauce + crumbled feta + toasted pitta breads for dipping = fucking lovely and super simple. Kids and adults will love it as the feta goes a little soft, but the sweet and tangy tomato sauce is the perfect pairing with the feta.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 x 400g whole tinned tomatoes
2 pinches dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Leftover feta (up to 1 whole packet)
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
black pepper
To serve: pitta breads, toasted and dipped.
or flatbreads, or plain tortilla chips
Tools
Frying pan
Lid for frying pan
Wooden spoon
Bowl
Measuring spoons/teaspoon
Chopping board and knife (if cutting up pitta bread)
Toaster
Time
10m prep
20m cooking
Level
Simple
Prep
Empty the tomatoes into a bowl and crush them with your hands
Method
Heat the oil until it is *just* beginning to smoke
Pour the tomatoes quickly and place the lid on immediately
LISTEN; as soon as the sizzling dies down, take the lid off
Add oregano & coriander
Simmer for 10 minutes (Simmering: not quite boiling, just how you want a tin of soup to heat)
When the 10 minutes are up, start toasting your pitta breads/warming wraps
Add the feta to the pan and stir gently
When the cheese begins to melt remove from the heat and crack black pepper all over
Serve with bread/tortilla chips
Got a question? Ingredient you need help with? Get in touch:
ann@storrcupboard.com
Who doesn’t like a samosa? Crisp pastry, smooth filling and highly spiced, they are amazing. These aren’t samosas though: filo pastry is def not authentic as filo is a Greek ingredient. Also, these are baked, and samosas are deep fried. Who doesn’t love a brown paper bag, greasy and delicous, smelling of veggies and spices.
Baking these is much easier than deep frying, so as long as you’re not expecting these to taste the same as a samosa, you’re in for a treat. Creamy potato and the sweet pop of peas is what you’re after. TBF, you could have leftover carrots, potatoes, broccoli, peas and sweetcorn and still make something delicious for dinner. Keep the weight of root veg the same as the weight of the potatoes, and the weight of other veg roughly the same as the weight of the peas. This isn’t MasterChef or a ‘Bake Off’ technical challenge – this is Tuesday night tea, avoiding food waste and saving money with every meal.
Ingredients
150g raw potato, skin on
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion
5cm piece ginger
2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely diced 1 fresh chilli/1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon curry powder
4 sheets filo pastry *
80g butter
Salt & pepper
* wrap and freeze leftovers for another time or this!
Prep
Either
Tools
Scales
Saucepan with lid
Sharp knife & chopping board
Frying pan
Grater
Tablespoon & teaspoon/ measuring spoons
Pastry brush
Baking trays
Greaseproof paper/tray liners
Wire cooling rack
Time
1 hour
Level
Harder
Prep
Put the potato in a pan and cover with water, and add a sprinkling of salt. Put the lid on and bring to the boil
It’s important to NOT PEEL! Your potato will be too wet if you peel it and make your little parcels all soggy
If using leftover potatoes/carrots, then mash them in a warm pan and stir around the saucepan to evaporate water from the veg
OR
Boil until cooked/microwave for a few minutes in its skin until cooked through
When cooked, drain water off if boiling and leave to one side
Both
When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and chop into 5mm chunks
If your peas are frozen, leave to defrost
Finely chop the onion and chilli (if using a fresh one)
Grate the ginger, crush/finely slice the garlic
Line the baking trays with greaseproof paper
Method
Turn the oven to 180C
Place the frying pan on the hob and pour the oil in, and turn to medium heat
Add the onion and fry until soft (about 10m) – you want it see through-ish, not brown
When the onion is cool, add ginger and chilli (optional)
Add diced potato and curry powder, stir through, making sure that everything is coated in the spices
Melt the butter in the microwave or on the hob, in a saucepan
Take a sheet of filo and cut into quarters, so it looks like a little window **
Put a couple of the rectangles on each baking tray (they’re delicate so easier to do this way)
Put a heaped tablespoon of the pea and potato mixture like ***
Pull the other half of the filo over the top and squash the sides together
Using a pastry brush or dot over with a teaspoon and rub over gently with your fingers, give each parcel a buttery glaze
When the parcels on the sheet are done, repeat until you’ve used your filling and pastry
Pop in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden
** Cut your filo sheet in half widthways and half longways, so you have four smaller rectangles
*** Smoosh the pea and potato filling onto the a filo in a triangle in the corner, so you can fold the pastry back over itself.
Got a question? Ingredient you need help with? Get in touch:
ann@storrcupboard.com
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