Mother's Day

It’s Mother’s Day, but not as we know it… All the same, Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there, wherever and with whomever you are spending the day!

Let’s be honest, it’s probably not the day you had planned. At a time when we are being encouraged to limit social interaction in order to reduce the risk of transmission of coronavirus, group family gatherings, dinners out and relaxing spa treatments aren’t really an option.

Communication may be via phone, skype or Facetime. And many of you with school-age children will be facing a potentially long stretch of home schooling now that schools have closed for the majority of children.

This weekend, and in the coming weeks, friends and family may not have the opportunity to go out for dinner, and many of you will have seen the impact of disrupted supermarket supply chains. It’s time to get resourceful and creative in the kitchen.

So we’ve pulled together some recipes that may inspire you to create a special meal for your mother when you can, or might be useful to get you through the weeks ahead.

The following two recipes use only three ingredients:

Teriyaki Chicken
https://tasty.co/recipe/3-ingredient-teriyaki-chicken

2lb chicken cut into chunks
1 cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar

Method: sear the chicken in a pan evenly until browned. Add soy sauce and sugar, stirring and bringing to a boil. Stir until the sauce has reduced and evenly glazes the chicken. Serve with rice if desired. Prep time 15 mins / Cook time 12 mins

Chili-glazed salmon
https://tasty.co/recipe/3-ingredient-chili-glazed-salmon
3 salmon fillets
½ cup chilli sauce
¼ cup spring onions

Method: preheat oven to 200 degrees, in a bowl mix together the salmon, chilli sauce, and spring onions. Place the fillets on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Spoon any leftover sauce on top of the salmon. Bake for 12 -15 minutes, until the salmon is cooked but still tender.

Or why not try this veggie option cooked purely from store cupboard and tinned items?

Tin Veggie Bolognaise

https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2018/10/05/tin-bolognese-recipe/

285g mushrooms
400g tin of green lentils
A Squeeze of garlic paste or 6 fat cloves
400g chopped tomatoes
75ml red wine (optional or could use red wine vinegar)
1 vegetable stock cube
1-2 tbsp stuffing crumbs
A splash of vinegar
A generous pinch of salt and pepper to season

Method: First drain (or slice) your mushrooms and toss them into the pan. Drain and rinse the lentils thoroughly and add those too. Peel the garlic cloves, if using, roughly chop them and toss them in, or a squeeze of paste, or spoonful of the lazy stuff. Pour over the tomatoes and wine, crumble in the stock cube, add the stuffing – yes, really – and turn on to a high heat for a few minutes. Stir gently when it starts to bubble, to stop the ingredients from sticking and burning at the bottom of the pan, then turn down the heat to a low simmer. Cook for half an hour, checking intermittently and giving it all a stir.

The following links may well provide you with some further inspiration but never fear if you get down to your last tin of tomatoes, chickpeas and have a tin of peaches kicking about. The talented Jack Monroe came up with a recipe for Peach & Chickpea curry.

https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2019/11/05/peach-chickpea-curry-recipe/ 
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/storecupboard
https://www.theguardian.com/food/shortcuts/2020/mar/16/the-lockdown-larder-an-expert-guide-to-a-healthy-sustainable-store-cupboard

We’d love to hear what you’ve been making in your kitchens so please share your creations with us on social media and let’s keep cooking up some ideas!