Delicious Kake Food

Grilled mackerel. Fillet, bought frozen, defrosted and patted dry, grilled on a piece of foil, skin-side down first then turned to crisp the skin. (Note that “grilled” in UK English means the heat comes from above.)

Mashed potatoes. Peeled, cubed potatoes, boiled until soft, mashed with Eastern European-style sour cream.

Caponata. Made with courgettes and cherry tomatoes instead of my usual aubergines and tinned tomatoes, hence more watery/saucy than usual. This came from the freezer too; it was a spare portion I froze a while ago.

Chickpea, chorizo, and potato stew. Sauté chopped onions and chopped cooking chorizo in olive oil until onions are soft; add peeled chopped potatoes, de-stoned black olives, tomato purée, garlic purée, cider, veg stock, paprika; simmer until potatoes are soft; add finely-chopped parsley and celery leaves; simmer 1 more minute; serve with nice bread.

Chicken and summer vegetable stew.

Sauté finely-chopped onion, celery, and carrot in olive oil until soft. Push to the edge of the pan, add a little more oil to the revealed space, then add chicken meat (I used thighs, deboned, skinned, and cut into bite-sized chunks) and let it brown.

Add a splash of white wine, some finely-chopped capers, a splash of liquid from the caper jar, a good squeeze of tomato purée, and some vegetable stock (I used diluted Touch of Taste brand veg stock concentrate). Mix well, then add cubed radishes and courgettes.

Bring to a simmer, then cook for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the liquid is mostly gone.

Served with jasmine rice done in the rice cooker.