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Food We Take From Home

Here's a selection of food we cook/prepare at home and take with us on the road.

In this Article

Caramelised Onion Chutney

Caramelised Onion Chutney

This is our go-to for any trip’s first-night-on-the-road – crackers, a nice cheese (usually Mersey Valley pickled onion flavoured cheese) topped with lashings of caramelised onion chutney. (Oh that’s bad, I just had inappropriate thoughts of Nigella then when I wrote ‘lashings’!)

Well that’s my version anyway, which I think is the “right way” (as in normal way) to do it. Meg puts the caramelised onion chutney on the cracker first, then the cheese on top of that, which is obviously wrong! (note the accompanying pic – I rest my case) There’s no accounting for some people’s tastes.

The chutney keeps in the pantry for up to a year (don't worry, it won't last that long!), and only has to be refrigerated after opening.

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Serves 20         20 mins to prepare and 1 hr 30 mins to cook   24 Calories / serving

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil

1.5kg onions, thinly sliced

300g dark muscovado sugar (brown sugar)

200 ml red wine vinegar

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp crushed chillies

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and gently fry the onions over a medium-low heat for 25-30 mins, stirring regularly. The onions should be softened but not browned, and reduced by about half.

  2. Stir in 3 tbsp of the sugar, increase the heat, and cook for 7-10 mins, stirring occasionally, until the onions are just starting to colour. Lower the heat, then add the remaining sugar, ½ tsp salt and all the other ingredients.

  3. Simmer, uncovered, so it bubbles gently on a medium-low heat for 30-40 mins, or until the chutney has reduced and thickened to a dark caramel colour, stirring occasionally to check it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan. To test if the chutney is ready, drag a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan – it should take a few seconds for the juices to re-cover the bottom of the pan.

  4. Spoon the hot chutney into cooled, sterilised jars, then seal and label. The chutney will keep for up to 6-12 months.

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 red onions, finely chopped

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

1 tbsp thyme leaves (or dried oregano, Italian herb mix or dried parsley)

6 x 400g cans crushed tomatoes

2 cups white wine

2 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp white miso (optional)

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method

  1. Place a stockpot or pasta-size pot over medium heat. Add a generous lug of olive oil and add the onion, celery and garlic. As soon as you hear a sizzle, turn heat to low and let them sweat for 10 minutes or until translucent.

  2. Add the thyme and cook for another minute or so, then add the tomatoes, wine and stock. Give it a good stir then add the brown sugar and vinegar. Cover with a lid and simmer for 4 hours, checking on it and giving it a stir every hour or so. (Note: cover with a lid for at least half of the cooking time. To speed up the rate of reduction, remove the lid after two hours, for all or part of the remaining cooking time.)

  3. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Stir through the miso, if using, and cook for another 30 minutes, until the mixture intensifies in colour and consistency.

  4. Depending on how broken down your vegetables are, use a stick blender and give it a quick whiz to break down any larger chunks. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Quarantine Sauce

What on earth is quarantine sauce? Think passata!

I found this recipe in 2020, early in the pandemic when most people were locked down, so I guess that’s why the creator dubbed it “Quarantine Sauce”.

This sauce is so versatile and we put it in so many dishes, from lasagne to bolognese to plain pasta dishes with only the sauce for flavour. Trust me, it doesn’t need anything else!

The full recipe uses 6 cans of tomatoes, but I only do half that amount, which yields about 4-5 servings.

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4-5 Servings         15 mins to prepare and 4-5 hours to cook

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Quarantine Sauce

Ingredients

  1. 1 tablespoon olive oil

  2. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  3. 500 grams pork/beef mince

  4. 100 grams pancetta, chopped finely (optional)

  5. Salt & Pepper

  6. Large onion, finely chopped

  7. 2 celery stalks, finely chopped

  8. 1 large carrot, finely chopped or grated

  9. 2-3 cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped

  10. 1/2 cup white or red wine

  11. 2-3 cups good quality can tomato puree/passata, or quarantine sauce

  12. 2/3 cup milk

  13. 2/3 cup beef stock

Method

  1. Heat oil and butter in a pan/wok

  2. Brown mince, seasoning to taste

  3. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook for about 2 minutes or until soft

  4. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes

  5. Add passata/quarantine sauce and wine and allow to partially reduce

  6. Add stock and milk and bring to a simmer while stirring

  7. Partially cover and simmer on low for about 4 hours, stirring regularly and checking that it doesn’t get too dry

Traditional Bolognese

We got the idea to try cooking a traditional bolognese from watching one of the “Nat’s What I Reckon” series YouTube videos.

I must admit I was sceptical about this recipe when I first saw it, about the time I got to the end of the ingredients list and saw 2/3 cup of milk! What right-minded person adds milk to bolognese, and celery and carrot for that matter.

I’ve been making bolognese and lasagne for years, using the same recipe for both for the meat sauce made with beef mince, and we’ve been more than happy with the rich, strong flavours.

So when Meg first made this traditional version of bolognese we were very surprised at how tasty it was and, partly I think because Meg used pork mince, how much smoother it was compared to my beef recipe.

This recipe is now a staple for us, and we love taking it on the road and only having to cook up some pasta to go with it for an easy meal.

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4 Servings         10 mins to prepare and 4:20 hours to cook

Traditional Bolognese

Double-Quick Minestrone

This is another go-to meal for us because it’s so quick and easy to cook, delicious and is a complete meal as it already contains pasta. We often have this dish for lunch served with a bread roll, or fresh bread of any variety.

Needless to say this is a perfect dish for a quick lunch or dinner on the road.

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4 -5 Servings         10 mins to prepare and 20 minutes to cook

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Ingredients

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 carrot

2 tbsp oil 

400g can crushed tomatoes in juice

3 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp tomato paste

½ cup small pasta shapes

300g can butter beans

½ cup frozen peas

Method

  1. Peel and finely chop onion

  2. Peel and finely chop garlic

  3. Peel and grate carrot

  4. Heat oil in a saucepan

  5. Add onion, garlic and carrot and saute for 1-2 minutes

  6. Add undrained tomatoes, chicken stock and tomato paste

  7. Stir well and bring to the boil

  8. Add pasta and cook for 5 minutes

  9. Drain and rinse beans and add to soup with peas

  10. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

Double-Quick Minestrone
Curries

Curries

When we're not on the road we fill up the freezer at home with our favourite meals, many of which are curries.

Curries are so versatile and easy to heat up and serve with rice on the road when you don't feel like cooking much.

Some of our favourite curries are:

  • Butter Chicken

  • Beef or Chicken Massaman

  • Quick Japanese Chicken Curry

  • Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

  • Salmon Chu Chee.

Some meals we cook at home have a curry sauce that we make extra of, then take the frozen sauce on the road to add to fresh or frozen fish or meat, and serve with rice, pasta or vegetables.

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Slow Cooker Meals

When we're not on the road we fill up the freezer at home with our favourite meals, many of which are curries.

Curries are so versatile and easy to heat up and serve with rice on the road when you don't feel like cooking much.

Some of our favourite curries are:

  • Butter Chicken

  • Beef or Chicken Massaman

  • Quick Japanese Chicken Curry

  • Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

  • Malaysian Nyonya Curry

  • Salmon Chu Chee.

Some meals we cook at home have a curry sauce that we make extra of, then take the frozen sauce on the road to add to fresh or frozen fish or meat, and serve with rice, pasta or vegetables.

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Slow Cooker Meals

We use our slow cooker a lot at home to make yummy meals that we can easily reheat when travelling.

The beauty of a couple of our mainstay slow cooker meals is that they contain vegetables, like potato and carrots, so it's only a matter of reheating the meal, maybe add another vegetable such as beans or corn on the cob, and you've got a complete meal in minutes. 

Some of our slow cooker meals are more suited to winter than hotter weather, e.g. Boeuf Bourguignon and a very tasty French chicken casserole, made from scratch including the roux that provides the flavour. Both of these dishes include potato and carrot so they provide a quick and easy meal on the road.

Another favourite slow cooker meal is corned beef/silverside that provides many meals that we use for lunches and dinners.

Slow Cooker Meals
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