2009 Omlet cube and run for sale

[Willow]

Just when I was thinking I really ought to use up my stores and refresh them with things we actually use regularly I found evidence a mouse has got into my store cupboard pesky cats, we never had mice before we got cats

 

Anyway I've just been boxing up dry ingredients, tins and jars should be fine and I really need to speed up using up the cupboard contents (as well as eliminate the mouse). Since there are some slightly more obscure things in my cupboard that I need to use up so I thought I'd appeal for suggestions

 

(1) Semolina

 

(2) Ground rice

 

(3) Couscous,

I have some recipes for couscous with veg but I have so much of it I wondered if anyone had any recipes to use it in a more interesting way ?

 

(3) tinned chestnut puree

I'll take a look in my Christmas cook books I must has some recipes

 

(4) Mace - I just bought this - got carried away in spice souk in Dubai and I have no idea what to do with it

 

(5) Italian 00 flour, I could make pasta but I have a few bags so it will take a while to use up has anyone any other uses? next time I'll buy one bag at a time when I plan to make pasta.

 

(6) Preserving sugar

I have 2 bags of this but I'm not sure when you use preserving sugar as all my jam recipes use basic granulated

 

(7) Sugar cubes (2 boxes white & 1 demerara)

We don't drink sugar in tea or coffee so would take decades to use for visitors that do. I'd bought them because a cake recipe called for them to be crushed on top but I realised I preferred the cake without. A few years ago in Germany I saw jars of sugar cubes with various alcohol mixes which I thought would make nice presents but no idea how to make or what they would be used for (exotic coffees I guess) has anyone come across this ?

 

I probably have more to add to this list

[clucker1]

Ground rice and or semolina, use it in shortbread. If its not included in the recipe, substitute some of the flour for either or both ingredients.

[Gertie]

Here are some things i never considered using couscous for...ive never made them but i think they sound nice!

 

French Couscous:

 

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 oz. Brie cheese, frozen for 20 minutes

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

6 oz. pkg. instant couscous

Preparation:

 

Place Brie in freezer so it's easier to dice. Be sure to only leave it in there for 20 minutes! Meanwhile, in heavy skillet cook onion and garlic in butter and olive oil until crisp tender.

Take Brie out of freezer and remove skin; dice. Prepare couscous as package directes; when done, fluff with fork and add cooked onion mixture, Brie, and parsley and toss gently. Serve immediately. Serves 4

 

Couscous stuffing

 

 

2 Tablespoon butter

1 small onion, minced

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

1 cup plain couscous

1-1/3 cups homemade chicken broth or low-sodium canned broth

1/4 cup finely chopped dried apricots

3 Tablespoon dried currants

1/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts, chopped

2 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Salt

Ground black pepper

Preparation:

 

Heat butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add onion, garlic, cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric, and saute until onion softens, 3 to 4 minutes. Add couscous. Stir until well coated with spices and butter, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, bring to a simmer, remove from heat, cover and let stand until couscous has absorbed all water, about 5 minutes. 

 

Fluff couscous with a fork, then stir in apricots, currants, pistachio nuts, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

 

To reheat stuffing, place in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and heat in microwave on high power until very hot, 2 to 4 minutes. (Alternatively, place in a saucepan, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water and reheat on stovetop.) Spoon hot stuffing into Cornish game hens. 

 

Note: Toasted slivered almonds can be substituted for the pistachio nuts. 

 

Yield: 3 cups; enough to stuff 6 Cornish hens 

 

Recipe Source: The Perfect Recipe - Getting It Right Every Time by Pam Anderson (Houghton Mifflin)

Reprinted with permission. 

[ubereglu]

Couscous, roast veg and tuna mixed together makes a great filling for stuffed peppers. Semolina is great in Shortbread-Delia Smith has the best recipe.

[bluekarin]

For tinned chestnut purée I love it mixed with sausagemeat for a delicious stuffing , especially at Chrimbo.

 

Mace is the casing from a nutmeg and has a similar flavour but stronger so use it as you would nutmeg, but sparingly.

 

I use cous cous with veg and stock to serve with foods instead of spuds/pasta or rice, but I also make what I call a Tabbouleh which I discovered when I was staying with the outlaws in La Belle France. Mix a good amount (400g or so) of cous cous with a tin of toms. Use the tin to measure out 3/4 of olive oil and top up the rest with lemon juice pour over the couscous and leave for a good while to plump up (usually about an hour). Add chopped spring onions and cucumber and fresh mint, season and eat

[Couperwife]

We (note: this is the 'royal' we...cos I don't do much cooking )use semolina to crisp up roast potatoes kev adds herbs and garlic salt to give it flavour and its yummy

 

Cathy

X

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Ground rice just calls for you to make macaroons with it, Tescos ground almonds packets have a very good recipe for macaroons on them.

 

Use the 00 flour in pastry, makes much lighter pastry ( especially for mince pies - see the Nigella Christmas Book recipe)

 

Sugar cubes can be crushed and used on the top of streusel cake.

[Willow]

Ooh lots of good ideas thanks.

 

Mace is the casing from a nutmeg and has a similar flavour but stronger so use it as you would nutmeg, but sparingly.

 

I had no idea what mace was, it looked pretty and exotic

[Space Chick]

I use oo grade to make pastry too, also for recipes that's call for plain flour (eg. Paradise slices on here!), I also use it for sauces when making a roux.... In fact I dont buy other plain flour. You could also add baking powder and use for self raising (I've done this when I've run out of self raising flour)

 

Semolina is great in pizza bases (1/3 semolina to 2/3rds bread flour)

 

And the chestnuts are just crying out for stuffing

[Willow]

oo flour for making sauces is a great idea I do make a lot of sauces and my big bag of flour tends to clump slightly but sieving is a faff into a saucepan

[craftyhunnypie]

Chestnut puree can go in the centre of a Yule Log!!! MM mm mm.

Semolina can be mixed with soft cheese & an egg yolk, then formed into sweet dumplings, by rolling on 2 dessert spoons. You the drop them into boiling water for a few mins to cook. After you roll them in some toasted bread crumbs & serve with a fruit coulis. They are known in Austria / Germany as Topfen knoedel & are just scrummy.

I can get you the exact recipe if need be.

Emma.x

[..lay a little egg for me]

My Mum used to make a really delicious pudding with sweetened chestnut puree. It was basically two large rounds of meringue sandwiched together with the chestnut puree and whipped cream. Very very rich but delicious.

 

I use the 00 flour for biscuits, pizza bases, pitta breads.

 

Semolina is good in shortbread biscuits.

 

White sugar cubes could be used to make a delicious champagne cocktail for Xmas. Put the sugar cube in the bottom of your champagne flute, drop a few drops of apricot brandy onto the sugar cube, fill the glass with champagne.

 

Preserving sugar has pectin in it so is useful for jams made with soft fruits such as strawberry, raspberry etc.

 

I really like couscous instead of rice with tagines or other spicy dishes. I use the leftovers to make couscous salad (cold couscous, chopped cucumber, tomato, pepper, feta cheese, olives, moistened with vinagrette).

[Sue_F]

I did a roasted veg and couscous stredul from the great british bake off gently crush sugar cubes and use as decoration on a loaf cake or cut an orange in half stick a sugar cube in the middle and eat. Equal quantities of preserving sugar and fruit to make jam

[Willow]

Well I've made my way through the ground rice and 00 flour and perfected shortbread

 

Now to start on the semolina - I can't believe how much semolina I have we'd have to eat a lot of roast potatoes

 

I did a roasted veg and couscous stredul from the great british bake off

 

Now that has to be worth a try, my YS and I are huge bake-off fans, I'm so sad it's not on anymore