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Recipes from my Lincolnshire kitchen

random recipes #21 – store cupboard finds

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… admit it… you know there’s stuff lurking at the back of the cupboard that either; you don’t particularly like, you should have used ages ago or you’re just not quite sure what to do with… and it’s getting to you… every time you open the cupboard door you ignore the stuff and you as you load the cupboard with newer, trendier ingredients the poor item gets relegated to the darkest corner, never to see the light of day…

… well here it’s chance for freedom… to turn that neglected tin of gloop into something you should have made years ago but just couldn’t be bothered… yes folk, this months random recipes is all about using up those store cupboard left-behinds… a thrifty challenge for those saving up for the extravagance of christmas yet to come…

… and here’s how it works…

1. open up the cupboard door, reach in deep and pull out the first thing you touch
2. turn to your cookbooks… I don’t mind how you do it this month, choose a favourite, pick it randomly… whatever
3. turn to the index and find the item you’d taken from the cupboard
4. pick a recipe and make it!

5 – you may adapt the recipe for health/dietary/product availability purposes only
6 – post the recipe on your blog linking back to me and my blog
7 – include the random recipes badge in the post
8 – challenge deadline is Oct 29th 
9 – if you tweet your posts please mention @belleaukitchen, and use the hashtag #randomrecipes and I will retweet all those I see
10 – your post can be submitted to other blogging challenges, just make sure this complies with the rules of the other challenge.

… quite frankly it’s a blast and couldn’t be simpler… here’s what happened to me…



… I reached in to the cupboard and stumbled upon a bag of very old dried chickpeas… so old I actually don’t remember purchasing them and to be honest, the fact that you can buy tinned chickpeas makes me wonder why I ever bothered… I must have had a reason but I really don’t remember… anyhoo, the moment I pulled them out I knew which book to turn to, a book i’ve never cooked from before but read often… The Casa Moro Second Cookbook by Sam and Sam Clark… Moro is an award winning Moroccan inspired restaurant in London and is very near our office… I walk past it often, lustily looking in…

… as you can imagine there were a few chickpea recipes so I gave them all a number and asked The Viking to pick… and the recipe he chose is on page 59 – Sopa de Garbanzos or Moorish Spinach and Chickpea Soup to you and me… very exciting as I’m growing spinach which is ready to be eaten…

… and there you have it… go on then, off you pop… get rummaging!

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Comments

  5. Please Do Not Feed The Animals. says

    I was just thinking I need to start using up some stuff. Steve and I occasionally do something like this in the style of Ready Steady Cook. Have to pull out three things each from cupboards and then make a meal using up your three things.
    Great challenge!

  6. debby says

    Ooh I like the sound of this one.
    Looking forward to the challenge.

    deb

    ps I know why you bought them…you can get a kilo of dried chick peas that end up being 2 kilo's of cooked ones, for the price of a tiny little can. Well that's why I buy them anyway…but canned ones are so much easier….that's why the dried ones get left in the back of everyones cupboard….Including mine…

    …well that's my theory!

  10. Lyndsey Fleenor says

    Love it! I have so many things I have bought over time and then not used! This should be a real challenge…. Although if it's out of date can we try again 😉

  12. Sue/the view from great island says

    I'm the queen of random stuff hiding in my cupboard, I hope I can get it together to participate, I love the theme! And by the way, dried chickpeas are so much better than the canned ones, you're in for a treat!

  13. Chris says

    Hm, well, fine, great idea! Now I only have to find a way to pick something randomly with having things stored in so many places and some too open so I can see things right away …

  14. Janice says

    Hope I don't come out with a tin of beans or tomatoes, that wouldn't be very inspiring! Will have to choose which shelf to rummage in.

  15. hungryhinny says

    I love the idea of this, but due to a severe lack of space I have to be very organised with my ingredients and know exactly where everything is, so it wouldn't be very random! May have to get someone else to brave putting a hand into my baking cupboard instead…

  16. John Gray says

    CAN you do a real slobby post about your favourite slobby food…..
    you know the sort of food you wouls cook when you are in your pjs watching the tv!

  18. Stacy says

    I like to think this one is for me, Dom! Bless you! I am moving again and must get rid of all the things lurking in my cupboards that cannot make the traveling team. In fact, I am in Dubai house hunting this week. As soon as I get home to Cairo, I will be delving, close-eyed, into the depths of my cupboards. And good riddance to whatever it is!

  20. Choclette says

    Oh lawks, I can think of any number of things lurking at the back of my cupboard I wouldn't be too keen to cook with, but I will stoically give it a go!

  21. Susan Lindquist says

    Haha! The challenge here is being able to wiggle my hand in and around all the tightly packed 'stuff' that is shoved in the closet! I could start an avalanche! Here goes!