Efests Recipe Book

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I went old school at the weekend and did a Coq au Vin. Used a bottle of tesco claret which reduced down beautifully. Just added a bit of thyme and some balsamic. Sometimes the simple classics are best.

[grumpyhack]

We had a chilli con carne and a vegetable curry, both served with basmati rice, during our weekend at Chagstock. Luckily the toilets were spotless as they both got you going.

Maybe festival food need to be divided into stuff to eat at festivals with good toilets and stuff that doesn't have such a dynamite effect.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Last weekend at SGP saw me mainly on a wine diet, morning, noon and night. I used quite a few bottles of zinfandel and two large 1.5 litre bottles of merlot to aid me in this process. I can confirm that the toilets were in a shocking condition - both before and after my visits!

[The Nal]

Most unhealthy fast food meals. American portions but fuck me, look how many calories are in these!

[t8yman]

holy shit, I have lost 2 stone in the last 10 weeks, and funnily enough - I havent been to maccy d's once.

my calorie target for my weight loss per day was 1700, less than that subway meatball sub.

I have absolutely no doubt that it was my portion sizes that contributed to my weight gains over the last 20 years, i still eat curries, fish and chips etc, but i have a sensible portion instead of "as much as it takes to make me feel full"

all of those dishes are far too much food for one meal for one person.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

holy shit, I have lost 2 stone in the last 10 weeks, and funnily enough - I havent been to maccy d's once.

my calorie target for my weight loss per day was 1700, less than that subway meatball sub.

I have absolutely no doubt that it was my portion sizes that contributed to my weight gains over the last 20 years, i still eat curries, fish and chips etc, but i have a sensible portion instead of "as much as it takes to make me feel full"

all of those dishes are far too much food for one meal for one person.

Well done.

I have to admit that a major fault with me is putting out big portion sizes for the kids and guests. I usually put the meal in the middle of the table for us to just dig in but I do feel a little offended if there is any left. I gain a lot of pleasure in seeing people well fed.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

holy shit, I have lost 2 stone in the last 10 weeks, and funnily enough - I havent been to maccy d's once.

my calorie target for my weight loss per day was 1700, less than that subway meatball sub.

I have absolutely no doubt that it was my portion sizes that contributed to my weight gains over the last 20 years, i still eat curries, fish and chips etc, but i have a sensible portion instead of "as much as it takes to make me feel full"

all of those dishes are far too much food for one meal for one person.

Nice one. I've got to lose 2 stone. Will try your portion size approach. I've put the weight on comfort eating ice cream. It's easy to put the weight on but a bugger to get it off again.

[The Nal]

Nice one. I've got to lose 2 stone. Will try your portion size approach. I've put the weight on comfort eating ice cream. It's easy to put the weight on but a bugger to get it off again.

Try swimming. And not the nice breast stroke at your own pace kind either. The real fast kind that knackers you. 1000 calories per hour burned and thats not including it accelerating your metabolism in general, increase in lung capacity, oxygen intake, strengthening muscles etc. I've started again after a year or so off and have noticed big changes within two weeks.

Skipping is also great at about 1200 calories per hour. Although anything more than 10 minutes is impossible! But a ten minute skip burns 200 odd calories.

Weights is also a great way of losing fat. High reps, low (ish) weight.

Jogging is overrated. Really really boring and tough on the joints.

A lot of people fall into the trap of thinking that calories stop burning immediately after stopping the exercise but the amount of exercise effects everything for hours after due to an elevated metabolism - how much fat you absorb after eating later that day, how many calories you burn within the 15 hours after exercise (can be a 40% increase on a non exercise day),

Good guidelines and chart here

Edited August 13, 2012 by The Nal

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Try swimming. And not the nice breast stroke at your own pace kind either. The real fast kind that knackers you. 1000 calories per hour burned and thats not including it accelerating your metabolism in general, increase in lung capacity, oxygen intake, strengthening muscles etc. I've started again after a year or so off and have noticed big changes within two weeks.

Skipping is also great at about 1200 calories per hour. Although anything more than 10 minutes is impossible! But a ten minute skip burns 200 odd calories.

Jogging is overrated. Really really boring and tough on the joints.

Good guidelines and chart here

I used to go swimming twice a day, once around 6.30am and then again in the evening. I was fit as a fiddle when I was doing that. I just need to get up off my lazy arse and start again. Once I start I'll keep at it for a long time (or until the next wave of depression hits).

Thanks for the advice though as it firms things up in my mind that I've really got to get onto it. I hate being over weight. It does not suit mind or body.

[t8yman]

I walk, thats it - walking. 1700 calories a day intake, and 40 minutes or so walking 3 times a week. and I also cut out my alcohol monday to thursday.

also - do NOT skip meals, eat 3 regular meals a day, do not put your body into "starvation mode", kickstart your body even if only with an apple, get your metabolism moving early in the day, and keep it ticking over with sensible intake throughout the day.

i went from 38" jeans to 34"s - only downside - I had to buy a lot of new clothes, because my old ones looked ridiculous on me.

Edited August 13, 2012 by t8yman

[The Nal]

also - do NOT skip meals

So many people skip brekkie thinking its a good thing and then eat a load of fatty nonsense at lunch, absorbing a shed load of saturated fats in the process. Way more then they would have it they ate brekkie. Fucks up your brain too (it needs protein after a nights sleep).

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I can't eat breakfast normally as I just don't want to eat that early (not because of any diet type thing). This goes out of the window if I go downstairs after a bender and find a cold curry there. In which case I tuck in without thinking. A cold curry never disappoints I find.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

My daughter has moved out so me and the boy went to buy something nice for tea. Money has been tight so I have had to be careful what I bought. My daughter does not like baked beans so we decided on that. The accompanyment is savoury rice, all served with a pork chop with onions in worcester sauce. Sounds really crap but it is real, simple, comfort food for me.

[Essex_George]

This is a recipe for a really tasty lamb curry, it takes a while to cook but is worth it!

- serves 8.

2 tablespoons butter

2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

285ml/1/2 pint stock or water

1.5kg/3 1/2lb leg of lamb, diced

1 handful of chopped mint and coriander

285ml/1/2 pint natural yoghurt

salt and freshly ground black pepper

lime juice to taste

Hot and Fragrant Rub Mix -

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

2 tablespoons cumin seeds

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

1/2 tablespoon fenugreek seeds

1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 clove

1/2 a cinnamon stick

2 cardamom pods

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Curry Paste Ingredients -

5cm/2 inches fresh ginger, peeled

2 tennis-ball-sized red onions, peeled

10 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 fresh chillies, with seeds

1 bunch of fresh coriander

Preheat your oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.

Lightly toast the fragrant rub mix in the oven or under the grill. Chop the curry paste ingredients roughly, add the rub mix and puree in a food processor.

In a large casserole pan, fry the curry paste mixture in the butter until it goes golden, stirring regularly. Add the tomatoes and the stock or water. Bring to the boil, cover with kitchen foil and place in the oven for one and a half hours to intensify the flavour. Remove the foil and continue to simmer on the stove until it thickens. This is your basic curry sauce.

Fry the lamb in a little olive oil until golden, then add to the curry sauce and simmer for around 1 hour or until tender.

Sprinkle with chopped coriander and mint and stir in the yoghurt. Season to taste and add a good squeeze of lime juice. Serve with spiced breads, steamed basmati rice and lots and lots of cold beer.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I am trying to cut back on the amount of electricity I use so I have just made a "hay box". Its just what it says on the tin. I have made a stew up, got it to the boil and have put it in a box of hay and apparently it will retain the heat and slow cook. Results to be seen tonight.

[5co77ie]

...enjoy your cold stew - I'm a pessimist.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I have a feeling you may be right. I saw it Wartime Farm and thought I would give it a shot. He it works it would be a great at festivals if I am with the family.

[AcademicPistol]

This guy on YouTube has some amazing recipes and ideas for cooking...

[Rufus Gwertigan]

...enjoy your cold stew - I'm a pessimist.

The stew turned out amazingly well. I left it in the box for 8 hours and the pot was still hot to the touch. I only put in about two thirds of the stock that I normally use. I have done some reading and I have found some recipes for a pot roast that I will have a go at during the weekend.

[5co77ie]

Wow - I'm impressed - I wouldn't have thought the latent temperature was high enough to have cooked the dish without dissiapting - but I guess this is like that new fangled water bath cooking - never had nothing like that when I did my 706-1&2.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

Wow - I'm impressed - I wouldn't have thought the latent temperature was high enough to have cooked the dish without dissiapting - but I guess this is like that new fangled water bath cooking - never had nothing like that when I did my 706-1&2.

But does not a water bath require energy to maintain its temperature? I must admit that I am impressed at the insulation qualities of hay. I did use an iron dutch pot rather that aluminium.

[The Nal]

This guy on YouTube has some amazing recipes and ideas for cooking...

[AcademicPistol]

I challenge anyone to watch it and keep a straight face.

[Essex_George]

Now that the weather has turned a bit crap I was thinking about doing a nice beef stew in the slow cooker. Anyone know of any nice recipes?

[The Nal]

Now that the weather has turned a bit crap I was thinking about doing a nice beef stew in the slow cooker. Anyone know of any nice recipes?

Beef Stroganoff with lots and lots of red wine!