Abracadabra - transforming left overs

Golden fishcakes, red beetroot and green salad

Carefully cook and turn the fishcakes

Looks a bit bland to begin with

Like most children I always liked the idea of casting spells and transforming toads and weeds into more appealing objects. Who hasn't tried squidging rose petals in a bucket of water hoping to produce Chanel no5? Well my lunch today felt a bit like that. There were boiled potatoes from yesterday and some sad -looking frozen cod.

Here's what I did with it:-

Gently poach the cod in a littke milk in a non stick pan with a few bay leaves.then strain and set aside.

Mash the potatoes well with a fork.

Combine the fish and potatoes.

Add chopped parsley, salt and pepper .

If liked add chopped gherkins or capers.

Shape the mixture into rounds and flatten them.

Get two bowls and in one put a beaten egg and breadcrumbs in the other.

Dip the fishcakes first in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs .

Melt a knob of butter and some oil in a non stick pan.

Cook the fish cakes gently making sure they get nice and hot inside but do not burn. Tutn them over gently using a rubber spatula.

Serve with colourful vegetables. We had ruby red beetroot and green salad.

Vacuum packed beetroot, sliced and sprinkled with vinegar always brings back happy childhood memories for me. Having spent Sunday afternoon making perfume and mud pies we would often have  salad, tomatoes, radishes and beetroot for tea.

Unexciting start