Vegetable Dumplings with Tracklements Roasted Garlic and Salami Jam

I am furious.

It's the start of the summer holidays. I have just got home. And everyone has buggered off to Lakeside. To get their ears pierced, to ransack H&M and Primark, and then have a jolly good old time up in the food court, on floor three.

Even as I type this, they are probably laughing, whilst chowing down on some Katsu curry flavoured California Rolls from Wasabi. Or a Bacon Cheeseburger from Five Guys, with all the friggin' free toppings - which should bloody well be free tbh.

Or (heaven forbid) a 7 layer burrito from Taco Bell - featuring 7 layers of hell.

And they are laughing because for my dinner tonight, they have a left a singular packet of sauerkraut and mushroom dumplings from a well-known German supermarket (called Lidl) in the fridge. No doubt in a bid to force me to participate in #meatfreemondays for my dinner tonight.

Gits.

I say that exclusively because written instructions left on the side simply said:

'You can boil or fry the dumplings that are in the fridge, babe. See you later.'

See? Heartless.

Well, he who laughs last, laughs longest than the longest thing ever, and I have just transformed these dumplings from something that sounded fairly mundane, into something quite spectacular.

Using the power of roasted garlic and salami jam from Tracklements.

Yes, this is a plug and yes, I fairly used up half a jar of this rich, umami-packed condiment, whilst concocting a quick red wine sauce to coat the fried filled pastries. Obviously, given the sour nature of fermented cabbage, a bit of sweetness always does quite nicely to cut through and adding a dollop of this 'jam' did the trick. Think I might try adding it to a stew next. Or maybe with some cheese, as intended.

For the time being, I am now not so furious. Because due to the element of cured meat, I managed to beat the mandate and also come up a very quick meal, that really was quite delicious.

They can have their frivolities and their Millies Cookies.

I had salami on a Monday night. All 26% of it.

(That's the amount of salami that get mixed into the jam.)

Ingredients

1 400g pack of Lidl Sauerkraut and Mushroom Stuffed Dumplings
Oil
1 glass of red wine
2 tbs of Tracklements Roasted Garlic and Salami Jam
Salad leaves, to dress
Parmesan, to shave

Method

Heat a generous splash of oil in a pan, over a medium heat, and then add the dumplings.

Fry for about 3 minutes on each side, until they begin to crisp and become golden.

Remove the dumplings from the pan and put into a bowl, and then place the pan back on the heat.

Add the red wine and jam to the pan and reduce for 1 minute.

Meanwhile, add some salad leaves to the bowl and mix with the warm dumplings.

Serve the salad onto a plate and dress the red wine and jam reduction by pouring all over.

Finish with shaved Parmesan scattered over the top.