Squash, Green Lentil & Serrano Ham Soup

For those of you who like thick, hearty soups, this is one for you. Sweet butternut squash mixed with the lavishness of the Serrano ham and the earthy bite of green lentils is a delicious mix for a home made hearty soup.

I made this with some cheese and onion rolls, hot out of the oven and it was heaven. For the rolls, just make a basic bread dough, take a piece the size of your palm and flatten it into a round. Put in a chunk of cheddar cheese and some chopped onion in the centre and cover with the dough. Roll into a ball and complete the remaining rolls. Leave to rise in a warm place for 15 minutes and pop in the oven for 15 minutes. Eat hot with the soup. A delicious lunch for after a walk in the woods!

Ingredients:   (Serves 4)

1 large onion, sliced
350g butternut squash, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
25g butter
1 tbsp. oil
120g Serrano ham
200g green lentils
700ml chicken stock
100ml double cream
a little fresh parsley, to garnish

Method:

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan and add the onion, garlic and squash. Sauté for 10 minutes on a medium heat until softened. Chop all but 1 slice of the ham and add the chopped pieces to the vegetables. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the hot stock and lentils and season with salt & pepper. Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for about 35-40 minutes. Take off the heat, use a stick blender to blend the soup and then put back on the heat, adding the cream. If its too thick at this stage, add some water and heat through to get the consistency you like.

For the garnish, cut the last slice of Serrano into four and fry in a small pan. Serve the soup in a bowl, top with the parsley and pieces of ham. Delicious!

Chicken with Figs, Feta & Quinoa

This is a delicious dish that I would recommend one would cook to treat their partner after a long day at work. The flavours of roasted figs with the slightly spicy chicken and cool feta cheese, sitting on a bed of fig flavoured quinoa is just perfection!

I would eat this any day of the week but best when figs are in season. We have a very young fig tree at the moment in the garden, but it only produced 3 figs this year and they are long gone.. scoffed straight off the tree!

Ingredients:

4 ripe figs, quartered
200ml port
2 shallots (or a small onion), sliced
1 cup quinoa
1 small red pepper, sliced
1 courgette, cut into chunks
1 tbsp. + 1tsp. olive oil
2 chicken breasts
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. powdered garlic
50g feta cheese


Method:

Set the oven to 200 C. Put 2 of the quartered figs into a small pan with the port. Bring to the boil and cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Using a hand blender, blitz the figs and port into a sauce.

Put the shallots, red pepper and courgette into a small roasting pan with 1 tbsp. oil drizzled over and roast for 15 minutes. Then add the rest of the figs to the roasting dish and roast for a further 15 minutes.

Cook the quinoa in boiling water for about 10 minutes until cooked. Drain (if necessary) and add to the port sauce. Stir well and reheat gently in a microwave or back in the pan. Keep warm.

For the chicken, put the breasts in between two pieces of cling film and hit gently with a rolling pin to flatten out and make the same height. Sprinkle over the cayenne, paprika and garlic powder and drizzle with 1 tsp. oil. Cook in the oven (uncovered) for about 25 minutes - while the veg is roasting.

To serve. Place the fig flavoured quinoa at the base of a plate. Top with the roasted vegetables. Slice the chicken breast and lay that on the top and crumble over the feta. Season, serve and enjoy!

Minestrone Soup with Ham

This is one of those easy pull together soups that's perfect for autumn days. Tasty, simple packed with flavour from the vegetables and ham. Orzo pasta is perfect for this dish as its small and gives the dish some 'bite' without being bigger than the chopped vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 leek, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 courgette, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 glass white wine
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 bay leaf
400g tin chopped tomatoes
800ml vegetable stock
1/3 cup (65g) orzo pasta
6 slices ham, chopped
black pepper
salt

Method:

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan and add the carrot, onion, leek, courgette and garlic. Cook on a low/medium heat for 8 minutes when beginning to soften. Add the white wine and turn up the heat. Cook off the alcohol until almost completely evaporated. Add the herbs, tomatoes, pasta and stock, cover and leave to cook, half covered, for 20 minutes. Finally add the ham and season to taste.

Serve with bread and butter and enjoy!

Beef Keema Curry with Spinach & Paneer

Yes, yet another curry. The weather has taken a turn for the worse in London and I have a terribly bad cold which I have had for two weeks. So I am trusting in chillies to give me strength! When I see any meat and have to decide what to make - curry is always the first thought in my head.

The word 'keema' basically means finely chopped (as in meat) so this is a perfect dish for you to use with minced beef. You can make keema kebabs, keema filling for samosas or as I have, in a simple curry with spinach and paneer cheese. Paneer is an Indian cheese which you may find difficult to buy in England, but the dish is such as lovely with just the beef and spinach.

Ingredients:               (Serves 4)

500g beef mince
1 tbsp. oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
1 inch piece ginger, grated
1 tbsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 bay leaves
200g fresh spinach
120g paneer, chopped (optional)
1 tsp. garum masala
fresh coriander to garnish 

Method:

Dry fry the beef mince in a large pan. There will be enough fat in it to cook. When the meat has cooked, use a slotted spoon to put the meat into a bowl and set to one side. Wipe the pan clean.

Add the oil to the pan and heat. Cook the onion and garlic on a medium heat until beginning to brown. Add the ground coriander and turmeric and stir well. Add the chopped tomato, bay leaves, chillies, and spinach, along with 1 cup water. Stir and leave to cook uncovered, on a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the ground beef, ginger and paneer (if using). Leave to cook, uncovered for 5 minutes and then sprinkle on the garum masala. Stir through.

Serve garnished with the coriander and enjoy with steamed rice.

Cheesy Onion Bread

I saw this recently and had to try it.. what a great idea as a pick and share bread. Oozing with mozzarella and cheddar, with spring onions and melted butter bringing it all together. Delicious. Here I made a small round ciabatta, as I didn't want the bread to be too big - but you can buy any round loaf you like.

This is not my usual kind of food but I feel it deserved a mention as its such a cool idea.

Ingredients:

1 round loaf bread
125g mozzarella, sliced
80g cheddar, sliced
4 spring onions
50g butter, melted


Heat the oven to 200 C. Place the loaf on a chopping board and slice - but not all the way down. You just want to get about two thirds of the way down with each slice. Turn the loaf and repeat, so you have squares on the top.

Mix the melted butter with the spring onions in a small bowl and set to one side. Place the bread on a piece of foil large enough to cover over the bread when ready. Push the cheese slices into the gaps and spoon the spring onion butter in and amongst the cheese. Cover with the foil and pop in the oven for 15 minutes.

Serve hot with napkins - it can get very messy! Enjoy.

Coconut Cod Curry

It has taken me years to like fish curry. And with The Bloke not liking any fish near a tomato based sauce, it can make things limited. But coconut and fish are delicious together. This recipe uses fresh coconut and coconut milk and is so delicious.

I have been ill for the last week so apologies for my quietness. My head was too fuzzed up to think of a recipe, let alone wanting to cook or eat it! But I am on the mend and back in the kitchen. Here is a lovely recipe for a cod curry.

For the paste:

 

1 small onion, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

80g fresh coconut, grated

5 cloves garlic, peeled

2 green chillies

1 tbsp. black peppercorns

1 tsp. salt

 

For the fish:

 

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/4 tsp. black mustard seeds

1 tsp. turmeric
180ml water

600g cod fillet, cut into large chunks

200ml coconut milk

handful of fresh curry leaves

handful of fresh coriander leaves

 

 

 

Method:

 

For the paste, put all of the ingredients into a hand blender with a splash of water. Blitz until a paste.

 

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the mustard seeds until the start to splutter. Then add the paste and the turmeric. Stir well and then add the water. Turn the heat to high for 5 minutes to reduce a little and then turn down the heat to medium, adding the cod and covering with a lid. Finally add the coconut milk and the curry leaves. Stir thorough, but be careful to not break up the fish too much.

 

Serve with fresh coriander, steamed rice and chapatis.

 

BST- Bacon Spinach Tomato Pasta

This has honestly got to be one of my favourite pasta dishes, ever. All of the ingredients taste beautiful together. I wouldn't recommend using tinned tomatoes (although you could) as the freshness of all the ingredients make it special somehow.

You can use any pasta for this dish...linguine, penne...anything you like. I like it with tagliatelle.

This is exactly what I wanted after a long day at work - and with The Bloke grilling the bacon as I cooked the pasta and made the sauce...it took no time at all. Perfect pasta!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large glass white wine
100g fresh spinach
12 streaky bacon rashers
200g Tagliatelle pasta

Method:

Heat the oil and gently fry the onion until translucent. Add the garlic for 2 minutes and cook. Add the tomatoes and fry for 2 mins, then add the wine and turn up the heat. Cook off the alcohol for 2 minutes and turn the heat to medium. Add the spinach and stir to wilt into the sauce.

Grill the bacon, dabbing the fat off as you go with kitchen paper until the bacon is crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. Cut each rasher into 3-4 pieces with kitchen scissors.

Cook the pasta to the pack instructions - try to make it a little al dente. When cooked, use tongs to put the pasta into the sauce (adding a little of the pasta water - just about a tablespoon). Stir well and season with black pepper. You shouldn't need any salt because of the bacon.

Stir the bacon through the pasta and serve with a good grating of fresh parmesan and some crusty bread to mop up the juices. Perfect, simple ingredients - cooked well.

Mexican Pork Carnitas

Yesterday, having completed a marathon a few days before, I was still in what I call 'recovery'. Every muscle was pretty unhappy with me for walking it through 26.2 miles (42k). So looking at the diced pork planned for dinner - I wasn't up to much excitement. I was however up for something I could put on to cook and walk away from for a couple of hours. So I made Carnitas. No, probably not 100% authentic - but they were delicious.

Carnitas, literally "little meats", and is a dish from Mexico. Its not a million miles away from pulled pork but cooked this way, its a few hours quicker!

Ingredients:

350g diced pork
1 small onion, sliced
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. sugar
salt & pepper

Method:

Fry the onion in the oil on a medium heat until soft. Add the smoked paprika, cumin and cinnamon. Stir quickly through then add the pork. Cook for another couple of minutes, adding a tiny bit more oil if needed.

Then add the oregano, sugar and 320ml (one and a half cups) of water. Cook with the lid half on for 2 hours, checking the water doesn't completely evaporate. It should thicken to a perfect sauce.

Serve with corn tortillas softened in the microwave for 30 seconds. And sour cream/lettuce. Great example of Mexican street food and rather delicious.

Baked Parmesan Chicken with Beans, Parma Ham & Asparagus

I can't remember the last time I actually fried chicken. Yes, I am sure its delicious and all that - but its just not healthy. If you remove the skin and bake a chicken breast you have all the flavour, its lower in fat and no mess from spluttering oil!

This is sort of Italian inspired food - although I am sure I have had a Spanish version of the bean salad before, which was also heavy on the garlic. And you can buy a cheaper version of the parmesan these days too called Grana Padano and tastes just the same. Either way. Its delicious and we loved it!

Ingredients:             (Serves 2)

2 chicken breasts
60g parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp. olive oil + 1 tsp.
4 cloves garlic , sliced thinly
400g tin of cannellini beans
80g parma ham, roughly chopped
100g asparagus tips, cut into 1 inch lengths

Method:

Brush the chicken breasts with the 1 tsp. oil and then roll in the parmesan cheese. Place in an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes (depending on the size of the breast).

In a small saucepan, gently cook the garlic in the 2 tbsp. oil on a low heat for about a minute. Add the parma ham and asparagus and turn the heat up to medium for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the saucepan, along with a grinding of black pepper. Stir and heat through and the warm salad is ready to serve with the chicken on the side. Serve with new potatoes or crusty bread.

Slow Cooker Steak with Shallots

Last Sunday I wanted to get the cooking out of the way as I intended to relax and put my feet up with old movies most of the day (a rare treat!). So having finished my marathon training early in the morning I (yet again) pulled out the slow cooker. I can't believe I had it for so many years without using it!! But nowadays, I adore the slow cooker meals. Not only is dinner just cooking away for you, but the smell in the house is beautiful. I recommend you have a think about getting one!

I had some beef steaks that I bought from the butcher. Not a great cut and a bit too much fat for my liking so I trimmed it a bit and knew it was destined for a slow cook. This took  me 10 minutes to put together and that evening we were salivating with the smell of it. A lovely way to use up the 'not so good' pieces of steak.

Ingredients:

2 steaks, cut into rough large chunks
7 shallots, peeled and halved
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 carrots, sliced thickly
3 bay leaves
about 200ml beef stock from a cube (enough to only just cover the meat)
salt & pepper
1 tbsp. cornflour (mixed with a little water)

Method:

Simply put all of the ingredients, apart from the cornflour, into a slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 hours, then low for a further 6 hours. Five minutes before serving, add the cornflour mix to thicken the gravy.

Serve with vegetables of your choice. Here I decided creamy mashed potatoes to soak up the gravy, romanesco broccoli and roasted parsnips. A lovely Sunday meal.

Pork & Spinach Chilli with Cheese n Chips

This dish was inspired by a young colleague I was talking to the other day about student food. I was recalling the sort of meals I used to make for my flatmates. Quick, easy and above all else - cheap.

I got home from work and looked at the pack of pork mince I had taken out of the freezer to defrost that morning and my mind went back to something I used to call mince mess (I must put that recipe up soon - it was lovely). I decided to do an even easier version using tinned kidney beans in chilli sauce and lots of hand-cut baked chips on the side. It was so good, I brought the leftovers in for my lunch at work the next day. Delicious!

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. oil
500g pork mince
200g tinned chopped tomatoes
400g tinned kidney beans in chilli sauce
250 spinach, roughly chopped
2 tsp. chilli flakes (optional)

To garnish:
2 spring onions, chopped
handful fresh coriander, chopped
handful grated cheddar cheese

Gently fry the onion and garlic in the oil for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add the mince and stir in, breaking up as you go until cooked. Add the tomatoes, kidney beans, spinach (and chilli flakes if using) and combine well. Season with a little salt & pepper and cook on a low heat, partly covered, for 15 minutes.

Serve hot with chips and generously sprinkle on the cheese, spring onions and coriander. And there you have it! Easy, and comforting.

Thai Plaice & Aubergine Curry

This is a nice midweek meal that I put together a few nights ago. Aubergine and coconut milk seem to go so well with fish. You can use any white fish you like for this dish - I think it would work with most. I used plaice as it was what I had and it was lovely. 

Yes, I know coconut milk is a little indulgent and fattening, but you can use the half fat version if you prefer. For me - I prefer the full fat one as I rarely have it so its a treat!

Ingredients:

2 large plaice fillets, skin removed
3 tbsp. oil
1 aubergine, cut into large dice
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger, chopped
2 birds eye chillies, sliced
6 curry leaves
1 tbsp. madras powder
1 tbsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tomato, chopped
200ml coconut milk
200ml vegetable stock
fresh coriander leaves

Method:

Slice the fish thickly and put into a zip lock bag with the flour. shake gently to coat. Fry in 1 tbsp. oil until golden and put to drain on some kitchen paper. Set to one side. Clean the pan and add a second tbsp. oil. Cook the aubergine for about 8 minutes until browning and put on a separate plate with kitchen paper. Set to one side

Puree the onion, garlic and ginger in a mini blender and fry in the remaining oil for 5 minutes on a medium heat until softened and beginning to dry out. Add the chillies and curry leaves and cook for a further minute.

Add the spices and tomato and stir well. Now add the coconut milk and combine. Cook for 5 minutes before adding the stock. Leave to cook gently on a medium heat for another 10 minutes.

Gently stir in the cooked aubergine, followed by the fish. Taste to check for seasoning. You can add a little salt and pepper.

Serve with white rice and garnish with the fresh coriander. Enjoy!

If you like you can make the Madras spice yourself. This recipe here makes enough for about 2-3 different meals and keep well in a sealed jar.

Baked Salmon with Strawberries & Balsamic Vinegar

We had this Sunday lunchtime as we knew that the evening was a bigger meal. I needed something light, fresh and fairly quick. Strawberries and salmon are best friends in my opinion. As are strawberries and balsamic so here I made a salad with all included. Incidentally, strawberries go very well with mackerel too.

Colourful, healthy and delicious - you could probably add some avocado too if you liked. A delicious salad!

Ingredients:

2 fillets salmon, skin removed
About 10 strawberries (+2 for the dressing)
1 baby gem lettuce
1/2 red onion, cut into rings
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (+ drizzle)


Method:

For the salad dressing, blend 2 large strawberries in a jug with a hand blender. Add the oil and vinegar and taste for personal flavour - I liked it with plenty of balsamic. Season with salt & pepper.

Set the oven to 190 C. Put the salmon in an ovenproof dish and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar - bake in the oven for about 18 minutes until it feels firm to the touch.

Slice the lettuce, quarter the strawberries and mix in a large bowl with the onion rings. Add the dressing and toss well to combine. Put the salad onto a plate and break the cooked salmon into large chunks and place over the salad. Season with a little more black pepper.

Serve with sweet potato wedges and enjoy!

Scallops & Chorizo with Cabbage & Peas

This sort of recipe is up there with one of my favourites when I'm not in the mood to cook! I get some days when there is nothing nicer than putting on the radio in my kitchen and playing with spices and building flavours grinding and toasting. But then, there are some days when I want something really tasty but quick. This took about 15 minutes to make and looks like it took a lot longer.

Having Spanish friends, I nearly always have some chorizo in the fridge which is fantastic for a speedy hit of flavour. Teamed with cabbage (for that Irish cabbage and bacon kind of thing) and pan fried scallops is right up my street. I think you would agree!

Ingredients:                  (Serves 2)

80g chorizo, sliced
half small savoy cabbage, shredded
100g garden peas
2 spring onions (scallions) sliced
10 scallops
1 clove garlic, sliced

Method:

Boiling some water. In a large pan, either steam or boil the cabbage. Half way through cooking, add the peas. Drain and cover to keep warm.

Fry the chorizo in a dry pan (it will produce its own oil) and in a separate pan add a tbsp. oil and a small knob of butter. Then add the garlic and scallops and cook quickly on a high heat. They should only take about 1 minute each side.

Assemble by adding the chorizo and spring onions to the cooked vegetables and putting on a plate. Top with the scallops and drizzle any remaining butter over the top. A grind of black pepper is all you need to serve! Delicious!

Baked Beef Burritos with Mexican Street Salad

Burritos are one of the easiest and most delicious dishes of Mexico and in this recipe they are baked - making them them healthy (okay, maybe more so with low fat cheese). Either way. Its a lovely dish which you can make as mild or as hot as you like. I tend to eat this with a lot of jalapenos, but I like hot food.

Another addition you can make is to add some refried beans to the inside of the burrito when you are adding the mince. You can but refried beans in a can or you can try my easy recipe here.

For the burritos:

500g beef mince
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp. crème fraiche
200g chopped tinned tomatoes
150g grated cheese (gruyere or cheddar)
4 flour tortillas
150g fresh tomato sauce

Dry fry the mince in a pan - any fat in the meat will be enough so you shouldn't need oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5-6 minutes until cooked. Then add the spices and seasoning. Stir through and turn the heat off - leave to cool. Then add the tomatoes and crème fraiche and combine well.

Set the oven to 190 C and have a 9-10 inch square oven dish ready. Lay out one of the tortillas on a board and fill with a quarter of the beef mix. Top with a good handful of the cheese and roll up. Put into your oven dish and repeat with the other three.

Drizzle over some tomato sauce and top with any remaining cheese. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes until cheese bubbling and heated through.

For the corn salad:

Cut the corn of two corn cobs and put into a bowl. In a separate bowl mix, 4 chopped spring onions, 2 tbsp. mayonnaise, a small handful fresh coriander, chopped, 1/2 small red pepper, chopped along with the juice of one lime.

Fry the corn in 1 tbsp. oil in a wok until beginning to blacken. Add to the salad and stir well. You can add some chilli powder, or fresh jalapenos, or even a shake of tabasco - whatever you like. 

Serve warm with a piping hot serving of the beef burritos. Sprinkle with extra coriander and chopped spring onions....and Enjoy!

Peach Tart Tatin

I am having so much fun with this classic French tart. Once you get the hang of the caramel, you can put in anything. Some months ago I made a tomato and garlic Tart Tatin. Next I want to try with bananas!

This dessert uses very few ingredients and is so easy - although still managing to look impressive! I had some leftover peaches that needed eating so yesterday I made this. Perfect eaten warm with a little ice cream on the side.

Ingredients:

1 pack puff pastry
3 fresh peaches
200g white sugar
50g butter

Method:

De-stone and slice the peaches into 1cm slices. Put in a bowl to one side.

Put the sugar into the frying pan with 50ml of water and cook over a medium heat until the colour changes to a golden, fudgy colour. Add the butter and quickly stir in. The butter will cool the caramel, so work quickly. Take off the heat. Put the sliced peaches in the caramel, in a nice circular pattern. Put it back on the heat for a few moments, then take off the heat and allow to cool completely.

Heat the oven to 200 C. Cut the pastry to just a little larger than the top of the pan and lay it over the apples, tucking any bits in. Put in the oven for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden. Leave to one side to cool for 5 mins and very carefully invert the tart onto a plate - do it quickly as you can as the sauce is runny!

Serve warm with ice cream, cream or hot, sweet custard.

 

Smoked Bacon & Tomato Soup

Well, I think we can safely say that summer is over. People in my street are closing their windows, debating putting the heating on and reaching for the comfy cardigan they haven't seen in a year, snuggling into its warmth. This weekend I did the same - its been a long week at work and I wanted a soft pair of thick socks and a large bowl of warming soup.

I don't know why I bought smoked bacon in the shopping this week - I can only assume it was an accident as I have never bought it before. But I decided it could be a perfect base for a soup. With tomatoes. Now I am so glad I did. It was perfect!

Ingredients:

2 leeks, sliced
1 carrot, sliced thinly
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. oil
800ml vegetable stock (cube is fine)
2-3 bay leaves
1 large potato, peeled and chopped into 1 cm cubes
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp. dried parsley
250g smoked streaky bacon

Method:       (Serves 4)

In a large pan and on a low/medium heat, fry the leeks and carrots in a little oil for about 4 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the hot stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to medium and add the potato, tomatoes and bay leaves. Season with pepper (the bacon will be bringing the salt) and leave to cook on low to medium for about 20 minutes or until the potato is cooked.

While the soup is cooking, snip the bacon into small pieces and fry in a dry pan (it will produce its own oil) until browning and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.

Add the bacon and parsley to the soup and let simmer for a moment or two and then serve. In a large bowl with crusty bread on the side. Delicious!

Chicken & Pork Meatball Pasta Bake

I made these meatballs recently and decided they are now my absolutle favourite. The pork sausage meat has just the right about of fat levels to keep it juicy and moist and the chicken adds a little firmness and flavour. I had planned to make meatball lasagne but changed my mind at the last minute to a pasta bake. Its pretty much the same in theory. Still the fresh tomato sauce, still the creamy béchamel, topped with bubbling melted cheese.

You can, of course, buy the sauces from a store, for ease and to cut down the time, It took me an hour to make the whole thing from scratch, so decide how much or how little you want to do. I have added the recipes for both the tomato sauce and the béchamel. Its absolutely worth it and everyone will love it!! Comfort food at its best.

For the meatballs:

400g pork sausages, skins removed
2 chicken breasts, skinless & chopped
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
a little salt & black pepper
handful fresh basil
1 tbsp. oil

Put all of the about into a food processor and process until well combined. With wet hands, shape the meatballs, about 1 inch diameter. Put into a large frying pan with the oil and cook, turning frequently, until browned. Drain on kitchen paper and set to one side.

Cook 250g pasta (shape of your choice - I used fusilli) in boiling water, until just al dente. Drain and add the meatballs to the pasta.

For the tomato sauce:

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. oil
handful fresh basil
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp. each salt & pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar

In a small pan, heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic on a gentle heat for a few minutes. Add the basil and stir in. Then add the tinned tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Use a stick blender to blend until smooth. Taste to check for seasoning.

For the béchamel:

40g butter
3 tbsp. flour
(about) 1 pint milk.

Melt the butter in a small pan. Add the flour and stir to combine. Add the milk a good splash at a time and keep stirring to keep the sauce smooth. I say (about) 1 pint milk as you may like it thinner or thicker than me. You can also add some grated cheese at this stage if you like.

To assemble:

Set the oven to 180 C. Spoon some of the tomato sauce into a 9-10 inch diameter dish. Add the pasta and meatballs. Then spoon over more tomato sauce and top with the béchamel sauce. Top with a few handfuls of grated cheddar cheese. Cook for about half an hour until the cheese is browned and bubbling. Serve with a green side salad.

Green Harissa Iskender Chicken & Lamb Kebabs

Iskender kebabs are a Turkish recipe and remains as one of my favourite meals I have ever eaten when out. Its quite simple really, just bread (pitta) in little pieces, flavoured yoghurt sauce, topped with kebab meat - I used chicken and lamb - topped with a tomato sauce.

I have vaguely kept to those rules but have made it slightly different by marinating the meat in a mix of yoghurt and green Harissa (which is more Tunisian) and topped with a slightly spicier version of the tomato sauce. Green Harissa is an incredibly versatile hot paste of green chillies, coriander, garlic & cumin - all my favourite flavours.

The only thing I actually omitted was their way of topping the lot with melted butter. As amazing at the sounds - I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It seems not just unhealthy, but a little 'gilding the lily' for my taste. Its perfect enough without the added butter.

Ingredients:

For the marinade:
1 large chicken breast, skinless
240g fillet lamb, fat removed
1 cup yoghurt
1 heaped tbsp. green Harissa paste
pinch pepper

Method:

Cut the chicken and lamb into chunks and place in a bowl. Add the yoghurt, Harissa and pepper and stir well to cover. Leave to marinade for 1 hour minimum, in the fridge.

For the yoghurt sauce, mix 1 cup yoghurt with 1 clove of garlic which has been pounded to a paste in a pestle and mortar (or similar), a tbsp. lemon juice and a little salt. Stir well.

For the tomato sauce, fry 1 clove garlic, chopped, in 1 tsp olive oil. Add 2 tsp paprika and stir in. Then add 1 cup water and 3 tbsp. tomato puree & 1-2 tsp. chilli flakes. Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for 15 minutes to thicken a little.

To assemble:

Skewer the chopped chicken and lamb and put under a HOT grill for about 10  minutes, turning a few times. If they blacken a bit - all the better, but don't overcook. Toast the pitta breads and cut into little pieces. Put the pitta bread pieces on a plate, top with some garlic yoghurt sauce, then the piping hot kebab meat, followed by some spicy tomato sauce.

Serve with some chillies and rice on the side. Lovely!

Swede & Carrot Soup with Crispy Chorizo

Having started back at my day job (engineering mostly), I have found my fridge getting more and more barren, as I have failed to do any food shopping! My mind also elsewhere, I hadn't planned food the way I sometimes do - but on Saturday afternoon we always love soup. I looked in the fridge to see what vegetables we had and we literally had 1/2 swede and some tired looking carrots. A further hunt brought me an onion - so this is what we had.

It was a thick, comforting bowl of steaming hot soup with the punchy flavour of chorizo melding perfectly with the mild yet distinct swede. Really, really delicious!

I have deliberately omitted salt along with the white pepper, as the vegetable stock cube I used contains salt and the chorizo I tend to find salty too - you can add some if you wish.

Ingredients:

1 onion, peeled & chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 swede, peeled & chopped
4 carrots, peeled & chopped
(approx.) 400ml vegetable stock (cube is fine)
3 tbsp. sour cream
white pepper

toppings:
40g chorizo
few stems chives
little sour cream

Method:

In a deep pan, fry the onion and garlic gently for 4 minutes, until soft. Add the swede and carrots and continue to cook, stirring, for a further five minutes. Add enough hot stock to just cover the vegetables, season with pepper and cook on a medium/low heat for 30 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and using a stick blender, blend the soup until smooth. Put back onto the heat and keep on low while you do the toppings.

Crumble the chorizo into a dry frying pan and fry until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.

Serve the soup in a wide bowl topped with the crispy chorizo, a teaspoon of sour cream and some snipped chives. Enjoy with some fresh bread.