Spaghetti with Pork & Butternut Squash Bolognese

Sometimes I love a good old 'spag bol'. Its not only the ultimate comfort food but also is a nice change during the Christmas period where you end up eating roast dinners for a week.

Last night I knew what I wanted and I was happy that the bolognese took about 10 minutes to put together. Then I left it to happily simmer while I relaxed and the flavours melded into a delicious light but meaty bolognese. Later on, The Bloke cooked the spaghetti and it was ready. Pretty easy, huh?

Ingredients:          (Serves 4)

500g pork mince
1 onion, peeled & chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
200g butternut squash, finely diced
1 small glass white wine
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp. tomato puree (paste)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
salt & pepper
400g spaghetti
parmesan to serve

Method:

Dry fry the pork mince in a saucepan (it usually has enough fat in it so doesn't need extra oil). When the meat is beginning to brown, add the onion, garlic and squash. Stir and cook on a medium high heat to cook the onions and mince. Then a small glass of white wine and cook on high until liquid mostly evaporated. Then add the tomatoes, herbs and seasoning. Stir, cover and put on a very low simmer for about 45-50 minutes. (It can be ready in 20 but it tastes better the longer it cooks).

Cook the spaghetti to pack instructions and serve with the bolognese. A good grating of parmesan is always nice too.

Note: Rather than spending excess on parmesan - give Grana Padano a try. Its less that half the price and tastes nearly exactly the same.

Pan Fried Gurnard with Peas & Beans

Red Gurnard is a lovely fish that for some reason, is a bit difficult to buy in London without visiting a fishmongers. It such a shame as so many people are unaware of how absolutely delicious it is. Its flavour, to me, is sweet and a little like lobster, with chunky flesh and no hint of the strong 'fishy' smell that you get from some fish. Do try and look out for it - its so good.

You can make this dish with other types of fish though - like hake or cod. Ideally one that breaks into large chunks and holds its own shape. This is a healthy, fresh meal that works for anytime of day.

Ingredients

2 whole gurnard, skinned & gutted
2tbsp. oil
300g baby potatoes
200g tinned broad beans (shelled)
150g frozen peas
150g green beans, cut into 1 cm pieces
1 tbsp. white wine
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. flour
handful croutons

Method.

In a bowl, mix the paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Put a third on a plate with the flour and the remaining in a bowl with the mayonnaise. Mix the mayonnaise with the spices and add enough milk to make loose enough for a sauce. Refrigerate until needed. Mix the flour with the spices on the plate and set aside.

Halve and boil the potatoes in their skins. Drain and set aside. In one pan, add 1 tbsp. oil and stir fry the beans and peas gently for 5 minutes. Add a drizzle of white wine and season. Keep warm while you cook the fish.

In a large frying pan, heat the other tbsp. oil. Dip the fish into the flour mixture and shake off the excess. Pan fry on both sides for about 2 minutes each side, or until cooked.

To serve, lightly crush the potatoes and drizzle with a little of the sauce. Top with the beans and croutons and then break the fish over the top. Drizzle with more sauce and serve.

Asturian Fabada (Spanish Bean Stew)

I had actually eaten this twice in Spain before I got to making it myself. Both times myself and The Bloke were in an non touristy, remote part of Spain and we has this presented to us when we were hungry and just wanted some GOOD food. And both times we were in heaven. I'm sure it is served in the tourist areas too but I haven't seen it. Its proper Spanish cuisine!

It took for my neighbour, who hails from Barcelona, to buy some for me and knock on my door with a little pack of ingredients. I have since seen the ingredients in the local Spar supermarket (photo at the bottom of this post) and I recommend if you are in a supermarket in Spain and see this - buy it and try the recipe - its lovely. And I recommend you pick up some of their dried Fabada beans - they are white beans but larger and creamier than you get in the UK and work perfectly in this dish.

Ingredients:

1 chorizo
1 morcilla (black pudding)
small piece tocino (bacon - pork belly part)
77g diced pancetta
400g fabada (white beans)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
few threads saffron (optional)
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
black pepper
salt (if needed)

Method:

Soak the bacon and fabada beans in separate bowls overnight. Drain. Put the beans in a large sauce pan with the pork belly piece, pancetta, onion, garlic and bay leaf. Add enough water to go about an inch over the top of the beans. Bring to the boil and let cook on a low heat (covered) for 1 hour and a half. Then add the whole chorizo, the whole black pudding, the saffron, paprika and black pepper. Bring back to the boil and then cook on low for a further 30 minutes. Check the beans are tender and if the sauce is too thin, reduce a little by boiling with the lid off for 5-10 minutes.

Finally, remove the sausage, black pudding and pork belly piece. Chop the sausage and pudding and put back into the stew. With the pork belly, cut off as much fat as is to your taste and roughly chop the rest. Add to the pan.

Check for seasoning (you may not need salt) and serve with crusty bread. Delicious and so very Spanish. Maybe have a glass of wine with it. I did.

 

Fabada ingredients!

Tikka Prawns with Mango Salsa

This is a nice change to the usual chicken tikka that is so well known and loved, particularly in the UK. As I made it after work, I was very tempted to use a ready made tikka paste, but considering I had all the ingredients, it seems silly not to give the spice mix a go myself. The only difference being it wasn't quite as red in colour as it would normally look, but I didn't want to add red food colouring (I know a lot do) because I decided this was the natural spice colour. It was delicious!

I was just leaving the store from buying the lettuce and noticed a mango. So I picked that up and bought it too. A mango salsa with red onion, coriander, lime and a tiny bit of fresh chill was all it needed. That and some chapati to stuff it all in!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. cumin powder
1 tbsp. garum masala powder
1 tsp. chilli powder
1 tsp. tikka masala powder
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. turmeric
juice of 1 lemon
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch ginger, chopped finely
180g natural yoghurt
250-300g king prawns

Method:

Mix the spices with the ginger, garlic and lemon juice. Add the yoghurt and stir in well. Pop in the fridge and marinade for 1-2 hours. Heat a little oil in a sauté pan. Shake the marinade off the prawn and pan fry for about 2-3 minutes. Serve on a hot sizzling dish (to make it sizzle more before serving, squeeze on a little more lemon juice!)

I served this with a Mango Salsa. For this you just mix in a bowl:

1 mango, chopped, 1/4 red onion, finely diced, 25g fresh coriander, chopped. 1 small green chilli, chopped finely, juice of 1 lime. Stir well and refrigerate until use.

Also add some shredded lettuce, chapatti and a little riata. Perfect.

Easy Cock-A-Leekie Soup

Well it has been quiet on here, hasn't it. I would apologise, but I have been away!! While London poured its cold rain on people trudging to work - I was in sunny Gran Canaria reading and relaxing. However, getting off the plane on Saturday night reminded me how cold London actually is right now - so Sunday lunchtime, I needed hot, comforting soup. Eaten with a comfy pair of socks on and a thick woollen jumper.

I was lucky that the leeks I had bought before the holiday had survived and I always have chicken breasts in the freezer. So Cock-A-Leekie it was. Its a Scottish soup that has been around since the 16th century and with few ingredients, is so simple to make and gorgeous.

Ingredient:

2 chicken breasts, sliced
2 leeks, sliced into rings
1.2 litres chicken stock (a stock cube is fine)
1/4 cup (65g) white rice
4 bay leaves
salt & pepper
parsley to serve

Method:

Put the stock, bay leaves and sliced chicken in a saucepan. Bring it to the boil and cook on a simmer for 30 minutes. You will need to use a tablespoon to lift off the impurities from the surface and discard. (Do as much as you can.. but if you try to remove it all, you'll lose too much soup).

Add the leeks and rice and bring back to the boil. Turn back down to a simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for a further 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped fresh parsley to serve.

I served this with (easy) poppy seed rolls. Just use a pack of ready to make ciabatta. Follow the instructions but add 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds before mixing. Make into rolls and bake as normal. Delicious!

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry with Cauliflower

I find it so hard to not want a curry every day. To me it just has so much flavour, whether it be North Indian, Asian, Ethiopian.. or any of the worlds amazing curries. Tonight I am home alone (The Bloke in the pub). I was meant to go out myself, but found myself looking forward to home, quiet and a curry. So I decided on a Sri Lankan style.

I really wish my cupboards contained some fresh coconut so I could have made 'pittu' which are towers of rice mixed with grated coconut. I'll have to save that for another day. Meantime, the curry. I have made the Sri Lankan curry powder and the recipe is below. Enjoy!

For the curry:

2 large chicken breasts, skin removed
2 tbsp. Sri Lankan curry powder (recipe below)
1 tsp. chilli powder
1-2 tbsp. oil
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. paprika
150ml water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 head cauliflower, in florets
150ml coconut milk

For the curry:

Cut the chicken into chunks and put into a bowl with the curry powder and chilli powder. Mix well and leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and add the sliced onion and green pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or so until softened. Add the garlic and ginger, stir through and cook for another minute. Then add the chicken along with the cayenne pepper and paprika. Let the chicken cook a little, adding the other tbsp. oil.

Add the water, salt and cauliflower. Stir well and pop a lid on the pan. Turn the heat to low and leave to cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes add the coconut milk and stir through. Leaving the lid off the pan, cook for 10 minutes to let the flavours develop. Taste to check for seasoning.

Serve with rice and/or chapati - I'm having brown basmati. Sri Lankan curry at its best!



For the Sri Lankan Curry Powder:

3 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 tbsp. cumin seeds
1 x 4cm stick cinnamon, crumbled
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
8 curry leaves
2 cloves
2 cardamom pod seeds (husk removed)


Heat the spices above in a dry frying pan until fragrant and the seeds beginning to 'pop'. Put into either a grinder, pestle and mortar or hand blender and grind to as much of a powder as you can. Store in a dry place.

The Best Warm Halibut Salad

It sounds a bit cheeky to call this 'The Best' but its my blog and I think it is! Layers of texture and flavour with crushed potatoes, crunchy lettuce, pancetta, croutons, perfectly pan fried halibut steak and a divine sauce to bring it together. It really is good!

I'm a big fan of warm salads in winter and this has got to be up there as a favourite. The salad works really well with chicken breast too - just make sure you make the skin crispy and slice it on top of the salad with the dressing. Its quite simple - but very good.

Ingredients:

2 halibut fillets, skin removed
500g baby potatoes
2 little gem heart lettuces
handful croutons
1/4 red onion, sliced
77g pancetta cubes
1 small leek
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. vinaigrette
50g mayonnaise
25g parmesan, finely grated
4 (approx.) tbsp. milk

Make the dressing: mix the parmesan into the mayonnaise and add the milk. Stir well and put into a pouring bottle. You want the sauce to be pourable but not runny.

Halve the potatoes, keeping the skin on. Boil in water until tender and crush with a fork. Add 2 tbsp. vinaigrette and keep warm.

Fry the leek and pancetta in the oil until soft. Pan fry the halibut in the same pan for about 3-4 minutes each side.

To plate up, serve the crushed potatoes on the bottom of the dish. Top with the lettuce and then add the leeks, pancetta, onion and croutons. Dress with the last tbsp. of vinaigrette and some of the mayo sauce. Top with the halibut and dress with more sauce. Serve and enjoy!! 

Pan Fried Red Mullet with Potatoes & Aioli

Red mullet if not a fish I tend to see often in supermarkets in London; you have to head to a fishmongers usually. Which is a shame as its a beautiful fish. Much loved in the Mediterranean, I decided to make this as a sort of tapas dish - simply pan fried, served on some garlic and lemon potato with a lovely garlic aioli. Serve either as part of a mixed platter of tapas, or just have for lunch with some salad, bread and a glass of crisp white wine. Delicious!

Ingredients:

Red mullet fillets, scaled and boned
2 tbsp. flour
salt & pepper

Dip the fish into the flour and shake off the excess. Heat the oil to hot in a large frying pan and pan fry the fish. Skin side down first for 2 minutes, then the other side until crisp. Keep warm.

For the potatoes:

1 large potato, peeled and sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 tbsp. olive oil

Set the oven to 190 C. In a bowl, gently mix together the potatoes with the garlic, lemon and oil. Season and put onto a baking sheet. cook for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice to toss in the oil, until cooked. Serve on a plate with the fish on top.


For the garlic aioli:

4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 egg yolks
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup (240ml) extra virgin olive oil

Crush the garlic on a board with the salt until a paste. Put into a bowl with the egg yolks and using a hand blender on a low speed, slowly add the oil in a steam until incorporated. Do the same with the lemon juice until you have a creamy mix.

 

Sausage & Halloumi Couscous with Fresh Rocket Pesto

I nearly didn't cook tonight. After a long day at work I was tempted to not bother, but as much as I thought I wasn't in the mood to hit the kitchen with gusto... once I had got there, as always, I felt inspired. My lovely range cooker just literally calls out to me..

So, I have pork sausages, I have some rocket and I have halloumi cheese. This is where my head went. These sorts of dishes with fresh pesto and the like sound a bit too much work. But if you happen to own a hand blender, it takes less that 3 minutes to make. I loved it!

Ingredients:

6 (400g) thick pork sausages
250g halloumi cheese, cubed

Cube the halloumi and fry in a little oil until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm. Gently push the centre of each sausage until you can twist the middle (making half size sausages). Pop in the oven at 180 C for about 35 minutes until browned and cooked through.

Pesto:

55g fresh rocket
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp. pine nuts
4 tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper

Put the first three ingredients into a hand blender and blitz. Add the seasoning and olive oil and blitz again to make a pesto. Put into a bowl in the fridge until ready to serve.

Couscous:

1 cup  (150g) couscous
1 vegetable stock cube
1 1/2 cups (365ml) boiling water
1 small courgette, finely diced
1/4 red pepper, finely diced

Put the couscous and crumbled stock cube into a boil and pour over 1 1/2 cups (365ml) boiling water. Cover with cling film to steam for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the vegetables.

To serve:

Stir 20g fresh rocket into the couscous and put in the centre of the plate. Add some sausages, halloumi, pesto and a little plain low fat yoghurt. Scatter over some pine nuts and serve.

South Asian Chicken Dopiaza Curry

Dopiaza is a Persian word meaning 'two onions'. This is a curry that changes so much from recipe to recipe but the onions are basically predominant. This is the version I made last night when I was craving a little spice. This is a dry (ish) medium hot curry, but it really depends on where you buy your chillies - I buy mine from an Indian shop local to me and used two. They are surprisingly fiery!

Quick to make - and delicious served with rice or just chapati. I served with two chapati per person and the meal was rather low in fat! Winner!

Ingredients:    (Serves 2)

2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 large onions, peeled
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 fresh green chillies, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 inch ginger, peeled
1/2 tbsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. turmeric powder
6 tbsp. low fat yoghurt
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. garum Masala
handful fresh coriander, chopped

Method:

Slice one of the onions and in a large pan, fry in 1 tbsp. of oil until soft and browning. Set to one side, on a plate, for later.

Chop the other onion and put into a small blender with one of the chilles, the garlic and ginger. Blitz to a paste. Using the same pan, add the other tbsp. of oil and the onion paste. Cook for about 5 minutes on a high heat to get some colour (mind out as it will splutter). Grind the coriander and cumin seeds in a grinder or a pestle and mortar. Add to the onion paste in the pan with the turmeric and salt. Stir well.

Now add the yoghurt, a tbsp. at a time, mixing in well each time to make a sauce. Add the chicken & tomatoes and put a lid on the pan. Cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes. Then sprinkle on the garum masala and the fresh coriander. Top with the second chilli and serve. Delicious!

Slow Cooker Lamb Pie with Pink Port & Peppercorns

Now I don't know about anyone else, but if I ever get served a lamb shank my first thought is 'fabulous, I love lamb shank'. However the thought that comes immediately afterwards is 'oh the SIZE of it!!' In my opinion, they're just too big to serve on a plate for one person. Almost intimidating.

I was determined to try this method. Slow cooked lamb shank in my trusty slow cooker with some pink port, pulled into nice size mouthfuls and popped into filo pastry to make a delicious pie. You can, of course, use shortcrust pastry if you prefer, but I think this works best. And the great thing is that it serves four meals - not two!

Ingredients:

2 lamb shanks
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
2 shot glasses of pink port
6 shot glasses of water
1 tsp. peppercorns, crushed (use pink ones if you have them!)
big pinch salt

bisto gravy granules
six sheets filo pastry sheets
25g butter, melted

Method:

Put the first 8 ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on high for about 6-7 hours. The meat will be falling off the bone. Put the meat onto a plate to cool and strain the juice from the veg, reserving both.

Make the stock into gravy using gravy granules (or thicken with cornflour) until its nice and thick. Put the vegetables into a bowl and pull the lamb apart with your fingers, keeping the chunks a good size, adding it to the veg. Pour enough gravy in to moisten well and stir to combine.

Layer the pie dish with the pastry (brushing melted better in between the layers) leaving the sides hanging over to make the top (see pic below) and then add the filling.

Gently place the overhanging pastry and brush with the last of the butter (see below)

Pop in the oven at 190 C for about 30 minutes, or until golden. Serve with lots of green vegetables like peas and broccoli.

Absolutely delicious with a crisp pastry and soft lamb filling. You'll love it!

Plaice stuffed with Pancetta and Spinach

Here's a nice easy recipe for you. The Bloke wanted fish and chips after coming home from the pub on Friday night and I wanted healthy so I decided a on plaice.. stuffed, rolled and baked (not fried!). A very simple recipe that takes the fish to an almost Mediterranean feel - with a healthy and delicious punch of flavour.

Ingredients:     (Serves 2)

2 plaice fillets
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, peeled & chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 slices pancetta
150g fresh spinach
parsley for garnish


Method:

Fry the onion and garlic in the oil gently for 5 minutes until soft. Add the pancetta slices, ripped into pieces. Fry for another 5 mins until pancetta crisp.

Put the spinach in a colander and pour over a kettle over boiling water to wilt. Drain well (I cooled the spinach and put in a clean tea towel and squeezed out the water). Add to the pan with the spinach and onion. Put the mix into a bowl and crumble over a slice of bread. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Put the plaice fillets flesh side up on a board and put half of the filling in the middle of each fillet. Roll up the fish and place seam side down in a ceramic dish. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes until cooked.

Sprinkle with a little dried or fresh parsley and serve with chips and peas. Enjoy!

Celeriac, Salsify and Roast Onion Soup

Yes, it does sound a bit odd but I was doing my usual peering in the fridge at what needed to be eaten and I had a stick of salsify and a half a celeriac. I knew it needed something to give it a sweet twist so I roasted two onions. Ahh the smell was amazing. And the soup was so moreish.. really worth a try.

I love soup. During these cold months its just so easy to make and not only does it use up vegetables you need to eat before they go bad...its easy. And good for you. And comforting. Give it a go..

Ingredients:

2 large onions, peeled & left whole
1 tsp. olive oil
120g salsify, peeled & chopped
1/2 head celeriac, peeled & chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
1 litre vegetable stock
salt & pepper


Method:

Put the two onions in a small ceramic dish. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper and roast for 1 hour at 200 C.  Leave to cool and remove the tough blackened outer skin (You can leave a few browned bits in) and chop roughly.

Put the vegetables(salsify, celeriac & garlic)  in a large saucepan and boil for about 30 minutes until soft. Add the roasted onion and blitz with a hand blender. Season with salt & pepper and serve hot with crusty bread. Its that easy!

Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagne (V)

This is one for cousin Joe. He is a vegetarian and I know its been a little while since I have given the vegetarian readers a treat! This dish is a delight and meat eaters will not give a hoot that its vegetarian. Its that good.

Layers of mashed caramelised roasted butternut squash dotted with garlic and toasted pine nuts, fresh pasta and soft steamed spinach with a gruyere cheese sauce. What's not to like?! Its winter - treat yourself.

Ingredients:

700g butternut squash, peeled & chopped (1 large squash)
300g fresh spinach leaves
40g pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp. olive oil
10 sheets lasagne (I used fresh, but dried is fine)
75g gruyere cheese (for topping)

For the sauce:

50g butter
50g flour
600ml milk
75g gruyere cheese


Method:

Set the oven to 200 C and pop the chopped squash on a baking tray. Drizzle with oil, season with salt & pepper and cook for about 40 minutes, until soft and beginning to slightly char at the edges. Put into a bowl and mash with a fork. If you get lots of brown bits that's okay - its caramelised.

Put the spinach in a colander in the sink and pour over a full kettle of boiling water to wilt. Leave to cool and put in the middle of a clean tea towel. Squeeze out the water.

To make the sauce, simply melt the butter in a sauce pan and tip in the flour. Stir and let cook for 1 minute to get the 'floury' taste out. Then add the milk in about 4 portions, stirring well to incorporate in between each adding. Stir well until creamy and add the 75g gruyere cheese. Stir in.

Put the oil in a little pan and add the garlic slices. Fry for 2 minutes and add the pine nuts. Cook stirring for another minute or two and drain on kitchen paper. Now you can assemble!

Put some cheese sauce in the base of a 9 inch lasagne dish. Put in a layer of lasagne and then layer 1/2 the ingredients - plus sauce and then some more lasagne. Then the rest of the ingredients and ending with a third layer of lasagne. Top with the remaining cheese sauce (you might want to heat it with some milk to make it pourable at this stage) and then the grated gruyere.

Bake in a 180 C oven (uncovered) for 40 minutes and its ready.

Bbq Chicken Pizza

I've not been the biggest fan of pizza over the years and to be honest the main reason is I just see it as glorified cheese on toast. And often overcharged in a restaurant for what it is. But after touring around Italy, I did appreciate them and have been making them in varying formats. I also don't often see enough variations on the bbq pizza, which is my preference. The tomato ones can get a bit boring. So I think I might have a play. I wonder what chicken tikka pizza would be like?

These days you can buy pizza dough, so I rarely bother to make it. You buy a pack of two balls of dough that you simply roll out yourself and top with anything. Here I have made a bbq chicken one. Absolutely delicious! If you like heat, add a sliced chill on top!

Ingredients:       (Makes 2 pizzas)

1 pack pizza dough (2 x 220g)
1 chicken breast
1 red onion, sliced in rings
1 red pepper
100g tinned sweetcorn
1 cup bbq sauce (your favourite)
garlic salt (optional)
75g cheddar or gruyere cheese


Method:

Set the oven to 200 C and put the chicken breast in a small dish. Cover with kitchen foil and cook for 20-25 minutes (depending on the size). When it has cooked, chop and put in a bowl with about 2 tbsp. of the bbq sauce.

Flour a board and rolling pin and roll out your dough balls to about 12 inches. Place each one on a baking sheet. Generously spread the bbq sauce on the dough and top with sliced onion, pepper, the chicken and sweetcorn. Season with a little black pepper and garlic salt. Then sprinkle over the cheese. Turn the oven up to 230 C and put the pizzas into the oven. Cook for 10 minutes and the swap them over so that they both get a turn on the top shelf and cook evenly.

Take out of the oven, slice and enjoy!!

Mauritian Banana Tart with Hazelnut Topping

This is for those moments when you notice you have 3 or four bananas in the fruit bowl going way past their best. Bananas are one of those fruits that I just cannot eat when over ripe, but when you cook with them they taste fantastic as the flavour deepens as they ripen.

These gorgeous little Mauritian Banana Tarts were topped with a little hazelnut crumb on top for texture and added flavour. Quick, easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

3 over ripe bananas
2 tbsp. brown sugar
pack of shortcrust pastry
1 egg
12 hazelnuts
1 tsp. brown sugar
little butter for greasing

Method:

Mash the bananas and the 2 tbsp. brown sugar in a small sauce pan. Pop on the heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until thickened. Leave to cool.

Use the butter to grease 2 x 12cm fluted, loose bottom tart tins. Cut 2 circles in the pastry a little larger than the tins and press the pastry in. Use a rolling pin rolled over the top to cut off the excess. Fill the pastry with the cooled banana mix and use the rest of the pastry to make a lattice top.

Use a small food processor to chopped the hazelnuts (or chop by hand) and mix with the 1 tsp. brown sugar. Sprinkle over the tarts and put on a baking sheet. Put in a 190 C oven for 15 minutes until golden on top.

Serve with ice cream - either hot or warm. Delicious! 

Horseradish & Garlic Barnsley Lamb with Salsify

These have to be one of my favourite chops. I actually personally don't like pork chops at all and some lamb chops you get are tiny! Barnsley lamb chops (also called saddle chops) are a decent size and you can really play with the flavours.

I have decided that horseradish is too good for just beef, so I have marinated the lamb in garlic and horseradish to really play with those funky flavours. I have included salsify, which I have to admit is the first time I have ever bought, cooked or eaten it. Its an odd vegetable that was popular back in Victorian times, but you can find it occasionally - so I thought I'd cook it too. Wanting to know what it tasted like exactly, I decided to simply pan fry it with a little butter, so I know its exact taste, before mixing it with anything else.

Served with simple vegetables and a very easy balsamic and honey sauce.. it looks delectable and tastes divine.

Ingredients:

2 Barnsley lamb chops, trimmed of excess fat
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. horseradish (from a jar)
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper

Simply mix all of the marinade ingredients together and press all over the lamb chops. Refrigerate for an hour to let the flavours develop.

Set the oven to 200 C. Put the lamb on a baking tray and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with foil to let rest for 5 minutes.

For the sauce:

Use a hand blender (or small food processor) to blend 1/4 cup balsamic, 1 tbsp. runny honey and 2 cloves garlic. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil and 3 tsp. horseradish (from a jar). Season with salt & pepper and blend again until smooth. To heat, pop in the microwave for 1 minute (or in a small pan).

For the salsify:

Prepare a small bowl of water and lemon juice. Peel one or two sticks of salsify and cut into one inch pieces and put into the lemon water (it discolours quickly if you don't). To cook, heat 1 tbsp. oil in a small pan and fry the salsify for a good 8  minutes, until browned all over. Add a knob of butter and melt, while tossing in the pan. Now its ready to serve.

For the veg:

Choose some new potatoes and asparagus and steam until cooked.

To plate up: Place the lamb on the plate with the vegetables. Spoon the sauce around the food so it can be 'dipped in' rather than covering the food. Serve and enjoy!


Note: The chop looks a little less pretty than it could, because I trimmed the fat off - you may want to leave it on to crisp up. Tastes amazing - but not so good for your health!!

Spicy Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

Without intention, it really is starting to be 'Soup Saturdays'. I love soup, but never really like the canned variety so am building up a huge collection of soup recipes, just by picking one main ingredient and working around from there.

This Saturdays ingredient was a chicken carcass from a herby roast chicken I had made some days before. Having made many simple chicken soups, I wanted to try something else. The carcass was set into boiling water on the Saturday morning to make the stock as I peered into the fridge to see what to add. A lone soaked chipotle chilli leftover from another dish told me it had to be spicy Mexican chicken soup. With a quesadilla on the side. And it was delicious.

Ingredients:

1  large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 dried chipotle chilli, soaked
1 tbsp. chopped pickled jalapenos
3 tbsp. tomato paste (puree)
1/5 litres chicken stock
leftover chicken, picked from the bones
1 x 198g tin sweetcorn
2 corn tortillas
1 tbsp. oil
a little fresh coriander

Method:

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions and carrots. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the spices and cook for 1 minute on a low heat and then add the chillies and tomato paste. Stir in well. Turn up the heat and add the chicken stock; bring to the boil. Put the lid half on and cook on a medium boil for about 20 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, cut the two tortillas in half and then cut into 1cm strips. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the strips of tortilla. Fry on a high heat until brown and set to one site.

Take the soup pan off the heat and with a hand blender, blitz the soup until smooth. Put back on a low heat and add the chicken and sweetcorn. Cook gently for a further 8 minutes for the flavours to develop. Taste for seasoning.

To serve: add most of the tortilla strips into bowls and pour over the soup. Garnish with the last of the tortilla and some coriander. Enjoy!

For the quesadillas:

Chop spring onions (scallions) with fresh coriander. Grate cheese. Put a little oil in a frying pan and put in a corn tortilla. Top with the onions, coriander and cheese and place another tortilla on top. Cook while pressing the top one down so the cheese melts and 'glues' them together. Flip the while thing over gently with a large spatula or fish slice and cook the other side. Slice and eat!