Having bought some leeks only to forget to use them in a recipe, I came up with this little meal. You could serve it with Golden rice for a main meal, or with a salad as a light lunch.
Leek and Blue Cheese Mushrooms
Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 Large Portabello Mushrooms
1 Large Leek
250g of Blue cheese (preferably a red cheese with blue veins such as Shropshire Blue)
100g of small mushrooms
A knob of butter
Preheat the oven to 190oC
Finely dice the leek and begin to sweat in a saucepan of melted butter.
Remove the stalks from the large mushrooms.
Finely dice the mushrooms and stalks and add to the leek.
Crumble the cheese and add into the mushroom and leek mix. Stir continuously until all the cheese has melted.
Brush the large mushrooms with a very small amount of oil.
Spoon the cheesy mixture into the large mushrooms and place them into the oven for 10 minutes.
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Kidney Bean Burgers
This recipe has become quite a favourite in our household. I came up with this recipe when I bought a metal burger press which, I must admit, has been used to make more veggie burgers than meat burgers!
Kidney Bean Burgers
(Makes 4 Mid-sized Burgers)
Ingredients:
Large tin of kidney beans.
8 slices of bread, crumbed (flour tortillas work very well here too).
1 red pepper.
1 large onion.
1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Juice of 1 Lime
Plain Flour, to achieve correct dryness.
1. Drain the kidney beans, peel the onion and core the pepper.
2. Process all of the ingredients together and pour out into a bowl.
3. Add flour to the mixture to absorb some of the moisture- the mix needs to be firm, but not totally dry.
4. Divide the mixture into four balls and flatten into burgers (or use a press if you have one).
5. Fry the burgers (the oil in the burgers should be enough).
Helpful hints:
I find that these can be prepared in advance, by par frying the burgers and then heating them in the oven when needed.
Variations:
We only had a tin of kidney beans in chilli sauce the other week, and this added some interest to the flavour.
Add other vegetables from the fridge that need using up.
Kidney Bean Burgers
(Makes 4 Mid-sized Burgers)
Ingredients:
Large tin of kidney beans.
8 slices of bread, crumbed (flour tortillas work very well here too).
1 red pepper.
1 large onion.
1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Juice of 1 Lime
Plain Flour, to achieve correct dryness.
1. Drain the kidney beans, peel the onion and core the pepper.
2. Process all of the ingredients together and pour out into a bowl.
3. Add flour to the mixture to absorb some of the moisture- the mix needs to be firm, but not totally dry.
4. Divide the mixture into four balls and flatten into burgers (or use a press if you have one).
5. Fry the burgers (the oil in the burgers should be enough).
Helpful hints:
I find that these can be prepared in advance, by par frying the burgers and then heating them in the oven when needed.
Variations:
We only had a tin of kidney beans in chilli sauce the other week, and this added some interest to the flavour.
Add other vegetables from the fridge that need using up.
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Haloumi with a Pesto Crust
This is a great little dish that can be served as starter type bites, a light lunch with salad or as a main dinner dish, served alongside a ratatouille. The pesto really gives the haloumi quite an edge.
Tofu with a pesto crust
Serves 2
Preparation time: 10mins
Cooking time: 5mins
Ingredients:
350g Haloumi
Breadcrumbs from 2 bagels
Zest of 1 Lemon
4 tbsp of Pesto
A Glug of Olive Oil
Method:
1. Chop the haloumi into cubes.
2. Mix the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and pesto together in a bowl.
3. Roll the haloumi cubes in the pesto mix.
4. Gently fry the cubes in oil.
Notes:
For a healthier version, try swapping the haloumi for firm tofu.
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Lasagne
I've always been a fan of lasagne since leaving home as it's a very easy and homely dish that's perfect on a cold day to warm you up. It also keeps well in the fridge for a few days and is rather pleasant served cold with a bit of salad. The first lasagne I cooked was based on a Delia Smith recipe, but I've made so many lasagne dishes now that I can't remember what was suggested as a filling- quite frankly, my fillings change each time I make this dish depending on what I have sitting around in the fridge.
Lasagne
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15mins
Cooking time: 35mins
Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 Red onion
1 Small head of broccoli
1/2 Large courgette
1 Red pepper
A handful of baby button mushrooms
230g Meat-free mince
400g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
A glug of oil
3 tbsp Worcester sauce
For the white sauce:
1 pint (500ml) of Milk
400g Strong Cheddar Cheese or Matured Feta (see below)
2 tbsp of Plain Flour
A large knob of Butter
Pack of "Ready to Cook" Lasagne sheets
Method:
1. Switch the oven on 180oC
2. Dice the onion and begin to gently fry in a high-sided frying pan.
3. Add the mince and continue frying.
4. Slice the courgette, pepper and broccoli and add to the frying pan, along with the mushrooms.
5. Pour in the tomatoes and add the Worcester sauce. Bring to the boil, then simmer with the lid on for 10mins.
6. While the filling is cooking, grate the cheese.
7. melt the butter in a sauce pan and stir in the flour until you have a paste.
8. Pour the milk into the pan and heat gently, stirring until the paste begins to mix properly.
9. Add the grated cheese, a handful at a time, stirring continuously. The sauce should thicken a little.
10. In a large baking dish, layer the lasagne: Filling, Lasagne Sheets, Sauce, Filling, Lasagne Sheets, Sauce etc.
11. Place the baking dish in the oven for 35mins or until the top layer is beginning to brown.
Notes:
For a non-veggie option, just replace the meat free mince with real mince. Turkey mince is a very lean and good tasting alternative too.
I've also made lasagne using barbecue sauce when I was out of tomatoes which was surprisingly tasty, if a little sweeter in taste, and is well worth a go- just replace the tinned tomatoes with one of those cans of barbecue flavour casserole sauces.
Spicy Cauliflower Cheese Soup
My parents-in-law regularly visit a wonderful farm shop called Gwillams, on the outskirts of nearby Worcester. Recently they purchased the largest head of cauliflower for next to nothing. It was so large, they
divided it between us, themselves and my sister-in-law. After a week of sitting in our fridge, the cauliflower was starting to look a little past its best, so I got looking for an interesting cauliflower recipe.
Cauliflower isn't the first vegetable that comes to my mind when making a soup but it works a treat! This recipe originally comes from a cookbook, but I have altered it somewhat and also added in the red chilli to give this soup a bit of a kick.
Spicy Cauliflower Cheese soup
Serves 4
Preparation time: 5mins
Cooking time: 25mins
Ingredients:
Large head of cauliflower
1 Baking potato
1 Large white onion
3 tbsp Creme fraiche
1 1/2 pints (750ml) vegetable stock
A Glug of oil
1 Small (Medium heat) Red chilli
200g Strong Cheddar cheese
Method:
1. Dice the onion and fry gently in a saucepan.
2. Break up the cauliflower head into florets and chop the potato finely.
3. Add these to the saucepan along with the stock.
4. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20mins.
5. Put the mixture in a food processor and liquidise, adding the creme fraiche and red chilli.
6. Grate the cheese and spread place in the soup bowls before serving the soups.
divided it between us, themselves and my sister-in-law. After a week of sitting in our fridge, the cauliflower was starting to look a little past its best, so I got looking for an interesting cauliflower recipe.
Cauliflower isn't the first vegetable that comes to my mind when making a soup but it works a treat! This recipe originally comes from a cookbook, but I have altered it somewhat and also added in the red chilli to give this soup a bit of a kick.
Spicy Cauliflower Cheese soup
Serves 4
Preparation time: 5mins
Cooking time: 25mins
Ingredients:
Large head of cauliflower
1 Baking potato
1 Large white onion
3 tbsp Creme fraiche
1 1/2 pints (750ml) vegetable stock
A Glug of oil
1 Small (Medium heat) Red chilli
200g Strong Cheddar cheese
Method:
1. Dice the onion and fry gently in a saucepan.
2. Break up the cauliflower head into florets and chop the potato finely.
3. Add these to the saucepan along with the stock.
4. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20mins.
5. Put the mixture in a food processor and liquidise, adding the creme fraiche and red chilli.
6. Grate the cheese and spread place in the soup bowls before serving the soups.
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Vegetarian Fish and Chips
The Warwick branch of the Grant clan has been known to frequent a pub called the Red Lion near to the family home (check out their website: http://redlionhunningham.co.uk/). It's built on the banks of a river, next to a 15th century stone bridge. The decor is rather unusual as the walls are covered in framed comic books.
Once, when perusing the menu, I discovered a dish called "Vegetarian Fish and Chips." Naturally, I was rather intrigued by this concept and opted for this meal. The "vegetarian fish" proved to be chunks of haloumi cheese. If you've never had haloumi, I would recommend you try it. It's not the most pleasant cheese when eaten cold, as it has a squeaky rubber like texture. When cooked, however, it doesn't melt, but rather becomes soft like a lump of fresh mozzarella. It's great cut into slices and grilled on the barbeque with sliced nectarines, or on kebabs sticks.
I've tried to recreate the dish as best as I could, although I've lightened the batter by adding sparkling water, rather than still water.
This is a good recipe to practice your micro-management of the kitchen area (this is especially important in my kitchen due to the lack of space!!).
Vegetarian Fish & Chips
Serves 2-3
Preparation time: 15mins
Cooking time: 30mins
Ingredients:
For the Fish:
2 oz (55 g) self-raising flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 fl oz (75 ml) sparkling water
225g Haloumi, chopped into large chunks or wedges
For the Mushy Peas:
A small knob of butter
4 handfuls of fresh podded peas (although frozen will do)
A handful of fresh mint leaves.
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp of creme fraiche
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Chips:
500g Baking potatoes
Method:
I've listed the methods separately, but if you are cooking them together, I'd consider a spot of simultaneous cooking, making the batter as you par-boil the potatoes etc.
Fish method:
1. Sift the self raising flour into a mixing bowl along with the salt.
2. Gradually add the water, whisking until the batter is smooth and not lumpy.
3. Put enough oil to nearly cover your haloumi lumps in a frying pan, or use a deep fryer.
4. Heat up the oil- A suitable temperature should quickly brown a lump of bread.
5. Dip the haloumi into the batter and plunge into the hot oil, cooking until crispy.
6. Place on a piece of dry paper towel to soak off any excess oil.
7. Place on a baking tray in a preheated oven (190oC) to keep warm while you cook the other pieces.
Mushy Pea method:
1. Finely chop the mint leaves.
2. Boil the peas quickly.
3. Drain the peas and place them in a bowl.
4. Add the lemon juice, butter, creme fraiche and chopped mint.
5. Mash them by hand until the mixture is thick and still a bit lumpy. (You could always puree them in a food processor if the texture is not to your liking).
6. Keep the mixture warm while you cook the chips.
Chip method:
1. Cut the baking potatoes into chunky chips.
2. Parboil your chips in boiling water for about 4 or 5 minutes. Don't cook them too much- you want them to keep their shape.
3. Drain them in a colander and to dry off.
4. Fry the chips in the oil that you used to cook the haloumi.
5. Like the haloumi, dry the chips on some kitchen towel before serving.
Notes:
It's super crucial to make sure that the chips have dried very well after par boiling or they won't crisp properly in the oil.
To make an even heavier batter with a more unique flavour, I would suggest you use a brown ale instead of water (although a stronger flavoured lager will do).
The batter is also great for making tempura vegetables. (I'll do a recipe for this at some point).
Once, when perusing the menu, I discovered a dish called "Vegetarian Fish and Chips." Naturally, I was rather intrigued by this concept and opted for this meal. The "vegetarian fish" proved to be chunks of haloumi cheese. If you've never had haloumi, I would recommend you try it. It's not the most pleasant cheese when eaten cold, as it has a squeaky rubber like texture. When cooked, however, it doesn't melt, but rather becomes soft like a lump of fresh mozzarella. It's great cut into slices and grilled on the barbeque with sliced nectarines, or on kebabs sticks.
I've tried to recreate the dish as best as I could, although I've lightened the batter by adding sparkling water, rather than still water.
This is a good recipe to practice your micro-management of the kitchen area (this is especially important in my kitchen due to the lack of space!!).
Vegetarian Fish & Chips
Serves 2-3
Preparation time: 15mins
Cooking time: 30mins
Ingredients:
For the Fish:
2 oz (55 g) self-raising flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 fl oz (75 ml) sparkling water
225g Haloumi, chopped into large chunks or wedges
For the Mushy Peas:
A small knob of butter
4 handfuls of fresh podded peas (although frozen will do)
A handful of fresh mint leaves.
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp of creme fraiche
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Chips:
500g Baking potatoes
Method:
I've listed the methods separately, but if you are cooking them together, I'd consider a spot of simultaneous cooking, making the batter as you par-boil the potatoes etc.
Fish method:
1. Sift the self raising flour into a mixing bowl along with the salt.
2. Gradually add the water, whisking until the batter is smooth and not lumpy.
3. Put enough oil to nearly cover your haloumi lumps in a frying pan, or use a deep fryer.
4. Heat up the oil- A suitable temperature should quickly brown a lump of bread.
5. Dip the haloumi into the batter and plunge into the hot oil, cooking until crispy.
6. Place on a piece of dry paper towel to soak off any excess oil.
7. Place on a baking tray in a preheated oven (190oC) to keep warm while you cook the other pieces.
Mushy Pea method:
1. Finely chop the mint leaves.
2. Boil the peas quickly.
3. Drain the peas and place them in a bowl.
4. Add the lemon juice, butter, creme fraiche and chopped mint.
5. Mash them by hand until the mixture is thick and still a bit lumpy. (You could always puree them in a food processor if the texture is not to your liking).
6. Keep the mixture warm while you cook the chips.
Chip method:
1. Cut the baking potatoes into chunky chips.
2. Parboil your chips in boiling water for about 4 or 5 minutes. Don't cook them too much- you want them to keep their shape.
3. Drain them in a colander and to dry off.
4. Fry the chips in the oil that you used to cook the haloumi.
5. Like the haloumi, dry the chips on some kitchen towel before serving.
Notes:
It's super crucial to make sure that the chips have dried very well after par boiling or they won't crisp properly in the oil.
To make an even heavier batter with a more unique flavour, I would suggest you use a brown ale instead of water (although a stronger flavoured lager will do).
The batter is also great for making tempura vegetables. (I'll do a recipe for this at some point).
Enchiladas
This is a great recipe for entertaining as it requires very little preparation for such a large dish and needs no supervision while cooking, allowing you to mingle.
I came up with the recipe especially for a holiday with my now parents-in-law up in the Outer Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland. Lizzie's dad, John, is a keen chef and I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to come up with anything worthy of serving to him. Rather than try to think of something radically new, I went with a tried and tested fajita filling and a new sauce idea. Although quite cheesy, the flavours aren't swamped by all the dairy.
I was cooking for six and have left the original recipe intact, but you could easily reduce the numbers down.
Vegetarian Enchilladas
Serves 6
Preparation time: 10-15mins
Cooking time: 40mins
Ingredients:
500g Quorn Chicken Pieces
1/4 Large Savoy Cabbage
1 Large Courgette
2 Yellow Peppers
2 Red Onions
8 Large Flour Tortillas
4tbsp of Fajita Spices Powder
A glug of Oil
1000g Sieved Tomato Passata
600g Strong Cheddar Cheese
Method:
1. Get the oven on at 180oC
2. Dice the onion and set it slowly cooking in the oil in a frying pan.
3. Add the quorn to the pan and let it cook for 5 mins.
4. Put 900g of the passata in a large pan and begin to heat.
5. Roughly chop up the courgettes and slice the peppers and cabbage, placing them with the onions.
5. Add the rest of the passata and 2 tbsp of the fajita spice powder to the vegetables.
6. Leave the mixture to simmer for 3mins.
7. Grate the cheese.
8. Take the frying pan off and put a lid on.
9. Slowly add the cheese to the simmering passata and stir continuously.
10. Once all the cheese has melted into the passata, add the remaining spices, then turn off the heat.
11. Fill the tortillas with the vegetable mixture and roll them, leaving the ends open.
12. Place the filled tortillas in a large baking dish and cover with the tomato sauce.
13. Place the baking dish in the oven and cook for 35mins.
I came up with the recipe especially for a holiday with my now parents-in-law up in the Outer Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland. Lizzie's dad, John, is a keen chef and I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to come up with anything worthy of serving to him. Rather than try to think of something radically new, I went with a tried and tested fajita filling and a new sauce idea. Although quite cheesy, the flavours aren't swamped by all the dairy.
I was cooking for six and have left the original recipe intact, but you could easily reduce the numbers down.
Vegetarian Enchilladas
Serves 6
Preparation time: 10-15mins
Cooking time: 40mins
Ingredients:
500g Quorn Chicken Pieces
1/4 Large Savoy Cabbage
1 Large Courgette
2 Yellow Peppers
2 Red Onions
8 Large Flour Tortillas
4tbsp of Fajita Spices Powder
A glug of Oil
1000g Sieved Tomato Passata
600g Strong Cheddar Cheese
Method:
1. Get the oven on at 180oC
2. Dice the onion and set it slowly cooking in the oil in a frying pan.
3. Add the quorn to the pan and let it cook for 5 mins.
4. Put 900g of the passata in a large pan and begin to heat.
5. Roughly chop up the courgettes and slice the peppers and cabbage, placing them with the onions.
5. Add the rest of the passata and 2 tbsp of the fajita spice powder to the vegetables.
6. Leave the mixture to simmer for 3mins.
7. Grate the cheese.
8. Take the frying pan off and put a lid on.
9. Slowly add the cheese to the simmering passata and stir continuously.
10. Once all the cheese has melted into the passata, add the remaining spices, then turn off the heat.
11. Fill the tortillas with the vegetable mixture and roll them, leaving the ends open.
12. Place the filled tortillas in a large baking dish and cover with the tomato sauce.
13. Place the baking dish in the oven and cook for 35mins.
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Breakfast Quesadilla
Breakfast Quesadilla
When my wife works on a Sunday, she doesn't have to be at the shop as early as usual so we normally have a cooked breakfast together. This is usually along the lines of potato waffles and scrambled egg.
A dilemma greeted me today, however, when I discovered we only had two waffles left- What to do?
I had a think about what I could make in the waffles' absence and couldn't bring myself to go for the obvious cheese omelette option. Of the list of possible carbohydrates available, I decided to use some flour tortillas that Lizzie usually has for her lunches, and here is what I came up with. Simple yet not the most obvious choice:
Breakfast Quesadilla
Serves 1
Preparation time: very little
Cooking time: 10mins
Ingredients:
2 Flour Tortillas
2 Medium Eggs
50g Grated Strong Cheddar Cheese
1 tsp Worcester Sauce
2 tsp Butter
Method:
1. Melt 1 tsp of butter in a small non-stick saucepan.
2. Take two eggs, whisk in a bowl and add to the pan with the Worcester sauce.
3. Stir gently until the mixture is a light yellow fluffy mixture.
4. Melt 1 tsp of butter in a large non-stick frying pan.
5. Place a tortilla in the frying pan and top with the eggs and cheese.
6. Place a second tortilla on top of the mixture and press down.
7. Fry the stack of ingredients until the underside is browned, then flip over and repeat.
8. Serve hot with accompaniments to taste.
Notes:
If I'd had more warning, I would have made up some refried beans and served them alongside my breakfast quesadillas. I'm particularly fond of jalapenos and tomato relish in my omelettes and I reckon these would work well with the quesadillas too.
Notes:
If I'd had more warning, I would have made up some refried beans and served them alongside my breakfast quesadillas. I'm particularly fond of jalapenos and tomato relish in my omelettes and I reckon these would work well with the quesadillas too.
Friday, 18 May 2012
Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
I love spinach and ricotta cannelloni. The only problem is it's sooooo calorific with all that cheese and bechamel sauce. This is a slightly different take on the recipe that involves a lighter, and possibly more tasty
sauce. You can also be good to yourself by using low-fat ricotta and low-fat pesto sauce. Remember to use vegetarian friendly Worcester sauce.
Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni
Serves 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 35mins
Ingredients:
For the cannelloni:
500g spinach
250g Ricotta cheese
120g Green Pesto
250g Box of ready to cook cannelloni
For the sauce:
1 large courgette (zucchini)
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1 red pepper
2 Tablespoons of Worcester Sauce
100g Fresh Parmesan Cheese or Strong Farmhouse Cheddar
A glug of oil
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180oC
2. Get the spinach into boiling water straight away and let it wilt.
3. While the spinach is cooking, chop the onion, pepper and courgette into small chunks and get them frying in a pan.
4. Drain the spinach and squeeze out as much water as you can.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes to the vegetables, along with the Worcester sauce, and simmer gently.
6. Put the spinach, ricotta and pesto into a food processor and blend until a smooth paste.
7. Check that the sauce is reduced and leave to cool.
8. Using an icing bag, pipe the filing into the cannelloni tubes and arrange in a large baking dish.
9. Pour the sauce over the cannelloni.
10. Place the dish in the oven for about 35mins.
11. Grate the cheese over finished product.
sauce. You can also be good to yourself by using low-fat ricotta and low-fat pesto sauce. Remember to use vegetarian friendly Worcester sauce.
Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni
Serves 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 35mins
Ingredients:
For the cannelloni:
500g spinach
250g Ricotta cheese
120g Green Pesto
250g Box of ready to cook cannelloni
For the sauce:
1 large courgette (zucchini)
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1 red pepper
2 Tablespoons of Worcester Sauce
100g Fresh Parmesan Cheese or Strong Farmhouse Cheddar
A glug of oil
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180oC
2. Get the spinach into boiling water straight away and let it wilt.
3. While the spinach is cooking, chop the onion, pepper and courgette into small chunks and get them frying in a pan.
4. Drain the spinach and squeeze out as much water as you can.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes to the vegetables, along with the Worcester sauce, and simmer gently.
6. Put the spinach, ricotta and pesto into a food processor and blend until a smooth paste.
7. Check that the sauce is reduced and leave to cool.
8. Using an icing bag, pipe the filing into the cannelloni tubes and arrange in a large baking dish.
9. Pour the sauce over the cannelloni.
10. Place the dish in the oven for about 35mins.
11. Grate the cheese over finished product.
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Courgette and Feta Tagliatelli
Courgette (Zucchini) and feta tagliatelle
Serves 2
Preparation time: 5mins
Cooking time: 15mins
A vegetarian take on a recipe that my mum once cooked for me.
Ingredients:
100g (4oz) Feta cheese
200g (8oz) dried tagliatelle pasta
One large courgette (zucchini)
Juice of one lime
Method:
1. Put the tagliatelle in a pan with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15mins depending on how you like your pasta.
2. Slice the courgette length ways into four quarters. Now, using a cheese slicer, slice long thin ribbons.
3. Crumble the feta.
4. Once the pasta is to you liking, drain and rinse it with boiling water.
5. Mix the pasta and courgette ribbons, then sprinkle the feta and squeeze the lime juice over the pasta.
Notes:
This can be served with warmed mussels or king prawns if you're cooking for a pescatarian.
Cottage Pie
I always find I have a load of things left over in the fridge that were bought with a recipe in mind but have ended up hiding at the back behind all the nice things you want to eat.
I've begun to look in the fridge in the morning to get an idea of what's going to be for dinner. This embryonic idea usually changes throughout the day into a full blown recipe by the time I'm driving home.
Having discovered some potatoes and some used veg in the fridge I decided to come up with a cottage pie recipe. I mentioned this to my wife and asked if she had a preference for the filling and was met with the reply "I don't really care, so long as you use up that mangy looking broccoli." Broccoli in a cottage pie? I asked myself, this doesn't sound right but we'll give it a go. The broccoli proved to be quite a hit and I intend to use it in my cottage pies in the future.
Here goes my first recipe:
Cottage Pie
Serves 4
Prep time: 10mins
Cooking time: 30-35mins
Ingredients:
1 Medium bag of new potatoes
1 Red onion
1 Medium-sized head of broccoli
1/2 Large courgette
1/2 Red pepper
A handful of button mushrooms
230g Meat-free mince
1 pint (0.5l) of gravy
1/2 pint (0.25l) of water
A glug of oil
1 Large knob of butter
2 tbsp Worcester sauce
Method:
1. Get the potatoes on to boil straight away.
2. Chop the onion into fine strips
3. Lightly fry the onion with the oil in a deep sided frying pan until it begins to go transparent.
4. Add the veggie mince, pour in the Worcester sauce and stick the lid on the pan.
5. While that's cooking, chop the pepper into strips, the courgette into chunks and slice the mushrooms and broccoli. When they're ready, add these to the onion and veggie mince.
6. Make up the gravy and add to the mix. As gravy mixes can be quite different, add more water if needed, to give a slightly thick consistency (think molten chocolate).
7. Bring the pan's contents to the boil and simmer for five minutes.
8. While the mix is boiling/simmering, check that the potatoes are reasonably soft, then drain and crush them roughly in the pan with the butter.
9. Pour the mince mix into a large casserole dish and top with the potato.
10. Fluff the top with a fork and place in the oven (180oC), middle shelf, for 20 minutes.
11. Check that the tips of the fluffed potato are brown, if they're not, cook for another 5 minutes.
Notes:
Broccoli and pepper are not vegetables you'd normally find in a cottage pie, but I find that the broccoli adds a really different dimension to the texture and the pepper makes for a subtle but different flavour.
When it comes to gravy, I've always used Bisto- I think this is a throwback to my mum's cooking. I was dismayed at the taste of Bisto's vegetarian gravy but have recently discovered their more up-market range of posh gravies. Their onion gravy mix has a slightly sweeter taste than normal but is much richer in flavour.
Carnivores Beware!
Worcester sauce is not vegetarian friendly! I didn't realise this at first, but it contains anchovies!!! You can purchase a fish free Worcester sauce in most health food shops, but it's not the most vital ingredient in this recipe. A teaspoon of tamarind paste can be a viable alternative in this recipe as it is a major ingredient in Worcester sauce.
I've begun to look in the fridge in the morning to get an idea of what's going to be for dinner. This embryonic idea usually changes throughout the day into a full blown recipe by the time I'm driving home.
Having discovered some potatoes and some used veg in the fridge I decided to come up with a cottage pie recipe. I mentioned this to my wife and asked if she had a preference for the filling and was met with the reply "I don't really care, so long as you use up that mangy looking broccoli." Broccoli in a cottage pie? I asked myself, this doesn't sound right but we'll give it a go. The broccoli proved to be quite a hit and I intend to use it in my cottage pies in the future.
Here goes my first recipe:
Cottage Pie
Serves 4
Prep time: 10mins
Cooking time: 30-35mins
Ingredients:
1 Medium bag of new potatoes
1 Red onion
1 Medium-sized head of broccoli
1/2 Large courgette
1/2 Red pepper
A handful of button mushrooms
230g Meat-free mince
1 pint (0.5l) of gravy
1/2 pint (0.25l) of water
A glug of oil
1 Large knob of butter
2 tbsp Worcester sauce
Method:
1. Get the potatoes on to boil straight away.
2. Chop the onion into fine strips
3. Lightly fry the onion with the oil in a deep sided frying pan until it begins to go transparent.
4. Add the veggie mince, pour in the Worcester sauce and stick the lid on the pan.
5. While that's cooking, chop the pepper into strips, the courgette into chunks and slice the mushrooms and broccoli. When they're ready, add these to the onion and veggie mince.
6. Make up the gravy and add to the mix. As gravy mixes can be quite different, add more water if needed, to give a slightly thick consistency (think molten chocolate).
7. Bring the pan's contents to the boil and simmer for five minutes.
8. While the mix is boiling/simmering, check that the potatoes are reasonably soft, then drain and crush them roughly in the pan with the butter.
9. Pour the mince mix into a large casserole dish and top with the potato.
10. Fluff the top with a fork and place in the oven (180oC), middle shelf, for 20 minutes.
11. Check that the tips of the fluffed potato are brown, if they're not, cook for another 5 minutes.
Notes:
Broccoli and pepper are not vegetables you'd normally find in a cottage pie, but I find that the broccoli adds a really different dimension to the texture and the pepper makes for a subtle but different flavour.
When it comes to gravy, I've always used Bisto- I think this is a throwback to my mum's cooking. I was dismayed at the taste of Bisto's vegetarian gravy but have recently discovered their more up-market range of posh gravies. Their onion gravy mix has a slightly sweeter taste than normal but is much richer in flavour.
Carnivores Beware!
Worcester sauce is not vegetarian friendly! I didn't realise this at first, but it contains anchovies!!! You can purchase a fish free Worcester sauce in most health food shops, but it's not the most vital ingredient in this recipe. A teaspoon of tamarind paste can be a viable alternative in this recipe as it is a major ingredient in Worcester sauce.
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