Midweek Veggie Pizza

This pizza dough has become my favourite of all the recipes I have tried. It involves very little effort as the ingredients and mixed and then left in the fridge overnight before being used, meaning you don’t have to worry too much about kneading or proving times as it works its magic overnight and always produced a lovely elastic dough. The dough can be kept for up to 5 days in the fridge meaning you can make it Sunday evening and then its all ready to go any evening of the week, whenever the pizza cravings kick in after a bad day, it can be on the table in under half an hour with no hassle. I think the dough actually improves over time and becomes more like a sourdough, it has a good crisp and slightly chewy crust and a great flavour. The tomato sauce can also be made in advance, so everything is ready to go and the only preparation required is forming the dough and adding a few topping. Faster than a takeaway and much tastier too.

The pizza is cooked at the highest temperature your oven can manage, meaning it’s done in only a matter of minutes. By placing a pizza stone or sturdy baking tray in the oven while it heats up to temperature, you then simply slide your pizza onto the hot tray and it immediately starts to cook and crisp up underneath, ensuring a lovely crisp crust – no more soggy bases!

Another great thing about pizzas is that you can put almost anything on them and I’ve found a whole host of ingredients which work well, if not considered a little unusual by some, including grated carrot and apple. This week’s find was beetroot, the fresh kind, not the pickled variety. I had some boiled beetroot sitting in the fridge and though – why not? So I added a few slices along with some peppers, mushrooms, red onion and slices of jarred artichoke hearts that were another fridge lingerer. I loved the taste of the beetroot, its short oven roasting really brought out its flavour and added a little zing against the other components and created a moody purple ring into the surrounding sauce. I don’t know why more restaurants don’t offer it as a pizza topping; I bet it would be fantastic finished with a bit of crumbled goats cheese.

Midweek Veggie Pizza
For the pizza dough
320g strong plain white flour
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp instant yeast
30ml olive oil
210ml water
2 tsp caster sugar

Tomato topping
1 onion
1 large can of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp sundried tomato paste
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings
2 mushrooms
2 artichoke hearts from a jar
½ red pepper
¼ red onion
Grated cheese or slices of mozzarella
1 cooked fresh beetroot (not pickled)

Method – For the pizza dough
Add the flour, salt, yeast and sugar into a bowl. Mix with your fingers and make a well in the centre.
Pour over the olive oil and water and mix together using the tips of your fingers until a sticky dough is formed.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth, around 5 minutes. The dough should become less sticky although still tacky to the touch.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with clingfilm. Place in the fridge overnight or up to 5 days.
Tear off chunks of dough when required. Enough for 3 x 9inch pizzas.

For the tomato topping
Peel and finely dice the onion. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and oregano. Cook until soft, then finely crush the garlic and add to the pan. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, sundried tomato paste and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Allow to simmer for 15 minutes until the mixture has reduced and thickened.
Allow to cool in the pan, then transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and keep in the fridge until required.
Makes enough sauce to cover 3 pizza bases.

To assemble
When ready to eat the pizza, preheat the oven to its hottest setting, usually around 250-275C. Place a pizza stone or baking tray into the oven to heat up.
Have a sheet of baking parchment or a silicone mat ready and dust the top with flour or fine cornmeal.
Lightly dust your hands with flour and tear off a third of the pizza dough. Gently stretch it, pulling from the middle outwards, to your desired thickness.
When the dough is quite thin, lay it onto a sheet of baking parchment or a silicone mat and pull into shape. (Can create a 9inch/23cm circle or 25cmx15cm rectangle).
Spread a third of the tomato sauce over the top, leaving a small rim around the edge.
Add slices of mushrooms and other assorted vegetables or meats of your choosing.
Grate or crumble the cheese of your choice over the top.
Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and quickly slide the sheet of baking parchment with your pizza on it, onto the baking tray and return to the oven.
Bake for 8-9 minutes until the crisp, golden brown and bubbling.
(If you pile lots of topping on, then baking may take a couple of minutes longer).
Eat and enjoy.

Country Vegetable & Pearl Barley Soup

I had a rustic spelt and vegetable soup when out for lunch recently and loved it so much that I knew I had to try and recreate it. It contained the grain spelt, which I had never eaten in grain form before, only ground as flour in bread, but it had a lovely nutty flavour. I searched the supermarket shelves eagerly, looking for the elusive grain but to no avail. The closet match I could see was pearl barley which looked remarkably similar, and I decided that would have to do. I wanted to keep the rustic appearance of the soup and so diced all the veg to a similar size and then cooked it in vegetable stock with some thyme and chili for extra flavour.

I was curious to see how the pearl barley would turn out, as I admit to never having tasted it before, I’m not sure why. I think its just one of those grains that’s seen as being a bit old fashioned and dare I say it ‘poor’ and as a result it often get bypassed on the shelves in favour of the more fashionable grains such as Arborio rice. However, I tell you all, if you too have been skimming over this humble grain, you’ve been missing out. It had the same nutty flavour as spelt and had a wonderful texture, plump grains with slightly fluffy edges. There was a little bounce to each pearl that sort of popped when you bit into it (sounds odd but you’ll understand what I mean if you try it). Along with all the different veg and the flavoursome stock it really made for a warming and enjoyable lunch. Pearl barley you’re my find of the month – I’ll be using you again soon!

Country Vegetable & Pearl Barley Soup
Ingredients
2 onions
1 courgette
2 medium potatoes
1 leek
3 carrots
½ tin Sweetcorn
100g pearl barley
1 green chili
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 litre vegetable stock
1 tsp dried thyme

Method
Peel and chop the onions, carrots and potatoes into a 2cm dice. Dice the courgette and wash and slice the leek into rounds.
Cut the chili in half, remove the seeds and finely chop.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and then fry the onion until soft.
Add the rest of the diced veg (expect the Sweetcorn), thyme, chili and vegetable stock.
Stir in the pearl barley, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover with the lid and allow to cook for 45 minutes to 1hour until the veg is tender and the pearl barley plump.
Stir through the Sweetcorn for the final 15 minutes before serving in warmed bowls with crusty bread for dipping.
Serves 6 – 8

Ratatouille Wraps

These are my favourite wraps to eat for lunch or for a light dinner. They involve making a finely diced ratatouille mixture which is allowed to thicken more than usual to produce a spoonable consistency. This is then cooled before being used to fill a tortilla wrap which has first been spread with hummus and crisp lettuce and topped with a little scattering of grated cheese.

The ratatouille is not a traditional recipe as I have also included a little spice, not to add heat but just to bring a depth of flavour. The red onion and pepper provide a wonderful sweetness that works well with all the other flavours. All the different textures of the soft tortilla, creamy hummus and crisp lettuce work so well together. I think they taste best when ratatouille mix has been allowed to cool to room temperature, but I don’t see why you couldn’t use it when warm with a toasted tortilla to match. They may not look much but they taste delicious.

Ratatouille Wraps
Ingredients
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small tin chopped tomatoes
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 red pepper
1 large carrot
1 large courgette
6 black olives
2 tsp soft brown sugar
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
½-1 tsp curry powder

To Serve
Tortilla wraps
Lettuce
Grated cheese
Hummus

Method
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Finely dice the onion and crush the garlic and add to the pan. Sweat the onions and garlic gently for 5 minutes until they beginning to soften.
Dice the carrot and pepper into 1/2 cm dice, add to the pan and cook for 10 minutes before adding the roughly diced courgette.Pit and finely chop the olives and stir into the pan along with the tomatoes, herbs, sugar and spices and two tbsp water if your tomatoes are not very juicy. Allow the ratatouille to simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and the tomato sauce has become thick and sticky and all excess liquid has evaporated.
Leave to cool.
To make the wraps, spread the tortillas with a layer of hummus and cover with a layer of torn lettuce leaves. Spoon a quarter of the ratatouille mixture down the centre of the wrap. Grate over a little cheese of your choice.
Fold one end of the tortilla in over the filling and then roll into a log shape. Secure with a cocktail stick and serve with salad.
Makes 4 wraps


On another note I have now finished my year work placement and have just moved back home for the summer and am surrounded by boxes – how I’m supposed to fit a whole flats worth of stuff into my room I don’t know! I will really miss working, I loved being part of a team and treated like an equal. I’m not looking forward to returning to the stigma of ‘a student’ for my final year of uni. Thanks to everyone who helped and supported me throughout my last year, at times it was a challenge, but I can’t believe its now over.

Mushroom & Mixed Veg Pie

While I was home over Easter I wanted to cook my family a Vegetarian meal that we could all enjoy. (They are all meat eaters and don’t eat that much vegetarian food) Due to the horrible cold weather (snow and hail) I chose to cook a warming vegetable pie. I decided to make the base a sort of mushrooms style bolognaise and then layer it up with grilled aubergine, spinach and topped with roasted butternut squash and potato mash.

The mushroom base was mixed with beans and gave a wonderful texture and flavour that meant my family didn’t miss their meat at all. As much as I hate to admit it they do give a nice ‘meaty’ texture. The roasted butternut squash in the mash gave a wonderful colour and a lovely autumnal flavour to the dish. I also stirred through some sliced leek for added flavour.

The only downside to the pie is that it did take quite a while to prepare due to the different components which were all assembled separately, but as it was a horrible day outside I was more than happy to stay warm and cosy in the kitchen. If you are short of time I see no reason why you couldn’t forgo the roasting of the squash and simply boil it with the potatoes, and the aubergine could be diced and cooked with the mushrooms instead of being griddled quite easily.

It was a very comforting meal to eat while listening to the hail stones bouncing off the windows.

Mushroom & Mixed Veg Pie
Ingredients
450g mushrooms
3 cloves garlic.
1 large onion
1 small butternut squash
1 aubergine
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin black eyed beans
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp brown sauce
4 medium potatoes
1 leek
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp double cream
Milk
Nutmeg
100g spinach

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C. Chop the butternut squash into large chunks, remove the seeds and place on a baking tray (you can leave the skin on). Drizzle over a tablespoon of olive oil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes until soft. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a very large frying pan. Chop the onion into a small dice, add to the pan and cook gently until soft.
Meanwhile dice the mushrooms, crush the garlic and finely chop the thyme and then add to the pan of onions. Allow to cook slowly and reduce for around 30 minutes.
Heat a griddle pan until hot. Slice the aubergine into ½ cm discs and brush each slice with a little olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. Place the discs onto the griddle pan and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Brush with a little more oil and then flip over and grill the other side. Transfer to a plate and set to one side.
When the mushrooms are golden brown and reduced, drain the tin of beans and add to the pan along with the chopped tomatoes and brown sauce. Stir until well mixed and allow to simmer, reduce and thicken (about 30 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
While the mushroom mixture is cooking, peel, dice and boil the potatoes until soft.
Meanwhile, slice the leek and fry in a little oil until softened, then set to one side.
Drain the potatoes. Scrape the roasted butternut squash the its skin and add to the potato. Mash both together, adding the double cream and enough milk to create a smooth mash. Stir through the leek, season to taste and set to one side.
Now assemble the dish.
Place half the mushroom mixture into the base of a deep 30x20cm ovenproof dish, arrange the sliced aubergine over the surface and then spread the remaining mushroom mixture over the top.
Lay the spinach over the top and grate over a little fresh nutmeg.
Dollop the vegetable mash over the top and spread it out into an even layer. Drag a fork over the surface to create peaks and tufts and then place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6

Red Pepper Black Bean Dip

I made this for a quick dinner last week when I got home hungry and tired and all I wanted to do was sit on the sofa with some comfort food. I really fancied beans on toast but a quick hunt revealed no baked beans, so I decided to improvise and created this warm red pepper beany dip.

I cooked the beans briefly to help them soften up as I wanted to mash them with a potato masher to reduce the amount of washing up. I also added a spoonful of peanut butter, which I admit sounds a little odd, but in my mind I was making a sort of houmous and the peanut butter was the stand in for tahini. I added a roasted skinned red pepper from a jar and a few sun dried tomatoes for flavour. Then it was just mash mash mash and in 10-15 minutes dinner was ready.

The dip was surprisingly creamy and I really enjoyed eating it while it was still slightly warm. The peanut butter added a slight nuttiness that worked well with the beans without tasting odd. I chose to eat it with some florets of broccoli, carrot sticks and chili flavour plantain crisps, which are those banana chip looking discs in the picture. I had never had plantain crisps before but I spotted them at the shops and my curiosity got the better of me. They came in two flavours, plain and chili and I chose the chili and boy did they pack a punch, but they were perfect for dipping.

The leftover beany dip was great the following day spread onto a tortilla with some crisp lettuce, salad and grated cheese. (Sorry for the quality of the pictures but it was dark and I was hungry.

Red Pepper Black Bean Dip
Ingredients
1 can black eyed beans
1 roasted, skinned red pepper from a jar
1 tbsp sun dried tomato paste
½ tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp olive oil
150ml water
Assorted crudités for dipping

Method
Drain and rinse the beans and place into a sauce pan along with the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes until the beans are soft.
Remove the beans from the heat. Add the red pepper, tomato paste, oil and peanut butter.
Mash everything together using a potato masher until relatively smooth, but a few lumps remain.
Spoon into a serving dish and serve with as assortment of vegetable sticks, crisps and bread for dipping.
Store any leftovers in the fridge.
Makes around 1 cup.

Leek & Potato Soup

Another simple yet tasty soup recipe. I love taking soup to work now it has got so dark, cold and miserable outside. It’s so nice to have something warm and comforting for lunch as apposed to sandwiches.

I used the whole of the leeks in this soup, green tops and all, rather than just the white ends and it’s this, along with some dark coloured vegetable stock, which have resulted in a light brown coloured soup compared to the creamy whiteness of some potato soups. This way I have no wastage and it makes the soup more of an appealing colour. It also gives more of a contrast to the potato cubes I saved to garnish the top. I served it with some of the potato and pesto bread I recently made for the last daring Bakers challenge.

Leek & Potato Soup

Ingredients
2 large potatoes
3 large leeks
1 large onion
1 tbsp olive oil
Small knob of butter
2½ pints vegetable stock
1 tbsp cream
Dried mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Place the oil and butter into a large pan and allow to melt.
Meanwhile, peel and roughly dice the onion. Add the onion and mixed herbs to the pan, stir to coat in the buttery juices and cover with a lid to allow to sweat.
Wash and slice the leeks, making sure to remove any dirt that has become trapped between the leaves.
Peel and slice the potatoes into batons and add to the pan along with the leeks. Give everything a good stir to ensure it’s not stuck to the base of the pan and replace the lid.
Cook for 10 minutes before stirring in the vegetable stock and allowing to simmer until the potatoes are completely cooked, around 30 minutes.
Remove a few of the potato batons, slice into small squares and set to one side to garnish the soup later.
Puree the rest of the soup using a hand blender or liquidiser until smooth. Stir in the cream and season to taste.
Serve, scattered with the potato cubes and some nice chewy bread.

Tomato & Broccoli Quiche

Do you ever have days where you wake up and instantly know exactly what you want to eat that day? I had one of those cravings last weekend and my craving was for quiche. I attempted to ignore it but it wouldn’t be pushed away and after a quick rummage in the fridge I found I had all the ingredients I needed, it must have been fate.

I decided to make a broccoli and tomato quiche. One, because I had lots of broccoli to use up (it was on offer and I brought rather a lot) and two, I had some lovely tomatoes growing outside my door that were just begging to be used. I decided to sue one tomato that was still green as well as I think the vibrant green colour is wonderful; it also adds a different flavour.

The quiche was very easy to prepare and after a short mornings work I was able to satisfy my craving and enjoy a slice for lunch. I had some cold the following day (I’m quite partial to cold quiche) and found the flavours had developed more. The recipe for the filling is a big vague as I just used what I had to hand, but that it one of the beauties of a quiche, you can fill them with a whole assortment of things.

Tomato & Broccoli Quiche
For the pastry
200g plain flour
120g butter
1-2 tbsp cold water

For the filling
½ tbsp olive oil
1 head of broccoli
1 medium onion
3 tomatoes
2 tsp fresh thyme
3 eggs
250ml milk or double cream
Salt and pepper

Method
To start, make the pastry. Sift the flour into a large bowl, cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour using your fingertips until the butter is well dispersed in the flour and little clumps are forming.
Sprinkle over half of the water and bring together using a round bladed butter knife, adding more water when needed.
When larger clumps are forming use your hands to form the dough into a smooth ball.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until 5mm thick. Use the pastry to line a 9inch tart tin, being sure not to stretch the pastry or else it will shrink on baking.
Cut the excess pastry away and place the lined tin in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Finely dice the onion and lightly fry with most of the fresh thyme in the olive oil until softened, then set to one side.
After chilling, prink the pastry with a fork and blind bake for 12-15 minutes until just firm and lightly golden. While it’s baking prepare the filling.
Cut the broccoli into small pieces and slice the tomatoes. Beat the eggs, milk/cream, salt, pepper and any leftover thyme together in a bowl or jug.
Remove the pastry from the oven and spread the softened onion over the base.
Arrange the broccoli and tomato slices over the top and carefully pour over the egg mixture.
Return to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until set and golden brown on top.
Allow to cool slightly before un-moulding and serving.
Make 1 9inch quiche.

P.S. I had quite a bit of left over pastry and so I did what I used to love doing as a child, and made some jam tarts. I used some unusual flavoured jams to make them a bit more interesting – lemon & ginger, and blueberry & lavender. I took the tarts into work the following day, and although jam tarts are best eaten the day they are made, I received no complaints.

Pronto Pizza

This is something I threw together for dinner when I got in from work, tired, hungry and with limited supplies in the fridge. It only takes between 30-40 minutes from dry ingredients to munching, quicker than ordering a takeaway. It involves using a pizza dough base that can be rolled out straight away without having to be left to prove, speeding up the process no end.

What I love about pizza is that they hold the same kind of concept as a sandwich, meaning there are almost unlimited variations on what you can use for toppings. For my pizza I used what I had to hand which involved, sun dried tomatoes, half an onion, sweetcorn, chili, a couple of fresh tomatoes from my garden and some lovely Smoked Applewood cheese. I also added lots of oregano to the pizza base itself as I have found this to be a great way of adding flavour to a pizza without worrying that the herbs will burn to a crisp on the surface.

I keep fresh yeast frozen in little pieces in my freezer, ready to use when the urge takes me but instant yeast would work just as well. I find that heating a baking tray in the oven while I make the dough and then transferring it straight to the hot tray helps to make a nice crispy base and prevents it from sticking to the tray.

I threw the pizza together, had a quick shower while it was in the oven and then settled down to munch it in my pajamas in front of the TV. Ahh bliss.

No Prove Pizza
For the dough
15g yeast
½ tsp caster sugar
125g strong plain flour
1 tbsp olive oil50ml warm water
30ml milk
1 tsp dried oregano

For the toppings
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 sun dried tomatoes
2 fresh tomatoes
½ small tin sweetcorn
½ onion
½ red chili
Cheese of choice (I used Smoked Applewood)
2 tbsp polenta or cornmeal for base

Method
Preheat the oven to 190C and place a baking tray into the oven to heat up.
Put the milk, warm water, sugar and yeast into a bowl and mix until combined.
Weight out the flour and add the rest of the dough ingredients and mix together until a firm dough has formed (add more liquid if necessary).
Dust a work surface with flour and kneed the dough for a couple of minutes until smooth.
Roll out the dough until only 3-4mm thick. Then lift up the dough using a rolling pin and scatter the work surface with a generous layer of polenta.
Place the dough over the polenta and gently press down and move the dough around so the polenta sticks to the dough base and moves around freely.
Spread the tomato paste over the dough, leaving a small border around the edge.
Scatter over the rest of your chosen toppings and then cover in a layer of grated cheese.
Remove the tray from the oven and side the pizza onto it. Return quickly to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
Eat and enjoy.

Carrot & Chickpea Soup

I had had some dried chickpea lurking in my cupboard for far too long and so decided to turn them into soup. I often thicken my soups with beans or pulses as I find they are a great way of getting extra fiber and minerals into your diet. They also add quite a creamy texture to the soup, especially the white beans such as butter beans.

You will see below in the recipe that I have stated to use either 450g dried chickpeas or 900g canned. This is because dried chickpeas will absorb water as they soak overnight and will increase in both size and weight, meaning you need only half the quantity of dried to pre cooked.

I paired my chickpeas with carrots and fresh thyme that I have growing on my windowsill. I am sure that dried thyme or other herbs would work equally well. The soup turned out very thick, which I love as it actually makes it feel more like a meal compared to thin watery soups. It had a lovely flavour with a slightly earthy overtone. I served it with a thyme infused bagel I made a while ago and it was very comforting. The leftovers were great to take to work for lunch the following day. It also freezes well.

Carrot & Chickpea Soup

Ingredients
450g dried chickpeas or 900g canned chickpeas.
3 large carrots
1 onion
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Small knob of butter
5 pints vegetable stock

Method
Soak the chickpeas in cold water overnight. Drain the water away, rinse them and then simmer in plenty of water according to pack instructions.
While the chickpeas are cooking, heat the butter and oil in a large pan.
Roughly chop the onion and carrots and add to the pan. Add the fresh thyme and cook for several minutes until the onions are softened and just starting to brown.
Pour over the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes until the carrot is softened.
Once the chickpeas are cooked, drain away their water and add to the soup, or add drained chickpeas from a can.
Allow the soup to cool slightly before blending until smooth using a hand blender or a liquidiser. The chickpeas will cause the soup to thicken.
Serve in big bowls with fresh bread.
Serves 4-6

Vegetable Bean Chili in Mole Sauce with Cornbread

This is a Mexican themed meal that I made for my family over Easter. It involved two recipes I had never tried before, but I was very pleased with the results.

In the last year I have suddenly developed a taste for hot, spicy yet flavoursome food. I still don’t like food that blows your head off, but I now like food with a good kick to it. A few months ago I went out for my first Mexican meal which was where I had my first taste of vegetables in a chili chocolate sauce. I have since learnt that this is the basis of what is called a Mole sauce and often served over meats in Mexico. An authentic Mole sauce should also include cinnamon, sugar and ground nuts but I decided to just experiment with the chili-chocolate aspect of it for my first attempt. However, being vegetarian I decided to take this concept and incorporate it into a bean chili.

I really enjoyed both creating and eating this dish, it was really delicious and the smells while it was cooking were amazing. The paprika added a smokiness and the ground chilies added a gentle heat that built up the more you ate. The addition of the cocoa powder added a deep richness to the sauce and gave a great aftertaste, not overly chocolaty but the same kind of rich bitterness that lingers on your tongue after eating a square of dark chocolate. I chose to serve this dish with some home made cornbread that was great crumbled over the top to absorb some of the sauce before eating.

Vegetable Bean Chili in Mole Sauce
Ingredients
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
2 green chilies
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp dried oregano
½ orange pepper
¼ red pepper
3 tbsp tinned sweetcorn
½ courgette
1 carrot
2 tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground chilies
2 tsp sweet paprika
420g tin black eyed beans
420g tin red kidney beans
270g tin mixed beans
300ml vegetable stock
400g tin chopped tomatoes
3 tsp cocoa powder

Method
Peel and very roughly chop the onion and garlic before adding them to a food processor. Split the chilies in half and remove the seeds and add to onion.
Blitz until a smoothish paste has formed (watch your eyes, it packs a punch when you remove the lid).
Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan and add the onion/garlic/chili mixture along with the oregano. Cook until softened, but not brown.
Meanwhile finely dice the peppers, carrot and courgette and drain the sweetcorn. Drain the beans into a large sieve and wash under the cold tap to remove any brine.
Add the cumin, paprika and ground chilies to the pan along with the vegetables and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock, beans and tinned tomatoes to the pan and bring to the boil. Then reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 30minutes, stirring every 10minutes to prevent sticking.
Put the cocoa powder into a small bowl and add 1tbsp water and combine to make a smooth runny mixture. Drizzle this into the chili and stir well, the sauce should turn a darker colour and begin to smell chocolaty. Allow to cook for a further 10 minutes, which should allow the sauce to thicken.
Taste and add more ground chili or seasoning to preference.
Serve in big bowls with sour cream, nachos or cornbread.
Serves 5 – 6

Cornbread
(Recipe by Nigella Lawson)
This recipe is really really quick to make and very easy. It is very versatile and tastes great hot from the oven spread with butter or eaten cold with jam or even… nutella. In this case I served it in wedges that people could then crumble over the top of their chili mole beans. Using polenta will give you a grainer texture than cornmeal, but they both work well.

Ingredients
175g cornmeal or polenta
125g plain flour
40g caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 egg
45g melted butter
250ml milk

Method
Grease and line an 8inch/20cm tin and preheat the oven to 200C.
Place the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and sugar into a bowl.
Melt the butter and pour over the flour mix.
Beat the egg into the milk and add to the bowl.
Beat everything together with a wooden spoon until smooth.
Pour into the tin and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and coming away from the slides of the tin.
Serve immediately or allow to cool before gently reheating wedges in the oven, wrapped in foil, when required.

Quiche or Tart?

I am just about to start my last week of uni before heading home for the Easter holidays. Looking through my cupboards at lunchtime I realised I had a large amount of red onions and eggs that would need using up before I left. The first thing that came to mind was a quiche. After a short rummage I unearthed some sweetcorn which I thought would look very pretty alongside the red onions and so I set to work.

The pastry was very easy to work with, although it was rather a nuisance to get out of the tin once cooked. However, I didn’t grease the tin beforehand which is probably the reason. I will have to remember to do that next time. In the end I have decided to label this as a tart rather than a quiche as in my opinion a quiche should lots of eggy mixture surrounding vegetables and a tart is lots of vegetables stuck together with eggy mixture and mine is the latter. (Confused yet?)

The tart has a naturally sweet flavour due to the red onions and sweetcorn which go well with the crisp pastry and smooth eggy filling. On cooling, the red onions turned almost the dark blue colour of blueberries, which looked very pretty next to the bright yellow of the sweetcorn. I think it could have done with a little more thyme as it only gave a very subtle flavour. Next time I will try to get hold of some fresh thyme.

I love baking the straggly shaped left over pastry on the baking tray along side the tart case. Mum always used to let us do this with any leftover pastry she had and it always brings back fond memories. They are great to nibble on when hot out of the oven, dusted with a sprinkling or sugar or spread with a little jam.

Red Onion and Sweetcorn Tart
For the pastry
130g plain flour
55g butter
Pinch of salt
1½ tbsp cold water

For the filling
400g red onions
75g Sweetcorn
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 eggs
120ml milk
1 tsp dried thyme
Pepper and salt for seasoning

Method
Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl and add the butter. Using a round bladed knife, work the butter into the flour using a cutting action.
When the butter is evenly distributed through the flour, rub the mixture together using the tips of your fingers until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the cold water a little at a time and work it in using the knife. Then form the mixture into a dough using your hands.
Form into a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Chop the onions in half and then shred them into strips.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onions and thyme. Cook over a fairly high heat until soft, sticky and sweet. Around 10 minutes.
Pre heat the oven to 180C. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until around 3mm thick. Carefully place into a 9inch fluted tin.
Roll the rolling pin over the top of the tin to remove any excess pastry. Then go round the edge of the tin pressing the pastry so that it rises slightly above the rim.
Prick the base with a sharp knife and place on a baking tray in the oven for 15 minutes.
Measure out the milk into a jug and add the eggs, pepper and sweetcorn. Whisk together until combined.
Remove the pastry case form the oven and brush the inside with a little of the beaten egg mixture and return it to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
Take the pastry case out of the oven and add the fried onions over the base. Carefully pour over the egg and sweetcorn mixture. Place in the oven and leave to cook for 30 minutes until set and lightly golden brown.
Allow to cool or serve whilst still warm.

Serves 6-8 people depending on appetite.

Chinese Style Lettuce Wraps

I decided to make these lettuce wraps with the leftover vegetables I had in the fridge from a stir fry I made a few nights ago. I have had something similar in a Chinese restaurant once, they were the vegetarians alternative to the crispy duck pancakes. These take literally less than 5 minutes to make and taste very fresh and crisp. The recipe could of course be adapted to fit whatever vegetables you had lying around and any kind of dipping sauce would do in place of the chili sauce.

Chinese Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients
Beansprouts
¼ carrot
½ Pak Choi
1 spring onion
2 mushrooms
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp vegetable oil

To serve
Iceberg lettuce leaves
1 tbsp chili sauce

Method
Shred the pak choi into thin strips and slice the mushrooms, spring onion and carrot into thin batons.
Heat the oil in a small frying pan and add the chopped vegetables along with a handful of beansprouts.
Drizzle over the soy sauce and stir fry very quickly for no more than 2-3 minutes, until they have started to soften but are still crisp.
Carefully peel a couple of leaves off the outside of the lettuce and lay on a plate.
Divide the vegetable mixture between the lettuce leaves and roll/fold them up to form parcels.
Serve at once with chili sauce to dip them in.

Sweetcorn Fritters

I had some leftover sweetcorn that had been lurking in the back of my fridge for far too long, so I decided to turn them into fritters. These are really quick and easy to make and are a great way of using up a wide variety of leftovers. Canned or defrosted frozen sweetcorn works well for this recipe, however, if using canned then try and drain away as much of the liquid as possible as you don’t want the batter to be too wet.

These fritters make a good lunch time meal or light supper. They are lovely eaten hot straight from the pan, or they can be eaten cold as a snack. Serve them with a salad of your choice and some kind of sauce. Tomato salsa works well when they are hot and cream cheese and sun dried tomato paste or guacamole both work well when they are cooled. You could also make these fritters in miniature for a party or picnic, by using a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon.

I added a small finely chopped red onion to the batter this time to add some extra colour and flavour. Spring onions or finely chopped chili are also great. I am sure a little ham or cooked bacon would work equally well too.

Sweetcorn Fritters

Ingredients
50g plain flour
1 egg
A little milk
3 tbsp canned or frozen sweetcorn
1 tiny red onion
¼ tsp ground pepper
Oil for frying

Salsa or guacamole to serve

Method
Turn the oven to a low temperature and place a plate inside to gently warm up.
Finely dice the red onion and add to a mixing bowl along with the sweetcorn.
Add the flour, pepper and egg. Beat everything together to form a thick paste. Add enough milk to produce a thick spoonable batter.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add small tablespoons of batter to the pan. I find I can usually get three fritters cooking at once.
Allow them to cook for 1 minutes before turning over with a pallet knife and cooking for a further minute.
When golden brown on both sides, remove from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and place in the oven to keep warm while you use make the second batch of fritters.
Serve hot or allow to cool before wrapping in clingfilm and placing in the fridge until required.
Serve with the accompaniment of your choice.

Makes about 7-8 fritters.

Pizza Time

I love pizza and unless you are going to a nice Italian restaurant I find making your own is far tastier than any of the frozen ones you can buy which often taste like they have cardboard or Styrofoam for bases. Making your own pizza is fun and very satisfying and it doesn’t take as long as people expect. You can even make the dough he night before and leave it in the fridge overnight if you don’t have time to start from scratch on the day you want to eat it.

I must confess that I did cheat slightly when it came to the tomato sauce and bought a jar of tomato pizza topping but whenever I make my own it always turns out too wet and makes the base soggy so I thought I would play it safe and cheat slightly.

A pizza has the same kind of attributes as a sandwich, in that it’s the bread dough base which makes it a pizza, but what you top it with is up to you. I added red onion as I like the crunch they give and I think they have a much sweeter and nicer flavour than white onions. They also add great colour. One thing I do think is important though is to use mozzarella for that great stringy quality.

This pizza was delicious, with a crisp crust that was still slightly soft and chewy in the middle, just how I like it. Cold pizza make great leftovers for lunch the next day.

Mushrooms, Sweetcorn and Red Onion Pizza
For the pizza dough
10g fresh yeast
175ml warm water
½ tsp caster sugar
125g strong plain flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tbsp olive oil

For the topping
½ jar tomato pizza topping
1 small red onion
3 mushrooms
2 tbsp sweetcorn
½ fresh ball of mozzarella

Method
Crumble the yeast into the warm water, add the sugar and stir until it has dissolved. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Place the flour and salt in a large bowl, and pour in half the water mix and start mixing together with your fingers, shaped into a claw. Add the olive oil and combine. Keep adding water until you have a soft dough, you may not need it all.
Put the dough onto a well-floured surface and sprinkle with flour. Knead the dough until it becomes elastic, around 5 minutes.
Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to prove in a warm place for 30minutes or until it has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, peel the onion and slice it into fine rings and slice the mushrooms. Drain the mozzarella, pat dry and finely slice into rounds.
Preheat the oven to 220C. Knock back the dough and roll it out on a floured work surface until thin and rectangular in shape.
Place the dough onto a lightly floured rectangular baking tray and spread on the tomato sauce and scatter over your chosen toppings. Distribute the mozzarella over the top.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Serves 2

Butterbean and Sweet Potato Salad

I fancied making something using the sweet potato I have had in my cupboard for the last couple of days that would also provide me with some quick lunches. I chose to make a butterbean salad along with some extra veg to add colour and flavour.

This was really quick and easy to make and the colours all looked very attractive together, the pearly white of the beans, with the deep orange of the sweet potato and bright green of the peas. The cumin in the dressing complemented the sweet potato well. I had some for lunch today and I think it tasted even better than when I tasted it last night. The flavours have had time to mingle and mellow, so I would advise making this a few hours before you want to eat it and keeping it covered in the fridge.

Butterbean and Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients
410g can butterbeans
1 medium sweet potato
1 red onion
1 carrot
50g frozen peas
1 tsp vegetable oil

Dressing
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp ground cumin

Method
Put a pan of water onto boil. Peel and chop the sweet potato into 1cm cubes.
Add to the pan and cook for 13 minutes before adding the frozen peas and cooking for a further 2 minutes until tender. Drain and leave to cool.
Meanwhile peel the red onion. Cut it in half lengthways and then slice it finely.
Heat a small frying pan with the vegetable oil and fry the onion until soft.
Drain the butterbeans and rinse them in cold water. Place into a container and grate over the raw carrot.
Add the fried onion, sweet potato and peas.
Put all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and mix together.
Drizzle it over the salad and toss together.
Great eaten on its own, or in a tortilla or pitta bread with lettuce and a thin spread of hummus.

Note: I think it would also be nice with some freshly chopped coriander stirred through, but I didn’t have any at the time.

Tofu?!?

I have always said that I cannot stand tofu believing it to be tasteless and rubbery. That was until recently when I went out to dinner with Chris and chose a tofu, vegetable and noodle stir fry in a satay sauce. Upon tasting it, I was amazed to discover I actually liked it. The tofu had been fried to give it a crispy coating and it had taken on the flavours of the sauce and was not in the least bit rubbery. It seems that the type of tofu you use and how you cook it can vastly alter its texture and flavour.

On my last trip to the shops I happened to spot some tofu that was on special offer and remembering how much I enjoyed the tofu stir fry I decided to take a chance and buy some. Once home, I tried to recreate the dish and although not quite as good as the meal I had out, for a first attempt I was pleased with the results. The peanut butter added good flavour and crunch and the sweet chili sauce gave it a warming kick.

Broccoli and Tofu Noodles in a Satay Sauce

Ingredients
60g firm silken tofu
3 broccoli florets
50g frozen peas
½ sheet dried fine egg noodles
½ tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp sweet chili sauce
½ tbsp crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp water
1tsp vegetable oil

Method
Prepare the tofu according to pack instructions and then cut into small cubes.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan and fry the tofu for 2 minutes until golden and crisp around the edges. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Chop the broccoli into small pieces and add to the pan along with the frozen peas and dry noodles.
Cover the base of the pan with 1cm of water and bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Meanwhile mix the soy sauce, chili sauce, peanut butter and water together to form a fairly runny sauce.
When the noodles are cooked and the vegetables just softened, pour away any excess water and return the tofu to the pan.
Pour over the sauce and toss well so that everything gets covered in the sauce. Heat for a few seconds until the sauce begins to thicken and then remove from the heat and serve.

Serves 1.