Spicy Noodle Soup Packed with Greens

So I started my week with a cough, which has slowly but surely evolved in to the mother of all colds. Needless to say I’m desperate for a little R&R. What with copious amounts of shorthand practice and court visits filling my time (for those of you who weren't sure I’m a trainee journalist rather then a criminal), rest and relaxation days have been few and far between, but thankfully I have found solace in food, and particularly soup. 

This soup is perfect for those needing a good dose of vitamins to ward off all those winter nasties, the addition of the noodles saving this meal from becoming too health conscience. Add as much ginger and sweet chilli sauce as you like, and be sure to add more if you, like me, want to blast away a cold. 

This dish is also stupidly quick to put together, all the more important when you feel like your head’s going to explode...

Serves 1

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

half red onion, peeled and finely sliced

1/2 thumb ginger, peeled and finely chopped

handful of sugar snap peas

1 spring onion, sliced

handful of bean sprouts

two leaves of pak choi

straight to wok noodles for one

a bowls worth of chicken or vegetable stock

tsp malt vinegar

slosh of soy sauce 

1 to 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce (depending on taste)

large pinch of sugar

finely sliced cucumber, to serve

coriander leaves, to serve

1. Warm up the stock and add the vinegar, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce and sugar. Keep on a low heat whilst you prepare the greens.
2. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan, add the noodles and toss for 1 minute. Then add the remaining ingredients and toss for a further minute. You want the veg slightly charred but still crunchy. 
3. Put the veg and noodles in the bowl and pour over the stock. Serve with a sprinkling of coriander and scatter of sliced cucumber.

Grilled Halloumi with Fresh Tomato and Mint, served on Pita

There are a few things in life that I really can’t stand, late buses, spitting in the street, exams, that sort of thing. The flavour of raw tomato is another... or so I thought. Ben will tell anyone who’ll listen that I’m one of the most pickiest girls in the world, but really I’m not that bad. I do, however, have very particular requirements on a number of things, coffee for example, and now, it would appear, raw tomatoes. Because, for the first time in forever I ate a raw tomato and didn’t screw my face up at it. Brilliant. Well not quite, the special requirement is that it’s a firm, bright red Greek tomato, preferably eaten next to a pool or by the beach. I had hoped that any old tomato would do, but like good coffee, the alternative really doesn’t come close. 

The tomato in this recipe, I’m sad to say, didn’t quite meet my exacting standards, but I’m pretty sure anyone normal would like it just fine, and placed alongside all the other ingredients this dish is a real treat, simple to make and gorgeously vibrant in colour. 

Serves One as a lunch, or Two as a starter

8 thick slices of Halloumi

half a firm tasty tomato, cut into 8 slices

2 tsp dried oregano

1-2 Pita breads

small handful of fresh mint leaves

a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the halloumi slices onto a baking tray or griddle pan (depending on which you have) and sprinkle with oregano and a little olive oil. Grill, or griddle, until golden brown. 
2. To assemble, place a heated pita in the centre of the plate, and alternate the tomato and halloumi, creating a fan effect around the bread. 
3. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter with mint leaves. 

Courgette Balls with Feta Dip

A couple of weeks ago Mum and I visited the Greek island of Mykonos, for some long overdue rest and sun. I’ve been to plenty of the islands in the past, but I must say Mykonos is probably one of the most beautiful of the lot. It also boasts some excellent restaurants with innovative Greek style menus. Avli Tou Theodori on the beach of Platis Gialos is one such example, and is well worth a visit if you are lucky enough to find yourself in the area. We visited twice, Mum opting for the same starter and main course on both occasions, it was just that good.

Avli Tou Theodori

This recipe is my take on the Zucchini and Tomato Balls served with Fresh Oregano and Feta Cheese Dip, and although I may not have the heat, the beach and the Greek hospitality, the flavours of this dish go a small way to lightening up my little Brighton flat on this most dingy July day. 

Serves One as a light lunch, or two as a starter

-for the courgette balls-

half a courgette, grated, deseeded and strained of excess water

1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 spring onion, sliced

thumb sized chunk of feta, crumbled

1 egg, beaten

small handful of fresh mint, chopped

2 tbsp flour

salt and pepper to taste

oil, to fry

-for the dip-

a good wedge of feta, crumbled

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Combine the courgette, garlic, spring onion, feta, mint, salt and pepper, and flour in a large bowl, then add the egg and mix.
2. Form into three or four flattish balls, and sprinkle with a little extra flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the balls for about 3 minutes in each side until golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, make the feta dip by mixing the dip ingredients in a bowl and mashing everything together using a fork to create a smooth consistency. 
4. Serve the balls alongside the dip.

Gnocchi Bake, with Loads of Veg

I may have been off the blogging radar for a while, but I do have a pretty good excuse; I handed in my two dissertations on Monday. The culmination of a good two months of work, I can’t say I wasn’t happy to see them go, but now I have no excuse not to do revision for the exams I have in the coming weeks, which to me is a far less appealing prospect. Not to worry, it’ll all be over on the 1st of June, when regular blogging will resume. In the meantime, I’m not cooking that much, let alone blogging about new recipes, so you’ll have to make do with this delicious Gnocchi Bake, which has been my go to supper following a long day in the library. 

The origin of this recipe comes in the form of the Good Food website, but from these beginnings it has slowly evolved to include whatever I might have in the fridge, extra mozzarella, and as many different vegetables as is humanly possible to cram in a pyrex dish. 

And the results? Really tasty comfort food, with plenty of vegetables to make it healthy, and the same again of delicious pools of mozzarella to cancel all that out. 

Serves 2/4 (depending on greediness)

1 tbsp olive oil

500g pack of Gnocchi, cooked according to packet instructions

1 leek, sliced

a good handful of mushrooms, chopped small

1 onion, chopped small

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 courgette, chopped small

1 carrot, chopped small

1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped small

400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano

handful of basil leaves, torn, plus more to garnish

1 ball of mozzarella, sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan, then soften the onion, mushrooms, leeks and courgette. After around 5 minutes, add the carrot and pepper, and then the chopped tomatoes. Add the gnocchi and stir.
2. Season, add the oregano, stir through the basil, and pour into an ovenproof dish. Push half the goats cheese into the mixture, and then scatter the rest on top. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, until the mozzarella is bubbling and golden.
3. Serve with a scattering of basil leaves. 

Mini Greek Style Spinach and Feta Pies

If you’ve been following the blog for a while you may have noticed that I have a pretty serious love for the Greek Islands. I love the landscape, the weather, the people and of course the food!! Deliciously simple and fresh, Greek cuisine echoes all the things I Iove about the country, and although I don’t think I’ll ever be able to recreate the feeling of sitting in a sun drenched taverna by the sea, I’ve done my best here. 

The day before I left to go home for the Easter holidays I had an epic cooking session, making the Marathon bars from a few posts back, a healthy seed filled brown loaf, as well as a huge Greek themed feast. This consisted of a starter of homemade tapenade and tzatziki with Mini Spinach and Feta Pies, followed by a main of Chicken Souvlaki and Herby Lemony fries, and finally a dessert of Baklava. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the dessert, the first two courses were too filling for me that day!!

Chicken Souvlaki with Lemony Herby Fries

For the Spinach and Feta Pies I scouted around the internet searching for the general components of this Greek classic. Generally made into one big round pie, I decided to adapt the recipe to make more manageable mini pies, that wouldn’t look out of place at a dinner party. These pies are hugely simple to make and although the filling is made up of only three ingredients, they are fabulously tasty. Sometimes simple really is best!! 

Makes 4 mini pies

150g spinach leaves

100g feta cheese, crumbled

1 egg, beaten

approx. 1/2 250g pack filo pastry

1. First prepare the spinach by wilting in a large pan with a couple tablespoons of water. Leave to cool in a sieve before roughly chopping. Place in bowl with the cheese and beaten egg, and mix well.
2. Unroll the pastry carefully, and cut length ways down the middle, and then into squares (approximately six per sheet, they should be about 15cm square). Brush each square liberally with olive oil. Drape oil side down into the muffin tin compartments (I used four compartments spaced away from one another to ensure there wasn’t overlap), push the pastry down carefully so that they line each compartment, and then repeat the process until you have 3 or 4 layers of pastry in each compartment. Spoon over the filling, and then place one further square of pastry on top. Pull the pastry up around the filling, and scrunch together to make a pie. Brush the tops with a little more oil.
3. Heat oven to 180C. Cook the pies for around 30 mins until the pastry is crispy and golden. Serve with salad and tzatziki. 

Spicy Egg Curry

This past week I have eaten a lot of food, and none of it was made by me. Not so great when you have a food blog… But here I am, back with a student staple, curry. Unhealthy as it may sound, I cook curry at least once a week; it’s just too simple to make, and always delivers on flavour and price. As my diet becomes increasingly vegetarian I have looked to find tasty alternatives to chicken and lamb. Chickpeas, paneer and tofu have all proved perfect substitutes, and the addition of the whole boiled eggs here work nicely too. The chilli paste adds a punch of heat, and I find just half a tablespoon the perfect amount, but feel free to add more or less depending on your preferences. The coconut makes this curry creamy and the spices and ginger create a really unusual, but very delicious, flavour.

Serves 2/3

2 tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced

2 cm piece ginger, finely chopped

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground turmeric

½ tbsp chilli paste

1 tbsp brown sugar

200ml coconut milk

4 eggs, boiled and peeled

large handful mange tout

1. To peel the tomatoes, cut a cross in the base of each, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for a couple of moments then drain, peel and roughly chop.
2. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or sauce pan and add the garlic, shallots and ginger. After a minute, add the spices, paste and tomatoes and stir for a few minutes more.
3. Add the coconut and sugar, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened. This should take around 5 minutes. Add the eggs and mange tout and simmer for another 4 minutes or so, until the mange tout are cooked and the eggs are warmed through. Serve with steamed rice. 

Beetroot and Goats Cheese Risotto

Considering the main ingredient of this post, you may be surprised to hear that I have not always been the biggest fan of beetroot. I suppose its just another example of how my palette has ‘grown up’ over the last few years. Back when I was at school, which still feels like it was yesterday but was in fact half a decade ago now (possibly the most depressing thought ever), I turned my nose up at salads, would poke a chopped anchovy around the plate, and screw up my face eating olives. I hated coffee, and the mere hint of spice in curry would deem it uneatable. Thankfully my taste buds have matured somewhat and I now actively enjoy some of the food stuffs that would have previously turned my stomach (I still refuse to eat raw tomato though, yuck).

Beetroot is one such flavour that I hadn’t really been able to get to grips with until relatively recently, I find it has an almost grimy flavour and I still wouldn’t choose to eat it on its own. However, I have found that when mixed in salads, or pureed with some lime juice, it can really compliment a dish. In this instance, more then complimenting the risotto, the beetroot is the main ingredient and flavour, but with the addition of yoghurt, goats cheese and white wine, it is not so overpowering, and is deliciously creamy. Its pretty great to look at too, I really ought to have posted this one for Valentines Day!!

 Serves 2

3 ready cooked vacuum packed beetroots (about 250g), half of them chopped and half pureed in a food processor

125g risotto rice

knob of butter

half a red onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

small glass of white wine

500ml vegetable stock

dollop of natural yoghurt

around 60g goats cheese, finely sliced

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the onion and garlic and soften over a low heat for around 5 minutes.
2. Add the rice, and mix together, then pour in the wine and reduce. Add the pureed beetroot and stir.
3. Slowly add the stock, a little at a time, stirring constantly after each addition and ensuring that the stock is absorbed before adding more. Continue until all the stock is used and the rice has plumped up, is fluffy and retains a slight bite. This should take around 20 minutes.

Padana Pizza

I am so excited to share this recipe with you. I don’t know about any one else but I think the Padana Pizza at Pizza Express is just about the best pizza ever created. Consisting of goats cheese, caramelized red onion and spinach on a thin crust base, I can’t remember a time when I’ve ordered anything other then the Padana. Well, you can imagine my excitement at managing to recreate this delicious pizza at home and for a fraction of the price, I’m pretty much over the moon. The caramelised onions would be delicious with burgers too (don’t tell anyone, but I may have actually eaten quite a bit straight from the pan, they are just so sweet), and the pizza base recipe I followed was quick and simple to make with no resting time required.

Serves 2

Pizza base recipe available here (remember to roll the dough really thin to ensure it crisps up nicely)

-Pizza Toppings-

4 tbsp passata

2 tsp dried oregano

a long round of goats cheese, sliced

caramelised onions (see recipe below)

fresh spinach leaves, wilted

olive oil, to drizzle

1. On the prepared pizza bases, spread the passata and sprinkle with oregano. Add the remaining toppings, drizzling over the olive oil, and bake in the oven for around 10 to 15 minutes, on a high shelf and on a preheated up turned baking tray, at 240C.

-For the Caramelised Onion-

One large red onion, thinly sliced

A large knob of butter

1 ½ tbsp light muscovado sugar

½ tbsp balsamic vinegar

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the sugar and onions and cook over a low heat. After 15 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the onions have softened.

Marmitey Quorn Cottage Pie

You either love it or you hate it, but Marmite doesn’t half improve the flavour of Quorn mince. Whenever I cook with this beef substitute I have to add a teaspoon or so of Marmite, to create the depth of flavour that is often the one thing lacking in Quorn mince. I call this the Maramitey Quorn Cottage Pie because, for the first time, the deep salty flavour of the Marmite itself actually shines through. The Marmite is added to the pan at the same time as the Quorn, so it is really absorbed into the mince. Now all you Marmite-phobes out there are probably thinking you’ll want to steer well clear of this particular recipe, but I can reassure you that even Ben, the ultimate hater of Marmite, actually enjoyed the flavour, much to my own surprise. He’ll be eating Nigella’s Marmite Spaghetti by the end of the year I’m sure of it!!

Serves 2, with leftovers

1 carrot, finely grated

1 onion, coarsely grated

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

300g packet Quorn mince, frozen

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp Marmite

2-3 tbsp plain white flour

Around 300ml stock of your choice (you may not need it all)

Around 400g potatoes, left unpeeled

Handful of grated cheddar cheese, optional

1. In a deep pan and over a medium heat, heat a splash of olive oil and fry the onion and carrot for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the crushed garlic cloves and fry for a further 3 minutes. Add the mince, and fry until cooked through.
2. Add the tomato paste and the Marmite, and fry for a further 2 minutes. Cover the mixture with the flour and fry for 1 minute, before slowly adding the stock, continuously stirring to form a gravy. Add enough stock to make a slightly runnier gravy, and leave to reduce for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes and mash, and preheat the oven to 180C.
4. Pour the mixture into an appropriate ovenproof dish, cover with the mashed potato and sprinkle over the cheese.
5. Bake for around 20 minutes until golden and crisp on top and serve with salad. 

Parsnip and Apple Risotto

This recipe is an adaptation of Alice Hart’s Parsnip and Sage Risotto from her wonderful Vegetarian cook book, which I was very glad to find under my Christmas Tree this year.

I am not a vegetarian and am afraid to say I have too much of a soft spot for venison stew and steaks to ever really consider becoming one full time, but I have increasingly found cooking meat free to be a purse friendly and more imaginative option for suppers. Having dabbled with meat substitutes I decided to take the plunge and find myself a good vegetarian cook book to start me off properly, and when I heard that Alice Hart had written one, I knew I had to have it. Having exhausted the original Alice’s CookBook, I was expecting more imaginative and delicious recipes, and I’m pleased to say that I have not been disappointed so far. Like the original but bigger and with heaps more photographs, Alice has really inspired me to cook vegetarian, and I vow to do so at least three times a week from now on.

This creamy risotto is simple to cook and delicious to eat, and the addition of the chopped apple, added in the last few minutes before serving so retaining a bit of bite, in my opinion adds a complementary burst of sweetness to an otherwise exceedingly parsnipy dish.

Adapted from Alice Hart’s Vegetarian

Serves 2

1 parsnip, peeled and roughly grated

1 apple, peeled and chopped into small cubes

2 sage leaves, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

20g butter

125g risotto rice

½ glass white wine

500ml vegetable stock

1 tbsp mascarpone, plus extra to serve

a handful of finely grated parmesan (or vegetarian alternative)

1. Melt the butter in a deep pan, add the shallots, parsnip and sage and cook gently, stirring, for around 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the rice and cook for a minute. Pour in the wine and stir until evaporated, then begin to add the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, and stirring until it has virtually disappeared. Continue until the stock is gone, or the rice is plump and cooked. It should take 20 minutes to half an hour.
3. Remove from the heat, stir in half the mascarpone and Parmesan, as well as the chopped apple. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Mix through the remaining cheese, and serve with a dollop of mascarpone on top.

An Indian Feast

Last Bonfire Night, I hosted an Indian themed supper. Each guest brought a dish, and I made chutneys and onion bhajis. It went so well that I decided to recreate the feast again this week, but this time I made everything myself, including three curries, chutneys, raita, bhajis and naan bread. As you can imagine I was pretty exhausted after a good four hours of cooking - I think I chopped 12 onions, 12!!

All the recipes came from the wonderful BBC Food and Good Food websites, except for the main chicken tikka curry which is a Gordon Ramsay creation, originally found by my lovely friend Maddy. The best thing about these recipes is that they can all be made up ahead and reheated, saving time, energy and hob space later.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I doubled up the Chicken Tikka recipe to serve 6 people with leftovers. I started by making the sauce and blending it, then leaving it to one side, before reheating it just before serving and adding the browned chicken pieces which I allowed to infuse in the sauce for about 10 minutes or so. This curry has a good red colour, creamy texture and a deep flavour, with just a hint of spice that should appeal to even the most chilli fearing of friends.

Spiced Paneer and Tomato Curry

I’m a big fan of paneer, an Indian cheese similar to halloumi, and the Spiced Paneer and Tomato Curry I made was sympathetic to its delicate flavour. Again the spice level was more warming hint then blast.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

The final curry I made was a Chickpea and Spinach number, Ben’s favourite, which made for a bit of colour on the table, and also could be described as healthy (mainly because it was green). I made the entirety of the curry up ahead, except for the addition of the spinach, which I added to the warmed sauce to wilt, about 15 minutes before serving.

The mix for the onion bhajis was again made up ahead, except for the flour, which was added to the onion, egg and spices just before frying. Once fried, I popped the bhajis in a Pyrex dish and placed them in the oven, on a low heat, to keep them warm until I was ready to serve.

Onion Bhajis, Raita and Naan

I can’t take all the credit for the feast though. Ben did make the Naan breads. He followed this Madhur Jaffery recipe, and cooked them on a slightly oiled pan on the hob rather then in the oven. They puffed up perfectly, and made for a sweet and fluffy accompaniment to the meal.

Alongside all this I served my trusty coriander chutney with the addition of a little natural yoghurt to create a smoother consistency, and cucumber and mint raita to cool everything down.

Phew, I’m exhausted just recounting it all to you here, but I’m pleased to say the meal went down very well, and six people managed to eat almost all of the different curries, which had been meant to make 16 portions!!

Spiced Parsnip and Apple Soup

A slight diversion from affordable mid week suppers, this Spiced Parsnip and Apple Soup is by no means expensive to make, but is probably more suited to lunch. If I’m being honest, my photos don’t really do this one justice, I’ll admit I was more interested in eating it then taking photographs of it. I made this soup for a lunch date with Rose, and I think she will agree it was really rather tasty, the empty bowls and six devoured petit pains bearing testament to this. The best thing about this soup was that both the flavours of parsnip and apple shone through rather then one dominating. Delicious and really easy to make too.

Adapted from Bill’s Cook Eat Smile

Serves 2/3

2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks

a drizzle of sunflower oil

1 onion, peeled and diced

1 small stick celery, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 potato, peeled and cut into small chunks

2 parsnips, peeled and diced

1 tsp curry powder

750ml vegetable stock

½ tbsp honey

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Toss the cubed apple in the sunflower oil. Place in a baking tray and roast for around 10 minutes until soft. Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a deep pan, add the diced vegetables and cook over a low heat with the lid on for about 20 minutes.
2. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 3 minutes, then add the stock. Bring to the boil, add the apples and honey and simmer for 5 minutes. Blitz with a hand held blender (or wait to cool a little before carefully liquidizing in a blender).
3. Season and serve with crusty bread.

Leekie Soup

Since when is it December?! The last few months have just gone so quickly, I’m at my 100^th post and have almost been cooking a year now – how time flies. Not that I’m complaining, being a Christmas-aholic, the countdown has officially begun, and I cannot wait to hand in my last essay next Thursday and let the celebrations start with our Christmas Party. In the meantime, I’ve been keeping myself sane whilst essay researching and writing with cooking lots of lovely winter warmers. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this season’s food is definitely the best, give me casseroles and soups over salads any day.

This leek and potato soup comes from Bill’s Cook Eat Smile, which never fails to amaze me with easy seasonal recipes that are always delicious. If you’ve got a spare couple of hours to chop and stir and check then it really is worth it making home made soup, and quite frankly it’s therapeutic too. I have become increasingly disillusioned with shop bought soups, which promise so much and deliver very little (although if you really are looking for a speedy lunch then the best I’ve found are from Glorious Soups with their tempting alphabet of flavours). Bill’s soup is called Cock-a-Leekie, but is without the chicken, so is really just leekie. The addition of half the chopped vegetables after blending makes this soup feel like more of a hearty meal, and served with crusty bread and butter, it makes the perfect lunch for a cold winters day.

Adapted from Bill’s Cook Eat Smile

Serves 2

½ tbsp olive oil

½ onion, chopped

1 large leek, chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

½ tbsp butter

1 large or 2 small sticks of celery, chopped

small bunch of fresh sage, chopped

500ml hot vegetable stock

½ tbsp honey

1. Heat the oil in a large deep pan, and fry the onion until translucent. Add the butter and when that’s melted, add half the potatoes, leeks, celery and sage. Cook gently for 25 minutes over a low heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Blitz carefully with a hand held blender (allow to cool slightly if using a food processor) until smooth.
3. Add the remaining vegetables and the honey, and season. Put the lid back on and simmer for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Sprinkle over a little more chopped sage and serve with crusty bread.

Sunday Feast: with Roast Potatoes, Nut Roast and Bread Sauce

You’d be forgiven for thinking that all I eat these days is roasts, seeing as this is the second post on the subject in the space of three. What can I say, I’m a big fan of tradition and this is one of the best. On this occasion I decided to tart up the more basic roast that I am accustomed to making, mainly because I wanted to impress some new friends.

To do this I bought one massive chicken that virtually filled the whole oven, and as well as serving my customary honey roast parsnips, carrots and sweet potatoes and greens, I attempted proper roast potatoes, for the first time ever I might add, bread sauce, pigs in blankets and my super-duper tasty nut roast.

This week I took the plunge and bought my first ever food magazine. I really can’t resist a Christmas theme, and the December issue of Good Food certainly delivered. It was from here I found the Roast Potato recipe, which was surprisingly simple, and delivered on flavour and colour, with a deliciously fluffy interior incased in a golden crispy shell.

-For the Roast Potatoes-

Adapted from the Good Food Magazine

Serves 8

2.5kg roasting potatoes, peeled, and larger potatoes halved or quartered

1 tbsp plain flour

150ml (approx) vegetable oil

2 tbsp sunflower oil

1. Tip the potatoes into a large pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Boil for 6 minutes exactly, then drain in a colander and allow to steam dry for a few minutes. Toss in the colander to biff up the sides.
2. Transfer to a large bowl, sprinkle over the flour and toss to combine. Pour over around half the vegetable oil and toss to coat.
3. When ready, preheat the oven to 200C. Pour the remaining vegetable oil and the sunflower oil into a baking tray, and put into the oven to heat the oil for around 15 minutes.
4. Carefully add the potatoes and roast for 25 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, increase the oven to 220C, turn over the potatoes and return to the oven for a further 40 minutes until gold and crisp.

You may think its more suited to your Christmas Day turkey but the home made bread sauce made a welcome accompaniment to our chicken. This hugely simple recipe is from the most recent episode of Saturday Kitchen and can be found HERE (as can the recipe I followed for the Roast Chicken).

My nut roast has been a firm favourite since I discovered it, I think in an old copy of Waitrose magazine, a few years back. It’s the only nut roast I’ve ever made or even tried, and its far from the bland dry nut roast that is the stuff of veggie legends. This nut roast is sweet and nutty and cheesy and moist and basically YUM. I serve it as an alternative stuffing, but would be happy to have it in place of meat any day.

-For the Nut Roast-

Serves 6-8

1 chopped onion

2 carrots, grated

1 clove garlic, crushed

large handful mushrooms, chopped

175g cooked brown rice

115g brown bread crumbs

55g finely chopped almonds

55g finely chopped brazil nuts

115g grated cheddar

2 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1. Fry the onion, carrot and garlic in a knob of butter for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the rice, bread, nuts, cheese, eggs and herbs and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake in a greased tin or Pyrex dish at 180C for one hour.

The whole thing may have taken four hours to make, and I didn’t half need those glasses of wine come serving time, but the excellent company, yummy noises and a Scrabble themed Thank You made it all worth while. 

Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese Pappardelle

Sadly, I don’t always get on with Nigella’s recipes, so I approached this Butternut Squash Pappardelle with a little trepidation. Thankfully, I needn’t have worried; Nigella excelled her self with this sweet and salty comfort dish, that looks beautifully Autumnal too. 

Adapted from Nigella Lawson: Kitchen

Serves 4 to 6

1 large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm cubes

100g pine nuts

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

6 fresh sage leaves, chopped

125g soft blue cheese, crumbled

2 tbsp olive oil

¾ tsp paprika

1 tbsp unsalted butter

3 tbsp red wine (Nigella uses Marsala but wine is cheaper)

125ml water

500g pappardelle

1. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan (with a lid), and fry the onions. Once they have become golden, add the paprika.
2. Add the butternut squash and butter, and stir everything together. Then add the wine and water. Bring to a bubble, put on the lid, and simmer for about 20 minutes until tender.
3. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until scorched, and turn out onto a plate to cool.
4. When the sauce is ready season to taste and remove from the heat.
5. Cook the pappardelle according to the packet instructions. Give the sauce the odd stir whilst you are doing this. Reserve a little of the pasta water before draining.
6. Tip the drained pasta into the sauce and combine. If the sauce is too dry, add a little of the reserved pasta water.
7. Crumble over the cheese, half the pine nuts and half the sage and gently combine.
8. Serve, and sprinkle over the rest of the sage and pine nuts. 

Honey Roasted Pear and Parsnip Salad

Now that I only have to be in University two days a week and Ben is home more in the daytime I have decided to try and make more lunchtime recipes. Rather then reheating leftovers or settling on the lazy option of pasta and cheese, I shall be trying more lunch options, and I’ve started as I mean to go on with a Honey Roasted Parsnip and Pear Salad from one of my faves Cook, Eat, Smile, written by the man behind the brilliant Bills Produce Store.

Root Veg. Pear. Honey Roasted. Blue Cheese. Quite possibly the best flavour combination ever and sexing up humble salad leaves everywhere. I’ll admit to you now, I am NOT a salad person, particularly in October. But the caramelisation of the sweet slithers of pears and parsnips, the creaminess of the cheese, and the zing of the dressing make even the most boring of leaves sensational. This recipe makes salads appetizing for colder weather too, no bad thing if you’re trying to watch your waistline.

Adapted from Cook, Eat, Smile

Serves 2

1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into strips

1 pear, peeled, cored and quartered

1 tbsp honey

50g stilton, or any other blue cheese

2 large handfuls of salad leaves (I used spinach, Bill uses the head of radicchio)

-For the Dressing-

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1 tsp honey

2 tsp olive oil

2 tsp lemon or lime juice

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Toss the parsnips in half the honey, put on a baking tray and roast for 15 minutes. Add the pears and the rest of the honey and cook for a further 10 minutes.
2. Remove from the tray and leave to cool slightly.
3. Place the salad leaves into a big bowl, scatter over the roasted parsnips and pears and crumble the cheese over too.
4. Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together and spoon over the salad. Mix it all together and serve.