Stilton and Pesto mushrooms: (Serves 2)

This is a very quick cheaty type way to do a nice little starter.

De- stalk and roast 8 medium sized mushrooms in the oven, in a roasting dish lined with olive oil a little garlic, and a splash of white wine.

Roast them for about 30 minutes at 180 degrees.

Meanwhile chop up some blue stilton cheese (about 50 g), mix in a small bowl with 3 tea spoons of pesto, and a splash of olive oil.

Take the mushrooms out of the oven, and using a teaspoon, squash the cheese and pesto mix into each mushroom. Place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Done! Serve with a dot of fresh pesto. Looks and tastes great!

Onion, Mustard & Ale Soup

Ingredients: (serves 4 approx)

4 large onions
1 tablespoon of coarse grain mustard
1 bottle of brown ale (I use Mann's but any will do such as Newcastle brown etc)
1 average sized spud
Knob of butter or alternative
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 a pint of veg stock (I use swiss veg bouillion)
Salt and pepper to taste
50g of mature cheddar cheese to garnish

Method:

Peel the spud and chop into 4, put on the boil... then whilst this is boiling, melt the butter slowly in a large pan and cover with the olive oil, avoiding burning, add salt and pepper to taste.

Roughly chop the onions and put them into the melted butter and oil mixture.

Stir through, coating all the onions. Add the mustard and a couple of splashes of the ale and stir though coating the onions. Cook on a low-medium heat for about 10 mins, keeping stirring.

Then begin to add the rest of the ale bit by bit, and stir through. You may not need the whole bottle. I find about 2/3rds is enough and leaves you some to drink whilst you are slaving over a hot stove.. but it depends how thick you like your soup!

Once the spud is cooked through add this and stir in, add the stock.. again dependant on how thick you like your soup and stir. Leave all this to simmer for about 20 mins on a low heat with the lid on.

Then blitz the lot with a hand held blender.

Serve topped with a bit of grated cheddar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Making it up as you go along...

Today I decided that I wanted to make something warming and hearty. A stew would be nice.. so in my usual way, I decided to just go for it & make one, deciding as I went along what I was going to do. I find these recipes (if you can call them that! ) are the ones I go back to again and again, this one being no different!

Again this doesn't take long to prepare, so no excuses that there isn't enough time! I got this ready to leave bubbling away in the pan in less time than it took to listen to my favourite album of the moment by Mr & Mrs, which contains just the 10 quality tracks.

So here goes...I don't have a name for it so it's going to be, "Spicy make it up as you go along Hotch-Potch Stew... "

Ingredients: (serves 4)

2 cloves of garlic
2 small fresh chillies
3 teaspoons of paprika
a large glass of red wine
1 tables spoon of olive oil
100g of green beans
1 tin of back eyed beans
1 tin of cannellini beans
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 large onion
1 carton of freshly chopped tomatoes
5 large potatoes peeled and cut into halves
2 tea spoons of veg stock
a few drops of Tabasco
1 desert spoon of butter or alternative
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat a large casserole/sauce pan, and add the olive oil, paprika, Tabasco, half the red wine, and a pinch of salt and pepper. (dependant on your taste for spice, you can reduce the chilli amount or lose the Tabasco.. but I like it hot!)

Chop the garlic, chillies, onion and pepper, and add to the hot pan, coating in the oil and wine mixture. Put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes on a medium heat.

Add the rest of the wine, the chopped tomatoes, and the beans (all 3 types). Stir all this through. Then add the potatoes, and fill with enough water to cover all the veg. Add the stock and stir thoroughly, then as the mixture begins to boil add the butter (this helps the sauce to thicken once reduced).

Turn the heat down to minimum, and then go and do something else exciting for about 1 hr 45 mins (although you may need to pop back for a quick stir).

This is one of those dishes that benefits from slower cooking. The longer and slower you simmer, the more the flavours begin to fuse. It has a short preparation time, and no effort to let it cook down nicely, just a little patience if you are hungry!

Once it has reduced down and the sauce thickened check the spuds are done (nothing worse than a hard spud.. but if you've left it long enough they will be nicely cooked!), and then enjoy with a nice warm crusty roll! (If your sauce is too thin add a little more butter, leave to cool then bring to the boil again).

Easy, hearty, made up in an instant, and not too fattening!

Jane x

Lemon & Poppy Seed Drizzle Cake

Neither of us are big cake eaters, or sweet stuff of any kind really. But we do not enjoy the odd bit of home-baked cake. Shop bought cake tastes....well that's the point really, often it doesn't taste of anything!

Lemon cake is perfect for me as it combines sweet and sharp. It's almost like not actually eating cake!

Anyway, this is an easy cake to make, it looks beautifully rustic, and is delicious in the afternoon with a nice cup of tea.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
125 ml vegetable/sunflower/extra virgin oil
175 g caster sugar
zest of 3 lemons
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
125 ml milk
250g self-raising flour

& for the top:
The juice of the 3 lemons
4 tablespoons sugar


(Soak the poppy seeds in the milk for at least an hour before you make the cake)

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180c

Beat the eggs, sugar, oil, lemon zest, milk & poppy seeds in a bowl

Add the flour & mix in to form a batter

Tip into a 2lb loaf tin (lined or greased & floured)

Bake for 40-50 mins (depending on your oven) on the middle shelf

While it's baking, mix the juice of the lemons with 4 tablespoons of sugar

Check the cake's done by poking with a skewer. As it's such a light coloured batter you'll pretty much know by the colour of the top. If it's burning, it's done!

Poke a skewer into the top of the cake in several places. Tip the lemon/sugar all over the top of the cake.

Leave for 20 mins and then tip out to cool

Eat

Lovely!

Ali :-)

Easy Lentil Dhal/Soup

Lucy, this one's for you...

This is a very simple dish that can be transformed easily into something much more exciting.

I used to think cooking dhal would be an exact science but I learned from a friend it was an incredibly simple and basic dish that is easy to cook, nourishing & heartwarming, but could also be used as a base for curries. I make a big pot at the start of the week and take it to work for lunch. It's even better after a day or 2 as the spices have been really absorbed into the lentils.

To make the dhal I made today, I used 250g dry red lentils bought from our local supermarket, which to cook require a fast 10 minute boil in a pan of water (skimming off the foam that appears on top), followed by a 15 minute simmer. Make sure you don't let the pan boil dry & top up the water if necessary. (You can use tinned lentils or chick peas and just warm them up in a pan. But I prefer using dried, and it's cheaper!

If you want to make the cheapest and easiest dhal, just add a couple of teaspoons of curry powder* to the pan of cooked lentils, stir and Bob's your uncle!

If you like, add water (or stock for more flavour) to get your perfect consistency, depending on whether you want a bowl of soup or something you can eat with a fork. Season with salt & pepper.

You can, however, make it a little more exciting than that.

Whilst my lentils were cooking I fried a red onion, added 2 green chillies and a clove of garlic. I added this to the cooked lentils along with the curry powder & a teaspoon of paprika. (A couple of drops of Tabasco add a richer flavour too.) I do like my food spicy!

I can't honestly say there are many things I find more warming & satisfying on a winter's day than a bowl of dhal and a crusty roll. And...it's incredibly cheap, which is an extra bonus! Go on Lucy, give it a go :-)

Ali x

*At the moment I am using Hot Curry Powder, which contains Coriander, Turmeric, Cumin, Cardamom, Black Pepper, Star Anise, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic, Salt, Cloves & Bay Leaves - what a heavenly mix that is. To be honest I no longer faff about buying all these things separately as they more often than not end up going to waste. Obviously though, if you are a purist you will want to create your own curry spice mix, which is also good.

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni (serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

5-6 sheets of fresh lasagne/cannelloni pasta

2 bags of fresh spinach

1 250g tub of ricotta cheese

100g of chestnut mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic

150g of mature cheddar

1 pint of milk

1 tablespoon of flour

1 small carton of freshly chopped tomatoes

A large knob of butter or alternative

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of tomato passata
Salt & black pepper to taste

Method:

Finely chop the mushrooms & garlic, and place in a large frying pan/wok with a tablespoon of olive oil. Leave to cook gently for 5 to 10 mins.

Chop the 2 bags of fresh spinach (I use a mezzaluna for ease, but a knife will do!)

Add the chopped spinach to the pan, and turn the heat down to very low. Leave the spinach to wilt for about 5 mins, stirring occasionally.

Remove the mixture from the pan and place in a large bowl. Add the tomato, and stir. Then add the ricotta cheese and thoroughly stir through. Add a generous helping of black pepper & a pinch of salt.







Rub a little oil on the bottom of an oven proof dish, and pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.

To make the cheese sauce, follow the same method as my veggie lasagne.

Take a sheet of pasta, and place a line of the spinach mixture across the middle. Then gently roll the pasta around the filling to form a tube. Place the filled roll in the oven proof dish. Continue this to fill the middle of the dish with filled pasta, leaving approx an inch around the sides for the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the pasta nearly filling the dish.

Place in the pre-heated oven for 20 mins, and that's you done.. !

Mushroom, leek & wine soup

Ingredients: (serves 4 approx)


Knob of butter or alternative
1 tablespoon of olive oil
600g of mushrooms (or about 2 to 3 punnets)
2 large leeks
1 average sized spud
1 pint of veg stock ( I use swiss bouillion)
1 large glass of white wine (dry)
Salt & pepper to season.




Method:


Peel the potato and chop into 4, place on the boil and cook until soft. Whilst this is cooking..

Melt the butter slowly in a large pan and add the olive oil to avoid the butter burning. Add salt and pepper to the melted mixture to your own taste.

Roughly chop the mushrooms and leeks and add to the melted oil and butter.

Coat the veg using a wooden spoon in the melted butter and oil, keep stirring on a medium heat. Stir for about 5 minutes until they start to cook down a little. Then add the wine and again stir for a couple of minutes.

Place lid on pan and leave to cook down on a low heat for about 25 minutes. (keep checking there is enough moisture in the pan so the veg doesn't stick and give a quick stir if needed)

Add the stock, and the cooked potato and stir.

Salt and pepper to taste

Then blitz with a hand held blender..

Nice served with croutons and a dash of fresh (vegetarian) parmesan I feel..

Roast Mushroom & Tomato Tagliatelle

(Click on the picture to see just how nice this looks when it's BIG, Ali :-)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

250g of fresh tagliatelle

250g of mushrooms (closed cup or chestnut)

250g cherry vine tomatoes

3 teaspoons of fresh basil pesto

1 tablespoon of cream cheese

splash of balsamic vinegar

2 small fresh chillies

1 clove of garlic

2 tablespoons of olive oil

50g of blue stilton (replace with any cheese if this isn't your bag)

Handful of (vegetarian) parmesan shavings

Salt & black pepper

Method:

Coarsley chop the mushrooms and half the tomatoes, finely chop the chilli & garlic, and place in a roasting dish. Drizzle a generous helping of olive oil over the top, a few spots of balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt & black pepper to taste.

Place in a preheated-oven at 180 degrees. Cook for around 30 mins, but check halfway through and stir through. Once the mushroom & tomatoes begin to brown on top it's done.

Remove from oven, and pour the contents into a sauce pan.

Mix the pesto with a little bit of olive oil in a small bowl, then add to the saucepan. Stir though and then add the cream cheese, stirring thoroughly. Leave on a very low heat to simmer for around 5 mins.

Boil a large pan of water with a generous helping of salt, and a splash of olive oil. Once bubbling add the fresh pasta and cook through, make sure the water is at full boil before you add, as this will stop the pasta sticking together.

(This should take between 5 and 10 mins depending on whether you like your pasta al dente or not!)

Serve the pasta, and top with the sauce mixture, then crumble the blue stilton over the top, add a few shavings of parmesan, some black pepper and thats your lot!

A quick, easy and very nice dish!

Spicy Roast Tomato & Yellow Pepper Soup

(If you don't like it spicy, lose the chillies! )

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 kg of vine tomatoes, size doesn't really matter in this case! (Better if you've grown them yourself though!)

3 yellow peppers (again get growing)

1 Large onion (same again!)

3 fresh chillies (or not)

A pint of good quality veg stock - (I use swiss veg bouillion)

A few drizzles of olive oil

A drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Pesto optional to garnish

Salt and pepper

Method:

Place all the tomatoes roughly chopped onion, and roughly chopped peppers in a large oven roasting dish. Finely chop the chilli and sprinkle over the top.. at this point do not rub your eye!! It hurts!

Drizzle the whole thing with generous splash of olive oil, and a few spots of balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper.

Place in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for about 30 mins. After 15 minutes check the dish and give veg a shake and stir to ensure even roasting.

Prepare stock by adding a pint of boiling water to 3 teaspoons of stock and stir.
Once veg has started to brown on top and tomatoes begin to release all their juices, add all this to a large pan. Add the stock, and stir together over a very low heat.

Blend the mixture using a hand blender if poss.. much easier than moving it into a liquidiser.. keep stirring and blending to a level to suit you! Then it's all done!

Very nice served with a drizzle of home made pesto on top and a leaf of fresh basil.

Vegetarian food not just for veggies..

The first of my vegetarian recipes is now online (see below), but first, here's a little background to my passion for cooking.

I have been vegetarian for 20 years, but am not on some anti-canivore soap box. I personally just don't want to eat animals.. end of! A passion and dream of mine is to make it easy for people either thinking of going vegetarian or to cater for those having unexpected veggies come to tea! Either a member of the family or dinner guest. I want to help solve the "Oh my god they're veggie.. what do I cook?"

I have never gone down the road of meat substitutes.. apologies to Mr Quorn! I just like making wholesome easy home cooked dishes, and if I can grow some of my own to go in it all the better. I don't proclaim to make every ingredient from scratch, but I also never set eyes on a ready meal!

I will start with one of the more complicated dishes in my vegetarian lasagne, this is still easy, just takes a little time, but many of my forthcoming stuff is quick easy and tasty, giving people ideas to cater for those pesky vegetarians like us!

Jane x

Veggie Lasagne recipe (serves 4)

Ingredients:

Feel free to change the vegetables to ones you like.. but these are mine!

8 sheets of fresh lasagne

200g mushrooms

1 large onion

3 peppers (whichever colour you fancy!)

1 tin of sweetcorn

1 packet of fresh chopped tomatoes (you can use tins but I prefer the fresher ones)

1 bag of fresh spinach (or 1 tin of spinach.. up to you!)

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Approx 4 tablespoons of sieved tomato passata

& for the sauce:

Large knob of butter (or alternative)

1 tablespoon of flour

1 pint of milk

100g of mature cheddar cheese (grated or finely chopped)

20g of fresh (vegetarian) parmesan

Salt & pepper

To make the filling:

Chop the garlic, onion, and pepper into quite small pieces, add the olive oil and a sprinkle of black pepper and salt to a heated large pan (I use a wok style deep frying pan). Add them to the oil and cook slowly on a medium heat for 5-10 mins keep stirring to avoid sticking.

Then chop and add the mushrooms, and stir through. Cook on a low to medium heat for another 5-10 mins until all the veg begins to soften.

Then add the sweetcorn, chopped tomatoes, and the spinach, stir in then add the passata. Leave on a low heat for another 5-10 mins, stirring when needed.

For the sauce:

Melt the butter in a sauce pan slowly avoiding burning. As soon as it is melted add the flour and stir continuously to form a paste.

Then add the milk, and stir all the time on a low heat until the paste has mixed in.

Begin to add the cheddar cheese bit by bit continuously stirring. Also add a few parmesan shavings to enhance the flavour as you go along. You should use about 2/3's of the cheese and leave the rest to top at the end.

It is important to keep the heat quite low and keep stirring as if it boils too much it may separate.

Add a small splash of passata.. just about a desert spoon full, and salt and pepper to taste.

Once all the cheese has melted and the sauce has started to thicken it is done! This should take about 5 mins of simmering and stirring.

The lasagne:

Cut each piece into 2, and place in a bowl of boiling water for 5 mins just to blanche.

Oil a roasting dish across the bottom, then place approx 4 of the half sheets in the dish. Cover with the veg mixture then layer again with sheets of lasagne, continue this until everything's gone! Usually 3-4 layers.

(Make sure your last layer is a sheet of lasagne!!)

Then pour the sauce over and around the sides of the lasagne, it should pretty much fill your dish to avoid drying out when cooking.

Place in a pre-heated oven at 170 degrees and cook for 30 mins. Then remove and add the remaining cheeses on top and return to the oven for a further 5-10 mins until golden.

Lovely!

For the ultimate vegetarian cuisine you really have to read Denis Cotter's stuff. You will never go back! I can't recommend it highly enough. He has a few different books out but I like Paradiso Seasons. One day I'll make it over to Cork & try his stuff out for real. I can dream eh!