Lurkin' Squeaky Pie

I challenged myself to try a new recipe each week and now I've taken it up a level ... I've invented a new recipe.  As a new invention it had no name so I had to start somewhere. I looked to see what was lurking in the fridge at the end of the week and considered making Bubble and Squeak. I'm never sure which ingredient is the bubble and which the squeak but I didn't have cabbage. I then thought I'd like it to be a complete meal so it needed a bit extra to make it more substantial.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Left over vegetables from Sunday roast (I used roasted potatoes, carrots and parsnips)
More potatoes, steamed or boiled (I didn't have enough left over potatoes - we'd been too hungry on Sunday!) No quantities ... just what looks right for two people
oil for frying
1 Onion, chopped
1 courgette, grated
Chunk of Parmesan cheese, grated 
Chunk of Cheddar, grated (approximately 60g)
knob of butter
1 tomato, sliced
Celery Salt
Garlic granules
Salt and Pepper

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180*C
• Steam or boil scrubbed potatoes until soft 
• Gently fry onion in a little oil until soft
• Using food processor roughly chop left over roast vegetables (alternatively mash with potato masher). Tip into large bowl
• Use food processor to chop and bind steamed potatoes and onions when cooked, add a knob of butter. Tip into bowl with other vegetables
• Add grated courgette and grated Parmesan and mix together (easiest to use clean hands) until fully incorporated
• Season with celery salt, garlic granules and salt and pepper to taste. I tend to just sprinkle in with a gung ho attitude but approximately 1/2 tsp celery salt and 1 tsp garlic granules. This is a new invention so add whatever takes your fancy.
• Spoon into a shallow dish and level baking dish and smooth out surface.
• Cook in centre of oven for 25 minutes and then remove to add grated cheddar and sliced tomato. Return to oven and cook for further 10 minutes until cheese melted and top browned.

I served this topped with a poached egg. There are no photos of the served meal because it did not maintain its structural integrity well. However despite it's appearance it was incredibly tasty and will definitely be made again. 

Embrace your inner inventor and see what's lurking in your fridge.

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

I love soup and have always followed recipes when making one. This soup is the exception as I could not find one in my collection of recipe books. I turned to the internet for instruction but did not have a leek as specified in the first recipe I looked at. As an avid soup maker my next thought was "how hard can this be?"

I've never been great at paying too much attention to measurements ... perhaps this is why I'm not very good at baking cakes!  So ... this is what I did:

Ingredients:

1 Litre of chicken stock (I made my own from the Sunday roast carcass)

Oil for frying

1 onion, finely chopped

3 small - medium potatoes, diced (not peeled because I'm trying to keep as many nutrients as possible)

1 head broccoli - stalk finely chopped, remainder chopped

Half a pack of Stilton (approx 120g)

Salt and pepper

Method:

• Fry onion in a little oil on a medium heat until soft but not browned (approx 5 mins)
• Add diced potatoes and finely chopped stalk from broccoli and fry for 2-3 minutes. 
• Cover and reduce heat and sweat for 10 minutes. 
• Add stock and bring to the boil, simmer for 10 -15 minutes until vegetables tender
• Add rest of broccoli and cook for further 5-10 minutes until soft. I added garlic granules at this stage to make up for the fact that I didn't have a leek.
• Puree all soup in batches and return to pan
• Season to taste
• Add crumbled stilton and heat gently until Stilton is melting (perhaps leave a few small lumps)
• Serve hot but not boiling

It surprised me how good it was; the perfect texture and filled with flavour. It must have been really good because my friend kept repeating how tasty it was, and my husband complained that he hadn't been given enough!  So I must have done something right.

Celeriac, Potato and Chilli Soup

On cold winter days there is nothing more comforting than a warming bowl of soup. The addition of chilli to this soup makes it even more warming with a delightful spicy kick.

This is another Riverford recipe that I found hiding in a jumble of old recipe cards dating back several years. I can't believe that I haven't made it before but I shall definitely be making it again. I am always at a loss as to how to use celeriac when it arrives in our veg box. It can be a large vegetable and will provide several meals. I particularly like it mashed up with parsnips and potatoes in a tray-bake and made into a refreshing Asian slaw. I now have a tasty soup to add to my repertoire. 

Ingredients: 

1 Tbs oil
I large onion, peeled and chopped
I clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1-2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped (I kept the seeds in for extra kick!)
1 small celeriac, peeled and chopped
2-3 medium to large potatoes, peeled and chopped
1.2 - 1.5Litres veg stock
salt and pepper

Method:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and fry gently for a few minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and fry for a couple more mins. Add the rest of the veg and chillies. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes, until the veg is tender. Blend until smooth. Season to taste.
• Thin with a little extra stock if too thick. Serve with a swirl of yoghurt or creme fraiche and sprinkled with chopped coriander (I didn't bother with this stage at all).

Sumac Roasted Potatoes

Sumac is a spice that I bought for the Esme Salad recipe and I thought it had limited use. However, having found this recipe from an old recipe card sent from Riverford I discovered that there are other uses. I may never make ordinary potato wedges again! 

This recipe supposedly serves four. I just prepared the amount of potatoes that two of us would eat and then used the same quantity of spices because I like lots of flavour.

Ingredients:

800g potatoes, scrubbed, skins on. Either left whole if small potatoes or cut into wedges

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 heaped tsp sumac

1 tsp paprika

salt and pepper

Method:

Mix together the olive oil, sumac and paprika in a bowl. 

Add the potatoes to the bowl and toss to coat in the oil/spice mixture.

Place in an ovenproof dish, season well and roast in the oven at 180*C for about 45 minutes or until cooked through.

I served these potatoes with previously posted Green Beans with Za'atar and salmon. However they would complement any meal or could even be enjoyed as an indulgent spicy treat served with dips ... either chilli salsa or cool yoghurt dip.

Roasted Green Beans with Za'atar

Riverford  is a never ending inspiration in my search for tasty meals when I'm stuck for an idea; and today was no exception.  I have always been unimaginative when it comes to runner beans but Riverford came to the rescue. 

Quick and easy to make and far more delicious than I expected ... I shall certainly be making it again. If you fancy something a little bit different I would recommend this. I served them with Sumac Roasted Potatoes to complete the Middle Eastern flavour ... watch this space for that recipe too.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp sumac

1 Tbsp dried marjoram

1 Tbsp dried thyme

1 Tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp sea salt

400g green beans, topped and tailed (I halved mine so they fitted on the plate better)

Olive oil

Method:

• Preheat oven to 200*C / Gas 6
• Gently heat the sesame seeds in a frying pain until golden and toasted. Remove from the heat.
• Use a pestle and mortar to pound half of the sesame seeds with the sumac, marjoram, thyme, oregano and salt. Then add the rest of the sesame seeds.
• Put the beans in a baking dish and toss with just enough oil to coat (I think I used too much so err on the side of caution). Roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until just tender but retaining some bite. Sprinkle over a little of the za'atar to serve.
• Any unused za'atar can be stored in a jar for later use ... I added some to yoghurt and used it as a dip with spicy potato wedges.

I served the beans with potoatoes and salmon fillet poached in orange juice and sliced garlic.

Banana and Date Cake

The start of a new year and a new decade and once again I am filled with good intentions. I have previously challenged myself to try one new recipe a week for a year and it resulted in discovering some new favourites. Therefore I am setting myself the same goal for 2020. I am not restricting myself to only one recipe a week if I am inspired to create more, but by the end of this year I shall have sampled a minimum of 52 new dishes.

Starting today with the sweet delight of cake. I tore the recipe out of a magazine some time last year and cannot now recall which magazine it was; however the footnote records that the recipe originally came from 'Palestine on a Place' by Joudie Kalla. 

I didn't have Medjool dates but I am quite happy with the substitution of the dates that I did have left over from our Christmas treats. I also only had 3 bananas so could not decorate the top with banana slices. Despite these changes I am very pleased with the result and would urge you to give it a go. It is certainly easy to make and very tasty. Ordinarily I don't like chocolate in cakes but the discretely hidden nuggets added a perfectly decadent dimension.

Ingredients:

300g salted butter, softened

300g golden caster sugar

3 eggs

3 bananas, plus 1 sliced for decoration

9-12 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped

100g milk or dark chocolate, broken into smallish pieces

350g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180*C /Fan 160*C and line a 27cm round baking tin with baking parchment.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and light. Add the eggs and beat again until well combined.
• Peel and mash the bananas in a bowl until just smooth with a few chunks. Add to the cake mix with the dates and chocolate and fold in gently. Carefully fold in the flour and baking powder.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and arrange the sliced banana on top. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Leave it to cool then serve with tea or coffee.

Somehow it seems even better served on my special springtime bunny plate. 

Sorry there is not a photo of a complete cake ... I couldn't wait to cut it!