Month: Apr 2021

Potato wedges

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

A great side dish for almost anything. Or just eat a big bowl of them on their own, drizzled with chilli sauce or dunked in hummous.

  • 500g potatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • Black pepper
  1. Pre-heat oven to 180C fan (200C)
  2. Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges
  3. Tip into a roasting tin and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix together with your hands
  4. Roast for 30-40 mins until soft on the inside, golden on the outside and crunchy round the edges

You can easily make these with sweet potatoes instead, just roast for a shorter time. Change up the spicing to suit whatever you’re serving them with.

Za’atar

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

Excellently herby, aromatic, flavourful spice mix. Sprinkle onto hummous, over roast butternut squash soup, on avo on toast, or mix with olive oil and dunk bread in it.

  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp sumac
  • 1 tsp salt
  1. Just mix it all together and you’re good to go! Store in a jar in a cupboard and use whenever you want a pep of flavour.

Roast carrot hummous

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Not really hummous because no chickpeas, but bright orange, nutty and perfect scooped up by pitta chips.

  • 100g cashew nuts
  • 600g carrots, scrubbed and cut into chunks
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and squashed gently with the flat of your knife
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 3 tbsp tahini
  • Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
  • Couple of tsp za’atar
  1. Soak cashews for 2 hours in cold water, then drain
  2. Pre-heat oven to 190C fan (210C)
  3. Put the carrots, garlic, sesame oil, veg oil, cumin and a pinch of salt in a roasting tin and mix well before putting in the oven
  4. Roast for 25 mins until soft and starting to go brown round the edges
  5. In a bowl, mix the roasted carrots, tahini, lemon juice, pinch of salt and wet cashews. Use a wand blender or food processor to blend into a coarse paste
  6. Check the seasoning and add more salt or lemon if needed
  7. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of za’atar

Cheese and onion rolls

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

A delightful alternative to sausage rolls and the perfect retro party food for the vegetarians in your life.

  • 150g dried breadcrumbs
  • 200g strong cheese of your choice, grated
  • 1 onion, grated
  • 1 tsp veg oil
  • 4 tbsp double cream
  • Around 4 tbsp herbs of your choice (suggest parsley, chives and sage), finely chopped
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • Pinch hot smoked paprika
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 sheet ready made puff pastry (320g)
  • Milk or beaten egg to brush over
  • Sesame seeds
  1. Pre-heat oven to 200C fan (220C)
  2. In a small pan, heat the oil and cook the onion for 5 mins until soft
  3. Mix all the filling ingredients, adding the cooked onion
  4. Form into sausage shapes and roll in the pastry
  5. Cut into 3-4cm lengths, brush with milk or egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds
  6. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 20-25 mins until puffy and golden

Spaghetti with sausage, bacon and mustard

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Decadent, rich and creamy, with a tangy hit from the mustard, lemon and parsley. Feeds 2.

  • 250g spaghetti
  • 3-4 pork sausages
  • 160g pancetta, diced
  • 150ml double cream
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • Small bunch parsley, finely chopped
  • Squeeze of lemon
  1. Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water
  2. Cut or pinch the sausages into small pieces
  3. In a deep frying pan, add a dab of veg oil just to start things off. Cook the pancetta until it starts to release its oil, then add the sausage
  4. Cook both until golden and caught around the edges
  5. Pour in the cream and about 50ml of the pasta cooking water
  6. Add the mustard and stir everything together, adding more water if needed
  7. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then throw in and gently mix through the cooked pasta, parsley and lemon juice

Eat immediately, trying not to make appreciative hums and grunting noises!

Apple and chilli salad

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Tart, fiery and super-fresh. An unusual and delicious flavour combination which works as a brilliant foil for rich, savoury stews or curries.

  • 2 granny smith apples
  • 1 red birdseye chilli
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • Pinch sugar
  1. Halve, core and then thinly slice the apple (just a mm or 2 thick)
  2. Slice the chilli, leaving the seeds in
  3. Whisk together the lime juice, sugar and fish sauce
  4. Mix everything in a bowl and serve at room temperature

Guacamole

~ Sophie ~ 3 Comments

I keep my guacamole very simple, just 4 ingredients. By all means make additions – many recipes include onion, coriander, tomatoes, chilli or sour cream – but I like to be able to taste the avocados. Give it a try! Dunk tortilla chips in it, plop some on top of a bowl of chilli or eat it on toast like a hipster. Makes enough for 4.

  • 2 avocados, roughly mashed
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 1 tsp garlic oil
  • Large pinch salt
  1. Skin the avocados, remove the stones and mash roughly with a fork. You want to keep some texture
  2. Mix in all the other ingredients, check the seasoning and eat straight away

Tomato sauce

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Straightforward and simple, but definitely not basic. This sauce is the essential staple of a delicious midweek pasta dinner. Feeds 2 comfortably.

  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • Dash worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion and garlic
  2. Cook slowly over a medium-low flame until soft, around 5 mins
  3. Turn the heat to medium, add the tomato puree and stir in, cooking for a minute or so
  4. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and two thirds of a tin of water. Add the worcestershire sauce, sugar and seasoning and stir together
  5. Bring to a bubble, then turn to a low simmer and cook with the lid off for 20-30 mins. It’s done when it’s thick, savoury and intensely tomato-y
  6. Taste it, check the seasoning, try not to eat it all from the saucepan

Hugely adaptable, add pancetta, basil, chilli flakes or any seasoning that makes your mouth happy. Eat on top of any and ALL the pasta.

Black bean and avocado quesadilla

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Spicy, cheesy and beany. Crunchy and toasty on the outside, oozy and soft on the inside. Also very quick and very simple to make – the perfect midweek lunch. Make as many as you like, this recipe makes 1.

  • 2 large plain wheat tortillas
  • 3 tbsp tinned black beans
  • Cheddar cheese
  • 1 tsp chipotle ketchup – try the one from Pitt Cue’s book, it’s a game-changer
  • ½ avocado, sliced – squeeze over a tiny bit of lime after you cut it up
  1. Cut around 8 thin slices of cheese, enough to distribute across the wrap, spaced out evenly with some gaps in between
  2. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Don’t add any oil
  3. Spread a substantial tsp of chipotle ketchup onto one wrap, add the cheese and avocado slices and evenly scatter over the black beans
  4. Lift the wrap into the pan and top with the other one, pressing down lightly
  5. Leave to toast underneath until it turns golden round the edges – it only takes a couple of mins – then use a fish slice to flip it onto the untoasted side
  6. Give it another couple of mins and it should be done. The outside crunchy and brown, the cheese all melty and gooey, sticking the 2 sides and all the fillings together
  7. Leave it to sit for a minute before cutting it into quarters and scoffing it all up

Stick some pickles and slaw on the side to make a meal of it