Author: Sophie

Chilli cheese cornbread

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Moist, crumbly, a delicous mix of savoury and sweet, with a good poke of chilli. Excellent with tomato soup. Or toasted for brunch with some crushed avocado and a fried egg. Eat it up quickly as it won’t keep for long.

  • 40g butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 120g coarse cornmeal or polenta
  • 75g plain flour (or GF plain flour if you like)
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 75ml plain yogurt
  • 75ml milk
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped
  • 75g strong cheddar, grated
  • 1 small tin sweetcorn, drained

You can adapt this recipe easily to suit your tastes or what you have in stock. Take out the chilli, cheese or onion (just melt the butter and add it alone). Add chilli flakes, chopped ham, diced chorizo, pinch of smoked paprika, fresh herbs (chives or coriander work really well).

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180C fan (200C). Line a baking tin or loaf tin
  2. Melt butter and cook onions on a low heat until completely soft
  3. Tip all dry ingredients into large bowl, mix and make a well in the middle
  4. In a jug or another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk and eggs
  5. Pour this into the dip in the dry ingredients and stir together until smooth
  6. Add the chilli, cheese, cooked onions, butter and sweetcorn. Season with salt and stir together
  7. Spoon into the tin and bake for 35 mins until golden on top and cooked through
  8. When you take it out of the oven, leave in the tin for a couple of mins and then turn out
  9. Cut into slices or triangles to serve

Chicken tortilla soup

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Mexican-spiced tomato and chicken soup. Eat it with tortilla chips or homemade corn bread.

  • Cooked chicken, cut into in small pieces
  • Chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Pinch ground cinnamon
  • Pinch chipotle chilli flakes (or regular chilli flakes)
  • 1 tin tomatoes
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 1 small tin of sweetcorn, drained
  • 1 tin black beans, drained and rinsed
  • Zest and juice of ½ lime
  • Salt and pepper
  • Toppings – can include chopped fresh coriander, diced avocado, crumbled feta, sliced red chilli
  1. Heat oil in saucepan, add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 8-10 mins until soft and translucent
  2. Stir in the spices, tomatoes, sugar, chicken stock and seasonings
  3. Simmer with lid on for 20 mins
  4. Add sweetcorn, beans, cooked chicken, lime zest and juice and cook for further 5 mins
  5. Check seasoning and serve

Serve with delicious things to sprinkle on top

Spicy braised pork and carrots

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

I love pork belly – it’s cheap, succulent and incredibly delicious if you cook it low and slow. This is a Chinese-style (nowhere near authentic!) dish of warming spice and sweet, soft meat. Spicy, but not enough to make you sweat. This will comfortably feed 4.

  • 400g pork belly without skin, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 3cm ginger, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 spring onions, sliced
  • 3 tbsp shaoxing wine (could substitute dry sherry)
  • 2 tbsp gochujang chilli paste (could substitute sriracha)
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari if you want to make it gluten free)
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 5 carrots, cut into chunky pieces
  1. Boil a large pan of water
  2. Drop pork into the boiling water and cook for 5 mins, then drain and leave to dry
  3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan or casserole dish with a lid
  4. Over a medium heat, fry pork pieces until golden and then remove and put to one side
  5. Turn heat down and add garlic, ginger and spring onions
  6. Fry until aromatic and then add shaoxing, gochujang, chicken stock, pepper, star anise, cinnamon, soy sauce and sugar
  7. Bring to the boil and mix well
  8. Add pork back in, stir and put the lid on. Simmer on a low heat for an hour
  9. Add carrots and continue to cook uncovered for a further 30 mins, stirring occasionally

Serve with jasmine or basmati rice and stir-fried greens

Braised endive

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A recent discovery. Incredibly delicious. Savoury, sweet, with a slightly bitter edge

  • 2 heads endive/chicory
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 100 ml chicken stock
  • Balsamic vinegar
  1. Split the endive lengthways in half
  2. In a pan big enough to hold them in a single layer, melt the butter over a medium heat
  3. Fry the endives flat-side down until light brown
  4. Turn them over, add the chicken stock and a splash of balsamic, and season
  5. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn the heat down and simmer for 15 mins
  6. Take the lid off, turn them over and turn the heat up for a final 5 mins

A perfect accompaniment to grilled meat or halloumi

Bolognaise

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My go-to for tasty, warming dinner. Straightforward, delicious. Feeds 4

  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stick celery
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tin tomatoes (400g)
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • ½ beef stock cube
  • shake of worcestershire sauce
  • pinch of sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • vegetable oil
  1. Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery, and mince the garlic (if you are cooking for people who are fussy about lumps, you can whizz these in a food processor instead)
  2. Warm the oil in a large pot, add the veg and cook for a couple of minutes
  3. When soft, turn the heat up and add the minced beef
  4. Stir and break up the meat as it browns
  5. Add tomato puree and stock and stir together, cooking over medium heat for a couple of minutes
  6. Add tinned tomatoes, half a tin of water, sugar, worcestershire sauce, seasoning
  7. Bring to the boil and then cook on a low simmer for 45 mins, stirring occasionally
  8. Serve with piles of steaming, slippery spaghetti and drifts of grated parmesan on top

Adaptable quiche

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

One of my very favourite ‘oh this old thing’ dishes – the very definition of maximum impact for minimum effort.

The recipe is endlessly adaptable – you can incorporate any cooked vegetables or meat. An excellent way to tart up leftovers. Potential options include bits of bacon and roasted cherry tomatoes; roast butternut squash and fresh herbs; sauteed leek, asparagus and peas; caramelised onions with anything. Don’t add anything raw because it won’t cook, or anything watery because it’ll make the whole thing soggy. If you want to add, say, spinach, steam it and then squeeze it out really thoroughly to get rid of the moisture.

  • 2 eggs
  • 150ml single cream (alternatively you can just do all milk instead)
  • 150ml milk
  • 100g grated gruyere (or other strong cheese)
  • 1 packet ready-rolled shortcrust pastry (I know it’s easy, but this is easier)
  1. Take the pastry out of the fridge to come to room temperature and pre-heat the oven to 170C fan (190C)
  2. Flap the dough into a 25cm fluted pie tin or dish and press it gently into all the corners. Trim the edges, but not too short as they’ll shrink while it cooks. I like to leave about 1cm poking out over the top
  3. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper (tip: you can use the paper that comes in the packet) and add baking beans to weigh it down. If you have no baking beans, you can use a pile of pennies or rice (although the rice won’t be edible afterwards). Don’t forget the paper or whatever you put on top will stick.
  4. Bake for 15 mins, then remove the paper and beans and continue cooking for 5-7 mins until it’s starting to look golden all over
  5. While it’s baking, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Make sure you’ve got all your other ingredients ready
  6. Bring the cooked pastry case out of the oven, add your filling and then pour over the egg mixture. If you’ve got a fancy oven with shelves that pull all the way out without tipping, you can do this while it’s still in the oven.
  7. Bake for 25-30 mins until puffed up and golden on top, then leave to cool slightly before serving. Recommend a green leaf salad with a spiky lemony dressing to balance out all that rich cheesiness, or iron-rich green veg like broccoli.