Roasted Asparagus, Halloumi and Potatoes

It's finally the UK asparagus season again, hooray! I love asparagus, and particularly like it roasted. This recipe is an adaptation of one in Three Good Things by the Whipping Tool.

For 2 portions you need
1 bunch asparagus
2-3 potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks
4 garlic cloves, left whole and unpeeled
1 pack haloumi, cut into large chunks
2 large handfuls of sprouting broccoli
Juice 1 lemon
1 thai chilli, sliced
olive oil
Salt and pepper

Begin by tossing the cubed potato in oil with salt and pepper. Bash the whole garlic cloves and place with the potatoes on a roasting tin. Place in a hot oven and roast for 30 mins until the potatoes start to brown.

Snap the asparagus off at their woody bases and cut into inch long sections. Trim the broccoli and cut into similar size lengths to the asparagus.

Once the potatoes have had their 30 mins and are browning, add the veggies and cheese to the tray and roast for a further 10-15 mins until the cheese is browned and the veggies are cooked.

Toss in a bowl with the chilli and lemon juice and then scoff like no tomorrow. It's very good cold the next day too, assuming there is any left!

Mixed Vegetable Makhanawala (v)

I am slowly working my way through Rick Stein's India, a very fine book on curries and Indian food. This recipe caught my eye as I was meal planning over the weekend, and Abel and Cole obliged by providing most of the ingredients for it in their weekly box this week. The curry is delicious, rich and creamy but not heavy. Spiced and fragrant with a little kick of heat but not searingly hot. It might look complicated but it's not, it was very easy to make and was definitely worth the effort.

For 4-6 portions you need
800g mixed vegetables - I used potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and french beans
50g butter or oil
1 medium onion, sliced
5 large garlic cloves, finely minced
5cm stick of ginger, finely grated
400g fresh tomatoes pulverised to make passata (don't use tinned or a jar, you want the lightness of fresh tomatoes)
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp each of ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cinnamon, garam masala and tumeric
1 tsp desiccated coconut
1.5 tsp salt
25g cashew nuts
1/2 tsp sugar
75ml yogurt/soya yogurt
4 tbsp double cream/soya cream (or coconut cream)
Handful of fresh coriander leaves to finish

Begin by boiling the carrots and potatoes until just cooked. Drain and leave to one side.

Melt the butter in a large heavy based pan and add the onion. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the onions are soft and golden. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 5 mins. Add the tomatoes, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins. Add the spices, salt, coconut and 100ml of water and cook for a further 10 mins.

In a mini food processor blitz the cashew nuts with a little water until smooth. Add this to the pan along with all the vegetables apart from the potatoes. Add another 100ml of water and simmer for 10 minutes until the veggies are cooked. Add the yogurt, cream and potatoes and heat through for 2-3 mins. Serve garnished with the coriander. It's truly delicious.

Aloo (Potato) Curry (v)

It was a friends 40th at the weekend and we went out for a curry to celebrate, but I wasn't hungry enough to truly appreciate the food so recreated curry night last night to satisfy a craving. I love the flavours of curry with potatoes but have never had much success making this type of side dish before. The potatoes either didn't cook properly, or they stuck to the bottom of the pan, or I'd burnt the spices and they tasted bitter, but thankfully the curry gods were smiling last night as this was DELICIOUS!

For 4 portions you need
3-4 cups peeled and diced potatoes. I'd suggest a 1cm dice but don't worry about making them mathematically perfect...
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp each black mustard seeds, yellow mustard seeds, dried red chill flakes, garam masala, tumeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, coriander seed.
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
150ml boiling water

Place the oil in a heavy based pan and heat. Add the curry spices and ginger to it and cook for 2-3 mins until the seeds pop and it's come together into a paste. Add the potatoes and water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins or so. Stir often to ensure the potatoes don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add a little more water if necessary but the aim is to steam the potatoes, not boil them.

Serve on their own or as a side dish for a curry.

Clam, Prawn and Smoked Haddock Chowder

Fuz loves fish. I am not that keen. Upon Ocado delivering the ingredients for this, we realised the cat also loves fish! This is quite a rich recipe and not one I would make on a regular basis, but for a nice dinner with friends it was the perfect choice. It didn't take long to make either and is based on a recipe by Marcus Wareing in How to Cook the Perfect....

For 4 portions you need
500g frozen, cooked clams, defrosted
300g cooked and peeled prawns
450g smoked haddock, skin left on and cut into four portions
200g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
1 large leek, cut into 1cm dice
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
50g plain flour and 50g butter for a beurre marnie
100g butter
200ml dry white wine
750ml fish stock
150g can sweetcorn, drained and rinsed
150ml double cream
Handful of roughly chopped fresh parsley

Begin by mixing the butter and flour together to make the beurre marnie. Leave to one side.

Melt the 100g butter in a large heavy pan and fry the onion, garlic and leek until softened. Add the potatoes and cover. Cook gently for 10 mins until slightly softened. Make sure it doesn't catch or colour.

Meanwhile, place the wine and stock in a shallow pan and bring to the boil. Add the fish and poach for 2-3 mins until cooked. Remove the fish and leave to one side. Thicken the wine and stock mixture with the beurre marnie and add the cream.

Pour the stock into the cooked potato mixture and leave to simmer gently until the potatoes are 1-2 mins away from being cooked. Add the sweetcorn, clams and prawns and bring back to a simmer. Finally add the cooked fish to the soup to re-heat gently.

Serve in large bowls, garnished with the parsley.

Kale and Smoked Paprika Stew with Butter Beans and Potatoes (v)

Yeah, another kale recipe! Again from the BBC Good Food website for initial inspiration... Tho, clearly this doesn't have chorizo in it! But the echoes of the juicy flavours from chorizo are there in the sweet smoked paprika that is added. If you can get hold of Redwood Vegan Chorizo style chunks then add those to this for a delicious vegan alternative, but it works just as well without. Lex loved this as much as I did and it was the perfect dinner for a cold, dreary January evening.

For 3-4 portions you need
3-4 potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks, skin left on
2 leeks, sliced
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can butter beans in water
1 tsp vegan stock
2 tsp smoked paprika
salt and pepper
pinch sugar
2-3 cups kale, stripped from the inner stalk and well washed
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 pepper, cut into bite sized chunks

Begin by sauteeing the leeks in the oil. After 2-3 mins add the garlic and smoked paprika powder. Add everything else apart from the kale and peppers and bring to the boil, adding a little more water if you want a thinner sauce. Simmer for 10 mins then add the kale and peppers. Continue to cook for a further 5 mins until the potatoes are done, then serve with crusty bread to soak up all the gorgeous juices. Delicious!

Proper Potato Rosti (v)

These are a cinch to make, as long as you give them enough time, but taste amazing and are such a nice contrast to the ubiquitous chip.

For one rosti that feeds 2-3 you need
3-4 small to medium potatoes. Floury ones are best, waxy ones won't work!\
1/2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp vegan marge (or butter)

Coarsely grate the potatoes. Heat the oil and fat in a large non stick frying pan till the fat bubbles. Place the grated potatoes in the pan and squish down to form an even layer. Season with salt and pepper.

Over a low to medium heat cook the potatoes until the bottom side is totally golden brown and starting to crisp. Place a dinner plate over the pan and invert, then slide the uncooked side of the rosti into the hot pan and cook for another 10 mins or so until both sides are golden, crisp and cooked. Serve as you wish. I had it with seasoned puy lentils and a soft side salad. Utter bliss and total comfort food :)

Nigella's Steamed and Sauteed Potatoes (v)

I have never, ever, steamed a potato before in my life. I mean why would you? Surely it would take f-o-r-e-v-e-r given how long they can take to boil. But Nigella recommends doing this as a way to ensure dryer potatoes, perfect if you want to sautee them afterwards as they won't be so steamed and claggy as they would be if they were boiled. But I broke with tradition last night after reading a recipe for steamed and then sauteed potatoes in her new book Nigellissima (p52). There were actually very good. I can't vouch for them being sweeter as she suggests they would be, but they certainly crisped up better than I have ever seen them do when sauteeing... This dish makes for a nice side dish. I had it with a fried egg for my dinner but obviously omit if you're vegan :)

For 2-3 portions, depending on greed, you need
3-4 waxy potatoes
pinch dried chilli flakes
pinch dried mint
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

First cut the potatoes into 1-2cm dice. Then steam for about 10 mins until just tender. Allow the steam to dry the potatoes (I find holding the steamer insert outside for a few mins is sufficient to allow them to start to dry). Pre-heat the oil, chilli, salt and mint in a pan and then tip in the potatoes. Sautee over a medium heat for 3-4 mins, shaking the pan from time to time. You want a nice even browning on the slices. Serve with whatever you fancy.

New Potatoes with Feta, Olives and Garlic

This is a cinch to make but benefits from being made ahead of time to let the flavours develop and infuse. Perfect for a lunchbox :)

For 2-3 portions you need:
1 pack baby new potatoes, cooked till tender
1 pack feta
1 red onion, chopped
1 pack chilli olives
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp good quality olive oil
freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic crushed

Place the lemon juice, olive oil. garlic, pepper, olives and red onion in a bowl. Mix well. Once the potatoes are cooked cut in half and to the bowl. Crumble over the feta. Leave to infuse then scoff. Yum.

Potato Hash with Spinach and Mushrooms (v)

The refuelling plan post geocaching bike ride last night was bacon butties, but the bread was mouldy :( A rummage through the cupboards provided potatoes, onions, mushrooms, spinach and, of course, quorn bacon and so this dish was born. It was very yummy and it's not just the post bike ride OMG I'm so hungry and need to eat NOOOOOOOOOOW that's talking ;-) Leave out the bacon for a vegan dish (or use a vegan version).

For 2 people you need:
250g new potatoes (waxy ones, not floury), skins on, cut into small dice
1 onion, diced
1/2 bag spinach, washed
125g mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
vegetable oil
a little soya margerine
1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Begin by sauteeing the potatoes in a shallow pan for about 15 mins. Cover if you can to speed up the process. Make sure you stir thoroughly to stop the potatoes from catching on the bottom. Season and add the herbs and paprika. After about 15 mins add the onion and mushrooms and a little soya margerine. Continue to cook for another 10 mins or so until the potatoes are tender and the onions/mushrooms are beginning to brown. Add the spinach and cover to wilt. Cook the bacon in a separate pan and serve. A post cooking improvement to recommend is to chop the bacon and add with the spinach.

Greek Salad with Potatoes

Boychild loved this. OMG. He's never eaten Greek Salad before and professed to not like feta but he ate this. And had the leftovers in his lunch the next day. Wonders wil never cease it appears...

For 3-4 portions you need:
1/2 pack new potatoes, jersey royals if you can stretch to them ;-)
1 pack chilli olives
1 pack feta. crumbled into 1cm cubes
2 peppers, cut into chunks
2 red onions, cut into 8ths
2 tomatoes, cut into 8ths and then in half again (so roughly chopped...)
2 tbsp olive oil plus more for roasting
salt and pepper
large handful of fresh oregano, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon

Cook the potatoes. Toss the peppers and onions in a little olive oil and season. Roast in a hot oven for about 10 mins till tender. Place the tomatoes, olives, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and feta in a bowl. Add the peppers and onions once cooked. Drain the potatoes and cut in half if large. Add to the bowl. Mix and serve.

Potato Cakes (v)

Lex adores these and Mr Ocado had let me down with the quality of the potatoes delivered this week so I cooked a whole bag and used half to make potato cakes with.







For 4 people you need:
1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into rough chunks
25g vegan spread
about 1/2 cup plain flour
salt and pepper

Cook the potatoes in boiling water till tender. Drain and season, add the vegan spread. Mash well and then add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Form into a circle (I made two with this quantity) and score each circle into 4 quarters.

Heat a frying pan with a little oil and some more vegan spread. Add the potato cake once the pan is really hot and press along the scores with a fish slice to free each quarter. Fry till golden brown on each side and then serve as you wish (we had beans). I left my cakes to rest over night in the fridge and we ate them for brunch. They also freeze well, but defrost before cooking.

Mixed Vegetable Curry with Chickpeas (v)

This is a proper, pseudo-takeaway curry with vegetables i.e. a rich sauce, lots of different vegetables and chickpeas. Yum.

For 4 portions you need:
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g button mushrooms
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
1/2 head broccoli, ditto cauli
2 large handfuls salad potatoes, cut into thick slices and par boiled till tender (about 10 mins)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into pieces about the thickness of a £1 coin
1/2 jar minara curry paste
1-2 chillies, sliced (depending on heat preference!)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
125ml boiling water
Roti to serve

Fry the onion in the oil for 5mins or so. Add the carrots, garlic and curry paste and cook out for another 5mins or so. Add everything else, aside from the roti, and cook till the vegetable are tender. Add the potatoes part way through once they have cooked enough.

Vegetarian Moussaka with Lentils

I love moussaka, even tho it is a bit of a faff to make in that it has lots of stages and creates, therefore, a reasonable amount of washing up. But this is worth it. Promise. The lentil sauce is based on St Delia's.





For 4-6 portions you need:
2 aubergines, cut into 0.5cm thick slices
2-3 potatoes, cut into 0.5cm thick slices

Sauce:
50g puy lentils
50g green lentils
1 can chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
200ml red wine
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
275ml vegetable stock

Topping:
3 eggs
2/3 carton of yogurt
1 cup grated cheddar
1/2 cup grated veggie parmesan
1 tomato, sliced in to four

Begin by frying the aubergine slices in oil till tender and golden. Drain. You can salt the aubergine beforehand if you want but it's not essential.

Par-boil the potatoes till tender but not falling apart.

Fry the onion in the oil for 5-10 mins. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2-3 mins. Add everything else for the sauce and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 mins till the lentils are cooked and the sauce has thickened.

Lay the potatoes in the bottom of a dish. Top with the sauce. Cover with the aubergine slices. Mix together the eggs, yogurt and cheddar. Pour over the top. Lay the sliced tomato on the top of this then sprinkle over the parmesan. Bake in a moderate oven for about 20 mins till the top is golden and bubbling. Eat with salad and bread.

Quick Lentil and Vegetable Curry (v)

This is very quick and makes good use of those veggies left languishing at the bottom of the fridge/cupboard...

For 4 portions you need:
100g red lentils
750ml stock
1/2 jar curry paste
2 onions, chopped
2 cups new potatoes, roughly chopped
2 sweet potatoes, cubed
2 carrots, thickly sliced
2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Fry the onion in the oil for 5 mins then add the curry paste. Cook out for 2-3 mins. Add everything else and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 mins till the veggies and lentils are done. Serve with Indian Salad and bread. Yum.

Potato, Carrot and Chickpea Curry (v)

A friend has introduced us to the Minara brand of curry pastes. Do not ever buy another brand ever again. They are delicious! This recipe is based on the spicy root and lentil casserole on the BBC Good Food site.

For 4-6 people you need:
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 large carrots, sliced
700g potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tin chickpeas
100g red lentils
750ml vegetable stock
fresh corriander to serve
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Vegan/veggie yogurt to serve

Fry the onions in the oil for 10 mins then add the carrots and potatoes and fry, covered, for a further 10 minutes over a high heat. Once they are golden add the curry paste and cook out for 1-2 mins. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the lentils and chickpeas and then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15-20 mins till the carrots and potatoes are cooked.

Serve with a blob of yogurt on the top and some fresh coriander. Utterly lovely!

The Perfect Veggie Fry Up

Saturday is fry up day in our household. We have a lazy lie in (well we stay in bed and bribe Lex to stay upstairs for as long as possible...) and the come down to a large pot of coffee and a fry up for brunch.

For 3 people you need:
2 medium tomatoes, sliced in half
4-5 small mushrooms, destalked
2 knobs butter
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sunflower oil
3 hash browns
5 potato croquettes
3 rashers veggie bacon
3 veggie sausages
1 can beans
2 slices toast with butter and good quality marmalade
copious fresh orange juice
3 eggs

Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and season. Drizzle over the oil and bake for 15 mins in a hot oven.

Place the mushrooms in a pan, with some butter, seasoning and the sunflower oil. Cook covered for 10 mins before removing the lid and allowing to brown slightly.

Cook the croquettes and hash browns as per instructions on the packet (i.e. bung them into a hot oven for about 20 mins). Do the same with the sausages.

Heat the beans in a pan.

Fry the eggs. Toast the bread. Cook the bacon in the oven for 2 mins each side.

Serve, scoff and then run away and hide from the washing up...!

Irish Pie (v)

So called cos it's basically colcannon...

For 2 portions you need:
1 onion
1-2 bunches kale
knob vegan marge
little sunflower oil
little soya milk
potatoes
salt and pepper

Cook the potatoes and make in to mash using some of the marge and the milk. Season. Meanwhile chop the onion and sautee in the marge and butter. Wash and finely shred the kale and add to the onions. Cover and wilt for 5 mins or so. Place in the bottom of an oven proof dish. Top with mash and bake in a hot oven for 20-30 mins.

Celery and Leeks Soup with Onions (v)

Yes it's definitely Autumn again, and with the weather like it was earlier the only thing that's going to put a smile on my face is a large, steaming bowl of yummy soup...

For 4 portions you need:
3 sticks celery, finely diced
3 leeks, finely shredded
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4-5 potatoes, diced with skins on
1.25l dark stock (e.g. vecon or marmite)

Saute the veggies in the oil in a lidded pan for about 10 mins. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15-20 mins till everything is cooked and serve with nutritional yeast and bread. Feel warmer on the inside...

Saute Potatoes (v)

Lex adores these. And I have to admit I do too... They're crunchy and sweet and savoury and moreish. What else do you want?!

For 2-3 portions you need:
2-3 baking potatoes or other fluffy potatoes
1 onion
salt and pepper
1 tbsp sunflower oil

Begin by chopping the potatoes into a small-ish dice. Leave to soak in a bowl of cold water to draw out some of the starch. Drain and dry well on tea towels. Meanwhile chop the onion. Toss the potato and onion in a bowl with salt and pepper and the oil. Tip on to a baking tray and cook in a hot oven for 30 mins or so until the potatoes are golden brown, sizzling and soft and yummy. Scoff.

Cheesy Leek and Potato Pie

OK so this is a but of a cheat recipe in that it's the same as the pasties but sufficiently different to warrant its own entry. IMHO.

For one pie you need:
1/2 quantity onion, leek and potato filling from the pasty recipe
1 pack ready rolled puff pastry

Line a pie dish with the puff pastry, saving the trimmings for the top. Add the filling and brush the edges with egg wash to seal. Lay on the top piece and crimp. Brush with egg wash and then bake for about 45 mins till hot and golden brown. Serve with new potatoes, veggies and lashings of gravy. Spiffing.