Oven Roasted Squash with Leeks & Cheese

Whilst idly watching Hugh F-W and his latest Veg programme, hubby and I were taken with the individual roasted squashes he cooked, they looked fantastic and having got several little squashes in an autumn display in the kitchen just going begging for something to be done with them I knew exactly what that would be.  I am sure the recipe is in Hugh's latest book or on the website, but I codged together the ingredients as below.

Oven Roasted Squash with Leeks & Cheese

Serves 2 WW pro points per serving 9

2 small-medium squashes/pump, lids sliced off and seeds scooped out, trim the bottom is needed so it sits flat.

2 leeks, thinly sliced

80g strong Cheddar, grated

100g half fat creme fraiche

small knob butter

2 tsp oil
1 tsp dried thyme - optional (well I forgot to add it and it did not miss it)

Preheat the oven to 180oc.

Heat oil and butter in a pan, add the leeks and fry gently until soft.

Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Into a bowl add the leeks, cheese and creme fraiche. Add S&P and thyme if adding. Mix together.

Pour into the hollow squashes.

Replace lids and pop into the oven for 1 1/2 hours

You will have wonderfully brown squashes and the softest squash flesh imaginable along with the most delicious cheesy-leeky mix.  It was a really warming comforting meal but be warned it was super filling.

Spiced Red Cabbage with Horseradish Cream

I made this recipe last night, fully intending to have loads left over to use the next day, but it was so delicious that hubby and I scoffed the lot!  It is definitely a recipe to be added to the Christmas meal this year, just the right amount of sweet and sour and low in calories.

Spiced Red Cabbage

Serves 4 as sides

1 red cabbage, core removed and shredded

2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly

2 red onions, sliced thinly

2 tbls soft dark brown sugar

2 tbls red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves or all spice

Horseradish Cream

2 tbls half fat creme fraich

2 tsp horseradish sauce

Pre heat oven to 150oc

Prepare the cabbage and rinse in a colander, the small amount of water clinging to the cabbage with help the cooking. Turn out into a lidded ovenproof dish.  Mix in the onion, apple, sugar, vinegar and spices. Cover and place in the oven for 2:30 mins.  Checking every half hour to stir and make sure that it has not dried out, add a little water if necessary.

Mix together the creme fraich and horseradish sauce and serve on top of the cabbage.

Curried Vegetable & Lentil Soup

This is a hum-dinger of a soup recipe, just perfect.  Hearty, spicy, wholesome and another recipe from weight watchers.

Curried Vegetable and Lentil Soup

Serves 4   2 Pro Points per serving

5 sprays Lo Cal oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbs curry powder

2 medium carrots, chunky chopped

150g butternut squash, peeled and chunky chopped

1 medium courgette, chunky chopped

1 ltr vegetable stock, made from cube

2 tbs tomato puree

75g split red lentils

S&P

In a stock pot, use the lo cal spray and heat, add the onion and garlic and gently fry until soft.  Add the curry powder and stir in for a minute.  Add the rest of the veg and mix together and then pour in the stock, tomato puree and lentils.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes until the veg are tender.  The soup will have thickened nicely, add S&P to taste.

I made two batches of this soup over the weekend, it was that delicious!

Carrot, Parsnip & Coriander Soup

I have been making a fair few soups recently, great for packing hubby and myself off to work with something healthy for lunch.  This is the best one I have made up so far, choc full of veg and oh so good for you.

Carrot, Parsnip & Coriander Soup

4 Servings.  WW Points per serving 1

1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chunky chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and chunky chopped
1 chilli, de-seeded and chopped
2 tsp oil
1 ltr Stock - from cube
handful of fresh coriander
2 tsp dried coriander (spice)

Heat the oil and gently and fry the onion till soft, add the carrots and parsnips and soften slightly.
Add the coriander spice and seasoning. 
Pour over the stock and simmer away for 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
Add the chopped chilli and chopped fresh coriander, remove from heat and cool slightly.
Using a hand blender blitz until as smooth as you desire.  I like a fairly course soup with the odd chunk of veg.

Caramelised Onion & Mushroom Lasagne

Oh heck, this is such a good recipe and it is a weight watchers one so low calorie and pretty good for you and vegetarian.

Caramelised Onion & Mushroom Lasagne
Serves 6 portions
Pro Points per portion 6

1 tbs Olive Oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 sprig fresh Rosemary, chopped
100ml water

2 tsp Balsamic vinegar

2 tsp Soft brown sugar or Muscavado

5 sprays low cal fry spray (1 tsp oil if not on WW)

250g mushrooms, closed cap, sliced

1 tbs Butter
3 tbs plain flour
600ml skimmed milk
9 sheets of dried lasagna - I used durum wheat rather than egg.
40g grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Nutmeg, S&P

Heat oil in large frying pan add the onions and cook on high heat for 6-8 mins stirring occasionally until golden brown.

Add the garlic and rosemary, cook for 1 minute, stir in the water, balsamic and sugar, cook until evaporated, season with S&P and turn out into a bowl, set to one side.

Wipe out the frying pan and mist with the fry spray, over a medium heat add the mushrooms and fry for about 2 mins until browned, turn out into the bowl with onions and mix.

To make the white sauce put the butter, flour and milk in a saucepan and heat, constantly stirring with a small whisk until the sauce thickens and boils.  Add half the cheese and a little nutmeg.

Take a baking dish and spread a thin layer of cheese sauce over the bottom, lay on 3 lasagne sheets.  Spread on more sauce and half the onion/mushroom mix, lay on 3 more sheets, repeat with sauce and onion mix, lay on final 3 sheets and top with the remaining cheese sauce, finish with the rest of the Parmesan.

Bake in an over for 30 mins GM4 180oc or 160oc fan. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, this allows you to portion it out better.  serve with salad.

Honestly what a revelation this recipe was, so delicious and it was the best way to make white sauce I have ever tried, so easy. I will try with more exotic mushrooms next time.

Chorizo & Chickpea Stew with Broadbean & Dill Dip

What a weekend we just had, I call it the lost motorsport weekend.  First up there was the Le Mans 24 Hour race, followed by the Silverstone Moto GP and rounded off with the epic 5 1/2 hour Canadian F1 GP, where Jenson Button clashed into two cars, had 6 pit stops, one drive through penalty and went from last to win it in the last half lap.  Phew heady stuff going on, so I had to take a little break and do something calmer in the kitchen.

I had just downloaded The Guardian News app and found a lovely quick and easy recipe from Nigel Slater for Broadbean and Dill Dip.
 

1kg Broadbeans - once podded you are left with a measly 300g and once you have boiled them for 8 mins and then taken off their tough grey skins, you are left with about 200g.  Nigel's recipe calls for 400g.

3 tbs Olive Oil

Juice of half a lemon

Fresh dill, torn into fairly chunky fronds

S&P

With my de-podded, boiled and de-skinned broadbeans safely popped into the food processor, I blitzed them to a paste.  Then with the blender still going added the oil and the lemon juice, swiftly followed by a little seasoning.  Stir in the dill and serve with a drizzle of oil and some lightly toasted pitta breads.

A lovely fresh little dip.  It would probably have been a bit more punchy if I had used EVOO but I had none in the cupboard.  The 200g of beans were enough as a prelude to the main course.

Chorizo & Chickpea Stew

Serves 2-3 easily increased

Lovely Louise's signature dish for guests, a simple yet spectacular and very warming & hearty dish perfect on a cold, wet Sunday afternoon in front of the TV watching motorsport!

Half a ring of Chorizo no idea on weight but approx 14cm, cut in half length ways and chop in to 1cm chunks.

1 large onion, roughly chopped

400g tin Chopped tomatoes

400g tin of chickpeas

Tomato puree

Chilli flakes or fresh chilli's if you have them to taste.

Cumin

300ml chicken stock

Pop the chorizo and onion into a pan and fry, soften the onions and crisp up the chorizo, around 5 mins. Add the tomatoes and puree, a good squirt along with the chilli flakes approx 1 tsp and cumin approx 1tsp. Pour over the stock and simmer away till reduced slightly around 20mins.  Add the chickpeas and heat through.  Serve with chopped coriander (if you have it - I did not) and warmed flatbreads to mop up all the lovely juices.

Summer Chicken One-Pot

Well the Good Food Magazine June 2011 just leapt off the shelf at me this month, mainly due to the fabulous picture of this dish in the cover.  My One-Pot love continues.  Similar to the chicken & spring vegetable stew I posted a few weeks ago but just, if not more, delish.  I have made a few changes to suit what I had in the fridge at the time.

Summer Chicken One-Pot

Serve 4

8 chicken thighs

2 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp olive oil

8 rashers streaky bacon (I used smoked) - chopped

400ml chicken stock

250g new potatoes, halved

200g full-fat soft cheese (I used 100g lower fat soft cheese)

200g broad beans (I used frozen peas)

200g sweetcorn, fresh, frozen or in a can

200g cherry tomatoes (I had baby plum toms to hand)

Dust the chicken with flour seasoned with S&P and fry in the lidded pan until brown.  I found this a really good tip - usually when I brown chicken it gets stuck to the bottom of the pan, but using the flour I ended up with lovely crispy brown chicken and no sticking!  Remove from the pan and fry the bacon until crispy.

Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes and cover again and continue simmering for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and potatoes tender.

Stir in the cheese, peas, tomatoes and sweetcorn, cook for a further 5 minutes and then serve.

Really bright and colourful, packed full of fresh flavour.  Another super easy one pot.

Chicken & Spring Vegetable Stew

It was Hubby with low tolerance levels birthday on Tuesday.  I asked him what special dish he wanted me to cook for the big day - as usual the answer was lasagne, which I duely made.  The following day I said he could request another dish, he said "the chicken one with beans and a creamy sauce".  Well I went to bed that night racking my brains over what the heck that dish was, I certainly did not remember it, it was not one I had blogged before (my aid memoir).  During the night my brain worked it's little socks off and came up with the answer.  A dish I had probably not cooked in two years, but it had been a favourite, I hunted out the cook book, Good Food 101 One-Pot Dishes  and opened it to the following page:

Chicken and Spring Vegetable Stew

Serves 2

2 Chicken breasts, skin on - I had Corn Fed FR ones

1 tbsp olive oil

200g new potatoes, sliced

500ml chicken stock

200g mixed spring veg.  I chose brocoli, courgette, popped podded peas and broad beans, I also increased the quantity because they are super delish.

2 tbsp creme fraiche

handful of rough chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 tsp dried.

Fry the chicken in the oil in a wide pan for 5 mins each side.  Add in the potatoes and coat in the oil.  Pour over the stock, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and turn the heat up, boil the stock down until it just coats the bottom of the pan.  Toss in the veg, cover and cook for about three mins.

Stir in the creme fraiche tarragon and season.

Serve.

Very simple, very tasty and jam packed full of delicious green spring veg.  Yummy, just how I remember it from two years ago, it was a favourite then and will be again now we have remembered and blogged it.  Praise be for hubby's brain/stomache or it may have been forgotten forever!

Hubby and his birthday lasagne!

Aubergine & Mozzarella Bake

This is a lovely little dish that can be altered to suit in many different ways.

Aubergine & Mozzarella Bake

2 Medium Aubergines

1 onion, finely chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes or Passata

2 cloves chopped garlic

200g Pancetta cubes, chorizo or lard ons

Handful sliced mushrooms

Olive oil

Herbs of your choosing, I had Marjoram & Oregano

1 mozzarella ball.

Handful grated cheddar cheese.

Slice the aubergines into 5mm discs, heat a large frying pan and add a drizzle of oil, not much then lightly fry the aubergine discs for a couple of minutes each side until golden brown, remove and put to one side whilst you brown the remaining.

In another frying pan add the pancetta and fry, it will release a lot of oil, add the mushrooms to the pan and continue frying until soft.

In a saucepan heat some more oil and add the garlic, let it sizzle for a few seconds before adding the chopped onions fry for a few minutes until soft then add the tomatoes or passata, let it bubble away for a while before adding the pancetta and mushrooms.  Season and add the herbs to taste.  Simmer for 10 minutes.

In an oven dish place a spoonful or two of tomato mix then layer up with aubergines and some ripped up mozarella.  Repeat, but finish with a layer of aubergines.

Pop into oven at 180oc for 20-30 mins, adding a handful of grated cheddar 10 mins before the end.

Very satisfying dish, you can chop and change any of the veg, meat or cheese, just keep the base of aubergines and tomatoes.

Christmas Slaw

Welcome to my post Christmas slump, where, after weeks of over eating, imbibing too much and general partying you feel stodgy, sluggish and blurgh.  Well I found a cure for that.  Following a meal of roast chicken and a truly great cauliflower and broccoli cheese bake our bodies finally gave up and said no more, so the following day a quick shufty at Good Food website bought us this little gem, super easy, super healthy, super colourful.

Christmas Slaw

Serves 6

2 carrots, matchstick cut

1/2 white cabbage, shredded

100g pecans, rough chopped

Bunch of spring onions, sliced

2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced

Toss around in a bowl and now for the magic ...

Dressing

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp Dijon mustard
8 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp cider vinegar

Pop the ingredients into an old jam jar and shake away until fully mixed, then drizzle over your salad when ready to eat.

Told you it was simple, but it was just what we needed, served with the legs from the roast chicken the previous night it was a fresh, zingy and crunchy way to feeling less stodgy.  I can see this salad becoming a staple over the next couple of months as it will be a great accompanyment for many dishes.

Butternut Squash Soup with Parmesan Croutons

I love butternut squash soup, nothing compares to how warming, thick and creamy it turns out, perfect for misty Autumn days, curled up next to an open fire.  I usually just fry up an onion add chopped and peeled squash with vegetable stock and chopped sage leaves, simmer away for 20 mins then blitz with a hand blender, add a little creme fraich or cream if I have it to hand and yum.  Whilst riffling through the Jamie at Home cook book I noticed his recipe and decided to give it a go.

Squash Soup with Parmesan Croutons

Serves 8

olive oil

16 fresh sage leaves

2 red onions, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped
2 sprigs of rosemary leaves stripped
1 fresh red chilli chopped
2Kg butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chunked
2 ltrs chicken or veg stock

16 slices of ciabatta (I used french stick slices)

Parmesan

In a large pan add oil and heat then fry the sage leaves until dark and crisp, approx 30 secs remove and put to one side.  Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary, chilli and S&P to the oil and cook gently for 10 mins until soft.  Add the squash and stock.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 mins.

Whilst the soup is cooking drizzle oil over the bread slices and the press in some grated Parmesan  on each side of the slices.  In a non stick frying pan fry with no extra oil until golden on both sides.

Once the squash is soft and cooked through whiz the soup with a blender, I like it fairly smooth with a few chunky bits.

Dish up and serve with 2 croutons on each and the fried sage leaves on the top and an extra grating of Parmesan.

This is a great soup and a good way of using up all the leftover squashes and pumpkins from my Autumnal/Halloween display.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Another one of the comfort foods I am craving whilst in my sickened state has been lovely thick creamy soup with crusty bread. Finding I had a butternut squash in the veg rack I went about turning it into a scrummy warming supper.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 Butternut Squash

1 Onion Chopped

1 ltr Vegetable stock

1 tsp chopped fresh Sage

S&P

Rapeseed oil

Double Cream (Naughty, but hubby could not find the creme fraich at the shop)

Preheat you oven to 200oc, cut the squash in half length ways, remove the seeds and score the flesh in a check pattern, this will help it cook more quickly. Drizzle over with the rapeseed oil and season with S&P. Pop into the oven to roast for at least half an hour.

Remove and once cooled scoop the flesh out of the skin, put to one side

Fry the onion in a little olive oil till soft add the squash pulp and the stock and further seasoning.

Leave to simmer covered for 15 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped sage for the last few minutes.

I then used a hand blender to remove most of the lumps from the soup, I like to leave a few chunks for a bit of texture. Then pour in a drop of cream, swirl and serve with warm crusty bread.

This soup was so thick and creamy, in my haste to scarf it down I forgot to take a photo of the dished up dish! The fresh sage really added a lovely zing to the soup and using the rapeseed oil to roast the squash with adds an extra 'roastiness' taste. So quick and easy to whip up.

Spicy Pinto Beans

I am starting week 3 of a lovely chest infection. It is slowly getting better, but I am left totally drained and weakened by it. With this in mind all I want to eat is easy peasy comfort food. Having got some chipolatas in the fridge I decided on a bangers and mash type dish, but I wanted baked beans - a real craving for them, which is strange as I am not all that keen on the old BB so it was no great surprise that I found none in the cupboard, but I did not let stop me, I concocted the following recipe:-

Spicy Pinto Beans

400g Pinto Beans

400g Chopped Tomatoes

1 clove garlic - crushed or minced

1 tbsp Oil

1/4 jar of roasted peppers

1/2 tsp Chili Flakes

1 tsp Sugar

S&P

Heat the oil in a pan, add the crushed garlic and fry gently, add the chopped tomatoes and heat through. Then add the pinto beans, peppers and chili, S&P.

Cover and simmer gently for 10 mins until the beans have thickened slightly the sauce.

Add the sugar to taste to take away the harsh acidity of the tomatoes. Serve.

These were the most delicious beans I have ever had, the flavour was fruity and with a bit of a kick, the garlic came through and added almost a smokey flavour with the chili. They went together so well with the chipolatas and the oven roasted potato chunks. Real comfort food that will propel me on to the road to recovery.

Chimichurri (on Rib Eye Steak)

Riffling through the Saturday Times a couple of weeks ago I came across a recipe for Chimichurri, the Argentinian sauce/salsa for drizzling on top of your steak. Finding that I actually had all the ingredients in the cupboard I set to work making it.

Since then I have thrown away the newspaper and I am loathe to pay Times Online to get hold of this recipe again, so I googled it and found there is recipe upon recipe for this accompaniment and they are all pretty much of a muchness. Therefore this recipe is a mish mash of all those other recipes.

Chimichurri Salsa

1 Medium Onion - Finely Chopped

2 Red Chillies - Finely Chopped

3 Cloves of Garlic - Finely Chopped

1 Tbsp Parsley - Finely Chopped

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

1 Tsp Dried Oregano

Salt & Pepper

Basically mix all the ingredients together, maybe tweeking a little to taste.

This is a fabulously fresh sauce that smelt wonderful, I think I put a little too much on my pan fried rare ribeye steak as it was a little overpowering, but utterly delicious. I will definitely make this again. I served with crushed new potatoes with grain mustard and stringless beans.

Widowed Potatoes

I am really loving this new cook book of mine and here is another recipe from it. Widowed Potatoes gets it name from being a dish with no meat or fish in it. Simple ingredients that combine to be really delicious with great textures, the thick unctuous base of onions, tomatoes and stock with the crispy coated potatoes, hmmm-mmmm yummy.

Widowed Potatoes

Serves 4

500ml light olive oil for shallow frying

3 large all purpose potatoes, peeled and sliced into rounds 1cm thick

3 eggs beaten

Plain flour for coating

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 onion chopped

4 tomatoes deseeded and chopped

1 tsp sugar

400ml beef stock

Heat the oil in a pan, medium hot. Dip the potato slices in the egg and then flour, then fry for 2 mins on each side. They should come out golden with a light crispy coating, drain the excess oil on kitchen towel and then lay in a casserole dish, I decided on halving the quantities above and making up 2 individual servings.

Fry the garlic and onion in a little oil until softened then add the tomato and cook on a low heat until it reduces slightly. Add the sugar and a sprinkling of flour to thicken then pour over the potatoes followed by the stock. Cover and bake in the oven at 160oc for 45 mins. Uncover and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the potato is soft.

Berenjenas Rellenas - Stuffed Aubergine

Here is another delish dish from the Spanish World Kitchen cook book and probably one of the nicest aubergine dishes I have ever cooked.

Berenjenas Rellenas - Stuffed Aubergine

Serves 4 with sides or 2 by themselves!

2 aubergines

60ml olive oil

200g minced lamb

2 cloves garlic

1 tomato chopped

1 onion chopped (book states red, but I did not have one)

1 egg

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 slice bread, crust off and soaked in milk

2 tblsp chopped parsley

Cut the aubergines in half, lengthways and score in a cross hatch pattern to about 1cm of the edge, sprinkle with with salt and leave for 20 mins.

Heat the oven to 200oc. Line a baking tray with foil and place the aubergines face down on it and brush over some of the oil. Pop into the oven fro 20 min or until soft.

Cool slightly and the scoop out the pulp, leaving a border of 1cm all around the edge. Discard half of the pulp and chop the rest.

Mix together all the other ingredients, add the chopped aubergine and S&P.

Spoon the mixture into the aubergine shells and place into a roasting tin and drizzle with the remainder of the oil.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the lamb is cooked.

Mushroom and Caramelised Red Onion Tart

I found this recipe from the inspiring blog of Kevin at Closet Cooking and modified it to suit what was in my larder at the time:-

Mushroom & Caramelised Red Onion Tart

1 large red onion thinly sliced

250g Mushrooms sliced - I used bog standard closed cup

1 clove garlic - chopped

1/2 tsp thyme

1 sheet puff pastry

1/2 cup grated Emmenthal cheese

Oil and Butter

S&P

1 tsp Sugar

Garlic and Herb Light soft cheese

Menorcan Herb Gin - 1 shot

Heat some oil in a frying pan and add the onion and sugar and slowly cook until caramelised, about 20 minutes.

Add a little melted butter and then the mushrooms and cook until soft and slightly browned.

Add garlic, thyme, S&P

I was using a very good non-stick frying pan, so there was no real need to de-glaze, but I did loosen up the whole mixture by adding a shot of the thick Menorcan Herb Gin (I did not want to open a bottle of wine just to de-glaze and I had finished off the cooking sherry so this was my only option!)

Roll out the puff pastry and score around the edges about 3cm in.

Spread the soft cheese over the base, I used about half of a 175g pack. Pour the mushroom and onion mixture over and scatter the Emmenthal over the top.

Bake in an oven at 180oc for about 15 mins.

Serve with a lovely fresh salad.

This tart was deliciously sweet and tasty, the combination of sweet herb gin and red onions went together well whilst the sharper nutty Emmenthal cut through it.

Hearty Pasta Soup

Yet another super simple recipe from Good Food.

Hearty Pasta Soup

1 tbs Olive Oil

2 Carrots - chopped.

1 Large Onion - chopped

1 ltr Veg stock

400g can chopped tomatoes

200g frozen peas & broad beans

250g pack fresh filled tortellini. I used goats cheese and caramelised onion

Chopped basil leaves

Grated Parmesan

Heat oil in a pan and fry the carrots and onions for 5 mins. Add stock and tomatoes, simmer for 10 mins. Add peas and broad beans.

Once veg is tender, add the pasta. Return to the boil and simmer for 2 mins.

Serve with basil and Parmesan on top.

Hubby whipped up a batch of Rosemary and sea salt Focaccia to go with the soup and very nice it was too.

Mexican Bean Chilli

Tuesday night and I thought I would try a Good Food recipe for Black Bean Chilli unfortunately I could not find any black beans in Tesco! So I codged the recipe to suit what I did have.

Mexican Bean Chilli

Serves 2-3

1 tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic - finely chopped

1 onion - chopped

1 red bell pepper - chopped

1 1/2 tbs pimenton (Spanish Paprika)

1 1/2 tbs cumin

1 1/2 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tbs brown sugar

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 x 200g can red kidney beans

1 x 200g can pinto beans

To serve

crumbled feta

sliced spring onions

sliced radishes

Boiled rice

Fry in oil the garlic and onions in a large pan until soft. Add the pimenton and cumin, cook for a few mins then add the vinegar, sugar, tomatoes, pepper and seasoning. Cook for 10 mins then add the beans and cook for a further 10 mins. Serve over rice with the feta, spring onions and radish sprinkled on top.

A very quick and simple dish but one that tastes fantastic. The vinegar adds a really lovely zing to the dish and the toppings lift and freshen the taste. Unusually for us a none meat dish, but could rapidly become a fave. I think any sort of beans could be substituted.

Mustardy Cauliflower Cheese

A hearty winter take on an already comforting dish. Last night I wanted to make cauliflower cheese with a bit of a twist.

1 Medium Cauliflower - cut into florets

2 Leeks - sliced finely

2 Carrots - chopped

1/2 pt Bechamel Sauce

Dijon Mustard

1 cup Grated Cheddar cheese

Olive oil

Par boil the cauliflower, drain and leave to cool in a colander so that all the leftover water can drip away. Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the carrots and leeks until soft add S&P. Make up your white sauce, nice and thick - add into it 2 good teaspoons of Dijon mustard and half of the cheese. Put the Cauli and other veg into a oven dish, pour over the mustardy sauce and bake in an oven for 20mins at 200oc adding grated cheese 10 mins before end.

This dish turned out wonderfully, so warming and tasty, perfect with our sausages and mash.

A great way to use up leftover veg.