Halloumi, with roast potatoes and autumnal veg

This time of year gives us delicious sweet parsnips and delightfully earthy savoury cavolo nero.  I combined them with some delicious grilled halloumi and roast potatoes for this easy, satisfying vegetarian autumnal feast.

Potatoes
olive oil
carrots
parsnip
onion
garlic
cavolo nero
butter
halloumi
za'atar

1.  Cut potatoes, skin on, into cubes.  Roast in olive oil for about 50 minutes.
2.  Peel, chop and boil the parsnips and carrots until just soft.  Drain, and "mash" by cutting with a sharp knife in all directions, add a good knob of butter and plenty of black pepper after a couple of minutes of slashing, then carry on slashing until the vegetables are in tiny pieces.  Keep warm in the oven until you are ready.
3.  Sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic, then add shredded cavolo nero.  Add a splsh of water and fry/steam until the water has evaporated.  The cavolo nero should now be done.
4.  Fry halloumi for a minute or so on each side, in a hot pan.  You might want to add a little oil to help it stop sticking.
5.  Serve, sprinkle cavolo nero with za'atar, and scoff.

The za'atar (sesame seeds, sumac and herbs) give the cavolo nero some extra zing and a protein boost.  A real winner.

Halloumi, with spicy tomato sauce

I don't suppose it qualifies as a recipe really, but some of the simplest things are the tastiest, and we certainly enjoyed this.

Potatoes
Onion
Garlic
Olive oil
Tin tomatoes
Chilli flakes
Leeks
Halloumi

1.  Peel potatoes, cut into chunks and boil.
2.  Sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic until soft, add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a pinch of chilli flakes, and cook until saucy ... add a little water to loosen if you need to.
3.  Slice leeks and wash well, boil in water with a dash of olive oil.
4.  Mash potatoes and put in the oven to brown the top a little (optional).
5.  Fry the halloumi in a hot pan, for a couple of minutes each side.
6.  Serve, scoff .... yum

Fajitas

Or should we say woman vs food!

We don't have fajitas very often, so I thought I would try to pull off the full monty - though I stopped short of a slaw as there were actually only 3 of us, and I had gathered enough for about 6!  Also, the cold did not put any of us in the mood for salad.

So - wraps - tortilla wraps from the packet warmed up for non-gf people ... homemade gf chapatti for gf person.  I tried both - the gf version was considerably nicer.

Rice - I happened to have some 7 grain wholegrain microwavable handy, so used that  - but any rice would be fine.

Refried beans:

Sweat leeks and garlic in olive oil, add cumin and a pinch of chilli flakes.  Drain a tin of red kidney beans and add, along with half a cup of water.  Simmer gently.  If I had any fresh herbs I would have added at the end - I didn't so just a spritz of lime juice, salt and pepper and a squish with a masher and they're done.

Red peppers:

Sweat leeks and garlic in olive oil, add a few mixed herbs and sliced red pepper.  Fry - let the peppers char slightly to get a nice smoky flavour, add a little water to allow them to soften without burning.

Fajita chicken:

Marinade chicken pieces in fajita seasoning and olive oil, I used thighs cut into strips, but some would prefer breast.  Fry until slightly crispy on the edges.  The veggie alternative was halloumi in fajita seasoning fried until slightly golden.

Guacamole:

Very finely dice a small onion, cut avocado into small pieces, or crush with a fork, add diced tomato and a spritz of lime.

Sour cream
Grated cheddar

(If you are making homemade chappatis make the dough first - gf flour, natural yogurt and enough water to kneed into a dough)

1.  Start with the refried beans.
2.  Then the peppers.
3.  Marinade the chicken and make the guacamole.
4.  Keep an eye on the stove top mixtures, marinade the halloumi.
5. Grate the cheese
6.  Warm the bread, make the chappatis.
7.  Serve, stack ... try to roll greedy sized thing up, spill it all down your front!  Delicious.

Pitta burgers with salad

Burger night.  100% steak mince for the carnivores and halloumi for the veggie.  All made extra delicious by having a really garlicky pesto salad dressing, mushrooms and heirloom tomato - stuffed into a pitta and served with potato wedges.  So, so good - and all from Todmorden Market.

From The Mediterranean Pantry:

Olive oil
Organic pitta bread
Red tomato pesto
Garlic

From Mellings:
Steak mince

From the Crumbly Cheese:
Halloumi

From Garry the veg:
Potatoes
Tomato
Salad leaves
Mushrooms
Onions

1.  Cut potatoes into wedges, par boil.  When nearly cooked, drain and put into a roasting tin in olive oil.  Roast for 35-40 minutes.
2.  Shape the mince into burgers, chill for a few minutes.
3.  Chop onions and muchrooms, fry in olive oil.
4.  Wash salad leaves. Make dressing by mixing crushed garlic, a spoonful of red pesto and a glug of olive oil.
5.  Fry the burgers for a few minutes on each side - we like ours quite rare, so about 3 minutes each side - rest for a couple of minutes.
6.  Fry the haloumi and push the pita breads down in the toaster.
7.  Chuck everything in the middle of the table and let people assemble their own burgers.

Delicious.

Spiced halloumi with artichoke salad

Well, I really can't claim it's a recipe, but a collection of things.

Artichoke salad - available from The Mediterranean Pantry, Todmorden Indoor Market.

Halloumi - available from The Crumbly Cheese - dipped in blackenned cajun seasoning and fried.

New potatoes
Beetroot
Spinach
Tomatoes

Roast chicken thighs, baked potatoes, roast squash and steamed brocolli

It's not a full roast dinner - but it's right good (and right good value).  There was also haloumi with leeks and tomato for the vegetarian contingent - but I forgot to take a pic...  Little extras which turn "bog standard" (not my words) into a bit special were garlic, mustard, bouillon powder (all available from The Mediterranean Pantry), and a splash of dry white wine (not available from the pantry - I'm not licensed.)

Also, I will admit, one of my biggest weaknesses in the kitchen is leaving the squash battling until it's unavoidable - or - as this week - done be a-n-other (thanks hun xxx), so the roast squash was not all mine.  It was prepped and roasted first, with some olive oil, garlic, lemon rind and black pepper for about 45 minutes.  I put it back into the oven 30 minutes before serving the rest ... ie.  after dealing with the potatoes and chicken, and about the same time as starting the leeks for the halloumi and putting the brocolli on to steam.

So:-

potatoes
olive oil
leeks
garlic
chicken thighs
bouillon powder
white wine
mustard
tomatoes
halloumi
brocolli

1.  Gratefully receive prepped squash :)
2.  Wash potatoes, prick with a fork and coat with olive oil (put a teaspoon of live oil in your hands and rub each pricked potato).  Put in microwave for 10 minutes (this just means that you  can bake them in under an hour - you could bake form scratch, obviously).
3.  Transfer the potatoes to the oven, and then start with the leeks for the chicken.  Sautee them gently for 10 minutes in olive oil for 10 minutes, add crushed garlic.
4.  Add chicken thighs, skin side down, to the onions and brown for about 3 minutes.
5.  Splash in white wine, stir in a splash of wine and stock made from bouillon and a big teaspoon of grainy mustard.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
6.  Transfer chicken to oven dish, add sauce - put in hot oven with potatoes for 30 minutes.  Put the prepped squash in the bottom of the oven to heat back through.
7.  After 10 mins - Cut broccoli into florets and steam. (takes about 15 mins from cold)
8.  Sautee leeks and crushed garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes, add chopped fresh tomatoes - season.
9.  Move leek mixture to the side of the pan and fry the halloumi (in slices) for a couple of minutes each side.
10.  It should be done now - so serve and scoff.

Lovely!

Lentil and spring vegetable casserole with spicy potatoes and grilled halloumi

Middle of May and still cold and windy.  So, something quite comforting it is then. 

Lentil casserole

Olive oil
Leeks, washed and chopped
Carrots, peeled and chopped
Sping cabbage shredded
Lentils
Crushed garlic
White wine
English mustard

Spicy potatoes

Olive oil
Potatoes, chopped
Blackenned Cajun seasoning
Italian herbs

Gilled Halloumi

Olive oil
halloumi

1.  Put the potatoes on to par-boil.
2.  Sautee leeks and carrots in olive oil, add crushed garlic.
3.  Add a handful, or so, of small lentils and some white wine and a teaspoon of english mustard, simmer.
4.  Drain potatoes and put in hot olive oil in an oven tray.  Turn them over in the oil, and sprinkle on speices and herbs.  Roast for about 45 minutes, in a hot oven.
5.  Simmer veg, add water if necessary for a while.  About 5 minutes before serving add in shredded cabbage.
6.  Fry the halloumi, at medium heat, in a tiny drop of olive oil, until golden on each side.

This was a fantastic finish to last week's veg box, the spring greens giving the casserole a nice sweetness at the end, balancing the warming earthiness of the lentils and mustard.

Leek and mushroom savoury pancakes

 Pancake day!  But neither of us like sweet stuff much, so, I picked some tasty stuff from the veg box and some halloumi .. and these were the best pancake day pancakes ever.

Gluten free pancakes

Gluten free flour
Egg
Natural yogurt
Soya milk
Peanut oil




Leek and garlic mushrooms

Olive oil
1 leek
Mushrooms, sliced
Crushed garlic
Butter

Salad

Baby salad leaves
Baby rocket
Radish
Spring onions

Roasted beetroot
Roasted cherry tomatoes

Fried halloumi

1.  Start with the pancakes - make the batter.
2.  Then gently with the veg sweated down in oil and butter.
3.  Make the pancakes, keep warm.
4.  Fry the halloumi.
5.  Put everything on the table, and let people assemble their own.

Delicious.

Grilled endive, halloumi, red pepper; tomato and courgette bake with new potatoes

It's been pee-ing it down all day... AGAIN.  So, to try to inject a bit of summer into the day I did a bit of a mediterranean grill fest - with endive (chicory), red pepper and halloumi with a tomatoe and courgette back, with some simply boiled potatoes.

In the order of attack.  Turn on oven. Make marinade, chuck in chicory, peppers and cheese.  Chop tomatoes and courgettes and make the bake.  Boil potatoes.  Grill chicory, then add red peppers, then halloumi - the chicory takes about 12 minutes, peppers 6-8 and cheese 5ish.

Marinade

Olive oil
Crushed garlic
balsamic vinegar
chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper
chili flakes

Courgette and tomato bake

courgettes, chopped into slices about the thickness of a £1 coim
tomatoes, similarly chopped
olive oil
crushed garlic
salt

Drizzle oil into oven dish, arrange tomatoes and courgettes alternating.  Spinkle with salt and crushed garlic, drizzle with oil.  Bake for 20ish minutes.

I think that's it for recipes.  Was really very nice and brought some sunshine into an otherwise dull May Saturday.

potato, turnip and leek bake, steamed carrots and spring greens with grilled haloumi

A beautiful day today, and a quick ready steady cook rifle through the fridge - and ta dah!

Potato, turnip and leek bake

4 potatoes
2 turnips
1 leek
olive oil
garlic
stock

1.  Slice potatoes and turnips and par boil for about 7 minutes.
2.  Slice and soften leek in olive oil - add crushed garlic.
3.  Splosh a little olive oil in an oven dish - layer in a third of the potato and turnip, add half the leeks, the next turnip and potato, drizzle of olive oil, black pepper, the last of the leeks and the rest of the potato and turnip.  Drizzle with olive oil, pour in about a pint of stock and bake for 40 minutes or so.

Steamed vegetables

1.  Peel carrots and cut into batons, steam.
2.  Add shredded cabbage after about 8 minutes, steam for a further 5.

Halloumi

Grill halloumi in a dry frying pan from 1-2 minutes on each side.

Scoff.