Cauliflower, hazelnut and gorgonzola bake, roasted squash and tomatoes. Potatoes with onions and mushrooms

Bring on the autumnal flavours with all of these vegetables bang in season.  Cauliflower and hazelnuts go really well together, and this time I added some gorgonzola for extra smoothness and a slightly sharp flavour.  Roasted squash and tomatoes added an earthy sweetness - and you can't go wrong with sautéed potatoes, onion and mushrooms.  (Leave out the gorgonzola and the butter and it's vegan too).

Olive oil

Butter

Cauliflower

Squash

Cherry tomatoes

Gorgonzola

Red onion

Mushrooms

Cooked new potatoes

1.  Prep the squash, splosh over olive oil and roast at 180 … for about 45 minutes.

2.  Toss the tomatoes in a little olive oil and a pinch of salt, roast alongside the squash.

3.  Cut the cauliflower into "steaks" .. ie. slices top to core, about 2cm thick - there will be some larger florets which "fall" off - I cooked these in the same way as the steaks.  

4.  Fry the cauliflower in olive oil and butter for a few minutes each side - panne the steaks to keep them succulent (with a spoon, keep lifting the fats from the pan and pour them over the cauliflower).

5.  When the cauliflower is about half cooked - ie. still a little resistant to a sharp knife, but a bit golden brown around the edges - transfer to an oven dish.

6.  Add bite sized chunks of gorgonzola and roughly chopped hazelnuts to the cauliflower.  Put it in the oven with the squash and tomatoes.

7.  In the same pan, using the same oil, sautee chopped red onion, chopped mushrooms and sliced (precooked) potatoes.

8.  Serve, scoff … seconds

Massaman chickpea and squash curry

One of those open the fridge door - stare aimlessly at piles of veg for a bit, then a rummage in the cupboard and Tah-dah Massaman curry is created within 25 minutes.  Again, all ingredients can be sourced from Todmorden's fabulous market.

Coconut oil, coconut cream, garlic, chickpeas and rice from The Mediterranean Pantry

Massaman curry paste and coconut cream from Oriental Foods

Veg from the traders outside ...

Onion

Coconut Oil

Garlic

Butternut squash

Pattipan squash

Red pepper

Green beans

Massaman curry paste

Coconut cream

Rice

1.  Cook rice  - in this case basmati, but I would have used jasmine if I had any.

2.  Sautee onion in coconut oil, add crushed garlic.

3.  Add chopped vegetables, and a couple of teaspoons of curry paste and some water and simmer until veg is almost done.

4.  Drain a tin of chickpeas and bung them in.

5.  Add creamed coconut, and simmer until chickpeas are heated through and veg is cooked.

6.  Serve, scoff ... 

One day I will learn to take better pics!

Parsnip and beetroot burgers with gorgonzola, roast squash and red pepper - and sprout tops

All has been quiet at Kitchen Fairies HQ for a few weeks - it's not that food hasn't been cooked and eaten - it's that I am preparing for a new adventure - which will come into fruition in the New Year ... so watch this space.

The veg box was full of wintery wonderfulness, so, this is what happened ...

Parsnip and beetroot burgers

3 parsnips
2 beetroot
1 lemon
2 onions
porridge oats
olive oil
gorgonzola

1.  Grate parsnips, onions and beetroot - squeeze in the juice of the lemon to stop discolouration.
2.  Mix well, and mix in porridge oats - season.
3.  Shape into burgers and put on greaseproof paper.  (I wrap them individually in greaseproof for freezing - which works very well.
4.  Bake in hot oven, on a greased baking tray for about 10 minutes.  Turn, top with cheese and bake again until melted.

Roast squash and red pepper

1 squash
1 red pepper
4 fat cloves of garlic
Olive oil
chili flakes

Prepare veg - sprinkle with seasoning, turn in olive oil to cover all pieces, roast for about 40 minutes

Sprouts

Shred sprout tops and steam for 10 minutes.

Simple, delicious, vegetarian - gluten free - if you use the right oats.

I used to peel my squash .... not any more!

Well, I used to peel my squash ... but I have seen Jamie Oliver tell me it's not necessary so many times now, that the last couple of times I have cooked squash - I haven't ... and do you know?  he's right!  Infact. it's probably nicer unpeeled.  The first time was butternut squash - which I thought - OK, that makes sense it's not too tough a skin - and it was delicious. Tonight was acorn squash (I think, I'm not an expert) much tougher skin - it was absolutely fabulous.

So from start to finish:-

Roast beetroot

Beetroot
Olive oil
Garlic

1.  Roast beetroot (whole, skins on) in olive oil, with garlic cloves in the pan - covered with foil - for about 2 hours.
2.  Allow to cool.
3.  Remove skin, and chop, toss in a little balsamic vinegar.

Roast squash

Squash
Olive oil

1.  Cut the top and bottom off the squash, scoop out seeds etc, cut inot wedges.
2.  Roast wedges in olive oil for an hour or so.

.. at the same time

Spicy potato wedges

Potatoes
Olive oil
Cajun seasonning
salt

1.  Chop potatoes into wedges.
2.  Roast in olive oil, sprinkled with cajun seasoning and salt for about an hour.

Cheesy kale and cabbage

Olive oil
Leek
Garlic
Kale
Cabbage
Mixed cheese, diced (we had stilton, gorgonzola, cheddar and cheshire left over from Christmas)

1.  Sautee chopped leek in olive oil.  When soft aff crushed garlic.
2.  Add kale - shredded, after cutting out tough stems.  Add to the pan, with a splash of water.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
3.  Add shredded cabbage, and simmer again.
4.  Chuck in diced cheese, transfer to an oven dish and bake for 20 minutes.

Serve, scoff... have seconds.  Blimey, it was good.

Root veg and squash mash with lentils, shallots braised in red wine

This is very close to a Yotam Ottalenghi recipe - but we didn't have celeriac, puy lentils or ground cumin - so we used celery with the shallots, some little green lentils and a little biryani curry mix instead - and it was delicious.

Start with the shallots, then the lentils, then the root vegetables.

Shallots braised in red wine

Olive oil
Shallots, peeled and chopped if necessary
Celery, chopped
Bay leaves
Mixed herbs
Vegetable stock
Red wine
salt and black pepper

1. Sweat off shallots and celery in olive oil.
2.  Add bay leaves and herbs, chuck in wine and stock.
3.  Simmer for about an hour until veg are soft.  Add more wine/stock if it is going dry.
4.  At the end turn heat up, to thicken sauce into sticky yumminess.
(You could pull out the veg, and stir in a knob of butter, to make more luxurious)

Lentils

Boil in plenty of water until soft - about 30 minutes. Drain.

Root vegetable mash

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 sweet potatoes, chopped into chunks
1 squash (festival in our case) peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
salt
black pepper
butter
curry powder (or some other spice eg. cumin)

1.  Boil carrots for about 10 minutes
2.  Then add other veg and boil until all yield to a sharp knife.
3.  Drain, add a good knob of butter and seasonings.  Mash.
4.  Stir in lentils.

Serve mash and lentils with shallot, red wine sauce on top.

Extremely healthy comfort food.  DELICIOUS.

Veggie tapas

The new veg box comes tomorrow - which is great.  We have lots of veg left in the fridge - which is great.  The trick is to make nice dinners out of stuff which doesn't always immediately go together without just shouting stew, casserole, curry.... and chucking it in and hoping for the best.

Tonight, carribbean squash, balsamic roasted beetroot, spinach with nutmeg and parmesan, roasted heritage tomatoes, charred chicory .. all brought together with garlicky mustard yogurt dressing.  Yum.

Turn oven to 180C.

4 beetroot
2 red onions
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

1/2 decent sized squash, peeled and chopped into big bite sized pieces, seeds and middle stringy bit scraped out and discarded
carribean seasoning
olive oil

1 onion, finely sliced
2 big handfuls of spinach
olive oil
water
garlic
freshly grated nutmeg
black pepper
parmesan, grated

chicory
olive oil

tomatoes
olive oil
salt

natural yogurt
1 tbsp grainy mustard
crushed garlic
olive oil
lemon juice
seasoning

pine nuts

1.  In a roasting dish - put unpeeled beetroot, quartered red onion, a good splosh of olive oil.  Lid on - in the oven (will take about 90 minutes)
2.  Argue with the squash, battle it into pieces - I aim for about 2-3 cm cubes, but obviously the vegetable doesn't provide those proportions - so my best guideline is pieces which, in polite company, one would cut into two pieces before cramming into one's gob.  Put in roasting tin, sprinkle with carribbean seasoning (or mix of chili and herbs etc), toss about, cover (with foil if no lid).
3.  Have a sit down, ... cup of tea.. watch a soap.. for about 40 minutes
4.  Galvanise yourself, put tomatoes in an oven proof dish with splosh of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt.  Put dish in oven.
5.  Have another little sit down, listen to some nice music - about 20 minutes.
6.  Finely slice an onion and sautee gently in olive oil, after a few minutes chuck is chopped (or if baby spinach, just chuck it in) and washed spinach, allow to wilt for a minute, add a tiny splash of water to allow it all to wilt.
7.  Grate a little nutmeg (be careful with nutmeg, it can get medicinal) into the spinach, squish in garlic, grind in some black pepper, stir around, clamp on lid and steam for a bit.
8.  Check that the veg are ready... by sticking a sharp knife into the beetroot and squash, when they are nearly ready...
9.  Cut chicory into quarters, sear in a hot pan.
10.  Take the beetroot out of the oven, take its lid off, and let it cool down.  When it is cool enough, peel and chop into nice, bite sized pieces, and stir in balsamic vinegar.
11.  Actually, in the middle of step 10 - make the yogurty dressing... mix crushed garlic, grainy mustard, seasoning, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning ... to taste (think of 1 tsp garlic, 2 tsp mustard, 6 tbsp yogurt, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp lemon juice.... but this really is to taste, so try as you go)
12.  Gently toast some pine nuts.  (If I hadn't burnt these, I would have spinckled them elegantly on the spinach).
13.  Present to appreciative crowd, and scoff

Bonfire night casserole with roasted bulgar groats

I have had some criticism about my presentation so I tried a bit harder.  I don't think it's achieved much!  The roasted bulgar groats were in a ring in the middle of the dish, with the lentil casserole as a moat, and the cavolo nero as a free form bonfire on the top.   Whatever! It tasted great.  I have never had roasted bulgar groats and they work really well.

I love cavolo nero, but wanted it to stand as a dish so stirred in a sauce of yogurt and mustard ... it was LOVELY.

So ....

Start with the lentil casserole

olive oil
leek
garlic
squash, peeled etc , in bite sized pieces
puy lentils
mushrooms
(other veg...)
tsp marmite
mixed herbs
black pepper

1. Sautee chopped leek in olive oil for a few mins, on middling heat.  Add other veg, lentils and water... season.  Simmer for about 20 minutes - add water if it's going dry.
2.  Adjust seasoning., make sure there is enough water ... simmer a bit more.
3.  After about 30 minutes lentils should be soft and all other veg cooked.

Meanwhile...

Boil the bulgar groats according to packet instructions (15 mins in boiling water)... draind and serve

Cavolo nero with yogurt mustartd sauce

Cavolo nero (or other green cabbage) - chopped, and steamed
Natural yogurt
Lemon juice (tiny squeeze)
Salt and pepper
Mustard (to taste)

Steam:- on top of the bulgar boiling water- shredded cavolo nero (I LOVE this vegetable) - when it is steamed stir it into the mustard/yogurt mixture.

Lentil & chard, with squash and tomato risotto

This was DELICIOUS! It is vegan and gluten free.  It took about 40 minutes, but a nice gentle 40 minutes.. once the initial chopping is done, it is all lid on and steam for a bit, and add water to stop it drying out.

So, start with the chard:-

1 onion

Huge armful of chard, preferably free from Mum's garden

Garlic

Olive oil

Wite wine

Puy lentils

Spinach

Fennel fronds

1.  Chop an onion finely and sautee in olive oil for about 4 minutes on a medium heat, add in chopped chard stalks and a clove of crushed garlic.
2.  Add half a glass of white wine (or not, .. water is fine).

3.  Steam/fry until softish for about 8 minutes. Add in chopped spinach stalks.  Cook again for about 2 minutes.

4.  What stalky bits are quite tender add chopped leaves - both spinach and chard.  Add some more water, stir and allow to wilt for 4 ish minutes.  Add chopped fennel at the end.

5.  Meanwhile, boil put lentils in plenty of water for about 25 minutes, until soft.

6.  Drain lentils, mix into mixture, season.  

If you've managed to finish before the risotto is ready, just reheat or eat warm.  

Squash and tomato risotto

Olive oil

1 onion

1 patti pan squash

Garlic

Risotto rice

Paella spice mix (or paprika, saffron and herbs)

6 tomatoes

1 stock cube

White wine

1.  Soften chopped onion in olive oil.

2.  Add chopped squash to softened onion, turn it over a couple of times and add rice and garlic.  Turn  rice over under all grains have a film of oil over them.

3.  Add a glass of white wine.

4.  Stir, add water/stock a bit at a time as it simmers and plops away, stirring now and again.

5.  Grate tomatoes and add pulp.  Gently keep simmering.

6.  It'll probably take about 20 minutes.

As previously stated, utterly delicious.  Gluten free and vegan.  Cheese could have been added to the risotto, but it really doesn't need it.

Oh yes - and £3 - dog food.  Total breach:  £20.59

Caribbean(ish) turkey, squash, sweet potato and peanut casserole

Diced turkey in the fridge, and some random vegetables... What do you do? Well, I did this... Chopped and sautéed one onion, garlic, one red pepper, one courgette, one peeled sweet potato and half a chiquito (or butternut, or other) squash.... After a few minutes add turkey, stirred until edges were a bit cooked. Added tin of chopped tomatoes, pint or so of chicken stock and good splash of hot sauce. Stuck in the oven for an hour while watching Saturday night film ... Before serving added chopped spring onions and some peanut gravy mix ... Could have been peanut butter and chili. Served with brown rice and natural yogurt. Victim liked it! Shed loads left for freezer.