Root vegetable and butter bean hot pot

The veg box was full of root vegetables, and there was a nip in the air after a beautiful autumnal walk - so a lovely, slightly spicy veggie hot pot with chapatis fitted the bill for us.  I also had some kale left over, so shredded it quite finely, so that it was soft and not challenging - that's a bonus veg, and no complaints.

Onion

Olive oil

Garlic

Piri piri spices

Swede

Carrot

Parsnip

Sweet potato

Kale

Dijon mustard

Italian herbs

Tin of tomatoes

Tin of butter beans

Salt and pepper

Flatbreads or crusty bread to serve - we happened to have chapatis.

1.  Chop onion and sweat down in olive oil.

2.  Add peeled and diced root vegetables, stir into the onion mixture.

3.  Add minced garlic and a good pinch of piri piri spice.

4.  Finely shred kale and add to the mixture, stir in.

5.  Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a tin full of water, a teaspoon of mustard and a pinch of herbs,  simmer for at least 30 minutes.

6.  Drain the butter beans and stir in, simmer again.

7.  When the veg are tooth soft it's ready to eat.

8.  Serve, scoff, be soothed.

 

Sausage casserole with cheesy dumplings

 

Oh my word.  It's been a few days of cold rain and biting winds.  And, we have no potatoes ... so today - sausage casserole with cheesy dumplings!  Gorgeously comforting - but it gets some veg into the veg dodger too.

olive oil

red onion

garlic

Sausages

Carrots

Swede

Stock

Butter beans

Tin of tomatoes

SR flour

Butter

paprika

mixed herbs

baking powder

Cheese

Yogurt

1.  Chop red onion in slices, sautee in olive oil.

2.  Add sausages and brown on most sides (ie... keep moving them around to get a bit of colour, but don't get neurotic, there is plenty of time for them to cook.)

3.  Peel carrots and swede, chop into bit sized pieces and chuck into the pot.  Add crushed garlic.

4.  Add about a pint of stock and simmer for a few minutes.

5.  Add butter beans, a tin of tomatoes and some water, keep simmering.

6.  Let it simmer for an hour - add more water/stock if it's getting dry.

7.  Make the dumplings.  Rub butter into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, sprinkle on a teaspoon of baking powder to help the dumplings lift.  Season and add mixed herbs and a good pinch of paprika.

8.    When the casserole is 20 minutes from finished shape the dumplings by adding the grated cheese and a spoonful of yogurt - flour your hands and roll the mix into balls and drop onto the top of the casserole.

9.  Simmer for 20 more minutes.

10.  Serve, scoff

Roast gammon, potatoes, carrot and swede, courgette frittata and some steamed kale

OK - I'll not pretend that shortages have begun to bite yet - but I though it was still worth sharing the basic timings of a good roast dinner.  This was our Mother's Day tea (not my Mum, sorry Mum - we couldn't risk visiting) - which is slightly hilarious, as the Mum in question is veggie - but this was to cater for all!

The ingredients were all sourced from Tod market - which is doing its best in these troubled times.

The ham joint is a big 'un - so that it can be used for sandwiches and other stuff, over the next few days.  All the left over veg will go into "leftovers soup" so there is zero wastage.

Start the ham early - it needs to poach for 3 hours, then get a glaze on and bake for another hour or so.  It was so worth it!





Baked, glazed ham

Ham joint
Mustard (english and wholegrain)
Honey
Olive oil

Potatoes
Olive oil
Carrots
Swede
Butter
Courgette
Eggs
Kale

1.  1 o'clock - put the ham in a large pot of water, boil for 3+ hours - topping the water up as necessary, but otherwise ignore and get on with the rest of your day.
2.  About 4pm - take the ham out of the pan, transfer to an oven dish.  Leave to settle for 30 minutes.
3.  Make the glaze - mix mustards, a small spoon of honey, salt and pepper and olive oil - paste over the joint.
4.  About 5 ish - pop the ham in the oven - turn to 180.
5.  5:30ish - start the veg prep - cut potatoes into even sized pieces (these were baby potatoes, so I just halved them).  Toss in olive oil and salt and roast - check them after about 50 minutes - if they are doing too fast - take them out and put them back in for the last 10 minutes to heat through again.
6.  Peel and chop carrots and swede - boil for about 20 minutes - when cooked mash them with butter and seasoning and pop in the oven.
7.  Chop courgettes into small cubes, whisk eggs.  Mix the eggs and the courgette and pour into an oiled baking dish - bake for about 25-30 minutes.
8.  Take the ham out of the oven to rest for about 20-30 minutes.
9.  Prep the kale by removing the hard stem, shredding, and steam for 15 minutes.
10.  serve, scoff - delish

Haggis Pie: (and a vegan version): National Pie Week, day 4, pie #3

National Pie week - and a haggis in the freezer - natural result "Haggis Pie".  Basically neeps and tatties as the pie top for a haggis/lentil filling - with cabbage and whisky cream sauce.

To cope with the various dietary requirements in this house we actually had two versions - one with haggis and one entirely vegan.

The one with the haggis also had a healthy layer of the lentil mixture underneath the haggis (don't tell the veg dodger - they happily scoffed thirds!)

The haggis needs to be cooked before adding to the pie, so I started with this - 45 minutes simply boiling in its bag, as per package instructions.

Haggis
Olive oil
Leeks
Celery
Courgette
Red pepper
Mushrooms
Lentils
Wholegrain mustard
Marmite
Chilli flakes
Oregano

Carrots
Swede
Potatoes
Dairy free spread

Cabbage

Sour cream
Whisky

1.  Cook the haggis as per package instructions.
2.  Sautee chopped leeks and celery in olive oil until a bit soft, then add crushed garlic, chopped courgette, red pepper and mushrooms.  Stir In.  Add a handful of lentils (I used brown, red/puy would also be fine).  Pour in about a pint of water and simmer.  After a couple of minutes add mustard, marmite, chilli flakes and oregano.  Simmer.  It takes about 30 minutes - check it doesn't go too dry, for taste and that lentils are cooked.
3.  Meanwhile peel and chop root veg and boil.  When cooked, drain and mash with plant based spread and plenty of seasoning.
4.  Assemble the pie(s).  For the vegan one - 2 layers - lentils and mash.  For the haggis pie - lentils, haggis, mash.  Spread the mash around and bake for about 25 minutes - until the top starts to brown.
5,  Steam cabbage.
6.  Whisky sauce - simmer a little water, add a spoonful of sour cream and a splash of whisky.
7.  Serve, scoff - watch veg dodger have thirds, and vegan/vegetarian types have seconds.

Burn's night supper

… also known as, haggis neeps and tatties, with a whisky sauce.

The haggis was from Bracewell's butchers in Todmorden market hall - and is the best haggis I have ever tasted.

All ingredients from Tod market - except the whisky, which came out of the cupboard.

Haggis
Potatoes
Swede
Double cream
Butter
Black pepper
Whisky

1.  Cook haggis - I boiled ours for an hour.
2.  Peel and chop potatoes and swede, boil until cooked, then mash with plenty of butter and black pepper.  Transfer to an oven dish and bake while the haggis finishes.
3.  Simmer double cream, whisk in a splosh of whisky and simmer again for a couple of minutes, whisking occasionally.  This allows the alcohol to evaporate, but retains the flavour of the whisky.
4.  Serve, scoff … pipe Scottish tunes.
5.  Raise a wee dram to the timorous beastie.

Lentil ragu, neep and tattie mash

Good wholesome, stick to your ribs, comfort food.  I was going to steam some kale for the "leafy green" health benefits - but we're a bit kaled out - and surely this is healthy enough!

Olive oil
onion
garlic
carrots
celery
chilli flakes.
red pepper
lentils
tomato puree

potatoes
swede
soya spread

1.  Sautee onion in olive oil, add chopped celery and carrot and crushed garlic.
2. Add chopped red pepper, a sprinkle of chilli flakes and a handful of lentils (beluga in this case).
3.  Add about a pint of water, stir and simmer.  After a few minutes add a good squeeze of tomato puree - simmer until done - add more water if it looks like its going dry.
4.  Boil potatoes and swede - cut into even sized pieces, mash with soya spread and plenty of black pepper.

Tuscan bean hot

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil, add some red pepper if you like.  Add whatever root veg you might have (potatoes, swede, celariac and carrot here).  Chuck in some italian herbs and tomato paste.  Add some water/stock and simmer for 10 minutes or so.  Tip in cannelloni and butter beans.  Simmer gently again.  Add in shredded kale.

When kale is cooked - serve, top with grated parmesan or chedder if you fancy.

Roast chicken dinner

Meat and 8 veg, and potatoes.  Takes about an hour and 40 minutes ... do things in this order.

Parboil chunks of potato, then stick em in a hot oven in olive oil.

Stuff garlic and halves of lime/lemon into cavity of chicken.  Roast for about an hour and twenty minutes - start it on its chest, and then turn after 30 minutes.

Thinly slice aubergine, courgette and red onion, latyer in a casserole dish with oilve oil and lots of black pepper between the layers.  Cover with foil - bake for an hour or so.

Boil peeled and chunked parsnip and swede, steaming peeled carrot battons on top.  When veg are soft, drain - add carrots to the others and cut through with a sharp knife until it's nearly mash - add olive oil and seasoning - again plenty of black pepper.  Stick in oven dish and keep warm.

Make gravy with juices from the chicken and some white wine.

Steam shredded green and red cabbage, mix together before serving.

Butter bean and cabbage casserole with baked root veg, and roasted vine tomatoes

End of the veg box week, but absolutely delicious. The root veg bake has featured before - but this time had no cheese in so totally gluten free and vegan tonight.

So... Start the root veg bake first, then stick the tomatoes is the oven, then - after 10-15 mins ... cup of tea/ glass of wine ... whatever you fancy start the green veg casserole.

Root veg bake

Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 or 2 parsnips, topped and tailed
1 large onion, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 swede, peeled and chopped
6 carrots, top and tailed
garlic paste
Mustard
Olive oil
Seasoning

Casserole

2 leeks
mushrooms
garlic
olive oil
tin of butter beans
white wine
veggie stock cube
shredded cabbage

tomatoes

tomatoes
olive oil
sale

1.  Turn oven on to 180+
2. Grate most of the veg - I use my KitchenAid which obviously makes this much easier - but grate using food processer add ins, or a hand grater will save you time... honestly it will.  Particularly if you make too much, freeze it and have it the following day.
3.  Mix in other ingredients - bake at 180 for about an hour.
4.  At this point splash olive oil onto tomatoes, sprinkle on salt and bung in the oven with the root veg.

Have a cuppa, chat, watch Corrie or whatever... for a bit over half an hour, then...

4.  Sautee chopped, rinsed leeks in olive oil.
5.  After about 5 minutes add chopped mushrooms, garlic, white wine and about a pint of stock.
6.  Simmer briefly and add butter beans, simmer again for about 5 minutes.
7.  Shred cabbage, stick it on top of the leeks and steam until done.  (I put a lid on it and turned off the heat).

Yum.



Root vegetable bake, with cheese and mustard.

This was absolutely delicious, though I say it myself.  The veg box has created a surplus of carrot and parsnip, and I wanted something comforting.  I made this up.

1 onion
6 carrots
1 parsnip
1/3 swede
3 potatoes
olive oil
cheese (cheshire)
grainy mustard
garlic

1.  Grate the onion, carrot, parsnip, swede and potatoes.  You could also grate the cheese, but I just crumbled it.  Mix it all together.
2.  Add big slugs of olive oil, spoonful of mustard and crushed garlic.  Season well - then add more black pepper.  Mix together really well.
3.  Microwave for 6ish minutes.
4.  Put olive oil in baking dish, add in mixture - keep the top a bit rough to get the delicious crunchy browned peaks.  Bake for 45 minutes or so.


I also roasted cherry tomatoes in olive oil, sprinkled with salt - and served with steamed brocolli and cavolo nero.  It would have served 6 easily - so I reckon it's about  94p per portion (including veg) 45p per portion by itself.

Mozzarella might be interesting, to make it stringy - and to make it vegan, just omit the cheese or replace it with that peculiar dairy free stuff, or toasted pine nuts.

Sausage casserole in giant yorkshire pudding

Victim number one - as cherished as she might be - does have a habit of ambushing recipes at the last minute.  Today is a case in point.  We had lovely italian herbed sausages in the freezer and shed loads of organic veg in the fridge.  Being Sunday, we were also due to feed the outlaws one of their few healthy meals of the week.  So - my plot - hearty sausage casserole with brown rice and cabbage.  (Sautee twice as many chopped/ sliced onions as you think reasonable, add crushed garlic, add sauages and move around until they have some colour - add chopped root (and other hardish) veg (celeriac, swede, some carrots - butternut squash), stock cube, tin of tomatoes, half a pint of water (ish) simmer)... cook rice, steam cabbage... delish.  But, I was interrupted by primary victim hankering for yorkshire puddings - ideally, start this about 40 minutes before you intend to serve. ... I managed to (amazingly), and I have to say it was an improvement on the intended brown rice - though probably nutritionally compromised! Recipe was from Nigella Lawson's "How to Eat" (referred to here ny her own people http://www.nigella.com/kitchen-queries/view/701).   Back to nutritionally compromised... - when I added up starter to pudding - victims had 13 of their 5 a day... so that can't be bad.  (Just for clarification - this wasn't the most impressive pud - (the best was round and very cloud like) but the gathered victims were too intent on tucking in for a photo shoot).

Now what do I do with all that extra brown rice?

Roast lamb dinner

For a greedy person!  Delish.  Season leg of lamb with salt and pepper and rub on olive oil.  Cut bulb of garlic in half and chuck in roasting tray, lie leg of lamb on rosemary on grill in roasting tray - chuck in a glass of white wine.  Stick into hot oven for 30mins, then turn oven down to about 150 - cover in foil, and roast slowly for 2-3 hours.   Drain juices after about an hour, to make the gravy.  After 1 and a half hours parboil potatoes, then roast, in a hot oven in hot olive oil (for about an hour and 10 minutes).  In a little olive oil, chop red onion and half a red cabbage, 2 chopped apples - add apple juice, splash of cider vinegar, black pepper and dried fennel seeds, simmer for at least 40 minutes - or bring to the boil and then stick in the oven with the lamb.  Peel and chope carrots, swede and turnip.  Boil for about 12 minutes then drain and slash vigorously with a sharp knife, adding a knob of butter and just too much black pepper.  At the same time soften sliced leek in a drop of water (or white wine if there is some left), just before soft add shredded green cabbage.  Finish off gravy ... fat from lamb pan, tablespoon of flour add lamb juices and stock.  Scoff (with or without mint sauce/mustard/ horseradish), have seconds, and scoff that as well.  Victims all finished their plates, and visiting victims took some home for tomorrow.

Lentil soup with piccalilli

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!  The sharp cool piccalilli stands up really well to the earthy warming soup.  Chopped and sauteed an onion, some celery and swede.  Add crushed garlic and about half a teaspoon rosemary, then stir in teaspoon of marmite.  Chuck in big handful of red lentils and water.  Simmer, add a tin of chopped tomatoes.  Simmer, season, zizz.  Serve with dollop of piccalilli.