Ingredients:
1 medium leek - quartered lengthways and sliced
1 medium courgette - halved lengthways and sliced
3 large broccoli florets - sliced and blanched in hot water
8 thin asparagus spears - 4 cut into small lengths and 4 left whole
8 baby plum tomatoes - halved
2oz Ossau Irraty cheese - grated
5 medium sized eggs
30ml semi skimmed milk
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp sunflower oil (plus more for greasing the dish)
Freshly milled black pepper
Method:
Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan, add the leek and soften for about 5 minutes
Add in the courgette and continue to cook for 5 minutes
Add in the sliced broccoli florets and chopped asparagus, continue to cook gently for another 5 minutes and then remove from the heat
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl
Add the grated cheese, milk, thyme and black pepper to the eggs and mix
Tip the vegetables into the bowl with the eggs and stir together
Tip the mixture into a shallow, well greased flan dish or tin (mine was about 9 inches)
Add the halved tomatoes and remaining asparagus spears to decorate the top
Place in the oven at 180 degrees and cook for about 30 minutes, until the egg is set and the top is starting to look golden
Remove from the oven and leave in the dish/tin to cool
Serves 6 people
The quiche was sliced and eaten with salad whilst it was still just slightly warm.
The quiche was made to use up an excess of vegetables from the fridge.
Ingredients:
1 pack ready made gnocchi
1 tin cannellini beans - drained
2 cooking chorizo sausages - cut into slices
1 tin Italian cherry tomatoes
20-25 pitted black olives
1 tsp dried oregano
Method:
Cook the gnocchi in a pan of boiling water, as per the instructions, for about 3-5 minutes, until the gnocchi rise to the surface
Place the slices of chorizo in the bottom of an ovenproof dish
Cover the chorizo with the cannellini beans
Sprinkle over the olives
Once the gnocchi is cooked, strain off the water and add to the dish, spreading out evenly
Cover the gnocchi with the tinned cherry tomatoes
Sprinkle with the oregano
Cook in a pre-heated oven at about 180 degrees for around 20-25 minutes, until bubbling and heated through.
This meal will serve 2 people.
I used about 3 spoons of the gnocchi water to swill out the juices from the tin of tomatoes as the tomato was very thick. This was poured over the dish with the tomatoes before the oregano was sprinkled over the top.
Ingredients:
carcass of a chicken
2 pts water
2 vegetable stock cubes
2 sticks of celery - finely diced
2 medium carrots - finely diced
2 sheets of dried egg noodles
2 spring onions - finely sliced
Method:
Place the chicken carcass in the water with the stock cubes, celery and carrot and bring up to the boil.
Reduce the heat down to a light gentle simmer, cover with a lid and leave to cook for an hour.
Remove the carcass from the liquid, shred any chicken meat from the carcass and return the meat to the pan. Discard the carcass.
Break up the noodle sheets into small pieces and add to the pan, cook the noodles for the length of time recommended on the packet (about 4-5 minutes).
Stir in the sliced spring onion and serve.
This amount of soup will give 3-4 bowls, enough for a starter for 4 or a light meal for 2-3 people.
I used a raw chicken carcass. The chicken had been bought whole and was then portioned. The carcass had enough chicken left on the bone to make a tasty soup.
If I did not have noodles in the cupboard, I would have added in a tin of cannellini beans at the end instead.
Ingredients:
350g bag of mixed, diced, butternut squash and sweet potato
1/2 pt vegetable stock
2 tsp minced ginger root
1/2 can of coconut milk
Method:
Pierce holes in the bag of vegetables and cook for 3-4 minutes in the microwave
Tip out the veg into a pan, add the stock and bring up to the boil
Add the ginger and simmer for a couple of minutes
Remove from the heat and blend the vegetable mix until smooth
Add in the coconut milk
Return to the heat and gently warm through
Serves 2 for a light lunch, or 4 for a starter
I made this soup as I had the bag of vegetables left over in the fridge. The whole thing took just over 10 minutes to make. It could be made from scratch by peeling and chopping the vegetables but this would take a lot longer to prepare and make.
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas - drained and rinsed
1 can cannellini beans - drained and rinsed
1 slice granary bread - grated into breadcrumbs
3 shallots - finely diced
1/2 a medium to large red pepper - deseeded and chopped
1 clove garlic - peeled and crushed
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 red chilli - deseeded and finely chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp yeast extract
5 fl oz vegetable stock (I used one stock cube)
Method:
Saute the chopped shallots in the sunflower oil until soften (but don't brown)
Add in the pepper, chilli and garlic and cook until softened
In a large bowl mash the chickpeas and cannellini beans (this could be done in a food processor) but leave it with differences in texture
Stir in the breadcrumbs and oregano
Stir in the cooked shallot and pepper mix from the pan
Dissolve the yeast extract in the vegetable stock and stir into the rest of the mixture
Line a loaf tin with greased parchment paper
Tip the mixture into the loaf tin, push into the corners and flatten the top
Cover with foil and cook at 180 degrees for 45 minutes
Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for at least 10 minutes before turning out
This roast can be sliced into 6-8 portions.
It was eaten hot with roast potatoes and vegetables
The remainder was eaten cold with salad
Ingredients:
6 floz aquafaba (the water from one tin of chickpeas)
1 tsp white wine vinegar
4 drops orange blossom water
6 oz granulated sugar
Method:
Place the aquafaba in a large bowl and, using an electric whisk, whisk up until really frothy and standing in soft peaks
Add in the white wine vinegar and orange blossom water and briefly whisk in
Slowly add in the sugar, whisking all the time until the mixture is glossy and stands up in peaks
Place the mixture into a piping bag and pipe small meringues on to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Leave a small amount of spreading space between each one.
Place into the oven at 110 degrees and cook for 50 minutes.
Do not open the oven, turn it off and leave the meringues in the oven until it has gone cold, or ideally leave them overnight
This amount of mixture made 60 small meringues
They do not taste of chickpea! The whole of the whisking process took no more than 10 minutes.
Next time I make these I will try using vanilla extract instead of orange blossom water to give a different flavour.
To give them a different flavour and colour I may also try them with freeze dried raspberry powder.
They kept well in an airtight container for a number of days (all were eaten after 3 days and they had not gone at all soft, they were still firm and crispy).
Ingredients:
1 spiced black chai tea bag - made up with 3/4pt boiling water
12oz dried mixed fruit
10oz wholemeal self-raising flour
8oz light muscovado sugar
1 large egg - beaten
Spread/oil to grease the tin
Method:
Using the tea bag and 3/4 pint boiling water make up the tea in a bowl or jug, leave the bag in to steep for about 5 minutes before removing and discarding
Add the dried mix fruit into the tea, cover and leave to soak for at least 4 hours (or overnight if you have time)
Sieve the flour into a large dry bowl and stir in the sugar
Tip in the fruit/tea mix and stir
Beat the egg and stir into the mixture
Tip the cake mix into a 2lb cake tin which has been pre-greased and lined with parchment paper
Gently tap the tin to remove any air bubbles and smooth the top of the cake
Cook at 130 degrees for about 1hr 45 mins until cooked through and firm to the touch
Remove from the oven but leave to cool in the tin for about 10-15 minutes before turning out of the tin and removing the paper.
This cake should give about 10 slices
The dried mixed fruit I used contained currants, raisins, sultanas and candid citrus peel.
Other teas could be used, but I like the extra warming spices in the black chai.
Ingredients:
