Seasonal squash

 I didn't take a photo of this - if I'm honest, it wasn't particularly photogenic, but it was very delicious!  The photo below is of squashes in a supermarket in Germany.

1 small squash or pumpkin - you could use butternut, and I probably will, but this was one of those green-and-white striped jobs.  

about 1/4 pack sage, 

A little olive oil

2 eggs

Salt and pepper

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Finely chop the sage (if it's fresh), and sprinkle in the cavity.  Spread olive oil all over the cut surfaces, season, and then place, hollow upwards, in a hot oven (mark 6) for 40 minutes.  Then take it out of the oven, break an egg into each hollow (where the seeds are) and return to the oven for a further 8 minutes.  If the egg overflows the hollows, tough - you can scrape it up when you take it out of the oven!  I served this with a tray of ready-to-bake vegetables from Lidl, and it was absolutely delicious!  

Bean casserole with halloumi

 One thing about lockdown - I'm posting more recipes!  I didn't during the first lockdown because I was ill myself and not eating or cooking, but we did - and still do - order a takeaway most weeks to support local businesses, and that has inspired several recipes.  This one, however, came from several sources, including the BBC Good Food site (I do recommend this if you're looking for recipes) and Easy Cheesy Vegetarian (whom I also recommend, even though I'm not veggie!).

1/4 cup white cannellini beans

1/4 cup red kidney beans

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1 courgette, chopped

1 leek, chopped

1 sweet pepper, seeds removed, chopped

1 tin tomatoes

1 sloosh harissa or tomato paste

A little cooking oil

1 small pack spinach

1 pack halloumi cheese.

Seasoning, as liked

Soak the beans either overnight in cold water or for at least an hour in boiling water to which you have added a pinch of bicarbonate of soda.

Turn your Instant Pot on to sauté and add the oil, then when it has heated, add the chopped onion and garlic, and cook for a few minutes until they are beginning to become translucent.  Then add the rest of the vegetables, and allow to cook for awhile (in an ideal world, put a lid on and let them cook in their own steam for a bit, but....

Then add the paste (if you don't like spicy, use tomato paste, otherwise us harissa paste - just a spoonful), the tin of tomatoes and about half the tinful of water, and the drained, rinsed beans.  Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile put the spinach in a colander and pour boiling water over it to wilt it.  When it's cool enough to handle, chop it roughly.

When the Instant Pot beeps, slice the halloumi and dry fry it (detailed instructions here). 

After about 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure and stir the wilted spinach through the stew.  Serve in bowls, topped with the fried halloumi.  I found there was enough stew to do twice, so I may serve the rest either with more halloumi or with sausages or something similar.  We shall see....

I should add that this is one of those recipes you can adapt to suit your own personal tastes and whatever veg you have in the fridge!  I think really only the tomatoes, beans, onions and garlic are compulsory - the rest is up to you!

ETA: In fact, the stew did 3 times; I topped what was left of it with a layer of grated cheese and then some crispy garlic breadcrumbs, and we made that do us twice, although it was a tad mere....

Red pepper sauce

 I am absolutely sure that, back in the day, I had a recipe for red pepper sauce which involved a red pepper (well, duh!) and lemon juice, but couldn't find it until this minute.  So I googled a bit and made up this one, which was delicious with sea bass earlier this evening.  I'll post the original recipe below, for comparison purposes.  The sauce is, of course, vegan, so you can use it in all sorts of ways if you don't eat meat or fish.  It would be very good on roasted vegetables, for instance.

1 sweet red pepper

1 small head garlic

1 tbs lemon juice

Seasoning, as liked.

Pre-heat the oven to Mark 6, 200C. Remove the stalk from the pepper, and place it on a baking tray.  Remove the papery outside from the garlic, and, using a very sharp knife, cut through the top of the head, exposing all the cloves.  Spray with a little cooking oil, and wrap with foil.  Bake both pepper and garlic in the oven for 40 minutes.  Then put the pepper in a plastic bag to "sweat" so that you can easily remove the skin after ten minutes or so.  

Put the pepper into a food processor along with the garlic, which you have squeezed out from its skin, lemon juice and seasoning, and process until smooth.

This, now that I have found it, was my original recipe.

1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 large or 2 small red sweet (bell) pepper(s)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Chop onion and garlic and microwave for 5 minutes, or dry-fry*. Flame pepper(s) or toast under grill until skin blackens. Place in plastic bag for ten minutes, then peel skin. Remove pips and white veins, and chop roughly.

Place peppers, onions, and garlic in a food processor, and blend, adding lemon juice until mixture resembles a thick cream in texture. Season to taste. This is glorious with fish - salmon, trout, white fish.....

* These days I'd probably cook them gently in a little oil until translucent.

Moroccan-seasoned chickpea, spinach and quinoa stew

 I knew I wanted chickpeas, and wasn't quite sure what else to do with them.  I was tempted by the thought of a not quite Buddha bowl, but then it was a horrible day so I decided I fancied some comfort food.  And this was dead easy!  Serves 4.

1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked and then cooked for 12 minutes in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot (or use 1x400 g tin, drained and rinsed.  Your call!)

2 small red onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 chunk butternut, peeled and diced

1 tin chopped tomatoes, plus 1 tinful water

1/2 cup quinoa

Salt

1/2 teaspoon harissa spices

1 tsp Moroccan seasoning

1 tsp ras el hanout

(or 2 tsp of whichever one of those you prefer)

1/2 tsp all-purpose seasoning

A few sprays of cooking oil

1/2 packet of spinach, wilted under boiling water and roughly chopped.

Put the onion and garlic into a heavy-based pan with the cooking oil, and allow to cook for a few minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to the boil, and allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes.  Add the spinach and stir until it wilts, then serve at once.

Sag Paneer

 I keep on experimenting with curries, and I don't suppose this is authentic, but it is very good!  Serves 2

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1 chunk root ginger (I use frozen cubes, but if you use whole ginger, then peeled and grated)

2 large tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 packet paneer, cubed

1-2 tbs cooking oil

1-2 tsp curry powder, either proprietary or a blend of cumin, cardamom, mustard seeds, fenugreek, turmeric, garam masala and chilli powder (I blend this up in advance)

1/2 package baby spinach leaves.

Put the spices and oil in a pan and fry for a moment or two, then add the paneer and fry, stirring frequently, until the cheese is brown on all sides.  Lift this out and put aside.

Blend the onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes into a puree and then put this in the pan where the paneer just was, and fry this off gently for about 10-15 minutes, again stirring frequently (I cooked rice to go with this while I was at it).  Wilt the spinach by putting it into a colander and pouring boiling water over it, then when it has cooled a little, roughly chop it.  When the puree is cooked - it will have thickened up nicely and stopped looking raw - add in the spinach and the paneer, with a splash of boiling water if necessary, and bring back to the boil.  Serve with rice or naan or similar. 

I might try making this - or a similar curry - with a tin of tomatoes, pureeing the onion, ginger and garlic separately (perhaps with a drop of water).... we shall see.  I like experimenting, and I like curry!  

Very Nearly Vegan Lasagne

 This would be quite vegan if you didn't put cheese on it, or if you substituted a vegan "cheese" for the real stuff.

Sauce the first (mock bechamel)

1 large leek, green parts removed

1/2 medium cauliflower

Chunk butternut squash

3/4 cup unsalted cashew nuts

Sprig of rosemary (if you have some)

Salt, pepper and dry mustard powder.

Enough water to come up to the minimum level in your soup maker, if you have one, or just to cover.

Chop the leek, peel and chop the butternut, render the cauliflower into florets

If you have a soup maker, put everything in there and cook on pureed soup.  If you don't, put it all in a saucepan and simmer for about 20 minutes, until soft.  Blend until smooth.

Sauce the second (mock ragu)

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 punnet mushrooms

2 slices bread

About 1/3-1/2 cup walnuts

1 tin chopped tomatoes

Salt, pepper, herbs, mushroom ketchup

Peel and chop the onion, peel and crush the garlic.  Put them into a saucepan with a little cooking oil and allow to sweat for several minutes.  Add the chopped mushrooms and cook until their juices run. 

 

Meanwhile, use a food processor (or mini food processor, which is what I used) to turn the bread and walnut into crumbs.

Put the breadcrumb mix into the vegetable mix and add the tin of tomatoes.  Season to taste.

To assemble:

6-8 sheets lasagne

1/2 packet grated cheese (if using)

Layer the mock ragu, pasta sheets and mock bechamel in a lasagne dish in that order, finishing with a layer of mock bechamel.

  If you are using cheese, pile it on the top. 

Bake in a moderate oven for about 30-45 minutes.

Fish'n'rice

 I expect there are almost as many variations on fish and rice as there are on chicken and rice.  My current favourite is called Samak Meshweh, from a local Lebanese restaurant, which we have had delivered several times during lockdown - it's basically sea bass, marinated in lemon and garlic, served on a bed of rice with garlic sauce.  Very yummy.  But one can't always eat takeaway, nor, indeed, sea bass (not at £4 for 2 tiny fillets, you can't), and I love things-in-rice, so this was an Interesting Dish of my Own Invention. 

2 frozen haddock fillets (or cod, or any other white fish that takes your fancy)

knob of butter, for frying

1 red onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 red pepper

1/2 cauliflower

1/2 punnet mushrooms

4-5 sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 cup rice

1 1/4 cups boiling water with seasoning added (see method)

1 tbs cream cheese - optional.  I used a new Philly with smoked salmon that was on special offer in Tesco.

Peel and chop the onion, peel and crush the garlic, chop the pepper, cauliflower, mushrooms and tomatoes.  Put in a heavy-bottomed casserole with a little cooking oil, and sauté for a few minutes.  Now add the rice and stir thoroughly, then add the water, which you have seasoned with - well,  your choice of seasoning.  1 used 1 tsp of a lemon/garlic/herb mix I just bought from Tesco, 1 tsp sumac, 1/2 tsp  all-purpose seasoning (Dunn's river) and 2 teaspoons of "fumet de poisson", which is a French fish stock powder, although it sounds as though it's fish manure... Also sea salt with oregano and sorrel, and black pepper. 

But use what you fancy - chicken or vegetable stock would probably work if you have no fish stock.  Bring back to the boil, stir thoroughly, cover and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.  

Just before the rice finishes cooking, fry the fish fillets in the butter on both sides for about 5 minutes - they'll take a bit longer if they are frozen, but not much.  If you are using cream cheese, stir it through the rice, and then serve with the fish on the top.

Vegan (well, almost) pasta bake

I had long been wanting to try the pasta sauce you make from cashew nuts, and, as I had bought a cauliflower, I thought I would make a cauliflower cheese using it.  Only things got a bit away from me, as they are apt to do.  And I didn't measure anything much, except to make sure it reached the "minimum" level of my soup maker.  If you don't have a soup maker, simmer everything on top of the stove for 15-20 minutes and then blend it.

Handful unsalted cashew nuts (I started by soaking 1/3 cup of them in boiling water, but then decided to add some more at the last minute, so probably 1/2-3/4 cup)
The outside leaves of a cauliflower, roughly chopped
A large-ish chunk of butternut squash, peeled and chopped
An onion, peeled and quartered, and a peeled clove of garlic
Seasoning:| salt, pepper, mustard, rosemary (I have some fresh rosemary at the moment!)
Enough water to make sure it reaches the minimum level of your soup maker.

Your choice of pasta in the amount you like.

Put everything except the pasta into the soup maker (or saucepan) and cook on "pureed soup".  Cook the pasta separately.  I found I had far too much sauce for the amount of pasta, so have saved some to live to fight another day, perhaps with a jacket potato and hard-boiled egg.  

I sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top, which rendered it vegetarian (arguably not that if you don't consider Parmesan vegetarian) rather than vegan, but you don't have to.  Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 30 minutes.  It was delicious!

Not quite a Buddha bowl

This is an adaptation of a meal I used to make some years ago.  Had it been cold, with perhaps some asparagus or avocado added, I could have put it in a bowl and called it a Buddha bowl.  As it is.... not quite! Serves 2

1/2 cup dried chickpeas (125 ml by volume)

1/2 cup quinoa (125 ml by volume)

1/2 head broccoli

1 tomato

1 clove garlic

1 tbs tahini

2 tbs lemon juice

1 tbs olive oil

Hot water as needed (see recipe).

Soak the chickpeas in boiling water to which you have added a little bicarbonate of soda (or not, you don't have to add this).  Cook for 18 minutes in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, or for 45 minutes or so (depends on how fresh they are) on the stovetop.  I cooked them with a vegetable stock cube, but as you wish.

Put the quinoa in a saucepan with some salt and 250 ml boiling water.  Bring back to the boil, then turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat and allow to sit, covered, for a further 10 minutes while the water  is absorbed.

Cut the broccoli into florets; peel the thick stalk and cut into slices.  Steam until cooked.

Slice the tomato.

For the dressing, crush the garlic and put it, the tahini, lemon juice and olive oil into a dressing shaker (or, perhaps better, a mini food-processor), and thin down if necessary with hot water.

Pile everything on a plate and pour the dressing over.  Delicious!

Stuffed pancakes

This is an awful faff to make, but worth it once in awhile.  Serves 4.

For the pancakes:
110 g buckwheat flour (or gram flour, or even plain wheat flour)
1 egg
250 ml milk
Seasoning

For the stuffing:
1 tbs oil
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 punnet mushrooms
2 large tomatoes
1 slice bread
30 g (approx) walnuts
Seasoning

For the béchamel sauce:
25 g butter
250 ml milk
2 heaped tsp flour
2 large handfuls grated cheese
Seasoning

First make the pancake batter by whisking together the egg, flour and milk, seasoning as liked.  Leave to stand while you make the stuffing: peel and chop the vegetables (probably no need to peel the mushrooms), cook in the oil until soft and juices run; whizz bread and nuts in a food processor until smooth, and then mix into the rest of the stuffing.

Make your pancakes in the usual way - this amount makes about 4 large ones.  It's probably easiest to layer them up with stuffing in between, but I tried to be clever and roll them round the stuffing:

 Melt the butter in a clean saucepan, and whisk together the flour, milk and seasonings.  Pour this on to the melted butter and bring to the boil, stirring all the time.  Remove from the heat and stir in half the cheese.  Pour this mix over the pancakes, and then top with the rest of the grated cheese.

You can easily make this vegan; the stuffing already is.  For the pancakes, use water or beer instead of milk, and a tablespoon of olive oil or tahini instead of the egg.  For the sauce, use a tin of tomatoes instead of the milk, and season more vigorously to make up for the lack of cheese. 

Mushroom, bean and barley slow cooker casserole

I wanted a casserole I could leave in the slow cooker until I got home after grandmother duty yesterday, and this was it!  You could, of course, substitute a tin of cannellini beans for the dried ones I used, but I prefer the texture when made from scratch.

1/2 cup dried cannelini beans
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 tbs cooking oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
1/2 large sweet pepper
2/3 large punnet mushrooms
1 tin tomatoes
About 200 ml red wine
Seasoning to taste
1 large tbs mascarpone (optional - thicken with cornflour if preferred/vegan).

Soak the beans in boiling water to which you have added a little bicarbonate of soda for at least an hour.  Then drain and rinse, and transfer to a saucepan.  Cover with fresh water, bring to the boil, and allow to cook hard for 10 minutes.  Drain again, and transfer to the slow cooker, together with the barley.

Now in the saucepan in which you cooked the beans (to save washing up), add a sloosh of vegetable oil, then sweat the chopped carrots, onion, garlic and pepper for a few minutes.  Add this to the slow cooker, then put the chopped (not too small - I break them into quarters, and then chop the stalks separately) mushrooms into the saucepan and sweat until the juices run.  Put these in the slow cooker, along with the rest of the ingredients except the mascarpone, and cook on auto until supper time - at least 5 hours, I reckon; mine had about 8.  Then stir in the mascarpone, if using, and serve, ideally with a green vegetable.

It is lush, but not very photogenic.....