Food

Another lifelong activity. I seem to have absorbed cooking, watching and helping my mum. At college I soon became the one who made shared meals, which appear to be fondly remembered. When we ate out I would be able to work out how the flavour was created and reproduce it. I lost the habit a bit when the kids were small and I was working all over the place, but started again later. As a vegetarian since the early 1970’s, I have managed to present non-vegetarians with food they like and want to know how to make. At a party, where I had catered for around 50 people, someone asked for the recipe for one of the dishes. I said I would put it up on the web page and I have been adding little bits since. All these recipes are designed to be produced from minimal ingredients, using herbs that can be around in the cupboard. Probably apart from the breads, they can all be improved by using fresh herbs and ingredients. A word about salt. Do you know that it is slightly addictive? That might sound a bit loopy, but the more regularly you put it on/in things the more you need it to get a full taste. Cut back on it and your ability to taste will get better. The down side will be that when you eat out you might suddenly notice just how salty some food is. I use no salt in my cooking (except the bread). Any salt comes from ingredients like bouillon or soy sauce (low salt versions). Diners can always add salt, but I find they rarely do once they have tasted the food. In most of the recipes you may notice that I specify olive oil. This is not a requirement, but I think it serves for most things. Some foods may require a lighter oil flavour or something like sesame oil can add to a particular expectation, such as a Chinese style stir fry with noodles. In many recipes you may need to pre-prepare vegetables like potatoes. Nowadays, I mostly use the microwave for this. Putting the vegetables in a reasonably sealed container with a small amount of water and microwaving them saves energy and makes timing easier. Potatoes ready chunked for around 8 minutes, cauliflower 5 minutes, broccoli 3 minutes, all at 800, are examples. Like in a pan, I often start off the potatoes first and add the cauliflower after 5 minutes etc. You can swap this technique wherever the recipe calls for boiling or par-boiling. A word about recipes in general. Apart from baking I rarely use recipes myself, so I don’t expect you to feel that you have to follow these slavishly. They are there because people have asked me how I make things. Wherever you go and whatever you read, you will find very prescriptive ways of doing particular things. For example the chopping and preparation of garlic is one that people are often quite snobby about, but it doesn’t really matter. Some methods may be better depending on the style and speed of cooking, but it is usually not that important. I like red onions, but in most cases ordinary white onions will do just as well or shallots for a more delicate flavour. Breads The recipes below were started when someone gave me a second hand bread maker (with two paddles, which made for a nice horizontal loaf shape). Eventually it got harder and harder to get the loaf out, as the non-stick degraded, so I changed to a new one. The change made me realise that early hints and instructions I had received were over prescriptive and that you can make successful bread with all manner of combinations. The important two quantities are the flour water ratio and the amount of salt (I use a Lo Salt). Water temperature can have an effect too. During Covid 19 Lockdown I discovered that using ready bought bread mix, without realising that it included yeast sugar etc, made for extremely large airy loaves. In my current machine I use 400g of flour (usually a mix of wholemeal and white in varying proportions and often add smaller amounts of Rye or other flours.) to 300 ml of water and one teaspoon of salt. I use one tablespoon of dark brown sugar, but I don’t think the quantity of that is quite as critical. I currently put the water in first, then flour, sugar and salt, then I put about three tablespoons of olive oil in (but again quantities seem to matter little here and I vary it depending what flavour or texture I want). I buy dried yeast in a bulk pack and fill a smaller container with it to get one teaspoon to put in the bread. Mine goes in a separate dispenser. Basic breads are perfectly nice but I also have a range of alternatives that add a change when you make bread several times a week as I do. Focaccia Loaf You can do this as a dough and bake in the oven to get the traditional Focaccia flat shape and adding rosemary and oil on top. Instead I usually just make a normal loaf by adding dried rosemary into the water along with a tablespoon of dried onion flakes and tripling the olive oil. As an alternative, I have lately started putting dried rosemary into a small jam jar and adding oil so the that rosemary soaks it up. I use this in the bread; again about three tablespoons. Caraway Seed Bread This one seems counter-intuitive, as caraway is often used in cakes, but I add around a teaspoon of the seeds to the mix and it makes a subtle addition that most people can’t even identify, but really enjoy. Sultana Bread Another favourite. It makes absolutely delicious cheese on toast. Not surprising for people who have come across the Yorkshire habit of eating cheese with fruit cake. I have a nut dispenser and fill that with sultanas. I sill only use the one tablespoon of brown sugar. Tomato and Oregano Simply add around a tablespoon each of dried oregano and tomato puree. I tend to up the olive oil a bit too. Tomato and Coriander Leaf Hot off the press (see cyclists dinner below). I didn’t even get to try this but it disappeared really fast. As above but dried coriander leaf instead of oregano and normal quantity of olive oil. Blue Cheese and Walnut Another favourite. Up the ratio of wholemeal flour, if you are using a mix, and add about three tablespoons of crushed walnuts and two of blue cheese (I use stilton). Loved by those who don’t like blue cheese even. Onion, Sun-dried Tomato and Pine Nut bread Bread mix plus 5 sun-dried tomatoes cut fine, 1 desert spoon dried onions, 1 table spoon pine nuts. Onion, Garlic and Black Pepper Bread As above but replace the tomato and pine nuts with 2 or 3 reasonable size cloves of garlic chopped and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Garlic Bread replacement I did this to be a garlic bread with less calories than the sort with garlic butter for someone on a diet, but it has been requested again by several people. As above but use white flour only and replace the onion, tomato and pine nuts with a teaspoon of garlic powder or a squirt of garlic paste. Cake I stopped eating much by way of cake or sweets many years ago. But I have always made an occasional exception for fruit cake, eaten with or without cheese or marzipan. For a while I have been experimenting with making a vegan version of them in the bread maker and am now happy that the combination I have come up with works well. 300ml of mainly water mixed with some pure apple juice 350g of mixed fruit and nuts 75g of vegan spread ( I put the tub on the scales and remove 75g) 1tblsp sugar (preferably soft dark) a couple of drops of almond extract Put all these in a reasonable size pan and heat till the spread has melted and it is all well mixed. Leave to cool down a bit. Put a strainer on the top of the pan and measure in: 250g bread flour (I use wholemeal, but any mix will work) 1 tsp each of bicarb and agar powder 1/2tsp mace Mix the powders into the flour as you stir it through the strainer Stir the mixture well till you have the usual cake consistency. Remove the paddle from the bread maker pan and line with parchment/grease proof. My parchment is of reasonable size so I cut a piece twice the size of the base, double it and put it in, pushing down to pierce where the paddle was. Then a length to go round the edges and double again. I don’t put parchment on top. Fold the mix in and smooth down. Put on a bake only setting for around 50-60 minutes. Test with a knife and bake some more if necessary. Leave in the pan, out of the bread maker too cool for a while before tipping out on to a wire rack. Nut Loaf In response to me putting another recipe up on this food list, my younger daughter asked me to put up Ruth’s delicious Nut Loaf. Ruth is often reluctant to admit her cooking proficiency and is more than happy that I do nearly all the daily and entertaining cooking. My philosophical reluctance to do a nut loaf to replace something like turkey at Christmas sparked her into action and the result has always been delicious. When I asked her if she had a particular recipe she used, the answer was no. Thankfully, like me, she adapts any base recipe to fit what vegetables are available (we grow many of our own). She gets a recipe up on her phone to use as a reminder and then ignores over fussy bits and alters ingredients while roughly sticking to quantities. The aim is for a loaf that holds together, is nice and moist and which forms a nice base under a pleasant sauce, such as a spicy tomato or mushroom one. The family get togethers when nut loaf appears are mainly in the winter, so available winter vegetables feature. Ingredients 300g mixed nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans or Brazil nuts. We usually just buy a ready chopped mix. 1 vegan vegetable stock cube or bouillon equivalent in 5 tbsp of milk or water or vegan alternative. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing 1 onion (red or white), finely chopped 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced, butternut squash, beetroot, 1 or 2 carrots, coarsely grated or other winter veg to taste. Aim for a total of about 250g  prepared weight 2 garlic cloves, crushed 4 tbsp cashew butter or butter 180g cooked chestnuts, broken into small pieces. We usually buy vacuum packed 1 egg or 1 tbsp agar or other egg substitute 2 tbsp of herbs – rosemary, thyme, sage mix to suit freshly ground black pepper to taste Method Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Lightly oil then line the base of a 900g loaf tin with baking paper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and gently fry the vegetables for 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds more. Stir in the butter and egg or equivalent then add the remaining ingredients and stir till mixed. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Press down with a spoon firmly to compact the mixture. Cover with a double layer of baking paper and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the loaf is hot throughout and lightly browned. Soups Spicy Marrow and Tomato Soup ½ reasonable size marrow, 2 large potatoes, 1 onion, 2 chopped cloves garlic, teaspoon marjoram, ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon dried chopped chillies, teaspoon bouillon, salt, black pepper. Fry the chopped onion in olive oil until beginning to brown. Turn in the garlic, herbs and spices. Add ½ litre of water, the bouillon and the potato and marrow, chopped small. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Liquidise and serve. Carrot and Dill soup 4 large carrots, 1 large potato, 1 onion, 1 clove garlic, tablespoon dried dill, teaspoon bouillon, salt, black pepper. Same basic cooking method as the spicy marrow above. Can add a couple of bay leaves and then remove before liquidising. Can also be altered to Coriander by adding a handful of fresh coriander to the boil and then a small amount fresh just before liquidising. Parsnip and Parmesan soup 4 medium sized parsnips, 2 medium potatoes, 1 large onion, 2 cloves of garlic chopped finely, 1/4 teaspoon dill, 1/4 teaspoon tarragon, 50 grams parmesan or similar cheese, 1 tsp bouillon, salt, black pepper. Cook as for the above soup and add the grated cheese at the end 1/4 minute before liquidising. Spicy Sweet Potato Soup A popular one. 1 good sized sweet potato, 4 egg sized new potatoes, ½ large red onion, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon crushed chillies, teaspoon soy sauce, teaspoon balsamic vinegar, dessert spoon bouillon, 25g butter, salt, pepper. Four thick slices brown bread, 50g mature Cheddari, 1 spring onion. Gently fry most of the onion (save a little for later) in the butter until soft, add the spices and fry gently for a couple of minutes, add the new potatoes, chopped with skins on and cover with water. Bring to the boil. Add the sweet potato, peeled and chopped, and the bouillon, soy and vinegar. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. While the soup is simmering, brown one side of the bread under the grill then turn over and spread the cheese on top. Sprinkle on the onion that was saved and the spring onion, chopped finely. Grill so that it is ready as the soup finishes. Liquidise part of the soup (I use a hand one in the pan), leaving some potatoes and onion whole. Pour into four bowls and drop the cheese on toast on top (probably best ripped into two). Serve Spicy Parsnip soup 2 large parsnips, 3 small potatoes, 1 red onion, 1 small green Chili, inch chunk of ginger root peeled and chopped, teaspoon mixed herbs, 3 pints of stock, glass white wine, tablespoon tomato puree, salt and black pepper., butter In the soup pan, fry the onion and ginger for a minute in the butter, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook until the parsnips and potatoes are tender. Liquidise and serve. Thai Style carrot soup Three large carrots, a few small potatoes, three kafir lime leaves, one onion, two finely chopped green chillies, tablespoon chopped root ginger, 1/8 teaspoon of cumin seed, 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of lime juice , desert spoon of creamed coconut , desert spoon of bouillon powder, desert spoon of crunchy peanut butter. Put carrots and potatoes into a pan roughly chopped and cover with water with about an inch on top. Add a small amount of salt and a few kafir lime leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer until the carrots are just softening. Meanwhile fry one onion in olive oil until starting to caramelise and then add two finely chopped green chillies and a tablespoon of chopped root ginger. Turn over for a minute. Add a small amount of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of cumin seed, 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of lime juice and turn over for about two minutes. Add some of the excess stock from the carrots and then scrape in about a desert spoon of creamed coconut and add a desert spoon of boillon powder and a desert spoon of crunchy peanut butter. Stir for about a minute. Remove the lime leaves from the carrot pan and add the mix from the wok. Liquidise and serve.

Curries What makes something a curry? There will be purists out there who say it has to be made in a certain way, but I just think it is the complexity of the spice mix that differentiates it from a chilli and both are perfectly nice. I first started making them before I could even eat them. People liked what I made but the complexity of the taste was too much at first for my palate, despite being OK with plentiful chile. I have always believed that you can get to appreciate most foods by persevering and learning the good bits and forgetting the worse (soft onion texture overcome by leaving them crispy, mushroom rubbery texture by frying really quick and browning, the earthy taste of beetroot by roasting and/or contrasting it with more pungent flavours….). So it is with me and curry. My first cookbook purchase required a special trip to Foyles in London and the book itself was produced in India. The spices and recipes all had different names and the ingredients were really difficult to get. I have cooked them in many ways since then and enjoy using different spice combinations each time. You can use curry powder or mix in any of these but you get a standardised flavour. I have garam masala in (which is a spice mix that varies depending on where you buy it) but only use it occasionally and as one flavour option. For many years I didn’t use turmeric very much, because it stains, but it is so lovely when not overpowered by too much of the other spices that it is worth it. With dried spices, like cumin, it is often worth having both ground and unground versions, as the unground ones merge less and add their own individuality to each mouthful. I have also been dong a lot of North African style dishes for several years and am on an Ethiopian or Abyssinian trend at the moment. From a local restaurant (Corarima in Wakefiel) I have learnt some new tricks on spice mixes and have been making them up in batches. The basic recipes can be varied considerably, both to taste (more chillies etc.), texture (more fluid or less to make moister/drier) and ingredients. If you are buying ingredients specially to cook the curry, then halve the dried coriander and add fresh coriander at the end, garnishing with a few leaves as well. Rather than a meat substitute, I often use paneer or halloumi. My Ethiopian friends have also introduced me to a chick pea based sofue to make from scratch, which is delicious and can be found on their website. Both of these I would chop into chunks and grill until brown at least on one side. In the case of the halloumi this gets rid of some of the salty moisture too. Add to the curry at the end with the potatoes. Fresh ginger is good too if shredded. Obviously the more fresh ingredients you use the better, but they all slow preparation down a bit and require more forward planning. I use endless variations, trying to match the spice and herb variations to ingredients. A very simple variation can be made by adding more cumin, less ginger, half the tomato puree and then adding about a table spoon of coconut block scraped into the mix after the tomato puree. This is probably a form of Korma. Another basic variation to the basic recipe is to add a chopped fennel bulb to the cooking instead of the mushrooms and perhaps a teaspoon of dill to the spices. To make a chana dal, leave out the vegetables (except the onion and garlic) and tomato puree, use much less oil, add another can of chick peas (or use two cans of lentils instead) and add a bit more ginger, some mustard and some aniseed or fennel seeds. A simple Thai style can be achieved by adding lemon grass and more lime juice in and perhaps a tablespoon of peanut butter and some nuts in the curry. Variations with and without coconut are good with this. Basic Quick Vegetable Curry (Balti) Serves 2-3 1 red onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 table spoon Olive Oil, 6 medium chestnut mushrooms, 4 medium potatoes, 1 sweet potato, half green pepper, half red pepper, large handful spinach, 4 baby sweet corn, drained can of chick peas, 1 table spoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon dried chillies, 1 desert spoon dried coriander, ½ table spoon bouillon, table spoon tomato puree Wash and chop potatoes and put to boil, Peel and chop sweet potato and add to potatoes after they have boiled and simmered for a couple of minutes. Fry the sliced onion in the olive oil fairly hot (Balti requires fast, hot wok style cooking turning over all the time) until reasonably caramelised. 5 minutes Add the garlic sliced fine, and all the spices and keep turning to cook the spices. You may need to add a spot more oil or a knob of butter to stop sticking. 3 minutes Add the mushrooms and peppers. 1 minute Add the other ingredients and 2 table spoon of the water from the potatoes and stir. Add the bouillon and tomato puree and stir, Drain the potatoes (add a little more of the water to the wok mix if it is looking too dry), add them to the mix and stir in. This can be served straight away (I often serve with garlic and coriander wraps for speed), but is best with a little more fluid and another 5 minutes simmer to thicken. Lentil or Chick Pea Dal Whenever I go somewhere new to eat curry, I always try the dal first. For me it gives a good indication of the standard of cooking, because it is such a staple dish. The word dal (however it is spelled) has come to mean the lentil version to most people, but it is often used just to mean a mild spicy dish. Below is a special UK winter version using brussel sprouts as well. Cook the lentils or chick peas, if they are dried, as per the instructions. If they are tinned you can just add them in as instructed below. About two tins for the quantities below. 2 onions, 2 cloves of garlic, half teaspoon of diced or paste ginger, teaspoon of whole seed mustard, quarter teaspoon each of chopped chile and cinamon, tablespoon of turmeric, ½ teaspoon each of ground coriander and cumin, 100 ml of stock, some fresh coriander to top the dish. Fry the onions until caramelised and put a tablespoonful aside for later. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to high heat. When you are worrying about them burning and sticking, add a couple of tablespoons of the stock and enjoy the fizz. Add the rest of the stock and the mustard and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the lentils or chick peas. Add more stock if the sauce is a bit thick or a small amount of tomato puree if it is a little thin. Serve with the caramelised onions and coriander on the top. Tamarind goes well with any dal, but soaking and sieving it takes a bit more effort. Lemon juice also makes a welcome addition in moderation. Sprout Dal Cooking Brussel Sprouts is an art. Slicing them and sauteeing is best but sometimes the inner stalk is a bit hard, even when you quarter the sprouts. Over cook sprouts and a bitter taste comes out. None of that seems to matter in a dal, which I discovered in a Cotswolds village eatery. Perfect for a winter meal side dish. Recipe as for the lentil dal but add a tablespoon of garam masala and a teaspoon of nutmeg to give more depth of flavour. Add a tablespoon of tomato puree in the final cooking as well. Saute or steam the sprouts to get them just cooked with a bit of bite and add to the sauce. Beetroot Dal Despite all my best efforts, I don’t think I will ever grow to love beetroot, though I have always been able to eat it, if pushed. It becomes quite nice with pungent flavours, such as goats cheese or when roasted with other vegetables. It comes into its own in a dal though. Cook the dal as for the sprouts but instead of the sprouts add beetroot, that has been steamed in the microwave, then peeled (keep plunging it in a dish of cold water as you peel), then diced and steamed briefly again so there is still some crunch. Thai Style Courgette, Butter Bean and Mushroom Curry (Balti) Ruth’s Favourite Serves 2-3 1 red onion, 4 cloves garlic, 2 table spoon Olive Oil, 8 medium chestnut mushrooms chopped, ½ medium courgette, 1 pak choi, 3 spring onions chopped, 4 large tomatoes chopped, drained can of butter beans, 1 table spoon garam masala, 2 chopped chillies, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 desert spoon dried coriander, ½ teaspoon cumin seed, teaspoon lime juice, ½ table spoon bouillon, 25 grms butter, tablespoon of coconut block shredded, tablespoon plain or Greek yoghurt, salt to taste. Fry the sliced onion in half the olive oil fairly hot until reasonably caramelised. 5 minutes Add the chopped courgette, and pak choi. 3 minutes Add the butter then crushed garlic, and all the chillies and spices and keep turning to cook the spices. 3 minutes Add the other ingredients (except the coconut and yoghurt) and 2 table spoon of water and stir. Simmer for 5 minutes, crushing some of the butter beans to help thicken and taste the sauce Add the coconut and yoghurt and stir just allowing to warm up again. Thai Style Sweet Potato and Butter Bean curry (Balti) Another of Ruth’s Favourites A theme seems to have developed of slightly sweeter, but spicy dishes and this one really worked well. 1.5 Onions, 1 good sized Sweet Potato, 1 tin of Butter Beans, 3 medium sized potatoes, 1 carrot, 2 satsumas, 1 cox apple,1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seeds, 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, 1 red chilli stripped of seeds and chopped finely, 1/3 litre stock, 1 tbl sp crunchy peanut butter, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 dst sp flour, 1 tbl sp olive oil, 1 tbl sp butter, salt and black pepper. Peel and dice the potatoes, sweet potato and carrot. Put the potatoes on to boil, add the carrot when the potatoes have come to boil and then finally the sweet potatoes about a minute after the carrots. Cook until just tender. While the vegetables are cooking, chop and fry the onion in the oil until it starts to go brown and caramelise. Add the butter and the chilli, garlic and spices and cook for 2 minutes, sprinkle the flour over and turn over to make sure the flour absorbs the oils and starts to cook (about 1 minute), add the soy sauce, lime juice and the chopped fruit and turn in. Add half the stock and the peanut butter and stir until it starts to thicken. Drain and add the butter beans. Drain the vegetables and add to the mix with enough of the stock to make a dish with a moderate amount of sauce. Turn and cook for a couple of minutes or until the flour has obviously stopped thickening. Tandoori? Roast Veg For Tandoori sauce: 1/2 onion chopped finely, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, desert spoon garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder, desert spoon soya sauce, desert spoon flour (I used gram flour), 2 tablespoons milk, tablespoon lemon juice, small amount of salt, tablespoon olive oil. For the roast veg: 1 butternut squash peeled and cubed, two handfuls of small new potatoes chopped into quarters, 1 carrot cut into 3cm slices, a few heads of purple sprouting, half an onion chopped finely, 1 large mushroom sliced, 1/2 green pepper sliced, tablespoon olive oil. Put a roasting dish in an oven at 200c with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in. Put the potatoes and carrots in a pan of water and bring to the boil, add the squash (the water should just cover it) and after about 5 minutes add the sprouting and cover. Cook for another 2 minutes. While the veg are parboiling, heat the olive oil in a pan and add the finely chopped half onion. When the onion is softened, add the spices and cook for 2 minutes, add the soya sauce and stir. Add the flour and stir. Add the milk and stir until starting to thicken. Add the lemon juice and keep stirring until smooth and thick. Remove heat until the veg are ready. Stir the veg into the sauce, including the half onion, green pepper and sliced mushroom, so that it is all well coated. Drop the coated veg into the hot oil in the roasting dish, stir and return to the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring once. I served with a salad and a cold couscous and vegetable mix. Aloo Chaat Like all these dishes, spelling varies. It is essentially a quick dish, designed to be sold from a street side stall. Potato works very well, hence the Aloo. This is the really basic version, but you can add any vegetables or even more spices as required. Quantities for 2. Dice enough potatoes and cook until just firmly tender. 2 onions roughly chopped, ¼ teaspoon chile, 2 tablespoon turmeric, teaspoon of cumin seed, teaspoon lemon juice, tablespoon soy sauce. In a wok start the onions caramelising and then add the spices for 1 minute, add the potatoes and keep turning and unsticking from the bottom for about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of water, a teaspoon of lemon juice and one tablespoon of bouillon powder or soy sauce. Stir for 1 minuite. Serve topped with fresh coriander leaf.

Other Main Courses Festive Halloumi and stuffing Pie Serves 2 For the filling: 1 pack of halloumi, one large red onion, teaspoon of plain flour, ¼ teaspoon of fennel seeds, desert spoon of bouillon powder, ¼ teaspoon mustard, tablespoon of oil, cup of milk. For the crust: 1 small onion, ½ teaspoon rosemary, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, two cups bread crumbs (I use my standard half and half flour mix bread), tablespoon water. This is essentially whatever you favourite stuffing mix is but used as a crust or pie top. I nearly always grill halloumi before using it to get rid of some of the salty juice. Cut it into large slices and grill both sides till gently browned on a baking tray or tin foil. Dice it into smaller chunks once grilled. Put the halloumi in an ovenproof dish. To make the crust: Gently fry the diced onion, rosemary and pepper until soft and then mix in with the bread crumb and add the water to make a soft but not soggy consistency. Leave to stand while cooking the sauce and halloumi. To make the sauce: Gently fry the onion until soft and add the fennel seed and pepper for a minute. Turn down the heat, add the flour and turn rapidly until all flour has absorbed oils and stuck to the onions. Add the milk, mustard and bouillon. Stir until a smooth sauce develops and then add to the halloumi and mix together. Gently spread the stuffing mix over the halloumi and sauce and bake until nicely browned. Spinach and Cheese in Filo A version of Spanakopita using cheeses other than Feta or Ricotta. Pack of filo pastry, half a bag of baby spinach, red onion, 6 chestnut mushrooms chopped, 75 grams mature cheddar, 75 grams Wensleydale, 25 grams parmigiana or similar, 2 cloves garlic chopped, ½ table spoon bouillon, 2 tablespoon milk, teaspoon lime juice, 2 teaspoon dried marjoram, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, teaspoon paprika, salt, black pepper, olive oil Line a pie dish with 2 layers of filo oiling the dish and each layer with a pastry brush. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes. Fry the onion until soft, add the garlic and mushrooms and turn over for a minute. Add the spinach, herbs and spices and turn over for 1 minute. Add the milk, bouillon and grated cheese and stir until the cheese is melting and the sauce thickening. Drop in the lime juice and stir. Add the mix to the pie dish and top with 3 layers of filo, again oiling between layers and over the top layer. Slit the filo to allow steam out. Cook in the oven at 180 degrees until golden brown (approx 25 minutes). Saffron Potatoes 10 small washed new potatoes cut into chunks, ½ a red onion, ½ teaspoon saffron strands, 2 tablespoons butter, salt, black pepper. Cook the potatoes. While they are cooking, gently fry the onion in the butter. Add the salt and pepper. Soak the saffron in one tablespoon of the potato stock and stir for a minute. Add the saffron mix to the onions and mix in together. Stir in the drained potatoes and serve. Baked vegetables with spicy sauce 1 courgette, 2 new potatoes, 1 leek, 1 parsnip, 1red onion, 1 sweet potato, 4 cloves of garlic chopped, ½ tablespoon dried marjoram, tablespoon olive oil, ½ tablespoon thyme, salt, black pepper For the sauce: ½ red onion, 5 slices of jalapeno peppers from a jar, tablespoon tomato puree, teaspoon dried dill, teaspoon paprika, teaspoon bouillon, ½ teaspoon sugar, teaspoon lime juice, salt, black pepper Chop up the courgette, potatoes, leek, parsnip, red onion and sweet potato and put in a microwaveable container with 2 tablespoons of water. Cook in a microwave for approximately 7 minutes. Put the drained vegetables in an oven dish and add the chopped garlic and the herbs and spices. Drizzle the oil over and then stir around till well mixed in. Cook in a 200 degree oven for 30 minutes or until browning on the top, stirring occasionally. Fry the half onion in olive oil until starting to turn brown, add the herbs and spices and turn for ½ minute. Add the water from the vegetables, the bouillon, sugar and the lime juice and stir. Add the jalapenos chopped fine and the puree and stir. Simmer gently for approximately 10 minutes or until reasonably thick consistency. Serve over the vegetables. Feta Stir Fry 1 pack of family stir fry or equivalent selection, 8 mushrooms, half pack of feta, teaspoon ground ginger, teaspoon dried coriander, teaspoon lime juice, desert spoon soy sauce, teaspoon bouillon, 1½ sheets noodles, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ tablespoon sesame oil, tablespoon milk, salt, black pepper. Put the noodles to cook. After cooking in water and drained these are best fried in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil very hot, being careful not to let them stick. Alternatively just boil and add to the mix as below. Put the oil in the wok (sesame only if not frying the noodles) and get hot. Add the mushrooms and stir till coated and just tending to brown. Add the herbs and spices and toss. Add the stir fry mix and keep tossing until beginning to soften. Add the bouillon, soy sauce and lime juice and stir in. Add the milk and drained noodles and stir in. Chop the feta into small cubes and add to the mix after it has been turned off. Stir until feta is warmed through and then serve. Fennel Couscous Pie Personally I’m not that fond of pastry or bread crumb toppings, so this uses couscous instead. 3 new potatoes, 1 bulb fennel, ½ red onion, 1 clove garlic, handful of baby spinach leaves, 2 tablespoon milk, teaspoon bouillon, teaspoon of dried dill, dessertspoon of plain flour, salt, black pepper For the couscous topping: 3 tablespoons couscous, ½ teaspoon bouillon, 25 grams grated chedder. Boil the potatoes until just under done. Prepare the couscous according the instructions on the packet, adding the bouillon to the water. Fry the chopped onion and fennel gently for about five minutes in olive oil. Add the chopped garlic, herbs and spices and the spinach and stir round for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir round, making sure it doesn’t stick. Add the milk and bouillon and stir for about 4 minutes. Add in the drained potatoes to the mix and drop it into a pie dish. Cover with couscous and top with the cheese. Bake at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes. Broccoli and Cabbage Bake 1 small cabbage, 1 onion, thumb sized piece of ginger, 1chile chopped and seeds removed,3 cloves garlic, half teaspoon cumin, salt, half block of pepper chopped into thin squares, ¼ litre stock, tablespoon,tomato puree, butter Cook broccoli and shredded cabbage and put in a shallow, oven proof dish. While the above is cooking, fry onion, ginger, chilli, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, paneer, in butter. Add stock, tomato puree and stir together. Pour over veg in dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake at 210c until brown. Patatas Bravas Dice potatoes in skins reasonably small and set to boil in a pan of water. Fry half a red onion until softening. Add teaspoon paprika and a quarter teaspoon of chilliflakes, salt and half teaspoon of ground black pepper and turn over for 2 minutes, drain the potatoes, saving the stock, and add the potatoes to the mix and keep turning so that the potatoes start to brown. I added a tablespoon of grilled halloumi at this point as well because I was grilling some as a salad accompaniment and that certainly makes it even better. Add about three tablespoons of the potato stock and a little bouillon to the mix and then stir in one tablespoon of tomato puree and cook for 2-3 minutes. Shred around 10 basil leaves in and stir for 1 minute. Serve with a small dollop of mayonnaise on top. Sides and Nibbles Quick Salsa As with other things, this is improved if more fresh items available but uses some fairly accessible things that can be lying around. 6 standard tomatoes, 1 red onion, 1 courgette, ½ red pepper, ½ green pepper, 3 spring onions, table spoon bottled lime juice, teaspoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar, ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, teaspoon tomato puree, teaspoon dried marjoram, salt, black pepper Put the lime juice, soy, balsamic, pepper sauce and herbs and spices in a bowl and mix. Finely chop all the other ingredients and add to the sauce mixing regularly to get the juice over them to preserve them. Add the tomato puree and mix thoroughly. Best left to stand for a while, stirring occasionally. Variation possibilities are enormous. If there are no fresh in, I will use a tin of chopped tomatoes instead of, or to boost, the fresh ones. I often add a mix of sprouted beans and alfalfa or a tin of mixed beans. You can leave the marjoram out or substitute basil to taste. You can often top it up with more ingredients a day or so later. Root Veg Side dish Sweet potato, swede, carrot, potato, onion Saffron, paprika, rosemary, marjoram, tomato puree, salt pepper, butter, garlic. Cook the root veg and meanwhile fry the onion, garlic and herbs (not the saffron) in the butter. Add a bit of the hot water from the veg to the saffron and stir round for a short while. Add to the frying pan along with the tomato puree. Drain the veg and stir into the frying pan. Serve. This same mix makes a great soup if you add stock and liquidise. Carrot Based Pate Boil 2 large diced carrots, mash them and put them aside to cool. Fry 1/2 a medium sized onion, as required, in a good table spoon of butter, then add a teaspoon of dried coriander leaf, ground black pepper to taste, and add a 1/4 teaspoon of bouillon powder and the carrots at the end. Mix them up and pour into a bowl. Stand the bowl in a larger one of water to cool before putting in the fridge. When I make this, I often use the same vegetable water to boil potatoes with dried mint for potato salad and then with couscous and bulgur wheat, which I mix with fried onion, rosemary and paprika and then spoon in a dash if soy sauce and a tin of chick peas. Leaf Crisps When growing Italian kale or chard, I tend to cook the stalks and leaves separately. One nice variation is this for the leaves. I usually add shredded cabbage as well and any other edible leaves will be fine. Put a layer of oil into a deep roasting tin and bring up to heat in the oven. Add the chopped leaves and stir. Stir frequently until browned and crisp. Put out on kitchen towel to drain. Put in a bowl, toss in a small amount of soy sauce and serve. Cyclist’s Dinner For several years I have made a vegetarian winter dinner for the local group of Sustrans volunteers. It started when arrangements for a meal out went awry and I volunteered. It has been going on for a long time now and no-one has objected, despite them not being vegetarian. This year seemed to work even better, so here is the menu and the recipes are above. I was trying to do a winter veg theme, but with surprises. Last year I sauteed the brussel sprouts with a little nutmeg. Several people have pinched that one. This year the sprout surprise was the dal, which was a real hit. I am really pleased with the halloumi pie. Starter – Spicy pumpkin soup, Tomato and coriander bread, Leaf crisps to sprinkle and nibble. Mains – Halloumi and stuffing pie, roast potatoes, roast veg, lentil dal, brussel sprout dal Pudding – baked apple and ice cream.