Showing posts with label potato. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potato. Show all posts

Thursday, 17 February 2011

Surprise Tatin from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty

Apologies blog. I have neglected you. My problem is that during winter, the times of the day when the light is good enough to take reasonable quality pictures - is never when I am cooking! Note to self - must figure out the settings on the camera!
Anyways, this is the valentines meal that I made for Mister Crafty. His sister had brought him a lovely veggie cookbook for his birthday, which is a few days before V-day, so as a treat I said I would cook something from it for us. The surprise tatin was delicious, the sweetness of the caramel and roasted tomatoes, contrasted perfectly with the hard goats cheese.
The recipe was easy to follow and available on-line. My only problem was that I didn't have any fresh oregano, so substituted parsley & basil, but I don't think the meal suffered. Here is to Plenty more!!!

Tuesday, 14 December 2010

A real Pea-Souper...

Brrrr!!! It is rather chilly here. We still have snow on the ground and there is more to come. I even found this polar bear whilst I was out and about yesterday.
Cold days require soup, tasty thick soup served with crusty bread. In the shops today I found some reduced mint - perfect for pea soup!
So here is some Pea, Potato, Leek & Mint soup.
Ingredients:
  • a couple of leeks - sliced
  • a few potatoes - chopped into chunks
  • an onion - chopped
  • a handful of fresh mint - chopped
  • black pepper
  • 1l of vegetable stock
  • a couple of handfuls of frozen peas
  • a swirl of cream (if you so desire)
  • a little vegetable oil
In a large saucepan soften the onion and leeks in oil.
Then add the stock, potatoes, black pepper, chopped mint and peas, and bring to the boil.
Once the potatoes are soft, blend until smooth. Serve with a dollop of cream & enjoy the warm cosiness!

Friday, 2 July 2010

The mother of all grains

A list of 12 things you should know about quinoa got me thinking about that bag of quinoa lurking at the back of the cupboard, hidden behind the rice & pasta. So today I roasted some baby potatoes, butternut squash, red onion, red pepper & cherry tomatoes, having been drizzled with oil, paprika & chili powder. Into cooked quinoa I added sweetcorn and fresh mint. And all topped with some delicious & chewy grilled halloumi.
Although I couldn't wait for the halloumi to brown (I was too hungry!), it was still very moreish. Now what to do with the rest of the bag of quinoa???

Ps) The title of this post is what the Incas called quinoa. A little fact for you :)

Wednesday, 6 January 2010

Bubble & Squeak

The ultimate in cold weather comfort food has to be bubble & squeak. A perfect frugal meal; recycling left over cooked greens into a tasty dish. Traditionally in the UK, bubble & squeak is reserved for Monday nights only (after the obligatory Sunday dinner). However, in a veggie household, any day can be a bubble & squeak day! Bizarrely a dish that is forever associated with day old leftovers, is also available to buy in ready-meal form in supermarkets!!!

The basis for bubble & squeak is cooked potatoes and greens. For some reason (probably psychological) it tastes much nicer if they have been cooked the day previously! This version contained potato, brussels sprouts and cabbage. Roughly mash together with a little margarine.
Then, in a large pan, lightly fry the mixture. You may, if you are really, really lucky, hear it 'squeak' over the heat (hence the name!). Ensure the mixture is heated through & serve.I am particularly fond of bubble & squeak with vegetarian sausages and lashings of brown sauce. Or if I am feeling adventurous, a generous helping of piccalilli.
Great, easy cooking for chilly evenings!

Saturday, 26 December 2009

But what do you eat????

Do you ever get asked as a veggie 'but what do you eat?' The answer is obviously 'lots of good stuff!' I find I get asked this even more around Christmas time, I think certain meat eaters think I'll be pulling my cracker over an empty plate. Of course, there is more to Christmas dinner than turkey. Here is a photo of mine to prove we didn't just eat peas!
Roast potatoes, roast parsnips, carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts, mashed potato, Yorkshire puddings, nut stuffing and lashings of gravy! Enough to cause a post-dinner snooze of the sofa. Hope you are all having very happy holidays!