Veggie Sausage Casserole with Feta, Chive and Red Onion Scones.

As much as I would love to cling on to the warm, sunny days of summer for at least a little while longer, the dark nights are beginning to roll in earlier and the breeze in the air is becoming all the more chilly so, it is almost impossible to deny that Autumn is now well and truly arriving. Luckily, despite the wind and rain that Autumn will surely bring with it, it will also bring a whole array of delicious, warming, hearty dishes to tuck into on any cold September, October or November evening and I for one, cannot wait to munch on every stew, hot pot, cobbler and crumble Autumn has to offer. 

For me, this gorgeous veggie sausage casserole has just become my go to meal for Autumn and I can't quite believe just how delicious it turned out. The casserole is full of rich, earthy flavors and vibrant, colorful vegetables and the feta, chive and red onion scones, oh these scones, are utterly unbelievable! Soft, light and fluffy and the perfect accompaniment to the tomato base of the casserole as it creates a really wonderful Mediterranean feel to the dish with the combination of tomatoes, red onion, feta and basil. It was honestly delicious and looking back on the pictures now, I could just munch on it all over again and next week I probably will!

Recipe

Serves 2-4

For the Veggie Sausage Casserole-

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1/2 yellow pepper, chopped into small chunks

1/2 red pepper, chopped into small chunks

1 fat clove of garlic

2 Quorn sausages

2 Quorn Chorizo sausages (you can get these from Sainsbury's or just use whichever vegetarian sausages you like. I think Linda McCartney's Italian sausages would be delicious in this dish if you can get them)

3/4 tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

65ml vegetable stock

1x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

200g mixed beans (I used a tin of mixed beans in a chilli sauce and they added lots of flavour!)

fresh basil

fresh chives

For the Feta, Chive and Red Onion Scones-

195g plain flour

1/2 tbsp. caster sugar

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

85g unsalted butter

1/2 egg, beaten

95ml whole milk

110g feta, crumbled

chopped chives

1/2 a small red onion, finely chopped

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 an egg, beaten for glazing

smoked paprika for topping

Method

1. Start by preparing the scone mixture. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and black pepper. Stir in the sugar. Add the butter and rub in to the flour mixture until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. In another bowl, combine the egg and whole milk and beat lightly with a fork. (Start, by beating a whole egg and reserve half of the egg for glazing the scones when finished and use the remaining half an egg to whisk with the milk and add to the scone dough). Add the egg and milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to make a soft, shaggy dough. Meanwhile, fry the red onion in 1 tsp. olive oil until softened.

3. Add the snipped chives, crumbled feta and fried red onion to the scone dough, tip out onto the work-surface and knead together. 

4. Roll or pat out the scone dough and cut out 8 or so small scones using a small round biscuit cutter. Set aside.

5. Next, prepare the sausage casserole. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the celery and peppers and cook for 5 minutes more.

6. Chop the sausages into fairly chunky pieces and add to the pan. Fry for another 5 minutes and then add in the garlic and spices, cooking for 1-2 minutes until the aromas are released. 

7. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and mixed beans. Add the vegetable stock and stir, bringing to a simmer. Stir through some snipped chives and torn fresh basil.

8. Pour the sausage, bean and vegetable mixture into a casserole dish and arrange the scones on top in whatever pattern you like. You could just do a border like me or cover the top completely with mini scones. Brush the top of each scone with the reserved beaten egg from earlier and sprinkle with some smoked paprika.

9. Pop in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until the scones are bronze, fluffy and risen. Take out and enjoy!

Homemade Nachos.

Last week I decided to branch away from the old mixing bowl and cupcake tin to make some homemade nachos which, are something I've never made before but, they are now something I will be making time and time again. I love nachos and they are actually one of my favourite foods so I thought I would try making them from scratch and they are honestly completely delicious! Crispy tortilla chips smothered in melted cheese, refreshing salsa, cool sour cream and tangy guacamole. They are perfect! Not so good for the old waistline but, the best food never is. The diet starts tomorrow I promise... unless there's another giant bowl of homemade nachos on offer again! There are lots of components to the dish but, none of them actually take very long to make so if you do have the time and you are a big nacho fan, give these nachos a go and I really hope you enjoy them!

Recipe

Serves 3-4

For the Salsa-

6 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 medium red onion, very finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, crushed

Small splash of white wine vinegar

Squeeze of lime juice

Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Guacamole-

1/2 large ripe tomato

2 small avocados, very ripe but not bruised

juice 1/2 large lime

small handful coriander, roughly chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

For the Sour Cream and Chive Dip-

5 tbsp. sour cream

4 tbsp. chopped chives

2 tsp. lemon juice

Pinch of salt

For the Tortilla Chips-

4 Flour tortillas

Vegetable oil

A hefty noggin of cheese

Method

1.First, prepare the salsa. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, stir. Refrigerate until ready to use. To peel the tomatoes; make slits all over the tomatoes, place in a bowl and cover with boiled water. Leave for 2-3 mins and then peel.

2. Next, prepare the guacamole. Use a large knife to pulverize the tomato on a chopping board, then tip into a bowl. Halve and stone the avocados (saving the stones) and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and add to the bowl with the tomato. Tip all of the other ingredients into the bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Use a whisk or potato masher to roughly mash everything together. Sit the stones in the guacamole to stop it going brown, cover with cling film and chill until needed.

3. To make the sour cream and chive dip; mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate.

4. Next, prepare the tortilla chips. Take the 4 tortilla wraps and use scissors to cut each into 3 strips of equal thickness, then snip into triangles and other fairly large shapes ready for frying. Heat your deep fat fryer to 190°C or heat oil in a large pan. When heated to the correct temperature, start to add 4-6 tortilla chips to the deep fat fryer at a time and turn until bronze and crispy. If using a pan to cook, test the oil with a small piece of tortilla wrap to see when the oil is hot enough for frying. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tortilla chips from the oil and place on to a kitchen towel on a plate to drain off some of the oil. You can sprinkle and season with salt if you like but, it isn't essential. 

5. Finally, when all of the tortilla chips are cooked, take a large dish or casserole bowl and place a layer of tortilla chips into the bottom, scatter with grated cheese and melt under the grill. Place another layer of tortilla chips on top, scatter with cheese and some tomato salsa and melt the cheese under the grill again. Place a final tortilla chip layer on top and scatter with salsa and cheese, melt the cheese under the grill one last time and spoon a large scoop of sour cream, salsa and guacamole onto the top of the nacho stack.

Then most importantly...Tuck in! Devour! Indulge! And don't you dare leave a single crumb!

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!