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!

Lemon Curd and Clotted Cream Scones.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make... Lemon Scones.

Well, this post has definitely been a long time coming. With a failed attempt at shortcake a couple of weeks ago, a six and a half hour trip back to Liverpool for University last weekend and four 7am starts to get up for University this week, it has now shockingly become eighteen days since my last post which, is pretty terrible and I do apologize for that but, I am now officially back with a scrumptious scone recipe as a way of; saying goodbye to my family and home in Cornwall for the next four months and celebrating another delicious lemon themed recipe.

Despite growing up in Cornwall and having the certainty that Cornish Cream Tea would be featured on every single cafe, restaurant or tea room menu, I actually very rarely make homemade scones and so thought it would be nice to give them a go. I found this classic scone recipe on the BBC Good Food website and I have got to say that the recipe is so simple and wonderful and the scones are utterly stunning and just how great scones should be; crumbly, soft and sweet and perfect to encase a luxurious zesty lemon curd and rich clotted cream filling. The scones shot up like towers in the oven and I honestly could not believe how ginormous they were when I opened the oven door, they looked just like they had been bought from a bakery which, is always a good thing and even better when they are so easy and quick to make as well.

I had also never tried lemon curd on scones before yesterday as I had always stuck to the traditional jam and cream scone filling but, I can now safely say that lemon curd is a delightful and refreshing addition to a scone and may even be more delicious on a scone than jam but, shhhh! I'm not sure if that is an acceptable thing to say in Cornwall and I don't want to get banned from going home!

Recipe

Makes 8 Scones

For the Scones-

350g self-raising flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

85g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3 tbsp. caster sugar

175ml milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

squeeze lemon juice

1 beaten egg to glaze

For the Lemon Curd-

Grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 2 lemons
2 eggs, beaten
90g golden caster sugar
55g unsalted butter

Clotted cream

Method

1. Start by preparing the lemon curd. Sit a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water but, don't let the bowl touch the water. Then place the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice in the bowl and whisk together. Now add the butter piece by piece and cook for about 15 minutes, giving it a good whisk from time to time, until the curd has become smooth, glossy and thickened. Allow to cool. You can make this the day before for convenience if you like. Just cover with cling film and refrigerate if desired.

2. Next, prepare the scones. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Tip the flour into a large bowl with the baking powder and salt and mix. Add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar.

3. Put the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds until warm but, not hot. Add the vanilla and lemon juice to the milk, then set aside for a moment while you pop a baking sheet into the oven.

4. Make a well in the dry mix, then add the liquid and combine it quickly with a cutlery knife, it will seem pretty wet at first. Scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour and fold the dough over 2-3 times until it is a little smoother. Pat into a round about 4cm deep. 

5. Take a 5cm round cutter and dip into some flour, plunge into the dough and repeat until you have about 4 round scones. By this point you will probably need to press what is left back into a round to cut out another 4 scones. Brush the tops with beaten egg, then carefully place onto the hot baking sheet. 

6. Bake for 10 minutes until risen and golden on top. Allow to cool, cut in half and smother with lemon curd and clotted cream.

Lemon and Pistachio Cake.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make... Lemon Cake.

Today is of course the 1^st of September and so unfortunately means that our summer, sunshine and days spent lazing on the beach are now over however, Google has assured me that Autumn does not officially begin until September 21^st so, despite the fact that the view out of my window is one of grey clouds and rain and ignoring the fact that I am bundled up in a chunky, over-sized jumper and debating whether to put my electric blanket back on my bed, I will choose to believe that we do still indeed have a few weeks of summer remaining. As such, I thought why not celebrate our remaining few weeks of summer with a few particularly zesty and summery recipes because I know that when Autumn arrives in just a few weeks’ time, it will bring a whole lot of chilly, windy and rainy weather with it and zesty, refreshing summer recipes will be a thing of the past as we tuck into our hearty stews and puddings instead.

For me, nothing is more delightful, vibrant and zesty in the summer than lemons which, just so happen to make some of the most delightful and flavoursome baked goods as well. I have therefore decided to do something a little bit different on the blog for the next few weeks and have created the 'When Life Gives You Lemons, Make...' mini series to share some delicious lemon recipes with you, as I thought that having a theme on the blog for a few weeks would be something new and exciting. So, over the next few weeks I will be making; Lemon and Pistachio Cake, Zesty Lemon Tart and Lemon Curd and Clotted Cream Shortcake and so, hopefully there will be at least one lemon recipe to catch everyone's eye but, if you are a lemon lover like me then I hope you adore them all.

I decided to start with this moist, crumbly lemon and pistachio cake taken from Fay Ripley's, Fay Makes It Easy cookbook and added in my favourite homemade lemon curd. It is the perfect afternoon tea cake, or for me; ‘the whenever I feel like a slice of cake, cake’. Every glorious, soft, sweet bite melts in the mouth and bursts on the tongue with zesty, lemony flavour while, the velvety, tart, river of lemon curd running through the centre is just a heavenly, hidden treasure. Simple and scrumptious, that's what we like to hear. 

Recipe

For the lemon and pistachio cake-

125g shelled pistachios

150g unsalted butter, softened

150g golden caster sugar

150g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

50g ground almonds

2 large eggs

juice of 2 lemons

150g-175g lemon curd

For the lemon drizzle icing-

75g icing sugar

2 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

For the lemon curd-

Grated zest of 1 lemon

juice of 2 lemons

2 eggs, beaten

90g golden caster sugar

55g unsalted butter

Method

1. Start by preparing the lemon curd.  Sit a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, but don't let the bowl touch the water. Then place the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice in the bowl and whisk together. Now add the butter piece by piece and cook for about 15 minutes, giving it a good whisk from time to time, until the curd has become smooth, glossy and thickened. Allow to cool. You can make this the day before for convenience if you like so just cover with cling film and refrigerate if desired.

2. Next, pre-heat the oven to 180°C and grease and line a 20cm round spring form cake tin with greaseproof paper. Prepare the cake mixture. In a food processor grind 100g of the pistachios to crumbs. Tip into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a freestanding mixer. Add the softened butter, sugar, ground almonds and mix until smooth and combined. 

3. Pop in the eggs and mix again until combined. Add 2 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice and mix. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the mix and fold in gently.

4. Scrape half of the mixture into the cake tin and spread to fill the tin and meet the edges. Smooth the mixture out and then top with the lemon curd. Roughly spread the lemon curd over the top but not quite to the edge.

5. With the remainder of the mixture, drop dollops over the top of the lemon curd layer to cover it and gently spread the mixture to the edge of the cake tin, smoothing with the back of a spoon. 

6. Roughly chop the remaining 25g pistachios with a knife and scatter over the cake. Bake for about 45 minutes until brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin.

7. For the icing just mix together the icing sugar and 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice, stirring into a paste. Drizzle over the top of the cake, creating a criss-cross pattern and leave for a couple of minutes to set before serving.

P.s. if you do happen to have any lemons remaining after baking this cake, then the whole 'When Life Gives You Lemons, Grab Some Vodka And Make Limoncello' sounds like a great idea too. 

Mini Banoffee Tarts.

So simple. So delicious. I don't think I have ever made such an easy dessert with such an incredible outcome. These banoffee tarts honestly taste gorgeous. I am a massive fan of banoffee pie and this recipe definitely didn't disappoint, in fact it made me and my family very happy with every single mouthful indeed. For me the combination of banana, sweet, fudgy caramel, crunchy, buttery biscuit and light, velvety cream is utter perfection and if banoffee pie is your idea of heaven too then please give these little tarts a go because I promise you will fall in love with them! They don't look too shabby either which, is very good and surprising for me and I think I've actually managed to make them look quite pretty and cute if I do say so myself. Thank goodness! I've finally managed to pull off a fairly dainty and elegant dessert but, most importantly, oh boy do they taste sinfully good!

Recipe

For the biscuit base-

250g digestive biscuits, crumbled and crushed

100g unsalted butter, melted

For the caramel-

100g unsalted butter

100g dark brown sugar

one 397g tin condensed milk

For the topping- 

2 bananas, sliced

200ml whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract, optional

grated chocolate (I used dark chocolate)

Method

1. Grease 6 10cm tartlet tins or one large 22cm springform tin.

2. Melt the butter and mix with the crushed biscuit crumbs. (Crush the biscuits by bashing with a rolling pin or blitz in a food processor). Press the buttery biscuit into the base of your tin/s to make the pie shell/s and chill for 30-60 minutes.

3. Remove the tart cases from the tins carefully.

3. Next, make the caramel. Melt the butter and sugar in a non-stick pan over a low heat, stirring continuously. Once the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved, add the condensed milk, mix really well and continue stirring continuously. Bring to a rapid boil, stirring all the time until you get a lovely, thick, golden caramel. 

4. Spread the caramel over the base of your pie or spoon into your tarts. You can add 5-6 tsp. of caramel to each tart. Allow to cool and chill for at least an hour before serving.

5. Softly whip the cream until light and fluffy. You can add 1 tsp. vanilla extract before whipping if desired. 

6. Slice the bananas into disks and arrange the banana pieces over the top of the caramel in each tart. Spoon over a couple of dollops of the cream and spread towards the edges of the tart. Finally, sprinkle with some grated chocolate and serve!

7. EAT!

Garlic, Mushroom, Spinach, Onion and Pine Nut Pizza.

Isn't pizza great? Last week I decided to buy myself a pizza stone because quite simply; I really love pizza. When it arrived I couldn't wait to try it out and I've got to say I am actually really pleased with it. I decided to make this garlic, mushroom, spinach and pine nut pizza which is a pizza I had never made before but, I just thought that all of the toppings sounded like they would work perfectly together and they did just that. I've seen a lot of good reviews for pizza stones about them adding a gorgeous crisp texture to the pizza base but, I have also seen a lot of bad reviews for pizza stones about them breaking really easily. All I can say is that so far my pizza stone has worked great and the stone gave my pizza a lovely, golden and crisp crust which tasted delicious and had a lovely light, soft centre and it also didn't snap in half on first use which, I am pretty pleased about.

I have never really had a pizza without a tomato sauce base but, for this one I just decided to spread the dough with some olive oil and finely chopped garlic and I really loved the flavour it added to my pizza and how it perfectly complimented the other toppings. I added a bit of Cornish yarg too as I ofcourse live in Cornwall so, I thought it would be nice to try a bit of homemade cheese. It is a really nice cheese with a lovely creamy texture but, it does have a very mild, mellow flavour so, it doesn't have to be used on the pizza as it doesn't really add any extra flavour to the dish. You could easily use all mozzarella or maybe some vintage cheddar for a stronger flavour or you could even add some slices of goats cheese, a crumbling of feta or a dusting of parmesan for the non-veggie eaters. Your choice! I definitely recommend trying this pizza though if you are a big pizza fan and especially if you are looking to try a bit of a different pizza topping because this one is just lovely! 

Recipe

For the Pizza Dough-

500g strong white bread flour

1/2 tsp. sea salt

7g yeast sachet

1/2 tbsp. caster sugar

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 

325ml lukewarm water

For the Topping-

1 1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped finely 

100g mozzarella, grated

100g Cornish yarg, grated

1 tbsp. butter

100g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, cut into thin wedges

A large handful of spinach

A scattering of pine nuts

A sprinkling of corn meal to stop the pizza from sticking would also be extremely handy.

Method

1. Start by making the pizza dough. In a standing mixer sieve the bread flour into the bowl. Add the salt, yeast, sugar, olive oil and water. Mix on slow with a dough hook and once combined, turn up the mixing speed to knead lightly for a few minutes.

2. Remove the dough and begin kneading on a lightly floured surface by hand. Knead for around 7 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy. Place the ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Place in a warm place and allow to rise for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size.

3. Now prepare the pizza toppings. Slice the mushrooms and fry in 1 tbsp. butter until brown and soft. Set aside on kitchen paper to absorb some of the grease. Next, peel and chop the onions into wedges, fry in a dash of olive oil until bronze and slightly crispy and set aside. Wilt the spinach by placing in a saucepan, adding a few drops of water and heating on a low temperature until completely wilted. Now set aside and remember to squeeze the spinach to remove some of the excess moisture before placing on top of the pizza. Then peel and chop 3 cloves of garlic very finely, add to a frying pan with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and heat at a very low temperature until the garlic becomes very fragrant, about 3 or 4 minutes. Don't allow the garlic to go golden or burn as burnt garlic tastes awful! Now, pour this into a bowl and set aside. 

4. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Knock back the dough by kneading it around a bit to push out the air.

5. Divide the dough into three balls as there is enough to make three pizzas. You can either use the dough straight away, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for later use or the dough can also be frozen.

6. Now, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a corn meal dusted tray or  plate and place on the toppings. Rub the garlic and olive oil across the top of the dough and sprinkle with grated mozzarella and 75g of the grated yarg cheese. Now place on the sliced mushrooms, spinach and crispy onions to create an attractive finish, sprinkle over the remaining 25g of Cornish yarg and finish with a scattering of pine nuts.

7. Place the pizza stone in a cold oven and allow the oven to heat up to 200°C to 220°C. I have been using mine at 200°C just to make sure that the stone doesn't snap but, 220°C would give a crisper base. Once the temperature is reached, quickly open the oven door and slide the pizza from on the tray or plate onto the pizza stone. You could use a pizza paddle for this which would be very helpful but, because I don't have one I just used the dusting of corn meal to stop my pizza from sticking and then because it didn't just slide off of the plate I also used a fish slice to help me wriggle it off the plate onto the stone and it actually worked really well.

8. Cook for around 12 minutes until the base is crisp and bronze and the cheese is melted and golden. Remove from the oven, slice up and enjoy!

Spiced Roast Carrot, Puy Lentil and Feta Salad.

This recipe post comes with the news that I have just burned 626 calories zumba-ing on the Wii so, for someone reading my blog for the first time right now they might assume that I am actually a really healthy person which, of course unfortunately wouldn't be entirely true... okay so it's not really at all true but, we're not here to talk about the little bit of extra padding I carry around my waistline right now, are we? I do try my best to be relatively healthy but, I do love a good cupcake every now and then as I am sure you are all aware and there are also so many recipes out there that are just begging to be tried which, don't exactly go easy on the old calories. I have actually just finished writing out my shopping list for the next meal I am planning to make which is a peanut satay with coconut and pineapple rice and as you can imagine; several hefty dollops of peanut butter, a good glug of rich, creamy coconut milk and a rather generous portion of sweet, sugary caramelised pineapples doesn't exactly make for the healthiest of combinations but, it sure makes for a delicious one. Needless to say, I definitely can't say no to the calories all the time!

Not all great recipes have to make you pile on the pounds though, as this delicious salad recipe proves. This spiced roast carrot salad is fresh, vibrant and summery and has a delicious combination of flavours; from the lightly spiced and caramelised roast carrots to the creamy, crumbly feta and from the earthy puy lentils to the refreshing, tantalizing addition of the fresh mint and lemon juice. A bowl of this is just so much more gorgeous, exciting  and scrumptious than your average bowl of lettuce leaves and I really hope you love it too! Simple to make, quick to produce and extremely yummy; what more could you ask for? Food that doesn't expand the old waistline? Well, it's good for that too. There's no expansion here. Just enjoy!

Recipe

2 tbsp. olive oil                                                                   

1 tbsp. cumin powder and 1/2 tbsp. cumin seeds  

500g carrots, peeled, halved and cut into batons

1 tbsp. clear honey or maple syrup
250g pouch cooked Puy lentils (or canned, drained and rinsed) 
1 red onion, finely sliced 
½ lemon, juiced 
large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped 
100g lamb's lettuces 
100g feta cheese, crumbled

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. In a shallow roasting tin, toss together half the oil, the cumin, carrots and some seasoning. Roast for 25 mins, turning halfway through cooking. Drizzle over the honey or maple syrup, stir and roast for 5-10 mins more.

2. Meanwhile, gently heat the lentils with the onion, lemon juice, remaining oil and some salt and pepper. Allow to cool slightly while the carrots finish cooking. 

3. Toss the dressed lentils with mint and lamb's lettuce. Lay warm spiced carrots on top and scatter with crumbled feta. 

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes.

When it comes to food; I don't think there is anything I like more than chocolate and peanut butter. The rich, salty peanut butter against the sweet,decadent chocolate; for me, it is just perfection. As such, this recipe is one of my all-time favourite cupcake recipes and I hope it becomes one of yours too! Again this recipe uses my favourite chocolate cake recipe to create a lovely, moist chocolatey sponge filled with rich, dark chocolate ganache and sweet, creamy peanut butter pudding. Top it all off with a swirl of fluffy peanut butter frosting and a sprinkle of mini Reese's peanut butter cups and you're good to go! So please, go devour them happily! Some things taste just too good to worry about the waistline. 

Recipe

For the Chocolate Cupcakes-

110g unsalted butter, softened

220g dark brown sugar

2 eggs

165g self-raising flour

55g cocoa

1/2 tsp. bicarbonate soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

140ml sour cream

For the Chocolate Ganache-

100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

100ml double cream

For the Peanut Butter Pudding-

30g Golden caster sugar   
1 1/4 tsp. cornflour
pinch of salt 
100ml evaporated milk 
30ml double cream 
30g peanut butter 
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Peanut Butter Frosting-

220g icing sugar

200g creamy peanut butter

140g unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

160ml double cream

To top the cupcakes- 24 Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups (chop 12 into tiny pieces and keep 12 whole)

Method

1. Start by preparing the cupcakes. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases and pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

2. For the chocolate cupcakes, cream together the butter and sugar using an electric whisk. Gradually beat in the eggs and add the sour cream. Sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and delicately fold into the mixture.

3. Divide the mixture into the 12 cake cases and bake for 15-17 minutes or until the sponge springs back when the surface is pressed lightly.

4. Place the cupcakes on a wire rack and allow to cool.

5. While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache. Heat the cream until it simmers and stir in the dark chocolate until it completely melts and produces a glossy, dark chocolate ganache. Allow to cool until it thickens slightly but, not too much as it will be difficult to fill the cupcakes.

6. Next, prepare the peanut butter pudding. Whisk together the caster sugar, salt and cornflour in a saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in the milk, then cream. Whisk over medium heat until the mixture comes to the boil. Then boil until thick, whisking constantly for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the peanut butter; boil until thick again, whisking often for about 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Set the pan aside to cool.

7. Once the cupcakes are cool use an apple corer to cut out a dip/hole in the centre of each cupcake and once the ganache and pudding are cool fill each dip/hole with 1 tsp. chocolate ganache and 1 tsp. peanut butter pudding. 

8. Finally, prepare the peanut butter frosting. Place the icing sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light, pale and smooth. Finish by piping each cupcake with a swirl of peanut butter frosting, scatter with the chopped reese's mini peanut butter cup pieces and pop a whole peanut butter cup on the top.