Butternut, Spinach and Peanut Curry.

Seeing as how it is National Curry Week, which of course I was completely aware of at the start of the week...I decided to make this delicious Butternut, Spinach and Peanut Curry. Truthfully, I didn't have the foggiest idea that it was National Curry Week until I stumbled upon the hashtag on twitter but, rather conveniently I had already whipped up this mighty fine recipe after stumbling upon it on the delicious. website and having the slightly worrying peanut butter addiction that I do, I instantly thought my doesn't that sound autumnal and scrumptious and rest assured, it really is! 

For my Food Technology GCSE which, was over and done with a full 5 years ago now (boohoo what an old lady I am), I developed a peanut satay dish which my lovely mum and I fell madly in love with at the time but, I have since grown to feel that it can often be a little on the heavier, richer side which isn't necessarily a bad thing but, it really must be eaten in moderation even by this peanut butter addict right here. This Butternut, Spinach and Peanut curry on the other hand, is much lighter and yet the sauce still remains utterly moreish and creamy and the Thai flavours of the dish really come through and taste devilishly divine (little Halloween pun for you there). Unlike the delicious magazine recipe, I added butternut squash to my curry instead of pumpkin as, shock horror, I couldn't locate a pumpkin despite Halloween being virtually upon our doorstep. I know, how utterly ridiculous right? Nonetheless, the butternut squash was delicious in this dish and my own addition of red pepper and spinach was also a most excellent choice if I do say so myself. Pair this curry with some basmati or Thai Jasmine rice, scatter with fresh coriander leaves and you really have treated yourself to quite a phenomenal little autumnal dish to warm you up on a cold October night.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tsp. tomato purée
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. light soy sauce 
1 tsp. light brown sugar
Small handful fresh coriander
2 red chillies, halved and deseeded
4 garlic cloves
1cm piece fresh ginger
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 red onions, cut into thin wedges
300g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks (not too big!)
200g red pepper, core and seeds removed
100g frozen spinach
400ml tin coconut milk

Method

1. Stir the peanut butter into a jug containing 200ml hot water, until it dissolves, then stir in the tomato purée, lime zest and juice, soy sauce and brown sugar and set aside.

2. Remove the leaves from the coriander and set aside as well. Chop the stalks as finely as you can and chop up the chilli, garlic and ginger nice and small too.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or good-sized pan and fry the onions quite briskly for a few minutes, so that they catch slightly. As soon as this starts to happen, add the butternut squash and red pepper and stir-fry for a few minutes. 

4. Stir in the chilli, garlic, coriander stalk, garlic and ginger mixture for 1-2 minutes, then add in the lovely creamy coconut milk. Stir once more, then add the peanut butter mix and cook at a brisk simmer for 20-30 minutes, adding the frozen spinach half way through, until the sauce has thickened slightly, the spinach is cooked and the butternut squash is tender. (Just a pre-warning, I almost keeled over with starvation as the clock struck 8pm waiting for my butternut squash to soften so make sure you give yourself plenty of time for cooking and preparing the dish, about 45-60 minutes I'd say before tea as the pesky squash likes to take it's time but, it does make up for it at the end when you finally get to take a mouthful and realise the wait was most definitely worth it!)

5. Finally, garnish with the reserved coriander leaves and serve with cooked rice. Basmati rice or Thai Jasmine would be perfect! All done and dusted, now enjoy!

Roast Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheddar Cheese and Caramelized Red Onion Sandwich.

I bring you this dish on a cold, blustery day in Cornwall but, while it warms me up nicely as I take a scoop from my bowl and hear the chilly, breeze blowing outside, if you are fortunate enough to be having a sunnier and warmer 1st of June than myself then please still feel free to devour this lovely soup and enjoy it's vibrant, refreshing, summery flavours. 

Never will I eat tomato soup without a grilled cheese again. The crisp, golden bread encasing an ocean of melted cheddar and sweet, caramelized red onions is the perfect accompaniment to dunk into this wonderful soup and quite frankly the perfect food to eat at any moment when hunger strikes; breakfast, dinner, tea... and again for dessert. It is scrumptious! Taking the typical cheese toastie I've always had growing up, the American's thought why not go one better and smother this in butter and fry it until crunchy and glorious? Boy am I glad they did. Add in a yummy roast tomato soup drizzled with pesto oil, scattered with molten mozzarella and topped with a vine of sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes and you've got yourself a pretty damn delicious dinner.

Ingredients

Makes 4 BIG bowls of soup and 4 gorgeous grilled cheeses.

For the Roast Tomato Soup:

12 salad tomatoes, halved

A pinch of caster sugar

6 tbsp. olive oil plus extra to drizzle

50g unsalted butter

2 each of onions, carrots and garlic cloves, chopped fairly small

2 tbsp. tomato puree

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 basil sprig plus 12 leaves to prepare the basil oil

1 litre vegetable stock

4 clusters of vine-ripened cherry tomatoes

12 mini mozzarella balls/pearls

For the Grilled Cheddar Cheese and Caramelized Red Onion Sandwiches:

1 large red onion, sliced

1 tsp. olive oil

A good sprinkling of dark brown sugar

A good glug of balsamic vinegar

8 slices of thick white bread

A hefty pile of grated mature cheddar cheese

Unsalted butter, softened

Method

1.    Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the salad tomatoes, cut-side up, onto a baking tray and sprinkle with sugar, drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast for 40 minutes until nice and softened.

2.    Meanwhile, heat the butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and cook the onion, carrot and garlic, stirring for 5 minutes until softened. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, bay leaf, basil sprig, vegetable stock, roasted salad tomatoes and any cooking juices. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are lovely and tender.

4.    Discard the basil sprig, cool slightly and then blend the soup in batches. Return to the saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring until warmed through. 

5.   While you warm through the soup, take your vine ripened cherry tomatoes, place them into a baking dish, drizzle lightly with olive oil and roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until softened and lightly charred.

6.   Next, place 5 tbsp. olive oil into a blender with 12 large basil leaves and blitz to make your basil oil. 

7.   You can now prepare your grilled cheese sandwiches. I apologize for the vagueness of my ingredients list here but, this is because with a grilled cheese you can't really go wrong with how you prepare it; what ingredients you put in it or how much of each ingredient you use. It's entirely up to you! To prepare my caramelized red onion I add the sliced red onion to a saucepan, fry it until softened in 1 tsp. olive oil, then add a sprinkling of dark brown sugar, stirring until the onion becomes caramelized, add in a splash of balsamic vinegar and continue to cook until the onion is lovely, glossy and sticky.

8.   I then like to take two pieces of chunky, white tiger bread, scatter one piece with a large pile of grated mature cheddar cheese (please feel free to use whatever cheese you like though e.g. goats cheese, edam, swiss cheese, blue cheese and as much as you like!), scatter on some caramelized red onions, place the other round of bread on top and squash down a little to help the sandwich hold together when you're flipping it in the pan. 

9.   Next, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, spread a layer of butter on top of your sandwich and place it butter side down into the hot frying pan, leaving to fry for a few minutes until lovely, crisp and golden. Once ready to flip, spread another layer of butter on the uncooked side of the sandwich and flip, leaving for a few minutes again until crunchy and bronze. Grate a little more cheese on the top side and keep flipping until both sides are bronze and crunchy and the cheese in the center is completely melted.  

10.  Now scoop the warm soup into bowls, place three mozzarella balls into each and allow to melt in the hot soup, drizzle with a swirl of basil oil and pop a vine of the roasted cherry tomatoes on top. Finally, cut your crunchy grilled cheese in half and watch as a waterfall of golden cheese oozes out. Last of all, whether your snuggled up on your sofa in a blanket or sunbathing outside on a deckchair, sit back and enjoy!

                              

                                                     

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!

Mexican Bean Burgers.

As it was National Burger Day on Tuesday I decided to whip up some Mexican bean burgers to celebrate, complete with homemade brioche burger buns. I had never made burger buns before, nor had I made brioche but, I thought why not go all out and give these buns from The Clever Carrot blog a go. After mixing the ingredients together and forming the dough I felt rather alarmed at how tacky and wet the dough was and as I pulled the dough out onto the work surface it clung to my hands like chewing gum. I thought that something must have gone wrong but, decided to stick with it and trust that prior to baking, brioche was supposed to be a bit of a sticky mess. Well, you never know right? I mean I'm sure Megan Fox doesn't wake up looking completely stunning and flawless before she slaps on the make-up, right? No, you're right, she definitely does. I however, am not so fortunate but, pop on the old make-up and I start to look at least fairly decent so, I held out hope that after cooking, my buns would do the same. Since baking, I have now discovered that brioche dough does tend to be very tacky and wet due to the addition of eggs and extra liquid so do not be alarmed, you're just in for a treat when these moist buns come out of the oven!

I let the dough rise, shaped it as best I could into some round-ish buns, brushed over an egg wash, popped them in the oven and crossed my fingers. Miraculously, as I pulled open the oven door twenty minutes later, I was greeted with the sight of these gorgeous, glossy buns. My eyes widened and I licked my lips as the tantalizing aroma of fresh bread filled the air. I couldn't stop myself from tearing into a little bronze bundle and smothering it with butter; as soft as a cloud and beautifully sweet with every glorious bite.

After, managing to restrain myself from devouring the other seven buns I eventually used them to encase my mexican bean burgers (recipe taken from delicious magazine) and topped each burger with a luxurious, golden blanket of creamy, smoked cheddar and a scattering of crispy spring onions. With the addition of a squirt of zingy, sweet chilli sauce and a hefty dollop of chunky guacamole, it is safe to say that national burger day was very much appreciated in our household and these mexican bean burgers were very much enjoyed! 

Did you tuck into any tasty burgers to celebrate National Burger Day?

Recipe

Makes 8 burgers.

1. For the Brioche Burger Buns-
2. 250ml warm water
3. 3 tbsp. warm milk
4. 7g dried yeast
5. 2 1/2 tbsp. sugar
6. 2 large eggs
7. 410g strong white bread flour
8. 45g plain flour
9. 1 1/2 tsp. salt
10. 2 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
11. For the Bean Burgers-
12. 2 tbsp. olive oil
13. 1 red onion, finely chopped
14. 6 spring onions, thinly sliced
15. 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
16. 1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
17. 1 tbsp. Cajun spice
18. 3 x 400g tins mixed beans, drained and rinsed
19. 1 large free-range egg, beaten
20. 100g fresh breadcrumbs
21. Small handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
22. Juice of ½ lime
23. 150g feta, crumbled
24. For the Burger Toppings-
25. Sweet Chilli Sauce 
26. Applewood Smoked Cheddar
27. Fried Spring onions
28. Guacamole 
29. 
    
30. (My favourite homemade Guacamole recipe-1 medium ripe tomato, 1 avocado (very ripe), the juice of 1/2 a lime, small handful of coriander (chopped), 1/2 a small red onion (finely chopped) and 1/2 a red chilli (deseeded and finely chopped). 
31. 
    
32. Method
33. 
    
34. 1. First, prepare the brioche burger buns. In a glass jug, combine the warm water, warm milk, yeast and sugar and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat 1 egg.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine together the flours, salt and butter and mix the ingredients together until the butter is the size of crumbs. Stir in the yeast mixture and beaten egg. Run the mixer on medium-low for about 10 minutes, until a dough forms.

3. Shape the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl (the dough will be wet and sticky). Cover the bowl with lightly greased cling film or a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until it is doubled in size, about 1- 1 1/2 hours.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper, and using a dough scraper or knife divide the dough into 8 equal parts. If you have a scale each piece can be weighed to make sure they are all the same size.

5. To shape the dough into balls, gently flatten each piece like a pancake. Pull up each side pinching it together in the center. Repeat until the ball is sealed. Flip the ball over (seam side down) and move to an un-floured part of your board (it's easier to roll this way). Place your palm over the top and gently roll into a smooth ball. Transfer to the lined baking sheet, placing them 2 to 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the buns rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until puffy and slightly risen.

6. Now, beat the remaining egg with a splash of water and gently brush the egg wash over each bun once they are done with the second rise. Before the bread goes into the oven add a shallow baking pan to the oven floor containing about 125ml water as this will create steam during the cooking process and help to keep the bread nice and moist. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Once the burger buns are out of the oven you can start making the bean burgers. Begin by heating 1 tbsp. olive oil in a pan. Add the onion and spring onion, season and fry over a gentle heat until softened but not coloured. Add the garlic, chilli and Cajun spice, then fry for 2-3 minutes. Tip into a bowl, add the mixed beans and roughly mash before leaving to cool slightly. (note. I had to use mixed beans in tomato sauce as that was all I could find but I just poured them into a sieve and rinsed them under a tap to get rid of the sauce).

8. Now, add the egg, breadcrumbs, coriander and lime juice. Season, then mix well to combine. Gently stir in the crumbled feta. Wet your hands slightly, then shape into 8 large burgers. Place on a lightly greased tray and chill them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. (note. if you don't want to make 8 burgers you can always half the recipe or place the burgers you don't want to use on a lined baking sheet and open-freeze them until solid, then pack into a plastic container, seal and freeze for up to 3 months.)

9. To cook the chilled burgers, preheat the grill to medium. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the burgers and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Top each with a slice of smoked cheese, then transfer to the grill for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and melted. Serve in toasted brioche buns lined with guacamole and sweet chilli sauce and scattered with fried spring onions.

(note. if you would also like to make your own guacamole then you can find the recipe I like to use here.)