Pastitsio, Greek Pasta Bake

After 14 years of driving to the South of France every summer, due to my eldest daughter's access and equipment needs, last week we treated our younger two now adult children to a last minute package holiday.  My son likes history and Greek mythology, my middle daughter likes sun and sea, and we all like food, so we settled on Rhodes.  They tried their best to eat most of the popular Greek dishes, but the one of the dishes they didn't try was Pastitsio, a layered lasagne like pasta bake, so I introduced them to it.

Serves 4-6

500g long pasta tubes, pastitsio no.2 aka bucatini, or penne
2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely diced
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 courgette grated, or a bag of baby spinach leaves (optional)
500g beef or pork mince, or a mixture of both
150ml red wine
500g passata
1 tsp dried mint

1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cinnamon

1 bay leaf
2 eggs

500g greek style yoghurt

1/4 tsp nutmeg
100g grated halloumi, cheddar, or parmesan

Gently fry the onion in 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan. 

When the onion starts to look translucent add the courgette if using.  Fry for 5-10 minutes until soft.  Add the garlic and mince, breaking the mince up as you cook it.  When broken up and with very few raw pink bits, add the passata, rinse the carton out with the wine and add this, and the herbs & spices, apart from the nutmeg.  Cover and bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer, stirring from time to time, whilst you cook the pasta.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.  

Just before the pasta cooking time is up, check the pasta sauce. It should be slightly thick, like single cream. If still too watery, take the lid off and continue to simmer whilst you drain the pasta.

Drain the pasta, tip into a large high sided baking dish, and stir through 1 tbsp olive oil. 

Turn the oven on to 180C.  

Beat the eggs into the yoghurt together with a pinch of salt and nutmeg.

Pour the meat sauce evenly over the pasta (if being traditional the pasta should be lined up all the same direction in the baking dish, but I have yet to bother to do this), then evenly cover this with the yoghurt and egg mixture.  Top with the grated cheese.

Bake for 45-60 minutes at 180C in the middle of the oven or until golden brown and bubbling. You may wish to turn the grill of for a couple of minutes to brown the top, but keep a close eye on it - the cheese burns quickly! 

Serve with a big green salad.

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Chinese Sweetcorn Egg Drop Soup

Chinese Sweetcorn Egg Drop Soup is such a quick, simple, but tasty soup.  I made a storecupboard vegetarian version, but you can use fresh vegetables and/or chicken as your time and budget allow.

Serves 2, or a greedy one as a meal

1 mug of frozen sweetcorn, or 285g can of sweetcorn in water

100g grated potato or 100g cooked rice

Handful of finely shredded spinach, kale, or cabbage (optional)

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed (optional)

1cm cube of fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped

1 tbsp miso paste, or 1 stock cube

500ml hot water 

1 large free range egg

1 spring onion, finely sliced (optional)

Chilli oil or chilli flakes (optional)

Soy sauce to taste

Authentic (or possibly Chinese-American) Egg Drop Soup seems to use creamed sweetcorn.  I like to do this by cooking/warming the sweetcorn in the stock first, then liquidising with a stick blender, as I think it gives the soup a better consistency.  But, if you don't have a stick blender, or don't want to blend the sweetcorn, this is not essential.

If pureeing the sweetcorn, simmer the frozen sweetcorn for 5 minutes in the hot water in a soup pan, or heat tinned sweetcorn until the water is boiling.  When the sweetcorn is cooked/hot, liquidise with a stick blender in the pan.  

Add the potato or rice, crushed garlic, grated ginger, and miso paste or stock to the sweetcorn (or add all these to the pan with the water if not liquidising the sweetcorn).  Simmer for 10 minutes in a covered pan.

Beat the egg in your soup bowl.  Turn up the soup to a gentle boil and drizzle in the egg.  Leave for 30 seconds then swirl with a spoon.  You should have 'flowers' of cooked beaten egg.

Serve with chopped spring onion, soy sauce, and chilli oil to taste.

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Prawn & Pea Risotto

Prawn & Pea Risotto is a simple dish with big flavour for only a few ingredients.  Frozen prawns and peas make this an easy quick supper.

Serves 4

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, peeled & finely diced

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and crushed

1 small glass of white wine (optional)

300g risotto rice

2 fish or chicken stock cubes

1 litre recently boiled water

250g frozen prawns

Large pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

Chopped parsley (optional)

Freshly grated parmesan (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan over a medium heat.

Sweat the chopped onion for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not coloured.

Stir in the risotto rice and garlic into the onions.  Pour in the wine, and stir until evaporated away.

Add a ladleful of hot water and the crumbled stock cubes, stirring until evaporated and the stock cubes have completely dissolved.  Keep adding one ladle of hot water at a time, and stirring until evaporated.  Halfway through the hot water add the frozen prawns, and then continue adding the ladles of hot water.  After about 25-30 minutes the rice is tender but not mushy.

Stir in the frozen peas and chilli flakes, turn off the heat, cover with a lid and rest for 5 minutes.

Serve with a topping of chopping parsley and parmesan if wished.

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Mexican Roast Potatoes & Beans

We seem to be alternating between pasta and rice for carbs recently, so I googled 'potato main meals' and turned up this Mexican Bean & Potato Bake.  It is a pretty versatile bake - the original recipe says to use kidney beans, but I was going to use pinto beans until I discovered I had leftover Chilli con Veggie.  You could also use Chilli con Carne if not vegetarian.  

Serves 4

1kg potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

1 pepper, cut into bite sized pieces (optional)

400g drained kidney, pinto, black beans, or leftover chilli

400 g tin chopped tomatoes

2 tsp smoked paprika (if not using using leftover chilli)

1 tsp ground cumin (if not using using leftover chilli)

1 tsp hot chilli powder (if not using using leftover chilli)

Salt & pepper

100g cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 200C/190C Fan.

Toss the potatoes in the oil in a lasagne dish and roast for 45 minutes, stirring around half way through the roasting time, until lightly browned and nearly cooked through.

After 45 minutes, stir through the beans/chilli, tinned tomatoes, spices, salt and pepper. Sprinkle cover the cheese, and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes until bubbling hot, the potatoes are cooked through.  

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Pigs in Blankets Sausage Rolls

I made Pigs in Blankets Swirls a few weeks ago, but thought I'd try making more traditionally shaped sausage rolls for an extended family gathering the day after Boxing Day

Makes 8/16

320g pack ready rolled puff pastry
8 slices of streaky bacon
8 sausages or 500g sausage meat 

If using sausages, remove the casings by cutting them off with scissors. 

Lay the pastry out on the greaseproof paper it comes with, with one of the longest sides towards you.  With a rolling pin, roll the pastry out towards and away from you to make it a little wider.  

Cut the pastry in half lengthways from left to right to make two long strips.

Lay short lengths of bacon along the middle of the pastry strips.  After cutting the first few slices of bacon in half, I worked out I needed to cut them in three to cover the middle of the pastry.

Divide the sausagemeat in half and spread each half evenly over the bacon, along the middle of each pastry strip, right up to the edges.  If using sausages, just lay four skinned sausages along the bacon on each pastry strip.

Fold the longside of the pastry over to the over and crimp it closed with a fork.  Lightly score each pastry roll into 4, or 8 if you want mini sausage rolls. 

Once scored, cut with sharp scissors.  Drag the greaseproof paper onto a baking tray and arrange the cut sausage rolls with a bit of space between them.

Bake at 180C for 40 minutes until golden brown, turning half way though the cooking time.  Best eaten hot.  Can be reheated at 180C for 7 minutes in an air fryer.

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Egg Foo Yung/Chow Mein

Egg Fu Yung is a Chinese style omelette, popular in American and British Chinese restaurants, usually served with a soy based gravy. 

Chow mein is a Chinese dish of stir-fried noodles with leftover vegetables, meat or tofu, also popular in America and the UK.

I thought I'd combine both Egg Fu Yung and Chow Mein to use up some leftover cooked chicken, and some eggs that needed using.  This recipe would work well with leftover turkey after Christmas.

Serves 4

3 layers medium egg noodles

4 eggs

300g cooked chicken, turkey, pork, beef, or prawns

1 onion, peeled & thickly sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled & sliced

100g frozen peas

1 chicken stock cube

500ml recently boiled water

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)

1/2 tsp paprika (optional)

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp cornflour

Vegetable oil for frying 

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.  Leave to cool in a pan of cold water.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok over a medium high heat.  

Beat the eggs, and fry in the wok like a omelette for a few minutes so you have a side plate sized disk of cooked egg. Flip the egg over carefully to ensure the egg is cooked through.  Slide the egg onto a plate, chop into bite sized pieces, and wipe the wok out with a piece of kitchen paper.

Heat another tablespoon of oil in the wok over a medium high heat.

Stir fry the onion for 1-2 minutes until it starts to soften or go golden brown.  Add the peas and garlic.

Crumble in the stock cube and melt in the oil and heat.  Add 500ml of hot water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, turmeric and paprika.  Stir well.

Mix the cornflour with two tablespoons of cold water.  When the 'gravy' is boiling, pour in the cornflour mixture whilst stirring to thicken it.

Drain the noodles and add to the gravy together with the meat or prawns, and chopped egg.  Mix well and serve.

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Sesame Prawn Toast

I resisted the urge to buy some half price raw prawns in Aldi last week, and then saw a recipe online for Sesame Prawn Toasts. So when Aldi had some more half price prawns yesterday (and three tuna steaks - straight in the freezer), I grabbed them for my protein obsessed 17 year old son.

Makes 12

3 slices of bread

175g raw prawns

1 medium free range egg

1cm root ginger, finely gated

1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 spring onion, chopped into 1cm rounds

Sesame seeds

Sesame oil

Light olive or vegetable oil for frying

Whizz the prawns, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and spring onion together in a mini food processor.

Drizzle sesame oil on each side of the slices of bread.

Divide the prawn paste between the slices of bread and spread smoothly right to the edges.  The two recipes I looked at said to cut the crusts off, and to use white bread, but I left the crusts off and used light wholemeal bread.  Sprinkle the prawn paste with sesame seeds.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.  If you have a larger non-stick frying pan that will fit more than one slice of bread, add 1 tsp oil per slice.

Fry topping side up for 1.5-2 minutes until the bottom is golden brown.  Lift the slice of bread up with a fish slice and pour in another 1 tsp of oil, then carefully flip it prawn paste side down into the hot oil.  Cover the pan with a lid or plate and fry for 1-5-2 minutes until prawn paste is golden brown.

Cut each slice of bread into quarters.  If the prawn paste looks slightly undercooked (grey rather than pale pink) when you cut up the toast, just fry again for another minute or microwave all four quarters for 1 minute.

Sesame Prawn Toasts can be cooked in an air fryer.  Drizzle the bread with sesame oil as above then toast  in the air-fryer for 3 minutes at 200°C until one side is golden. Spread the prawn paste on the untoasted side of the bread followed by the sesame seeds.  Cut into quarters and arrange as many as you can in the air fryer basket. Cook for 12 minutes at 180°C until golden brown.

Serve warm with sweet chilli sauce and/or soy sauce for dipping.

Can be reheated in the air fryer - 5 minutes at 180C. And can be frozen and reheated in the air fryer from frozen - 10 minutes at 180C.

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Pigs in Blankets Swirls

I started off thinking I was going to make Pigs in Blankets Sausage Rolls.  There are so many recipes out there, with red onion chutney, with cranberry sauce, with Camembert or Brie, with Camembert & Brie and Red Onion Chutney or Cranberry Sauce. But I thought I'd keep mine traditional with just sausagemeat and bacon, and opted for a swirl as I thought it less fiddly.

As ready rolled puff pastry is often vegan, it should be possible to make a vegan/vegetarian version of these with vegetarian sausages and vegetarian bacon.

Makes 18

320g pack ready rolled puff pastry

300g pack streaky bacon

6 sausages

Remove the sausages from their casing by squeezing or cutting off and mash together.  I bought Co-op Irresistible Cumberland Sausages and found the casing incredibly soft so just squished them together with my fingers.

Roll the pastry out on it's greaseproof paper on a chopping board.

Spread the sausagemeat evenly all over the pastry, right up to the edges.

Cover the sausagemeat with strips of streaky bacon in the direction you are going to roll (this makes slicing easier), spacing them out evenly and again right up to what will be the ends of your roll.  I rolled the long side to make smaller swirls, so made sure I had a slice of bacon right up to the left and right hand side.

Carefully roll up the pastry like an Artic Roll.

Slice into 2cm rounds with a sharp knife.  If the greaseproof paper the pastry came on has not been too damaged/cut in the process, arrange the swirls on this on a large flat baking tray or on new piece if needed with a bit of space between them.

Bake at 180C for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Best eaten warm, but my son was very happy to eat cold swirls for breakfast on his way into college.

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Bean Quesadillas

Bean Quesadillas are a surprisingly simple but filling snack or lunch.

Serves 2 

2 wheat flour tortilla wraps

1 can black or pinto beans 

1 small onion, peeled and finely diced 

1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1 tsp cumin

1tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp olive oil

200g grated cheddar

Olive oil for frying

First make the refried beans. 

Heat 2 tbsp oil over a medium high heat in a frying pan.

Gently fry the onion until translucent (about 5 minutes).

Stir in the garlic and spices, then the beans and their liquid.

Bring the beans to the boil and simmer, stirring from time to time and mashing them with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, until they are a double cream-like consistency.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil over a medium heat in a non stick frying pan large enough to fit one open tortilla.

Lay one tortilla into the frying pan and sprinkle 50g of cheddar on one half almost up to the edge.

Divide the beans into two portions in the pan and spoon one portion onto the cheddar cheese on the wrap in the frying pan. Sprinkle another 50g of cheddar on top of the beans, and fold the wrap in half covering the beans.  

Fry for 1-2 minutes until golden brown underneath, then carefully turn over and fry the other side for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.

Repeat with the other tortilla and remaining ingredients.

Serve with sour cream with a little chipotle sauce stirred through.

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Sweet & Sour Fried Rice

Knocked up a quick pescatarian (could be vegan if made with vegetarian oyster sauce) Sweet & Sour Fried Rice which I thought would make a great student meal.  Preparing the vegetables probably takes longer than the stir frying.

You will need a large wok to cook and stir this stir fry successfully.

Serves a greedy 4

500g cooked white or brown rice

400g block of firm tofu, grated 

2 medium carrots, grated 

Half a sweetheart cabbage, shredded

1 small onion, peeled and sliced into half-moons or a bunch of spring onions, chopped into 1cm pieces

4 rings tinned pineapple, chopped into 1cm pieces (optional)

2cm root ginger, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

6 tbsp tomato ketchup

4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

4 tbsp (vegetarian) oyster sauce

4 tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes

If you don't have any cooked rice, cook a large mug of basmati rice before you start.  It only takes 20 minutes, whilst you prepare the vegetables.

Grate/chop the tofu, vegetables, ginger & garlic, pineapple.  Put them on separate plates as they are stir fried at different times.

Heat the oil in a large wok over a high heat until smoking.  Add the tofu and stir fry until you can see it start to go golden brown in places.

Push the tofu to one side as best you can and tip in the vegetables, ginger & garlic, and chilli flakes.  Push the tofu on top the vegetables so the vegetables are in contact with the hot pan.  Leave for a minute or so and then start stir frying.  After a minute or so of stir frying add in about 50ml of water to the wok to help the vegetables steam and soften, whilst still stir frying.

When the vegetables are softened to your liking, turn down the heat to medium and stir in the rice and the sauce ingredients.  Add a little water if the rice and sauce starts sticking to the wok.

Serve when piping hot

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Corsican Poulet aux Olives (Chicken with Olives)

A simple Corsican dish of essentially just...chicken and olives.

Traditionally cooked on the stove, we cooked this in a slow cooker on Bonfire Night to have a hot meal waiting for us on our return home

Serves 4

8 small chicken thighs

4 shallots, peeled and sliced into half-moons 

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 handful whole green olives, ideally stone in

1 glass (175ml) white wine or water

A rosemary or a few thyme sprigs (optional)

Brown the chicken thighs in a pan large enough for them fit as a single layer.

When browned, remove to a plate and fry the shallots and garlic in same pan for a minute or so together with any herbs if using.

Add the wine or water, return the chicken to the pan skin side up, and scatter over the olives (my partner cooked this recipe as I translated a very sketchy French recipe from the lounge, and took it upon himself to slice the olives).

Cover and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  

If cooking in a slow cooker, prepare as above.  After adding the wine/water to the pan, heat this to boiling then pour into the warmed slow cooker.  Place the chicken skin side up into the wine/water and scatter over the olives. Cook for 6 hours on high.

Serve with a green salad and pasta, rice, or crusty bread. 

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Pumpkin Muffins

We regularly have a coeliac trick or treater visiting us the last few years, so I always make a gluten free treat.  This year I have made Pumpkin Muffins, using gluten free self raising flour rather than self raising flour, and the scrapings from inside a couple of pumpkins we've carved.

Any leftover muffins will be used for grab & go breakfasts, in lunchboxes, or snacks next week.

Makes 12

125ml vegetable or light olive oil

2 large free range eggs

250g pumpkin puree 

100-150g sugar

100g mixed dried fruit

2 tsp pumpkin spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp ginger)

250g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

Make pumpkin purée by simmering 250g of pumpkin in water for 15 minutes.  Drain and liquidise.  

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs into the oil, followed by the cooled pumpkin purée, sugar, dried fruit, spices and baking powder.  Mix well then stir in the self raising flour.  This is a quite a wet mixture, so unlike other muffin recipes don't be afraid to mix the flour in thoroughly, as the muffins still rise well having done this.

Divide into 12 muffin cases. Bake at 200C for 15 minutes, until a metal sewer comes out of the central muffins clean.

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Choc Chip Banana Bread Breakfast Muffins

More Grab & Go breakfast muffins for my 17 year old son, which he likes to alternate with Bacon & Cheddar Muffins I posted earlier, as he runs out the door to catch the bus to college.

Makes 12

100ml vegetable or light olive oil

75g sugar (optional)

2 ripe bananas (I freeze overripe bananas rather than throw them away, specifically to make this)

225g self raising flour or gluten free self raising flour

100g porridge oats

100g dark chocolate chips or cocoa nibs

1 tsp baking powder

2 large free range eggs

Put all the ingredients, apart from the chocolate chips/cocoa nibs, into a food processor and whizz until smooth. 

Add the chocolate chips/cocoa nibs and whizz to mix them in evenly. 

Divide the mixture into 12 muffin cases.  I use a generous vintage ice cream scoop, which only made 10 muffins the last time I made them.

Bake at 180C for 20 minutes, turning them through 180 degrees half way through the cooking time, until golden brown.  They are cooked through when a metal skewer comes out clean when pushed into the centre.  If not, cook for a couple more minutes then check again.

Keep in an airtight container for 5 days, or freeze.

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One Pan Salmon Biryani

A simple but flavour packed one pan Salmon Biryani.  If you don't have the individual spices listed in the recipe below, you can always use curry paste.  

Defrosted cooked prawns can be used instead of salmon, and a vegan version can be make with 2 cans of drained chickpeas instead of salmon or prawns.

Serves 6

500g boneless salmon fillet joint cut into 4 fillets, or 4 boneless salmon fillets

250g baby spinach leaves 

1 large mug (300g) basmati rice

2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cm fresh ginger, finely grated

2 large garlic cloves

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

Recently boiled water

4 tbsp mild curry paste (only if not using the dried spices listed below)

1 heaped tsp cumin seeds

5 green cardamom pods

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes

1 tbsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp dried mint 

2 bay leaves

In a large casserole dish with a well fitting lid, fry the onions gently in the oil over a medium low heat, stirring from time to time until golden. This takes about 20 minutes, giving you time to assemble the other ingredients.

When the onions are golden, add all the dried spices if using. Stir the spices in well then add the garlic and ginger.  Add the curry paste now if using and stir in.

Weigh the rice into a large mug and note where it comes up to inside the mug.  Add the rice to the pan, then pour in 1 & 3/4 mugs of recently boiled water, so the water comes 1cm above the level of the rice.  As this is a little hard to see with the spices or curry paste colouring the water, the dry end of a wooden spoon works well as a level indicator.  Crumble in the stock cube and mix in well.

Cover the rice with the baby spinach leaves, and then lay the salmon skin side up on top of the spinach.  Put the lid on the pan and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to the lowest and cook for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes remove the lid and peel off the salmon skin and discard.  If the skin doesn't come away easily, put the lid back on and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. If the skin does come away easily, flake the fish with a serving spoon. Again, if it doesn't flake easily and is not cooked through, put the lid back on and cook for a further 5 minutes.

When the salmon is cooked, turn off the heat and flake the salmon.  Mix the salmon and spinach into the rice. Serve immediately.

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Bacon & Cheddar Breakfast Muffins

Grab & go breakfast for students (and their parents on the train to London to watch the Women's Rugby World Cup Final).

The trick to muffins that rise well is not overmixing.  As ever I have attempted a few short cuts, like adding the bacon and cheese to the milk mixture, and weighing the self raising flour straight into to the wet mixture to avoid mixing several times (and reduce washing up).

Makes 12

250ml whole milk

80ml light olive oil

1 free range egg

200g cooked bacon bits

100g grated mature cheddar

1 small courgette, grated (he was not impressed by this ingredient)

300g self raising flour (I used half wholemeal self raising flour, half white self raising flour)

Brown the bacon in a non stick frying pan. Add the courgette if using to soften it and evaporate off some of the liquid.  Leave to cool a little whilst you mix the other ingredients together.

Beat the egg, oil, and milk together in a mixing bowl.  Mix the bacon and courgette into the wet mixture well.

Weigh the self raising flour into the wet mixture and fold in gently, just until you can no longer see dry flour.

Divide into 12 muffin cases, and bake at 200C/180C fan in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top.

Leave to cool for 15 minutes before eating.  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze and defrost overnight before breakfast.

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Tofu in Black Bean Sauce

My partner bought a jar of Yeo's Black Bean Sauce last weekend to make Beef in Black Bean Sauce.  He used half the jar, so I used the rest to make Tofu in Black Bean Sauce.

Serves 4

400g firm tofu

300g colourful chopped veggies (carrot, red pepper, green beans)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1cm grated ginger root

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 250ml jar black bean sauce

2 tbsp Shaoxing wine, or sherry

1 tbsp sesame oil

Take the tofu out of it's packet and place it in a colander with a plate and a few cans on top of that to squeeze as much liquid out.

Chop the veggies into bite sized pieces, and prepare the garlic and ginger.

Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat.  

Crumble in the tofu, but beware, if it is still quite damp it will spit a lot.

Stir fry the tofu for a few minutes then add the ginger, garlic, and vegetables.  Keep stir frying the vegetables for a few more minutes.

Turn the heat down and add the black bean sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil.  Mix the sauce in well and serve when the sauce is piping hot over cooked rice or noodles.

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Greek Style Spinach & Feta Pasta Salad

This pasta salad was inspired by the flavours of Spanakopita, the less well known pasta bake Makaronopita, a big bag of freshly picked rainbow chard (which use like spinach), and the need to make a pasta salad in half an hour for a neighbourhood barbecue.

Fried courgette or roasted squash can be used instead of spinach.

Serves 10 as an accompaniment 

500g spinach or chard

500g pasta

200g feta

4 heaped dessertspoons plain yoghurt

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp dried mint

1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional) 

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.  Drain when cooked, and rinse with cold water to cool and prevent sticking.

Wash the spinach and steam in the pasta pan. The water on the leaves from washing should sufficient to steam it in.  Cook over a medium high heat with the lid on for about 5 minutes until the spinach has wilted.

Whilst the spinach is cooking mash the feta with a fork in a small bowl to the consistency of cottage cheese.  Stir in the yoghurt, garlic, mint, and chilli if using.

Drain the spinach and squeeze the water out.  Spread it out on a chopping board and chop in it fairly finely.

Tip the pasta back into the pasta pan, stir through the olive oil, then mix in the feta mixture and chopped spinach.

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Chicken, Lamb, or Vegan Pasanda Curry

We have lured our eldest daughter home for the evening to watch the Lionesses play in the Euros, and have a homemade Lamb Pasanda. 

I mostly followed BBC Good Food's Chicken Pasanda recipe, using cashews as I had no almonds, adding cumin seeds and more ground coriander as one of the reviews said the curry was a little bland, and omitting the cream.  Our Lamb Pasanda was tasty and with a medium kick of chilli.

This curry can be 'veganised' but substituting the meat with chickpeas/white beans and firm tofu, and using plant based yoghurt and milk.

Serves 4

500g diced lamb or chicken, or 200g black of firm tofu and a can of white beans/chickpeas

200g plain dairy or plant based yoghurt

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated

2½ cm root ginger, finely grated

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

½ tsp salt

Curry sauce

50g blanched almonds or cashews

100ml whole or plant based milk

4 tbsp sunflower oil

4 onions, peeled and thinly sliced 

4 garlic cloves, peeled & finely crushed

2½ root ginger, finely grated

4 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 red chilli, thinly sliced or ½ tsp chilli flakes

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

Marinade the meat in the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli powder, and salt for 30 minutes or more whilst you make the curry sauce. I tip the yoghurt and flavourings into the plastic tray or bag it comes in to save on washing up. 

To make the curry sauce, warm the milk for 1 minute in a mug in the microwave, add the almonds or cashews, and leave to the side to soften.

In a large pan, fry the onions in the oil over a medium high heat for about 5 minutes until golden brown.  Stir in the whole spices (cardamon pods, cinnamon stick, cumin, and chilli), followed by the garlic and ginger, and then the ground spices (turmeric, coriander, and garam masala).

Liquidise the almonds/cashews with 300ml water and add to the pan with the onions.  Add the marinated meat, making sure you scrape out as much of the yoghurt mixture as you can.

Stir well, bring to the boil, then cover and turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes.

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Fruit Smoothie Ice Lollies

Get yourself some lolly moulds, make a smoothie and freeze it.  It's as simple as that.  Making these in small yoghurt pots with plastic of disposable cutlery as handles also works.

1 soft banana (I have loads of brown bananas in the freezer)

100g frozen fruit (mixed berries, mango, strawberries, raspeberries etc)

Apple juice

Work out the volume of your moulds by filling one almost to the top, weighing it into a liquidiser cup, and multiplying it by the number of containers you have. Note this number.

Without zeroing the scales, add in the banana broken into pieces and the fruit, and top up with apple juice to the weight you noted at the start.

Liquidise and pour into the moulds.  Freeze for at least a couple of hours.

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Viral Smashed Kofta Wraps

I've seen a lot of reels of mince being squished onto wraps and fried.  My teens love kofta so I thought I'd give it a go.  The benefit of squishing the mince onto wraps means they don't take much cooking, and kids can cook their own without fear of serving themselves raw meat.  The only problem with feeding a family is that you can only cook one tortilla at a time, unless you have an array of frying pans.

Serves 4

500g lamb or beef mince

1 small onion, peeled and grated

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp ras el hanout or harissa

30g fresh coriander or parsley, finely chopped

4 medium flour tortillas

Sunflower oil for frying

4 tbsp greek yoghurt 

1/2 tsp lemon juice (optional)

1 tbsp tahini paste (optional)

1/8th wedge of red or green cabbage, thinly sliced 

1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tbsp apple cider or white wine vinegar

Chilli sauce to serve

Mix the mince, grated onion, 2 of the crushed garlic cloves, chosen spices, and the herbs together.  Cover and chill for 1-24 hours.

When ready to cook, scrunch the cabbage and onion together with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of vinegar and leave to one side.

Mix the last remaining crushed clove of garlic into the yoghurt together with the tahini and lemon juice if using, and leave to one side with the cabbage salad.

Weigh the flavoured mince and divide into 4.  Squish one quarter of the mince onto one side of a tortilla.

Preheat a pancake pan or shallow frying pan over a medium heat and brush with oil.  

Place the tortilla meat side down onto the hot pan.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until the mince is browned.

Flip over with a fish slice and slide onto a plate.  Add a quarter of the garlic yoghurt and cabbage, and chilli sauce to taste. Roll up and tuck in.

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