Stuffed Tomatoes (no beans included!)

Oven: 190deg.C
Ingredients for Stuffed Tomatoes:

2 large beef tomatoes, halved - flesh removed and used in filling

couple of large Chestnut mushrooms
some leftover cooked Rice
A few pine kernels
clove of garlic (if wanted)
A few fresh Basil leaves + some dried Basil
S&P
1/2 Small onion - peeled (or a large Spring Onion/Scallion)
Slice of bread - brown and seedy if poss.

Panko Breadcrumbs - and little grated cheese if wanted
Add the breadcrumbs as necessary - to make the mixture to the thickness you like
small knob of hard butter
Olive or Sunflower Oil

1. Process the above ingredients - making a slightly crumbly mix - taste for seasoning.
2. Place your tomato shells in a buttered baking dish
3. Fill each half with the filling, top with a little grated cheese or breadcrumbs, and drizzle some oil over, and   a little water in the bottom of the baking dish.
4. Bake until tomatoes are nice and soft and topping is starting to brown.
5. When done, pour the juices in the pan over the tomatoes.

Vegetable Casserole with Dumplings - real easy!

This recipe looks a bit long - but is really easy - do try it.

Ingredients: - serves two hungry people

A non-stick pan with a lid is useful.
2-3 tablespoons Olive oil, Rapeseed** oil or mixture of both
2 shallots - peeled and chopped
2 - 3 large carrots - sliced (wash well, but no need to peel them)
1 large white potato - peeled and chopped - nice bite size pieces

4 ozs. (110 g) beans - french beans or similar - topped,tailed and chopped into 1/4" - 1/2" pieces,
nice few cloves of garlic (to taste) - peeled and chopped

2 large tomatoes - chopped
1/2pt.(275 ml) vegetable stock
4ozs. (110 g) peas - frozen are fine*
Large squidge of tomato ketchup

Saute the onions, carrots and potatoes in the oil, shake or stir so they dont stick, and
fry until the potato pieces are just beginning to turn golden.
Add the beans and garlic, and saute for a few minutes more.
Add the tomatoes, stirring and saute for a minute or so
Add the stock and ketchup and taste for seasoning - simmer gently with a lid on, for about 15 mins.

In the meantime - make the Dumplings:
2 ozs. (50 g) Self-Raising Flour
Dried Herbs
1 oz. (25 g) of either vegetarian suet or Trex white vegetable fat
approx. 1 oz. (25 g) cheddar cheese
4 tbls. cold water

In a bowl, cut the fat into the flour and make into 'crumb' mixture with your fingertips.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add
1.1/2 tsps. Italian mix or Herbes de Provence (dried)
and the grated cheese.

Add the cold water and mix into a sticky dough ball and place on a floured surface and very gently knead together into a non sticky ball.

Divide the ball into quarters, then again so you have 8 small pieces.
Roll these into 8 small balls and 'pop' on top of your vegetables.

Replace the lid and cook for another approx. 45 mins.
Shake from time to time so the veggies dont stick.
(Test one of the dumplings to make sure they are cooked through :) )

This is really tasty!

* I think the dish looks much nicer, if the peas are cooked separately and added before serving.

**Rapeseed Oil links

Courgette Pie - quick and easy

Oven: 200C for approx. 40-45 mins. (till golden)

1 pkt. of JusRol (Shortcrust) Pastry Sheet (or Puff Pastry) - cut in half and reserve half for lid.
Roll to shape and place half in base of buttered ovenproof dish, prick with a fork and sprinkle some Semolina or Cornmeal over (approx. 1 tblspn.) - - - so the pastry doesn't go soggy.

Oven approx. 190/200 C.

(1)
1 lb. courgettes - roughly chopped into small chunks - (no need to peel)
1 red onion - peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic (large or small)
approx. tsp or two of dried or fresh oregano
S & P - to taste

Saute in some olive oil and a knob of butter, when the veg. are tender, add about 1 tbls. of flour and cook for another few minutes. Set aside.

(2)
Mix together 2 large beaten eggs*
1 tsp. of Temari sauce
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
approx. 3 ozs. grated cheddar cheese
large tblspn. of plain yogurt
can add a little cream to the mix too.
little pepper/salt - season to taste

Place cooled veggie mix into your pastry case, then pour 'custard' mix over.
Tap the pie dish gently on your counter to settle the 'custard'.
Roll out the lid and crimp :) !
Brush the lid with a little beaten egg* and bake till nicely golden.

This pie is lovely either hot or cold. It reheats very well in the micro.

* save a very small amount of the beaten eggs to use as the egg wash - otherwise you will have to crack open another one!

Chicken, Spuds and Rice : All-in-One Supper Dish

This is also a really easy supper or light w/e lunch dish:

Butter/grease a rectangular baking dish. (Actually any shape will do as long as there's enough room for the rice to expand.)

Rinse and drain, and place in the base of the dish - 8ozs. (225g.) of long grain (raw) Rice, S&P, and some mixed dried (or fresh) herbs of choice.

Place your chicken pieces (wings, legs, thighs or breast pieces on the bone) on top of your rice.

Cut some small potatoes into quarters, and dot around the chicken pieces. Dont cut the potato pieces too large, as they wont cook through. You could parboil them first then add them in, but if the pieces are small enough - they'll be fine. (All ingreds. should take the same amount of cooking time.) Season again and sprinkle over - a small chopped onion.

Pour over 1 pt. of hot chicken stock, in which a knob of butter has been melted.

Oven at 190 c. (ish)
Cover with foil for the first 30 mins (approx.), then remove the foil to brown the chicken and the pots - - and finish the cooking.
About an hour should do it, but do check to see that the chicken's cooked through, the rice is done, and the potatoes are soft and slightly golden - otherwise leave longer in the oven.
Serve with a nice green veg ............ maybe peas.
The quantity of rice will serve approx. 4 people.
As a general guide - 8ozs. (225 g) of raw rice to 1 pt.(550 mls) of stock

Really easy - so it will give you time to make a more adventurous pud! (If you're still hungry!)

Veggie Option: You could make this dish without the chicken, using veggie stock, and have it as an accompaniment. When the potatoes are nice and soft - and slightly crispy on top - it's very tasty!

Chicken Pie - simple (and tasty) recipe for 'leftovers'.

Ingredients:
I used some leftover roasted chicken (1/2 - 3/4lb.), cut into bite-size pieces - any cooked chicken is fine.
Plus some Shortcrust Pastry (savoury) - bought or home made.

Saute:
1 stick of celery - peeled and chopped - (peeling removes the string)
1 onion - peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic peeled, chopped/crushed
Mix together with the chicken**

Sauce:
1 oz. butter
1 oz. flour
7fl.oz.chicken stock
2-3 tblspns. double cream
seasoning, mixed herbs
Squeeze of lemon juice - if wanted
S&P

If you double this quantity - you can keep half back to use as extra gravy

This sauce can be easily made in the micro -
Put all ingredients into a Pyrex jug, zap, but stir frequently until it's reached a nice creamy sauce consistency.
Let it cool, then wrap it around the chicken pieces.
Additions if wanted: sauted mushrooms and/or peas are nice.**
Place this in your pie dish - on a baking tray*

Pastry: Shortcrust - (either bought or home-made.)
If home-made - add some mixed herbs (to choice) and season with S&P.
If you dont want to make pastry - you could used mashed potatoes, or sliced par-boiled ones - on top of chicken mix.

Roll your pastry to approx. 1/4" - 1/2" thick, and place over chicken mix, as your lid. Trim around dish.
Make a few slits in it for the steam to escape, or a hole in the centre, and use your leftover bits of pasty for some decoration. (You can get creative here).
Paint your pastry lid with beaten egg.

Bake at approx. 190 C for about 40-45 mins. till pastry is slightly golden, and the sauce is usually spilling out of the pastry or chosen topping.

Sausages

Going from one extreme - Health & Beauty - to another! but who doesn't love sausages? (apart from Vegetarians of course).
There are some good tips on this site too.

Lamb and apricot curry - Rhodes Across India (uktvfood)

Ingredients:

200g pitted Dried apricots
2 medium Potatoes, floury
vegetable oil, for shallow frying
2 large Onions, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cm Ginger, finely grated
500g boneless lamb, from the shoulder, cut into 4cm cubes
1/4 tsp ground Turmeric
1 tsp mild chilli powder, preferably Kashmiri
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 Tomatoes, skins removed, de-seeded and chopped
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 sprigs Mint, leaves shredded

Method

:

1. Soak the apricots in 300ml water for at least four hours.

2. Cut the potato into matchstick shreds. Heat a 2.5cm depth of oil in a heavy casserole pan. Fry the potato shreds in batches until golden and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper and set aside.

3. Carefully drain off the oil, leaving behind about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the onions to the pan and fry for 5 minutes until soft and golden before stirring in the garlic and ginger. Fry for a minute before adding the lamb.

4. Stir in the turmeric, chilli powder and cumin. Fry for a minute before adding the cinnamon stick. Pour over enough water to barely cover and simmer for 1 hour - 1 hour 30 minutes until the lamb is tender and the masala thickened. Add extra water if the curry needs it and stir regularly as it cooks.

5. Prepare the apricots while the curry is simmering. Heat the sugar in a small pan and cook until it turns a deep caramel. Add the soaked apricots, along with their soaking liquid and remove from the heat.

6. When the lamb is tender, stir in the tomatoes and the apricots with their syrup. Reheat and scatter with the potato matchstick strips. Scatter with chopped coriander and mint leaves and bring to the table.

This is a Parsee dish, and you can find some other Indian regional recipes at:
http://www.indianfoodsco.com/RecipesRegionalIndian/Parsee or Zorastrian Recipes.htm

Quick Chicken Supper

You can bake both of these dishes at the same time.
Mains: Sticky Chicken Wings: (approx. 6)

Oven: 200 C.

Marinade for Wings:

2 tbls. olive or sunflower oil.
2 tbls. tomato puree,
2 tsps. wholegrain mustard
1 tbls. honey
zest and juice of 1 lemon,
S&P

Mix the ingredients for the marinade together in a large bowl, and rub well into the chicken wings.
Leave, covered, about an hour or so (or overnight), in the fridge.
Place in a shallow roasting dish and bake for approx. 30 - 45 mins. (Turn once).

Serve with a lovely mixed green leaf salad (with some vinaigrette* sprinkled over).
*see Recipe List
This is also a good dish to serve as part of a buffet or BBQ.

Pud: Baked Apples and Sultanas/Raisins

You can use either sweet or sharp apples.
Core the apples and using the tip of a sharp knife, make a circle just piercing through the skin, around the circumference of the apple.
Place in your dish with about 1/2 to 1" of water.
Put some sugar inside the 'hole' -
If the apples are sharp use more sugar, if they are sweet use less.
Add a small knob of butter on top of each apple.
Sprinkle a layer of raisins and/or sultanas around the apples, making sure the water just covers them so they dont dry out and burn.
Baste once or twice and cook till soft - test with a skewer. (The apples will have risen up slightly - and look rather pretty.)
Serve with some pouring cream.

You can eat the wings and the apples either hot, warm or cold.