Broccoli, Cauliflower and Pasta Bake!

This dish came about completely out of necessity and I am so delighted with it, that I might actually plan to make it again and shop for the ingredients next time.  As always you can swap and change the vegetable element to your heart’s content.

I put recipes on here in the hope that my daughter, who is at university, might be inspired and have a go. It has worked on occasion. This is a perfect one for you to try Ms Glade X.

It can be made in advance and popped into the oven whenever your ready!

 

Ingredients

1 head of Broccoli cut into spears

1 head of Cauliflower cut into florets

500g Pasta cooked in accordance to the instructions of the packet

2 sliced of Bread cut into breadcrumbs

50g Extra Mature Cheese grated

White Sauce

50g Butter

50g Plain Flour

900ml Milk

Freshly Grated Nutmeg

Method

1. Cook the Cauliflower and Broccoli in a steamer or boil until al dente.

2. Add the cooked vegetables and cooked pasta to a large oven proof dish.

3. To make the white sauce, add all the ingredients together in one pan.

4. Put the pan on a medium heat and stir continually until it boils and thickens.

5. Pour the white sauce over the top of the vegetable mixture in the dish.

6. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and cheese on top of the dish.

7. Cook in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for about 30 minutes until the top is browned and crispy.

8. Serve with garlic bread and salad.

Enjoy!

 

Have a lovely day!

 

Picnic Food – Cheese and Onion Pasties!

 

Now given that I am always going on about picnics, I thought I would share with you the sort of food I sometimes make for a picnic.

Himself and the youngest both take sandwiches for lunch each day, so at the weekends I like add a bit of variation to their diet if possible. These pasties are ideal for picnics and are very filling.

You can also vary the fillings, I added ham to himself’s and made it a different shape so I knew which was which 😉.

I am not really sure what has happened to this photograph, the pasty looks burned but it wasn’t.  I have included the recipe for pastry but of course you could buy it ready made.

Ingredients

Pastry

225g plain flour

100g butter

Pinch of salt

Approximately 30ml cold water

Or a packet of ready made pastry

1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of milk to make an egg wash

Filling

1 glug of olive oil

1 white onion

1 sprig of thyme (optional)

Pinch of white pepper

150g  cheddar cheese grated (I used 50g smoked cheddar because I had some left over)

Ham (optional – quantity to your taste)

Method

1. Make the pastry first by either popping all the dry ingredients in a food processor.

2. Pulse until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Then add the water a little at a time until it comes together.

4. Place it in cling film in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Don’t miss this stage out because it will be much easier to work with if chilled.

5. While it’s chilling, you can prepare the filling. Sauté the onions, adding thyme if using and white pepper,  until they go translucent but then carry on until the liquid around them has dried up. Leave to cool.

6. Pre heat the oven to 220 degrees.

7. After 30 minutes, assemble the pasties by rolling out the pastry. I use a cereal bowl to cut out the circles.

8. Add onion, cheese and ham (if using ) to one side of the circle.

9. Use the egg wash around the outside of the circle, then fold the pastry over to make a half circle. Use a fork to press around the matching edges to seal the pasty and cover the outside with the egg wash.

10. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up and bake for about 20 minutes until browned.

Enjoy!

 

 

Have a lovely day!

 

No need to knead bread…………….. Yes really!

This is cheese and chive bread that I made recently.

It really is the easiest bread I have ever made. It is one of those recipes where there is a lot of alchemy involved and really as long as you follow the simple instructions, you just have to trust it will be ok.

I have also made a rosemary, chive and thyme loaf, a plain white one and a mix of wholemeal and white and, they were all as good as each other.

But the very best thing about it is that it makes the house smell delicious for very little effort!

The recipe came from Janet who writes at Simply So Good and can be found here. She has pictures every step of the way and it is definitely worth having a go.

The English version (because Janet does it in American cups) of the main four ingredients are:

400g Strong bread flour

½ teaspoon of dried yeast

1 teaspoon of sea salt

300ml tepid water

To make it cheese and chive, I added:

50g strong cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon of dried chives

There you are soft, chewy, fresh bread!

Enjoy!

*Tip: Add 200mls of kettle hot water to 100mls of tap cold water and viola, tepid water!

Lentil and Mozzarella bake!

 

 

Is it very obvious that this is a “I have not been food shopping yet, so let me see what is in the cupboard” bake?

I used mozzarella this time but will probably use mature cheddar next time, because that is what I usually have in the fridge. So basically use what you have and don’t let the list of ingredients put you off, just substitute away!

Ingredients

1 glug of olive oil

2 small onions or 1 large one

2 sweet potatoes

1 large white potato or 2 small ones

2 large or 3 medium carrots

handful of frozen peas

handful of frozen sweetcorn

150g of red lentils

1 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 can of tinned tomatoes

1 tablespoon of tomato puree

1 litre of vegetable stock

250g grated mozzarella

4 slices of bread made into bread crumbs

Method

1.Saute the onions in the glug of olive oil until translucent

2. Add the potatoes, carrots, sweetcorn, peas, lentils and herbs to the onion mixture and saute for five minutes

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and vegetable stock to the pan and bring it all to the boil

4. Pre heat the oven to 180c

5. Simmer the contents of the pan for about 20 minutes

6. Transfer to an oblong casserole dish and add the bread crumbs and cheese

7. Pop in into the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes

8. Enjoy!