Bush Spiced Polenta with Baked Beetroot and Fennel...

Just over a year ago my husband and I were in Queensland, Australia visiting my parents. We had a wonderful time drinking martinis while watching Huey’s Kitchen, going for long (slightly scary) walks in National Parks and making the most of local farmer’s markets and food fairs.

It was at one of these food fairs that I bought a selection of Australian spices. The Oz Tukka pack contains Wattle Seed, Tasmanian Pepper Leaf, Artesian Salt, Lemon Myrtle and Bush Tomato. Lots of great spices to have fun and experiment with.

Of all the spices the bush tomato was one I really fell in love with. It is similar in taste to caramelized sun dried tomatoes which you can use in substitution if you’re unable to get ahold of bush tomato. The spice pack came with some great recipe ideas and so far this salad has been one of our favourites. It is perfect as a starter or light lunch / dinner. The flavours blend really well together and despite all the different components it is quite simple to make.

The recipe serves 6 people but I made this for the 2 of us and it was plenty for a hearty and healthy dinner.

Here is the original Oz Tukka recipe.

Bush Spiced Polenta with Baked Beetroot and Fennel Salad (serves 6)

Ingredients

For the polenta:

250ml polenta

1 Tbsp Oz Tukka Bush Tomato, finely chopped

1 1/2 Oz Tukka Tasmanian Pepper Leaf

For the salad:

6 small beetroots

2 small fennel

4 Tbsp pine nuts, roasted (I used toasted sunflower seeds which were not only delicious they were also much cheaper)

80g feta cheese

Rocket leaves (enough for 6 small salads – I used a good sized handful each for 2 salads)

For the dressing:

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp Oz Tukka macadamia oil or olive oil (I used olive oil)

1/4 tsp Oz Tukka lemon myrtle

Directions

To make polenta follow instructions on polenta pack. Add spices towards end of cooking. Wet a square dish or container, press polenta into dish, levelling the top and allow to cool

NOTE: I had to adapt this slightly as I was only able to get pre-made polenta. Instead of adding the spices into the mix I added them to the pan with a small pat of butter while grilling the polenta

Roast the beetroot and fennel in a moderate oven until cooked. Allow to cool

Slice polenta into 1cm thick slices and grill until golden brown

Arrange on plates

Mix dressing ingredients

Chop fennel and beetroot into large chunks

Drizzle some of the dressing over the beetroot and keep separate

Toss fennel with rocket and remaining dressing

Serve on top of polenta with beetroot, sprinkle with pine nuts and crumbled feta

Enjoy!

If you’re interested in more recipes and information please visit the Oz Tukka website.

Many thanks to my husband Paul who took such a lovely photo!

Deep Fried Brie with Cranberry Chutney...

I absolutely love cheese! A wedge of mature Irish cheddar on a slice of warm soda bread, a generous portion of Roquefort with a chilled Sauterne or smooth creamy garlic and herb Le Roule spread thickly over oat cakes – I love it all! One of my all time favourites though is deep fried Brie or Camembert with homemade chutney. This is top of my list of things to order when I dine out.

Before I watched Simon Rimmer prepare this dish on Something for the Weekend I thought it was well beyond my capabilities. The idea of deep frying cheese made me nervous – maybe because I am so accident prone – but really this is such a simple dish to make. I don’t have a deep fat fryer but I did use my wok – it worked very well but it is important to be careful (especially if you’re accident prone like me) as hot oil can be dangerous.

The best thing is now I don’t have to wait to go to a restaurant to have it – I can make it at home easily whenever I have a craving – which unfortunately for my waistline is often.

It’s perfect for lunch or elegant starter and will definitely impress your dinner guests. I serve mine with a simple salad of rocket (arugula) with red peppers and a lime vinaigrette.

Here is Simon Rimmer’s recipe from the BBC Food website.

Deep Fried Brie with Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients

For the chutney

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped

200g/7oz demerara sugar

150ml/5½fl oz red wine vinegar

250g/9oz fresh cranberries (the supermarkets have these in abundance in the lead up to Christmas so buy a few packs and freeze them for later)

100g/3½oz dried cranberries

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp ground cloves

For the deep-fried Brie

100g/3½oz plain flour

2 free-range eggs, beaten

125g/4½oz polenta (I have used both regular bread crumbs and gluten free bread crumbs and both work just as well as polenta)

1 lime, zest only

4 x wedges Brie or Vignotte cheese (I have also used Camembert)

Vegetable oil, for frying (I used olive oil)

Directions

For the chutney, heat the oil in large saucepan and fry the onion and chilli for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.

Add the sugar, vinegar, cranberries, seasoning and cloves. Bring the mixture to the boil and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.

Meanwhile, for the deep-fried Brie, sprinkle the flour onto a plate and beat the eggs in a bowl. Mix the polenta and lime zest together on a separate plate.

Dredge the Brie pieces first in the flour, then dip them in the egg, then coat them in the polenta mixture.

Heat the oil in a deep heavy-based frying pan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. Alternatively, use an electric deep-fat fryer heated to 180C/350F. (CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)

Deep-fry the coated Brie pieces for 4-5 minutes, or until golden-brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove the Brie from the pan and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.

Serve the deep-fried Brie piled onto small plates with the chutney in ramekins alongside.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Wraps – An Easy Tex-Mex Treat...

Every so often I get a craving for a Tex-Mex style wrap. Anything with beans, cheese and sour cream is an immediate hit with me. This is a very quick and easy meal to make and it tastes fantastic! It is also quite healthy – o.k. adding copious amounts of cheese and sour cream may not be too healthy but the beans, tomatoes and fresh veggies balance everything out (well that’s what I’m telling myself anyway). The spices, lime juice and fresh coriander really bring this dish together and give it that amazing Tex-Mex flavour.

Luna Raye’s Black Bean Wraps (this will make approx 5 wraps)

Ingredients

Black Bean Filling

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 red onion finely chopped

• 1tsp dark brown sugar

• 1 short green chilli chopped (add the seeds as well for extra heat)

• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

• ½ tsp cumin

• ½ tsp paprika

• 1 tin of black beans (I love using Biona organic black beans)

• ¼ tin of chopped tinned tomatoes (the rest safely stored for another recipe)

• ½ cup of sweet corn

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

• Squeeze of fresh lime juice (just before dishing up)

Wrap Extras

• 1 medium avocado (Peeling and chopping them can get messy so I halve them and just use a spoon to scoop out what I want for each wrap)

• 1 Romano pepper sliced finely

• 1 cup grated mature cheddar cheese

• 150g sour cream

• Handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped

• Handful of cherry tomatoes quartered

• 4 wraps (I love Mission Deli multigrain wraps)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Put oven on a low temperature (this is so you can gently warm the wraps)

• Prepare the ‘wrap assembly’ ingredients. Grate, slice and chop so everything is ready to go

• Heat oil in a frying pan and add the chopped onions and brown sugar

• Once onions have softened add the chilli, garlic and ¼ tin of chopped tomatoes.

• Give everything a good stir

• Rinse the black beans and add to the pan along with the cayenne pepper, paprika and cumin

• Cook mixture on medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring regularly. The mixture will start to get nice and mushy

• Add the sweet corn and chopped coriander and mix well

• Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and turn off the heat

• Place the number of wraps you plan to use right away in the oven so they can gently warm. This takes approx 1-2 minutes(if they are in the oven for too long they will go hard and crunchy. They will still be delicious but not so good for wrapping!)

• Once warmed remove wraps and begin assembling your wrap

• I tend to put some cheese on first and then 3-4 Tbsp of the bean mixture followed by some peppers, tomatoes, a spoonful of avocado and the fresh coriander

• It is then topped off with a big spoonful of lovely sour cream and some salt and pepper

• Wrap it all up and enjoy!

We had mixture for 2 wraps each that night plus there was enough left over so my husband was able to have a wrap for lunch the next day. I didn’t heat that wrap and didn’t add any sour cream but added everything else. He told me that it tasted even better then the night before and when he opened his lunch everyone commented on how wonderful it smelled.

A successful dinner and lunch – what more could you ask for?

Black Bean Filling

Wrap Extras

Black Bean Wrap A Tex-Mex Treat

Fried Halloumi Cheese in Pita with Hummus, Salad a...

Up until a few short years ago I had never even heard of halloumi cheese. For those that know me this may seem strange as I absolutely LOVE cheese. Stilton, Brie, Shropshire Blue, Cornish Yarg, Caerphilly, Roquefort, Mozzarella, Caboc, Gruyere, Double Gloucester, Coeur de Chevre – the list goes on and on and on.

So how I had missed out on halloumi cheese for so long I will never know. Fortunately a good friend invited me over for lunch and she served a mixed leaf and cherry tomato salad with pieces of grilled halloumi on top. It was delicious and I quickly came to the realization that I had been missing out on something quite wonderful!

Halloumi is a semi soft cheese made with a mixture of sheep and goats milk. There are some manufacturers who are bringing cows milk into the process as it is cheaper to produce and it creates a milder flavour. This is not true halloumi however and many argue that you can really only get authentic halloumi in Cyprus. As of the 1990’s the USA has registered halloumi as a protected Cypriot product but it still has not achieved this status within the EU. The question of whether cow’s milk should be allowed in the process is at the heart of this debate.

While it is traditionally associated with Cypriot cuisine it’s also very popular in Greece as well as the Middle East. Halloumi has a strong salty flavour and a firm texture. It comes packaged in brine with mint which acts as an anti-bacterial ingredient – giving it a long shelf life. Although it can be eaten ‘raw’ (directly out of the packet) it is much tastier when grilled or fried.

If you have never tried halloumi cheese then I highly recommend putting it on your list of ingredients to try!

Luna Raye’s Fried Halloumi in Pita with Hummus, Salad and Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 250 g of Halloumi cheese sliced

• Handful of fresh salad leaves

• Handful of cherry tomatoes quartered

• 1-2 Tablespoons of fresh mint leaves chopped (optional but really tasty)

• 2-3 Tbsp of flour seasoned with freshly ground black pepper

• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil

• 2-3 Tbsp of hummus

• Pita Bread (this recipe can make 4 sandwiches easily)

Directions

• Heat oil in a frying pan

• Coat the halloumi slices in the flour and place them in the heated oil

• Let the slices cook on one side for approx 2-3 minutes. Don’t have the heat too high

• When the slices are a golden brown colour on one side flip them over

• Toast pita breads (I like to allow mine to cool a little before cutting them open because they get HOT! If I had a penny for every time I was burned by hot pita bread I would be very rich indeed!)

• When halloumi is golden on both sides remove from pan and allow excess oil to drain off by placing on paper towel

• When pita is safe to cut into – go for it! Spread hummus on the inside and place a few leaves and tomatoes at the bottom.

• Add 2-3 slices of the halloumi and top up with a bit more hummus, salad and tomatoes

Enjoy!

Warning these sandwiches are highly addictive.

Halloumi cheese coated in seasoned flour and fried

Halloumi in pita with hummus, salad and cherry tomatoes

Brigid, Creativity and Almond Crescent Cookies...

Feast of Brigid Imbolc Offering

One of the most wonderful things about children is their pure creative spirit. They draw, sing, write, dance, play make believe and create just for the sheer pleasure of it. Watching them in action you can see just how immersed they become in whatever they are doing. They don’t concern themselves with what other people think. They don’t worry about whether what they are doing will eventually reap financial rewards. They don’t have doubts around what they create – they proudly give their pictures to their parents to stick on the fridge or they show off their latest dance routines for their grandparents. For them it is all about having fun and getting lost in that magical moment of creativity.

I long for those moments in my adult life. Now I am too self conscious to dance in public. There is no amount of money that would get to me to sing out loud for anyone. My husband (an art teacher) recently signed me up to a local college life drawing class. Already I am worrying about other people seeing – and judging – my work. Today I have decided to banish these negative thoughts from my mind and to be more supportive of myself. I realized it’s time to nurture my creative spirit and have some fun!

Today is Imbolc the feast day of Brigid, the Goddess of Art and Healing. She has a particularly strong connection to writers, poets, storytellers and metal workers (smithcraft) as well to those who practice the healing arts. Although today is Her feast day she is watching over us all the time. If ever we need clarity, support or inspiration all we need to do is ask for Her guidance. Lighting candles or using specially blended Aromatherapy oils while sitting in quiet reflection can help connect us with Her powerful energy.

There are other ways to connect with Brigid and celebrate Her presence in our lives. Don’t wait for Imbolc to come around again – start today and remind yourself how wonderful it is to lose yourself in the magic of creativity!

• Write! Write! Write! Poems, short stories, songs or letters to friends and family. Just put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) the main thing is getting your words onto paper.

• Consider crafts. Have you ever thought about taking up knitting, scrapbooking, decoupage or crochet? There are so many different types of crafts out there to explore and have fun with.

• Listen to some of your favourite music (you may even be tempted to kick up your heels and have a dance around the house)

• Sing. Sing a song. Sing it loud. You get the picture! You don’t have to do this in front of an audience. Just do it for yourself and to express yourself through your own voice.

• Find inspiration in nature. Get outside for a walk. Breathe in the fresh air, listen to the birdsong and let your mind drift.

• Draw. Doodle. Colour in. Have some fun with pretty coloured pencils, pens or paints. When you’re done – stick it on the fridge!

• Get in your kitchen and bake!

The kitchen was my first port of call this morning. I found this recipe for Almond Crescent Cookies which I was eager to try. I set up a little altar by the hearth and left some of the cookies and a small glass of Cointreau out as a thank you to Brigid (and my ever so helpful house fairy). I sat for a few minutes and thought carefully about everything I want to achieve in the upcoming months as well as those things I need to let go of. Now I am going out for a walk. I feel the need to listen to birdsong and walk off the 4 cookies I just ate. They really are tasty!

I wish each and every one of you a happy and magical Imbolc.

Here is the recipe courtesy of Squidoo.com

Almond Crescent Cookies for Imbolc

Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely chopped almonds (or other nuts) (I used ½ cup almonds and ½ cup walnuts)

• 2 sticks (1 cup) softened unsalted butter

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar plus extra for coating

• 2 teaspoons vanilla (I used 1tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp almond extract)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).

• Lightly grease two cookie sheets.

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until well blended. Add in the 3/4-cup powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add vanilla and almonds and stir until blended. Add the 2 cups flour gradually while stirring. At this point, you will have to knead it until well blended with your hands.

• Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to make the dough easier to handle.

• Shape the dough into crescent shapes (see picture) using 1 tablespoon at a time. To make it easier, roll into a string shape first and then shape into a crescent. Place onto cookie sheets and bake for 12-16 minutes until the edges are slightly browned.

• Remove from oven and let cookies stand for a couple minutes until firm enough to remove from the sheet. Remove from the cookie sheet and place onto a rack. Let them cool for 10 minutes. Sift the extra powdered sugar over the cookies for the topping and let cool completely.

• If you want to skip the crescent shaping process, just roll them into tablespoon-sized balls and bake the same as above. When the balls have cooled for 10 minutes, roll them in powdered sugar to coat evenly and let cool. You can also skip the nuts in case of possible allergy. They will simply taste like delicious shortbread.

Enjoy!

Almond Crescent Cookies for Imbolc

Blueberry Pancakes and Country Walks...

Shorne Woods Country Park

This weekend the sun finally came out providing the perfect opportunity for a country walk. My husband and I decided to go to one of our favourite places – Shorne Woods Country Park. It’s a beautiful place for a walk and has a good mixture of trails from gentle and easy going to slightly more rigorous ones including the infamous Cardiac Hill. It really was a joy to be outside in the fresh air listening to the bird song and watching dogs happily retrieving sticks for their owners.

After a lengthy hike our appetites were in full swing. What better way to ‘celebrate’ our walk then by going home and having freshly made blueberry pancakes with a generous helping of Canadian Maple Syrup. A pot of freshly brewed Kicking Horse Coffee on the side made this a real North American treat.

Here is the Blueberry Pancake recipe I used courtesy of the BBC GoodFood website.

American Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients

• 200g self-raising flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 egg

• 300ml milk

• knob butter
• 150g pack blueberries

• sunflower oil or a little butter for cooking

• golden or maple syrup

Method

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Beat the egg with the milk, make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and whisk in the milk to make a thick smooth batter. Beat in the melted butter, and gently stir in half the blueberries.

2. Heat a teaspoon of oil or small knob of butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Drop a large tablespoonful of the batter per pancake into the pan to make pancakes about 7.5cm across. Make three or four pancakes at a time. Cook for about 3 minutes over a medium heat until small bubbles appear on the surface of each pancake, then turn and cook another 2-3 minutes until golden. Cover with kitchen paper to keep warm while you use up the rest of the batter. Serve with golden syrup and the rest of the blueberries.

Enjoy!

Shorne Woods

Canadian Maple Syrup

Blueberry Pancakes

Red Bean Veggie Burgers: Everything A Veggie Burge...

Every so often I get a craving for a really well made veggie burger. Unfortunately my experience in ordering such a thing from restaurants has usually resulted in bitter disappointment and regret at not ordering the steak. The reason being is that most of the restaurant style veggie burgers I have had have either been:

• Greasy heavily processed lumps that sit unhappily in my stomach for days.

• Dry overcooked burgers that resemble month old cow pats and taste like saw dust.

This never made sense to me. When you think of all the wonderful vegetables, fresh herbs and spices at our disposal why do so many restaurants struggle to make a decent vegetable burger! Surely it can’t be that difficult?

Luckily for me my best friend Jessica is a Kitchen Witch and Gardener Extraordinaire. I am always in awe of what she grows in her garden and what she effortlessly whips up in the kitchen. A few months ago she sent me a recipe for red bean veggie burgers which she adapted from the well known and much loved cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. I have now made her version of this recipe a few times and it just keeps on getting better and better. This is exactly what I have been searching for in a well made vegetable burger.

These are great to make on a Sunday and I am in the habit of making extra and freezing them for the week. They can be taken out in the morning for an easy dinner that night and they also make for a tasty filling lunch. All that’s needed is a bit of reheating which I tend to do in the oven. I serve them with cheese and pickles OR with hummus, red peppers and garden salad. Delicious!

I have reprinted her recipe exactly as she sent it to me. Here it is:

Jessica’s version of Red Bean Veggie Burgers  (we usually double/triple the recipe and freeze some)

Heat in a large skillet on medium heat:
2 teaspoons olive oil

Add and cook, stirring until softened:
1/2 cup chopped onions • 2 minced garlic cloves

Add and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes:
2 cups grated courgette (and/or carrots)
1 tsp chili powder • 1 tsp ground cumin

Meanwhile mash in a large bowl:
3 cups cooked kidney beans • 2 Tbs mustard
2 Tbs catsup (ketchup) • 2 Tbs Worcestershire or soy sauce

Add the vegetable mixture to the mashed beans and mix in:
1.5 cups oats
Various garden herbs (parsley, thyme, chives, etc.)

(We used Chives, Parsley and Chervil)

Mix it all together

Season to taste with salt and pepper

Wet hands and shape resulting gooey goodness into
patties.

Fry the patties in oil over medium heat, or place
on cookie sheet and broil for 5-8 minutes on each side.

Frying yields a crispier patty, while broiling gives a
drier, less oily one.

You can also bake them in the oven
at 400F (200C or Gas Mark 6)

These burgers freeze well and can be reheated
on the stove top, in the oven, or on the grill.

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites, 1996

My cookbook wish list

Thanks to both my sister and my friend Jessica I have been able to tick a few books off my cookbook wish list!
As I posted last week my sister gave me the new cookbook from Fresh – REFRESH which is such a wonderful book. This week I will be trying out Susur Lee’s Smoothie.

Jessica brought a huge smile to my face when just a few days before Christmas a lovely parcel arrived with 2 wonderful books nestled inside. One of them was another top priority book on my list The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking For Health. I am not sure what my first recipe will be from this book but I am sorely tempted to try the Baked Sweet Potatoes Stuffed Three Ways.

These books will keep me busy for some time as they really all packed full of lots of exciting recipes to try. I hope you will keep checking back in to see what I make and hopefully to try some of these recipes for yourself!

Puff Pastry Pizza...

I am not ashamed to say that I buy frozen pastry. It is far easier to use then making pastry from scratch and even well known chef’s recommend using it! We had some puff pastry lurking in the freezer, so this week I thought it might be fun to try and make a puff pastry pizza.

There were a few veggies that needed to be used up so I decided to make a combination of 2 toppings. One was inspired by my Mum’s lasagne recipe and included ricotta cheese, parmesan, spinach and egg. The other was a tomato based sauce which was also going to serve as a light and easy lunch the next day.

I preheated the oven and put our pizza stone in to gradually warm up. Following the packet directions I rolled out the pastry sheet and put it on the warmed pizza stone. Liking the idea of a ‘stuffed crust’ I put thin strips of mozzarella cheese about a half inch from the edge and then folded the edges over the cheese. I sealed the crust with an egg wash.

I added about 6 large Tablespoons of the tomato sauce to the ricotta mixture and then spread the combined sauces over the rolled out pastry sheet. Finishing it off with some roughly chopped pieces of mozzarella cheese I put it in the oven for approx 20 – 25 minutes.

The pizza stone really helped it cook beautifully throughout. The base was lovely and crisp and not soggy at all (I was worried about the amount of moisture in the sauces).The crust puffed up and remained light and flaky. Biting into it and having hot mozzarella cheese ooze out was a delight!

It was excellent and went very well with a glass of red wine and a small green salad. We even had leftovers for the next day which were just as tasty. This makes for a light, flaky delicious pizza!

Luna Raye’s Puff Pastry Pizza

Ingredients

For Pizza Crust / Preparation

1 sheet of ready made puff pastry

1 beaten egg for the egg wash

2 x 125g mozzarella balls

For Tomato sauce

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

Drizzle olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 small red onion

¼ cup finely chopped zucchini (courgette)

Pinch of dried chilli flakes

Pinch of dried mixed Italian herbs (Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Marjoram)

For Ricotta Mixture

250g Ricotta

4 chestnut mushrooms finely chopped

300g baby leaf spinach

3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1 egg beaten

Directions

Preheat oven according to puff pastry directions. Make sure pizza stone is in oven so it can gradually heat up.

Begin tomato sauce by adding drizzle of olive oil to a pan and gently caramelizing the onions.

When onions are soft add the minced garlic, chilli flakes and Italian herbs.

Mix well and add the tin of tomatoes.

Simmer on medium heat for 6- 7 minutes and then add the finely chopped zucchini.

Stir around and remove from heat.

Begin the Ricotta mixture by putting the ricotta in a large glass bowl.

Add a beaten egg and mix well.

Add the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and chestnut mushrooms and stir to blend.

Roughly chop the baby spinach leaves and add to the mixture.

Set aside.

Prepare the pastry by rolling it out on a flat surface. I used a large chopping board.

Cut about ¼ of one of the mozzarella balls into thin strips and place them about half an inch from the outside edge of the pastry.

Fold the outside edge over the cheese strips to create a ‘thick stuffed crust’

Beat the other egg and brush it over the crust edge (this will help keep it in place and also give the crust a more golden colour)

At this point I needed to transfer the pizza base to the pizza stone – so I carefully slid it from the chopping board onto the stone (making sure the stone was on a heat proof surface)

Add about 6 Tbsp of the tomato sauce into the bowl with the ricotta mixture and give it a gentle stir. It doesn’t matter if the tomato sauce is still a little warm. (Put the rest in the fridge for an easy lunch the next day)

Spoon the mixture onto the pastry base and spread it out.

Roughly tear or chop the rest of the mozzarella into pieces and scatter over the top.

Season with a bit more salt and pepper.

Put in oven for approximately 20 – 25 minutes.

Assemble your simple green salad and pour some wine.

Enjoy!

I really loved this recipe and will make puff pastry pizza again! Check out this great site for more inspiring ways to use puff pastry!

Puff Pastry Pizza

Sweet Potato And Black Bean Soup: Magic In A Bowl...

“Soup is the song of the hearth… and the home.”
Louis P. De Gouy, ‘The Soup Book’ (1949)

There is nothing quite like a bowl of home made soup on a cold rainy Autumnal day. Usually when making soup I take my time; allowing things to gently simmer for hours, enjoying the process of flavours developing and coming together and breathing in the rich aroma of herbs and spices as they fill my kitchen. For me making soup is very much like brewing up a magic potion. It is a sacred ritual and something to be savoured – I enjoy the process as much as I enjoy eating the soup!

However I do understand that sometimes you just want to curl yourself round a big comforting bowl of soup as quickly as you can. That was certainly the case for me when I went out for a weekend walk and got caught in a sudden downpour. With no where to hide and no umbrella, I got soaked. By the time I got home I was chilled to the bone and to be honest, was also slightly cranky. What I needed was the powerful healing magic of soup!

Fortunately earlier on in the week I bought ingredients to make Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soup. While browsing the Spark People website, this recipe shared by member SOUSRATURE, caught my eye. It is extremely healthy, uses an ingredient (black beans or turtle beans) which I have never used before and takes all of 20 minutes to prepare and cook. It did take me a little longer as I don’t have a hand held blender so had to transfer some of the soup into my glass blender. Still the soup was on the table within 30 minutes!

I had always been under the assumption that soup needed to bubble away for ages in order for deep flavours to develop and emerge but this soup was one of the most delicious I have ever tasted. The only changes I made was to use a Spanish Onion, add a pinch of nutmeg (of course) and an extra clove of garlic.
This is definitely a dish I will make again and again. If you love good wholesome tasty soup then do yourself a favour and get in your kitchen and brew up this magical recipe. I promise you’ll love it!

Here is Sousrature’s recipe as seen on Spark People:

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

2 med. sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup of rinsed black beans

1 cup sweet vidalia onion, finely chopped

1 tsp chopped garlic

3 cups veggie broth

1-2 bay leaves

.5 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Lightly spray bottom of sauce pan with olive oil and sweat the onion and garlic over low heat.

Add chopped sweet potatoes and beans and cook briefly.

Add water, 3 vegetable bouillon cubes, cinnamon and bay leaf. Turn up heat slightly and cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes soften.

Remove bay leaf and blend just a bit with hand blender–be sure to leave some nice big chunks of sweet potato for contrast. Pop it back over the heat for a minute, then serve with an optional sprinkling of brown sugar and/or dollop of light sour cream on top.

NOTE: Full of fiber, protein, and vitamins, this soup is filling enough to be a stand-alone meal! The black beans and orange sweet potatoes also look great together. (Tip: Use low-sodium broth to cut the salt content.)

Number of Servings: 2

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soup

Zucchini Slice. A Shared Recipe And A Delight!...

Sharing recipes and working with other people who are passionate about food and cooking is a big part of being a kitchen witch. I love looking for new recipes to try and discovering different ways to prepare some of my favourite ingredients.

I am very thankful to Caroline at the Lea House B&B who sent me a lovely email about her adventures with lemon possets. I enjoyed looking around her website (A visit may be in order soon. The gorgeous inglenook fireplace and a good book are calling me).

Anyway during my perusing I found a link to some of Caroline’s recipes and one immediately caught my eye. The zucchini (courgette) slice. This is something I have never tried before so I thought I would give it a go – especially as I still have a fridge full of zucchinis!

It was delicious hot and was just as good cold the next day! We served it both times with a simple green salad.

I didn’t have any bacon so I decided to add some sweet corn instead. I added about 1/2 a cup. I do think it would be wonderful with flaked smoked haddock and will certainly try that next time. The fresh red chilli I added for zing came through beautifully and gave each bite a nice little kick.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe Caroline. I will absolutely be making this again!

For those of you who would like to try Caroline’s recipe here it is as it appears on her recipe blog.

Zucchini (Courgette) Slice

Ingredients

• 375g zucchini (courgettes)

• 1 large onion

• 3 rashers of bacon

• 1 cup (75g) grated cheddar cheese

• 1 cup (120g) self raising flour

• 1/2 cup sunflower oil

• 5 free-range eggs

• salt & pepper to taste

• 1 finely chopped chilli/few drops Tabasco – to taste

Directions

Grate unpeeled zucchini coarsely, finely chop onion and bacon. Combine zucchini, onion, bacon, cheese, sifted flour, oil and lightly beaten eggs and season to taste with salt, pepper and something with a zing. Pour into a well-greased baking tin (approx 16cm x 26cm) and bake at about 180 C for 30 – 40 mins till just browning and fairly firm. Serves 4 – 6

The quantities can be adjusted proportionately at will, and things other than the bacon can be added (flaked smoked haddock; grated carrot, peas etc for veggies).

Enjoy!

Zucchini (Courgette) Slice