Butternut Squash and Wensleydale Cheese Soup

For such a simple soup this is remarkably tasteful. I was going to add some exciting spices, but at the last minute I decided not to, as my friend was a bit poorly and a ‘safe’ soup was needed.

If you don't have access to wensleydale cheese, then you can use any other mild and crumbly cheese. 

Serves 2

1 tablespoon butter

1 large leek

1 large butternut squash

600ml water

1 teaspoon salt

100g wensleydale cheese

Finely chop the leek. Melt the butter in a large thick-bottomed saucepan. Add the leek, and sweat for a few minutes while you peel and finely chop the butternut squash. Add this to the leek and stir well. Add the water and salt, and bring to the boil.

Simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Mash them with a potato masher (or an electric mixer if you’re lucky enough to have one).

Grate the cheese and sprinkle it into the soup. Stir, and serve. 

Chocolate, Banana & Maple Syrup Cake

Yet again I found myself with a bunch of over-ripe bananas that really needed using sooner rather than later. Sadly there was no flour or any other useful ingredients in the house, so my friend and I headed towards the local shop to hunt for provisions. Unfortunately their stock was rather limited, so some improvisation was needed. We secured a handful of ingredients, and set off for home. Once there I set to work, and soon we had cake to enjoy.

100g butter

40g corn-flour

100g ground almonds

60g cocoa powder

50g sugar

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs

4 ripe bananas (about 250g)

50ml maple syrup

Grease and line with baking paper a 22cm round baking tin.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Leave it to cool down while you sift the corn-flour, almonds, cocoa powder, sugar and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir carefully with a spatula. Add the butter and stir slowly until the mixture is even. Add the eggs and stir again.

Mash the bananas with a fork, and add to the mixture. Finally add the maple syrup.

Pour the mixture into the tin, and place in the middle of the oven on 180^oC. Bake for about 30minutes until a skewer comes out clean when you perform the skewer test.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin, then serve. It is delicious with some custard or vanilla ice cream. 

Marsbar Crispies

The cafes at work make these lovely and slightly addictive sweet things, and I thought since it’s a long weekend I’d try to make a treat. They’re really really simple to make, the hardest part is being patient while the chocolates melt, so it doesn’t burn.

These things are ideal snacks for kids’ parties and at other times when non-sticky snacks are a good thing. They’re much more caramelly than the original chocolates, and yummily chewy.

Makes 9 squares

 

200g mars-bars

40g crisped rice

Scrunch up some grease-proof paper, and line a tin with it. Scrunching the paper makes it more cooperative and easier to use. It doesn't matter if your tin is a bit too big, as the mixture won’t run.

Slowly melt the mars-bars in a thick-bottomed saucepan, over low heat. Stir occasionally to make sure it isn’t sticking or getting burned. When the chocolates have transformed themselves into sticky glup, add the crisped rice and stir well with a metal spoon.

Pour the mixture onto the lined tin, and pat it flat with a spatula. Leave to cool for about 30 minutes. Cut into squares, and enjoy.

Can be stored for a few days in an airtight container.