Warm Butternut Squash Salad

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of salads. They are so easy to make, and you can create all sorts of flavour and texture combinations. And to top it all, they are healthy and good for you too. So here is one that I made recently, as a comforting treat after a busy week. 

Serves 2

½ butternut squash

4 carrots

a small bunch of fresh lemon thyme

4 shallots

2 cloves of garlic

125g baby button mushrooms

¼ iceberg lettuce

¼ red pointed pepper

½ courgette

100g umbrian lentils

100ml dry white wine

rapeseed oil

freshly ground black pepper

freshly ground sea salt

Preheat the oven to 180^oC. 

While the oven gets warm, peel the butternut squash, slice and chop it into small squares. Wash the carrots and slice them into 2cm pieces. Place both butternut squash and carrots in a baking tray, drizzle with oil and use scissors to chop a bit of lemon thyme over them. Turn to make sure the oil is evenly covered, and place in the oven for 1 hour or so until the pieces are soft. 

Place the lentils in a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Boil for 25 minutes or until soft. Drain.

Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic, and sauté in a pan with oil. Add freshly ground pepper and salt to taste. Chop some lemon thyme over it to taste. When the onions are soft, add the white wine, and leave to reduce. Any wine is ok, but I find a dry or at least medium works better as they add more of an edge to the taste. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer, and add the lentils.  

Chop the lettuce and spread out on two plates. Finely slice the red pepper lengthways and spread over the lettuce. Use a julienne slicer and make the courgette into fine strips (if you don’t have a julienne slicer just finely slice it lengthways). Add the courgette to the plates.

Spoon the baked vegetables over the salad, and add the onion and mushroom mix to the top. Sprinkle a few drops of oil over the salad, and serve while it’s warm. 

Banana & Date Smoothie

This smoothie is rather thick and yummy, and can be enjoyed as a breakfast on its own, or maybe as an afternoon snack. It is both filling and full of energy, so should keep you going for a little while. And it is easy to make as well!

2 bananas
5 dates
3 tablespoons soya yoghurt
a pinch of ground cardamom
a pinch of ground cinnamon

Peel the bananas, take the pips out of the dates, and add all ingredients to a food processor or smoothie maker. Whizz until you have a smooth mixture. Pour into a glass, and enjoy!

Shaved Courgette Salad

As it has been very hot here recently, I fancied something quite light and refreshing for my lunch today. And it had to be something that was simple to assemble, as I was far too warm to have any energy for complicated cooking. A look in the fridge revealed that I had the ingredients for a salad, and a few minutes later I was ready to go back out into the sun with my plate of tempting greens.

Serves 1 as a main salad or 2 as a starter / side salad

a handful of spinach leaves

1 medium sized courgette
1/2 red pepper
a handful of tomberries or cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon of pine nuts
the zest of ¼ lime
the juice of ¼ lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Place the washed spinach leaves on a plate or in a bowl. Use a mandolin slicer or similar device to finely slice the courgette lengthways and place the strips on top of the spinach leaves. Finely chop the red pepper, and scatter the pieces on top of the courgette. Add the tomberries, or slice a few cherry tomatoes in half and add these. Finally scatter a few pine nuts on top.

Zest a quarter of a lime, and also juice this quarter. Add to a small jar along with the olive oil and maple syrup. Shake well, and pour over your salad.

Green Quiche

Fast food anyone? This quiche only took me about 15 minutes to make, and then it stayed in the oven for 40 minutes while I sat outside reading my book. Not much more effort than calling for a take-away.

You can make two individual quiches like I've done here, or you can make one larger one, it depends on what oven-proof dishes you have handy.

I was lazy today and used ready made (shop-bought) gluten free pastry, but you can make your own instead if you prefer.

This quiche is lovely served with a small side salad.

Serves 2

100g petit pois peas (frozen)
100g broadbeans (frozen)
50g samphire
400g shortcrust pastry
1 tablespoon oil for greasing the dish
1 egg
100ml double cream
250g mozzarella cheese
a large pinch of dried mixed herbs
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Turn the oven on to 180^oC and let it pre-heat while you make the quiche.

Bring water to the boil and add the peas and broadbeans. Let them simmer for 5 minutes before adding the samphire, then simmer for another 4 minutes. Drain.

Grease your oven-proof dish(es) and place the pastry in it. I'm lazy and tend to just press it out into the dish, but you could do it properly and use a rolling pin to roll it flat then add it. Up to you. Make sure the corners don't get too thick and clumpy.

Tear the mozzarella cheese into small pieces and scatter on the base. Grate some black pepper over it, and then add the boiled greens.

Mix the egg and the double cream in a bowl, and add a large pinch of dried mixed herbs. Pour this mixture over the quiches.

Place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes until the egg and cream mixture has set.

Purple Potato Salad

You don't necessarily need purple potatoes for this recipe, but I just couldn't resist them last time I went shopping. They are so beautiful and inviting, and so vibrant when you cut into them. Of course they lose a lot of their colour when boiled, but you still end up with thrillingly blue tatties.

I think a potato salad goes with most things; Sunday roast, boiled greens, juicy salad, barbecue, ... and the list goes on. I had mine with boiled asparagus and a salad, and it was delicious.

Serves 2

4 medium size potatoes
2 handfuls of broadbeans (frozen)
2 eggs
4 spring onions
2 tablespoons of sour cream
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
a pinch of freshly ground pepper
a pinch of freshly ground sea salt

Wash your potatoes and cut them into bite size pieces (you're going to chop them up anyway, so you might as well save on cooking time by chopping them before boiling). Place in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to the boil. Add the frozen broadbeans, and let the water get back to boiling. Boil until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.

While the potatoes and broadbeans boil, also boil your eggs until they are hard-boiled but not green, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Finely chop the spring onions, and place with the rest of the cold ingredients in a bowl. Drain the boiled veg. and the egg, and shell the egg. Chop the egg into pieces, and mix all the ingredients together.

Asparagus & Samphire Salad

A warming salad can be just the thing to round off a warm summers day. It's light and delicate, easy and quick to make, and gently warms you while the temperature drops and the evening draws in. There are unlimited possibilities for ideas, but here's one which contains samphire, a salty march vegetable that's both tasty and nutritious. And being quite salty, it's perfect for a warm day when you need to replenish some of the salt you lost during the day.

Serves 2

20 cherry tomatoes
2 eggs
200g broadbeans (frozen)
2 bunches asparagus
80g samphire
a few salad leaves
4 stalks of spring onion

Turn your oven on to 180^oC  and slice the tomatoes in half. Place them on a baking tray and roast for about 15 to 20 minutes then remove from the oven.

While the tomatoes are roasting, boil the egg to your preference. I like them hard-boiled but not green, so I boil them for 6 to 7 minutes. Shell your egg and leave it in hand-warm water until you need it.

At the same time as you start boiling the eggs, also bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the broadbeans and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the asparagus, leave to boil for 4 minutes, and finally add the samphire and cook for a further 4 minutes. (If you are using tinned broadbeans, drain them, and add them last when the sampire has only got one more minute to cook.)

Tear the salad leaves into pieces, and place on plates. Finely chop the spring onion and scatter then over the salad leaves. Drain the greens and add to your plates. Then divide the tomatoes evenly, and finally slice the eggs lengthways and place round the edge of the plates.

If you want you could add a little drizzle of olive oil, or even a vinaigrette. The Lemon and Maple syrup vinaigrette goes quite well.

Filled breadbuns

I was inspired to make this by watching the Great British Bakeoff Masterclass on TV, and so I dug out my ‘How to bake’ cookbook by Paul Hollywood and gave it a go. Of course I didn’t follow the recipe to the letter – I never do. But they are a pretty good approximation, I think. It was certainly popular when served as a birthday breakfast, with tzatziki and a mixed leaf salad.

I have written it here to be made in one go, but I actually made the vegetable filling and the dough the night before, and then made the buns in the morning, because I wanted a quickly made breakfast.

Makes 9 breadbuns

For the dough

500g gluten free flour mix

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

14g dried yeast

30g butter (at room temperature)

1 egg

350ml water

For the filling

1 tablespoon butter

1 escallion shallot (or any other type shallot)

1 clove of garlic

10 cherry tomatoes

1 yellow pepper

½ small courgette

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

a few leaves of fresh basil

50g cheese (I used a mixture of Boursin & Applewood smoked cheese)

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and use your hands to crumble in the butter. Add the egg, and carefully mix it in with your hands. Finally add the water a little at a time, using your hand to stir it in. You may need to adjust the amount of water, but you should end up with a sticky dough. Use your hands to press it together into a ball, and place it back in the bowl. Cover it with clingfilm and place somewhere nice and warm, like next to a radiator or in an airing cupboard. Leave it to rise for about 2 hours, or overnight if you are making the buns for breakfast. If you are leaving the dough overnight; take it away from the heat source after the 2 hours and leave it to rest at room temperature.  

To make the filling; finely chop the shallot and sweat it in a little butter.  Crush and finely chop the garlic, and add to the onion. Leave it to sweat for a few minutes until the shallot is soft. Meanwhile, chop the remaining vegetables, and add them to the pan. Remove the thyme leaves from the stalk, and chop the basil leaves. Add these to the mixture. Leave to cook gently until all ingredients are soft. Take away from the heat and let the mixture cool for a little while.

Chop or grate the cheese into small pieces.

Divide the dough into 9 pieces. Roll them each into a ball, and press flat into the shape of a disc. Place some of the filling in the middle of the disc, add some cheese, and gently fold the sides of the dough-disc over the filling so that you have a ball-shaped bun. Press it slightly flat, so that it will be easier to bake.

Once you have made all the buns, get a frying pan out, butter it, and bake them on gentle heat - about 4 minutes on each side (just like making pancakes). 

Serve with a dip or a light salad. 

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. 

Warm green and feta salad

The wonderful thing about a warm salad is that it is so quick and easy to make, and after a long day at work, when you really just want to get a takeaway and dive into bed, it is just the thing. There’s no need for accurate measuring, just measure out an amount that you think is suitable for how hungry you are. The amounts below are a suggestion only; really you can use whatever lurks in your fridge.

Serves 1

5 or 6 small potatoes (new baby potatoes are brilliant for this)

3 or 4 asparagus spears

6 or 7 sugar snap peas

6 or 7 mange touts

4 large cherry tomatoes

50g feta cheese

4 olives

2 half artichoke hearts (ready cooked, jarred and stored in oil, you can get them from most supermarkets)

1 egg

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

herbal salt

Wash the potatoes, and boil them in a little water. When they are nearly done, throw in the asparagus, mange touts and sugar snap peas, and simmer until these are tender.

Use a slotted spoon to fish out the vegetables. Keep the water boiling, and crack open the egg into it; to poach it. The poaching time depends on how well cooked you like your egg. You can use the flat side of a spoon to gently press the yolk to check the softness and thus the readiness.

While the egg poaches, arrange the vegetables on a plate. Slice the artichokes, feta cheese, tomatoes and olives, and sprinkle them over the vegetables.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the food.

Use the slotted spoon to fish out the egg, and place it on top of the food.

Sprinkle a little bit of herbal salt over the top, serve and enjoy. 

Golden Root Stew

Fancying something sweet yet savoury for my dinner, I rummaged round my fridge to see what I could find. On offer were, amongst other things, several different types of roots. So it was an easy decision to make a warming stew. Not only is a stew easy to make, but with the right ingredients it can be a very cheap and nutritious meal. Roots generally contain a surprising amount of delicious vitamins, so they’re an easy way to fill up on good stuff after a long winter. Adding some lentils adds protein, which not only is good for you, but also fills you up and makes you feel fuller for longer (really useful for those of us trying to shed some pounds).

Serves 2

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion

3 small parsnips

¼ sweede

½ bitternut squash

500ml water

1 teaspoon herbal salt

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

1 handful of red split lentils

1 tablespoon tomato puree

Finely chop the onion while the oil warms up in a saucepan. Sweat the onions, and leave them to get soft for about 5 minutes. I the meantime; peel and chop the parsnips, sweede and butternut squash. Add these to the onions, and stir for a few minutes until all the vegetables are warm.

Boil the water in a kettle (or separate pan) and add to the vegetables. Boiling the water before adding it prevents the vegetables from cooling down, and so reduces the cooking time.

Add the herbs (use any type of dried mixed herbs if you haven’t got any Herbes de Provence), the salt and the lentils, and slowly boil for about 30 minutes. Add the tomato puree, and leave to simmer for another 5 minutes. Test to see if the vegetables are soft. If they’re not, then leave to simmer until they are.

Serve in a bowl, tastes great with a toasted slice of bread. 

Dauphinoise Potatoes with Wild Garlic

Potatoes can be made into so much more than just chips or boiled spuds. This variation is one of my favourites, and is far from dull. It can make an ordinary meal into something that little bit more special, and can look quite good on a plate of food for a dinner party.

I’ve used wild garlic here, but if you can’t get your hands on that, you can use 1 clove of garlic (finely chopped) and 2 spring onions (also finely chopped) instead.

If you can, leave the skin on your potatoes; just give them a good scrub instead of peeling them. Most of the vitamin goodness in the potatoes is located just under the skin, and by peeling them you lose this. The skin also contains a lot of flavour, which it would be a shame to miss out on. Personally, I also think that the skin is rather pretty on thinly sliced tatties. Of course, if your potatoes are last year’s, and the skin is really though, then by all means do peel them.

For an extra special treat, replace some of, or even all, the milk with double cream.  

Serves 2 as a side dish 

400g potatoes

5 leaves of wild garlic (OR 1 clove of garlic & 2 spring onions)

1 ½ tablespoon butter

200ml whole milk

60g cheddar cheese

Pre-heat your oven to 180^oC.

Finely slice your potatoes, and chop your wild garlic. Butter the sides of a small heat-proof dish.

Layer the potatoes and garlic in the heat-proof dish. Make sure the top layer is potatoes, as the wild garlic will get burn if left exposed to the heat of the oven. Cut the butter into little blobs, and place on top of the final layer of potatoes. Pour over the milk, and place the dish in the oven. It can be a good idea to place a baking tray under the dish; as otherwise the milk can easily get splattered at the bottom of your oven if it boils over.

Bake the dish for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft when you pierce them with a knife.

Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the potatoes. Place the dish back in the oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

You can either serve the potatoes in the heat-proof dish, or you can use a food ring to cut out portions and serve straight onto your plates.

Baked beans with balsamic vinegar

Being a big fan of baked beans, I often make my own. They are just as nice as bought ones, but because I make them myself, they are more varied, as I make a different variant each time. I use different types of beans, and I add different things to the tomato sauce. Some times I use tinned beans, and some times I boil dried beans. Dried beans are usually cheaper, but there are times when I’m too lazy to sort them out with soaking and boiling. And then I use tinned beans.

Makes 5 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

800g tinned tomatoes

250g borlotti beans

If using tinned beans, drain them.

If using dried beans, soak and boil them according to instructions on the packet.

Very very finely chop your onion. Warm the oil in a large thick bottomed saucepan, and add the onion. Sweat the onion until it is soft. Add the salt and dried herbs, and stir well until the herbs are evenly distributed. Add the balsamic vinegar, and stir well again.

Chop the tinned tomatoes, and add to the onions. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the beans, and simmer for a further 5 minutes. 

Okra in a rich tomato sauce

Juicy vegetables can be a brilliant side dish for things such as burgers, baked potatoes, or a quiche. This dish is simple yet tasty, and is quick to make. You can make it with green beans if you can’t get your hands on okra.

Serves 4 as a side dish

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium size shallot

2 small cloves of garlic

10 sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato purée

400g tinned tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried basil

175g okra

Warm the oil in a saucepan while finely chopping the shallot. Add the shallot to the oil and turn down the heat. Stir well, and make sure you don’t burn the shallot, as this is easily done. Sweat the shallot while finely chopping the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Add these to the shallot, and stir well. Now add the tomato purée, stir, and add the chopped tinned tomatoes. Stir, and then add the dried basil.

Leave to simmer under cover for about 10 minutes. Top and tail the okra, and add to the tomato sauce. Then leave to simmer for another 20 minutes until the okra are soft. 

Wild Garlic Pesto

Having picked lots and lots of wild garlic leaves recently, I've been thinking of ways to use them. So I googled and found some great inspiration. The recipe for this lovely pesto comes from River Cottage. It has a fantasticly vibrant colour, and quite a strong flavour.

My jar was rather too full, but I knew that there was no point using several jars, as some of it would be eaten quite soon.

Makes 1 jar of pesto

100g wild garlic leaves
40g leek
60g walnuts
60g pecorino romano cheese
50ml olive oil, plus extra for sealing the jar

Measure out your ingredients, and place everything except the oil in a food processor. The garlic leaves don't necessarily need to be washed, but mine were picked on a muddy riverbank just after a rainy morning, so needed a little rinse. Grate the cheese before placing it in the food processor. You can use any hard cheese, but you'll get the best results by using a strongly flavoured one.

Whizz the ingredients, and while you do so, slowly pour in the olive oil. If you find that the pesto is a little firm for your liking, then you can add some more oil.

Pour the pesto into a clean jar, and shake it a little to release any air-bubbles, as these would make the pesto degrade sooner. Once all the air-bubbles are gone, pour a little olive oil over the top. This seals the pesto and keeps air away from it, and therefore prolonging its life.

Keep the jar in the fridge until it is all eaten.

Balsamic Stir-fry

Stir-fry and balsamic vinegar may not have the same ethnic background,  but they do make a good combination. And adding a bit of honey brings out the sweetness of the vegetables. You could experiment with all sorts of flavours, until you find your very own favourite. I often use what comes to hand, it could be that new bottle of raspberry & mint vinegar, or it might be a lemon infused olive oil. But today I opted for an old classic of mine; the balsamic vinegar with honey.

Serves 2

150g rice noodles
250g vegetables
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons runny honey

Boil your noodles according to the instructions on the packet.

Slice your vegetables lengthways - long strips are easier to get hold of with your chopsticks. You can use any combination of vegetables, stir-fries are a brilliant way to use up those little scraps that you have left over in the fridge and don't quite know what to do with. I usually try to include vegetables of different colours; some green, some yellow and some red, as they all bring with them different vitamins. Good examples are: leek, sugar snap peas, mangetous, baby sweetcorn, red peppers, orange peppers, courgette, onions, carrots, broccoli. Or any other vegetables that take your fancy.

Heat the oil in your wok, and add the vegetables. Some might take a bit longer than the rest, like broccoli, so add them first and give them a minute before adding the rest. Turn down the heat, and keep stirring for a few minutes until the veg are cooked. Add the balsamic vinegar and honey, stir until you have an even coating, and serve with the noodles.

Warm Vegetable Salad

I don’t know about you, but I quite like having a small pile of mixed warm vegetables with main courses such as burgers or tartlets. They bring a bit of colour and moisture, and can be varied and made different each time. Some times you might add some olives, other times a bit of chilli. If using with pasta, add some cheese of your favourite type.

Serves 2 as a side dish OR 1 with pasta

1 small courgette

1 small shallot

1 clove of garlic

1 tablespoon butter

a pinch of salt

½ red pepper

4 cherry tomatoes

5 small button mushrooms

3 basil leaves

a sprig of dill

a pinch of black pepper

Finely slice the courgette lengthways, using either a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler (or a mandolin if you’re lucky enough to own one).

Finely chop the shallot and garlic, and melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and garlic, and sweat for about 5 minutes.

Slice the red pepper into fine strips, and add to the pan. Add the courgette and a pinch of salt, and let it sweat for a couple of minutes. Finely slice the mushrooms and add. Stir, and add the fresh herbs. Leave on the heat for a few minutes until the mushrooms are cooked, while stirring now and again.

If using as a side dish, serve.

If using with pasta, boil your pasta while cooking the vegetables, drain the pasta, mix it all together and add some grated cheese. 

Courgette striplets

Some times, when your main course is sort of nice on its own, but could just do with a little extra greenery to complete it, strips of soft warm courgettes is just the thing. They are easy to make, and take no time at all. They’re also quite tasty and healthy. You can add all sorts of interesting extras, to make it slightly different each time. You could toast some pine nuts and add those, or you could grate some parmesan cheese and add that. Different fresh herbs also work really well.

Serves 2 as a side dish

1 medium sized courgette

1 clove of garlic

1 tablespoon butter

a pinch of salt

Finely slice the courgette lengthways, using either a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler. Finely chop the clove of garlic, and melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic and sauté it for a couple of minutes. Add the courgette and a pinch of salt, and let it sweat for about 5 minutes. Drain off the excess liquid, and serve with your main course. 

Baked Beans in (lots of) Tomato Sauce

I’ve always like baked beans, but recently I’ve eaten quite a lot of them. After reading the list of ingredients on a tin I realised there’s a bit more sugar and salt than I would ideally like to consume, and so I decided to make my own. The recipe I've given here makes a massive portion, so that you can freeze some of it in handy sized portions for easy use at a later date.

Makes about 10 servings

300g dried haricot beans, OR 600g ready boiled/tinned ones

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion

1 teaspoon salt

3 x 400g tinned tomatoes

140g tomato puree

10 large basil leaves

½ tablespoon honey

⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika powder

⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Prepare the beans according to the instructions on the packet. Normally this means a 12 hour soaking plus 1 ½ hours boiling time. You can soak the beans overnight, plus during daytime before you are ready to boil them. A slightly longer soaking does not hurt them; it instead makes them a little bit softer.

While you boil the beans, make the tomato sauce.

Start off by very finely chop the onion. I whizzed mine in my magimix, to get the onion completely mashed. This makes for a smoother sauce. Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan, and add the onion to it. Add a teaspoon of salt, and sweat the onion for about 5 minutes.

Pour the tinned tomatoes into your magimix and whizz until you have a smooth mixture. Pour this onto the sweated onion. Alternatively, if you don’t have a magimix; pour the tomato liquid onto the onion and finely chop the tomatoes and then add them too. Add the tomato puree, stir well, and cover. Leave to simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add the beans once they are cooked and drained.

Finely chop the basil leaves, and add to the sauce along with the honey, paprika powder and cayenne pepper. I’ve suggested some amounts here, but you should taste while adding and find amounts that suit your taste buds. You might like your beans sweeter than I do, or maybe spicier.

Leave the beans to cool down, then place portion-size amounts in small containers, label them, and freeze until you want to eat them.

Creamy Yellow Split Pea Soup

There’s something very comforting and warming about soups that make them perfect lunch fodder during winter. At least I think so. And pulses are both healthy and filling. Also, even better, they are relatively cheap, which means you can use more money on something else, like a new handbag or those shoes you’re been drooling over for weeks..

Serves 2 to 3 people

180g dried yellow split peas / 440g ready boiled ones

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion

1 clove of garlic

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

⅛ teaspoon mustard seeds

⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

750ml water

1 vegetarian stock cube

a pinch of herbal salt

100ml double cream

If using dried yellow split peas, they should be prepared according to instructions on the packet. Usually they need to soak in water for at least 12 hours (I like to leave them for 24 hours to make them a bit softer) and then they should be boiled for about 40 minutes or until soft. I normally boil them for just over an hour, but then I like my peas a bit soft. They still won’t be as soft as tinned peas, but they’ll be pleasant to eat.

Peas, as all pulses, grow when soaked in water, so 180g dried ones turn into about 440g boiled ones. If you think this is a bit of a hassle to do every time you’re about to make pea soup, then you can boil a big load and freeze whatever you don’t use in portion packs – ready to be used at a later date.

Once your peas are ready to use, and you are starting the soup itself; chop the onion and warm the oil in a saucepan. Turn down the heat and sweat the onion in the oil, chop the garlic and add. When the onion is soft, add the turmeric and stir well.

Use a pestle and mortar to crush the cumin and mustard seeds (or use ready ground ones if you prefer). Add these to the onions. Add the cayenne pepper, and continue sweating the onions for a couple of minutes, to soak up the flavours.

Boil the water and add to the saucepan, along with the stock cube. The reason it’s good to use warm water is that this prevents the onions cooling down, and so it doesn’t slow down the cooking process.

Leave the soup to simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste to with herbal salt, and use a hand-held kitchen blender to whizz the soup until it is quite smooth. It can be nice to leave some lumps though, so blend it as much as you feel like, or not at all.

Finally add the double cream and bring back to the boil.

Soups are delicious served with bread; if you are feeling particularly adventurous you could toast a slice of bread and chop it up into croutons.

Marzipan

A friend from Norway came to visit a little while ago, and the way he talked about his yearly Christmas marzipan-making inspired me to try it as well. It is quite straight-forward, but there is a little bit of hard work at the end when combining the ingredients into a sticky marzipan. You can use it for all sorts of things, and you can adjust the level to which you grind the almonds according to your own taste. I’m planning to use some of mine to cover my Christmas cake, and I’ve also made some small figures dipped in chocolate. You could give it to a friend as a present, or you could enjoy it all by yourself. The possibilities are endless.

300g almonds

300g icing sugar

1 egg white

15ml brandy

Finely grind the almonds in a food processor or any other type of mincer/grinder.  Place the almonds in a large bowl, and sift the icing sugar into it. Stir well using a large spoon. Add the egg white and brandy, and use your hands to work the mix into a firm and sticky ball. At first it will seem quite dry, but as you work it the oils from the almonds will be released, and it soon resembles marzipan. This is a little bit of hard work, but it is well worth it, just stick with it until you are satisfied with the level of stickiness.

If you’re not using it straight away, wrap it well in clingfilm, as it does tend to dry out quicker than the shop bought stuff (because it doesn’t contain all the preserving chemicals they use). You can melt chocolate and dip small pieces of it in this, or you can roll it out and cover cakes with it. Or you can eat it in its unadulterated form. Enjoy.