A veggie version …

You won't need your slow cooker – you can use a large frying pan or a casserole.

Following the recipe, substitute the braising steak with Quorn pieces – you won't need to seal the Quorn pieces.

Gently fry your onion and garlic in a generous drop of rapeseed oil. Add the spices and cook together so that the spices are able to release their deliciousness!

Add the passata and the chilli sauce and bring to the boil.

Add the Quorn pieces and simmer for 12 minutes if frozen – 9 minutes if not - set aside until you're ready to roll.

The optional extras are the same – even the chorizo! Try M&S Plant Kitchen “No chorizo puppies” - they are freezable. Made with red pepper, smoked paprika and roasted garlic, mushroom and caramelised onion to name but a few ingredients!

Slice the chorizo and fry with a little oil, turning frequently. If you're adding sweet baby peppers sauté them in the chorizo oil.

When you're ready to serve add the chorizo and peppers and the residual oil with the kidney beans to your chilli and re-heat gently until piping hot!

Serve with whatever takes your fancy – rice, good bread or wraps.

Yum!

Happy New Year

The veggie roast!

This dish ticks two boxes – it's for those who love “stuffing” with their roast and with the extra ingredients it becomes a vegetarian roast in its own right.

It's tried and tested, here it is :

Chestnut and Apple roast

170g/6oz of dried breadcrumbs

2 tsps dried sage

100ml/3fluid oz boiling water

or

1 packet of sage and onion stuffing mix – 170g/6oz

1 packet – 180g/7oz of vac packed chestnuts, blitzed to a

crumb – not dust!

Vac packed chestnuts are available all year in

larger supermarkets

300g of chunky apple sauce – preferably Bramley apple

OR

Portion of apple sauce – 225-350g/8-12 oz

1 medium onion, finely chopped

Drop of rapeseed oil and knob of butter.

2 additional knobs of butter

I used an oval cast iron oven proof dish measuring 25x17x5 cms – 10”x7”x2” in old money.

For your dried breadcrumbs, remove the crusts and tear up into chunks – weigh to achieve 170g/6oz. Pre-heat oven 150fan/170c/Gas 3. Blitz the bread in a food processor until you get an even crumb. Spread the crumbs onto a baking tray and bake for 6 minutes until they are golden. You can make a finer crumb by blitzing again when cooled. Add dried sage to taste – I'd suggest 2 tsps.

You don't have to make your own breadcrumbs, you can buy them dried.

Alternatively if you're short of time, use a sage and onion stuffing mix.

To assemble … have a look at these photos :

Hey presto!

Merry Christmas everyone

Snug or Cosy?

Depending on what you fancy, the following is for either a “Snug Shepherd” or a “Cosy Cottage” – minced lamb for the shepherd and minced beef for the cottage – pie that is!

A Shepherd or a Cottage

700g minced lamb or beef (or Quorn)

1 tbsp rapeseed oil (Canola USA)

2 tbsps Madeira

2 tbsps Ruby Port

2 tsps Worcestershire Sauce

2 tbsps tomato paste

2 lamb, beef or veggie stock pots

50-100 ml water

Using a large frying pan and preferably one that is suitable for transfer to the oven. Heat the oil and then add the mince and brown, turning until thoroughly browned. Add the Madeira and the Port and bring to the boil for 2/3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and the stock pots and mix well until absorbed and melted.

Your filling should not be too dry but not too wet either. You should be able to see tiny puddles of liquid. If you need to add water then add it gradually – you can add more you can't remove it!

It's difficult to predict how much fat there'll be in minced meat. Lamb, generally speaking, will have more than beef.

You can transfer the filling into a foil tray or, as I did, leave it in the frying pan.

As a guide, my frying pan that is suitable for hob and oven is 28cms in diameter – 3 very large appetites or 4 normal.

I feel the need to describe the “puddles” :

See them glistening – not too wet but definitely not too dry.

Next - to mash or not to mash, that is the question!

The Thrift Guide - With taste!

It's that time again – New Year and after all the festivities it's back to the economical nay thrifty – here's a few ideas using that boring ingredient – mince!

This recipe hits the spot. Koftas are small Indian meatballs and as you'd expect from me they can be made ahead and frozen – in fact they improve with freezing. Versatility is the key!

Koftas - makes 25/30 ish

500g of minced lamb

or Quorn mince

*salt and black pepper

*2 cloves of garlic, crushed or 2 tsps of paste

*1 tsp of ground cumin

*1 tsp of ground coriander

*pinch of garam masala

*pinch of chilli powder

1 heaped tbsp of tomato paste

1 egg

sprinkle of plain flour

kitchen gloves or damp hands

Rapeseed oil for shallow frying

a foil tray 23cms x 23cms

Place the mince in a large mixing bowl then add the ingredients marked * and mix well. Add the tomato paste and the egg and combine. If you find the mixture too wet, then sprinkle a little plain flour into the mixture and fold in gently.

Using either gloves or damp hands your mixture should aim to be the size of a walnut (or 1 heaped teaspoon). Roll the mixture between your hands and when you've 8 or so heat the oil in a large frying pan. Seal the koftas on a low heat and carefully shake the pan to turn them – use tongs if you are accident prone!

At this stage you can continue to cook the koftas in the pan or you can transfer to an oven-proof dish and pop into a pre-heated oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 15 minutes.

Alternatively let the koftas cool once sealed, transfer to freezer bags and freeze until required. Defrost and then place in a foil tray and warm in a pre-heated oven as above for 15 minutes.

Easy peasy, economical and really tasty … the photo guide

A veggie version …

You won't need your slow cooker – you can use a large frying pan or a casserole.

Following the recipe, substitute the braising steak with Quorn pieces – you won't need to seal the Quorn pieces.

Gently fry your onion and garlic in a generous drop of rapeseed oil. Add the spices and cook together so that the spices are able to release their deliciousness!

Add the passata and the chilli sauce and bring to the boil.

Add the Quorn pieces and simmer for 12 minutes if frozen – 9 minutes if not - set aside until you're ready to roll.

The optional extras are the same – even the chorizo! Try M&S Plant Kitchen “No chorizo puppies” - they are freezable. Made with red pepper, smoked paprika and roasted garlic, mushroom and caramelised onion to name but a few ingredients!

Slice the chorizo and fry with a little oil, turning frequently. If you're adding sweet baby peppers sauté them in the chorizo oil.

When you're ready to serve add the chorizo and peppers and the residual oil with the kidney beans to your chilli and re-heat gently until piping hot!

Serve with whatever takes your fancy – rice, good bread or wraps.

Yum!

Coming up … an easy dessert that everyone will love.

A Sweetcorn Chowder

The Chowder originates from long journeys by ship – they used ingredients that would survive and the soup was thickened with hardtack. Hardtack we know as a “ships biscuit” - it was inexpensive and long lasting – perfect for long sea voyages. It arrived in North America from England and France. Probably the most famous version, certainly in the USA, is clam chowder but there are many variations. It is principally a soup with cream or milk, although you can use stock, adding potatoes, sweetcorn and other veggies or add fish and seafood if that's your bag. I suppose you have to like sweetcorn but, by its nature, it's quite popular with the kids.

Here's my version :

Sweetcorn Chowder

Serves 2 large or 4 smaller portions

300g/10½oz Charlotte potatoes, peeled and finely diced

1 medium carrot, finely diced

1 medium onion, finely diced

90g/3½oz Two small red sweet baby peppers, finely diced

50g/2oz of unsalted butter

175g/6oz sweetcorn or two cobs, stripped

1 tbsp plain flour

2 pints of milk – I use semi-skimmed

(568ml or 1.2 litres)

celery salt and pepper – white or black

chopped flat leaf parsley to sprinkle

Sweat the carrot, onion and peppers gently in the butter for 10 minutes, covered. Add the flour and the celery salt and pepper of your choice. Add the milk gradually – I use a whisk - this will prevent lumps. Add the diced potato and sweetcorn and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust the seasoning to suit. Check the thickness of the soup – if it's not thick enough, again to suit you, blend a ladle or two and add it back to enrich.

You don't have to use celery salt, you can use sea salt if you prefer. I love the extra oomph it gives – a fab flavour, especially in soups. I also mention a choice of white or black pepper – it's entirely a matter of choice, either is fine. If you're not fond of black flecks from black pepper then white is right!

Coming up … the Chowder bits and pieces

More snacky stuff – the method

It makes sense to me to begin with lining your tartlet tins and blind baking which means you can prep your filling whilst they are in the oven – sounds like a plan – I hate wasting time!

Method :

The pastry

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Make sure your pastry has been allowed to come to room temperature – it's easier to handle and it won't break. Dust your tartlet tins with flour – on a non stick tin it's an extra “insurance” to prevent sticking. Cut out your six large circles and ease gently into the tins. Press a square of foil into each tin and then add rice to each to weigh down. You'll also need six smaller “lids” using the smaller cutter, then egg wash and sprinkle with Nigella seeds. Bake both the bottoms and the tops for 20 minutes and check. You may need an extra 5 minutes depending on your oven. Remove the foil and rice and discard. Allow to cool.

The filling

Whilst your pastry is cooking you can prep your filling.

Melt the butter and rapeseed oil in a large saucepan (I used 20cms in diameter) add the onions and soften for 2/3 minutes. Set aside in a bowl, leaving behind the residue of butter and oil. Add the chopped mushrooms, season with salt and black pepper and cook for 2/3 minutes. Add a glug of sherry (or red wine) and then let the mushrooms cook, absorbing the liquid. You don't have to add the alcohol but what is certain is that it brings out the flavour of the mushrooms. Add the onions and walnuts, check your seasoning and adjust to your taste. Add the parsley and then the cream and heat gently stirring, then add the cornflour a little at a time until you get a rich thick filling.

Cool and then fridge – leave in the pan if you intend to serve that day.

When you're ready to assemble place your tart base on a baking sheet, add a scoop of filling and then gently add your lid. I used a heaped ice cream scoop, measuring 5cm in diameter for portion control. Bake in a pre-heated oven as above for 15 minutes and then serve.

Photo-guide up next ...

The second option ...

If mushrooms aren't your bag but you still want a veggie option, then try this on for size!

Cream cheese and cashew nut paté

1 carrot, finely grated

225g cream cheese

100g roasted cashew nuts, crushed to a rubble – not

to a dust!

1 tbsp of chopped chives

salt and black pepper

black olives – pitted and sliced (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together, box and fridge. If you are feeling really virtuous have a side of raw carrot!

Serve on whatever takes your fancy – rice cakes, gluten free cheese oatcakes, toast or even as a sandwich filling – a toasted bagel would be good.

It might seem an unlikely list of ingredients but I promise you it's delicious. The bonus here is that it takes no time at all.

This paté has everything :

the yummy cream cheese

the sweetness of the carrot

the saltiness and crunch of the cashew nuts

(you could even try honey roasted cashews)

What's not to love!

The third option … fancy a fish alternative?

Chapter XVII – handy snacks and lunches - for those who love mushrooms

Messing about in the kitchen I came up with this recipe for a quick lunch, admittedly you have to love mushrooms – it's not rocket science but useful and above all tasty!

I give you :

M's Moreish Mushrooms

serves 4

300g Chestnut mushrooms, chopped finely

1 banana shallot (10cms approx), chopped finely

30g unsalted butter

glug of dry sherry or red wine

1 Knorr mushroom stock pot

celery salt

300ml double cream

to serve

50g Panko breadcrumbs, roasted

Yorkshire Puddings – 4 (7cms x 4cms approx)

Using a medium saucepan, sauté the shallot gently in the butter until opaque (5-8 mins approx). Add the mushrooms and a glug of dry sherry and cook gently until the liquid has been absorbed. Add the stock pot and celery salt and heat gently until the stock pot has melted. Add the double cream and heat gently for 15 minutes.

Pre-heat oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6) . Line a medium baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle over the Panko breadcrumbs. The Yorkshire Puddings will take 5 minutes from frozen - synchronise the timings to serve – so 10 minutes in to heating the mushroom mixture pop both the Panko crumbs and the Yorkshire Puddings in the oven.

Spoon two generous tablespoons into each of the Yorkshire Puddings and top with the Panko crumb.

Hints and tips :

The mushroom mixture can be made ahead and frozen

A glug = 1-2 tablespoons

If you want a veggie or vegan version of the sauce then use a plant based spread instead of the butter. Use Elmlea Plant Double Vegan Alternative for the cream. The Knorr mushroom stock pot is vegan.

Serving suggestions :

as a side with a roast, as the veggie option

over pasta

as a sauce over Quorn fillets, chicken or pork

on toast with thick slices of soda bread

Then there's

Mushrooms in Balsamic

4 tbsp rapeseed oil or similar

500g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

pinch of salt

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

60g grated/shaved parmesan

Heat the oil, add the mushrooms and garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook on high for 5 minutes until browned. Mix the vinegar with the sugar and pour over the mushrooms.

Stir until syrupy – 1-2 minutes, serve on toasted broad. Sprinkle with parmesan to serve.

It's delicious on thick, toasted soda bread or would serve 6 as a bruschetta/crostini topping

OR

You could quarter the mushrooms and serve as a topping on a risotto and add shavings of parmesan – I'd not recommend using grated parmesan.

Versatility is the key!

Chapter VIII – Economy Drive - the mushroom version

Here's a delicious veggie burger and even if you're not a veggie you'll love it – provided of course you're a fan of mushrooms!

Here it is :

Miso Mushroom Burger et al

Serves 4

4 Brioche buns

Aioli

Spiced coated Halloumi

Miso roasted portabello mushrooms

First up the miso marinade, which needs to be prepped ahead to enable the flavours to infuse and do their thing!

Miso marinade

Serves 4

4 x Portabello mushrooms, peeled and stalks trimmed

3 tbsps miso paste

2 tsps soy sauce

2 tbsps mirin

1 tbsp dark soft brown sugar

Mix the ingredients thoroughly into a paste. Box and set aside. Add the marinade to the mushrooms an hour before roasting to give it time to infuse, use one large strong plastic food bag or divide between two.

In case you're not familiar with miso paste, I used brown rice miso - it is available in most large supermarkets.

Just so you know what you're looking for :

Clearspring Brown Rice Miso Paste – 300g

It's expensive but if you shop around you'll find offers

Ocado has it reduced from £4.40 to £3.52

Sainsbury's Miso Paste Inspired to Cook – 100g

£1.40

Per 100g (at £4.40) it equates to£1.47

If you want to continue prepping ahead you can make the Aioli, the coating for the Halloumi, and slicing the cheese too. Nothing major but every little helps and saves precious time.

Aioli and Halloumi

I think of Aioli as posh mayo – really it's a sauce made of garlic and olive oil. There are many variations of the sauce – the current French-Provencal version is probably closer to a mayonnaise but originally both the French and Catalan recipes don't contain egg yolks and have more garlic.

Aioli

Serves 6

2 large cloves of roasted garlic

2 egg yolks

½ tsp of Dijon mustard

½ tsp salt

60ml/2½ fl oz extra virgin olive oil

180g/6½oz rapeseed (Canola) oil

2 tbsp water

freshly ground black pepper

Blend the roasted garlic, egg yolks, mustard, salt and 2 tbsps of water in a food processor. Keep the motor running and add the olive oil, then the rapeseed oil – slowly. The sauce will emulsify to a thick, pale consistency similar to mayo. Taste for seasoning. Box and fridge, ready to use.

Spiced Halloumi

Serves 4

225g/8oz Halloumi sliced into 4 pieces

45g/2oz plain flour mix with

1 tbsp of seasoning of your choice

Rapeseed oil for shallow frying

The 225g pack will give you four portions, sliced lengthways – 8x7cms/3x3½ inches approximately. Open the pack and discard the liquid, pat the cheese dry with kitchen roll and then slice into four. Pat each slice dry, then box and fridge ready for cooking.

The seasoning for the Halloumi is your choice – a shop bought version is fine. If you'd like to try your hand at making your own check out “Halloumi – seasoning and dips to go with” for inspiration.

You'll never think of it as squeaky cheese again!

When you're ready to cook, pre-heat your oven 150fan/170c/Gas 3.

Place your marinaded mushrooms into a foil tray and roast for 15-20 minutes.

10 minutes in to your mushrooms roasting time, heat the oil for the halloumi in a frying pan (29cms/11” diameter) using enough oil to cover the base – the pan is the perfect size for the four slices. Coat each slice of cheese both sides. Test your oil with a small piece of bread – it will sizzle when it's ready. Fry each slice for 2 minutes then turn and repeat. Keep the halloumi warm, wrapped in foil, whilst you're plating up.

Nearly there - assembly :

Split your brioche buns and either warm in

the oven for a couple of minutes or toast lightly

Drizzle aioli on the bottom of the bun and add your

slice of coated and fried halloumi

Top with your miso roasted mushroom, add

another generous drizzle of aioli, enough so that

it oozes out – if you don't get it on your fingers and

down your chin, add more – complete with the brioche “hat”

This is it :

Ta dah!

Dare I say decadent?

Editor's July Pick #9: Soup De Loop

Editor’s note: I don’t know about anyone else but sometimes I have the urge for something completely unseasonal. Often, it’s soup in summer. People use it as a go-to in winter but I find that it’s the perfect meal when you can’t be fussed after a long day and it’s not too hot outside, ticks all the nutritional boxes and it's the perfect one pot meal. Of course if it’s too hot for a warm soup, you could always go with gazpacho!

What to do …

… with your stash of veggie stock.

Back in the day when I was working for my Cordon Bleu Certificate and, may I say, before there were such programmes as Masterchef one of the tasks we were given was an invention test.

The brief was - make a soup with a bowl of cooked peas, sweetcorn, carrot and broccoli.

Here's my recipe :

Soup de Loop

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped – seeds removed

glug of rapeseed/Canola oil

1 old potato, cubed

1 litre/1¾ pints of veggie stock

1 dessert spoon of medium curry powder

1 tsp mace

salt and black pepper

Dice the carrots and keep the broccoli in small florets and set aside.

In a large saucepan sauté the onion, garlic and chilli in the oil, add the curry powder and mace. Add the stock and cubed potato and bring to the boil, then simmer until the potato is cooked but firm. Place two ladles of the soup into a blender and blitz until thick.

If you want to gauge the texture the trick is to dip a spoon into the blitzed soup – check the back of the spoon – it will show the texture. If you're happy with the consistency add it back into your remaining soup. Complete by adding your cooked peas, sweetcorn, diced carrots and broccoli. If you want a thicker consistency repeat the “blitz” with two more ladles.

As with all soups taste and adjust the seasoning at the end and you're ready to serve, piping hot.

The result was a chunky, thick soup with visible veggies.

I passed!

Entertaining or bust!

There are times when we want to push the boat out, especially after recent events, so I thought I'd repeat a series on “a dinner party” if only to illustrate how being organised and planning can take away the stress. You might find it useful if you're thinking of dipping your toe in the water at Easter – it matters not what the menu is, the principles are the same – good luck!

The Dinner Party

We don't do much formal entertaining these days and when we do it's casual and more relaxed, the formality has all but disappeared, thank goodness! There are however times when you need to step up a gear or two when special occasions present themselves.

Such was the case recently when our old friend Neil, who lives predominantly in the USA, was visiting with his lovely lady Rox. In itself not an unusual occurrence but this time they were bringing Rox's best friend and her husband – Gracey and Joe. Although Joe had been to London on business many moons ago, it was their first trip to the UK together.

A dinner date was duly entered in their busy schedule – definitely a special occasion and so the food should be too.

You may not be aware but we Brits do not have a great culinary reputation in the USA so all the more reason to be at the top of my game!

First and foremost - find out what the dietary requirements are – it's never a good idea to fly blind in these situations! Mission accomplished - I have two veggies – although to confuse the issue one does eat shellfish – the rest of the party eat anything - always good.

Now for the tricky bit - I want to spend as much time as possible with my guests and not be tied to the kitchen only to emerge hot and bothered – food you serve when you're flustered shows on the plate.

Here's the menu :

Scallops and king prawns in black bean sauce

Pork with Calvados cream sauce

Chestnut and apple roast for the vegetarians

Gateau a l'Orange with orange syrup, clotted cream

and vanilla ice cream

This is only the beginning …

The appetiser

I've served this dish on two previous occasions and it went well on both. Third time lucky me thinks - time for another appearance. If you're interested in dishes that can be prepped and served in minutes then I think you'll like this.

Scallops and king prawns in black bean sauce

Serves 2 as a starter

7 scallops per person (from frozen –

frozen scallops are usually smaller than fresh)

7 cooked king prawns (from frozen)

drop of rapeseed oil

salt and black pepper

Waitrose Cooks' Ingredients

black bean sauce

This is a dish that you pull from your freezer – the scallops and the king prawns and from your pantry/store cupboard - the black bean sauce.

As a guide I sourced the king prawns (200g) and the black bean sauce (220g) from Waitrose - £4.80 and £2.49 respectively. The scallops came from Marks and Spencer (300g) £9.00. Prices will vary.

You need to remember to take the scallops and king prawns out of the freezer the night before and fridge them. Make sure you drain any liquid and pat dry with kitchen roll before cooking.

I always use the clock face method when cooking scallops – heating the rapeseed oil until hot and beginning at 12 o'clock and forming an outer circle in your pan, sealing and seasoning with salt and black pepper. When you return to where you began turn each scallop again to seal on the other side. Add the king prawns, season and then toss together for 2 minutes to warm the prawns through. Add 100ml of the black bean sauce tossing to cover thoroughly. Serve immediately.

The Dinner Party - the table and hints and tips

To save myself as much time as possible I always set the table ahead of the party – preferably in the morning. It is also serves as a useful prompt – you can see what you've forgotten! Are your wine glasses pristine and polished? Plan ahead … choose your dinnerware, including serving dishes and spoons.

Unless you have a kitchen big enough you're not likely to have a warming drawer. I have a solution. You may not have the warming drawer but you might have two ovens – a small one without a fan which usually houses the grill too. Empty the small oven – it's perfect for your appetiser bowls, dinner plates, serving dishes and jugs for sauces. There's no need to turn the oven on, the residual heat from the lower oven rises and gently warms. There's nothing worse than hot food served on a cold plate or vegetables from cold dishes.

I decided to have some fun and chose colourful bowls for the appetiser – have a look at these :

They measure 12cms x 6cms deep – 4½ x 2½” in old money.

If you like the look of these, here's what you need to know :

I've deliberately chosen a menu that allows me to cook ahead and freeze and to pre and part cook ahead too, leaving me with a 30 minute finish time. The only dish I'll need to cook from scratch on the night is the appetiser.

Hmm … what to serve with.

The Dinner Party – the vegetable fest!

My next decision is what vegetables I'm going to serve – here's the list :

Roast potatoes

Roast parsnips

Lemon glazed roasted carrots

Cauliflower cheese

Mange tout – because they are a favourite!

I've got crunch, sweetness, bright vibrant colours and a creamy cheesy cauliflower dish.

The added bonus – only the mange tout requires steaming on the night.

The potatoes, parsnips and carrots are peeled and chopped to size and part roasted on the morning of the party. I par boil my potatoes, drain, add a tablespoon of semolina then shake well so that they are coated. The Chestnut and Apple roast too. Bake in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover and set aside to cool.

For the cauliflower cheese I steam a whole head of cauliflower, minus its leaves and then set it aside on a tray lined with layers of kitchen roll. This allows all the moisture to drain away from the cauliflower, ready to finish later on.

I make the mornay sauce :

Serves 4-6

40g unsalted butter

40g plain flour

600ml of milk – I use semi skimmed

150g mature Cheddar cheese

(or a combination of Cheddar and gruyere)

salt and black pepper

½ tsp Dijon mustard - optional

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook gently for a minute, stirring – make sure you don't brown the mixture. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly and eventually bring to the boil, whisking until it's smooth and thick. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the cheese, mustard and season. I'd taste before you add salt – there's salt in the cheese – adjust accordingly. Cover and set aside until required.

I grate Parmesan cheese in readiness to garnish the cauliflower dish and plan to be generous and sprinkle liberally! If you're able to use the same oven proof oval dish as for the Chestnut and Apple roast (see the recipe for the measurements and a photo in the forthcoming step by step guide) – both can then be served straight from the oven to the table.

Why so many I hear you ask? Easy … variety is the spice of life and guests will try something new when offered a choice. Most of my American friends didn't know what a parsnip was never mind about sampling this most delicious under-rated vegetable … we'll see!

This is starting to take shape …

The Chestnut and Apple roast

Over the years I've tried lots of vegetarian roasts. The archetypal “nut roast” makes my blood run cold - for me it conjures up a dried tasteless mixture that you could use to lay a crazy paving! I've treated myself to a luxury version where the name has been changed to make it sound appealing when it's really appalling. Hence my own version.

Tried and tested, here it is :

Chestnut and Apple roast

170g/6oz of dried breadcrumbs

2 tsps dried sage

100ml/3fluid oz boiling water

or

1 packet of sage and onion stuffing mix – 170g/6oz

1 packet – 180g/7oz of vac packed chestnuts, blitzed to a

crumb – not dust!

300g of chunky apple sauce – preferably Bramley apple

or

Portion of apple sauce, a la Eliza Acton – 225-350g/8-12 oz

1 medium onion, finely chopped

Drop of rapeseed oil and knob of butter.

2 additional knobs of butter

I used an oval cast iron oven proof dish measuring 25x17x5 cms – 10”x7”x2” in old money.

For your dried breadcrumbs, remove the crusts and tear up into chunks – weigh to achieve 170g/6oz. Pre-heat oven 150fan/170c/Gas 3. Blitz the bread in a food processor until you get an even crumb. Spread the crumbs onto a baking tray and bake for 6 minutes until they are golden. You can make a finer crumb by blitzing again when cooled. Add dried sage to taste – I'd suggest 2 tsps.

You don't have to make your own breadcrumbs, you can buy them dried.

Alternatively if you're short of time, use a sage and onion stuffing mix.

There's a step by step photo guide and method coming next along with the Eliza Acton recipe for the apple sauce.

The roast – step by step photo guide and method

the breadcrumbs and the blitzed chestnuts

season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper

with the apple, onion and two knobs of butter

fold the apple, onion and butter through the

breadcrumbs and chestnuts

here's the oval cast iron ovenproof dish

the roast in the dish – if you want to cook ahead

part bake, covered in foil for 20 minutes, 180fan/200c/Gas 6

cool and fridge

take the roast out of the fridge two hours before

finishing to allow it to reach room temperature then

bake, uncovered, for a further 20 minutes (10 minutes

in to the 30 minute finishing time)

cooked and served in an individual cast iron pot

The best apple sauce up next!

I found this recipe by accident and it is truly the most delicious apple sauce. Even if you decide you haven't the time on this occasion stick it in your pending tray and try it when you do have time – you won't be sorry.

Eliza Acton's Apple Sauce – with Bramley apples

Pre-heat oven to 160fan/180c/Gas 4.

Grease a glass dish with butter.

This sauce is so easy – the only emphasis is on the preparation of the apples. All the peel and core must be removed. There are no amounts here, you can cook as much sauce as you desire – it freezes well!! So, peel, core and slice your apples – if you can slice them a similar size they will cook more evenly.

Place your apples in your dish and cover with a lid or foil – NO WATER, SUGAR OR ANYTHING ELSE!!

Bake for 20-30 minutes. Check after 20. Apples should be soft. Here's the satisfying bit – whisk the apples until they begin to break up, sprinkle with caster sugar plus a generous knob of unsalted butter, whisk again – enjoy.

You can use this sauce for loads of recipes – I use it as an addition to my Chestnut Roast at Christmas.

If you're not feeling so well I can recommend the sauce as the sweet alternative to chicken soup.

Enjoy!

P.s. The books … if, like me, you're interested in food history you might like to add the following to your list. Elizabeth David's “An Omelette and a Glass of Wine” which is a compilation of articles and is where I found “Big Bad Bramleys” which in turn lead me to “Eliza Acton Modern Cookery”.

The home straight ...

Editor's March Pick #2: The Shepherdess Photos

Editor's note: I don't know about you but I'm a very visual person, if someone describes something for an hour I can draw a blank but if you show me a photo I know what you're talking about in a moment. The same goes for cooking, I need a visual hint most of the time and what follows is just that for the Shepherdess AKA Mushroom and chestnut pie - think stroganoff without the meat, then do yourself a favour and add the pastry!

The Shepherdess photos

the mushrooms and chestnuts, blitzed

ditto, pan fried

with the cream and other ingredients

served in an individual pie dish with

a pastry lid

Coming up … The Shepherdess bits and pieces, followed by a scaled down Shepherdess. As is usually the case with my food, there's always a variation or two!

Editor's March Pick #1: The Shepherdess AKA Mushroom & Chestnut Pie

Editor's note: A massive oversight on my part when I was waxing lyrical about the virtues of mince based recipes and their ease and payoff (especially vs effort!). I overlooked the logical next step - the Shepherdess! This was originally posted around Autumn and indeed references it but I can't remember the last week that I didn't eat at least one pack of chestnut mushrooms - fully endorse this one all year round! Rich and mushroomy, nothing better after an evening walk.

Lets begin …

… with what my idea of a fab veggie dish is and for those, like me, who don't want their food to resemble and have the texture of meat.

Autumn is on its way – my favourite season. Autumn makes me think of chestnut mushrooms with their wonderful depth of flavour - a perfect combination of earthiness complimenting the sweetness of the chestnuts in this recipe.

I want to serve dishes similar in appearance for both meat eaters and veggies too – everyone is the same, but different if you get my drift. The best example I can give you is a Shepherd's Pie – on the same table would be The Shepherdess – a veggie version of the same. Here's my take, two different ways.

The Shepherdess

or Mushroom and Chestnut pie

Serves 4

500g chestnut mushrooms, quartered

180g vac pac chestnuts, quartered

1 medium onion, finely chopped

celery salt and black pepper

a generous pinch of dried tarragon

3 cloves of garlic paste

a glug of dry sherry or red wine – 15ml approximately

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

30g butter

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

300ml double cream

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic paste, season with celery salt and black pepper and cook until the onion has softened and begins to colour, 5 - 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season again then add the tarragon and butter and cook for 5 minutes, turning the mushrooms so that they are covered in the oil and butter. Add the dry sherry (or red wine) and reduce so that the mushrooms absorb the flavours. Add the chestnuts and balsamic vinegar and mix well until reduced and syrupy. Add the cream, bring to the boil and then reduce and simmer for 5 minutes so that it reduces a little and thickens.

Next up …The Shepherdess photos.