Veggie Bolognese

As a kid spaghetti bolognese was a staple of Saturday lunchtimes - it's as proudly British as Chicken Tikka Masala!

Although it's very far from the original Italian ragu alla bolognese, I do agree that it's better with a thicker pasta - tagliatelle or fettucine - but sometimes spaghetti just hits the spot for easy comfort eating.

For my veggie version I used dried soya mince. It's much more economical than frozen Quorn mince, lasts for ever in a cupboard, and genuinely puzzles meat-eaters who assume it's meat but aren't quite sure what kind!

Serves 2 greedy people, possibly more

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 3-4 gloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 celery stick
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 handfuls of dried soya mince
• 2 tsp vegetable stock
• 1 tsp Marmite (optional!)
• Glass of red wine (if you have it)
• Squirt of ketchup/tomato paste
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning herbs

1. Put the soya mince in jug with the stock powder, then pour over enough boiling water to cover. Add your teaspoon of Marmite, stir in and leave to hydrate.
2. Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery and gently fry for a few minutes in a pan with a splash of olive oil. Add the chopped peppers.
3. Add the tin of tomatoes, fill the can with water and stir into the pan, along with a squirt of ketchup, or tomato puree if you're fancy.
4. Add the glass of wine, herbs, garlic and soya mince.
5. Turn to a low heat, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. It should reduce and become thick and rich.
6. After 20 minutes start boiling your pasta. When it's done drain the pasta, saving some of the starchy water in your jug.
7. Add a bit of the pasta water to the sauce, enough to loosen it to your preferred texture.
8. Serve on a plate with the sauce on top, sprinkle parmesan and garnish with some fresh basil leaves.

Vegetable paella

I visited a market in Spain today bursting with beautiful vegetables - so what better to make than paella! Summer vegetables grow in the winter here, which is why you'll see so many Spanish veggies in British supermarkets. Anything goes great in a paella but I used fennel, courgettes, carrots and asparagus, with strips of sun-dried tomatoes for colour. No need for fish here!

 

• 1 bulb of fennel, sliced
• 6 slim carrots
• 12 asparagus spears
• 1 courgette, sliced into rounds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 400 g short grain rice
• 500 ml good vegetable stock
• Large glass of white wine
• 1/2 tsp or big pinch of saffron (optional)
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• Good sprinkling of cayenne pepper, to taste
• Lemon wedges (optional)

1. Fennel takes a while to cook, so chop it into wedges, toss in olive oil and roast for about 25 minutes along with the carrots
2. Glug some olive oil into a wide, heavy-based saute pan and gently fry the onion and garlic.
3. Add the rice and stir until it is all coated in oil and lightly nutty.
4. Add a glass of wine and reduce.
5. Pour in the tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock. Stir, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Stir the rice, adding a little more water if it seems dry. Add all the remaining vegetables, arranging them in an attractive pattern on the top.
7. Cover and cook on a low heat for another ten minutes. Check the rice and vegetables, the rice should be just tender and the asparagus not quite done.
8. Take off the heat and leave covered for ten minutes to rest.
9. Garnish with lemon wedges and pretend you're on holiday in Spain. Buen provecho!

Variations

You can use any kind of vegetables in a paella, particularly fresh summer veggies. Tomatoes, peppers, baby sweetcorn, peas, mushrooms are all great.

Saffron is traditional in paella but it's expensive so you can easily leave it out. A pinch of turmeric gives a cheaper non-traditional yellow colour, just don't tell!

In the summer use roasted fresh tomatoes instead of tinned, the flavour is better but tinned is more convenient.

Butternut squash and vegetable Malaysian curry

Spicy New Year! After all the festive stodge I like to make something a bit more exotic and spicy to welcome the New Year. This recipe is also a great way of using up any leftover root vegetables. It's also economical because you can snap up veg really cheaply just after Christmas!

You can use any root vegetables for this but firm butternut squash and sweet parsnips are ideal. I always have surplus carrots so they go in too. For flavour either buy a Malaysian curry paste or add powdered spices of your choice to the onion mixture. Really it's up to you - make it mild and savoury or (I recommend) as hot and or spicy as you can bear!

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 3 parsnips
• 2 carrots
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 onion
• Half bulb of garlic
• 1 thumb garlic
• Asian curry paste of your choosing
• Red chilli (optional)

1. Peel and chop the vegetables into appropriate sizes: softer veg in bigger chunks, harder veg in smaller chunks so they cook evenly.
2. Make your curry base by blitzing the onion, garlic, ginger (and chilli if using) into a paste with a glug of oil, until it's a puree.
3. Put a large pan or wok on a gentle heat, and fry the puree for 5-10 minutes. Keep stirring and don't let it burn!
4. Towards the end add curry paste of your choice.
5. Add the vegetables and coat them with the paste.
6. Stir in the coconut milk, top up the can with fresh water and add that too, along with a sprinkling of salt to taste.
7. Cook for 10-15 mins on a gentle simmer until the vegetables are firm but tender. Err on the side of caution as they continue to cook once you take them off the heat. Add more water if the sauce is too thick.
8. Check for seasoning, then serve with rice and garnish with cashew nuts and a sprinkling of chilli or thinly sliced fresh chilli. Fresh coriander adds a hint of green though personally I can't stand it!

Congee rice

So it's the first of September and heading towards my favourite time of year - autumn! It's sunny but not that warm today and I'm fighting off a cold so dusted off a warming staple I've not made in ages - congee or chao ga, rice porridge.

It's basically a savoury rice pudding, gloopy and warming, great for hangovers and sore throats.

It can be as thick or as watery as you like, and really you can use any type of rice. Personally I prefer a custard-like mush, but a more watery consistency is more traditional.

• 1 cup rice
• 6 cups Swiss Marigold vegetable stock

1. Rinse the rice or soak for half an hour.
2. Bring stock to the boil, add the rice and stir.
3. Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce and simmer covered for 1 hour or so.

Serve in a bowl topped with something savoury like stir-fried vegetables with ginger, strips of quorn, mushrooms, tofu, or fried egg, garnished with spring onions or herbs and splashed over with rich soy sauce. The combination of soft gooey rice and salty flavours is the ulimate comfort food!

Variations

This is the perfect use for any kind of leftover rice, and it's great for breakfast. Cooked rice also takes a lot less time.

Any kind of rice will do but I often use brown rice which takes a bit longer, but is presumably more healthy. Jasmine rice or broken rice works is more traditional. A mixture of half ordinary rice, half glutinous/sticky rice gives a nice silky consistency.

For more flavour add half an onion to the pot, or a thumb of smashed ginger that you can fish out later. The flavouring is nice but I prefer my congee plain so it gives a nice contrast to whatever you put on top.

Asian noodle salad

It's been too long since I posted but this recipe deserved to be shared! It's so simple but looks elegant, it's cool for the summer and looks great on a plate!

Instead of the usual fish sauce found in Thai salad recipes, my secret ingredient is Golden Mountain Sauce (sweeter, saltier and more complex than traditional soy sauce), plus a sprinkling of dried seaweed flakes.

I'm listing ingredients here rather than quantities, this is just a guide so it's really up to your taste what you throw in. Authentic Asian salads are too hot for me so I use a medium chilli, or a combination of red bell pepper and a hot chilli pepper. For authenticity use Asian mint, basil and coriander - personally I loathe coriander so substitute flatleaf parsley:

• 1 large carrot
• 1/3 of a cucumber
• 2 spring onions
• red pepper or chilli pepper, to taste
• handful of peanuts
• mint
• basil
• coriander or parsley
• rice vermicelli
• Golden Mountain sauce (or soy sauce)
• sesame oil
• juice of half a lime
• seaweed flakes
• 1/2 tsp sugar

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil then add the dry noodles. Pop on the lid, take off the heat and leave to rehydrate for about 10 minutes. Don't leave them too long, better to err on the side of caution as they'll continue to soften later.
2. Meanwhile finely slice - or julienne if you're being fancy - the carrots, cucumber, spring onion and pepper.
3. Chop - or chiffonade, if you're being even more fancy - the herbs.
4. Crush or chop a handful of peanuts.
5. To make the dressing, in a bowl add a good glug of Golden Mountain sauce, a splash of sesame oil and lime juice. Mix in a sprinkling of sugar, and taste it. If it tastes good your job is half done.
6. When the noodles are ready, drain, rinse in cold water and leave to drain.
7. In a large bowl, combine the noodles, vegetables and herbs, then mix in the sauce.
8. Mix in about a half of the crushed peanuts, then sprinkle the rest on the top to serve.

On a hot day this salad actually benefits from being chilled for half an hour or so, which really allows the flavours to develop. Just don't leave it too long!

Quick Pizza

I love pizza, it's delicious and great for sharing with friends, but real pizza takes time and planning.

My quick pizza is different - it's ready in 20 minutes!

Heretically I use self-raising flour instead of yeast. It doesn't have the rich yeasty flavour and texture of traditional pizza, but it's thin, crispy and when loaded with toppings it's hard to tell the difference.

My recipe is so simple:

• 4 heaped tablespoons self-raising flour
• Half teaspoon of salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Water

1. Mix in a bowl with enough water to bring together into a non-sticky dough.
2. Cut in half to make two small pizzas, or leave for one very large pizza.
3. Roll out the dough until it's as thin as you want, and big enough to fill the bottom of a frying pan.
4. Take a large non-stick frying pan and get it hot on a high heat.
5. Transfer the dough disc and cook for 3-4 minutes until the bottom is slightly browned and crisp. Repeat for the second pizza.
6. Add your toppings, place on a baking tray then cook under a hot grill or hot 200C oven for ten minutes. Enjoy with a side salad, it's so easy!

Topping ideas

Pear and Stilton White Pizza

White pizzas are often neglected but this is so delicious for autumn. Spread some Greek yoghurt thinly on the pizza base, then top with slices of firm pear, chunks of Stilton and chopped fresh chilli. Chopped walnuts are also a great addition.

Mushroom and Tomato Pizza

Classic but delicious: smear the base with a rich tomato sauce, oregano, sliced mushrooms and mozarella.

Vegan roast vegetable quiche

A friend was a having a party and needed to cater for some vegans, so I offered to help! I'm not vegan myself but I'm always keen to try new things, and this was surprisingly good. It was certainly devoured in two minutes flat! I would totally bet that if I'd not said anything, no-one would've known it didn't contain eggs! And it's actually simpler than making an egg-based quiche, which is all too easy to overcook. This recipe is much more forgiving.

I made a bit of a mess of the vegan pastry using vegetable fat. I used Trex which allegedly makes "perfect pastry" but I think the fat content is higher than butter, so my first attempt went horribly wrong. Fortunately, cheap packaged shortcrust pastry is made entirely with vegetable fat so that's a far simpler way to satisfy a hungry vegan!

• 2 courgettes, sliced into rings
• 1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• A few slices of salad tomato (for topping)
• 350g firm tofu
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3 tbsp gram flour
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp thyme
• 4 sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 quantity dairy-free shortcrust pastry

1. Chop the vegetables, toss in bowl with a slosh of oil of your choice, and roast on a baking tray at 200C for about 30 minutes, until lightly roasted.
2. Meanwhile in a food processor (or with a wooden spoon if you're feeling energetic), whizz up the tofu, yeast, flour and garlic to a smooth mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Roll out your pastry, grease a loose-bottomed flan tin and line it with the pastry, leaving a little bit of pastry hanging over the edges.
4. Remove your veggies from the oven when they're done, and leave to cool.
5. Turn the oven down to 180C, and blind bake the pastry for about 15 minutes.
6. Pick out a few pieces of pepper, onion and courgette to decorate the top, and roughly chop the rest into big chunks.
7. When the pastry's done, remove from the oven, leave to cool a bit, then trim the excess pastry with a sharp knife.
8. Mix your pseudo-eggy tofu filling in a bowl with the cooled vegetables, sundried tomatoes and thyme, then pour the mixture into the pastry case.
9. Decorate the top with your vegetables, and a few slices of tomato.
10. Bake in the oven at 180C for 30 minutes until cooked and set.

Variations

This is a good base for any kind of vegan quiche or flan. Asparagus is particularly good, mushrooms, tomatoes.

Wholemeal pastry adds extra flavour and texture, as do finely chopped nuts and seeds in the pastry mix.

Tomato bean salad

Part of the reason I write down these recipes is just for myself - I invent something random that's so nice I want to make it again! This is a simple bean salad I made to use up some leftover pasta sauce and some cooked beans. Yum.

I served it with a simple carrot and ginger salad that's very nice though hardly worth writing a separate recipe for! (Grated carrot, grated ginger, splash of rice wine vinegar, simple.)

• 1 quantity tomato pasta sauce
• 1 can borlotti beans (or cooked equivalent)
• 2 juicy tomatoes, skinned and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, roughly chopped
• Half tsp smoked paprika
• Glug of red wine vinegar
• A few sundried tomatoes, chopped
• Slosh of oil from the sundried tomato jar
• Lots of salt & pepper
• Inch of my seitan chorizo, in chunks

It's really as simple as stirring it all together! The oil and vinegar are the dressing so add as much as you like. Taste it and season generously, then leave for at least an hour in the fridge. Taste it again for seasoning before serving.

Variations

Really any haricot-type beans will do. Red peppers make a nice addition. Fresh herbs parsley or basil would go great in this, I didn't have any to hand.

My vegan seitan gives extra flavour and texture but isn't necessary. Give it a go though!

Seitan's Sausage: Vegan Chorizo

I've been experimenting with making seitan and thought I'd try something based on this recipe - a vegetarian chorizo equivalent packed with flavourings. Seitan really sucks up flavours so the more you can put in at the start, the better!

This "chorizo" recipe can take as much chilli as you dare. It's great with lentils, with eggs, in tomato sauce, with pasta; just about anything you'd otherwise use chorizo with. It's cute to bend this sausage in half and attach string at the end, just like real chorizo!

Perhaps it's my gluten but I always seem to need less liquid than recipes require, so I recommend adding about two-thirds of the liquid and see how you get on.

• 1¾ cups wheat gluten
• ¼ cup gram/chickpea flour
• 1½ vegetable stock
• 3 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
• 2 tsp whole peppercorns, crushed
• 5 dried chillis (to taste), chopped
• 4 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped rather than minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp olive/sundried tomato oil
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp smoky barbecue sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 6 sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 5 tbsp toasted ground rice powder & 2 tsp chilli powder (optional, for outer coating)

1. First combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, the gluten, gram flour, cumin, pepper, chilli, paprika.
2. Combine the remaining wet ingredients in a jug and stir into the flour, bringing together into a dough.
3. Knead for about five minutes so the dough gets soft and elastic.
4. Rest (both yourself and the dough!) for ten minutes while preheating the oven to 170C.
5. Divide the dough into four equal balls, then roll each into a chorizo-like long sausage shape.
6. If using, dust the outside with the rice powder mixture.
7. Roll each sausage in foil, twisting the ends to seal. Bake at 170C for an hour.
8. Leave to cool in their foil and store in the fridge (or freezer) until ready to use.

Variations

Seriously add as much flavouring as you like like, smoked peppers are great. Chorizo is meant to be strong tasting so more chillis, more garlic, however much you can stand!

Beetroot juice or powder adds a deeper red colouring, as does adding tomato puree (I've run out).

Heil Seitan!

I've recently discovered how easy it is to make seitan, the deliciously chewy and protein-packed wheat-meat made from gluten. There's a lot of unfounded hysteria about gluten, but seitan is healthy, low fat, 80% protein, and making it yourself allows you to flavour it however you like and have the reassurance it has no nasty additives.

My first encounter with seitan was at a local Chinese restaurant when I was still living with my parents. I ordered "gluten crispy duck" out of curiosity, and was amazed to be presented with a dish of alarmingly meaty texture, with a stippled duck-like skin, that the waiter pulled apart just like real crispy duck! The chewy texture was delicious. I was always afraid it was terribly complicated to make.

These days it's simple courtesy of vital wheat gluten powder, which you can buy online from healthfood suppliers.

Use seitan like meat in any kind of recipes - stir fries, stews, curries, casseroles, pies, sandwiches. Just make sure you add plenty of flavour!

This is the basic recipe, halve or double the quantities for larger or smaller amounts:

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 tsp garlic or onion powder
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Flavourings (see below)

1. Add flavouring ingredients to the water, then stir into the gluten flour.
2. Bring together to a dough, and knead like bread for 3-5 minutes until the gluten shows proteinous strands. The longer you knead, the chewier the end product.
3. Form into whatever shapes you like, either long "sticks" for skewers, cut into chunks or fillets, or roll up into a single "roast" shape.
4. To cook, either
1. Boil: make a lightly flavoured stock in saucepan, deep enough to cover your dough. Bring to a boil then to a simmer. Add your seitan and cook gently for 30 minutes. Make sure it doesn't rise above a gentle simmer.
2. Bake: roll into a "roast" shape and wrap tightly in foil. Bake at 170C for 90 minutes.

Variations

Flavouring is the key to good seitan, it's essentially tasteless by itself so good flavours are essential. If you're boiling it, make sure the broth is flavoursome.

For "bacon" flavour: 2 tbsp barbecue sauce, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup & 2 tsp smoked paprika

For a "beef" flavour: 2 tsp Marmite

For a "chicken" flavour: 2 tsp vegetable (or vegan chicken) stock powder

Also consider: Sesame oil for a nuttier flavour, soy sauce, chilli, herbs, cumin.

To lighten the texture, knead for less time, while for a beefier texture, knead for 4 minutes, leave to rest for 10, then knead again. Baking creates a more chewy texture, boiling more moist and lighter.

Adding chickpea flour also lightens the dough, use 1¾ gluten with ¼ cup of flour.

Carrot & Watercress Soup

You really can put anything in a soup, as this recipe goes to show.  I had a bag of carrots and some rapidly wilting peppery watercress to use up quick, and soup is always the best way to use up leftover ingredients, so here it is!

Mixing orange and green isn't the best colour combination, but this soup is easy to dress up with splashes of oil, croutons and sprigs of watercress. And, it's really good.

It's a variation of my roast carrot and cumin soup which I think is better, but this soup is far quicker.

• 6 large carrots
• 1 large onion
• 2 celery sticks
• Bunch or small bag of watercress (save a little for garnish)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• Half cup of milk

1. Chop the carrots, onion and celery and gently fry for about 10 mins.
2. Turn up the heat and add the cumin and garlic. Stir through for a minute then add the stock.
3. Cook the vegetables for 20 minutes or so until soft.
4. Add the watercress, take off the heat and blitz with a hand mixer, adding milk to loosen the soup to your desired consistency.
5. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and some whole watercress leaves.

Variations

I had some leftover paneer which I just added in chunks to this soup, lovely.

Frozen peas also works as an alternative to watercress.

Oranges in Spiced Orange Syrup

I wanted a simple dessert to follow a curry and have a load of oranges in my fridge, so I rustled up this! It's just sliced oranges in a lightly spiced syrup with a few nuts and berries, but looks rather pretty. This seems a very summery recipe, though actually it's peak orange season in the UK right now!

Save the spiced orange syrup, it's great on pancakes, ice cream or any number of other desserts.

• 1-2 oranges per person (depending on size)
• 1 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 5 cardamom pods
• 2 star anise
• A few black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Handful of frozen red berries
• Handful of pumpkin seeds or pistachio nuts, toasted and chopped

1. With a potato peeler, remove the zest from 2 oranges and reserve. Remove the rest of the peel with a sharp knife, and cut the fruit into slices.
2. Add the water to a small pan, bring to the boil and add the sugar, stirring until it dissolves.
3. Add the zest and spices and simmer for 15 or so minutes, it should be a rich and glossy consistency but still runny.
4. Place the sliced oranges in a bowl, pour over the hot syrup including the zest and spices. Cover and leave the oranges to steep for an hour or so, or overnight in the fridge.
5. For decoration, fish out a few longish pieces of peel and shred into thin strips. Toss in caster sugar and dry in the oven for about 30 minutes on a low setting, until crisp.
6. To serve, place 5-6 slices on plate with scoop of ice cream and a scattering of nuts and berries, and spoon over some of the syrup. Top with the candied peel.

Variations

Use any combination of spices you like - cloves, ginger and added lemon peel also work. Sliced ruby grapefruit would also work as a substitute for the oranges, if you're feeling daring.

A glug of dark rum or Campari add nice boozy notes to this dessert - add a splash to the syrup at the end when it's still hot, before pouring over the fruit.

Smoky Bean Soup

The winter's biting at this time of year, and there's nothing better to keep warm than a hearty, colourful soup. Having half a pot of cold Lapsang souchong left over in my teapot I experimented with using it in this recipe, and I was pleasantly surprised at how it adds a lovely smokiness and depth of flavour!

Use any kind of common beans - haricot, pinto or kidney beans - either in a can or soaked and boiled until they're just slightly soft. I buy a big bag of dried pinto beans from a local shop, they're cheap and look pretty with their mottled red and white skins. Chop the vegetables roughly for a chunky soup, or smaller for a finer soup. Adjust your cooking time for the size of vegetables.

• 450g can of beans
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 1 leek, sliced
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 500 ml strongly brewed Lapsang souchong tea
• 2 tsp good vegetable stock powder
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder or flakes
• 1 tsp thyme
• A handful of sweetcorn

1. Splash some oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions for a few minutes before adding the other vegetables, apart from the sweetcorn. Fry on a gentle heat for about ten minutes, stirring.
2. Add the tomatoes, tea, chilli, thyme and sweetcorn. Stir and simmer for about twenty minutes. If the vegetables aren't quite covered add some water.
3. Taste for seasoning and to check the vegetables are soft and fully cooked through.
4. I like a nice thick soup but add water if you want a thinner consistency.
5. Serve with a scattering of parsley and a bit of grated cheese. Guaranteed to keep out the cold!

Variations

Rather than brewing the tea, grind two teaspoons of loose leaf Lapsang souchong to a fine powder using a grinder, or pestle and mortar. Add this directly to the soup, with the equivalent amount of water.

Festive Quorn Wellington

I remember someone once saying to me "oh Christmas must be so boring for you as you're vegetarian", as if turkey is the only exciting thing about the festive season! 

I love dreaming up a tasty and attractive centrepiece for the Christmas dinner table, and something wrapped up in pastry always impresses. I'm happy with a nut roast or something similar for Christmas, but this Quorn roast smothered in apricot and mushroom paté and wrapped in pastry will wow any meat-eating relatives! It's also good cold.

I should dedicate an entry to mushroom patés as I make lots of versions, and they're particularly good for parties. You can either buy mushroom paté (it tends to be higher in fat than mushrooms) or use this BBC recipe, and add chopped dried apricots for festive colour and sweetness. Use shop-bought puff pastry, or make it yourself if you're not busy enough already this Christmas!

• 500 g Mushroom paté
• 1 Quorn family roast (defrosted and removed from wrapping)
• 1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry

1. Roll out the pastry and cut into a big circle with a diameter about 1.5 times the length of the Quorn roast.
2. Spoon some paté in a line along the centre of the pastry, then place the Quorn on top. Spoon more pate over the top of the Quorn, smoothing down the sides until it's snugly encased in a paté layer about 1 cm thick.
3. Take the two flaps of pastry lying against the long side of the Quorn, and bring them together over the top of the Quorn, making the shape of a giant Cornish pasty.
4. Press the pastry so together so it's tightly wrapped around the Quorn, crimping the join with thumb and forefinger all the way across the top.
5. Trim any excess pastry. With the leftover pastry scraps, cut various shapes like holly leaves, stars, trees - go crazy, be creative!
6. Beat an egg, stick the pastry decorations on with the egg wash, then glaze the whole thing. Cut a few holes in the top of the pastry to let steam escape.
7. Bake in the oven at 200C for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and the Quorn heated through. Leave for a few minutes to rest, take to the table, slice, and wow your guests!

Variations

Shortcrust pastry will also work here, previously I've made a walnut shortcrust pastry for Christmas, which tastes delicious and smells heavenly in the oven. Puréed chestnuts are also good as a paté alternative, buy canned or pouch chestnuts but make sure they're not too wet.

Posh Pear and Plum Crumble

Everyone loves a crumble and I still have lots of plums to use, so I thought I'd try a more fancy restaurant style advocated by the likes of Raymond Blanc.

This recipe takes the heretical approach of cooking the crumble separately so it's more crunchy. I have to say I was outraged at the very idea, what do French chefs know about our British crumble?! I love the traditional way crumbles have that soft, gooey transition between the fruit, the juice-soaked crumble, and the crunchy top.

I was prepared to hate this deconstructed crumble, but it's actually quite nice, if not quite traditional. It's a bit like having stewed fruit with that oat-crunch cereal on top.

The fruit here is particularly special, with a richly reduced sweet wine sauce. I used Amaretto but any sweet dessert wine or red wine will also work. Another advantage of the deconstructed approach is you can make it look pretty in individual serving bowls.

Stewed fruit:

• Five large black plums, stoned and quartered
• Four pears, peeled, cored and quartered
• 1 glass of Amaretto or sweet wine
• 4 tbsp sugar (to taste)
• 1 tsp almond extract

Crumble topping:

• 100g plain white flour
• 50g ground almonds
• 25g flaked almonds
• 100g demerara sugar (or simple granulated)
• 50g butter

1. Put the fruit and wine in a large pan, and gently stew for ten minutes or so until the fruit is well cooked but the pieces retain their shape.
2. Strain the fruit, reserving the delicious liquid, and return the liquid to the pan.
3. Dissolve the 4 tbsp of sugar in the liquid, and leave it to gently simmer and reduce until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. Preheat the oven to 200C.
5. Make the topping by rubbing together the flour, butter and sugar in a bowl so it forms rough clumps, then mix in the ground almonds.
6. Spread the crumble onto a baking dish, sprinkle the top with the flaked almonds, and bake for about 10 minutes until it's lightly browned and crunchy.
7. Mix the reduced sauce with the cooked fruit and the almond extract, and pour into a deep serving dish.
8. When the crumble is cooked, sprinkle on top of the fruit, and enjoy with cream or custard!

Quorn and Mushroom Strudel

Believe it or not, the Viennese strudel was originally made with turnips, so they have fine tradition in savoury veggie cuisine! I fancied a pie, and with a pack of puff pastry on hand this is a variation on the ubiquitous chicken and mushroom pie. I've made a large one here for simplicity, but it's also great to make individual pies for lunches or picnics.

Serves 4

• 4 carrots, cut into sticks
• 1 onion, halved lengthways
• 300g (one bag) Quorn chunks
• 300g chestnut mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp thyme
• 500g puff pastry (or pre-rolled sheet)

For the white sauce:

• 3 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vegetable stock
• 500 ml milk (or water/milk)
• seasoning

1. Toss the vegetables and Quorn in oil, and roast in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.
2. Leave to cool a little, then chop the mushrooms and vegetables into rough chunks.
3. Make the white sauce either in a microwave or saucepan. (I've covered white sauces before so I won't repeat.)
4. In a bowl, mix chopped vegetables, mushrooms and Quorn with the white sauce, and leave to cool
5. Roll out your pastry into a large rectangle, about twice as wide as long. I'd suggest making it as wide as your baking sheet, for easy oven handling.
6. Preheat your oven to 220C.
7. Spoon the filling onto one long half of your rolled pastry, leaving about an inch/2 cm gap around the edge for sealing.
8. Wet the edges of the pastry with a finger, then fold over the other side of the pastry to cover, 
9. Crimp the edge with your fingers to make a seal.
10. With a sharp knife, slash across the pastry, trying not to cut quite all the way through. This allows the pastry to expand and leave a pretty pattern on top.
11. Brush with either egg or milk, and bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes until the pastry is risen and golden brown.

Chocolate banana bread

I swear my best recipes come about from necessity or leftovers, and this banana bread (cake, really) is my way of using up over-ripe bananas! I'm apparently unusual these days in liking bananas when they're ripe and sweet, but these ones were too black and spotty even for me, but they go great in this cake.

• 100g butter, softened or melted
• 120g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 200g self raising flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 large very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
• 50g raisins
• 50 ml water (or ginger wine)
• 50g dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks or chocolate chips

1. Heat the raisins in a covered pan with either water or ginger wine until not quite boiling. Take off the heat and leave for an hour to sit and plump up.
2. When soaked, strain the raisins and coat them in flour so they don't sink to the bottom - I always forget this part!
3. Preheat the oven to 180C.
4. Whisk the butter and sugar together, then slowly add the eggs.
5. Stir in the flour and ginger til well mixed, then add the banana, chocolate and raisins.
6. Pour into a loaf tin and bake for about an hour, while the house fills with a gorgeous banana baking scent!
7. Use a skewer or toothpick to see if it's done - when inserted it should come out clean.
8. Leave to cool, if you can resist.

Variations

Nuts are a good addition or alternative to chocolate, I like chopped walnuts particularly.

This recipe also makes great muffins - just pour the mixture into muffin cases and cook for about 30 minutes.

Autumn Vegetable Soup

I'm much more of a winter foodie than summer, and these fresh bright autumn days make me yearn for soup for lunch! We're also getting the first of the winter vegetables like leeks, so I was going to make a leek and potato soup but I just kept throwing things in!

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large leeks, sliced and thoroughly washed
• 200 g small waxy potatoes, quartered
• 6 carrots, cut into smallish chunks
• 1 tin of white beans
• 500 ml good vegetable stock
• Handful of frozen peas
• 2 tsp dill

1. Splosh oil and a knob of butter in a large pan and gently fry the onion for a minute or two.
2. Add the leeks and sweat them on a medium heat til they've cooked down a little and intensified their flavour. Don't let them burn, burnt leeks taste nasty.
3. Add the potatoes and carrots and cover with the vegetable stock. Add more water if the vegetables aren't quite covered.
4. Cook for about 15-20 until the potatoes are done.
5. Add the beans, peas and dill, and cook for another 5 mins.
6. At the end I give it a brief whizz with a hand blender - enough to break up a few of the vegetables but leaving most of them chunky.
7. Check for seasoning and consistency. I like a thick chunky soup but add more water if it's too thick.
8. Serve in a bowl with a dollop of plain yoghurt.

Plum Frangipane Puff Pastry Tart

This was an experiment that worked very well, and I'd definitely make again. Almonds and plums go together brilliantly, and the soft frangipane and the crisp pastry are deliciously moreish!

I prefer the large round black plums, but use any kind of plum you can find this time of year. This recipe would also work with apples, apricots, peaches or anything similar.

Using pre-rolled puff pastry saves so much time, but use a block (more economical) or, if truly adventurous, make your own. You can either make one very large tart, or individual sized small ones. I tend to cut a pre-rolled sheet in half, so each half serves four. I can then save the other for gorging on at breakfast!

• 1 pack pre-rolled puff pastry sheet (or equivalent)
• 3 large black plums
• 1 tbsp apricot or plum jam, sieved (optional, for glazing)

For the frangipane:

• 100g ground almonds
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g softened butter
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

1. Preheat the oven to 220C.
2. Roll out your puff pastry sheet and cut into whatever sizes you prefer. For each start, fold over about 1 cm along each side to form a border - this raised edge will hold in the frangipane.
3. Prick the bottom of each tart all over with a fork, we don't want the middle rising too much.
4. Bake in the hot oven for about 8 minutes until partly risen and crisp. Take out and leave to cool a little.
5. Meanwhile make the frangipane. In a food processor, mixer, or with a strong arm, cream the butter and sugar together until pale.
6. Gradually beat in two eggs.
7. Fold in the ground almonds and almond extract leaving a smooth mixture.
8. Cut the plums into wedged slices, no more than about 0,5 cm thick.
9. Set your oven to 180C.
10. When the pastry has cooled a bit, spoon the frangipane mixture over the part-baked tarts, taking care to leave the folded edge free..
11. Arrange plum slices all over the top.
12. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the frangipane is golden on top and set inside. Smaller tarts will take less time.
13. For a final touch, heat some sieved jam with a little water, and glaze the fruits with a brush for a shiny finish. Alternatively, dust with icing sugar.
14. Enjoy warm with cream, or equally good cold.

Eggs Benedictine (Poached eggs with spinach sauce)

I love a slow relaxing brunch on a Sunday, and when my sister's visiting I always have to cook some kind of eggs!

This is my variation of Eggs Benedict, or Eggs Florentine, which I'm calling Eggs Benedictine since it's poached eggs with a spinach white sauce. "Going to the bother of making a white sauce on a Sunday morning, are you mad?!", I hear you saying? Don't worry, this is my quick and easy white sauce, which only takes 3 minutes in the microwave!

Serves two

• 4 blocks of frozen spinach, defrosted
• 4 eggs (two each)
• Four slices of brown or rye bread

For the white sauce:

• 2 tsp plain flour
• 2 tsp butter
• 400 ml milk (or milk and water mixed)
• salt and pepper to taste
• (optional) grated cheese

1. Put the butter in a bowl and melt in the microwave, about 30 seconds
2. Add the plain flour and mix into the butter until smooth.
3. Gradually add the milk, smoothing out lumps as you go. Once you've added 100 ml or so it should be fine to just add the rest.
4. Zap in the microwave for 1 minute, stir vigorously, then zap for another minute. It should be done! If not cook for another minute. The sauce should be thick like custard.
5. Add grated cheese to taste, if using, then stir in the spinach. Taste it for seasoning.

Poach the eggs however you prefer, this is my easy method with no whirling nonsense. Make sure you use fresh eggs, older eggs tend to dissolve into soup:

1. Fill a sauté pan, or high-sided frying pan, with boiling water from the kettle until it's about 1.5 inches/3 cm deep. Add a sprinkling of salt and put on a low heat. The water should be steaming, but completely still.
2. Gently crack an egg into the water, easing into the water carefully. Repeat for the rest.
3. Turn up the heat slightly and leave the eggs to cook in their bath for about 4-5 mins until the white is set but the yolk still runny.

To assemble:

1. Toast the bread, and pop two slices each on the plate.
2. Pour sauce onto the toast, roughly two tablespoons each slice.
3. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon - I also blot them a bit with kitchen paper.
4. Place one egg on each slice, and top with cracked pepper. 
5. Enjoy with a nice cup of tea and the Sunday papers!