Orange Pepper Soup (veggie friendly)

Serving Suggestion

Oh yes!!

Easy and effective, this always goes down well with family and guests alike. It makes a classy starter for any dinner party and It's also a healthy (no fat) way to scoff for comfort purposes and works just as well with red peppers and green peppers.  So easy and for most this is a simple store cupboard soup.  We have orange peppers left in the veggie drawer before Mr Tesco visits, hence it is orange pepper soup today!

INGREDIENTS

2 large orange peppers
1 Red Pepper
1 large white onion (red for red pepper soup)
4 cloves of garlic
3 medium potatoes
2 Vegetable Stock cubes in boiling water (or homemade stock which is better)
1/2 can of condensed milk (not the cream stuff you use for desserts and not if you want fat free- try skimmed milk or naff all)
Teaspoon of Basil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Fresh Basil for the garnish (optional)

METHOD

All the veg should be chopped roughly don't finely chop anything!!

Chuck it in the pot!!

Lightly soften the peppers in fry light and put into a big pot with the potatoes (uncooked)and garlic and onion (also uncooked).   Cover with the vegetable stock.  If their isn't enough to just about cover the veg, add a splash or two of water to top it up.  

Bring the pan to the boil momentarily then turn the heat right down, put a lid on it and leave to simmer for at least 40 minutes.

Blitz and add Basil, black pepper and condensed milk to taste later on

Blitz the mixture using a hand blender (being careful not to splat yourself with hot soup) then leave settle for a while (or not if you're in a rush).  Just before serving, warm the soup through gently adding salt and black pepper and the dried basil.  Then take the condensed milk and give the soup a healthy swirl. The soup shouldn't be too thick, if you have followed the recipe you will get a lovely consistency.

Serve piping hot with fresh, crusty bread or ciabbata and a sprig of basil. 

PREPARATION: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 40 minutes
FINISHING TOUCHES: 5 minutes 

Yum! My soup got a "restaurant rating" from my Mummy so I must be doing something right!

Lil Bro's Chocolate Brownie

This simple recipe has been in our family file for at least twenty years thanks to my little brother who started it all those years ago!

This morning Mum and I worked together on producing this little dirty b*stard (though why she cleaned the prep area first I have no idea as there are still chocolate spray marks up the wall from my last attempt!) Here is how it goes ...

A few tips from me would be to add a few white chocolate buttons, ensure the cocoa and butter mix is hot when mixing with the other ingredients and cook for no more than 20 minutes to ensure it has a proper gooey, dirty consistancy.  As soon as the top crisps, wap it out!!!(Oh and fruits with a sprinkling of icing sugar makes it look nice)

So much history on one piece of paper - Mum worked for Immuno (a decent place) and lil bro's handwriting had finally become legible (shame about the spelling though)!! 

Linguine Carbonara For Busy People

Another quick and simple recipe for those hectic days.  I love this one so much it hurts!


THE SAUCE:

• A small pot of double cream
• A generous blob of Mascarpone
• 2 fist full's of fresh Parmesan
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1 pack of pancetta
• Garlic (not too much because it needs to be delicate)
• Heaps of dried parsley if you have it
• Half a pack of diced baby mushrooms (optional)
• Seasoning to taste
• 1 Egg (whisked)

Lightly fry the pancetta and mushrooms in a tiny bit of olive oil and add the stock cube. Then chuck it all in a saucepan (larger the better) and heat through very slowly whilst cooking the linguine.  Add the linguine and stir into the sauce making sure all the pasta gets coated evenly.  It is important not to burn the sauce whilst you gradually add the egg.  Keep the hob low to stop the eggs becoming scrambed - it is minging!

Quickly serve along with ciabatta and a green salad.  Totally yum!!

SERVES 2-3

PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINS

COOKING TIME: 20 MINS

That Fast Classic - Pasta bake

There are so many ways to prepare a pasta bake and on my maiden voyage there was a lot of controversy as to whether you boiled the pasta first and wether you make a runny sauce or one with texture.  I don't usually mind being given advice in the kitchen but on this occasion I was having none of it! The pressure for it to work was quite stressful as I really didn't want to here those punch-worthy words "Told You So!".  

So here is what I did and though I say it myself, it was pretty good.  I decided on a tuna bake and did a rather good job of concealing the offending article!

THE TOMATO SAUCE:

• One pack of Passata (you can add a shop bought tomato sauce if you like too)
• Loads of Basil and Oregano
• A sprinkling of chilli seeds (literally a tiny amount)
• Parsley (dried)
• Seasoning
• Half of a large tin of sweetcorn
• 1 tin of tuna

So easy, bung it all in a pan and put on a low heat whilst you move onto the veg

THE VEG:

• 1 large onion
• Garlic (you decide how much)
• 1 green pepper
• Diced Courgette (optional)
• Carrots (optional)

Soften all these in a wok being careful not to caramelise the onions and chuck it all into the sauce pot.

Whilst all this is going on you should prepare your pasta.  Cook it properly.  I went for shells but penne would suffice.  Spaghetti wouldn't work as well as the others.

Stick the pasta into a pyrex type dish then pile the sauce on top.  Mix well then add a little pepper and Italian seasoning.

THE CHEESE TOPPING:

• Half a block of reduced fat strong cheddar
• Parmesan
• 1 slice of grated bread (optional)

Grate the lot and top your bake.  

PREPERATION TIME: 15 minutes

OVEN TIME: 30 minutes

SERVES 4-5

Too easy and very effective.  Serve with salad and/or garlic bread.  Great if you are in a hurry.  Yum!!

Med Veg a la Jo

Sandy-Goodey Roast

I really do have a distinct dislike for cooked vegetables.  I shudder at the thought of soggy carrots, chewy cauliflower and the snot-like texture of spinach.  I am a total salad fiend, I love all that but your standard veg I cannot eat without heaving.  Yuk.  I also find bland food impossible to ingest (unless its a good old Corned Beef Hash).  Veg are important for all kinds of reasons, we have to make sure we have our 200 a day apparently, so I like to put my own spin on the traditional Sunday Roast.  Items are added and deleted depending on whats in the fresh food compartment in the fridge.

Lemon Myrtle, Garlic and Pepper Chicken Ready for Cooking

Timing is everything with a roast.  We recently upgraded our cooker and can now fit everything into the two ovens with ease.  The chicken preparation was simple but effective.  I like to make stock for soups so flavouring the chicken as it cooks seems the sensible way to go.  I like fun ingredients and opted to use Lemon Myrtle from its native Australia in the form of flakes, a dusting of garlic salt and some cracked black pepper.  Lemon Myrtle, when used properly is a very fragrant ingredient that permeates through the chicken.  Use too much and you may as well suck on lemons!

With that cooking, Alex prepares his totally disgraceful (in a good way) roasties whilst I move on to the part that makes the difference between bog standard and pretty damned tasty!

MED VEG: 

1 Courgette sliced
1 Red Onion roughly chopped
2 Fresh Beetroot (part boiled)
1 Red Pepper chopped
Handful of Carrots (cut into batons)
1 Cooking Apple chopped
Black Olives (up to you how many)
Some cloves of slow roasted garlic

Once chopped etc, add a healthy glug of good olive oil, a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar, some herbs de provence, a sprinkling of chilli flakes and a healthy grind of black pepper.  Mix it up then roast along with the roasties and stuffing.  On this occasion we lean on Paxo and that comfort food classic sage and onion stuffing.  I do have a very naughty recipe for a lemon based stuffing that will blow your mind, but we went for simple this time!  Pick your gravy ... we made onion gravy but its up to you .....

Nothing like a bit of Paxo!!

Green beans are always a great accompaniment but the med veg works great if you want to disguise a myriad of boring.  

I understand that most people love a classic roast but this is the way me and my family enjoy it!

Versatile Italian Dough ...

It's all about having a basic recipe that you can tweek.  This is one of mine.  If you get this bit right the sky is the limit.  I did, however, destroy Mum's kitchen as this recipe requires plenty of room and a dustbuster!!

Dough:

12oz Strong White Flour
2 Glugs Olive Oil
1 Sachet of Yeast
8 fl oz Warm Water
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Dried Herbs (of your choice)

Take a glass mixing bowl and gently warm it in the oven at about 70 degrees.  Add the flour, olive oil, herbs and yeast then mix in the warm water slowly.  Kneed the dough then put back in the oven until risen.  This forms the basis for your pizza or calzone (folded pizza - a bit like a pasty).  

Bread:

On this occasion I made a flavoured bread.  For this you should chop sundried tomatoes, roquefort, onion, sliced garlic and olives and basil leaves  Stuff these ingredients randomly into the dough whilst kneeding then place back in the oven at 170 degrees for 20 minutes on a baking tray.  Easy peasy but an effective accompaniment for pasta or with a ploughman's lunch.  Yum!!

Yummy Bread!

Chorizo and Bean Stew (or beans with beans stew for the veggies)

A delicate, healthy stew

I love beans ... I have made no secret of this and have probably laboured the point at every opportunity possible ... beeeeeeeeenz and not of the baked in tomato dishwater kind (although I won't say no!)

I love making casseroles and stews but only do it when we have guests or it ends up going to waste because you have to make a sheer volume to get all the flavours.  We have a guest, so out comes the casserole dish!

For this recipe I am avoiding the good old staple of kidney beans as they are boring and instantly suggest a chilli con carne type ensemble.  This is a Spanish recipe and it is important to vary ingredients so your basic base mixture can be used as a blank canvass.  It should be of a delicate flavour not spicy or garlicy! 

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 4-6 (half for less)

200g thinly sliced chorizo
(1 can of Berlotti beans if following the vegetarian route)
1 can Haricot Beans
1 can Cannellini Beans
2 x Passata 
4 x Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 x Chilli (de-seeded and minced)
1 x Onion (diced)
Parsley
Healthy shake of paprika (more for the veggies!)
Black Pepper
Veg Stock Cube
Yellow Pepper (finely diced)
1/2 Courgette (finely sliced)
Handful of Black Olives
*Cornflour to thicken if necessary*

Soften the chorizo, onion, garlic and chilli using olive oil then transfer to a casserole dish where you simply chuck all the rest into the pot.  Cook for a further 30 mins on the hob or transfer to the oven for a longer, slower bake on a lower heat.  Finish for five minutes on the hob and thicken with cornflour if needs be.  Simples!!

Serve with good, old fashioned mash with Pure for a healthier version or mash with grated cheese for the shameless out there!!