Ratatouille quiche

Last week my mum and I went on a last-minute city break to Avignon where we indulged in sunshine, shopping and lots and lots of beautiful food. Since coming back I’ve been on a Provençal cooking kick having been overloaded with inspiration on our mini holiday. Just wandering around the wonderful indoor market is enough to make you want to sell up and move to France: the stalls were overflowing with all manner of heirloom tomatoes; tiny, round green and yellow courgettes; plump purple- and white-flecked aubergines; strings of garlic; fat bundles of fresh herbs and about 20 types of onion. The delis had big bowls of ratatouille to take home and reheat alongside stuffed tomatoes, rabbit stew, individual egg and vegetable flans and roasted meats. Hams and whole salamis hung above mountains of olives and the boulanger oppostie sold crunchy, fresh sourdough bread, fougasse studded with nuts and apple tart by the slice. Other displays contained jewel-like candied fruits, macarons and iced, almond-shaped Calissons from nearby Aix.

Read Full Post »

Spinach and feta egg bake

I’ve made no secret that I don’t particularly enjoy breakfasts and never make much of a fuss over the first meal of my day; I’m usually happy with a couple of Wheetabix and a splash of skimmed. This last week while we’ve been off work and tearing apart what was the kitchen I fancied a more substantial breakfast but still needed something quick. This egg bake fitted the bill perfectly; although it takes a little while to bake, for the next few days you’re all sorted provided you don’t eat it all at once!

Read Full Post »

Ricotta, rocket and almond stuffed shells with roasted pepper sauce

Pasta is a firm favourite in our house and we eat it several times a week. It’s usually a case of boiling some simple shapes – cavatappi for preference – tossed in a simple sauce. Marcella Hazan’s simple tomato sauce features regularly, as does a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, basil and toasted almonds or a smothering of melted Boursin cheese. But from time to time I’ll stray from a fast and furious meal to something requiring a little more care and attention such as lasagna, cannelloni or these fab stuffed shells.

Read Full Post »

Sweetcorn chowder

I’m calling time on this miserable, chilly month with some sunshine in a bowl. January has seen me trying out various ways of transporting my soup to work without it leaking all over the inside of my handbag; my thermos has given up the ghost after one to many bumps. I’m quite pleased with my bargain (£3.49!) bento-type box, it doesn’t keep food hot very long but can go straight in the microwave, no decanting required. Unfortunately it’s quite bulky and won’t fit in my bag like the thermos did and, since it’s white, everyone thinks I’m toting around a loo roll. I’m tempted by one of the uber-cute Fuel flasks, complete with dry section for crackers or crûtons, but the price is rather high and they look a tad small. Does anyone out there in the blogosphere have any recommendations?

Read Full Post »

Roasted vegetable risotto cake

Over the past few months I’ve been trying to introduce more vegetarian meals into our weekly menu; no mean feat when you’ve got a vegetable-shy husband! Whilst we have what I’d call a fairly healthy diet; eating vegetarian a few times a week feels more balanced. Also, by cutting back a bit, I can afford to buy better-quality, local meat which we both prefer. The only problem is finding recipes that are substantial enough for my husband not to notice the lack of meat. I tend to fall back on pasta dishes or quiche but am on the look out for new ideas. Does anyone out there have any suggestions? I’d love to hear them!

Read Full Post »

Pepper and red lentil soup

Autumn is a beautiful time of year, the leaves that are slowly being blown from the trees practically glow in a rich blush of red, orange and yellow. As the weather gets cooler (and the temperature in the office where I work drops to ‘four-layers’ cold) I turn to soup for a lunchtime warm up. I usually find some time on a Sunday afternoon to whip up a big batch of soup – a week’s worth of packed lunches. If I’m feeling super organised I’ll make two different soups and freeze individual portions so I don’t have to have the same flavour day after day.

Red lentils always strike me as being an autumnal ingredient; maybe it’s because of their lovely orange hue or maybe because they help transform a light vegetable broth into something more substantial. They will never be a star ingredient but they’ll always have a place in my store cupboard. In this recipe their subtle nuttiness, paired with a good dollop of yoghurt, brings out the sweetness of the caramelised, roasted peppers. I found the flavours melded and improved over the week but Monday’s bowl was still pretty tasty.

A little smoked paprika or perhaps some diced chorizo (added with the lentils) would surely be a welcome addition, as would some toasty croutons.

Roasted pepper and lentil soup

Makes 4 servings

• 6-8 red, yellow or orange (bell) peppers (depending on size)
• 2 red onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp dried thyme (I would have used fresh but my bunnies nipped that idea in the bud – literally)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 150g dried red lentils, rinsed
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 750ml vegetable stock or water
• 125ml yoghurt (mine was low fat)
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 200°C.

Chop the peppers into large pieces, quarter the onions and put them in a roasting tray. Throw in the unpeeled garlic cloves, thyme and oil and toss to coat. Roast near the top of the oven for 45 minutes to an hour until the peppers are soft and charred in a few places.

Remove from the oven and enjoy the wonderful aroma. Carefully take the garlic and squeeze the flesh into a large pan discarding the papery skins.

Add the roasted peppers and onion, lentils, tomato paste and hot stock and bring to the boil. Turn down and simmer for 30 mins until the lentils have gone mushy.

Using a stick blender*, blend the soup until all the big bits of pepper and onion are gone. The soup won’t be completely smooth but I quite like a bit of texture. Stir in salt and pepper to taste; if you have used water rather than stock you may need more salt. Finish by stirring in the yoghurt.

*If you don’t have a stick blender you can use a regular blender, mouli or food processor. The texture will vary but the taste will be the same. It is probably somewhat safer to leave the soup to cool before blending it but I’m far to impatient!

Read Full Post »