Posted in Cheese, Dinner, Freezer-friendly, Lunch, Packed lunch friendly, Soup, Vegetables, Vegetarian, tagged beans, carrot, celery, cheese, dumplings, fennel, healthy, hearty, low fat, stew, tomato, vegetables, vegetarian on October 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Hello folks! Just a quick announcement before getting on with this post. Food Magazine‘s 2013 Reader Awards are accepting nominations for your favourite West Country food producers, shops, chefs, cafes and restaurants and, for the first time, bloggers. If you have any favourites that you think deserve some recognition you can vote for them here. And if you’ve enjoyed reading this little blog I would be over the moon if you nominated it. #awkward! Thank you!
Posted in Baking, Cheese, Dinner, French, Lunch, Vegetables, Vegetarian, tagged baking, eggs, French, goat's cheese, herbs, Peppers, Provence, quiche, ratatouille, shallots, summer, tomatoes, vegetables, vegetarian on September 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »
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. (more…)
Posted in Low effort, Lunch, Salad, Side dish, Vegetables, Vegetarian, tagged carrots, fennel, hazelnuts, honey, roasted, salad, vegetarian on July 24, 2012| Leave a Comment »
This recipe was one of those off-the-cuff type things which I threw together one evening when I spent a little to much time wondering what to do with a bag of dinky little Chantenay carrots. Happily enough it turned out to be rather nice and I have repeated it since turning my salad into a lunch dish by mixing the sticky-sweet roasted carrots with a heap of lentils and topping them off with a crumbling of salty feta. The earthy flavour of the carrots is lifted by a sharp mustard and lemon dressing which also serves to cut through their concentrated honeyed sweetness. Toasted hazelnuts lend a some textural interest and their buttery taste plays along well with the rest of the dish. (more…)
Posted in Breakfast, Cheese, Low effort, Lunch, Vegetables, Vegetarian, tagged breakfast, brunch, eggs, feta, healthy, Peppers, spinach, vegetable, vegetarian on April 14, 2012| Leave a Comment »
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! (more…)
Posted in Dinner, Low effort, Lunch, Mexican, Packed lunch friendly, Soup, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, tagged beans, chipotle, Mexican, packed lunch, salad, side, simple, spice, sweetcorn, vegetarian on March 31, 2012| Leave a Comment »
I had been planning to make a pot of vegetarian three bean chilli for some time but as the weather has become more spring-like I’ve been eating less soup and stew for lunch and more salads and sandwiches. Since my kitchen is now in a state of disrepair (more on that soon) it seems a lot more sensible to make a salad than try and cook something up on my paltry single hob. Despite fancying a cold lunch, I still wanted the flavours of a good bowl of chilli so I set out to make something spicy and smoky but salady at the same time. (more…)
Posted in Baking, Cheese, Dinner, Italian, Vegetables, Vegetarian, tagged almonds, Italian, pasta, Peppers, ricotta, roasted peppers, rocket, stuffed shells, vegetarian on March 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »
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. (more…)
Posted in Dinner, Low effort, Lunch, Side, Vegetables, Vegetarian, tagged bread crumbs, butternut squash, cheese, mash, parsnip, roasted vegetables, side dish, vegetarian on January 11, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Well this probably should have been a Christmas post but with all the hustle and bustle and manic cooking I somehow forgot to take any photos of this great side dish. Not to worry though, I wanted an excuse to make it again, so I did. Butternut squash is, as you can probably tell by looking at my recipe index, one of my favourite vegetables. It can do no wrong and works in all manner of recipes soup, salad, pizza, tagines… So often it is the star of the show but it is also happy to sit alongside other dishes as part of your supper spread. It is especially good served with roasted meats (pork and chicken in particular) or brasied casseroles, cooked long and low, which should always be paired with some kind of mash to transport you into comfort-food nirvana.
Posted in Baking, Gifts, Low effort, Lunch, Packed lunch friendly, Party food, Snacks, Vegetarian, tagged baking, buffet, crackers, dip, hazelnut, party, thyme, vegetarian on December 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Continuing the party food theme, all good dips require something good to dip in them. My main requirements for dipables is that they are nice and crunchy so you have a texture contrast and strong enough to support a generous scoop or dip without crumbling or breaking off under the load. I’m a big fan of crudities – usually carrot and celery sticks but it’s nice to have something a little less virtuous on offer. When I need a clever little something for a party I often turn to Chocolate and Zucchini for ideas; I think Clotilde must be a consummate hostess since her blog and cookbooks have no end of great recipes and tips for entertaining. I’ve made her hazelnut and thyme crackers many times, in many forms and doubt I’ll ever be bored with them. They have a beautiful crumbly, nubbly texture from the finely chopped nuts and herby, earthy notes from the thyme.
Posted in Cheese, Low effort, Lunch, Packed lunch friendly, Party food, Snacks, Vegetables, Vegetarian, tagged autum, buffet, Christmas, cream cheese, dip, herbs, party food, pumpkin, squash, vegetables, vegetarian on December 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Party season is almost upon us and I’ve been busy trialling recipes for the Christmas crowds. My first party is this weekend but, I think fortunately, I’m not playing host just yet. It’s going to be one of those wonderfully out of character parties where you get to see a totally new side of your friends. On Saturday I’m going to feast on dustbin lid-sized pizza, garlic bread and chocolate fudge cake with my running group which mainly consists of a bunch of fairly health-conscious ladies. I think we’re going to give the restaurant a run for their money in terms of how much we can eat!
Posted in Dinner, Italian, Low effort, Lunch, Vegetarian, tagged aglio, chilli, garlic, Italian, low effort, olio, olive oil, parsley, pasta, peperoncino, quick, simple, vegetarian on November 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Otherwise known as pasta with garlic, oil and chilli or dinner for when there’s nothing in the fridge. Not that you should wait until the larder’s bare to make this quick-fire supper. This is the epitome of how Italian food makes the most of basic ingredients: the sum is so much more than the individual components. (more…)
T and Cake 