Roasted pepper and tomato soup with rosemary

I made this soup because I had lots of fresh rosemary to use and wanted something wholesome and comforting. It was made with green peppers, because that's all I had in, but I am sure it would be even tastier if red ones were used instead. The quantities below would serve 3-4 people as a starter.

Ingredients:

Vegetables when roasted, and garlic cloves de-skinned

For roasting
1 large onion
1tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
olive oil
3 garlic cloves (in their skins)
2 green peppers
3 sprigs rosemary


To finish
salt and pepper to taste
1 tin tomatoes
1/2 cup fake bacon bits, rehydrated in one cup of water


Method:

1. Combine all of the ingredients 'for roasting' in a large oven tray and roast at 200 degrees celcius for about 15-20 minutes.

2. Let the vegetables cool slightly, and when the garlic cloves are cool enough to handle, peel them from their skins and pull the rosemary leaves off the stalks (discard the stalks).

3. When sufficiently cooled, whack the whole lot in a food processor, together with the fake bacon pieces and most of the water they are sitting in. Blend well. Add in the tomatoes and the remaining 'bacon' water and blend again until smooth.

4. Transfer the soup to a pan and heat through on the hob. You will probably want to add additional water (between 1-3 cups, depending on your preference) to achieve the deisred consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with chunky bread.

Bulgar wheat salad

I'm not a fan of stodgy fare at the best of times, and particularly when the weather is warm and sunny. This recipe is just the kind of guilt-free, veg-filled, colourful food heaven that I like to indulge in over summer.

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:

200g bulgar wheat

dessertspoonful of onion pickle for popadoms (I had some left over in the fridge, but you can use one small onion, finely chopped and sprinkled with lemon juice instead)

the juice of one lemon

half a cucumber

5 ripe tomatoes (vine tomatoes are best)

one cup of garden peas

2 large carrots, grated

2 dessertspoons of spinach puree (puree is easier, but fresh spinach, finely chopped will also work)

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix the onion pickle into the dried bulgar wheat. Add the lemon juice, then just cover with boiling water. Cover the top of the bowl with a plate to keep the steam in. The bulgar wheat will be rehydrated in about 30 minutes.

2. In the meantime, cube the cucumber, cut the tomatoes into wedges, grate the carrots, and cook your peas if you are using frozen ones

3. When the bulgar wheat is rehydrated, add the spinach, cucumber, tomato, carrots and peas, and stir gently, but thouroughly. Add salt and black pepper to taste. 

Personally, I tend to like the fresh taste of the salad 'as is', with just the lemon juice and black pepper to set off the taste of all of the fresh ingredients. However, if you prefer something with a bit more punch, then balsamic would work really well on this salad, as would a nice fruit vinegar.

Hearty marrow and beer stew with mustard dumplings

This recipe will serve 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

For the stew:
tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 onions
4-5 cloves garlic
two large green marrows
1 vegetable oxo cube
1 decent glug - 1 small glass beer
1 tsp marmite
salt and pepper to taste
handful chives, chopped
half handful coriander, chopped
4-5 mint basil leaves, roughly ripped

For the dumplings:
4 oz self-raising flour
2 oz Atora vegetable suet
pinch salt
2 tsp yellow mustard seeds, crushed
water to mix


Method:

1. Chop the onion into large chunks (from top to bottom)

2. Chop the garlic cloves in half (from top to bottom)

3. Chop the marrow into tall pieces, about 3inches tall and 1/2inch to 1 inch wide.

4. Drizzle olive oil into the bottom of a casserole dish and sprinkle with the chilli flakes, then tightly pack the garlic, onion and marrows into the casserole dish, on end.

5. Dissolve the marmite and the oxo cube in a cup of boiling water, then pour this liquid into the casserole dish, so that it comes halfway up the height of the marrow stacks. Sprinkle the fresh herbs on the top of the stew.

6. Put the lid on the casserole dish and bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes until the marrow starts to go tender. Test the broth and add salt and pepper to taste.

7. Meanwhile, mix the dumplings and divide the mixture into 6-8 pieces.

8. When the marrow is starting to go tender, add the beer to the casserole dish, and a little more water if necessary, so that the water level is maintained at halfway to three quarters of the way up the marrow sticks. Sit the dumplings on top of the liquid, replace the casserole lid and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Spicy stuffed mushrooms

This recipe is for two stuffed mushrooms - but the quantities can be multiplied as appropriate. They are extremely versatile. One mushroom served on a bed of salad makes a great started, or I have served them as a finishing touch on a polenta dish (see picture).

Ingredients

2 large mushrooms, stalks removed
pinch salt and pepper
1tsp yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp crushed szechuan peppercorns
2 tblsp tomato puree
4 tblsp milk (I use soya milk)
4 mint basil leaves (ordinary basil will do if you can't find mint basil)
1 tblsp grated cheese

Method

1. Fry the mushrooms on a medium heat for about 1-2 minutes on each side until slightly tender and releasing juices. Add the pinch of salt and pepper about halfway through frying each side. Remove from the pan.

2. Fry the mustard seeds and peppercorns in the pan until the mustard seeds start popping, then add the tomato puree and milk and stir until smooth.

3. At the very last minute, tear the mint basil leaves into the mixture, and use this to stuff the mushrooms.

4. Top the mushrooms with cheese and a pinch of pepper, and grill for 5 minutes under a medium-hot grill until the cheese is browned.

Polenta in Bloody Mary Sauce

This dish is incredibly quick and simple - only about 10 minutes from start to serve.



Polenta in Bloody Mary sauce, topped with a stuffed mushroom



Ingredients

1 pack of solid polenta (a block)

1tsp chilli flakes

1/2 tsp szechuan peppercorns, crushed

1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 shot vodka
Fish-free Worcester sauce




Method

1. Cube the polenta into 2cm pieces and brown the outsides in olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat for about 3 minutes.

2. Push the polenta to the edges of the pan and add the chilli and peppercorns to the centre. Fry for about a minute.

3. Add the tin of tomatoes and the vodka, and about a tablespoon of fish-free Worcester sauce.

4. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add more fish-free Worcester sauce to tast if necessary, and serve immediately.

Vegetarian Sauce Puttanesca

Traditionally, puttanesca sauce gets a lot of the depth and richness of its flavour from the inclusion of anchovies. This vegetarian version recreates some of those flavours with the addition of gherkins and fish-free Worcester sauce. It's incredible simple to make and you can whack it on a high heat if you want to speed up the process. However, the flavours definitely come across richer and more satisfying if you have the patience to simmer for longer on a low heat, as this recipe suggests. Any unused sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tblsp capers
3 gherkins, finely chopped
10 green olives
10 black olives
1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)
1-2 tblsp fish-free Worcester sauce
1 des. spoon dried oregano
1tsp ground black pepper

Method

1. Gently fry the chilli, garlic, capers, gherkin and olives for a few minutes, stirring continuously until the garlic turns translucent. I like to keep the olives whole, as I think this adds more interest to the texture of the sauce.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes and fish-free Worcester sauce and increase the heat, stirring continuosly until the sauce starts to bubble.

3. Add the oregano and black pepper and reduce the heat. Let the sauce simmer for 20-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Shortly before the end of the cooking time, test the sauce and add more fish-free Worcester sauce, pepper and oregano if necessary.

Spicy "Bacon" and Leek Ravioli

Basic Pasta Dough
(adapted from Mary Berry's Complete Cookbook)

Ingredients
300g Strong white flour (bread flour)
3 eggs, whisked
1tsp salt
1 tbsp ollive oil

Method
1. Sift the flour into a mound on your work surface, make a well in the middle and add the rest of the ingredients.

2. Gradually bring the flour into the egg mixture using your fingers. You will have to be alert, as some of the egg mixture is likely to escape, but bear with it. When you have brought all of the flour into the mixture, you should be left with a sticky ball of dough.

3. Lightly flour the work surface and your hands, and knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and no longer sticks to the work surface,

4. Shape the dough into a ball and put it into an oiled plastic bag. Leave to rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature.

5. Lightly flour the work surface again and roll out the dough as thinly as possible. The mixture is very strong, and will have a tendency to 'spring back' as you are rolling. Make sure that you keep rolling it patiently, rather than 'stretching' the mixture with the pin. The dough should roll out to about 35cm square.

6. Leave the pasta uncovered for about 20 mins to dry out slightly.


Whilst you are waiting at stage 4 or 6, you can get on with making the filling.


Spicy"Bacon" and Leek filling

Ingredients
4 tblsp Dried fake bacon pieces
Boiled water to rehydrate
About 5cm of a fat leek, chopped quite small
1 des. spoon paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch salt

Method
1. Put the fake bacon in a small bowl and gradually add about 1-2 tblsp hot water. Eventually all the water should be absorbed, but without any excess being left.

2. Whilst you are waiting for the fake bacon to rehydrate, gently fry off the leek, paprika, pepper and salt in a little oilve oil.

3. Add the fake bacon to the pan, and fry gently until heated through.

4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until it is time to fill the pasta.

Filling the pasta

1. Cut your pasta square in half. On one side, place 18 spoonfulls of the filling at regular intervals. Lightly brush the grid between the filling with water, and around the outside of that piece of pasta.

2. Roll the remaining pasta around a rolling pin and unroll over the filling. Press this pasta down around the edge, and along the gridlines so that it sticks.

3. Use a knife or a pizza wheel to cut down the gridlines into individual ravioli. Leave for about 30 minutes, turning after about halfway, until the ravioli have dried out.

4. Cook the ravioli in a large pan of lightly salted, boiling water for about 5 minutes until just tender and serve immediately.

I served these with a delicious Vegetarian Puttanesca sauce.