Courgette, Green Bean and New Potato Salad

It's that time of year again and my home grown courgettes are fruiting in abundance - the yellow variety are doing particularly well.  As I'm not a fan of traditional potato salad, coated in mayonnaise, I devised this recipe instead.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

• 200g/8oz baby courgettes/zucchini, sliced
• 100g/4oz green beans, sliced
• 500g/1lb new potatoes, halved if large
• 2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the dressing:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• a good handful of chopped, fresh tarragon or a mixture of any fresh, green herbs you have to hand (parsley, oregano, basil, mint etc)
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 2 heaped tsp coarse grain mustard
• Himalayan pink salt to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/190 C Fan/400 F/Gas 6 and heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a baking tray or dish.

Boil the new potatoes for around 15-20 minutes (until tender), drain, then add to the hot roasting dish. Turn to coat with the oil and sprinkle with salt to taste.
After 5 minutes in the oven, add the sliced courgettes and garlic. Roast for  a further 10 minutes, or until beginning to turn a golden brown.

Meanwhile, boil the green beans for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.
Drain and set aside.

Once the potatoes and courgettes are nicely browned, add the green beans to the baking dish and roast for a further 3-5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Make the dressing by blending or mixing the crushed, roasted garlic, oil, herbs, vinegar and mustard.
Pour over the warm vegetables and turn gently to coat with the dressing.

Serve warm or cold for lunch or with barbecued food.

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Keralan Vegetable Stew

This South Indian vegetable curry is made with a thin, aromatic, spiced coconut-milk sauce so it's more like a soup or stew than a traditional, British curry. The flavours are also more akin to Thai cuisine than a North Indian-style curry, but this recipe utilises seasonal, British vegetables, so it's very economical.

Although it's not exactly fat-free or low in calories, it makes a delicious, warming and vegan start to the New Year, especially if you're doing Veganuary.

Serves 4

• 1 onion, chopped 
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 4 green cardamoms, pierced with a knife or lightly crushed with your thumb
• a sprig of fresh or dried curry leaves
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. grated, fresh ginger
• 2 thin, green chilies, slit in half
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into batons or slices 
• 1 cup of green beans, cut into 1"/2.5cm pieces
• 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups of broccoli florets or 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 tin coconut milk
• ½ cup boiled water, optional
• 1 tsp sugar, optional

Heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
Add the onion and whole spices and cook for a few minutes on a medium heat.
Add the garlic, ginger and chillies and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Throw in the green beans and potatoes along with the coconut milk.
Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on, until tender.
Add the mushrooms and broccoli/peas and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Season with salt, black pepper and sugar, to taste.
Add some of the water to thin the sauce if needed.

Serve with rice, appam, roti or paratha.

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My Kitchen Garden

This summer I've created my own kitchen garden in raised beds. I bought the raised bed kits from Wickes and built them myself; OK, with a little help from Mr.O! I filled the beds with a lasagne (layers) of peat-free bought compost, soil from the garden, garden compost and barbecue and bonfire ashes.

In an attempt to thwart the millions of rampaging slugs and snails which inhabit my garden, I surrounded each bed with about 20-30 cm of gravel. This does seem to be doing the trick, but I still need to pick out the little blighters which do make it across.

I'll admit that I've rather overcrowded the beds this year, but everything still seems to be growing well. I've planted just a few plants each of: runner beans, green beans, broad beans, courgettes, butternut squash (grown from seeds which I dried and saved from a shop-bought squash), tomatoes, herbs and chillies.

I've also been growing mixed salad leaves including lettuce, rocket and watercress.
As we eat a lot of salad and I like a bargain, I've come up with a thrifty way to grow salad leaves for the price of a couple of bags of shop-bought leaves.

• Lettuce: Buy a 'growing' pack of mixed lettuce for £1-2 from your local supermarket, split them up and plant them out, you can start picking the leaves within 7-14 days and can be harvested for over a month if you keep them well watered.
• Watercress: Just plant a few odd sprigs of left over watercress from a bag of salad. Look out for the pieces which have little roots attached to the base of the stems. Again, with a few weeks, they'll have spread and will be ready to start harvesting. I was quite amazed that watercress doesn't need to be grown in water!
• Rocket: This is really quick and easy to grow from seed. Just sprinkle a row of seeds every couple of weeks and pick the larger leaves off as soon as they're ready.

My courgettes have just started fruiting and my runner beans won't be far behind, so look out for more recipes featuring my kitchen garden harvest.

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Ratatouille with Sautéed New Potatoes

I've only just planted out my courgette plants, but I'm already trying out some new recipes to use up the inevitable glut which will soon be on its way!

I've got to admit that I'm, generally not a big fan of ratatouille. Mainly because the vegetables are often stewed together, so some get over cooked and mushy, whilst others are still al dente. My version, takes longer to cook than most British versions of the recipe, but this more traditional way of cooking the dish gives it a better texture and taste.

Serves 4

• 1 medium/large aubergine, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 2 medium courgettes, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 2 bell peppers, de-seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 large onion, cut into chunks
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 large clove of garlic, chopped or crushed
• ½ tsp dried or 1 tsp fresh, chopped thyme
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp fresh, chopped fresh parsley
• black pepper, to taste

Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat.
Cook the aubergine for around 10 minutes, turning regularly. When the aubergine is soft, golden brown and releases its juices when pressed, it's done! 
Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen towel.

Add a further 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and repeat the process with the courgettes. They should take around 5 minutes to soften and brown slightly. Remove from the pan, as before.

Heat a further 1 tbsp of oil in the pan and repeat with the peppers. Cook for around 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and garlic along with another 1 tbsp oil. Sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.

Now add all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.
Throw the aubergine and courgettes back in and stir to combine.

*At this point, you can remove from the heat and chill until needed.

Continue to simmer, with the lid on for 15 minutes. 
Remove the lid and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes until most of the tomato juice has evaporated and the vegetables are tender, but not mushy. 

*If reheating from cold, place in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes in a medium oven 160C/150C Fan/Gas 3/320F, until piping hot.

Serve warm or hot with sautéed or boiled new potatoes. 

Top tip:  This makes a great vegetarian lasagne filling too.

I'm linking this post to the Meat Free Mondays round-up over at Tinned Tomatoes.

Take a look at these recipes from some of my fellow food bloggers, for more delicious courgette (zucchini) based dishes:

• Hasselback Courgettes or Zucchini with Basil Oil from Gluten Free SCD and Veggie
• Courgette and Chickpea Pancakes with Mango and Cucumber Chutney from Tin & Thyme
• Tomato and Courgette Bake from Big Cook...Tiny Kitchen

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Fattoush Salad

I've been cooking a lot of Greek and Middle-Eastern food lately, and after a delicious meal out at a Lebanese restaurant, I thought make a maza (a selection dishes to share). This was one of the dishes I prepared, which makes a nice change to a traditional salad.

Serves 4

• 1 cos or 2 little gem lettuce, shredded
• a good handful of rocket
• ½ cucumber, de-seeded and sliced
• 2-3 ripe tomatoes de-seeded and diced
• a handful of radishes, thinly sliced
• 3-4 spring onions (or ½ red onion), sliced
• 1 large bell pepper, diced
• a small bunch each of fresh parsley and mint, roughly chopped
• 1 large or 2 small pittas
• sumac

dressing

• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp sumac
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed

Brush the pittas with olive oil; and sprinkle with sumac.
Grill or bake until crispy and golden, then set aside to cool. Break into pieces when cold.

Mix the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Add in the prepared tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, spring onions and herbs. Stir well to coat. These ingredients can be set aside and chilled until needed.

Before serving, mix in the salad leaves and the roughly crushed, toasted pittas.

Top tip: To make this into a delicious, healthy lunch, simply mix in a tin of drained chickpeas and serve with pitta and your favourite dip.

I'm entering this recipe to this month's No Croutons Required Challenge, co-hosted by Jacqui at Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa at Lisa's Kitchen. 


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Gemista; Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers with Potatoes

Gemista (pronounced yemista) is one of my favourite Greek vegetarian dishes. It normally consists of a large tomato and a pepper stuffed with a herby rice mixture and baked in the oven. However, it sometimes contains minced beef or pork, so be sure to check before ordering this dish in Greece!

My version is vegan, but it is traditionally served sprinkled with grated cheese.

Serves 4-8 depending on appetite. 

For the peppers

• 8 small-medium bell peppers
• 1 cup risotto rice
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• ½ cup water/stock (plus more to top up)
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp each of dried oregano and dill
• 2 tbsp each of chopped fresh parsley and mint
• a good pinch of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• Salt and pepper to season

For the potatoes

• 10-12 small-medium potatoes, peeled and cut into haves or quarters, depending on size
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped or crushed
• 1 lemon, cut into quarters
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup water/stock
• ½ cup Kalamata or Halkidiki olives
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4

First prepare the peppers, by slicing the tops off (reserve these) and de-seeding.
Place in a large, deep, heat-proof dish.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan.
Sweat off the onions and garlic for a few minutes on a low heat.
Add the rice and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir well.
Simmer with the lid on for around 7-10 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is half cooked. 
Spoon the rice into the raw peppers (they should be about ½-¾ full).
Fill each pepper to just below the top with boiling water or vegetable stock and pop the 'lids' back on the peppers.

Prepare the potatoes and scatter randomly amongst the peppers.
Top the potatoes with the chopped tomatoes and other ingredients.  
Drizzle the peppers and potatoes with the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. 
Check after an hour to see how tender the potatoes are; turn the potatoes carefully and if not tender, recover and bake for a further 15-20 minutes.
When the potatoes are soft, uncover and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, to colour up.

Serve with a seasonal salad.

Top tip: This recipe is easy to scale up  to serve a large crowd and can be prepared in advance and cooked when needed.

Not suitable for freezing.

I'm linking this post to Karen's latest Cooking with Herbs linky at Lavender & Lovage. 

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Warming Winter Vegetable Soup

This warming, winter, vegan soup is packed full of seasonal vegetables and cold-busting ingredients! It's a lovely acid-green colour and tastes great with fresh, crusty bread.

Serves 4

• 1 large red onion, peeled and chopped
• 1-2 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• ½ small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped 
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• half a head of broccoli (inc. stalks) chopped
• ½ chilli, de-seeded and sliced
• 1 tsp fresh/frozen ginger
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp of garam masala 
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 litre vegetable stock

Prepare the vegetables and cut into large chunks.
Sweat the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil for 3-5 minutes.
Add the spices and cook for a further minute.
Add all of the remaining vegetables.
Cover with the stock and bring to a simmer.
Simmer with the lid on for 20-30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
Add the coriander leaves and blend to desired consistency.

Garnish with a little extra coriander to serve.

Suitable for freezing.

I'm entering this recipe to this month's Credit Crunch Munch , hosted by Fab Food 4 All and Fuss Free Flavours.



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Tuscan Vegetable and Bean Stew - Recipe Feature

To me, the name Cranks is synonymous with great tasting, wholesome vegetarian food. You might not know that their first restaurant and deli opened on London’s Carnaby Street in the swinging 60's; those were the days when people were considered to be cranks if they were vegetarian or vegan! Over 50 year later, the brand is still going strong and have a restaurant, Cranks Kitchen, in Devon, published several recipe books, and have recently launched a new, exclusively vegetarian, sandwich range. As a long standing vegetarian, I was amazed and a little humbled that such a well known vegetarian brand would want me to develop a seasonal recipe for them...

This is my economical and vegan adaptation of the traditional Tuscan stew, Pollo alla Cacciatore (hunter's chicken). I know you don't have to hunt very far to find vegetables and pulses in your local supermarket, but I find they work well with the flavours in this recipe and are hearty enough to make this a warming, winter dish.

If you prefer, you can cook this dish in the oven or slow cooker.

Serves 4:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed 
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 200g/8oz chestnut mushrooms, wiped and halved or quartered 
• 200g/8oz chantenay carrots, peeled or scrubbed and cut in half vertically 
• 100g/4oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes (add 1 tbsp tomato purée if you use economy tinned tomatoes)
• 250ml/1 cup vegan, dry white wine 
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp fresh, chopped parsley
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 tin cannellini beans, drained
• 50g/2oz pitted olives

Heat  the oil in a large saucepan, on a medium heat.
Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook gently for a few minutes, until softened. 
Remove from the heat and sprinkle in a heaped tsp of cornflour. 

Add all of the remaining ingredients (except for the tinned beans and olives), place back on a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. 
Simmer for 25-30 minutes with the lid on, until the carrots and green beans are almost tender.

Add the tinned beans and olives to the sauce. 

Simmer with the lid off for a further 5-10 minutes, to allow the sauce to thicken slightly 
Remove the bay leaf and sprigs of rosemary before serving. 

Serve with your choice or rice, pasta, potatoes or rustic, crusty bread.

Alternatives: Swap the wine for a vegetable stock, if preferred.

Sponsored Post
I received payment for recipe development and ingredients, from Cranks. All views expressed are genuine.

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Herby Salad with Chickpeas and Olives

This simple salad is basically a variation on tabbouleh without the bulgar wheat! It works well as a side dish to accompany a carb-heavy main course, such as pizza or pasta, or as a lunch-box salad served with pitta bread.

• 2 little gem or 1 cos/romaine lettuce, leaves separated 
• 2-3 ripe tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
• 8cm/3" chunk of cucumber, de-seeded and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, de-seeded and diced
• 50g/2oz pitted olives, sliced
• ½ can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tbsp each of fresh chopped mint and parsley 

Dressing

• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Put all of the salad ingredients, apart from the lettuce, into a bowl.

Mix the dressing ingredients together, drizzle over the salad and mix gently.

Allow the flavours to marinate for around half an hour before serving on a bed of lettuce leaves.

I'm adding this recipe to this month's No Crouton's Required Challenge, created and co-hosted by Lisa's Kitchen and Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes.

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Lubia bi Zeit with Maftoul & Spiced Roast Potatoes - Suma Blogger's Network

These recipes have been inspired by my recent delivery from Suma, for my second Blogger's Network post of the year. When I ordered Maftoul and Lebanese 7 spice, I had no idea what to do with them! After looking through my cook books and Googling for various Middle-Eastern recipes, I came up with this themed meal:

Serves 4

Lubia bi Zeit (Lebanese Green Bean Stew)
This vegan bean stew can be served hot or warm. The mushrooms and peppers aren't traditional, but I think they give the stew more flavour and texture. Serve with pitta, for an alternative, quick meal.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200g/8oz fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut in half
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 100g/4oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Alfez Lebanese Baharat 7 spice mix (use less if you prefer a milder flavour)

Heat the oil in a large pan.
Fry the onion gently for around 5 minutes, until golden brown. Add the tomato purée and spice mix and cook out for a further 2 minutes.
Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir together.
Simmer with the lid on for 20-25 minutes, or until the beans are almost tender. Uncover the pan and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes to reduce the sauce.

Maftoul with Chickpeas 
Maftoul, also known as Palestinian couscous, is similar to giant couscous, but is made from sun-dried bulgur wheat which is hand rolled, giving it an uneven grain size. This dish is traditionally made with chicken.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 125g/5 oz/¾ cup maftoul
• 350ml/1½ cups boiling water/vegetable stock
• 1 small onion, diced
• ½ tin of chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 tsp  Alfez Lebanese Baharat 7 spice mix
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 cinnamon stick

Heat the oil in a pan, on a medium-low heat. Gently fry the onion for a few minutes, until softened. Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir.

Simmer for around 20 minutes, with the lid on, stirring occasionally.

7 Spiced Potatoes

• 450g/1lb baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges or chunks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp  Alfez Lebanese Baharat 7 spice mix
• ½ lemon, cut into chunks

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6/400F 

Coat the potato wedges in the oil and spices. 

Place in baking dish, top with the lemon pieces and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, shaking occasionally, then uncover and roast for a further 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Labneh
Labneh is a basic soft cheese, made by straining yogurt through muslin to remove excess water/whey and then adding flavourings. I didn't bother to strain my yogurt, as I used thick Greek yogurt.

• 7.5cm/3" chunk of cucumber, de-seeded, diced and blotted dry on kitchen towel
• 250ml/1 cup Greek yoghurt, or vegan plain yogurt - strained, if you have time
• 1 tbsp fresh, chopped mint or 1 tsp dried mint
• 1 small clove garlic, crushed

Mix all of the ingredients together. Chill until needed.

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Aubergine, Bean & Pepper Casserole

Here's the first of my Veganuary recipes for the year. I wanted to make a really simple, but tasty, Greek-inspired dish for those new to vegan cooking. The secret to this dish is baking it in the oven but if you want a faster version, ready in less than 30 minutes, you can also cook it on the hob.

Serves 4

• 1 medium-large aubergine/eggplant, sliced about 1cm thick
• 2 large bell peppers (any colour), halved, de-seeded, and thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, finely diced or sliced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, or around 500g/1lb very ripe chopped fresh tomatoes 
• 200ml/¾ cup boiled water or hot vegetable stock
• 100g/4oz/1 cup of drained, tinned pulses such as cannellini beans or butter beans 
• 1 mild-medium chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1 tsp sugar, optional
• a handful of fresh chopped mint and parsley (about 1 tbsp of each)
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4*

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan (medium-high heat) and cook half of the aubergine slices on both sides for a few minutes, until soft and golden brown. Remove from the pan and repeat with the other half. Keep the cooked aubergine to one side. Once cooked and cooled slightly, chop the aubergine slices into quarters - This is best done after cooking, to ensure that the aubergine is cooked through evenly.

Turn down the heat to medium and add a further tbsp of oil to the pan. Gently sauté the peppers and onion for a few minutes. Then add the chilli and garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. 

Add all of the remaining ingredients (including the cooked aubergine) and bring to a simmer. 

*If you're in a hurry, reduce the amount of water/stock by half and cover the pan. Simmer for around 10 minutes, instead of baking. 

If you have time, pour the vegetables into a heat-proof dish, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover for the last 10 minutes for a thicker sauce.

Serve with fresh pitta bread, potatoes, rice or pasta.

Vegetarian option: crumble 100g of feta cheese over the casserole before the final 10 minutes cooking time. 

Substitutes: If you don't like aubergine, swap it for 200g/8oz mushrooms or 2 medium courgettes/zucchini.  

I'm linking this post up to this month's Extra Veg Challenge, created by Fuss Free Flavours and Utterly Scrummy and to the Credit Crunch Munch  also hosted by Helen at  Fuss Free Flavours.

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Chestnut and Vegetable Lattice Bakes

This is my latest Christmas Dinner recipe, for those who want something a little different from a nut roast but don't want to resort to meat substitutes. I made two different versions of these individual lattice bakes; one to my taste and one for the rest of the family. I love the combination of sweet vegetables and fruits together, so mine contained mushrooms, sweet potato and cranberries. The others hate that sort of combo, so I cooked theirs with mushrooms, white potato, celery and no cranberries!

If you don't want to make these lattices which have quite a chunky filling, you can blend the mixture to fill sausage rolls or to make a nut roast.
If you haven't cooked with chestnuts before, it's worth trying them out. On their own they have quite a strange, slightly sweet taste, but they add a great depth of flavour and texture to vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Makes 4 individual bakes or around 20 small sausage rolls.

• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 100g/4oz cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped. I used Merchant Gourmet vacuum packed chestnuts.
• 100g/4oz mushrooms, chopped
• 50g/2oz walnuts, roughly chopped
• 50g/2oz macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato (swap for 2 medium parsnips, 1 large, white baking potato or a mixture of chopped root vegetables), peeled and diced into 1cm chunks- approx 200g/8oz peeled weight
• 25-50g dried cranberries, optional (for the more savoury version, use 2 sticks of chopped celery, or just omit the cranberries)
• 1-2 tsp dried sage or 2-4 tsp chopped fresh sage, to taste
• nutmeg and black pepper to season
• 1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry

Heat the oven to 190C/180C Fan/Gas 5/375F.
Drizzle your chosen root vegetable/s in olive oil and roast for around 30 minutes until golden brown and soft, turning once or twice.
Meanwhile, heat a drop of olive oil in a large pan and soften the onions. Add the mushrooms and celery (if using). Cook down to evaporate most of the moisture.
Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients (except the pastry!).
Season and add sage to taste.
Remove the root vegetable/s from the oven and crush/mash lightly, so that you still have recognisable lumps of vegetable. Turn the oven up to 210C/200C Fan/Gas 6/400F
Mix all ingredients together.

*At this point you can decide whether to blend the ingredients, to make a nut roast or sausage roll mixture.

If making the lattices, cut the pastry into 4 equal pieces.
Cut 8 lines into the outer thirds of the pastry (see photo).
Spoon a good 2-3 tbsp of mixture along the middle of each piece of pastry, and press down to form an oval mound.
Dampen the edges of the pastry and cross over the first 4 strips from each side alternately. Repeat from the other end of the lattice, so that you end up crossing the last strips over in the centre.
Brush with oil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

*Alternative cooking instructions: If making sausage rolls, reduce the cooking time to 20-25 mins.
If making a nut roast, blend the mixture, tip into a greased and lined loaf tin and press down.

Cover tin with foil (uncover for the last 10 minutes).

Bake for 40-50 mins at 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before turning out and slicing. 

Freezing: If you want to make any of these in advance and freeze them. Slightly under cook and allow to cool. Wrap in foil and freeze. Defrost completely before re-heating. 

For more Christmas recipes, including exclusive step-by-step videos from Alex Mackay, and details of the full product range visit merchant-gourmet.com

Integrity Statement

I received some complimentary Merchant Gourmet products for recipe development. All views expressed are genuine. 

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Caramelised Roast Parsnips

This is my vegan version of honey roasted parsnip's, made without the honey! I absolutely love roasted parsnips but, unfortunately, none of the family do, so I make the full quantity below and freeze any left overs for another meal...or eat them cold the next day!

Serves 2-4 as a side dish.

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
• 1lb/450g parsnips, peeled weight
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp fresh chopped Rosemary

Heat oven to 190C/180C fan.
Peel the parsnips, cut into halves or quarters, and remove the woody cores if the parsnips are large. Cut into thick batons.
Place oil and sugar in a roasting pan and mix together. Add the parsnips and coat with the mixture. Season with black pepper and sprinkle the chopped rosemary over.
Cover tightly with foil and roast for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil carefully (to allow the steam to escape) and turn the parsnips gently, so that they don't break up too much.
Roast the parsnips, uncovered, for a further 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.
Serve with Christmas Dinner.

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Boureki - Greek Potato & Courgette Bake

This is another Cretan vegetarian recipe, which is filling and warming - great for the winter months ahead. It does take a long time to cook, so I would suggest making two and freezing one for another meal.
Traditionally, boureki is made with mizithra cheese which is difficult to find in the UK, so I've used feta instead.

Serves 4

• 2lb/900g (unpeeled weight) baking potatoes
• 1lb/450g courgettes/zucchini
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped mint or 2 tsp dried mint
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill leaves or 1 tsp dried dill
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8oz/200g pack of feta
• black pepper, to taste
• ½ pt/280ml hot vegetable stock (made with a stock cube)

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/160C Fan/325F/Gas 3.

Peel and slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. This is best done using a food processor or mandoline slicer.
Thinly slice the courgettes the same way.

Grease an oven proof dish (approx 25x20cm) generously with olive oil and place a layer of courgettes in, slightly over lapping. Repeat with a layer of potatoes and another layer of courgettes. Crumble half of the feta over, and sprinkle with black pepper, half of the mint and half of the dill.
Continue layering up the vegetables, finishing with a layer of potato.

Mix the rest of the herbs into the stock and carefully pour the into the dish over the vegetables.
Top with the remaining cheese, an extra sprinkle of mint and drizzle the remaining olive oil over.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and place in the oven.

Bake for 2-2½ hours until the potatoes are soft (insert a sharp knife into the potatoes, to see if they are tender) - believe me, it will take this long to cook, as I have tried to reduce the cooking time and ended up with under cooked potatoes! 
If liked, remove the foil for the final 10-15 minutes, to brown the top of the boureki. Allow to cool for around 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
Serve with seasonal vegetables or salad.

Seasonal variation: Try swapping the courgettes for sliced squash, pumpkin or celeriac.

Vegan version: Swap the feta for a vegan feta-style cheese. When topping the bake, mix the crumbled 'feta' with the remaining olive oil before sprinkling over the potato, to help stop it from drying out too much.

Slow cooker version: Although I haven't tried this, I reckon this dish could also be cooked in a slow cooker. Follow the recipe above but reduce the amount of stock by half. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Brown under the grill before serving. Do let me know if this works!

I'm linking this recipe up to Ren Behan's Simple and in Season event for October.

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Courgette & Halloumi Kebabs

After a long mild, summer, I'm currently using up the last of my homegrown courgettes/marrows. After appealing for recipes, Natalie via Facebook sent me her kebab recipe, which is so simple to make, but tastes amazing...

Serves 8

• 2 packs of halloumi
• 3-4 medium sized courgettes/zucchini or a marrow, peeled and de-seeded

Marinade

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh, chopped mint
• 2 tbsp fresh, chopped parsley 

Make the marinade by whizzing the ingredients up in a food processor, or chopping the herbs finely and mixing together with the other ingredients.
Cube the halloumi.
Cut the courgettes/marrow into similar sized pieces.
Marinade for about two hours (in the fridge).
Thread the cheese and courgettes alternately onto skewers.
BBQ or grill until cooked, turning once or twice. 

Serve with tabbouleh or couscous.

Vegan option: For a vegan version, swap the halloumi for firm, pressed tofu.

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Vegetable and Chickpea Tagine

This recipe is adapted from one a friend passed on to me from Delicious Magazine. The original recipe included lamb and honey, which I have substituted for extra vegetables and a little sugar. I also reduced the fat content considerably by cutting down on the suggested amounts of olive oil. 

Serves 4-6

Main ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into chunks
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• ½ butternut squash, peeled and de-seeded, and cut into chunks
• 100g/4oz mushrooms, whole or cut into quarters, depending on size.
• 100g/4oz green beans, cut into 2" pieces
• 1 or 2 large white potatoes or small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 400g/16oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 or 3 strips of lemon zest
• 500ml/1 pt hot vegetable stock

For the chermoula:

• 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp harissa paste
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Couscous:

• 2 cups couscous
• 2 cups vegetable stock (made with a stock cube and boiling water)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp chermoula

First, make the chermoula by putting all the ingredients into a mini food processor. Blend to a smooth paste, then set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large pan. Add the onion, squash and potatoes and fry over a medium heat until just starting to brown. Add the cinnamon, ginger and 2 tablespoons of the chermoula, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Throw in the green beans, mushrooms and chickpeas.
Add the tomatoes, stock and sugar and stir.
Cover the pan and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile put the couscous and 2 tsp of the remaining chermoula into heatproof bowl and stir in the boiling water, lemon juice and oil. Cover with cling film and leave for 5 minutes.
Uncover the bowl and fluff up with a fork.

Finally mix the remaining chermoula into the tagine and stir well. Simmer for just a couple more minutes before serving.

Serve with couscous and/or flatbread.

Alternatives: Swap the sugar in the tagine for a handful of chopped, dried apricots. 
Use any combinations of firm vegetables....this would be great way to use up gluts of home-grown vegetables such as courgettes and runner beans.
This recipe also works well with meat substitutes such as Quorn....use your preferred meat-sub instead of the extra vegetables.
You could make this a lower-fat dish by reducing the amount of oil still further, but I feel that as it's a vegan family meal, a glug of good quality olive oil is a good thing!

I'm linking this recipe to The Spice Trail challenge over at Bangers and Mash. This month's theme is cumin.

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Aloo Tikki

Aloo tikki are small, spicy potato and pea croquettes.These traditional Indian snacks are delicious eaten hot or cold with chutneys or mint sauce and also make a great an addition to an Indian buffet. They're really cheap to make and are vegan too. I added sweet potato to mine, to ring the changes.

Makes 12/Serves 4

• 2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 heaped tsp freshly grated ginger
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp garam masala or chaat masala
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh chilli
• ½ tsp turmeric
• a handful of frozen petit pois or peas
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 slice of wholemeal bread, made into breadcrumbs
• a few slices of (ready-made) melba toast crushed into breadcrumbs (or fine/panko breadcrumbs)
• vegetable oil

Boil the potatoes for around 15 minutes, until soft. Drain and mash.

Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for minute. 

Add the onion, ginger, garlic and the rest of the spices and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

Mix in the mashed potatoes, petit pois and chopped coriander, plus enough fresh breadcrumbs to bind and make a dough-like consistency.

Shape into slightly flattened balls using your hands and roll in the dried breadcrumbs. 

Leave in the fridge for 10 minutes or so, to firm up.

Heat a further tbsp of oil in a large frying pan. 

Fry the aloo tikki for 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Keep warm in the oven and repeat until all of the croquettes have been cooked.

Serve with salad, chutneys or mint sauce.

Suitable for freezing (before or after frying).

Alternatives: Make large, flat tikkis and serve them in buns like veggie burgers.
Bake on a greased baking tray (in a hot oven) for a low-fat version.

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Roasted Vegetable and Feta Filo Spiral

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This tasty filo pie would be ideal for a vegetarian Christmas dinner, as it can be made in advance and reheated on the day and looks quite impressive. It's also tasty cold, if there are any leftovers.

I adapted the recipe from The Greek Vegetarian by Diane Kochilas. The original dish is called Striftopita and is made with pumpkin and seasoned with  mint. My version has a more British flavour as I've added mushrooms and sage, so that it will go with the accompaniments for a traditional roast dinner.

I recently made this dish for a dinner party. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo after I'd baked it the first time (I blame the wine!) so it looks rather anaemic in my photo below. As you can see from my second attempt, it looks much better once baked!

Serves 4-6

• ½ butternut squash, peeled and cubed (approx 450g/1lb in weight before peeling)
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed  (approx 450/1lb in weight before peeling)
• 100g/4oz chestnut mushrooms, diced
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
• 100g/4oz feta, crumbled
• 4 tbsp fine bulgur wheat
• black pepper to season
• 1 pack of filo pastry
• 5 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 190C/180C Fan/Gas 5/375F.

Drizzle the squash and sweet potato with 2 tbsp olive oil and roast for around 25-30 minutes, turning once or twice, until soft and lightly browned.
Meanwhile, sweat the chopped onion in a pan, with a drop of oil, until soft.

Add the sage and mushrooms to the onion pan and cook for a further 5 minutes. 

Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and mash the mixture lightly to break up the lumps slightly.

Crumble in the feta, add the bulgur wheat and onion/mushroom mixture and stir well to combine.

Season with black pepper. 

To construct the spiral (see photo, starting bottom left corner)

Lie one sheet of filo pastry horizontally on a large board. Brush with a little oil and fold in half lengthwise.

Spoon 3-4 tbsp of the vegetable mixture in a line along the centre of the pastry to form a rough sausage shape, leaving a 5cm/2" gap at each end.

Brush the 2 long edges of the filo with olive oil.

Fold in the two short edges.

Roll up from one long edge to the other (like a long, thin burrito!) to form a cylindrical roll.
Place the first cylinder around the edge of a greased baking dish. Repeat, placing each roll next to the previous one to form a spiral. Brush with olive oil.
The pie can be covered and refrigerated at the point and cooked the next day.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
Either serve one roll per person, or cut a wedge-shaped slice each.

Alternatives: Swap the feta for any other white, crumbly cheese such as Cheshire or Wensleydale, if preferred. Vary the vegetables used - for my second attempt, I used fried aubergine and roasted courgette and bell peppers.
You could also roll the stuffing mixture in puff pastry to make vegetarian sausage rolls or use to fill cannelloni.
For a vegan version, omit the feta cheese and replace with toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts.

Find an amazing range of fantastic veggie Christmas dishes at www.veggiechristmas.org .

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