Quorn and Mushrooms in a White Wine & Tarragon Sauce

Here's a 1980's retro recipe which I've adapted by using meat-free fillets to make a lower fat, vegetarian version (and a vegan option). If you don't eat meat substitutes, simply swap them for extra mushrooms.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 4 Quorn fillets/vegan chicken-style fillets 
• 200g button mushrooms, halved
• 150ml dry white wine 
• 300ml vegetable stock (made with a stock cube)
• 1 level tbsp plain flour
• 2 tsp tarragon leaves, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp double cream or dairy-free cream (optional)
• 500g new potatoes, boiled, drained (and sauteed in 1 tbsp olive oil - optional).

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes until the onion is soft.
Add the mushrooms and cook for a further couple of minutes until they start to release their juices.
Remove from the heat and stir in the flour to coat the vegetables.

Slowly stir in the wine, 200ml of the stock and the tarragon, making sure there are no lumps of flour.
Return to the heat and gently bring to a simmer, stirring all the time, until the sauce has thickened.
Pop the Quorn fillets into the sauce and simmer with the lid on, for approximately 20 minutes.

Stir occasionally and turn the Quorn fillets over. Adding a little more of the remaining stock if needed, to make a pourable sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, if using.

Serve with sauteed or boiled new-potatoes and steamed asparagus or tender-stem broccoli.

Alternatives: This also makes a great pasta sauce without the Quorn. Cook as above using slightly less stock. Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce, then stir in the cream if using.
Serve over cooked tagliatelle.

I’m adding this recipe to the Speedy Suppers linky, hosted by Sarah at Dinner With Crayons and Katie at Feeding Boys. Pin It

Valentine's Ice-Cream Cookie Sandwich

Here's a simple Valentine's dessert which can be made in advance and assembled on the day. Although I used dairy ice-cream in this recipe, the cookies and accompaniments are vegan and can easily be served with a dairy-free ice-cream alternative (I can recommend Booja Booja).

Left over cookies can be sandwiched with softened ice-cream, wrapped in foil and frozen until needed.

For the shortbread cookies

• 4oz/100g dairy-free spread, softened
• 4oz/100g caster sugar
• 8oz/200g plain flour
• 1oz/25g unsweetened cocoa powder, sieved
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream the spread and sugar. 

Mix in the remaining ingredients, to make a firm dough.
Add a little drop of cold water or some extra flour if needed.

Chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out the chilled dough between 2 sheets of grease-proof paper, until it is about ½ cm thick.

Using a heart cookie cutter, cut out as many shapes as you can from the dough.

Either leave whole, or slice vertically with a sharp knife to make half hearts.

Carefully remove the dough cut-outs from the paper and place on a greased baking sheet (leaving a small gap between each cookie).

Reserve the scraps and re-roll. 
Repeat until all the dough has been used up.
Prick each cookie with a fork.

Bake at 180C/170C Fan/Gas 4/350F for 8-12 minutes (depending on the size of the cookie, and whether you prefer a soft or crunchy cookie).

Cool for a few minutes on the tray before removing and cooling on a wire rack.

Once cooled, sandwich with softened ice-cream/vegan ice-cream. 

Suitable for freezing.

Eat straight away or serve as follows...

To serve 2 people

For the chocolate strawberries

• 1oz/25g dairy-free chocolate, melted
• 2 strawberries

Melt the chocolate and dip the strawberries in. Place on grease-proof paper to set.

For the strawberry sauce

• 2 tsp sugar
• 2-4 strawberries, diced
• 2 tsp Cointreau or other fruit liqueur (or orange juice)

Mix the sugar and chopped strawberries together in a heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 30-60 seconds, until the strawberries have softened.
Add the Cointreau and stir well.

Sandwich 2 cookies with a generous scoop of ice-cream. Top with a chocolate-coated strawberry and serve with a spoonful of strawberry sauce.

Alternatives: For a dinner party dessert, cut out circular cookies and serve as above.

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The Vegan Pantry - A review

The Vegan Pantry is a varied collection of 60 recipes from chef, teacher and nutritionist Dunja Gulin. The book is well illustrated and the recipes are easy to follow. It features an introduction to vegan cooking basics and pantry staples, as well as a step-by-step guide to soaking and cooking pulses and making your own vegan cheese and nut milk. The book includes ideas for breakfasts, snacks, soups and desserts as well as main meals; the recipes are nutritionally balanced and on the healthy side of vegan! I particularly enjoyed the Macedonia-style baked beans (although I cheated and used tinned beans rather than dried!).

"Featuring 60 recipes...from tofu scramble and spicy potato strudel, to simple fun food for every day, such as spicy burgers with wedges. Stylish dishes, such as dark chocolate tart, make vegan entertaining easy. Also included are instructions on how to make nutritious nut milks and cheeses."

Although the book is marketed at new vegans, as a long-standing vegetarian (who probably cooks 2-3 vegan main meals a week), I would suggest that it might be better suited to slightly more established or adventurous vegans, who don't like to rely on convenience products. Many of the recipes feature tofu or seitan, gluten-free and sugar alternatives, and some more unusual ingredients such as umeboshi paste and kombu seaweed. 

Some of the recipes involve a fairly wide range of ingredients and take a little while to prepare, so this probably isn't the book for busy vegan parents, however, if you have the time to cook from scratch most of the time, like entertaining and enjoy modern vegan food, then this would be a great addition to your cookbook collection. It would also be a good purchase for vegetarians who want to reduce their dairy/egg intake, as well as those omnivores who want a expand their collection of healthy, low-fat/whole-food recipes.

The Vegan Pantry by Dunja Gulin (photography by William Reavell) is published by Ryland Peters & Small and is available from rylandpeters.com.
Integrity Statement
I received a complimentary copy of The Vegan Pantry to review. I did not receive payment, and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.

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Mexican Rice with Beans

Here's my last recipe for Veganuary; this is another copycat recipe, adapted from the ingredients list of a well known brand of packet rice. If I had an uncle and his name was Ben, he might well make a rice similar to this! Needless to say, this home made version is significantly cheaper than the ready-made variety and contains a higher proportion of pulses and vegetables.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced finely
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp mild chilli powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• salt and black pepper to taste (optional)
• 1 cup long grain rice, rinsed and drained 
• 2 cups boiled water or hot vegetable stock
• ½ can borlotti/pinto beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 tbsp pickled jalapenos, finely diced (optional) 
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp fresh/frozen chopped coriander

Heat the oil in a large frying pan (on a low to medium heat).

Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, before adding the green pepper and garlic.

Cook gently for a further 2-3 minutes.

Increase the heat slightly.

Add all of the dried herbs/spices. Stir well and cook for a minute or so.

Add the tomato puree and cook for about 2 more minutes.

Add the drained rice and water/stock. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.

Reduce the heat slightly.

Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir, season and then add the beans, lime juice, jalapenos and coriander. Add a little more water/stock if the rice is starting to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Cover again and cook for a further 3-5 minutes, until the rice is just tender.

Stir. Turn off the heat and leave the covered pan to stand for a further 5 minutes.  

Serve with chilli, tortilla chips and guacamole/salsa.

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Vegan Pizza Whirls

During Veganuary, I've been experimenting with various vegan alternatives in my cooking. This pizza whirl/pinwheel recipe is one I've adapted from a favourite family recipe, which is great for kids' lunchboxes and parties. I usually use Mozzarella in them, so decided to test out and review a dairy-free Mozzarella-style cheese. There isn't a lot of choice in my local area, when it comes to buying vegan cheeses, so I bought Cheezly - Mozzarella style from my local Holland & Barrett store.  

I was surprised that on opening the packet, it actually smelled quite cheesy (kind of like cheese-flavoured crisps)! It had a slightly grey appearance and was quite soft, but it grated well. I wasn't too keen on the taste/texture of it raw, but once cooked, it gave the pizza whirls a mild, cheesy flavour and was a good alternative to dairy cheese. 

Makes around 16

For the pizza base

• 1 cup water
• 3 cups strong white bread flour 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt

For the filling

• 1 bell pepper diced
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 50g/2oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp dried oregano (or use 1 tbsp fresh basil)
• 4 tbsp tomato puree
• 100g/4oz vegan mozzarella-style cheese, grated
• 2-3 tbsp of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes/olive oil
• black pepper to taste

Put all the dry bread ingredients in a bowl (or bread maker) add the wet ingredients.

Mix well until you have a smooth dough (on dough setting in bread maker).

Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.

Cover the bowl and allow to rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion, pepper and garlic gently for a few minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, oregano and black pepper. Allow to cool.

Roll the dough into a large rectangle.
Spread with the tomato puree and top with the vegetable mixture. 
Sprinkle the grated 'cheese' over.

Roll the dough lengthwise, as tightly as you can (like a Swiss roll).
Making sure the dough roll is seam-side down on the board, cut into 1"/2.5cm slices using a sharp knife.
Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet, spaced about 1"/2.5cm apart.

Cover loosely with cling-film and allow to rise for a further 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/190C Fan/Gas 6 .

Bake for around 10-15 minutes, or until well-risen and golden.

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: Use any of your favourite pizza toppings (try sweetcorn, olives, roasted vegatables, vegan pepperoni etc.) but do include the oil, as the vegan cheese dries out as it cooks, unlike dairy-cheese.

Integrity Statement
I bought the Cheezly myself and was not asked to review it. I did not receive payment, and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.

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Mushroom Biryani

One of my favourite Indian take-away dishes is Mushroom Biryani, but it's not a recipe I've ever cooked before. As part of my Veganuary challenge, I've been broadening out my vegan repertoire, so I thought I'd have a go at this classic Indian rice dish.

As none of my extensive collection of recipe books contained an authentic recipe, I started browsing Indian blogs and came across this recipe from Prathibha who has a vegetarian blog called The Chef and Her Kitchen; Her biryani looked just the sort of thing I was looking for. Although I didn't quite have all the ingredients needed, I decided to try the recipe out, simplifying the cooking method slightly to speed up the preparation time.

The list of ingredients might look a bit daunting, but the resulting taste is worth it (the whole family agreed that it was as good as our normal take-away biryani!). If you don't have a wide selection of spices, improvise with what you do have, or simply swap the ground and whole spices for 1-2 tbsp of a good quality Indian curry paste (preferably one containing fennel and cardamom), it might not taste quite as good, but should be a pretty close alternative. 
Providing you do have a good selection of spices or already have a suitable curry paste, this meal costs under £2.00 to make.

serves 4-6

• 1 cup of basmati rice soaked for 10 mins then washed till water runs clear and drained in a sieve
• 1 large onion, cut in half and finely sliced
• 100-150 g/4-6 oz chestnut mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger plus 2 cloves of crushed garlic or 1 tbsp garlic/ginger paste
• 1-2 tsp finely chopped chilli
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 whole green cardamom pods
• 1 small stick of cinnamon
• 1 whole star anise
• ½ tsp cumin seeds, whole
• ½ tsp fennel seeds, ground
• salt  and black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

While the rice is soaking/draining, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and fry until golden brown.
Remove the onions from the pan and keep to one side.
Heat a further 1 tbsp oil in the pan and add the garlic, ginger, chilli and spices cook for 2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms  and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown.
Add the drained rice and half of the cooked onions, and stir to coat in the spice mixture.
Add 1 ¾ cup boiling water. Stir well.

Cover with a lid and cook for 12 minutes, or until the rice is almost cooked and the water has been absorbed.
Turn the heat off, and leave the pan on the warm hob with the lid on. 
Allow the rice to stand for a further 15 minutes.
Fluff with a fork (discarding the whole spices if you can find them!) and top with the reserved fried onions.

Either serve with tarka dal / chana masala or add a drained tin of chickpeas to the rice (just before it's cooked), for a protein-rich complete meal.

I'm adding this recipe to January's Bookmarked Recipes over at Tinned Tomatoes and to this month's Credit Crunch Munch which is co-hosted by Fab Food 4 All and Fuss Free Flavours.

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Coffee and Walnut Cake (Vegan)

Miss K and I made this cake as a Veganuary experiment, to try out the tub of xanthan gum I had recently bought. Xanthan gum is a binder and emulsifier which is often used in gluten-free baking - it can be found in the baking or free-from section of most big supermarkets and costs around £2.50 for a tub. I would recommend buying xanthan gum if you bake a lot of egg-free or vegan cakes.

I've made several different versions of vegan sponge cakes now, with varying degrees of success (mainly down to texture), so I based this recipe on my vegan Victoria sponge recipe and tweaked it a bit.

You may be interested to know that for my first attempt, I replaced half of the 'butter' with a mashed avocado, as avocado is supposed to be a good egg replacer, however, whilst not too unpleasant, the resulting cake had a definite taste of avocado which wasn't overly popular in the Onykahonie household! Attempt two, without the avocado was much more palatable!

As you can see, the resulting cake has a good texture and might even be firm enough to make into a giant cupcake, although I haven't tried this yet. This is my most successful vegan sponge cake yet, both taste and texture-wise, and I would challenge anyone to tell this was vegan in a blind tasting. 

I left Miss K to make the icing and ice the cake herself. I think she did a pretty good job, don't you? Of course she had to try a slice afterwards just to make sure it was fit to appear on the blog!

For the cake

• 100g/4oz dairy-free spread
• 150g/6oz soft brown sugar
• 200g/8oz SR flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp coffee granules dissolved in 200ml/8 fl oz boiling water and allowed to cool (or cooled espresso/filter coffee)
• 1 tsp. white wine or cider vinegar
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 4oz roughly chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts) - reserve 25g/1 oz to top the cake 

Make up the coffee and set to one side to cool.

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/160C Fan/325F/Gas3.

Cream the spread and sugar.

Add all of the remaining ingredients (reserving 25g/1oz of the nuts) and mix until just combined.

Divide the mixture between 2 greased and lined 7" sandwich tins.

Bake for 20-25 mins until the cakes are firm and spring back slightly if pressed gently in the centre.

Turn out onto a wire rack and remove the greaseproof paper.

Allow to cool before icing.

For the vegan butter-cream icing/frosting

• 1 tbsp coffee dissolved in 3 tbsp boiling water
• 200g/8oz icing sugar
• 50g/2oz dairy-free spread, softened

Soften the spread in a bowl and stir in the icing sugar. 
Mix together, adding just enough of the coffee to make a thick, spreadable icing.
Spread in the middle and on top of the cake.
Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining nuts.

Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: To make a chocolate cake, swap the cold coffee for almond milk or water. Use 175g/7oz flour plus 25g/1oz unsweetened cocoa powder. Swap the nuts for 100g/4oz dairy-free chocolate chips. For the icing, swap the coffee for boiling water and add 25g/1oz unsweetened cocoa powder to the icing sugar. 

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Pasta with Greek Tomato Sauce (Vegan)

After many years holidaying in Greece, I'm still yet to recreate an authentic copy of the Greek version of Napoli/Napolitana sauce. I've tried various variations from a very basic sauce with just onion, garlic, herbs and tomatoes, to a sauce with different combinations of vegetables (courgettes, peppers and carrots), but none are quite right...it's probably due to the fresh, ripe, Greek tomatoes, but may be due to some other hidden ingredient, which I am yet to discover. 

Do let me know the traditional recipe if you have it!

Anyway, here's my take on the dish, which is low-fat, only takes about 30 minutes to make and costs a very economic £2 to serve 4-6 people. It has lots of garlic plus an added kick of chilli and a touch of fragrant cinnamon - simply omit these for an Italian rather than Greek-style sauce. I generally make a double batch of this sauce and freeze half. You can use the sauce for lasagne, bolognese, veggie meatballs, aubergine parmigiana etc.

Serves 4-6

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 bay-leaf
• ½ tsp dried Greek oregano (optional)
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon/½ cinnamon stick (optional)
• ½ tsp fresh red chilli, very finely chopped
• 2x400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes (use good quality, not an economy brand for the best flavour) - or about 800g/1lb 12oz fresh, ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped
• ½ tsp sugar (optional)
• Black pepper to taste
• 450g/1lb dried pasta (rigatoni, penne etc.)

Heat the oil in a large pan.

Add the onion and cook on a medium heat for a few minutes, before adding the garlic.

Allow the onion and garlic to cook without colouring.

Add all of the remaining ingredients (except the pasta) and simmer for 15-20 minutes with the lid on.

Remove the cinnamon stick and bay-leaf (if using).

Blend briefly with a hand blender if you prefer a smooth sauce.

Return to a low heat and allow to reduce whilst cooking the pasta for 10-12 minutes. Drain the pasta and serve topped with the tomato sauce.

For vegan garlic bread, simply mix a further small crushed clove of garlic with 2 tbsp dairy-free spread and a little chopped fresh parsley. Spread generously onto fresh crusty bread and bake in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

I'm linking this post to this month's, garlic-themed Pasta Please Challenge hosted by Tina at The Spicy Pear and started by Jac at Tinned Tomatoes. Pop over and take a look at the other great pasta dishes all using garlic.

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A cheap and lower-fat vegetarian/vegan meal plan for Veganuary

Happy New Year! I hope you've all had a good holiday and eaten plenty of great vegetarian/vegan food!

So, it's January again and after a couple of weeks of over-indulgence, I thought that rather than starting a diet-themed series of posts for the new year, I should just cut down on the cheese and dairy products in my recipes and embrace the essence of Veganuary. In case you don't know, Veganuary is a campaign in association with Viva! to encourage people to go vegan for January and "Eat delicious, healthy food, save lives and help the environment."

Whilst we won't go completely vegan for the month, as I know we won't all be able to stick to it (and as I have lots of non-vegan products to use up in my fridge and freezer), I will make a conscious effort to buy fewer products containing dairy and eggs and reduce the amounts I use in my cooking for the month, which I reckon will also make things cheaper. 

Although not all of the recipes below are vegan, they are all budget friendly, relatively low in fat and can all be easily adapted (for example, if the recipe uses Quorn or cheese, swap for a vegan alternative.) For a 31 day vegan meal plan, take a look at the official Veganuary menu.

Week 1
Spiced carrot and parsnip soup (no cream) with home made bread
Pasta with spicy pepper, aubergine and tomato sauce
Enchiladas (no cheese or use vegan cheese) with salad

Vegetarian Jambalaya 
Lentil and pesto veggie burgers with home made potato wedges and baked beans (use vegan pesto)
Pasta with Greek tomato sauce
Chickpea curry with chapattis

Week 2
Spaghetti Bolognese
Vegetable curry with rice
Pisto manchego (no egg) with jacket potato and salad
Reggae Reggae chickpea wraps 
Quorn souvlaki with potatoes (use vegan meat-free pieces)
Vegetable biryrani with dal
Turkish vegetable stew with cous cous or quinoa 

...and some vegan cakes and desserts 
(ok these aren't low fat, but we all need a treat some times!)
Apple cake
Bread pudding
Chocolate microwave mug cake
Chocolate orange cupcakes
Chocolate tiffin
Fairy cakes/cupcakes
Fruity flapjacks

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Carrot, Parsnip and Nut Roast (Vegan)

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Here's this year's twist on my traditional Christmas nut roast recipe. As I've seen so many mentions of Delia's Parsnip Roulade this year, I added parsnip, sage and carrot to make a moist and tasty vegan loaf. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare and is very economical - it cost me around £3 to make. 

Serve with all the traditional roast dinner trimmings plus a vegetarian gravy. 

n.b. I made this loaf yesterday and have frozen it uncooked to defrost and reheat for Christmas dinner (see picture). Once cooked it should be golden brown in colour. 

Serves 4

• 1 medium onion, peeled and grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small parsnip, peeled, cored and grated
• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
• 175g/7oz mixed nuts (I used a mixture of Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts and hazelnuts - no peanuts), ground in a food processor
• 2 slices of wholemeal bread, made into breadcrumbs
• 150ml (approx) vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs (I used sage and parsley)

Gently fry the onion in 1 tbsp olive oil, until soft. Then add the carrot and parsnip. 

Cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat, until softened, stirring regularly.

Stir in the nuts and breadcrumbs and mix well.

Add the herbs and season to taste.

Add enough stock to make a firm but not dry mixture. Add more breadcrumbs or stock if needed.

Tip mixture into a greased and lined loaf tin and press down with the back of a spoon.

Cover tin with foil  and bake for 40 mins at 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4.
Uncover for the last 10-15 minutes.

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

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Refrigerate any left overs and use cold in sandwiches or as a pate.

Suitable for freezing before or after cooking.

Alternative: To make the loaf go further, simply make up an 225g/8oz pack of your preferred vegetarian stuffing mix. Press half of the nut roast mixture into the loaf tin and then spread the stuffing mixture on top. Cover with the remaining nut roast and press down firmly with the back of a spoon. Bake as above, but for an extra 10 minutes.

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Champagne Cocktails

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Here are three easy-to-make (and easy to drink!) Champagne cocktails that Mr O and I enjoy for special occasions such as Christmas. They can all be made with Cava or any other dry sparkling wine for a cheaper alternative.

Classic Champagne Cocktail 
Serves approx 16 people 

This is family favourite cocktail, which has been passed down to me by my dad. The recipe was a closely guarded secret, until recently, but I persuaded him to let me have the recipe and share it on my blog. It tastes delicious and is easy to drink too much of! 

• 1 part/100ml/ ⅓ cup Cognac or Brandy (the cheap stuff is fine!) 
• 3 parts/300ml/1 cup Cointreau/Triple Sec or any other orange liqueur 
• 6 parts/600ml/2 cups good quality orange juice
• Angostura Bitters (optional)
• Chilled Champagne/Cava 

I serve this when entertaining friends and family, so I make the base up in advance with the brandy, orange liqueur, orange juice and around 10 shakes of bitters in a litre jug - this makes enough for around 16 glasses, using 2 bottles of Champagne/Cava). If you want to make an individual cocktail, use a desert-spoon (10ml) for each part/measure. 

Make the base mixture up and stir well
Pour ⅓ of a glass each. 
Top up each glass with Champagne and enjoy!

Alternatives: The base itself also makes a delicious cocktail served on the rocks.
Try a Granita Champagne Cocktail  in the summer - make the base up as before and freeze in a plastic tub over night (it won't set hard due to the alcohol content). Break up roughly with a fork and fill ½ a Champagne glass each. 
Top up with very well chilled Champagne or Cava.

Bucks Fizz:

• Chilled Champagne/Cava 
• Good quality orange juice 

Pour ⅓ to ½ of a glass of orange juice into a Champagne glass, top up with Champagne.

Non alcoholic/virgin version: Mix lemonade/sparkling water & good quality orange juice.

Kir Royale

• Creme de Cassis (blackcurrant liqueur -  use any other berry liqueur as an alternative)) 
• Chilled Champagne/Cava 

Pour 1 tbsp of Cassis into the bottom of a Champagne glass. Top up with chilled Champagne and serve.

Non alcoholic/virgin version: Mix lemonade/sparkling water & high-juice blackcurrant cordial.

How to open and pour Champagne
These tips may seem obvious, however I thought they were worth mentioning for those who rarely drink sparkling wines...

• Make sure that the sparkling wine has been chilled for at least a few hours before opening. 
• Carefully remove the foil and wire cage, without shaking the bottle.
• Place a clean tea towel over the bottle. 
• Grip the bottle under the cloth with one hand, whilst gently twisting and lifting the cork with the other hand over the cloth, until the cork pops. 
• Leave for a minute before pouring to allow the bubbles to subside.
• Tip the glass at a slight angle and pour the bottle slowly, to avoid any spillage!

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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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Iced Cinnamon Rolls

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We loved eating cinnamon rolls/buns when we were on holiday in America and I've tried to recreate the recipe with varying degrees of success ever since. I'm sure this recipe contains significantly less butter and sugar than the ones we ate in the US, but are my best version yet and taste delicious warm. 

These would be ideal served for Christmas breakfast.

Makes 12

For the dough

• 3 cups strong plain bread flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• milk
• 1 oz/25g butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 1 sachet fast action dried yeast
• ½ tsp salt

For the filling

• 2 rounded tsp ground cinnamon (add more or less to taste)
• 2 oz/50g softened butter
• 2 oz/50g soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour/corn starch

For the icing

• 4oz/100g icing sugar
• boiling water

Crack the egg into a measuring jug/cup. Top up to the 1 cup mark with milk.
Add all of the dough ingredients to the bread maker pan.
Set on the dough setting and leave to run. 
If you don't have a bread maker, mix the ingredients together in a large bowl and knead for 5 minutes until you have a soft, but not sticky dough. Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for 1 hour.
When it has finished proving, tip the dough onto a large board covered with cling-film (don't add any extra flour, the clingfilm will stop it sticking to the board.)

Roll out into a large rectangle.

Mix the filling ingredients together and spread over the dough.

Roll the dough lengthwise, as tightly as you can (like a Swiss roll).
Making sure the dough roll is seam-side down on the board, cut into 1"/2.5cm slices using a sharp knife.
Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet, spaced about 1"/2.5cm apart.

Cover loosely with cling-film and allow to rise for a further 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/190C Fan/Gas 6 .

Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes, before moving to a wire rack.

Mix the icing sugar with enough boiling water to make a runny glacé icing.

Spoon, brush or drizzle over the cinnamon rolls while still hot.

Vegan alternative: For the bread dough, use 1 cup of sweetened almond milk and omit the egg.  Use dairy-free spread instead of butter. Replace the egg with 1oz/25g of ground almonds plus an extra 1 tbsp of dairy-free spread.
For the filling use dairy-free spread instead of butter. 

Suitable for freezing. Defrost and reheat for about 30 seconds in the microwave on a medium setting.

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Barber’s 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar - a review plus a recipe for Mini Cheese Soufflés

You may have noticed my penchant for good cheese in some of my other posts, so when Barber's (the people who make the award winning 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar) invited me to come along and taste their products at the BBC Good Food Show Live (Winter), I jumped at the chance.

The Barber family have been farming and making cheese at Maryland Farm in Ditcheat, Somerset (near Cheddar) for six generations, since 1833, hence the name of the cheese! Of course, all their cheeses are suitable for vegetarians, but what makes Barber's 1833 different from other Cheddars, is that it's still made from traditional liquid starter cultures rather than dried cultures which most other cheese makers now use. This allows the cheese to develop its unique taste as it matures over a two year period. Apart from Cheddar, Barber's also produce a range of British regional cheeses and butter under the Maryland Farm brand.

Miss Ony came along with me to the show and we were both very excited to be shown into the press area and be given press passes (even if they did spell her name wrong!). Once in the arena, we headed down to the Barber's stall and met the very welcoming and enthusiastic Giles and Charlie Barber who told us lots about their company, their cheeses and cheese making in general. We then got to taste the cheese. I must admit that I'm already a fan of extra mature/vintage Cheddar, so I didn't take much convincing...but the Barber's 1833 did have that wonderful sweetness combined with creaminess and a strong, full-bodied Cheddar flavour that I love.

We were also shown around the World Cheese Awards area and have never seen so many weird and wonderful cheeses before! Barber's 1833 won a gold award in the Farmhouse Cheddar category this year, which is impressive once you've seen number of cheeses in competition with it. 

After having a wander through the show arena, trying out a number of food and drink samples, and purchasing a few Christmas gifts, we headed back to the Barber's stall to pick up our goody bag full of ingredients to make twice baked mini Cheddar soufflés*

Ingredients

• 225ml/8fl oz milk
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 black peppercorns
• 40g/1½oz butter, plus extra for greasing
• 40g/1½oz plain flour
• 125g/4½oz Barber’s 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar,
• grated plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 150ml/5fl oz double cream
• Salad leaves, to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Butter 6 individual pudding basins or ramekins.
2. Place the milk, shallot, bay leaf and peppercorns in a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Strain into a jug. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk. Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the egg yolks, chives, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
3. Whisk the egg whites until holding soft peaks then fold into the cheese mixture. Divide between the prepared ramekins. Stand the dishes in a roasting tin and pour in boiling water to come two thirds up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 15-20 minutes until well risen and firm. Leave to cool.
4. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Run a knife round the sides of the ramekins and turn the soufflés out into an ovenproof dish. Pour over the cream, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Serve with salad leaves.

I've never made a soufflé before, so I followed the recipe to the letter. They worked perfectly and tasted delicious. As they can be make the day before eating and reheated, they would make an ideal starter for Christmas dinner or for a dinner party. 

Barber's 1833 is available online, from the deli counters in good farm shops, and selected Sainsbury's, Waitrose & Morrison's stores.

*Recipe and pack image reproduced with kind permission from Barber's 1833.

Integrity Statement
I received complimentary tickets to the Good Food Show and the ingredients to make the souffles. I did not receive payment, and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.

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