Cheesy baked tortillas

A firm favourite with a vaguely Mexican theme

Ingredients

• 6 wholewheat tortillas
• 1 red onion
• 1 red pepper  
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp paprika (or chilli powder)
• 500ml passata
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tin borlotti (or red kidney) beans
• 1 cup cooked sweetcorn
• olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh chilli sauce (optional)
• 150g cheddar cheese

Method

1. Chop onion and pepper and sautee in a skillet or frying pan, over moderate heat in 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Stir regularly and cook until the onion starts to soften and turn translucent.

2. Finely chop a clove of garlic and add to the pan, together with 1 tsp of coriander and 1 tsp of paprika (or chilli powder if you prefer). Mix thoroughly and cook for a couple of minutes.

3. Add 500ml of passata and 2 tbsp tomato past to the pan and stir thoroughly. Add a little water to the passata container to make sure you can get it all out.

4. Add one cup of cooked sweetcorn and a tin of borlotti (or red kidney) beans. Stir into the mixture and continue cooking over a moderate heat.

5. While the sauce is cooking, pre-heat your oven to 190°C (375°F / Gas mark 5), grate the cheese and prepare an area to work with your tortillas. I like to use a mature cheddar.

6. Keep cooking the filling until the sauce has thickened. When you push the sauce away from the base of your pan with a wooden spoon, the bare metal should stay visible; if the sauce runs back to fill the gap, it is too runny. Season with a little salt.
   
   Optional: Add a little fresh chilli sauce if not already using chilli powder.

7. Spoon a dollop of mixture into the middle of a tortilla. You want enough to mostly fill it when it has been rolled, but leave some space at the edge so that you can squeeze it a little when rolling.

8. Fold one side of the tortilla over the top of the mixture and tuck it under, then gently roll it over the onto the flat half of the tortilla. Repeat with all of your tortillas.

9. Grease a baking tin with olive oil and carefully place the rolled tortillas in it next to each other. Sprinkle generously with grated cheese.

10. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese on the top has melted and started to brown. Serve with some fresh green vegetables (we like steamed broccoli and green beans) or a salad.

Sourdough loaf

As adapted from Patrick Ryan’s recipe, with tips gleaned from Clever Carrot and Sour Dom

Ingredients

300g sourdough starter (see Tips)
500g strong white flour
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
250ml luke warm water
Olive oil

Method

1. Whisk together the water, sourdough starter, a dash of olive oil and the sugar (but not the salt) together in a bowl, then mix in the flour.
2. Leave to rest (autolyse) for 30 minutes before kneading. This will make the dough easier to handle and shape.
3. Turn out onto a surface, add the salt, and then knead for 10 minutes or so.
4. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel or cling film and leave in a reasonably warm place to prove for about 3 hours.
5. It won’t rise as much as a loaf using conventional yeast, but it should increase in volume by at least half again. It is ready when it no longer looks dense.
6. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knock back. Shape into one cylindrical (30cm long) or two round loaves, pulling the dough up and towards the centre to form a seam. Sour Dom has some more detailed advice on shaping.
7. Flour your proving basket(s) generously, or line bowl(s) with a heavily floured cloth or tea towel, and place the dough inside, seam-side up.
8. Leave to prove for 2-3 hours, until it has increased in volume by 1½ to 2 times.
9. Preheat the oven to 230C/210C Fan/Gas 8. Fill a baking tray with water and place in the bottom of the oven to create steam. Also put a large baking tin or sheet into the oven to heat up, ready to cook your loaf/loaves on.
10. Turn out proved dough onto greaseproof paper. Using a thin sharp knife score two to four times on the top of each loaf, transfer onto the baking tray (with paper) and place in the oven.
11. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a good crust has formed and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base.

Tips

• I used this BBC recipe for my starter, with advice from Sour Dom. I take 100g out of the fridge the night before and add 100g water and 100g flour. 
• You can check it is ready for use by dropping a teaspoon of it into a glass of water. It should float to the top; if it sinks, then it may need feeding more!
• We christened my starter  'Breaddie Mercury'!

Celeriac and edamame salad

A fresh-tasting and zingy salad, featuring the divine edamame (green soya beans).

Ingredients

1/2 head of celeriac, grated
1 raw courgette, grated
2-3 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1-2 cups fresh coriander or parsley, finely chopped
2-3 cups edamame, cooked and cooled
2-3 tsp sesame seeds
1-3 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 clove garlic, finely grated or crushed
2-4 tbsp soy sauce
Juice of a lime
1-2 tsp fresh red chilli, finely chopped (Optional)

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly

Tips

• Frozen edamame are available in most large supermarkets in the UK
• You can reduce the intensity of the chilli, garlic and ginger mix by marinating it in the soy sauce and lime juice and then straining the liquid into the salad through a sieve

Sausage and bean hotpot

Based on my mum’s recipe, which my brother and I loved when we were kids, this is a real winter warmer. Sweet potato makes it a richer flavour, but if you're not keen, it also works well with potatoes or carrots.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red pepper
1 sweet potato
Tin of red kidney or aduki beans
Tin of baked beans
4 sausages
500g passata
Tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 vegetable stock cube
1 cloves garlic
1 tsp oregano
1-2 tsp ground coriander

Method

1. Select a large, deep crock pot or casserole dish, suitable for cooking both on the hob and in the oven.
2. Chop the onion finely and sauté in the oil over a moderate heat. Add oregano and stir well.
3. Chop red pepper and add to the pot after 5 mins
4. Chop sweet potato into approx 1cm cubes and add to pot after another 5 mins
5. After 5 more minutes, add finely chopped garlic and coriander.Stir thoroughly and cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Chop sausages into 1cm slices and add to the pan.
7. Drain red kidney beans and add. Add baked beans.
8. Add passata plus tomatoes, then add the same volume of hot water, with a stock cube dissolved in it.
9. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins. While simmering, pre-heat oven to gas mark 6 / 200°C.
10. Place pot in the oven and cover with an ovenproof lid (I use a pizza tin). Cook for 45 mins, stirring every 10-15 mins, until sweet potato is soft and crushes easily. Remove the lid for the last 10 mins or so.
11. Serve in soup bowls with granary bread.

Tips

• Finding the right sausages is important - you need them to be quite dense, so that they don’t disintegrate. I use Quorn frankfurters, which are perfect.

Magic Tomato Sauce

This rich tomato sauce is my children's staple diet, kept on standby in individual portions in the freezer. Normally served with pasta and steamed broccoli, but can also be diluted with a little water to make soup, or used as a pizza topping with grated cheese on mini-pittas.

Ingredients

1 onion
1 carrot
2 cups frozen peas
4 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tsp mixed herbs
2 tbsp olive oil
200g dried red lentils

Method

1. Put the lentils in a pan with at little more than double the volume of water. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and leave cooking until all the liquid has been absorbed.
2. While the lentils are cooking, finely chop the onions and carrots and put them in a large pan with the olive oil and dried herbs. Cook over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until the onion starts to soften.
3. Add the peas to the pan. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly.
4. Add the tomatoes to the vegetables and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat.
5. Add the cooked lentils and continue to cook until the carrot is soft and the tomato has reduced to a thick consistency.
6. Liquidise and leave to cool, then transfer to individual portion containers and freeze.

Tips

• You can vary the proportions of tomatoes to vegetables to suit your (or your children's) taste

Risotto ai funghi

Mushroom risotto - serves 4

Ingredients

2 medium onions
2 sticks celery
4 cloves garlic
400g chestnut mushrooms
30g dried porcini mushrooms
2 tsp dried sage
2 dried bay leaves
2 stock cubes (or enough for approx. 400ml stock)
2 tbsp olive oil
250g arborio or carnaroli rice
100g fresh or frozen peas
a glass of white wine or a measure of brandy
freshly grated parmesan (to taste)

Method

1. Soak the dried porcini in 500ml hot water
2. Finely chop the onions and the celery and add to in a large skillet or wok (ideally with a lid) with the olive oil and the dried sage. Cook over a medium heat, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes. You're not aiming to cook the onion without browning it; it should soften and become translucent.
3. Crush or finely chop the garlic and add to the pan; cook for another 5 minutes or so.
4. Remove the mushroom stalks and chop finely, then cut the caps coarsely (e.g. halve and then cut into 1cm slices) and add to the pan. Stir regularly and keep cooking until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and then reabsorbed it.
5. Put the rice in a sieve and rinse thoroughly. Add to the pan and mix it in, letting it cook for another couple of minutes.
6. Add the peas; if using frozen peas, first cook them long enough to defrost.
7. Strain the liquid in which the porcini have been soaking into another pan and add the porcini to the main pan. Add the stock cubes and bay leaves to the liquid in the second pan. Bring the stock to the boil and keep it simmering.
8. Add just enough liquid to the main pan to cover the rice and vegetables. Continue to cook over a medium heat with the lid on, stirring regularly and adding liquid from the stock pan with a ladle when it has been absorbed. Top up the stock pan with hot water when you run out of liquid. Be patient and keep strirring and adding liquid until the rice is cooked; it should be soft, but still firm.
9. When the rice is almost cooked, add the wine (or brandy). Stir some freshly grated parmesan (or another strong cheese) into the finished dish and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.
10. Serve with steamed broccoli or some other fresh green vegetable and more freshly grated parmesan.