Tuna Pasta Bake

At its best served hot, but also good cold as a snack or for a packed lunch :-)

Makes: 2 servings
Takes: 15 minutes + 40 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

spray oil
3 1/2 oz dried pasta (I use spirali)
3 1/2 oz broccoli
185g tin of tuna (canned in brine or water)
2 eggs
1/4 pint skimmed milk
black pepper
herbs (eg parsley) if desired
1 1/2 oz mature Cheddar cheese (I use the reduced fat version)

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190oC/Gas Mark 5 and spritz an ovenproof dish with oil.
2. Cook the pasta shapes in boiling water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut or break the broccoli into florets and add these to the pasta for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking time.
3. Drain the pasta and broccoli and return to the saucepan. Drain and flake the tuna and mix with the pasta and broccoli then tip into the ovenproof dish.
4. Beat together the eggs and milk and season with black pepper (if using tuna in brine you won't need any additional salt). You could also add some fresh or dried herbs. Pour over the pasta mixture.
5. Grate the cheese and sprinkle over the top then bake for 35-40 minutes, till set and golden on top.

Good served with a side salad of your choice!

Monkfish, Ciabatta and Pancetta, on Rosemary Skewers

Oh yum, oh yum!! It is a bit pricey (though you do make the monkfish go a long way), but see the notes at the end for ideas on how to do a lower-cost version.

Makes: 2 servings
Takes: 10 minutes + 20 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

about 8 oz (225g) trimmed monkfish tail
1 ciabatta roll
a few sprigs of rosemary (about 6 or 7, each 6 inches or so in length)
1/2 tsp garlic paste or 1/2 clove garlic
extra virgin olive oil
black pepper
6 or 7 rashers of pancetta
balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220oC/200oC fan/Gas Mark 7.
2. Cut the monkfish into about 12 pieces of roughly equal size. Remove the ciabatta crust and tear the bread into the same number of pieces - they should be roughly the same size as the fish.
3. Keep the top inch or so of each rosemary stalk intact, and remove the leaves from the rest by running finger and thumb down the length of the stalk.
4. Put the rosemary leaves and garlic into a pestle and mortar and bash them together then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
5. Put the fish and bread into a bowl, add the rosemary oil and toss together.
6. Cut the bottom of the first rosemary stalk at an angle to create a sharp point. Thread on a piece of monkfish followed by a piece of ciabatta and repeat. Each stalk should hold two pieces each of fish and bread.
7. Do the same with the other stalks until all the monkfish and ciabatta has been used up.
8. Wrap a piece of pancetta loosely around each skewer, tucking it between the pieces of monkfish and ciabatta. Place on a roasting tray then season with black pepper and sprinkle over any remaining oil from the bowl.
9. Bake for about 20 minutes, till the bread is crisp and golden and the fish cooked through.
10. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar, a little extra olive oil and any juices from the tray to serve.

Lovely as they are for a starter, or with a salad for a light meal, or with chips or potato wedges as a main course.

For a cheaper version, use any meaty white fish instead of the monkfish, and smoked streaky bacon instead of the pancetta.

Gingerbread

A lovely rich traditional gingerbread :-)

Makes: 12 slices
Takes: 10 minutes + 1 1/2 hours cooking time

Ingredients

4 oz (100g) butter or margarine
6 oz (175g) black treacle
2 oz (50g) golden syrup
2 oz (50g) brown sugar
1/4 pint (150ml) milk
2 eggs
8 oz (225g) plain flour
1 rounded tsp mixed spice
1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 level tsp ground ginger

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 130oC (fan)/150oC/Gas Mark 2 and grease and line a 7" square tin.
2. Warm together the butter, treacle, syrup and sugar till melted, then add the milk and allow to cool.
3. Beat the eggs and blend with the cooled mixture.
4. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl then gently fold in the cooled treacle mixture.
5. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours, till a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Keeps for a few days in an airtight container. You can also freeze individual slices and thaw them as required.

Beef and Guinness Stew

It takes a while to cook (but that's what makes the meat so tender) - just make sure you plan ahead if you don't want to eat too late in the evening!! (Not that I would ever make such a mistake. Ahem.)

Makes: 4 servings
Takes: 15 minutes + 3 hours cooking time

Ingredients

2 sticks of celery
1 small onion
2 carrots
1 tbsp olive oil
3 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
500g diced stewing beef
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
400ml can of Guinness
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper

Method

1. Trim the ends of the celery and cut into large chunks, peel and chop the onion, and peel the carrots before halving lengthways and then cutting into large pieces.
2. Put the olive oil, vegetables and bay leaves into a large pan and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add the beef and flour and stir well then pour in the Guinness and tomatoes. Season and stir well.
4. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 3 hours, removing the lid for the final 30 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Great with boiled or mashed potatoes and vegetables, or with rice. Alternatively, once cooked, put into an ovenproof dish and add a puff pastry lid, or a topping of sliced or mashed potato, and cook for 40 minutes (pastry or sliced potato) or 25 minutes (mashed potato) at 180oC.

Baked Mini Doughnuts

Very yummy, low in fat, and dusted with cinnamon sugar - a lovely treat :-)

Makes: 12 mini doughnuts
Takes: 5 minutes + 10 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

3 1/2 oz (100g) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 3/4 oz (75g) caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp corn oil
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
4 tbsp skimmed milk
low-fat cooking spray

4 tsp caster sugar and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170oC/Gas Mark 3.
2. Put all the ingredients except the extra sugar and the cinnamon into a bowl and beat to form a smooth batter (a hand-held electric whisk is ideal for this).
3. Spray a mini doughnut baking sheet with the cooking spray and spoon batter into each space, making sure you don't overfill or the doughnuts will have no holes!
4. Cook for about 10 minutes, until risen and firm to the touch. They won't go very brown.
5. Mix together the extra sugar and the ground cinnamon on a small plate. As you turn the warm doughnuts out of the tin, dip the base of each into the sugar and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Notes: This recipe makes more than enough batter for 12 mini doughnuts - don't be tempted to try to get all of it into the tin! You can use the leftover mixture to make a couple of larger 'doughnut cupcakes'; line a couple of holes of a cupcake tin with non-stick baking parchment and spray with cooking spray, spoon in the batter, and bake for 15 minutes or until risen and lightly browned. Lovely split while still warm and spread with jam :-)
The baking tins are available from Lakeland Ltd.
If you don't plan to eat all the doughnuts immediately, they should freeze fine. I've never tried to freeze them though, they don't last that long!

Oven-baked Mushroom and Thyme Risotto

No pesky stirring for hours over a hot stove! After a little bit of preparation, stick it in the oven till the rice is cooked. Easy!

Makes: 4 servings
Takes: 10 minutes + 25 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

25g pack dried porcini mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
350g risotto rice
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
750ml vegetable stock
100ml white wine
salt and pepper
handful of freshly grated parmesan (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190oC/fan 170oC/Gas Mark 5.
2. Put the mushrooms in a bowl and pour over 425ml boiling water. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan. Finely chop the onion and cook gently for 2 minutes until it starts to soften then add the garlic and cook for another minute.
4. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and chop them. Put them into the pan with the rice and thyme leaves and stir well.
5. Strain the mushroom-soaking liquid into the pan and add the stock and wine. Stir thoroughly and bring to the boil. Season to taste.
6. Pour into a large overnproof dish and put into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, till the rice is just cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed.
7. Stir in the grated parmesan if using. Serve with extra parmesan shavings and thyme leaves sprinkled over, if desired.

Great as a dinner party dish, either as a vegetarian main with a side salad and crusty bread, or as a side dish with chicken or beef. Or mix in some cooked smoked bacon. Yum!
Leave out the wine if you prefer and use extra stock instead. And if it doesn't matter about being a vegetarian dish, chicken stock also works well.

Hummous

With thanks and due credit to Amy, whose recipe I tweaked and adapted (I know she doesn't mind that I tweaked and adapted, as that's how she cooks too!) My preference is for lemon and coriander hummous, so that's what this recipe makes, though you can leave out the lemon juice and coriander if you wish.

Makes: About a jamjar full
Takes: 5 minutes

Ingredients

400g tin of chickpeas
1 lemon
2 tbsp tahini
1 tsp garlic paste (or 1 clove garlic, finely chopped)
1 small handful of fresh coriander leaves
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Drain the chickpeas and finely grate the lemon rind and squeeze out the juice.
2. Place all the ingredients into a bowl or jug and blitz to the desired consistency with a handheld stick blender.

A jug blender would be fine, but pulse for just a few seconds at a time to keep an eye on the consistency. If you don't have either, mash the chickpeas and chop the coriander before thoroughly mixing all the ingredients together.