Courgette Bake (Vegetarian esily changed to Vegan too)

I thought the meal before this one had come top shoulder to shoulder with all the meals I ever made, maybe even above...So I thought I will never be able to surpass it..how wrong was I, and is not even a meat meal...I was really surprised, I DECLARE THIS ONE THE BEST MEAL I EVER HAD.

My wife said the same, so did my kid (who normally a very good meal to him he classes it as aright) they classed this meal as EXCELLENT. Not sure if I should divulge it. :) lol
I can tell you is not a lasagna nor it's a gratin.

Receita em Português

Ok...ok.. I will give out the recipe, as it is very special not to share with my loved followers. Is like a lasagna but has no pasta, I used slithers of courgete instead of pasta, and is like a grattin but it is not a bechamel as it has no cheese appart from the lottle bit you can see sprinkled on top, is a white sauce like the one I made for the previous meal with ginger garlic and saffron, I used milk to make it, but for a vegan use soy milk (which I think will even improve further the flavour, and skip the sprinkling of cheese on top.

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 5-6)

• 2 large courgettes (slither them with a potato pealer, very thin slices)
  
• 6 large carrots (cut into half and then quartered leght ways)
  
• 150grs runner beans (destringed and sliced diagonally)
• 1kg baby new potatoes (others will do but these are the most tender)
• 1pkt of asparagus
• 2 chillis (thinly sliced)
  
• 1 large bell pepper (sliced) this has the most nutty taste...one can smell it when cutting it.
• 4 large garlic cloves (minced)
  
• 1 piece of ginger the size of 4 large garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 glasses of milk (soy if you vegan)
• 1 large spoon arrow root (or more cheaply corn starch) diluted in a little water.
• 1 celery heart (sliced)
• some butter
• some olive oil
• a little salt and black pepper
• a pinch of saffron
  

Well, put a large pan with boiling water on the stove and cook the new potatoes and the carrots, you want them fully cooked but still firm around 25-30 minutes, should do it but it is dependent on potato quality, so keep and eye on them, I use a pin to prickle them throught if it goes through effortessly then their're done. Once cooked drain them and half them, set them aside temporarily.

Prepare all the veg. Once is all prepared, you need to make the white sauce and the stirfry to go within the courgette slithers.

For the white sauce in a milk pan put alittle olive oil and seasoning (salt and pepper), once hot add half of the ginger and half of the garlic and the pinch of saffron, once golden pour the milk in stirring briskly. While stirring put in the arrow root powder dissolved in a little water (and optionally a large spoon of butter), continue to stirr until is thikens up, once done set it aside.

Now place a large wok on the stove add a little olive oil, once hot add a little seasoning + the remaining garlic, ginger also the bell pepper, chilli, runner beans and celery. Continuously stir-fry these it will take around 10 minutes, then add the potatoes, stirfry a further 3 minutes. Then is ready remove from the fire.

Set a pirex tray (or any other tray to go in the oven) drizzle olive oil on the bottom, then slither by slither carefully layer to cover the whole botom of the dish, then throw in the potato mixture, followed by the carrots, then the white sauce reserving a little for the top, place another layer of courgette slithers to fully cover the top (no gaps) than smeer the remaining sauce on top nad sprinkle a little cheddar cheese (if vegan i would sprinkle a little oregano and sweet paprika) and it goes in the oven 200c for around 20 minutes.

The asparagus blanch them for around 3 minutes then cook them in a generous amount of butter (if vegan after blanching them cook them in peanut oil "not fry" so low temp and toss them)

So there you are, a beautifull meal for all of you beautifull people ou there!!!

Fungi and Quorn Cooked in a Butternut Squash Sauce & Carrot and Tomato Rice (Vegan-Vegetarian)

Receita em Português AQUI

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 4)

• 1/2 Butternut Squash (very finely diced)
• 1 small onion (very finely sliced)
• 2 garlic cloves (very finely sliced)
• 1 courgette (finely diced)
• 300grs button mushrooms (whole)
• 200grs Quorn pieces
• 400grs rice
• 2 large carrots
• 1 tomato (skin removed to for rose, rest diced)
• 1 soup spoon of tomato paste
• 1/4 glass of water with a tea spoon of plain flour diluted
• 1/2 tea spoon of paprica
• 2 glugs of olive oil
  

Put a pan on the stove on high temp, cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil, then once hot add, half of the garlic half of the onion and the butternut, start stirring it and as it starts to stick and dry add a bit of water (vegetable stock is better) mix again letting it cook it will dry again pour a little more water. the process is repeated around 3 to four times until the butternut starts disintegrating into a paste, when that happens season it (salt and pepper) add about 1/2 glass of water (or veg stock) and now add the courgette, Quorn and the mushrooms, put a lid on and reduce flame to minimum, letting it simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

While that is doing let's do the rice, put a pan with water and salt on the stove on high, then pour the rice in and give it a stir, it will take approx 10-12 minutes until fully cooked, once done strain it passing also boiling water through to remove starch then add the carrot sauce.

While the rice is boiling you put a frying pan on the stove, with a little olive oil and once hot add the carrot, remaining garlic and onion as well as some seasoning, stir fry it for about 3-5 minutes and add a little water (or veg stock) and then let it cook another 10 minutes and at this stage will join the rice.

With all taking the 15 minutes the sauce takes to be ready all will be ready at the same time, so remove the lid from the butternut sauce and add the water with flour this will thicken the sauce further making it extremely smooth and nice.

Plate it up and eat it, it has a delicate sweetish taste due to the butternut which is in my opinion quite divine. If you want a meat one just replace the Quorn with the meat of your choice.

Spinach and Carrot Soup

This is a great winter starter as is so easy to make yet, so satisfying. I had some mix from the croquettes, left from yesterday, just to remind you they were boiled and mashed potato, carrots and onion. But obviously I don't expect you to have left overs, so you can use fresh ingredients, and here they are:

• 4 large potatoes (cut into quarters)
  
• 1 large onion (minced)
  
• 3 large carrots (2 cut into chunks one very thinly sliced)
  
• 300grs spinach leaves (washed)
  
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 glugs of olive oil
  

in a pan put the oil and put it on the stove let it get very hot, then add the garlic, two carrots in chunks and the minced onion, let them cook stirring occasionally until the onion is golden at this stage add the potato and about 2 litres of water + the salt and pepper to taste. Let this cook until the potatoes are cooked through you can check this by stabbing the potato with a fork or sharp knife, and the potatoes should offer virtually no resistance to penetration, if so get your hand blender out and blitz it until you achieve a thick sauce if you want the soup more liquid add a little more water, but make sure you retest for salt.

Let it get to the boil point again and now add the remaining carrot thinly sliced + the spinach you may add a little more olive oil if you like the stuff. turn the fire down and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes and it's done, plate it and if you like it posh you can toast some bread cut it into cubes put a hand full in the centre of the bowl of soup and drizzle a little circle of oil around the cruttons.

I was too hungry and didn't bother with that lol :)

Charlotte and Mushroom Penne Pasta Gratin

Receita em PORTUGUES clique AQUI

This was a quick and easy recipe I made to make use of some Charlotte onions that I had in a bag and needed to use before getting spoiled.... ***WARNING**** Very easy and cheap to make.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 20 Charlotte onions (remember these are small onions, pealed and cut in halves)
• 10 medium mushrooms (halved and sliced)
  
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 piece of fresh ginger minced (the size of two garlic cloves)
  
• 2 large carrots (half and sliced very very thinly)
  
• 1 plum tomato tin (chopped)
  
• 2 soup spoons of tomato paste (in a little water)
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 soup spoon of butter
• a pinch of nutmeg
• a pinch of salt and black pepper
• 2 soup spoons of plain flour dissolved in water
• 4 soups spoons of grated cheese + 3 soup spoons of grated cheese (any mature cheddar will do)
• a soup spoon of oregano
• 400grs of penne pasta (other durum wheat pasta will do)
• 5 soup spoons of olive oil
  

It looks like quite a lot of ingredients but really isn't and is really easy and cheap winter food.
Put a pan of water with a little salt and a soup spoon of oil on the stove till is boiling, them put the pasta in and boil until cooked "al dente" which should be around 10 to 12 minutes, once done let in drain in a colander.

Now you need to make two sauces, a bechamel and a tomato one. Start by the tomato one as takes longer. So in a pan on the heat pour the 5 spoons of olive oil the pinch of salt and black pepper plus the minced garlic and ginger, let these cook until golden, as soon as that happens add the onions and the carrots, continue cooking stirring occasionally until the onions are semi transparent, at this stage add the mushroom the tomato tin the tomato paste in a little water, and let this all cook for about 15-20 minutes.

Five minutes before the tomato sauce is done start doing the bechamel and start preheating the oven to 200c. To make the bechamel sauce put on another pan the milk the butter a pinch of salt and black pepper plus the pinch of nutmeg, wait until very hot by this time the butter has melted, add in one go the flour that you previously fully dissolved in some water, always stirring so that it doesn't get lumps, once it thickens add the 3 soup spoons of grated cheese, this will thicken the sauce even more.

Now compose the dish by pouring the pasta into the tomato sauce , mix well, then pour this into a large Pyrex tray, smooth it down with the back of a serving spoon, then evenly pour the bechamel sauce over the tomato and pasta, so that it evenly covers the whole of the pasta, over this with your hand sprinkle the remaining grated cheese, and finally on top sprinkle the oregano and grind some black pepper. Stick this in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until golden brown on top and serve.

this is a lovely vegetarian dish I invented years ago but is always popular in my house, for meat eaters just add a side of plain grilled chicken breast with some melted butter, lemon juice, garlic and parsley poured over the chicken. (or fish well whatever you want :) )

Enchiladas My Way Chicken and Vegetarian

Receita em PORTUGUES clique AQUI

Above you can see the enchiladas i made the small dish is the Vegetarian the large one is the Chicken, this was an easy and cheap recipe to satisfy two different food requirements here in my house, which means you can indeed make this very versatile recipe in either vegetarian version, meat or both like I did.

For this I used....

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 pack of plain tortilla wraps (or you can make your own)
• 1 large pepper (cut into thin strips)
  
• 1 large onion (cut into thin strips)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 hot chili thinly sliced
  
• 1 can of kidney beans
• 1 can of tomatoes
• a tea spoon of cumin
• a soup spoon of oregano
• 2 medium or 3 small chicken breast slice into thin strips (for the meat ones)
  
• 250grs of Quorn mince (for the vegetarian ones)
• Bechamel sauce (I always make mine but you can buy made if you want)
• 2 large spoons of tomato concentrate (diluted in water to form a thick cream)
• 2 large tomato paste (to add to sauces)
• salt and pepper to taste

Very very easy to make in a wok pour some olive oil, place on the stove until very hot, add then the 1/2 pepper, 1/2 onion, 1/2 garlic, salt and pepper and 1/2 cumin and half of the sliced chilli, cook until the onion browns a bit and then add the oregano and the chicken, always stirring make sure the chicken strips are well sealed, once sealed then add the 1/2 tomato tin and one large spoon of tomato paste.

Let this cook for about 7 minutes, then assemble the Enchiladas: Put a row of filling about one third from the edge on top of that a couple of spoons of bechamel, wrap the soft tortilla around the sauce and lay it in the tray to go in the oven repeat process until the tray is full. Then on top spread some more bechamel sauce and put a line of tomato cream along each roll then sprinkle some oregano and grated cheese, than goes in the oven for about 20-25 minutes gas 200c, until golden brown on top, then serve with some grated carrot and some sliced spring onion or a salad of your choice.

For the vegetarian one exactly same thing just replace the chicken with vegetarian mince (Quorn).

I make the Bechamel sauce as follows: put some milk in a pan add a knob of butter some salt and some pepper (black freshly milled) the also a little nutmeg, once nearly boiling put a couple of spoons of plain flour in a glass and add water til about half of the glass, with a little whisk, mix it well until there are no lumps, pour it all into the hot milk and whisk constantly until thickens up, don't worry if not to thick yet as now you add a hand full of grated cheese, continue to whisk and you should get the most perfect bechamel (the milk you use should be about half a pint 250-300 mils. *tip if to thick add a little more milk while stirring, and if to liquid add a little more flour mixed in water*

Mama que "Rico" Penne Pasta and Olives

A really easy and economical recipe for every pasta lover out there, this is something I do make a lot of time in my house. And my kids always love it, so does the wife as this is vegetarian.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 4 Spring Onions thinly sliced
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 small pepper (red if possible) chopped
• 1 large handful of black olives pitted cut in half
• 1 large bunch of parsley finely chopped
• 1 can of pomodoro tomatoes chopped
• 200grs pomodorino (fresh tomatoes, baby pomodoro, any sweet baby tomatoes will do) cut in halves
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• enough olive oil
• 2 soup spoons of tomato paste (concentrate)
• 400grs penne pasta (or any other durum wheat pasta you like)
• 200grs grated cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large carrot (very thinly sliced)
• 200grs green round beens roughly chopped

Just cook the pasta until it is "aldente" which means virtually cooked but still quite firm (little trick pasta tends to foam when cooking if you add a little oil to the water it virtually eliminates the froth, this applies to any pasta including spaghetti).

On a separate pan put some olive oil, them put in both onions chopped9the spring and the normal one) also add the chopped red pepper, as well as the minced garlic add also some salt and pepper and let this cook until the onion is semitransparent (about 10 minutes) then add the olives, carrot, green beans, chopped tomato, the pomodorino tomatoes and the tomato paste with a glass and 1/2 of water, taste and add more salt if needed.

Cook for another 15 minutes, however after the fist 10 minutes add the cooked pasta so that it gains the flavours, thus the reason to be aldente, if the sauce gets too dry you can add more water or if you prefer a couple of glugs of red wine, maybe some you forgot to drink.

Lastly add the chopped parsley stirring it in well, plate it and garnish it with the grated cheese on top, mature cheddar will suffice or if you really posh add some real parmesano cheese, and a little more black pepper freshly milled.

Turkey Curry and / or Quorn Curry

Receite em Português AQUI (com pequenas diferenças)

Pictures above illustrate the Turkey dish (and the rice was boiled with turmeric)

Endeavouring to do something quick but at the same time good enough for vegetarians (as my wife is one) and also for meat eaters as I wanted to use some turkey I decided to do a Curry to feed 6 people.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 2 large carrots (thinly sliced)
  
• 1 & 1/2 onions (diced)
  
• 1 large courgette (diced)
  
• 1 large red pepper (diced)
  
• 10 medium mushrooms (quartered)
  
• 1 chilli (de-seeded and thinly sliced)
  
• 3 large garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
  
• 1 big bunch of coriander (chopped)
  
• 1 & 1/2 tin of tomatoes
• 2 soup spoons of tomato paste (diluted in a little water)
  
• 1 large soup spoon of cumin powder
• 1 large soup spoon of garam masala
• 2 large soup spoons of turmeric
  
• 1 large soup spoon of coriander seeds powder
• 1 large soup spoon of sweet paprika
• 6 glugs of olive oil (half per pan)
• 300grs Turkey
  
• 300grs Quorn
  

I mixed all the powders together than divided it in half, on two seperate pans I poured 3 "glugs" of olive oil, once hot added the powders and let it cook for a little time once it formed a paste and cooked a little I added theonion, garlic the chilli and the meat/quorn (please notice I divided ingredients all the way through in half, for each pan appart from the meat and quorn which is one 300grs for each pan) cooked this until the meat/quorn was cooked through adding a little water when a little dried, then i added the pepper, the courgette the mushrooms the and carrots cooked this for about 5 minutes and added the tomato (again half to each pan) and let this cook for 10 minutes then added the tomato paste (half each) and let this cook for a further 10 minutes.
While this was doing I boiled some rice with 4 crushed cardoms, 2 crushed garlic, a tea spoon of cumin powder and a tea spoon of turmeric (if you want the rice to be white don't use turmeric), once the rice is cooked drained it rinsed with boiling water removed the cardoms and put it in a pan drizzled with a little olive oil (optionally you can stir in some chopped coriander and some green raisins) put a lit and let it rest for 2 minutes.
Once the curry is one minute away from being cooked add a generous bunch of coriander (half each) and garnish each plate with a fe coriander leaves on top see picture...this one was really tasty.

These Pictures bellow illustrate the Quorn Curry (and rice was boiled without turmeric)

Xau-Xau Rice (vegetarian)

I was in a hurry so I thought to make a rice similar to what I used to eat when I lived in Africa, Mozambique, they called it there xau-xau Rice. This is a rich rice, rich in the sense that was full of veg as well as fish or meat protein. But my wife is vegetarian and I wanted to make something we all could eat at the same time, so with this one I used no meat and replaced it with quorn instead (be aware this is not vegan as has egg). recipe bellow feeds 4.


Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
  
• 3 garlic cloves
• one large bell pepper
• a full cup of peas (frozen will do)
• one large chilli (2 - 3 flames rating or medium)
• 2 standard size carrots
• a bit of fresh ginger
• 1 star anaseed
  
• a tea spoon of chinese five spice
• a tea spoon of sugar
• some light or normal soy sauce
• a full pack of quorn pieces (this can be other things, like soya pieces etc)
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 mugs of rice

Chop the following very finely: Garlic, onion, carrot, chilli, ginger, pepper, and quorn (be aware you may add more things like mushroom, corn whatever)(and that instead of quorn if you not vegetarian, you should use a mixture of very finly choped cooked beef, pork, chicken and prawns)
cook the rice in a seperate pan and in the cooking water add a crushed garlic, star anaseed and a little oil.
On a little frying pan scramble the two eggs, then put them in a bowl and chop them finely.
Seperatley get a little oil in a wok (about two soup spoons full) once pipping hot add the onions, garlic, ginger, chilli and pepper a little salt some pepper and the sugar. Once the onion goes transparent (after about 3-4 mins) add the rest, the peas, quorn bits & egg bits also add a good splosh of light soy sauce and the chinese five spice mix, stirr at all times you cook this for about 6 minutes, keep tasting and if needs more salt just add more soy sauce. Then drain the rice and rinse it in boiling water wich will leave it light and fluffy (I use basmati good quality) make sure it has been drained properly, and pore it into the wok, continue to stirr it at all times for about another 3 minutes (for more taste you can add a little fish sauce and rice wine, but not necessary).
It all just takes about 10-15 minutes to make and is delicious, and cheap. Sometimes I do this rice when I have left overs of chicken or beef etc.

Stuffed Peppers and Vegie Roast

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 Kg basmati rice
• 200 grs fish (I used Cod de-boned and skinless / other fish can be used)
  
• 200 grs Prawns
• 1 courgette
• 1 large onion
• 1 sweet bell pepper (red)
• 4 Large peppers (any colour)
  
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 large carrot
• 1 soup spoon of tomato concentrate (paste)
• 2 soup spoons of fish sauce
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper (powder)
  

Boil the rice in some water a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes (until the rice is cooked but not overcooked) while that is doing dice all the vegetables finely and stir-fry them in come olive oil when cooked add the tomato paste and half a glass of water let it simmer for about 3 minutes then add the fish sauce the pinch of cayenne and the fish, simmer until the fish is cooked, break the fish into flakes and lastly add the prawns (I used frozen prawns peeled and cooked) heating until the prawns are fully defrosted and hot. Once you achieved that stuff the four peppers (you may have some left over rice you can serve it with the dinner) that you previously cut the tops and cleared the seeds, wrap them in foil fully with the lids and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Prior to that if you like as an accompaniment you can cut about 10 large Charlotte onions 2 large sweet potatoes 4 large parsnips and one large fennel into chunks put them in a roasting tray drizzling them with olive oil and some fragrant honey also add salt and pepper to taste these will take about 40 minutes to cook gas mark 200, so manage your time and make them both come together. It makes a rather nice Café/restaurant serving portion ( one pepper, a spoons of rice mixture and the roast Veg, as it can be reheated in the Microwave).

Pilau Rice (my way)

Put some water boiling in a pan, add a drizzle of olive oil, once boiling add some basmati rice, let this boil for five minutes. At this stage add 5 crushed cardoms, a cinamon stick, a tea spoon of ground cumin a three crushed garlic (skin and all) , also a couple of bay leaves and finally a soup spoon of turmeric. Let it boil until rice is cooked (just cooked not, overcooked) drain it in a sieve and pour some boiling water over it to remove starch, drizzle a little more olive oil over it and "voila" ready to serve with your favourite curry.
(Don't forget at the end to remove the garlic skins and the bay leaves, also some people like cloves while cooking the rice,,,your choice I don't like them)

Chinese Soup

Chinese Soup



This is a personal interpretation of Birds Nest Soup, I would say a Summer soup most adequate for this time of year, also is very quick to make.


For this Recipe you will need:

• 1- Onion
  
• 1-Garlic
  
• 1- Ginger (bit same size as garlic)
  
• 8-Spring Onions
  
• 1-Red Chilli (mild)
  
• 2- Soup spoons of light Soya Sauce
  
• 2- Eggs 1- Tea spoon of Chinese "Five Spice"
  
• 2- Soup spoons of Arrow Root (alternatively one of corn starch).

Preparation:
Chop very finely the onion, the garlic and the Ginger. Put a large pan on the cooker with two large spoons of olive oil on a hot heat, once the oil starts to smoke a little chuck in the onion garlic and ginger stirring it, reduce it to a low heat and add the soya sauce the Chinese five spice a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper, and keep stirring it occasionally until the onion is virtually transparent. While the onion is cooking you can advance by slicing finely the spring onions and the chilli (not forgetting to de-seed and de-vein the chilli first).
Now that the onion is transparent add the water enough for about four people (about 2 litres) using a blender, blitz the onion until a smooth cloudy liquid, bring to the boil and at this point add the arrow root powder diluted in a little water (always stirring) this will thicken the soup just a little give the soup a couple of swirls and while the soup is still moving by itself in the pan put in the eggs (previously mixed) slowly , once they are all in add the spring onions and the chilli. Let it simmer for 5 minutes more and the soup is ready to serve....Bon Apetit

Alternatively if you like more substance, replace the spring onions and chilli by a couple of hands full of sweet corn and a couple of thin noodles blocks crushed.