Category: Leftovers

Spicy pork and pumpkin pie

November 11, 2015

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So I’ve decided to post this recipe I did for my weekly column as it was a real winner on Halloween and there are still Pumpkins around. However you can still make it at any time, You could even substitute the Pumpkin for Butternut squash.

Here is what I wrote:-

Halloween is upon us so I wanted to show you a great dish that is hassle free for you if you are having a party.
Every Halloween when I have a party I want to be able to spend time with my guests and not be in the kitchen all day making fiddly buffet food.  I think sometimes one can feel a little pressured to be able to make an edible “Brain” or witches fingers.
So today I have done a recipe that still has a halloween theme by using pumpkin, its quick, simple and very tasty for your guests.
I’ve used Pork mince in this as 1, its economical so will stretch further for any unexpected guests for you and 2, it goes really well against the Pumpkin however you could use Beef mince or lamb if you don’t eat Pork.
Another point to make is that I was using leftover mashed potato from the day before, another time saver.
Serve this up in bowls to your guests and it will leave them spooked of how good it is.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin and potato mash:

Leftover Mashed potato, (enough to fit your dish you are using, there was about 4 potatoes worth left in mine)
1 small pumpkin chopped into chunks ( I bought mine from a local farm called Cattow’s Farm)
knob of butter
salt and pepper to season
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Pork pie mixture:

500g pork mince
1-2 tbsp of rapeseed oil
1 onion diced finely
1/2 leek thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
A thumbnail size of fresh ginger grated
1-2 green chilli’s finely chopped
3 tbsp of mild curry powder or madras, whatever heat you like it.
1/4 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
4 small chopped fresh tomatoes
Salt and cracked black pepper to season
handful of frozen spinach defrosted and drained
handful of frozen petit pois peas defrosted and drained
few sprigs of fresh chopped coriander to finish

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Method:

 

–  Preheat oven to 180-200c depending if fan oven or not.

 

In boiling water, cook your pumpkin until soft. Mash with a hand potato masher, pop in your butter, nutmeg and seasoning then stir in the potato mash together. Leave aside.

Fry off your onion for a couple of minutes until starting to soften.
Add your leek and cook for a couple of minutes also. Add your garlic, chilli, ginger and curry powder and stir.

Add in your pork mince and continue to cook until the pork mince is almost all cooked through. Pop in the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.

Add in your peas and spinach, stir, take off the heat and pop to one side.

In an oven proof dish of your choice put in your Pork mixture, level off and sprinkle with fresh coriander.Top with your Pumpkin mash and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until crispy and brown on top.

 

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Leftover Moroccan Lamb cous cous

September 3, 2015

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I want to share this recipe with you before the week is over as this week is all about promoting British Lamb week, ( 1st Sep-7th Sep 2015 ) something I feel very passionate about. I wrote this recipe for my column last month but I feel that now would be a right time to be reminded of it.

Here below is what I originally wrote:

Sometimes on a Sunday if the weather isn’t too hot then we will have a roast of some kind and if we are even more lucky it may even be lamb. Normally we go for a breast of Lamb as its cheaper however I bought this particular shoulder of lamb as it was reduced right down from £19 to £6! Bargain! An offer too good to be missed.

Because this lamb was so big for my partner and I its great for creating other dishes from it and thats what I am showing here. Sometimes the leftover recipes are the best.
So for this time of year cous cous is a lovely light alternative to have and I have included the lovely British courgettes being right in season at the minute to add a lovely texture, colour and added sweetness to the dish. Give leftovers a chance, it may even be better than the first dish was.
Leftover Moroccan lamb cous cous:

 

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Ingredients:

Cooked shoulder of lamb ( Could use shanks, breast or leg if you wanted )
1 tsp was el hangout spice ( widely available in most supermarkets or online) I use spice kitchen’s blend.
approximately 200g cous cous
1/4 tub of chicken stock gel pot
1/4 litre of boiling water
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
3 tbsp Rapeseed oil
1 tbsp mild curry powder
small handful of almonds sliced
few sprigs of fresh mint finely chopped
few sprigs of fresh coriander finely chopped
1 courgette sliced into half moons
half a small green pepper diced
half a small red pepper diced
Half a red onion finely diced
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
Thumb nail size of fresh ginger grated
1 tsp ground coriander (Spice Kitchen)
1 tsp ground cumin (Spice Kitchen)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (Spice Kitchen)
Method:

Take your cold cooked lamb and marinate with a little rapeseed oil and the ras el hanout.

In the meantime take the cous cous and cover with approximately 1/4 litre of boiling water with the chicken stock added so it just covers the cous cous and cover with foil.

Fry off your courgettes in a little rapeseed oil and after a minute or two add your peppers and cook until starting to colour and soften. Add in the garlic, ginger and chillies and cook for a further minute or two.

Stir in the ground coriander, cumin and cinnamon, add in the lamb and stir allowing the lamb to warm up. Season to taste

Stir the cous cous with a fork, add a drizzle of rapeseed oil and the cous cous should be light and fluffy. Add the curry powder a little salt and pepper if need be and pop in your chopped coriander and mint.

* Add the Lamb mixture into the bowl of cous cous, mix all through and serve.

 

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Indian spiced warm cauliflower and chickpea salad with homemade tortilla chips

July 13, 2015


I won’t be sharing all of my recipes I do for my column and other work on here all of the time but I felt I had to with this one.  It has proven to be very popular, more than I thought.  I had one young lady ask me in my local supermarket about it so I felt I should share it on here also. 
  Before though I wasn’t sure wether people would like this?  I know that sounds strange but just in the fact of it being quite a fusion style dish of Mexico meets India.  However Im so pleased to say I have no worries of that now. 

  So, you may wonder why there are tortilla chips on this dish being an Indian inspired one but the main reason for it is to show how easy you can use up different types of flatbreads you may have that need using up, such as Chapatti’s from the night before or pitta breads. I know for sure whenever I open a pack of tortillas or make homemade chapatti’s, Ive always got some left, hence why I used the tortilla wraps in this one. The young lady that asked me about this recipe, loved this part of the recipe.  You may recall I mentioned about doing this on Rupal Rajani’s show talking about Leftovers on BBC Radio Leicester last year.

  This recipe is a lovely spiced mix and match dish, the idea is to get a bit of each and the flavours will burst in your mouth together. Serve this with your favourite chutneys and pickles.  It is great for a Lunch, a picnic or even watching a film and if you have any left over you can use it again the day after in a wrap, with rice or as a cold salad.



Warm Indian spiced Cauliflower and chickpea salad with homemade Spicy Tortilla chips:




Ingredients:

( Serves 2 people as a sharing dish)

Warm dish:

  • 1/2 small cauliflower ( slice down the florets ) plus use the green part too, adds great flavour
  • 1/2 400g tin of chickpeas drained and rinsed 
  • small red onion sliced
  • Handful of fresh spinach or frozen
  • 1-2 tbsp of Rapeseed oil or any oil of your choice
  • thumbnail size of grated fresh Ginger
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 thin green indian chilli chopped finely
  •   1 tsp  cumin ( All ground spices from Spice Kitchen)
  •   1 tsp  turmeric 
  •   1 tsp  ground coriander
  •   1 tsp  chilli powder
  •   1 tsp garam masala  

Cold mixed salad:

  • Good handful of fresh Spinach leaves or any leaf of your choice
  •   Chopped fresh tomatoes
  •   Cucumber sliced
  •   Red onion sliced
  •   Carrot thinly sliced 
  •   Radish sliced lengthways
  •   Fresh coriander 
  •   Fresh mint 
  •   Cracked Black pepper to season and a squeeze of lemon
Tortilla Chips:

  • Tortilla wraps cut into triangles
  •   3 tbsp of rapeseed oil
  •   1 tsp Garam masala ( Spice Kitchen )
  •   1 tsp Chilli powder ( Spice Kitchen )
  •   sprinkle of sea salt to season


Method:




Warm Salad:

  • Blanch off your chickpeas and your cauliflower in slated boiling water for about 3-4 minutes.

  • fry your red onion, garlic, ginger and spices for a couple of minutes on a medium heat.

  • Drain your Cauliflower and chickpeas and add to the frying pan. Cook fro another 2 minutes, stirring so all is coated in the lovely spices

  • Add your Spinach to the mix and cook for another minute or two.


Tortilla Chips:

  • Preheat oven to 190c

  • Place all triangles on a baking tray and drizzle with oil

  • Add your spices to it

  • Pop in the oven for approximately 7 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown.

* Assemble all salad together, serve in separate bowls, add your chutneys and pickles and you’re done.




“Fridge raid pasta” for BBC Radio Leicester

June 19, 2015

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I came up with this recipe about 4 weeks ago for BBC Leicester on my regular slot with Ben Jackson  but it had completely slipped my mind to post it, it sometimes happens with myself as I do so many recipes in a week.  So I must post this now as sadly, our lovely British asparagus are now coming to an end for their season this year, but if  you did want to recreate this as it is, you should just manage to find some still around this week and maybe next. As for the peas though, they are now coming into season so you could even use fresh British ones. They would be brilliant for this recipe.

This was done literally how it says in the title. I let Ben look into my fridge, we picked out a few ingredients ( Seasonal too) and then I came up with a dish on the spot. It was to show people really how easy and quick it is to come up with a dish as great tasting and looking as this, just by using up things that are in your fridge! I suppose one would call this a “Ready steady cook” thing maybe? I love doing that and  I love to show people what they can acheive just from a few ingredients or leftovers they have. Say no to waste!
I cook meals like this quite regularly in the week, maybe not with the exact ingredients but I always ensure I have a bag of pasta in so I can create something like this. It’s also great having a jar of homemade Pesto in your fridge as that alone with pasta and a sprinkling of parmesan is a dish in itself.  It doesn’t have to be a wild garlic one, you could use a basil or another green vegetable/herb pesto. Creating dishes like this in under 15-20 minutes, you’ll never turn back.

Click this link and you can hear me making it on BBC Radio Leicester

 

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Fridge raid pasta

Ingredients:
(Serves 2 -3)

*One thing I must add for this recipe is that I can’t mark it as Vegetarian as it has Parmesan in my pesto recipe*
– Approximately 200g Fusilli Pasta or any pasta of your Choice
– 1/4 Leek sliced
– 2 Spring Onions chopped finely
– 2 cloves of Garlic
– 8 British Asparagus Spears, wood end cut off
– 5-6 British Purple Sprouting Broccoli Stems
– A handful of Petit Pois defrosted and drained or British Fresh podding Peas
– 1 Tbsp Of Wild Garlic Pesto or can use Basil Pesto
– Small Handful of Pea Shoots
– Cracked black Pepper
– Sea salt to season

 

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Method:

*  Take of wood ends off the Asparagus and peel the outer layer at the bottom couple of inches and pop into Ice cold Water to keep them vivid green.

*  Chop Purple Sprouting broccoli into 3 and pop into the Ice cold water too.

*  In boiling water Cook the Asparagus and the Purple sprouting Broccoli for 2 minutes then plunge into Ice cold Water

*  Cook Pasta to packet instructions in the same Pan with boiling water used for the Veg.

*  Fry off your Onion, Leek and Garlic for a couple of Minutes adding a little Cracked Black pepper.

*  Chop your Asparagus into 3 and add them and the Purple Sprouting Broccoli, stir for a minute or two.

*  Drain your Pasta and keep a little water  to pop into the frying pan to add a little moisture. Add your Pasta to the Vegetable mix now.

*  Stir in your Pesto and cook for a minute making sure whilst stirring your pasta it is all coated with it.

*  Pop in your Peas, stir for 30 seconds and then add your pea shoots. Add a little Salt to season and you are ready to serve!

 

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BBQ roast chicken pizza

May 28, 2015
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Pizza is one thing in our household that we make every couple of weeks. Reason why? Its cheap, you can use things up in your fridge and you feel like you’re having a takeaway but with better benefits.  Its very, very tasty and ultimately satisfying when you make your own.

I have so many families that have said to me in the past that they don’t have the time to do this, but I beg to differ…

Firstly the dough takes 5 minutes maximum to make, 30 minutes to rise and yes then putting on a topping and baking…another 18 minutes (approximately)  Not long hey? Surely that is the time it takes for a family to decide firstly what cuisine they are having? Who the takeaway is going to be, ordering and then waiting? Thing is…the great thing is, YOU and your FAMILY have made it and put on exactly what you want on it!

That’s really what I wanted to show you in this write up and when I went on my regular slot with Ben Jackson on BBC Radio Leicester a couple of weeks ago. It’s a great recipe to do together as a family and more to the point, the one we did here cost roughly around 85p-£1 per pizza! Bearing in mind my plain flour only cost me 45p for 1.5kg bag!

So imagine if it was just cheese and tomato, or another vegetarian option? Would be a lot more cheaper too! This week is half term, so why not have a go at making them or even on a weekend sometime.

Here I am showing Ben Just how super easy and cheap it is to make these tasty pizzas at home:

Roast BBQ Chicken Pizza:

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Ingredients  ( Makes two large pizzas)

Dough

 –  500g Plain flour

–  Good Pinch of Salt

–  A drizzle of Rapeseed Oil or Extra virgin Olive Oil

–  1 Sachet of fast action dried yeast

–  350ml of warm water added a bit at a time

 

Topping:

 

–  Roughly 1/2 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes (400g tin)

–  1 heaped Tbsp Tomato Puree

–  A few Herbs such as Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary etc chopped

–  BBQ Sauce

–  Leftover Roast Chicken

–  Bag of Grated Mozzarella (250g)

–  1 Sliced Green Pepper

–  2 rashers Chopped cooked Bacon

–  1  Red Onion sliced

 

Method:

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*  Get a Large mixing bowl and add all dry ingredients into your bowl. Pop in a drizzle of your Oil and then start to add in your warm water bit by bit.

 

*  With a Wooden Spoon, use the Handle to mix, not the spoon end as this is much easier, trust me!

 

 

*  Start to mix your Dough together, you’ll feel it starting to Gel. Keep adding your water until you have a nice dough texture. Too wet, you need to add a little dusting of flour.

 

*  On a floured work surface, just bring the dough together with your hands, kneading only slightly.

 

*  Leave the dough in the bowl, cover with a warm, damp tea towel and place in a warm place. I put mine in the Airing cupboard. Leave for about 30-45 mins to rise.

 

*  Bash together with a fork in a bowl or in a Food Processor your Tomato Puree, Tomatoes and herbs.

 

*  Preheat oven to 200c

 

*  Once the Dough is ready, Sprinkle some flour onto a work surface and shape the dough out flat using your fingers as thin as you can. You can put onto a tray first if easier.

 

*  Add the Tomato paste allowing to leave an inch all around the Pizza. Add on top the bbq sauce, not too wet though.

 

*  Pop on a little cheese, then veg, meat and cheese again. Pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until pizza is done.

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