The method and variations!

It's easy peasy, here are a couple of photos :-

the Knorr stock pot and the Flora

melting in the pan

with the combination of the Elmlea alternative

You can zhuzh the basic sauce by adding :

two roast garlic cloves

a splash of white wine

flat leaf parsley to garnish

if you want to thicken the sauce

a smidgeon, a heaped tsp of cornflour

slaked in a tbsp of water, slowly adding

to the gently heating sauce, stirring as

you go

This will make a fabulous sauce that will enhance any supper party dish, coating veggie protein of your choice. Perhaps with a puff pastry lid to complete.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of variations – the best introduction is to try with pasta instead of the old faithful tomato based sauces … food for thought!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and find it useful ...

A new recipe for the New Year …

… a sauce for every dish – make it what you will! Oh and by the way it's plant based.

It's a cream sauce with stock and butter which you can adapt to suit any occasion.

It's easy, here's the basic recipe :

one Knorr vegan mushroom stock pot

a knob of Flora 100% plant based “butter”

250ml Elmlea 100% alternative to double cream

Using a medium frying pan and a low heat, melt the stock pot and butter – when melted gradually add the cream and combine well and that's all there is to it for the base sauce!

You will have a pouring sauce which you can use over Quorn or any similar veggie protein – if you're a meat or poultry eater, chicken or pork.

There are photos of each product to help you...

Now for the variations!

Now for some pudding fun ...

This is a very popular pudding with everyone who likes chocolate and the hot and cold combination – I've known those who purport not to like chocolate or ice cream can't resist!

Pizookie

Serves 10-12

125g unsalted butter, room temperature

150g light soft brown sugar

100g golden caster sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

200g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp bicarb

½ tsp salt

250g plain chocolate, broken into chunks

Pre-heat oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4.

Put butter and sugars in a bowl and beat – hand mixer – for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla bean paste.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients – the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Tip it into the butter mixture, beat until combined, then stir through the chocolate. Tip into a 20cm ovenproof frying pan or a shallow cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. 25 minutes will give you a molten centre, 30 minutes a more set version.

Cool for 5 minutes, then add scoops of vanilla ice cream in the middle – dig in!

The ultimate sharing indulgence – perfect for a supper party at New Year - or not depending on whether you want to keep it to yourself!

If you want proof here are the photos ...

Straight from the oven

and can be straight to the table

not forgetting the ice cream of course

You don't have to serve it “as is” -

you can let it go cold and then cut a

slice – it actually looks like the slice

is made of pastry – pastry it is not!

20 seconds later it looks like this!

As I said, serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Happy New Year!

What about New Year?

Ideally you want a dish that is simple to make but tasty and a little indulgent!

The following recipe is one of my absolute favourites and the best of it is that essentially it's veggie but you can adapt it to suit everyone – adding cooked chicken and/or diced chorizo, gently cooked in a dry frying pan so that it releases the residual oil – you could serve in separate bowls on the side.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Here are the bits of information that I always find interesting . Fettuccine Alfredo was invented by Alfredo di Lelio who had restaurants in Rome in the early to mid 20^th century. Traditionally the dish was cooked at your table. As the dish became more popular it appeared in the USA. I was in Vermont when I sampled my first bowl – it was without doubt, the finest bowl of pasta and sauce I've ever eaten and the only one I've ever finished. That was a long time ago – yikes 1997! Since that time my quest has been to find a recipe as near as I could to that bowl of magic, here it is :

1 tbsp unsalted butter

200ml double cream

50g freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Gently heat the butter and the cream together, stirring, until the butter has melted, then stir in the Parmesan. Slowly bring to a gentle boil, turn down the heat and simmer, stir continuously for a minute or so until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.

This sauce can be made ahead.

The above recipe would be sufficient for two servings – enough to coat 225g uncooked pasta. Traditionally there are no additions to Alfredo although I've had it served with petit pois. If you've never tried it you're missing out!

The sauce is so good!

There's a photo-guide too …

Heat the butter and the cream

together

Add the Parmesan and heaps of

black pepper

The bowl

The bowl with petit pois

I didn't have any fettuccine in my pantry but I did have spaghetti – if you're not fond of “ribbony” types of pasta just choose your favourite.

You can adapt this to a plant based recipe using:

1 tbsp Flora Plant unsalted butter

200ml Elmlea 100% Plant Double Alternative

to cream

50g Parmesan alternative – for example

Violife Parmesan style

The simple things in life are the best!

Now for some pudding fun ...

There are photos too ...

Take a look :

Here's the tin, greased and dusted

The filling in the tin, ready for the oven

Out of the oven, leave to cool

A slice of cake, with raspberries -

or strawberries -

perfect!

Bits & pieces and hints & tips …

Once the cake has cooled use a round bladed knife and ease around the edge to loosen – take your time – if you don't you'll tear the edges of the cake – that would be a shame since you've achieved a brownie type crusty edge. If the cake won't budge then repeat the edging with the knife. Have a large sheet of foil ready to receive your cake, turn it - with care, then wrap and fridge.

The cake serves 8 – you may think the portion size isn't very generous – take my word for it – it's a rich cake.

Now for the choices – this cake is dense and intense. You can serve the cake cold with ice cream and/or cream or even clotted cream.

If you prefer soft, warm and squidgy then microwave for 20 seconds – take it from one who isn't bothered about chocolate, this is very good indeed.

It freezes well … don't forget to portion and wrap in cling film, then bag together.

This really is the “cat's whiskers” of cakes – the word “cake” sounds ordinary and boring – I promise you it isn't – it's decadent and delicious.

You won't be sorry!

A dessert for Christmas Eve ...

This isn't just any old cake – it's a decadent chocolate cake – it's divine! The bonus is that it's easy – it does exactly what it says – in the tin!

Here it is :

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Serves 8

120g dark chocolate – choose a cocoa solid

of 50%

120g unsalted butter

150g caster sugar

50g cocoa

3 eggs

½ tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla essence

You will need a small sandwich tin -

measuring 20cms/8” x 3cms/1¼”

a butter wrapper for greasing

an extra heaped teaspoon of cocoa

for dusting

a sheet of foil big enough to wrap the cake

Grease the tin with the butter wrapper and then sprinkle cocoa into the tin and carefully tilt the tin until the bottom and the sides of the tin are covered. A small tip – unless you are practised at this art you might want to tilt the tin over the sink!

Pre-heat the oven 130fan/150c/Gas 2.

Set a glass bowl over simmering water and melt the chocolate and butter – when melted, wearing oven gloves and with care, set aside on a heatproof mat or board. Stir in the sugar, cocoa, eggs and vanilla, mix well. Tip into your prepared sandwich tin and bake for 30 minutes.

Let the cake cool, in the tin for 15 minutes.

There are photos too …

Method and photos up next ...

Gently fry your onion and garlic, using another drop of rapeseed oil if necessary. Add the spices and cook together so that the spices are able to release their deliciousness!

Add the passata and the chilli sauce and bring to the boil. Add to the sealed diced steak and then slow cook for 4 hours. Turn off and then leave to cool. Freeze in boxes to suit your needs – remember – you can pull out two boxes if you need to, rather than have to throw away from a larger quantity.

Defrost thoroughly in your fridge. Re-heat gently on the stove adding your kidney beans, sweet baby peppers or chorizo.

For the optional extras :

Use a large frying pan and fry the chorizo gently so that it releases its oil. Set the chorizo aside, leaving the oil in the pan.

Sauté the sliced, sweet baby peppers in the chorizo oil.

If you enjoy a spicy hit you can use mixed beans in a chilli sauce instead of ordinary red kidney beans.

Serve with rice if you like but I think it's fab in a bowl with a blob of sour cream served with some rustic bread of your choice on the side or with wraps with bowls of relish of your choice – mango would work well.

Freezing serves dishes like chilli or curry very well – the freezing process allows the spices to develop. Here's a thought – you could double the recipe and serve as a supper or as part of a larger supper buffet.

Hot food seems to go down so well and it's easier to cook and serve.

Lets go with the photos :

Sealed, diced steak in the slow cooker

Softened onion and garlic

The four “c”s – cumin, coriander,

cinnamon and chilli

The four “c”s cooked out with

the onion

The chilli – read to slow cook and

perform its magic!

Glistening with the beans and a

blob of sour cream

What's not to love - perfect in a bowl with lumps of good crusty bread!

Coming up … a dessert for Christmas Eve