New Year bits and bats – my choices

I've trawled through all the food catalogues with particular interest in the vegetarian options. Hmm – in the past I've treated myself to a posh vegetarian main for the holidays and have been underwhelmed. This year I decided I was going to make what I liked - you may not think it particularly festive but hey, I'm not going to criticise your turkey, goose or whatever you choose - live and let live I say!

Root Veggie Pie

Gives 8 individual pies

300g/11oz carrots

300g/11oz parsnips

top, tail and peel then cut into a fine dice – 2x2cms/¾ x ¾” approximately

1 large onion, finely chopped

salt and black pepper

glug of rapeseed oil

knob of butter

a foil tray or casserole dish if you prefer

measuring 23x23 cms/9x9”

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

First up roast your veggies.

Place them in the foil tray and bake (set your timer) for 20 minutes, turn and repeat. Set aside.

You'll also need two medium size ready baked potatoes, peeled and chopped finely.

I've chosen a mornay sauce – veggies and cheese, perfect.

Mornay Sauce

Serves 4-6

40g/1½oz unsalted butter

40g/1½oz plain flour

600ml of milk – I use semi skimmed

150g/5oz mature Cheddar cheese

(or a combination of Cheddar and gruyere)

salt and black pepper

½ tsp Dijon mustard - optional

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook gently for a minute, stirring – make sure you don't brown the mixture. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly and eventually bring to the boil, whisking until it's smooth and thick. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the cheese, mustard and season. I'd taste before you add salt – there's salt in the cheese – adjust accordingly.

Finally you'll need either a quantity of puff pastry or, if you're in a hurry or just can't be bothered the old faithful ready to use puff pastry sheet. 1 sheet = 320g.

Method and photo guide up next.

Resourceful and creative starters …

… cooking the stir fry

You'll need a wok – heat it and then add a tablespoon of rapeseed oil, heat until hot. Add the peppers and broccolini (you could add a teaspoon of garlic paste if you feel adventurous!) and season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes and then place on a baking tray and into a warm oven. Sear your scallops in the “clock” pattern and then add the king prawns, cook for 2 minutes, add the veggies warming in the oven and then the black bean stir fry sauce. Cook for a further 2 minutes then serve immediately.

If you're nervous or unfamiliar with cooking scallops you might find the following useful. To sear means your scallops should be browned in intense heat on both sides – quickly, otherwise you'll be able to bounce them off the walls!

I always use the “clock” method. Make sure your frying pan stays in the same position. Make sure the pan is hot – I add a generous knob of butter to the tiniest drop of oil. Think of your pan as a clock face. Place a scallop at 12 o'clock and continue round the face until you come back to 12 o'clock – 12 scallops. As you reach your completed clock turn the first scallop and continue round again.

Remove your scallops and set aside on a baking tray. Speed is of the essence with a stir fry and with scallops. Alot depends on the size of the scallop, as a guide mine measured 3x2cms 1¼”. If you live near the coast you'll be able to source fresh scallops. Cooking times will vary depending on the size, the clock principle remains the same, for cooking larger scallops use a timer.

Check out the freezer aisle in your favourite supermarket – I buy 200g bags of scallops and 250g bags of king prawns, so even though your freezer is bursting you'll always be able to find room for scallops and king prawns!

A delicious dish, all the more so because it was simple, quick and easy.

Resourceful and creative starters …

… or a lunch – or a supper!

Here's another idea that can be whatever you want it to be!

Two essential items for your freezer – a bag of scallops and ditto king prawns.

Add a good quality stir fry sauce to your list – you don't have to make a sauce from scratch if it's not your strong suit. Black bean works well, so does Hoisin and spring onion.

This is a versatile stir fry using ingredients to suit your own taste – how much veg you use is entirely up to you – fly by the seat of your pants!

Here's my suggestion and a guide for a starter portion :

Scallops and King Prawns, stir fried with

broccolini, sweet peppers in black bean sauce

My scallops were frozen and the cooked king prawns too - on the morning of the evening required, I took them out of the freezer. I allowed 3 medium sized scallops and six king prawns per person. Make sure you box and fridge both to defrost until required later in the day.

I chose broccolini – sometimes called tenderstem broccoli - because of it's colour and because it's finer than the grown-up alternative and is therefore perfect to blanch and refresh, dry, box and fridge ready for later. I buy it in 200g/7oz bags – don't forget to trim it to an even size.

I sliced the sweet peppers to a similar size so they'd stir fry evenly and chose vibrant orange and yellow – perfect with the green of the broccolini. I use baby sweet peppers for stir fries, available in 300g punnets. I used three of each colour, approximately half the punnet.

You can make your own black bean sauce if you wish – there are good quality shop bought versions out there too – the choice is yours – I use Sharwoods Black Bean Stir Fry Sauce - 195g. A good quality shop bought makes sense in that it's in your store cupboard – perfect for those unexpected visitors!

This appetiser is ready to roll later and will take minutes to stir fry and serve.

Read on …

Resourceful and creative – home-made bread

I'm a sucker for home-made bread and so for the holidays I would definitely recommend the two fast breads I make all the time. For those of you who read my blog regularly – thank you – you'll know that I'm always banging on about soda bread – the fast version. More recently the beer bread has been very popular too.

Essentials for your shopping list - for the soda bread a pot of buttermilk 290/300ml – the “use by” dates are generally kind but check! For the beer bread add a 330ml bottle of IPA – India Pale Ale.

Here's an idea for either bread, once again keeping it simple.

Soda bread, toasted and topped with bazzin' beetroot

relish and goats cheese

Keep it simple – three elements – I made my soda bread the day before and the beetroot relish too. I used small discs of goats cheese so pretty on the plate.

I pre-heated my oven to warm – 150fan/170c/Gas 3 Fill a foil container with enough beetroot relish for the number of servings. Place your cheese discs on a double sheet of foil. Toast your soda bread and place on a serving plate, add the relish and top with goats cheese. To complete your dish add a generous drizzle of Balsamic vinegar or, if you really want to push the boat out, make your own Balsamic Glaze.

Balsamic Glaze

50g/2oz demerara sugar

250ml/9 fluid oz balsamic vinegar

Place the sugar and vinegar in a medium saucepan (19cms or 7½” in diameter) and heat slowly, stirring allowing the sugar to dissolve. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes – until the glaze is reduce by half. It should coat the back of a spoon. Decant into a clean jar with a lid – fridge it.

The best 20 minutes you've ever spent in your kitchen – you'll never buy it again!

For both bread recipes check out the Bread label on the blog

Resourceful and creative – New Year bits and bats

It will be the 23^rd December when you read this post, so too late for Christmas ideas but not for celebrations you're planning for New Year.

My suggestion for New Year – whether it's as part of a lunch, a supper or even an informal dinner party is my most favourite potato dish – Tartiflette. It's no surprise that it's French using Reblochon cheese. Reblochon is expensive but worth the treat so why not indulge - however it's quite difficult to source, especially if you live “in the sticks” - in other words the countryside. I found it impossible to find in the US so, if you need an alternative basically any cheese that melts easily will do – for example two of my absolute favourites gruyere and taleggio or even a ripe camembert.

Traditionally Tartiflette includes bacon – dry cured if at all possible. I'm a spanner in the works being a veggie – I'd omit the bacon.

Tartiflette

1.5kg/3lb 5oz all purpose potatoes, e.g. Desirée, peeled

and cut to a similar size

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 thick dry cured smoked streaky bacon rashers, finely chopped

50g/2oz butter

1 garlic clove or roasted garlic

250g/9oz Reblochon cheese, rind trimmed and removed

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

Boil the potatoes until cooked, cool, then slice.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the onion and bacon until softened. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the inside of an ovenproof dish – or foil if more convenient – my dish measures 23x23x8cms – 9x9x3¼” . If you're using roasted garlic, spread it around the inside.

Place some of the potato slices in the bottom and season with salt and black pepper then layer with the onion and bacon, repeat until all the potato slices have been used, seasoning between each layer.

Chop the cheese and scatter over the potatoes and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, remove the foil for the remaining 15 minutes to enable the tartiflette to crisp around the edges.

The beauty of this dish is that it can be prepared ahead. If you're a lover of garlic then don't be afraid to include 2 tsps of garlic paste when you're cooking the onions and bacon – rules are made to be broken.

If I were you I'd be keeping my fingers crossed for leftovers – it's even better the following day warmed, creating even more crispy edges. Happy days.

Thank you for reading my missives – Merry Christmas everyone!

Praline sprinkle photos

doesn't look much

hang in there – it's on its way

told you so

 looking good

leave it 'snapped' if you prefer

tiny bits of twinkling toffee

Resourceful and creative bits and bats

… the praline sprinkle

This “sprinkle” is another addition to your “store cupboard” that can be made ahead. Perfect for your alternative trifle or just plain useful!

Praline

75g/3oz almonds, unblanched

75g/3oz caster sugar

Praline is largely used for adding to and flavouring cream, ice cream, butter cream or whatever takes your fancy. You can use it in large pieces or shards or blitzed into a coarse powder. It keeps well so long as you transfer it into an air-tight jar. Should the mood take you it can even be blitzed into a paste.

Place the sugar into a frying pan (I used a pan measuring 28cms/11” in diameter) and then the almonds on top. Heat the sugar and almonds on as low a heat as possible. Resist the urge to prod/stir/mess with! Patience is eventually rewarded the sugar begins to melt and when the almonds begin to “pop”, and your sugar is a good colour - turn it out onto a non-stick sheet (or oiled slab if you want to be posh). The melting of the sugar takes approximately 20 minutes.

Leave the praline sheet where it is until it is well and truly set. You can then break it up and blitz into a coarse powder or as you wish. It's stating the obvious I know – you'll get 175g/6oz of praline.

Please note that when blitzing you will need ear plugs and warn anyone nearby that isn't totally deaf they soon will be!

Photo guide coming up.