Warm Cheese Dip

The magical combination of cheese and chilli in a dip.

This is one of those fab dips that you can make ahead of time and just pop it into the oven to warm up again. It freezes well and if you want to make it a bit more substantial add some cooked chopped meat, this one has some cooked chicken stirred through. Pulled pork, chorizo and slow cooked beef work well too.

Ingredients

50g butter

1 large onion, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chipotle chilli powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

3 tablespoons gluten free plain flour

375mls milk

1x400g tin crushed tomatoes

200-300g cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

Method

In a large pan, melt the butter, add the onion, cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the flour, smoked paprika, chipotle chilli and oregano to the pan and stir over medium heat for 1 minute.

Add the milk and tinned tomatoes and stir constantly until thickened.

Turn off the heat, add most of the grated cheese and stir until the cheese has melted.

Serve now or pour into oven proof dish, top with the remaining cheese and bake in a 200 degree oven until the cheese has melted and is golden.

Red Chilli Rice

I love this rice for popping into burritos along with what we call taco coleslaw.

Apart from being a gorgeous colour, this rice has bags of flavour and can really stand alone if you are having it as a side dish.

Leftovers reheat well and I send the boys to school with rice filled wraps too, anything to fill them up!

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

1 x 400g tin crushed tomatoes

1 small onion, peeled and quartered

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 chipotle chilli in Adobe sauce

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried dill tips

1 lime, juiced

75g butter or oil

400g basmati rice

750mls water

Method

Combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle chilli, oregano, dill, lime juice and salt in a food processor and whizz to make a loose paste.

Heat the butter in a pan that you will use to cook the rice.

Pour in the tomato paste and simmer gently for 30mins until dark and thickened.

Add the rice to the pan and cook for 1 minute and then add the water, stir, cover and bring up to the boil.

Simmer for 18 minutes, turn the heat off but leave the lid on.

After 10 minute rest, remove the lid, stir the rice and serve.

Chipotle Chilli and Lime Chicken Wings

These wings are very, very popular in our house, possibly because the boys are allowed to eat them with their fingers but even the fussiest, non spicy food eater, loves them!

I remove the tips from the wings, I get great satisfaction from chopping them with my cleaver! Also, they look a little neater!

If you don’t have smoked salt just use regular and these wings happily cook on the barbecue too.

Serves 4-5.

Ingredients

1.8-2kg chicken wings

3 chipotle chilli in adobe sauce, sauce included

1 lime, zest and juice

2 tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon smoked salt flakes

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Method

Combine all of the ingredients and allow to marinade for 12-24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.

Lay the wings on the tray, you may need two trays as you don’t want to over crowd them.

Bake in the oven for 25mins, remove and baste with the juices and the leftover marinade.

Return to the oven, baste regularly for a further 20-25 mins.

Remove from the oven and brush the wings again with the pan juices before serving.

Sag Aloo or Potato and Spinach Curry

Food like this is enough to make me vegetarian!

The ingredient list may seem long but most of it is actually the paste that you cook to then make the curry, I don’t peel the potatoes, think of it as time saving!

I serve this with chickpea dosa and yogurt, it really doesn’t need anything else, just too yummy!

Leftovers are fab in lunch boxes and I love them for breakfast with an egg.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

80g ghee or oil

2 shallots, peeled and quartered

2 cloves garlic, peeled

4 tomatoes

Thumb size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and diced, around 25-30g

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon chilli powder, I use Kashmiri

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

120mls water

1.2kg potatoes, cut into 3cm cubes, skin on

250g baby spinach

Method

Place the shallots, garlic, tomatoes, ginger, spices and water in a food processor and blitz to a paste, otherwise use a stick blender.

In a large frying pan heat the ghee over a medium heat, add the paste and cook for 30-40 mins until the water has all evaporated and the paste has darkened.

Add the diced potatoes and fill the pan with water to come half way up the potatoes.

Cover the pan, bring up to the boil and simmer for 10mins until the potatoes are just cooked through.

Uncover and boil off all the liquid in the pan.

Add the spinach and stir in, cook until the spinach has wilted and any liquid has evaporated again.

Spaghetti Frittata with Garlic Butter

Apologies, the boys named this one!

If I’m cooking pasta I always cook a little extra for salads and this dish if there is enough. It is the ultimate leftovers reinvented dish and really is simple to throw together.

My garlic butter is made in bulk and then frozen in 50g portions, 200g butter, 7 crushed cloves of garlic and a little salt and pepper. I package the portions in plastic wrap and form the butter into cylindrical shapes, easier to slice for garlic bread and steaks once it has defrosted.

Serves 4-6 depending on appetites.

Ingredients

50g garlic butter

600g cooked spaghetti

4 Roma tomatoes, cored and deseeded

6 medium basil leaves, torn

4 eggs, beaten

60mls sour cream

50g Parmesan, finely grated

Method

Preheat the grill on high.

In a large frying pan, heat the garlic butter.

As soon as it has melted, add the spaghetti and toss well in the butter.

Add the tomatoes and basil, keep tossing until the tomato is beginning to release its juice.

Combine the eggs and sour cream, whisk to mix.

Pour the egg over the spaghetti, mix a little to ensure all of the spaghetti has some egg mixture over it.

Cook, over a medium heat for 3-5 mins until the base is going golden.

Sprinkle over the Parmesan and then slide under the grill.

Bake for 3-5 mins until golden on top.

Allow to cool a little in the pan.

Gently slide out of the pan and onto a chopping board, use a sharp knife to cut wedges.

 

Naked Beef Burger stuffed with Brie and Jalapeño

I love a good burger and now that a bun or roll isn’t on the menu I feel I need to jazz my burgers up a little bit, enter the naked stuffed burger!

At this time of year we are lucky enough to have a large piece of Brie usually hiding in the fridge for quick and lazy meals, nothing beats gooey cheese and gluten free crackers with apple slices in my opinion!

When it’s getting towards the end of its shelf life this is a great way to use up a little bit of leftover cheese,  including the rind.

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil

2 large onions

700g minced beef

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to season

sliced jalapeños, around 4-6 slices per burger

6 slices of Brie

3 avocados, diced

6 tomatoes, deseeded and diced

1 lime cut into 6 wedges

Method

Heat a large frying pan with the oil in it.

Over a medium heat cook the onion in the pan until softened, set aside and don’t wash the pan as it will be reused.

In a large bowl combine the minced beef, mustard, salt and pepper. Roll into 12 balls.

Flatten 6 balls and place a slice of Brie and a few slices of jalapeño chilli on top.

Take the remaining balls and flatten until slightly larger than the previous balls, place them over the bases and squeeze around the edges to seal.

Heat the large frying pan again over a high heat and cook the burgers until slightly charred on both sides.

Return the onions to the pan to warm through.

Serve the burger, topped with onion, tomato and avocado with a slice of lime on the side.

Roast Tomato and Paprika Pasta Sauce with Garlic and Basil

The tomatoes don’t need to be pretty, I often use seconds, their flavour is fab and I just cut off any nasty bits!

If you have lots of tomatoes, consider roasting them all, making the sauce and then freezing it in zip lock bags, labelled of course, until you need a fast dinner. Alternatively, sterilise jars and lids, bring the sauce up to the boil in a pan and then pour, carefully, into the jars and seal.

If you don’t have fresh  paprika, don’t worry, capsicum works too or just do tomato sauce.

Makes 1-1.2 litres of sauce. 200mls will cover 400g dried pasta.

Ingredients

2kg ripe tomatoes, halved and cores removed

2 red paprika, halved, cored and cut into 5cm pieces

3 cloves garlic, sliced

a few basil leaves

1 tablespoon caster sugar

salt and pepper

olive oil to drizzle

1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Method

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees Centigrade.

Line two baking sheets with baking parchment, coming up the sides to catch any juice.

Place the tomatoes on the sheets, cut side up.

Top the tomatoes with a slice of garlic and a piece of basil leaf.

Add the paprika to the tray, sprinkle with a pinch of sugar.

Add the parsley to the tray.

Drizzle with a little olive oil, just a drop or two on each tomato half.

Season with salt and pepper.

Pop in the oven and roast for one and a half hours.

Allow to cool completely.

Scrape everything on the trays into the food processor and process until smooth.

Add balsamic vinegar and sugar, process again.

Have a taste, you may need more sugar and more salt or pepper.

Keep some sauce aside for dinner tonight and bag or jar the rest.

Serve mixed through cooked pasta and top with a little grated Parmesan cheese.