Here it is pre-oven

and post oven

and on the plate.

The blurb said (yes, I know, why do I take so much notice of what the blurb says?) that it didn’t need much in the way of accompaniment other than a light salad but I had been tempted to have it with a burger but took a trip to the tip while it was cooking and had it on its own when I got back. A burger or sausage would have gone nicely with it, although, at 719 calories per portion, maybe stick to the light salad they suggest.

Potato and leek boulangere (serves 4-6)
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 1 hour
Suitable for freezing
Calories per serving (4 portions): 719
kj 2996
Protein 18g
Fat: 51g (saturated fat 32g)
Carbohydrate: 50g

Ingredients
25g (1oz) butter
500g (1lb) leeks, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
875g (1 3/4 lb) potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
4 tomatoes, sliced
300ml (1/2) pint double cream
300ml (1/2) pint milk
125g (4oz) smoked cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Use the butter to grease a large, deep 30 x 30cm (12″ x 12″) ovenproof dish. Put in half of the chopped leeks and garlic, cover with half of the slices of potato and season well.
2. Cover with a layer of the remaining leeks and garlic, then the remaining potato slices and season well again. Cover with the slices of tomato.
3. Mix the cream with the milk and pour over the top.
4. Cover with grated cheese and bake in a preheated oven, 180c, Gas Mark 4, for 1 hour or until the potatoes are cooked and the cheese well browned.

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Next up was pasta with spinach, shiitake mushrooms and tofu.

Upon reading the ingredients (tofu, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic), I wasn’t keen on having it with pasta, feeling it was more of an oriental dish and I had to restrain myself from having it with rice or noodles, but the blurb assured me it went perfectly well with pasta, so I thought I’d be brave. Wrong choice. It didn’t really go with pasta (especially not the big shells I’ve been unsuccessfully trying to cook for a few weeks) and the leftovers will be served with rice.

Last night’s meal wasn’t much of a success either. I don’t usually make fancy or fiddly food but it said preparation was 10 minutes. Was it heck. More like 30 minutes. Still, it looked pretty.

Unfortunately The Meat Eater wasn’t keen and although I said he wasn’t getting tonight’s potato-based meal unless he finished his dinner, half of his roulade went in the bin. I thought it was ok, but the soufflé-type texture got a bit boring after a while. Thinner slices as a starter or as a side to something more substantial would have worked better.

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The recipe here is adapted slightly as Leith’s recipe involved making your own pastry and rolling it out and placing it on a damp baking tray and pricking it with a fork and baking it on one side, then turning it over and baking it on the other and so I thought ‘sod that’ and bought some ready rolled.

I also used dried oregano, as I’ve never seen fresh oregano in my life.

While I was making it, I thought it might be a bit bland as it is just simply a layer of mozzarella and a layer of courgette and tomato, but it wasn’t bland at all. I froze the leftovers and heated them up a few days later and they were fine too.

Courgette and tomato tart

Ingredients:

225g ready rolled puff pastry
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
150g mozzarella cheese
6 ripe tomatoes
2 courgettes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220c/gas mark 7.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and cook over a low heat until soft and golden-brown. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Allow to cool, then scatter over the top of the pastry. Slice the cheese and arrange on top of the onion.
3. Cut the tomatoes and courgettes into slices 1cm thick. Arrange the tomatoes and courgettes in alternate overlapping rows over the tart. Scatter over the herbs, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining oil. Bake for 20 minutes.

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What is even more of a result is that it’s delicious.  The Meat Eater ate a mouthful, declared it ‘yum’, finished before me for the first time ever and asked me to make it again.  Fine praise indeed.

It’s not the most lowest of calorie dinners, with it containing cheese, flour, milk, lentils and pasta, but I’m going for a run tomorrow and can therefore eat what I like.

I wish.

Macaroni bake (serves 4 – I halved the ingredients to serve 2)
Taken from Leith’s Vegetarian Bible

For the lentil layer
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 carrots, finely diced
110g/4oz red lentils
1 x 400g/14oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato puree
a pinch of sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
a few drops of Tabasco sauce
2-3 tablespoons mango chutney

For the topping
110g/4oz macaroni
20g/¾oz butter
20g/¾oz plain flour
a pinch of cayenne pepper
425ml/¾ pint milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
wholegrain mustard
85g/3oz Cheddar cheese, grated
85g/3oz Parmesan-style cheese, freshly grated
1 teaspoon dried breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon mustard seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
2. First make the lentil layer: heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion, garlic and carrots.  Cover and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes or until the onion is softened and transparent.
3. Add the lentils, tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar, salt, pepper, bay leaf, Tabasco and chutney to the pan.  Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are cooked and the excess liquid has evaporated, leaving a thick but not dry mixture.  Discard the bay leaf and transfer the lentil mixture to a deep ovenproof dish.
4. Make the macaroni topping:  bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the macaroni and cook, uncovered, until al dente.  The water must boil steadily to keep the macaroni moving freely and prevent it from sticking to the pan.  Drain thoroughly and rinse under boiling water.
5. Melt the butter in another saucepan and add the flour and cayenne.  Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat, pour in the milk and mix well.  Return to the heat and stir until boiling, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
6. Add the cooked macaroni to the sauce and season to taste with salt, pepper and mustard.  Stir in all but 1 tablespoon of the grated cheeses and spoon the macaroni mixture on top of the lentil layer.  Mix the reserved cheese with the breadcrumbs and the mustard and sesame seeds, if used, and sprinkle evenly over the surface.  Place on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the topping is golden-brown.

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Pasta e fagioli (vegan if the cheese is omitted)
Serves 6

1 onion
1 leek
1 carrot
1 large potato
2 celery sticks
60ml (4 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
10ml (2 tsp) chopped fresh thyme
5ml (1 tsp) finely chopped fresh rosemary
500g (1 lb 2 oz) carton passata
600ml (1 pint) vegetable stock
225g (8oz) small conchiglie or ditali pasta
two 400g (14oz) cans borlotti beans, drained
60ml (4 tbsp) chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper

TO SERVE

75g (3 oz) Parmesan-style cheese, freshly grated
a little extra-virgin olive oil

1. Peel and chop the onion; slice the leek; peel and dice the carrot and potato; dice the celery.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan, add the onion, leek, carrot, potato, celery, garlic and herbs and fry gently for 10 minutes until softened slightly, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking.
3. Add the passata and stock.  Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile add the pasta to a large pan of lightly salted boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes until al dente (tender but firm to the bite).  Drain and immediately refresh under cold water.  Drain well and toss with a little olive oil.
5. Add the beans to the stew.  cover and cook for a further 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the pasta and basil, heat through and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Spoon into warmed bowls and sprinkle generously with Parmesan-style cheese.  Drizzle with olive oil to serve.

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So he came back with new potatoes.  Sigh.  He asked what I was making and I said potato cakes with mushrooms and he said can’t he just have potatoes and mushrooms? and so I said no.

Still, we had some old-ish potatoes in the cupboard, so I cut off the sprouty bits and used them instead.

The recipe says it makes a substantial main course.  Which is rubbish.  I made it more substantial by serving it with sausages and something else now that I can’t remember.

Oven-baked potato cakes with mushrooms and thyme (taken from Leith’s Vegetarian Bible)
Serves 4

Oil, for brushing
450g/1lb floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper
55g/2oz butter
1 egg yolk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
Plain flour, for shaping
Chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley, to garnish

For the filling
450g/1lb mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
30g/1oz butter
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Lemon juice
1 tablespoon dry sherry

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.  Brush a baking tray with oil.
2. Peel and quarter the potatoes and cook them in boiling salted water until tender.
3. Drain the potatoes and return to the pan.  Mash over a low heat.  Remove from the heat and add the butter and egg yolk.  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and beat well.
4. Divide the mixture into 8.  With floured hands shape into flat cakes about 10cm/4in in diameter.  Place on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Turn, using a fish slicer, and bake for a further 15 minutes.
5. About 10 minutes before the potato cakes are ready, make the filling:  Cut the mushrooms into chunky pieces.  Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan.  Add the butter and when foaming, briskly fry the mushrooms until tender.  Add the garlic, thyme and lemon juice to taste and season with salt and pepper.  Fry for a further 2 minutes.  Add the sherry and bring to the boil, scraping any sediment from the base of the pan.
6. Lift 4 of the potato cakes on to 4 individual plates.  Divide the filling between them and top with a second potato cake.  Sprinkle with the parsley.

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Ingredients (serves 4)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
300g/11oz Quorn mince
1 x 400g/14oz can tomatoes
290ml/1/2 pint vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons mushroom ketchup

To serve

340g/12oz spaghetti
freshly grated Parmesan-style cheese

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, pepper, carrots and leek. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until softened.
2. Add the Quorn mince to the vegetables and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.  Increase the heat and allow the Quorn to colour slightly.
3. Add the tomatoes (these can be liquidized for a smoother consistency, if liked), stock, tomato puree and mushroom ketchup.  Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the liquid is well reduced.  Adjust the seasoning to taste.
4. Meanwhile, bring  a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.  Add the spaghetti and cook, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes until al dente.  Drain thoroughly and rinse the spaghetti under hot running water.  Drain well.
5. Place the spaghetti in a warmed serving dish and pour over the Quorn bolognese sauce.
6. Serve with Parmesan-style cheese sprinkled on toip of the sauce or handed separately.

Quorn and red onion bolognese

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Ingredients (serves 4)

450g/1lb asparagus
6 tablespoons olive oil
450g/1lb leeks, trimmed and sliced
2 table spoons plain flour
150ml/1/4 pint dry white wine
290ml/1/2 pint vegetable stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon lemon juice
85g/3oz Emmenthal cheese, grated
3 tablespoons double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large sheets of filo pastry
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5.
2. Trim the ends off the asparagus and using a potato peeler, pare off the tough outer skin at the base of the stalks.  Bring a large shallow pan of water to the boil.  Cook the asparagus for about 5-7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears.  Remove the asparagus from the cooking water, drain carefully and set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan, add the leeks and sweat gently for 10 minutes or until softened.  Add the flour and cook for 30 seconds, then add the wine and bring to the boil.  Add the stock and bring back to the boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the sauce is thick.  Remove from the heat and add the thyme, lemon juice, cheese, cream, salt and pepper.
4. Cut the asparagus into 5cm/2in lengths.
5. Pour half the sauce into a shallow ovenproof dish.  Cover with the asparagus and pour the remaining sauce on top.
6. Brush each sheet of filo pastry with the remaining oil and place on top of the vegetables in layers.  Trim off the excess pastry round the edges; brush the top with oil and score with a lattice pattern.  Scatter with the sesame seeds (I used pinenuts instead).
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, lowing the oven temperature if the pastry shows signs of browning too much.

Just out of the oven

Asparagus and leek filo pie

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Ingredients (serves 6)

150ml/1/4 pint olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 x 400g/14oz cans of chopped tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
900g/2lb aubergines
45g/1 1/2 oz plain flour
85g/3oz Parmesan-style cheese, freshly grated
55g/2oz currants
55g/2 oz pinenuts, lightly toasted
170g/6oz provolone or mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
12 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

1. Make the tomato sauce: put 2 tablespoons of the oil and the garlic into a large, deep frying pan.  Put over a medium to high heat and as soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, add the tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes until well reduced and thickened.  Remove from the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Trim the stalks from the aubergines and cut them crossways into thin slices.  Season them well on both sides with salt and pepper.  Mix the flour and 45g/1 1/2 oz of the Parmesan-style cheese together in a shallow dish.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F gas mark 6.  Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan.  Dip a few aubergine slices into the flour and cheese mixture, shake off the excess, and fry over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side until crisp and golden.  Lift on to kitchen paper and leave to drain.  Fry the remaining aubergine slices in the same way.
4. Layer half the aubergines, tomato sauce, currants, pinenuts, provolone or mozzarella cheese slices and basil in the bottom of a 2.2 litre/4 pint shallow ovenproof dish.  Season with pepper, then repeat the layers once more, ending with a layer of cheese.
5. Sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan-style cheese and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Sicilian aubergine parmigiana

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Leith's Vegetarian Bible

This recipe, from Leith’s Vegetarian Bible, was so amazingly nice that, after eating it, I didn’t want to eat anything else ever.  I just wanted to eat this every day.  I don’t eat a lot of eggs; they have a bit of a squeamish factor for me as they’re a bit too close to an animal for my liking, but I eat them occasionally for a change.  And I’m very glad I made this.  Gorgeous.

Ingredients (serves 2)

4 eggs
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tablespoon water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
110g/4oz French beans
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
1 small carrot, very finely shredded
55g/2oz beansprouts
1 stalk of lemongrass, outer leaves removed and finely chopped
1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon soft light brown sugar
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice or white wine vinegar
15g/½ oz butter
a few sprigs of fresh coriander, to garnish

1. Beat the eggs with the chilli and water in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top and tail the beans and cut them in half.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy frying pan, add the spring onions, carrot, beansprouts and beans and stir-fry for a few minutes.  Add the lemongrass, ginger and garlic and fry for 1 further minute, then stir in the sugar, soy sauce and vinegar.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Melt the butter in a large omelette pan or non-stick frying pan.  When foaming, pour in the eggs.  As the egg sets around the edge of the pan, hold the pan handle and use a palette knife to draw the cooked egg to the middle, while tipping the runny egg to the edge of the the pan.  Repeat once or twice until the omelette is set at the sides and underneath but is still a little runny on top.  Pile the vegetables over half of the omelette.  Fold the other half on top.  Slice in half crossways and serve scattered with coriander.

Thai vegetable omelette

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