Bowl of Butter Beans with Kalettes

D keeps asking me 'Are there any cookbooks you want?'  

He knows, its a silly question as I will always say Yes.  But recently I haven't been saying 'yes' as I have to be realistic.  Will I ever cook from all these cookbooks?  I am trying, honestly.  I won't tell you how many cookbooks I have, but my bookshelf is burgeoning, that it  just looks a mess.  So, I have been having a slow sneaky clear out of cookbooks that I know that I will not really use, starting with celebrity chefs: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall as it happens (and his new River Cottage merchandise will only come into my home now via the library which I have been frequently a lot in recent years.  Don't be upset with me Hugh I still have a signed copy of you DVD and your Veg Every Day).  D does not know that I am doing this (yet) and I don't really want him to notice it yet as he thinks we have space in our home right now.  Part of me agrees and part of me does not, and hey if he wants to treat me to some more cookbooks, well I better make some room.

Anyway onto food. I made this Butter Bean and Kalette recipe around the time I made Butter Beans with Red Pepper Hearts , as I had some cooked butter beans left and wanted to use them up quickly.  

For those of you scrolling to the bottom of the page in search of the recipe, will have to forgive me as I cannot remember the recipe for this Butter Bean and Kalette dish.  I do however remember it being very simple and light like a broth and the butter beans just melted.  The original recipe had Brussels sprouts, but as I am not that keen on them, I changed it with kalettes also known as purple flower spouts that were in season at the time.  

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Purple Flower Sprouts, they are a hybrid of Brussels Sprouts and Kale.    

I am sharing this  green and white bowl of Butter Beans and Kalettes with Souper Sundays hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Kale Kissed Pasta with Purple Flower Sprouts

This Big bowl of green pasta was very nice.  The hazelnut and kale pesto clung onto the pasta like a bean pod protecting and clinging onto the peas and beans inside.  

We had a big bowl of this Kale and Hazelnut Pesto Pasta twice, once in the evening and second - the following day for lunch.   

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Purple Flower Sprouts as I was a couple of weeks back, they are a hybrid of Brussels Sprouts and Kale.    

Forgive me for a short post, but I feel a little sniffly today, so I am signing off a little early so I can get an early night - I didn't sleep so well last night. 

Festive Vegetarian Christmas Burger

Firstly may I wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas.

I have taken a few days off from work.  We will be going over to my parents later this evening, and tomorrow morning travelling to D's mothers. Having rested the last couple of days, I thought I'd play catch up with a little blogging. 

As you can imagine, over the past few months I've created a number of seasonal dishes and some of these have been for the festive season.  The one I would like to begin with today is my Festive Vegetarian Christmas Burger. 

When I began my little business venture, I had no intention of serving burgers, well not on a daily basis, but people have been asking for them and they have been featuring on the menu for the past three months.  Variations include those made with beans and vegetables, such as beetroot, parsnip, pumpkins, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and the flavours are equally diverse, from Indian, Jamaican to Mexican, oh I even featured my Haggis Burger for St Andrews day last month.

These Vegetarian Christmas Burgers are served in a large granary roll, with winter greens, a slice of mock 'turkey' and a generous spread of cranberry sauce.  I am submitting these Festive Burgers to December-January editiion of Simple and In Season,  a monthly event created by Ren Behan at Fabulicious Food. This month it is being hosted by Lavender and Lovage. 

For those of you with left overs tomorrow, yes you will be able to make these left over cooked vegetables from you Christmas Party menu. 
Vegetarian Christmas Burgers
Makes 8 burgers
A2K Ingredients
100g Fairtrade whole Quinoa
175ml vegetable stock or water
1 medium parsnips, grated (or cooked and mashed)
1 medium carrot, grated (or cooked and mashed)
4 raw Brussels sprouts, grated (or cooked and minced)
1 medium onion, grated
200g chickpea flour
40g dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Vegetable oil to shallow fry
A2K Method
Rinse the Quinoa in cold water. Boil in 175ml water for 10 minutes covered with a lid. Remove the saucepan from the heat, mix in a little salt and level on side for 10 minutes covered. In large bowl, add the grated vegetables, stir in the flour, cranberries, herbs and season to taste. When the Quinoa has cooled down add to the bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. 

Divide the mixture into 6 – 8 burger shapes and place on a tray. Leave to rest for a while to firm up. When ready to eat, heat oil in a wide frying pan and cook them gently, flip over and press them gently whilst cooking. Cook for about 3 - 4  minutes on each side until brown and crisp. Serve immediately.

Vegetarian Christmas Burgers with all the trimmings
To assemble into a proper Christmas Burger, you will also need
Large granary roll
a couple of slices of mock 'vegetarian or vegan turkery'
Cranberry relish
Winter Salad Leaves including some red leaves and optional pretzels in the shape of snowflakes.
Enjoy!
Updated: January 2013 - Fellow blogger Nic at Lemon and Cheese made a variation of these Burgers, follow this link to view.

Indian Style Brussels Sprouts Curry

The sliced carrots, cubed potatoes and halved Brussels sprouts are dyed turmeric yellow and coated in an Indian style spicy sauce.

The other reason the photograph is awash with an orange tinge is the lack of natural lighting in the evening.  The winter brings with it darkness, so it is no longer conducive for the home food blogger/amatueur photographer to take reasonable picutres for his/her blog.  Saying that though, the natural light outdoors is not good either.  Its dark when I wake up and its dark when I go to bed.    Regardless of the lighting, the dish was surprisingly okay, not delicious - just okay. 

This recipe is based on my Green Bean Salan.  I don't think I've eaten any green beans this year.  Fingers crossed next year will be different and better.  I will once again be enjoying home grown veggies, even if they are found to be growing in pots.  Oh I really can't wait to move now - we've been living under a permanent dark puddle the last few months, literally and metaphorically, surely something good must be due to happen to one of us now, if not the both of us.   
Brussels Sprouts Indian Style Curry
Serves 4
Ingredients
150g full fat butter or ghee
2 medium onions, minced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 inch of ginger, grated or minced
1 teaspoon of salt or to taste
1 teaspoon chilli powder or to taste
½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
2 fresh chillies, sliced
1 x 400g tinned tomatoes, chopped
Vegetable of choice: I used about 300g Brussels sprouts, a couple of carrots and on large potato, all chopped up into bite size pieces
Method
In a large wide pan, melt butter then add the minced onions, garlic and ginger and cook until transparent, add the spices and the fresh chillies and cook until the fat of the butter comes to the surface. Add the tomatoes and cook until well integrated. Then add your chosen vegetable, stir and turn heat down until the vegetables are well cooked. Keep stirring to stop the vegetables from sticking to the pan, when vegetables are cooked. 
You can either just serve it as a dry curry (best eaten with roti or naan bread); Or add 150ml - 250ml water to the pot, bring to the boil, let it simmer until the flavours have infused into the water. Serve with rice.

Red Chilli Spiced Brussels Sprouts Pasta

A very easy peasy pasta dish for lunch. 

I actually liked how the sprouts supped up the flavours from the infused garlicky chilli olive oil .  This mellowed the bitterness of the sprouts making it both sweet and spicy. 

Inspiration for this pasta dish came from two fellow bloggers Mark Willis and Plummy Mummy at Chili Paper Chains who suggested using chilli with it. As a spice head, I don't know why I did not think of it and now I have a number of ideas coming my way - one obviously being a Indian curry style dish and the other - deep fried like pakoras.  I am really liking the idea of Brussels Sprouts Pakoras - maybe this weekend!    

I am sharing this at Presto Pasta Nights #242. PPN was founded by Ruth Daniels of Once Upon a Feast and each Friday night a different host posts a roundup of pasta dishes submitted by bloggers from around the world. However this week, PPN is being hosted by Ruth.

Red Chilli Spiced Brussels Sprouts Pasta
Serves 2
Ingredients
Cook penne pasta for 2 people.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide pan, then add in a medium onion that has been finely sliced.  Cook slowly stirring occasionally, until soft and caramelised.  Then stir in sprouts that have been quartered, 2 cloves of minced garlic and chilli flakes to taste.  Cook on medium heat until the sprouts are just tender and golden brown.  Season with salt and pepper.  
Stir in the drained pasta,   drizzle with extra olive oil and serve immediately. 

Brussels Sprouts and Blue CheeseTart

Yes this is virtually the same Brussels Sprouts and Shallots I made about two weeks ago, albeit with some minor modifications and a little more prettier in presentation (if you can say that about sprouts), but I put my hands up in my defence -  I really did not want to make it again - more bitter and niffy sprouts - no way.  However the man in the house who doesn't mind them so much, picked up a Brussels Sprouts tree.   I think it was his sneaky ploy to get me to eat more of them.  I  plucked the tightly wrapped balls of green off the stalk and chucked them into a bowl.  I just couldn't get my creative juices flowing on the day - so it ended up being savoury tart again!

A day or two later, some inspiration starting coming to me .... as well as suggestions by number of fellow bloggers.

So I must forewarn you in advance, I'll be featuring a number of recipes this week with Brussels sprouts, not that I love sprouts but because of the Brussels Sprouts tree that was purchased.  So you may not want to come by if you dislike sprouts with a passion, though my aim this week is to try and persuade you and myself to try other recipes with these mighty green nuggets.

I am submitting a slice of this Brussels Sprouts Tart to Ren Behan at Fabulicious Food who is hosting Novembers edition of Simple And In Season.

Brussels Sprouts and Blue Cheese Tart
For shortcrust pastry - follow here for the pastry recipe.
Blind bake the pastry tart tin and set aside.
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients for the filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and slice
2 cloves garlic, sliced
300g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved
2 eggs, beaten
120ml milk
100g blue cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5.
Heat the oil in a wide pan, then add in the onions and cook slowly until soft and caramelised, then stir in the sprouts and garlic and cook for until the sprouts and shallots are just tender and golden brown.
In a measuring jug, add the milk, and beat eggs, about 80g of the blue cheese and season with pepper and a little salt to taste.
Spread the soft caramelised onions at the bottom of the tart, then top with the sprouts – either cut side up or cut side down – it is your choice. Pour over the liquid mixture, then top with remaining cheese and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes, until set and a little golden on top.

Brussels Sprout and Mushroom Ragout

I know looking down in this cooking pot may not fill you up with much excitement, it didn't excite me either and I am the one cooking it.  But its what you serve with it.  I served this ragout  over mashed potatoes.  The shallots and the sprouts serve as the two veg on the plate, and the chestnut mushrooms - the 'meat'.  The vegetable stock also plays its part, as it simmers away it absorbs the flavours from the vegetables, becoming a good light gravy. 

If potato mash does not float your boat, then perhaps some parsley dumplings; or a cobbler topping may tempt you to try this recipe.  

Brussels Sprout and Mushroom Ragout
Serves 4
Ingredients
350ml vegetable stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 shallots, peeled
500g Brussels Sprouts, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
350ml vegetable stock
4 tablespoons parsley, minced
Method
Heat the oil in a wide non stick pan.  Add the shallots and cook over medium heat, stirring now and again.  Once the shallots begin to brown, stir in the sprouts and sauté until they begin to soften a little.  Then add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes or so.   Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, when it comes to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes.  Adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Suppers.
For the optional toppings
For Parsley Dumpling Recipe - Follow here
For Scone or Cobbler Recipe - Follow here 

Brussels Sprouts and Shallots Tart

If there is one vegetable I struggle with eating still to this day, it has to be Brussels Sprouts.  Even when I try to convince myself that they are only little baby cabbages, I get put off by the nose wrinkling wiff of them whilst cooking.  To add to that they taste awfully bitter, that no amount of brown sauce can disguise it dominant flavour.   Having said all that though, I have found way of enjoying them, such as my Christmas Brussels Sprouts Pie and Brussels Sprouts Hash. 

In this tart recipe, the sprouts bitter undertones are sweetened a little by the accompaniment of caramelised shallots and further lifted by the blue cheese.

I actually found myself enjoying this, so much so  went back for another small slice.  Its better enjoyed warm , and just about okay cold.

Admittedly the food presenter in me could have presented the tart in a more appealing manner, with green nuggets peeking through the cream and golden layer, but I wasn’t really thinking at the time.

You can just steam or boil the sprouts, but you don’t get those deep caramel flavours.

Brussels Sprouts and Shallots Tart
Blind bake the pastry tart tin and set aside. 
Follow here for the pastry recipe.
Serves  4 – 6
Ingredients for the filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 shallows, peeled and halved
2 cloves garlic, sliced
300g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved
2 eggs, beaten
140 ml milk
100g- 120 g blue cheese, crumbled 
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5. 
Heat the oil in a wide pan, then add in the shallots and cook for a few minutes, then stir in the sprouts and garlic and cook for 6 minutes until the sprouts and shallots are just tender and golden brown.
In a measuring jug, add the milk, and beat eggs, about 80g of the blue cheese and season with pepper and a little salt to taste.
Spread the soft caramel shallots at the bottom of the tart, then top with the sprouts – either cut side up or cut side down – it is your choice.   Pour over the liquid mixture, then top with remaining cheese and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes, until set and a little golden on top.

Lentil loaf with Marmite potatoes

For the past few days, we have been eating snacky kind of food. This evening I thought, I'd made more of an effort and make a proper plate of food.
Our plate consisted of Marmite roast potatoes, a slice of lentil loaf and oven roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic. I was rather surprised at my nephew as he actually liked the sprouts. Not many teenagers I know would say they like sprouts! but he did, perhaps because they were roasted. The brown lentil loaf was compact, yet light and packed with flavour.

I was just going to roast the potatoes in my usual way, but my nephew recommended coating them with Marmite. Marmite is made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing. Marmite is a thick sticky, dark brown paste often used as a good spread. I've been told its very similar to the Australian Vegemite. It has a very strong and distinct flavour - savoury and salty with umami characteristics, hence the slogan Love it or hate it.
I don't love or hate Marmite. My attitude towards it is depicted by my mood. For example, I don't like it spread on toast, but I do like to drink it when feeling a little under the weather and my taste buds need awakening. I was quite curious to try his Marmite roasties. They were actually okay, though I don't think I'd be making them again too soon...maybe if I'm poorly and need some comfort eating.

Brown Lentil loafIngredients

Serves 6

320g brown lentils
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large leek, washed thoroughly and thinly sliced
Pinch of salt
2 cloves garlic, crushes
1 tablespoon thyme
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
60g fresh breadcrumbs
Tamari or soy sauce to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
MethodSort through the lentils and discard any stones or grit. Rinse thoroughly. Place the lentils and bay leaves in a large saucepan with 850ml of water. Bring to the boil over a high heat and simmer for a few minutes, skimming off any form that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. If there is any liquid left at the end of the cooking time, uncover and boil rapidly until the liquid is evaporated. Discard the bay leaves.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and add the leek and sea salt. Saute for a couple of minutes then add the garlic, thyme and rosemary. Saute for a further 5 minutes, or until the leek is tender.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 and grease a 8 x 4 inch loaf tin. Combine the leek mixture with the cooked lentils. Add the breadcrumbs, tamari, mustard and lemon juice and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and drizzle the remaining olive oil on top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is crispy. Turn out onto a plate, before slicing and serving. Adapted from Aine McAteer Recipes to Nurture.

Marmite Roast potatoesServes 2
IngredientsVegetable oil for roasting potatoes
Floury potatoes such as Maris Piper or King Edward
1 teaspoon of Marmite
Salt and pepper
MethodPreheat the oven to gas mark 7.
Once you have parboiled the potatoes, drain and set aside. Heat vegetable oil in a large tray. Whilst the oil is heating up, season the parboiled potatoes with salt, pepper and then coat them well with the Marmite. Tip the potatoes into the hot oil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until crispy. Make sure you turn the potatoes every 15 minutes so that they are crisp on all sides. Serve immediately.

Brussels Sprout Pie

As a break from the faux meat loaf that dominates our Christmas meals most years, yesterday I had made this Brussels Sprout Pie.
Whilst making the vegetable filling for this raised pie, my heart sank a little as I was reminded in my head at the loss of my allotment plot. This time last year I had harvested a sprout tree and other vegetables from my allotment. This year that was not so, as all the vegetables on our plate were supermarket bought. I did attempt to grow some sprouts in my tiny garden plot specifically for Christmas, but most (if not all) of my Brassica family plants were ravished by the white cabbage butterfly. Oh well, such is life.
Once sliced open, the contents of the pie were revealed. The green baubles were surrounded by specks of orange. This hearty Brussels sprout pie was served with baked Parsley potato cakes shaped into Christmas trees.

Well I do hope you are all enjoying the festive holidays. D and myself are just lazing indoors. Neither of us is interested in joining the madness of the Boxing day sales here. Instead we are watching DVDs, flicking through (cook) books, playing Board and computer games with a little bit of cooking and baking in between.

Brussels Sprout Pie
Serves 6 – 8
Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoon olive oil
500g carrots, cooked and mashed
75g Brazil nuts, ground
250g Brussels sprouts, steamed. Mince half of them and keep the other half whole
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon yeast extract (Love it or hate it, I use Marmite)
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

For the pie filling
First make the pie filling. Gently fry the onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Then mix in all the other ingredients and season to taste. Set aside and allow to cool.

Now make the hot water crust pastry.
For the hot water crust pastry
To line deep 7 inch spring form round cake tin
Ingredients
350g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon thyme
100g solid vegetable fat or shortening, chopped (I use Trex)
100ml water
Optional: Olive oil or beaten egg to glaze
Method
Mix together the dry ingredients.
Melt the fat in the water and heat until about to boil. Add the liquid to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough is formed. Now you have to work very quickly, as the dough will get cold and be tough to work with. Keep some of the dough back for the lid, then roll out the rest quickly and line the tin, pressing down so that it is snug to the tin and in its grooves. Then fill the tin with the cooled filling. Press gently down with a spoon. Cut of excess dough around the tin and roll out again so that it fits the top of the pie filling as a lid. It will overlap, just cut off the excess with a knife to make it look presentable. Place the lid over the filling, then gently press or pinch into the side of the pie so it seals or with a fork.
Optional: Brush with egg wash or oil and make a small steam hole in each pie.
Bake in preheated oven Gas mark 6 for 45 to 1 hour till golden. Serve warm or cold.

Brussels Sprouts Hash

Early last year, I harvested a mound of sprouts from the allotment plot. This year, I did have some Brussels growing in the garden plot with designs to enjoy them on Christmas day, but each and every one of them was decimated by the white cabbage butterfly, my Number 1 garden pest this year. I have decided if I am still limited to growing space next year, I will not be raising any of the Brassica family, (well maybe just one – the mighty kale) as my other plants were also affected by this pest and its offspring.

I've had this 'Brussels Sprouts hash' recipe bookmarked for inspiration, ever since I acquired the book from an Oxfam bookshop. Now that sprouts are appearing at farmers markets and on supermarket shelves, I thought I’d have a go at finally making these. You know what is kind of funny, my blog is about (growing and) cooking seasonal vegetables, but I was once a reluctant vegetable eater. On this vegetable dislike list there has been aubergine, broccoli, cauliflower, okra and now sprouts. On the positive side though, I have attempted and found recipes to make these vegetables palatable for me. A vegetable that once would never land in my shopping basket is now approached in a completely different manner. The hard part now is persuading others to overcome their reluctant attitude towards certain vegetables; or even vegetable based cuisine.

It was only last year, I found my favourite way of eating sprouts. Simply roasted in the oven they are completely transformed from green pellets to caramelised nuggets . Reminds me, I must share that with my brothers, they too never liked their sprouts. I think this Sprouts hash is a close second favourite of mine.
There are a number of Brussels sprout hash recipes on the web. Many of them include bacon or its upmarket sister, pancetta. This however is made without meat, caramelized and turned golden crisp in olive oil. Its good, good, good and that is high praise from me for a sprout recipe.

If you have little ones or big kids who don’t like sprouts, make these and sell it to them as little cabbages. I think they will enjoy them.
The pan will be overspilling with raw veg at first, but slow cooking is essential here. This may take up to 30 to 40 minutes for the veg to shrink and turn golden soft. So Be patient, it is worth the wait.
Brussels Sprouts Hash
Serves 3 -4 with accompaniments
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g Brussels sprouts, trimmed of stems and cut into quarters
1 large or 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into even size cubes (make sure they are chopped to cook in the same time as the sprouts)
100ml water
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a large pan, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic and saute them until soft. Add the sprouts and the potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes moving the vegetables around to prevent from sticking. Then add the water, salt and pepper to taste and cook until the water evaporates. Now turn the heat up and saute the vegetables, shake the pan or stir the vegetable now and again, so that all sides turn colour. Keep doing this, until the vegetables are cooked through. Serve immediately. Inspired by a recipe from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons.

Brussels Sprouts Gratinée

Remember those Brussels sprouts I picked from the plot last Sunday, well this is what I did with all 450g of them.

I made Brussels Sprouts Gratinée.

I have never eaten so many Brussels sprouts in my life. These were not bitter at all. I especially loved the crunch of the breadcrumbs on top.

Brussels Sprouts Gratinée

Serves 4

Ingredients

450g Brussels sprouts, cooked until tender

350g new potatoes (I used Sofia, that were grown in Britain), cooked until tender and halved

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon paprika

a generous pinch of cayenne

300ml crème fraiche

40g melted butter

50g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs

Method

Preheat oven to gas mark 5. Pour the crème fraiche into an ovenproof dish. Stir in the paprika, cayenne and season with salt and pepper. Tip in both the sprouts and the potatoes and mix well so that the vegetables are well coated.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the melted butter. Spread evenly on top of the potato and sprouts mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes and the crumbs are crisp and golden.

Not pork pies, but veggie pies

What a long day its been.
All morning at the allotment - no one there but me and D. Quietly we worked away.

I harvested the last of the curly kale and all of the sprouts - many of which had blown.

I harvested the last few parsnips and beetroot. The celeriac did not do too well. After harvesting and clearing the plants, many of which went into compost bin. I began digging.

Busy digging the root plot, digging the kale plot, digging the sprout plot.

More digging...Until it was time to go home.

I love sprouts - No I don't.

What am I going to do with so many sprouts?

Most of the afternoon, I cooked away.

I decided on making these veggie pies, that I've dubbed as not 'pork' but 'snork pies', maybe even 'vork pies'. Whatever you choose to call them, its something that takes time to do, so make sure you have the phone off the hook when you begin the pastry process, you don't want someone disturbing you while your moulding the pastry with your fingers into the muffin tins, a process that is quite fiddly and took me a while to perfect.

I often make a batch of these pies with variation on the vegetables and freeze them for the coming working week meals. 

The recipe was inspired by the Vegetarian Society's spinach, corn and nut raised pie from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook.

This is the vegetable fat I use for the pie crust.

You will also need two muffin tins or use two 7 inch cake tins. If cooking in 7 inch cake tin, it will take about 40 to 50 minutes to cook. Or you can half the recipe to make 8 individual pies or on 7 inch pie.

Not Pork Pies

Makes 16

Ingredients

For the filling
1 onion, finely sliced
375g Brussels sprouts, sliced into 3 to 4 pieces.

125g carrots, grated

2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
150g Brazil nuts, ground

100g wholemeal breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce

280ml vegetable stock made with 1 teaspoon with bouillon powder

salt and pepper to taste

Hot Water Pastry

650g plain flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

200g vegetable fat - I use Trex

350ml water

1 whisked egg to brush over pastry or use olive oil to keep it vegan

Method

Fry onion in the oil until soft and golden, add the sliced sprouts and cook until cooked through, but with a little bite. Add grated carrots and thoroughly mix. Leave to cool.

Mix together all the remaining dry ingredients for the pie filling, add the tamari or soy sauce and sufficient stock to combine with the sprouts and carrots till it is moistened through.

Salt and pepper to taste

For the hot water pastry, mix together the dry ingredients.

Melt the fat in the water and heat until about to boil.
Add the liquid to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough is formed.

Now you have to work very quickly with your hands, as the dough will get cold and be tough to work with.

With your fingers mould a ball of pastry into the shape of the individual muffin holes leaving a bit of the pasty overlapping over, but not too much.

Then fill with the cooled filling, press in well.

Roll out the remaining dough, and using a cookie cutter about the size of the muffin hole, cut out required number of lids.

Place over the pastry filling tops, push over the overlapped pastry and gently fork so seal the casing.

Brush with egg wash or oil and make a small steam hole in each pie.

Bake in preheated oven Gas mark 7 for 20 to 25 minutes till golden.

Allow to cool before freezing.

To cook from frozen, cover in foil and bake in oven for 25 minutes gas mark 5.

These pies are very rich and flavoursome. They are good served with roast potatoes.

I will cut one open next week, so you can see what they look like on the inside. Promise.

kale and sprouts for dinner

This is what we had to eat yesterday. Curly kale and brussel sprouts cooked in good olive oil till tender. Served with jacket potatoes covered in St Agur, a blue cheese. It was simple food and it was delicious.

PS I know its not well presented, but its the taste that matters.