Some Green Eats Glamorgan Sausage Rolls and Spanakopita

We have had good weather.

We took advantage of it and between the two of us, did a lot of gardening. 

But let me share these two images with you.  About two weeks ago, D laid down some turf  in front of the greenhouse.  It looks lush, fresh and of course very green. 

If you want to compare and contrast, follow this link to see the slabs.  No ball games or walking on the fresh lawn.  But I am looking forward to walking on it bare feet and sitting down on the grass come warmer days.

So back to the garden right now. 

The purple sprouting broccoli  is coming to an end.  We have mostly been eating the PSB added to Aglio, Olio e Peperonicino.  I think we have enough in the garden, perhaps for one or two more meals, then it will be all gone.  We will definitely be growing them again later in the year. 

Also harvested the last of the leeks. I was pondering what to do with them, but made my mind up after chatting to my nephew who is at University. He was telling me that my blog has become his on-line recipe book and that he's made a load of recipes from it, including Glamorgan Sausages.  

I actually cannot remember the last time i made Glamorgan Sausages at home.  The last time, or thereafter was perhaps when i was running the vegetarian cafe.  

Here are the ingredients for the Glamorgan Sausages: fresh breadcrumbs, cheddar cheese, leeks, mustard, salt and pepper - ready for an egg yolk for the mixing and then shaping.  

To make these Glamorgan Sausages a bit more substantial and more like a sandwich for lunch or a picnic (Yes, i am already imagining eating out on that garden lawn) I encased them in puff pastry.  I liked the way Johanna makes her vegetarian sausage rolls.  And took inspiration from her the last time I made vegetarian Haggis Sausage rolls, they just look far more appealing.  Plus glossed over with egg wash for the golden glean.  The fresh leek flavour was so prominent. 

We also have still have perpetual spinach.   

But it is dwindling now.

I made another Spanakopita. This time the recipe came from Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Cookery (1988) .  I adapted her recipe a little with the inclusion of a sauteed leek, a teaspoon dried dill and a teaspoon raw rice to absorb the liquids.  Everything else was to the book.  I think, should i make spanakopita again, I will make it in a spiral, it's a bit more effort but its far more prettier.

I haven't yet transplanted any of the plants into the ground yet.  I am still a bit nervous about frost, so am holding back for another week. But come next week, they are going out into the earth soil.  Some of the peas are getting straggly and broad beans are ready to be transplanted. 

I am sharing my green harvest and and green eats with Harvest Monday tomorrow hosted by Dave from Happy Acres.  

Crushed Potato, Courgette and Feta Salad

So I was sitting in the garden early this evening minding my own business, sipping on some homemade Hibiscus Cooler (recipe to come), when I saw what I thought at first glance were dead dandelion seeds floating by, but when I paused to look properly - I realised they were flying ants!. Eek.  We seem to have so many different ants in the garden this year and I am not sure why?!.  

Anyway, onto some good food from the garden.

Although we have new potatoes growing in the garden, for some reason D has decided not to dig them up yet - so these are shop bought.  These new potatoes were left over from another meal, so I decided to crush them a little and then throw them into a baking tray along with some of my harvest from the weekend: round courgette cut into wedges, yellow courgette sliced into thick coins and some beans doused with some olive oil and then into the oven to roast a little.

Once the courgettes were suitably soft, I stirred in some of the homegrown peas, a little salt and pepper and chopped parsley. Then covered it with some feta cheese and spring onions.  I returned it to the oven for a few minutes, before serving it.  

Even though this was so simple to put together, D liked it very much.  He especially loved the roasted green courgette wedges. 

I am sharing this simple salad with The VegHog who is hosting #EatYourGreens this month.  Please do join in this month, you have plenty of time to share a vegan or vegetarian recipe made with either a green fruit or green vegetable, including herbs! As well as and Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen

Beetroot Feta Pate with Rainbow Carrot Crudites

For those of you who follow me on twitter, will have seen this Beetroot Pate early on in the year, as I made it for New Years Eve.  

Its also my new blog header to celebrate ten years of blogging.

I just haven't got round to sharing it on my blog for various reasons, but mostly being busy at work.  So here it is finally. 

Its very pleasing to the eye with the rainbow purple carrot crudites, posh word for raw veg for dipping. 

Black Chickpeas Salad with Coriander

The weather is so changeable at the moment, its gone all warm again.

I came home a little earlier than usual and wanted to eat something quite light, hence this Black Chickpeas Salad with Coriander.

Of course, this was not going to be enough as a meal for two, so alongside the Black Chickpeas Salad with Coriander, I made a Tomato Tarte Tatin.  It made for a nice change.  The feta here is optional, I used it as that is what I had in the fridge, but you could substitute it with halloumi cheese or if your going for a vegan or dairy free option, perhaps smoked tofu.  I think you need a soft texture with the nutty black chickpeas and the fragrant herb brings it all together.

What I like about this salad too, it that it is quite seasonal in colours - going all autumnal, but also a perfect salad to knock up for a Halloween feast if you are planning a vegan or vegetarian Black Food Menu.  

Please don't worry too much if you can't find black chickpeas where you are, just substitute it with the traditional kind, but  do try and find them - You will always find them in South Asian supermarkets or greengrocers and they are sold as Kala Channa.  However, I have noted over the past couple of years, even supermarkets are selling Indian brands labelled as Kala Chana and they are reasonably priced, you can get three tins for a pound in some places (see here), and in a time of austerity - every pound matters.  You can even find the dried variety too, but that takes a little more forward planning.  

I am sharing this Black Chickpeas Salad with Coriander with Souper Sundays hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. I mentioned before, I don't always get to join in, but it is a pleasure when I do.  Thanks for hosting Deb; and also #EatYourGreens Vegetarian and Vegan Blog challenge hosted by me this month.  Eat Your Greens is also co-hosted by The VegHog.  Please do join in.  For those of you who have not participated before, please Follow this link on how to join in . 

Vegetarian Chorizo Potato Hand Pies

One of the most popular recipes on my blog is the vegan Chorizo sausages made with vital wheat gluten.  Since vital wheat gluten is a lot more accessible now and stocked by many health food stores across the UK, I have been making it every year, but this is not to say that we indulge in faux meat all the time, we actually don't, as I still find the texture of faux meat unusual.  However, saying all that I do like to experiment and those of you who know me now through blogging, will know that I do enjoy experimenting in the kitchen with new ingredients, but always with fruit and vegetables

The recipes makes six vegan chorizo sausages and we often consume them all before the week is over incorporated into different meals.

Here is the first, vegetarian Chorizo Hand Pies as it has feta cheese in it.  My vegan readers can of course substitute the salty feta cheese with an alternative.  I have served it here with some green salad and grated beetroot.

Zucchini - Courgette, Popped Black Beans and Feta Muffins

I did have plans on making some Green Grass scones that I had bookmarked, but with the courgettes coming from my garden fast and furiously, I decided to use some of them for these Savoury Courgette, Popped Black Bean Muffins.

I had made the popped black beans over the weekend as I was curious to see what the fuss was about this trendy food gimmick of popping beans such as black beans, chickpeas and kidney beans.  Once made, I was not quite sure how to use them as not like your usual popped corn kernels that are pretty like snowflakes.  These popped black beans looked a little messy and not particularly photogenic.  

Also these Popped Black Beans were not really crunchy liked popped corn, but soft inside and a little crisp on the outside.  I didn't dislike them, but I don't think it is something that I would make at home for us again.  I'd only make it again to share it with curious guests, but then I would try a different recipe. Since making these popped black beans, I have found two other recipes that look a little more tasty.  The recipes are from Community Food Coop (2011) and Adora's Box (2012)*. I won't share the one that I used from a cookbook and I won't pretend that the popped black beans is my idea either.

I will say one positive thing about the popped black beans though, they make for an interesting addition to a salad dish scattered over.  I don't think they really add anything in flavour, but more in colour and texture.  

Hence the reason, I decided to scatter some of the Popped Black beans over these Savoury Courgette, Feta Muffins; and some were scattered with pumpkin seeds .

The savoury Courgette, and Feta Muffins were delicious though, we are still eating them - three days later.

I am sharing the Savoury Savoury Zucchini - Courgette, Popped Black Beans and Feta  Muffins with Treat Petite hosted by The Baking Explorer and CakeyBoi; 

Vegetarian Greek Cypriot Shepherds Pie with Feta Cheese Mint Mash

A photograph taken in poor lighting on a dark evening.

This is a generous serving of homemade vegetarian Greek Cypriot Shepherds Pie with Feta Cheese. 

I have mentioned my Greek flat mates at University and my holidays in Cyprus, this is me just harping back to those days and yearning for the warm climate, especially on a day like today when it has been raining all day.  In fact it has been raining non stop for the past 5 days.  

I am not the best potato masher and D was not around to help, so I my did my best with my weakling muscles.  There were still lumps in the potato topping, but thankfully I don't mind lumps and nor does D. The mint in the mashed potato topping was just right, the black olives offered piquancy . This Greek Cypriot Shepherds Pie made for a change from the traditional Vegetarian Shepherds Pie that I so often make at home. 

I am sharing this with CookBlogShare hosted by Hijacked by Twins. ; and Cook Once Eat Twice hosted by Searching For Spice. 

I've also made a Prasopita, a Greek Leek Pie, adapted from the Greek Gourmand, but I am holding that back for St David's Day. Instead, here is a link to some other Greek and/or Cypriot inspired recipes on A2K  - A Seasonal Veg Table
Spanakopita
Tomato and Feta Cheese Baklava
Vegan Spanakopita Pies
Vegetarian Pastitcio

Autumn Beetroot Barley Goats Cheese Salad

This Beetroot Barley Goats Cheese Salad is an autumnal salad because of the hearty barley and the colours that remind me of the drying leaves on the trees.   Its perfect for taking into lunch as it won't leak liked those tossed in heavy salad dressing

The goats cheese is optional, but I think it works as it makes a nice contrast to the earthy beetroot.  Of course you could use a dairy free alternative like Gary which is actually made from coconuts and is very popular in the UK right now.  I have to admit I have not tried Gary yet as every time I go to seek it out it is sold out. 

This Beetroot Barley Goats Cheese Salad is not much of a recipe as I eye-balled most of the ingredients: cooked barley, cooked beetroot including its juices, a little balsamic vinegar an extra virgin oil for dressing, salt and pepper and then topped with rocket and goats cheese.  Quite simple really.

Love Beetroot Hearts Quiche with Feta and Chives

I  harvested some beetroot from my garden a few weeks back and made a few recipes with it such as Beetroot Gratin, Beetroot Horseradish Pasta Salad, Beetroot, Beetroot Chutney,  Soy 'Lamb' Curry, and Beetroot Chocolate Cake.   

And this gorgeous Beetroot Heart Shaped Quiche with Feta and chives.

I made this Love Beetoot Heart Quiche totally from scratch.  From peeling and cooking the beetroot to cutting them into dainty hearts, to making the shortcrust pasty which is dyed with beetroot powder, but you would not know it as once it was baked, it lost that magnificent colour.  

Romanesco Cauliflower, Feta in a Black Sesame Seed Galette

I do love the vibrant green spiral coiled vegetable known as Romanesco Cauliflower.  I look forward to having it at least once a year, but when I do the question that often arises is 'What to do with it?' - without damaging its beautiful pointy cone shaped heads always baffles me in the culinary sense.

First I decided to simply blanch the the florets, ready to be tossed into a salad of some sort, but once I had drained the florets and set them aside to cool and dry off,  I found myself changing my mind.  Instead I went ahead and made another galette, throwing in some black sesame seeds, not just into the galette pastry, but also the topping to contrast with the white studs of feta cheese cubes.

Slice of Broccoli Cake

This is not a sweet Broccoli cake, though there are a few on blogosphere and most are heavily disguised with chocolate, no this is a savoury broccoli cake.  

Savoury cakes made with vegetables are not new to my kitchen.  I've been enjoying them over the years, the most recent being this Vegetarian Chorizo, Sun-dried Tomato and Pistachio Cake adapted from Clotilde Dusoulier. 

Anyway, this savoury broccoli cake was enjoyed with a light green salad, no imported tomatoes as they are often insipid and lacking in taste.  I can't wait for the appearances of local tomatoes, its also the one fruit that D really wants to grow.  

As it was quite substantial and way too much for D and myself to consume, I took some over to my mothers, where the nephews and nieces often hang out; and guess what I've had a request to make this again, so expect to see a variation of it next month, and perhaps with a seasonal vegetable or two.  

Portobello Mushroom Stuffed with Tricolour Couscous

 I picked up these Portobello mushrooms to make a particular recipe, but when I got home I completely forgot what recipe I wanted to make (problem of flicking through too many cookbooks or maybe it's age?!).  

So in true ready steady cook style I just knocked up a light lunch and these Stuffed Mushrooms were on the table in not too long. 

I had half a packet of Tricolour Couscous left over from my Chickpea Marrow Curry rrecipe. The Tricolour Couscous is made up of golden couscous, some grains are delicately flavoured with spinach and tomato.   I decided to make the most of it as the primary base of my mushroom stuffing complimenting it further with some cooked chickpeas and the rest of the ingredients came from the fridge: spring onions, pepper, feta cheese and coriander.  

It made for a lovely light, colourful and flavoursome starter.  Now whats for dinner?! - leftovers from yesterday.

Sweet Potato Dauphinoise with Smoked Chilli Feta Cream

This Sweet Potato Dauphinoise is made without cream or milk and before you go 'ahhhhhh...'  In place of the the cream and/or milk, salty feta cheese is blitzed to a cram with smoked chilli paste, producing a deeply flavoured thick warming sauce.  

This dish pleased my husband very much on a number of accounts, but namely because it had feta cheese in it, one of his favourites.   I don't eat cheese much, but the flavour combinations in this one did excite me and it did not disappoint when it came to the eating either.   In fact I would go as far as describing this recipe as awesome too.  The sweetness from the potatoes balanced very well with the smoky chiilli and saltiness from the feta cheese.     

Ready to go into the oven to turn all golden and crispy

The smoky chilli flavour can also be achieved by adding a teaspoon of chilli powder with liquid smoke; or even at a push with smoked paprika, however I actually made it with a ready-made smoky chilli paste,  I  had completely forgotten about it, then whilst rummaging for some seeds I stumbled upon it.  The jar contained a couple of tablespoons of paste, enough for this recipe, it was last used for a Risotto recipe.   

Lemon Thyme and Black Rice Risotto

I purchased some black rice a little while ago.  I don't often come across black rice and when I saw some being sold somewhere or other on one of my day trips, I grabbed a bag.  I had no idea what to do with it, except I knew I wanted to have some so that I could when the time came.

Well whilst going through my kitchen cupboards recently, I came face to face with the bag of black rice fast approaching its best before date.  I did not want to waste the black rice so searched through my many cookbooks for a black rice recipe, typically when you looking for a particular recipe you just cannot find one.  Then I decided to search the worldwideweb and blogosphere and the recipe that caught my attention was one for Black Rice Risotto made by a renowned American celebrity nutritionist Ellie Krieger.  I have to be honest and say that I don't know very much about her cooking and have  only seen her fleetingly a couple of times on satellite T.V whilst channel hopping.   Anyway, I did not follow Ellie Krieger recipe for Black Rice Risotto, but was inspired by it to create my own version (Thank you Ellie). 

Butternut Squash and Feta Tartlets

Thank you so much to every one who took the time to leave a comment on my previous post and for your warm thoughts and congratulations on my New Covent Garden Soup recipe being sold U.k wide.  Every comment was truly appreciated. 

I recently read on my lovely blogger friends blog - Poppycock and other creative nonsense that October is orange - so true, the pumpkins and toffee apples are beginning to appear and peoples outfits are changing from the light stuff to the cosy hats, gloves and scarves.  Yes everyone wants to be warm on the outside and inside.

I like autumn.  Its my favourite season, when I lived in Glasgow I would often enjoy strolling through the Botanical Garden kicking the dry golden leaves up high with my boots and feeding the gutsy squirrels with peanuts. 

It is for this reason I decided to garnish some of my Butternut Squash and Feta tartlets with little squirrel pastry shapes.  

These individual tartlets are both sweet and savoury. Sweetness from the butternut squash and savoury from the feta cheese.  To some of the tartlets I also added some cooked black turtle beans for texture.  I liked it, but it is optional.  These tartlets are a variation of my Butternut Squash and Feta Pastry. See here.

Well after a bit of a sleep in, I am off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday which means doing some laundry and housework.  Hope to do some catch up on blog reading later tonight and respond to questions on my previous post.  Enjoy your Sunday.  I am also sending this tart to Ren's Simple and in Season event, that is being hosted by Kate of Feeding Boys and a Firefighter. 

Spinach and Feta Pastitsio

The sun is shining, so I have the washing machine on and some clothes already hung out to dry.  I want to make the most of the unexpected dry spell.  In a little while, I am planning to transplant my rescued broad beans and peas into the ground.  The tomato seedlings will be up-potted and more seeds sowed.  I am definitely behind on the gardening and growing front this year.  I just better make the most of what I have and what we can do. 

I made this Greek inspired Pastitsio before, in fact it was almost a year ago.  The one main difference with this one is the pasta I've used.  Normally I would use penne, but I didn't have any so substituted it with mafalda corta, a ruffle shape found typical in the Campania region of Naples, Italy.  It worked pretty well and tasted pretty good too.  

Caramelised Red Onion Tarts in a Mustard Cheese Pastry

I have been given about a dozen small red onions by my mother and as much as I like red onion sliced in my green salads, I don't often cook with them, so the question was 'what to do with so many?'.  It was either going to be a 'red onion marmalade' or 'caramelised red onion tarts'.

I was a bit surprised at the choice I made, as its not something I would ordinary choose to eat.  I tend to snug my nose at Caramelised Red Onion tarts when I see them appearing on the menu as a veggie option at reputable restaurants (not that I eat out much), but I do think its a rather lazy veggie option to be offering adventurous veg heads.  But today, I have to admit its been a while since I have enjoyed a good deep crimson tarts topped with a white cheese. 

Visually it reminded me of a Balsamic Roasted Beetroot Tarts I've made in the past. It was when I was still learning to appreciate and acquire a taste for beetroots.  Well no beetroot here today, just red onions slowly caramelised in Balsamic vinegar.

 

The cheesy mustard seed pastry cases are lovely.  If you don't fancy filling them with caramelised red onions, fill them with a vegetable of your choice: asparagus and wild garlic are in season. 

Close up of the grainy mustard seeds in the cheddar cheese pastry

and caramelised red onions cooling down.  I am entering these Tarts into this months Family Friendly Fridays hosted by Ren over at Fabulicious Food.

Caramelised Red Onion Tarts with in a Mustard Cheese Pastry
Makes 7 - 8
Ingredients for the Mustard Cheese Pastry
75g butter
175g plain flour
40g mature cheddar cheese, grated
1 generous teaspoon grainy mustard
Cold water to bind
Ingredients for the red onion filling
1 tablespoon olive oil

860g or thereabout of red onions, finely sliced

6 – 8 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, depending on taste

Salt and pepper to taste

200g feta cheese, or goats cheese

Preheat oven to gas mark 4/180oc

Method for the Mustard Cheese Pastry

Put the flour and butter into a food processor and blitz until it begins to resemble breadcrumbs, then add in thee cheese and mustard and enough cold water to bind.  Tip onto a floured surface and bring together to make a smooth dough.  Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.  You can also do this by hand, but now that I have my food processor out I am making the most of it now that i have easy access to it.

Method for the red onion filling

Heat the oil in a wide pan, then add the onions, balsamic vinegar and season to taste.  Allow the onions to cook slowly without a lid, stirring every often for about 30 minutes or until the onions have softened, thickened and taken on a glossy appearance.  Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Whilst the filling is being cooked, roll out the pastry to line 8 round tartlet tins.  Mine measured around 4 inches.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the pasty is cooked.  Remove and allow to cool.

When ready to make your tarts, generously spoon the caramelised onion mixture evenly into the pastry cases.  Top each tart with feta cheese or goats cheese and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Enjoy warm. 

There are a number of 'Caramelised Red Onion Tart' recipes on blogosphere and in cookbooks, I decided to adapt a recipe from Delia Smiths How To Cook: Book 2, of which I own a hard copy of too.  Original recipe can be found here.