Hotel Chocolate Spice Cacao Tea £5… Sounds a bit wrong doesn’t it but trust me, it’s so very right. Every time I get a chocolate craving (which is a lot) I reach for one of these bad boys. They’re chocolatey without being sweet, they’re oddly refreshing and my god, they smell so good! With every mouthful I stick my nose deeper into my mug and inhale all the warm spicy notes of India, it’s truly intoxicating. Don’t forget though, it is just a tea, not a giant Toblerone, so if you’re having serious chocolate cavings, then this ain’t gonna cut the mustard. However, if you’re a bit like me and you like a fruit tea situation, then this will certainly excite you… Perhaps not as much as a Toblerone but then what does in life? Teaolat Spice Cacao, Chai and Chilli, £5 (This is not an advert. All products featured in the section are products I genuinely use and like. No money has exchanged hands (unfortunately).
Rhubarb is in season but I always struggle to know what to do with it. Apart from crumble I get a bit stuck. You can’t eat it raw (well you can but it’s very tart) and it doesn’t really lend itself to anything savoury, unless you pickle it – which I don’t have time for. So what else can you do with it?
Well, as you can see, I decided to make muffins but these are no ordinary muffins, these are my attempt at a ‘healthy-ish’ breakfast muffin (basically I’m bored of granola and want to eat cake for breakfast).
This was a bit of a challenge though, in my experience low calorie muffins taste like sweetened dog shit, so how do I make mine taste good with only half the sugar and no butter? To be honest I don’t know. I made this recipe up with a load of things I thought might work and to my astonishment, they actually did.
I like to eat mine in a bowl with yogurt but they’re also good for scoffing on the go – depends how late for work you are.
Rhubarb breakfast muffins
Makes 12 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 40 mins + cooling / V ❄
You’ll need: Muffin cases and a 12 cup muffin tin 150g caster sugar
175g rhubarb, diced
2 tbs rapeseed oil
1 egg
130g full-fat Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour
50g chopped walnuts
20g pumpkin seeds
¼ tsp sea salt flakes
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda Topping
Handful of oats
Demerara sugar for sprinkling
Greek yogurt to serve (optional)
Muffin Rules Rule 1. Don’t over mix. Over mixing will produce tough muffins. Rule 2. Be quick! As soon as you combine the wet and dry ingredients, the chemicals in the raising agents will start to rise. Get the muffins in the oven as soon as possible.
Method
1. Preheat an oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/gas mark 5. Line 12 muffin cases in a muffin tin. In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and the chopped rhubarb and give it a good stir. Add the egg, oil, vanilla, salt, yogurt and combine well.
2. Stir in the walnuts along with the pumpkin seeds before adding the flour, ginger, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix quickly until just incorporated and spoon swiftly and evenly into the muffin cases – a heaped tablespoon each should suffice. Sprinkle each muffin with oats and Demerara sugar and bake in the oven for 15-18 mins.
3. Leave to cool on a cooling rack and serve with a dollop of yogurt or enjoy on the go. Store in an airtight container lined with kitchen roll and consume within 4 days. Suitable for home freezing.
If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.
V– Vegetarian ❄– Suitable for home freezing once baked. Wrap individually in clingfilm and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the night before and enjoy for breakfast the next morning.
Itsu Vegetable Fusion Gyoza, 300g, £3.50… Well it’s about time! I absolutely love vegetable gyoza, I frequently go out of my way to walk to Itsu on my lunch break to get their dumplings melt (a miso broth with vegetable dumplings and melted parmesan cheese) but what about when I’m at home? I mean lets be honest, life’s too short to make your own Japanese dumplings. I have occasionally walked to China Town to see if I can pick up some pre-made
veggie ones, but I always leave empty handed and bamboozled by all the Japanese labels. Finding vegetable gyoza is never the problem, finding vegetable gyoza that’s genuinely vegetarian is. But then Itsu came along and now I can buy a pack of 20 genuinely vegetarian gyoza for £3.50, yes Itsu!
Soba noodle miso bowl with ramen egg and vegetable gyoza
They now live in my freezer ready to throw into one of my many noodle soup creations, click here for a bit of bento inspo. I buy my dumplings from Waitrose but I think Tesco do them as well. Itsu Vegetable Fusion Gyoza, 300g, £3.50 (This is not an advert. All products featured in the section are products I genuinely use and like. No money has exchanged hands (unfortunately for me).
Have you ever microwaved a Mini Babybel? I bet you haven’t but it’s amazing. Remarkably though, I’m not a fan of a chilled Babybel which could explain my mad teenage invention in the first place. Five to seven seconds is all it takes to turn a seemingly regular mini cheese, into something wonderful and before I know it, I’m savagely ripping open the second net of cheeses like an animal.
It’s not just me that has an appreciation for this method of eating Baybel’s, my best friend Philippa also shares my dirty cheesy secret. She reminded me last weekend.
“Hey, remember microwaved mini Babybel?”
“OH MY GOD YES! Microwaved BabyBel!… Have you got any?”
“No. Forgot to buy some”
“What the hell?! Don’t tempt if you haven’t got any!” I rage, downing my fifth prosecco and heading for the fridge to stare at the empty cheese tray.
“Soz” she says, rather unapologetically. She taps her phone and puts on Sir Mixalot’s ‘Baby Got Back’. We swiftly forget all about Babybel’s and start vigorously thrusting and dancing around the kitchen.
Anyway, we can’t live off microwaved Baybels can we… Can we? No, no we can’t, we need to eat sensible dinners like this rather delightful dhal recipe. Although with all this talk of Babybel’s, I wouldn’t’ be surprised if I found you all submerging mini cheeses into your dhal. The heart wants what it wants, just remember to peel the wax off first.
Coconut dhal with homemade flatbreads Serves 4 / Hands on time 50 mins / Total time 50 mins / V Vn Df ❄ 1 tsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, finely chopped
½ tsp sea salt flakes
3 large garlic cloves or 4 small, crushed
Knob of ginger, grated
4 cardamon pods
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp turmeric
Pinch of chilli flakes
1 litre of vegetable stock, I use 1 Knorr stock pot
300g red lentils
Can of coconut milk Topping
200g bag of spinach
2 corn on the cobs Flatbreads
170g wholemeal flour + extra for dusting
½ tsp salt
½ tsp mustard seeds
Handful chopped coriander
125ml water
1 tbs sunflower oil
Dahl 1. Start the dahl by peeling and chopping your onions nice and small. Heat the oil in a large pot with a lid over a medium heat. Add the onions along with the salt and cook with the lid until soft (around 8-10 mins). If the onions start to catch, add a dash of water to prevent them from burning, this will help them steam.
2. Meanwhile in a pestle and mortar, bash the cardamon pods until the seeds spill out. Discard the shells and grind the seeds until you have a powder. Put to one side.
3. Once the onions are soft, add the crushed garlic, grated ginger and all the spices. Give it a good stir and cook for a few minutes to allow the spices to release their fragrance and flavour.
4. Add the vegetable stock, coconut milk and the lentils before giving it a good stir. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 25-30 mins, stirring regularly to prevent the lentils sticking to the bottom of your pot.
Homemade flatbreads Measure 170g of wholemeal flour in a mixing bowl. Add the salt, mustard seeds and a handful of freshly chopped coriander and give it a good stir with a wooden spoon. Once incorporated, add the water and the oil. Stir again until you have a smooth dough, (it will be a little wet). Put to one side and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Once rested, dust a surface down with a bit of flour and divide your dough into four balls. Roll each individual ball into a thin disk – remembering to flour your surface between each flatbread. Heat a dry, non-stick pan on a medium to high heat and add one flatbread at a time and cook for a minute on each side until they have a bit of colour. Transfer to a plate and keep them warm in an oven at a low temperature (50°C).
Topping 1. Place your corn in a large saucepan and cover with boiling water. Simmer for 5 minutes, remove carefully and transfer to a clean tea towel to cool. Meanwhile wilt the spinach in a separate saucepan a couple of handfuls at a time in a bit of coconut oil, adding a little salt and pepper as you go. Do this on a low to medium heat. Once wilted, take off the heat and cover with a lid to keep warm. Put to one side and discard any excess water from the spinach. 2. By now your corn should be cool enough to handle so carefully impale the corn on the end of a fork and hold over an open flame on the hob, turning carefully (this will give your corn a lovely charred look and taste). Once charred, stand your corn upright, on a chopping board and slice carefully down the sides with a sharp knife removing the kernels. Serve the dhal topped with the charred corn and wilted spinach, along with warm flatbreads and rice.
Coconut Dhal with Homemade Flatbreads
If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.
V– Vegetarian Vn– Vegan Df– Dairy free ❄– The dhal is suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.
I have to admit, I’ve never really given the bean wrap a chance. Always the last, sad looking wrap on the shelf in Boots, I always felt a bit sorry for it but never sorry enough, to actually buy it and eat it. So what’s changed? Someone else bought me one and I ate it out of politeness and to my astonishment, I rather enjoyed it! I mean it was no falafel wrap but I remember thinking ‘I can work with you my beany little friend, in fact, I shall call you Claire Beany, after the great Claire Sweeney’. Hey, remember Brookside?
Anyway, I ate Claire Beany (it’s what she would have wanted) and now, thanks to her, I have created the ultimate bean wrap in all it’s smoky glory. Just to clarify, Claire Beany was never a real person, she was a Mexican bean wrap from M&S. Claire Sweeney however is a person, not a wrap… Enjoy!
Smoky sweet potato & bean wraps
Serves 4 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 45 mins / V Vn* ❄ Filling 1 tsp olive oil 1 medium sweet potato
½ medium onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbs tomato puree
Pinch of chilli flakes
1 can of kidney beans or mixed beans, washed and drained
1 corn on the cob or 1 small can of sweetcorn, drained To serve
4 large vegan wraps
2 handfuls fresh spinach or cos lettuce
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
4 tbs Greek or plain yogurt
40g cheddar cheese
Chilli sauce (optional)
Baking paper or foil to wrap
*Make it vegan: Leave out the cheddar altogether and serve with vegan coconut yogurt.
Tip: Make the bean mixture the night before and refrigerate over night along with the baked sweet potato. Make the wraps up in the morning and take to work. This recipe easily makes 4 lunch wraps.
Method 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Score the sweet potato carefully with a knife and stab it through the middle a couple of times. Bake in the oven on the middle shelf for 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make your bean filling. In a large pot, sweat the chopped onion in the oil for about 5 minutes on a medium heat (add a dash of water to help them steam). Once softened, add the garlic and the smoked paprika and cook for a further minute. Add the tomato puree and the chilli flakes and give it a good stir.
3. Cook for a few minutes before adding the beans. Stir and cook for a further 5 minutes before seasoning well with salt and pepper. If using a fresh corn on the cob, remove the kernels by standing on it’s head and running a sharp knife, carefully down the sides slowly (they tend to go everywhere, so proceed with care). Add the corn to the beans and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes.
4. Take the beans off the heat, cover with a lid and put to one side. Slice the cheese and the avocado ready to fill your wraps.
5. Once your sweet potato is soft, carefully remove from the oven and cut into quarters to cool it down a bit. Lay your wraps out and spread one half with a tablespoon of warm sweet potato and the other half with yogurt. Top evenly with a couple of spoonfuls of the bean mixture and a smattering of chilli sauce if using. Layer with sliced avocado, cheese, fresh spinach before seasoning with salt and pepper.
6. Move onto a large piece of baking paper or foil and fold the top and bottom of the wrap in on itself and carefully roll it up in the baking paper – this makes it easier to eat. Peel down the sides of the paper and eat like a burrito.
Smokey Sweet Potato Bean Wraps
If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.
V– Vegetarian Vn– Forgo the cheddar and yogurt ❄– The bean mixture is suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.
‘The Sainsbury’s stone’, that’s what they call it and I fear it’s already started to creep on my face (why does fat always go to my face first? Everyone else gets arse and I get face?! What an unjust world.) Anyway, one week at Sainsbury’s Magazine and I’ve already chomped my way through a slice of cake a day, literally. And we’re not talking Mr Kipling, we’re talking maple syrup layered sponges, blueberry and lemon drizzle cup cakes, Victoria sandwiches topped with edible crystallised flowers. You get the idea, some seriously good cakes (unlike Mr Kipling’s which were not seriously good at all). I’m telling you, cakes just keep appearing and somehow making their way from the test kitchen into my mouth. It’s very curious.
So a stone, a whole stone, is what I’m set to put on if I continue to eat in this way, something must be done. But how can I have my cake and eat it, literally. There’s only one thing for it, I have to cut calories elsewhere so bring on my skinny linguine. Packed with spring greens and ricotta, this creamy dinner manages to taste indulgent without the calories. Yes I know, I really should have cook book. Speaking of cook books, how does Fearne Cotton have one and I don’t? The world really is a messed up place.
Spring linguine with lemon & ricotta Serves 2 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 25 mins / V
1 tsp rapeseed oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ red chilli, de-seeded
1 lemon, juice and zest
4 handfuls spring greens
160g vegetarian ricotta*
140g linguine Pomora extra virgin olive oil
Method 1. Put a kettle on to boil with enough water to cook your pasta. Place the linguine in a suitably sized saucepan and add a good sprinkle of salt. Whilst the kettle’s boiling, zest and squeeze the juice of a lemon in a bowl. Crush the garlic and chop and de-seed the chilli.
2. In a large frying pan on a medium heat, add the crushed garlic to the oil. Cook for a minute stirring continually to prevent burning. Add the chilli, chopped greens, lemon juice and zest and season well with salt and pepper. Give it a good stir and add a dash of water to help wilt the greens.
3. Pour the boiling water from the kettle over your pasta and cook according to the packet instructions.
4. Once the greens have softened, add the ricotta cheese and stir through, take off the heat. Drain the pasta and add to the frying pan stirring well to incorporate the greens. Serve immediately, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a good crack of black pepper.
Spring Green Linguine with Lemon & Ricotta
If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.
V– Vegetarian
*Ricotta is traditionally made with animal rennet but you can get vegetarian varieties. UK supermarket home brands tend to be, click here.
Whoah there people. I know it’s almost April but it’s still bloody freezing, so pop a jumper on over that vest top and slip on a pair of long johns because it still ain’t warm enough to walk around topless. You hear that men of London? It’s not and never has been, acceptable to walk around town with your shirt off, I don’t want to see your nipples on the tube thank you. Oh and whilst we’re at it ladies, you might want to consider burning that crop-top you bought last year from H&M, especially if you’re over 25 and don’t have the abs of a teenage boy.
Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, I’m freeeeeezing! So I decided to make this vegetable broth with goats cheese dumplings to warm my chronically cold body. Sometimes I’m so cold, I think I might actually be dead. Meh.
Vegetable pot roast with dumplings
Serves 4 / Hands on time 1 hr / Total time 2 hrs / V ❄ Knob of unsalted butter
5 shallots or 1 white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
300g Chantenay carrots (stalks trimmed if necessary)
1 tbs plain flour
1 tbs tomato puree
1,200ml vegetable stock, I use 1 Knorr stock pot
150ml vegetarian cider
2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 leek, roughly chopped
250g new potatoes, halved
250g swede, peeled and cut into chunks
2 woody sprigs of fresh thyme (woody stalks are more robust & will be easier to remove)
2 handfuls of frozen peas For the dumplings 175g self-raising flour
25g vegetarian suet
80g soft goats cheese, divided into bits or crumbled
50g vegetarian Italian hard cheese or Parmesan*, grated
Handful of freshly chopped parsley
Fresh bread and extra virgin olive oil to serve (optional)
Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Peel and roughly chop the onions and put them in a large, oven-proof casserole pot with a lid. Cook in the butter on a medium heat for 5 mins with the lid on – add a dash of water to help them steam. Add the celery and the whole carrots and continue to cook for a further 5 mins with the lid on. Stir in the flour, add a dash of water and continue to cook and stir for 2 mins.
2. Add the tomato puree along with the vegetable stock and the cider. Bring to the boil before adding the potatoes, swede, leek, parsnips and a couple woody sprigs of thyme. Season well with salt and pepper, replace the lid but leaving it a jar and roast for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, make the dumplings (these are really easy to make so don’t be daunted). In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the flour, vegetarian suet, grated parmesan, goats cheese, parsely and a good season of salt and pepper. Add 6 tablespoons of water and give it a good mix with a wooden spoon. Once the dough has come together, use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl until it has come together. Using your hands, pick up a small handful of dough and roll it in-between your palms to make a dumpling. Repeat this process until you have 8 evenly sized dumplings. Put to one side.
4. Once the stew has cooked, carefully remove from the oven and take off the lid. Discard the sprigs of thyme, before carefully inserting your dumplings into the stew using a spoon to lower them in, making sure the dumplings are evenly spread out. Cover with the lid if you like soft dumplings or leave uncovered for crusty ones. Pop back in the oven for a further 20 mins.
5. Remove the pot roast from the oven and scatter over the peas. Replace the lid and leave to rest for 5 mins. ladle into bowls (allowing 2 dumplings per person) and enjoy topped with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a good chunk of fresh bread.
Vegetable Pot Roast with Dumplings
If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.
V– Vegetarian
*Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiani) is always made using animal rennet, therefore it is not vegetarian. Substitute for Italian hard cheese if applicable. ❄– Suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months
I’m currently sitting in my pjs watching Homes Under The Hammer and eating Omelette’s #livingthedream and yes, you heard, that was omelette’s plural. I made such a good omelette this morning, that I decided to make another one. What? It’s my week off before I start my new and exciting life over at Sainsbury’s Magazine so I thought, yeah, if I want two omelettes, I should have two omelettes… Feel a bit sick now though but that’s due to the packet of Veggie Percy Pigs I ate for dessert.
Jamie usually makes the omelette’s in our house, but as he’s at work (selfish) I had to make my own omelette which was very daunting. I’m not good at making omelette’s, they usually turn into burnt scrambled eggs. But I’ve been observing Jamie over the past year and have discovered his secret. Instead of incorporating the cheese into the egg mixture, he sprinkles it on top of the omelette like a pizza. Then he folds it carefully over once and continues to cook it until the cheese melts in the centre (drool). Don’t think I’ve said the word omelette enough in this post, omelette, omelette, omelette…….. OMELETTE!
Kale & cheese omelette
Serves 1 / Hands on time 10 mins / Total time 10 mins / V Gf 1 tsp of olive oil
2 eggs 1 garlic clove, crushed Small handful of kale Sprinkling of finely sliced red onion ¼ deseeded red chilli, finely chopped 30g vegetarian cheddar cheese, grated
Method 1. Crack two eggs into a jug and give them a quick beat with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped onion, chilli, garlic and kale and give it another quick beat to combine. Grate the cheese and put to one side. 2. Drizzle the oil in a non-stick frying pan and put on a medium to high heat. Once hot, pour your omelette mix into the middle of the pan and spread out evenly with a spatular. Top with a layer of grated cheese and wait a couple of minutes for the omelette to set. Once set, it should start to come away from the edges of the pan. 3. Using a spatular, carefully fold the omelette in half and continue to cook until the cheese has melted in the middle. After a minute, flip the omelette over and cook for another minute on the other side. Once you can see the cheese has melted in the middle, serve immediately.
Kale & Cheese Omelette
If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.
I used to make these cookies all the time, in fact, I’ve been making them so long, I don’t even remember how this recipe came to be. So why does my first batch look like something that came out of my housemates dog?
My faultless recipe is clearly faulty – either that, or my nine-year-old self is a better cook than I am. If she were here right now I’d slap her. What? She’s not real! Anyway, admittedly it’s been a while since I’ve made these (ten years) but surely it’s like riding a bike?
I look down at the burnt little puddles stuck to my baking tray, ‘how can they be burnt AND raw?’ I ponder. Without thinking I plunge my finger into a partially oozy one, it’s as hot as molten lava. I drop the tray and it lands face down on the floor.
Round two. I up the heat, reduce the cooking time, swap plain flour for self-raising and use an electric whisk. Having no idea if any of these decisions are the right ones and having eaten most of the chocolate, this was my last chance. However, this time I would be more cautious and bake a smaller batch of 6 six instead of eighteen.
Burnt?! Again!… But at least the butter didn’t separated this time so they looked a little less ‘pooey’. Feeling encouraged by my progress, I line up another six and pop them in the oven, reducing the cooking time by 5 minutes. SUCCESS! Chewy, golden, melt in the mouth little roundels of heaven. I knew I could do it. Now all I have to do is not eat another one, I’m on a diet… I hate my life.
My original cookie recipe
Dark chocolate chip cookies
Makes 16-18 cookies / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 30 mins / V❄
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g caster sugar
2 heaped tbs condensed milk
50g Green and Black’s Organic 70% Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped
½ tsp vanilla extract
150g self-raising flour
Sea salt flakes for sprinkling
Method 1. Preheat an oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Using an electric whisk in a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the condensed milk and the vanilla extract and continue to whisk until incorporated.
2. On a chopping board using a large knife, roughly chop the chocolate. Add to the mixture along with the flour. Using a wooden spoon, mix together by hand until you have a well incorporated cookie dough.
3. Line two baking trays with baking paper and put to one side. Using your hands, scoop up a ball of the dough roughly the size of a walnut. Roll it in-between your hands until you have a ball and place on one of the lined baking trays. These may look small but they will spread A LOT during baking, so allow plenty of space around each cookie and bake in batches. No more than 6-8 per tray depending on the size of your tray.
4. Sprinkle each cookie with a small amount of sea salt flakes and bake for 8-10 mins. When the cookies are cooked, they should look golden at the edges but light and slightly raised in the centre. (They will still look quite raw in the centre but this is what makes them nice and chewy. Once out of the oven they will flatten).
5. Cool for 5 mins on the trays before carefully transferring to a cooling rack. Any remaining cookie dough can be rolled into balls and baked on the same lined trays or frozen. To freeze, simply roll the cookie dough into a sausage and wrap well in baking paper or clingfilm and freeze. Defrost fully before use and consume within 3 months.
Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.
V – Vegetarian ❄ – The cookie dough is suitable for home freezing. Roll into a sausage shape and wrap in a few layers of clingfilm. Consume within 3 months.
Not much happened this week, oh apart from me getting A NEW JOB! Yes that’s right, you’re now looking at the new Art Editor of Sainsbury’s Magazine, boo-ya! Bring on type 2 diabetes and inevitable weight gain.
I’m very excited but a little sad to be leaving the world of celebrity, although I won’t miss Kim Kardashian – I know far too much about her lady parts than I care to… No, I wasn’t previously her surgeon, I was in fact Art and Food Editor of celebrity gossip magazine, heat. So I’ll be swapping celebrity shoots with the likes of (not Kim Kardashian) Charlotte Crosby and Olly Murs for food shoots and a life of eating. To say I’m excited doesn’t quite cover it. So let’s celebrate me becoming a proper grown up, with a grown up job and a financial adviser and everything, with this delightful bowl of noodles. Considering I made this very hungover, I think it turned out quite well.
Soba noodle miso bowls Serves 2 / Takes 30 minutes / V Vn* Df
700ml boiling water
1 vegetable stock pot or cube, I use 1 Knorr 1 tbs light soy sauce 1 tbs miso paste 100g button mushrooms or any other variety of mushroom you may have 2 handfuls cavolo nero or kale, roughly chopped 2 eggs, boiled (optional) 1 tsp of sesame oil 1 shallot or ½ a medium sized onion, finely sliced 1 knob of ginger, grated 2 nest of soba or fine egg noodles Small handful of mint, chopped
1 lime De-seeded red chilli, sliced (optional) Black sesame seeds (optional)
*Vegan: The eggs in the soup are entirely optional. I make it frequently without and it’s just as delicious so if you’re vegan, leave them out.
Method 1. Boil a full kettle and put two eggs in a medium sized saucepan (you will also be using this saucepan to cook the noodles later). Cover with boiling water and simmer over a low to medium heat to hard boil them. 2. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the shallot and grate the ginger. Fry together in a small frying pan in a tsp of sesame oil until soft with the lid on. Once cooked, take off the heat and put to one side.
3. In a large saucepan, pour 700ml boiling water over the vegetable stock pot, miso paste and soy sauce. Give it a good stir and bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Half the button mushrooms and roughly chop the cavolo nero and add to the simmering broth. 4. Meanwhile chop a handful of fresh mint and put to one side. By now the eggs should be hard boiled. Remove from the simmering water with a slotted spoon but leave the water in the pan for the noodles. Pop the eggs in a bowl and leave under a running cold tap until cool. Put to one side.
5. In the same simmering water you cooked the eggs in, submerge the noodles and simmer according to the packet instructions. Drain and give them a blast of cold water to cool then down (this prevents them from continuing to cook). Divide the cold noodles into bowls.
6. Peel the eggs and cut them in half before pouring the mushroom and cavolo nero broth over the noodles. Submerge the eggs into soup and top with the ginger fried onions, freshly chopped mint and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. Squeeze over the lime wedges and a chopped deseeded red chilli to serve (optional).
Soba Noodle Miso Bowls
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Hotel Chocolate Spice Cacao Tea £5… Sounds a bit wrong doesn’t it but trust me, it’s so very right. Every time I get a chocolate craving (which is a lot) I reach for one of these bad boys. They’re chocolatey without being sweet, they’re oddly refreshing and my god, they smell so good! With every mouthful I stick my nose deeper into my mug and inhale all the warm spicy notes of India, it’s truly intoxicating. Don’t forget though, it is just a tea, not a giant Toblerone, so if you’re having serious chocolate cavings, then this ain’t gonna cut the mustard. However, if you’re a bit like me and you like a fruit tea situation, then this will certainly excite you… Perhaps not as much as a Toblerone but then what does in life?
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