Christmas leftover hash

December 26, 2016December 31, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

Wait! Don’t bin those Christmas leftovers, have them for breakfast! Unlike turkey, I find a roast potato has no business being in a sandwich, neither does a parsnip or a sprout for that matter. It’s for this reason that I find veggie leftovers a bit tricky – I always tend to just eat them cold, slathered in brown sauce.
But this Boxing Day, I wasn’t hung over (for once), so bounced out of bed and straight into the wall… Just joking. I bounced out of bed and straight into the kitchen, where I mashed, mixed and fried, until I created the ultimate boxing day brekkie. Try him, you’ll like him – and by ‘him’ I mean ‘the hash’.

Christmas leftover hash
Serves 2 / hands on time 20 mins / total time 20 mins / V Df Gf
2 tsp cooking oil (I use rapeseed)
2-3 leftover roast potatoes
Handful of roasted veg and sprouts
1 egg
½ tsp of cumin
¼ tsp of smoked paprika
¼ tsp mustard seeds
Pinch of chilli flakes
½ sliced avocado and 2 poached eggs to serve (optional)

Method
1. In a bowl, roughly mash the cold roast potatoes with a fork and dice any leftover veg you want to use up such as roast carrots, parsnips and brussels.
2. Add the spices, a good pinch of salt and pepper and give it a good mix (you can use any spices you like or you can leave them out entirely). Beat in the egg and mix well until combined.
3. Heat up a large non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat and add the oil. Move the oil around the pan until the bottom is well coated. Once hot, spoon the mixture carefully into the pan into 2 messy patties. Cook on one side for a few minutes before flipping (don’t panic if they break and fall apart – this is part of the charm).
4. Cook for another couple of minutes and then serve topped with poached or fried eggs, sliced avocado and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

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 Gf– Gluten free Df– Dairy free

Leek & mushroom wellingtons

December 23, 2016January 21, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

“Well, if she can’t come home for Christmas then we’ll just have to bring Christmas to her,” said my brother, Peter. He was eating something down the phone – I could hear it, it was annoying.
“Do they even do Christmas dinner in hospital?” I ask.
“Yeah, but it’s probably rank, though. Also, I dread to think what the veggie option is.”
“Mmm, good point. I’m not risking her being given a manky stuffed pepper.”
“Chance will be a fine thing.”
Not being the person who usually makes Christmas dinner, I was suddenly set the task of not only making it, but finding a way to transport it. Christmas dinner ‘meals on wheels’ as it were. My mum usually makes us mushroom and gruyere cheese parcels but, as she’s currently incapacitated and having chemotherapy pumped around her fragile body, I thought it unreasonable to ask her to make Christmas dinner this year. Don’t think hospitals have the best kitchen facilities.
So, inspired by her recipe, I came up with these cheeky little Wellingtons. I’ve kept the mushroom and gruyere cheese element, but added a few leeks and a bit of thyme – lurvely. The plan is to cook everything in advance, portion it out, and microwave it at the hospital on Christmas Day. Fingers crossed she’ll be able to eat at least just one sprout, they’re her favourite.
Get well soon, Mum (aka Moomin) and Merry Christmas. I look forward to eating your delicious mushroom parcels next year when you’re better, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy my substitute Wellingtons.

Leek and mushroom wellingtons (As featured in Familes First Magazine)
Serves 4 / Hands on Time 40 mins / Total time 1 hour / V ❄
2 leeks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 portobello mushrooms
750g ready rolled puff pastry sheets (x2 375g)
1 egg
200g grated vegetarian Emmental or Gruyere cheese*
8 sprigs of fresh thyme
Knob of butter
Red wine jus (optional)
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
30g unsalted butter
200ml vegetarian red wine
400ml vegetable stock, I use 1 Knorr stockpot

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms carefully with your fingers and discard. Put the mushrooms in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add a generous knob of butter and sprinkle each mushroom with fresh thyme leaves. Let the butter melt and cook on one side for a few minutes before turning. Once turned, add a couple of teaspoons of water to help the mushrooms steam a little and cook for a further few minutes until soft.
2. Remove the mushrooms carefully and put them on some kitchen paper to soak up any excess liquid or squeeze the juice out with a spatular.
3. Finely chop the leeks, crush the garlic and add them both to the now empty mushroom saucepan. Add another knob of butter, a good season of salt and pepper and cook down for 10 minutes until soft. Once cooked, take off the heat and put to one side.
4. Meanwhile, slice the Emmental cheese and beat the egg in a separate bowl. Roll out the puff pastry sheets on a surface and divide each one in half with a sharp knife and then half again giving you eight equal rectangles of puff pastry (you need 2 rectangles per Wellington).
5. In the centre of the 1 of the rectangles, put a quarter of the leek mixture, roughly the same size as a portobello mushroom. Cover with a layer of cheese, top with one of the mushrooms (smooth side up) and top with another layer of cheese. Brush with a little egg wash around the mushroom stack. Take another square of pastry, stretch it a bit in your hands and stretch it carefully over the top of the mushroom stack. Press the pastry down with your fingers around the bottom of the mushroom to seal it. Trim the excess pastry around the edge with a sharp knife and seal the edges by pressing down with your fingers and then with the prongs of a fork. See images below. (Make sure the Wellingtons are sealed around the sides to prevent any leaks).
6. Discard the off cuts of pastry and repeat this process until you have 4 Wellingtons. (Any leftover pastry can be used again so roll it together, cover in a few of layers of cling film and freeze).
7. Brush each wellington with egg wash and carefully transfer to a couple of baking trays lined with baking paper. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with mashed potato, steamed vegetables or as part of a roast dinner. Perfect for Christmas day.

Red wine jus
1. Cook the onion in the butter for a 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the wine and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil, then down to a simmer for 10 minutes. Season and serve.

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 wellingtons are suitable for freeze before baking. Wrap each wellington in 3 layers of cling film and freeze. Defrost before baking.
*Gruyére is a cheese of protected status originating from Switzerland. The production and maturation is defined in Swiss law and all Swiss Gruyère producers must follow these rules, however this doesn’t specify the use of animal rennet. Therefore it could or could not be vegetarian.

Tips & Tricks: #1 Freezing Fresh Bread

December 20, 2016 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

I love fresh bread because I’m human and all humans love bread, if you don’t then you’re obviously some sort of weird duck. Ducks love bread though right?… Whatever.
Anyway, I love fresh bread but tend to buy it, eat one glorious slice of it and approximately five minutes later, it’s covered in green powdery mould. Eww.
So to avoid this, I’ve started buying fresh loaves, cutting them into slices on the day of purchase and then freezing them. If you do this they can last months (well not in our house because we eat it all). It’s lovely to wake up and know you can have freshly toasted bread with your eggs for breakfast or a defrosted piece of soughdough with soup for lunch. So here’s how you do it…

1. Quick: It’s very important to cut up your loaf and freeze it as soon as possible, don’t wait for it to go stale. The fresher the bread the fresher it will freeze. Once defrosted or toasted, it will taste the same as the day you bought it, marvellous.
2. Wrap: Slice your loaf as evenly as you can and either wrap several slices in a few layers of cling film or pop them into airtight freezer bags and freeze. You can wrap a whole loaf up together if you like but I find it easier to store them around other frozen items if you do it in batches.
3. Eat: Once frozen simply pull the slices apart and pop straight in the toaster for toast. We don’t have a ‘from frozen’ button on our toaster, so I just toast it how I would normally toast a piece of bread. I don’t even extend the time but if you think it needs a bit longer, then an extra 30 seconds should do it.
To defrost the bread for sandwiches, simply remove the slices you want from the freezer but keep them wrapped in cling film. If you’ve taken a slice from a big batch then wrap it up in a fresh piece of clingfilm. I tend to do this the night before so it’s ready for me in the morning. Defrosting on the day only takes a few hours at room temperature.
4. What else can I freeze? I freeze all my bread including pitta bread, rolls, wraps, tortillas and even hot crossed buns. Just make sure you wrap them correctly to prevent any air getting to them and use within 3 – 4 months.

Light & crispy roast potatoes

December 19, 2016October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 2 Comments

What’s the deal with the Quaker Oats man? Who is he? Is he an actual real person?
On my way back from the hospital I could see his stupid smug face staring up at me from my shopping bag. ‘What the hell is he so happy about’ I thought. Knob.
On further investigation, I discovered he wasn’t supposed to represent an actual person but in 1909 the ‘Quaker Man’ was identified as William Penn, the 17th-century philosopher and early Quaker, who I thought, bore a striking resemblance to Danny Devito’s Penguin in Batman Returns. That being said, today’s ‘Quaker Man’ doesn’t seem to resemble either William Penn or Penguin, so what the hell?
Jumping forward to 1969, I was surprised to learn that the ‘Quaker Man’ now known as ‘Larry’ by insiders at Quaker Oats, was illustrated by Saul Bass, a famous American graphic designer, known for his iconic poster art and film title sequences. Okay so ‘Quaker Oats Man’ has gone up in my estimation but I still hate him, stupid hat wearing twat. STOP SMILING AT ME!

William Penn & Penguin Man

Anyway, enough about the ‘Quaker Oats Man’, lets talk roasties because Christmas Day is literally this week, AGH! For the first time ever, I’ll be making Christmas dinner, I mean how hard can it be right? If you get the roast potatoes right you can’t go far wrong… Roast potatoes… Shit. I’ve never actually made roast potatoes before. Okay so a little practice was in order but after several attempts, I am now the proud owner, of a roast potato recipe that makes crispy, fluffy roasties without drowning them in oil. I prefer to save my calories for mince pies thank you. Oh, and if you want to know what I’m making for Christmas dinner, then check out my blog on the 23rd of December for a special Christmas post and recipe.

Light & crispy roast potatoes
Serves 4 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 1 hour 10 mins / V Vn Df
1 kg potatoes (roughly 4 baking potatoes)
1 tsp of rapeseed oil
1 ½ tsp plain flour
Salt
Few sprigs of thyme (optional)

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Cut 4 large baking potatoes into 4 evenly sized pieces (I leave the skins on mine but you can peel them if you prefer). Put in a large saucepan and fill with cold water just covering the potatoes. Season well with salt and bring to the boil before reducing the heat and simmering for 2 minutes
2. Once boiled, pour the potatoes into a colander and give them a good shake to rough them up a bit. Add one and half teaspoons of flour and give them another good shake until evenly covered.
3. Tip out onto a baking tray and drizzle evenly with oil. Give it a toss until well covered. Season well with salt and scatter a few thyme sprigs on top.
5. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes before removing and giving a second shake. Return to the oven and roast for a further 25 minutes, shaking halfway through. Discard the thyme storks and serve as part of a roast dinner.

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

Riverford Organic Nut Roast £7.95

December 17, 2016March 5, 2017 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Riverford Organic Nut Roast £7.95… I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of nut roast. Growing up I certainly ate my fair share and in my opinion, there’s nothing nice about dry crumbly hot nuts with gravy.
That being said, I’m always willing to try new things, so was intrigued when I saw that Riverford had created their own Organic version. In my experience, nut roast tends to come out of a packet and you assemble it yourself (I say assemble, you mix it together with water, plop it in a loaf tin and bake it until it resembles a large turd.)
I appreciated that it came ready-made leaving me to concentrate on the trimmings. 25 minutes in the oven and it was ready and to my surprise very moist! Not dry and dusty but flavourful. I could taste the butternut squash and the texture wasn’t too nutty for a nut roast. All in all, a very pleasant roast dinner indeed and worth a go. I wouldn’t say I’m a convert but it certainly is the nicest nut roast I’ve ever tried. Riverford Organic Nut Roast 400g £7.95
(This is not an ad. All products featured in the section are products I genuinely use and like. No money has exchanged hands (unfortunately for me).

Piccini Chianti £6

December 13, 2016March 5, 2017 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

Piccini Chianti £6… I love red wine but it doesn’t like me very much but I don’t care, I still drink it at every available opportunity (so most evenings). What? I have a stressful job, don’t judge me!
Anyway, I don’t claim to know much about wine but I do know what I like and that’s a nice easy drinking red with a smooth finish and at £6 this Chianti always makes its way into my shopping basket. So, if you’re anything like me and spend far too long in the wine isle bamboozled, then buy this crowd pleaser instead of picking the bottle with the prettiest label (don’t worry I do that too).
Piccini Chianti 75cl £6. Available at Sainsbury’s, Tesco & Morrisons

First glass of wine…

Last glass of wine.

(This is not an ad. All products featured in the section are products I genuinely use and like. No money has exchanged hands (unfortunately for me).

Vanilla shortbread

December 12, 2016November 1, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

Yes friends, its that time of year again, it’s officially cheap arse edible gift time, hooray! So why not spare some pennies and give the less important friends in your life, a disappointing edible gift for Christmas.
The beauty of the edible gift is that the receiver has to be grateful for your efforts, no matter how minimal or shit your gift is, it’s brilliant. They’ll obviously know you’re being cheap but hey, they’re not your important friends so who cares right? Frankly, they should be lucky to be getting a present at all.
Although be warned, if this is your second year of edible gifting, be prepared to receive some revengeful edible gifts in return for last years efforts (I can certainly sense a jar of disappointing onion chutney winging its way to me in the post.)
Anyway, this years edible gift is vanilla shortbread. It’s literally made from three ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard, sugar, flour and butter. I actually add a touch of salt and vanilla to mine to give it a bit of pizzazz but that’s it. Not only is it irresistibly short and crumbly but it’s melt in the mouth delicious, so you never know, perhaps you’ll be forgiven for being cheap for one more year.
But hey, if shortbread isn’t your bag, then why not try last years edible gift Salted Saltana & Rum Fudge.

Vanilla shortbread
Makes 1 round / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 40 mins + cooling time / V
You’ll need: Baking paper, and a 10 inch loose bottomed flan tin
125g unsalted butter at room temperature + extra for greasing
50g golden caster sugar + plus extra for dusting
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
175g plain flour

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a loose based flan tin with baking paper and grease well with butter.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. You can do this with a wooden spoon or use a mixer. Once smooth and creamy add the of flour.
3. Mix until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Pour into the centre of the tin and spread out evenly. Press down with your finger tips until you have a firm biscuit like dough.
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly golden. Leave to cool fully in the tin before sprinkling with 2 golden caster sugar. Carefully remove the shortbread from the tin and slice into pieces. The mixture will be very short and crumbly so don’t worry too much if some bits break off, it’s part of the charm. Enjoy with a cup of tea (obviously).

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

Sacla’ Fiery Chilli Pesto Pots

December 7, 2016March 5, 2017 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

1-3-4_fierychilli_pot

Sacla’ Fiery Chilli Pesto Pots… I love pesto but what I don’t love, is a jar of mouldy pesto. Like most people, I have a terrible habit of buying pesto, using one tablespoon and then allowing it to fester in the back of my fridge. Well no more my friends because Sacla’ have cleverly created pesto pots, praise the lord!
I found them a very welcome cupboard surprise when all I had in my fridge was a few cloves of garlic and a jar of Branston pickle. Ten minutes later I was scoffing a bowl of fiery spaghetti with a glass of wine, winning!
They come in three flavours, classic pesto, sun-dried tomato and my favourite, fiery chilli. Sacla’ Pesto pots 4 x 45g from £2 (available at most major supermarkets).

(This is not an ad. All products featured in the section are products I genuinely use and like. No money has exchanged hands (unfortunately for me).

The hidden horrors in my beauty bag…

December 6, 2016 ~ Corrie ~ 2 Comments

6new

The hidden horrors in my beauty bag…And I’m not talking about the 2 year old mascara and that leaking bottle of nail varnish. I’m talking about the horrible realisation, that over half the make up in my seemingly ‘innocent’ make up bag, is tested on animals.
Really? Over half? That seems like a lot!
Yes, yes it does doesn’t it. Now call me a big naive thicko, but I just assumed this sort of thing didn’t really happen anymore. How have I been slathering rabbit tears all over my face for over a decade and not realising it? How have leading brands such as Clinque, L’Oreal, Estée Lauder and even Dove (Dove for god sake) managed to slip under the radar? Either people have stopped caring or they don’t know. Either way, I do care so I need to start disposing of all my beautifully packaged, wonderfully fragranced, lotions and potions in order to silence the small crying badger living in my conscience.

But let’s get real for a second. As much as I would love to burn all of these products and replace them immediately with cruelty free alternatives, I’m (a) not made of money and (b) replacing like for like is not going to be easy and requires extensive research. So this is what this blog is for, hooray! So, in addition to fattening us all up with recipes, I’ll also be testing and reviewing cruelty free make up because you know, it’s not like I have anything better to do. So without further a do, lets have a snoop in my beauty bag…

Animal Tested:
1. Clinique Anti Blemish solutions Liquid Make Up £25 – 02 Fresh Ivory
2. Benefit Watts Up Soft Focus Highlighter £24.50
3. M.A.C Pro Longware Concealer 19ml £18
4. M.A.C Opulash Optimum Black Mascara £15
5. Rimmel London Sun Shimmer Bronzer
6. Elizabeth Arden Moisturising Lipstick Matt Finish £21 – Nude 43
7. Bourjois Liner Pinceau Liquid Eyeliner
8. Clarins Eye Make Up Palette £35
9. Estée Lauder Blusher (discontinued)
10. Okay so I forgot to include this in the shot but I always have one of these in my bag. Maybelline New York Baby Lips Peach Kiss Lip Balm £2.99. I’m so upset about this one!

Cruelty Free:
1. Nars Lip Cover – Overheated £21
2. KIKO Weightless Perfection Wet & Dry Foundation SPF 30 £13.90
3. KIKO Velvet Passion Matt Lipstick – Gossamer Emotion £10.90
4. The Body Shop 3 in 1 Brow Definer £9
5. The Body Shop Bold OverSized Felt Eyeliner – Black £10
6. NARS Duo Eyeshadow Hammamet £25
7. The Body Shop Face & Body Brush £16

Well that was a disappointing. MAC, Clarins, Benefit, Maybelline, Estée Lauder, Bourjois, Rimmel and Clinique, shame on you! From my research, I found that most of these products claim to be cruelty free but admit to testing on animals when ‘required to by law’, this means they’re sold in China. In China it’s compulsory for any company that sells cosmetics to conduct tests on animals. So, I guess I won’t be buying those again anytime soon, but what are the alternatives? This is what I’ll be researching in the coming weeks, starting with foundation.
I’m very upset about my Clinique foundation, I’ve been using it for years and with good reason. Not only does this foundation offer up good coverage for my spot prone skin but it also contains an anti blemish formula. It’s buttery lightweight texture makes it a dream to apply, damn you Clinique! This one’s gonna be hard to replace, wish me luck!

Bangers with smoky mash & gravy

November 30, 2016November 1, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

“This soup is delicious darling, is there blue cheese in it?”Jamie asks through a mouthful of bread roll.
“Err no” I say dipping my bread into the soup and taking a big bite. That’s when it hits me, the unmistakable flavour of blue cheese. But there’s no blue cheese in this soup?! I take a couple more mouthfuls and suddenly there isn’t anything blue cheesy about it. How odd, I think and gaze over at Jamie who is already halfway through his unperturbed. I brush it off and commence eating my dinner only to taste the phantom blue cheese taste.
“What the hell is that?!” I splutter and drop my piece of buttered bread onto my plate. It’s only then I realise. Do I tell Jamie? I glance over at him, his eyes glued to the television, blissfuly unaware, his bread roll long gone.
I take my soup into the kitchen and swiftly throw my roll in the bin.
“What you doing?” I hear Jamie call from the sofa.
“Oh nothing” I say calmly, “just getting some salt.”
Did you know that when butter turns rancid, it tastes like blue cheese? I do. Perhaps we should keep our butter in the fridge from now on.

But what does all this have to do with bangers and mash I hear you cry? Absolutely nothing. Just a gentle reminder not to eat rancid butter. Anyway, enough about butter, lets talk sausages, veggie sausages. I did contemplate (for about half a second) on making my own sausages but why on earth would I do that? Life is too short. The time it takes to make rubbish veggie sausages could be better spent on making deliciously cheesy mash and homemade gravy. So lets snuggle up with a bowl of mash potato and let it give us a big sloppy cuddle. Ew… you know what I mean.

Bangers with smoky mash & gravy
Serves 4 / Hands on time 40 mins / Takes 55 mins / V
8 vegetarian sausages, I used Quorn
Onion Gravy
2 large onions, sliced
Large knob of butter
Sprig of thyme, leaves picked
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbs plain flour
1 tsp Marmite
1 tsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
500ml vegetable stock, I use one Knorr stock pot
Mash
800g potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 knob of butter
100ml semi-skimmed milk
Salt and pepper
30g finely grated smoked cheddar
5 handfuls of kale steamed to serve (optional)

Method
1. To make the gravy, sweat the sliced onions in the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat for 5 minutes (If the onions start looking a little brown add a tbs of water to help them steam). Put the lid on a jar, turn down the heat and sweat for a further 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, fill a kettle with water for the mash. Peel and roughly chop the potatoes and place in a large saucepan with a generous pinch of salt. Cover in the boiling water and bring to a boil before turning the heat down to a simmer until soft.
3. By now the onions should be softened, stir in the flour and the mustard and cook for a minute before adding the stock. Give it a good stir with a whisk, making sure to work out any flour lumps. Add the Marmite, Worcestershire sauce and thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil before reducing to a simmer on a low heat.
4. Cook the sausages according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, carefully slide them into the simmering gravy. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat.
5. By now the potatoes should be lovely and soft. Drain and give them a brief shake before returning to the saucepan. Add the butter, milk and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Give it a good mash and then add the grated smoked cheese. Continue mashing until you have a smooth but firm mash.
6. Divide the mash onto plates and top with gravy and the sausages. Serve with steamed kale.

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