Bulgarian bean soup

February 8, 2017April 1, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

“Why on earth are you buying those hideous bowls?” My friend Tom asked looking down at me in disgust.
“They’re not hideous, they’re rustic” I reply unperturbed, turning one over in my hands.
“They’re rancid, with any luck they’ll all smash in your luggage on the flight home”.
“Jamie’s luggage you mean, I can’t fit them in mine… Hey, maybe I could make that soup we had last night in them?”
“That soup tasted like shit.”
“Did it? Are you sure? The bean one?”
“What bean one?… Oh, maybe I didn’t have that one” Tom said looking increasingly concerned at the mugs I had just precariously placed on top of the two bowls, four plates and skillet I was holding. The shop assistant anxiously hovered behind us, I turned and smiled at her – she did not smile back.
“What’s her problem?” I whispered, ” I’m not gonna steal them for god sake, we’re not 13 in Superdrug anymore… But you know, if they will insist on charging £9 for a masacara then what’s a teenage girl to do, right?”
“Think it’s the fact you’re clumsely walking around her delicate shop, in your ski boots laden with her precious pottery. You’re literally an English bull in her Bulgarian China shop.”
“Oh… Shall we come back tomorrow then?”
“Absolutely not. Come on, lets go and get you so drunk you forget all about these vile bowls.”

I didn’t of course and managed to transport them all safely back to the UK the following day. Aha! In your face Tom (although thank you very much for organising such a marvellous holiday, I really appreciate it.) I mean, was it bit smelly? Yes. Was the queue to the gondola long, arduous and potential life ruining? Perhaps. But seriously, what’s not to love about 30p cans of larger, open hot springs and processed cheese served with cornflakes and jam – simply excellent! So on that note, I will leave you with this rather delicious, traditional, Bulgarian soup, served in one of my ‘ugly’ bowls. Nasladi se! (means ‘enjoy’ in Bulgarian, obviously).

Bulgarian bean soup
Serves 4 / Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 50 mins / V Vn Gf Df ❄
1 tsp rapeseed oil
1 medium, white onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
½ stick of celery, diced
½ de-seeded red pepper, diced
1 large tomato or 2 medium sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cans cannellini beans, washed and drained
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 litre of vegetable stock, I use 2 Knorr stock pots
Pinch of black pepper
Pomora extra virgin olive oil to serve

Method
1. In a large pot, sweat down the chopped onion in a tsp of oil over a medium heat (add a dash of water to help the onions steam if they start to sizzle).
2. After a good five minutes the onion will have started to soften, add the finely diced carrot, celery, red pepper and chopped tomato. Season well with salt and pepper, give it a stir and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the strained cannelloni beans, a tsp of dried parsley, a tsp of dried oregano and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil.
3. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a high simmer for around 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. (This may seem like a long time but the soup needs time to reduce down and thicken).
4. Once ready, take off the heat and ladle into bowls. Serve topped with freshly chopped parsley, a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

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 Gf– Gluten free Df– Dairy free
❄– Suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.

Tomato penne with greens & butter beans

January 27, 2017January 21, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

I really should stop buying horrible cheap tomatoes, I mean they aren’t even red for starters, tomatoes should be red right? These were more of an orange colour. I’ve tried several times to ripen them in a fruit bowl but they stubbornly just stay the same – the little shits. I refuse to be out-smarted by a tomato.
Tasting literally of nothing and with a firm almost furry texture, these ghastly toms are franky not worth the 70p I paid for them… But that’s such a reasonable price I remember thinking, staring down at them on the supermarket shelf. Whatever, I’m sure they’ll taste fine so I chuck them in my basket. NOOOOOOOO! Why do I always make the same mistake?!
Well that’s an easy question, I’m always skint, so spending £2 on Taste The Difference tomatoes (even though they look devine and juicy) makes me wince ever so slightly, especially when I know I could buy at least 4 Snickers bars for the same price. But as I chomp down on my sad, flavourless, sandwich, I realise my 70p tomatoes are duds. Perhaps tomatoes are just one of those foods you should spend the money on? I guess it wouldn’t kill me to eat a few less Snickers bars – cue sad face.
Anyway, so now I’m left with five, unripe, tomatoes so it’s either ruin my sandwiches for the rest of the week, or turn them into pasta sauce. Not only is this a great way to use up unwanted tomatoes but it makes enough sauce to jazz up your pasta dishes for the rest of the week. It’s easy, healthy and turns those rock hard tasteless toms into something rather splendid. Good times.

Tomato penne with greens & butter beans
Makes 1 jar of sauce / Serves 2 / Takes 30-40 minutes / V ❄
You’ll need: Food processor or a hand blender
Pasta Sauce
½ red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
5 tomatoes
2 tbs tomato puree
4 tbs vegetarian red wine
1 can plum tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp olive oil
To serve
140g wholewheat penne
3 handfuls kale
½ can butterbeans, rinsed and drained
Handful mature vegetarian cheddar, grated
Pomora extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Roughly chop the onion and pop it in a large pot or saucepan with a tsp of olive oil, on a medium heat. Cook for about 5 mins until it starts to soften. Once soft, add the chopped garlic and cook for a further 2 mins (add a dash of water to help them steam if they start to sizzle).
2. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan along with the tomato puree. Give it a good stir and cook for a further 5 mins, until the tomatoes start to break down a bit. Add the wine and the can of plum tomatoes. Break the plum tomatoes up with a spoon and give it another good stir. Up the heat until the sauce begins to boil, then reduce down to a simmer. Add the dried herbs and season with salt and pepper and cook for a further 10 mins, stirring frequently.
3. Meanwhile rinse and drain your butterbeans and put to one side (you’ll steam/boil them 5 minutes before you serving).
4. Weigh out your pasta and bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. When you’re sauce is 10 mins away from being cooked, add your pasta to the boiling water and season with salt (follow packet instructions). This is also a good time to get a smaller saucepan ready to steam/boil your kale and butter beans together (I tend to steam mine but it’s up to you, just remember to season them).
5. Whilst the pasta is boiling and your veg steaming take the tomato sauce off the heat and blitz with a hand blender or pop into a regular blender. Be careful not to over blend the sauce, you still want a bit of texture.
6. Finally drain your pasta and portion onto plates. Top with grated cheese, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the steamed butterbeans and kale. Good times.

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 pasta sauce is suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.

Mushrooms & goats cheese on toast

January 19, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Forget Brexit, forget Donald Trump, we have a bigger crisis on our hands people, brace yourselves, this news is horrifying and potentially life changing… Ready?

There is currently a courgette shortage…

CUE NATIONAL HYSTERIA!!!! Where’s Deliciously Ella?!!! Can someone check she’s not sitting in a corner somewhere, spiralizing her own fingers like some courgette deprived lunatic?
I mean, I like courgettes as much as the next person (actually I don’t, I find them slimy and horrible, that’s why I grate them into my recipes) but surely the lack of courgettes isn’t such a bad thing after all? Think about it, now all those spiralizing, clean eating freaks can stop fainting and eat a proper meal, because you know what tastes better than boiled strips of courgette? Literally anything but especially spaghetti! So stop pretending you’re gluten intolerant (because hardly anyone is) and boil up some delicious pasta why don’t you. Oh and whoever came up with the word ‘courgetti’ should be shot.
Anyway, as usual, this post has nothing to do with pasta or courgettes but the humble mushroom and one of my other favourite carbs, BREAD! I pretty much love anything on toast, especially Marmite but I found some left over goats cheese from Christmas and a couple of portobello mushrooms in my fridge and thought, yes! Enjoy.

Mushrooms & goats cheese on toast
Serves 2 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 20 mins / V
2 large portobello mushrooms, roughly sliced
2 cloves of garlic
60g soft vegetarian goats cheese
1 tsp unsalted butter
2 pieces of bread for toasting
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Pomora extra virgin olive oil to serve
2 poached eggs to serve (optional)

Method
1. Roughly chop the mushrooms into strips and crush the garlic. In a large saucepan, heat and melt the butter on a medium heat. Once melted, add the mushrooms and cook down in the butter. If the butter absorbs quickly, add a dash of water to help the mushrooms steam. Cook for about 5 mins until the mushrooms begin to soften.
2. Add the garlic along with the thyme sprigs, give it a good stir and cook for a further 2 mins (again, add a dash of water if needed to help cook the mushrooms down).
3. Once the mushrooms start to look soft and cooked, add a third of the goats cheese and mix straight in. Season well with salt and pepper. Take off the heat and cover with a lid to keep the mushrooms warm.
4. Meanwhile toast the bread and poach the eggs (optional). Finally, discard the thyme sprigs and serve the mushrooms on top of your toast with the remaining goats cheese, a good drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves.

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

Cardamom, chocolate & pear pudding

January 13, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

Okay so I know it’s Januaray and you’re all busy doing the duck walk with that idiot Bee Gees lookalike Joe Wicks, but it’s cold and I need something warm and chocolatey. What could be better than cardamom spiced pears baked in chocolate cake? Exactly, literally nothing. So stop chomping on kale for 5 minutes and lets scoff this pear pudding. You’ve been good for almost 2 weeks now, it’s time for some oozy chocolatey goodness – you deserve it.

Cardamom, Chocolate & Pear Pudding
As featured in Families First Magazine
Serves 6 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 1 hr / V
You’ll need: A pestle and mortar, 8×6 inch deep oven dish
130g golden caster sugar
130g plain flour
25g Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa Powder
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate soda
Pinch of salt
10 pods of cardamon, shells discarded and ground
150g unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g Green & Black’s Organic 70% Dark Chocolate
2 cans pear halves in juice, drained (415g)
Crème fraîche to serve

Method
1. Pre-heat an oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/gas mark 5. Butter an oven dish and drain the pears. Line the dish with the pears facing up and put to one side.
2. Carefully bash your cardamom pods in the pastel and mortar, discard the shells and grind until you have a powder.
3. Put the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and melt with the powdered cardamom.
4. Meanwhile combine all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and give it a bit of a mix. Add the melted butter with the cardamom and combine well with a wooden spoon. Beat in the eggs until you have a gooey chocolate mixture.
5. Pour over the pears and distribute the mixture evenly (the mixture will be quite gooey so use a spoon to spread it to the edges).
6. Break up the dark chocolate and submerge the pieces into the batter evenly and bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve immediately with a dollop of creme fraiche.

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

Leek, potato & chive soup

January 6, 2017January 22, 2024 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Why is leek and potato soup always a gross white colour? Aren’t leeks green? I know the bottom part of them is white and potatoes are white but unless it’s yogurt, I tend to have a bit of a problem with white food. Anyway, feeling nostalgic, I bought a can of leek and potato soup recently and was bitterly disappointed. What a horrible bowl of white grainy slop! I should have known, canned soup can never compete with homemade, with the exception of Heinz Tomato Soup of course, it’s the best.
So I came up with this rather GREEN version and added some chives and cheddar cheese (because everything in life can be improved with a bit of cheese – that’s just a fact.

Leek, potato & chive soup (As featured in Families First Magazine)
Serves 4 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 40 mins / V Gf ❄
You’ll need: A food processor or hand blender
Knob of butter or tsp of oil
½ large onion, roughly sliced
½ tsp salt
3 leeks, cleaned and roughly chopped
350g baking potatoes (roughly 3 big ones), peeled and roughly chopped
25g chives, chopped
1 ½ litres vegetable stock, I use 1 Knorr stock pot
150g plain yogurt
Mature vegetarian cheddar cheese, grated to serve (optional)
Pomora extra virgin olive oil

TIP: This soup also works well as a broth, so if you don’t have a blender or simply prefer a broth, then chop everything up nice and small and follow the recipe without blending.

Method
1. Sauté the onions in the butter and salt on a medium to low heat whilst you wash and chop your leeks. Add the leeks and sweat down for 10 mins. Meanwhile, wash, peel and chop your potatoes. Roughly chop most of the chives (saving a small sprinkle for decoration) and add to the pot. Give it a good stir and cook for a further 5 mins.
2. Pour in the stock, season generously with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Once boiling bring down to a simmer and cook for 15 mins.
3. Take off the heat and blend with either a hand blender or a food processor. Once blended add the yogurt and blend again until smooth. Season to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with a handful of grated cheese, a sprinkling of chopped chives, a swirl of extra virgin olive oil and a good crack of black pepper.

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
❄– Suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.

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.

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

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

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.

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V– Vegetarian