Cheese and tomato, ploughman’s, egg mayonnaise, cheese salad… That’s kind of it for most vegetarian sandwich selections, well at least it was when I was growing up. These days things have a got a bit snazzier, with the addition of falafel and three bean wraps but it’s still all a bit uninspiring. I’m used to gazing gloomily at row upon row of delicious looking meaty sandwiches, only to find a sad-looking ploughman’s, a floppy falafel wrap or worse, a houmous and raw carrot sandwich on the bottom shelf. NO! Carrot doesn’t belong in a sandwich, end of. I know it’s best friends with houmous but I don’t care, spiralized raw carrot has no place in a sandwich, get out!
So, taking inspiration from the New York deli sandwich (minus the pastrami and salt beef) I came up with the ultimate veggie sarnie you wont find discarded in an M&S fridge. So piss off raw carrot, it’s time for a salty, cheesy, veggie sensation.
New York sub Serves 1 / Hands on time 5 mins / Total time 10 mins / V
6 inch sub roll
Mayonaise
Dijon mustard
Wholegrain mustard
Handful of black olives
3-5 sliced jalapeños
Handful of rocket
3 slices tomato
2 slices red onion
A few pickles in vinegar, drained and sliced
Vegetarian mature cheddar, sliced
Small handful of red cabbage, thinly sliced
Method 1. I think making a sandwich is pretty self explanatory but I like to cram my sandwiches with filling so layering is very important. Be generous with the mayonnaise on the bottom layer and spread the dijon mustard and wholegrain mustard on the top.
2. Layer the bottom of the sub with the slices of tomato, season with salt and pepper and add the sliced red onion and red cabbage. Top with thick slices of cheese and start layering up the pickles, jalapeños and olives.
3. Finally stuff the sandwich in the middle with rocket, season with salt and pepper and devour.
New York Veggie Sub
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.
“Aren’t you going to look at the menu?”
“No way, I know what I’m having, I always have the Yasai Ramen… I don’t like change” I say pushing the unopened menu away from me.
“But it wouldn’t kill you to try something new” said Jamie burying his face deeper into the Wagamama menu. “How about the Yasai Itame”
With a big sigh I reluctantly pick up my menu again and scan the noodle soup section. “Where’s that then?”
“It’s under ‘curry'”
“No thank you” I say and abruptly close my menu again and push it towards him. “You know I always order noodle soup so stop trying to make me try new things, I hate new things!”
“Yes but it IS a noodle soup, just a curry one”…
“Is it?” I say perplexed and reach for my menu for a third time. “It has to have tofu in it though, does it have tofu in it? I bet it doesn’t” I say shaking my head doubtfully as I squint to read the fuzzy tiny words. Why do I never wear my fucking glasses? I literally have the eyesight of a dead mole rat.
“Yes it does have tofu in it” Jamie smirks.
“Oh… But does it have those horrible fat noodles in it? You know, the ones that look and taste like actual worms.”
“Udon noodles?”
“Yes Udon noodles, disgusting, I hate those.”
“No it doesn’t have those in it.”
“Oh” I say again, realising I’m losing this battle so I might as well give in. So I order the Yasai Itame against my better judgement and start thinking of ways to guilt trip Jamie on the way home, after I inevitably hate it. But I don’t of course, it’s bloody marvellous, damn it!
“Oh do shut up” I say to Jamie through a mouthful of delicious noodles.
“I didn’t say anything!” He protests.
“You don’t have to, I can hear your smugness.”
“Would you have it again?” Jamie asked grinning.
“Yes… In fact, I’m only ever going to order this from now on.”
Jamie rolls his eyes.
… The problem is dear reader, I really REALLY liked this dish but obviously can’t afford to eat at Wagamama every night. So I had a go at making my own version, which to my surprise actually worked (for once). Not only is it quick, it’s cheap and buys you enough ingredients to make four portions. The recipe below serves two but I found I had enough ingredients left over to make it again, I only had to buy an extra can of coconut milk, everything else I had far too much of. For example, spring onions tend to come in bunches of 6, pak choy in packs of 2, chestnut mushrooms 12-13 per packet and so on and so fourth. So why not double up and have some scrumptious leftovers for lunch? Unless you can think of anything else you can make with left over beansprouts other than stir fry? Exactly.
Yasai itame Serves 2 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 30 mins /V VnDf 🌶 100g rice noodles 1 tsp sesame oil
½ red onion sliced
3 spring onions, chopped 3 tbs Thai green curry paste*, I use Blue Dragon 2 tbs soy sauce 1 inch of bashed chopped lemon grass, finely chopped Knob of ginger, finely grated
1 can coconut milk
150g of firm tofu cut into cubes, I use Tofoo 1 bulb pak choi, roughly chopped ½ red pepper, sliced Handful sugar snap peas, chopped
6 chestnut mushrooms, sliced Handful bean sprouts 1 lime, cut into wedges to serve
Fresh coriander leaves to garnish (optional)
Method 1.Cook the rice noodles as per the packet instructions. Once cooked, immediately strain and rinse well with cold water to cool the noodles completely. Leave to drain. 2. Slice the red onion and roughly chop the spring onions before adding to heavy bottomed pan or wok with the oil. Cook on a medium heat for about 10 mins, adding a dash of water if needed to help them steam and prevent burning. 3. Stir in the Thai green curry paste and cook for a further minute before adding the finely grated ginger, lemongrass, coconut milk and soy sauce. Give it a good stir, add the tofu and bring to the boil. 4. Meanwhile start chopping the red pepper, sugar snap peas, pak choy and mushrooms. 5. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer before adding the chopped vegetables and the beansprouts – stir carefully to avoid breaking up the tofu. Simmer for 5 mins until the vegetables are nice and soft but still have a bit of crunch. 6. Evenly distribute the noodles into two deep bowls and spoon the curry over the top. Serve topped with fresh coriander leaves and lime wedges.
Thai Green Curry Noodle Soup
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. 🌶– Spicy
* Some Thai green curry pastes contain crustaceans and fish. Always check the label.
`’Oh and I think your blog is soooo great, all your food looks soooo delicious and you’re just soooo funny…”
Oh stop it I blush. I’m really not that funny. I smile goofily at my computer screen and wave my hand at it as if to say, ‘get outta here’.
I read on…
‘The majority of people food blogging aren’t very interesting, so it’s nice to stumble across someone who doesn’t make me skip straight to the recipe. I especially like the blogs you do with your son…”
What did she say? Son? What son?… I haven’t got a son! The only person that features on my blog other than me is… NOOOOOOO!
SHE THINKS MY BOYFRIEND JAMIE IS MY SON?!
Am I that old and shrivelled that she’s mistaken me for my boyfriend’s mother? Well this is a new low. Perhaps I should sit down? NO! That’s what old people do. Maybe he just looks freakishly young? I’m only 32 for god sake! Perhaps I should ask for a giant vat of ‘Olay Regenerist’ for Christmas, just in case. I wonder if it’s still made with babies umbilical cords or was that just a 90’s rumour? Not sure I fancy putting umbilical cord cream on my face but as I’m ageing at an alarming rate, needs must. Oh well, at least she thought I was funny.
Anyway, speaking of mum’s, this recipe is inspired by a dish my very own mother, Lizzie, used to make. Her recipe is long lost of course – she manages to lose all of her beloved recipes, so had a go at making it from memory. It’s essentially made up of my two favourite things in life, bread and cheese. So go grab your big pants, it’s time to get your carb on.
Savoury bread & butter pudding
Serves 4-6 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 50 mins / V 2 red onions, roughly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly sliced
400g white sourdough loaf (or any bread you happen to have. I like sourdough as it’s a little more robust and tends to keep its form).
75g medium vegetarian cheddar cheese, grated
75g cheese of your choice grated or crumbled (I used a combination of Emmental and cheddar but you can use any cheese you like)
Handful fresh thyme sprigs
5 eggs
500ml semi-skimmed milk
TIP:I often half the recipe and make a smaller version for 2 in a smaller dish. It’s a great way of using up any unwanted slices of stale bread you have lying around. Also, you don’t have to use sourdough, regular sliced bread works too – although bear in mind you may need more of it. If halving the recipe, use 3 eggs.
Method 1. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
2. Butter a 2 litre oven dish and begin slicing the bread. Once sliced, pick up the slices as a loaf and put straight into the oven dish. Pull the slices apart to fill the dish creating a zig zag effect (see image below). If you’re using odd bits of bread, just arrange them as best as you can – doesn’t have to be perfect. Roughly slice the onions and the garlic clove.
3. Grate or crumbled all the cheeses, saving a handful of hard cheese for the topping (a hard grated cheese is better for sprinkling). Put to one side.
4. Evenly distribute the sliced onions and garlic through the layers of bread before packing with the cheeses. Insert a few thyme sprigs throughout and put to one side.
5. In a separate bowl or jug, whisk the eggs and milk together until combined before pouring slowly over the pudding, making sure you manage to soak all the bread. Season well with salt and pepper before topping with the remaining handful of grated cheese. Bake in the oven on the middle shelf, for 25-30 mins.
6. Remove from the oven, discard the charred thyme sprigs and serve with a simple green salad.
Savoury Bread & Butter Pudding
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.
This is one of my favourite recipes and it’s not even mine damn it! It’s easy, full of flavour and has a sneaky little courgette in there. Grated, the courgette does an excellent job of soaking up flavour and bulking out the dish without stealing the limelight from the tomato. Although I’m not a huge fan of the courgette really, I think of them as the slimy wet brother of the cucumber, nothing worse than an over cooked courgette, oh wait there is and it’s called Halloween.
Maybe I’d like Halloween a bit more if I actually got invited to some fun Halloween parties but saying that we all know Halloween parties, especially fancy dress ones, are full of wankers. Also, what would I even go as? These days you have to be all ‘cool’ and go as Kim Kardashian’s naked selfie or Eleven from Stranger Things. Can’t I just go as a slutty cat like I used to when I was 16? To be fair that may have been the only Halloween party I ever went to… I’m sensing I need to get out more.
Jamie’s feta & cherry tomato rigatoni Serves 2 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 25 mins / V 1 tsp olive oil
20 cherry tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
2 medium or 1 large courgette grated
3 tbs tomato purée
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Pinch chilli flakes
Small handful of basil, chopped
150g vegetarian feta cheese
150g rigatoni Pomoro extra virgin olive oil to serve (optional)
Method
1. Half the cherry tomatoes and put in a large saucepan with the olive oil and 1 tsp of oregano. Cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes until softened.
2. Add the tomato purée, chilli, garlic, grated courgette and season with salt and pepper. Cook on a medium to low heat with the lid on for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in a large pot of salted boiling water (follow packet instructions).
4. Drain the pasta and pour straight into the sauce. Stir well before adding the chopped basil and the crumbled feta cheese. Stir again until combined and the cheese starts to melt. Serve topped with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a good crack of 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.
Not sure why I decided to make something I can’t even pronounce this week ‘mel-it-zano-salata’… Can’t I just call it baba ganoush? Err not really because it isn’t baba ganoush. Baba ganoush is made with tahini and is more houmous like in texture you big idiot. Oh… Well can I call it aubergine dip then?… Err yeah okay.
So I bought a big old aubergine last week and had no idea what to do with it, not being a fan of baked aubergine or moussaka I was a bit stuck for ideas so decided to ignore it. I couldn’t though because it was too big and taking up all the room in my fridge so what did I decide to do? Buy two more aubergines of course and make melonitozansolsalastaaahhh (still can’t say it) aubergine dip. I recently bought some freshly made melitzantosasalata (Oh I give up) from a Greek Deli in Kentish town and liked it so much I ended up eating it with a spoon like a yogurt. So I thought I’d try my hand at making it myself which I’ve never done before. But I can’t just make aubergine dip can I? Surely I need to make something to go with it? How about tzatziki? Yes I love tzatziki!… But that’s just more dip, you can’t have dip to go with your dip. Hmm, what about chickpeas? Yes houmous! No not houmous, that would make three dips! Oh I see… What about hot lemon chickpeas? Now you’re talking!
Melitzanosalata Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 1 hr + cooling time / V Vn GfDf 4 medium aubergines 2 crushed garlic cloves 2 tbs Pomoro extra virgin olive oil 2 tbs lemon juice Salt and pepper Small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped Olive oil for brushing
Flat breads to serve (optional)
Method 1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Cut the aubergines lengthways, brush each side with olive oil and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper face down. 2. Roast for 25 minutes before turning and roasting for a further 25 minutes. Once cooked leave to Cool for 10 minutes. Scrape out the flesh of each aubergine using a fork and a spoon and pop the flesh in a bowl.
3. Add the crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Seasonwell with sat and pepper and blitz briefly with a hand blender. Mix in the chopped parsley and refrigerate for 30 mins to cool. 4. Serve topped with a sprinkle of chopped parsley, a drizzle extra virgin olive oil and a crack of salt and pepper.
Tzatziki Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 45 mins /VGf ½ grated cucumber 250g of Greek yogurt 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tsp of lemon juice 1 tbs Pomoro extra virgin olive oil Small handful of freshly chopped mint Salt and pepper A few black olive to garnish (optional)
Method 1. Grate half a cucumber and put it in a colander with a sprinkle of salt. Give it a mix and leave to drain for 30 mins. 2. Meanwhile crush the garlic cloves and mix with the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Finely chop the mint leaves and discard the stalks.
3. Once the cucumber has drained, give it and extra squeeze with your hand to get rid of as much moisture as possible. In a separate bowl combine the cucumber with the yogurt, the garlic mixture and the fresh mint. Mix and season to taste.
4. Serve topped with an olive and good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Warm lemon chickpeas Serves 4 / Hands on time 30 mins / V VnGfDf 1 tsp olive oil
2 cans of chickpeas
1 celery stick, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and cubed
3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 white onion, finely chopped Juice of 3 lemons Zest of 1 lemon Salt and pepper 3 Tbs Pomoro extra virgin olive oil Small handful finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Cook the onion, celery and carrot on a medium to low heat in the olive oil. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to help the vegetables steam and add the garlic and the 2 cans of drained chickpeas. Season well with salt and pepper and continue to cook for about 10 minutes with the lid on a jar to aid steaming.
2. Meanwhile, zest one of your lemons and then juice it into a bowl along with the other two lemons. Finely chop your handful of parsley and put to one side.
3. Once the chickpeas are soft, take off the heat and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the freshly chopped parsley. Season to taste 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.
This week I decided to sort my life out and by ‘sort my life out’ I mean throwing away all the old tat I’ve collected over the years because my flat is starting to resemble an episode of Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners. I must suppress my inner hoarder and throw away that old camera lead. But what if I need it?! You don’t though because you lost the camera that lead went with four years ago. Oh yeah… But what about this colourful set of glitters? They’ve never even been used, they could be good for a fancy dress party? When have I ever been to fancy dress party, they’re going to charity… Wait! You can’t throw away those shoes! I love those shoes, I bought them in Morocco. Yes I can, they’re disgusting, they smell of dead camels and you haven’t worn them for seven years, they’re going in the bin. Wow, I’m actually being quite ruthless I thought to myself as I glanced over at mini hoarder Corrie in the corner. She was busy having a full blown tantrum and tearfully clutching onto an old baseball cap, a manky pair of Ugg boots and my old school copy of ‘Lord Of The Flies.’ Oh for god sake, this is going to take a while.
And it did, around three weeks in fact but I can now proudly say hoarder Corrie is gone and has been replaced with organised ‘sorted’ Corrie who is here to stay. At least for a bit anyway. To celebrate I’m finally going to let myself make something I’ve been wanting to make for ages, squash fondues! Yes people, it’s Autumn so get those loose fitting tracksuit bottoms back in circulation because it’s time for a dinner of hot melted cheese.
Mini squash fondues Serves 2 / Hands on time 30 mins / Takes 1 hour / V 2 mini squashes (roughly 550g each) I used onion squash 75g vegetarian emmental 75g vegetarian mild cheddar or Gruyere* 50g vegetarian Italian hard cheese or Parmesan* 2 garlic cloves, crushed Handful of finely chopped fresh parsley 4 tbs vegetarian white wine 2 tsp Pomoro extra virgin olive oil Serve with crusty stale bread and salad leaves.
Method 1. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Finely grate the cheeses and mix them altogether in a large bowl. Put to one side. 2. Using a sharp knife carefully cut the tops of the squashes off to create the lids and put to one side. Carefully hollow out the squash by cutting a hole in the top and then scooping out the seeds with a spoon.
3. Once you’ve hollowed out the squashcheck to see if each squash stands up on its own. If they’re uneven and tilt, carefully level off the bottom of your squash with a knife (take care not to cut too deep, you don’t want to create a hole. If you do though don’t panic, pop the bottom back on a make a little foil coat for your squash to sit in to prevent it from leaking). 4. Crush a garlic clove into each squash followed by a small sprinkle of parsley and 1 tablespoon of white wine into each. Season well with salt and pepper.
5. Fill each squash with half the cheese and then add another tablespoon of wine to each squash. Season again and stuff the squashes with the rest of the cheese. Top with the remaining parsley, season with salt and pepper and pop the individual squash lids on.
6. Put both squashes on a baking tray and bake them for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the lids and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately with a simple green salad and stale bread to scoop the delicious melted cheese out bread to scoop out bread. Happy scooping.
Mini Squash Fondues
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V– Vegetarian
*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.
*Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiani) is always made using animal rennet, therefore it is not vegetarian. Substitute for Italian hard cheese if applicable.
“Listen Zara, I don’t care what you say, I am not a bloody large” I panted angrily as I struggled to pull what can only be described as a worm coloured dress over my head. I don’t even like the colour ‘worm’ only Kim Kardashian can pull off ‘worm’ everyone knows that. Anyway, in an attempt to dodge the humongous queue I opted to try the dress on over my clothes on the shop floor, big mistake. So here I was, in the middle of Zara’s heaving Covent Garden store trapped inside the offending worm dress.
‘This can’t possibly be a large” I spat as my face turned an alarming shade of puce. I ducked down behind a rail of jackets and gave it another tug but just couldn’t get the damn thing over my boobs.
“Excuse me, can I get to the mirror?” I wildly spun around on my knees and looked up at Gigi Hadid. Okay so it wasn’t actually Gigi Hadid but it might as well have been, the skinny blonde thing had already pushed pass me and was now holding a top up to her delicate little chest admiring herself. At least she doesn’t have any boobs I thought to myself and grinned but then realised it was my ample bosoms that had got me into this mess in the first place. I gave the dress one final big pull and whipped it off over my head.
“YEEEESS!” I roared (a little too loudly) in the mirror at Gigi Hadid but Gigi had gone, in her place was a scary old Italian lady who stared back at me with disgust. Whatever.
I hung the now disheveled dress on a hanger and glanced at the capital ‘L’ on the label, since when was being a size 12 a large? Fuck you Zara and fuck your ugly worm dress I thought as I swept out of the shop.
When I got home I was still rather cross so decided to take my frustration out on a cake. Angrily beating eggs and creaming butter together can be very therapeutic after an upsetting shopping trip.
I decided to make Bara Brith, a kind of Welsh fruit loaf infused with tea. Traditionally you soak the dried fruit in the tea over night but I’m too greedy and too impatient for this so I created a quick version. Six hours and three Bara Brith’s later (one burnt, one sunk, one too dry) I finally got the recipe right. Serve with lashings of butter and a cup of tea, mwynhau!
Bara brith Makes one loaf / Hands on time 25 mins / Takes 1 hour 30 mins + cooling / V❄ You’ll need: 21cm x 12cm loaf tin 125g sultanas 300ml boiling water 2 black tea bags 2 tbs orange juice or milk 1 tbs honey 2 medium eggs 140g soft brown sugar 125g unsalted butter 1 tsp mixed spice ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ ground ginger 260g self raising flour ¼ tsp salt
Method
1. Preheat an oven to 170°C/150°C fan/300°F/gas mark 4 and grease a loaf tin with butter. In a large saucepan, add the sultanas, tea bags and 300ml of boiling water. Give it a stir to allow the tea to infuse and bring to the boil. Reduce and simmer for 2-3 minutes. 2. Meanwhile measure out the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and add 2 tbs of the tea liquid. Drain the sultanas, discard the rest of the liquid and the tea bags and add to the butter and sugar. Stir well until the butter has melted. Add the orange juice and the honey and mix well. 3. In a separate small bowl, beat the eggs with a fork before adding to the mixture. Stir until combined before putting to one side. 4. In a medium sized bowl, measure out the dry ingredients and mix together. Add to the wet mixture a bit at a time and stir until fully incorporated. Once combined, pour into the greased loaf tin.
5. Bake for 30 mins before carefully (and quickly), covering the cake LOOSELY with a large sheet of tin foil in the oven, by draping over the cake and securing it by crunching the sides (do this quickly to avoid the temperature dropping in the oven and to prevent the cake from colouring too much) – you want it to stay a nice golden colour. Bake for a further 25 mins before removing the foil and baking for an additional 10 mins uncovered. This gives the cake a lovely chewy crust.
6. Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is cooked. If not, return to the oven uncovered for 5 mins before checking and repeating if necessary.
7. Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins before turning out onto a cooling rack. Cool fully before slicing and serving spread with salty butter.
8. Store in tin or airtight container lined with kitchen paper for up to 5 days.
TIP: If the cake seems a little dry, wrap in clingfilm whilst still warm (not hot).
Bara Brith
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 cooled. Wrap in a few layers of clingfilm and freeze for up to 3 months.
They suddenly looked up, their glossy black eyes bore into ours as we reluctantly walked towards them. ‘We’ll be alright’ I thought ‘after all, they’re just a bunch of stupid’… But then they bolted, like a shoal of fish they ran as one to the corner of the field before swiftly turning to face us blocking our exit. Oh shit. Several began to stomp their hooves, others edged closer but the rest simply stood staring, waiting for us to make our next move.
Fuck this! We turned and started to briskly walk towards the nearest stile but they were hot on our tail, I started to run but so did they. AGHHHHHHH! I clambered over the stile followed by a breathless Jamie and my petrified mother whose pacemaker was in over drive. We pulled her over just as they reached the fence, their eyes wild and blood thirsty.
As you know, I don’t eat cows but after this encounter I might consider it. ‘They won’t hurt you’ the locals said, ‘they’re just curious’ curious my arse, they tried to eat my mum!
Anyway, apart from that we had a marvellous walking holiday so apologies for the late post. To celebrate my return to civilisation and a reletively cow free Camden, I thought I’d treat myself to a roasted vegetable salad with goats cheese. Didn’t fancy cow cheese, too soon.
Winter root vegetable salad Serves 2 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 1 hr /V Gf
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds and sticks
1 medium beetroot, peeled and chopped into rounds (I used golden beetroot)
1 medium cooking apple
1 large sweet potato
4-5 sprigs of thyme
60g lambs lettuce
100g vegetarian soft goats cheese
1 tbs rapeseed oil Dressing
2 tsp Pomora extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
Method 1. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7. Peel the vegetables apart from the apples. Chop the sweet potato into wedges and the carrots into a combination of rounds and sticks. Slice the beetroot relatively finely and core the apple and cut into eighths (don’t cut them too small or the apple with disintegrate).
2. Tip the veg onto a large oiled baking tray and add the sprigs of thyme. Season well with salt and pepper, add the rapeseed oil and give it a shake and turn until the veg is nicely coated.
3. Roast in an oven for 40-45 minutes, shaking the vegetables halfway through roasting.
4. Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the extra virgin olive oil, cider vinegar and salt and pepper. Put to one side.
5. Once roasted, remove the vegetables from the oven and pick out the thyme sprigs. Serve warm on a bed of lambs lettuce topped with soft goats cheese and a good drizzle of dressing.
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.
Okay summer, you can bugger off now, I’m ready for warming soups, hot cups of Horlix and oodles of apple crumble with silky custard. The tights are firmly back on.
I haven’t actually made a crumble since I was at school, I normally buy one from Sainsbury’s and eat the whole thing for dinner with my mum whilst watching Embarrassing Fat Bodies. What? Is that bad?
Anyway, enough about what my mum and I like to do in our private time, lets move on to crumble. I made this beaut with apples from my friend’s mum’s garden (thanks Annie), it went down an absolute treat with Jamie’s mates. His friend Glen even said it was one of the nicest crumbles he’d ever had, so I suggest you listen to Jamie’s friend Glen and try it for yourself. It’s Autumn now people, we can stop sucking in and let it all hang out. Ready? On three. One… Two… Three… Aaahhhhhhhhhhhh… That’s better, so grab a spoon and join me and my mummy on the sofa with a bowl of hot, sticky, fruity goodness. Bliss.
Apple and blackberry crumble
Serves 6 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 1 hr 15 / V ❄ Filling
1 tsp lemon juice
100g Demerara sugar
900g cooking apples peeled, cored and chopped
150g blackberries
¼ tsp cinnamon Topping 180g flour
50g oats
½ tsp cinnamon
30g hazelnuts, bashed or roughly chopped
50g demerara sugar
150g cold cubed butter
Pinch of sea salt flakes
Custard to serve (optional)
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6. Peel, core and chop the apples into rough chunks. Pop them in a casserole dish (I use my lasagna one that’s around 8×6″). Sprinkle with cinnamon and give it a bit of a toss.
2. Evenly distribute the blackberries on top and cover with a layer of sugar. Give it another mix being careful so as not to squash the blackberries and put to one side.
3. If using whole hazelnuts, pour into a plastic bag and give them a bash with a rolling pin to break them up (be sure not to break them up too finely, you still want a bit of texture).
4. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, oats, crushed hazelnuts and a good pinch of salt. Mix together and add the cold cubed butter. Using your hands, rub the butter into the mix until you have breadcrumbs.
5. Sprinkle the crumb evenly on top of the fruit before baking in an oven for 35-40 minutes (or until the top is golden brown and you can see the fruit bubbling up the sides). Serve with custard.
Apple & Blackberry Crumble
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V– Vegetarian ❄– Suitable for home freezing before baking. Wrap the dish well in a few layers of clingfilm. Top cook from frozen, add 5 minutes to cooking time. Consume within 3 months.
Yes ladies, it’s officially Autumn so you know what that means? We can finally stop shaving our legs, painting our toenails and start eating cheese again, hallelujah! To mark this momentous occasion I thought I’d celebrate by eating my weight in cheese and olive oil, my two favourite things. The cheese we’ll get to later but first lets discuss olive oil, because I can’t get enough of the stuff. I drizzle it on everything, pasta, salads, soups and even my face occasionally. So it’s not really that surprising that I found myself at an olive oil tasting last week. How exciting, six little shooters of golden yellow elixir all lined up and ready to pour in my mouth, lovely jubbly. But before the swirling, smelling and drinking could begin I was stunned to learn that the majority of all Italian extra virgin olive oil on the market is actually fake!
“Err what?”
Yes! So if you’re anything like me and tend to go for the cheaper but well-known brands from your local supermarket, chances are you’ve either been drinking:
A. Low quality olive oil falsely marked as extra virgin.
B. Olive oil that not only isn’t Italian but has been blended with oils from other origins.
C. Worst of all, your olive oil may not even be olive oil but flavoured and coloured vegetable oil.
Well that will teach me for choosing cost over quality although in all seriousness, this has got me pretty miffed. I put a lot of trust in the brands I buy so to find out that I could have been drinking flavoured vegetable oil all these years makes me very cross. Just goes to show that there are some things in life worth forking out for and olive oil is one of them. So from now on, I’m only going to use Pomora Olive Oil in all of my recipes. Pomora Olive Oil is made by either the loving hand of Antonio in Campania or Carmelo in Sicily. From £29 per quarter you could adopt one of Antonio’s or Carmelo’s olive trees and have authentic Italian extra virgin olive oil delivered straight to your door. To find out more click here.
Now lets get on with our olive oil tasting. When you taste olive oil you’re looking for three key dimensions, flavour, bitterness and pungency. Pungency may sound like a funny one but it’s essentially the pepperyness of the oil. A good olive oil will score relatively highly on all three dimensions whereas a poor quality olive oil will have little fragrance and taste. Once you know what a good olive oil tastes like you can start looking for worthy things to drizzle it over, like a hot melty camembert for example. So dig out the elasticated trousers and sink into a hot cheesy melt fest, It’s Autumn now people, bikini season is officially over. Cue big sigh of relief.
Whole baked Camembert Serves 2 / Hands on time 5 mins / Total time 20 mins / VGf 250g vegetarian Camembert
1 garlic clove, whole
5 sprigs of thyme
1 tbs Pomora extra virgin olive oil To serve
Crusty bread
Celery sticks
Red onion chutney
Seedless grapes
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7. Remove the Camembert from the wooden box and place the lid inside the bottom to help prevent leakage during baking (if your Camembert didn’t come in a box, simply place it on a suitably sized oven-proof dish).
2. Spear the top of the cheese carefully with a knife in 5 places, creating 5 deep slits. Insert a sprig of thyme into each slit.
3. Peel the garlic clove and insert it into the cut closest to the middle.
4. Drizzle the top of the cheese with extra virgin olive oil and place on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has started to bubbled and has melted all the way through (insert a knife in the centre to check ion you’re unsure).
5. Carefully fish out the garlic clove and discard along with the thyme sprigs. Serve with crusty bread, celery, onion chutney and grapes.
Whole Baked Camembert
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.
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