Coconut dhal with homemade flatbreads

April 21, 2017July 28, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 2 Comments

Have you ever microwaved a Mini Babybel? I bet you haven’t but it’s amazing. Remarkably though, I’m not a fan of a chilled Babybel which could explain my mad teenage invention in the first place. Five to seven seconds is all it takes to turn a seemingly regular mini cheese, into something wonderful and before I know it, I’m savagely ripping open the second net of cheeses like an animal.
It’s not just me that has an appreciation for this method of eating Baybel’s, my best friend Philippa also shares my dirty cheesy secret. She reminded me last weekend.
“Hey, remember microwaved mini Babybel?”
“OH MY GOD YES! Microwaved BabyBel!… Have you got any?”
“No. Forgot to buy some”
“What the hell?! Don’t tempt if you haven’t got any!” I rage, downing my fifth prosecco and heading for the fridge to stare at the empty cheese tray.
“Soz” she says, rather unapologetically. She taps her phone and puts on Sir Mixalot’s ‘Baby Got Back’. We swiftly forget all about Babybel’s and start vigorously thrusting and dancing around the kitchen.
Anyway, we can’t live off microwaved Baybels can we… Can we? No, no we can’t, we need to eat sensible dinners like this rather delightful dhal recipe. Although with all this talk of Babybel’s, I wouldn’t’ be surprised if I found you all submerging mini cheeses into your dhal. The heart wants what it wants, just remember to peel the wax off first.

Coconut dhal with homemade flatbreads
Serves 4 / Hands on time 50 mins / Total time 50 mins / V Vn Df ❄
1 tsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, finely chopped
½ tsp sea salt flakes
3 large garlic cloves or 4 small, crushed
Knob of ginger, grated
4 cardamon pods
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp turmeric
Pinch of chilli flakes
1 litre of vegetable stock, I use 1 Knorr stock pot
300g red lentils
Can of coconut milk
Topping
200g bag of spinach
2 corn on the cobs
Flatbreads
170g wholemeal flour + extra for dusting
½ tsp salt
½ tsp mustard seeds
Handful chopped coriander
125ml water
1 tbs sunflower oil

Dahl
1. Start the dahl by peeling and chopping your onions nice and small. Heat the oil in a large pot with a lid over a medium heat. Add the onions along with the salt and cook with the lid until soft (around 8-10 mins). If the onions start to catch, add a dash of water to prevent them from burning, this will help them steam.
2. Meanwhile in a pestle and mortar, bash the cardamon pods until the seeds spill out. Discard the shells and grind the seeds until you have a powder. Put to one side.
3. Once the onions are soft, add the crushed garlic, grated ginger and all the spices. Give it a good stir and cook for a few minutes to allow the spices to release their fragrance and flavour.
4. Add the vegetable stock, coconut milk and the lentils before giving it a good stir. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 25-30 mins, stirring regularly to prevent the lentils sticking to the bottom of your pot.

Homemade flatbreads
Measure 170g of wholemeal flour in a mixing bowl. Add the salt, mustard seeds and a handful of freshly chopped coriander and give it a good stir with a wooden spoon. Once incorporated, add the water and the oil. Stir again until you have a smooth dough, (it will be a little wet). Put to one side and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Once rested, dust a surface down with a bit of flour and divide your dough into four balls. Roll each individual ball into a thin disk – remembering to flour your surface between each flatbread. Heat a dry, non-stick pan on a medium to high heat and add one flatbread at a time and cook for a minute on each side until they have a bit of colour. Transfer to a plate and keep them warm in an oven at a low temperature (50°C).

Topping
1. Place your corn in a large saucepan and cover with boiling water. Simmer for 5 minutes, remove carefully and transfer to a clean tea towel to cool. Meanwhile wilt the spinach in a separate saucepan a couple of handfuls at a time in a bit of coconut oil, adding a little salt and pepper as you go. Do this on a low to medium heat. Once wilted, take off the heat and cover with a lid to keep warm. Put to one side and discard any excess water from the spinach.
2. By now your corn should be cool enough to handle so carefully impale the corn on the end of a fork and hold over an open flame on the hob, turning carefully (this will give your corn a lovely charred look and taste). Once charred, stand your corn upright, on a chopping board and slice carefully down the sides with a sharp knife removing the kernels. Serve the dhal topped with the charred corn and wilted spinach, along with warm flatbreads and rice.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian Vn– Vegan Df– Dairy free ❄– The dhal is suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.

Smoky sweet potato & bean wraps

April 13, 2017March 6, 2023 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

I have to admit, I’ve never really given the bean wrap a chance. Always the last, sad looking wrap on the shelf in Boots, I always felt a bit sorry for it but never sorry enough, to actually buy it and eat it. So what’s changed? Someone else bought me one and I ate it out of politeness and to my astonishment, I rather enjoyed it! I mean it was no falafel wrap but I remember thinking ‘I can work with you my beany little friend, in fact, I shall call you Claire Beany, after the great Claire Sweeney’. Hey, remember Brookside?
Anyway, I ate Claire Beany (it’s what she would have wanted) and now, thanks to her, I have created the ultimate bean wrap in all it’s smoky glory. Just to clarify, Claire Beany was never a real person, she was a Mexican bean wrap from M&S. Claire Sweeney however is a person, not a wrap… Enjoy!

Smoky sweet potato & bean wraps
Serves 4 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 45 mins / V Vn* ❄
Filling
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium sweet potato
½ medium onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbs tomato puree
Pinch of chilli flakes
1 can of kidney beans or mixed beans, washed and drained
1 corn on the cob or 1 small can of sweetcorn, drained
To serve
4 large vegan wraps
2 handfuls fresh spinach or cos lettuce
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
4 tbs Greek or plain yogurt
40g cheddar cheese
Chilli sauce (optional)
Baking paper or foil to wrap

*Make it vegan: Leave out the cheddar altogether and serve with vegan coconut yogurt.

Tip: Make the bean mixture the night before and refrigerate over night along with the baked sweet potato. Make the wraps up in the morning and take to work. This recipe easily makes 4 lunch wraps.

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Score the sweet potato carefully with a knife and stab it through the middle a couple of times. Bake in the oven on the middle shelf for 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make your bean filling. In a large pot, sweat the chopped onion in the oil for about 5 minutes on a medium heat (add a dash of water to help them steam). Once softened, add the garlic and the smoked paprika and cook for a further minute. Add the tomato puree and the chilli flakes and give it a good stir.
3. Cook for a few minutes before adding the beans. Stir and cook for a further 5 minutes before seasoning well with salt and pepper. If using a fresh corn on the cob, remove the kernels by standing on it’s head and running a sharp knife, carefully down the sides slowly (they tend to go everywhere, so proceed with care). Add the corn to the beans and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes.
4. Take the beans off the heat, cover with a lid and put to one side. Slice the cheese and the avocado ready to fill your wraps.
5. Once your sweet potato is soft, carefully remove from the oven and cut into quarters to cool it down a bit. Lay your wraps out and spread one half with a tablespoon of warm sweet potato and the other half with yogurt. Top evenly with a couple of spoonfuls of the bean mixture and a smattering of chilli sauce if using. Layer with sliced avocado, cheese, fresh spinach before seasoning with salt and pepper.
6. Move onto a large piece of baking paper or foil and fold the top and bottom of the wrap in on itself and carefully roll it up in the baking paper – this makes it easier to eat. Peel down the sides of the paper and eat like a burrito.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian Vn– Forgo the cheddar and yogurt ❄– The bean mixture is suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.

Spring linguine with lemon & ricotta

April 4, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 4 Comments

Spring Green Linguine with Lemon & Ricotta

‘The Sainsbury’s stone’, that’s what they call it and I fear it’s already started to creep on my face (why does fat always go to my face first? Everyone else gets arse and I get face?! What an unjust world.) Anyway, one week at Sainsbury’s Magazine and I’ve already chomped my way through a slice of cake a day, literally. And we’re not talking Mr Kipling, we’re talking maple syrup layered sponges, blueberry and lemon drizzle cup cakes, Victoria sandwiches topped with edible crystallised flowers. You get the idea, some seriously good cakes (unlike Mr Kipling’s which were not seriously good at all). I’m telling you, cakes just keep appearing and somehow making their way from the test kitchen into my mouth. It’s very curious.
So a stone, a whole stone, is what I’m set to put on if I continue to eat in this way, something must be done. But how can I have my cake and eat it, literally. There’s only one thing for it, I have to cut calories elsewhere so bring on my skinny linguine. Packed with spring greens and ricotta, this creamy dinner manages to taste indulgent without the calories. Yes I know, I really should have cook book. Speaking of cook books, how does Fearne Cotton have one and I don’t? The world really is a messed up place.

Spring linguine with lemon & ricotta
Serves 2 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 25 mins / V
1 tsp rapeseed oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ red chilli, de-seeded
1 lemon, juice and zest
4 handfuls spring greens
160g vegetarian ricotta*
140g linguine
Pomora extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Put a kettle on to boil with enough water to cook your pasta. Place the linguine in a suitably sized saucepan and add a good sprinkle of salt. Whilst the kettle’s boiling, zest and squeeze the juice of a lemon in a bowl. Crush the garlic and chop and de-seed the chilli.
2. In a large frying pan on a medium heat, add the crushed garlic to the oil. Cook for a minute stirring continually to prevent burning. Add the chilli, chopped greens, lemon juice and zest and season well with salt and pepper. Give it a good stir and add a dash of water to help wilt the greens.
3. Pour the boiling water from the kettle over your pasta and cook according to the packet instructions.
4. Once the greens have softened, add the ricotta cheese and stir through, take off the heat. Drain the pasta and add to the frying pan stirring well to incorporate the greens. Serve immediately, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a good crack of black pepper.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian
*Ricotta is traditionally made with animal rennet but you can get vegetarian varieties. UK supermarket home brands tend to be, click here.

Kale & cheese omelette

March 20, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

I’m currently sitting in my pjs watching Homes Under The Hammer and eating Omelette’s #livingthedream and yes, you heard, that was omelette’s plural. I made such a good omelette this morning, that I decided to make another one. What? It’s my week off before I start my new and exciting life over at Sainsbury’s Magazine so I thought, yeah, if I want two omelettes, I should have two omelettes… Feel a bit sick now though but that’s due to the packet of Veggie Percy Pigs I ate for dessert.
Jamie usually makes the omelette’s in our house, but as he’s at work (selfish) I had to make my own omelette which was very daunting. I’m not good at making omelette’s, they usually turn into burnt scrambled eggs. But I’ve been observing Jamie over the past year and have discovered his secret. Instead of incorporating the cheese into the egg mixture, he sprinkles it on top of the omelette like a pizza. Then he folds it carefully over once and continues to cook it until the cheese melts in the centre (drool). Don’t think I’ve said the word omelette enough in this post, omelette, omelette, omelette…….. OMELETTE!

Kale & cheese omelette
Serves 1 / Hands on time 10 mins / Total time 10 mins / V Gf
1 tsp of olive oil
2 eggs
1 garlic clove, crushed
Small handful of kale
Sprinkling of finely sliced red onion
¼ deseeded red chilli, finely chopped
30g vegetarian cheddar cheese, grated

Method
1. Crack two eggs into a jug and give them a quick beat with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped onion, chilli, garlic and kale and give it another quick beat to combine. Grate the cheese and put to one side.
2. Drizzle the oil in a non-stick frying pan and put on a medium to high heat. Once hot, pour your omelette mix into the middle of the pan and spread out evenly with a spatular. Top with a layer of grated cheese and wait a couple of minutes for the omelette to set. Once set, it should start to come away from the edges of the pan.
3. Using a spatular, carefully fold the omelette in half and continue to cook until the cheese has melted in the middle. After a minute, flip the omelette over and cook for another minute on the other side. Once you can see the cheese has melted in the middle, serve immediately.

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

Dark chocolate chip cookies

March 13, 2017January 30, 2021 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

I used to make these cookies all the time, in fact, I’ve been making them so long, I don’t even remember how this recipe came to be. So why does my first batch look like something that came out of my housemates dog?
My faultless recipe is clearly faulty – either that, or my nine-year-old self is a better cook than I am. If she were here right now I’d slap her. What? She’s not real! Anyway, admittedly it’s been a while since I’ve made these (ten years) but surely it’s like riding a bike?
I look down at the burnt little puddles stuck to my baking tray, ‘how can they be burnt AND raw?’ I ponder. Without thinking I plunge my finger into a partially oozy one, it’s as hot as molten lava. I drop the tray and it lands face down on the floor.
Round two. I up the heat, reduce the cooking time, swap plain flour for self-raising and use an electric whisk. Having no idea if any of these decisions are the right ones and having eaten most of the chocolate, this was my last chance. However, this time I would be more cautious and bake a smaller batch of 6 six instead of eighteen.
Burnt?! Again!… But at least the butter didn’t separated this time so they looked a little less ‘pooey’. Feeling encouraged by my progress, I line up another six and pop them in the oven, reducing the cooking time by 5 minutes. SUCCESS! Chewy, golden, melt in the mouth little roundels of heaven. I knew I could do it. Now all I have to do is not eat another one, I’m on a diet… I hate my life.

My original cookie recipe

Dark chocolate chip cookies
Makes 16-18 cookies / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 30 mins / V ❄
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g caster sugar
2 heaped tbs condensed milk
50g Green and Black’s Organic 70% Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped
½ tsp vanilla extract
150g self-raising flour
Sea salt flakes for sprinkling

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Using an electric whisk in a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the condensed milk and the vanilla extract and continue to whisk until incorporated.
2. On a chopping board using a large knife, roughly chop the chocolate. Add to the mixture along with the flour. Using a wooden spoon, mix together by hand until you have a well incorporated cookie dough.
3. Line two baking trays with baking paper and put to one side. Using your hands, scoop up a ball of the dough roughly the size of a walnut. Roll it in-between your hands until you have a ball and place on one of the lined baking trays. These may look small but they will spread A LOT during baking, so allow plenty of space around each cookie and bake in batches. No more than 6-8 per tray depending on the size of your tray.
4. Sprinkle each cookie with a small amount of sea salt flakes and bake for 8-10 mins. When the cookies are cooked, they should look golden at the edges but light and slightly raised in the centre. (They will still look quite raw in the centre but this is what makes them nice and chewy. Once out of the oven they will flatten).
5. Cool for 5 mins on the trays before carefully transferring to a cooling rack. Any remaining cookie dough can be rolled into balls and baked on the same lined trays or frozen. To freeze, simply roll the cookie dough into a sausage and wrap well in baking paper or clingfilm and freeze. Defrost fully before use and consume within 3 months.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V – Vegetarian
❄ – The cookie dough is suitable for home freezing. Roll into a sausage shape and wrap in a few layers of clingfilm. Consume within 3 months.

Wholemeal crepês with lemon & sugar

February 28, 2017February 19, 2021 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

I can’t believe I went all the way to Paris and didn’t eat a lemon and sugar crêpe – they’re my absolute favourite. But then again, it wasn’t pancake day and I was busy eating my weight in cheese (#noregrets). Also, did you know that in French McDonald’s, you can order your burger with emmental cheese? The French are so cool, I wish I was French.
Sadly I’m not though, but this recipe is and makes around six crêpes (so four for you and two for your loved one). What? If you’re the person making the pancakes, you automatically get ‘bakers rights’… Yes that’s a thing… Maybe.

Wholemeal crêpes with lemon & sugar
Makes 6 / Hands on time 10 mins / Total time 20 mins + resting time / V
30g unsalted butter (+ extra for frying)
150g wholemeal flour
1 medium egg
325ml semi-skimmed milk
Pinch of salt
Lemon wedges to serve
Golden caster sugar to serve

TIP: If you’re making a batch, preheat an oven to 60°C and heat a large plate in it. Once your first pancake is cooked, carefully transfer it onto the warm plate in the oven and cover loosely with a large piece of foil. Continue to add the pancakes on top of one and other, remembering to replace the foil on top to protect them. Serve as suggested above.

Method
1. Start by melting your butter in a small saucepan on a low heat. Once melted, take off the heat and put to one side to cool slightly.
2. In a large mixing bowl, measure out your wholemeal flour and add a pinch of salt. In a measuring jug, measure out your milk and add 1 egg. Give it a good whisk until combined.
3. Make a well in the middle of the flour and start adding the milk mixture bit by bit, whisking continuously (this is easier than it sounds). Start to incorporate more and more flour from the outside until you have a smooth batter. Whisk in the warm melted butter and then pour the batter back into the jug. Rest in the fridge for 20-30 mins.
4. Add a knob of butter to a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Once hot, pour a ladle of the mixture into the middle of the pan and manoeuvre the pan to spread it out to the edges evenly. The pancake should start to bubble and go a golden brown colour. Using a spatula, run around the edge of the pancake until it becomes completely loose and ready to flip. Be brave!
5. Flip the pancake over and cook on the other side for another couple of minutes. Turn out onto a plate and serve hot with a sprinkle of granulated sugar and good squeeze of lemon. If making more than one pancake, be sure to butter your pan before each pancake to prevent from sticking.

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.

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.

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

Jamie’s feta & cherry tomato rigatoni

October 31, 2016November 1, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

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.

V– Vegetarian