Asparagus, pea & mint breakfast frittatas

July 4, 2016November 18, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Oh dear, it just occurred to me that I’m going on holiday in two weeks and I’m a bit soft around the edges (in other words, I look like a big fat pig). So in a desperate bid to firm up my wobbly bits, I downloaded a 10K running app on my phone. It’s been going well so far but I have noticed more baked goods making their way to my mouth more than usual. Running very slowly for 20 minutes without being sick surely deserves a croissant right?… Right guys?
Okay well it has to stop because it’s clearly not working and I’m going to be in a bikini (shudder) in less than a month, so goodbye buttery baked goods, I love you. Insert crying face here. Speaking of crying faces, here’s a disturbing video of a fully grown man crying like a baby, you’ll love it, it’s horrible (click here).
So, to kick my terrible pastry addiction I’m swapping croissants for mini frittata muffin. You can put whatever vegetables you want in them so they’re very easy to put together. I opted for asparagus, mint, peas and a few other bits I found in my fridge but like I said, you can use any old veg you have lying around. Just remember to make the mixture 50% egg to 50% veg and you won’t go wrong.

Asparagus pea & mint breakfast frittatas
Makes 6 large / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 45 minutes / V Gf
You’ll need: Large muffin tin
Spray rapeseed oil
2 handfuls frozen peas
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, cut into 6 slices
125g asparagus, woody ends removed
Handful fresh mint, chopped
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
40g vegetarian Italian hard cheese or Parmesan*, grated
8 medium eggs

TIP: If you don’t own a muffin tin don’t fret, you can use a cupcake tin and make mini frittatas, just bear in mind they may not take as long to cook.

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°fan/400°F/gas mark 6 and spray a large six case muffin tin with oil (I know I used muffin cases in my pictures but I wish I hadn’t, the paper got stuck to the frittatas).
2. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and add a generous pinch of salt and pepper.. Add the finely chopped spring onions, 2 handfuls of frozen peas, fresh mint, fresh parsley and most of the cheese (save a little to sprinkle on top of your frittatas later).
3. Remove the woody ends of the asparagus and discard before picking 6 of the finest looking spears. Trim these to roughly 2 inches and pop one in each of your muffin holes. Roughly chop the rest of the asparagus and add it to the egg mixture.
4. Slice the tomatoes until you have 6 pretty slices and put to one side. Spoon your mixture into your muffin tin evenly and top with a tomato slice, a sprinkle of cheese and a last season of salt and pepper. Bake in an oven for 25 minutes or until springy to the touch and the egg is cooked through.
5. Allow to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before carefully removing by scoring around the edges with a knife and lifting them out. Serve immediately warm or cool fully on a cooling rack. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge and keep for up to 3-4 days. Microwave them on high for 30 seconds if you’re having them for breakfast or enjoy them cold like a mini quiche.

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

Baked Mediterranean feta

June 22, 2016January 26, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

How did I end up on the last train home stuffing a cheese and onion pasty in my mouth? Oh… I appear to have missed my mouth altogether, found most of it my cleavage. Classy… Anyhoo, it was my 32nd birthday so if there was ever a time to get drunk and eat pasties this was it. But what has any of this got to do with baked feta I hear you ask? Absolutely nothing, just wanted to tell you it was my birthday. Let’s move on.
So baked feta, I’ve never made or eaten this before but apparently it’s a ‘thing’ in Greece and I have Greece on the brain. I’m just about to finish ‘My Map Of You‘ a book written by my very own housemate Isabelle Broom. I mean, I knew people wrote books, they must do but I’ve never met anyone who’s actually written one I can buy in a shop. I tried writing a book once, it was about a boy who worked in a revolting old pet shop. Pretty sure it would have been a best seller, if only I had written more than four pages. Oh well, que sera, sera’.
Anyway back to Isabelle, who successfully managed to transport me to Greece and back in a mere few pages (what a lovely cheap holiday for those of us that can’t afford to go away.) Move over Jojo Moyes, there’s a new romance novelist in town. Bravo Isabelle, I loved your book and I can’t wait to read all the other books you have locked away in your noggin. Oh and can I borrow a fiver please?
Right sorry, I keep getting sidetracked. This baked feta recipe is easy and insanely delicious. It’s a bit like eating a deconstructed pizza, you bake the topping and then scoop it up with the pitta. Do it, do it, do it!

Baked Mediterranean feta
Serves 2 / hands on time 10 mins / total time 30 mins / V Gf
You will need: Foil and a baking tray
200g vegetarian feta
1 red pepper, de-seeded and sliced
½ red onion, sliced
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp dried oregano
2 handful black olives, halved
1 regular tomato, roughly chopped
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Pita bread to serve (optional)

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6
2. Slice the peppers along with the onions and chop the cherry tomatoes and olives in half. Roughly chop the regular tomato and season everything well with salt and pepper.
3. Smooth out 2 large pieces of foil and lay a bed of sliced peppers in the middle of each. Slice the feta in half and pop each slice on top of the peppers. Arrange the regular chopped tomato around the sides of each and top the feta with the onions and cherry tomatoes (it doesn’t mater if a few fall off, just leave them at the side).
4. Scatter over the olives and sprinkle with dried oregano. Season with salt and pepper before fold up the sides of each parcel and scrunching the top until sealed. Place both on a baking tray.
5. Bake in the oven for 20 mins. Once cooked, carefully remove from the oven and open the parcels up just enough to drain away any excess liquid before sliding onto plates. Serve with warm pita (optional) and a good drizzle of 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. Gf – Gluten free – if you forgo the pita bread.

Me with my talented author housemate Isabelle. BUY HER BOOK!

Avocado Caesar salad

May 23, 2016June 2, 2021 ~ Corrie ~ 2 Comments

I was so hungover this morning that all I could think about was the lovely bottle of S.Pellegrino in my laptop bag, the laptop bag I’d just left in KINGS CROSS STATION’S BLOODY TOILETS!!! Horror. I dropped my overpriced Upper Crust cheese and tomato baguette on the floor and ran back to get it. After scrabbling for another 30p, I barged through the turnstiles and practically rugby tackle the rather heavy set toilet attendant holding my bag.
“… And this is definitely your bag?”
“Of course it’s my bloody bag, how the hell would I know what cubical it was in, if I hadn’t been the one who put it there?!… Oh for god sake LET GO YOU MAD WOMAN, I’M GOING TO MISS MY TRAIN!”…
At this she abruptly let go, causing me to stumble and swear rather loudly in front of a small child. I brushed myself off, apologised to the toilet attendant, the child, the child’s mother and a few other onlookers, before scuttling off towards platform two feeling sweaty and sick.
Right, so after all that hoohah, lets talk caesar salad. I love the stuff, on the days I can’t be arsed to cook, I often buy a bag of the Be Good To Yourself Caesar salad from Sainsbury’s but I do resent paying £2.50 for what is essentially, a bag of lettuce. So I thought I’d make my own but with the addition of a few boiled eggs and an avocado to make it a bit more of a meal. I tried to be all ‘posho’ and use quails eggs for this recipe but they don’t sell them in Sainsbury’s so that’ll teach me for trying to be fancy. Fiddly little buggers to peel in any case.
Anyhow where was I? Oh yeah, so this is such an easy recipe, made easier if you buy shop bought croutons. I made my own on this occasion but wouldn’t be surprised if I bought shop bought ones next time – depends how tired I am. Making your own caesar dressing on the other hand is easy and well worth doing. You’ll never look back I promise. Enjoy!

Avocado Caesar salad
Serves 2 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 30 mins / V
4 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
2 bulbs lettuce, I used a mix of sweet gem and red mini cos
Dressing
2 tsp capers, drained and chopped
Juice of ½ a lemon
75g Greek yogurt
2 tsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp Dijon or wholegrain mustard
½ tsp runny honey
½ tsp garlic oil or 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Croutons
1 tsp garlic oil or 1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 slices of bread (sourdough works well but any will do)
To serve
20g Italian hard cheese or Parmesan* shavings to serve (optional)
½ lemon zested and sprinkled to serve (optional)

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6.
2. In a small saucepan of boiling water, simmer the eggs for 8-10 mins. Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of ice water and transfer the boiled eggs into it. Put to one side.
3. Cut the bread into squares and place in a large bowl with the extra virgin olive oil and a crushed garlic clove or garlic oil. Give it a good mix and season with salt and pepper. Turn out onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 5-7 mins or until toasted.
4. Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients together in a bowl and slice the avocado. Peel the eggs and cut into quarters.
5. Assemble the salad by cutting the bottoms off two cos lettuces and discard. Arrange the leaves in a large bowl with the avocado and pour over the dressing. 6. Mix well, making sure the leaves are fully coated. Finally, divide into bowls and top with sliced boiled eggs, croutons and serve with parmesan shavings and a sprinkling of lemon zest.

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

V – Vegetarian
*Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiani) is always made using animal rennet, therefore it is not vegetarian. Substitute for Italian hard cheese if applicable.

Sicilian sun-dried tomato & caper pasta

May 16, 2016January 21, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

Okay, so this is pretty embarrassing and very shameful to admit, but I didn’t know Sicily was a country until Jamie told me yesterday. I’d always assumed it was just another Italian city like Rome or Venice. Although I don’t blame myself entirely for this lack of knowledge. For some reason, it was compulsory to study German geography if you studied German at my school. To this day, I still don’t know if we were studying the geography of Germany taught in German or simply geography taught in German. Either way, I couldn’t and still can’t, speak German so it made no difference. Thanks for nothing Edwin Gruber.
Anyway enough about Germany, let’s talk about Sicily. By chance I wondered into a small Sicilian deli on my lunch hour last week called Casanova & Daughters. It was marvellous. A beautiful shop with shelves laden with imported pasta, jars of sun-dried tomatoes, handsome bottles of olive oil and neat rows of dried basil flowers wrapped in brown paper. I didn’t even know basil plants had flowers. Anyhoo, if you ever find yourself in Covent Garden I urge you to pop in, if only to say hello to the nicest man in London.
Feeling a little tired and uninspired of late, I asked the smiley shop owner to recommend a vegetarian Sicilian dish to make this weekend. He practically jumped out from behind the counter and started sweeping the shop for ingredients. He returned with a bag of capers, sun-dried tomatoes, white fennel seeds, capers and almonds in their actual shells! I’ve only ever seen almonds de-shelled so was shocked when the deli owner crushed one on the counter with his palm and revealed the biggest almond I had ever seen. Why were the almonds in Sainsbury’s so small?
Getting increasingly carried away, I bought everything he put in front of me, including some beautiful pecorino cheese and some pasta called Busiate that look like big dried up mealworms. They tasted delicious. Best fifteen pounds I ever spent – although my combat trousers I bought from Tammy Girl in the 90’s come a close second.

Sicilian sun-dried tomato & caper pasta
Serves 4 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 25 mins / V Vn* ❄
You’ll need: Food processor
300g dried pasta
15-20 sun-dried tomatoes (if you can’t find the dry ones, substitute for jarred ones in oil)
1 tbs capers
1 large or 2 regular garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
30 almonds
Pinch fennel seeds
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Italian hard cheese or Pecorino* to serve (optional)

*Make it vegan: Forgo the cheese in the recipe altogether.

Method
1. If using dried sun-dried tomatoes, soak them for 1 minute in a bowl of boiling water. Keep the boiled water but fish out the tomatoes and put straight into a food processor. If using jarred oiled ones, simply give then simply squeeze off some of the excess oil and add to food processor. Add the almonds, capers, fennel seeds, garlic and the extra virgin olive oil – forgo the oil if using the jarred variety in oil.
2. Add 6-8 tablespoons of the tomato water and blitz until you have a thick pesto. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
3. Drain the pasta and return to the pan but take off the heat. Stir in the pesto and serve immediately topped with your choice cheese and a good drizzle of 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 – Make it vegan and leave out the cheese
❄ – The pesto is suitable for home freezing in an airtight container. Consume within 3 months.
*Pecorino must be made with lamb rennet from animals raised in the same production area, and is consequently not suitable for vegetarians.

Summer bento box

May 11, 2016January 21, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 2 Comments

Can I just start by saying that I hate veggie sushi. Bits of raw vegetables wrapped in nori and cold rice tastes exactly how it sounds. Shit. But it’s getting warm outside and I need something that’s as healthy as sushi but a bit more exciting. So what about a bento box?
“But isn’t that a bit hard?” I hear you cry.
“Err dunno… Let’s try”… So I did and it wasn’t all that hard, but you do have to be an organised bunny and as I feel more elephant seal than bunny these days, I had to pull my socks up.
As a Japanese food virgin, I had to go out and buy rice vinegar, mirin, miso, all fo which were quite easy to find apart from ‘gochujang’ (a type of Korean fermented chilli paste) but it’s not an essential ingredient. If you can’t find it, substitute it for Sriracha.
Anyway, after I did my shop, I realised that once I’d bought the key ingredients, the fresh elements cost very little, making my bento my new best friend – sorry Philippa, sorry Rosie.
… Also, this is an excellent excuse to use the bento box my mum bought me for Christmas. I can hardly contain my excitement.

Summer bento box
This recipe made roughly 4 bento boxes for the week

Cucumber and ginger pickle
Makes 1 small bowl / Takes 15 mins / Lasts 5 days in the fridge/ Make the day before/ V Vn Df
½ cucumber
½ conference pear (the more unripe the better)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp light soy sauce
3 tbs rice wine vinegar
½ tsp caster sugar
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
Knob of fresh ginger, grated
Method
1. Slice the cucumber in half lengthways and scrap out the seeds with a spoon. Slice in half lengthways again and cut into chunks. Peel, core and finely chop your pear and pop in a large bowl with the cucumber. Sprinkle with a 1/4 tsp of salt and put to one side.
2. In a small bowl add the rest of the salt, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and chilli flakes and finely grated ginger. Give it a good stir and pour over the cucumber and pears. Put in an air tight container and leave over night or for an hour before serving in the fridge.

Sesame wilted greens
Takes 5 minutes / lasts up to 2 days in the fridge / V Vn Df
200g of spinach, kale or cabbage
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
Pickled ginger (optional)
Small handful of sesame seeds
Method
Pop a 1 tsp of oil in a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the greens and fry for 5 minutes. Add a couple of Tbs of water throughout cooking to help the greens steam. Finish with a tsp of soy sauce and a sprinkle with a handful of sesame seeds.

Tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette)
Takes 20 minutes to / lasts up to 3 days in the fridge / V Df
4 large eggs
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs mirin
1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Vegetable or sunflower oil
Kitchen roll
Chopsticks (these are handy to fold and roll the pancake but not necessary)
Method
1. Beat the eggs in a jug and add the mirin, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Give it another good beating to make sure it’s fully combined.
2. Put a 1 tsp of oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Once hot, carefully absorb up and rub the oil around the pan with a folded piece of kitchen roll. Keep this piece of kitchen roll close to hand.
3. Pour a quarter of the mixture into the pan and spread it around. Once the egg has cooked fold in the edges creating an oblong shape and then carefully roll up the omelette. Brush the free side of the pan with your oiled kitchen roll and then push your omelette over to that side, then oil the other free side. Add another quarter of the mix and lift up your omelette to make sure it goes underneath so the two omelettes can join as one.
4. Once cooked repeat the process of folding in the edges and rolling the omelette up. Repeat this a couple more times until you’ve run out of mix. Turn your omelette out and leave to cool. Refrigerate and slice.

Brown basmati rice
Takes 45 minutes / Vn
½ cup brown basmati rice
1 tbs soy sauce
Method
Put half a cup of rice in a pan with a 1 cup of water. Stir in the soy sauce and bring to the boil. Bring the heat down to a simmer and cover for 20 minutes. Take off the heat and leave covered with a lid for a further 20 minutes. The rice will continue to cook until you’re ready for it. Works every time.

Tofu and Tender stem broccoli
Takes 20 minutes / V Vn Df
100g tender stem broccoli
400g firm tofu
Small onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
2 tsp miso paste
1 tsp chilli paste or gochujang (gochujang is a Korean fermented chilli paste you can find in most Asian supermarkets. If you can’t don’t worry, a couple of drops of Tabasco should do the trick or just add a bit of fresh red chilli).
1 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Method
1. Drain the tofu and cut into cubes. Bring a large pan to the boil and carefully add the tofu. Boil for 3 minutes. (This ironically removes a lot of the tofu’s moisture). Lift out the tofu with a slotted spoon and pop in a colander, keep the water.
2. In the remaining water, boil the broccoli for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.
3. In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, miso, sugar and chili paste and put to one side.
4. Finely chop the onion and fry it in a large frying pan with the sesame oil on a medium heat. Once brown, add the chopped garlic and continue to cook for a further couple of minutes. If it’s getting too hot add a couple tablespoons of water to prevent it from burning.
5. Add the tofu and brown for a further few minutes. Add your paste and carefully coat the tofu for the next few minutes. Add another tsp of soy sauce and stir in. Finely incorporate the steamed broccoli and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Assemble the bento box with a little bit of everything and serve with a little pot of soy sauce and a bowl of miso soup (optional).

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.

Puff vegetable pizza

May 2, 2016January 22, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

“Oh hi there, can I order a medium stuffed crust Vegi Volcano with black olives and three extra garlic and herb dips please?”… In my dreams. I’m far too skint to spend £20 on a Domino’s pizza, so decided to make my own weird pizza out of some left over puff pastry. I call him ‘The Puff Pizza’ so stick that up your pipe and smoke it Dominos, lovely delicious Dominos…
Anyway, feeling frisky, I treated myself to a bit of goats cheese to jazz it up a bit but you can use any cheese you like. In fact, you can top your pizza with whatever you like, it’s all the fun of making your own pizza, without pissing about making your own dough. So spread that tomato puree, lob on those toppings, sprinkle with cheese and even crack an egg on top – it’s your pizza to do with as you please. It will make you feel very powerful, like Michelle Obama.

Puff vegetable pizza
Serves 2 / Hands on time 10-15 mins / Total time 40 mins / V
Left-over Puff pastry (roughly 180g)
100g butternut squash, peeled and cubed (or any other vegetables that need using up)
Small handful of kale
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 tsp tomato purée
125g vegetarian soft goats cheese or cheese of your choice
½ red onion, sliced
Spray rapeseed or olive oil

TIP: I created this recipe to use up left-overs, so feel free to use whatever vegetables or cheese that needs using up.

Method
1. 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6. The shape of your pastry doesn’t really matter, just as long as you can fit it on a baking tray – mine was a really funny shape. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spray with a bit of oil.
2. As I had butternut squash to use up, I steamed it for 10 minutes first – only do this step if you have hardy root vegetables to put on your pizza. If using lighter vegetables there is no need to do this.
3. Score a knife roughly an inch around the edge of the pastry (this gives you an area for the crust to rise). Spread tomato puree in the centre and out to your scored line before assembling your toppings. Fill this area with your chosen vegetables and top with cheese and herbs.
4. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is nicely golden.
5. Serve hot or cold with some simply dressed 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

Thai red curry with tofu

April 25, 2016January 22, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

I tried and rather spectacularly failed last week to make a Thai Green Curry.
“It’s not that bad darling” said Jamie wincing slightly as he took another bite.
“It’s ruined!” I screeched as I dramatically flounced out the room to have a full blown Thai Green tantrum. I mean how difficult could it be? I didn’t even make the paste myself!… Once I’d calmed down, I apologised to Jamie and sulkily ate my vile curry on the metaphorical naughty step. But how had I got it so wrong?
After careful dissection of my own recipe I identified three major errors. The first was using reduced fat coconut milk. The second was adding too much stock. The third was substituting rice wine vinegar for cider vinegar and using two tablespoons of it. Gross!
So Thai green curry – you big fat idiot – I will not be defeated by you. I have revised my recipe and changed you into a Thai red curry and now you taste nice. Thank god, because I’m not sure Jamie could cope with another one of my curry tantrums.

Thai red curry with tofu
Serves 4 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 45 mins / V Vn Df 🌶
1 tsp rapeseed or coconut oil
1 small white onion, diced
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
400g butternut squash, peeled and diced
280g of firm tofu cubed
1 stork lemongrass, bashed
1 tsp brown sugar
1 can of coconut milk
3tbs or 100g Thai red curry paste* – I use Blue Dragon which is vegan
200ml vegetable stock, I use 1 Knorr stock pot
1 tbs light soy sauce
2 handfuls of kale
100g sugar snap peas
1 bulb pak choy, roughly chopped
1 lime
Handful coriander, chopped
2 chopped red chillies to serve (optional)

FYI: Thai red curry paste contains chilli but if you like your curry extra hot, then I suggest you add a chilli or a tsp of chilli flakes.

Method
1. Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over a medium heat and sauté the onions, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes, stirring continually – add a dash of water to prevent the mixture from sticking if needed.
2. Add the butternut squash and cook for a further few minutes before adding the curry paste. Cook for an additional few minutes.
3. Add the coconut milk, vegetable stock, soy sauce, brown sugar and the bashed lemon grass. Bring to the boil and add the tofu. Reduce the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid a jar. Add the kale, sugar snap peas and pak choy and cook a further 5 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and discard the lemon grass. Roll the lime on a hard surface to loosen it and then cut it in half before squeezing over the curry. Give it a good stir and serve with rice and a sprinkling of fresh coriander and chopped red chillies.

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 red curry pastes contain crustaceans and fish. Always check the label.

Raw garlic & chilli spaghetti

April 12, 2016February 13, 2023 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Oh, I appear to have run out of both money and food. Came home last night and all that was left in my fridge was a couple of manky garlic cloves, a red chilli and half a packet of cheese – literally everything else was mouldy. How long had I been gone?
Anyway, without enough money to buy a packet of Frazzles, I decided to make something out of it and the result was rather tasty. I’ve actually had garlic and chilli pasta before, although when Jamie made it, he included fresh spinach and black olives. As you know, I have no spinach and the only black olives I have are bobbing around a jar of what looks like pond scum. I really should clean out my fridge…
Anyway, I thought I’d give it a whirl and what do you know, I managed to make something edible and even blog worthy! Praise the Lord.

Raw garlic & chilli spaghetti
Serves 2 / Hands on time 10 mins / Total time 10 mins / V🌶
200g spaghetti (100g per person)
1 tsp fine table salt (for pasta water)
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sized, deseeded red chilli or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
2 medium sized garlic cloves, crushed or grated
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
Grated vegetarian Italian hard cheese or Parmesan* to serve

TIP: If you have any greens such as kale, spring greens, spinach or even chard, this makes a lovely addition to this recipe. Simply chop up a couple of large handfuls (no need to chop spinach) and add to the pasta 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked. Drain along with the pasta and stir through the garlic and chilli oil. Top with lashings of parmesan. Buon appetito!

Method
1. You will need 2 medium sized pans for this recipe – one for the pasta and one for the oil (the oil pan needs to be big enough to accommodate the cooked pasta later).
2. Put the pasta in boiling salted water – use at least a 1 tsp of fine table salt (don’t waste your posh salt) and cook according to packet instructions.
3. In the second saucepan, heat the oil over a very low heat and add the garlic, fresh chilli (or chilli flakes) and 1/2 tsp of sea salt flakes. Gently heat the garlic and chilli in the oil but be careful to not colour it, you want to only gently infuse the oil. After 5 minutes, or if the garlic starts to brown, take off the heat and put to one side.
4. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and add to the pan containing the garlic and chilli oil. Give it a good toss until the spaghetti is well coated. Divide between bowls and finish topped with a generous serving of grated parmesan 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 🌶– Spicy
*Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiani) is always made using animal rennet, therefore it is not vegetarian. Substitute for Italian hard cheese if applicable.

Noodle soup

April 8, 2016January 24, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

Everyone loves noodles and everyone loves soup. What everyone doesn’t love, are flecks of soup all over your nice new blouse. It’s a messy bugger to eat but we’ll forgive you noodle soup because you’re so tasty and quick to make. In my opinion, this recipe is worth ruining your best blouse for but if you’re precious about your clothes, pop on an old t-shirt and get stuck in. Alternatively, you could try not eating your soup like a messy hippo by daintily leaning your head over the bowl to prevent splash back. It’s up to you but personally, I’m a hippo.

Noodle Soup
Serves 2 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 20 mins / V Df
2 nests fine egg noodles
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
2 handfuls of kale
2 bulbs pak choy, sliced
½ tsp of chilli flakes
Handful of sugar snap peas, roughly chopped
2 vegetable stock pots, I use Knorr
Dressing
1 lime
4 tbs light soy sauce
2 pinches of caster sugar
Knob of fresh ginger, finely grated
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 handfuls fresh coriander, chopped
4 spring onions, chopped

Method
1. In 2 medium sized saucepans, place an individual nest of noodles into each. Finely chop the carrot, sugar snap peas and cut the pak choy into strips. Evenly distribute between both pans and add a handful of kale and a stock pot into each pan. Put to one side.
2. In 2 separate ramekins, make the dressing by adding 2 tbs of soy sauce to each along a pinch of sugar, half the fresh ginger, half the crushed garlic and the juice of half a lime. Give each a little stir until combined.
3. Chop the spring onions along with the coriander and put to one side.
4. Boil a kettle and pour the boiling water over the noodles in the saucepan until covered before bringing to the boil. Give each saucepan a stir to encourage the stock pot to infuse and simmer for a few minutes until the noodles are cooked and the vegetables are tender.
5. Carefully tip each soup into a large bowl, pour over the dressing and top with fresh coriander and spring onions.

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. Df – Dairy free

Halloumi & tapenade open sandwich

April 1, 2016January 29, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

My friend Anne-Marie asked me recently “What’s a cheap and delicious vegetarian sandwich filling? I need one for a private event.”
I replied “Err, halloumi, tapenade, dill and cucumber with sweet red pepper?”
I’ve never actually made this sandwich before but it sounded so delicious I thought I’d give it a go. Just wish I’d made it in a kitchen that wasn’t infested with mice, yes my friends, Vince is back.
For those of you who don’t know Vince, he was a small mouse that terrorised me for several months last year. But it can’t be Vince. I’m pretty sure Vince is deceased, so who’s this guy? Must be his bigger, fatter brother, let’s call him ‘the mouse formally known as Vince… So Prince?
Prince shot out of the fruit bowl and hurled himself off the worktop after I disturbed a bag of bagels. I’d had a few wines so overreacted slightly by picking up a frying pan, flailing it around and squealing like a mad tapir. Put me right off my halloumi. Not enough to stop me eating it though obviously, would take more than a bit of mouse piss to put me off my halloumi sandwich.

Halloumi and tapenade open sandwich
Makes 1 / Hands on time 5-10 mins / Total time 10 mins / V
You’ll need: Small frying non-stick frying pan
1 slice of thick bread
2 tsp olive tapenade, spread on one slice
4-6 slices of fried halloumi
1 roasted jarred red pepper
Cucumber slices
Red onion, finely sliced
Dill, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil to serve

Method
1. Fry the halloumi slices dry in a non-stick frying pan until golden on all sides. Spread the bread with olive tapenade and assemble your sandwich with your chosen toppings. Serve drizzled with 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