Butternut Squash and Peanut Butter Soup

This spicy Malaysian inspired soup should help to keep those winter chills at bay. The classic combination of chilli, ginger and lime with peanut butter makes for a tasty treat and usually will mean none goes to waste!

You will need,

1 Butternut squash (peeled and diced)
1 onion (chopped)
Fresh garlic (3 cloves, peeled and chopped)
Fresh ginger (4cm cube, peeled and chopped)
1 fresh chilli (de-seeded and chopped)
A few curry leaves
Fresh coriander (chopped)
1 stock cube (veggie or chicken)
Salt/pepper to taste
2/3 teaspoons unsweetened peanut butter

To serve, fresh coriander and lime if desired.

In a large saucepan on a low setting, heat a tablespoon of oil and add the chopped onion. Continue to cook for approximately 5 minutes. Now add the garlic, ginger, chilli, curry leaves and the cubed butternut squash. Mix together and add enough boiling water to cover the vegetables. Add the stock cube and chopped coriander and simmer for approximately 20 minutes until the squash is tender. Now mash with a potato masher or use a hand blender to give a smooth consistency. Return to the heat and stir in the peanut butter and season to taste. Before serving garnish with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime.
Yoghurt also works very well swirled through.

Veggie Lasagne

Lasagne, comforting and delicious! What could be better to come home to than tasty, robust Italian flavours baked to perfection. This is an easy, nutritious vegetarian version that can make use of just about any veggies left in the fridge at the end of the week.
To serve 2 generously I used,

160g lasagne sheets (7/8 sheets)
1 red pepper (sliced)
160g frozen spinach (defrosted)

400g tomato sauce (either ready made or see below)

•  tin of tomatoes
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2/3 cloves of garlic (crushed and chopped)
• Dried basil
• Salt/pepper to taste
• Teaspoon of brown sugar

400g cheese sauce, see below

• 200g ricotta cheese
• 150ml milk
• Nob of butter
• Approximately 10g of plain flour
• Black pepper and nutmeg to taste

Tomato Sauce

Start my softening the chopped onion in some oil in a pan on a low heat, add the chopped garlic and cook for a few minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes and seasoning and sugar and cook through on a low heat.

Cheese Sauce

Now in another pan again on a very low heat melt the butter, when fluid sprinkle enough flour to absorb the butter. Keep mixing continuously with a whisk (or a fork will do the job almost as well). When the butter has all been taken up pour the smallest amount of milk in and work into a paste (or a roux) now add a little more milk at a time and keep working it into the sauce. Once the milk is all in, add the ricotta cheese and black pepper and nutmeg (optional) to taste. Mix together and set aside.

Construction

In a lasagne dish, or any oven proof dish, start by adding some tomato sauce, then pasta sheets, then some veggies (red pepper in this case), then more pasta sheets, then spinach. Top off by covering with the cheese sauce and a final twist of black pepper and a grate of nutmeg.

Cook

Cover with foil and cook on 180 degrees C for approximately 30 minutes. After this time check the pasta is cooked and if so remove the foil and finish for 10 minutes to brown the top.

Serve

With a green salad, garlic bread or very good just as it is!

Apple Polenta Slice

This is an excellent sweet cake slice in its own right but if you happen to be wheat sensitive or coeliac then this is a brilliant treat for you. Its a little bit more expensive than my other recipe ideas mainly due to the ground almonds but well worth the extra expense.

100g polenta (free flowing, not the ready made block kind)
100g castor sugar
2 baking apples (stewed and puréed with as little water as possible)
50g ground almonds
75g butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder (gluten free if required)
A few flaked almonds for decoration


Its important to have everything at room temperature before you begin in order to gain the maximum lift and for a good texture. Its a good idea to also have the apple cooled to room temperature too, this will prevent the eggs from starting to cook before the cake goes in the oven.
Mix together in a bowl the polenta, ground almonds, sugar and baking powder. Then add the softened butter and the eggs. Mix well until all ingredients are combined, now add the apple purée and mix again.
Prepare a baking tin, victoria sandwich or square tin approximately 20cm/8" square by greasing well and lining the base with greaseproof paper/baking parchment.
Pour the cake batter into the tin  and scatter the flaked almonds across the surface. Place in the centre of a preheated oven (180 degrees C) for approximately 30 minutes.
When browned and springy when gently pressed, its done. Leave to cool in the tin for 10/15 minutes then turn onto a wire rack. When cooled thoroughly cut into rectangular slices.

Delicious with a cup of tea and feet up!