Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click the link and then go on to purchase, I will receive a percentage of the cost. See my privacy policy and disclosure statement for further details.

👩🏻‍🍳 Why make this recipe

This warming sweet potato and chickpea curry is a great option for a delicious vegetarian dinner with plenty of healthy veg and aromatic spicy flavours. The sweet potatoes really bring this dish to life by melting their wonderfully sweet caramelised juices into the spicy coconut sauce and creating a gorgeous consistency. A warm and inviting curry with husky flavours of cumin and garam masala and a pungent taste of ginger all infused with the sweetness of the potatoes. It really is the ultimate healthy, comfort food.

🥘 Ingredients

This recipe makes enough sweet potato curry to serve 4 people:

Ingredient notes

Measurements: For the amounts required, see the recipe card below and also use the toggle button to see the recipe in cups.

Sweet potatoes: If preferred you can use normal potatoes, and make potato and spinach curry.

Coconut milk: Use full fat coconut as reduced fat will make the curry watery.

Chickpeas: Optional or can be replaced with other pulses such as beans, split peas or lentils.

Yogurt (not pictured): Yogurt is an optional topping, but its creamy and cooling nature works really well with the heat from the spices. Choose plain yogurt.

🔪 Step by step instructions

1. Heat up the oil in a large frying pan, add the cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds or until golden brown (be careful not to burn them). As soon as the seeds start to change colour add in the chopped onion, garlic and ginger and cook on a gentle heat until soft.
2. Stir in the curry powder, garam masala and cinnamon and cook for a further minute to allow the flavours to be released.
3. Next add the cubed sweet potato, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and coconut milk. Stir together well then bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Place a lid on the pan and continue to simmer for around 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft (blade of a knife pushes in easily).
5. Meanwhile drain and rinse the can of chickpeas and wash the spinach leaves. Once the potatoes are cooked through, add the chickpeas and spinach to the curry. Stir in and continue to cook on the heat until the spinach has wilted. 
6. Season with salt, pepper and lime juice then serve with rice and naan. Add toppings if desired: yogurt, fresh coriander, chilli flakes, onion seeds and lime wedges.

💭 Expert tips

• Frying cumin seeds: Add a couple of cumin seeds to test the heat of the oil. If the seeds bubble then the oil is hot enough. Add the rest of the seeds but only cook briefly, until just golden brown, before adding the onions. Be aware that cumin seeds are quick to burn, which will create a bitter taste throughout the dish.
• Chickpeas: To avoid any chickpeas skins floating around in the curry, place the chickpeas in a sieve then agitate under a running tap to loosen any skins. Pick these out and discard.
• Make it your own: Use split peas, lentils or beans, or completely swap the chickpeas for one of these. Try with different types of lentils (green, yellow) or add other vegetables such as roasted squash, roast cauliflower, courgette or aubergine. And for an extra protein boost try with shredded chicken or poached fish.

❓ Frequently asked questions

🍛 Other Curry recipes

• Thai Green Prawn Curry
• Red Lentil Dahl
• Fish Biryani
• Thai Red Curry Recipe
• Chicken Tikka Masala Curry
• Thai Panang Curry
• Thai Green Curry Recipe

If you've tried this recipe, let me know what you think by leaving a star rating in the recipe card or comment section below. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram or Sign up to my email list!

📖 Recipe

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Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

Warm and comforting sweet potato and chickpea curry made with a lightly spiced coconut sauce. This wholesome and nutritious vegetarian curry is made in one big pan and can be ready in just one hour.

Course Dinner, evening meal, fake away, main meal

Cuisine Indian

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 238kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Equipment

• Large pan or wok

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 onion roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 2 cm piece fresh ginger peeled and grated
• 2 tablespoons medium curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into small chunks
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1 tin coconut milk full fat
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• 1 small tin chickpeas
• Lime juice to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Extras to serve

• Rice
• Plain yogurt
• Chilli flakes
• Onion seeds
• Fresh coriander
• Naan bread

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Heat up the oil in a large frying pan, add the cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds or until golden brown (be careful not to burn them). As soon as the seeds start to change colour add in the chopped onion, garlic and ginger and cook on a gentle heat until soft.
  1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 onion, 1 clove garlic, 2 cm piece fresh ginger
• Stir in the curry powder, garam masala and cinnamon and cook for a further minute to allow the flavours to be released.
  2 tablespoons medium curry powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• Next add the cubed sweet potato, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and coconut milk. Stir together well then bring to a gentle simmer.
  2 large sweet potatoes, 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, 2 tablespoons tomato puree, 1 tin coconut milk
• Place a lid on the pan and continue to simmer for around 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft (blade of a knife pushes in easily).
• Meanwhile drain and rinse the can of chickpeas and wash the spinach leaves. Once the potatoes are cooked through, add the chickpeas and spinach to the curry. Stir in and continue to cook on the heat until the spinach has wilted.
  1 small tin chickpeas, 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• Season with salt, pepper and lime juice then serve with rice and naan. Add toppings if desired: yogurt, fresh coriander, chilli flakes, onion seeds and lime wedges.
  Lime juice to taste, Rice, Plain yogurt, Chilli flakes, Onion seeds, Fresh coriander, Naan bread

Notes

Note: Above nutritional info is for 1 portion of curry with toppings but without any sides such as rice or naan bread.

Sweet potatoes: If preferred you can use normal potatoes, and make potato and spinach curry.

Coconut milk: Use full fat coconut as reduced fat will make the curry watery.

Chickpeas: Optional or can be replaced with other pulses such as beans, split peas or lentils. To avoid any chickpeas skins floating around in the curry, place the chickpeas in a sieve then agitate under a running tap to loosen any skins. Pick these out and discard.

Yogurt: Yogurt is an optional topping, but its creamy and cooling nature works really well with the heat from the spices. Choose plain yogurt.

Frying cumin seeds: Add a couple of cumin seeds to test the heat of the oil. If the seeds bubble then the oil is hot enough. Add the rest of the seeds but only cook briefly, until just golden brown, before adding the onions. Be aware that cumin seeds are quick to burn, which will create a bitter taste throughout the dish.

Make it your own: Use split peas, lentils or beans, or completely swap the chickpeas for one of these. Try with different types of lentils (green, yellow) or add other vegetables such as roasted squash, roast cauliflower, courgette or aubergine. And for an extra protein boost try with shredded chicken or poached fish.

Is sweet potato and chickpea curry healthy?
This curry is packed full of nutrients including protein, fibre, iron and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Chickpeas are low in fat and high in protein and along with the sweet potatoes will do a great. Job of filling you up due to both containing plenty of fibre. Spinach is also a great option for boosting your iron and folate levels.

How to make this curry extra spicy?
If you like your curry hot then there are a couple of extras you can add to turn up the heat. Try adding fresh green or red chopped chillies during cooking. The increase the heat further use smaller chillies and leave in the seeds. You could also add chilli flakes whiles cooking or add chilli sauce or Tabasco as toppings.

How to store?
What to do with any leftovers? Once fully cooled you can transfer any leftover curry to a sealable container. Seal and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight (if frozen) then transfer to a pan and heat until piping hot throughout.

Nutrition

Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 282mg | Potassium: 988mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 25711IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 4mg

This post was first published in Sept 2016. Updated in Mar 2022 with an improved recipe, new images, step by step instructions and expert tips.

 

The post Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click the link and then go on to purchase, I will receive a percentage of the cost. See my privacy policy and disclosure statement for further details.

👩🏻‍🍳 Why make this recipe

This easy porcini mushroom risotto recipe is one of my most favourite ways to enjoy mushrooms. Even better with a bit of truffle grated on top! Here the dried mushrooms are left to soak in boiling water and the liquid from this is used to make the risotto. Resulting in that wonderfully earthy mushroom flavour being encapsulated in every plump grain of rice. Delicious!

🥘 Ingredients

This recipe makes enough dried porcini mushroom risotto to serve 2 people (or 4 starter-sized portions):

Ingredient notes

Measurements: For the amounts required, see the recipe card below and also use the toggle button to see the recipe in cups.

Mushrooms: Dried porcini mushrooms are used here. However, you can replace with your preferred type of mushroom (fresh or dried).

Risotto rice: Risotto has short grains and high starch content. Look for as Arborio rice, Carnaroli rice or simply; risotto rice.

Butter: Use butter! Melted butter is used to 'awaken' the rice by coating and softening the uncooked grains so allowing liquids to be easily soaked in. 

Wine: I love the flavour of white wine in risotto and so I add it to all my risotto recipes. But if required it can be replaced with a little apple juice or just left out completely.

Dill: A perfect paring to the earthy mushrooms, but also optional. If preferred leave out or replace with parsley.

Stock: Use good quality stock, both vegetable or a meat based stock will work well.

Parmesan: Any hard Italian cheese will work well.

🔪 Step by step instructions

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in 500ml of hot water for at least 30 minutes until soft. After 30 minutes remove the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and roughly chop. Then strain the liquid through a paper towel lined sieve into a clean bowl. 
2. Melt the butter in a large pan on a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and fry until soft.
3. Add the rice and mix in well allowing the melted butter to coat each grain of rice.
4. Next add the wine and simmer until the wine has nearly all reduced or been absorbed by the rice.
5. Then add two ladles of mushroom liquid, stirring attentively between each ladleful. Only add the second ladle when the first one has been fully absorbed.
6. At this point switch to the veg stock to ensure the mushroom flavour isn't too overpowering. Add ladlefuls of the veg stock one at a time, again only adding the next ladleful when the previous has absorbed. It will probably take around 15-20 minutes to gradually add the whole lot. By this point the rice should have softened and plumped.
7. Stir in the soaked mushrooms, soured cream, parmesan and lemon juice.
8. Serve the porcini mushroom risotto with fresh dill.

💭 Expert tips

• Soaking mushrooms: use a large bowl to soak the dried mushrooms and stir occasionally. The space and stirring will ensure all the mushrooms are fully soaked and plumped up.
• Mushroom grit: Dried mushrooms can be gritty. To avoid a gritty risotto the mushrooms can be rinsed after they have been soaked. The soaking liquid will also contain grit, so before adding to the risotto this should be strained through a paper towel lined sieve. After straining leave it to settle allowing any leftover grit to sink to the bottom. Do not disturb the bottom when adding the liquid to the risotto.
• Stock: This recipe uses 2 types of stock. The first is mushroom stock, made by soaking the mushrooms. The second is vegetable stock. The mushroom stock will be very strong as dried mushrooms have a very intense flavour, which can be overpowering. Therefore, I suggest only using 2 ladles of mushroom stock then switch to using vegetable stock. However, feel free to add more mushroom stock for a more intense flavour.
• Patience: Risotto does require a little patience. Take your time a don't rush the gradual addition of the stock, I promise its well worth it.

❓ Frequently asked questions

🍝 Other Italian recipes

• Tuscan Ribollita Soup
• Smoked Haddock Risotto
• Italian Pasta Salad
• Basil Pesto Recipe
• Italian Chicken Cacciatore
• Italian Tigella
• Aubergine Parmigiana

If you've tried this recipe, let me know what you think by leaving a star rating in the recipe card or comment section below. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram or Sign up to my email list!

📖 Recipe

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Porcini Mushroom Risotto

Porcini mushroom risotto with pearly grains of rice and nutty, plump mushrooms, topped with fresh dill and grated parmesan. Dried porcini mushrooms are used for a greater depth of flavour and the whole dish can be ready in just over 30 minutes.

Course Dinner, evening meal, Main Course, starter or main

Cuisine Italian

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 634kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Equipment

• Large bowl
• Sieve and paper towel
• Large wide based pan
• Ladle

Ingredients

• 50 g Dried porcini mushrooms
• 20 g Butter
• 1 Onion finely chopped
• 1 Garlic clove finely chopped
• 170 g Carnaroli rice uncooked
• 150 ml White wine
• 500 ml Vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons Soured cream optional
• 25 g Parmesan grated and extra to serve
• ½ Lemon juiced
• 20 g Fresh dill

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Soak the mushrooms in 500ml of hot water for at least 30 minutes until soft. After 30 minutes remove the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and roughly chop. Then strain the liquid through a paper-towel lined sieve into a clean bowl.
  50 g Dried porcini mushrooms
• Melt the butter in a large pan on a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and fry until soft.
  20 g Butter, 1 Onion, 1 Garlic clove
• Add the rice and mix in well allowing the melted butter to coat each grain of rice.
  170 g Carnaroli rice
• Next add the wine and simmer until the wine has nearly all reduced or been absorbed by the rice.
  150 ml White wine
• Then add two ladles of the mushroom liquid, stirring attentively between each ladleful. Only add the second ladle when the first one has been fully absorbed.
• At this point switch to the veg stock to ensure the mushroom flavour isn't too overpowering. Add ladlefuls of the veg stock one at a time, again only adding the next ladleful when the previous has absorbed. It will probably take around 15-20 minutes to gradually add the whole lot. By this point the rice should have softened and plumped.
  500 ml Vegetable stock
• Stir in the soaked mushrooms, soured cream, parmesan and lemon juice.
  2 tablespoons Soured cream, 25 g Parmesan, ½ Lemon juiced
• Serve with fresh dill.
  20 g Fresh dill

Video

Notes

Mushrooms: Dried porcini mushrooms are used here. However, you can replace with your preferred type of mushroom (fresh or dried). Porcini mushrooms are known for their rich, nutty flavour and meaty texture. Fresh porcini mushrooms are hard to come by as whereas dried porcini are widely available year round. Use a large bowl to soak the dried mushrooms and stir occasionally. The space and stirring will ensure all the mushrooms are fully soaked and plumped up.

Mushroom grit: Dried mushrooms can be gritty. To avoid a gritty risotto the mushrooms can be rinsed after they have been soaked. The soaking liquid will also contain grit, so before adding to the risotto this should be strained through a paper-towel lined sieve. After straining leave it to settle allowing any leftover grit to sink to the bottom. Do not disturb the bottom when adding the liquid to the risotto.

Risotto rice: For risotto rice you are looking for short grains with a high starch content. Look for rice labelled as Arborio, Carnaroli or simply; risotto rice.

Butter: Use butter! Melted butter is used to 'awaken' the rice by coating and softening the uncooked grains so allowing liquids to be easily soaked in. 

Wine: I love the flavour of white wine in risotto and so I add it to all my risotto recipes. But if required it can be replaced with a little apple juice or just left out completely.

Dill: A perfect paring to the earthy mushrooms, but also optional. If preferred leave out or replace with parsley.

Stock: Use good quality stock, both vegetable or a meat based stock will work well. This recipe uses 2 types of stock. The first is mushroom stock, made by soaking the mushrooms. The second is vegetable stock. The mushroom stock will be very strong as dried mushrooms have a very intense flavour, which can be overpowering. Therefore, I suggest only using 2 ladles of the mushroom stock then switch to using vegetable stock. However, feel free to add more mushroom stock for a more intense flavour.

Parmesan: Any hard Italian cheese will work well.

Patience: Risotto does require a little patience. Take your time a don't rush the gradual addition of the stock, I promise its well worth it.

How to store? Risotto is best made fresh. The rice doesn't reheat well and more often than not, reheated risotto will overcook and become sloppy. So do bare this in mind when saving leftovers.

 Transfer any leftovers to sealable containers. Make sure the mushroom risotto has fully cooled before sealing and storing in the fridge for up to 2 days. Cooled risotto will set and become hard. 

Reheat by returning to the pan with a little hot water and stir until heated through and piping hot. (Please note that proper cooling and reheating is essential for rice dishes).

What is the best rice for risotto? Risotto rice has plump, short-medium grains with a high starch content. This gives risotto its well known creamy texture when cooked. Look for Arborio, Carnaroli, Vialone nano or just simply; risotto rice.

 Arborio rice is the most widely available type of risotto rice and produces a lovely thick and soft risotto, but can be susceptible to overcooking (becomes sloppy). 

Carnaroli isn't as easy to find but is known to be the best due to its higher starch content and resistance to overcooking, which pretty much guarantees a thick and creamy risotto every time. 

Vialone nano has smaller, round grains and is considered to be as good as Carnaroli but produces a soupier risotto.

Nutrition

Calories: 634kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 1299mg | Potassium: 727mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1729IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 217mg | Iron: 5mg

This post was first published in Nov 2015. Updated in Feb 2022 with an improved recipe, new images, step by step instructions and expert tips.

The post Porcini Mushroom Risotto appeared first on ProperFoodie.

👩🏻‍🍳 Why make this recipe

Not only is leek and potato soup tasty and comforting but its also a really nutritious recipe and perfect for refuelling on a cold day. Potatoes are a starchy carbohydrate and a great source of calcium, Iron and B vitamins. With the skins on, potatoes also provide a good source of fibre. So to boost the fibre and the texture of this recipe, give your tatties a good wash and leave the skins on!

This warming, full flavoured, healthy potato soup also contains 1 portion of your 5 a day, from the onions, celery and leeks. Plus, each serving of soup comes in at under 300kcal, meaning that theres plenty of room left for a nice chunk of crusty bread on the side. For a soup without potatoes that still contains plenty of nutrients try my rustic, traditional Tuscan ribollita soup. 

🔪 Step by step instructions

1. Place a large pan on a medium heat and melt 30g of butter. Add the chopped onions and celery and gently fry until the onions are soft.
2. Add the chopped leeks and potatoes to the pan and stir in well.
3. Next pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a gentle simmer
4. Place on a lid and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
5. When the potatoes are fully cooked, thoroughly blend the soup until smooth. Do this by either transferring the soup to a blender or use a hand blender directly in the pan. If you would prefer a chunky soup then only blend half and then mix with the unblended half. 
6. Have extra water ready to add if you want to thin the consistency of your soup. I usually thin mine down to the point where it lightly coats the back of a spoon. When you're happy with the consistency, taste the soup and add salt if needed.
7. For extra creamy soup stir in 2 tablespoon of double cream (optional).
8. Serve the soup in bowls and if you like top with extra cream and chopped chives.

🥔 How can I get more potatoes into my diet?

Potatoes are so versatile and they are great served up with most things.  Like roast potatoes or mashed potatoes with your roast chicken or roast beef dinner on a Sunday. Or if you just want an easy side to go with your mid week meals try these garlic, herb foil pack potatoes. Other potato soups that are just as satisfying as leek and potato on a cold day are celeriac and potato soup or creamy clam chowder.  Or for a meal thats a little more substantial why not try my super affordable Frozen Salmon and potato traybake? Or salmon and mackerel fishcakes.

If you want something a little more indulgent then add potatoes to a pie: fish pie, minted lamb pie, cottage pie or shepherds pie. 

🍵 Other soup recipes you might like:

• Tuscan Ribollita Soup
• Cauliflower soup
• Pea and Ham Soup
• Hungarian mushroom soup
• Clam chowder
• Roast Pumpkin Soup
• Mulligatawny chicken and wild rice soup
• Celery, apple and blue cheese soup

If you've tried this recipe, let me know what you think by leaving a star rating in the recipe card or comment section below. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram or Sign up to my email list!

📖 Recipe

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Leek and potato soup

Leek and potato soup or vichyssoise soup is a classic dish that is really easy to make in just 30 minutes. This comforting soup is great for using up leftovers, has an amazing full on flavour and as a bonus its super healthy as its packed full of nutrients. Made with everyday ingredients, its affordable, tasty and a great recipe for batch cooking and stocking up the freezer.

Course main meal, starter, starter or main

Cuisine British, French

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 248kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Equipment

• large pan
• Blender or hand blender

Ingredients

• 30 g Butter
• 1 Onion finely chopped 125g
• 2 celery sticks chopped 100g
• 2 medium leeks chopped 200
• 3 large potatoes peeled and cubed 600g
• 500 ml vegetable stock Plus extra water if required
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoon double cream Optional
• Chopped chives and extra cream to serve Optional

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Place a large pan on a medium heat and melt 30g of butter. Add the chopped onions and celery and gently fry until the onions are soft.
  30 g Butter, 1 Onion finely chopped, 2 celery sticks chopped
• Add the chopped leeks and potatoes to the pan and stir in well.
  2 medium leeks chopped, 3 large potatoes peeled and cubed
• Next pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a gentle simmer
  500 ml vegetable stock
• Place on a lid and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
• When the potatoes are fully cooked, thoroughly blend the soup until smooth. Do this by either transferring the soup to a blender or use a hand blender directly in the pan. If you would prefer a chunky soup then only blend half and then mix with the unblended half.
• Have extra water ready to add if you want to thin the consistency of your soup. I usually thin mine down to the point where it lightly coats the back of a spoon. When you're happy with the consistency, taste the soup and add salt if needed.
  Pinch of salt
• For extra creamy soup stir in 2 tablespoon of double cream (optional).
  2 tablespoon double cream
• Serve the soup in bowls and if you like top with extra cream and chopped chives.
  Chopped chives and extra cream to serve

Video

Notes

Butter: Use butter for a richer flavour, but if you prefer you can substitute with a tablespoon of oil.

Leeks: The best part of the leek to use for soup is the white and light green parts. The darker green parts toward the top of the plant tend to be a bit tough and fibrous - not great if your wanting to make a soup! before chopping leeks make sure the insides are clean. To do this slice the leek in half length ways to reveal all the layers inside. Then carefully run each half under the cold water tap to wash aways any bits of dirt caught between the layers. 

Potatoes: For a creamy soup opt for a fluffy potato such as Maris Piper or King Edward. If you want a chunky soup then use waxy potatoes (Charlotte), which will hold together better. 

Celery: Celery adds a wonderful flavour alongside the onion, however, the soup won't be ruined of you prefer not to add celery. Vegetable stock: Use good quality vegetable stock.

Double cream and chives: these are a serving suggestion and completely optional. If you decide to use the cream, add a bit at a time and taste until you are happy.

How do you make a chunky leek and potato soup? To make a chunky soup instead of smooth, only blend half of the soup and then mix back into the unblended half.

How do you make potato soup thicker? As potatoes are starchy its usual for this type of soup to be too thick rather than too thin. The addition of extra stock or water will help to thin it out. However, if you add too much water you may end up with soup that is too thin. To avoid this add any extra water or stock a bit at a time and stir in well before adding more. 
If your soup is too thin you can thicken it back up by gently heating and gradually reducing down.

How to store? Leek and potato soup will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you are adding cream, check that this has a good date on it and will keep for the 3 days. Alternatively only add the cream when you are ready to eat the soup. Alternatively freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating. As potatoes are super starchy make sure you stir the soup continually during reheating or the potato may stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

What to serve with leek and potato soup? Leek and potato soup is best served up with a crunchy piece of buttered bread or soft, white homemade bread rolls.

What is Vichyssoise? The french name for leek and potato soup is Vichyssoise soup. Vichyssoise is slightly different to this recipe as its usually a fully blended soup thats served cold. 

Nutrition

Serving: 350ml | Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 645mg | Potassium: 840mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1513IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 2mg

This post was first published in Jan 2020. Updated in Sept 2021 with improved photos, and new step by step instructions and expert tips.

The post Leek and Potato Soup appeared first on ProperFoodie.

🥘 Ingredients

To make Mexican chilli con carne at home you will need:

Ingredient notes

Measurements: For the amounts required, see the recipe card below and use the toggle button to see the recipe in cups.

Cannellini beans: cannellini beans have a soft texture and a light colour. But these can be replaced with the usual kidney bean if you prefer.

Bell pepper and celery: The bell pepper and celery are used in this recipe to add extra flavour and a more chunky texture, but again if you prefer you can leave these out.

Cocoa powder and Worcestershire sauce: To make this dish extra special I use Cocoa powder and Worcestershire sauce as my 'secret chilli ingredients'. Both add a rich flavour to the sauce which cuts through the sweet tomatoes and smokey spices. However, both of these are optional and if you prefer you can just leave them out.

📖 Recipe

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Mexican Chilli Con Carne Recipe (with cannellini beans)

This Mexican Chilli con carne recipe uses smoked paprika, ground cumin, chilli powder and tomatoes for the base of the sauce. These ingredients are combined and left to simmer gently for few hours reducing down and infusing to create a wonderfully rich and smokey sauce.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 492kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Ingredients

• ½ tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 Onion finely chopped (200g)
• 2 Garlic cloves finely chopped or minced
• 2 celery sticks roughly chopped (120g)
• 500 g mince meat ground meat
• 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Hot chilli powder
• 1 red chilli pepper deseeded and finely chopped (20g)
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 200 g baby tomatoes halved
• 2 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 beef stock cube
• 1 red bell pepper deseeded and diced (130g)
• 1 tablespoon Cocoa powder optional
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Lea and Perins (optional)
• 1 tin of cannellini beans drained and rinsed
• Handful of fresh coriander
• Soured cream and extra sliced chillies to serve

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Pre heat oven to 160°C/320°F. Place a large wok or frying pan on medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, minced garlic cloves and 2 roughly chopped celery sticks. Stir fry until the onions and celery are soft.
  ½ tablespoon Olive oil, 1 Onion, 2 Garlic cloves, 2 celery sticks
• Next add the mince meat to the pan and roughly break up with a wooden spoon.
  500 g mince meat
• As the meat starts to cook add smoked paprika, ground cumin, hot chilli powder and 1 finely chopped red chilli pepper.
  1 teaspoon Smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon Hot chilli powder, 1 red chilli pepper
• Stir the spices into the meat and continue to cook until brown all over.
• Next add the tinned tomatoes, baby tomatoes, tomato puree and 1 beef stock cube dissolved in a small amount of boiling water.
  2 tins chopped tomatoes, 200 g baby tomatoes, 2 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 beef stock cube
• Stir well to combine all the ingredients then bring to a simmer and allow to cook gently for 5 minutes.
• Then add the chopped red bell pepper, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, and 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
  1 red bell pepper, 1 tablespoon Cocoa powder, 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Next add 1 tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed. Mix together well and then cover with a lid or tin foil.
  1 tin of cannellini beans
• Place in the centre of a preheated oven and cook at 160°C/320°F for 2 hours. Check and stir half way through. Alternatively transfer to a slow cooker and cook on medium for 6-7 hours.
• Once cooked remove from the oven. Stir through some freshly chopped coriander and serve in bowls with rice, fresh chillies and soured cream.
  Handful of fresh coriander, Soured cream and extra sliced chillies to serve

Video

Notes

Serving suggestions: Rice, fresh chillies, tobacco sauce, tortilla chips, avocado, guacamole, soured cream, grated cheese and fresh coriander.

Can you freeze this recipe? Once cooked allow to fully cool then transfer to sealable containers and freeze for up 3 months. To defrost leave on the side overnight or in the fridge for 24 hours.

Can you reheat cooked chilli? If the chilli has been cooled and then stored correctly (freezer for up to 3 months or fridge for up to 3 days) then it can be reheated. Reheat in the microwave or in a large pan on the stove until piping hot.

What can I use instead of kidney beans? Usually kidney beans are added to chilli - however, any bean will do. In this recipe I’ve used cannellini beans as I prefer the texture and colour.

Expert tips:

• Use 2 chilli peppers or 2 teaspoon of hot chilli powder if you like your chilli super spicy
• Instead of dissolving the stock cube in boiling water, try crumbling directly into the chilli so as not to water down the dish.
• If you are short on time you can simmer the chilli on the stove for an hour or so instead of in the oven or slow cooker. However, for best results always cook in the oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 584g | Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 114g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1170mg | Potassium: 427mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 90g | Vitamin A: 1914IU | Vitamin C: 66mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 3mg

This post was first published in Jun 2017. Updated in Aug 2021 with an improved recipe and photos, and new step by step instructions and expert tips.

The post Mexican Chilli Con Carne (with cannellini beans) appeared first on ProperFoodie.

👩🏻‍🍳 Why make this recipe

With autumn comes the changing of the weather and leaves and the need for more comforting and warming dishes comes about. So its out with the basil and in with the celery leaf, out with the pine nuts and in with the walnut to create this delicious autumnal pesto. Celery and walnut pesto is less aromatic than a basil pesto recipe, with more of an earthy flavour. Its perfectly balanced to go with autumnal dishes such as roasted root veggies, baked sweet potatoes, warming and creamy lasagnas and even plump, little ravioli parcels.....there's plenty of ideas to go at.

The celery leaf is also great to use up in soup recipes: celery, apple and blue cheese garden soup post 

The autumnal vibe of this recipe was inspired by our latest trip to Italy. Did we eat a lot whilst we were there?.... Yes, of course, we ate a tonne. Did we care that we were meant to be there to plan our wedding and not eat all of Italy's pasta in one sitting? No, not one bit.

🥘 Ingredients

To make this walnut pesto recipe you will need:

• Celery leaves roughly chopped
• Walnut oil
• Garlic cloves roughly chopped
• Walnuts
• Green apples cored and diced
• Mint leaves
• Edamame beans
• Parmesan grated
• Salt
• Cider vinegar

Ingredient notes

Measurements: For the amounts required, see the recipe card below and use the toggle button to see the recipe in cups.

Celery leaves: can be replaced with celery stems but make sure to peel the outer edge to remove any stringy bits first.

Edamame beans: are optional but will add extra protein and give the pesto a more robust texture.

Walnuts: are the best option for this recipe but if you can't get hold of any a good substitute would be pecans.

Parmesan: For a vegetarian version replace parmesan with vegetarian cheese.

⛪ Our wedding

But yes......our wedding!! Thats right - this massive thing that seems to be gobbling up my time at the moment, but something that I've failed to talk about on here. So next year, Ben and I will be married in the beautiful surroundings of the Italian countryside, following on from our engagement last year whilst we were in Pienza!

Of course the plans so far for the wedding are lots of pasta, risotto, wine and a good bunch of laughter and happy times. Excited doesn't even begin to describe where I am at with this right now. There's still lots of planning to be sorted, and I'm sure a great deal of stress to cope with but I can't wait to get back to Italy next year and become Mrs Jones :-O

🍹Autumn holiday

But back to the trip we've just had: A holiday abroad in autumn is just simply magical. All the trees are changing and brandishing fiery reds or warming oranges, the mornings have a slight chill which brings a mysterious mist and subtle sunrises. The birds are also aware of the changes and migrate above the skies or dance in pretty patterns through the trees.

Grapevines are usually harvested for their annual fruits at this time of year, but some vineyards have vines that flower a little later so are still flush with huge bunches of juicy grapes. A glorious site and I really do hope that next year we can get wedding pictures amongst grapevines with cascading bunches of grapes 🙂

The autumnal produce of Italy from peaches and beetroot to truffles and cabbage, meant that we had some stunning plates of food. Of course there was the usual mountain of cheese and cold cuts, but there was also plenty of inspiration for me with dishes like: sea bream baked with paprika and radicchio; suckling pig with apples, raisins and cabbage; shredded beetroot chutney; fresh pappardelle pasta with a creamy mushroom sauce and fresh truffle; the glorious and ubiquitous apricot breakfast tart; sea bream and lime tortelloni with burrata cheese; and of course walnut pesto. I just had to have a go at making my own version of this incredible pesto! 

📖 Recipe

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Celery, Apple and Walnut Pesto

Sweet and earthy walnut pesto recipe made with juicy apples, crunchy walnuts and fresh celery leaves. This recipe is great for using up the leaves on top of your celery and can be whizzed up in just 5 minutes.

Course Appetizer, condiment, dip, party food, side, Snack

Cuisine Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10 portions

Calories 211kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Equipment

• Small blender or food processor
• Grater

Ingredients

• 100 g Celery leaves roughly chopped
• 150 ml Walnut oil
• 100 ml water
• 2 Garlic cloves roughly chopped
• 50 g Walnuts
• 85 g Green apples cored and diced
• 10 g Mint leaves
• 50 g Edamame beans
• 75 g Parmesan grated
• Pinch of Salt
• Teaspoon Cider vinegar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Place the celery leaves, garlic cloves, walnuts, chopped apples, mint leaves, beans, salt and cider vinegar into a blender or food processor. Add half of the water and half of the walnut oil.
  100 g Celery leaves, 150 ml Walnut oil, 100 ml water, 2 Garlic cloves, 50 g Walnuts, 85 g Green apples, 10 g Mint leaves, 50 g Edamame beans, Pinch of Salt, Teaspoon Cider vinegar
• Pulse into a paste adding more water or oil if needed.
• Grate the parmesan and stir in a bit at a time until you are happy with the taste and texture.
  75 g Parmesan
• Taste and add more salt, parmesan or oil depending on the taste and consistency you are after.

Notes

How to store? Transfer the pesto to a sealable jar or container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost leave on the side overnight. If freezing I recommend freezing small amounts in small containers so you can defrost as much or as little as you need.

What to serve with walnut pesto? This pesto is great stirred through pasta, rice, couscous, quinoa or any other kind of grain. I also love to use it as a topping on roasted sweet potato, chargrilled veggies and pan fried chicken or fish.

Celery leaves: can be replaced with celery stems but make sure to peel the outer edge to remove any stringy bits first.

Edamame beans: are optional but will add extra protein and give the pesto a more robust texture.

Walnuts: are the best option for this recipe but if you can't get hold of any a good substitute would be pecans.

Parmesan: For a vegetarian version replace parmesan with vegetarian cheese.

Nutrition

Serving: 10portions | Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 143mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Celery, Apple and Walnut Pesto appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Apple crumble baked fresh at home with lashings of custard. - This is what Sundays are made for! This easy crumble recipe is made with crisp, Bramley apples tossed in cinnamon, then baked with a simple crumble and hazelnut topping. Ready in 30 minutes; from peeling the apples to pulling a bubbling, golden crumble out of the oven.

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👩🏻‍🍳 Why make this recipe

This apple crumble recipe is traditional, homemade and one the easiest yet most satisfying desserts I know. With a simple method that requires only 30 minutes, this is a great dessert for when you have mouths to feed and time to save!

Theres no need for any fancy equipment and no special skills required to make it look good. Just layering the apples and then crumble into a baking dish and popping into the oven until bubbling. Super simple.

🔪 Step by step instructions

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan).
   Prepare the crumble: Add 100g plain flour, 75g ground almonds, 100g golden caster sugar, 100g cubed unsalted butter and a pinch of salt to a mixing bowl. Use your finger tips to rub the butter into the rest of the ingredients until like breadcrumbs. Then place to one side while you prepare the apples. 
2. Peel the apples, remove the core and then cut the flesh into rough 1cm cubes. Transfer the cubed apple to a 21cm (8 inch) pie dish and then add 2 tablespoon honey and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix together well until the apple is fully coated in the honey and cinnamon
3. Next take the crumble mix and evenly scatter over the apple until the entire surface is covered. 
   For extra crunch sprinkle over some chopped hazelnuts (optional).
4. Place the pie dish in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the crumble is golden and the apple is bubbling.
   Serve with custard.

💭 Expert tips

• Crumble topping: Crumble is usually a mixture of flour, butter and sugar. For this recipe I've also added ground almonds for extra flavour and chopped hazelnuts for extra crunch. However, both of these ingredients are optional. If you would prefer a nut-free option just replace the ground almonds with the same amount of flour and leave out the hazelnuts.
• Filling: The filling in this recipe is a chunky filling. This means that the cubed apples hold their shape. For a smooth filling stew the apples before placing in the pie dish. To do this add the apples to a pan with butter and cook gently until soft. Mash up until smooth then transfer to the pie dish and add the crumble.

❓ Frequently asked questions

🍨 Other dessert recipes

• Banana Bread
• Bakewell Tart
• 5 Easy Recipes for Pancakes
• Cinnamon Swirls
• Lemon Drizzle Cake
• Plum and Rhubarb Crumble
• Yorkshire Parkin Recipe

If you've tried this recipe, let me know what you think by leaving a star rating in the recipe card or comment section below. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram or Sign up to my email list!

📖 Recipe

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Apple Crumble

Apple crumble baked fresh at home with lashings of custard - this is what Sundays are made for! This easy apple crumble recipe is made with crisp Bramley apples tossed in cinnamon, then baked with a simple crumble and hazelnut topping. Ready in 30 minutes from peeling the apples to pulling a bubbling, golden apple crumble out of the oven.

Course Dessert, pudding

Cuisine British

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 407kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• 21cm (8 inch) pie dish

Ingredients

• 100 g plain flour
• 75 g ground almonds
• 100 g golden caster sugar
• 100 g cold unsalted butter (cubed)
• pinch of salt
• 500 g peeled and chopped cooking apples
• 2 tablespoon Honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 25 g roasted chopped hazelnuts (optional)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan). Prepare the crumble in a large mixing bowl. Add 100g plain flour, 75g ground almonds, 100g golden caster sugar, 100g cubed unsalted butter and a pinch of salt to the bowl.
• Use your finger tips to rub the butter into the rest of the ingredients until like breadcrumbs. Then place to one side while you prepare the apples.
• Peel the apples, remove the core and then cut the flesh into rough 1cm cubes. Transfer the cubed apple to a pie dish and then add 2 tablespoon honey and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix together well until the apple is fully coated in the honey and cinnamon
• Next take the crumble mix and evenly scatter over the apple until the entire surface is covered. For extra crunch sprinkle over some chopped hazelnuts (optional).
• Place the pie dish in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the crumble is golden and the apple is bubbling. Serve with custard.

Video

Notes

Can the crumble be made with oats? Apple crumble made with oats instead of flour is a great alternative if you want to make this recipe gluten free (do double check that the oats you use are completely gluten free and not packaged alongside wheat containing products). To make this recipe with oats simply replace the flour with same amount of oats.

How to store? Once baked and cooled the crumble should be covered and then stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can briefly reheat the crumble in either the oven or microwave.

Can apple crumble be frozen? Apple crumble is best frozen before it has been baked. Once you have made up the crumble in a pie dish, wrap in cling film and then store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Throughly defrost in the fridge overnight before baking as instructed in this recipe.

Expert tips:

• Crumble topping: Crumble is usually a mixture of flour, butter and sugar. For this recipe I've also added ground almonds for extra flavour and chopped hazelnuts for extra crunch. However, both of these ingredients are optional. If you would prefer a nut-free option just replace the ground almonds with the same amount of flour and leave out the hazelnuts.
• Filling: The filling in this recipe is a chunky filling. This means that the cubed apples hold their shape. For a smooth filling stew the apples before placing in the pie dish. To do this add the apples to a pan with butter and cook gently until soft. Mash up until smooth then transfer to the pie dish and add the crumble.

Nutrition

Serving: 155g | Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 463IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg

This post was first published in December 2019. Updated in March 2021 with expert tips.

The post Apple Crumble appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Banana Birthday Cake

This is Banana bread birthday cake sandwiched with thick vanilla mascarpone cream,  a drizzle of honey and a dusting of icing. Its a celebration cake I could definitely eat all to myself! - and if I'm honest - a lot of it did come my way 🙂 Theres just no way I could resist that moist, crumbly sponge intertwined with banana and topped with a lusciously, naughty mascarpone cream. JUST TOO GOOD. Theres no holding me back when it comes to a good old dessert. Some of my favourites, other than this fabulous cake are blueberry pancakes, Healthy Pancakes Recipe (with Banana and Oats), apple crumble, chocolate muffins, peanut butter and chocolate biscuit squares and Bakewell tart.

That said, a banana cake recipe is perfect for birthdays or celebratory milestones - for me that milestone was my recipe videos! Unbelievably, in August 2018 I had been making recipe videos for a whole year! So in celebratory, Birthday style I made this tasty and moist, layered banana bread cake.

To add to the milestone I was also marking a year of working with Zoom Media. Zoom help to produce some of my videos and then display them on the TV screens they manage in UK gyms. (If your here after seeing one of my videos in a gym - thanks so much for stopping by 🙂 ). Its a working relationship that is still on going and I hope to be able to provide many more videos in the future.

Banana cake

This easy banana cake recipe isn't just good for celebrations but its pretty much good for whatever you fancy. Friends coming round? Need dessert for after your Sunday roast? Going to a party and want to show up with a homemade cake? - This easy bake is your answer. Whats more, its great for using up those slightly squishy, browned, leftover bananas. What once was fit for the bin can be revived into something fabulous.

Banana not your thing? Have a little look at my salted caramel popcorn cake!

Is banana cake and banana bread the same?

Banana cake and banana bread are pretty much the same thing. Banana bread isn't really a bread as it doesn't require yeast, or time to rise and contains plenty of sugar. However, when baked in a loaf tin and left naked, without any of the banana cake icing or frosting, then it automatically becomes banana bread. The banana cake on the other hand, is called a cake due to it not being a loaf shape and usually having frosted filling or toppings. Much like carrot cake, the banana cake almost always has to have a delicious frosting. But strangely enough carrot cake is always carrot cake, with our without frosting. Some people may also argue that the banana cake uses softer flour than the banana loaf, but this comes down to preference and generally the types of flours can be interchanged between these two recipes anyway.

Banana Cake ingredients

Banana cake and banana loaf recipes require just a few basic store cupboard ingredients and of course a few over ripe bananas:

• Butter
• light brown sugar
• Cinnamon
• Large eggs
• Self raising flour
• Ripe bananas
• Vanilla extract
• Extra banana and honey to decorate

Banana cake frosting ingredients

• Double cream
• Seeds from half a vanilla pod
• Mascarpone cream cheese
• Icing sugar

How to make banana cake at home

1. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C,  and line an 8 inch round baking tin wth baking paper. See how to line a baking tin here.
2. By hand or in a stand mixer cream together the butter, sugar and cinnamon until light and soft. See recipe tip below
3. Whisk together the eggs then add a little flour to the mix and gradually add the whisked eggs whisk continuing to mix.
4. Once all the egg has been added to the cake mixture, remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add in the rest of the flour, the vanilla extract and 2 mashed bananas. Then use a spatula to gently fold together the banana cake mix.
5. Next transfer the banana cake mix to the line cake tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 50 minutes. Check at 40 minutes. Cake is ready when an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Recipe tip: Cream the butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes in the stand mix and at least 10 minutes by hand. A creamy and light cake mix will ensure a lighter and crumbly cake.

How to make the best creamy banana cake frosting

1. Place the cream, vanilla pod seeds, mascarpone cream cheese, and icing sugar into a large mixing bowl and mix together well with a wooden spoon. The mix should be of a spreadable consistency but not overly whisked.
2. taste test and add more icing or vanilla if required. Cover and place in the fridge until you are ready to assemble to cake.
3. To assemble the cake, slice the cooled cake in half horizontally. Place the top half to one side.  
4. IMPORTANT TIP: Only add the mascarpone filling and topping once the cake is completely cool, otherwise the heat will melt the mascarpone cream.
5. Spread half of the cream frosting over the bottom half of the cake, then carefully transfer the top of the cake onto the bottom half.
6. Spread the remaining frosting over the top of the cake.
7. Then decorate with freshly chopped banana, honey and a dusting of icing sugar.

How long will banana cake keep?

Banana cake will keep and stay fresh for around 2 days at room temperature. Just ensure that the cake is stored in a air tight container. If stored in a container and then placed in the fridge the cake will last slightly longer and you may get 5-6 days out of it.

Can you freeze banana cake?

Banana cake without frosting or icing will freeze well. Once the cake has cooled completely, leave whole and wrap with 2 layers of cling film then place in the freezer. The cake will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. When you're ready to use it, defrost over night at room temperature and then add the mascarpone cream cheese filling and frosting the following day.

A delicious easy to make cake that is sure to have your guests coming back for more. Happy baking!!

📖 Recipe

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Banana Birthday Cake

Banana Cake with mascarpone frosting. Perfect for birthdays and for a change to that classic Victoria sponge or over indulgent chocolate cake

Course birthday, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine British

Prep Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 10 people

Calories 601kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Ingredients

For the cake

• 150 g butter cubed and at room temp
• 200 g light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 250 g self-raising flour
• 2 bananas peeled and mashed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the mascarpone cream filling and topping

• 300 ml Double cream
• Seeds from half a vanilla pod
• 250 g mascarpone cheese
• 75 g icing sugar

Extra toppings

• 1 sliced banana
• 2 teaspoon runny honey

Equipment

• 20 cm/8inch round cake tin lined with greaseproof paper
• Stand mixer or mix by hand
• Spatula
• Serrated knife and Palette knife for cutting the cake into 2 layers and for adding the cream.

Instructions

To make the cake

• Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C Fan.
• First line your cake tin with greaseproof paper (link: how to line a tin)
  
• Place the cubed butter, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl or mixer stand. Cream together until light and soft – leave the mixer on high for at least 5 minutes to achieve a nice creamy consistency. Alternatively cream together by hand and mix for at least 10 minutes until light and creamy
• Next whisk together the 3 eggs. The eggs are to be added to the butter mix gradually – I usually add a quarter at a time along with a little flour to help prevent the mixture from splitting.
• Once all the egg has been combined into the mix, remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Peel 2 bananas and mash with a fork.
  
• Next add the remaining flour, mashed bananas and vanilla extract to the cake mix. Use a spatula to fold and gently combine together.
  
• Transfer the cake mixture to the line cake tin and use the spatula to even out the top of the mix once it’s in the tin. Place the tin in the centre of a pre heated oven. Bake for 50 minutes but check after 40 minutes. Check if the cake is ready by inserting a metal skewer into the centre of the cake – the cake is done when the skewer comes out clean.
  
• Once the cake is baked, remove from the oven and leave on the side, in the tin to cool for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the mascarpone cream filling and topping:

To make the mascarpone cream

• Place double cream, vanilla pod seeds, mascarpone and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon to combine together. Don't over mix as the mixture will become to stiff and won't spread easily over the cake.
  
• Taste test and add more icing/vanilla if desired. Cover and place in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the cake.

Building the cake

• After 20 minutes the cake should be cool enough to remove from the tin. Place on a wire rack and leave for a further 30 minutes to ensure it has cooled right the way through.

  IMPORTANT TIP: If the cake is still warm the mascarpone cream will melt!
• Once the cake is fully cool, use a large serrated knife to carefully slice into two layers. Move the knife around the cake to ensure an even cut. Place the top half of the cake on a plate and put to one side for the moment.
  
• Remove the mascarpone cream from the fridge. Use a palette knife to smoother half of the cream mix over the bottom layer of the cake. You don’t need to be too neat but do try to get the cream right the edges of the cake so that I will be visible when the top layer goes on.
  
• Carefully place the top layer of the cake over the cream and then use the palette knife to smooth the remaining cream over the top of the cake.
  
• Finally top the cake with sliced banana and drizzle of honey and serve. Keep in the fridge if not serving immediately.
  

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 161g | Calories: 601kcal | Carbohydrates: 53.8g | Protein: 6.5g | Fat: 41.6g | Saturated Fat: 25.8g | Sodium: 240mg | Sugar: 33.5g

PIN FOR LATER

The post Banana Birthday Cake (Recipe Video + Step-by-Step Guide) appeared first on ProperFoodie.

I'm back dreaming of the those rolling Toscana hills again - I can't help it. I always seem to come back to Italy when I'm cooking from the heart. And this dish really is from the heart. Its a homemade vegetable and bean soup - plain and simple. But this recipe has so much depth, flavour and tradition, that you know it just has to taste amazing.

Why make this recipe?

Tuscan Bean soup comes from making simple foods go a long way and also making sure that those simple foods don't go to waste. Some leftover carrots or celery? chuck em in. Some stale bread? Yep that goes in too! Its all about making the most of what you have and turning leftovers into a meal fit for a king.

This is the perfect recipe for the end of the week when you may have leftovers or food that needs to be used up. Its also really easy to make and super healthy - whats not to like?

If you're after some more Italian flavour and flare have a quick peek at my Amarone Risotto, or my homemade tiramisu, or how about a salami ragu? or if you're feeling really adventurous why not have a go at making your own pasta?

Ingredients

For this Tuscan ribollita soup recipe you will need a few simple ingredients, many of which are cupboard staples or possible leftovers.

Kale: Traditionally this recipe is made with black kale but any kind of kale or cabbage will work well here. I usually add the kale or cabbage at the very end and gently warm for 5 minutes so allowing it to soften whilst maintaining its colour and nutrients.

Parmesan: Freshly grated parmesan or pecorino is simply wonderful in this recipe. It adds a great depth of flavour and lovely a creamy texture. However, if you want to keep this soup strictly vegetarian then make sure to replace with a vegetarian cheese. Or if you want a super healthy vegetable soup then just skip the cheese.

Beans: Cannellini beans work well here as they are white and pearly and stand out against the other ingredients. They are also easy to blend down and so help to create a creamy soup without adding cream, milk, yogurt or cheese. Any other kind of white bean will work just as well.

Vine tomatoes: For the tomatoes I like to use baby vine tomatoes, which are slightly sweeter than the larger version. However, either the baby or the large variety work just as well. Either use two large vine tomatoes sliced and deseeded or weight out around 140g of baby vine tomatoes.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and leeks and cook on a medium heat until softened. Add garlic, dried thyme, carrot and celery then stir and continue to cook.
2. Next add the tomatoes, stock and fresh sprigs of thyme. Stir and bring to the boil. Pop on a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. After 15 minutes remove the lid and stir in the cannellini beans and freshly grated parmesan. Cook for a 2-3 minutes.
4. Next transfer ⅓ of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.
5. Pour the smooth part of the soup back in the chunky soup and mix well.
6. Stir in the black kale or cabbage. Pop the lid back on and simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the kale has just started to wilt.
7. Remove the lid, season with sea salt, black pepper and parmesan, then serve.
8. TIP: To stick the traditional recipe of Tuscan Ribollita soup, line the serving bowls with stale bread (or slices of ciabatta if you prefer) and pour the soup over the top. The bread soaks up the soup and thickens.

Other soup recipes you might like:

• Leek and potato soup
• Cauliflower soup
• Hungarian mushroom soup
• Clam chowder
• Pumpkin soup
• Mulligatawny chicken and wild rice soup
• Celery, apple and blue cheese soup

📖 Recipe

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Tuscan Ribollita Soup

Italian Ribollita soup is a creamy, healthy, full flavoured vegetable soup. Made with store cupboard ingredients and all those leftovers from the week this budget friendly, autumnal soup is perfect for an easy meal when the nights are starting to draw in.

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Main Course, starter

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4 People

Calories 298kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Ingredients

• ½ tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 large onion 200g finely chopped
• 1 Leek 80g chopped
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 carrot 150g finely chopped
• 2 celery 100g sticks finely chopped
• 2 medium vine tomatoes deseeded and roughly cubed 140g
• 600 ml vegetable stock plus extra water if required
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 tin cannellini beans 240g drained
• 20 g freshly grated parmesan or vegetarian alternative
• 100 g black kale or cabbage

Optional

• Sea salt black pepper and extra parmesan to season
• Ciabatta or stale bread to serve

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and leeks and cook on a medium heat until softened. Add garlic, dried thyme, carrot and celery then stir and continue to cook. Next add the tomatoes, stock and fresh sprigs of thyme. Stir and bring to the boil. Pop on a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes remove the lid and stir in the cannellini beans and freshly grated parmesan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Next transfer ⅓ of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the smooth part of the soup back in the chunky soup and mix well. Stir in the black kale. Pop the lid back on and simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the kale has just started to wilt.
• Remove the lid, season with sea salt, black pepper and parmesan, then serve.

Video

Notes

Recipe tip:

To stick the traditional recipe of Tuscan Ribollita soup, line the serving bowls with stale bread (or slices of ciabatta if you prefer) and pour the soup over the top. The bread soaks up the soup and thickens.

Is ribollita soup healthy?

Honestly, this must be the best soup! Each bowl is just under 300 calories, with only 8g fat and 3g saturates. Its also full of veg - as you can probably see, each bowl has a whopping 4 servings of veg in it. Theres also 9g of fibre, 22g protein, 37g carbs, and its high in potassium and vitamin A (good for your heart muscles and your immune system). So you get the picture its nutritious, its well balanced - this is one healthy vegetable soup!

What can I use if I don't have vegetable stock?

You can definitely get by without vegetable stock, vegetable stock is basically vegetables boiled, with herbs and seasoning, to release their flavours and then conveniently packaged for you! just add water in place of the stock and cook the vegetables until they are soft then season the cooking water well.  Add dried Italian seasoning to enhance that authentic flavour!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 800mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 19g

This post was first published in February 2018. Updated in January 2021 with new ingredients photo, step-by-step photos and recipe tips.

The post Tuscan Ribollita Soup (Healthy Vegetable Soup) appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Creamy mushroom pasta

This easy mushroom pasta is for the evenings when we require nothing more than a scrumptious bowl of creamy pasta. Its for the evenings when cooking is not high on the agenda and one pot dishes like easy pea pasta, healthy salmon and prawn linguine or spicy cajun chicken pasta are the answer to all our dinner questions.

Creamy mushroom pasta is as easy to make as it gets. The mouth-watering combination of chestnut mushrooms with white wine cream sauce, creme fraiche and parmesan makes this dish a real crowd pleaser.

For something a little meatier, try this equally as creamy fettuccini alfredo with chicken with homemade alfredo sauce recipe.

Creamy mushroom pasta ingredients

To make this mushroom pasta with cream sauce, you will need:

• Butter
• Finely chopped onion
• Garlic clove
• Plain flour
• Chestnut/shiitake mushrooms (or other type of mushrooms)
• White wine
• Semi skimmed milk
• Parmesan (or other choice of hard cheese)
• Spaghetti (or other pasta)
• Dijon mustard (optional)
• Creme Fraiche
• Freshly chopped parsley

Creamy mushroom sauce

To make the ultimate creamy mushroom sauce, you will first need to make a soft and silky white sauce.

This requires 5 minutes of patience to slowly combine butter, flour and milk, and gently cook until thick and creamy. Making this sauce extra special and full of flavour requires some key ingredients, which pair fantastically well with the chestnut mushrooms.

The first is a few good glugs of white wine, which creates an incredible scent of pears and apples as soon as it hits the hot pan. Cook the wine gently for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to burn off before the milk is added.

Towards the end of cooking, the parmesan, dijon mustard and creme fraiche are stirred into the sauce to ensure a full flavoured, creamy and satisfying finish to the dish. White wine cream sauce adds so much flavour to this mushroom pasta recipe.

How to make creamy mushroom pasta

To make this simple pasta recipe, follow these steps:

1. In large pan melt butter and fry garlic and onions until soft.
2. Then add the mushrooms and cook for further 2 minutes
3. Add flour and stir in before adding a splash of white wine and the gradually adding milk. Stir until the white wine cream sauce starts to to thicken
4. Next add parmesan, dijon mustard, creme fraiche and seasoning to the sauce and stir in well.
5. Finally add cooked spaghetti and stir to coat in the sauce, then top with extra parmesan and fresh parsley.

What to serve with this recipe

The best thing to serve with this creamy pasta recipe is warm sprouted grain bread, perfect for dunking and mopping up the mushroom sauce.  You could also pair this dish with a side of garlic parmesan roasted carrots or a fresh vegetable salad with creamy balsamic dressing.

And, for an extra special treat, why not make this mushroom pasta recipe with your own homemade pasta?

What else can I cook with mushrooms?

Love mushrooms? Try this simple, yet incredible Hungarian mushroom soup. Or try this amazing truffle linguine dish and find out where you can buy fabulously, authentic truffle paste, straight from Italy. For more dinner inspiration check out my dinner ideas for two collection.

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Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Creamy mushroom pasta cooked in one pan with a white wine cream sauce, served with fresh parsley and grated parmesan.

Course Dinner, evening meal, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 734.1kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Ingredients

• 15 g Butter
• 1 Onion finely chopped 100g
• 1 Garlic clove finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon Plain flour
• 300 g Chestnut/shiitake mushrooms or other type of mushrooms
• 100 ml White wine
• 300 ml semi skimmed milk
• 30 g Grated parmesan or other choice of hard cheese
• 300 g Uncooked Spaghetti 580g cooked
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard optional
• 1 tablespoon Creme Fraiche
• 30 g Freshly chopped parsley handful

Instructions

• In large pan melt butter and gently fry garlic and onions until soft. Add mushrooms and stir fry for further 2 minutes or until just starting to soften.
  
• Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and stir in well. Some flour may start to stick to the base of the pan at this point.
• Next add the wine and scrape up any bits of flour. As the wine reduces it will mix with the flour and start to thicken.
• As the wine thickens start to add the milk a little at a time whilst continually staring. The gradual additions of milk and continual stirring will prevent any lumps forming and will create a silky smooth white sauce.
  
• Once all the milk is added continue to stir and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes to ensure the flour is cooked out and the sauce is fully thickened.
• Next add parmesan, dijon mustard, creme fraiche and seasoning to the sauce and stir in well.
  
• Finally add cooked spaghetti and stir to coat in the sauce, then top with extra parmesan and fresh parsley.
  

Video

Notes

Click here to see traffic light Nutritional info for this recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 742g | Calories: 734.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 115g | Protein: 27.3g | Fat: 18.2g | Saturated Fat: 10.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4.2g | Sodium: 240mg | Fiber: 7.6g | Sugar: 15.8g

I first shared this Creamy mushroom pasta recipe on the Sunday Supper Movement site, where I am a contributor.

PIN FOR LATER

The post Creamy Mushroom Pasta (Step-by-Step Guide + Video) appeared first on ProperFoodie.

This incredibly easy chicken and leeks recipe is already winging its way to the top of my list of favourites; and with good reason. Its creamy, but not unhealthy, filling but not heavy, and fragrant but not overpowering. Pretty much your perfect chicken dinner.

The basis of this classic recipe is a creamy chicken and leek broth infused with sweet tarragon and spicy mustard seeds. I could eat it all day just as it is, but the joy of this recipe is that it can also be used as the starting point for many other chicken and leek recipes. Recipes with chicken are so versatile but there is something special about this delicious sauce and tarragon chicken. 

If your after chicken thats a little less saucy, why not try my easy roast chicken recipe? or for more dinner inspiration check out my dinner ideas for two collection.

Chicken and Leeks Recipe Ingredients

For this delightful chicken and leeks recipe you will need:

• Oil
• Chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• Lemon juice
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Plain flour
• Chicken stock
• Milk
• Wholegrain mustard
• Creme fraiche
• Fresh tarragon

TIP: Leeks are a delicious vegetable full of wonderful flavour, but they are grown in the ground in sandy soil. They need a good cleaning before you use them for cooking. If you’re not sure how to clean leeks, it’s easy—give them a good rinse under cold water to remove dirt or sand.

TIP-Creme Fraiche: You may substitute sour cream or plain yogurt for creme fraiche if you are unable to find it.

You could also use ramps to put a spin on your chicken and leek recipes by making this a ramps recipe. What are ramps: ramps are essentially wild leeks with a strong, delicious flavour similar to onions that’s stronger than leeks.

What herbs go with chicken?

Chicken goes well with so many herbs, in particular rosemary, garlic, thyme, oregano and coriander. It also works really well with tarragon, which is what is used in this chicken and leek recipe. The sweet aniseed flavour of tarragon also works really well with the creamy, mustard flavoured chicken and leek broth. I use a similar combination of flavours in my mustard and tarragon chicken bliss recipe.

How to Cook Leeks with Chicken

1. First prepare the chicken: Place cling film under and over the chicken breasts and the bash with a rolling pin to flatten the meat to around half a cm in thickness.
2. Drizzle oil over the chicken and then season with salt, pepper and lemon juice
3. Place a large frying pan on the heat and then add the chicken breasts. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Then remove from the pan and set to one side.
4. Next prepare the chicken and leek broth: Using the same pan, add a little more oil and then gently fry the chopped leeks
5. Whilst the leeks are cooking add some finely chopped garlic and stir in well.
6. Once the leeks have softened stir in 2 tablespoon flour and then gradually add the stock and milk.
7. When the broth starts to simmer return the chicken to the pan and cook with the lid on for 20 minutes.
8. After 20 minutes remove the lid and stir 1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard and 3 tablespoon of creme fraiche into the chicken and leek broth.
9. Finish by stirring in some fresh tarragon leaves.
10. Serve with your choice of veg or potatoes.

What can I make with chicken and leeks?

This recipe can be used as the starting point to create a variety of chicken and leek recipes. This includes: chicken and leek pie, chicken and leek soup and chicken and leek pasta. For the chicken leek pie and chicken leek soup the cooked chicken will need to be removed and shredded and the remaining ingredients should be reduced down for the pie or blended (smooth or chunky) for the soup. The chicken can also be shredded for chicken leek pasta but also works with the whole breast served on top of the pasta.

What to Eat with Chicken and Leeks

This recipe works really well with a simple vegetable accompaniment such as green vegetable salad, green bean almondine or honey glazed carrots and parsnips. Chicken and leeks also goes amazingly well with any type of potato, try it with foil pack potatoes or Irish mashed potatoes.

Chicken breast recipes for dinner are so versatile and a perfect solution when you are looking for easy dinner ideas for the family. Try this simple chicken and leeks recipe at home for your next cosy night in – you won’t be disappointed.

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Chicken and leek recipe

A simple chicken and leek recipe made with flavoursome broth, perfect as it is for an easy dinner or use as a tasty base for chicken pie or chicken and leek pasta.

Course Dinner, Main Course, tea

Cuisine British

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 286.1kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Equipment

• chopping board
• cling film
• rolling pin
• large pan

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 4 Chicken breasts (575g)
• Salt and pepper
• Juice from half a lemon
• 2 Leeks quartered length ways and then roughly chopped (275g)
• 1 clove Garlic finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon Plain flour
• 450 ml Chicken stock
• 150 ml semi skimmed Milk
• 1 teaspoon Wholegrain mustard
• 3 tablespoon Creme fraiche
• Handful fresh tarragon leaves (20g)

Instructions

First prepare the chicken:

• Place cling film under and over the chicken breasts and the bash with a rolling pin to flatten the meat to around half a cm in thickness.
• Drizzle oil over one side of the chicken and then season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Flip the chicken over and repeat.
• Place a large frying pan on the heat and then add the chicken breasts. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Then remove from the pan and set to one side.

Next prepare the chicken and leek broth

• Using the same pan, add a little more oil and then gently fry the chopped leeks.
• Whilst the leeks are cooking add some finely chopped garlic and stir in well.
• Once the leeks have softened, stir in 2 tablespoon flour and then gradually add the stock and milk.
• When the broth starts to simmer return the chicken to the pan and cook with the lid on for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes remove the lid and stir 1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard and 3 tablespoon of creme fraiche into the chicken and leek broth.
• Finish by stirring in some fresh tarragon leaves before serving with your choice of veg or potatoes.

Video

Notes

Click here to see traffic light nutritional info for this recipe

TIP: Leeks are a delicious vegetable full of wonderful flavour, but they are grown in the ground in sandy soil. They need a good cleaning before you use them for cooking. If you’re not sure how to clean leeks, it’s easy—give them a good rinse under cold water to remove dirt or sand.

TIP-Creme Fraiche: You may substitute sour cream or plain yogurt for creme fraiche if you are unable to find it.

You could also use ramps to put a spin on your chicken and leek recipes by making this a ramps recipe. What are ramps: ramps are essentially wild leeks with a strong, delicious flavour similar to onions that’s stronger than leeks.

Nutrition

Serving: 391g | Calories: 286.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.6g | Protein: 40.6g | Fat: 9.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 440mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 3.7g

I first shared this Chicken and leeks recipe on the Sunday Supper Movement site where I am a contributor.

The post Chicken and leeks recipe appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Sweet and delicious cinnamon swirls. Make your own cinnamon swirls at home with this easy recipe. It takes just 10 minutes to mix together the dough and theres no need for a dough hook or bread machine! Soft and fluffy and filled with cinnamon sugar, they are perfect for breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea.

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🥘 Ingredients

To make a 9x9 inch tin of Cinnamon rolls (9 rolls in a tin) you will need:

Ingredient notes

Strong white bread flour: Its quite important that the right kind of flour is used for this recipe. Strong bread flour (or just bread flour if you are in the US) contains a higher amount of protein, which will allow for more air to be trapped when the dough rises and bakes. Therefore, producing a light, soft and fluffy cinnamon roll.

Dark brown sugar: Soft dark brown sugar works best in this recipe as it easily mixes and dissolves into the butter. The brown sugar also has a lovely toffee flavour and the darker colour makes the swirl stand out more against the plain bread. Light brown muscovado sugar would also work well here.

Fast action or instant yeast: One sachet of this will ensure a good rise. Make sure you use a yeast that states it can be added straight to the recipe or flour. I find fast action yeast super easy to work with as it doesn't need to be activated first and it always works well when making any kind of bread.

Fresh yeast could also be used here but double the amount would be needed. Fresh yeast will need to be activated in the milk first rather than adding to the flour mixture. If you choose this option you will need to melt the butter and milk in a pan then allow to cool to a luke warm temperature. Then dissolve the fresh yeast in the warm milk and allow to sit for a couple of minutes before mixing into the flour. Read more about different types of yeast and how to use them here.

Caster sugar: The caster sugar (or bakers sugar) is added to the dough to make the bread sweet. Although other types of sugar could be used here, I find caster sugar to be the best as it dissolves quickly and produces a nice even flavour throughout the bread. Either white or brown caster sugar can be used.

Icing - Topping the swirls with icing is completely optional, but I feel icing is a must when it comes to cinnamon swirls. Icing can be piped or drizzled on. Or if you prefer you can add more water to make a thinner icing and then brush over the swirls to create an icing glaze.

If you aren't a fan of icing you could create an apricot glaze instead. To do this heat half a jar of apricot jam in a small pan until its nice and runny. Then brush the jam over the cinnamon swirls after they have been taken out of the oven and whilst they are still warm.

❓ Frequently asked questions

📖 Recipe

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Cinnamon Swirls

Sweet and delicious cinnamon swirls. Make your own cinnamon swirls at home with this easy recipe. It takes just 10 minutes to mix together the dough, no dough hook or bread machine needed! Soft and fluffy and filled with cinnamon sugar, they are perfect for breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea.

Course afternoon tea, Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine Danish, Scandinavian, Swiss

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

dough rising time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings 9 Swirls

Calories 440kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Equipment

• Small saucepan
• Large mixing bowl
• cling film
• Small mixing bowl
• rolling pin
• Sharp knife
• 9x9 inch square tine lined with greaseproof paper
• Pastry brush for egg wash

Ingredients

For the bread:

• 200 ml Semi skimmed 2% milk
• 100 g unsalted butter cubed
• 500 g strong white bread flour US: Bread flour
• 50 g caster sugar
• 7 g sachet fast action yeast
• Pinch salt

For the filling:

• 75 g softened butter
• 75 g dark brown sugar or muscovado sugar
• 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Toppings:

• 1 whisked egg to glaze
• Icing sugar to ice or apricot jam for an apricot glaze

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Melt the butter and milk over a low heat in a small pan.
• In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, caster sugar, yeast and salt.
• Gradually pour the melted butter and milk into the dry ingredients. Stir well between each addition to eventually form a dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean floured work surface. Knead for 2-3 minutes until it starts to feel smooth and less sticky.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover.
• Leave the bowl to stand in a warm place (e.g. - on top of a pre heated oven) for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Meanwhile mix together the dark brown sugar and cinnamon. Put to one side.
• After the dough has risen, uncover and turn out on a floured work surface. Flatten out the dough roughly with your fingertips. Then flour a rolling pin and roll into a rough rectangle 2-3mm thick.
• Use the back of a spoon to spread the softened butter over the surface of the rolled out dough.
• Next sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the buttered dough and gently push into the butter with your fingertips.
• Roll up the dough starting from the short side. Roll nice and tight.
• Slice off the rough edges at either side of the rolled up dough. Then roughly mark out nine pieces before slicing into nine rolls with a sharp knife.
• Pre heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 9x9 inch square tin with greaseproof paper. Then place the 9 rolls into the tin, swirls facing up. Cover and leave to rise again for 30 minutes.
• Whisk up the egg. Uncover the cinnamon swirls and brush with the egg. Place the cinnamon swirls in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
• Once cooled ice with icing sugar or brush over heated apricot jam.

Video

Notes

Fast action or instant yeast: One sachet of this will ensure a good rise. Make sure you use a yeast that states it can be added straight to the recipe or flour. I find fast action yeast super easy to work with as it doesn't need to be activated first and it always works well when making any kind of bread.

Fresh yeast could also be used here but double the amount would be needed. Fresh yeast will need to be activated in the milk first rather than adding to the flour mixture. If you choose this option you will need to melt the butter and milk in a pan then allow to cool to a luke warm temperature. Then dissolve the fresh yeast in the warm milk and allow to sit for a couple of minutes before mixing into the flour. Read more about different types of yeast and how to use them here.

Substitutes: For perfect fluffy rolls its best to not substitute the bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content so gives a better rise.

How should baked cinnamon swirls be stored? Once made, allow to fully cool then wrap in cling film and stored in an air tight container. The rolls will keep well and stay soft for 3-4 days, after this you may find that the rolls start to harden and go stale.

Can this recipe be made ahead of time? This recipe can be made the night before, so no need to get up at the crack of dawn for breakfast cinnamon swirls. Make the recipe as per the instructions, up to when the sliced rolls are placed into the baking tin. At this point cover with cling film and place in the fridge. The rolls can now stay in the fridge overnight as the low temperature will mean a slow rise. In the morning remove from the fridge and leave on the side for an hour to warm up. Glaze with whisked egg before baking in the oven as per the recipe.

Can you freeze cinnamon swirls? Once baked and fully cooled, place the swirls in an airtight container or sealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat remove from the freezer and either heat each roll for 1-2 minutes in the microwave or leave on the side to fully defrost then pop in the oven to warm for 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Cinnamon Swirls appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Easy Aubergine Parmigiana

For a rich and satisfying meal, full of flavour and packed full veg, the aubergine parmigiana is a clear winner. Its made by layering the aubergine with an Italian tomato sauce and then topping with sliced tomatoes, breadcrumbs and blobs of mozzarella. As soon as I pulled this incredible Italian bake out of my oven I knew that Aubergine parmigiana with crispy breadcrumbs and melted mozzarella was about to become a new favourite. Having said that, nearly all of my Italian recipes are my favourite - the Italians are just too clever 🙂

This aubergine recipe is also really easy to make, its all in the preparation. To ensure that your parmigiana is full of flavour and not full of water (from the aubergines) its best to fry off the aubergine slices and then allow them to cool and drain before layering up in the baking dish. I promise this is the only part that requires a bit of time and effort. After that its just a case of whipping up a quick tomato sauce, layering all the ingredients, adding a topping and then baking for 20 minutes.

Aubergine parmigiana also doubles up as a fantastic vegetarian lasagna. Just remember to use vegetarian parmesan cheese and for an added indulgence add in a couple of layers of bechamel white sauce. To keep this gluten free check the bechamel sauce for any flour and look for a gluten free alternative (or make your own). And either leave off the breadcrumbs or look for gluten free breadcrumbs.

Why is it called Aubergine Parmigiana?

Aubergine Parmigiana or eggplant parmigiana is the original parmigiana recipe that is said to have been created in southern Italy. However, the precise origins of the dish and how it got its name are widely debated. Many regions across Italy claim to have invented the dish and each produce their own classic and delicious variation of aubergine parmigiana (Melanzane alla parmigiana).

The word parmigiana translates to 'from Parma'. However, most believe that this is not the reasoning behind the name, as the dish is known to be from southern Italy and Parma is in Northern Italy.  Some believe that the dish may have originated from Sicily where 'Parmiciana' means slats of wood in the wooden shutters, which could be reminiscent of the overlapping aubergine in this recipe. Another more simple meaning to the name is the use of Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-reggiano) in the dish.

Ingredients for Aubergine Parmigiana Recipe

To keep this dish as simple as possible I've divided the ingredients up into 3 parts: the aubergine, the sauce, and the toppings. Prepare each part of the recipe in this order.

For pan frying the aubergine:

• 3-4 tablespoon Olive oil
• 2 large aubergines (600g) sliced length ways and half a cm thick
• Few pinches of salt

For the aubergine parmigiana sauce:

• ½ tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 Clove garlic finely chopped
• 1 Large onion (150g) diced
• 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
• 690g jar of Passata

For the topping:

• 6 medium tomatoes (300g) finely sliced
• 30g Breadcrumbs (or gluten free breadcrumbs)
• 50g grated parmesan (or vegetarian parmesan)
• 100g buffalo mozzarella roughly torn
• Handful of fresh basil leaves

How to make Aubergine Parmigiana

Preparing the aubergine:

1. Place a large pan on a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and allow to heat up. When the oil is hot carefully add the aubergine slices and fry on each side until golden brown. You will need to fry these off in batches as only 3 or 4 slices will fit in the pan at any one time. You can add more oil as required and season each batch with a bit of salt.
2. After each batch of aubergine has finished cooking carefully remove from the pan and leave to drain on a plate lined with kitchen towel.

Preparing the aubergine parmigiana sauce:

1. Place a large pan on a medium heat (use same pan from previous step to save on washing up) then add half a tablespoon of oil and the finely chopped garlic. Fry for 10 seconds then add the diced onion and fry until soft. Next add a teaspoon of dried oregano and mix in well.
2. Pour in a large 690g jar of passata and stir into the cooked onions.
3. Season with black pepper and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Putting together the aubergine parmigiana:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan).
2. For this next step you will need a medium sized square or rectangular baking dish. I used a 20x24cm rectangular dish.
3. Begin by placing a layer of cooked aubergine in the based of the dish.
4. Next add a layer of the tomato sauce and sprinkle over 1-2 tablespoons of grated parmesan, continue to layer like this until all the aubergine, sauce and parmesan has been used.
5. Finish with a final layer of sliced tomatoes.
6. Then top with breadcrumbs, parmesan and torn pieces of mozzarella.
7. Place the baking dish in the centre of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the mozzarella has turned golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.
8. Remove from the oven, top with fresh basil leaves and serve.

What to serve with Aubergine Parmigiana?

The the best thing to serve with aubergine parmigiana is a big bowl of spaghetti in a tomato sauce. If you have the time, make the spaghetti in tomato sauce first and then use a slightly deeper baking dish in order to add the spaghetti to the dish before layering on the aubergine and other ingredients. The whole lot can then be baked and served together. Delicious!!

This lovely bake can also be served with a simple salad or for a bit of protein add a layer of sliced chicken to the bake. For a proper chicken parmigiana, coat the chicken in flour, egg and breadcrumbs first.

Can you freeze Aubergine Parmigiana?

For best results freeze the aubergine parmigiana without baking it. Once the parmigiana is layered up in an oven proof dish, allow to fully cool then seal with a lid or cling film and place in the freezer. When ready to eat remove from the freezer and defrost fully then bake at 180 degrees (fan) for 30 minutes or until piping hot throughout.

Can I prepare aubergine Parmigiana in advance?

If preparing in advanced once you have made up the parmigiana in the baking dish it can be placed in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. As the dish will now be chilled, add an extra 10 minutes to the baking time.

What else can you do with Aubergines?

One of the most simple and satisfying recipes for aubergine is this Simon Hopkinson grilled aubergine and feta cheese recipe. I love to serve this as starter at a dinner party. To make this delicious starter you will need one aubergine per person. Start by scoring the skin with a knife in four places along the length of the aubergine then rub oil all over the skin. Then place on a baking tray and bake at 180 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the skin is charred. Cool and then peel off the skin (the scoring should help with this). With the stem still in place slice the peeled aubergine in half with the top end held together by the stem. Lay the aubergine flat on a small plate with the two halves next to each other.  In a small dish mix together olive oil, chopped parsley and chopped garlic then drizzle over the aubergine. Finally crumble over some feta cheese and serve.

I also love to use aubergine to make my meat and leek pies with aubergine pastry - These are proper Italian pies!

📖 Recipe

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Aubergine Parmigiana

Aubergine parmigiana or melanzane parmigiana is one of the best recipes for getting the most out of your aubergines. The thinly sliced and pan fried aubergines are layered with a rich tomato sauce and freshly grated parmesan for a dish that is bursting with Italian flavour. Serve this simple aubergine parmigiana recipe as it is, or pad it out with an extra layer of cooked spaghetti added to the base of the baking dish. 

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 people

Calories 318.6kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Equipment

• Large frying pan
• medium baking dish (24x20cm)

Ingredients

For the aubergine:

• 3-4 tablespoon Olive oil
• 2 large aubergines (600g sliced length ways and half a cm thick)
• Few pinches of salt

For the sauce:

• ½ tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 Clove garlic finely chopped
• 1 Large onion diced (150g)
• 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
• 690 g jar of Passata
• Black pepper

For the topping:

• 6 medium tomatoes sliced (300g)
• 30 g Breadcrumbs (or gluten free breadcrumbs)
• 50 g grated parmesan (or vegetarian parmesan)
• 100 g buffalo mozzarella roughly torn
• Handful of fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Preparing the aubergine:

• Place a large pan on a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and allow to heat up. When the oil is hot carefully add the aubergine slices and fry on each side until golden brown. You will need to fry these off in batches as only 3 or 4 slices will fit in the pan at any one time. You can add more oil as required and season each batch with a bit of salt.
  
• After each batch of aubergine has finished cooking carefully remove from the pan and leave to drain on a plate lined with kitchen towel.

Preparing the aubergine parmigiana sauce:

• Place a large pan on a medium heat (use same pan from previous step to save on washing up) then add half a tablespoon of oil and the finely chopped garlic. Fry for 10 seconds then add the diced onion and fry until soft. Next add a teaspoon of dried oregano and mix well.
  
• Next pour in a large 690g jar of passata and stir into the cooked onions
  
• Season with black pepper and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
  

Putting together the aubergine parmigiana:

• Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan).
• For this next step you will need a medium sized square or rectangular baking dish. I used a 20x24cm rectangular dish.
• Begin by placing a layer of cooked aubergine in the based of the dish.
  
• Then add a layer of the tomato sauce and sprinkle over 1-2 tablespoons of grated parmesan, continue to layer like this until all the aubergine, sauce and parmesan has been used.
  
• Finish with a final layer of sliced tomatoes.
  
• Then top with breadcrumbs, parmesan and torn pieces of mozzarella.
  
• Place the baking dish in the centre of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the mozzarella has turned golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.
• Remove from the oven, top with fresh basil leaves and serve.
  

Video

Notes

Can you freeze Aubergine Parmigiana?

For best results freeze the aubergine parmigiana without baking it. Once the parmigiana is layered up in an oven proof dish, allow to fully cool then seal with a lid or cling film and place in the freezer. When ready to eat remove from the freezer and defrost fully then bake at 180 degrees (fan) for 30 minutes or until piping hot throughout.

Can I prepare aubergine Parmigiana in advance?

If preparing in advanced once you have made up the parmigiana in the baking dish it can be placed in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. As the dish will now be chilled, add an extra 10 minutes to the baking time.

What else can you do with Aubergines?

One of the most simple and satisfying recipes for aubergine is baked aubergine and feta cheese. I love to serve this as starter at a dinner party. To make this delicious starter you will need one aubergine per person. Start by scoring the skin with a knife in four places along the length of the aubergine then rub oil all over the skin. Then place on a baking tray and bake at 180 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the skin is charred. Cool and then peel off the skin (the scoring should help with this). With the stem still in place slice the peeled aubergine in half with the top end held together by the stem still. In a small dish mix together olive oil, chopped parsley and chopped garlic then drizzle over the aubergine. Finally crumble over some feta cheese and serve.
I also love to use aubergine to make my meat and leek pies with aubergine pastry - These are proper Italian pies! 

Nutrition

Serving: 500g | Calories: 318.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.9g | Protein: 14.3g | Fat: 20.4g | Saturated Fat: 7.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9.9g | Sodium: 680mg | Fiber: 3.9g | Sugar: 14.7g

PIN FOR LATER

The post Aubergine Parmigiana appeared first on ProperFoodie.

No other recipe says autumn as much as this roast pumpkin soup recipe. Its made with roast pumpkin flesh and roast chestnuts, which blend together to create a gorgeous, deep golden colour with a sweet and nutty taste. Make this soup in under an hour and enjoy all the goodness that autumn produce has to offer.

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🥘 Ingredients

To make this roast pumpkin soup for 4 people you will need:

Ingredient notes

Pumpkin: The good old pumpkin is actually a type of winter squash and so any variety of winter squash will work well here. So if you're fresh out of pumpkins, substitute with butternut squash. Use either 2 small squash or 1 medium squash.

Alternatively, if you want to make this soup in double quick time, you can use 2 tins of pumpkin puree.

Chestnuts: This recipe uses raw shelled chestnuts, which need to be roasted and the shells removed. See how to roast chestnuts for instructions. However, if you prefer you can buy and use pre cooked chestnuts with the shells removed (this will be quicker and easier, but I do enjoying roasting chestnuts myself at this time of year!)

If you can't get hold of any chestnuts, replace with nuts of a similar flavour such as hazelnuts or pecans.

Cream: The cream in this recipe is completely optional. I love to add it in right at the end to lighten up the soup and to make it super creamy. However, the chestnuts alone provide a creaminess to this soup. So if you want to keep things a little healthier, just remove the cream.

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Roast Pumpkin Soup with Chestnuts

No other recipe says autumn as much as this roasted pumpkin soup recipe. Its made with roast pumpkin flesh and roast chestnuts, which blend together to create a gorgeous, deep golden colour with a sweet and nutty taste. Make this soup in under an hour and enjoy all the goodness that autumn produce has to offer.

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Soup, starter

Cuisine British

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 people

Calories 552kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Equipment

• Baking trays for roasting pumpkin and chestnuts
• Extra large pan for making soup
• Hand blender or blending machine

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon oil
• 2 small or 1 medium pumpkin or 2 tins of pumpkin puree
• 2 onions peeled and diced
• 400 g raw shells on chestnuts or 200g cooked de-shelled chestnuts
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 2 vegetable stock cubes
• Salt and pepper
• 800 ml boiling water
• 250 ml single cream
• Pumpkin seeds and chopped parsley to serve

Instructions

• If you are roasting your own chestnuts make sure you prepare these first before starting the recipe. See 'How to roast chestnuts' post. Alternatively use pre roasted and de shelled chestnuts. Roughly chop up roasted chestnuts before adding to the recipe.
• Pre heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Use a large knife to halve the pumpkin(s), then scoop out and discard the seeds. Place the pumpkin halves on a baking tray and rub the flesh with 1 tablespoon oil
• Place the pumpkins into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until soft. (Soft when a knife will easily press into the flesh)
• Meanwhile, chop and fry onions in 1 tablespoon oil a large pan until soft. (TIP: use a large pan to give your self plenty of room for all the ingredients and then space to hand blend).
• When the pumpkin is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly then peel or slice off the skin. Chop up the pumpkin flesh and add to the onions along with chopped roasted chestnuts.
• Next add the sage, oregano, stock cubes and salt and pepper.
• Add around 800ml of boiled water to the pan then stir together well.
• Use a hand blender or transfer the soup to a blending machine and blend until smooth. (Note: if soup needs reheating after blending, return to the pan and heat to a gentle simmer. Do not boil.)
• Stir in the cream then serve with extra cream, pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of parsley.

Notes

Substitutions:

• Pumpkins can be replaced with any kind of winter squash or if you’re in a rush and don’t have time to roast the squash you can use 2 tins of pumpkin puree instead.
• If you can’t get hold of raw chestnuts or don’t have the to roast them you an replace with re-cooked and shelled chestnuts. Or completely replace chestnuts with hazelnuts or pecans.
• For a healthier version leave out the cream

 

Can this soup be frozen?

If you plan to freeze this soup, make sure to leave out the cream. Dairy products don't freeze and reheat well, so leave out the cream and add this in later when you have defrosted and reheated.

Once the soup is made (minus the cream) leave to cool then transfer to sealable containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost on the side overnight the reheat in a pan over a low heat until just simmering. Do not boil.

Why should I roast the pumpkin?

Firstly, roasting pumpkin intensifies the flavour and caramelised the natural sugars in the flesh. Secondly, its far easier to remove the skin and slice up the flesh once roasted, rather than try to do it raw.

Can spices be added to this soup?

This recipe uses herbs and chestnuts. However, if you would prefer a spiced pumpkin soup recipe just replace the sage and oregano with coriander and cumin.

Nutrition

Serving: 500g | Calories: 552kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 380mg | Potassium: 2204mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 43218IU | Vitamin C: 80mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 5mg

This post was first published in October 2017. Updated in October 2020 with an improved recipe, new images, new step-by-step photos and new recipe tips & FAQs.

The post Roast Pumpkin Soup with Chestnuts appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Sunday roast dinner

I'm pretty sure that there's nothing better in the world than sitting down to a Sunday beef roast, well almost nothing, I guess it depends on what dessert is; and if Saturday was a big night out or not; and if lots of wine was consumed; and if by about 4pm on Sunday the biggest meal ever is needed. But anyway - its definitely up there with a cheese & wine on a Friday night, or sipping juice from a coconut on a deserted hot beach on a Monday morning. - its just good and homely, and a proper pick-me-up.

Even if its not Sunday this meal is still the meal of comfort, home and relaxing. Am I convincing you yet? Do you feel the need to rush out and buy meat, potatoes and 3 veggies asap? No? Even if I throw in leeks in a super creamy cheese sauce with a crispy top?

Look .....

I just can't say no to this!

Soooo as the Sunday roast dinner is  the weekend staple in most households in the Great British Isles, its definitely necessary that I put a beef roast dinner recipe up on the blog. And here's the thing - it really is so easy to  make. No complicated ingredients or recipes and nothing that will mean you have to slave away for hours in the kitchen. A 500g topside of beef can be cooked and served in 40 minutes, so no need to get up at the crack of dawn to switch on the oven.

However, if beef isn't your thing why not try roast chicken instead?

Sunday is a day of rest after a busy week

Last weekend was very busy for me and so a Sunday roast was definitely on the agenda - as mentioned in my last post I had decide to host a little gourmet/birthday drinks night. But in terms of food: a little, turned into a lot and oh my gosh I was pretty stressed. There was lots of running around and multiple trips to the supermarket and I basically spent every night, last week in my kitchen, preparing and cooking everything from soup and chilli con carne to filo-pastry cups and panna cottas. My freezer was rammed, my fridge was bursting and my crisps/treats drawer was overflowing (yes I have a crisps/treats drawer). To say I went over the top is an understatement. But you know - it was a big birthday and I'd just finished a cooking course and its not likely I'll have to do it again any time soon - so I really went for it. It was hard work and cooking for 20 people is definitely like (or probably like) climbing a mountain. But it seemed to go down well and I think everyone enjoyed it.

So, yes, after all the weekend fun was done and tidied away, it was time for beef, perfectly cooked and served with a dollop of leeks in cheese sauce.

Every Sunday should look like this. I hope the recipe below is helpful - let me know, I'd love to hear from you:-) For a greater starter before digging into this perfectly cooked beef why not serve up a delicious leek and potato soup?

Cheese sauce should be in every meal

If your cooking up a storm for a Christmas Day roast then also check out my sprouts in blue cheese sauce here! or for another great way to use cheese sauce is a meal have a look at my cauliflower cheese and fish pie with cheese sauce. Making some party snack? why not have a go at a cheese sauce dip?

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Beef Roast dinner with leeks in cheese sauce

How to prepare the perfect Sunday roast - with a full beef joint cooked to your liking, served with veggies and leeks in cheese sauce

Course Dinner, roast dinner, sunday dinner, sunday lunch, sunday roast

Cuisine British

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Author By: Debbie Jones

Ingredients

• 500 g Topside of beef
• 200 g Baby carrots
• 1 onion quartered
• 200 g green beans

For the leeks in cheese sauce:

• 2 medium leeks
• 30 g plain flour
• 30 g butter
• 500 ml semi skimmed milk
• 100 g mature cheddar cheese grated
• salt and pepper to season

For the gravy:

• Juices from the cooked beef
• ½ pint beef stock
• 2 teaspoon of gravy powder

Instructions

Sealing the beef:

• Remove the beef from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking in order to bring it up to room temperature.
• Put a large frying or griddle pan on high heat. Whilst the pan is heating up place the beef on a large plate or board and drizzle with olive oil. Use your fingers to ensure the meat is fully coated with the oil and then season with salt and pepper. One the pan is smoking hot place in the beef and seal on all sides using tongues to turn every minute or so. Sealing the meat should take 3-4 minutes.

Cooking the beef:

• Pre heat the oven to 180 degree C (Fan).
• Chop the onion into large chunks and wash the baby carrots. Place the onion and carrots in the base of a roasting tin and balance the beef on top. Cover with foil and place in the oven.
• For two people I used a 500g topside of beef, cooking time for this varies depending on how well done you like your beef.
• •For pink (medium-rare) a piece of meat this size will need around 20 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees C.
• •For medium: 25 minutes, 180 degrees C
• •for well done: 30 minutes, 180 degrees C
• Remember this is for a 500g piece of beef and time in the oven will increase with weight. (1.5kg topside cooked to medium will need 1hr 15 minutes.

Resting the beef:

• How ever you like your beef, the most important stage is resting. Resting the beef after its been in the oven will keep it tender and moist. Its a good idea to try and rest the meat for at least half an hour. For this particular piece of meat, once out of the oven; I removed it from the roasting tin, wrapped in foil and left to rest for 20 minutes.

Veggies:

• Discard the onion from the roasting tin, pour the juices into a small saucepan ready for the gravy and transfer the baby carrots to a small container and set to one side. For the green beans; first prepare a bowl of cold water and leave at the side of the hob.Bring a pan of water to the boil then simmer and add the beans. Simmer the beans for 3-4 minutes or until just cooked but still a little crunchy (try one!). Once cooked remove the beans from the water and plunge immediately into the bowl of cold water in order to stop the cooking process. Set to one side along with the carrots.

Leeks in cheese sauce:

• Slice the leeks into 2cm round pieces and line up to cover the base of a baking dish. For the cheese sauce; melt the butter in a small sauce pan over a medium heat, then add the flour and mix together well the form a roux (a smooth white paste which will be used as a thickening agent for the sauce). Take the pan off the heat and gradually add the milk. Stir well in between each addition of milk. return the pan to the heat and gently bring to the boil. Ensure you stir continuously whilst the sauce is heating in order to prevent lumps. Once the sauce begins to boil this will allow the flour to release its starch and you will notice the sauce becomes thick and smooth. At this point add the grated cheese and cook at a simmer for an additional 5 mins in order to melt the cheese and cook out the flour (removes the starchy taste). Remember to keep stirring. Pour the sauce over the leeks and place in the oven to cook for 20 minutes at 180 degrees C. Foil can be placed over the leeks to prevent the top from burning. Once fully cooked (knife will easily push through the leeks) the foil can be removed and the leeks can be finished off under the grill for a crispy top.  

Gravy:

• heat up the stock and add this to the beef juices continue to heat on a low setting. Put the 2 tsps of gravy powder into a small ramekin or cup, add a small amount of water and stir to form a paste. Pour the paste into the stock and stir well. Continue to stir and heat until the gravy boils and thickens, then turn down the heat and leave to simmer until ready to serve. 

Serving up:

• Slice up the beef and present on plates or a help yourself style board. In a small frying pan heat up 2 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoon water- add the pre prepared carrots and beans to the pan and toss in the warm water and oil mixture for 1-2 minutes. this will allow the veggies to be warmed up and will give hem a nice shiny finish. serve veggies along side the meat. Crisp up the leeks under the grill adding more grated cheese or parmesan to the top if desired and serve.
• Serve the gravy in a gravy boat or drizzle over the beef and veggies.

The post Roast Beef Dinner with Leeks in Cheese Sauce appeared first on ProperFoodie.

This Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup, with all its red veggie goodness, has been on our table several times over the last couple of weeks. I honestly can't get enough of it; with the intense flavour from the well-roasted peppers, mixed in with the sweetness from the tomatoes and the peppery anise from the basil. It really is a heavenly bowl of slurpful, deliciousness.

I decided it was time to get back into soup-making a few weekends ago, as summer is now here and I can no longer get away with hiding under huge jumpers and saying that I need that extra layer of fat to keep me warm. Yes its definitely time to trim up. I always find the best way to do this is with soups and salads. But only with the best and most tastiest soups and salads, otherwise i'd be straight back on the chocolate and chips in no time. So I intend to make my next few posts all about the summer trim down. (With the exception of the wedding cake post - Coming soon!!).

So if, like me, you are feeling the need to transform from a fat waddling caterpillar into a bright, floating butterfly then this soup is a good place to start. Its a really easy recipe and can be made in bulk for the fridge or freezer for those "no time!!" days.

Its also great to take to work or have as a snack if your feeling super peckish in between meals. And its more than likely a dish that will please everyone; from friends round for dinner to your children's mates starving after a long day at school.... lets face it most kids love tomato soup and this is the creme de la creme of tomato soups. Tomato soup was definitely my favourite as a child and I think the only thing thats changed is the topping, instead of grated cheese its now creme fraiche - so grown up 🙂

Right well I'm off to finish my sisters wedding cake - busy busy, hoping I can show the finished result soon!!

Happy soup making!!

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Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato and Basil Soup

Warming roasted red pepper, tomato and basil soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Author By: Debbie Jones

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 large onions roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 15 medium vine ripened tomatoes quartered and seeds removed
• 3 large red peppers capsicum, de-seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Handful of fresh basil leaves
• Salt and pepper to season
• Natural yogurt/Creme Fraiche to serve optional

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. Fill kettle and boil.
• Place the chopped tomatoes and peppers onto two separate trays, drizzle each tray with 2 tablespoon olive oil and season well. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until edges start to blacken.
• Whilst the tomatoes and peppers are in the oven; heat up 2 tablespoon oil in a large pan, add the onions and fry slowly until soft. Add the garlic, dried herbs and stir. Once cooked, add the tomatoes and peppers to the onions along with all the cooking juices. Mix together well and add around 250ml of hot water from the kettle. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat.
• Transfer the vegetables and all juices to a blender or use an electric hand blender to create a smooth soup. Add more water if the soup appears to thick (should coat the back of a spoon. Tear up the basil leave, add to the soup and briefly blend again.  
• Finally, pass the soup through a sieve to achieve a lovely smooth finish - use the back of a spoon to ensure all the soup is pushed through the sieve. - Get as much through as possible so to not take away any flavour. Reheat slightly if necessary (but don't boil). Season if required and serve.
• Soup can be stored in the fridge for 5-7 days or if you want to keep it for longer; transfer to a container and freeze. 

The post Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato and Basil Soup appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Roasted Butternut squash soup

Reasons to put this recipe to the top of your 'mid-week tea' list or even your 'recipes to make for the freezer' list, right now:

• It’s chocker with lots of healthy vegetables.
• It fills you up in next to no time.
• And it looks amazing with all those vibrant greens shining through from the celery and sage. What’s not to love about this soup?

Butternut squash can also be used to pad out a creamy pumpkin pasta dish and is also great in a quinoa salad side dish, which I usually serve with my satay chicken recipe.

Do you peel butternut squash before cooking?

Theres no need to peel butternut squash before cooking. Not only is this incredibly difficult but it also takes a good while to peel when raw. Its definitely so much easier to peel the skin off a roasted butternut squash. My favourite thing about preparing this squash soup is the roasting of the butternut.

How do you roast butternut squash?

1. Chop the butternut squash in half length ways
2. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
3. Seeds can be discarded or washed, dried and then turned into a lovely snack by roasting in the oven until crisp.
4. Drizzle oil over the exposed flesh of the butternut squash. Place on a baking tray and pop in the oven for around an hour.
5. The squash is cooked when the tip of a knife easily pushes into the flesh.
6. Remove from the oven a cool before peeling off the skin.

So delicious! Baking the squash without peeling it means that the skin comes away from the flesh with no hassle, so this really is an easy dish.

Can you eat the skin of butternut squash?

The skin of butternut squash can be quite tough and so generally its best to remove. However, the skin can be edible if you roast the squash until the skin starts to soften.

How do you make roasted butternut squash soup?

1. First roast the squash as instructed above
2. Whilst the butternut squash is cooking the rest of the soup can be prepared. Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan or casserole dish. Add chopped onion and garlic and fry gently for 5 minutes or until slightly caramelised.
3. Next add the chopped celery, 1 teaspoon oregano and black pepper. Stir well before pouring in 750ml of vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 20 minutes.
4. Chop the roasted squash into chunks and add to the soup. Mix in well and then add the freshly chopped sage.
5. Next transfer the soup to a blender and blitz until smooth. This is best done in batches to avoid over filling the blender.

Recipe Tip: Transfer the bulky veg to the blender first with only a little of the stock liquid. Gradually add more stock whilst blending until the desired consistency is achieved. If all the stock is used and the soup is still too thick; extra tap water can be added. A good consistency is when the soup just coats the back of a spoon.

How long will this recipe keep?

Once made store this soup in a sealed container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days

Can I freeze homemade squash soup?

Yes homemade butternut squash can be frozen. Make sure the soup is cooled before transferring to a sealable container, then store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating. Make sure reheated soup is piping hot all the way through.

How do you add cream to soup without it curdling?

To prevent curdling always take soup off the heat and allow to cool slightly before adding cream. Adding cream or yogurt to a soup can really add to the flavour as well as help to thicken soup with a thinner consistency.

What should I serve with this recipe?

Every good soup deserves warm homemade mini bread rolls, perfect for dunking and moping up. If you're having this soup as a starter to a 3 course dinner then why not follow with a roast beef dinner or comforting fish pie. For more 3 course meal ideas have a look at my collection of romantic dinner recipes. Love soup? Have a look at all my soup recipes here.

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Butternut Squash Soup with Celery and Sage

Roasted butternut squash soup with celery and sage. This healthy soup recipe is one of my favourite ways to use up all those late summer veggies. The aromatic sage and earthy celery create an amazing green Goddess-style colour and also go incredibly well with the sweet, roasted butternut squash. A topping of feta and crushed pistachios and we have ourselves one incredible soup.

Course aperitivo, Appetizer, lunch, starter

Cuisine British

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 401.7kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash (1600g - raw whole weight)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large onions chopped (200g)
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 2 sticks of celery chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Black pepper
• 750 ml vegetable stock
• Fresh sage leaves (5 leaves, stalks removed and roughly chopped)
• Water to add if required
• Salt and pepper to season
• Pistachios and feta to top (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Halve the butternut squash - you'll need a large knife for this and a little bit of patience. Scoop out the seeds, and either discard or roast in the oven and serve as a snack. Keep the skin on - we will remove this after cooking!
• Place the halved squash on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Use your fingers to spread the oil evenly over the flesh. Place the squash in the oven and bake for around 1 hour. Check regularly, the squash will be cooked when it starts to caramelise and the tip of a knife can be pressed easily in to the flesh. Once cooked remove from the oven and set to one side to cool.
  
• Whilst the butternut squash is cooking the rest of the soup can be prepared. Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan or casserole dish. Add chopped onion and garlic and fry gently for 5 minutes or until slightly caramelised. Next add the chopped celery, 1 teaspoon oregano and black pepper. Stir well before pouring in 750ml of vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 20 minutes.
• Whilst the soup is simmering, remove the skin from the cooling squash. This can be done by either peeling the skin away or by scooping out the flesh with a spoon. Once the skin is completely removed chop the squash into chunks and add to the soup. Mix in well and then add the freshly chopped sage.
• Next transfer the soup to a blender and blitz until smooth. This is best done in batches to avoid over filling the blender.
• Recipe Tip: transfer the bulky veg to the blender first with only a little of the stock liquid. Gradually add more stock whilst blending until the desired consistency is achieved. If all the stock is used and the soup is still too thick; extra tap water can be added. A good consistency is when the soup just coats the back of a spoon.
• Finally pass the blended soup through a sieve, taste and add salt and pepper if required. If serving immediately reheat gently in a pan but do not boil. Serve in bowls and top with chopped pistachios and crumbled feta cheese if desired.
• If storing for another day do not reheat. Transfer to sealable containers and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Notes

Click here to see the traffic light nutritional info for this recipe (include feta and pistachio topping) (25g feta and 20g pistachios per person)

Nutrition

Serving: 706g | Calories: 401.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.7g | Protein: 17.2g | Fat: 20.3g | Saturated Fat: 5.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8.8g | Sodium: 680mg | Fiber: 3.8g | Sugar: 23g

PIN FOR LATER

The post Butternut Squash Soup with Celery and Sage appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Sticky apple treacle tart! This lovely autumnal tart is so good that I have no doubt I will making it every autumn.

It’s the perfect mix of sticky treacle and caramelised apples, which sets the tone nicely for October and Halloween.  Why I have not thought to combine an apple pie with a treacle tart before now is a complete mystery to me. Its also a great shame that I’ve been missing out on this master piece of a dessert for all this time. It really is wonderful and I definitely need to make several more of these tarts and get a couple in the freezer.

Desserts are always a good thing to focus on in October as there’s still plenty of September fruit kicking about for apple crumble, plum and rhubarb crumble, spiced pumpkin muffins, rhubarb galette, Yorkshire parkin, plum and rhubarb crumble, fig and apple chutney ....the list goes on. And a nice warm dessert with ice cream or custard is just what is needed once the temperature starts to fall. When it comes to warming comfort food, this dessert does not disappoint. Check out my homemade, no churn ice creams if you want to make this tart extra special.

A little effort is required if the whole thing is going to be made from scratch.

However, this sticky apple treacle deliciousness becomes really quick and simple if you don’t mind using shop bought sweet pastry. If you do want to take on the challenge of making your own pastry, then there are a few simple rules that can help make it perfect:

• Try and keep all the ingredients as cold as possible. chill everything first and when combining only use your finger tips and not your palms, which will introduce more heat.
• Chill the pastry once its made and chill once again after its been rolled and lined in the tin.
• Blind bake before adding the filling and always fill the baking beans or flour up to the top so the pastry at the sides of the tin is held firmly in place
• Save any off cuts of pastry as they can be used later on to patch up any holes (no-one will know!!)

Once you have a pastry case ready to go, just pile in some stewed apples, followed by a treacle and breadcrumb filling and pop the whole thing into the oven. It usually takes around an hour to bake through, but it’s definitely worth the wait.

Just before the recipe.....another pizza oven update.

Very exciting news; actual pizzas have been made!! I know that summer is over but we don't care - the summer has been spent with us lovingly building our fabulous cob oven and we can now enjoy our pizzas whilst huddled around the oven for warmth.

The oven itself still has a few bits to finish off; like a final outer layer to make it look pretty and a roof over the whole thing to provide a bit of protection from the winter weather. But as it stands, it can function and so we aren't going to let a last final layer and the lack of a roof stop us from making some proper pizzas!! and my goodness they are proper. I will be sharing everything about our cob oven build and pizza making recipes on here very soon!! There are so many uses for this oven and I can't wait to get cooking up some amazing wood fired meals. But for now we'll just be having fun practising our pizzas. First attempt wasn't too shabby:

Best Sunday pizza afternoon ever!!

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Sticky Apple Treacle Tart

A delightful autumnal dessert with stewed apples, a treacle filling, warming syrupy flavours and a crumbly, sweet pastry base.

Total Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12 slices

Calories 570kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoon ice cold water
• 100 g unsalted butter cubed
• 100 g icing sugar
• 220 g plain flour

For the stewed apple filling

• 400 g baking apples peeled and chopped
• 50 g caster sugar
• 20 g unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoon water

For the treacle filling

• 425 g golden syrup
• 425 double cream
• 2 eggs
• 110 g breadcrumbs
• 75 g ground almonds

For the topping

• 1 baking apple

Equipment

• 10 inch tart/flan tin with loose base

Instructions

• Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C

For the pastry

• whisk together the 2 egg yolks and 2 tablespoon of water then place to one side. In a bowl soften the butter using your fingers and then sieve in the icing sugar. Still using your fingers mix the icing sugar and butter to form a paste. Next sieve in the flour and rub all the ingredients together with the tips of your fingers to create a breadcrumb consistency.
• Gradually add the egg yolks to the flour mix using a "claw" shaped hand to combine. The pastry should start to come together and eventually form into a ball of pastry. Wrap the pastry in cling film and place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

For the stewed apples

• Whilst the pastry is chilling make up the stewed apple filling.
• In a large pan melt the butter then add the apple, sugar and water.Mix well and simmer on a medium heat for 5 minutes. After minutes check if the apples have begun to soften. Continue to simmer until they are soft enough to mash, add more sugar and water if it starts to look to dry. Once mashed continue to cook to ensure any larger lumps have softened. The finished product shouldn't bit too wet as this will cause the base of the tart to go soggy. Simmer for a little longer if necessary. Spoon the stewed apples into a dish and set to one side to cool.

Preparing the pastry case.

• Before rolling out the chilled pastry, prepared the tart tin by rubbing a thin layer of butter over the inner surfaces and then dust with icing sugar.
• Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin then carefully roll out the pastry to around 3mm thick. As you are rolling move the pastry around by 90 degrees every few rolls and occasionally flip. This should ensure the pastry doesn't stick to the work surface and will create a more circular shape.
• Once the pastry is rolled out, use the rolling pin to drape the pastry over the tin. Carefully push the pastry into the corners of the tin and into the sides of the fluted edges. Once you're happy trim using a knife and re wrap the excess in cling and save in the fridge for any patching up that might be needed later on.
• In order to ensure the pastry is cooked through the pastry case must be blind baked before the filling is added. This can be done with baking paper and baking beans or by placing cling film over the pastry and then filling with flour up to the rim and wrapping the over hanging cling film over the top of the flour. Place the pastry in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Watch that the pastry doesn't start to go too dark. Check under the flour or beans to see if the pastry has dried out, then remove from the oven, keep in the tart tin and set to one side. If any holes have appeared or if bits of pastry have broken off. Simply patch up with the saved pastry cut offs from earlier and pop back in the over for another couple of minutes.

For the treacle filling

• In a small pan gently heat the heat the syrup to loosen up, then leave to one side for 5 minutes to cool slightly. While the syrup is cooling mix the cream and 2 eggs together in a bowl. Pour the syrup into the cream mixture and stir well. (NOTE: if the syrup is still too hot it will start to cook the eggs). In a separate bowl mix the breadcrumbs and ground almonds and then make a well. Pour the syrup mixture into the well and mix until smooth.

Putting together the tart

• Spoon the cooled stewed apples into the middle of the pastry case and then spread evenly over the base. Next pour the treacle filling over the apples and fill to just below the rim of the pastry case. For the topping slice up another baking apple into segments and arrange carefully in the top of the treacle filling.
• Place the tart in the middle of the oven and bake for 1 hour, checking at 40 and 50 minutes. The tart will be done when it appears to be just set, it may still have a slight wobble to t in the centre. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the tin.
• Serve with ice-cream, custard, or cream

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 570kcal | Fat: 33.3g

**Estimated nutritional information per serving and per 100g of sticky apple treacle tart. Refer to my Nutrition Information Guide to find out more about how this is calculated and the sources used.

The post Sticky Apple Treacle Tart and our Pizza oven appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Why make this recipe?

Its rustic, its hearty and its a really properly homemade soup. The fresh taste from the celery leaves is nicely balanced here with the sweet apples and the bitter blue cheese. It really is a soup that has it all and is just what I want to come home to on a dark, rainy night.

Celery

Not something at the top of most people shopping lists and I know a lot of people would rather avoid celery. However, the humble celery stick is highly regarded in our household....more so since the creation of this great soup (and maybe a little more so by me than Ben, I could eat celery all day long).

Why is celery good for you?

• Its super low in calories and fat (guilt free eating all the way)
• It contains a good amount of fibre so is great for digestion.
• Its shape, texture and strength make it perfect for chopping into crudites for dips. (check out my beetroot and red pepper dip for something sweet and zinging to dip your celery into).
• Its ridiculously easy to grow. It really does take care of itself; as long as it has good soil and the room to grow to its full potential (a good 30cm between plants). The yield is also pretty good, especially in terms of leaves.
• It can be used in all types of recipes and really gives a great boost to the flavour: salads, stews, soups, pesto. (watch out for my celery pesto post coming soon)
• Its leaves, which are often over looked, usually have the most flavour and have a lovely deep green colour. As each plant supplies a large quantity of leaves; its more than likely that celery growers will find themselves over run. As the leaves are so bulky it can be extremely difficult to store them, so celery leaf soups, stews and pestos are the perfect solution. They look so pretty as well with the vibrant bright green shining through.

Ingredients

To make this celery, apple and blue cheese soup you will need:

• Olive oil
• Onions
• Garlic cloves
• Green apples
• Celery stalks
• Fresh sage leaves
• Dried oregano
• Celery leaves (optional)
• Vegetable stock
• Blue cheese plus extra for topping
• Salt and pepper to taste

Growing celery

• Celery needs its space to grow fully and its surprising how much it will spread. So leave plenty of room between plants.
• Celery is ready to harvest when the sticks are around 20cm or more in length.
• Healthy celery has upright stems which snap. Stems should not be limp and bendy.
• Leaves should be fresh, crisp and a darker green to the rest of the plant
• When harvesting try to keep the stem connected at the base and store as a whole plant. This helps to keep its freshness. Celery can be kept in the fridge for several weeks.
• The leaves are less easy to store as they are quite bulky and there can be a lot just on one plant. They are also at their freshest and tastiest just after being removed from the stems. Therefore, remove and use as soon as you can. If you can't use all the leaves place washed leftovers in a bowl, cover with cling film and keep in the fridge for up to a week.
• If using the stalks in a recipe, use a peeler and scrape away the outer layer, which will remove the stringy bits which can be quite annoying if they get stuck in your teeth.
• If you're making this soup in a big batch for freezing, leave the blue cheese out and add later. Defrost, reheat and then melt in the cheese before serving. The fresh cheese really adds to the taste of the soup and helps bring it back to life. It also means you'll have some cheese leftover for a pretty topping.
• Not a fan of blue cheese? Then leave it out. Its still a very tasty dish with plenty of flavour. Or you could always replace with a different cheese - I imagine a cream cheese would work really well.

Other autumnal recipes

• Celery, Apple and Walnut Pesto
• Roast Pumpkin Soup with Chestnuts
• Chicken and Leeks Recipe
• Tuscan Ribollita Soup
• Yorkshire Parkin Recipe
• Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

If you've tried this recipe, let me know what you think by leaving a star rating in the recipe card or comment section below. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram or Sign up to my email list!

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Celery, Apple and Blue Cheese Garden Soup

A hearty celery soup with sweet apples and blue cheese. Perfect for a cold, autumnal night.

Course Appetizer, starter, starter or main

Cuisine British

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 223kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Onions peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 300 g of sweet green eating apples core removed and roughly chopped
• 450 g celery stalks peeled to remove the stringy bits and chopped
• 10 fresh sage leaves
• 5 g oregano leaves or half teaspoon dried oregano
• 250 g celery leaves washed and roughly chopped
• 700 ml vegetable stock
• 100 g blue cheese plus extra for topping
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large stock pan heat the olive oil, add the garlic and onions, then gently cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Next add the apples, celery stalks, sage and oregano. Stir well before pouring in the stock.
• Bring to a simmer and then add the celery leaves. Mix well to help the leave to wilt.
• Pop on the lid and leave to simmer gently for 20 minutes, check occasionally.
• Once the celery and apple have softened remove from the heat and ladle the soup into a blender. Blend on high for 5 minutes to ensure the soup in nice a smooth, then return to the pan. To create a perfectly smooth consistency; sieve the soup back into the pan (make sure you push as much through the sieve as possible, otherwise some flavour may be lost).
• (if freezing your soup, stop at this point and ladle into seal-able containers - add blue cheese and seasoning when ready to defrost and reheat)
• Put the blended, sieved soup back on a low heat and melt in the blue cheese. Taste and add more cheese if desired and season.

Nutrition

Serving: 338g | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 1241mg | Potassium: 702mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1412IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 243mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Celery, Apple and Blue Cheese Soup appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Home baking

The actual making and baking of these chocolate brownies is so simple and easy. There is no need for a food mixer and no waiting around for hours, patiently checking whether your baking-masterpiece has finished cooking. This is a straight forward recipe using just a couple of bowls, a whisk and plenty of love. For brownies that don't require any slicing up at the end, have a try of brownie chocolate muffins.

If you are looking for more baking inspiration there's plenty to have a go at in the dessert section of the website. I highly recommend my bakewell tart as it is one of my absolute favourites!

I am a nutritionist, and yes, some would say I am meant to promote lettuce and avocados, but sometimes we all need a little chocolate in our lives and so today I'm promoting homemade baking and 'everything in moderation'.

How to make chocolate brownies

Start by melting the chocolate. Whisk the eggs and sugar separately until pale, combine everything into a bowl and mix together. Pour mixture into a baking tin and place into a pre-heated oven (180°) and set the timer for half an hour.

Check to see if the brownie is fully cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre. If it comes out a little gooey after 30 minutes return to the oven for another 5 minutes, before checking again.

Leave to completely cool before removing from its tin. I've made the mistake of being super eager to get it out of the tin in the past, and that usually ends in disaster, with the top half of the cake on the cooling rack and the bottom half still in the tin. So take heed, and leave it for a good hour or even 2 hours if you can.

Run a knife around the edge of the tin and gently turn out onto a board or wire rack (as it will be completely cool by this point, I prefer to use a board).

Divide into 25 little squares.

The decoration for these chocolate brownies is even more chocolate: two types to be exact, which I simply melted in the microwave, transferred to a small piping bag and then roughly piped over each brownie.

You can of course decorate however you prefer, just leave plain or even whip up a bit of cream to pop on top if you like!

Chocolate brownies recipe ingredients

The ingredients you will need to make this recipe are:

• 220g unsalted butter
• 280g milk chocolate chips
• 4 medium eggs
• 300g golden caster sugar
• 100g plain flour
• 100g cocoa powder
• 100g chopped hazel nuts
• 100g white chocolate chips
• Butter and icing sugar to line the tin
• 100g milk chocolate 100g white chocolate for decoration

Why are my chocolate brownies dry?

This recipe is to achieve a light and crumbly brownie, however if your aiming to make your chocolate brownies gooey you will need to add more of the chocolate and butter elements to tip the balance towards fudgy rather than cakey. modify this recipe by increasing the unsalted butter to 250g and the milk chocolate chips to 300g.

Dry brownies are usually a result of a higher ratio of drier ingredients like the flour and cocoa powder as opposed to the butter and chocolate elements, also a reduced cooking time will help your cake to retain some of its moisture. Don't forget your brownies won't firm up until completely cool, so remove them from the oven in time to allow for this if required.

How do I know when my brownies are done?

To test whether your chocolate brownies are ready take a skewer or the tip of a knife and pierce the cake in the centre, as you draw the knife or skewer out notice whether there is any brownie sticking to the blade. If you are looking for a light and crumbly or 'cakey' brownie you want the knife/skewer to come out clean. If you want a gooey or 'fudge like' brownie you want a little of the inside to come with it, make sure the skewer is hot though as this indicates the brownie is hot to the centre and not under done.

Do you leave brownies to cool in the tin?

Yes! I leave my brownies to cool in the tin. In the past I have been too eager to get at my brownies and have disturbed them before they've had a chance to firm up enough to stay in one piece.  Brownies ideally should be removed from the oven just as the centre is firming up, this allows for them to finish on the worktop before they cool down. The result is a brownie that is easily turned out onto a board without being too dry in the middle.

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Hazelnut and White Chocolate Brownies

Hazelnut & white Chocolate brownies with chocolate decoration - perfect for keeping things sweet this valentines

Course afternoon tea, Dessert, pudding

Cuisine American, British

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Calories 210kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Ingredients

• 220 g Unsalted butter
• 280 g Milk chocolate chips
• 4 medium eggs
• 300 g golden caster sugar
• 100 g plain flour
• 100 g cocoa powder
• 100 g chopped hazel nuts
• 100 g white chocolate chunks/chips

Equipment

• 1 square 9 inch x 9 inch baking tin

Extras

• Butter and icing sugar to line the tin and prevent sticking
• 100 g milk chocolate and 100g white chocolate for decorating if desired

Instructions

• Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan). Butter the baking tin and dust with icing sugar, this will prevent the brownie from sticking during baking.
• Cut up the butter into chunks and add to a microwavable bowl, along with the 280g of chocolate chips. Microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring in between until fully melted. (NB: with the butter mixed in, this won't take long to melt at all).
• Place the melted chocolate and butter to one side.
• In a mixing bowl whisk together the sugar and eggs. The mix of sugar and eggs is known as a sabayon. However, to achieve a good sabayon there is no room for gentle mixing: get your muscles out and whisk well until the mixture goes paler and begins to ribbon with the movement of the whisk.
• Pour the melted chocolate and butter into the sabayon and stir in well. Then sieve in the flour and cocoa powder and use a spatula to gently fold in. It will appear quite dry at first, but keep folding and eventually the mixture will come together. Finally add the hazelnuts and white chocolate, and fold in again, before gently transferring to the prepared baking tin. use a knife or spatula to spread the mixture evenly in the tin.
• Pop in the oven for 30 minutes, then check by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake. If the skewer comes out gooey then put back in for a further 5 minutes. Check again and return to the oven if required, do not bake past 45 minutes as the edges of the brownie will begin to burn.
• Once fully baked, leave on the side, in the tin, to completely cool. This usually takes 1-2 hours.
• Only remove from the tin once you are satisfied that the brownie is complete cooled.
• To remove, run a knife around the edge of the tin, then place a board over the top of the tin and gently turn over to release the brownie.
• Cut up the slab into suitably sized square pieces: I usually cut off the edges first to remove any charring and to neaten up. Then divide into 20-25 small squares.

If you would like to decorate the brownies as in the pictures:

• Melt 100g of white chocolate in the microwave (20 second bursts), then transfer to a piping bag, snip off the end and roughly pipe chocolate zig zags over each brownie. Repeat this with milk chocolate, then leave on the side to fully set.

Notes

click here for traffic light nutritional information for this recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 46g | Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.6g | Protein: 4.1g | Fat: 16.3g | Saturated Fat: 8.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.9g | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 8.8g

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The post Chocolate Brownies Recipe appeared first on ProperFoodie.

Chicken and almond Curry

Sometime the body craves a good old British curry and our tummies will not be satisfied with anything less.

With takeaways and curry houses all over the place, its no hardship to pop out and fulfil that need to gorge on a rich lamb rogan josh or creamy chicken korma. And of course there's always plenty of room for popadums, and samosa,  and naan bread. . . and you can't just get one type can you - - you have to try the peshwari naan and the chilli naan and ooh what about a coriander naan  🙄

It can all get out of control very quickly. Trust me I know - I have been there, I have walked the dark path of shame the next morning with a slight garlic hangover and huge bloated belly.

So, what to do?? Obviously you know I'm going to tell that you can make it yourself. And homemade curry is one of the most satisfying things to eat, once you've gone to the effort of making it! My usual chicken tikka curry, although fantastic, does take a while to make and does including the making of your own tikka paste. Likewise for my super authentic Thai green curry with Thai green curry paste, Thai red curry with Thai red curry paste and Massaman curry with Massaman curry paste. All very nice, and great if you have the whole day to cook and you're after a romantic dinner recipe for a cosy night in. But not great when its late and you need a curry - right now.

The point of this recipe was to create a tasty authentic curry dish, with minimal ingredients and time, but maximum flavour and enjoyment. The fact that this can also be thrown into one pan really saves on time and washing up. I do like a one pan meal and even like to make my own fish biryani rice dish in the tradition dum way (steaming everything in one pot).

Easy chicken curry ingredients

So here they are - the basic ingredients needed to make a great, simple, healthy and super quick chicken curry

• Chicken breast
• Bell pepper
• Tinned tomatoes
• Curry powder
• Ground almonds
• Garlic
• Juice of half a lemon
• Fresh coriander
• Flaked almonds

No coconut milk, or yogurt or cream or lashings of oil. This is curry, at its best, without the overload of fat and calories.

How to make quick chicken curry

To make this dish, all you need to do is pop everything into one big pan. - I promise its that straight forward. I usually start by sprinkling the raw chicken with the curry powder and adding a bit of seasoning.

The chicken is then quickly fried off in a hot griddle pan with the addition of fresh coriander stalks. The griddle pan really speeds up the cooking process and is what makes this recipe 'super quick'.

Once the chicken is browned off and cooked through, everything else is added to the pan - in no particular order. Then stirred and simmered for a few minutes - so it looks like this ↓

YUMMY!!

How do I make my chicken curry sauce thicker?

The griddle pan is also really useful for helping to create a nice thick sauce, as it quickly evaporates away any excess water from the tinned tomatoes.

And thats it - done - serve up, top with yogurt and toasted, flaked almonds (optional!!) and tuck in!

I personally find this chicken curry to be fantastic on its own, particularly if its mid week and I'm trying to eat healthily. However, a bit of rice or roti bread will help make this a truly, great Indian feast.

Other chicken recipes you can make in a hurry

• Cajun chicken pasta
• Sesame seed chicken
• Dragon chicken
• Sweet and sour chicken
• Chicken and Leek recipe
• Homemade chicken noodle soup
• Chicken pesto pasta
• Italian Chicken Cacciatore
• Spicy chicken soup
• Paprika chicken wraps
• Chicken satay

📖 Recipe

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Quick Chicken and Almond Curry

Its time for curry!! A one pan meal, prepared and cooked in under 30 minutes with all the taste and flavour of an Indian take away.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 453.6kcal

Author By: Debbie Jones

Ingredients

• 400 g Chicken breast diced fat trimmed off
• 30 g fresh coriander separate the stems from the leaves
• 2 teaspoon medium curry powder
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• Sea salt and Black pepper
• Half tablespoon olive/coconut oil
• 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes plus 1 can refilled with water
• 20 g ground almonds
• 100 g orange bell pepper roughly chopped
• juice of half a lemon

Optional:

• 1 tablespoon fat free Greek Yogurt
• 10 g Toasted almond flakes

Equipment:

• Griddle pan

Instructions

• For best and quickest results use a large griddle pan for cooking. Food items will cook a lot quicker using this method so remember to check and stir regularly.
• 1.Firstly prepare the fresh coriander by separating the stems from the leaves. Place the leaves to one side for later. Finely chop the stems and also place to one side.
• 2.Next dice the chicken into 2cm cubes and place in a large bowl. Add the curry powder, coriander stems, crushed garlic, salt and pepper and mix well to fully coat in the seasoning.
• 3.Place the griddle pan on a medium-high heat and add the oil. Then add the seasoned chicken to the griddle pan and fry off evenly, using a wooden spoon to stir and turn the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked and a golden brown colour on all sides, add the bell pepper, tinned tomatoes, ground almonds, and stir well. Refill the tomato can with tap water and place to one side.
• 4.Bring the curry to a gently simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes. Place a lid over the pan during this time, if you have one. Check regularly and gradually add the water from the tomato can if the sauce begins to get too dry.
• 5.Add the lemon juice, stir and remove from the heat.
• 6.Taste and add more seasoning or lemon juice if desired.
• 7.Finally, roughly chop the coriander leaves and add to the curry before serving.
• Serve in bowls topped with yogurt and flaked almonds.
• NB: If cooking up a large batch the curry can be transferred to sealable containers and frozen for up to 3 months.

Notes

Click here to see the traffic light nutritional information for this recipe>>

Nutrition

Serving: 493g | Calories: 453.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.9g | Protein: 69.8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 560mg | Sugar: 10.5g

The post Quick Chicken and Almond Curry appeared first on ProperFoodie.