Pretty Pickled Peppers Recipe

As in “Peter Piper picked a peck of…..”. A peck is a lot by the way, about 8 pints worth. I didn’t buy that many, I resisted from buying the whole crate of organic Pimientos Picante that were shining up at me from the floor of one of the stalls at the market on Sunday.

I bought quite few though, enough to think “What the hell..?” when I got home and realised that I already have a freezer full of our own homegrown red and green chillis and a scotch bonnet bush that is producing more than we can cope with at the moment.

I’m a sucker for them though, it didn’t even cross my mind, as I stuffed a few greedy handfuls into a bag, paid and left with a smile on my face and thoughts of pretty jars of pickled peppers on imaginary wooden shelves in a pantry that only exists in my dreams rushing through my brain. What can I say, it’s an addiction.

Pretty Pickled Peppers Recipe

Makes 1 big jar, vegan, gluten-free. Adapted from David Lebowitz

• about 350 g chilli peppers (mixed red & green)
• 350 ml vinegar ( I used a mix of apple, sherry, rice and white wine vinegars)
• 350 ml water
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp course salt Himalayan or kosher
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves

Pierce the peppers all over a few times with the tip of a knife and pack them into a sterilised jar. Put the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour the entire contents of the pan into the jar with the peppers until they are all covered with the pickling liquid, seal with a lid and leave to cool. When cooled store in the fridge. You are supposed to leave them for at least a week but we couldn’t wait that long.

Apparently they get better the longer you leave them but we served them to our friends the next day and they were really good. Jeanne is now known as The Chilli Queen.

Enjoy!

Avocado Tomato Tian, Tempura Peppers, Sweet Chilli, Basil Coriander Sauce

The last of the hass avocados are being harvested at the moment where we walk the dog. They are stored in piles of crates ready for market. The farmers are cutting back the trees and making bonfires out of the mountains of branches.

This was the first thing we ate when we arrived in Cape Town. Just off the plane and straight to lunch at Harbour House at The Waterfront. The shape of things to come. Lunch and dinner booked every day for three weeks, well nearly. In the end I worked it out as 29 meals out in 19 days. This does not include breakfasts or the meals we had at the Game Reserve. Heaven or hell? You decide…….

Their version was with tempura prawns, I changed it to red peppers because you can cut them in a similar shape to prawns (they have that natural curl) and they look sort of pink in the tempura.

The original recipe uses fresh basil to infuse an olive oil and a mayonnaise as two of the three sauces that are used to dress the plate. I didn’t have any fresh basil so I used some basil pesto and lots of fresh coriander to increase the vibrancy of the green. I blended these together in the oil and mayonnaise with a stick blender.

Basil and coriander actually work really well together. I was a bit worried about the Italian/Indian (con) fusion of flavours. But hey it tastes good.

Avocado Tomato Tian, Tempura Peppers, Sweet Chilli, Basil Coriander Sauce

Serves 2, Vegetarian (Vegan without the mayo). Adapted from the Harbour House recipe

Prep time: 40 mins Cooking Time: 5 mins

• 1 medium red pepper, cut in 1 cm slices
• 2 small avocados, mashed with lemon juice
• 2 small tomatoes, peeled, deseeded & chopped
• 1 small aubergine, cut into 1 cm rounds
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• a pinch of chilli flakes
• salt & pepper
• sweet chilli sauce, see my recipe here if you want to make your own
• fresh basil leaves (or I used basil pesto and fresh coriander), save some for garnish
• 1 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 lemon
• olive oil
• 2 or 3 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch, maizena)
• 100 gr flour (I used spelt flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 200 ml iced fizzy water (or beer)
• vegetable oil for deep/frying

Drizzle the aubergine slices with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, minced garlic and chilli flakes. Roast in a 200 c oven for about 30 minutes until softened. You won’t need the whole aubergine for this dish but you can keep the rest for salads, wraps or whatever.

Put the pepper strips on a plate and sieve over the cornflour until the peppers are coated on all sides.

Mash the avocados with a big squeeze of lemon and season with salt & black pepper, taste.

Cut a cross in the base of each tomato. Plunge them into a bowl of boiling water and leave for about 30 seconds. Drain then refresh them in a bowl of iced water for another 30 seconds. Then you can peel them easily.

Half or quarter the tomatoes and remove all of the seeds. Chop or dice the tomato flesh, season with salt & pepper and set aside.

Add one heaped tablespoon of mayonnaise into to a measuring jug with one teaspoon of basil pesto and/or a big handful of basil/coriander leaves for a greener colour. Add a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, salt & pepper. Blend with a stick blender adding a splash of water to loosen it if necessary. Taste.

Ina separate measuring jug add another teaspoon of pesto and/or a big handful of basil or coriander leaves. Drizzle over a good glug of olive oil and blend. Add more oil until you get a good drizzling consistency. Season.

Sieve the flour, baking powder & salt into a large bowl. Whisk in the ice-cold water/beer until just combined. Do not over whisk.

Heat the oil to about 180 c in a wok. Add the peppers (in two or 3 batches) to the batter and coat completely. When the oil is hot, carefully lower the first batch of peppers into the wok. When the peppers have come to the surface, if you like you can sprinkle over some more batter from a height with your fingers. This gives it an extra, light crispy coating. Use chopsticks or a metal slotted spoon to move the peppers onto the bits of batter so it sticks  to the peppers. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Drain in a sieve over kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the rest.

Using a mould or chef’s ring on your serving plate, place two slices of aubergine into the base. Top with with a layer of the diced tomatoes then add a layer of the mashed avocado. Smooth the top and press down lightly.

Drizzle the mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce and basil oil around the plate. Place the tempura peppers evenly around the tower/tian. Then slowly lift of the ring and serve garnished with some fresh basil or coriander leaves and a drizzle of the basil oil. Some toasted ciabatta slices would be good with this too.

Now try to get someone else to clean up the mess in the kitchen!!

For more pictures of our lunch at Harbour House check out  this post.

Have a great weekend…

Chargrilled Vegetable “Sandwich” with Feta, Basil and Pine Nuts

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a sandwich without the bread for a while. Alli at Pease Pudding recreated a version of this that she had for lunch in a cafe.

She lives in New Zealand and every time I visit her blog it makes me want to visit New Zealand even more. The choice of food apart from everything else is inspiring. One of her latest posts is a breakfast she had in another cafe which was Baba Ghanoush topped with a Poached Egg (heaven), that is definitely next on my list. Maybe for brunch tomorrow, if I can wait that long…. 

Pisto Con Huevos – A Rustic Spanish Classic

Pisto con huevos is a Spanish version of ratatouille (pisto) topped with an egg then baked in the oven, in my version anyway. Alternatively you can top it with a fried egg or mix the eggs into the pisto like scrambled.

This popular rustic dish is often referred to as Pisto Manchego because it was first developed in central La Mancha. Manchego means “from La Mancha”. You may not know that the true Manchego cheese is made only from whole milk of the Manchega sheep raised in the “La Mancha” region.  Hard cured sheep’s milk cheeses from other regions are called Queso de Oveja Curado.

Caribbean Chilli Stuffed Peppers

As you know I get most of my food inspiration from the fruit & vegetables I see growing in the fields where I walk with the dog in the morning.  There are hundreds of these peppers everywhere.

This time of year there is always a glut of tomatoes. So much so that they are basically being given away or left to rot on the ground.

This whole field of corn is being left to dry out completely. The corn was ripe about a month ago but has not been harvested. I don’t know why, I’m hoping that they are going to use it to make corn flour or something. It seems such a waste.

My scotch bonnet chilli pepper plant is still producing more chillis. I have 3 large tubs already in the freezer and it has just flowered again which means another crop.

I have just been back to England for a few days for my mum’s birthday. As usual I had to buy another cookbook while I was there. This time I decided to go for something Caribbean as I have so many Scotch Bonnets to use. The book is Spice it Up by Levi Roots.

There are lots of recipes I’m eager to try but his Caribbean chilli was the first one because it used a lot of stuff I had to finish up in my fridge. I love recipes like this It’s so versatile. I added the sweetcorn and used lentils instead of kidney beans as  that is what I had.

I also have a really healthy thyme plant on my terrace. It’s not woody at all so you can use the whole sprigs for seasoning as well as the leaves. Fresh thyme is used a lot in Caribbean food.

So you can kind of see how my brain works. The stuff I see growing while walking the dog stays in my head. It gets added to the things I have on my roof terrace and inspiration from books brings it all together somehow.  It’s this creativity that I love and that keeps me cooking and writing this blog.

So I made the chilli which was delicious on its own with some rice or cornbread and then used the rest to stuff into the green peppers for lunch the next day. A sprinkling of grated cheese before roasting gives it that something extra and takes it in a slightly more Mexican direction.

For that late summer vibe you can’t beat a bit of Caribbean spice. So if it’s rainy where you are, bring on the sunshine, get creative and start cooking.

Caribbean Chilli Stuffed Peppers

Serves 4 as chilli, 6 for stuffed peppers, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free.

Adapted from Spice it Up by Levi Roots

For the Caribbean chilli:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 leek, halved lengthways, rinsed & finely sliced (optional)
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 sticks celery, finely sliced
• 1 heaped tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• salt & black pepper
• a bunch of fresh thyme leaves
• 1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and roughly diced
• 2 small long green peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 250 gr mushrooms, quartered or sliced
• 2 large tomatoes chopped (or 1 x 400 gr tin)
• 1 or 2 red chilli (ideally scotch bonnet) I used 4 of my small ones
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)
• 1 tin/jar cooked lentils, rinsed
• 1 tin/jar cooked kidney beans/white beans, rinsed
• 1 ear of corn, silk removed and kernels sliced off into a bowl
• 2 tbsp tomate frito (tomato puree/ketchup)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 or 2 tbsp soy sauce
• a handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 a lime juiced

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, leek, celery, carrot & garlic and cook for about 5-8 minutes until softened.

Season well with salt & pepper and add the cumin, allspice and fresh thyme leaves, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Next add in the  peppers, cook for 2 minutes then add in the mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the chopped tomatoes, chillis, sweetcorn, lentils & beans and stir well. Then add the tomato puree, sugar & soy sauce.

Lower the heat, cover and cook over a low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste, add more salt, sugar or cayenne pepper if not hot enough for you. Stir in the chopped coriander and squeeze over the juice of 1/2 a lime.

Serve straight away with plain boiled rice or some cornbread or use to stuff peppers.

For the Stuffed Peppers:

• 1 large long green pepper per person
• Caribbean chilli (see above)
• olive oil
• salt & black pepper
• fresh thyme leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• dried chilli flakes
• grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the peppers in half lengthways and remove the seeds and core. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the peppers on the tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, thyme leaves and chilli flakes, toss to coat.

Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, you can do this while your chilli is cooking if you like. When the peppers are cooked spoon the cooked chilli into the peppers and sprinkle over the grated cheese. Put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes for the cheese to melt. Cook for 15-2o minutes if the filling is cold.

Serve on their own or with a simple green salad.

Things That Made Me Smile Today……..

My best friend Tara, who I miss a lot, made dinner for me when I was back in England. I’ve never seen her cook before so I was very honoured!!

Especially as she made my White Bean Dip  as well as a Blue Cheese, Pear & Walnut Salad, Nachos and some delicious Spicy Roasted Potatoes. It was  far too much food for the two of us but we still managed to polish off some Baklava and a bottle of pink champagne.

She has two gorgeous Chihuahuas, a boy & a girl called Rocky and Coco. Rocky is the white one and Coco is brown. I don’t usually like little yappy- type dogs but they are so cute.

Thanks T, I miss you. Come and see me soon!!

Tempura Green Peppers with Dipping Sauce

First of all, sorry for my lack of posts recently. I’ve had some sort of virus and I couldn’t eat. I know, it was awful. Everything made me feel sick, even the smell of food was repulsive. I haven’t cooked anything for a week. The Washer Up has been surviving on pasta (and beer obviously) and is now desperate for something different.

This has been on my “to make” list ever since these beautiful long emerald peppers first made an appearance in the fields where we walk the dog about  a month ago. They are known as frying peppers here and are used in a typically Andaluz dish called Pimientos Fritos (fried peppers) where they are simply fried in lots of good olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.

This Spanish/Japanese fusion came to me because I wanted to do something a little different from the usual fried peppers and I saw Nami’s recipe for Shrimp Tempura. She also posted a video of a Japanese chef making proper tempura and I was intrigued. It looked light, airy, crispy and delicate. A million miles away from the doughy excuses you get for tempura in most places.

They are not perfect but I’m really pleased with my first attempt at making tempura. They are light, crispy and gorgeous with the dipping sauce. It’s not as hard as I thought. The kitchen’s a bit of  a state though, better clean that up before The Washer Up gets home…

I’d definitely recommend heading over to Nami’s blog and watching the video if you are going to have a go at this. It’s amazing to watch and so much easier than me trying to explain it!

Green Pepper Tempura with Dipping Sauce Recipe

Serves 2, vegan. Adapted from Just One Cookbook

• 4 medium long green peppers (frying peppers)
• 2 or 3 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch, maizena)
• 100 gr (3/4 cup) flour. I’m going to try it with rice flour next time.
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 200 ml iced water
• oil for deep-frying

For the dipping sauce:

• 75 ml (1/3 cup) water
• 1/2 tsp dashi flakes/powder (I used ajishima no dashi)
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine or sake
• 2 tsp sugar
• a pinch of shichimi (a Japanese 7 spice chilli pepper mix)
• salt & shichimi to serve

First make the dipping sauce. Heat all the ingredients in a small sauce pan over a medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the dashi. When boiling remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Cut your peppers in half lengthways, through the stalk so that both sides has a bit of stalk to pick them up with. Lay them on a plate and sieve over the cornflour. Turn the peppers in the cornflour until evenly coated. Heat up your oil in a wok or deep frying pan over a medium high heat, 170 C.

Sieve the flour, baking powder & salt into a bowl and whisk in the ice-cold water until just combined to make a batter. Don’t over whisk. 

Dip your peppers into the batter and coat them well (you will need to do it in two batches). Carefully lower them into the hot oil and sprinkle over some more batter from a height with your fingers. This gives it that extra light crispy coating. Use a metal slotted spoon or chopsticks to move the peppers onto the bits of batter (watch the video it explains it so much better) and cook for 2 or 3 minutes turning once to cook on both sides.

Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the rest.

To serve, pile up the peppers sprinkle with sea salt and shichimi pepper and pour some of the dipping sauce into a bowl.

 Buen Provecho!!

Things That Made Me Smile Today……..

I’ve been trying to get a shot of this for ages. There’s a pair of them in the spring where Rufus likes to cool down. They look like a cross between a dragonfly and a butterfly. The Washer Up got the shot in the end, he was more patient then me and willing to balance on a rock in the stream while trying not to fall in.

He also spotted this one through a gap in a fence….

I love that you can see it’s cute little face…

Have a great weekend…

West African Jollof Rice

This is another one of the recipes  that I first made while watching the World Cup last summer. The other being my Brazilian Bean Patties. I decided to make a dish from one of the countries playing in each match. This recipe was from when England played Ghana. There are many different variations on Jollof rice from all over West Africa but nearly all are tomato based with whatever vegetables you have, or are in season, added.

Most versions also contain chicken, which I have obviously left out. If you want to add the chicken just fry off some chicken pieces first to colour them then remove them from the pan, continue with the rest of the recipe and then add the chicken pieces back in when you add the stock.

The Washer Up pointed out that it is very similar to Paella and I had to agree. I think this would have something to do with the fact that Paella came to Spain during the Moorish occupation. It is believed to be a derivation of a Pilaf or Pilau and you can see that in the name.  The Arabs were also in West Africa for a long time controlling the slave trade in that area so obviously would have had an influence on their cuisine also. It makes sense doesn’t it. So Pilau, Paella, Pilaf  and Jollof could all have started out as one dish that over the centuries has been adapted by many different cultures and adopted as part of their own food heritage.

West African Jollof Rice Recipe

serves 4, vegan, gluten-free

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 chilli, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• a pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 – 1 litre (2 – 4 cups) veg stock
• 2  ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 small green pepper, diced
• 1oo gr cooked kidney beans, rinsed & drained
• 50 gr frozen peas (I used a peas & sweetcorn mix)
• 1 carrot, diced
• 400 gr (2 cups) wholegrain rice
• 150 ml tomate frito/tomato passata/puree
• fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, herbs, spices, salt & black pepper and cook until the onions have softened (about 5 minutes). Then add the garlic, fresh chilli & ginger and cook for another minute.

Next add in the chopped vegetables and tomatoes and cook until the vegetables are partly cooked(5 -8 minutes).

Stir in the rice then add the tomato puree and stir over a low heat to coat the rice. Next add 1/2 litre of stock, season with salt & black pepper and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer, over a low heat, covered until the rice and vegetables are cooked and all the stock has been absorbed. (About 25 minutes). Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and add more veg stock if necessary, a cup at a time, to stop it becoming dry before the rice is cooked.

Check for seasoning and serve garnished with fresh parsley.

Things that made me smile today…

Giant Dandelions…?

Make a wish Rufus….!

Butter Bean Puree with Stuffed Roasted Peppers

It’s all about the Butter Bean Puree. You can serve it with whatever you like. Think about a mix between hummus & mashed potato and you’re almost there. It is comfort food heaven for me. The beans are pureed with roasted garlic, lemon juice, olive oil & rosemary and served hot, like a beany, garlicky mash. They are the perfect accompaniment to any Italian, Spanish, Greek or Middle Eastern dish. Or just eat it on its own from the bowl with a big spoon….

Butter Bean Puree with Stuffed Roasted Peppers

serves 2 vegetarian

• 1 jar/can butter beans, rinsed well (about 400 gr)
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• a small sprig fresh rosemary, chopped, (about 1/2 tsp)
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon, maybe more
• about 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt & black pepper
• 2 large red peppers
• some leftover risotto/couscous/quinoa whatever you have
• about 50 gr crumbled feta
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• some breadcrumbs
• olive oil & rosemary to garnish

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Slice the tops off of the peppers, cut out the seeds and pull out any white membrane. Stuff the peppers with the risotto (or whatever you are using), top with the crumbled feta and sprinkle with oregano. Put the peppers in a foil lined baking tin with the unpeeled garlic cloves. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the feta and drizzle the tops & garlic with olive oil. Bake the peppers in the preheated oven for 35 – 40 minutes but take the garlic cloves out after 15 minutes. 

Put the rinsed beans, lemon juice and rosemary in a bowl then squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skins into the bowl as well. Drizzle with 1 or 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and blend with a stick blender or in a food processor. Drizzle in the rest of the oil while blending until you have reached a kind of sticky mashed potato consistency. Season well with salt & black pepper, taste and add more lemon juice if you want. Add more olive oil if you want it more liquidy. Heat the bean puree in a pan and serve drizzled with olive oil & a sprig of rosemary garnish.

Or serve alongside the stuffed roasted peppers…

This Butter Bean Puree is quicker, easier and, dare I say it, more delicious than mashed potato. A really great side dish to do when entertaining, or just for yourself, you may not want to share it…!

Artichoke, Mushroom and Lemon Risotto

 

The artichokes growing where we walk the dog are looking pretty ready and they are a really good price in the market now so I bought a couple. I have never eaten artichoke before let alone cooked with one so I was a little nervous about preparing them- it looks complicated!

The artichoke globes are so pretty when you buy them like green & purple prehistoric looking flowers. It seems a real shame to pull all  the leaves off when you want to cook them.

This is how the artichokes start out but by the time you have cleaned them down to the hearts, you are not left with much. You can understand why they are expensive to buy in jars. If you want to know how to clean an artichoke look here.

I would definitely recommend buying more than two! I thought one each would be plenty for a risotto but you don’t get left with much so I added some mushrooms to bulk it out a bit. The artichokes get soaked in lemon water to stop them discolouring so I decided to follow that flavour through in the risotto as well. The combination of artichoke, mushroom & lemon worked really well, I added some fresh parsley too..

Artichoke, Mushroom & Lemon Risotto

Serves 2 Vegetarian

• a knob of butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• at least 2 artichokes (4 would be better) you could use some from a jar of hearts.
• a handful of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lemon 1/2 zested & then juiced
• 1/2 red onion finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped finely
• 125 ml white wine or sherry
• about 1 litre veg stock
• 2 big handfuls of arborio rice (I used brown shortgrain)
• salt & black pepper
• a handful of fresh parsley chopped
• about 100 gr manchego cheese (or parmesan) grated

When you have prepared your artichokes (see above) put them in a bowl of water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Heat the oil and butter in a large pan and cook the onion and garlic over a medium low heat for about 5 minutes until soft but not browned. Chop up your artichoke hearts, add them to the pan with the mushrooms and a spoonful of the stock and cook until the chokes are tender about 5-8 minutes, add a bit more stock if it dries up.

Turn the heat up, add the rice and lemon zest & stir to coat the rice. After a minute or so add the wine and leave it to absorb into the rice. Season with salt & pepper.

Meanwhile put the veg stock in a small pan and bring to the boil the turn it down to a simmer. Add a ladleful of the hot stock to the rice, stir or swirl until all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring until each ladle has been absorbed. About 18-20 minutes.

When the rice is just cooked turn off the heat, add the other 1/2 lemon juice, the chopped parsley and the grated cheese. Stir to combine, put the lid on and leave it for 2 minutes.

Taste for seasoning then serve in warmed bowls with extra cheese & parsley garnish

If you are lucky enough to have some, crumble over some Lancashire cheese, so delicious with it and the lemon really highlights the flavour of the artichokes. This was my first attempt cooking with artichokes and it won’t be my last but I will definitely buy more next time, or maybe a jar of hearts!!

We had some risotto left over as I always make too much. I like to do this , it means you can get creative for lunch with the leftovers. We had some lovely long green peppers in the fridge that were just crying out to be stuffed, I added a little chopped green chilli to the risotto for a little heat and piled the mix into the halved and deseeded peppers.

I crumbled over some Lancashire cheese but you can use whatever you have, Feta or Parmesan would be good. Then sprinkle with a few breadcrumbs, drizzle with olive oil and bake in a 200 degree oven for about 25 minutes until the peppers are collapsing slightly and the cheese & breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Serve garnished with lime wedges to squeeze over and some fresh coriander or parsley. The lime juice brings all the flavours back to life, enhances the green chilli and sends it down Mexico way… Enjoy!

 

Roasted Sweet Potato & Halloumi Bake

This is a Nigella recipe that I tried out for dinner last night. I was looking for something to do with sweet potato that isn’t really sweet, a lot of recipes seem to go down that cinnamon route which I find too sickly unless it’s a dessert of course! This is definitely worth trying as a midweek dinner as it’s really easy, you just put everything in on baking dish and leave it. I have changed the original slightly by adding tomatoes make it more juicy and added a bit of dried chilli, fresh thyme & rosemary for flavour..

Roasted Sweet Potato & Halloumi Bake

Serves 2 or 3 Vegetarian

• 1 large sweet potato washed & cut into 2 or 3cm chunks
• 1 large potato cut into 2 or 3 cm chunks
• 1 red onion peeled &cut into eighths
• 2 small red peppers deseeded & cut into 2 cm squares
• about 6 cloves of garlic unpeeled
• 2 tomatoes cut into eighths
• 3 or 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
• salt & black pepper
• about 125gr halloumi sliced thinly

1. Preheat the oven to 2oo degrees.
2. Put all the veg in a large ovenproof baking dish, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with the herbs, chilli, salt & pepper. Then toss it all together with your hands so it is evenly coated.

Ready To Bake

• Roast in the oven for about 45 mins until the veg is tender & slightly browned.
• Turn on the grill or turn the oven up to high then put the sliced halloumi evenly over the veg.
• Put under the grill or in the very hot oven for 5 to 10 mins until the hallomi is has melted & browned

Serve & Enjoy!

This does make quite a lot so you will probably have some leftover, I used mine to make a sweet potato tortilla for lunch the next day.

Roasted Sweet Potato Tortilla Recipe

serves 2 vegetarian

• leftover roasted veg 
• 4 eggs
• milk
• grated parmesan
• salt & black pepper
• parsley & thyme chopped
• shaved parmesan

1. Just heat some oil in a large frying pan and add the roasted veg.
2. Meanwhile crack the eggs into a measuring jug and top it up to 275 ml with milk, whisk together, add the grated parmesan, salt & pepper and whisk again.
3. Pour this mixture over the veg and cook on medium low with a lid on for about 10 mins.
4. When the eggs are nearly set sprinkle the chopped herbs over the top and put the lid back on for a minute.
5. Serve topped with shaved parmesan