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Halloumi and Roasted Vegetable Salad

A great mid-week meal, for the summer months, packed full of flavour.

I like to toss the lettuce leaves in a tablespoon of french dressing and then drizzle with some good quality aged balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze. Finish with a few teaspoons of sweet chilli jam to taste.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

  • 1 Romaine or Cos lettuce, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 red pepper, sliced into large chunks
  • 1 yellow pepper, sliced into large chunks
  • 1 large red onion, sliced into large chunks
  • 150g asparagus or tenderstem broccoli, trimmed
  • 225g halloumi, sliced into 1cm thick slices
  • 2tsp garlic or lemon oil
  • Sesame oil (optional)

To serve

  • Salad dressing
  • Balsamic vinegar or glaze
  • Sweet chilli jam

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C/170 Fan/Gas 5.
  2. Arrange the peppers and onion and lay in a single layer on a baking tray.
  3. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Combine the ingredients together and bake for 30 minutes, until starting to blacken at the edges.
  5. When you have 10 minutes to go, cook the halloumi in a dry, non-stick pan over a medium heat for a few minutes each side, until golden brown.
  6. Heat a frying pan and add a little oil (I like to use sesame oil). Fry the asparagus for a few minutes until cooked.
  7. Remove from the heat and cut up into 1cm cubes.
  8. Split the lettuce between two serving bowls, toss with the dressing, and drizzle with balsamic.
  9. Divide the peppers and onion evenly between the bowls, then add the diced halloumi.
  10. Top with the asparagus and finish with a generous spoonful of sweet chilli jam.


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Nikki’s Mushroom Lasagne

Given to me by a very good friend, Nikki, this is a dish that both veggies and meat eaters will love.

When our children were young, Nikki used to make this for us when we visited and it always went down a treat with kids and adults alike. Unlike some lasagne’s it’s fairly quick to make, so you won’t need to set aside half a day to prepare it!

It can be made 48 hours in advance. Cool and then keep covered in the fridge.

It’s a real crowd pleaser when we have guests and I always serve it with a simple dressed green salad.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil, Olive or Rapeseed
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 500g mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • 30g plain flour
  • 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 500g frozen whole leaf spinach, thawed and drained
  • 150g mature cheddar, grated
  • 150g pre-cooked lasagne sheets

For the White Sauce

  • 50g butter
  • 50g plain flour
  • 600ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 1tsp dijon mustard

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok, add the onion and cook gently for 3-5 minutes until softened. Next add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds before adding the chopped mushrooms. Continue to fry for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes, basil, sugar, salt and pepper and cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. Make the white sauce*.
  5. Next, season the spinach with salt and pepper then take 1 teaspoon at a time and shape it loosely into 24 balls.
  6. Spoon 1/3 of the mushroom mixture into a large ovenproof dish and place 8 spinach balls on top.
  7. Cover with 1/3 of the white sauce and 1/3 cheese and arrange lasagne sheets on top.
  8. Repeat layers finishing with a layer of cheese.
  9. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200oC/180 Fan/Gas 6 for 35 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
  10. Leave to stand for 10 minutes to firm up slightly before serving.
  11. Enjoy!

*White sauce

I like to use Delia’s “all in one” method for making a white sauce as it is generally quicker and doesn’t end up lumpy!

  1. In a clean saucepan, add the milk along with the butter, flour and seasoning and gradually bring up to a simmer over a medium heat, whisking continuously with a balloon whisk, until the sauce has thickened and become smooth and glossy.
  2. Then turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting and let the sauce cook gently for 5 minutes to take the raw taste out of the flour, stirring from time to time.
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Tomato and Roasted Pepper Gnocchi

This incredibly easy to make sauce was a New Year’s Eve triumph borne out of a lack of almonds of all things!

I was going to prepare a Romesco sauce until I realised I hadn’t got any almonds in the cupboard, so instead set about rustling up a sauce which utilised some of the ingredients I did have.

This dish begins with a basic tomato sauce recipe and then adds in some of the elements of the Romesco sauce to give it a different twist.

I like to serve it with a side of Rocket leaves, finished with Parmesan shavings and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and good quality barrel-aged Balsamic Vinegar.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes (the best you can afford)
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 500g Gnocchi
  • 4 roasted red peppers from a jar, chopped
  • Small bunch chopped basil
  • 2 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar
  • Pinch soft brown sugar
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Fry the shallots in the oil until they start to colour then add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
  2. Add the tomatoes and continue to simmer for 15 minutes, adding a little water if the sauce starts to get too dry.
  3. Place some bowls into the oven to warm.
  4. In the meantime, bring a pan of salted water to the boil ready for the Gnocchi.
  5. Now add the peppers, sherry vinegar and sugar and half of the chopped basil to the sauce and season to taste. Continue to cook on a gentle heat while you turn your attention to the Gnocchi.
  6. Add the Gnocchi to the pan of boiling water and cook until they start to float to the top of the pan – usually 1 – 2 minutes.
  7. Stir the remainder of basil into the sauce.
  8. Divide the Gnocchi between the four warmed bowls and spoon of the sauce. Top with parmesan cheese before serving.