Crash-hot potatoes

Crash-hot potatoes

Core recipe

This is one of those crazy little recipes that once tried, is immediately incorporated into your own repertoire. It's what you want when you want a crisp, roast potato, only better. And all you have to do is boil a few small potatoes, smash them flat and blast them in a hot oven until they are terminally crisp. Serve with meat, fish, chicken or even on their own with dips.

Serves 4

16 small, round potatoes

salt

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp fennel or caraway seeds

1 tbsp thyme or rosemary sprigs

Heat oven to 230 or 250C - yes, hot. Don't peel the potatoes. Just bung them into a pot of salted water, bring to the boil, and simmer for around 15 minutes until they'll take a skewer without too much resistance. They should be just about cooked, without being soft.

Drain, and arrange on a lightly oiled baking tray or sheet. Use a potato masher to squash each potato flat, until it is twice its original diameter.

Brush the tops with olive oil, and scatter with sea salt, pepper, fennel seeds and thyme.

Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until terminally crisp and golden. Serve hot.

Double Happiness Beans

Double Happiness Beans

Not strictly core as sesame oil,cornflour and rice wine or sherry are not core.  I usually count ½ pt per serving to cover it.

Two types of beans makes for double happiness, as fine green beans are tossed in a wok with salted black beans and chilli for a very quick vegetable side dish. Salted black beans are preserved, fermented soy beans, available in bags or tins from Chinese food stores. They are quite pungent, so use them sparingly in soups, stir-fries, and sauces. Store in an airtight container, and they will keep for years. If you make this without them, add 2 tbsp oyster sauce instead.

Serves 4 as side dish

2 tbsp salted black beans

2cm knob of ginger, peeled

300 g fine green beans

1 sweet red pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, smashed

half small red chilli, finely sliced

1 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water

Soak the black beans in cold water for 10 minutes, and cut the ginger into thin matchsticks.

Top and tail the green beans if necessary, and cut in half lengthwise, on an extreme diagonal. Cut the sweet red pepper into thin strips, discarding core and seeds.

Cook the green beans and red pepper in a pan of simmering salted water for 3 minutes, then drain and refresh under cold water. Drain again, and pat dry with a clean towel.

Heat the oil in a wok or fry pan, then add the garlic, ginger and chilli, tossing well. Add the green beans and red pepper, and toss well for 2 minutes over high heat. 

Add the drained black beans, rice wine, soy sauce and sesame oil and toss well for a further minute. 

Add the cornflour mixture and toss until the sauce thickens and coats the vegetables. Serve hot.

Butternut Squash Provencale

Butternut Squash Provencale

Core & 0 points

serves 4

6 tomatoes, skinned and chopped

450g butternut squash*, peeled and chopped into 2.5cm cubes

2 onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

seasoning

Place tomatoes and squash in a pan and cook over a gentle heat for about 10 minutes.  Add onion and garlic, and season.  Cook until onion is transparent but the squash still holds its shape (time depends on type of squash used).  Serve immediately, or cool and freeze in rigid boxes.

Layered Potatoes

Layered Potatoes

Core recipe

1 pt per serving on points plan

Serves 6

600g potatoes

1 large onion peeled and sliced

1 pint of stock made with chicken Bovril (not too strong)

Frylight

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven Gas4.

Thinly slice unpeeled potatoes and layer up in an ovenproof dish with the onions, seasoning well as you go.

Pour over the hot stock and spray well with frylight.

Bake in oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Cover with foil if overbrowning.

Pepperonata Toscana

Pepperonata Toscana 

Core recipe & 0 pts

Serves 4

frylight

375g onions, finely sliced

1 garlic clove, finely choipped

500g red and yellow peppers, cored, deseeded and quartered

1 heaped tsp capers

2x 400g cans peeled plum tomatoes

seasoning

chopped parsley, to garnish

Heat a large lidded pan and spray with frylight.  Place quartered peppers, onions and garlic in the pan and allow to cook until softened over a low heat.  Add the tomatoes and season well.  Cook, uncovered, until peppers are tender and the sauce has thickened.  Check the seasoning. 

To serve, pour into serving dish and garnish with chopped parsley.

Rumbledethumps

Rumbledethumps

Core recipe

Serves 4

The name for this dish means "mixed together" - rumbled, and "bashed together" - thumped.
This is a meatless main course but can also be served as a vegetable dish along with meat.

1 lb potatoes
1 lb white cabbage, spring cabbage, or kale
1 medium onion or the white part of two leeks, finely chopped
2 oz extra light philadelphia
Chopped fresh chives
Black pepper and salt to taste


Slice the potatoes thickly and boil in a little salted water. Once cooked, drain and mash.
Slice the cabbage and boil gently in salted water, do not over cook!
In a heavy bottomed pan cook the onions or leeks.
Once soft right through, add the cooked potatoes and cabbage. Add the cheese and season to taste .
Place the mixture in an oven safe dish, place under a hot grill or oven to brown.

Rumbledethumps 2

Core recipe

 

Quaint name for this very Scottish recipe!

Frylight

1 large onion, finely chopped

227g boiled potatoes

113g boiled swede

454g cooked green cabbage

seasoning

Spray a frying pan lightly with Frylight and place over a medium heat.  Cook onion for about 5 minutes until softened and golden brown.  Meanwhile mash the potatoes and swede and chop the cabbage.  Season with salt and pepper.  Ad potatoes, swede and cabbage to the onions in the pan and mix well together.  Press the mixture down to flatten it out and cover the base of the pan.  Cook over a very low heat for about 5 minutes until browned underneath.  Turn the mixture over and cook the other side.  When very hot all the way through, slide out onto serving plate and serve.

Roast Courgettes with lemon and yoghurt

Roast Courgettes with lemon and yoghurt

Core recipe

2 large courgettes

Frylight

Black pepper

350 mls Greek yogurt (Total 100%)

Juice of half a lemon

Pre-heat oven to 200

Cut courgettes lengthways into slices, about ¼ inch thick

Put courgettes on to a baking tray and spray with frylight roast or grill until they brown a little.

Mix yogurt with the garlic and the lemon juice.

Let the courgettes cool down a little, then layer the courgettes and the yoghurt.

Let stand for a few minutes and serve.