Cowboy pies from Hell!

I made a bangin' veggie chili the other night red pepper and mushroom. I thought it would be an awesome idea and a vulgar display of pie-wer to use chili as a pie filling, top it with sweet potato mash and cheese and bake it in the oven so that's what I did and it was insane!

For the chili:
mushrooms sliced, quorn mince, red pepper, chopped tomatoes, brown sugar, baked beans, BBQ sauce, smoked paprika, chili powder, olive oil, s&p.

Mash:
Large Sweet potato peeled and chunked, a knob of butter, s&p. Cheese grated to top.

Preheat the oven to 170, heat some oil in a wok with a little s&p. add the mushrooms, saute until cooked add the veg mince for about five mins, then the pepper, stir constantly, stir through the toms, a good sprinkle of brown sugar, BBQ sauce and spices to taste, simmer for 10 mins add the baked beans near the end for 5/10 mins.

Meanwhile boil the sweet potato in a large pan of salted water for about 15 mins. mash with a good knob of butter and loads of black pepper.

When the chili is cooked ladle into ramekins and top with mash and grated cheddar, bake in the middle of the oven for 20/25mins.

Serve with warm pittas and mayo for dunking.

“Can you do the Pizza Maker?”

Remember old school HC pit classic The Pizza Maker, well this is like that, but “The Tart Maker…”

No one should have time to make pastry after a day in work for dinner for one, so buy ready rolled yeah.

You will need:

Ready rolled puff pastry sheet

One block Halloumi

Tomato puree

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Salt & cracked Black Pepper

Wedges:

Sweet potato

Olive oil

Salt, pepper & Smoked Paprika

Sweet Chilli and mayo mixed for dipping

Rinse your sweet pot, slice into thick wedges, don’t peel never peel the skins are the best bit! Pre heat the oven to 200, place the wedges in a tray drizzle with oil and loads of S&P and a healthy sprinkle of smoked paprika, give the tray a really good shake to coat the wedges. Bake at the top of the oven.

Roll out your pastry sheet; mix together in a ramekin tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, a little olive oil, lots of s&p, and a little water to thin out.

Spread thinly onto pastry sheet, top with healthy chunks of halloumi, I use the whole block and have it over two days, but you will prob want to share with loved ones whereas I do not.

Place on a baking tray, bake in the middle of the oven, here is the only tricky bit, halloumi exudes quite a lot of liquid whilst cooking so after about ten mins remove from the oven and carefully pour off the excess liquid or you will get the dreaded “Soggy Bottom” and will end up “a man of constant Sorrow”.

Return to the oven, shake your wedges, put the tart back in for another 10-15 until golden brown, may require 5 mins off the tray for the bottom to brown, but do this once the top is cooked so it holds together on the grease-proof.

Once it’s all cooked, serve with the sweet chilli mayo for dipping and a nice fruity beer.

I would recommend listening to Young Conservatives and considering your voting options ready for tomorrow.

Enjoy

Stubbs

Halloumi be thine name...

Sweet Potato & Halloumi Fritters

You will need:
Two Sweeet potatoes
A block of hallomi
A cup of flour
Salt & Black Pepper
Olive Oil
2 Eggs

To dress:
Yogurt
Mint (I use mint sauce)
Lemon










Stir the mint through the yogurt with a little lemon zest and juice, return to the fridge until serving.

Preheat the oven to 180 pop in a tray lined with grease proof paper.
Sift the flour in a mixing bowl.
Grate the sweet potatoes and halloumi into the bowl the finer the better.
Season, mix well to combine. Heat a little oil in a frying pan with a little seasoning.

Crack two eggs into a bowl and beat until foamy, add to the mixing bowl and give it a good stir
It should now have a batter like consistency
Spoon the batter into the oil carefully, in batches of 4/5, fry for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to your preheated baking tray in the oven to keep warm between batches.

Once you have used all the batter, serve immediately with lashings of the cool minty dip and some veggies for dunking too. Great for parties bro!

Listen to Paint it Black

Spinach kicks for Jesus

Spinach & Potato Gratin

Great as a side dish to a roast, or as a veggie main with some pickled beets

Fry one diced onion and a diced garlic clove in a little olive oil, add a full bag of Spinach and wilt.

Preheat the oven to 220, slice some baby new potatoes very thinly, drizzle with oil and season, layer the bottom of a pie dish with the potato slices. Once the spinach has wilted down cover the pots with a layer of the spinach, then a good grating of cheese, press down flat, another layer of pots, another layer of spinach and cheese and then a final layer of pots.

Wrap the top tightly with foil and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 mins, remove from the oven take off the foil pierce the pots with a sharp knife they should be tender, if they are drizzle with about four table spoons of double cream, more cheese and black pepper and return to the oven at 200 for 20 mins until bubbling golden and delicious.

Serve immediately with a nice glass of red, I'm enjoying Malbec at the moment.

Listen to Frank Sinatra.
Stubbs
x

Mad Balls

There are some dishes that you just think I wish there was a good veggie version... I'm not sure I ever ate meat balls when I ate meat even, but years of watching sopranos meant I needed to have a go at creating a good veggie alternative.

So here is me "Demonstrating my style" of making no meat mad balls 

The best I have found is using a packet veggie sausage mix rolled into balls baked in the oven in a little oil. (I use asda own veggie Lincolnshire sausage mix)

Then pour over a ragu, I use chopped tomatoes, chopped garlic, a drizzle of balsamic, a drop more good olive oil, plenty of salt & black pepper and a pinch of brown sugar.

Give it a good stir to coat your balls and return to the oven for 20 mins. Carefully remove cover with a good healthy grating of cheddar and pop back in until bubbling and melted. 

Serve with freshly cooked spaghetti and garlic bread. 

Banana tart Tatin

Banana Tart Tatin

Giving a Tart Tatin the Bad Brains Overhaul

Tart Tatin looks so impressive and like you were in the kitchen for ages, but in reality it is super quick, super easy and super tasty!

Making your own pastry for one or two people is a complete farce, when you can buy ready to go block for a quid you can't buy the ingredients for that.

You will need:
Two ripe bananas
Ready to roll puff pastry block
a good size knob of butter or marg
Brown sugar
Honey or syrup
Custard to serve

Pre heat the oven to 200
Melt the butter in a frying pan, add sugar and honey to make a sticky syrup boil for a few mins.
pour the syrup into a baking tin. Top the syrup with thinly sliced banana rounds, leave a small gap around the edge to tuck the pastry in. sprinkle with a little more sugar before baking in the oven for 10 mins.

Roll out your pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin on a lightly floured surface. carefully remove your bananas from the oven, drape the pastry over tucking the edge into the gap around the bananas, this is the key stage as this soaks up the syrup and creates an incredible, sticky, naughty crust. trim the edges if necessary I leave them because I love the Crust ; )

Return to the oven for 20-25 mins until golden brown on the top.

Leave to stand in the tin for 5 -10 mins. place a plate over the top and invert carefully onto the plate.

Serve immediately with lashings of custard, I personally like hot pud cold custard cos I'm weird.

I have been listening pretty exclusively to Ryan Adams, the decemberists, Gregory porter, Tom petty & the heartbreakers and as friends rust.

Just Cookin'

Veggie Chili with fried halloumi chunks

Chili
1 carton chopped tomatoes
1 red onion diced
1 can baked beans (I can't stand kidney beans)
1 clove garlic diced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Tomato Puree
Chili powder (I don't like my chili too hot I like it to have a smokey depth of flavour)
Smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cocoa powder or a few squares of strong dark chocolate
Halloumi cut into rustic chunks
Veggie mince
Squirt of BBQ sauces
Worcestershire Sauce (I use the Heinz one as it doesn't have anchovy in it so is veg friendly)
Olive oil

Wedges
Sweet potato cut into thick wedges (don't peel skin is delicious!)
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper

Coat the wedges in oil and seasoning in a baking tray, bake in a preheated oven at 200 for 35-40 mins.

In a large frying pan or wok heat the oil with a little seasoning, add the onion fry for a few minutes, add the mince saute for a few minutes then add a few dashes of Worcester sauce saute for a few more minutes.

Add the carton of toms and stir, add the sugar and stir. turn down heat and simmer for 5 mins. Next add a good squirt of tomato puree, add a good squirt of BBQ Sauce, sprinkle with paprika and chili powder (according to taste) simmer for ten minutes.

Whilst simmering, fry the halloumi in a dry paint until crispy and brown flipping when necessary so it doesn't stick.

Add the baked beans to the chili and stir through, when the halloumi is golden and crispy stir that through the chili too.

Serve in bowls with wedges on the side and pittas for dunking.

"In My Eyes" I like a little mayo, american yellow mustard and some gherkins with mine, and maybe a desperado or corona.

"Don't forget your roots"
It may not be considered very punk rock, but remembering where you came from in terms of the music you loved and how it shaped the person you become in later life is really ringing true in my house at the moment. "Remember where you were yesterday" 

The Charlatans have always been one of my favourite bands their self-titled album was one of the first records I ever bought with my own money, from Diverse records Newport.

Their new album Modern Nature is incredible given what they have been through as a band, to come out with a brave, uplifting, catchy,bold reinvention of their sound. Having lost a second member in drummer John Brookes, to a brain tumour in 2013. I personally think that in itself is pretty punk rock. 

I haven't stopped listening to Modern Nature since it came out it's an absolute triumph and was a fiiting accompaniment to my chili feast.

Welcome to Snack Flag 

A place for all my delicious veggie eats and what I listen to while I am creating havoc in the kitchen.

COOKING.EATING.SNACKING.ROCKING.

Stubbs