Pepper relish with Pasta

Now in our household we love a bit of pasta.We have spaghetti, we have tagliatelli, fusilli, penne, vermicelli,  the list goes on and on. There are so many types but they all become a real treat with a pasta sauce. We have all been to the shop and seen the jars and packets, tins and cartons of pasta sauces, These all have their place in the kitchen but nothing is as tasty a homemade pasta sauce. Charlotte made this one recently and I enjoye it so much that i thought we needed to share it with you. Unfortunatly i can't take the credit for this one as it is one of Delia Smiths taken from How to Cook Book Three and Delia's Vegetarian Collection.
I am sure you will enjoy Pepper relish with pasta.

Pepper relish with pasta

Serves 4                      Cook time 50 mins

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) rigatoni or spaghetti

For the relish:

•  1 lb (450 g) mixed red and yellow peppers (about 3 peppers in total), quartered, deseeded and cut into ¼ inch (5 mm) strips
•  4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes
•  1 rounded teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly crushed
•  1 dessertspoon olive oil
•  5 cloves garlic, chopped
•  2 medium-sized red chillies, deseeded and chopped
•  2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
•  4 sprigs fresh basil, to garnish
•  salt and freshly milled black pepper

You will also need a lidded frying pan with a 10 inch diameter.

Method   First, skin the tomatoes. To do this, place them in a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over them and count 60 seconds. After that, pour off the water and slip off their skins (protecting your hands with a cloth if the tomatoes are hot). Roughly chop the tomatoes. Watch How to Skin Tomatoes here. Next, dry-roast the cumin seeds in the frying pan for about a minute, until they become fragrant. Now add the oil and when it’s hot, stir in the peppers, garlic and chillies and turn the heat down as low as possible. Then cover and cook slowly for about 40 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the peppers are really soft. After that, add the tomatoes and the sun-dried tomato paste to the softened peppers. Season and continue to cook, uncovered, over a highish heat, until the mixture is reduced and thickened slightly – about 5 minutes. Next, keep the sauce warm and cook the pasta – for a minute less than the pack instructions advise. Then drain it and quickly return it to the hot pan, along with the sauce, and place it over a gentle heat. Watch How to Cook Perfect Pasta here Stir, and continue to cook for about another minute, to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Serve straight away in hot bowls, garnished with the basil.

Lets take a look back at May

The merry month of May has all but gone. I was away for a week on holiday so with that in mind it did effect the output of the blog a little but that said i hope i still gave you some interesting reading.

Bill Ward 67

We started the month off celebrating the birthday of vegetarian rock star and Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward as he was 67on 5th May. Then on the 11th we made Quinoa stuffed peppers with Feta,

Quinoa stuffed peppers with feta

On the 18th we took a look at the humble but very tasty Celeriac, Who could forget the lovely celeriac soup. It was birthday time again four days later on the 22nd as Morrissey celebrated his 56th birthday. The 26th gave us a look at the fantastic little Devon town of Totnes, a town that spoils the vegetarian with a wonderful choice of veggie restaurants to dine in. Finally we ended things with the simple sandwich. Not just any sandwich tho, A vegetarian club sandwich. That was May in a nutshell. watch out June here we come.

Club sandwich

Morrissey 56

Celeriac soup

Totnes- Veggie heaven

Join the club

We al get peckish and sometimes we all get ravenous so a sandwich can be a quick filler or it can be a real treat. The choice is yours. For a quick filler I love tomato & cashew nut butter or maybe a plain old cheese & onion, both of these are tasty. When i need a real treat I love a Vegetarian Club sandwich. So to finish the month off I thought I would give you an easy Vegetarian club sandwich. Enjoy

Vegetarian club sandwich

Ingredients

·        3 slices granary bread

·        1 large handful watercress

·        1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated

·        small squeeze lemon juice

·        1 tbsp olive oil

·        2 dessertspoons reduced-fat houmous

·        2 tomatoes, thickly sliced

Method
Toast the bread. meanwhile mix the watercress, carrot, lemon juice and olive oil together. In a small bowl spread the houmous over each slice of toast. Top 1 slice with the watercress and carrot salad, sandwich with another slice of toast and top with the tomato. Lay the final slice of bread, houmous side down, then press down and eat as is or cut the sandwich into quarters.

Totnes welcomes vegetarians

Charlotte and I have been visiting Totnes for some years now and have never been disappointed with what it has to offer us as vegetarians.  If you’re self-catering or eating out, you will find all you need and want in the town.

 

Willow Restaurant

For buying in, we like Greenlife next to the market square.  The range of veggie-friendly produce is outstanding.  However, if you walk a little further up the hill and turn into an arcade on the left, you will find the Happy Apple.  This is a small grocery store also offers a good range of chilled veggie food.  Venturing even further up the hill, you’ll find Sacks Wholefoods which is a smaller, more traditional, health food shop which has a friendly vibe and lots of nice things to buy. 

For eating out, the Willow restaurant opposite Sacks is great.  It’s totally vegetarian, and offers special curry and music nights.  I had some lovely falafels there, and Charlotte a delicious home-made quiche, both with lots of interesting salads.  Back down the hill, next to the Happy Apple is the legendary Red Wizard.  This is our favourite.  The welcome is warm the food tasty and great value.  The smoky and herby veggie burgers are fantastic, plus there always seems to be a veggie special.  I had a grilled halloumi and pesto sandwich on one visit; Charlotte cannot set her sights any further than the smoky burger.

Red Dragon smokey burger

Red Dragon

Fat Lemons

 We’ve spotted a number of other veggie cafes in Totnes, such as the Fat Lemons and of course you have Cranks Kitchen just outside Totnes in Dartington,  we’ve not had chance to get to them all yet (you try tearing Charlotte away from her burger…).  But, from what we’ve tried so far, we would really recommend going to Totnes.  Any vegetarian would feel like they have come home.

Ten Totnes pounds

Todays famous vegetarian birthday

Steven Patrick Morrissey (born 22 May 1959), commonly known by his last name, Morrissey, is a British singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the rock band The Smiths. The band were highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career, making the top ten of the UK Singles Chart on ten occasions. His first solo album, 1988's Viva Hate, entered the UK Albums Chart at number one.

Morrissey has been vegetarian since the age of 11. He has explained his vegetarianism by saying "If you love animals, obviously it doesn't make sense to hurt them." Morrissey is an advocate for animal rights and a supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In recognition of his support, PETA honoured him with the Linda McCartney Memorial Award at their 25th Anniversary Gala on 10 September 2005. In 2012, he appeared in a PETA ad campaign, encouraging people to have their dogs and cats neutered to help reduce the number of homeless pets.

Morrissey is known to hold strong views on many things such as political leaders, the British monarchy and animal rights Morrissey is a cousin of Robbie Keane, an Irish footballer who plays as a striker and is captain of the Republic of Ireland national football team. Morrissey has said of Keane: "to watch him on the pitch – pacing like a lion, as weightless as an astronaut, is pure therapy"

Morrissey is routinely referred to as an influential artist, both in his solo career and with The Smiths. The BBC has referred to him as "one of the most influential figures in the history of British pop", and the NME named The Smiths the "most influential artist ever" in a 2002 poll, even topping the Beatles. Rolling Stone, naming him one of the greatest singers of all time in a recent poll, noted that his "rejection of convention" in his vocal style and lyrics is the reason "why he redefined the sound of British rock for the past quarter-century". Morrissey's enduring influence has been ascribed to his wit, the "infinite capacity for interpretation" in his lyrics, and his appeal to the "constant navel gazing, reflection, solipsism" of generations of "disenfranchised youth", offering unusually intimate "companionship" to broad demographics

Morrissey, a long time resident of Los Angeles during the latter part of his solo career, he now has a number of homes in Los Angeles, Rome, Switzerland and the UK.

Steven Patrick Morrissey. (aka Morrissey) Happy birthday. 56 today

The underated and tasty Celeriac

When it comes to cooking the celeriac tends to get overlooked. I once read that the celeriac is the unsung hero of the vegetable world, it has to be said that the celeriac is not the most beautiful of veg, but what it misses in looks it sure makes up for in taste.  It is knobbly and odd-shaped but the celeriac has a subtle, celery-like flavour, with nutty overtones. It is absolutely delicious.

Originating  in the Mediterranean basin it is now grown in many countries around the world including Northern Europe, as well as in North Africa, Siberia, Southwest Asia, and North America. Celeriac is harvested when it is 10–14 cm in diameter. It is edible raw or cooked. Celeriac can be roasted, stewed, blanched, or mashed. Sliced celeriac occurs as an ingredient in soups, casseroles, and other savory dishes.

The shelf life of celeriac is approximately six to eight months if stored between 0°C (32°F) and 5°C (41°F), and not allowed to dry out.

Try it as celeriac mash, or in big-flavoured, slow-cook dishes, or in its classic form, and as they do in France, as a remoulade.

Looking through my recipes I found this simple but tasty soup from the guys at River Cottage. 

Celeriac Soup

Serves 6                Prep 5mins                     Cook time 30mins approx

 Ingredients 

 

• 50g Butter
• 1 Celeriac, peeled and cubed
• 1 Potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 Leek, trimmed, washed and roughly sliced
• 1 Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 Garlic clove, sliced
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• Parsley & walnut pesto to serve

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pot over a medium-low heat. Add the celeriac, leek, potato, garlic and onion, season generously, and gently sweat the vegetables until they're all starting to soften (this will take about 10 minutes).

2. Add the stock, bring the soup up to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the celeriac is completely tender.

3. Liquidise until smooth, return to the pan and reheat over a medium flame. Just before serving, check the soup for seasoning and serve with a drizzle of pesto or if you prefer maybe a little single cream

Get stuffed

Here we are, another week has gone by and it’s Meat free Monday again. You may have a favourite you like to make, or a favourite ingredient that you like to use. For me it always seems to be mushrooms or something mushroom based, so I am delving into my cook book to find you something that is not mushroom based. Hmmm I thought now what can I give them, something not to hard as nobody wants to get in from work and do loads of kitchen stuff, defiantly something tasty, and most of all something nutritious. Eureka! Quinoa stuffed peppers with Feta.

I found this recipe on the net some time ago on the Hemsley & Hemsley website, it ticks all the boxes for me and guess what? No mushrooms either. The ball is with you now. Go ahead and enjoy Quinoa stuffed peppers with Feta.

Quinoa stuffed peppers with Feta

Time 35 mins                               Serves 2

Ingredients 

• 2 large Romano red peppers (or 4 small ones) or the darker more rustic bell peppers 
• 100g quinoa - soaked overnight or for 8 hours in double the volume of water with a pinch of salt. Drain and rinse thoroughly before cooking. (If you can't soak it, thoroughly wash and rinse the quinoa and follow packet instructions)
• 100ml good-quality vegetable stock - if you can't make your own buy organic, gluten-free stock
• 1 handful of green olives, pitted and diced 
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 large pinch of dried thyme or 1 tsp of fresh thyme leaves
• 2 large handfuls of parsley, finely chopped, or you could use a mix of herbs like parsley, mint, dill or coriander
• Juice of ½ lemon
• A little fresh red chilli, sliced
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1 small handful of quality feta, crumbled or roughly chopped.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Lay the peppers flat-side-down and slice in half lengthways – this makes a less wobbly base and makes them easier to fill.
3. Roast cut-side-up on a baking tray for 12 minutes.
4. Place the soaked and drained quinoa in a pan, cover with the stock and bring up to the boil. Simmer on a low heat for 12 minutes until the quinoa is tender.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the remainder of the ingredients. Combine them with the cooked quinoa and taste for seasoning – remember the feta will be salty.
6. Preheat the grill.
7. Stuff the pepper with the quinoa mix, top with crumbled feta and grill for 3-5 minutes until golden and bubbling.