Spanish stuffed marrow Spanish stuffed marrow

Like its smaller cousin courgette, chunky marrows are great roasted with a strong-flavoured filling like paprika and chorizo.

Ingredients

• 1 marrow
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 100g chorizo, chopped
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp each dried oregano and dried thyme
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 140g roasted red pepper from a jar, sliced
• handful parsley, chopped
• 85g fresh breadcrumb
• 100g Manchego, grated

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the marrow in half lengthways and scoop out the middle. Put the halves, cut-side up, in a large roasting tin and season.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and sweat on a low heat for 10 mins until soft. Add the garlic, chorizo, spices and dried herbs. Cook for a few mins, then add the tomatoes and peppers. Turn down to a low simmer and cook for 10 mins, then stir through the parsley.
3. Spoon the tomato mixture into the marrow halves, cover with foil and bake for 30 mins. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and Manchego, and return to the oven for 10 mins until the crumbs are golden and crisp, and the marrow is tender.
   
   

 Source:  bbcgoodfood

Falafel burgers

A healthy burger that's filling too. These are great for anyone who craves a big bite but doesn't want the calories.

Ingredients

• 400g can chickpea, rinsed and drained
• garlic clove, chopped
• handful of flat-leaf parsley or curly parsley
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1⁄2 tsp harissa paste or chilli powder
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• toasted pitta bread
• 200g tub tomato salsa, to serve
• green salad, to serve
• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped

Method

1. Pat the chickpeas dry with kitchen paper. Tip into a food processor along with the onion, garlic, parsley, spices, flour and a little salt. Blend until fairly smooth, then shape into four patties with your hands.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the burgers, then quickly fry for 3 mins on each side until lightly golden. Serve with toasted pittas, tomato salsa and a green salad.
   
   Source: bbcgoodfood

Courgette loaf cake

Use up a garden glut in this sweet, spiced sponge loaf - the hidden veg keeps it moist and walnuts add crunch.

Ingredients

• butter, for the tin
• 2 large eggs
• 125ml vegetable oil
• 85g soft brown sugar
• 350g courgette, coarsely grated
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g plain flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 85g walnut, roughly chopped
• 140g sultana

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and sugar, then add the courgettes and vanilla.
2. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients with a pinch of salt.
3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then pour into the tin. Bake for 1 hr, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool, then serve, or freeze for up to 1 month.
   
   
   Source: bbcgoodfood

Best Yorkshire puddings

The secret to getting gloriously puffed-up Yorkshires is to have the fat sizzling hot and don't open the oven door!

Ingredients

• 140g plain flour (this is about 200ml/7fl oz)
• 4 eggs (200ml/7fl oz)
• 200ml milk 
• sunflower oil, for cooking

Method

1. Heat oven to 230C/fan 210C/gas 8. Drizzle a little sunflower oil evenly into 2 x 4-hole Yorkshire pudding tins or a 12-hole non-stick muffin tin and place in the oven to heat through.
2. To make the batter, tip 140g plain flour into a bowl and beat in four eggs until smooth. Gradually add 200ml milk and carry on beating until the mix is completely lump-free. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the batter into a jug, then remove the hot tins from the oven. Carefully and evenly pour the batter into the holes. Place the tins back in the oven and leave undisturbed for 20-25 mins until the puddings have puffed up and browned. Serve immediately. You can now cool them and freeze for up to 1 month.

 Source: bbcgoodfood

Spanish stuffed marrow

Ingredients

• 1 marrow
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 100g chorizo, chopped
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp each dried oregano and dried thyme
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 140g roasted red pepper from a jar, sliced
• handful parsley, chopped
• 85g fresh breadcrumb
• 100g Manchego, grated

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the marrow in half lengthways and scoop out the middle. Put the halves, cut-side up, in a large roasting tin and season.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and sweat on a low heat for 10 mins until soft. Add the garlic, chorizo, spices and dried herbs. Cook for a few mins, then add the tomatoes and peppers. Turn down to a low simmer and cook for 10 mins, then stir through the parsley.
3. Spoon the tomato mixture into the marrow halves, cover with foil and bake for 30 mins. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and Manchego, and return to the oven for 10 mins until the crumbs are golden and crisp, and the marrow is tender.
   
   
   Source: bbcgoodfood

Summer vegetable & pesto rose tart

ngredients

For the pastry

• 250g spelt flour
• 125g cold butter, cubed
• 25g Gruyère(or vegetarian alternative), finely grated
• 1 egg yolk, beaten

For the filling

• 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled
• 2 courgettes(1 green and 1 yellow looks nice)
• 1 small aubergine
• juice 1 small lemon
• 250g mascarpone
• 2 eggs
• 150g rocket pesto(make your own, or use a good shop-bought one)
• 25g fresh breadcrumbs
• 100g Gruyère(or vegetarian alternative), grated
• small bunch thyme, leaves picked
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. First, make the pastry. Tip the flour into a bowl with 1/ 2 tsp salt. Add the butter and rub in using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir through the cheese with a cutlery knife. Add the egg yolk, drizzle over 1 tbsp cold water, then use the knife to stir it in until clumps of dough start to form. Tip onto a work surface and bring the dough together with your hands into a smooth ball. Alternatively, you can make the pastry in a food processor. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 20 mins.
2. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice the sweet potatoes, courgettes and aubergines lengthways as thinly as possible. Brush the aubergine slices with lemon juice as you go to prevent them from turning brown. Put the sweet potato in a bowl with 2 tsp water, cover with cling film and cook in a microwave on high for 2 mins, then remove and leave to cool. Do the same with the courgettes and aubergines, but cook for just 30 secs, then set aside.
3. Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Line a 23cm fluted tart tin with the pastry. Trim the sides with a pair of kitchen scissors, leaving an overhang of about 1cm. Chill for another 10 mins. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and put a baking tray on the middle shelf.
4. When the pastry is cold and firm, line with baking parchment (scrunch it up first to make it more pliable), then fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 mins, then remove the beans and parchment and bake for 5 mins more until the pastry is biscuity.
5. Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the mascarpone, eggs, pesto, breadcrumbs and Gruyère in a bowl, season and mix well. Remove the pastry case from the oven, trim the sides with a small sharp knife so they’re flush with the top of the tin, then spread the filling over the base.
6. Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Drain any liquid from the vegetables, pat dry on kitchen paper, then season them all well. Stack a slice of sweet potato, courgette and aubergine on top of each other then, starting from one end, roll into a spiral. Put in the middle of the tart. Layer up another three vegetable slices, then wrap these around the spiralled veg in the centre. Continue until the tart is full and you have created a rose effect. Sprinkle thyme leaves between the layers and drizzle the tart with oil.
7. Bake in the centre of the oven for 40-45 mins until the vegetables are tender and the filling has set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 mins before removing. Serve warm or cold.
   
   
   Source: bbcgoodfood

Halloumi fries

Crisp and slightly salty shallow-fried halloumi fries make perfect party food. Great with a sprinkling of za'atar and a spicy yogurt for dipping.

Ingredients

• 170g pot Greek yogurt
• 1 lemon, zested, then cut into wedges for squeezing
• 1 tbsp rose harissa
• 3 tbsp za'atar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 75g plain flour
• 2 x 250g blocks halloumi, cut into fries
• oil, for frying
• handful mint, leaves torn

Method

1. Mix the yogurt with the lemon zest and some seasoning, then swirl through the harissa so that you have pockets of hot and cool in the dip.
2. On a plate, stir the za’atar into the flour, then roll the halloumi in the mixture so that it’s evenly coated. Heat the oil in a shallow, heavy-bottomed pan or casserole dish until 180C on a cooking thermometer, or a piece of bread browns in 20 secs. Working in batches, carefully lower the halloumi into the oil and cook for 2 mins until crisp and golden, then drain on kitchen paper.
3. Sprinkle over the mint and za’atar, and serve with the lemon wedges and the spicy yogurt for dipping.
   
   
   Source: bbcgoodfood

Best-ever chocolate brownies recipe

A foolproof brownie recipe for a squidgy chocolate bake. Watch our recipe video to help you get a perfect traybake every time.

Ingredients

• 185g unsalted butter
• 185g best dark chocolate
• 85g plain flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 50g white chocolate
• 50g milk chocolate
• 3 large eggs
• 275g golden caster sugar

Method

1. Cut 185g unsalted butter into small cubes and tip into a medium bowl. Break 185g dark chocolate into small pieces and drop into the bowl.
2. Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix them. Remove the bowl from the pan. Alternatively, cover the bowl loosely with cling film and put in the microwave for 2 minutes on High. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.
3. While you wait for the chocolate to cool, position a shelf in the middle of your oven and turn the oven on to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4.
4. Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of non-stick baking parchment to line the base. Tip 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl. Tap and shake the sieve so they run through together and you get rid of any lumps.
5. Chop 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate into chunks on a board.
6. Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar. They will look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you’re there.
7. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Plunge the spatula in at one side, take it underneath and bring it up the opposite side and in again at the middle. Continue going under and over in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown. The idea is to marry them without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like.
8. Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly. Gently fold in this powder using the same figure of eight action as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it will end up looking gungy and fudgy. Stop just before you feel you should, as you don’t want to overdo this mixing. Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they’re dotted throughout.
9. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it. Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 mins. When the buzzer goes, open the oven, pull the shelf out a bit and gently shake the tin. If the brownie wobbles in the middle, it’s not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin. Take out of the oven.
10. Leave the whole thing in the tin until completely cold, then, if you’re using the brownie tin, lift up the protruding rim slightly and slide the uncut brownie out on its base. If you’re using a normal tin, lift out the brownie with the foil. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares and finally into triangles. They’ll keep in an airtight container for a good two weeks and in the freezer for up to a month.

 Source: bbcgoodfood