Chickpea, Chard and Porcini Soup

Another lovely winter warmer from Hugh F-W's 'Veg Everyday' book, although I varied it by adding some shredded ham hock which turned it into a real rib sticker.  Even though you have to splash out on a packet of dried porcini (two quid from Tesco!) this still comes in well under a fiver and is so rich, mushroomy and warming.  If you don't have chard, kale or spinach or savoy cabbage would do just as well - just make sure it is dark green and full of iron!  Start the usual way by sweating a large chopped onion in a tablespoon or so of oil over a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.  Whilst this is happening, soak a 25g pack of dried porcini in 800mls boiling water in a jug.  Prep your chard by stripping the leaves from the stalks, slicing the stalks finely and then shredding the leaves.  When the onion is done, add a couple of stalks of rosemary and 2 cloves of crushed garlic, and cook for a couple of minutes.  Fish out the soaked porcini using a draining spoon and put on a wodge of kitchen paper - keep the soaking liquid.  Chop the porcini on a board, as finely as you can, then add to the pot.  Empty in a tin of drained, rinsed chickpeas, half a tin of chopped tomatoes and the chard stalks.  Stir well.  Now, place a sheet of kitchen paper in a sieve and carefully strain the mushroom liquid into the pan, to filter out any grit.  Bring to the boil, add a teaspoon of tomato puree and some marigold veg stock powder or a veg stock cube, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Return to just under the boil and add the chard leaves. Add the shredded ham hock (or some cooked chicken, maybe, or cooked chorizo). Simmer for about 8 minutes until the leaves are cooked but still lovely and green.  Adjust the seasoning, fish out the rosemary stalks and serve piping hot in big bowls with crusty bread and some cheese slices on the side.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Now HERE is a new one!  Making a wheat-free pizza crust from cauliflower, egg and cheese.  If you are gluten-intolerant or just have a cauli to use up, this is an intriguing idea.  You won't get the same texture as a bread crust but it is worth trying.  My sister makes a flour-free souffle using pureed cauliflower, so this is on the same lines.  First, you have to blitz a raw cauliflower in a food processor until it looks like rice - you can include some of the stalk, too, which is a bonus.  Steam the cauli over a little water for about 6 to 8 minutes, then cool.  Now, for each 10" base, you need a cup of cooled cauliflower, half a cup of grated cheddar and an egg.  Mix together well and season with lots of pepper - you don't need salt because of the cheese.  Line a baking sheet with baking parchment, and set the oven to a high 220C.  Spread the cauli mix out to a rough 10" circle and spray with a little olive oil (or brush lightly with oil using a pastry brush).  Bake for 20 minutes until brown and set.  Now top with your favourite pizza toppings (don't go mad, and be stingy with the cheese, given the amount in the crust) and bake again until the topping is done to your liking.  Serve asap.  This isn't a low-fat option but is a good way to get loads more veg into kids - don't tell them it is cauliflower!  Tasty too, and certainly a novelty.  I found you can make the base in advance and it reheats really quickly with the toppings on, but it is a bit more fragile than a wheat base, so not easy to pick up in large wedges - hence my advice to not over-load it with toppings.

Sausage, Cannellini Bean and Pumpkin Stew

Sometimes, when it is cold and rainy and you feel under the weather, it HAS to be a stew - or soup - or something in between the two, as this is.  Essentially, this is good pork sausages, browned, then braised in herby stock with cannellini beans, carrots and chunks of squash and potato.  Lovely served in a big bowl with crusty bread, and under a fiver if you are careful with your shopping - don't skimp on the bangers, though, they should be the best quality you can afford.  For 4, take a pack of 6 or 8 bangers, halving them if you like, and brown a little in a tablespoon of olive oil in a casserole or ovenproof pot.  Remove, then add an onion, chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, a sprig of rosemary, a large potato, cut into chunks (peel if you like), a couple of carrots, also cut into chunks and a wedge of pumpkin or squash of similar quantity to the potato and carrots, peeled and cut into chunks.  Stir this all together in the fat in the pan.  Whilst this is happening, dissolve a chicken stock cube in a pint of boiling water with a tablespoon of tomato puree and a good splosh of Worcesterrrrrshire Sauce and pour over the veg.  Bring to the boil, then tip in a tin of drained cannellini beans (or any other tinned bean of preference, rinsed too) and then place the bangers back on top.  Cover, and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or so until the veg is soft and the liquid has reduced a little - a temperature of about 180C should do nicely.  Sprinkle over some chopped fresh parsley and dish up the soupy beany stew with thick hunks of crusty bread to dip into the herby broth.  Then go back to bed and feel sorry for yourself, albeit on a full tum.  That's what I did.

Mexican Shepherd's Pie

I have no ide whether a Mexican Shepherd would eat this!  It just seemed like the best name for an improvised dish that will be cooked again and again, it was so delicious (and simple and cheap, other qualities to recommend it by).  It is, essentially, chickpeas, tomato and spinach or kale cooked with chilli, cumin and paprika, then topped with a coriander and Parmesan mash - great for veggies if you use a suitable cheese alternative.  All you do is saute an onion, chopped (I used a red one, but go with whatever you have) in a tablespoon of oil until softening, then add 2 cloves of crushed garlic, a finely chopped red chilli, a heaped teaspoon each of ground cumin, sweet paprika (not the smoked kind) and dried oregano.  Stir for a moment then add a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of drained, rinsed chickpeas.  Season,, bring to a simmer and let it cook and reduce a little until thick - around 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, boil or steam about 750g to 1K of mashing potatoes (Maris Piper of King Edward's for me).  When the chickpea mix has reduced, cram in either a 200g bag of spinach or in my case, a head of Cavalo Nero kale that had just arrived in the Riverford box, well washed and thinly shredded.  Allow this to cook and wilt - a matter of moments for spinach but for around 5 minutes if you use the kale.  Tip the saucy mixture into a pie dish (see photo).  Now, mash the spuds, and mix in about 30g of butter and a couple of tablespoons of milk, and season well with salt and pepper.  Grate 50g of Parmesan or veggie equivalent, and stir 30g into the potato, along with some chopped coriander leaf - about 20g should do.  Don't miss this bit out, the flavour combo is divine!  Spread over the chickpea mix.  Now, mix the remaining Parmesan with a tablespoon or so of breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top.  Bake at 180 for 25-30 minutes until piping hot, crisp and bubbling.  This was soooooo good and would easily feed four with a salad, some extra veggies on the side or even some crusty bread and butter for a carb overload!  Qualifies for Under a Fiver easily.

Ribollita

Do you like to dunk your bread in some soup? Do you like beans on toast?  If so, this is the meal for you, combining, as it does, both those culinary textural delights.  I had a head of Cavalo Nero in the fridge, it is cold and drizzly and dark outside, so this Tuscan speciality was just crying out to be eaten.  It is a thick - REALLY thick - bean and vegetable soup that is ladled over a slice of chargrilled country bread, and is totally scrummy.  Cheap too, so it qualifies for the Under a Fiver challenge and will feed 4 people handsomely.  In a large pot, sweat 2 large onions, 2 sticks of celery and 2 carrots - all peeled and finely-chopped (I peel the celery by running the potato peeler from top to bottom to remove the stringy filaments).  Use a good couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  After 10 minutes, tip in a drained 400g can of borlotti beans, a 200g tin of Chair de Tomate or really good tinned chopped tomatoes, a teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary and the leaves picked from a branch of thyme.  Pour over about a litre of boiling water from the kettle.  Add some Marigold veg stock or just salt and pepper, cover and simmer for a good half-an-hour.  Stir from time to time, and mash the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the soup.  Take a head of Cavalo Nero (or the big outer green leaves of a Savoy cabbage) and cut across the head into thin ribbons.  Simmer in the soup for 10 minutes, then drizzzle over a further 2 tablespoons of olive oil and leave, covered, to one side for a few minutes.  Whilst this is happening, cut 4 big pieces of good country bread - sourdough or a French Pain de Campagne or equivalent.  Drizzle with oil and toast on a chargrill pan or under the grill, then rub each side with a cut clove of garlic.  Place a slice of toast in the bottom of shallow bowls and ladle over the thick beany soup.  Sprinkle with grated parmesan and drizzle on a little more olive oil - your best, green, peppery one - and eat, feeling the central heating effect filter through your blood vessels!

Roasted Squash with Merguez-Spiced Chickpeas

I am so in love with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's "Veg Every Day" cookbook - a constant source of inspiration for using up the veg from my Riverford box.  We've eaten much more healthily (and cheaply) with the arrival of both these essentials in our lives!  The party last night gave us another opportunity to try out one of the recipes, and this was a delicious, cheap and filling dish to plonk on the table alongside all the other goodies.  I was so busy yesterday, I forgot to take pictures of most of the food, so I will simply link to the channel 4 website which gives both the recipe and a nice picture of the finished dish.  There is no meat in this - the reference to merguez relates to the classic seasoning for the North African sausage, which is put to use in a seasoned oil to dress the veg and pulses - a heady blend of garlic, caraway, fennel seed, cumin, smoked paprika, rosemary and Cayenne pepper.  I used tinned chickpeas rather than cook my own (I never seem to be able to get the chickpeas soft when I prep them from dry, and the 'East End' brand provides lovely soft, yielding peas) and I also cheated massively by using a bag of frozen butternut squash from Waitrose - what a BRILLIANT timesaver!  Anyway, a really nice dish, and one for the under a fiver thread too.

Hot and Sour Vegetable Noodle Soup

A friend gave me a bag of lovely crisp sugar snap peas during the week, and it was a toss-up between this or a coconutty laksa.  I wanted something spicy and cleansing, so went down the hot and sour route.  Use whatever veg you have to hand - in my case, some red pepper, mushrooms, beansprouts, onions and the said sugar snaps.  The ingredients here are for 2 people but just double for 4.  Prep the veg for a stir-fry and leave to one side.  Cook some noodles - entirely up to you what variety, but I went for medium rice noodles - one 'nest' per person.  Now prepare your broth: make up 700ml of veg stock using Marigold powder and bring to a boil in a pot.  Add a good thumb-size piece of peeled grated ginger, a grated clove of garlic and one finely-sliced hot red or green chilli.  Now add a tablespoon of tamari or light soy sauce, a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar and a teaspoon of brown sugar.  Add plenty of ground black pepper, or a little Szechuan pepper if you have it - careful, it'll blow yer socks off! Finely-chop around a tablespoonful of fresh coriander and slice a lime into 'cheeks' and keep to one side.   Keep this broth base simmering as you heat a tablespoon of light oil (I like rape-seed) in a wok and quickly stir-fry the veg, keeping them crisp and colourful.   In big, warm bowls, divide the noodles on the bottom, top with the cooked veg and pour over the simmering stock, to which you have added the coriander.  Serve right away, with the lime to squeeze over to enhance the 'sour' element, and perhaps some Tabasco sauce to add extra heat at the table.  Delicious, warming, reviving and incredibly healthy.

Courgette, Mozzarella and Basil Fritters

I know, I KNOW, yet ANOTHER recipe for courgette fritters.  But, in my defence, they are so quick and easy to make, tasty and are a solution to the courgette mountain at this time of year.  And, although I don't own any, I imagine kids would love them.  Tonight's variation, which made plenty for 4 people, is as follows.  Grate 2 medium courgettes, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain in a colander.  After 20 minutes or so, scoop up handfuls and squeeze the moisture out.  In the meantime, crack 2 eggs into a bowl, add about 60mls of milk and 2 heaped tablespoons of self-raising flour.  Whisk into a thick batter.  Season with a little salt (not too much, we've salted the courgettes, remember), lots of black pepper and half a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes.  Finely chop a couple of spring onions and add to the batter.  Now drain a ball of mozzarella and chop into little dice.  Add to the batter along with the courgettes, 3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese and a handful of basil leaves, rolled and cut into shreds.  Mix well, and then drop tablespoons of the batter into a non-stick frying pan with half a centimetre of sunflower or rapeseed oil in.  Fry on each side over a medium heat for a couple of minutes until golden brown and lay out on a parchment lined baking sheet.  You can do this well in advance and reheat in a hot oven for 10 minutes until golden, puffy and sizzling.  Lovely served with tomato sauce or sweet chilli dipping sauce.  Definitely under a fiver.

Porotos Granados

This is like a kind of Chilean Minestrone, thick with white beans, green beans, sweetcorn and squash.  I adapted it slightly from a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe in his wonderful 'Veg Every Day' cookbook - I added a teaspoon of tomato puree and changed the spicing from smoked paprika to a teaspoon each of ground cumin and dried red chilli flakes, along with his suggested oregano.  It was a really lovely soup, thick and hearty and filling.  It definitely qualifies for the 'under a fiver' challenge, and will feed four people most generously - low fat and very high in fibre, too.  All the ingredients are coming into season now, so it is perfect for drizzly August nights that shade into early September Autumn.  If you are lucky enough to grow your own fresh Borlotti or Cranberry beans - these would be a wonderful alternative to the dried or tinned that Hugh uses in his recipe.  If you are a carnivore, some online versions include slices of fried chorizo, which would be nice too, but we were happy with the veggie version with some toasted ciabatta to provide complementary protein.

Creamy Roast Tomato Sauce

When you think of roasted tomatoes, you probably also think of olive oil as the logical fat to use to cook them.  But adding a little butter and cream raises the sweet roasted flavour to a different dimension, as well as mellowing the acidity.  For 2 people, I simply halve 5 large ripe tomatoes, cover with a clove or two of chopped garlic, some salt and pepper and a couple of teaspoons of olive oil drizzled over.  Roast for 30 minutes until starting to go golden and juicy.  Blend in a processor or with a hand blender, then stir in around 25g of butter and a tablespoon of cream, creme fraiche or mascarpone.  Add basil if liked, and stir through 200g of freshly cooked pasta with some freshly-grated Parmesan or veggie equivalent.  Simple, cheap and delicious for a summer supper.  Double up to serve four, and it will still cost less than a fiver, especially as we move into the UK tomato season.

Greek Courgette Pie

I was challenged at work today by 2 colleagues to make a meal for two people with 2 courgettes and 2 eggs.  I've done better than that - I've made a meal for four people (with a little extra help along the way!).  This is based on a Sarah Raven recipe from her Garden cookbook, a great option for seasonal veg cooking.  You start off by gently sauteeing a chopped red or white onion, 2 medium courgettes, grated, and a crushed clove of garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil - Greek if you have it.  Let this cook for 15 minutes until soft and most of the moisture has been driven off.  Cool a little whilst you beat the 2 eggs in a bowl with a tablespoon of Greek yoghurt or creme fraiche, some salt and pepper (not too much salt, as the feta is salty), a sprinkle of dried red chilli flakes, and a tablespoon each of chopped parsley and mint.  If you have fresh dill, add a tablespoon of this too.  If you have toasted pine nuts lying around (I keep mine in the freezer) then add a tablespoon or so to the mix.  Now fold in the cooled courgette mixture and 100g of proper Greek feta, cut into squares.  Then, melt about 25g of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan.  Take a baking tin (wide and shallow is best) and brush with some of the butter/oil, then line with a sheet of filo pastry, letting the excess hang over the edge.  Brush with a little butter/oil, then lay another sheet of filo.  Repeat.  Now pour the courgette mixture onto the pastry.  Fold over the excess overhanging pastry and brush with more butter.  Lay another sheet of filo over, brush with butter and then scrunch another couple of sheets over the top.  Brush the whole thing with more butter/oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds if you have any (I didn't) then bake for 30  to 35 minutes at around 180C (fan)  until golden brown and crisp and the filling is gently set.  Serve warm or cold.  Definitely under a fiver territory here, and you can scale it up to feed more people in a bigger tin for a picnic, perhaps.  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall does a version of this in his 'Veg Every Day' book with rice added, but I felt the rice didn't soften enough when added raw.  You could bulk this out by part-boiling a cup of Basmati and adding it to the filling, but it will be a firmer, denser stuffing, albeit a more substantial one.

Courgette and Sweetcorn Fritters with Tzatziki (revisited)

I've blogged courgette fritters before, and they are a great favourite of ours.  However, I tinker with the recipe, and discovered today that using self raising flour, instead of my usual plain, makes for a much lighter, fluffier fritter.  I made a batter with 2 very heaped tablespoons of SR flour, 2 eggs (from a neighbour's chooks, and fresh as anything) and a tablespoon or so of milk.  Mix well with a whisk, and season lightly with salt and plenty of pepper.  Allow to sit for half an hour.  Meanwhile, grate two medium courgettes, sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and let them drain in a colander while the batter rests.  Strip the kernels from an ear of fresh corn (or use a small, well-drained tin), and finely-chop a couple of spring onions.  Break up a 100g block of feta into small chunks.  Now, drain the courgettes really well by squeezing handfuls tightly and then drying even more in kitchen paper.  Stir everything into the batter, and fry tablespoons of the batter in hot sunflower or rape seed oil until golden brown on each side.  You can do this in advance and reheat in a hot oven on a non-stick baking sheet for 10 minutes - they'll puff up again.  Make the tzatziki by grating half a cucumber and mixing with a small pot of Greek yoghurt, a grated clove of garlic, the juice of half a lemon, a handful of mint, finely-chopped, and salt and pepper.  Serve with the fritters with salad and perhaps roasted tomatoes, or maybe ham if you want some meat.  A great dish for kids, packing a real veggie punch, and definitely under a fiver.

Spiced Carrot and Chickpea Pitta Pockets

I forgot to take a photo of this simple, flavourful and CHEAP little meal - another from Hugh F-W's 'Veg Everyday' book, so I shall pinch his photo (thanks Hugh and Simon Wheeler) and link to the recipe on The Grauniad.  This is SO 'under a fiver'.  If you have any leftovers, blitz in a processor with a spoonful of tahini and some lemon juice to taste for a quick carrot hummus.  We served these with Quick Tomato and Red Pepper Soup with fresh basil oil swirled in (recipe earlier this year) for a healthy vegan supper, cheap as chips.  But without the chips.  One note on chickpea brands.  I favour the East End brand, as the chickpeas are always soft and creamy, not like the chalky bullets you get with lesser brands - not expensive, either.  Do look out for them.

Beetroot Tarte Tatin

A simple recipe, making use of the lovely sweet new beetroot in season.  Some plants are enjoying the rain, and beetroot seems to be especially good this year.  I boiled 5 medium whole beets for about an hour until just tender, then peeled and sliced them into chunky wedges.  Then, I melted 30g of butter (you could use olive oil) with 3 teaspoons of brown sugar in a cast iron pan, and allowed the sugar to caramelise.  Season well with salt and pepper, and pour in a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.  it will sizzle a little, so stand back.  Then sprinkle in a teaspoon of fresh thyme.  Now arrange the beetroot over the caramel, cutting to fill gaps.  Cover with a sheet of puff pastry, cut to be just a little larger than your dish, and tuck the excess under and down the inside of the dish.  Bake at 190C (fan oven) or equivalent for 20 minutes or until the pastry is cooked, golden and crisp.  Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes then invert onto a large plate - be careful of the hot sticky juices.  Drizzle over another tablespoon of balsamic over the glossy caramel beets, rearranging them if they have become dislodged, and eat with salad or we had lovely peeled broad beans, the emerald beans contrasting beautifully with the deep maroon of the beetroot.  A great veggie dish, and vegan too if you use olive oil.  An under a fiver job too, though we polished the whole thing off between the two of us.

Thai Turkey Patties

These were simple and yummy, based on a James Martin recipe.  He used chicken mince in his version, but I went for turkey instead.  Both would work fine.  For 4 people, take 500g of turkey mince, and place in a bowl.  Now, using a mini chopper, blend a small onion, 3 juicy cloves of garlic and a large 'thumb' of peeled ginger, and blitz to a paste.  Tip into the bowl with 1 teaspoon hot chilli flakes (or a finely-chopped hot fresh chilli) and 2 heaped tablespoons of chopped coriander leaf.  Season well with salt and pepper - it needs quite a bit, and splash in a teaspoon of Thai fish sauce if you have any - don't worry if you don't.  I also added a splosh of Tobasco to make sure they were good and pokey.  Mix this well - your hands are the best tool here - making sure that the aromatic seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the mince.  Using wet hands, shape into patties - I got 16 out of this amount.  Allow to rest in the fridge for half an hour or so.  To cook: in a big non-stick frying pan, pour in about 1/2 a centimetre of sunflower or other 'tasteless' oil, and heat over a medium high-ish flame.  Carefully add half the patties - don't crowd them.  Leave them for 2 to 3 minutes to form a golden crust underneath - do NOT poke and prod!  Turn over and cook for another couple of minutes, again, leaving well alone to form a good crust.  Keep warm in a low oven on sheets of kitchen paper to drain whilst you cook the remaining patties.  Serve with bowls of sweet chilli sauce and lots of lime wedges to squeeze over.  If you have all the aromatics in the house, this could be classed as an 'under a fiver' as turkey mince is so cheap.

Pea and Ham Soup

I was so knackered yesterday, after a strange headachy, virussy thing over the weekend.  All I wanted, in the middle of this crazy wet and miserable July, was soup for my tea.  And I didn't want to spend long making it.  Thank heavens for for the frozen pea, surely the cook's best friend?  Ridiculously simple: sweat an onion in a good knob of butter, then add a big bag of peas (450g / 1lb), just cover with Marigold stock, simmer for 10 minutes then blitz with a hand blender into a soup of verdant freshness.  Season with loads of black pepper, some mint if you like, and stir through some chopped ham (I had some leftovers from a gammon joint at the weekend).  Served with toasted cheese sandwiches, it was heavenly comfort food in 20 minutes.  Rubbish photo, I know.  Definitely an under a fiver job.

Aubergine Butternut Squash Curry

I know.  This sounds like knitted nut cutlets and bread made from ground-up rocks and sand, but in fact it was soothing, comforting, sweet and wholesome - a bit like me!  I'd had a butternut squash lurking in the shed for a month, and every time I checked it, I had to knock off a slug or two, hoping desperately to break through the tough skin, but never succeeding.  Well, it got peeled and chopped tonight (minus the slugs!) and added to a curry with chopped, sauteed aubergine, a tin of chickpeas, a small tin of coconut milk, some veg stock, and a masala paste of blended onion, garlic, ginger, tomato puree, garam masala, turmeric, ground coriander and cumin, and chilli flakes.  With a handful of spinach and fresh coriander stirred in at the end, and a spritz of lime juice, it was a great way to despatch a squash!  Serve with Basmati rice and/or naan bread or chapattis, and you have a wonderfully healthy meal for four for under a fiver.

Vegetable Biryani

A wonderful recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall, with some adaptation from me.  I made a vegetable curry base with a paste of an onion, 2 garlic cloves, a small hot red or green chilli, and a thumb of ginger, into which I stirred a teaspoon each of ground cumin, coriander and turmeric, and a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon.  In a tablespoon of oil, I then quickly sauteed a teaspoon of cumin seeds and 3 crushed cardamom pods, then stirred in the paste.  Fry for a couple of minutes, and add about 300 mls or so of water, along with 2 large new potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes, 2 carrots, sliced, 4 tomatoes chopped and a red pepper, chopped.  Vary the veg depending on what you have available.  Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the veg is just tender and there is still some sauce.  Add a splash more water if necessary to keep it saucy, and add a handful of frozen peas and some chopped coriander.  Transfer to an overproof dish.  Now, put 300g of washed basmati rice in a pot with a good pinch of saffron and a teaspoon of salt.  Cover with water to 2cm above the level of the rice, cover, bring to the boil then turn the heat down really low and cook until the water is absorbed and there are tunnels in the rice, a matter of 7 minutes or so.  Now, tip the rice on top of the veg curry, cover with a lid or with foil, and bake in the oven at 160C for 20 minutes.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes then dig in.  Utterly scrummy. If you have the time and inclination, fry some onions for 15 minutes until deep brown and going crisp and sprinkle over at the end with more coriander and some almond. Serves 4 and definitely qualifies for under a fiver.  As this looked liked yesterday's risotto, I thought I'd give you a picture of a fluffy kitten instead.

Rocket, Mint and Pecan Pesto

The original recipe for this is supposed to use walnuts, but I didn't have any, but pecans work well too.  You don't use a huge amount of mint here, but just a small handful adds a wonderful vibrancy to this pesto, which is great simply tossed through hot spaghetti or linguine.  I threw in some asparagus spears too into the pasta for a bit more substance.  A simple veggie dish (if you use a veggie alternative to Parmesan) and very quick to make too.  Easily qualifies for under a fiver!  Blanch 100g of rocket in boiling water just for about 5 seconds, drain and refresh under the cold tap, then drain again, and dry on kitchen paper.  Rinse a small handful of fresh mint leaves and dry on towels.  Toast 25g of pecans in a dry frying pan, watching them like a hawk and tossing frequently.  Tip onto a board and chop roughly.  Grate 50g of Parmesan or Pecorino, Grana Padano, whatever you have.  Now put everything in a processor bowl, with half a clove of raw garlic (I am using 'wet' garlic at the moment which is milder), a good grinding of black pepper and a little salt, then pulse once or twice to get things chopped and broken down.  Now, using the pulse action still, pour in good olive oil until you reach the consistency you like - usually about 4 or 5 tablespoons, I find.  Try not to mush it all up too fine but keep a little texture.  Taste and adjust the seasoning, and use as required.  Leftovers freeze well or will hold in the fridge for a day or so with a little more oil on the surface.

Quick Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup

There is still sufficient nippiness in the air this dank Jubilee holiday to warrant a soup, and this one is simplicity itself, using some judicious prepared products.  We picked up some bargain roasted peppers in a jar the other day, and it is always worth scouring the supermarket shelves for these, either in a jar or in a tin - much cheaper than buying fresh peppers and no hassle with roasting, peeling etc.  Simply saute a large chopped onion and a couple of garlic cloves (keep them whole for ease) in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Drain a large jar or can of ready-roasted peppers, and add to the onions along with a tin of tomatoes and a pint and a half of vegetable stock.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes and then blend with a stick-blender.  Stir in some chopped basil and serve with a swirl of good olive oil.  With Parmesan toasts and lots of fruit to follow, this makes a cheap supper or lunch.