Vegetable lasagna

by Julie Goodwin

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large brown onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium carrot, grated
1 eggplant, peeled and diced 1cm
1 zucchini, diced 1cm
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
3 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
40g butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
3 cups tasty cheese, grated
1 cup mozzarella, grated
1 packet dried lasagne sheets
1 cup parmesan, finely grated

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. In a large frypan or chef's pan, over medium high heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until softened and translucent. Add the carrot, eggplant and zucchini and mix together. Add the tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt and sugar and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 40 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and the eggplant and zucchini are very soft.
3. Top up the pan with a little bit of water if it is drying out too much before the flavours are rich.
4. The sauce should be fairly think and not too wet.
5. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir the flour and butter together until it forms a dough-like substance. Introduce the milk a little bit at a time, stirring until the liquid comes back to being a dough. When all the milk is added, bring to the boil then take off the heat. Add 2 cups of the tasty cheese, taste and season with salt.
6. In a 20 x 30cm (approx) baking dish, spread half the vegetable mixture. Top with one third of the cheese sauce, then lay lasagne sheets over the top. Repeat this process. On top of the second layer of lasagne, pour the rest of the cheese sauce. Scatter with the remaining tasty cheese, mozzarella and parmesan, and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden and the pasta soft.
7. Freezer tip: This can be frozen before the baking stage.

Hanna.... and Paris....

Hanna's mother is Deborah Jane
Paris's mother is Deborah Jeanne......

Smoked Salmon Salad

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 (800g) telegraph cucumbers
300g smoked salmon
2 tablespoons light sour cream
6 red cherry tomatoes, cut into eighths
6 yellow teardrop tomatoes, cut into eighths
dill sprigs, for serving, extra

1. Combine the salt, dill, sugar and juice in a large non-metallic bowl.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, peel cucumbers into ribbons; add to the bowl, toss gently to coat. Cover; refrigerate for 40 minutes.
3. Transfer the cucumber ribbons to a sieve over a bowl. Reserve the liquid.
4. Just before serving, divide smoked salmon between serving plates; pile cucumber on top.
5. Combine the sour cream in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid; drizzle over the cucumber. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
6. Top with tomatoes and extra dill.

Hungarian Poppyseed Walnut Cake

Recipe by Fast Ed

300g poppy seeds
100g walnuts
200g cake crumbs
2 Tbsp instant coffee powder
250g unsalted butter, softened
80g icing sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 lemon, zested and juiced
7 eggs, separated
½ tsp cream of tartar
140g caster sugar
200g apricot jam

1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Grind the poppy seeds and walnuts in a blender until they thicken and begin to stick to one another. Mix with the cake crumbs and coffee powder, then set aside.

2 Combine the butter, icing sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, until smooth.

3 Whisk the egg whites to soft peak with the cream of tartar, adding the caster sugar in four stages. Fold half the meringue into the butter mixture, then alternate the remaining meringue with the poppy seed mixture. To finish, fold in the lemon juice. Spoon into a lined 24cm cake tin, then bake for 40 minutes, until firm to touch.

4 Invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool. Spoon the jam into a small saucepan and set over a medium heat. Brush over the cooled cake, then cool until set. Slice with a warm knife, then serve.

Tuna Pasta Bake

1/2 cup (70g) uncooked spiral pasta
20g butter or margarine
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk
2 cups (230g) grated cheddar cheese
1 cup (185g) frozen green peas
1 cup (185g) frozen corn kernels
1 (425g) tin tuna, drained
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup (60g) breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually mix in milk so that no lumps form. Stir constantly until the mixture boils, then mix in half of the cheese. Add the peas, corn and macaroni. Drain the tuna, leaving a small amount of liquid to keep it moist. Flake with a fork and stir into the cheese mixture. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the cheese.

3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbly and cheese is browned.

Moroccan Fish Stew

One and a half kilos fresh white fish
One can coconut milk
Parsley
2 onions, quartered
3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and whole.
1 can chopped tomatoes
4 medium potatoes, thickly sliced
3 carrots, quartered vertically
1/4 tsp. turmeric and 1/4 tsp. cumin
1 Tblsp. paprika
salt and pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice of one lime [or lemon]

Place a small amount of olive oil in the base of a pot.

Place the vegetables in the pot and sprinkle with the dry spices.

Add olive oil and lime juice and a can of coconut milk. The ingredients will release their juices and form a thin, but rich sauce.

Cover the pot and set it over a medium flame. Add the fish after about 20 minutes of simmering. Cook for a further 20 minutes until the fish is done.

Serve it hot, with lemon wedges.

Beef Bourguignon Pot Pie

1 kg beef, cut into small cubes
Flour, for dusting
1 carrot, grated
1 celery stick, finely diced
500ml beef stock
500ml red wine
1 x brown onion finely diced
500g mushrooms cut into small quarters
1 clove of garlic
2 sheets of frozen puff pastry
1 egg
1 tbs water

Roll the beef cubes in flour and place in large pan with some olive oil to seal the meat -   use a high heat until nicely browned. Remove from pan and place on a plate.

In the same pot, fry diced onion and garlic until soft and golden.

Now, add the meat back to the onion. Add mushrooms and the red wine. Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to simmer for ten minutes.

Now add the stock and let simmer for one hour. The sauce should be thick and rich in consistency. If it is not, combine a little cornflour and water in a bowl and stir into the stew until the right thickness. Let the stew cool slightly.

Heat the oven to 200C. Place the bourguignon in bowls and cover with the defrosted puff pastry - [first make a collar for the bowls with large strips of pastry, using eggwash to stick to pot.  Put a double layered circle of puff pastry as the lid.   Cut a slit in the centre of the pastry and firmly seal around the edges with the back of a fork. Brush with egg wash.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

[Another option is to use mashed potato instead of puff pastry - which will turn it into a Shepherd's Pie]