Spaghetti Bolognese

I make this vegan version of spaghetti bolognese every so often when I make the meat based version for my other half. Ive been playing with the recipe for a while but this version is one Im truly happy with and meat could be added to this if you wish or used to replace the vegetables as the base itself is delicious. This serves roughly 4 people with spaghetti or pasta to go alongside. I have to admit I was so excited to eat this I forgot to take a picture and the final pic is from my lunchbox of leftovers the next day... oooops!

Ingredients:
4 large mushrooms
1 aubergine
2 onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 tin chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp bruschetta mix
1 tin hot water
olive oil
salt and pepper
Pasta

Method:
Finely chop the onion and crush the garlic then place in a large frying pan over a medium heat to soften. While these cook, dice the aubergine and mushrooms as finely as you can, I find pinching the aubergine helps as it gives some rigidity to cut into.

Add the aubergine to the pan and cook until it starts to soften then add in the mushrooms and saute until everything is soft and golden brown. Add in the bruschetta mix and half the can of water and stir thoroughly then add the tomatoes and rest of the water.

Leave on a medium heat to simmer stirring occasionally until the sauce is reduced and coats the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste then cook your favourite pasta to go with.

When you make this, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Roasted Sweet Potato and Tomato Soup

The weather here has descended into thinking its winter again with hail storms and high winds so a big snuggly bowl of soup is exactly whats called for. I love sweet potatoes and I love tomato soup so I decided I would combine the two and see what happened. This soup is quick and easy to make and feels like a hug in a bowl. I found this makes two bigger portions but the recipe is easy to scale up.

Ingredients:

Two medium sweet potatoes
4 salad tomatoes
1 bell pepper
4 cloves garlic
salt
pepper
olive oil
hot water

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180c fan. Wash and chop the sweet potatoes into bite sized pieces and place on a baking tray. Chop the tomatoes and pepper into roughly same sized pieces and mix with the sweet potato. Coat with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper then place in the oven for around 20 minutes until the sweet potato is soft.

Once the potato is soft, place everything into a non-stick pan then blitz with a blender. Add in hot water to thin the mixture then warm through on the hob.

Serve with a lump of crusty bread.

Enjoy!

When you make this please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Sweet Rolls Two Ways

I currently seem to have a mild obsession with flavouring breads in as many ways as I can think of and this week my thought turned to sweet. The weather here has been horrid with all the seasons each hour and comfort food has been high on my list. I wanted to create something that would be lovely for an afternoon tea but would also work as a slightly naughty breakfast treat and these fit the brief perfectly. The combination of cranberries and almonds is a firm favourite of mine while chocolate and raspberry is always going to be a winner. The rolls were supposed to be a little more dainty but anyone who knows me can voucher for the fact that portion control isn't one of my strong points! Each of these rolls started out with my basic bread recipe then the flavours have been kneaded into the dough.

Ingredients:

500g strong white bread flour
1 tsp fast action yeast
1.5 tsp salt

25g butter - I use dairy free
340ml lukewarm water


1 pack tesco free from giant buttons  - or 120g of equivalent, broken into chunks
150g fresh raspberries
2 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
caster sugar to sprinkle on top

3 tbsp flaked almonds
5 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tsp almond extract
caster sugar to sprinkle on top


Method:

To make the raspberry and chocolate rolls, pop the flour, yeast, salt, butter and cinnamon into a bowl and rub together, add in the vanilla and water and knead to form a dough. Tip the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead for at least ten minutes until the dough is soft and pliable. The dough should feel like the lobe of your ear and when stretched you should be able to see strands of gluten through it before it tears apart. Alternatively, if you have a stand mixer, pop all the ingredients into the bowl, attach the dough hook and mix on medium for ten minutes until the correct consistency is achieved.

Place in a clean bowl with a teatowel over the top and leave in a warm place for at least an hour to prove.

Once the dough has proved, tip it out onto a really well floured surface and knock the air out. Create a dip in the centre of the dough and tip in the raspberries and chocolate chunks. This is where it gets messy... gently knead the dough to incorporate the rasperries and chocolate, adding flour as you go to soak up the juice from the raspberries. The dough should feel light and smooth and the raspberries and chocolate should be evenly distributed.

Form a long sausage from the dough and cut into as many rolls as you wish, take each roll and turn it in your hands, tucking the edges under to create a smooth ball. Place these on a floured baking tray and set aside to prove for another 20 minutes. Sprinkle the tops with sugar just before placing in the oven.

Preheat your oven to 210c fan, and bake the rolls for 15 minutes until they sound hollow when tapped. Remove from the baking tray and pop onto a cooling rack and try to leave alone for at least 5 minutes as they will be incredibly hot. I would also recommend washing the baking tray instantly if possible to stop melted sugar and chocolate sticking.

For the almond and cranberry rolls, repeat the recipe as above swapping the almond extract for the vanilla and the almonds and cranberries instead of the raspberries and chocolate. Because these ingredients don't produce additional moisture, you will not need to add the extra flour.

Enjoy!

When you make these, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Stuffed Pancakes

I was challenged to make pancakes this week by my friends little one and having never had much success with them before (this was always my brothers domain), I decided to take them on and have finally got a recipe that works every time and is easy to make. This is my take on one posted on Instagram by OMGGEMMA, and I have made and eaten it more times than I care to admit this week. While I know pancake day has been and gone for this year, I love pancakes all year round and this recipe is relatively health. These pancakes could be eaten in the traditional way with your favourite sweet topping but I really enjoyed having the savoury stuffing and eating them more like crepe. I found this recipe makes 4 large pancakes.

Ingredients:

For the pancakes:
1 cup self raising flour
3/4 cup milk - I used soy
1/2 cup fizzy water
For the filling:
15 closed cup mushrooms
1 bag fresh spinach
1 tbsp butter - I use dairy free
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Slice the mushrooms and mince the garlic then place a frying pan over a medium heat and melt the butter. Add in the mushrooms and garlic and fry until the mushrooms start to caramelise then add in the spinach, stirring gently until all the spinach is wilted. Season with the salt and pepper.

While the mushrooms are frying, pop the flour, milk and water into a bowl and mix until smooth. I find this makes perfect crepe style pancakes but if you want them thicker add half of the water.

Heat a frying pan on high then pour a ladle full of the mixture in and swirl it round the pan to create a thin circle, roughly the size of the base of the pan. Once the top of the pancake starts to change colour and bubbles appear, either flip the pancake or turn it using a fish slice.  I can't flip pancakes to save my life and have had some pretty spectacular disasters so I have resigned myself to the fish slice method to save on cleaning! Fry for a couple of minutes on the other side until golden brown then slide onto a tea towel. Repeat the process until all of the batter has been used.

Once the pancakes are ready, take each one and spoon in the spinach and mushroom mixture. We found 2 pancakes each was the perfect amount for lunch.

When you make these, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Enjoy!

Tomato and Garlic Swirled Rolls

I had originally set out to make a garlic bread with slow roasted garlic kneaded into the dough but forgot to buy more garlic and only had 4 cloves at home. When wondering what else I could make, my eyes lit on the Bruschetta mix I had from my Oil and Vinegar haul a couple of weeks ago and I decided to combine the flavours of pizza and garlic bread to create this pretty marbled dough which smells of happiness. I love garlic so would happily add more to this recipe for days when I'm not working but you can easily alter the levels to suit you own tastes. Ideal for lunch boxes or picnics; I had this fresh out the oven slathered with butter, filled with cheese and salad for lunch at work, and dipped in tomato soup for dinner. The rolls will last in an air tight container for 3-4 days or can be frozen once cold.

Ingredients:

500g strong white bread flour
1 tsp fast action yeast
1.5 tsp salt

25g butter - I use dairy free
340ml lukewarm water
3 tbsp bruschetta mix
6 tbsp warm water
4 cloves garlic
1 handful mixed fresh herbs - basil, parsley and chives or whatever you have
flour for kneading

Method:

In a large bowl place the flour and salt and mix together. Gently rub in the butter until its all combined. Add the yeast and mix again. Slowly add the water using your fingers to bring the mixture together to form a sticky dough.

Generously flour your work surface and tip the dough out, making sure not to leave any in the bowl. Knead the dough for around ten minutes until the dough becomes soft to the touch, It should have a consistency similar to your earlobe (weird, I know) and when stretched should create almost like a clear film before ripping, showing that the gluten has been built up.

Mould the dough into a ball, turning gently with your hands under the very edges to create a smooth dome. Place your dough ball into an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm before placing somewhere warm ( I use my airing cupboard) for at least an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

While the dough proves, place the bruschetta mix into a bowl with 6 tbsp of hot water and mix before putting to one side for 5 minutes. Crush the garlic cloves and shred the fresh herbs then mix into the tomato based paste that will have formed. If you can't get hold of bruschetta mix then mix 3 tbsp of tomato puree with 2 tsp of mixed herbs.

Bring your dough out and pop on a floured work surface. Gently knead the dough to knock out any air bubbles, it should feel light and springy to the touch. Knead the dough out into a large circle then spread with the tomato and garlic mixture.  Carefully bring the edges of the circle to the middle to form a ball then knead the dough, adding more flour as needed, until the tomato and garlic mixture marbles through the dough.

Form a long sausage of dough and then cut into as many rolls as you desire, remembering they will double in size. Place the rolls on a floured baking tray before covering with a clean tea towel and popping back in the warmth for at least half an hour.

Preheat your oven to 210 degrees fan or 230 degrees non-fan and place the bread on the middle shelf, baking for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top and solid to the touch. Remove the bread from the tin and tap on its bottom, it should sound almost hollow when baked right through and can be placed back into the tin and oven if needs be. Place the bread on a wire rack to cool before cutting if you can resist that long, I never can, and slather with butter or your toppings of choice.

When you bake these, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Enjoy!