Blog – Page 51 – The Food Wife

(Instant Pot) Vegetable Pasta Bake

26th September 201826th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Iâ€™ve called this an Instant Pot pasta bake, but steps 1-3 can always be done on the hob over a medium heat. Simply make the sauce separately to the pasta (omit the 160ml of water and large pinch of salt from the sauce) and once you have boiled the pasta in salted water (following the cooking guidelines on the packet), stir through and then continue with step 4.

Iâ€™m a big fan of cooking pasta in the Instant Pot though. I love being able to cook the pasta in the sauce which helps swell the pasta with all its deliciousness. It also means Iâ€™ve used only one dish; saves on the washing up!

I included roasted butternut squash in this but it isnâ€™t obligatory. I had peeled and diced (into 1cm cubes) a whole butternut squash, tossed in four cloves of crushed garlic and a tablespoon of rapeseed oil and roasted it at 200c for 35-40 minutes. I was saving half for a pasta salad and used half here.

You could leave out the â€˜bakeâ€™ element all together and simple have this as a vegetable pasta dish. Leave out the cheese topping and this is vegan. If you are making this gluten-free you will need to use a suitable pasta.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
2 red onions, peeled, halved and sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped into half-inch pieces
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
10 basil leaves, torn
150g pasta (gluten-free if required)
500g passata
160ml water
Large pinch of salt
150g frozen peas
1/2 butternut squash, roasted (see above) (optional)
50g grated cheese (optional – leave out or use a suitable replacement if making this dairy-free or vegan)

Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to sautÃ© mode and add the oil and sliced onions. Cook the onions for five minutes until softened, stirring frequently.

Step 2: Add the diced pepper and continue to cook for another five minutes.

Step 3: Add the vinegar, salt, passata and water, along with the torn basil and pasta. Stir well and then replace the lid, ensure the valve is set to sealing and programme it manually to cook on high pressure for four minutes. Once cooked, manually depress by opening the valve with a tea towel and wooden spoon.

Step 4: Stir in the frozen peas, and roasted squash (if using), season to taste and then transfer all of the pasta into an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle over the grated cheese (if using) and put in a preheated oven (180c) for twenty minutes until the cheese is golden.

BLW Mini Baked Omelettes

24th September 201824th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes 6

These are protein packed and great for breakfast, lunch or dinner for your little one. You can change the filling (here Iâ€™ve used tomato and cheese) but always keep the same quantity of egg to make six. You can always scale up; use four eggs to make 12 omelettes and increase any additional ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 large eggs, beaten
Splash of full fat milk
1/2 tsp paprika
30g grated cheese
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 medium/3 small tomatoes (about 60g in total), finely chopped

Step 1: Mix together all of the ingredients in a jug.

Step 2: Oil six holes of a muffin tray (I drop a little vegetable oil into each one and then run my finger around until coated).

Step 3: Pour equal amounts of your egg mixture into each of the six oiled muffin holes.

Step 4: Bake in a preheated oven (200c) for 15 minutes.

Step 5: Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Chocolate Orange Tiffin

20th September 201820th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes approximately 15 slices

This is a no-bake refrigerator cake, which has a fruity crumbly base and a rich chocolate top. Each piece is decorated with a segment of chocolate orange which gives the cake itâ€™s dominant flavour, I also added some chocolate honeycomb sprinkles, but these arenâ€™t obligatory.

You can use either digestive or rich tea biscuits (I used rich tea as I prefer them) and you can use your favourite dried fruit (I went for a mix or berries, cherries and sultanas).

I used a square cake pan, lined with greaseproof paper to set these in the fridge but itâ€™s worth slicing these into pieces before they are fully set, otherwise itâ€™ll be tricky to cut through the chocolate top.

Ingredients:
100g butter
4 tbsp golden syrup
2 tsp cocoa powder
200g crushed biscuits (digestive or rich tea)
100g dried fruit
200g dark chocolate
Milk chocolate orange, broken into segments
Honeycomb chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Step 1: Place a heavy-bottomed pan on a low heat and melt together the butter, syrup and cocoa.

Step 2: Stir in the crushed biscuits (you want a mix of finely crushed to a powder and some more chunky bits) and dried fruit and then press into a lined square tin. Cover and leave in the fridge for 20 minutes or so to firm up.

Step 3: Melt the dark chocolate gently in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (ensure the base of the bowl does not come into contact with the water).

Step 4: Remove the biscuit base from the fridge and carefully spread the molten chocolate over the top to make an even layer.

Step 5: Gently press the chocolate orange segments into the chocolate (my tin used 15 segments – 5×3). If using, next lightly sprinkle the chocolate honeycomb over the top. Cover and return to the fridge for another 20 minutes.

Step 6: Remove the tin again and carefully slice the tiffin so there is one segment of chocolate orange per piece. Re-cover and return to the fridge until fully set.

Spiced Pea, Potato and Cauliflower Kati Roll

17th September 201825th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Kati Rolls originate from Kolkata in India and are a street food traditionally consisting of skewered meat in paratha bread. My version is vegetarian (the filling is also vegan and gluten-free) with a freshly made spiced flatbread.

The steps for the method are written as if you are making this from start to finish just before serving. This will take about an hour. Alternatively, you could make the pea curry and the roasted cauliflower and potato in advance and reheat just before serving, but I would make the bread at the last moment.

If you want to keep this vegan or gluten-free then use a suitable bread in place of these flatbreads.

Ingredients:

For the roasted cauliflower and potato:
1/2 head cauliflower cut into florets
2 small potatoes, sliced 3mm thick
1 tsp nigella seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
A pinch of salt
A little oil (I used a spray oil)

For the pea curry:
1 tsp coconut oil
1 onion, halved and sliced thinly
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 inch ginger, peeled and finely chopped (or grated)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3mm slices
160g cooked garden peas
Salt and pepper

For the spiced flatbreads:
4 heaped tbsp self-raising flour
4 heaped tbsp (Greek) yogurt
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp nigella seeds
Pinch of salt

Step 1: Begin by roasting the cauliflower and potato by combining all of the ingredients and spreading thinly on a baking sheet. Roast at 180c for 30-40 minutes until the cauliflower and potato are cooked through and the outside is browned in the roasted spices. You will use these when you assemble the kati roll (step 7).

Step 2: Whilst the cauliflower and potato is roasting, make the pea curry by melting the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and adding the onion and softening for five minutes.

Step 3: Add the garlic, ginger and spices and stir.

Step 4: Add the slices of sweet potato and add just enough water to cover then put a lid on them and cook until the potatoes are soft (about 10 minutes). Whilst this is cooking, make the flatbreads.

Step 5: Combine the flour, yogurt, oil, salt and spices in a bowl until you have a spongy dough. Divide the dough in two and place a little flour on your hands and on a flat surface. Roll half the dough in your hands to make a ball and then place on the floured surface. Roll out into a rough circular shape about 3mm thick. Place in a heated non-stick pan and cook for a couple of minutes on each side until golden. Repeat with the other half. Leave to one side (I used a wire rack) until ready to assemble.

Step 6: Remove the lid on the curry and then mash the sweet potato; if there is too much liquid and the curry looks grainy, leave the lid off and reduce until the excess water is gone and you are left with a loose curry. Season to taste and then stir through 160g of cooked peas just before you are ready to serve.

Step 7: Assemble the kati roll by placing a few slices of roasted potato and cauliflower on half of each flat bread, top with half the pea curry and finish with the remaining cauliflower and potato. Fold over the bread, and serve.

This is delicious served with a little yogurt and mango chutney.

N.b. I used a Greek yogurt in the flat breads which is very thick, if you are using a runnier yogurt you may well need to add more flour to create the doughy consistency that is not too sticky. Add a little extra at a time until you have a workable dough.

BLW Apple and Sultana Muffins

15th September 201815th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

These are so yummy for little tummys. They are packed with fruit and gently spiced with cinnamon, and the perfect size for little hands. Cooking apples are much more tart than a normal eating apple and so the sultanas and dried apple help to sweeten the cakes. Iâ€™ve also added a little maple syrup. If you were going to make these as a regular â€˜grown-upâ€™ muffin you could omit the maple syrup and replace with 100g of caster sugar (the result will be a much sweeter product).

For the apple purÃ©e, make a large batch which you can then use for a variety of things: we enjoyed it on top of some American-style fluffy pancakes for a weekend breakfast; or try it stirred through yogurt as a dessert. Itâ€™s also pretty good as an apple sauce with roast pork!

To make the purÃ©e simply core a load of cooking apples, and roughly chop into pieces about one inch in size (leave the skin on). Place in a baking tin and bake in a preheated oven (180c) for 30-40 minutes until the flesh is soft and bursting. Scrape into a food processor and blitz, skins and all, into a smooth, thick purÃ©e. Store in the fridge – it will last a few days like this – or freeze.

Once made, the cakes will be good for a couple of days, but I like to leave a couple out and then freeze them in pairs; they donâ€™t take long to defrost and are a convenient snack or pudding.

Ingredients:
200g self-raising flour
1 tbsp maple syrup
25g sultanas
25g dried apple, cut into small pieces
1 tsp ground cinnamon
120ml full fat milk (or milk alternative for dairy-free)
60ml oil
1 egg, beaten

Step 2: In a jug, mix the milk, oil and egg.

Step 3: Add the liquid to the drier ingredients and gently mix. Do not over mix it.

Step 4: Fill a muffin tray with 12 cases. Put a dessert spoon of mixture in to each case. Then spread any remaining mixture equally between the cases.

Step 5: Bake in a preheated oven (200c) for 20 minutes.

Step 6: Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.