Winter Warmers

Spring is definitely on the way here in Yorkshire, but there is still a chill in the air and it’s nice to spend cosy evenings with the heating on enjoying being indoors. Here are a couple of suggestions for hearty treats.

Leek and Potato crumble (serves 2)

1 large onion
3 leeks
2 medium potatoes
150ml milk
75g butter
125g plain flour
30g cheddar cheese
1 tsp paprika

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Slice the onions and leeks. Peel the potatoes and dice into small cubes.

3. Put in a pan with the milk and 25g butter. Cook over a medium heat, stirring until the butter melts. Cover and allow to cook until the veg is softened.

4. Blend 25g flour with 4tbsp cold water and stir into the veg. Cook for 3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Season as needed.

5. Meanwhile dice 50g butter and rub into 100g flour to make crumbs. Mix in the cheddar and paprika.

6. Tip the vegetable base into an ovenproof dish and top with the crumble. Cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until the crumble is golden brown.

Hot buttered Rum (serves 2)

My Dad and his partner bought me some little bottles of Rum back from their recent Caribbean cruise and I wanted to try doing something different with them.

25g butter
3tsp soft brown sugar
Orange peel (use a potato peeler to cut a few long strips of peel)
100ml Rum, spiced rum works particularly well.
2 cinnamon sticks
300ml boiling water

1. Melt the butter and sugar together in a pan with a strip of orange peel.

2. Stir in the Rum and boiling water.

3. Serve with the cinnamon stick to garnish.

Leek and Potato Casserole

I decided to treat myself to a casserole dish, mainly because I thought it was beautiful, not becuase I cook many casseroles!  I always felt that a casserole dish wasn’t really a key piece of equipment in a vegetarian kitchen, particularly as I associated casserole dishes with recipes that took a long time to cook.

I did like having a great big pot full of food and I’ll be looking out for other recipes.

This is more of a construction suggestion than a recipe.

Leek and Potato Casserole

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Peel and slice 4 potatoes thinly.  I used a mandoline.
• Wash and chop 1 large leek into 50mm slices.
• Drain and rinse one tin of butterbeans and one tin of sweetcorn.
• Prepare 500ml vegetable stock.  I used a stock cube.  Stir in 2 heaped teaspoons of wholegrain mustard.
• Construct the casserole by layering up the potatoes, then a layer of the vegetables, then more potatoes.  After a few layerspour over a covering of the stock.  Keep repeating until you end with a layer of potatoes.  Dot the potatoes on the top with a little butter.
• Bake for 25 minutes until the potatoes are soft.