What to make with your box – W/c 9th September
Here are some suggested recipes to use some of your box contents. See also the previous week’s for more recipe ideas
Pork meatballs with Queen Kale
Total time: 40 mins
Serves 4
Meatballs are always popular and these are served with toasted pine nuts and vibrant Queen kale, making a vitamin C-rich dish that’s 2 of your 5-a-day.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes
- 1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
- 500g pork mince
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 250g kale
- 25g pine nuts, toasted
- crusty bread or mashed potato, to serve (optional)
Method
In a medium pan, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 mins. Tip in the tomatoes with a splash of water, increase the heat and allow to bubble for 15 mins.
Heat the remaining oil in a lidded frying pan over a medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown for 5 mins, then pour the tomato sauce into the pan. Simmer for 10 mins, then add the kale, cover with a lid and cook for 5 mins more until wilted. Season to taste, and scatter over the pine nuts. Serve with the lemon wedges, for squeezing over, and crusty bread or mash, if you like.
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Serves: 6-8
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with mixed mushrooms, carrots, and peas topped with creamy mashed potatoes. Real food meets comfort food! One of our favourite non meaty recipes.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 250g fresh mixed mushrooms, chopped
- 5-6 carrots, peeled and chopped
- Fresh herbs, to taste (e.g. 1 tsp each rosemary, thyme, bay leaf)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tbsp flour
- 120ml red wine
- 240ml – 470ml vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 340g frozen peas
Mashed potatoes
- 6 potatoes
- 120g full-fat Greek yogurt
- 60g butter or 3 tbsp olive oil
- Salt, to taste
Method
Peel the potatoes. Boil them until fork tender (you want them to mash easily). Drain, mash, and mix in yogurt and butter. Season to taste.
In a large oven-safe pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions and leek and sauté until fragrant. Add mushrooms, carrots, and herbs. Sauté until carrots are softened.
Add tomato paste and flour to the pot with veggies in and stir. Pour in the red wine (sizzle) and scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the wine cookout for a minute or two. Slowly add the stock, stirring it in until gravy starts to form. Season with salt. Simmer over low heat to get it thickened even further.
Stir in the peas, spread the mashed potatoes on top (brush with butter to be extra tasty), and bake for 15 minutes at 180C. You can finish off by grilling for a few minutes to get it nice and brown on top.
Scoop up a hearty serving and live your best cosy life.
Cauliflower and Broccoli Cheese
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Serves: 6
One thing I love about us moving towards Autumn is dishes like Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese bake. This is the easiest, cheesiest & most darn right delicious side dish you’ll ever make! Serves 6 small portions as a roast dinner or 4 as a side to a main.
Ingredients
- 200g broccoli florets
- 200g cauliflower florets
- 500ml milk, at room temp
- 150g cheddar, grated, 1/3 saved for topping
- 100g Gruyere, grated
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- Few pinches of nutmeg
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Olive oil, as needed
- Fresh chives, to garnish
Method
Pop your broccoli, cauliflower and 1 tsp garlic in a roasting dish with a good pinch of salt & pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast in the oven at 200C for 15-20mins or until lightly charred and fork-tender.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsp butter into a suitably sized pan over medium heat and stir in 2 tbsp flour to form a paste. Gradually pour in 500ml milk, continually whisking to avoid lumps forming.
Stir in 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 100g gruyere and 100g of your cheddar. Test for seasoning then add in your broccoli and cauliflower. Make sure the roux is thick before adding cheese, don’t use cheese to thicken the roux.
Pop back into the baking dish, sprinkle over the rest of your cheddar (50g) and pop back in the oven at the same temp for 20mins or until golden and bubbly. Allow to rest for a few mins to reform shape and cool down, then sprinkle with finely chopped chives.
Pepper & Courgette Soup
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Serves: 4
This healthy pepper and courgette soup is full of fresh ingredients, including onions and parsley.
The sweet taste of peppers is balanced by the mild flavour of a courgette. The soup is perfect when you have a lot of guests and have to cater for differing tastes – it’s a safe bet as almost everyone will enjoy this recipe! It’s filling and nutritious too, making it the perfect choice.
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 1 leek
- 3 courgettes
- 2 peppers
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 750ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Method
Cut the courgettes and peppers into cubes of about 1.5 cm. Set aside.
Cut the onions and leek into small pieces and fry them in olive oil for about five minutes. Press or cut the garlic and fry it for another two minutes on low heat.
Add the pepper and courgette together with the vegetable stock to the pot.
Cook for about 15 minutes. Prick the vegetables with a fork to check if they are cooked. Meanwhile, chop the parsley.
Purée the soup with an immersion blender, season with salt and pepper, and serve it with fresh parsley.
Baked sweet potatoes
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Serves: 2
One of our large sweet potatoes is enough for one person with a side salad.
Ingredients
- Butter or vegan butter
- Sea salt
- Chives
- Greek yogurt or tzatziki
- Guacamole
- Creamy avocado cilantro lime dressing
Use any of these stuffing ideas!
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C and place a piece of foil on a baking sheet. Use a fork to poke holes into the sweet potatoe/s, set them on the baking sheet, and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until puffed up and soft inside when pierced with a fork.
Serve with desired toppings.
Upside down banana cake with maple caramel sauce
Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 55 mins – 1 hour 10 mins
Serves 8
Hot toffee sauce makes sticky, warm banana cake even more of a treat
Recipe Source:BBC Good Food, find the recipe here
