Soul Food

Start of the New Year with this AMAZING Veggie Pie...

Ingredients for 6 people

1 Butternut Squash

Vegetable Oil

3 Onions

3 Garlic Cloves

150g Spinach

150g Feta

100g Cheddar Cheese

400g can Chickpeas

1 Lemon

1tsp Cumin seed - ground

1tsp Coriander seed - ground

½tsp Cinnamon

1tsp Honey

50g Dried Cranberries or Raisins

Handful Breadcrumbs

Bunch of Herbs : Dill / Mint

1 packet Filo Pastry

50g Butter

2tbsp Vegetable Oil

Method

• 20cm/8” cake tin preferably with a loose base
• Pre-heat oven to 180°C
• Peel and de-seed the butternut squash and chop into 1½cm bitesized cubes
• Put them onto a baking tray and sprinkle with ½ tsp each of ground cumin and coriander seed. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1-2 tbsp oil. Toss the cubes gently until they are well coated. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until dark golden brown and soft, tossing once or twice during the cooking
• Put the cranberries into a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak for 10 minutes or so and drain them
• Meanwhile, slice the onions and fry them in another spoonful of oil in a frying pan for 5 minutes over a low heat
• Peel and chop the garlic and add this to the pan. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes or so.
• Add ½tsp each of ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon and honey
• Zest the lemon and add this to the pan
• Wash the spinach and put this in to the pan. Stir for a 6-8 minutes over a medium heat until the spinach has wilted and there isn’t much liquid left in the pan. Take off the heat. Add the juice of ½ the lemon
• Drain the chickpeas and add these with the roasted butternut and cranberries
• Chop the feta roughly into small cubes and grate the cheddar
• Chop the herbs and add these along with the cheeses. Taste the mixture and add further seasoning and/or lemon juice to taste
• Melt the butter and mix with a couple of tablespoons of oil
• If you want to decorate the pie, take one sheet of filo and brush it with melted butter. Cut it in half, and lay one half on top of the other. Cut in half again twice more. Cut out decorations with a knife and lay them butter-side down on the base
• Take another sheet of filo, brush with butter and lay in the tin, leaving the extra overlapping the edges
• Put another buttered sheet at right angles. Then repeat with all but two of the remaining sheets at angles around the tin, smoothing as you go
• Fill the pie with the mixture and press down well. Top with the remaining two sheets, butter the top and fold the edges over as neatly as you can
• Put the tin on a baking sheet
• Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes
• If the top is getting to brown, cover with foil for the last 10 minutes or so
• Leave for 10 minutes before loosening the pie with a knife and inverting onto a serving plate

• This recipe is easily adaptable for more or fewer people - use a larger or smaller tin and more filo pastry if necessary. You can also add steamed aubergine, fried peppers, courgettes, chilli, fresh coriander or mint. Adjust the amount of cheese to balance accordingly.

• The pie is also delicious just made with the onion, cheese and spinach mixture if you prefer a simplified version.

Enjoy!

Whether it's Christmas or not, these star biscuits are always a treat!

Ingredients (enough for 20 small glasses)

250g granulated sugar

100ml maple syrup

750ml dry white wine

½ teaspoon dried aniseed

500g dried figs

250ml vodka

Ingredients

Chocolate Mixture

125g Butter

125g Dark Chocolate

Zest 1 Orange

Cookie Dough

65g Butter

65g Muscovado Sugar

55g Caster Sugar

1/2 Egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

110g Self-Raising Flour

1/2 tsp salt

Brownie Mixture

2.5 Eggs

180g golden caster sugar

60g Plain Flour

30g Cocoa Powder

White Chocolate Orange

Milk Chocolate Orange

Decoration

50g White Chocolate

Orange Food Colouring

Method

Make Chocolate Mixture

1. Melt 125g Butter on a medium heat in a saucepan.

2. Turn hob to low and add 125g dark chocolate

3. Turn hob off, stir in orange zest and then leave chocolate mixture to cool.

Make Cookie Dough

4. Preheat oven to 180 degrees

5. Mix 65g Butter, 65g Muscovado Sugar & 55g Caster Sugar

6. Add half an egg and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and mix

7. Add 110g Self Raising Flour and 1/2 tsp salt

8. Line an 8" circular cake tin

9. Put cookie day into lined tin and push down so it covers all of the base.

10. Bake in the over for 5 minutes so it looks like it has started to cook but is not fully cooked.

Make Brownie Mixture

11. Turn the oven down to 160 degrees.

12. Put 2.5 Eggs and 180g golden caster sugar and beat until doubled in size (about 5 minutes)

13. Add chocolate mixture we made earlier and softly mix with a wooden spoon until it had just combined.

14. Add 60g Plain Flour and 30g Cocoa Powder and mix softly with a wooden spoon.

15. Chop 2/3 of a white chocolate orange and 2/3 of a milk chocolate orange and stir into the mixture (keep the remaining chocolate orange segments for decoration).

16. Pour brownie mixture on top of the cookie we made earlier.

17. Shake tin so the mixture is evenly distributed.

18. Bake in oven for 30-40 mins until cooked around the edge and slightly jiggly in the middle.

19. Leave to cool in the tin.

Decorate

20. Melt 50g White Chocolate.

21. Add orange food colouring to the white chocolate.

22. Draw 12 lines around the brownie with the melted chocolate.

23. Place remaining chocolate orange segments on top of each of the lines of melted chocolate.

24. Drizzle remaining white chocolate over the brownie.

Christmas Pudding

This recipe is sufficient to make one large pudding in a 2 pint (1.2 litre) basin which serves 8 - 10 people

It is suitable for vegetarians and has reduced sugar.

This version is also nut free but you can substitute 25 grams of chopped skinned almonds and use a little less mixed candied peel.

Dry ingredients:-

110g (4oz) vegetable suet

110g (4oz) self raising flour (sifted)

110g (4oz) white breadcrumbs

1 level teaspoon ground mixed spice

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Large pinch ground cinnamon

75g (approx 3oz) soft brown sugar

Fruit:-

330g (12oz) mixed vine fruit comprising raisins, flame raisins and sultanas

110g (4oz) currants

75g (3oz) dried cranberries

110g (4oz) mixed candied peel

1 small Cox’s or Bramley's cooking apple

Grated zest of half an orange

Grated zest of half a lemon

Wet ingredients:-

1 tablespoon black treacle

2 large eggs

75 ml barley wine

75ml stout

(or 150ml of either)

3 tablespoons brandy

NB if you do not wish to add alcohol you can used ginger beer and/or earl grey tea as substitutes

Method: watch the film above.

After steaming your pudding for up to 8 hours (depending on your steaming methods), allow it to cool and then replace the grease proof paper and foil and make a new string handle ready for Christmas Day. Keep in a cool place.

On Christmas Day steam your pudding again for about 2 hours and serve with your favourite accompaniments!

You can decorate it with a sprig of holly and if you wish add a ladleful of warm brandy before igniting it and pouring over the pudding for a spectacular effect at the table!

Happy Christmas!