Butternut squash, mushroom & stilton risotto

Comforting & delicious

The blue cheese gives this dish a gorgeous, strong flavour which works perfectly with the more subtle flavours of the mushrooms and butternut squash. The best part - it all cooks in one pan!

 Sorry for the un-appetising photos, but butternut squash and mushrooms don't make the most pleasant of colours...

Serves 2 (big portions)

- olive oil

- 1 onion, chopped

- 1 tsp lazy garlic, or 1 fresh clove, crushed

- 200g butternut squash, chopped into chunks

- 150g mushrooms, sliced

- 125g brown rice

- 500ml vegetable stock (use 1 and a half vegetable stock cubes)

- dried sage & parsley

- 50g stilton, crumbled (or any blue cheese)

1. In the oil, fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add the squash and mushrooms and fry for a few minutes longer.

2. Stir in the rice, then pour in the stock and add the herbs. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

3. Stir in the cheese and serve!

Enjoy :)

Stuffed mushrooms

I cooked these the other night and had them with stuffed pepper as well as a main course, but these would make perfect starters. These were so flavoursome from the onion, cheese and salty bacon, and the soft mushroom texture went perfectly with the crunch of breadcrumbs sprinkled on top! Some chopped fresh parsley would have finished this off but I didn't have any in the house - would also improve presentation if sprinkled on top to add extra colour.

Serves 2

- 2 large flat mushrooms

- 4 rashers of bacon, chopped

- 1 red onion, chopped

- olive oil, for cooking

- parmesan, grated

- 1 slice of bread, torn to make breadcrumbs

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 degrees.

2. Cut the stalks off the mushrooms, and chop into small pieces.

3. Fry the bacon in some olive oil, then add the onion and mushrooms. Cook for around 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Set aside.

4. Brush the flat mushrooms with olive oil and fry for a few minutes to begin softening.

5. Place on a baking tray and top with the bacon and onion mixture. Grate some parmesan on top and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. (Lots of water will probably seep out of the mushroom during cooking, so don't be surprised if the tray is wet)

6. To finish off, top the mushrooms with breadcrumbs, and cook under the grill for a coule of minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are toasted.

Enjoy :)

Crispy chicken thighs with red pesto spaghetti

Sun-dried tomato pesto, cream, mushrooms, onions, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, parmesan - coating spaghetti on a bed of spinach leaves, with parmesan crusted chicken. Mmmmm. Chicken thighs can be quite difficult to eat since these ones had the bones still in, but I actually prefer having a chunk of meat with pasta, rather than it being chopped up inside (unless it's a pasta bake). I used chicken thighs because they still have the skin on and I love the crispy texture with the moist chicken. This is one of my perfect meals since I'm obsessed with pesto and pasta!

Serves 2
- 4 chicken thighs
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- dried italian herbs
- parmesan, grated
- 180g spaghetti
- 1 red onion, chopped
- handful of mushrooms, sliced
- handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered and some left whole
- 1/2 jar of red pesto (sun-dried tomato)
- dash of cream
- fresh basil, torn
- handful of spinach leaves


1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7. Cut slits in the layer of fat on the chicken thighs - this will help it crisp up.

2. Brush with olive oil, season, sprinkle with herbs and grated parmesan.

3. Bake in the oven for 35 - 45 minutes - cover with foil for the first half of the cooking time!

4. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions, and in a separate pan, fry the onions in some olive oil.

5. When softened, add the mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, and continue to fry.

6. Place some tomatoes in with the chicken for the remaining 5 minutes of the cooking time.

7. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pan. Stir in the onions and mushrooms, and add the pesto and cream, stirring and tossing until coated. Add some fresh basil.

8. Place the spinach leaves in two bowls/plates and serve the spaghetti on top. Top with the chicken thighs and tomatoes. Garnish with some fresh basil and parmesan.

Enjoy :)

Prosciutto, parsley and mushroom pizza

The ingredients and method for the pizza base and tomato topping you can find in my previous post, here! I forgot to mention just how delicious these pizzas were, especially this one - it has so much flavour from the salty prosciutto and the parsley goes so well with the mushrooms. This is the pizza I will make time and time again, so definitely try it out. (Sorry again for the photo quality) I served these pizzas with a salad of lettuce, spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, and fresh parsley and basil.

Pizza base and tomato sauce ingredients and instructions are here!

Toppings:
- 1 ball buffalo mozzarella, sliced
- large handfuls of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 pack of prosciutto
- button mushrooms, sliced
- handful of parmesan, grated
- olive oil


1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 / 200 degrees. Once the tomato sauce is spread on the pizza dough, sprinkle with half the parsley and place the mozzarella on top.
2. Cover with the prosciutto and mushrooms, and drizzle with a little olive oil.
3. Sprinkle the remaining parsley on top, and all of the parmesan.

4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy :)

The best carbonara

I love anything pasta, hence why a lot of my posts are pasta dishes - and when cream, parmesan, bacon and garlic are involved, how could anyone say no? I have two similar posts - fettucine alfredo here and baked spaghetti carbonara here. I didn't use egg in this carbonara recipe, because the cottage cheese has a similar texture of coating the pasta. I wouldn't usually use onion in carbonara (I don't know why, it just seems weird?) but it was perfectly fine; I guess because it's chopped so fine you barely notice of it - it isn't particularly needed but it does add extra flavour. I have also started using fresh garlic cloves (as opposed to ready-ground) and I'm so glad because the flavour and aroma is sooo much nicer, I would definitely recommend! If you don't like mushrooms then don't add them, and likewise with the bacon if you are vegetarian. Such a simple but impressive meal to whip together, and I like to think it's healthier than a standard carbonara, since I used a little bit of single cream and the majority of low fat cottage cheese (which is so high in protein). I served this with tomato and basil bruschetta mmmm,

Serves 2
- 200g spaghetti
- large dollop of butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves,  crushed (less if you aren't a garlic fan)
- 4-5 rashers of smoked bacon, cubed
- 150g mushrooms
- 250g cottage cheese
- 100ml single cream
- handful of parmesan, grated
- ground pepper

1. Soften the onion and garlic in a pan with the melted butter for a few minutes. Add the bacon and fry until cooked through and beginning to crisp.
2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted water according to packet instructions (around 10-12 mins)
3. Add the mushrooms to the garlic and onion and cook until softened, then add the cottage cheese. Stir until the cottage cheese has completely melted. It will look watery a this stage, especially with the mushrooms, but don't worry, it will thicken up as you keep cooking!
4. Add the cream and keep stirring until it has reduced and thickened to your liking, add some pepper to taste.
5. Drain the spaghetti, return to the pan, stir through the sauce, and serve.

Enjoy :)