Patatas bravas with chorizo

You can't have tapas without crispy, well-seasoned, fried potatoes smothered in a rich, smoky tomato sauce - or patatas bravas as it is known! The perfect side dish to a main meal or just one of many tapas dishes.

 Feel free to add spices or hot paprika to this recipe - I am not a huge fan of spicy food so that is why this recipe won't be particularly 'hot'. The chorizo I bought was quite spicy so that's what gave this dish flavour.

With hardly any ingredients, this is really easy to whip up, especially in advance as it can be oven-baked later on to heat through - perfect for dinner parties or as part of a tapas buffet!

Serves 2
- 2 baking potatoes
- olive oil
- seasoning (paprika, dried herbs, pepper, spices etc)
- 1/2 ring of chorizo, sliced
- tin/carton of chopped tomatoes (I used the Sainsbury's one with olive oil & garlic in)
- parsley, to garnish

1. Peel the potatoes and chop them into small cubes. Bring a pan of water to the boil and par-boil the potato cubes for 5 minutes, then drain.
2. In a large frying pan, heat a generous amount of olive oil to fry the potatoes in. Put on a high heat, add the potatoes, and generously sprinkle with whatever seasoning you prefer. Fry in the hot oil for about 15 minutes, frequently tossing the pan to evenly fry and coat in the oil and seasoning. They should be soft in the middle and crispy on the outside when finished.

3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the chopped tomatoes and stir in the chorizo. Cook on a high heat until the tomatoes have reduced and the sauce is quite thick.

4. When cooked, stir the potatoes into the sauce then serve in individual dishes ready to eat straight away or to be re-heated later.

Enjoy :)

For another tapas idea, try these sweet potato fries!

Chicken tabbouleh

A light, summery bulgur wheat dish

Perfect for a healthy lunch (can prepare the night before and eat cold the next day) or for a light dinner.

My version is not spicy as I am not a big fan of spicy food but feel free to cook the chicken with spices. Since the onion is raw, prepare for strong flavours but they work so well together and this dish tastes deliciously fresh and nutritious!

This will be perfect at barbecues or picnics in the summer time but it's okay to start a little early!

Serves 2

- 2 chicken breasts, chopped
- olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- paprika
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cucumber, chopped
- 100g bulgar wheat
- lemon juice
- fresh mint, torn (I didn't have any but I would recommend)
- fresh parsley, chopped

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees, then in a small roasting tin, brush the chicken with olive oil, and coat in the garlic and as much paprika as you would like, as season. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes.

2. Place the chopped onion, tomatoes and cucumber into a large bowl and set aside.
3. Prepare the bulgar wheat according to packet instructions (Cook in a pan of boiling water - enough to be fully absorbed - keep adding more until soft to bite).
4. Mix the cooked bulgar wheat into the large bowl with the other ingredients and stir until combined.
5. When the chicken is cooked, stir into the bulgar wheat mixture than squeeze fresh lemon juice on top and mix in the parsley and mint, leaving some to garnish.
6. Either eat straight away as a warm dish or leave to cool for later or the next day!

Enjoy :)

Bolognese bake

 (I only took one photo when out of the oven - apologies!)

Super easy, delicious food that everyone will love. A twist on a good old spag bol - take an exciting, different pasta like conchiglioni (large pasta shells) and bake with mozzarella and fresh basil!

Serves 4

- 450g lean beef mince

- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

- 2 red onions, chopped

- 200g mushrooms, sliced

- jar of good pasta sauce (I used Sacla with whole tomatoes in - see pic below)

- glug of balsamic vinegar

- seasoning

- 350g conchiglioni (or pasta of your choice)

- 1 ball of mozzarella, sliced

- handful of fresh basil

- handful of cheddar cheese, grated

1. For the bolognese part, brown the mince in a large pan then add the garlic and onions and cook for a few minutes before adding the mushrooms.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water according to packet instructions.

3. When the mince mixture is cooked through, add the sauce, balsamic vinegar and seasoning. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5-10 minutes.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

5. When the pasta is cooked, drain and mix with the bolognese mixture.

6. Pour everything into a baking dish and top with the slices of mozzarella and torn basil leaves. Don't forget to grate some cheddar on top too.

7. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown on top.

Enjoy :)

Turkey meatballs

I decided to make turkey meatballs for a change since they are healthier (lower in fat) than beef meatballs, and seem to be lighter and generally more fitting for the summer months. They were really tasty and easy to make and cook - usually home-made meatballs seem to crumble when you fry them but these didn't so I was very pleased. I served them with spaghetti and a Dolmio tomato sauce, topped with fresh parmesan. 

Serves 2

- 250g turkey mince

- 1 onion, chopped

- fresh parsley, chopped

- salt & pepper

- 1/2 beaten egg

- olive oil, for frying

1. Place the raw mince in a mixing bowl

2. Fry the onion to soften then set aside to cool. When cooled, add to the mince, along with a generous handful of chopped parsley and seasoning.

3. Gently mix together with a wooden spoon, then add in the egg and beat together until sticky. (I made the mistake of adding too much egg which made the mix too runny - if this happens just add some flour!)

4. When the right consistency, use your hands to shape into balls -  did mine a little big but aim to make 6 (3 each).

5. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the meatballs.

6. Fry over a medium heat and keep turning so that all sides turn golden brown.

7. This should take about 15 minutes in total - cut one open to check it is cooked in the middle.

8. Serve with pasta and tomato sauce, and voila!

Enjoy :)

Lasagne

 This is the perfect comfort food now we're getting into the winter months. This is just a standard lasagne recipe, nothing special, just absolutely delicious pasta, mince, sauce and cheese! It takes a fair bit of time but it is definitely worth it and this made enough for two huge portions for my boyfriend and I, plus 3 extra meals for me to freeze for other dinners - yipee! I served this with some make-shift garlic bread - my mum bought me up some home made soda bread which is yummy on it's own, but we made some garlic butter (just melted butter and crushed fresh garlic, believe it or not) and spread it on top and baked in the oven, mm mm.

Serves 4-5
- 500g lean beef mince
- 2 red onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 red peppers, chopped
- handful of mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 a jar of tomato pasta sauce (or more chopped tomatoes)
- handful of cherry tomatoes
- dried mixed herbs (basil, oregano, parsley etc.)
- pack of dried lasagne sheets
- 25g butter
- 25g flour (plain or self raising)
- 500ml milk
- generous handful of cheddar cheese, grated

1. Brown the mince in a large pan, then add the onion and garlic, cooking until softened. Add the peppers and the mushrooms, and cook for another few minutes.
2. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil, then simmer. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees / gas mark
3. Spoon some tomato pasta sauce in the bottom of some baking dishes and place some lasagne sheets on top. Put a layer of the mince mixture on top then layer with some more lasagne sheets.
4. Meanwhile, to make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Gradually add in the milk, stirring constantly until thickened. This can take up to 20 minutes - be patient and just keep stirring, it will be worth it!
5. On top of the pasta sheets place another layer of mince, followed by some bechamel sauce. Finish with a final layer of lasagne sheets, followed by bechamel sauce and lots of cheddar
6. Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes, or until piping hot, the pasta is soft and the top is golden brown.

Enjoy :)

Cheese, tomato and herb quiche

I absolutely love quiche but have never attempted to make one before because whenever I look at recipes they always seem to use so many eggs and so much cream! I also love making (and eating..) shortcrust pastry but was always afraid that turning it into a quiche would leave it with a soggy bottom. Well, today I proved my assumptions to be very wrong! I looked over a few recipes and decided to use all milk instead of cream, with a bit of light soft cheese, and only one egg. I used fresh tomatoes, lots of herbs and some cheddar and parmesan, and the flavours were amazing. The texture was absolutely perfect as well - no soggy bottom, but crisp pastry instead, hoorah! I made this for Father's day as we decided to have a buffet. This quiche is perfect party food for buffets, makes a great lunch, or even dinner - serve with a side salad and some new potatoes in parsley butter for a delicious, summer meal (suitable for vegetarians!) I can't wait to create more quiche recipes, maybe bacon and leek, and next time I make this tomato one, I want to try putting broccoli in it too (I've had one like this from Sainsbury's and it is scrummy). If you are to try out one recipe this summer, I think it should be this one! Pastry isn't as tricky as you might think to get right, just follow the steps below.

Makes 1 large quiche (4-8 people)

For the pastry:

- 175g plain flour

- pinch of salt

- 40g lard

- 40g margarine

- 1 tsp thyme, chopped (I used dried)

- 2-3 tbsp water

For the filling:

- small knob of butter

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 350g tomatoes, sliced

- pinch of salt and pepper

- handful of parsley, chopped (I used fresh)

- 1 tsp thyme (dried)

- 1 tsp basil (dried)

- 2 tbsp boiling water

- 250ml milk

- 1 egg

- 1 tbsp light soft cheese

- handful of parmesan, grated

- handful of cheddar, grated

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 degrees. For the filling, gently fry the onion in the butter for a few minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes, herbs and salt and pepper and stir.

2. Add the boiling water and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened. Leave to cool.

3. Whilst this is cooling, start on the pastry. Sieve the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the margarine and lard.

4. Rub the fat into the flour with your fingertips 'from a height' (oo jamie oliver style...) until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can add in the thyme at this stage or the previous stage.

5. Add the water and knead gently into a soft dough. On a floured work-surface, roll out the dough until large enough to fit into a flan dish or metal case. Push down into the case, pressing into the sides.

6. To finish the filling, whisk together the milk, egg, soft cheese, parmesan and chessar until combined. Stir into the tomato and onion mixture and gently pour into the pastry case until filled to the top. Grate some more cheddar on top. I found that I had too much filling for the case, maybe because my case was too small. I put the remaining filling into little ramekin dishes and baked in the oven with the quiche so that it could be eaten anyway and not wasted.

7. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the filling has set and is golden brown. 

Enjoy :)

Tomato and basil bruschetta

A delicious taste of Italy! Tomato and basil are the perfect match, and even better with a dash of balsamic vinegar, basil (green) pesto and a sprinkling of parmesan. These are a crowd-pleasing starter or side dish accompanying any Italian-style food, particularly a pasta dish. So easy to put together but such impressive flavours. Bruschetta is so versatile - you can top it with anything: garlic butter, caramelised onion and goats cheese, mozzarella and sun dried tomato, herby mushrooms etc etc. I served this with carbonara - the recipe is here!

Serves 2

- 1/2 baguette, sliced into eight (I used wholemeal)

- few dollops of green pesto

- large handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced or quartered

- few leaves of fresh basil, torn

- dash of balsamic vinegar

- small handful of parmesan, grated

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 degrees. Place the tomatoes and fresh basil in a bowl and stir in some balsamic vinegar (the smell is amazing!)

2. Spread green pesto on each slice of bread, and place on a baking tray.

3. Spoon the tomato and basil mixture on each slice, grate some parmesan on top, if desired, and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the bread is crisp and hot to touch.

Enjoy :)