Vegetable Crumble

This is a Vegetarian dish that uses store cupboard ingredients. However, you can add cooked ham, sausages or bacon if you wish. For a Halloween theme, make it with pumpkin.
My sister and I used to make this when we were students in Palma and shared an apartment, it is really good and easy to make. It lends itself to many variations so give it a try.

Ingredients for 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish:

• 1 tbsp butter
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 1 leek, chopped
• 500 gr mixed root vegetables (potatoes, carrots etc), diced.
• 200 gr mushrooms, sliced
• 150 ml milk
• 150ml white wine or stock
• Salt, pepper
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

For the crumble:

• 150 gr flour
• 75 gr butter
• 100 gr grated cheese
• pinch of salt
  

Heat the butter and the oil in a large pan, add 1 tablespoon of flour to make a very loose roux. cook this for 1 minute until it starts to brown. Now slowly add the milk and wine to make a sauce. As soon as this sauce comes together, add all of the vegetables. Season well, stir them for a minute and cover. Cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Check the seasoning.
When the vegetables are cooked, pour them into an ovenproof dish and leave them to stand while you make the crumble topping.

For the topping, place the butter and flour in a bowl. Break down the butter with the tips of your fingers until the mix resembles fine crumbs. Add the cheese and a pinch of salt. Cover the vegetables with the crumble topping.
Bake for 40 minutes at 180ºC until the crumble topping is browned and crunchy.

Cream of Leek and Potato Soup

Ingredients for 4:

• 2 leeks, chopped
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 litre stock
• 200 ml full fat milk
• salt, pepper & a good pich of grated nutmeg

Put all the vegetables in a large saucepan with 2 tbsp olive oil. Gently fry them for 10 minutes until pale. Add the stock and bay leaf; bring to the boil. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Add the milk and check the seasoning. Remove the bay leaf and blend in the liquidizer.
Serve hot with fried croutons.

Easy croutons from leftover bread:
Dice the bread and fry very gently in one tablespoon of oil until they are crunchy.

Spinach and Goats cheese Quiche

This pie is really delicious and can be eaten hot or cold.
Spinach grows wild and is in season all of Autumn and most of winter. If you don't have it just use fresh spinach from the supermarket. If using frozen spinach, you need to drain as much water out as posible before you mix it into the egg.

Ingredients for a 20cm base pie:
200 gr plain white flour
100 gr butter
good pinch of salt
a little milk

For the filling
3 eggs
400 ml milk
1 cooked potato, cut into slices
200 gr fresh spinach leafs
100 gr bacon, cut into thin strips
1 onion, sliced finely
150 gr goats cheese
salt and pepper, grated nutmeg
1 tomato to garnish

Make the pastry.
Put the flour in a bowl with a good pinch of salt, cut the butter into small dice and mix into the flour. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mix resembles fine crumbs. Add some milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the pastry comes together; do not overwork the pastry because you don’t want the gluten to develop and make the pastry rubbery. Wrap in a plastic bag or cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Take the pastry out of the fridge, roll it out on a floured surface, and line a well greased pie dish or plate.
I find that a metal pie plate will give best results, the pastry comes out perfectly cooked without the need to bake it blind.

In a pan without adding any water, cook the spinach for 2-3 minutes until just wilted. Drain and chop finely.
Arrange the potato slices on the bottom of the pie dish.
Gently fry the bacon with the onion for 4-5 minutes; sprinkle them over the potatoes.
Arrange the goats cheese over the onion and bacon.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Spoon in the spinach and pour the mixture over the cheese.

Bake in the oven at 180ºC for 35 minutes.
Serve hot or cold.
A good salad to go with this is coleslaw.

Cheese Souffle

A souffle is a spectacular dish, which is easy to make and only requires a few ingredients. I serve it as a light super dish.

Ingredients for 4

• 4 eggs
• 1 oz/25 gr butter
• 200 ml milk
• 100 gr cheese
• 1 tbsp mustard
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg

You will also need a buttered 15 cm wide, 15 cm deep souffle dish.
Butter the souffle dish. cover the butter with breadcrumbs and grated cheese.
Turn on the oven to 180ºC.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the flour and stir to make a roux.
Now add the milk little by little, stirring all the time tom make a smooth sauce.
Season generously with salt, pepper, nutmeg. Add the cheese and mustard.
Now add the egg yolks one by one, reserving the whites in a clean bowl.

Wish the egg whites until stiff; mix into the sauce.
Pour the mix into the souffle dish.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until risen and cooked.

The finished souffle will be well risen and still be creamy on the inside.
Variations: try mixing cooked vegetables or ham inside the roux. Proceed as above.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients for 3-4:

• 400ml tomato pasata
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• 300 ml chicken stock
• 200 ml full fat milk
• Salt, pepper and chili to taste

Gently fry the onion and celery in a large pan for 6-7 minutes until they become transparent. Add the tomato and stock; cook for 20 minutes.
Add the milk and season to taste. Bring the soup to the boil again and serve hot with croutons.

Creamy Spaghetti with Bacon and Mushrooms

The cooking time of this dish is 30 minutes or less, and it uses store cupboard ingredients, making it ideal for a mid week supper dish.

Ingredients for 4:

• 350 gr dry tagliatelle or spaghetti
• 150 gr bacon cut into lardons
• 150 gr mushroom, sliced
• 30 gr butter
  
• 100 ml single cream
• 100 ml white wine
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 5-6 minutes, until cooked but with a bit of bite left in them.
While the pasta is cooking make the sauce.
Cook the mushrooms and the bacon together in a large frying pan, for 5-6 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper; pour in the wine and let it cook out for a few seconds. Add the cream to the Sauce.
Drain the pasta reserving a little of the cooking liquid, pour over the sauce and mix well with two forks.

Serve hot with some grated cheese. Parmesan is best but you can use any other grated hard cheese.

Majorcan Meatballs

This how my grandmother used to make meatballs. She served them with fried potatoes; these were diced into small cubes, fried, and poured into the meatball stew just before serving. Delicious!

Ingredients for the meatballs:

• 500 gr minced beef meat
• 1 slice white stale bread, mashed with a bit of milk
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 tbs dry oregano or marjoram
• salt and pepper to taste
• large pinch of nutmeg

For the Sauce:

• 200 ml crushed tomatoes
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
  
• salt, pepper
• 200 ml chicken stock or white wine

Mix the meatball ingredients in a bowl; if the mixture is too wet, mix in some breadcrumbs. With clean hands, make balls the size of a walnut and place them on a large tray or work surface. Fry the meatballs for a few minutes on all sides. Set them aside on a plate or bowl.

Make the sauce in a heavy based saucepan. Fry the onion and carrot for 10 minutes until soft. Add the rest of ingredients and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes. Add the meatballs and simmer for 45 minutes.
Serve hot, with French fries, spaghetti or mashed potatoes.

Vegetable Terrine

This is a dish inspired in an Italian recipe for a vegetable gratin. It can also be made with carrots, cauliflower or even pumpkin.

I use emmental type cheese, you can also try it with cheddar or Mozzarella.

• 300 gr spinach, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 25 gr butter
  
• 2 tbsp flour
• 200 ml milk
• 100 gr grated cheese
• salt and pepper
• good pinch of nutmeg
• 1tbsp Dijon mustard

Cook the spinach in a covered pan over gentle heat, for 2-3 minutes until just wilted. Set aside and prepare the sauce.
In a heavy based pan, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir to make a roux. Pour the milk slowly, stirring all the time to prevent lumps, until you have a thick bechamel sauce. Season with salt, pepper, a good pinch of nutmeg and a spoonful of mustard.
Add the grated cheese and the cooked spinach leaves.
Beat the eggs into the spinach mix. Stir until well combined.
Pour the spinach mixture into an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with extra grated cheese; and bake in the oven at 180ºC for 35-40 minutes until cooked through and risen.

Pork Patties

Sausage roll

To make these patties or frikadelle you will need a good electric mincer.

Ingredients for 4:

• 350 gr pork mince or pork belly
• 1 slice of stale bread
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• salt, pepper to taste
• Grated nutmeg, to taste

Grind the meat, mixed with the rest of ingredients in an electric grinder, you might need to do this in two or three batches.
Grind the meat until it forms a ball in the grinder. You will need to stop the grinder from time to time and push the meat down.
Once you have a homogeneous ball of pounded meat, your mix is ready to form patties or sausage rolls.
To prepare you can shape the meat into patties or sausages, cook in a pan with a little oil and serve hot, with fries.