Recipe: Thai Sweet Potato Soup

I eat a lot of soup. When the weather is not so delightful, and something comforting but healthy is needed, it ticks all the boxes.

My soup alternates between homemade soup - usually whatever veg is on the turn in the bottom of the fridge, or a fresh one from one of the local independent cafés around where I work. There are some incredible souperies in Edinburgh. Perhaps it's the cold, wet air that demands a stick-to-your-ribs lunch to keep you going. Anyway, one of my lunchtime soups was a rather delicious Thai inspired squash and sweet potato concoction. I was slightly aggrieved at the price though (since when did soup become a £3.95 affair?) so in a fit of frugality I thought I'd have a go at home. Using light coconut milk helps to keep it lower in fat, but if you prefer it creamier, use whatever you have in the house.

Makes 6 servings

500g sweet potato
2 large red onions
2 cloves garlic
1 tin of coconut milk
1 large tablespoon thai red curry paste (adjust according to how much chilli it contains!)
1 teaspoon veg oil or butter
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

Peel and chop the garlic, potatoes and onions. In a large pan, heat the oil or butter, and stir in the paste. Add in the garlic and onions and fry gently until they start to soften.
Add in the sweet potato, and cover in stock. If you don't need all of the stock, keep it to the side. Don't feel obliged to add it all at once!
Simmer for twenty minutes, or until the potatoes are soft enough to break up with a wooden spoon. If in doubt, simmer for a bit longer - if they're undercooked, they'll be gritty.
Take off the heat, stir in the coconut milk and allow to cool.
Blend until smooth, or if you like a bit of texture, mash the potatoes into the liquid.

Recipe: Rice Noodle Salad

I first had this kind of salad when Mr F's mum made it as a side dish for a help-yourself family lunch. I've since adapted the recipe, from a Good Housekeeping magazine, to make it a bit more interesting and it's become a favourite.

We like it in a lunch box, just as it is, or as a super quick, easy and healthy dinner with a bit of hot smoked salmon or mackerel flaked in. The edamame beans (also known as soya or soybeans) are optional, but are a great way of adding protein and keeping it veggie. Most supermarkets keep them near the frozen peas.
Because it can be prepared in advance, kept in the fridge for a couple of hours and is great at room temperature, it's perfect for taking along to a BBQ or for serving with Hoisin duck at a dinner party. 

Vermicelli rice noodle salad

Serves 2 generously.

300g cooked vermicelli rice noodles (fresh ones from the supermarket are ideal)

125g - about 4 inches - cucumber

125g - or 1 - red pepper

125g edamame 

1 red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped

2tbsp rice wine vinegar

3tbsp soy sauce

pinch sugar

1tbsp lime juice

1tbsp sesame oil
Small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, and allow to cool slightly.
Deeseed the cucumber and pepper, and chop into pieces about 1cm square.

Stir together the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, lime juice and sesame oil. 

In a large bowl, and using a large spoon, tongs or chopsticks to avoid slicing the noodles too much, mix together the vermicelli noodles with the vegetables, chilli, coriander and dressing. 

Recipe: Vietnamese Spring Rolls

My obsession with the Chinese supermarkets in Edinburgh continues. Moving towards Leith has increased the amount of Tom Yum soup in our lives, and dumplings are becoming a bit of a staple alternative Sunday lunch.
We debated doing a Dim Sum evening with friends for a flat warming dinner but as the weather has been so very lovely, something a bit more summery seemed appropriate, which led us to...

They are so delicious, so healthy, and so tasty. They're also really pretty simple once you get the hang of the folding. We make ours with prawns and noodles, but you can leave the noodles out if you like to make them less filling for a starter. They'd be great as a way to use up leftover roast chicken or pulled pork. If you're veggie, marinated tofu or edemame beans would be great to add a bit of protein. Experiment, see what you like, and use what you have in the fridge.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls (gỏi cuốn)

Beansprouts
Spring Onions, very thinly slice
Carrot, julienned into matchstick sized pieces
Cucumber, julienned
Baby gem lettuce leaves or cold steamed green cabbage
Cooked king prawns
Coriander, mint or Thai basil leaves, finely chopped
Cooked vermicelli fine rice noodles
Rice papers

Large bowl filled with warm water
Plastic chopping board or large flat plate

Firstly, cover the beansprouts with boiling water to blanche them. It's worth bearing this FSA advice in mind.
Assemble your ingredients.
The rice paper wraps are the hardest part - make sure you don't over soak them. I used a bowl that was big enough to put them in whole - put one hand at the bottom of the bowl (so that it doesn't stick to the bottom!), drop the wrap in, and count to three. The wrapper should feel wet, and flexible, but still be a bit firm. It'll keep absorbing the water for a few seconds once you've taken it out of your bowl so don't leave it until it's very flexible!
Put the wrapper onto a plate or plastic chopping board. Avoid using a wooden one - they stick and are more likely to rip as the water is absorbed into the board
Layer up your wrap. Start at the edge closest to you, and take a couple of pieces of each of the ingredients. A couple of websites I read suggested using cabbage or lettuce leaves as a base, to stop the vegetables poking through the rice paper and it does seem to help. Don't get too overexcited - we're not talking Fajita's here - if you overfill them, they'll rip.

To wrap:
Making sure that you keep the filling in tightly, turn the wrap over once.
Tuck in the right hand side.
Tuck in the left hand side.
Continue rolling until the end.
Using your fingertips, dab a small amount of water on to the edge to help it stick, and place edge down on a serving plate.

Great served with satay, hoi sin or sweet chilli dips.

Recipe: Banana Bread for Breakfast

It's a funny thing, breakfast. I don't think I've heard anyone recall a wonderful breakfast that they had in the same way that they would recall a dinner or a lunch. It's a meal that is often skipped, frequently rushed and usually really quite boring. Although I'd like to tell you that I get up early enough to make Eggs Benedict on a daily basis, that would be a lie, and anyone who vaguely knows me will be snorting with laughter at the thought.

In an attempt to wean Mr F off cereal bars, we have been experimenting with different 'healthy' options that can be nibbled on the bus, or washed down with a cup of coffee in a more discreet manner than a bowl of cornflakes. I've been enjoying trying variations on banana bread, mostly because it means I have a use for the slightly mangled bananas that end up being left in the bottom of my bag, but partly also because "Banana and Sultana" is fun to say.

Basic Banana Bread (based on one of Delia Smith's)

75g butter or margerine
110g caster sugar
1 egg
225g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
4 bananas
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
2 tsp mixed spice (or variations on nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon will do)
2 generous handfuls of tasty extras

Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
Put everything except for the tasty extras into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Stir in the extras.
Bake for 50-60 mins, at 180C.

I blooming love this recipe. It's so easy, it takes about 5 minutes to mix, and you can add anything you want - sultanas, raisins, chopped nuts, whole nuts, chocolate chopped up, mixed peel - it's all good. You could use soft or light brown sugar if you prefer, or self raising flour if that's all you have, and it'd probably work. I've made it with low fat margerine, as well as proper butter, and it works. I've also used bananas that I've frozen when they went mushy, and defrosted a few weeks later - you don't get the banana chunks with this, but a really smooth, bready texture.It also freezes really well as long as it's pre-sliced.

Delicious.

Inspiration: Soda Bread

I love fresh bread. The smell, the spongey texture, the warm filling - a good fresh loaf with butter is not far off perfection for me. It's brilliant.
Mr Foodie is from Northern Ireland - a land where bread is Different. Good different. Soda bread is hard to get hold of in Scotland. Actually, I should clarify - it's not hard to get hold of, but it's not "right". Apparently, Soda bread should be simple and white, unlike this, which Mr Foodie reckons is more like Wheaten Bread. Are you as confused as me? I hope so... I was nervous when I decided to make my own.

I'm not a natural baker. I get frustrated at the size of tins (how and why do I never have the size specified in the recipe?) I don't understand how you can magically tell if you've kneaded dough enough, and the hundreds of types of flour overwhelm me. The last time I made bread rolls, they were more like hockey pucks. I was not optimistic about Soda bread - it doesn't rise until it's in the oven, it seemed very wet, and putting soured milk in bread seemed - well - wierd. But it worked!

I used this recipe by Rachel Allen, the Queen of Irish cooking and baking. Really easy. I didn't bother with the 'floured' surface, mostly because I couldn't find the antibac kitchen spray. It took about 5 minutes to mix in, and was ready by the time I'd showered and dried my hair - perfect emergency breakfast bread. Particularly good with....

Eggs, crispy bacon and spinach

 Scrambled eggs, spinach and smoked salmon

Bank holiday weekend brunch heaven.

Recipe: Tomato and Potato Layer Bake

I am now the proud owner of a food processor. Proud, and overexcited. I've been waiting for it to arrive for 6 weeks (when my mum ordered it as a housewarming present, it was out of stock, so good old John Lewis sourced one for me). This has given me 6 weeks of getting excited about things that I can whizz, chop, whisk, blend, grate, and puree.

First up - a quick and tasty potato dish. This recipe is loosely based on a Delia Smith's Summer Collection recipe that my mum makes a lot. I've sped it up a bit so that it's easier for a week night dinner, and made it store cupboard friendly. Think of it as a really easy and lower fat version of boulangere or dauphinoise potatoes.

Tomato and Potato Layer Bake

Serves 2

500g potatoes

1 large onion, red or white

1 can good quality tinned tomatoes

1 tablespoon virgin or extra virgin olive oil (optional but highly recommended)

1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp dried basil

Salt and pepper

  

In a food processor (or with a very sharp knife), whizz your potatoes and onion into thin slices.

Mix together the tomatoes, oil, herbs, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. 

In a large microwave-proof dish, mix together your potatoes, onions and tomato mix. 

Microwave on full for 15 minutes, covered (you could use a plate or clingfilm if you don't have a lidded dish).

Take the cover off, and microwave again for another 5 minutes. 

Serve.

  

Ideal served with meat or fish - it would be great for a healthy side to steak. We had ours with roast chicken and a spinach salad. 
Fresh basil, torn up, would also work if you have it, to give a stronger taste 
You could also add in crumbled feta or mozzarella, olives, slivers of parma ham, capers, anchovies - anything really - to make it perfect for a lunch box.

Recipe: Mushroom Soup

Mushrooms are funny things. They are unappetising in colour, smell and texture, but big and tasty on flavour. I feel a bit sorry for them in a way. Like many people - I can't stand a slimy mushroom. I've never understood the 'stuffed mushroom' fad that refuses to go away. Although on reflection, this may be because I hate it when people give them to vegetarians and expect them to be excited.
I am still ploughing on with my eternal battle to Empty The Pantry. It's going well - the looming threat of having to move house is spurring me to eat some interesting combinations, try new things and revisit ingredients that I wasn't convinced about first time round.

When I was a student, I went through a phase of eating huge amounts of mushroom risotto. I'm not entirely sure where this fad came from, although I think it may have had something to do with the oil store on Borough Market, and the truffle infusion that I was persuaded to buy, and then didn't know what to do with.

I always have a packet of dried mushrooms in my cupboard. Their texture and colour is so much more appealing than fresh. The smell makes me think of camping - wet, damp, woody and earthy. But now that the risotto fad has disappeared for the moment, they have been neglected. Until now. This soup takes ages, but tastes wonderful.

Mushroom Soup
Serves 4 as a main

300g mixed dried mushrooms
600g fresh mushrooms
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
50g butter
250ml hot water
500ml chicken or vegetable stock

Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for about half an hour. Stir them occasionally.
Meanwhile, roughly chop the fresh mushrooms and finely slice the onion and garlic.
After the dried mushrooms have been soaking for half an hour, start cooking. Don't drain the dried mushrooms!
Sautee the onions and garlic in butter until they start to turn transluscent. Add the fresh mushrooms and stir in with the onion, garlic and butter to sautee a little. If they stick to the pan, add a tablespoon of hot stock. They should start to brown, and the liquor from the mushrooms should start to come out.
Stir in the dried mushrooms, and their juice, and cover the mixture with the stock.
Simmer for an hour - half an hour with the lid on, half an hour with the lid off.
Blend the soup. This will be time consuming, mushrooms have a slightly wierd texture when blended. The aim is to break up all of the fibres, to get a creamy but thick texture. If you think you need more liquid - add a tiny, tiny amount at a time.
Serve with buttery crusty bread, a generous swirl of cream, and a sprinking of fresh thyme or rosemary.

Adaptations:
You could make this recipe dairy free by using olive oil instead of butter.
To make it more suitable for small children, use water instead of stock. Add a dollop of mushroom ketchup if it needs an extra kick.
Sauteed fresh wild mushrooms sprinkled on top would be stunning.
Blend in blue Stilton cheese, or crumble on top to serve.

I'm blogging this recipe for Save The Children's Recipe Challenge. Their aim is for thousands of recipes to be collated into an e-book, to be sold as a fundraiser. It's not about increasing aid, or bullying developing countries - it's about encouraging our politicians to get together to actually *do* something about a problem, rather than throwing money at it in the hope that it will go away. You can read more about it at The Pink Whisk.

Recipe: Butterbean Soup

I will be moving house shortly, and therefore am attempting to eat everything in my flat. It's something I half heartedly try every now and then, before the lure of Waitrose gets to me, but this time (because I don't want to have to lug even more stuff with me than is necessary), I mean it.

Dried beans and pulses are a pain, in that the majority of them require soaking for a long length of time (overnight usually) before being boiled for between 10 minutes and 2 hours. This process kills off the toxins, and therefore is definately worth doing, but aint half tedious if you're feeling the need for some pulsey protein in your life in a hurry. The end results of the process are, in my experience, mixed. Sometimes they stay rock hard, some times they turn into mush. Sometimes they taste ok, sometimes they taste of absolutely nothing. This is a bit of a bugger, because they're actually really cheap (we're talking about 99p for 1kg dried - that's roughly 99p for 1.5-2kg rehydrated), and incredibly nutritious.

Picture courtesy of Delia

I use tinned butterbeans a lot - they are amazing fried with chorizo and tomatoes, or mashed into a type of Hummus. They thicken sausage and tomato casseroles, and bulk up Chilli Non Carne. However, anyone who has read other recipe's I've done will know that I have a tendency to turn things which I'm not sure about into a) risotto, or b) soup. Unsurprisingly, rehydrated butterbeans are better in b) than a).

Butter bean Soup
(serves 4)

250g dehydrated Butter beans
1 large onion
20g butter
500ml hot stock (Ham stock is amazing in this, if you can get it. Alternatively, Chicken or Veggie will do)
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary.
upto 200ml hot water.

Prepare the butter beans as on the packet (I soaked overnight, then boiled for 10 minutes).
In a large pan, slowly fry the onion in the butter until soft and translucent.
Tip in the butter beans, rosemary and stock. Simmer for 5 minutes until the beans begin to soften and break.
Blend, adding more water as required to desired consistency.
Serve.

This is a thick soup (think of the texture of Lentil), so smaller portions will be needed than most other vegetarian soups, especially if it's a starter. It is, however, deliciously creamy...

Surprisingly difficult to make soup look attractive in a photo

It's really easy, really cheap, and if you can't be bothered with the dried ones, you could easily substitute 2 tins of drained beans. If you fancy that bacon tang, but can't get hold of ham stock (I used Knorr stuff I had floating around), sprinkling with some crispy bacon bits, or crispy parma ham would be really tasty.

Recipe: Lazy Bruschetta

I have been off work for a few days this week with a stomach bug. It was grim. I won't go in to too much detail, but it was my first 'adult' experience of having any form of gastric horridness, and it happened to be whilst on a course. In Stirling. Not Edinburgh.

And so, I have been feeling sorry for myself, sorry for my stomach, and mostly sorry for my appetite. While I have consumed epic amounts of flat Coke and hot Ribena, the food element of my diet has been lacking this week - sad times (although on the plus side, I've lost the 3lbs I put on over Christmas. Pro's and Cons, eh?).

When I am tired, stressed, or under the weather, I think I want stodge. Macaroni cheese, pie, sausage and mash. What my stomach actually wants is 'clean' food with a decent nutritional value, what my brain and hands want is to do the minimum amount of cooking needed. This week, my body realised it was going to have to compromise - and so we arrived at Lazy Bruscetta.

The easiest, laziest bruschetta. 

Serves 2.

Small onion, very finely chopped (red ideally).

1 small garlic clove.

5 tomatoes (plum if you have them, but any will do, especially slightly over ripe. You could also use 10-15 cherry tomatoes, chopped in half).

10 olives (preferably a mix of green and black).

2 teaspoons of capers, drained.

Glug of decent quality olive oil.

4 pieces of bread (crusty is great, but any form of receptacle - including rice cakes - will do).

Salt and pepper.

Finely chop the onion and garlic - really finely - place in a microwavable dish with a lid, and add a glug of olive oil. Steam in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to soften and become transluscent.

While they're cooking, roughly chop the tomatoes. Add them in to the onions, along with roughly chopped olives and the capers, and stick in the microwave again for a minute to soften the tomatoes, and warm up the rest of the ingredients.

Serve straight away on crusty bread (if you have it) or toast (if you don't). Or, shove it in a pitta bread for a vague attempt at recreating the marvellous Greek salads from holidays. However you have it, sprinkle liberally with salt and freshly ground pepper. 

Great for modifying - mix in an anchovy, drizzle with balsalmic reduction, add some fresh basil along with the tomatoes, sprinkle with leftover mozarella or parmesan, or place on top of parma ham. 

It'll also last a day in the fridge - perfect if you're tight for time, lazy, or feeling under the weather.

Recipe: Tinned Tomato Soup

I am a massive fan of tinned tomato soup. It is wonderful stuff with grated cheese on top, Worcestershire sauce dropped in, or straight from the tin on a camping trip. There's something really reminiscent of childhood lunches about it, probably due to the luminous colour and the fear that I'll drop it down my top and leave a lurid orange stain. Having spent half of my day staring out of my living room window at a very foggy and rainy park, and the storms brought on by Hurricane Katia, I need comfort. Preferably comfort that doesn't involve taking my slippers off or the use of an umbrella. Tinned tomato soup is the answer.

Tinned Tomato Soup
Serves 2

25g butter

1 garlic clove, sliced or diced

1 medium onion/small leek, chopped
1 tin of plum tomatoes (use posh ones if you can, but if you're feeling the need for frugality, smartprice ones can be topped up with an extra tablespoon of tomato puree)
1 tablespoon tomato puree
generous pinch of sugar
250ml low salt chicken or vegetable stock
50ml cream
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook gently until they begin to soften, and add the tomatoes. Stir through, and add in the stock and sugar.
Simmer through for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and the leek or onion are translucent. Blend thoroughly, adding more hot stock if needed until smooth. At the desired consistency, add the cream, and return to the heat slowly until at serving temperature.

Recipe: Lentil Daal

August should not be wet and rainy. It should not involve 'localised flooding', broken umbrellas and soggy socks. I should not be thinking of using my hot water bottle in the office. This August has been rubbish, weather-wise. It's never Edinburgh's finest month, which is a real shame, as it's when the tourists flood to town to enjoy the city and it's atmosphere during the festival.

This is my fourth festival - my third as a local, and like every year I do feel like I should probably take a bit more in. Alas though, like every year, I can't quite bring myself to spend £14 on watching a comedian who may (or most likely may not) be funny. It was at my second festival - my first as a local - that I first 'discovered' lentil daal, whilst chomping down some Mosque Kitchen with a friend. I'm sure my parents will say that I grew up eating lentil daal, and they're probably right, but for some reason I don't think I ate it for the entire 3 years of my undergraduate degree and therefore the first time I actively ate it as an adult classes as the 'discovery' moment. It's not the classiest or most aesthetically pleasing of foods, but it is cheap, nutritious and highly comforting.

Lentil daal.
Serves 2 generously as a main, or 4-6 as part of a thali

200g yellow split peas
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons ghee
1 garlic clove, diced
500ml low salt stock (vegetable or chicken)
500ml hot water
teaspoon mustard seeds
teaspoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 medium hot red chilli, deseeded and diced
100g - or one bag - spinach, roughly shredded
100ml single cream (optional, but mighty tasty)

Rinse the lentils to remove any flour or grit. If possible, soak overnight, rinsing occasionally.
In a large heavy bottomed pan (one with a lid), melt 1 tbsp of the ghee and very gently fry the onion, chilli and garlic until soft.
Stir in the lentils and stock, and cover. Simmer slowly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop the lentils sticking and burning. Continue until the liquid is absorbed. The lentils should begin to break down, becoming creamy and thick in consistency. If they still have a degree of hardness, continue to add water until they are cooked, and remove from the heat. They should remain a thick consistency - do not allow them to dry out or burn on the base, but be careful not to add so much water that they are soupy.
In a small frying pan, melt another tablespoon of ghee. Add the mustard and coriander seeds, and cook until they 'pop' - but be careful not to burn. Stir in the garam masala to toast slightly. Stir in the spices in to the daal, along with the spinach and cream - the spinach should wilt down and cook. Heat slightly - but do not boil - if necessary.
Ideal served with mini naan.

Recipe: Green Pea Soup

Soup is marvellous. Pea soup is particularly so, it's fresh and clean, a gorgeous colour, and totally delicious.
Making soup is really easy too - so much easier than people often thick. I tend to follow the same pattern with mine - chop up veg, fry in butter, add stock, boil, blend, add a bit more stock. The secret is, in my humble opinion, to add slightly less stock that you think you'll need. You can always add more during the blending if it's too thick, but taking it away if it's too thin is nigh on impossible. However, if you do fancy making pea soup and would like a recipe to follow...

Pea Soup
Serves 2

250g frozen garden peas
1 medium onion, diced
25g butter
500ml of chicken stock
50ml cream (optional)

Sautee the onion in melted butter, until translucent, in a medium sized pan.
Stir through the frozen peas, and cover in 250ml of stock. Simmer gently with the pan lid on for about 10 minutes, or until the peas are slightly over cooked.
Blend until smooth, adding more hot stock if needed until it's the desired texture. If you fancy adding a bit of cream in, now's the time to do it. About 50ml is perfect - just a little - not too much, or it'll swamp the delicate pea flavour.
Serve right away with heavily buttered brown bread.

Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup

The last couple of weeks have been a bit crap, and therefore my meals have largely involved toast in various combinations- poached eggs on toast, beans on toast, cheese on toast, toast with honey... you get the idea.

I did decide, though, that in an attempt to rectify the nutritional imbalance of meals consisting mostly of carbohydrates with protein, I'd shove in a few of my five-a-day on the side.

Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 6 as a starter, 4 as a lunch.

1kg (roughly one large) butternut squash
2 medium red chillis, deseeded and finely chopped
1 large leek, chopped into rings
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 litre chicken (or veg) stock
50g butter or margerine
100ml single cream (optional, but strongly recommended)
1 level teaspoon smoked paprika
cayenne pepper to taste

Peel your squash, using a potato peeler or super-sharp knife. Take out the stringy middle bit, the seeds, as well as any green veins down the outside, and chop into chunks.
Meanwhile, fry your leek, garlic and chillis off in the butter until the leeks soften. Make sure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan - if they start to, then chuck in a tbsp of stock to loosen it up.
Add in the butternut squash, cover with the stock, and simmer for 20 minutes until softened and slightly mushy.
Allow to cool slightly, add the paprika, and blend until smooth. Add more liquid if necessary, and cayenne pepper to taste if necessary. Remember that if you're adding cream, it'll dilute the chilli heat slightly.
Place the soup back onto the heat, and bring up to a gentle simmer. Take off the heat, add the cream, and stir through.

Serve immediately in warmed bowls, spooning a pretentious drizzle of cream on top for aesthetic value. Ideal with toast.

Recipe: Stuffed Peppers

I have a slightly bad habit of impulse purchasing things that are interesting, cheap or unusual. Even better if it's a combination of all of the three.
Since moving to my new flat, I have the (mis?)fortune of having a Waitrose as my local supermarket. Is it actually possible to go in there without spending over a tenner? I'm not so convinced it is, especially as I have a love for it, partly because they do amazing discounts at closing time. An £8 sushi box for £1.99? Yes please. Or a £1.29 loaf of organic bread for 10p?! Well, I don't mind if I do.

And so, that sort of explains why I may have got a little overexcited in Waitrose at the weekend. And why I may have bought a whole mackerel for 50p, 775g of outdoor bred pigs cheeks for 92p, and 9 pink veal and outdoor bred sausages for £1.69. Whoops. Ethical and cheap - I think I can justify that!

I have decided (again) that I'm going to try new recipes for these, in an attempt to be fun in my frugality, and therefore stumbled upon this stuffed pepper delight. Due to it's American measurements, and slightly enormous quantities, considerable altering was done until I ended up with this ...

Stuffed Peppers
Serves 2

For the stuffing:
6-7 large peppers
teaspoon oil
an onion, finely diced
250g sausagemeat (ideally squeezed from 'posh' sausages with a high meat content)
400g cooked rice
50g cheese - cheddar will do!
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the sauce:
1 can tinned tomatoes
1 clove garlic, finely diced or crushed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
large pinch of sugar

The peppers:
Cut the tops from the peppers, de-seed, and de-rib.
Flatten the bottoms of the peppers if necessary, so that they will stand upright.
Lightly brush the outsides with a little oil.
Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan, and add the diced onion. Fry until starts to become translucent.
Add the sausage meat, and stir while cooking to break up into small grounds.
When the sausage meat has started to brown, and loses pinkness, reduce from the heat, allow to cool, and drain of fat.
In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, cheese, seasoning and sausage mix. Stir thoroughly.
Stuff into the peppers, allowing a small amount of room for expansion (especially if your rice is freshly cooked or still slightly al dente). Leave the tops slightly mounded.
Place into a lightly oiled baking tray and surround with the sauce.
The sauce:
Heat a small amount of oil in a pan. Add in the diced onion and garlic, and heat until softened and translucent.
In a suitable container, purée the tinned tomatoes in their juices, until fairly smooth.
Add the tomatoes in to the onion and garlic, and simmer gently until reduced to a medium-thick sauce. Add small pinches of sugar to reduce the tartness as required.
Bake in the oven at 180C for 45 minutes.