Gnocchi Al Forno

A baked gnocchi dish adapted from a recipe I collected at Waitrose. With the spinach and broccoli it gives a green, healthy hit and the tomatoes offset that nicely with their salty tang. You could use another creamy cheese if you don't fancy ricotta and add another strong cheese on top instead of Parmesan.


Gnocchi Al Forno

Serves 4

Takes around 30-35 minutes


400g chopped spinach (frozen is ideal)

800g gnocchi

250g ricotta cheese

A crown of broccoli

Several sun-dried tomatoes to taste

A handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

4 tbsp breadcrumbs

4 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Salt & pepper


* Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Chop the broccoli into florets and defrost the spinach. If not using frozen, then wilt the spinach gently then whizz in a blender. Frozen is easier though!

* Boil the broccoli for 1 minute, then add the gnocchi and boil for 2 more minutes, then drain.

* In the meantime mix together the ricotta, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and 1 tbsp of the Parmesan.

* In a large, oven-proof dish mix the spinach mix with the gnocchi and broccoli and smooth down. Season with the salt and black pepper.

* Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the rest of the Parmesan evenly over the top. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Mushroom Stroganoff

I like mushrooms and I like creamy things, so mushroom stroganoff is a winner. Any mushrooms will do, but the darker, stronger ones are best, and if you have any dried mushrooms in your cupboard you can add those for extra flavour. I served mine with spring onion and pea mash, but it also goes well with jacket potatoes, rice or pasta.


Mushroom Stroganoff

Serves 2

Takes 25 minutes


300g mushrooms

An onion

150ml red wine

150ml stock (or mushroom soaking water if using dried mushrooms)

2 cloves of garlic or one heaped tsp of minced garlic

3 tbsp single cream or soured cream

1 tsp dried thyme

Around 1tbsp paprika

1 tbsp Mushroom Ketchup or Worcestershire-style sauce

1 tsp of cornflour, mixed with a little cold water to form a paste


* Chop the onion finely, slice the mushrooms and heat some oil in a large pan over medium heat. Toss the mushrooms in the paprika until coated.

* Put the onions and garlic into the pan and cook for 5 minutes until softened.

* Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook for a further 5 minutes until starting to reduce.

* Pour in the wine, stock, cornflour and Mushroom Ketchup, bring to the boil whilst stirring, then simmer for a further 5 minutes or until reduced to your liking.

* Stir in the cream last, but do not heat afterwards otherwise it (single cream) will curdle.

Note: If you are using dried mushrooms, follow the packet instructions to rehydrate then add with the rest of the mushrooms.

BBC Good Food - creamy courgette lasagne

I have to include this here, as it was so yummy that everyone should try it. Apologies for the weak picture, my dad has yoinked my camera for a while, and my phone doesn't cope well with our bad lighting. It shows the salad nicely though.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4716/creamy-courgette-lasagne

Don't be fooled by the name, there's no actual cream in it. The creaminess comes from ricotta, which I adore, which is stirred in to the courgette mix before assembling the lasagne.

I added a pint of white sauce because I like saucy pasta which added to the creaminess and also increased the moisture content. It also allowed me to get away with using less cheese than I would normally on the top (the recipe is very skimpy on the cheddar, in my opinion). I also added some basic dried mixed herbs to the courgette mix, as I felt the need for a little extra layer of flavour.

I would also recommend that it serves 6 rather than 4 if you add a couple of pieces of garlic bread and a bit of salad each. I served it as 4 with a salad of baby spinach, 2 beetroots and an orange pepper and I was stuffed 2/3 of the way through. Of course I still ate it all, and because there's a large amount of veggies the stuffed feeling wears off pretty quickly.

I must say that this is one of my favourite dishes. If you're not a fan of fake meat then you can't go wrong with this lasagne, especially if you get a good quality tomato sauce.

Livening up a tomato sauce

This applies mainly to Italian style tomato sauces, as the flavours might be a bit out of place in curries or mexican. That said, there's no harm in experimenting! I use a variety of ingredients to add flavour to tinned tomatoes to make a rich sauce for pasta, baked dishes etc. Here are some that add that extra punch:


Red wine -
This is the one ingredient that I believe adds the most flavour and a sort of dry tang that cannot be provided by lemon juice or tomato paste. It's best added at the beginning with the quorn (if using) and onions/garlic/herbs and left to bubble away and evaporate for about 10 minutes or until it's noticibly reduced.

Sun dried tomato paste -
Richer and not as tart as normal tomato paste, this also has a more full-bodied flavour. Use sparingly, perhaps a tablespoon in a sauce for 2 people. If you can't find the paste, then finely chopped sun dried tomatoes should be fine, or if even those are tricky, roast some cherry tomatoes with a bit of sugar until sticky and whiz them up in a blender (or dry your own, but I don't know how to do that!).

Balsamic vinegar -
If this is used, it is important to use a good quality, and most likely expensive, vinegar otherwise it'd make the sauce too sour. It should be reasonably thick and sweet. It can be used as just that little extra something a sauce might need, and to added sweetness. Add about a tablespoon per 2 people.

Treacle -
A bit of a strange option, and certainly not something you would buy especially for some sauce. If you don't have any lying around then dark, soft brown sugar will do, but if you do then don't afraid to add a couple of teaspons per 2 people to add sweetness and a layer of curious flavour.

Mushroom ketchup/Worcestershire sauce -
Salty and light, this is a good option to use instead of actual salt if you have it. This is very much a personal taste thing, but I usually use just over a tablespoon per 2 people.

Marmite/yeast extract -
You love it or you hate it. If you love it, I'm sure you've probably tried putting it in about everything, and tomato sauces are no expection. Giving a savoury tang similar to wine, it's easy to overdo and end up too yeasty. Just a teaspoon should be enough.

Herbs -
Don't forget your herbs! Fresh or dry, never give up the opportunity to season a sauce with their particular flavours. Basil and thyme go well with tomato, unless you are making a northern-type dish like meatballs, in which you may wish to use dill. Rosemary goes well with british dishes.