Naughty Chocolatey Brownies

A brownie recipe that never fails! I made these for 30-40 people in the summer and they were a huge hit. The brownie mix is extremely good, so expect to eat half the mix before cooking!

Ingredients (makes 8 very large pieces)

- 100g plain flour (I have made them using gluten-free flour and they're still very good. Next time I want to try ground almonds)

- 250g unsalted butter

- 300g caster sugar or soft brown sugar

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 75g good quality cocoa powder

- 4 eggs

- 100g plain chocolate or white chocolate (drops or from a bar - not too dark unless you like rich brownies), mashed into small pieces

1. Start by turning the oven to 180°c. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer for a few minutes and then gradually add the eggs one at a time.

2. Add the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and blitz until smooth. 

3. Stir in the chopped chocolate drops or pieces and then place in a suitable lined square cake tin.

4. Put the brownies on the floor of the oven for 25 minutes and then turn the oven down to 140°c (simmering oven) and bake for another 20 minutes in the centre of the oven.

* If you have doubled the mixture, then 40 minutes for baking and 35 for simmering * Try adding chopped nuts or raspberries for someting different *

Vegetarian Quiche with Goats Cheese and Tomatoes

Everyone seems to be scared of pastry, but it needn't be so daunting. It's one to wow the cavalry for sure. Quiche fillings are endless, so it's a great thing to try when you have a mish mash of ingredients in the fridge; and we all know using up leftovers will save the pennies. For those meat lovers, add some bacon bits or leftover roast chicken to the mix.

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

for the pastry -

- 225g plain flour

- 100g butter from the fridge, cut into small pieces

- a pinch of salt

- 3-4 tbsp water

for the filling -

- 3 spring onions, chopped

- 8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

- one handful of mangetout

- 2 large broccoli florets, chopped

- 6 mushrooms, chopped

- 2 eggs

- 100g soured cream or single cream

- 60g milk

- 100g grated goats cheese, cheddar or parmesan

- pepper

1. Set the oven to 180°c and then start making the pastry. Sift the flour into a bowl, then add the salt and pieces of butter. Using your fingertips (your palms should be clean), rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs and all the starch is mixed in. When adding the water, it is important to do it gradually so that the pastry isn't too wet. Once the pastry forms a ball, knead it for a minute in the bowl. This will also help pick up any excess pastry. Wrap the pastry in cling film and place it in the fridge for around 10-20 minutes. (If you are the organised type, you could prepare the pastry up to a day in advance).

2. While the pastry is resting, you can get on with the filling. Add a little sunflower oil to a frying pan and brown the spring onions. After a few minutes, put in all the other vegetables, apart from the mushrooms (as they need less time to cook). Cook the vegetables for about 5 minutes on a medium/high heat.

3. Leave the vegetables on a low heat and begin to blind bake your pastry. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the pastry. Place it over a suitable shallow dish and gently cut the excess bits off with a pair of scissors. (The excess can be used to make a smaller tart or saved for another occasion). You will need some baking parchment to separate the pastry from your blind baking beans (as shown below). Cook the pastry in the oven for 10 minutes.

4. While the pastry is in the oven, add the mushrooms to the rest of the vegetables and cook for a few minutes.

5. In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk, soured cream, grated cheese of your choice and pepper. Then add the cooked vegetables to the mixture, and pour everything over the pastry once it had been blind baked.

6. Cook the quiche in the oven for 25 minutes until golden and delicious, and serve with a light salad.

Spanish Omelette with Spinach, Peas, Ham and Coriander

I bought some tinned new potatoes for the first time and wanted to try them out. They are such a useful item to have in the larder, and when they are opened, they last for a while in the fridge. It's a bonus that they are cheap and taste good!

Ingredients (serves 2)

4 eggs

1/2 contents of tinned new potatoes (8 small potatoes)

2 handfuls of peas

1/2 onion, sliced

1 handful of spinach

1 small bunch coriander, stalks and all, finely chopped

6 slices of ham, chopped

1/2 tsp paprika

a pinch of chilli flakes, or more

vegetable or sunflower oil for frying

grated cheese (optional)

1. Start by thawing the peas and spinach in hot water. 

2. Fry the onions in a small frying pan with a little vegetable oil for a minute and then add the potatoes. Continue frying for a couple of minutes. If the potatoes start to stick in the pan, add more oil.

3. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the other ingredients (apart from the cheese, if using) including the thawed peas and spinach. 

4. Add another tbsp oil to the pan and pour the egg mixture over the onions and potatoes. Cook the omelette with a lid on for 10 minutes and then transfer it to the grill for another 5 minutes (without the lid). If you are using grated cheese, sprinkle this on top of the omelette before putting it under the grill. Make sure the pan is poking out of the oven if it has a plastic handle, or it will melt!

Enjoy!