good old chilli con carne

Serves 6
method 

What a classic this dish is. Most of my mates love the chickpeas, but butter beans or even cubed potatoes will work well in their place. Feel free to pep up this dish with more chilli depending on your taste. This will make enough for six portions, so simply freeze the extra if you’re only cooking for four – it’s so damn good the next day, even on a jacket potato!

To make your chilli
• Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery – don’t worry about the technique, just chop away until fine 
• Halve the red peppers, remove the stalks and seeds and roughly chop 
• Place your largest casserole-type pan on a medium high heat 
• Add 2 lugs of olive oil and all your chopped vegetables 
• Add the chilli powder, cumin and cinnamon with a good pinch of salt and pepper 
• Stir every 30 seconds for around 7 minutes until softened and lightly coloured 
• Add the drained chickpeas, drained kidney beans and the tinned tomatoes 
• Add the minced beef, breaking any larger chunks up with a wooden spoon 
• Fill one of the empty tomato tins with water and pour this into the pan 
• Pick the coriander leaves and place them in the fridge 
• Finely chop the washed stalks and stir in 
• Add the balsamic vinegar and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper 
• Bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a simmer with a lid slightly askew for about an hour, stirring every now and again to stop it catching

To serve your chilli
• This is fantastic served with fluffy rice 
• Just divide the rice and chilli into big bowls or serve in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves 
• If you don’t fancy rice it’s equally good with a nice hunk of fresh crusty bread, over a jacket potato or with couscous 
• Put a small bowl of natural yoghurt, some guacamole and a few wedges of lime on the table, and sprinkle the chilli with the coriander leaves 
• I love to add a nice green salad to round it off


• from Jamie's Ministry of Food

ingredients

• 2 medium onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• 2 red peppers
• olive oil
• 1 heaped teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 heaped teaspoon 
• ground cumin
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
• 1 x 400g tin of red kidney beans
• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 500g good-quality minced beef
• 1 small bunch of fresh coriander
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 400g basmati rice
• 1 x 500g tub of natural yoghurt
• 1 x 230g tub of guacamole
• 1 lime

Pumpkin Muffins

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp all spice
• Pinch of salt
• 160g soft brown sugar
• 60ml milk/buttermilk
• 200g pumpkin pureé made from leftover scoops of pumpkin flesh – *see below for method
• 2 eggs
• 30g apple sauce
• 120g melted butter
• Few drops of vanilla extract
• Pumpkin seeds for garnish

Method:
Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius / gas mark 6.

To make the pumpkin pureé, scrape out the flesh of a medium pumpkin – this is a great way of using up leftover pumpkin when you carve your Jack O Lantern!  Cut the flesh into small cubes or pieces and simmer with a splash of water in a hot pan until soft. This should take around 15 – 20 minutes.  Drain, then blitz the pumpkin to a pureé. Weigh out 200g for the muffin mix.  You can either freeze any leftover to make these muffins again another time or use it in soups.

Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and all spice into a bowl, add salt and sugar and set aside.  In another bowl whisk together the milk or buttermilk, pumpkin pureé, eggs, apple sauce, melted butter and vanilla extract. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet to create a smooth batter.

Fill up your muffin tin or cases and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Bake in the pre heated oven for 20 - 25 minutes until just cooked.  To check the muffins are cooked through insert a cocktail stick into the centre, if it comes out clean when removed the muffins are cooked.

Leave to cool on a wire baking rack. Then serve plain for a savoury muffin or if you want to make them sweet ice with frosting and more cracked pumpkin seeds if desired.  (I’ve included my maple cream cheese frosting recipe below if you want to frost them.)


Maple cream cheese frosting

Covers 12 muffins

• 100g icing sugar
• 100g cream cheese
• 45g butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Method

Blend all of the ingredients together and spoon over the cooked muffins.

Chicken tagine with onions & tomatoes

(Djej Matisha Mesla)

A tasty Moroccan supper dish.

4/5starsAv. customer rating

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 5 Minutes

Cooking time: 40 Minutes

Nutrition per serving: 660 cals, 40g fat, of which 10g saturated fat, 23g added sugar, 0.6g salt

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Share, print & save245u will need4 chicken quarters

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 onions, grated
• 1kg tomatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon saffron powder, optional
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, optional
• lemon slices to serve

Method

1. Put all the ingredients, except the honey and sesame seeds, in a large pan and cook gently, covered, turning the chicken pieces over occasionally, until the flesh is so tender it can be pulled off the bone easily.
2. Remove the chicken and reduce the sauce to a thick sizzling cream.
3. Stir as it begins to caramelize and be careful that it does not stick or burn.
4. Stir in the honey, return the chicken pieces to the suace and heat through. Serve the chicken covered with the sauce and if you like, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds toasted and lemon slices.

How to Cook Cannellini Beans

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Cannellini beans are a kind of kidney bean.  If you've eaten Great Northern beans or Navy beans, cannellini taste VERY similar.  Cannellini beans shown here are the size of red kidney beans.  There are other varieties that are smaller.

I found these cannellini beans in the bulk bin section at the foodie mart.  They were $3.19 per pound compared to Great Northern and Navy at $1.19 per pound.  Seeing that I wanted to explore and compare them to the others, I bit the bullet and brought them home.  I have to say, I enjoy how well they held up during the cooking process.  I can't say they have MORE flavor. But because of their size, there's more bean to the bite.

Cannellini beans are hardy enough for soups, stews, anywhere you need beans in a recipe.  Commonly associated with Italian cooking, however, I think they'd make a great filling for white bean burritos.  Refried cannellini beans, sauteed onions & bell pepper, jalapeno jack cheese, drizzled with a little adobo sauce...mmm, mmm!

*POOF!* What was I talking about before? oh yea...

Here's two methods to cooking cannellini beans: the long way & the short way.  One method is not better than the other, nor does one produce a better flavor over the other.  It comes down to how much time do you have and how your schedule works out.

Both methods call for the same amount of ingredients.

• 2 cups dried cannellini beans
• 2 to 4 bay leaves
• 4 whole garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Pick over the beans carefully, discarding any stones or other particles.

LET'S START WITH THE LONG METHOD

Soak the beans in a large bowl of cold water overnight.  Drain.  Place the beans in a large sauce pan of water, bring to a boil, and cook for 20 minutes.  Drain.  Return the beans to the pan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil again.  Add the bay leaves, garlic, oil, salt & pepper and cook until the beans are tender, 1-2 hours.  Reserve the bean stock for soups. Discard the bay leaves.

Small pasta with salami

Although this started off as a last-minute children’s supper, it has turned into a bit of a house special. I always have beans, tomatoes and pasta in the cupboard and my fridge is piled high with packets of salami, bought for filling toasted sandwiches and general grazing.

Ingredients

• 300g/10½oz ditalini or mezzi tubetti pasta
• 75g/3oz Milano salami slices, (about 15 slices), scissored into strips
• 1 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes, plus ½ can water
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 bouquet garni
• 1 x 400g/14oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Preparation method

1. Bring some water for the pasta to the boil in a pan and salt generously – or to taste – then put in the ditalini or mezzi tubetti, which will probably need around 10 minutes (though check the packet instructions).
2. Meanwhile, get on with making the sauce. Warm a fairly wide, heavy-based pan and toss in the salami strips, not worrying if they clump together. Stir with a wooden spoon over a medium heat for a minute or two.
3. Tip in the tomatoes and slosh about ½ can water around in the empty can, then add that, too.
4. Drop in one tablespoon of the butter and stir well with your wooden spoon, then add the bouquet garni and the drained beans. Stir well, then leave it to bubble away – firmly but gently – while the pasta finishes cooking.
5. Just before draining the pasta, lower in a small cup and take out a little of the cooking water. Drain the pasta well.
6. Stir the drained pasta into the sauce, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining butter. If you think the sauce needs loosening a little, splash in some of the reserved pasta cooking water and stir again with your wooden spoon. Leave to stand for 2 minutes before serving, then remove the bouquet garni.

Less than 30 mins

preparation time

less than 10 mins

cooking time

Serves 3-4

HotPot

Serves 4

Ingredients:

700g lamb pieces (such as neck fillet), diced and seasoned
Vegetable oil
2 onions, sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 tbsp plain flour
500-600ml lamb stock
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
3 large maris piper potatoes, sliced ½ cm thick
30g unsalted butter, melted

Serve with: seasonal vegetables

Method: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ gas mark 4.

In an oven proof casserole dish add a splash of vegetable oil then brown the diced and seasoned lamb pieces, this may have to be done in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the sliced onion, thyme, bay leaf and carrots and cook until browned and softened  - this will take approximately 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook out for a minute or so then add the stock and Worcestershire sauce.  Bring up to the boil and season with salt and pepper.  Return the meat to the pan and stir.

Layer on the potatoes in an overlapping fashion and season.  Place a lid on top and cook in a preheated oven for 1 ½ hours.

After this time, remove the lid and brush with the melted butter.  Return to the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are crisp. Serve with some seasonal vegetables.

Ciabatta

Ingredients

Ovenight preparation

• 250g/9oz Italian type '00' bread flour
• 190ml/7fl oz water
• 15g/½oz yeast

To finish the bread

• 250g/9oz Italian type '00' bread flour
• 10g/½oz yeast
• 190ml/7fl oz water
• 12g/½oz salt

Preparation method

1. For the overnight preparation, mix the flour with the water in a large bowl and add the yeast. Whisk for three minutes and leave to rise overnight (or at least eight hours).
   
2. To finish the bread, add the remaining flour and yeast to the bread mixture and mix well.
   
3. Gradually add the rest of the water to the bread mixture. When nearly all of the water has been added, add the salt to the remaining water and mix together for a further five minutes, until a sticky dough is formed.
   
4. Transfer the dough into a large oiled bowl and leave to rise for one hour.
   
5. Transfer the dough to a heavily floured work surface and leave to rest for a further 30 minutes.
   
6. Preheat the oven to 240C/465F/Gas 8.
   
7. Cut the dough into three strips and stretch them out to make long, flat ciabatta loaf shapes.
   
8. Place onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and leave for ten minutes.
   
9. Transfer the dough to the oven to bake for 25 minutes, or until risen and golden-brown.
   
10. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
    

Penne alla Luganica

Serves 4
400g Luganica sausage
2 small red onions
45ml (3 tbs) olive oil
2-3 tbs fresh very fi nely
chopped rosemary
2-3 bay leaves
2g dried red chillies, fi nely
chopped
800-900g plum tomato fillets
salt and ground black pepper
to taste
400g small penne
100ml (8 tbs) double cream
160g Parmigiano Reggiano
cheese
Ancient Latin texts refer to the region
of Lucania – modern-day Basilicata and
Campania. Today Luganica is usually from
Lombardia, Trento or Veneto. It’s a fresh pork
sausage which is sweet, long, thin and coiled.
If your Italian deli/butcher doesn’t stock it,
ask for a plain pork sausage without fennel,
strong spices, rusk or bread content. Try this
hearty pasta dish with a glass of red Barbera
‘Briccotondo’ from Fontanafredda.
Put on a pot of water to boil.
Remove the sausage casing and crumble the meat into
a bowl.
Finely chop the onions and brown them in a pan with
hot olive oil. Add the meat, rosemary, bay leaves and
chillies. (The secret here is how fi nely you chop the
rosemary – its fl avour should infuse the sauce.) Cook for
5-10 minutes.
Drain and roughly chop the tomatoes, keeping a little
juice for later. Add the tomatoes to the pan and bring the
sauce to the boil. Cook for 5-10 minutes. Check for taste
and season with salt and pepper.
Boil the pasta until it’s al dente. Drain.
Stir the cream and a little tomato juice into the sauce,
and add half the grated cheese. Mix through the cooked
pasta and serve with freshly ground black pepper and
more grated cheese.

How to grow a roof for your garden shed

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By Pippa Greenwood 

Thought much about your shed roof recently? Felt-clad, algae-covered, a single shoe perched rotting in the gutter. Not all that thrilling.

So why not transform yours into a trendy “living” roof? It makes use of a boring surface and adds an interesting element to your garden – especially if you’re short on space. Your neighbours will be green with envy.

3 reasons to do it

Other than simply looking fantastic, living roofs will:

1. Attract wildlife – beneficial insects and useful pollinators will love the new green space.

2. Use up rainwater during the wet season, reducing localised flooding.

3. Have great insulating properties and help keep temperatures inside the shed more constant – cooler in the summer and warmer in winter.

Before you begin

1. Check the roof is strong enough to bear the weight of a green roof and that the shed itself is up to it. If in doubt, you’ll need to install a sturdier framework (see below).

2. Make sure the roof is adequately waterproof. If not, you’ll need to upgrade this or install an extra layer (see below).

3. Consult your local council’s planning department just in case it needs to give permission.

How to do it

A green roof consists of several layers: 

Frame: If your roof is weak install a frame for extra support, using posts or timbers to bear its weight. If you still have concerns, make a frame base by laying a sheet of marine plywood or treated timber on top of the existing roof. 

The frame will need edges to keep the various layers and plants in place. If the roof is sloping, divide it into about six or eight squares, with a mini bed within each, as in our main picture. This will help to stop everything slipping down. 

Root membrane layer: To stop plant roots and water penetrating the roof, cover it with either a 300micron-thick damp-proof membrane, from DIY shops, or a butyl pond liner from a garden centre. I’ve even heard of people using several layers of opened-out empty compost bags. As well as covering the roof surface, make sure that the layer lines the upright edges.

Filter sheet: Next, lay down weed membrane (the sort that goes under gravel paths). This stops soil from penetrating through to the lower layer, while allowing water through.

Moisture-retaining layer: Over the weed membrane, place a fleecy layer to help retain moisture for the plants. Either buy “geotextile membrane” or, if cash is tight, try old blankets or towels.

Substrate: Follow with a 4cm layer of crushed brick, limestone chippings, gravel or expanded clay granules. This helps to ensure adequate drainage and prevents the plants’ roots from becoming waterlogged.

Once it’s in place, you can add a mixture of garden soil and horticultural sand – make sure it’s at least 3cm deep. The soil shouldn’t be too fertile, so if you have some subsoil available this works well. Make sure your soil/sand mixture is even textured and any large lumps removed, then try to lay it evenly on to the drainage layer.

Plants

Great choices include sedums, like Sedum acre – a hardy succulent that’s slow growing, often with attractive, fleshy leaves that contain various shades of red.

They produce small, starry flowers on tall flower spikes. You can buy roll-out sedum mats to lay on to the roof, like a carpet. 

Wildflowers and ornamental grasses also work well. Sow from seed or, for a quicker and more reliable effect, buy small plants or “plugs” and put direct into the soil.

For wildflowers suitable for green roofs, check out British wildflower plants at www.wildflowers.co.uk or call 0160 371 6615. A mix of plugs sufficient for a small roof costs just under £40. 

Send your questions, comments and tips to Pippa atpippagreenwood@mirror.co.uk  or write to Your Life, Daily Mirror, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AP. Send us pictures of your garden and your tips, and we’ll print the best ones.

Pippa Greenwood has presented her own series, Growing Science, on Radio 4 for three years and is a regular panelist on the station’s Gardeners’ Question Time. She’s also written many books including Pippa Greenwood’s Gardening Year (Headline, £16.99).

Wild garlic soup

Ingredients

For the soup

• 50 g butter
• 100 g onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 200 g potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 300 ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 bunch of fresh wild garlic
• 2 tbsp double cream

For the pesto

• 2 handfuls wild garlic, chopped
• extra virgin olive oil
• 50 g Hazelnuts, skins removed and toasted
• 50 g parmesan, roughly cubed

Method

1. For the soup: melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and potatoes, lightly frying, then season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. 

2. Add the stock bit by bit to the potato and onion mixture so that it combines well with the mixture. Once all the stock has been added bring the pan to a boil, reduce the heat and cook until the potatoes and onions are tender. 

3. Stir in the wild garlic leaves and cook for 1 more minute. Add the double cream and stir. 

4. Transfer the soup to a food processor and blend to a smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

5. For the pesto:crush together the hazelnuts, parmesan and wild garlic leaves in a pestle and mortar, or a food processor. Season with some pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and mix well. Set aside. 

6. Serve the soup in bowls with the pesto drizzled over the top.