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Roasted Veggies with Tarragon Sauce
(serves 4)
submitted by hejira

two medium sized carrots
half a kg new potatoes
8 baby onions
4 parsnips
2 sweet potatoes
1 sprig of rosemary or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
for the sauce
half a pint of veggie stock
25g butter
teaspoon of cornflower
100 ml creme fraiche
teaspoon of dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried or fresh tarragon

Cut all the veggies into the desired shape and size, then put into a roasting tin with a splash of olive oil and the rosemary then add pepper, roast for 1 hr on gas mark 6.
Meanwhile melt the butter in a small pan, add the veggie stock, then mix the creme fraiche, cornflower, mustard and tarragon in a seperate bowl, add the mixture to the stock and keep on a very low heat till the veggies are done, by now your kitchen should be smelling amazing!
When the veggies are done serve on warm plates with the sauce poured on top, this is the only way I can get my children to eat root vegetables they love it!
Suggestion : Add a splash of white wine to the stock before adding the creme fraiche mixture for extra yummyness!

Bean Hot-Pot (Serves 6)
by whitewolf

about 20 Tomatoes - pureed / blended
1 or 2 Onions - finely chopped
1 or 2 Galic Cloves - crushed (or finely chopped)
1 regular tin of Red Kidney Beans
1 regular tin of Fagiolli Beans
1 regular tin of Butter Beans
1 -2 teaspoons Marmite
plenty of course ground black peppercorns
couple handfuls of cheese - grated
olive oil

Place the onions in a large saucepan / hot-pot with lashings of olive oil and saute over a medium heat, add the pepper and garlic and stir well. Add the beans, tomatoes and marmite and simmer gently for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring ocasionally. Add the grated cheese, letting it melt slowly over the surface before stirring it in. Let the flavours cook together for another 5 minutes or so and serve with warm chunks of wholemeal bread and more grated cheese.

Homemade Veggie Gravy
submitted by Earth-Fire

One pint of fresh veggie stock i.e potato, carrot etc.
One onion.
One table spoon of plain flour.
Half a cup of cold water.
Sprig of Rosemary
Salt, pepper and gravy browning to season.

Simmer veggie stock, cut up onion and add to stock. When onion is really soft take it out. Turn down the heat to the lowest setting, and add one tablespoon of flour to half a cup of cold water and whisk with a fork until there are no lumps.
Add the mix slowly to the stock while stirring with a wooden spoon. Keep on a low setting so as not to burn. Chop up rosemary leaves and add to gravy. Add a little (veggie) gravy browning and salt and pepper to taste. If you don't like Rosemary you could try sage. Enjoy!

French Onion Soup
submitted by Ash

2lb chopped onions
1oz butter
2 pints beef stock/vegetable stock
1 or 2 cloves of chopped garlic
freshly ground black pepper

Cook the onions gently in the butter until golden brown. This takes around 20 mins, but watch and stir regularly. Add the stock, garlic and a good quantity of black pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for around 20 mins. If you time, allow the soup to rest for at least at hour the warm it through. This helps the flavours to merge thoroughly.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in a Cheese Sauce
by whitewolf

6 Cabbage Leaves
1 Large Onion
5 or 6 Tomatos [Plum Toms are a good choice]
1 Regular Size Tin of Pinto Beans, Red Kidney or Butter Beans [or a mix]
Black Peppercorns - ground
Olive Oil

Cheese Sauce : 1 - 2 Tablespoons Butter
1 - 2 Tablespoon Corn Flour
Roughly 1 Pint of Milk
Plenty of Grated Cheese

Boil or Steam the Cabbage Leaves. Chop the Onions and sauté in Olive Oil and Ground Peppercorns. Chop the tomatos and add to the onions, with a little more Olive Oil, and sauté until the skins start to wrinkle and pull back. Add the Beans. [If the mixture becomes too thick add a dash of water]. Leave to cook gently.
Meanwhile make the Cheese Sauce : Melt the Butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the Corn Flour and mix in quickly to form a paste. Keep cooking and stirring, and then slowly add a little milk, stirring all the time to avoid lumpy sauce. Keep adding the milk little by little keeping a smooth consistency [and keep stirring!]. Bring the sauce up to just before simmering and then reduce the heat - do not let the sauce boil. Add in the Grated Cheese little by little, continually stirring. The sauce should become thicker - if it doesn't, either keep on stirring and increase the heat, or try adding a little more Corn Flour [which is always trickier than it sounds once you've got so far through the sauce making]. Once the sauce has thickened remove from the heat.
Drain the Cabbage leaves, take the tomato/onion/bean sauce off the heat, and using a slotted spoon place a spoonful of the mixture to one end of a cabbage leaf, and roll the leaf up [like a pancake]. Carefully place the rolled leaf into a suitable oven dish. Continue until all the leaves and tomato sauce is used up, tucking each leaf-roll close to the next. Pour on the remaining sauce from the tomato mix. Finally, pour the Cheese Sauce evenly over the cabbage rolls and cover with a healthy layer of Grated Cheese, plenty of ground Peppercorns and a drizzle of Olive Oil.
Cook in the middle of the oven [gas mark 5 - 6] for 20 - 30 mins, or until the cheese has browned. Serve with chunks of warm wholemeal bread. [Serves 2 - healthy portions]

Nettle Soup
from "Food for Free" by Richard Mabey

4 large handfuls of nettle tops
1 large onion
50 g (2 oz) butter
2 potatoes
2 pints of vegetable stock
1 tablespoon of creme fraiche
Seasoning, including grated nutmeg

1. Strip the nettles from the thicker stalks, and wash.
2. Melt the butter and simmer the chopped onion until golden.
3. Add the nettles and the chopped potatoes and cook for two to three minutes.
4. Add the stock, and simmer for 20 minutes, using a wooden spoon from time to time to crush the potatoes.
5. Add the seasoning, plus a little grated nutmeg and serve with a whirl of creme fraiche
6 Or, if you would prefer a smoother soup, put the mixture through a liquidizer first. Reheat, and add seasoning and creme fraiche.

Spaghetti Quorn-onaise
Serves 2
by whitewolf

1 Onion
150g Quorn Mince
Enough Spaghetti or pasta for 2 [about 150g - 200g]
230g Chopped Tomatos [just over half of a regular-size tin]
1 - 2 Garlic Cloves - crushed
1 Teaspoon Marmite
Cheddar Cheese - grated
Freshly Ground Black Peppercorns
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Water or Veg. Stock

Chop the onion and add to a saucepan with olive oil and ground peppercorns and sauté. Add the Quorn Mince and a little more olive oil, stir well and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the tomatos, marmite and garlic and simmer for a further 10 - 15 minutes, adding a little grated cheese from time to time and stirring well. You may need to add a little water or vegetable stock about now or the sauce becomes a little too thick.
Meanwhile add a dash of olive oil and a pinch of salt [and a fresh basil leaf or two if desired] to a pan of water and bring to the boil. Add spaghetti [or pasta shapes] and simmer for as long as directed on the packet. Strain, stir in a little olive oil to taste and serve in pasta bowls - add a layer of grated cheese between the pasta and sauce, with more cheese and ground peppercorns on top to taste.

Herb Butter
by whitewolf

4 oz unsalted Butter
2 teaspoon finely chopped herbs

Mash the butter and herbs together and pat into a block (or fill a butter mould) and refrigerate to harden. Any culinary herb could be added - depending on what you will be using the butter for - chives are a popular choice.

Herb Salt
by whitewolf

12 oz Himalayan Crystal Salt
2 - 3 teaspoon finely chopped herbs

Grind the herbs and salt together and store in an airtight container / jar. Best used after it has left to stand for at least a week.

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