Midsummer malaise in March...? Novel!

The weather this week has been just absurdly beautiful. The parks around the city are awash with bathers of the sun variety and wafts from the eager barbecue enthusiasts have been drifting in through the suddenly flung wide windows of an otherwise rather chilly student home.  Such a blessing of sunny weather demands a different set of foody delights than might be expected toward the evening of March but nonetheless an impromptu picnic and a few left overs gave me a highly quaffable set of sarnies!

Picnic perfection :)

Cheats Chargrilled Veg and Wensleydale Sandwich (makes 2-4 sandwiches depending upon appetite and quantities)

1 Courgette, washed and sliced into long pieces (a speed peeler works really well for this)

1 Red Pepper, de-seeded and cut into strips

A generous amount of Wensleydale cheese, cut into slices

Half a tsp of Paprika

A little olive oil for frying

Salt and Pepper to taste

A handful of chopped parsley

Some good slices of bread ( I used a malted, seedy loaf and toasted it)

1) Put a frying pan on a high heat and then add the olive oil.  When the oil runs round the pan easily and is hot, add half of the courgette and pepper slices.  They should sizzle as they fall in.  (You don't want to overcrowd the pan so you may need to do this in more than two batches so they cook properly).  

2) Give the veg a toss or a stir now and again and they should begin to take on some colour and soften up a bit.  After about 2 minutes they should be almost done, so sprinkle over a little of the paprika and toss it through.  Cook for a further minute and then remove from the pan and repeat the process with the remaining veg.  

3) When all the veg is cooked return all of the batches to the pan and let them sizzle away a little longer.  It tastes better if the pepper skins get a little blackened.  As soon as the mix has reached this stage and smells wonderful and smokey, stir in the parsley and then remove from the heat.

4) Assemble your sandwich, layer up the cheese and veg and tuck in.  

This recipe assumes that most student kitchens don't have a griddle pan - hence the cheat.  I don't have one (sadface).  But if you are lucky enough to own one, oil the veg in a bowl and then put said oily veg on to the smoking hot griddle pan. Always grease the food not the pan in this instance - top tip!

This sandwich is just awesome sat in the sunshine with good company.  Maybe try different veggies, or dress it with some pesto, or ketchup? The possibilities are endless.

Chargrilled veggies pre-sandwich assembly...

Roly Poly... made with beef?

Being entirely incompetent when it comes to gymnastics, the only kind of roly poly I have any affiliation with is the puddingy jammy kind.  Bizarrely however, while this classic British dessert seems to have been a regular on the school dinner tray for many of my chums, I had yet to sample it's jammy delight until I made it a few weeks ago with the much-needed supervision of one of my best friends, who handily is a much more enthusiastic baker than I.

Raspberry and White chocolate Roly Poly... somewhat demolished.

Anyhow this recipe proved a tad challenging as it seems suet dough rises quite substantially... and so broke free from its baking parchment cocoon and so was slightly crispier than intended and not exactly round...  It was however rather delightful, smothered in custard and washed down with a cup of tea.  It never ceases to amaze me that beef suet works in sweet things too.  I mean, who would put actual meat with jam?  That would be weird and result no doubt in a Rachel-esque Shepherd's pie/Trifle Friends incident... mmm feet.  BBC Good Food once again hit the spot and I am now on the first rung of the roly poly ladder.

Sometimes simple really is just as satisfying...

The curse of third year, the imminent dissertation deadline and impromptu colds have rather overshadowed my inner gastronome over the past weeks.  However the tide has now turned and the kitchen once again is my domain... much to the dismay of my housemates... Ah well such an absence means there has accumulated something of an archive of edible excitement which lends the next week or so to much greater activity on my part. So without further-ado here follows some food that has helped to maintain my sanity and general well being.

These two little belters could be forgiven for being a tad tame in the recipe department really when compared to the rich complexity of crème brûlée or the depth of a hearty bolognese, but somehow when deadlines are dominating every minute of the day all the simple things just make life better...

Beany brilliance!

Bibliography Beating Beans on Toast


2 slices bread, toasted and generously buttered (if you have good quality bread in, that really transforms things)
2 Handfuls of baby spinach, torn up
A dash or two of Hendersons relish (or worcester sauce)
Half a 400g tin of baked beans

1) Heat the baked beans up on the stove as per, and while this happens sort your toast out.
2) When the beans are very nearly done add the Hendersons and the torn spinach leaves and stir through, they should start to wilt.
3) Take the beans off the heat and fold through the grated cheese.  Then pour the beany mixture over you toast and tuck in...

This is really simple, but very nutritious, quick and a great way to brighten up a classic student staple.  (You could even try whacking the beany toast under the grill for a couple of minutes with a little extra cheese sprinkled on top for a Welsh rarebit-esque twist!)

This next idea could be a cheeky pudding or maybe even a breakfast hit, but the white chocolate really does make all the difference!

Heavenly...

Blueberry, Honey and Chocolate Yoghurty Yums


3tbsps unsweetened Natural Greek Yoghurt
2 generous squidges of runny honey
A handful of fresh blueberries
A couple of squares of white chocolate, crumbled



... Spoon the yoghurt into a bowl, drizzle over the honey, 
scatter the blueberries on top and finish with a sprinkle
 of white chocolate. Beautiful!