Ham & Tomato Pancake Pizza

Who doesn't love pizza? I know that my kids love it and I make it quite often, but there are those times when dinner time is fast approaching and I really can't be bothered to make a pasta base, even a quick one. Then I had a brainwave, what if you could use a pancake as a pizza base? Would it work? Pancakes take only a few minutes to whisk up and cook so if it worked it would be a perfect solution.

Do you know what? It worked, and it was from the fridge to table in 15 minutes - you couldn't even cook a frozen pizza in that time.

Ham & Tomato Pancake Pizza - makes two 10" pizzas

135g Plain flour
225ml milk
1 Egg
pinch of salt & pepper
Oil for frying
200g grated mozzarella

100g sun dried tomatoes, chopped

50g ham, chopped
fresh oregano

• Whisk the flour, milk and egg until smooth
• Season with salt & pepper
• Lightly oil a 10" frying pan or skillet
• Pour half of the mixture into the pan & swirl around to reach the edge of the pan
• Cook pancake on each side until lightly browned

• Whilst still in the pan sprinkle over half of the cheese, tomatoes and ham
• Top with oregano and place under a medium grill until the cheese is bubbling
• Serve immediately & repeat with the remaining pancake mixture & topping

I have entered this recipe in the Swallow Charity recipes for life challenge, which is in it's final month this month, based around the 3 ingredients of milk, eggs and flour.

White Chocolate and Cherry Muffins

It's a very sad month as it's the final month of the Swallow's Charity Recipes for Life challenge on Bangers and Mash. I've really enjoyed the monthly challenges since the start in February and I hope the guys from Swallow have managed to achieve what they set out to do, which is to find some simple recipes to go in their cookery book which will be used to help adults with learning difficulties lead more independent lives.

Did I also mention that I won the challenge in March, April and May!

This month the challenge has 3 basic ingredients - milk, eggs and flour. So what can be made with these ingredients? My first thought was pancakes...and my second thought was muffins...there is still plenty of time for pancakes but for today we have muffins. I rummaged through the cupboard to see what I could put in them and found a bar of Green & Black's white chocolate and half a tub of glacé cherries, so the decision was made.

White Chocolate and Cherry Muffins - makes 10

100g caster sugar

2 eggs

75ml milk

75g butter, melted

150g self raising flour

120g white chocolate

10-15 glacé cherries

• Beat the sugar, eggs, milk & melted butter together
• Chop the chocolate and cherries and stir into the flour
• Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined
• Spoon into a muffin pan lined with muffin cases
• Bake in a preheated 180 C oven for 18-20 minutes
• Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack

Chewy Honey & Oatmeal Cookies with Summer Berry Jam

I very nearly didn't manage a recipe this month for the Swallow Charity Recipes for Life Challenge but by the skin of my teeth I've managed to squeeze one in. I had hoped to rustle up something savoury but time ran away with me so it had to be cookies.

This month is the penultimate month for the challenge and you can read more about it on Bangers & Mash here. The 3 ingredients for this month are berries, oats and honey and I came up with some Honey & Oatmeal cookies accompanied by some Summer Berry Jam. The cookies & jam were great, I just need to practice my blackboard writing skills - I would never make a good teacher, although it's all laptops & white boards these days so I could still stand a chance...

Chewy Honey & Oatmeal Cookies - makes approx 24

115g Flora Buttery
230g Caster Sugar
Vanilla pod
35g Honey
1 Egg
115g Wholegrain oats
125g Self Raising Flour

Summer Berry Jam

200g Frozen Summer Fruits
100g Caster Sugar

• Beat the Flora, sugar & seeds from the vanilla pod together (keep the vanilla pod for later)
• Beat in the honey & egg
• Stir in the oats and flour until well combined
• Spoon a heaped teaspoonful onto a greased baking tray, repeat with the rest of the dough (spaced well apart)
• Bake in a 170 C oven for approx 10-12 minutes until golden brown
• Leave to cool for 10 minutes on the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
• Add the summer fruit, sugar & vanilla pod to a saucepan
• Bring slowly to the boil, stirring regularly
• Simmer for approx 5-8 minutes stirring regularly, until the jam coats the back of a spoon
• Pour into a sterilised jar and allow to cool

Serve the cookies spread with a generous amount of jam

Salmon Cannelloni

Sadly the six month long Swallow's Recipes for Life challenge on Bangers & Mash is now coming to an end, with this month being the last. I have been lucky enough to win the challenge for the last three months so the pressure is now on. Unfortunately one of the three ingredients for this month isn't a favourite food of mine so I may only manage this one recipe - I've got to give everyone else a fair crack at the whip too of course!

AMENDMENT - apparently I can't count & we still have another challenge for July, yay!! 

Fish and seafood are not something that I eat very often and really have to be in the mood for it so when I heard that one of the ingredients was salmon my heart sank a little. The husband absolutely loves it though, so he was pleased! 

Since receiving some pre-cooked salmon from the Saucy Fish Co a few weeks ago that's how I now like to buy it, although on my latest shopping trip had to opt for some that you need to cook yourself, thankfully in sealed bags that can be cooked in the microwave or oven, without the need for handling the fish.
I've never actually cooked cannelloni before so I thought it would make a nice change to our usual fusilli or penne, although Jack said that it wasn't real pasta.

Salmon Cannelloni - serves 4

1 tbsp Olive oil
1 courgette
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 pre-cooked salmon fillets
250g Ricotta
1/2 tsp Chilli flakes
16 Cannelloni tubes (I used the type that don't need pre-cooking)
300ml Double cream
2 Egg yolks
pinch of cayenne pepper
50g Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan / Grana Padano), grated
100g Mature Cheddar Cheese, grated
Ground black pepper

• Slice the courgette & then slice into strips
• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the courgettes & garlic
• Fry on a medium heat for approximately 5 minutes until softened, then set aside
• Flake the cooked salmon and mix with the Ricotta, chilli flakes and some ground black pepper
• Stir the courgettes into the salmon mix
• Fill the cannelloni tubes with the filling - the easiest way to do it is to use a piping bag
• Lay the filled cannelloni in a baking dish
• Mix the cream with the egg yolks, cayenne pepper, Pecorino cheese, half of the cheddar and some black pepper
• Pour the cream over the cannelloni and top with remaining cheese
• Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 180 C oven for 25 minutes and uncovered for an additional 15 minutes until golden brown and bubbling

Cheese & Rhubarb Chutney Tart

The last week has flown by in a frenzy of rhubarb, there's been ice cream, lamb, sweet pizza and pudding. To complete my rhubarb extravaganza I've gone savoury again, this time with a tart made up of a combination of cheese and sweet rhubarb chutney. The chutney was made earlier in the week and kept in the fridge until I made the tart for Friday night dinner, which we ate accompanied by a bag of the finest chippy chips, because we're classy like that.

 

Rhubarb Chutney

1 tbsp olive oil

2 small red onions, chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed
Half a small red chilli, finely chopped
350g rhubarb, diced
75ml cider vinegar

50g soft dark brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Juice of 1/2 small lemon

• Heat the oil in a pan
• Add the onion, garlic & chilli & fry gently for 5 minutes
• Add the rhubarb, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice and stir
• Bring to the boil
• Simmer for approximately 20 minutes until thickened

This will make twice as much as you need. You can store any chutney that you don't need in a sterilised jar and enjoy with your favourite cheese & crackers.

Cheese & Rhubarb Chutney Tart

Ready made puff pastry sheet
75g cheddar cheese, grated
125g mozzarella cheese, sliced
7 cherry tomatoes halved
fresh basil

• Lay the puff pastry sheet on a baking tray
• Spread over half of the chutney that was made previously leaving a gap around the edge
• cover with grated cheddar, slices of mozzarella, tomatoes & torn basil leaves
• Bake in a preheated 200 C oven for approx 20 minutues
• Serve with more torn basil leaves scattered over

This is another of my recipes for the May Swallows Charity Recipes for Life Challenge on Bangers and Mash. You can find out more about the challenge & see more rhubarb recipes here. 

Lemon & Rhubarb Pudding

Booths are a chain of food stores in the North West of England. I've never visited one as there isn't one close by but last year I did some beer and wine tasting for them - it's tough this blogging game.

During one of their recent twitter parties I spotted a lemon pudding recipe and though I would give it a go. As I have so much rhubarb at the moment I thought it would be a nice addition to the base of the pudding, along with some ginger and cinnamon in the sponge.

Lemon & Rhubarb Pudding

75g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
juice & zest of 2 lemons
3 medium eggs, separated
75g self raising flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
200ml milk
200g rhubarb, cut into 1cm pieces
1 tbsp sugar

• Beat the butter & sugar together with the lemon zest until light & fluffy
• Mix in the egg yolks one at a time
• Fold in the flour & spices
• Slowly add the lemon juice & milk (it may separate but don't worry)
• Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form
• Fold the egg whites into the batter
• Lay the rhubarb into the base of a buttered ovenproof dish & sprinkle the sugar over
• Pour the batter over the rhubarb
• Bake in a preheated 180 C oven for 30-40 minutes, until well risen & cooked right through (mine took a little longer as my dish was quite deep)

The pudding didn't look particularly pretty as the sauce looked like it had separated a bit, but it tasted absolutely great, especially with vanilla ice cream.

As this recipe is another one this month that uses the 3 ingredients in the Swallows Charity Recipes for Life challenge I may as well enter it...sorry Vanesther, that's number 4.

Rhubarb and Custard Crumble Pizza

Who said pizzas have to be savoury. I shared my recipe for fruit crumble pizzas a while ago but thought it was time to share again now that I have a tonne of rhubarb to use up. What goes better with rhubarb than custard so I've incorporated some custard in there too, the ready made tinned stuff is fine, and what better way to serve it than with some rhubarb ripple ice cream.

It's a very simple, no yeast, pizza base which, if you have a very sweet tooth, you might want to add a little sugar to.

Rhubarb and Custard Crumble Pizza

250g rhubarb
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 can of ready made custard
25g butter
100g plain flour
50g Demerara sugar
1/2 tsp mixed spice
zest of 1 lemon

• wash & trim the rhubarb & cut into 1cm pieces
• Place in a microwaveable bowl, cover & microwave for 5 minutes, until soft
• Drain any excess juice and stir in the tbsp of sugar & set aside
• Make the pizza base by mixing the flour, oil and milk together until it forms a dough
• Knead for 1 minute & roll out to approx 30cm in diameter
• Make the crumble by rubbing the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs
• Stir in the demerara sugar, mixed spice & lemon zest
• Spread the rhubarb over the pizza base, cover with the custard & sprinkle over the crumble
• Bake in a preheated 180 C oven for approx 20 minutes
• Serve hot or cold

I have entered this recipe into the Swallows Charity Recipe for Life challenge on Bangers & Mash, which you can read more about here.

Moroccan Lamb and Rhubarb with Lemon & Coriander Cous Cous

After failing to get my hands on any rhubarb via my allotment friends I resorted to the supermarket - £2 for 3 skinny sticks of rhubarb is outrageous! However, after my eldest went to his best friend's house for a sleepover at the weekend he returned with tales of rhubarb and apple crumbles (it's all about the food with him), "erm rhubarb you say? they have rhubarb growing in their garden?", "yep, loads of it". I considered donning a balaclava under the cover of darkness & scaling the fence (or 2) that divided our house from the best friend's to get my hands on the much sought after rhubarb, but instead opted for the safer option of sending my son around armed with a bagful of spiced lemon cookies as a trade.

Low and behold, the next day appeared a big bag of fresh & tasty rhubarb

Time to get on and rustle up the next for entry into the Swallow Charity Recipes For Life Challenge for May, which you can read more about here.

I have no idea if they even grow rhubarb in Morocco but I figured that the cinnamon and dried fruit made this dish Moroccan even if the rhubarb didn't. The rhubarb creates a really rich tangy sauce which I think would be great in a chilli too.  There's not much to this recipe, just a case of throwing the ingredients in & leaving it to do it's thing.

 

Moroccan Lamb and Rhubarb - serves 3/4

3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp plain flour
2 lamb leg steaks, diced
Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp chilli flakes

180g rhubarb

1 tbsp sugar

400g Can of tomatoes

100ml water or stock

50g dried Apricots, chopped
50g juicy raisins

Lemon & Coriander Cous Cous


200g dried cous cous
grated zest of 1 lemon
Handful coriander, chopped
250ml boiling water

• Mix the cinnamon, coriander and cumin with the flour
• Toss the lamb into the flour & spices & coat well
• Heat the oil in a heavy based lidded pan 
• Add the garlic & chilli & fry for 2 mins
• Add lamb & flour and fry for 5 mins until browned on all sides
• Add rhubarb & sugar & cook for 2 mins 
• Add tomatoes and water (or stock)
• Stir, place lid on & simmer for 30 mins stirring occasionally
• Stir in the apricots and raisins, place the lid on & cook for a further 15 minutes, until the lamb is tender
• Add the cous cous to a bowl
• Add the lemon zest & coriander
• Pour over the boiling water and stir
• Place a lid or plate over the bowl and leave for 5 minutes
• Fluff up with a fork and serve

Garnish with sliced or ground almonds & fresh coriander (optional)

Rhubarb Ripple Ice Cream with Mini Spiced Lemon Cookies

It's past the middle of the month already and due to holiday and illness I haven't yet posted a recipe for the Swallows Charity Recipes for Life challenge on Bangers & Mash. This means I have some serious catching up to do as for the last couple of months I've shared 3 recipes per month. The 3 ingredients for May are Rhubarb, Lemon & spice and after initially thinking it would be tricky to do anything other than a crumble I now have a huge list of ideas, just not enough hours in the day to make them all.

First up (I couldn't let the side down by only making one dish this month could I) is a dessert as it would be impossible to have rhubarb as one of the ingredients and not make at least one dessert. Although it's ice cream it doesn't need an ice cream maker and is very easy to make, as are the cookies.

Rhubarb Ripple Ice Cream 
175g rhubarb, washed, trimmed & cut into 2cm pieces
125g caster sugar
Vanilla pod
600ml double cream

397g condensed milk

2tsp ginger
juice & zest of 1 lemon

• Cover the rhubarb with the sugar & leave for couple of hours
• Add the rhubarb, sugar & vanilla pod to a saucepan and bring gently to the boil
• Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the rhubarb has softened and the syrup has thickened
• Cool fully
• Once the rhubarb jam has cooled whisk the condensed milk, cream and ginger together until it forms soft peaks
• Beat in half of the jam
• Add to a freezable lidded container and stir through the remaining jam, leaving ripples through the ice cream mixture
• Freeze for at least 4 hours

Mini Spiced Lemon Cookies
115g Butter, softened
230g Caster sugar
35g Golden syrup
1 Egg
230g Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tsp Mixed spice
grated zest of 1 lemon

• Beat the butter and sugar together
• Mix in the golden syrup & egg
• Stir the flour, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice & lemon zest together and add to the butter/sugar mixture
• Roll mixture into small balls (approx 1-2cm in diameter) and place on a greased baking sheet, spaced well apart
• Bake in a preheated 170 C oven for approx 10minutes, until golden brown
• Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack

Serve a scoop or two of ice cream with 3 or 4 of the mini cookies. 

I don't wish to blow my own trumpet but the combination of the ice cream and cookies was bloody gorgeous. I usually reserve adding mixed spice to cookies for Christmas but combined with the lemon they make a delicious summer biscuit, and as they're only teeny tiny you don't need to feel too guilty having a couple.

To find out more about Recipes for Life pop over to Bangers & Mash

Oven Baked Tortilla

We get through a lot of eggs in this house, used in a variety of ways. I use most in baking but when the husband is on cooking duty (which isn't very often) he can be known to use a box of eggs or more cooking up one of his specialities of either 'egg on beans on cheese on ham on toast' or 'Dad's omelette', which are apparently better than 'Mum's omelette's'. I must admit, my omelettes aren't great and usually stick to the pan and fall apart before they get to the plate, which is why I'm more of a Tortilla (Spanish Omelette) kind of person. Oven baked ones are the best as it's easier to get them cooked evenly all the way through without burning the bottom and ending up with an uncooked top.

This is one of my favourite dishes to cook up when on holiday as it's really easy to prepare, and the kids love it. You can either use an oven proof frying pan or a large shallow cake tin, as I have here.

Oven Baked Tortilla - serves 4/5

500g (approx) sausages, cut into bite sized pieces

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Small onion, chopped
1 tsp Dried mixed herbs
1/2 red Pepper, chopped
1/2 Courgette, chopped
4 Mushrooms, sliced
100g sweetcorn
6 Eggs
200ml semi skimmed Milk
175g mature cheddar cheese, grated
1 tomato, thinly sliced

• Oven bake the sausages in the cake tin for approx 20 min at 180 C
• Heat the oil in a pan
• Add the garlic & onion & soften for 2-3 minutes
• Add the dried herbs, peppers, courgette, mushrooms & sweetcorn & cook for a further 10 minutes until softened
• Drain any excess oil from the sausages, making sure there is enough oil left to lightly coat the sides & base of the pan
• Add the vegetables to the sausages & mix
• Beat the eggs & milk & add half of the cheese
• Pour into the pan over the sausages & vegetables
• Cover with the remaining grated cheese & tomato slices
• Return to the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown & firm in the centre

Serve hot or cold with salad...or baked beans!


I'm entering this into April's Swallows Charity Recipes for life challenge as it includes the 3 ingredients of pork, sweetcorn & tomatoes. You can find out more about the challenge here.

I'm also entering the recipe into the BritMums #eggmainsinminutes competition.

Sausage Pesto Pasta

I often get near tea time and realise that I haven't given what we're going to eat a single thought. This is one of those fail safe recipes that I often fall back on at times like that. It can be whipped up in no time and everyone loves it. I've even been known to cook it for friends after a few drinks in the pub instead of getting a takeaway, as it's quicker, especially if you have sausages already cooked.

It can be made with whatever cooked meat you have really, leftover bbq pork chops or chicken are a favourite, along with roasted peppers, mushrooms and olives. It's a great dish for a family meal or with friends as it can be placed in the centre of the table and everyone can help themselves - I love an excuse to use my lovely big bowl!

This time I used pork & sweet chilli sausages and added fresh tomatoes and baby sweetcorn, because those are the 3 ingredients in the Swallow's Recipes for Life challenge this month. You can read more about the challenge on their website here (where you will see that little ol' me gets a mention) and on Bangers & Mash, who's hosting the challenge.


Sausage Pesto Pasta - serves 4-5

375g dried pasta - I used tricolour fusili
454g Sausages - I used pork & sweet chilli
150g Baby corn, each cut into 3
150g Baby plum toms, halved
75g Red pesto 
Grana Padano or Parmesan to serve

• Cook the sausages in the oven, grill or even barbecue them - I use a cast iron griddle pan - until they're cooked through & browned on the outside
• Boil the pasta as per the directions on the pack, adding the corn 1 minute from the end. I usually cook pasta for around 1-2 minutes less than stated otherwise the it can fall apart.
• Drain the pasta & corn & stir the pesto through it
• Add the tomatoes & sausage & serve with grated Grana Padano or Parmesan

Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Sausages

It's now month 3 of the Swallow's Recipe for Life challenge on Banger's & Mash, and this month the 3 ingredients to use in a recipe are pork, sweetcorn & tomatoes. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be rustling up any cakes with those ingredients but there are lots of tasty meals that are going around in my head.

First up (as I'm sure I'll be entering more than one recipe again) is a nice & easy one, perfect for a midweek meal for the family. It's also a great way to stretch a pack of sausages without the family realising that they're only eating just over 1 sausage each!

It seems like there's a lot of ingredients but it's far from difficult to prepare, I don't even brown the sausages usually (saves on washing up), but you can if you prefer. You may also like to add some pineapple, but I don't as my children aren't keen on it.

Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Sausages - serves 4/5

1 large onion, chopped
1 courgette, sliced
3 small carrots, sliced
1 tsp garlic puree (or 1 clove of fresh)
1 tsp ginger puree (or 1cm of fresh, grated)
400g tinned tomatoes
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with a little water
100g sweetcorn
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
454g pork & leek sausages, each cut into 4 pieces
1/4 empty can of water or stock

• Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker & give it a good stir
• Cook on high for 3-4 hours (or follow your instruction manual)
• Serve with boiled rice

Beetroot, Carrot & Cottage Cheese Salad {5:2 Diet Recipe}

Last week I started doing the 5:2 diet, a way of eating whereby you fast for 2 days of the week and eat normally for the rest. On fast days you can consume around 500 calories, which isn't a lot if you only eat cakes and biscuits, but with a little bit of imagination you can create meals with very few calories. I'm still learning but there are lots of bloggers sharing recipes at the moment, as well as books you can buy for inspiration.

I created this salad for lunch on a fast day, but I would be more than happy eating it on a regular day too as it was really filling, yet only 177 calories. As it's got the 3 ingredients in from the March Swallow's Recipe for Life challenge (beetroot, carrot and cheese) I have entered it there. You can read more about the challenge here.

 

Beetroot,Carrot & Cottage Cheese Salad {5:2 Diet Recipe}- serves 1

1 carrot, grated - 92g / 32cals

Rocket - 20g / 5 cals

half a small red onion, sliced - 25g / 10 cals

few slices of red chilli (optional) - 5g / 2 cals

Juice & zest of half a lemon - 27g / 6 cals

1 small orange, peeled & sliced - 58g / 24 cals

Cooked beetroot, sliced - 60g / 23 cals

Low fat cottage cheese - 100g / 75 cals

• Toss the carrot, rocket, chilli, and orange in the lemon juice and zest and arrange on a plate
• Add the beetroot slices and cottage cheese

this has been entered into the Rix November challenge

2-of-your-5-a-day Chocolate Cake

When I created my last recipe for the Swallow's Recipes for Life challenge, I also promised a chocolate cake, so here it is. It's a lovely moist cake that takes no time at all to make, and best of all has hidden veggies in. The topping is my favourite quick topping for chocolate cake as it's not too sweet but lovely and chocolatey. I usually use dark chocolate spread from Asda but the supermarket I shopped in last weekend only had milk chocolate spread, soyou just need a bit more.

You can read more about the Recipes for life challenge here, this month the ingredients are beetroot, carrots and cheese, and believe it or not, this cake has all 3.

2-of-your-5-a-day Chocolate Cake

150g cooked carrots
135g cooked beetroot (not pickled)
185g butter, softened
285g Caster sugar
5 Eggs
285g SR flour
40g Cocoa powder
2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
200g Cream cheese (full fat works best)
200g Chocolate spread

• Add the carrots, beetroot, butter, sugar & eggs to a food processor & blitz until smooth
• Mix the flour with the cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda
• Add the flour mix to the food processor with the motor running until all combined
• Pour into a greased & lined rectangular cake tin (approx 32cm x 22cm)
• Bake in a 200 C oven for 30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean when inserted
• Allow to cool in the tin
• Beat the cream cheese and chocolate spread together and spread over the cooled cake
• Decorate as desired or just sprinkle with cocoa powder

 

Neither the beetroot or carrot can be detected in the cake, and in the words of my 10 year old beetroot hating daughter 'it's soooooo good'.

This has been entered into the Rix November challenge

Baked Cheesy Meatballs with Beetroot Sauce

This is the second month that I have joined in with the Swallow's Recipe for Life challenge on Bangers & Mash, which you can read more about here.

I love recipe challenges & when I saw that the 3 ingredients this month were beetroot, carrot & cheese I immediately thought of a cake, strangely enough, and then salad. I had one carrot in the fridge but no beetroot so I nipped to the local shop on the way home from the school run and picked up a pack so I could try something out for dinner. I'll still make a cake but I need to go shopping first.

I picked up the tip of using bread soaked in milk in the meatballs from a chef that I watched cooking a few weeks ago, I've used dried breadcrumbs in meatballs before but never wet bread and it certainly makes the meatballs moister. The beetroot in the sauce produces a beautiful red colour and my daughter, who claims to not like beetroot, loved it (although I didn't mention the beetroot until after she'd eaten it!). The meatballs have carrot in so with that & the beetroot sauce your kids will be well on their way to their 5 a day without knowing it.

Baked Cheesy Meatballs with Beetroot Sauce - serves 4

Meatballs - makes 25-30
2 slices of wholemeal crust
300ml Milk
500g Lean Beef Mince
1 large carrot, finely grated
1 onion, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt & pepper to season
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
100g smoked Bavarian / Austrian cheese, cut into 1cm cubes

Sauce
200g cooked beetroot
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1 onion, chopped
handful of fresh basil

• Tear the bread into small pieces & place in a bowl and cover with the milk
• Leave for 5-10 minutes until the bread has soaked up the milk
• Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the bread to a large bowl, discard the milk
• Add the mince, carrot, onion, garlic, salt & pepper, cayenne & herbs to the bowl
• Get your hands in the bowl and mix all the ingredients together
• Take a piece of the mince in your hands and firm into a ball, pressing a cube of cheese into the centre & moulding the mince around it - the meatballs should be approx 4cm in diameter
• Repeat until all the mince has been used up
• Blend the beetroot, tomatoes, garlic, onion & basil until smooth - if you prefer a chunkier texture you could mash or blend more lightly
• Arrange the meatballs in a large (pre-oiled) shallow baking dish and cover with the sauce
• Sprinkle over any remaining cubes of cheese
• Bake in a 200C oven for 1 hour, turning the meatballs over and covering with sauce twice during this time
• Serve with pasta

This has been entered into the Rix November challenge