Tuna Fishcake Homemade Recipe

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Vegetarian Recipe: Tuna and sweetcorn cakes. Makes 4-5 cakes

Ingredients

• 2 of 185g cans tuna, drained
• 1 of 198g can sweetcorn, drained
• 4-6 potatoes weighing apx 450g, peeled and quartered
• Salt and pepper for seasoning to your taste
• 2 eggs beaten 
• 100g dried breadcrumb
• Oil for frying 
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• small bunch of any one herb of your choice: coriander, parsley or chives work well 
• Serve with garnishing, salad or fries

Method

• Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked and tender. Drain and set aside, handling carefully as these are very hot.  Add to a bowl, then season and mash with a fork. 
• To the mashed seasoned potatoes add the drained tuna, drained sweetcorn, a dash of mayonnaise and any herb of your choice. 
• Take a little of the mixture and then shape into 4-5 cakes and then chill these until cold and firm.
• Dip each cake into the egg and allow the excess to drip off and then coat in the breadcrumbs. 
• At this stage it is better to chill for 15-20 mins, as they hold their shape when fried.
• Heat a little of the oil in a pan and shallow fry the cakes for 3-4 mins on each side until golden.
• Serve with garnishing and salad or fries

Homemade Baked Beans with Breakfast Eggs

Vegetarian bubbly oven bake for a kick start to the day

For families with children, there can be shared fun in baking together and keeping children engaged. Click the video below to follow the recipe for store cupboard ingredients and to follow step by step the method to oven bake.

This is a warming Kidney Bean and Tomato family recipe that your children will love - add as much cheese as you like!

One of the more positive developments of our lockdown living is that more people than ever have tried their hands at home baking. In the age of instant foods, rediscovering the joy of waiting for a bake to rise and finish is both therapeutic and comforting for childrens and adults alike.

Easy Fruity Couscous Serves a family of 4 - Kids can cook along

Ingredients (adjust chilli flakes for the younger palate)

• 1 cup couscous 
• 1 cup (250ml) hot vegetable stock
• 1 small onion peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves of finely chopped and peeled garlic (or dried garlic)
  
• 1 tsp each of ground coriander, cumin, chilli flakes
• A small handful coriander chopped up (or dried coriander)
  
• Oil  for frying 
• 2 tbsp sultanas
• Salt and pepper, lime juice for seasoning

Method

• In a frying pan heat some oil and gently cook the onion and garlic for a few minutes
• Then add the spices and chilli to your taste and fry until the aroma is released and season
• Stir in the couscous and coat in the spices
• Pour the boiling hot stock and remove from heat and cover immediately
• Allow it to steam for around 8-10 minutes and then carefully fluff with a fork 
• Gently mix in the chopped coriander and sultanas
• Season and serve

We rush to eat comfort food when we feel stressed or anxious and there is a surge in our sugar cravings. To soothe our nerves, the nation has turned to bake their own batch of comfort food. Instead of just shopping for it, baking bread and trying age-old baking favourites have also become a way for people to destress and self-soothe.

Home cooking can require a lot of patience and effort and is a great skill to learn or refine, but also a means to come together and unite with others by sharing recipes and ideas.

Vegetarian Family Tomato Bolognese Sauce Meal for 8

Serves: 8    Preparation and Cooking Time: 2 hours

When growing up in a large family, knowing and being able to cook great and delicious food is an essential skill to learn; so, as a child, my siblings and myself were encouraged to prepare and cook a family meal at least once a week. I am so happy that my parents did this because now I can cook all my favourite food from scratch, without having to resort to ready made meals or takeaways multiple times a week. Not only does it taste scrumptious, but you get a real sense of achievement and satisfaction in knowing that the meal in front of you was made by you!

Home cooking also has its benefit … one, it saves you money as it is relatively inexpensive because, more often than not, you have all the ingredients you need in your cupboards at home already; two, it brings the family together after a busy, fast-moving day; and three, you can make sure that you get balanced diet with all the nutrition you need, without needing to worry about the many additives that come with fast food.

I always enjoyed having any king of Italian cuisine when I was younger (and still do), from pizza to lasagne, but especially spaghetti Bolognese! The aromas of the Italian herbs and tomatoes filling the kitchen and the beautiful colours of red, yellow and green are simply tantalising to the senses.

Simple and easy to cook, this Bolognese sauce is perfect for a mid-week meal and is wonderful as lasagne or with spaghetti or fusilli. It will quickly become one of your favourites!

This recipe was passed down through generations of family, acquired whist training under a chef who qualified in France, so be assured that this recipe has come from professional origin.

Bolognese Sauce Recipe - Vegetarian or Vegan

Ingredients:

• 500g quorn, yellow lentils or meat
  
• Dried Mixed Herbs
• 2 – 3 sticks of celery
• 2 carrots
• 1 red onion
• 1 leek
• 1 bell pepper
• Mushrooms
• 1-2 teaspoons garlic granules
  
• 1 tin of Chopped tomatoes
• 1tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 stock cube and ½ pint of liquid
• Sea Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• Cooking oil of your preference
  

Method:

Finely dice the onion, leek, celery and carrot and add to a large, heated saucepan with a drizzle of oil along with the crushed garlic. Sweat these vegetables, moving the ingredients around occasionally with a wooden spoon, to prevent colouring, until soft. To speed up the sweating process, cover the pan with a lid, however this in not necessary (it will just take slightly longer without). 

Then, with your hands, gently break apart the quorn (or mince) or rinse lentils 3 or 4 times to rinse off the dust. When using meat, ensure not to break it up too much or it's texture when cooked may become grainy.

Add to the pan and cook until browned, stirring from time to time, to ensure that it does not catch on the bottom of the pan.

Dice the pepper and slice the mushrooms and add to the pan. Then add the tinned tomatoes, tomato ketchup, the Italian herbs and diluted stock and reduce the heat to a simmer for around an hour to reduce down the liquid and intensify the flavours. You can tell that it is ready when there is still some juices, but the sauce will have a thicker consistency and will taste rich in flavour.

Finally, add salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat while cooking the pasta and stir well before serving.

To cook your preferred variety of pasta, follow the instructions on the packet. When cooked in salt the pasta has a hint of sweetness and more flavour. Strain the pasta in a colander, ready to serve.

To serve, first plate up the pasta and on top place a generous spoonful of your freshly made Bolognese sauce. And to add an extra kick of flavour, grate some cheddar cheese or parmesan on top.

Alternative serving suggestion:

• Use this Bolognese sauce in a lasagne

Buon Appetito!

*if you have some left over Bolognese sauce, you can freeze it and it will keep for up to a month