CURRIED PARTY PINWHEELS

One third of a sheet of pre-rolled puff pastry will make 10 mini pinwheels.
Peel one small red onion and chop very finely.

Fry gently in a little oil.
Add 1tbsp of curry paste and stir to combine.

Add 1tbsp of tomato puree and a large splash of hot water. Mix all together.

Allow to reduce until you have a sticky, jam-like paste.

Spread over the pastry (landscape).

Roll up carefully. Then cut into 10 sections. Squash each one and place on a sheet of grease proof paper on a baking tray. 

Cook at Gas 7/ 210˚C for about 15 minutes.

Serve with some chopped coriander.

Fantasy Veggie Dinner Guest - PK DUBEY

PK (Parabatlal Kanhaiyalal) Dubey, played by Vijay Raaz was the surprise star of the 2001 film Monsoon Wedding. He is the wedding planner who has been employed to make sure everything goes smoothly. A classic combination of the ridiculous and the sincere, his wooing of the servant girl Alice is a beautiful thing to behold.
For dinner, Zelda would make a combination of Indian plates to dip into.

Serve with chapatis.

SPECIAL SWEET POTATO MASH

Peel 1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes and cut into chunks.
Place in a pan of boiling water and cook until soft.

Drain and allow to steam.
Add a handful of grated cheese, 1tsp cumin, 1tsp coriander and 1tsp turmeric.

Mash all together and season.

Serve with some coriander.

KACHUBER

Combine in a bowl:
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced very finely
½ cucumber, sliced lengthways and finely chopped. (Discard any bits that are all seeds.)
small handful of mint leaves, chopped
small handful of coriander leaves, chopped
2 small green chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed with a pestle and mortar
1tbsp red wine vinegar
1tbsp lemon juice

1 large tomato, chopped into small pieces
salt and black pepper

Allow to settle overnight and pour off any excess liquid.

BOMBAY ALOO

Halve 6 large or 12 small tomatoes and remove the seeds.

Place in a food processor with 1tsp grated ginger and 1tsp chopped garlic. Add 100ml hot water and blitz until fairly smooth. 

Peel 400g potatoes and chop into chunks. Place in a pan of boiling water and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until just starting to soften. Drain and allow to steam.

Peel one onion. Halve and slice each half thinly. 

Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan and fry the onion very gently until soft. 

Deseed 2 green chillies and chop finely. Add to the onion with 2tsp coriander, 2tsp garam masala and 1tsp cumin and cook through.

Pour in the pre-made tomato sauce and the cooked potatoes and combine.

Now add 2tbsp tomato puree and 200ml vegetable stock.

Bring to the boil and simmer gently until you have a dry gravy again and the potatoes are cooked through. 

Serve with some fresh coriander leaves.

Other ideas:
Onion Bhajis
Crispy Curried Cauliflower with Lemon Dip  

Curried Party Pinwheels

Air Fryer Potato Straws

AFTER DINNER HALLOWEEN PANCAKES

 Makes 3 pancakes - can easily be multiplied.

In a bowl, whisk together 100g self raising flour, 2 eggs, 150ml milk, a drop of mint flavouring and a few drops of green food colouring.

Put a separate bowl over a pan of simmering hot water and break in 100g dark chocolate. Stir gently to melt.

Warm and spray a pan with low fat spray. Place a ladleful of mixture in it and swirl to coat the bottom.

Cook until the air bubbles start to rise then flip and cook the other side.
Cover a board with greaseproof paper.
Slide the cooked pancake onto the paper.

Decorate. This can be as complicated as you want but I just used the melted chocolate and some large chocolate buttons.

Afterwards fold and eat.

AIR FRYER POTATO STRAWS

An easy, tasty snack if ever there was one...

AIR FRYER POTATO STRAWS

Peel a large potato and cut into matchsticks.
Place them in a sieve and rinse well to rinse off as much of the starch as possible.

Dry them thoroughly and then place them in a bowl or on a plate.
Spray with oil and cook (in batches if needed) in the base of the air-fryer for about 10 to 12 minutes, shaking part way through.

Sprinkle with salt and allow to cool.

PARTY PINWHEELS

1 sheet of pre-rolled puff pastry will make about 30 mini pinwheels. 

PESTO PINWHEELS and 

CHEESE AND CHUTNEY PINWHEELS

Spread the pesto (vegetarian versions are available) over a third of the puff pasty, landscape. 

Spread onion chutney over another third, then top with grated cheese.

Roll up very carefully so that you keep the basic shape but don't worry about leakage.
Cut each roll into ten sections. (The easiest way to do this is to take the ends off, then cut in half, then cut each half into four.) 
Press each down to make them wider and to help to seal in the filling.
Place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. 

Cook at Gas 7/ 210˚C for about 15 minutes.

For more pinwheel recipes see:
Curried Party Pinwheels 
Cheese and Tomato Pinwheels

‘BACON’ BAKE

 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
1 red onion, chopped
100g cheddar cheese, grated
4 vegetarian bacon slices
oil for frying

Serves 2

Place the potatoes in a pan of boiling water.

Bring back to the boil and simmer until soft. Then drain.
Heat a little oil and fry the vegetarian bacon. 

Remove it from the pan and cut it onto small pieces.
Fry the onion in the same pan, adding a little more oil if needed.

Place a third of the potato in the bottom of the dish. Top with half the onion, half the ‘bacon’ and one-third of the cheese.

Repeat.
Finish with a final layer of potato and season well.

Top with the remaining cheese.

Cook at Gas 7, 220˚ C 425˚ F for about 30 minutes until the cheese has started to brown and bubble.

Fantasy Veggie Dinner Guest - GEORGE MICHAEL

25th June, 1963. Sixty years ago. The birth of Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in East Finchley.  The world would later come to know him (and Zelda would come to love him) as George Michael, first as half of the duo Wham! and later as a solo artist. He died on Christmas Day in 2016. 

George was a beautiful soul who found it hard to cope with fame, fortune and the pressures they brought. After his death, many charities revealed how much he had privately supported them for years.

His song Careless Whisper is one of the greatest ever written.

When Zelda has George for a meal, she will be serving this (with thanks to Dr Spooner) as a happy memory of one of the best summers of her youth. 

Here is Wham Rap:

And here is: 'HAM' WRAP

1 egg, beaten
4tbsp self-raising flour
200ml milk
2 wholemeal wraps
30g cheddar, grated
4 slices vegetarian ‘ham’
2tbsp onion chutney
spray oil
fresh coriander leaves to serve

Serves 2

Place each wrap on a plate and coat with the onion chutney.

Whisk the egg, flour and milk to make a batter.

Spray a non-stick pan and heat.
Pour half the batter into the pan and tip so that all the base is coated.
Cook until the batter bubbles and the base is firm.

Turn the pancake and cook the other side.
Keep warm while you repeat to make the second pancake.
Place the pancakes on top of the wraps.

Cover with the ‘ham’ and cheese.

Roll from one side and place on the plate sealed side down.
Top with a few coriander leaves.