Fantasy Veggie Dinner Guest - ELIZABETH VON ARMIN

Mary Annette Beauchamp was born in Australia in 1866 but spent her formative years travelling around Europe with her family, marrying a member of the Prussian aristocracy.

Living at her husband's estate with three young children, she wrote Elizabeth and her German Garden, published in 1898, becoming 'Elizabeth' from that time forward.

Her most famous and loveliest novel was published in 1922. 

The Enchanted April is the tale of four very different women who find contentment and purpose on a holiday to Italy.

Italian food is initially a challenge for them, as played to great effect in the 1991 film version:

LEMON AND GARLIC SPAGHETTI with AIR FRYER GOOEY 

CHEESY BREAD

Serves 2

Put a pan of water on to boil.

Then, prepare the bread.
Mix 120g cream cheese with 100g grated cheddar, chopped chives, 2tsp mixed herbs, salt and black pepper.

Cut large sections from a baguette and split open.

Spread the filling very generously, then close up.

Wrap in foil and place in the bottom of the air fryer.

Cook for 10 to 15 minutes at 200C.

Meanwhile, when the water has boiled, start the pasta.
Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the spaghetti. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Heat 1tbsp butter and 1tbsp olive oil in a pan. Stir in 2tsp garlic flakes and cook for about 30 seconds.

Add the spaghetti and a dollop of the cooking water.

Stir in 1tsp chopped basil and 2tsp lemon juice.

To serve:
Unwrap the bread pieces...

...to make this lovely side:

Put the spaghetti in a bowl

Can be served with pangrattato and basil leaves.

Fantasy Veggie Dinner Guest - RICHARD NIXON

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and could, indeed, be remembered not for his resignation, but for his many achievements: his first term in office oversaw the beginning of the withdrawal of American troops from the chaos of the Vietnam War and the Apollo 11 moon landing; as a Quaker, Nixon could have avoided active service in World War II, yet he joined the US Navy; in the US Senate in the 1950s, he voted for Civil Rights and foreign aid.
When he was first elected President in 1969, he advocated peace: In these difficult years, America has suffered from a fever of words; from inflated rhetoric that promises more than it can deliver; from angry rhetoric that fans discontents into hatreds; from bombastic rhetoric that postures instead of persuading. We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another, until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices.
Yet, he failed to live up to the 'glamour' of the Kennedy years and journalists from newspapers which had not overtly questioned possible covert practices in the 1960s, began to  increase their scrutiny of the politicians of the 1970s.
In 1974, after the infamous Supreme Court Case, United States v. Nixon, the 'Watergate Tapes' were ordered to be delivered up.
So, with a great deal of irony - which I'm sure he would have appreciated, Zelda will be serving

QUORN SUPREME

Serves 2

1tbsp oil
4 quorn fillets
1 onion, chopped
8 mushrooms, sliced
parsley, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
200ml vegetable stock
½tsp mustard
2tbsp fat free yogurt (or replace with double cream if you're feeling decadent)
black pepper


Spray oil in a pan and fry the fillets until slightly browned on each side.

Remove from the pan. Fry onion and mushrooms and cook very gently until softened.

Add garlic and cook further.
Pour in stock mixed with mustard and sprinkle in half the parsley. Replace the quorn fillets.

Reduce and then cool slightly before mixing in the yogurt and the rest of the parsley along with the black pepper.

Lovely with lots of healthy vegetables.

TOMATO COOKING SAUCE

No need to waste a bumper crop of tomatoes!
Wash 1kg fresh tomatoes and remove the green tops.

Peel and chop 1 large garlic clove.
Remove the seeds from 1 small red chilli and chop finely.

Heat 1tbsp olive oil. Add the garlic, chilli, 1tsp dried Italian herb mix and 1tsp dried oregano.

Add the tomatoes along with half a mug of hot water, 2tbsp tomato puree and 2tsp sugar.
Bring to the boil and then simmer on a very low heat for at least half an hour until the tomatoes turn mushy.

Move to a blender.

Blitz until as smooth as possible, then pass through a sieve over a bowl.

Divide into portions and freeze until needed.

SUMMER LUNCH CHALLENGE DAY 3 - LEFTOVER BUFFET

This is the third day of my challenge to make low-cost lunches using only what using only what we have grown, been given or had left over (along with a few store cupboard essentials).

DAY 3
From the garden:
1 large tomato
mint

chives
Left over:

cream cheese

red onion
focaccia crusts from the meal for Marc Bolan

CHEESE AND CHIVE DIP

Warm some milk and mix it with leftover cream cheese until combined.

Stir in grated cheese and allow to cool.

Chop some fresh chives and stir through. 

Use the leftover top crust from the focaccia, cutting it into 12 slices.

Serve on a plate with the Cheese and Chive Dip, the Salsa from Day 1 and the Coronation Chickpeas from Day 2.

BALSAMIC TOMATOES

Cut 1 large ripe tomato into slices. Place on paper and cover with balsamic vinegar and black pepper.

Allow to soak in and then place in a small dish or ramekin.

CRISPY AIR FRIED ONION BITS

Peel and chop 1 large red onion.

Spray with oil and cook in the air fryer at 180C for about 15 minutes, shaking after every five minutes.

Allow to dry and fully crisp on kitchen paper.

Serve in a bowl to allow guests to add as much as they like.

I also made some Minted Rice

SUMMER LUNCH CHALLENGE DAY 2 - EGG MAYONNAISE SANDWICHES AND CORONATION CHICKPEA SANDWICHES

This is the second day of my challenge to make low-cost lunches using only what using only what we have grown, been given or had left over (along with a few store cupboard essentials).

DAY 2
From the garden:
cherry tomatoes
parsley
Donated:
2 eggs from a neighbour with chickens
Left over:
focaccia from yesterday's meal for Marc Bolan

tin of chickpeas

To make the sandwiches I used the left-over bread. 

Divide into four. Cut the tops off and keep them back.

Slice each piece in half to give 8 squares.

The fillings:

EGG MAYONNAISE

In a bowl, mix 2 tbsp mayonnaise with some salt and pepper.

Hard boil 2 eggs. Cool, peel and add to the bowl.

Using a spoon or a blunt knife, chop the eggs and mix with the mayonnaise.

Chop the parsley and stir in.

CORONATION CHICKPEAS

Mix 4tbsp mayonnaise with 2tsp curry powder, 1tbsp mango chutney and 1tbsp lime juice.
Drain and rinse 1 tin chickpeas.
Mix all together, stirring well to combine.

Will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Assemble the sandwiches. I used spread for the egg mayo and more mango chutney for the coronation chickpea ones. 

Ready for a picnic.

Serve with the cherry tomatoes on the side.