Fantasy Veggie Dinner Guest - DALLAS ALICE

Dallas Alice? Have you heard her name before?

I wouldn’t be surprised if you have – it keeps re-appearing throughout the popular culture landscape of Americana.

In John Ford’s superb film, Stagecoach, as ‘Dallas’, she is portrayed to perfection by the brilliant Claire Trevor.

There is no disguising that she is, to quote a popular euphemism, a ‘woman of the world’, but she is so much more than that. In fact, she seems to stand for an entire line of women who have been loved and lost.

Lowell George from Little Feat resurrected her in the song Willin’ and Let ‘Em Roll by Guy Clark shows how her influence can resonate through the years.

Happy to have you at my table (and Dave is quite keen as well!) Perhaps you would like to share this Tex-Mex dish.

NACHOS

This is a very simple meal but the important thing here is to have all the elements ready in advance.

You will need enough tortilla chips for the amount of guests and toppings of your choice.

Toppings can vary but I have chosen:

grated cheese

guacamole

salsa

sour cream

sliced jalapeno

refried beans

Salsa, guacamole and refried beans can be purchased ready-made but they are much nicer when freshly prepared.

Prepare the toppings

Guacamole

2 very ripe avocados

1 lime

handful fresh coriander

½tsp chilli powder

salt and black pepper

2 small tomatoes

1tbsp olive oil

Cut the avocados in half and remove the large seed from each.

Remove the flesh with a spoon and discard the skin.

Place in a blender with the other ingredients.

Blitz until at the required consistency.

Taste and adjust seasoning if required.

Salsa

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

½ red pepper, chopped

1tsp chilli flakes

1tbsp red wine vinegar black pepper

2tbsp mixed herbs

Put all ingredients in a blender and whizz until chopped but still chunky.

Refried Beans

1 can kidney beans

1 small onion, chopped

50-100ml vegetable stock

1 clove garlic, crushed

1tbsp oil

salt and black pepper

1tbsp mixed herbs

Drain and rinse the kidney beans.

Heat oil and fry the onion and garlic until golden.

Allow them to cool slightly, then place in a blender with the kidney beans.

Whizz until chopped coarsely.

Add the other ingredients and whizz again. You can make it as smooth as you like (I allow it to retain some resemblance to the original beans).

Return to the pan and heat through. (If necessary, add a little hot water.)

Also

Chop jalapenos into rings.

Place sour cream in a serving dish or glass.

Grate the cheese.

When ready to serve

Spread half the required tortilla chips on baking trays and cover with grated cheese.

Place under the grill (in rotation if necessary).

When the cheese on one batch has melted, cover with another layer of tortilla crisps and cheese.

Meanwhile, place all other toppings on the table and provide individual plates.

Transfer the nachos to a large plate and serve with the toppings. 

(You can put them all on the same plate, but I think it is good to allow guests to choose their own).

FRENCH BREAD PIZZA

Bringing back memories of convenience food from the 1980s, but actually very tasty and extremely quick and easy to make.

 

Forget the current craze for just 5 ingredients, this needs only 4!

Amounts shown serve 2

French bread stick – cut into as many sections as you like

tomato puree

dried mixed herbs

grated cheese

Cut the bread in half and place on a baking tray.

Spread with the tomato puree.

Sprinkle over the herbs.

Cover with grated cheese.

Place under the grill until cheese has bubbled.

CREAMY MACARONI WITH TOMATOES

A comforting bowl of pasta in just 20 minutes.

I devised this today, on a whim, in order to make the most of the fact that half a greenhouse-worth of tomatoes seem to have come to fruition overnight. 
I will make it again.

Serves 2

 

150g macaroni

6 small fresh tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

100g soft cream cheese

1tbsp tomato puree

handful of basil leaves

1tbsp olive oil

Heat a pan of water and cook the pasta.

Meanwhile, gently fry the onion until soft and golden.

Turn off the heat and add the cream cheese and tomato puree, mixing together well in the residual heat.

Cut each tomato into four.



Rip the basil into pieces and add both to the mixture. 

Stir gently so that you do not damage the tomatoes.

Season and wait until the pasta is ready.

When the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain it and return it to the same pan.

Then stir the tomato mixture through the pasta.


If you like you can leave it until later and heat up again when needed. If so, add a little milk and make sure everything is piping hot.

When ready, serve with the remaining basil leaves.

Fantasy Veggie Dinner Guest - JACK LEMMON

A while ago, Zelda had Walter Matthau around for some special sandwiches, so she thought that she should also do something for Jack Lemmon, his co-star in so many great films.
Lemmon always gave a superb performance, but one of my personal favourites is Avanti! where he learns to relax and love Italy, especially its pasta. (There is even a great scene where Juliet Mills lists types of pasta. In 1972 many people in the UK only knew of spaghetti.)

So here is a vegetarian pasta meal for Jack.

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

100g cheese, grated very finely

3 eggs (2 whole eggs + 1 extra yolk)

2 garlic cloves, crushed

300g spaghetti

4 rashers fake bacon

75ml cream

1-2tbsp oil

When ready to eat, cook spaghetti in a pan. 
Then drain.

Meanwhile, in a wok, cook the ‘bacon’.

(This can has be done in advance).

In same wok, cook the garlic and add the bacon again.

In a bowl beat 2 eggs + 1 yolk. 

Then mix with cream and cheese and season.

Add the spaghetti to the wok with bacon.

Pour egg mixture over the top and stir all together.

Mix until silky and serve with garlic bread.

PESTO PASTA BAKE

PESTO PASTA BAKE

150g rigatoni (or other tube-shaped pasta)

1 onion, chopped

160g marinated tofu

4-5tbsp vegetarian pesto 

4-5tbsp crème fraiche

1 ball mozzarella

1tbsp olive oil

Cook the pasta in a pan of salted water.

Meanwhile, heat oil and start to fry the onion. When almost done, add the tofu and cook for a few minutes more.

When the pasta is ready, drain and return it to the same saucepan.

Mix in the tofu and onion.

Add the pesto and crème fraiche.

Stir well so that all the pasta is coated.

Transfer to an ovenproof dish.

Cut the mozzarella into slices and place them over the top.

Cover with foil. (You can now leave it until you are ready to cook.)

When ready, place in oven with the foil on and cook at Gas 7/ 220°C/ 425°F for about 15 minutes.

Then remove foil and cook for a further 10-12 minutes until cheese bubbles.

Serve with a salad or some garlic bread.

SOUTHERN FRIED LUNCH PITTAS

Another way to use up bits and pieces from the freezer...

2 pitta breads

4 Quorn Southern Fried Grills

shredded lettuce

grated cheese

spicy chutney or sauce of choice 

1tbsp oil

Heat oil and fry the Southern Fried grills.

Place shredded lettuce, grated cheese and chutney on a large plate.

Assemble at the table.