I am glad to know young people who are keen on cooking and it gives you a buzz to see them being creative and excited about food. It is also inspiring, one can become a little bored with day to day cooking and lose the joy of it. So recently knowing what I know about cooking has been put to good use...I have got my mojo back culinary wise at least. I have used my experience to teach others. It has made me think about changing my career (sorry did I say career, for that to happen I'd have to have one in the first place...I meant change my job). Why not I thought become a housewife full time...no really..a cookery teacher? Its a thought....I might just do something about that thought and turn it into an action...we'll see.

Until then I am cooking.

I made a few lazy easy to do recipes, it is sunday after all and I am home alone again so don't need a ton of food.

Today recipes are: Slow Roasted Tomatoes and Bortsch.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

All you need are tomatoes on the vine, garlic,  pink peppercorns, black pepper and a pinch of salt. In a tin, add olive oil and a little goose fat,  add all the above ingredients and place in the bottom of oven on gas mark 3 or 130c. Leave for a few hours. Comes out gooey, sweet and delicious!! Serve with fish as a side dish.

Ready for the oven: Slow Roasted Tomatoes

In my veg box from Abel and Cole were four jewelled beetroot bulbs. I was for a moment tempted to have them as part of a tray of oven roasted veg but in the end decided to make soup. But not any old soup, this soup would celebrate the goregeous earthiness of beetroot and accentuate the colour. Alas when I peeled them, I discovered they were mixed race beetroot.

Pale beetroot, my Bortsch won't be the traditional deep amethyst....

They look sweet though!

Soup turned out like this:

Blanche Bortsch

Strangely enough it still taste like beetroot.

Brotsch

1 lb of beetroot, 2 pints of chicken stock, onion & garlic, salt and peper, creme fraiche to serve.

Fry off the onions & garlic until soft. Peel the beetroot, dice, add to the stock  with onion & garlic and bring to the boil.

Simmer for 45 minutes. Allow to cool. Season. Puree. Serve with chunky wholewheat bread and a teaspoon of creme
fraiche and a drizzle of extra virigin oil oil.

You can add lightly crushed pink peppercorns and herbs if you wish.

The proper recipe is in this book and it has loads of other very sexy veggie recipes!!

Recipe for Bortsch in this fabulous book.