Creamy pesto and kale pasta

 Ingredients
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
150 g kale
100 g pasta per person
4 tbsp reduced-fat soft cheese (philadelpia)
4 tbsp pesto

Step 1
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat
Fry the onions for 10 minutes until softened and beginning to caramelise
Add the kale and 100 ml of water, then cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the kale has wilted

Step 2
Cook the pasta according to instructions
Drain, reserve a little of the cooking water
Toss the pasta with the onion mixture, soft cheese and pesto, adding a splash of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if necessary
Season

Lemon cake

Cake 

Ingredients 

5 oz / 150 g self-raising flour

5 oz / 150 g caster surgar

5 oz / 150 g butter

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

half the zest and half the juice of one lemon

Method 

Mix butter, sugar, baking powder and eggs, beating gently. 

Add zest and juice

Put into buttered and base-lined 9 inch tin

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 170C

Cool and slice into two, horizontally

Filling

Ingredients
3 oz / 100 g icing sugar

1 oz / 25 g butter

3 oz / 100 mascarpone

Some zest and juice of lemon

Beat butter and sifted icing sugar until light and fluffy

Add mascarpone, zest and lemon juice as required.

Put into fridge to chill

Icing topping

Make up icing with a very small (teaspoon) of lemon juice, heated in microwave

Add icing sugar to hot lemon juice, until a runny consistency is achieved

Drizzle over top of sandwiched cake

Raspberry jelly whip

Place raspberry jelly cubes into a jug with 100 ml of cold water

Microwave for 60 seconds

Stir, and leave to cool but NOT set

 

Whisk half a tin of evaporated milk until thick and add cooled jelly liquid while whisking

Pour into a serving dish and leave in fridge until set

 

Buttered leeks

1 kg leeks, trimmed

25 g butter, plus extra for serving

thyme leaves for garnish

Slice the leeks diagonally

Put a large pan over medium heat and add butter

Add the leeks and plenty of seasoning

Stir in to coat the butter

Turn the heat down to low

Cover the pan and cook the leeks gently for 15 minutes

Stir half-way through until tender

Serve with extra butter and thyme leaves

Cup cakes

100 g butter (Stork margerine)

100 g caster sugar

2 eggs

100 g self-raising flour

level teaspoon of baking powder

50-75 g sultanas

Pre-heat oven to 180-190C

Mix ingredients together

Divide between 12 paper cases

Bake for 20-25 minutes

Carrot cake

 Ingredients 

For the cake 

 

225 ml sunflower oil, plus some extra to grease

225 g light muscovado sugar

4 medium eggs

225 g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

1½ teaspoon mixed spice

1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1½ teaspoon ground ginger 

150 g sultanas

200 g carrots, coarsely grated

50-75 g walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

For the icing 

250 g unsalted butter, very soft

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

400 g full-fat cream cheese at room temperature

300 g icing sugar

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 170C (150C fan oven), mark 3
2. Grease the base and sides of a round tin, 20 cm, and line with parchment paper
3. Put the oil, sugar and eggs into a large bowl and whisk until smooth
4. Add flour, soda and spices to the bowl and mix to combine
5. Stir in the sultanas, carrots and nuts
6. Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface
7. Bake for 1 to 1¼ hours until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean
8. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack, and leave to cool completely

Icing

1. Beat the butter and vanilla in a large bowl until completely smooth
2. Add the cream cheese and mix to combine
3. Sift the icing sugar into the bowl and mix, carefully at first else there will be clouds of icing sugar) until smooth and fluffy
4.  Cut the cooled cake in half horizontally through the middle
5. Use half the icing to sandwich the halves back together

Cake + icing

1. Place the cake on a cake stand or plate.
2. Spread the remaining icing over the top of the cake
   
3.  Place the carrot decorations on top, if you like
4. Slice and serve
   

Creamed spinach

 Ingredients 

25g butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons plain flour

200 ml full-fat milk

2 x 200 bags spinach

100 ml single cream

fresh nutmeg, for grating

Method

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan
2. Add the finely chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened
3. Stir in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes
4. Slowly whisk in the milk
5. Once all is incorporated, gently cook for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened
6. Meanwhile, place the spinach in a large colander
7. Pour a kettle of boiling water over the spinach, until the leaves have wilted
1. You may need to do this twice
8. Place the spinach in a clean dishcloth and squeeze out any excess liquid
9. Chop finely
10. Stir into the sauce with the single cream, gently heat
11. Finely grate some fresh nutmeg and season well