APPLE STRUDEL SNAKE

My apple turnovers went down a treat last weekend. Well with me anyway I must of eaten about 6. Proper little pig me! What is a boy to do when he doesn't have any puff pastry to hand. I ain't making any (ain't nobody got time for that!). Lucky for me I had some filo pastry sheets to hand so I thought it would be perfect to use the same filling but create a stunning strudel instead. So this time you get that warm cinnamon spiced apple, apricot and raisin filling but this time wrapped in a beautiful crispy filo snake. Another wonderful winter treat!

LEFTOVER NUT ROAST PIE

 

So I've shared my perfect nut roast recipe earlier in the month and let me tell you something, it's well lush. However sometimes, try as you might you can't always eat wants in front of you especially if you have issues with portion control like I do. This recipe uses all your left over nut roast and the trimmings from your Sunday roast and transforms it into a fabulous next day meal. A delicious dinner and no waste. It's a win/win situation all round really!

MATTY'S RED HOT MEAT FEAST PIZZA

When you come in on a Saturday after a hard week in work there is only one thing you need and that is to stuff yourself with a big fattening greasy takeaway that you clearly know is bad for you but hey, you deserve it, you've worked hard. Don't waste your hard earned pennies on pizza shop prices though and get on my new pizza recipe for a cheesy, meaty, chili feast with delicious cheesy stuffed crust. Yes, you need to wait a bit for the dough to proof but it's well worth the wait when your shoving those slices in your mouth!

AA TURNOVERS

It doesn't get more comforty than an apple pie does it? But what does one do when you don't have or can't be bothered making a shortcrust. Bring out our old friend, the frozen pack of puff pastry and you can whip up some apple turnovers instead. For added flavor I have added apricots and raisins into these triangular treats and stewed them in sugar and a good spoon full of cinnamon to really make them pop. The perfect winter pudding to warm you up on a chilly evening! 

VEGGIE "COTTSHEP" PIE

I was just going to call this a veggie shepherds pie but then I realised that as its meat free you could call it a cottage pie too. Either way you look at it, this winter classic of an array of vegetables simmered in a herby vegetable stock and covered with lashings of cheesy mash is the perfect comfort food meal now that the chilly evenings are drawing in. Best of all, finish it off with a flash grill to create those fantastic cheesy crispy bits of mash that you will all be fighting for come dinner time.

"COMFORT DAY" BUTTIES

Got a hangover? It's never pleasant is it? It's time to give yourself a comfort day. When I'm a little
worse for wear there is nothing I love more than a good stack of egg butties laced with spicy pickles and lashings of mayonnaise. This little guide below my secret to the perfect egg sarnie that will sort anyone out, plus they're simple to make so you don't have to spend too much time standing up which is always traumarific with a banging head.

All you need is the following:

DAUPHIN' "PHWOAR" POTATOES

Potatoes can be ever so boring can't they. There is only so many times you can roast, boil or make

jackets out of them. In the past I've made boulangere with them and stuffed potato skins but if that still doesn't tickle your fancy why not do dauphinoise. Traditionally there are no onions in dauphinoise but I like the added layer of sweetness and texture that they add. Leave them out of you wish but give it a go, it's a tasty addition I promise you. Cheesy, creamy and packed with nutmeg and pepper, these bad boys will perk up any Sunday roast.

LULLY LEMON AND POPPYSEED RICOTTA CAKE

Its a lemon fest this weekend at MattyB Bakes. You have had a try at the Classic Lemon Tart but what about if you really fancy having a scrummy lemon cake instead. Well with the left over ricotta cheese from the 3C Pasta bake you can whip up this amazingly moist sponge cake dotted with crunchy poppy seeds and covered in a beautifully sticky icing. Its a different take on the traditional lemon sponge cake but one that I think you will agree really sits alongside those classic recipes it in terms of both texture and taste!

"EMPTY YOUR FRIDGE" FRIED RICE

It's the day before your holidays and you still have a lot of veg and eggs in your fridge that are going to go to waste if you can't use them pronto. What do you do? Whip up an egg fried rice! So simple to do, all you need are some eggs and cold rice and whatever bits and bobs you have in your fridge and hey presto you have turned your miscellaneous veg and dairy that was destined for the bin into a great meal that not only prevents waste but tastes so much more better and fresher than something you would get in your local chippy!

3C STUFFED PASTA BAKE

For some reason we didn't think we liked Ricotta. Don't ask me why I have no idea it's just one of those things we had got into our heads until one day we realised we hadn't actually eaten it (like ever!) and my philosophy is to always try everything once. So we did and I'm pleased we did otherwise we wouldn't have made this fabulous herby ricotta stuffed pasta bake. It's so cheesy and scrumptious, another fab dish to warm your cockles on these cold, dark November evenings. It's what the winter was made for!

MATTYB'S MANGO CHUTNEY

The Christmas jam and chutney marathon continues but this time with something new. Having stumbled across Nigella seeds whilst perusing around Spice Mountain's stall at Borough Market I snapped them up with thought of trying out a mango chutney this year. Great on a cheese board or with that turkey curry you make with your leftovers, it's another fab homemade gift you can dish out this Christmas time that will really put a smile on the face of your friends and family.