LULLY LEMON VICTORIA POLENTA CAKE

So earlier in the year I made a lemon polenta tray bake and it was totes yummy. It got spotted online by some work buddies of mine and I was asked to make it for a meeting in work as a little treat for all the attendees. This was my cue to show off so I thought, "how can I make that lemon polenta cake even better?". Simple, bake two cakes and add a layer of lemon flavored whipped cream to sandwich them both together like a Victoria sponge. I'll call it my lemon Victoria polenta cake if you will!

DOWN THE HATCH LIVERPOOL (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

I used to love going to the old Le Bataeu club on Duke Street when I was younger (we were over 18 obviously!) so nostalgia meant I was very sad to see it close down a few years ago. This sadness was quickly replaced with excitement however once I found out that it's basement would be taken over by Down The Hatch, Liverpool's very first real veggie/vegan junk food restaurant. It was about time that Liverpool city centre got it's very own modern meat free venue and last week was when we finally got round to being able to booking a table and giving it a try after all the Christmas and new year madness.

STICKY AND SWEET MUSHROOM BAO BUNS

Asian cuisine is my absolute favorite and I love trying to create my restaurant favorites at home too. Last weekend I decided to try and make some of my own bao buns. I discovered a recipe by "£1 meals" chef Miguel Barclay for a no fuss yeast free bao bun and adapted them to create this vegetarian friendly version stuffed with sweet and sticky mushrooms which have been fried in honey, soy, garlic and five spice. As they don't need yeast, these bao buns are foolproof and can be whipped up in less than one hour. 

TRATTORIA CAPRICCIO, DUBROVNIK (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

For the last day of our holiday to Croatia we decided to spend the night in Dubrovnik to really take in the sights rather than just passing through on the way to the airport as we had done last year. There are hundreds of restaurants up and down the alleyways of the old town so it can be quite overwhelming trying to decide on one place to go and eat. After consulting Tripadvisor we decided to head over to Italian restaurant Trattoria Capriccio located behind the aquarium on the east side of the city. Being highly rated on Tripadvisor we had high hopes as we headed over late to take in one last meal in this beautiful country.

THE RETURN OF OUR PERFECT NUT ROAST

We loved our nut roast when we made it a couple of Christmases ago but then we neglected it! This year however we resurrected this old favorite and it was still as good as we remembered. So much better than a shop bought nut roast, this mixture of herb and garlic mushrooms and nuts is bound together with rice and cottage cheese to make a beautifully plump and moist roast that is perfect not just for Christmas but for the whole year. It’s even got a good glug of wine in it for good luck. Who could resist that?

RED HOT RICELLA SALSA

So as with every Christmas I got a great selection of new cookbooks as presents. Two of my favorites were Nigella Lawson's new offering and Rick Stein's Road To Mexico. Both are fabulous and both also contained a recipe for a roast tomato salsa. I didn't know which one to try first so I decided to bang both the recipe's together to create a "Ricella" salsa (see what I did there!). I've taken the red peppers from Nigella's recipe and combined them with the lime and coriander leaves from Rick's and the combination really works well.

HANDMADE NO FRILLS GORGEOUS GUACAMOLE

Now I know I’ve already posted a recipe for guacamole before but this is my new take on the Mexican sauce to try and be a smidge more authentic having been inspired by Rick Stein's TV series about his road trip to Mexico. It’s a simple guacamole without any bells and whistles that you bash up using a pestle and mortar followed by a fork before seasoning to taste. No machines used here which is a good thing as your guacamole not only tastes better with its more interesting texture but also because you know you’ve put the effort in! 

KONOBA TAURIS, SIPAN (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

One day on holiday we decided to take a short ferry ride over to the adjacent island of Sipan to go and have a little wander and check out the sites. After hitting the island and exploring the south side we took the bus over to the westerly port of Luka to hit the beach and enjoy a couple of beers. After a hard days swimming in the crystal clear ocean and sunbathing we headed back round to the port and sat down at Konoba Tauris, looking for a bite to eat.

A RAINY EVENING AT MANDRAC (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

The weather on Lopud is on the whole, gloriously clear and warm however on our trip to the island this year we unfortunately had one day were the storm clouds did roll over and it rained for near enough one whole day. Luckily for us we didn't have to wander too far to find something to eat in the rain as it gave us another opportunity to sample the delights of Mandrac just below our apartment at Villa Biramisa.

SMOKY AND SPICY TEXAN TATERS

So it's bank holiday Sunday and I'm far too chilled out to be cooking up a big Sunday roast. I need something that's simple, quick and tasty and these Texan potato cubes are the perfect side to whip up under these circumstances. It's just diced potato, onion and peppers roasted in garlic, paprika, Old Bay seasoning and my old friend liquid smoke. In just under an hour you have a delicious tray of super special spuds and what makes these taters so simple to make is that you just chuck everything into a bowl, mix and transfer to a roasting tray. It really is that easy.

POPPIN' GARLIC AND HERB TEAR AND SHARE ROLLS

I've dabbled in baking bread in the past but I still get very scared as it can go horribly wrong if you mess with the yeast or don't work the dough properly. Not the case with this tear and share loaf which was totes delicious. These fluffy little buns connected together like a bee hive have a hint of parsley running through the crumb as well as a burst of garlic which is added both in the dough and brushed on top with some butter. Finish with poppy seeds for crunch and you have the perfect set of buns for sharing at dinner time! 

SPEGGY MERBLES

What are "Speggy Merbles" I hear you cry? Well that's our affectionate nickname for spaghetti and meatballs of course. We love Quorn meatballs in our house and frying them up with some garlic, onions and roasted red peppers before simmering them in a herby tomato sauce is one of the simplest and quickest mid-meek meals to rustle up when you can't be bothered spending hours in the kitchen. Those merbles and sauce have to be served with a good helping of spaghetti though. Having merbles without the speggy is quite frankly; criminal! 

LULLY VEGGIE LASAGNE

One of the most comforting meals you can have in my eyes is a vegetarian lasagne but it can appear like a bit of a faff to make one especially after you have had another long hard day at work. That is just not true with my lully vegetarian lasagne. OK, it does require a bit of work but that is only really in the preparation of the yummy Quorn mince, tomato and pepper filling and the cheesy white sauce. Once it's layered up and in the oven all you need to do is sit back, relax and wait for this lully little treat to bake. Result!

CHEEKY SLOW COOKED SPINACH AND CHICKPEA TAGINE

A few years ago we went on holiday to Morocco and it was there that I fell in love with one of their most famous dishes, the tagine. Named after the clay pot in which they are traditionally cooked in, there are many regional variations of this slow cooked stew but in my recipe I have taken some of the more classic tagine spices such as cumin, turmeric and cinnamon and used them to flavour a delicious vegetarian broth crammed full with chickpeas and an array of vibrant vegetables to create a truly wonderful meat free feast. 

MATTY'S FABULOUS MINTY FALAFEL

I have tried to make falafel's in the past but they always turned into a big mushy mess. I just never seemed to be able to get the consistency of the uncooked chickpea based mixture right so they just dissolved as soon as they hit the pan. Not so with the minty falafels I've managed to perfect here, they were spot on! Made with carrot, onion, cumin and mint, they are absolutely delightful and (if you have a food processor!) they are super simple to make. So much so you'll be whipping these middle eastern bad boys up all the time!

FABULOUS GARLIC AND CORIANDER FLATBREAD

Baking bread can be quite a daunting and laborious task. All that kneading and proofing and then there is always the fear of your yeast failing so you end up with dodgy bread that's as tough as cardboard. This recipe for a delicious garlic and coriander flatbread removes all of these worries. You still need to rest the dough overnight but once you have then all you need to do is roll out your dough, pop it in the oven and finish with garlic butter for a delightfully thin and crispy accompaniment to many a meal.

THE RETURN OF THE (NO) BUTTER (NO) CHICKEN CURRY

Everyone loves curry night! Getting a takeaway on a Friday is the ultimate in lazy weekend treats. I love creamy curries and my absolute favorite is a scrummy butter chicken. Dipping your naan bread into that yummy sauce, it's naughty but oh so nice! Butter chicken is not the best thing to have really if your trying to shed a few pounds though so it was great when we created this low calorie version a few years ago as it meant I could enjoy this coconut milk based version without any of the guilt. Hurrah!

SUPER SWEET SPICED RED CABBAGE

When we bought a red cabbage last week I spent ages trying to find a fancy recipe to jazz it up but all I could find were Christmassy type recipes. Right now it's August but I thought you know what, let make it anyway because great flavour isn't concerned with what time of the year it is. This recipe braises the cabbage and an apple in a stock that is flavored with star anise and cloves for a bit of spice and golden syrup and sherry vinegar for a bit of sweetness. It's a marriage of flavors that really is super!

CURIOUSLY DELICIOUS COURGETTE, LEMON AND PISTACHIO TRAY BAKE

Sometimes I see a foodie trend pop up regularly in magazines and on TV which I'm not really quite sure will work. Courgettes being used to make cakes was one of them. I just didn't like the sound of it at all but last weekend I bit the bullet and decided to give it a go as I had been quite curious about how it would taste. I'm so glad I did as it transpired that it would actually taste most delicious especially when flavored with ground pistachio and plenty of zingy lemon both in the cake and the lemon curd icing on top!

THE RETURN OF THE CHILI, POTATO AND MUSTARD MEDLEY

With the arrival of my 500th blog post last week I thought it would be a great time to go right back to the start and revamp another old classic. With the evenings being warm recently, I decided to pull out an old summer favorite I posted back in May 2014, my chili and mustard potato medley. Essentially it's a potato salad but not a cheap and nasty one you'd get in a supermarket that's smothered in mayonnaise but a proper fresh one full of spicy, tangy flavors and textures that really turn it into something really special.