Pig in a Winter Garden Soup

Soup. I love the thought of it on a cold Winter's day, but the reality is that it rarely keeps me full for long. That's why I came up with this little beauty. It's tasty, nutritious, high in protein and did I mention it contains cheese AND bacon?

Here's what you'll need (Serves 6):

• 2 small red chillies, finely sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 300g bacon, chopped
• 3 heads of broccoli, roughly chopped
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 1-2 handfuls of brussel sprouts, halved
• 200g of mushrooms, chopped
• 2 tins of butter beans, rinsed
• 2L of vegetable stock
• Grated cheese

Fry the garlic, and chilli in some oil for about a minute. Add the Leek, bacon and mushrooms and cook until leek softens. Chuck in the rest of the vegetables, the butter beans and stock. Add water until liquid covers vegetables and bring to the boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Blend soup (I used my newly acquired stick blender... Life changing!), pour into serving bowls and add a handful (more like 2) of grated cheese to soup before serving. Best eaten slurped.

Good Golly Miss Cauliflower, Prosciutto and Potato Bake

Saturday night found me and three friends squeezed into my tiny studio apartment. I was cooking a feast for four in my even tinier kitchen but as I always say, it's not the size of your kitchen that matters, it's the size of your heart when you're cooking in it. As I had an abundance of potatoes and cauliflower remaining from the past few fruit and veg box deliveries I had received (see Mystery Box Thursdays), I decided to cook up a delicious cauliflower, prosciutto and potato bake, and good golly was it tasty!

Here's what you will need:

•  4 good sized potatoes, thinly sliced
• Half a head of cauliflower, broken into florets
• Prosciutto (half to put in the bake, and half to eat while you're cooking)
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed or thinly sliced
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 1 cup of cream
• Grated Cheddar cheese
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cook the sliced potato in salted boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and then layer the potato in a lightly greased, ovenproof serving dish. Shred the prosciutto and layer on top of the potatoes, followed by the cauliflower. Add the garlic.

Mix the cream with the nutmeg, and pour over the potatoes, prosciutto and cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top and then sprinkle some more (you can never have enough cheese), followed by the Parmesan. Cover and bake for 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender, then uncover and place under grill until cheese has browned. Serve with other equally delicious things of your choosing (I served with baked vegetables and garlic-chili BBQ chicken) and fight your friends for the last few remaining mouthfuls.