Chocolate, Chilli and Black Bean Soup

Black beans are combined with carrot, tomatoes, red wine and dark chocolate. The soup can be left chunky or blended after cooking. Serves 2 Ingredients 100g dried black beans 1 onion 1 garlic clove 1 small red chilli or a pinch of chilli flakes A shake of paprika A generous shake of ground cumin A … Read more

Mixed Bean Goulash

Kidney beans and rinsed baked beans are heated in a paprika and tomato sauce. A small amount of yeast extract adds savoury flavour. Serves 4–6 Ingredients 1 × 400g tin red kidney beans 1 × 400g tin baked beans, or plain borlotti or cannellini beans 1 onion 1 large garlic clove 4 tbsp oil 3 … Read more

Aubergine Not-Meatballs

Aubergine, breadcrumbs and herbs form these meat-free balls. Lemon and optional black olives season the mixture before it is shaped and fried. Serves 2 Ingredients 1 aubergine 1 onion, red or white 1 large garlic clove 1 red chilli or a pinch of dried chilli 1 tbsp finely chopped black olives, optional 3 tbsp oil … Read more

Corn Bread Muffins

These savoury muffins use plain flour and mashed sweetcorn, with onion, herbs and a little chilli. The same mixture can be baked as a loaf. Makes 8 muffins or 1 loaf Ingredients 250g plain flour ½ tsp salt 10g baking powder, approximately 2 tsp 50g sugar ¼ tsp chilli flakes or 2 pinches cayenne pepper … Read more

Carrot, Cumin & Kidney Bean Soup

This recipe came about after seeing the tins of soup in the supermarket and thinking, ‘I can do better than that.’ So rather than stocking up on thin tomato soup (with suspiciously few tomatoes) I thought I’d treat myself to some cheap, versatile, protein-packed spicy goodness instead. The quantities here make four generous portions. Serves … Read more

Use-Me-For-Anything Tomato Sauce

This tomato sauce is exactly what its name says – a wonderfully versatile sauce for all occasions. It was inspired by a basic tomato sauce in Economy Gastronomy by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett – which is a brilliant guide to cooking fantastic food on a budget. With mine, I make a batch, eat some, … Read more

The Eternal Frustrations Of Job Applications…

Somewhere in the midst of showing people around my house this morning, watching them leave with some of my belongings, and tagging and pricing what’s left in preparation for the Big Open House Sale on Saturday the 18th (which is exactly what it says on the tin, in case you have been living under a … Read more

Council Meetings Will Be Live On Web: Todays Echo

Well well well. It appears that Tony Cox and I agree on something, according to todays Echo: I’m sure I recognise his words from an Echo letter back in September (and an article on my blog in May) where I said: “I wrote back in May on this blog, mooting this as an idea, to … Read more

For John Hadjicostas, In Memoriam.

For John S. Hadjicostas, in memoriam. John Hadjicostas – or as I called him, Grandad – passed away this morning at Southend Hospital. The man that we thought was invincible, who survived strokes, heart attacks, and cancers, has gone. I spent summers down at his guest houses on the seafront, folding bed linen and washing … Read more