PRAWN & VEG YAKI UDON

I had a weekend of hosting and making pasta bakes (my go to option when having people over for dinner as you can prep everything ahead of time and just have to shove it all in the oven once everyone is there and hungry), so fancied something lighter and cheese-less when it came to my Sunday dinner. 

This super easy and quick to make udon dish is packed with veg (you can literally throw in whatever you  have hiding in the fridge that needs using up), juicy prawn and a tasty, sticky sauce that brings everything together.

Finish it all off with a fried egg, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a drizzle of chilli oil and you have a bowl of comforting but good for you food that is perfect for a cold and dark Sunday solo supper!

 SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

• 3 packs fresh udon noodles
• 250g raw king prawns
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 aubergine, thinly sliced
• 1 red chilli, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 150g broccoli florets
• 150g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 heaped tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Vegetable oil

TO SERVE

• Crispy fried egg
• Spring onions, diagonally sliced
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Chilli oil

METHOD

• Start by preparing all your vegetables. 
• Thinly slice everything (this makes it cook super fast).
• Add a splash of vegetable oil and sesame oil to a large frying pan and set heat to high.
• Add your shallot, garlic, chilli, and spring onions. 
• After a minute it should be fragrant, so add the rest of your vegetabless. 
• Once everything remove from the pan.
• Meanwhile, boil the water for your udon. 
• Cook according to the packet instructions – fresh udon should only take 1-2 minutes
• Pat dry your prawns and season with salt and pepper. 
• Add another splash of oil to the wok, keeping it on a high heat, then quickly sear your prawns on both sides
• Once pink and cooked through, add your udon and vegetables
• In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, and honey. 
• Pour over contents of the wok, and toss until everything is well combined.
• Garnish with a crispy fried egg, sesame seeds, chilli oil, and thinly sliced spring onions. 
• Enjoy!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SAGE & HOT HONEY ORZO

As you can probably tell by now I love cooking with butternut squash during autumn and this butternut squash orzo with hot honey and sage may just be my favourite recipe featuring it yet!!!

It also saw me cooking with the very "of the moment" hot honey (honey infused with chilli) for the first time and it definitely won't be the last time! 

As was and is the case with a drizzle of truffle oil to give a dish that extra va va voom, hot honey is that perfect mix of sweet and spicy that elevates this vegetable based dish into something quite outstanding.

There are few prep steps involved but trust me on this one, the restaurant worthy end result will make it worth the time and effort. 

Definitely in my top 5 home cooked dishes of the year and a must make to impress whoever is coming over for dinner.

SERVES 3-4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ kg Butternut Squash
• 2 White Onions
• 4 Tomatoes
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 1 tsp Chilli Flakes
• 40g Fresh Sage
• 400g Orzo
• 600 ml Vegetable Stock
• 60g Hot Honey
• 60g Parmesan
• ½ Lemon
• 40g Salted Butter
• Rapeseed Oil

METHOD

• Heat the oven to 200°C fan.
• Cut the squash in half from stem to tip. Scoop out the seeds and set to one side. 
• Keep the skin on the white onion and quarter it through the root. 
• Halve the tomatoes.
• Cut each half of the squash into 4-6 wedges and spread over a baking sheet, making sure there’s plenty of space between each piece. 
• Arrange the onion quarters, tomatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves in the gaps, cut-side down, then drizzle with a generous glug of rapeseed oil, turning the squash pieces so they’re glossy. 
• Sprinkle with the chilli flakes and a generous pinch of salt. 
• Roast for 35-45 mins, until the squash are bronzing and blistering at the edges, turning the wedges over after around 25 mins.
• Meanwhile, spread the squash seeds over a small baking sheet, using two forks to separate the seeds from the flesh. 
• Don’t worry too much if some are attached or there are still clumps of flesh – it all tastes good. 
• Drizzle with a glug of rapeseed oil, and add a good sprinkle of salt. 
• Roast in the oven for 20-25 mins until golden, shuffling the tray once or twice. 
• When there’s 10 mins left, add the sage leaves to the tray, dragging them through the oil first.
• Cook the orzo in salted boiling water for 2 mins less than the packet time (so probably 8 mins), until the chalkiness is just gone, but the grains are not totally swollen. 
• Drain through a sieve and rinse under a cold running tap to cool them down. Mix with a fork to separate the grains then return to the saucepan.
• Once the squash pieces are tender and coloured at the edges, transfer half to a blender, along with the tomatoes, onion pieces, garlic and any juices on the tray (remove the skins from the onion and garlic as you do this). 
• Add the butter, a pinch of salt and ⅔ of the stock to the contents of the blender and blitz until it’s a silky smooth sauce.
• Add a drizzle of hot honey to the squash pieces, then return to the oven (turning it off at the same time).
• Pour the sauce into the orzo pan and set over a low-medium heat to warm through for 2-3 mins. 
• Grate in ⅔ of the Parmesan and squeeze in the lemon juice. 
• The orzo will swell and stiffen but you want something that flows like the loosest risotto, so add more stock if you need to, then check for seasoning before dividing between pasta bowls or plates.
• Top with the squash wedges, a grating of Parmesan, the roasted seeds and sage and a really generous drizzle of hot honey.