Pumpkin, Goats Cheese & Spinach Lasagne

There's nothing that says Halloween like a pumpkin inspired recipe. Although we are not big fans of Halloween in our house, we are huge fans of Pumpkin recipes, so we still love this time of year when all of the pumpkins are around. Today I am featuring a Pumpkin, Goats Cheese & Spinach Lasagne. I was inspired to make this when I saw the Goats Cheese & Pumpkin Lasagne featured in the Nigella "Christmas" recipe book. However, her version of the dish looked a little too time consuming for me, and I also wanted to include a green vegetable of some description in mine, and so I decided to create a different version which was just as yummy, but had more layers.

I added a tomato base with "smoky" marinara sauce to balance the sweetness of the pumpkin, goats cheese and ricotta with something a little more savoury. I also added a layer of hard cheese over the top to give that crisp top that Lasagne is synonymous with.

I think that this is probably one of my favourite dishes that I have ever made. I agree with Nigella - this is a dish created out of gluttony - it is a real rich, creamy, luxurious treat and the multitude of different textures and flavours are fantastic.

The whole family enjoyed this dish - and I hope you will too, it just screams comfort food on a cold Autumn day. I also think that this would make a great main course for an Autumn or Winter inspired feast, or occasion such as Thanksgiving or Christmas. I will definitely be making this again over the coming months!

Pumpkin, Goats Cheese, and Spinach Lasagne with Smoky Marinara Sauce

Print this Recipe

Ingredients:

To make the sauce:

1 tbsp Olive Oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed,

2 tsp dried Oregano

2 tsp dried Basil

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

¼ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Pepper

2 x tin of Chopped Tomatoes

3 tbsp Tomato Puree

For the Lasagne

1 tbsp Olive Oil

2 x Onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed,

750g – 1kg Pumpkin, cut into small squares

200g Fresh Spinach

200g Goats Cheese, chopped

250g Ricotta Cheese

1tsp Salt

1tsp Pepper

2 large eggs, whisked

12 sheets of Lasagne

200g Vegetarian Italian Hard Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200°c. Scoop the seeds out of the pumpkin, and cut the pumpkin into small slices or chunks. Spread the pumpkin in a baking tray and mix with olive oil, salt and pepper until evenly coated. Cook in the middle of the oven for around 20-30 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, begin to cook the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic, oregano and basil and stir well. Add the vinegar, salt and pepper, tomato puree and tinned tomatoes to the pan and allow to boil. Reduce the heat and then simmer for 10-20 mins.  Remove from heat once cooked.

Next, in a separate saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for around five minutes, or until the onions are golden. Add the spinach and put on the saucepan lid for around a minute, allowing the spinach to wilt. Give the contents of the saucepan a good stir.

Place the eggs, ricotta, goat’s cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl, and add the onion and spinach mixture. Stir everything together until thoroughly combined. Add water or milk to make a slightly wetter consistency if required. You could also add some hard cheese to this mixture.

Once the pumpkin is cooked, begin to assemble the lasagne in layers in the following order:

Tomato Sauce

Lasagne Sheets

Cheese Mixture

Pumpkin pieces

Repeat this process twice

Next, add a layer of tomato if you have any left, and a layer of the cheese mixture to finish. Sprinkle Italian hard cheese over the top of the dish, and decorate with any remaining spinach leaves.

Cover the dish with foil, and cook at 200°c for around 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil, and continue to cook for a further 15 – 20 minutes.

Featured Post: Five Tasty Ways to Cook with Coffee

Whilst you may think of coffee primarily as a delicious morning beverage to prepare you for the day ahead, it also makes a fantastic cooking ingredient.

Though the bold and distinctive flavour can sometimes be difficult to work with, it is surprisingly easy to experiment with this fantastically tasty and aromatic foodstuff. With this in mind, here are five interesting ways that you can begin to cook with coffee.

Onion Soup
If you want to add a little something to your onion soup recipe, try adding a little espresso powder to the broth. A ratio of around ¼ teaspoon of espresso powder per cup of broth is recommended, though once you’ve tasted the soup, you may want to increase or decrease this amount.

Chocolate Desserts
If you have a little espresso powder left over and you’re not using it to liven up your onion soup, you can try adding a bit to chocolate desserts in order to replicate that great mocha flavour. This will work in brownies, mousses, fondues and sauces, so try experimenting with chocolate desserts and see what works. In most recipes, you’ll want to dissolve one or two teaspoons of espresso powder in a couple of tablespoons of hot water before adding it to the other ingredients.

Spice Rubs
Coffee works fantastically well with a variety of ingredients and spices, such as paprika, cumin, chilli powder, salt, pepper and maybe a little sugar. Mix and grind these all together before rubbing into your chosen vegetables or meat-substitutes.

Marinades
For those who enjoy experimenting with marinades, coffee can be a great addition to your recipe list. Try brewing a cup of fresh coffee and mixing it with a few other typical marinade ingredients, such as soy sauce, vinegar, seasonings and spices to create a fantastically different cooking liquid.

In a Mug 
Finally, there’s plenty of experimenting to do when it comes to simply creating a cup of coffee. Whether you prefer the French press, pour over method or the Tassimo Coffee Machine, there’s plenty of different ways to make your coffee an exciting proposition. If you find yourself needing a change, you could also try a new coffee blend.

Disclosure: This is a featured post. Please refer to my Featured Post Disclosure for more information. 

Butternut, Feta and Rocket Tart

Well Autumn firmly has its feet under the table at the moment doesn't it! The nights are drawing in and the smell of woodburning fires is starting to fill the air. The harvest has also been really fruitful this year, and a glut of squashes and pumpkins have been filling the allotments and the supermarkets. We have been taking full advantage of the autumnal vegetables now coming into season as we are big fans of autumn vegetables in our household.

To me, nothing says Autumn like the lovely orange/gold colour of a butternut. I love cutting into the flesh to reveal the beautiful colour of the vegetable inside. The rich colour really reminds me of the leaves outside and reflects the changing of the season.

Today I am following up on my wonderful visit to The Waffle House by trying to recreate the amazing waffle topping I had there a couple of weeks ago, but on a pastry base rather than a waffle base. This butternut, rocket and feta tart is a great autumn dish. The butternut just screams autumn. The rocket reminds me of summer ,and the whiteness of the feta cheese creates a great contrast and hints at the cold weather to come. 

This is a really delicious, colourful tart which is great for an autumnal evening. I hope you enjoy this dish. I will be featuring some more recipes with butternut and pumpkin on the blog soon.

What's your favourite butternut dish?

Butternut, Feta and Rocket Tart Print This Recipe Ingredients 1 sheet shop-bought Puff Pastry  A good glug of Olive Oil  Small bag of Rocket Leaves (60g) 1/2 a Butternut Squash, sliced 200g Feta Cheese - cut into 1cm cubed  Directions Place the pieces of butternut squash into an oven roasting tray in a single layer and pour olive oil liberally over the top of the squash until coated. Cook in the oven at a temperature of 200 degrees for 30-45 mins.  Once cooked, remove from the oven. drain any excess oil and allow to cool a little. Brush a baking tray with oil and place the sheet of puff pastry onto the tray. Brush some olive oil over the top of the pastry. Place the rocket leaves onto the pastry sheet. Place the butternut squash and feta cheese on top of the rocket leaves. Roll up the sides of the puff pastry to create a border to keep everything inside. Pour a little olive oil evenly over the top to coat, and bake at 180 degrees for fifteen to twenty minutes or until cooked.

Review: The Gate Restaurant Islington

Recently we were invited to a fantastic Vegetarian restaurant – The Gate in Islington. Obviously a very popular place, booking is essential as there wasn’t a table free in the restaurant when we went.. It looks like The Gate does a great pre-theatre trade and so if you want to eat in the evening, it may be useful to take this into consideration.

Upon arrival, there was a bit of a lengthy wait until we were shown to a table, however, I didn't feel that it detracted too much from our overall experience. The warm glow of the lights from the restaurant was welcome as we entered. The ambiance of this restaurant is really lovely. The owners have tucked in as many tables as possible, and so whilst it can feel a little cramped, the closeness of the table to other diners makes for a cosy and intimate feel.

I have to say, having eaten at a lot of restaurants recently, the service at The Gate was excellent. The attention and effectiveness of the waiting staff at The Gate far surpassed any we have received elsewhere. Our waiter was unaware that we were reviewing the restaurant, and so the experience we had was that of any of regular diner. His attention to detail was brilliant – even simple things like keeping the table topped up with drinks, and providing fresh cutlery and napkins for each course which is often overlooked by other eateries. He gave us time to choose our courses, without having to wait too long for our food.

There was lots on offer on the varied menu .We started with the bread basket, which included some really interesting varieties of bread with seeds, olives, and other wonderful fillings. For starter, hubby chose the Halloumi which he said was absolutely amazing. I had artichoke, and fennel in batter with bean salad, again which was fantastic.



For main course, I had the Tortilla, As a big fan of Mexican food, I was not disappointed, I preferred the butternut squash and goats cheese tortilla over the beetroot, and spinach tortilla, but both tasted absolutely lovely. Hubby had the Thai Green Curry which was really creamy and delicious. The dish was presented really well, and a the pickled green papaya was a fantastic accompaniment to the dish.The only thing that was slightly disappointing was the tofu as hubby is not a big fan. He would have preferred just vegetables.




For Dessert, we chose the Incredible Sharing Platter for £15 between the two of us. This dish really is a show-stopper indeed, and was the perfect end to the meal. I also again, loved eating desserts which were completely Vegetarian, without worrying whether there was gelatin or other non-veggie ingredients in them. The chocolate mousse was so chocolaty and you could tell that it was good quality.The range of desserts was fantastic.





For a London restaurant, this establishment is very affordable. When you take into consideration that for a reasonable price, you get freshly prepared food rather than a pre-packed microwavable meal, it is also another reason to give this restaurant a try.

I would wholeheartedly recommend a trip to this restaurant – whether you are Vegetarian or not. With Angel as the nearest tube station, it is pretty easy to get to from most routes in London. It is a fantastic eatery serving freshly prepared flavour-filed dishes containing interesting ingredients and flavor combinations. They also have a fantastic new Autumn Menu which we can't wait to try.

We will definitely be going back to sample the brunch menu as it looks amazing, and I’m sure the kids will love it also. The Gate also has a great new recipe book out if you want to try cooking the recipes at home.

Disclosure: We received a Free Meal in consideration for review

Veggie Spots - October 2nd

We're back today with another great round-up of all things Vegetarian that I have spotted recently. We kick off today with some new tasty snacks which have just gained the seal of approval from The Vegetarian Society.

Yu Snacks
Yu! Snacks are made from 100% real fruit. They are great for a snack on the go and a much healthier alternative to chocolate or crisps so they also make a great addition to packed lunches. My girls do various after school activities and they always want a snack as soon as they come out of school before starting their activity. Over the last couple of weeks they have been enjoying some Yu! snacks we were sent to keep up their energy and satisfy their hunger.

The Yu! range includes:

• Just Fruit Chews - Bite-sized fat-free snacks which look like a sweet, but are made from 100% fruit. They are also a guilt free less than 90 calories per bag. 
• Yogurt-Coated Fruit Pieces combine real fruit and yoghurt for a creamy zingy snack.
• Yu! Bars contain at least 40% fruit which is mixed with cereal and covered in a delicious yoghurt coating.  
• Yu! Granola & Fruit Pieces – A great source of fibre, these granola clusters and tasty fruit pieces are again combined in a yogurt-coating and contain less than 99 calories.

As a family, we all preferred the snacks coated in yoghurt to the Fruit Chews. Hubby and I enjoyed the Granola snacks as we liked the added crunch of the cereal. I think that these are a great snack for the whole family and a fab way to ensure that the whole family is eating their 5 a day. Yu! products can be found in Sainsbury's and Tesco.

The Waffle House

A real gem in the local area, I know that many residents in Herts are already accustomed to the wonders of The Waffle House in St Albans. Located in a 16th Century Water Mill next to the river Ver, this is a great retreat at any time in the day or the year and for any occasion. I love this restaurant as it is a beautiful place to sit outside in the summer and a perfect hide-away in the winter with gas burners and log fires burning to make it feel really homely and wonderful. I have very fond memories of meeting my NCT group here for coffee/lunch when our babies were small. My girls love coming here and eldest always requests a visit when she has an inset day from school. This month, with both girls now being at school all day, hubby and I had the luxury of embarking on a lunch-date to the Waffle House - the first time I think I have been with just grown-ups for a while. The weather wasn't that great, but the gas heaters did not disappoint and it was refreshing to be lovely and warm whilst hearing the rain beating down on the canvas overhead. 

As well as the wonderful scenic views and lovely atmosphere, the main reason I love the Waffle House is for the delicious food. The Waffle House always uses fresh ingredients and each Waffle is individually prepared. They also always have fantastic Vegetarian options which match up to their meaty options. There is always a Vegetarian soup on offer. Recently I had a rich textured roast pepper, chilli and tomato soup and this time there was onion soup. In the summer I enjoyed a waffle with roast vegetables, chickpea and houmous, and this time I opted for a very Autumnal Butternut Squash, Feta and Rocket Waffle topped with Pumpkin seeds. Although i would have liked a little more oil, the toppings on the Waffle are always just divine. The warn butternut squash was cooked and presented beautifully. We topped off our visit with the classic popular Banoffee Waffle - a choice you can't go wrong with.

If you haven't visited already, I would definitely recommend a visit to The Waffle House. Although a little more expensive than other places, you definitely get what you pay for as all of the dishes contain fresh ingredients and many are organic and some fair trade. Although a little busy at times, a table at the Waffle House is definitely worth the wait!

Disclosure: I have not been asked or compensated to write about the Waffle House - it is just one of my favourite places to go!

Tala Child's Baking Set

Hobby Craft  kindly sent us the Tala Child's Baking Set to review. My girls love baking and so they were thrilled to receive a set of their own equipment to play with. They decided that they wanted to make a the Sponge cake featured on the pack and top it off with some icing and so they got busy making their cake. Although they needed a little help from me, this set meant that they could use utensils designed for little hands rather than struggling with the big grown-up sized ones. They though that this set was great and so I would definitely recommend it perhaps as a Christmas present for any kids who may be eyeing up a place on the Kids Great British Bake-Off! The Tala Child's Baking Set retails at £10 from Hobby Craft. 

Harvest Time, it's Harvest Time! 
September and October are the traditional months for Harvest and recently I have been spotting lots of wonderful food being produced locally. The children at school have been busy and on Thursday I was lucky to come away with some wonderful courgettes the size of marrows! The Sloe Berries are maturing nicely in the lane next to school, and there are many windswept apples being offered for free in wheel barrows outside peoples houses locally.  If you have a glut of fruit or veggies that you don't know what to do with - perhaps from an apple or pear tree in the garden, why not consider offering them for free outside your house, for others to enjoy, or ask for a donation to charity. If you are looking to purchase some local produce, now is a great time to approach your local allotment or farm to see what they have on offer. Locally, we have a couple of great places to buy produce:

Sunnyside Rural Trust sells produce grown by their charity which works with adults with learning disabilities in Hemel and Berkhamsted weekly.

Tring Apple Fayre is an event which is happening throughout October with various things on offer including an "apple day" and a procession with Farmers Market.

Now is a great time to get involved with food, and to enjoy British Autumn produce, so do go out searching to see what is on offer!

What fruit or vegetables have you been growing lately? I would love to hear form any successful gardeners!

That's all of my spots for now - I hope you enjoyed reading!