CHRISTMAS RECIPES ROASTED VEGETABLE TART (ready in 1hr 20mins...serves 6) 2 medium courgettes, sliced; 1 yellow pepper, seeded and thickly sliced; 1 red pepper, seeded and thickly sliced; 1tbsp olive oil; a little flour; 340g pack fresh or frozen and thawed shortcrust pastry; 1 large egg; 200ml/7fl oz creme fraiche; 12 fresh basil leaves 1: Heat oven to 200C/180gas 6. Toss the courgettes and peppers in the oil in a roasting tin, then roast for 20 mins, stirring halfway through. Remove from the oven, set aside to cool slightly. 2: Put a 23cm flan ring on a baking sheet. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a 30cm circle and place in the flan ring so that the sides of the ring support the pastry. Tip the vegetables into the centre of the pastry circle, then spread out to within 5cm of the edge. 3: Beat together the egg and creme fraiche, then tear in the basil leaves and season. Pour the egg mixture over the roast vegetables, fold over the pastry edges and pinch tucks in the pastry together. Bake for 40-45 mins until the filling is set, then serve the tart warm. PER SERVING: 476 Kcalories; protein 6.9g; carbohydrate 36g; fat 35g; saturated fat 16g; fibre 2g; added sugar none; salt 1.01g (if you don't have a flan ring, use a normal tin of the same size) From and with thanks to "Motivation to Excersize Level 1" group at Care2.com Spare de Turkey recipe Chestnut-stuffed onions with porcini gravy (ready in 1 hr 20 mins - serves 6) 6 large onions; 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing; 15g/half oz butter; 1 celery heart, chopped; 4-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 3 x 275g cans vacuum-packed whole chestnuts; 1 tbsp chopped thyme; 2 tbsp dry polenta; FOR THE GRAVY: 15g/half oz porcini mushrooms; 750ml/1 and a quarter pints vergetable stock; 1 onion, chopped; 2 tbsp olive oil; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tbsp fine wholemeal flour; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp Madeira; thyme sprigs, to garnish 1 Cut the onions in half horizontally and trim them slightly if necessary to make them stand level. Using a sharp knife, cut out most of the centres, leaving about 3 good layers on the outside. Brush these onion 'cups' all over with olive oil and place in a shallow casserole dish. 2 Heat oven to 200C/gas 6. Chop the scooped-out onion. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan, add the chopped onion, celery and garlic, cover the pan and cook gently without browning for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the heat. 3 Add the chestnuts to the onion mixture in the pan, mashing them a bit, then stir in thume and polenta and add salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture between the onion 'cups', heaping it up well, and bake in the oven for 30-35 mins, until the onion 'cups' are tender - cover the casserole dish with foil if the stuffing seems to be drying out before this. 4 While the onions are cooking, make the gravy. Put the mushrooms into a saucepan with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and leave to soak for 15-20 mins. Strain, reserving the liquid. Chop the mushrooms finely. 5 Fry the onion in the olive oil for 10 mins, until tender and lightly browned. Add the chopped mushrooms and garlic, and fry for a further 1-2 mins, then stir in the flour and cook to brown it a little. Pour in the reserved porcini liquid, the soy sauce and Madeira and stir over the heat until thickened. 6 For a really smooth sauce, you can now puree the whole lov in a food processor or blender (or strain it through a sieve), or if you prefer some texture, leave it as it is. 7 Leave the gravy to simmer gently for 10 mins, then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the stuffed onions with the porcini gravy. From and with thanks to "Motivation to Excersize Level 1" group at Care2.com MUSHROOM & GOAT'S CHEESE POLENTA PIE (ready in 1hr 20 mins) serves 6 FOR THE POLENTA: 700ml/one and a quarter pints vegetable stock; 175g/6oz quick cook polenta; 200g/8oz firm goat's cheese, such as Capricorn; 50g/2oz parmesan, grated; 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley FOR THE FILLING: 25g/1oz butter; 3 tbsp olive oil; 450g/1lb mixed cultivated and wild mushrooms; 1 large or 2 small red oinions, cut into thin wedges; 1 tsp light muscovado sugar; 1 stick celery, sliced; 2 tbsp ruby port; 150ml/one quarter pint vegetable stock; 285g jar roasted red peppers, drained; 200g vacuum pack cooked and peeled chestnuts; 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried; 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley; 142ml carton double cream 1 Bring the stock to the boil and add the polenta in a steady stream, stirring. Reduce the heat and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Crumble in half the goat's cheese, half the parmesan, all the chopped parsley and season. Transfer to a 20 x 30cm oiled tin (the polenta should be about 1cm thick). Leave until set and prepare the filling. 2 Heat oven to 190C/gas 5. Heat the butter and 2 tbsp of the oil in a heavy-based pan. Add the mushrooms and fry for 4-5 mins. Remove the mushrooms and set aside. Pour the remaining oil into the pan, add the onions and cook for 15 mins until golden, adding more oil if necessary. Stir in the sugar and cook for 5 mins. Add the celery and fry for 2-3 mins. 3 Return the mushrooms to the pan, pour in the port to deglaze, then add the stock and let it simmer for 1 min. Add the peppers, chestnuts, mustard, thyme and parsley. Add the cream and simmer for 2 mins. Crumble in the rest of the goat's cheese, season to taste, then spoon the mixture into a 25 x 15 x 4cm deep ovenproof dish. Cut the polenta into 16 slices by cutting lengthways in half, then across into eight. Arrange over the filling and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. You can now set aside for up to 4 hrs. 4 Bake for 30 mins, then pop under the grill for 5-8 mins until golden. PER SERVING; 516 kcalories, protein 14g, carbohydrate 40g, fat 34g, saturated fat 13g, fibre 4g, added sugar 2g, salt 1.46g From and with thanks to Care2.com