Marmitey Quorn Cottage Pie

You either love it or you hate it, but Marmite doesn’t half improve the flavour of Quorn mince. Whenever I cook with this beef substitute I have to add a teaspoon or so of Marmite, to create the depth of flavour that is often the one thing lacking in Quorn mince. I call this the Maramitey Quorn Cottage Pie because, for the first time, the deep salty flavour of the Marmite itself actually shines through. The Marmite is added to the pan at the same time as the Quorn, so it is really absorbed into the mince. Now all you Marmite-phobes out there are probably thinking you’ll want to steer well clear of this particular recipe, but I can reassure you that even Ben, the ultimate hater of Marmite, actually enjoyed the flavour, much to my own surprise. He’ll be eating Nigella’s Marmite Spaghetti by the end of the year I’m sure of it!!

Serves 2, with leftovers

1 carrot, finely grated

1 onion, coarsely grated

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

300g packet Quorn mince, frozen

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp Marmite

2-3 tbsp plain white flour

Around 300ml stock of your choice (you may not need it all)

Around 400g potatoes, left unpeeled

Handful of grated cheddar cheese, optional

1. In a deep pan and over a medium heat, heat a splash of olive oil and fry the onion and carrot for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the crushed garlic cloves and fry for a further 3 minutes. Add the mince, and fry until cooked through.
2. Add the tomato paste and the Marmite, and fry for a further 2 minutes. Cover the mixture with the flour and fry for 1 minute, before slowly adding the stock, continuously stirring to form a gravy. Add enough stock to make a slightly runnier gravy, and leave to reduce for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes and mash, and preheat the oven to 180C.
4. Pour the mixture into an appropriate ovenproof dish, cover with the mashed potato and sprinkle over the cheese.
5. Bake for around 20 minutes until golden and crisp on top and serve with salad. 

Vegetarian Cottage Pie

Whenever we have leftover red wine in the house, that we can’t face to drink, we always turn to this shepherds pie recipe that we stumbled upon on the Channel 4 website. Since I stopped eating red meat, I have swapped the beef mince for quorn mince, and added Marmite and Lea and Perrin’s to give it more depth of flavour. Served greens this rich meaty meal is perfect for a cold winters night, and the recipe allows for lots of leftovers that can be reheated for lunch the next day.

The original recipe (with meat) can be found here. It always works out best when I follow it pretty much to the letter, but the most important thing is to taste as you go along to ensure it is to your liking. I roughly chop the onions rather then grate to provide more texture, and use cheddar rather then Parmesan for the topping.

Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: UNDER £7

Kitchen Requirements: PYREX DISH, LARGE HEAVY BASED PAN.

Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese

 I haven't eaten beef for a while now. I was initially apprehensive about trying a meat substitute but have found quorn mince to be a great alternative, and it's so much better for you. This is Ben's recipe, originally made with beef, but with the addition of marmite and Lea and Perrins to give the quorn a fuller flavour. It's taken two and a half years together of tweaking the ingredients to get it to this point, its always evolving, but I think we're just about there with it now. Its really rich and tasty, and the longer you can afford to leave it the better, I think it tastes best as leftovers the next day as it really gets the chance to marinate then. 

Serves 2 (with leftovers)

350g quorn mince

500g passata

large handful chopped mushrooms

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

tbsp dried mixed herbs

large glug of Lea and Perrins

tsp Marmite

glug of hot sauce (optional)

Basil (optional)

Enough spaghetti for two

tbsp vegetable oil

1. Fry the onion, garlic and carrot over a high heat with the oil until softened.
2. Stir in the quorn mince and heat through.
3. Turn the heat down to medium and add the passata, mixed herbs, Lea and Perrins, Marmite, seasoning and hot sauce. Check to see if the mixture is to taste and add more if required. Add the mushrooms and stir.
4. Cover and leave on a low heat for at least 20 minutes.
5. Serve over spaghetti cooked to manufacturers instructions with grated cheddar and basil leaves.

Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: UNDER £5

Kitchen Requirements: JUST ONE BIG PAN