Cheese and Egg Main Meals

Cheese and eggs are both nutrient-rich and make great main courses for both vegetarians and meat-eaters. They're not as expensive as meat and can be used in loads of tasty recipes. Choose a mature cheddar for the most flavour - or experiment with other types of cheese.

Macaroni Cheese

• 6 oz macaroni
• 1½ oz margarine
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 pint milk
• Salt and pepper
• 6 oz mature cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Pre-heat the oven to 200oC, gas mark 6. Grease a large ovenproof dish.

Put some water to boil in a large saucepan and when boiling, add the macaroni. Cook for about 10 minutes, or as directed on the packet. Drain and set aside.

Gently melt the margarine in the same saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour. Stir vigorously until you have a smooth paste. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well, to ensure a smooth sauce. When all the milk is mixed in, return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in all but 1 handful of the cheese, seasoning and cooked macaroni.

Place in the dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs. Cook for about 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.

• For a non-vegetarian dish, finely chop 6 rashers of bacon and fry until cooked. (You don't need oil to fry bacon as they create their own.) Add these with the macaroni and cheese.
• Try adding sautéed leeks, a dash of mustard or a sprinkling of nutmeg.

Cheese Roast

• 2 red peppers
• 1 onion
• 8 oz mushrooms
• 2 sticks celery
• 8 oz breadcrumbs
• 8 oz mature cheddar cheese
• 1 egg
• Oil for frying
• Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 190oC, gas mark 5. Grease a large oven-proof dish.

Core, de seed and finely chop the peppers. Peel and finely chop the onion. Wipe the mushrooms and chop into small pieces. Wash the celery, remove any stringy bits and chop finely.

Grate the cheese. Take a generous handful of both the bread and the cheese and mix together. Beat the egg with some salt and pepper.

Heat about 3 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan and cook the peppers and onion for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and celery and cook for another 10-12 minutes or until tender.

Remove from the heat and mix in the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg and stir well. Place the mixture in the dish and level the surface. Sprinkle with the cheese and breadcrumb mixture.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden and the pie is hot through.

• To make breadcrumbs, use bread that is at least a day old and whiz it in a blender.

Spanish Omelette

(For 2 as a main course)

• 1 onion
• 10 oz potatoes
• 5 eggs
• Oil for frying
• Salt and pepper

Peel and slice the onion finely. Peel and slice the potatoes as thinly as you can. Pat the potatoes dry with kitchen towel. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan - an 8" pan is ideal for this quantity.

When the oil is very hot carefully add the onions and potatoes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Toss them around to coat them in oil and then turn the heat down as far as it will go, cover the pan with a lid (or upturned plate) and leave to cook gently for about 20 minutes or until they're tender. Shake them around occasionally and make sure they're not burning.

While the vegetables are cooking, lightly mix the eggs with salt and pepper in a large bowl.

When the potatoes and onion are tender, add them to the eggs and mix lightly. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the frying pan and, when it's hot, pour in the omelette mix. Turn the heat down as far as it will go and allow the omelette to cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until almost all of the egg is set.

Now you want to slightly brown the top. To do that you have to turn the omelette over: hold a plate over it and turn the pan upside down so the omelette is turned out onto the plate. Slide it back into the pan that way up and let the underside brown for about 2 minutes.

Serve hot or cold with salad.

• Waxy potatoes such as Desiree are best for this.
• Add red peppers to the onion and potatoes. Or try chopped tomato flesh or finely chopped celery.
• For non-vegetarians, fry some thin sausages, cut them into chunks and add to the omelette mix. Or try slices of pepperoni.

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