Cannelloni with wilted greens, ricotta and a rich tomato sauce

In my veg box this week I received some 'greens' - mustard, rocket, pak choi, spinach and other, unknown green leaves. MM leaves for the Schumacher college tomorrow so this will be the last meal I cook for him in a month - and cannelloni is so much fun. As I've mentioned before, the temptation to eat spinach every evening is strong, but I decided to push the boat out and replace the traditional spinach and ricotta cannelloni with the mixed greens. MM has got used to me trying out recipes on him - and this one was no failure. Filling, impressive and flexible - you could put anything in the cannelloni.

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

300g mixed greens

200g ricotta

Juice of half a lemon

Cannelloni tubes

1 tin tomatoes - I use Cirio tetrapaks (they are the best I've ever found)

1 clove garlic

Dried oregano

1 tsp honey

Preheat the oven to 180/gas mark 5

1, Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a deep pan over a low heat. Add half onion and cook gently for fifteen minutes until soft and golden, stirring occasionally.

2, Add the chopped garlic and dried oregano and cook for another five minutes, taking care not to burn the onions. Add the tomatoes and honey into the pan with the onions, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

3, In a frying pan, add the other half of the onion and cook gently, then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.4, Wash and chop the greens, then add them to the pan - there may be too much for the pan so wait until a handful has wilted then add more.

5, When all the greens are cooked, remove from the heat and put them in a large bowl. Add the ricotta and lemon juice, then season to taste. 

6, Take the cannelloni and, using a couple of teaspoons, push the green mix inside. I find it helpful to use the handle end of the teaspoon to push the mixture inside, otherwise you get loads of filling at one end and none in the middle.

7, Place the filled cannelloni in a baking tray and pour the tomato sauce on top. You need to make sure the sauce isn't too dry, otherwise the pasta has no juices to cook in.

8, Bake for about half an hour (or follow packet instructions) and serve with a side of more green veggies.

Broad bean and courgette spagetti

It's the start of summer vegetables! The first ones I've got my hands on are broad beans, hopefully next week there'll be some organic UK asparagus available - watch this space. It's really starting to feel like summer is making itself known in Edinburgh. We've had a good two weeks of glorious weather, in the garden I can't weed fast enough, and all those delightful veggies are coming back!

Tip: When selecting broad beans, gently feel the pod to test how large and firm the beans inside are. It's always a bit of a guessing game, but in general you can feel the beans themselves and the size.

Tonight, I didn't want to do anything too taxing, so pasta was on the cards. I decided to make a broad bean and courgette pasta with ricotta and a lemon dressing.

Serves 2
1 courgette
500g broad beans in their pods
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Enough spagetti to feed you
A good couple of glugs of quality olive oil
100g ricotta cheese

1, Peel your bean pods and collect the beans in a bowl, then put into boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes.
2, While the beans are simmering, cut your courgette halfways, then cut into 1/2 cm slices.
3, When the broad beans are ready, drain and leave to cool a little before peeling. In this time you can start to fry your courgette in a little olive oil until lightly browned. Remove from the heat.
4, Put the pasta in a pan of boiling, salted water until al dente.
5, When the pasta is close to being done, add the lemon juice and garlic to the broad beans and courgetters, and mix well.
6, When the pasta is ready, drain and then mix all of the veg and juices with it, then sprinkle the ricotta over and stir. Give it a final taste, and serve.

Potato and leek crumble

My veg box arrives fortnightly from East Coast Organics. When I was growing up in Edinburgh my family used to get their large box every week - which includes more variety and obviously a greater volume of produce. I receive a "normal" veg box fortnightly and it serves me fine. I still have to buy the odd bit from shops, but in general I find that the staples last me and I can make several meals from the other veg that arrives.

Today I decided to use the leeks. It's cooking for MM tonight, and I always try to make something veggie-tastic. Leeks are so easy to use, and tonight I had the idea of making a savoury crumble. It'll be crunchy and also soft; the classic combination of leek and potato in a crumble.

Serves 4
Filling:
4 large floury or 'everyday' potatoes
6 small or 3 large leeks
2 bay leaves
Veggie stock
Salt and pepper
Topping:
2 oz butter
2 oz plain flour
2 oz porridge oats
2 oz cheddar cheese, grated


Heat the oven to 200°C, 400F, gas mark 6


1,  Peel and cut your potatoes into 1 inch sizes. Put them in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook until soft, then drain.
2, Trim and clean your leeks, then slice at about 1cm intervals.
3, Heat a frying pan with a knob of butter and fry the leeks until soft.
4, Add the leeks to the potatoes with the bay leaves, veggie stock, and water to cover. Put on a low heat and season after about 15 minutes.
5, To make the topping, rub the butter and flour to form bread crumbs. Add the oats and continue rubbing. Finally mix in the grated cheese, taking care not to damage any of the "bread crumbs".
6, When your filling is the consistency of thick soup, pour into a dish and then shake the topping over.
7, Put in the oven for about 30-40 mins, or until lightly golden on top.


Serve with seasonal veggies of your choice, I did carrots and purple sprouting broccoli drizzled in lemon juice and butter with a sprinkling of black pepper. It was delicious!