Marrow 'pasta' with tomatoes, mozzarella and pesto

Shame on me! I haven't been into my garden in... 3 weeks! I've been so busy that whenever it has been on my schedule of things I must do today, I either collapse with exhaustion or life gets in the way. It's been a tough couple of weeks at work, but I've survived and things should start to return to normal throughout the next week.

I've also not posted anything for a while. Could there be a better way to quell my guilt than combine the two?

When I finally hacked my way through the overgrown ferns and made it to the garden, I was surprised to see that my neglected courgette plant held a solitary marrow -albeit slightly nibbled. It had produced more, but only their stumps remained. (I feel very guilty.) At least they're organic! I was also faced with a lot of weeding...

When faced with a marrow so many people have no idea what to do with it. I understand, I really do. Marrows are, alone, quite watery and bland in taste. However, they are also a quite versatile vegetable, and deserve a second chance. With the correct treatment, seasoning and accompaniment, the humble marrow can be transformed into something exciting and unusual. A few years ago I made a lasagne using marrow instead of pasta, and today I have followed the same principle.

1 marrow

4 tbsp pine nuts
Pinch of salt
250g fresh basil leaves
50g Parmesan, grated
300ml extra virgin olive oil
A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
A ball of mozzarella


1, Slice the marrow lengthways, about 1 cm thick. Heat a griddle and colour the marrow, taking care not to overcook, until al dente.
2, Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan, and then cool completely. Lightly crush half of them in a pestle and mortar, along with a pinch of salt (if you don't have a pestle and mortar, a blender or food processor will work, if it is small enough to catch the sauce)
3, Add the basil leaves to the pestle and mortar, and working as quickly as possible, pound them into the mixture until you have a thickish paste.
4, Mix in the cheese, and then gradually incorporate the oil. Taste to season.
5, Slice the marrow into chunks, about 2 inch long, then add them to a large bowl.
6, Add the tomatoes, pesto and mozzarella to the bowl, then leave for ten minutes for the flavours to infuse.
7, Garnish with basil leaves and a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts, and serve with crusty bread.

Raspberry and vanilla sponge

I was home in the Borders at the weekend, where our soft fruit is growing like crazy. I miss the glut of raspberries and blackcurrants that a good few bushes can produce - there are so many things you can make. Hopefully, I'll get another chance to go back and make blackcurrant ice-cream, which is beautiful with its tart and sweet edges.

Wee Lorenzo had picked a huge bowl of raspberries that we going squishy in the fridge, so I cooked them down to form a jus and made it into a cake!


The cake recipe itself follows my inherited cake recipe, from the mum's grandma to me. It's so versatile because you are free to add ingredients as you please, so long as you pay attention to the liquid/dry ratio. This cake recipe is part of me, and I swear I could make it in under ten minutes. It's all about getting the consistency right....

150g/6oz caster sugar
150g/6oz butter, softened
3 large eggs, whisked
150g/6oz SR flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of salt
1 tblsp milk
1/2 tsp quality vanilla extract
Raspberries
A sprinkle brown sugar

Preheat the oven to gas mark5/180C/375F
Line and flour a round, springform tin.
1, Wash the raspberries in cool water, and look out for any creepy crawlies! It's easiest to do this in a large colander so you can move them around gently.
2, Transfer the raspberries to a large pan and sprinkle a little brown sugar over them. Heat over a gentle flame whilst stirring occasionally. Take the pan off the heat when they end up looking like a runny jam.
3, Whilst the raspberries are cooling, make up your cake mixture.
4, Cream the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon until the mix is light and fluffy.
5, Mix together the flour, bicarbonate and salt.
6, Mix together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract.
7, Add a third of the wet and a third of the dry ingredients to the creamed sugar, and fold. When this is mixed in, add the next third, then the next.
8, When you are happy with the consistency of the cake mixture, you are ready to mix in the raspberry marble!
9, Sieve the raspberries over a bowl to catch the juices, and either discard or keep the seeds and flesh - I fed them to Lawrence, but they would just as nicely go on a bowl of yoghurt or cereal if you don't mind the seeds.
10, Gently pour the raspberry juice into the cake mixture, and fold. The aim is not to mix this through, but to create  two colours in the cake. If you get carried away and end up with a pink cake, all is not lost - it will still taste delicious - and you will have learnt how not to marble, ready for another attempt!

Rainbow bowl

The impulse to buy the exciting new season vegetables is one that I can rarely resist. Be it the abundance of mushrooms in Autumn or the new asparagus in Spring, there's something really beautiful about knowing that the food you're about to eat has been harvested freshly and locally and grown naturally.

I picked the best of the seasonal veg we had at work - all UK grown and abundant at this time of year. Round yellow courgettes, cheery cherry plum tomatoes (which are so sweet and succulent and ripe), beautiful fresh spring onions, and broad beans (need I explain the beauty of the first fresh broad beans?).

When surveying the fresh display at work, I usually create some recipe in my mind. Pulling all of the the ingredients that are in the cupboard at home and what's available to me there and then, I imagine what I can make out of these and then buy accordingly. This evening: quinoa with these beautiful, multi-coloured vegetables and feta.

This could be created using whatever is available - not everyone has the option to just pick up a round yellow courgette, for instance. Substitute where necessary but the more colours you can fit in the dish, the more appetising it will look and also the greater variety of vitamins you will receive from eating it.

2 round yellow courgettes
250g cherry plum tomatoes
250g broad beans - weight before shelling
a bunch of spring onions
100g quinoa
100g feta cheese (optional)
a handful of fresh mint
salt and pepper to taste

1, Start by cutting the courgettes into wedges - I chose to do them in sixths, but that is down to the size of the courgette itself. You need them to be thick enough that they won't turn to mush when you griddle or fry them. Drizzle the pieces in olive or rapeseed oil.
2, Place the broad beans in a small pan of slightly salted boiling water. Cook them for about 3-4 minutes, then drain.
3, Heat the griddle and lay the courgette out on it's flesh, then turn when they have browned. You may need to do more than one set, depending on the size of your griddle. If you are frying, follow the same instructions, taking care not to brown the skin.
4, Place the quinoa in a pan of boiling water with a little salt. Watch over it as it absorbs water quickly and the cooking time varies between brands. Keep the water a few centimetres over it and stir occasionally. It's ready when it has unfurled - a tail will have come out.
5, While the quinoa is cooking, slice the spring onion and the tomatoes. Place these in a large bowl and add the courgette and broad beans.
6, Break the feta cheese into cubes and sprinkle over the vegetables. Finely cut or tear the mint and add it, too.
7, Mix the drained quinoa through the vegetables and serve as a main on as a side dish.

Portakalopita

What a beautiful dish! This recipe was given to me by M, which in turn was given to him by the chef from his holiday in Greece. It is a Greek summer sweet, and a welcome addition to my recipe collection. It is very moist and loose in texture. When served straight from the fridge it becomes much more rigid, but M tells me they serve it at room temperature in Greece. It can also be served warm, but personally I preferred it cold. It would be beautiful on a plate with summer berries for presentation, but from a flavour point of view it can't go wrong! A good vanilla ice cream would work wonders with it, too.
                               
1 packet filo pastry             
250g Greek yoghurt                
4 large, free-range eggs                                                  
2 tablespoons baking powder            
Juice of 1 orange
250 ml extra virgin olive oil
Butter to grease oven dish
600 ml water  
250g sugar
Juice of 1 orange
Sliced rind of 2 oranges

1, Leave the sheets of filo pastry out, separated and uncovered to dry for a few hours.
2, Tear the sheets of filo into 2cm strips – doesn’t matter about being even just torn, don’t shred with a knife as it loses its consistency.
3, Put the olive oil and eggs in a mixing bowl and whisk well until you have a lovely orange coloured cream texture.
4, Add the yoghurt and baking powder and continue whisking until you have a smooth cream.
5, Add the torn filo pastry and mix gently with your hands.
6, Put in a buttered oven dish with additional grated orange zest over the butter and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes until it turns a golden colour.
7, In the meantime, prepare the syrup – boil the syrup ingredients in a pan for 5 minutes.
8, After removing the pie, leave it to cool slightly.
9, Once it is cold, spoon the syrup over the top, spreading the orange rind evenly. Cut into portions and serve.

Enjoy!!

Baked rice pie

I love a rice pie. There's something very homely about it, and it's not even something I remember strongly from childhood food. It's just comforting and warming, whilst being healthy. One great thing about it is that it's fantastic served warm from the pan or cold the next day - and I do mean the next day. Make sure you put it in the fridge as soon as possible - rice is notorious for causing food poisoning if not cooled correctly. The longer it is stored the more likely the bacteria will grow and make you sick. Please be aware, I normally ignore these notices, but I've witnessed it - thankfully not first hand. It's really not worth risking.

You can use any vegetables at hand for this main, it's a dish that suits so many flavours and textures. It's a good one for using up the odds and ends in the fridge, and still comes out tasty and fresh.

Serves 4, with salad or side dish

150g white long grain rice
1 bunch spring onions
2 carrots
1 courgette
1 small pot natural yoghurt
2 large, free-range eggs
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6/400°F
1, Start by washing your rice. Put it in a large pot and cover it generously in cold water. Swirl it with your hands and drain. Repeat this process until the water runs clear - the cloudy water contains starches that will make your rice sticky.
2, Put the rice in a large pan and cover with cold water, the traditional method is to cover with water up to the first knuckle on your pinky above the rice. Add a pinch of salt, stir, and put on a medium heat with a lid.
3, While the rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables. It's really down to personal choice how you do this, I cut the cut it into varying sizes and then either steam or saute it all together in a pan until almost cooked.
4, When the rice is al dente (tender but with bite) drain and leave to cool for about five minutes.
5, Tip the rice into a large pan and add the vegetables. Stir in the yoghurt.
6, Whisk the eggs and add these when the rice mix is no longer hot, just warm.
7, Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8, When it is all throughly mixed, transfer to a greased baking tray and cook in the oven for about 30 mins, or until the middle of the bake is no longer gooey.

Awesome vegetable lasagna

Mr. Fox and my nemesis had a face off this evening through the garden gate. Unfortunately it was all over before I could take any pictures, as they were scared off by a couple exploring the gardens backing on to the cliff. If this continues I'll have no more cat shit in the gravel! Go Foxy!


MM came back this weekend from his holidays - he's been away for two months - so I made an epic vegetable lasagne based on Green Kitchen Stories lasagne, which looked so beautiful I couldn't resist. It was lovely, very fresh and full of flavour. I upped the pepper and would recommend a little more seasoning in general - the huge amount of basil doesn't really come through, so don't be afraid to add more, even though it seems excessive to start.

Serves 4 generously and 6 normal appetites.

N.B. I have a generous appetite, and this was too much for me!

A generous glug of olive oil
1 medium size onion (finely chopped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp chilli sauce
A couple of handful green olives (pitted)
2 tbsp capers (drained)
4 large ripe tomatoes (cut in quarters)
2 tins plum tomatoes
A good handful of fresh basil
Salt & pepper
1 package of spelt whole wheat lasagne

For the ricotta cheese:
500 g ricotta cheese
Zest and juice of one lemon
A good handful of fresh basil
A pinch of sea salt
A pinch of lemon pepper

For the grilled vegetables:
Olive oil
A few pinches of sea salt
2 courgettes
1 aubergine
300 g chestnut mushrooms
300 g fresh kale or spinach
1 clove garlic

I ball of mozzarella, torn roughly.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4/350°F. 

1, Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute before adding the chilli sauce.
2, Add olives, capers and fresh tomatoes and cook it a couple of minutes more before adding the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 10 minutes, lower the heat and let it simmer for half an hour more under a lid.
3, Finely slice the courgette and aubergine lengthways. Heat a griddle until smoking. Brush the slices with olive oil and lay them on the grill, a set at a time, until soft and coloured. If you don't have a griddle you could use the grill, or even oven roast them.
4,  Fry the mushrooms and the kale/spinach in a pan for 5 minutes with olive oil, salt and garlic. Do this is batches if necessary as the greens will take up a lot of space until they wilt down.
5, Empty the ricotta cheese into a large bowl and add the lemon zest and juice to the bowl. Tear the basil roughly, add salt and lemon pepper and mix together.
6, Begin to assemble the lasagne by starting with a layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of lasagne sheets. Next, smear the ricotta cheese mix over the sheets - this take a bit if work as it is quite sticky. Don't worry about being too precise, it's all going in the oven at the end and will work into itself.
7, Next, lay about one third of the griddled vegetables and then the mushroom and green mix down as evenly as possible. Spoon another layer of tomato sauce on top.
8, Add a layer of lasagne, and repeat these steps until you run out of space of lasange sheets.
9, Make sure you top the lasagne with ricotta mix  - in spread dollops because there's no way of creating an even layer - and then sprinkle the mozzarella over.
10, Bake for about 45 mins - 1 hour.

Linguine with Mediterranean vegetables and ricotta

The vegetables I cooked for this dish were originally meant to go with milestone lentils - a sort of green puy lentil. My plan for the evening was slightly altered when I got home and discovered Mr. Fox asleep in my garden.

I had meant to do some gardening but didn't want to disturb sleeping beauty. The opinion of many is that foxes are vermin, and although I understand that it isn't pleasant to find your rubbish strewn across the street because the hungry animals have broken into them, I also feel incredibly sad when I see the thin animals roaming the streets in the evenings. This fox has been visiting the garden for the last few months, but I've never seen him so comfortable.

So, I ended up cutting back the ivy on the street and became so engrossed that I completely forgot about the lentils simmering away on the stove top. Needless to say, they burnt and I had to re-think my dinner.

Serves 2-3

One red onion

One aubergine

One courgette

A handful of ripe tomatoes

A handful of mint

Juice of one lemon

Cold pressed rapeseed oil/olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

One tub of ricotta cheese

Enough linguine to feed you

1, Begin by slicing your onion finely and add to a frying pan with a tablespoon of oil. 

2, Cube your aubergine and add it to the cooking onion, and sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt. Fry these together until the aubergine is browned - don't be afraid to add more oil if necessary. 

3, Slice your courgette and add it to the pan, fry until soft.

4, Add the pasta to a large pan of salted boiling water and drizzle a small amount of oil into the pan to stop it sticking together. After a minute or so stir the pasta.

5, Chop the tomatoes into chunks and add the frying pan. Keep this on the heat for a few minutes, stirring, then take it off and squeeze over the lemon juice. 

6, When the pasta is close the ready, chop the mint finely and add it to the vegetables. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
7, Drain the pasta when ready and return to the pan. Mix the ricotta through and then add the vegetables.

You may want to season this further on the plate, or add a grating of parmesan cheese. Personally, a drizzle of olive oil was enough.

Tabbouleh salad with or without beef

Rather than the authentic bulgar wheat, I used cous cous to make this tabbouleh as I'd run out of bulgar wheat. It is still the delicious salad we expect from the name, and you could use quinoa, too.

1 bunch spring onion
6 ripe medium tomatoes
Juice of 1 lemon
100g bulgar wheat/cous cous/quinoa
1 tsp vegetable bouillon
4 large sprigs mint
a handful parsley
a large glug of olive oil
season to taste

optional - 1 beef rump steak
pine nuts

Serves 2

1, Begin by slicing the spring onion and tomatoes into medium dice. Place these in a large bowl and stir in the lemon juice.
2, Cook the bulgar/cous cous/quinoa to packet instructions, adding a teaspoon of bouillon to the water you cook it in for flavour.
3, If using the beef: Heat a heavy bottomed pan with a small amount of rapeseed oil and fry the steak on both sides for 1 minute for blue/rare or 2 minutes for rare/medium. Sprinkle the beef with a pinch of salt when it first goes into the pan. Remove the beef from the heat and cover it with foil to rest - this will tenderise the meat as the proteins rebuild as it cools.
4, When the grain has cooked, add it to the spring onions and tomatoes and give it a good stir so it can absorb the flavours.
5, Wash your herbs until cool, running water and then chop finely. Add these to the bowl.
6, Season the salad well and add a good glug olive oil.
7, If you're poshing it up a bit and using pine nuts, toast these off in a dry pan until golden. These delicious nuts are currently super expensive (due to a crop failure in China) and if you're not feeling so flash this week, use sunflower seeds or cashew nuts in the same way, or omit.
8, By now, the beef will be beautifully tender and cooled enough to not ruin the delicacy of the salad. Slice it finely and either mix through or place on top of the salad when serving.

This was a lovely mid week meal - very easy and fast to prepare. I took my second serving for lunch, and it had stayed fresh well. Bulk the tabbouleh up and serve as a side salad at a barbeque or dinner.

Buffalo bolognese

This recipe is based upon my recipe for bolognese sauce, which originally uses beef mince. I've used chunks of beef instead of mince before, which gives a more textured, meatier sauce. It makes a beautiful, tasty bolognese sauce for pasta...


This Saturday I made a trip to the farmer's market and purchased some Puddledub farm buffalo braising steak. The meat is very lean but also extremely tender – not chewy at all. It also has an amazing flavour, with more personality than beef but not as flavoursome as game. I've had buffalo at restaurants before, but this was my first experience of cooking it myself. 


1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stick, diced
1 tblsp rapeseed or olive oil
A packet of lardons or diced pancetta (70g)
2 cloves of garlic
1lb of buffalo steak/beef steak

A glass of dry white wine

500ml beef stock

1 tin chopped tomatoes
a handful sage leaves and a bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste


Preheat the oven to gas mark 2/150°C/300°F


1, In a oven proof pan (cast iron, such as le creuset is perfect) heat your oil and add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring regularly, until softened. If the onion starts to burn, add a pinch of salt - magic trick!
2, Add the lardons or pancetta and cook until the fat turns translucent.
3, Mince the garlic and add it to the pan, stirring continuously to make sure it doesn't burn. Remove from the heat after two minutes.
4, If using steak, dice it into the desired size - I go for about 1 inch cubes, but you can go bigger or smaller depending on taste. 
5, In a hot, heavy bottomed pan, heat a small amount of oil and add the meat to it. Sprinkle with salt and stir. The buffalo seems to let off a lot of water, I drained this off. Cook the meat until browned.
6, When you are happy that the meat is browned, add it to the vegetable pan. Mix well and leave on the heat to absorb the flavours for a few minutes.
7, Add the glass of wine and stir until it has evaporated. Tear the herbs and add them to the pan.
8, Add the stock and the tomatoes, then cover and place in the oven. It must cook for at least 2 hours, and up to 4. The longer you leave it, the more the flavour will develop and the better the dish.


You can serve this with pasta, potatoes, rice or bread. It's so, so good, and easily converted to being vegetarian - simply replace the mince and stock with veggie alternatives.

Carrot cake

This carrot cake was such a success! It was so moreish and moist, everyone loved it. It is great with or without an icing, I prefer it without but some people can't resist a nice bit of sweet icing to top a cake - and there's nothing wrong with that at all!

The one thing to watch out for with this cake is the cooking - when it has started to brown and has come away from the edges it will probably still sink, so leave it in for another 5-10 minutes. It'll be fine so long as it doesn't start to burn.

175g light brown soft sugar
175ml rapeseed oil
3 large eggs
3 carrots, grated
50g raisins
50g walnuts
zest of 1 orange
175g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
A pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4/350F
Line a 18cm square tin or a 20cm round tin with greaseproof paper.

1, Whisk the eggs, then mix in the sugar and rapeseed oil.
2, To this mixture, add the carrots, raisins, walnuts and orange zest.
3, In a separate bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4 Gently stir the flour into the wet ingredients - it will be more runny than a normal cake mixture.
5, Pour the cake mix into the prepared tin and bake for about an hour - but check it after 45 mins in case your oven is fast. It'll rise quite a lot, so be prepared to leave it longer than you first think because it will sink if you take it out too soon.
6, Cool the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Cut up and enjoy!

Pictured: my lovely sister, who made this one :) 

Pistachio and orange cake

This cake was inspired by a trip to Rome I made two summers ago with my sister. The holiday had many ups and downs, but the food was beautiful and exotic. You think you know what Italian food is; pasta, pizza, fantastic cheese, flavoursome cured meats, and fresh, colourful vegetables. The Romans do eat all the foods we think of as Italian, but they also love meat cuts that we would never dream of. Intestine, testicle, brains. When I went I wasn't far out of vegetarianism, so didn't go for the more exotic meats on the menus, but I know that if I went back I wouldn't be able to resist trying something so unusual.


However, I've gone on a tangent. The cakes (and gelato) we ate were superb. I remembered a beautiful pistachio and lemon sponge, all layered up with whipped cream and probably laced with a liqueur. When I returned home, the first thing I did was attempt to recreate that cake. I did well, I think. I didn't go for the layers of whipped cream but instead made a buttercream topping with lemon juice through it. And I made the cake with orange zest, not lemon. The layers of whipped cream is beautiful, and I recommend that if you prefer the sound of that then to go for it. The buttercream is a nice twist though, with a squeeze of lemon juice through it.


100g raw pistachios
115g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cardamon
1/4 tsp salt
120ml milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
120g softened butter
100g caster sugar
3 large eggs
the zest of 3 oranges


Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4/350F and grease and line a 20cm round cake tin


1, In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Be careful you don't go too far because you'll end up with pistachio nut butter (which sounds delicious, but not the aim here)
2, In a bowl mix the flour, pistachios, baking powder, cardamon and salt.
3, Combine the milk and vanilla extract.
4, Cream the butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy - you can never over-cream!
5, Add the eggs to the sugar mixture one at a time, and then add the dry ingredients and milk alternately.
6, Finally, add the orange zest.
7, Bake on the middle shelf for approximately 30 mins, or until the cake has shrunk from the edges of the tin and the middle is springy to the touch.
8, Remove from the heat, leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then take out and place on a cooling rack.


300g icing sugar
100g softened butter
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract


Cream the butter and icing sugar until smooth, then slowly add the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Do this a little at a time to prevent curdling.


You could decorate with whole pistachios or just serve as is. The great thing about this cake is the little cardamon flavour, which leaves everyone guessing the secret ingredient :)

Courgette soup

After spending the day studying and eating strawberries, I wasn't too in the mood to make something elaborate with the 5 courgettes that have been haunting my fridge for a week. It had got to the stage where if I didn't use them this evening, they'd have to be thrown - and that wasn't going to happen.

This soup is so simple, a throw-it-in-the-pan-and-carry-on-eating-strawberries kind of recipe.

5 or 6 medium courgettes, sliced
4 medium floury potatoes, 1inch dice
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
veggie or chicken stock
bay leaf
olive oil
squeeze lemon juice
salt and pepper
a green of your choice - I used spinach
optional: single cream
to serve: grated parmesan or pecorino

1, In a large pan, soften the onion with the olive oil, then add the potatoes and garlic. Stir for a few minutes, then add the courgette. Add a splash of water to stop the potatoes sticking.
2, Make up your stock, and add it to the pan to cover.
3, Add the bay leaf and leave the soup on a low heat to simmer for about 20 mins.
4, Check the potatoes are cooked, and add the spinach.
5, When the spinach is wilted, remove from the heat and leave to stand until lukewarm.
6, Using a hand blender or a food processor, blend the soup.
7, Reheat gently and season with salt and pepper. If using, add the cream.

Quinoa and griddled veg salad

A sweet spring day, and lots of work to do.

This salad is filling, healthy and delicious. It can also be served hot or cold, making it perfect for next days lunch. Although I've not tried it, the ingredients would make a lovely vegetarian kebab for a BBQ, served on top of the quinoa as a straight salad. And if you don't fancy the quinoa, you could substitute it for cous cous or bulgar wheat.

Serves 4
100g quinoa - I'm using Biofair tricolore for a more colourful base
1 bunch spring onions
200g feta cheese
A handful of mixed seeds, toasted
1 aubergine
3 courgettes
Artichoke hearts in oil
Sweet peppers in oil
1 lemon
Olive oil
A handful fresh mint
Salt and pepper

1, Rinse the quinoa in a sieve under running water, then add 200ml water. Cover with a lid and simmer for ten minutes, then remove from the heat and leave (lid on) until all the water is absorbed.
2, Cut the aubergine and courgettes lengthways into cm thick slices and brush with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3, Heat a griddle it until smoking and in batches cook the aubergine and courgette until coloured. You can also use a grill to do this if you don't have a griddle.
4, Colour the artichoke hearts and the peppers on the griddle as well.
5, Transfer the quinoa to a large serving bowl.
6, Slice the spring onions and add to the quinoa with the toasted seeds. Mix the griddled vegetables through and squeeze over the juice of the lemon, a good glug of olive oil and salt and pepper.
7, To serve, crumble the feta and tear the mint over the salad.

Vegan beetroot chocolate fudge cake

Saturday night and everyone had to work... cue crazy cake! This delightful creation sends some people up the wall - one girl at work didn't sleep after having a little slice. To others, it's just a very yummy chocolate cake. It's moist to the level of a brownie. And it's dirty little secret: it's very healthy, for a chocolate cake. There's almost no flour in it, and I've quite often forgotten to add the oil at the end and it's still been great. This version is vegan, but if you're not a follower, then subsitute the 3 bananas for 3 large organic/free range eggs. Whenever I make cakes for work, I always feel sorry for the vegan staff who can't have any, so today was their treat, too.

3 ripe bananas
250g golden caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tblsp maple syrup
80g plain flour (spelt would work too)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
25g cocoa powder
50g ground almonds
250g quality dark chocolate
250g cooked beetroot, grated
100ml strong coffee, espresso style
30ml rapeseed/sunflower oil

Preheat your oven to 160 and line a 20cm round cake tin, or treat at brownies and use a square tin.

1, In a large bowl, crush the bananas with a fork until pureed. A mixer would make this easier if you have one, but the manual method works too. Mix the caster sugar, maple syrup and vanilla in thoroughly, until you have a smoothie like texture.
2, In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt, cocoa powder and ground almonds. Gently fold this into the banana mix.
3, Over a pan of simmering water, place a bowl large enough to hold the chocolate and melt slowly. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for about ten minutes.
4, While this is cooling, add the beetroot, coffee and oil to the cake mix. It will be quite liquid in comparison to a regular cake mix.
5, Finally, mix in the melted chocolate and pour into the cake tin.
6, On the middle shelf, cook for 1 hour. When this is done, cover with foil and return to the oven for another 45 mins-1 hour.

While the cake is cooling, make the icing up.
150g good-quality dark chocolate
45ml strong coffee, espresso style
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tblsp maple syrup


1, Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
2, Mix in the coffee, vanilla extract and maple syrup. The mixture may seize but keep mixing and it will come back to being thick and glossy.
3, Spread loosely over the cake top and sides, swirling with the back of a spoon.


Serve in big chunky slices and wait for the reaction.

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!

Spanakopita Triangles

I love love love the combination of spinach and feta. Actually, I love spinach. I would eat spinach for every meal in some form or another (currently I'm averaging at about 3 meals a week). It has always been my absolutely favourite vegetable, I remember eating it straight from the tin as a teen, to the amusement of my family. My favourite dish as a kid was my Mum's version of ouef florentine... oh, YUM.

Spanakopita is so simple and oh so good. This recipe in the pie form has become one of my friend Rhona's staple dishes. You won't use all the filo pastry for this quantity of filling, so I suggest you wrap the remainder well in clingfilm and refridgerate for another meal (Unless you're making party quantities, in which case triple the filling). It's so easy to make something great with filo pastry.

1 packet of filo pastry
1 bunch of spring onions or 1 leek
400g spinach leaves, washed well
250g greek feta
A generous grating of nutmeg
50g pine nuts
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Poppy and/or sesame seeds for decoration

Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 5. Lightly grease a large baking tray.

1, Slice your spring onions/leek into medium sized dice and fry gently in a large pan until softened.
2, Add the spinach leaves, a handful at a time until wilted. The spinach will reduce in size quite quickly, so just add another handful, stir and leave for a minute.
3, When all the spinach is in the pan and wilted, remove from the heat.
4, Break the block of feta over the pan with your fingers. Don't be too worried about size - stir it well and it will break down.
5, In a dry pan, toast the pine nuts until golden in colour.
6, Add the nutmeg, pine nuts, salt and pepper to the mixture, stir well and taste.

7, Roll out the filo pastry and cut length ways into 3 - this should be about 10 cm in width.
8, Take on sheet of filo and brush lightly with olive oil.
9, Take a tablespoonful of mixture and place at one end of the filo strip.
10, Take one corner of the filo over the mixture to make a triangle. Continue to fold until the filo is over.
11, Brush the top with olive oil and place on the baking tray.
12, When the baking tray is full, sprinkle with the seeds and place in the oven until golden.

Vegetarian Dolmades

A lovely colleague, V, suggested that I post my vegetarian recipe for dolmades. It actually occured to me that I prefer the veggie version, too. They taste more authentic and are lighter in texture.

1 packet vine leaves (I use Cypressa)
300g long grain rice, par cooked (about 5-8 mins)
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
3 tablespoons tomato purée
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetarian stock


Follow the instructions for the meat version below to make up the dolmades.
When it comes to cooking them, make up the veggie stock to cover and cook them in the oven.

Dolmades

1 packet vine leaves (I use Cypressa)
400g lamb mince
100g rice, par cooked
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp mixed spice

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 5

1, Lightly brown the onion and then add the garlic for a minute to soften.

2, In a large bowl, mix the all of the ingredients together - apart from the vine leaves.

3, In another bowl, cover the vine leaves in boiling water and soak for about 5-10 minutes.

4, Place a vine leaf flat on your worktop, vein side up. Cut the stalk off, carefully trying not to damage the leaf itself - just taking the tip of the stalk.

5, Depending on the size of the leaf put about a thumb sized amount of the rice filling onto the centre of the leaf, the length across the leaf.


6, Roll bottom of leaf over the filling.

7, Tuck the right side over the filling to create a right angle at the side.

8, Tuck the left side over, as above.


9, Roll the tucked leaf towards the top (creating a cylinder/dolmade shape)

10, Place the rolled dolmade in a casserole dish in a circle seems to work best for me building up as many layers you require to use up what you have left.

11, Cover the dolmades almost to the top with water, then put a plate on top to weight them down in the oven.

12, Cook for 45 minutes to an hour. To test, cut a dolmade in half and look for signs of uncooked meat. If in doubt, return to the oven. If you own a food probe, you're looking for about 65C.

13, Serve warm or cold - both are equally delicious. Tzatiki is a must.