I was a bit surprised to receive a head of spring greens in my veg box this week - the missing link between a cabbage and a sprout, cabbage leaves on a sprout like central trunk - surely the name suggests that this is not a November staple. Apparently I was not the only one, a fellow foodie blogger helengraves.co.uk had a similar shock, Able & Cole helpfully informed her that Spring Greens are the hardiest of veg bridging the green gap in earliest spring, hence the name, they are actually in season right through the winter - phew!

Helen not only helped with the research but also offered a delicious and filling soup that combines the sprightly folliage (which has a really bright, fresh taste) with smoky, spicy chorizo. Pork and cabbage is an eternal combination, as much a delight to the eye as to the palate. Thanks Helen!

Ingredients
(From helengraves.co.uk, I have adapted it slightly to suit)

1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
100g chorizo (I used a pre-cooked one sliced very thinly, but any will do)
1/2 head spring greens
2 medium potatoes
A slug of dry sherry
500 ml chicken stock
Olive oil, S&P

Serves 2/3

1 Chop onion finely and add to a heated 10cm pool of oil, fry gently for 5 minutes
2 Chop/crush the garlic, wash and cube potatoes (no need to peel) add pan with sherry, cook for 2 minutes
3 Add stock, a bit of S and lots of P, cook for a further 15 minutes
4 Chop greens finely
5 3 mins before end fry chorizo in hot frying pan (no need for oil)
6 Mash pots in soup a bit then add chorizo and oils from pan (I use a bit of water to deglaze) and greens, cook for further 4 mins
7 Serve with a hunk of bread (we had sourdough) warming, filling quick and simple

I haven’t got many dishes where mushrooms are the star, they tend to get used either for mushroom gravy or to put on Saturday breakfast toast. I’m not sure why, I do love mushrooms, so I thought I’d bring them to the fore by adapting a recipe orginally meant for aduki beans. If you’ve never had them I urge you to go out and get some immediately, they are very small, very savoury, very nutty little delights.

If you don’t fancy beans though just use all mushrooms, a mix of types would be extra nice.

Ingredients

200g mushrooms (any kind)
1 tin aduki beans (about 200g or replace with 200g more mushrooms)
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 heaped teaspoons paprika 
1 teaspoon tomato paste
100ml red wine
1 tub creme fraiche
Olive oil, S&P
Fresh coriander (3 tablespoons chopped - optional)

Serves 3 (or 2 in my house!)

1 Chop onion and fry gently for 10 minutes in a generous pool of oil (15cm diameter) at the bottom of a big pan
2 Whilst onions are cooking drain and rinse beans, chop onions and prepare garlic for crushing
3 Add paprika, tomato paste and crush garlic into pan, stir well
4 Add mushrooms and fry for 3 minutes to brown, add aduki beans (if using) and cook for a further 3-4 mins
5 Add red wine and same amount of water, S&P and bubble quietly for 10 minutes (I put on the rice at this point)
6 Take off heat and stir in creme fraiche to your taste (I like 3 heaped tablespoons) serve over rice (brown is extra nutty and white a suitable foil) with chopped coriander sprinkled on top, a nice glass of red on the side.

As I have mentioned here before, I probably spend a bit more time and money than I should in the lovely Leon restaurants, brainchild of Allegra McEvedy, cook and charactere par extraodinaire. So imagine my excitement when they decided to bring out their own cookbook, proving again that they aren’t precious about their gift (it is even being serialised in the paper). Here is one of my favourites, gobi curry, which I am making with a rather psychedelic romanesco cauliflower that was in the box this week.

Recipe serves 4 (at least!)

Ingredients
From Allegra McEvedy’s fabulous restaurants and cookbook

1 medium onion
1 carrot
2 tbsp sunflower or peanut oil
1 to 1.5 red chili(s) (go for a bird’s-eye if you like it hot)
2 thumb-sized pieces of root ginger
5 cloves garlic
1 large tsp Madras curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp black onion seeds
1 medium sweet potato
4 heaped tbsp ground almonds
A good handful of sultanas
½ a small cauliflower
400ml tin of coconut milk
150g frozen peas
Juice of ½ a lemon
A really big handful of coriander
Salt
2 heaped tbsp desiccated coconut, to serve

1 chop the onion in half and into thick slices, cut the carrot into thick chunks and add to oil, salt and cook over a low heat, covered, for 15-20 mins (stir occasionally)
2 blitz the chili, ginger and garlic to a paste in a food processor and add to pan, cook for further 5 mins
3 wash and chop sweet pot into 2.5 cm chunks, add to pan with ground almonds, mix well
4 turn up heat and add 250ml water and sultanas, bring to a simmer and bubble for 10-15 mins (lid off) stirring occasionally
5 break cauliflower into florets and it and coconut milk to pan, simmer for further 10-15 mins, covered.
6 check veg is cooked and then turn off heat and add peas, more salt, lemon juice, the coriander chopped and the coconut sprinkled on top. I serve it with white rice, rotis and some lime pickle. Some sharp apple cider would be a great partner too.

Note, the veg in this recipe is quite flexible, for instance I am replacing the peas with some spinach that I had left in the fridge, and I have used a whole small romanesco head - the beauty of a dish that will actually get made is often it’s flexibility. To make it child friendly just leave out the chili and about half of the spices, see what I mean, felixible.

This is such a cinch to make but tastes fabulous (my sister demands it when she comes over for supper). You probably have all but the sausages hanging around at the back of the cupboard. Nigel Slater scores again with this simple, hearty recipe.

Ingredients
(ever so slightly adapted) from Nigel Slater in the Observer

1 medium onion
2 large cloves garlic
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
5 sausages
500g passata
2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
1 can butter beans (plus a half/small can if you can find it, no biggie if not)

Serves 2-3

1 Peel onion, cut in half, then into 6 or so thick segments
2 Warm a 10cm pool of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add onions and cook for 3-4 minutes
3 Add fennel seeds, bay leaf and garlic (crush or chop) and sausages, brown lightly all over
4 Add passata and 1 tablespoon mustard, bring to boil and then put in drained and rinsed butter beans and S&P
5 Simmer for 20-25 minutes (I like to chop sausages up into 3 pieces after about 10 minutes - just to be sure they cook through)
6 Stir in last tablespoon of mustard and serve with a bit of green salad, a hunk of bread and a spicy wine.

I do love reading about food. A favourite Saturday morning relaxation is to read Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the Guardian Weekend magazine and then browse my recipe books for tasty ideas for the week ahead. If I am feeling stressed at work, or just in need of a break/lift I surf the net for recipes to add to the collection (usually based around whatever was in the veg box this week, repetition of unusual veg can make you quite creative).

So when I had an urge for a curry the other day, the crisp weather and quick night made me hanker after a colourful and spicy dinner, I turned my recent reading into the perfect composite dinner. The curry is from Skye Gyngell in The Independent (I have slightly simplified it) and the accompanying roti’s are from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the Guardian Weekend

Serves 3/4

Curry - Ingredients
from Skye Gyngell in The Independent

1 medium squash (onion, butternut etc)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 red onion
3 medium garlic cloves
1 green chili
10 curry leaves/ tablespoon curry powder
1 bunch of coriander
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp caster sugar, or to taste
2 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste
2 limes
15-20 little ripe San Marzano tomatoes (optional)
1 tin good-quality peeled plum tomatoes
250ml coconut milk (fresh or tinned)

1 Chop onion and add to heated oil in heavy bottomed pan - fry gently for 10 minutes
2 Chop chili & coriander stalks (reserve leaves for later), crush/chop garlic - add to pan with curry leaves/powder, whilst you…
3 Toast mustard and fennel seeds - crush and then add to pan, cook for a further few minutes whilst you…
4 Chop squash into thinnish 5 cm chunks (no need to peel, just remove middle fibres) - add to pan, cook for 5 minutes
5 Juice limes, mix with sugar and fish sauce - add to pan and check sour/heat/salt/sweet ratio (should be a good balance of each - amend as needed)
6 Add toms (tinned and fresh, if using) and cook for 30-35 minutes half covered
7 Add coconut milk and coriander leaves, cook for a further 5 minutes
8 To serve allow to cool and reheat gently with fluffy rice, a warm roti and some blanched chard/spinach/kale tossed in lime juice and olive oil. Oh and lime pickle - No curry is complete without it!

Roti - Ingredients
from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the Guardian Weekend

100g strong flour
1 small pinch salt
60ml flour
knob of butter for brushing

1 Mix all ingredients - except for butter  - together on a bowl, knead on floured surface for a few minutes.
2 Separate into 6 balls, roll out into thin pancakes (15-20 cm across)
3 Heat non-stick frying pan and put in first roti, after about a minute, as bubbles appear, flip over and cook other side - spread with butter, move to a plate and cover with tea towel to keep warm whilst you do the next ones.

I’m no baker, but when a glut of pears were threatening to turn bad and be wasted there was nothing for it but to buy a pie dish and some baking beans and have a go. My mum makes this effortless and classic french tarte aux pommes which I used as my inspiration, offering delightful simple flavours that can be enjoyed for days, the ever so slight staleness makes it all the more delicious!

I took the pastry from Annie Bell’s excellent, if a little complex for everyday, Evergreen (I still haven’t got a copy of her legendary but elusive Vegetables currently £50 on Amazon Marketplace!) and then just made up the rest. Although this recipe isn’t the quickest it really is simple requiring only small amounts of input.

Ingredients

Pastry:
170g plain flour
55g caster sugar
85g unsalted butter
1 egg yolk (medium)

Filling
4-6 small pears
1 tablespoon apricot jam
2 tablespoons hot water

6 portions

1 Butter and flour 22cm tart tin (or if it really non-stick don’t bother)
2 Place flour sugar and butter and crumb in a bowl, add egg yolk and a few tablespoons water (as needed) to make a dough
3 Roll out pastry, put in tin and chill for an hour
4 Heat oven to 180 C, line pastry with baking beans and bake for 15-20 mins
5 Core and slice the pears, line nicely in tin, mix water and apricot jam and use to glaze, pop back in the oven for 20-25 minutes until peras are caramel brown on the edges.
6 Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche, and cover with a cloth for tomorrow (no need to refrigerate).

I have to confess to a soft spot for Eastern European food - my great grandfather was Russian, I hold a Pole very close to my heart and have spent some months in the motherland. I can’t say I love it all, pork fat, dirty snow and kasha can stay right away, but I adore springtime on the banks of the Neva, dancing in old palaces, pirogi (a cross between a meat dumpling and a tortellini), and most especially beetroot - so when a juicy bunch arrived in the veg box last week I knew what had to be made - borscht, the king of soups!

You need an afternoon to make this soup, preferably a frosty/rainy one in which you pop out and get good and cold before eating.

Ingredients
Recipe (slightly adapted) from www.cookuk.co.uk/ethnic/russian/borsch.htm

600g betroot (fresh or vacuum packed)
1 med onion
2 small potatoes
2 med tomatoes
250g beef cubes (stewing steak is ideal)
1 big clove garlic
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 lemon
1/4 white cabbage
1 med carrot
small pot soured cream
dill (fresh or dried)
parsley, S&P, butter

Serves 3 generously

1 If using fresh beetroot, heat oven to 170 degrees, wash beetroots and cut off all but an inch of the tops (leave the tails intact), wrap loosely in two layers of foil and pop in the oven for 3 hours. After 1 1/4 hours (or, if using pre-cooked beetroots start at step 2)…
2 Chop onion into slices (thin half rings) and chop dill finely. Put Beef, 2 litres of cold water, the chopped onion and dill into a pan, cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
3 After 1 1/4 hours peel carrots, chop into half moons and saute gently for 15 mins in butter with the garlic crushed into it.
4 Whilst the carrots are cooking take out the beetroots, cool under the tap and peel off skin with your fingers (it should just slip off - I have been known to use surgical gloves to avoid the staining). Chop these, or your pre-cooked ones into strips. Chop tomatoes into small cubes. Chop cabbage into thin strips
5 Check beef broth for scum (remove with spoon)
6 Add beetroot, carrots, cabbage and tomatoes to beef broth (this is where it goes purple and begins too look like it should). S&P generously. Cook for 10 minutes
7 Chop parsley, wedge lemons and put on table with soured cream for diners to finish the soup to their liking. Add vinegar to pot, mix and serve in deep bowls with hunks of bread on the table.

Note: this soup is practically a stew you won’t need more for a very filling and excellently healthy dinner (tons of veg, protein from the beef and a little bit of fat from the creme fraiche).

This is one of my favourite dishes to have in one of my favourite restaurants (Il Bacio) where I am going tonight - birthday weekend starts here! Yes I promised a write up and you will get one, prepare to drool

In the mean time here is my variation on their dish, basically a rich tomato sauce covering griddled aubergine layered with mozarella and parmesan cheese. Ooof!

Not a quick dish but worth every minute.

Ingredients

2 medium aubergines
200g mozarella
50g parmesan
1 med-large onion
1 tin tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 capful balsamic vinegar
1 big/2 medium clove(s) garlic
fresh basil, dried oregano, S&P, olive oil

Serves 2

1 Chop onions finely, fry gently for 10 minutes
2 Add tom paste and balsamic and dried oregano, fry gently for a further 2 minutes, add chopped toms, S&P
3 Simmer gently with lid off. Put oven on to heat 170 degrees
4 Slice aubergines lengthwise, brush with oil and start griddling in batches, they are ready when nicely scorched and slightly transclucent - about 3 minutes each side (you may want to open the windows, it gets a little smoky, that’s normal - black and billowing is a step to far…)
5 In a deep oven dish put in a layer of aubergine, dot with ripped bits of mozarella, chopped/torn basil, a wooden spoon dollop of the tomato sauce and a little parmesan - repeat until you run out of aubergine
6 Smother with remaining sauce (there should be quite a lot) and parmesan and pop in the hot oven for 30-40 minutes until golden and bubbling
7 Give it 5 minutes out of the oven (molten cheese is no friend to the tongue). Serve with bread (French or Italian), a green salad and a nice Chianti

When summer turns to autumn, the skies are low and grey and you feel the first chill of winter in the air there’s nothing else for it than a comforting home made pie - especially when the cold comes and August isn’t even over yet!

Whether it is a crusty pastry pie, a soothing fish, a sweet custard covered fruit or, as here, my favourite combination of mince and mash, a pie is ideal when summer deserts us. This cottage pie is simple to make and like a warm hug to eat.

So, as the drizzle falls outside, spend an hour and a half in the warm kitchen. Its worth it for the soul.

Ingredients

4 medium-large potatoes (approx 800g)
500g beef mince
2 medium onions
1 medium carrot
3 tablespoons tomato paste
225ml beef stock
Dried herbs (2 bay leaves, thyme, oregano but you can mix and match your favourites)
splash milk and generous knob of butter (for mash, say 40g)
Cheddar Cheese for top (50g)
S&P, olive oil

Serves 3-4

1 Peel potatoes and put kettle on to boil, chop into 6/8 and put in pan with boiling water.
2 Chop onions and fry gently in big, deep saucepan for 8 minutes
3 Make up stock, turn on oven to 170 to warm, grate cheese
4 Add beef and break up well whilst browning, once brown add tom paste and cook for a further 2 mins
5 Add herbs, stir, add stock (so that it barely covers meat and onions), bring to a lively simmer, uncovered
6 Once pots have been boiling for 15-20 mins (about now) drain and mash with S&P, butter and a splash of milk, mash until you think you have mashed enough, and then mash a bit more (who says cooking isn’t good exercise!)
7 Put beef mixture into a caserole dish, cover with mash, sprinkle over cheese and pop it in the oven for 25 minutes (until cheese is bubbling and browning on top) serve with steamed greens, runner beans or some-such and enjoy the simple, comforting flavours warming right through to your toes.

Smoked Mackerel is a great fish, really good for you (ok maybe a bit too much salt but think of all those fish oils), cheap as chips and sustainable to boot. I really love it and enjoy it in many forms, from a home made mackerel pate on toast (just mix with creme fraiche and a tiny bit of butter) to a simple baked potato topping or a buttery, fishy foundation to a spinach salad. Last night C invented another great addition to the smoked mackerel repertoire.

Really simple and really quite delicious, make extra and you can have it for lunch the next day (or even the one after that) just add a few drops of balsamic before you eat to make it more lunchy salady.

Ingredients

1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
Really big handful of parsley
250g farfalle pasta
3 smoked mackerel fillets
1 yellow pepper
1 tablespoon horseradish
1/2 tub (100g) creme fraiche
Pinch each dried thyme & dried basil
Olive oil, Pepper (no need for salt - mackerel is plenty salty)

Serves 2 with a portion left over for lunch

1 Chop onion then put pasta on to boil 
2 Put onion and crush garlic into pan, fry gently in olive oil
3 Chop yellow pepper and add after 4 minutes
4 Chop parsley, flake mackerel
5 When pasta is done drain (but not too well) and mix all ingredients - pop a lid on and let it sit for a minute or two whilst you prepare the plates/set the table
6 Serve with a green salad and lots of ground black pepper on top - goes well with beer (apparently, although I hate the stuff myself…)