SANTORINI TOMATO FRITTERS
Serves 2
If you’ve been lucky enough to visit a Greek island, it’s likely that you’ve sampled authentic tomato fritters, originating from the beautiful island of Santorini. Some varieties contain fresh mint or basil, but I love the burst of flavour that flat-leaf parsley adds. Serve hot with cool, unsweetened soy yoghurt to dip, and a wedge of lemon to squeeze – perfect with a leafy green salad.
• 3 tbs plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 300g cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
• Handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Pinch of sea salt and black pepper
• 4 tbs sunflower oil
1│In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and dried oregano.
2│Stir in the tomatoes and flat-leaf parsley, then season with sea salt and black pepper. Add 50ml cold water and stir to form a thick batter.
3│Heat the oil in a frypan until hot. Add in a tablespoon of the batter (up to four at a time, to avoid the fritters touching and merging) and cook for 1 min until golden and crisp, then carefully flip the fritters and cook on the other side. Drain on paper towels or a clean dish towel, then repeat the cooking process until all of the batter has Whether you’re a been used. Serve hot.
Tip: The key to per fect fritters is hot oil : if the oi l isn’t hot enough, the fritters will be soggy. Test the oil by dropping a small amount of the mixture into the pan; if it turns golden within a few seconds, the oil is ready.
CUMIN-ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND MANGO SALAD
Serves 2
Lightly spiced and roasted cauliflower, sweet mango ribbons, coriander and always-pretty watercress are combined in this refreshing lunch that’s delicious either warm or cold, in any season.
• 1 cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1 tbs sunflower oil
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 mango, peeled, stoned and sliced into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
• 2 generous handfuls of watercress
• Small handful of coriander, roughly torn
• Pinch of sea salt and black pepper
1│Preheat the oven to 220°C and arrange the cauliflower florets evenly on a baking tray.
2│In a small bowl, mix together the oil and ground cumin. Use a pastry brush to coat the cauliflower with the cumin oil. Bake in the oven for 15–20 mins until golden and crisp at the edges.
3│In the meantime, toss the mango ribbons, watercress and coriander together on a serving plate.
4│Carefully remove the roasted cauliflower florets from the oven and toss in the salad. Season with the salt and pepper and then drizzle over any hot oil from the tray.
Tip: For added protein and ext ra crunch, scat ter a few toas ted flaked almonds over the salad.
SIMPLE BOLOGNAISE
Serves 4
It’s good to have a recipe that you can turn to again and again. For me, it’s this simple and fuss-free bolognaise. Don’t be fooled into thinking a good bolognaise needs a long list of ingredients – simplicity is beautiful here. The key to packing in flavour is to let the onions brown gently – the caramelised result is delicious! I like to serve this with egg-free spaghetti and a leafy salad.
◆ 1 tbs sunflower oil
◆ 2 onions, finely diced
◆ 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
◆ 2 garlic cloves, crushed
◆ 300ml vegan bolognaise sauce (store-bought is fine)
◆ 400g can green lentils, drained and rinsed
◆ Generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper
1│Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan, add the onions and cook over a medium heat for 8–10 mins, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
2│Add the carrots and garlic and then cook for a further min or until nicely fragrant.
3│Pour in the vegan sauce and green lentils along with 200ml cold water, then reduce the heat to low–medium. Simmer for 30–35 mins with the pan lid loosely placed over, stirring frequently to avoid sticking, until the carrots have softened.
4│Remove the pan from the heat and then season with the salt and pepper to taste.
PEAR AND BUTTER BEAN TRAT BAKE
Serves 2
Throw together this all-in-one tray bake for a satisfying, simple dinner. Pears offer a sweet, melt-in-the-mouth flavour alongside earthy new potatoes and butter beans. I love the woody taste of sage in this recipe, but rosemary works equally well.
• 2 pears, halved and cored
• 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 12 baby potatoes, washed
• ½ tsp dried sage
• 2 tbs sunflower oil
• 400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed
• Generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper
1│Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2│Arrange the pears, carrots and potatoes in a roasting tin, then scatter with the dried sage. Drizzle with the sunflower oil and roast in the oven for 30 mins.
3│Carefully remove the tin from the oven and add the butter beans evenly across the tin. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and bake for a further 10 mins.
4│Season generously with the salt and pepper just before serving.
EGGPLANT TEMPURA
Serves 2
Piping hot, crisp and ready to dip, eggplant tempura makes an ideal lunch. It’s often believed that tempura is tricky to make, but it couldn’t be simpler. The key to tempura perfection is to use ice-cold sparkling water in the batter and, by contrast, to make sure the oil for deep-frying is extremely hot.
• 200ml sunflower oil, for deep-frying
• 100g plain flour
• 50g cornflour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 medium eggplants, thinly sliced, large slices halved
1│Pour the oil in a large pan and place over a medium heat to heat up while you prepare the batter.
2│In a wide bowl, combine the plain flour, cornflour and baking powder. Stir in 200ml of ice-cold sparkling water and use a balloon whisk to gently beat until smooth.
3│Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping in a blob of batter – if it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready.
4│Dip the eggplant slices into the batter and shake off any excess. Using a slotted spoon, add a few slices of eggplant to the very hot oil. Do not add too many slices at a time, as they will mass together. Deep-fry for 2–3 mins until the batter has become crisp and puffed.
5│Carefully remove from the hot oil and drain on paper towels while you cook the remaining eggplant slices. Serve hot and enjoy with your choice of dipping sauce.
Tip: No t ime? Soy sauce makes a del iciously simpl e dip, or serve wi th satay sauce.
SWEET POTATO HASH
Serves 2
• 1 tbs sunflower oil
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 2cm pieces
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• Handful of coriander, roughly torn
• Generous pinch of sea salt
1│Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2│Heat the oil in an ovenproof pan over a medium heat and add the sweet potatoes. Cook for 4–5 mins, stirring occasionally, then add the onion and Cajun seasoning and cook for a further minute.
3│Remove from the heat, then stir through the red kidney beans. Place the lid on the pan, then transfer it to the oven and bake for 30 mins until the sweet potato has softened.
4│Carefully remove from the oven, serve on plates and scatter with the coriander and sea salt.
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