Category: Recipes

Sourdough Cinnamon and Sultana Bagels

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When I presented seeded multigrain sourdough bagels to my brother, the first thing he said was that I needed to make cinnamon and raisin sultanas. So grateful(!) but I took the constructive criticism and made this recipe for him.

I’ve adapted the Margot Bakery sourdough bagel recipe. It’s a great recipe, however, I could never fit 12 bagels onto my baking sheets, and the volume of dough was too large for my stand mixer! I also wanted to incorporate more wholemeal flour as a way of increasing the fibre content. I also didn’t have the malt syrup, so for anyone who wishes to make vegan bagels, swap the honey back out for the original malt syrup.

You could of course do the more traditional approach of cinnamon and raisin bagels, but I have always preferred sultanas over raisins. Other fruits that would work well in this recipes include dried blueberries, cranberries or cherries.

The bagels are best eaten fresh on the day, although still delicious if left for a day or two. A great way to capture that freshness is to slice the bagels in half and then freeze. This way they are ready to pop straight into the toaster from the freezer and are ready to be eaten within minutes.

Makes 12 bagels

Ingredients

For the leven

  • 35g 50:50 strong white: strong wholemeal flour
  • 115g 50:50 strong white: strong wholemeal flour
  • 25g granulated sugar

For the dough

  • 20g honey or malt syrup if making vegan
  • 180g strong white flour
  • 180g strong wholemeal flour
  • 400g plain flour
  • 12g salt
  • 10g ground sweet cinnamon
  • 120g sultanas

Extras

  • Vegetable oil
  • 50:50 mix plain flour: rice flour
  • 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Sourdough Cinnamon and Sultana Bagels

Method

  • The morning before making the bagels, refresh your starter with 35g 50:50 strong white: strong wholemeal flour and 35g water. Mix and leave for 10-12 hours.
  • The night before making the bagels, in a large jar mix 70g of the refreshed starter mixture, 115g 50:50 strong white: strong wholemeal flour, the sugar and 70g water. Leave for 10-12 hours.
  • The next day, mix all the remaining ingredients, 425g water and 250g of the refreshed starter. Knead the dough on a medium setting of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, frequently scraping down the sides and hook, for around 8-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can work the dough by hand, but it will be sticky so resist the urge to add extra flour. Knead for 10 minutes.
  • Lightly grease a 3l container. Transfer the dough, cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 3 hours.
  • Line 2 large baking trays with baking parchment and dust with 50:50 rice and plain flour.
  • Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll out into neat balls. Try to tuck any sultanas into the dough to prevent burning when baking.
  • Place 6 balls evenly spaced out onto a tray and cover with lightly oiled clingfilm. Leave to rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
  • Peel back the clingfilm, take one ball and make a hole in the centre of the ball. Using two fingers, stretch the ball into a bagel shape using a winding motion. Redust the parchment with 50:50 rice and plain flour and place the bagel back down.
  • Repeat for the remaining 5 balls on the baking tray.
  • Starting back with the first bagel, repeat the winding stretch to open the bagel back up.
  • Cover back up with the oiled cling film and leave to prove at room temperature for 3-6 hours depending on the temperature of the room; in warmer weather prove for a shorter period of time.
  • Transfer to the fridge overnight for up to 24 hours.
  • The next day remove the bagels from the oven and allow to return to room temperature.
  • Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C convection, place a tray in the bottom of the oven, and bring 2l of water to the boil in a large pan.
  • Once the water is boiling add the bicarbonate of soda.
  • Boil the bagels in batches of up to 3 depending on the size of your pan for 30 seconds.
  • Remove and allow to dry slightly on a wire rack before transferring to a clean baking sheet lined with baking parchment, allowing space for them to expand in the oven.
Boiled bagels ready for baking
  • Once all the bagels are boiled, boil 200ml water.
  • As quickly as possible, place the trays of bagels into the oven and pour the boiled water into the tray at the bottom of the oven.
  • Close the door to trap as much steam as possible. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 20°C and bake for 15 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, remove the tray of water and if your bagels are on split levels, rotate your trays around for even cooking. Bake for a further 8-9 minutes.
  • Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Per bagel: 205kcal/ 1.2g fat/ 0.2g saturated fat/ 41.2g carbohydrates/ 3.1g fibre/ 6.6g protein

Vegetable and Tofu Gyoza

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These easy to make dumplings look rather impressive. They also happen to be vegan, but if you wish you can add other flavours to the mix such as oyster sauce, fish sauce, or replace the tofu with an alternative source of protein.

If you want, you can also make a large batch of dumplings and freeze them. Simply line a baking tray with baking parchment and arrange the dumplings so they don’t touch. Freeze and then place into bags for up to 3 months. You can cook them straight from frozen, just add an extra few minutes onto the steaming time to make sure they are piping hot in the centre.

These little dumplings are delicious served with a simple dipping sauce made from soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. You can also add other flavours such as chilli, spring onion or sesame seeds. Alternatively, they are amazing dipped in some shop bought hoisin sauce!

Serves 3 as a starter

Ingredients

  • 1 portion of dumpling skins
  • 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and finely diced. Reserve the soaking liquid
  • 100g firm tofu
  • 30g cabbage, finely sliced
  • 30g carrot, finely diced
  • 30g bamboo shoots, finely sliced
  • 1 spring onion, finely chopped
  • 10g coriander, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, very finely diced
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
  • 2 tsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 1/2 tsp rapeseed oil

Method

  • Mix all of the ingredients, except the rapeseed oil, and 2 tablespoons of the reserved shiitake mushroom liquid together. Gently heat in a pan or wok till the cabbage has softened and the liquid has become slightly thick so it coats all the ingredients, about 2-3 minutes. Add extra mushroom liquid if needed.
  • Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
  • Take 1 dumpling skin and fill it with a heaped teaspoon of the mixture. Pinch the end and then pleat the top half of the skin onto the bottom half of the skin to create a slight crescent shape.
  • Add the rapeseed oil to your frying pan to stop the dumplings from sticking, and arrange them so they have at least 1 cm between each dumpling. You may need to cook them in batches depending on the size of your pan.
  • Cook for 2-3 minutes over a low-medium heat so they are golden on the bottom. Then add hot water to cover the bottom third of the dumpling and immediately cover with a lid to steam the dumplings.
  • After 5 minutes, remove the lid and allow any remaining liquid to evaporate off, allowing the bottoms to crisp for 1 minute.
  • Remove the dumplings onto a plate and enjoy hot with a dipping sauce of your choice.

Per serving: 230kcal/ 5.8g fat/ 1.3g saturated fat/ 33.2g carbohydrates/ 3.6g fibre/ 9.7g protein

Burrata and Grilled Peach Salad Pizza

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I made this for my friend who is an avid supporter of my sourdough pizzas, simply to give her something different to try. She may have protested slightly at the thought of having a “salad pizza”, but at the end of a week’s stay with me in my lockdown food bubble, this turned out to be one of her favourite foods we ate. And we ate a lot of foods!

This is easily adaptable to be vegetarian by omitting the Parma ham, and was in part inspired by a famous pizza chain’s vegan pizza dish I saw an old colleague have some 15 years ago. I must admit that back then, before I had started my path down nutrition, the thought of a cheeseless salad pizza did not appeal in the way it would do now.

If you are vegan, the base pizza dough recipe is completely vegan. You can still top it with the salad and grilled peaches, and it would be delicious as is, but I suspect the vegan dairy-free alternative cheese would make a wonderful addition to it.

Makes 1 pizza, serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1/3 portion of pizza dough
  • Semolina for dusting
  • 100g passata
  • 2 large ripe peaches or nectarines, cut into wedges
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 80g rocket, watercress, baby leaf spinach or pea shoots
  • 3 slices of Parma ham
  • 1 ball burrata
  • Drizzle of balsamic glaze

Method

  • Preheat the oven to maximum temperature (mine is 275°C fan) and place a heavy bottom tray/pizza stone in the middle of the oven. Allow the oven to reach temperature and wait a further 10 minutes to ensure the tray is fully heated.
  • Dust the work surface with semolina, take a ball of dough and place it on the semolina and finely dust with flour.
  • Using your fingers, press around the edge 1 cm in to form a crust.
  • Using the palm of your hand, press inside this line to flatten the dough in the centre.
  • When you can press it no more, pick the dough up and using your knuckles, gently ease the dough out so it becomes thin and slightly transparent. Take care not to rip the dough. Ensure the base has an even covering of semolina.
  • Transfer the pizza base onto a pizza peel.
  • Add 100g passata over the base, up to but not on the crust part of the dough.
  • Transfer the pizza onto the tray in the oven using a strong and decisive forward and back motion to slide the pizza off the peel.
  • Cook the pizza for 6-7 minutes depending on the temperature of your oven. The pizza should have very dark golden blistered crusts, and the passata will have evaporated some of the liquid.
  • Meanwhile, heat a heavy-based griddle pan over a high heat.
  • Coat the peach wedges in the oil before grilling for 1-2 minutes per side.
  • Remove the pizza and allow to rest for 1 minute.
  • Scatter the pizza with the salad leaves and grilled peaches. Tear the Parma ham and evenly distribute over the pizza. Place the burrata ball in the centre and drizzle with the balsamic glaze.
  • Best eaten straight away.

Per serving: 756kcal/ 23.0g fat/ 11.4g saturated fat/ 88.7g carbohydrates/ 8.3g fibre/ 27.9g protein

Tomato and Pine Nut Sauce

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Using my homegrown sun-ripened tomatoes and pairing it with pine nuts makes for the most delicious and creamy sauce, yet is completely vegan! Perfectly paired with freshly cooked pasta, you could also use it over roasted vegetables, marinated cuts of meat, fish, or tofu, or spread it over freshly toasted bread to make a quick bruschetta.

Any left overs can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 large onions, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 500g tomatoes, roughly diced
  • 1 bunch of fresh basil, leaves and stalks
  • 50g pine nuts

Method

  • Cook the onions and oil together over a low heat till the onions become translucent and soft.
  • Add the tomatoes and roughly chopped basil stalks, bringing to a light boil over a medium-low heat. Keep cooking till the volume has reduced by a third and the mixture becomes thicker, about 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, lightly toast your pine nuts under the grill for a few minutes, turning frequently to prevent them from burning. Keep them lightly golden to retain their natural sweetness.
  • Add the basil leaves and pine nuts to the tomato mixture and blend till smooth.

Per serving: 163kcal/ 13.0g fat/ 1.2g saturated fat/ 8.3g carbohydrates/ 2.4g fibre/ 3.4g protein

Sourdough Margherita Pizza

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Simple, classic, completely delicious. You could pimp it out with any toppings you wish, or just keep it as is.

The trick is to have a very thick pizza pan or a pizza stone. These retain the heat when you put the pizza on to cook, resulting in a crispy base. I use a cast iron pizza pan, which can seriously retain its heat.

Use my sourdough base recipe, picking up after the 30 minute bench rest.

Makes 3 pizzas

Ingredients

  • 300g passata
  • 150g buffalo mozzarella
  • 3 springs of fresh basil
  • Semolina and flour for dusting

Method

  • Preheat the oven to maximum temperature (mine is 275°C fan) and place a heavy bottom tray/pizza stone in the middle of the oven. Allow the oven to reach temperature and wait a further 10 minutes to ensure the tray is fully heated.
  • Dust the work surface with semolina, take a ball of dough and place it on the semolina and finely dust with flour.
  • Using your fingers, press around the edge 1 cm in to form a crust.
  • Using the palm of your hand, press inside this line to flattern the dough in the centre.
  • When you can press it no more, pick the dough up and using your knuckles, gently ease the dough out so it becomes thin and slightly transparent. Take care not to rip the dough. Ensure the base has an even covering of semolina.
  • Transfer the pizza base onto a pizza peel.
  • Add 100g passata over the base, up to but not on the crust part of the dough.
  • Tear 50g buffalo mozzarella into large chunks and scatter over the passata.
  • Transfer the pizza onto the tray in the oven using a strong and decisive forward and back motion to slide the pizza off the peel.
  • Cook the pizza for anywhere between 6-9 minutes depending on the temperature of your oven. The pizza should have very dark golden blistered crusts, and the mozzarella and passata should be bubbling and start turning golden.
  • Remove the pizza, and scatter with fresh basil leaves.
  • Best eaten straight away.

Per whole pizza: 1028kcal/ 13.3g fat/ 7.2g saturated fat/ 145.4g carbohydrates/ 12.3g fibre/ 38.6g protein

Sourdough Pizza Base

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Easy to make sourdough pizza bases which are almost foolproof. You will need a minimum of 4 hours to make the bases, but in cooler temperatures it may take a little longer. Alternatively you can make the dough over a longer period of time in increase the flavour complexity of the base by allowing a longer fermentation. You can choose what you prefer, I tend to go for a medium fermentation of between 6-8 hours to get the texture and flavour I personally enjoy for my pizzas.

Makes 3 pizzas

Ingredients

Starter

  • 15g starter, refreshed 10-12 hours prior to use
  • 25g strong wholemeal flour
  • 25g strong white flour

For the dough

  • 100g strong wholemeal flour
  • 400g strong white flour
  • 8g salt

Method

  • The night before making pizzas, mix the starter, flours and 50ml filtered water together in a jar. Leave for 10-12 hours at room temperature.
  • The next day, mix the two flours in a large flat bottomed dish.
  • Measure 300ml tepid water (25°C) and add 100g starter refreshed the night before. Mix till homogenous and add to the flour, mixing well.
  • Leave covered with a tea towel for 30 minutes.
  • Measure 75ml tepid water and add the salt, mixing till dissolved.
  • Add to the autolysed mixture and mix till evenly distributed.
  • Cover and leave for 45 minutes.
  • Complete 1 coil fold, cover, and rest for 45 minutes
  • Repeat 3 more coil folds 45 minutes apart.
  • After resting for 45 minutes after the fourth coil fold, tip the dough out onto the work surface and dust liberally with a 50:50 mixture of rice flour and white flour.
  • Divide the dough into 3 equal portions and flip each portion so it is flour side down.
  • Working with one piece at a time, fold the corners into the centre, trying to incorporate as little flour as possible whilst creating tention in the skin. Use a dough scraper to help. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  • Place the dough balls on the dusted work surface and cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Seeded Beetroot Cake

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This recipe was inspired by a recipe by Nigel Slater which I started making after growing beetroots for the first time (and rather successfully I might add). We had so many beetroots to use up I had to try to find new recipes to use them in. I thought this recipe was so delicious and was an easy way to use the rapidly growing beetroots.

I decided to make my own version of this cake seeing as there is so much added free sugars in the original recipe. While sugar is sugar at the end of the day, swapping dates in the place of sugar doesn’t make this cake much healthier than the original, but it is a nice twist which adds a little extra fibre diversity into the mix.

It’s also worth point out that while this recipe was going through the developmental stages I learnt that you cannot blend the dates directly with the oil as you would with water. It makes the most sticky mess and I almost gave up! So trust me on this one, blend with the water first and the mix in the oil at the end. That way there won’t be any frustrated cake tears.

Serves 10

Ingredients

  • Butter or oil, for greasing
  • 125g dates
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • Zest and juice of half a lemon
  • 180g self-raising flour
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 120ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 170g/5oz raw beetroot, peeled and grated
  • 75g/3oz sultanas or raisins
  • 75g/3oz mixed seeds (such as sunflower, pumpkin and linseed)
  • 10g coconut flakes

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C convection.
  • Line a 1lb bread tin with baking parchment and grease the sides lightly.
  • In a jug, blend the dates and 50ml boiling water to a thick paste consistency. Add the egg yolks and lemon juice and mix before adding the oil and grated beetroot.
  • In a separate bowl, sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cinnamon together. Add the lemon zest, sultanas and seeds, mixing to evenly disperse them.
  • In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites to a soft peak consistency.
  • Mix the beetroot mixture with the dry ingredients, mixing to a batter before gently folding the egg whites in.
  • Pour into the lined tin, top with coconut flakes and bake for 40-45 minutes, covering with foil after 20 minutes. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  • Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Per slice: 291kcal/ 16.6g fat/ 2.9g saturated fat/ 28.9g carbohydrates/ 2.8g fibre/ 5.8g protein

Sourdough Crackers

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Sourdough crackers which use up all the left over sourdough discard, meaning that between each preparation of the leaven for baking, the discarded sourdough starter can be turned into their own item and reduce food waste. Simply store all the unused starter in a clean container in the fridge, topping it up as you make more starter. You can keep adding starter for around 2 weeks to save up enough to make these crackers.

Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s so forgiving, you can use whatever flours you happen to have in your cupboard. This way you can increase the fibre diversity for your weekly tally by using different grains such as spelt, rye or wholegrain flours. Some flours absorb more water than others, and depending on how wet your starter discard is will determine exactly how much flour is needed for the dough.

Mix up the cracker flavours by adding in different ingredients. The below recipe is a simple seeded recipe, but the addition of nigella seeds will give a savoury flavour, or top with a little grated cheese over the top before cutting a baking to make a cheese topped cracker.

I keep my crackers very rustic looking. I simply roll out the dough and then run a pizza cutter through to make rough squares. You could of course jazz up their appearance by using a biscuit cutter to make specific shapes, or perhaps make them more seasonal with those cookie cutters you bought but never seem to get around to using…..!

If you want to ensure you have flat crackers without air bubbles in them, prick them with a fork before baking. This will allow any trapped air to be released rather than bubbling up and creating a pillow shaped cracker.

Makes around 40 crackers

Ingredients

  • 175g sourdough discard
  • 125g flour of choice (I have used equal portions of spelt, rye and khorasan)
  • 30ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 30 mixed seeds of choice (I have used poppy, linseed and sesame)

Method

  • Add the starter, flour and oil in a bowl and mix together to combine. The mixture should be firm but pliable and not stick to your hands – add more flour or water depending on how it feels.
  • Mix the seeds in and knead the dough lightly for a few minutes till smooth. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection.
  • Divide the ball into 2 and roll out to around 2mm thickness, using a little extra flour to stop the dough from sticking.
  • Cut into the desired cracker shape and size and place onto a baking sheet.
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes till golden brown and crispy.
  • Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Cornish Crab Nachos

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I call these Cornish crab nachos, not just because the crab I buy comes from Cornwall, but because this recipe is inspire by one of the best dishes I ate while I was on holiday there. Trying to recreate the same taste and flavours has been a task I have happily venture on time and time again. Now all I can do it share this taste of summer holidays with you.

I make my own simple nachos by using tortillas bought from the shop. For those who want to, you can take another short cut by buying tortilla chips rather than making you own, but they are so simple, take next to no time and honestly make the difference. Well worth the extra prep time and effort, trust me!

The original crab nachos from Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar were simply served with pickled chillis and limed soured cream. Delicious as it was, I couldn’t help but add a few more plant-based foods for diversity. Feel free to add or take away to your likings, but I have settled on my flavour combo!

The tortilla chips were also deep fried, and completely delicious! However, I cannot be bothered with the faff of deep frying, and honestly, toasting them in a hot oven with a little olive oil gets them super crispy without most of the guilt!

Finally, if I can’t get pickled chillis, fresh will do, but they do add a little extra kick of flavour fresh chillis can’t quite give.

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients

  • 8 wholemeal flour tortillas
  • 30ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small avocado
  • 1 plum tomato
  • Pickled peppers e.g. jalapeños or roquito peppers or fresh chillis
  • 80g soured cream
  • Juice of 1/2 a lime
  • 1 tub of white crab meat
  • Fresh coriander

Method

  • Preheat the oven 180°C fan, 200°C convection
  • Brush the top side of each tortilla with oil and stack them on top of each other. Cut the flour tortillas into 8 triangles a piece and lay in a single layer of 2 baking trays.
  • Bake in the oven for 8 minutes till golden brown and crispy. Leave to cool slightly.
  • Meanwhile, chop the avocado into 1cm cubes. Deseed the tomato and dice into 1cm cubes.
  • Mix the soured cream and lime together.
  • Layer the crispy tortilla chips into a large bowl, scatter with the avocado, tomato, chillis, and crab meat.
  • Drizzle the soured cream dressing over the top and scatter with fresh coriander

Crispy Lemon Rosemary Chickpea and Burrata Summer Pasta

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I’m trying to find some inventive ways to use up the leftover beetroot leaves as I process them to try to preserve the taste of summer. Beetroot leaves are so similar to perpetual spinach or Swiss chard. For every homegrown beetroot given out, I also say to my willing receiver “did you know you can eat the leaves too?” There is absolutely no reason to waste them so apart from giving them to the chickens as a little treat, I’m also trying to utilise them myself. If you can get hold of whole beetroots with the leaves still attached, or are growing them yourself (or being gifted as I am doing with so many beetroots!) then you absolutely must try them!

The standard purple beetroots still contain some of the bright purple-red colouring found in the bulb, so I would only assume there are some of the same health benefits from eating the leaves as there are from the actual beetroot itself, although it a smaller quantity which is reflected in the light staining you get from the leaves themselves. There hasn’t been any research into this as far as I can see, but at the end of the day it is green and leafy, and as it’s not toxic to humans, I can only assume there must be some good to eating them whole vegetable from root to leaf.

For me, eating beetroot leaves is a true taste of summer, and something I am currently relishing. I hope that you can get your hands on some beetroot leaves, but if you can’t, or decide you need a little reminder of Summer when it’s dark and gloomy in Winter, use baby leaf spinach, kale or even cabbage.

While I think that standard “white” spaghetti would look more aesthetically pleasing, I am always drawn to using wholemeal pasta wherever possible due to the extra fibre (from 7g fibre per portion up to almost 12g). I also think it helps enhance the slight earthiness of the beetroot leaves.

Serves 3

Ingredients

  • 1 tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 3 springs of rosemary, leaves removed from 1 sprig and roughly chopped
  • Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 250g cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 200g wholemeal pasta
  • 150g beetroot leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1 ball of fresh burrata

Method

  • Mix the chickpeas, 1 tbsp oil, lemon zest, and 2 spring of rosemary in a baking tray. Bake at 180°C fan/ 200°C convection/gas mark 6 for 15 minutes till crispy and fragrant.
  • Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, garlic and remaining oil to a saucepan, and cook for 5 minutes, before adding the balsamic vinegar and chopped rosemary. If needed add a little water to stop it from sticking.
  • Boil the wholemeal pasta for 2 minutes less than the instructions, reserving a little pasta water.
  • Add the beetroot leaves into the tomato sauce before mixing in the cooked pasta. Return to the heat for 1 minute, adding some of the reserved pasta water if required to loosen the sauce.
  • Serve with the crispy chickpeas, crispy rosemary, and the burrata ball over the top.

Per serving: 501kcal/ 14.2g fat/ 7.0g saturated fat/ 70.0g carbohydrates/ 11.8g fibre/ 18.6g protein

Goat Cheese Stuffed Beetroot Risotto Cakes

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Got some leftover risotto from my Beetroot and Goat Cheese Risotto recipe? Here’s how to turn it into a delicious alternative dish which will give you an excuse to make extra risotto next time! Alternatively, you could make these beetroot and goat cheese risotto cakes from the get-go, but it’s best to cool the mixture in the fridge overnight. This is also a handy way of increasing resistant starch, something our bodies are unable to digest, but the microbes in our guts love them and it makes them happy!

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 40g goat cheese, cut into 2 slices
  • 300g leftover beetroot risotto, chilled in the fridge overnight
  • 30g plain flour
  • 1 small egg, beaten
  • 50g breadcrumbs, I have used panko
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

  • Preheat the over to 180°C fan, 200°C convection.
  • Take the beetroot risotto and fill a food ring halfway up with the risotto.
  • Place the goat cheese slice into the centre and completely cover with more risotto mixture, ensuring the cheese is fully encased.
  • Season the flour and then dust the risotto cake on all sides with the flour, evenly coating all the sides.
  • Coat the rice cake in the beaten egg before rolling in the panko breadcrumbs.
  • Place on a lined baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil.
  • Bake for 15 minutes till golden brown and crispy.

Delicious served with a warm salad of lentils and crispy kale as made in my Roasted Squash, Kale and Lentil Winter Salad.

Courgette Chips

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When you’re growing so many courgettes you simply don’t know how best to eat them! This seems to be my 2020 courgette staple dish, I find myself making them on a weekly basis, and they make the most amazing starter or side to a lunch or dinner.

I usually favour the traditional chip or wedge shape, but they also do well in a circular crisp style, perfect for dunking into a dip of your choice

There are also so many different ways to flavour them. You could go spicy with chilli and chipotle, or garlic and herb, or do as I do with herbs and parmesan.

The dipping sauce is also yours to own too. If you don’t want soured cream you could make a spicy mayonnaise, or serve with a little tomato chilli relish. Fancy ketchup? No problem there either. Your chips and you dip them in whatever you wish.

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 medium courgette, cut into wedges
  • 1 small egg, beaten
  • 30g plain flour
  • 10g parmesan, finely grated
  • Dried herbs of choice
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

To serve

  • 75g sour cream
  • Juice of half a lime
  • Fresh herbs, such as coriander and chives

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 225°C fan, 240°C convection
  • Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
  • Mix the flour, parmesan, herbs, and some pepper together in a shallow bowl.
  • Keeping one hand for dry dusting, and one hand for the egg, roll each courgette wedge in the flour mix, followed by the egg, and back into the flour mix, ensure all edges have been covered at each stage. Place on a baking sheet.
  • Repeat till all the courgette chips have been used.
  • Drizzle with the olive oil and bake in the oven for 8 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, roughly chop the herbs and mix with the soured cream and lime juice.
  • Once the courgette chips are cooked, transfer to a plate and serve with the dipping sauce.