Recipes

Ingredients

• 2–3 beetroots, diced small
• 1 cup cooked green lentils
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 300 ml vegetable stock (or 200 ml stock + 100 ml chopped tomatoes)
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• Salt, pepper, olive oil

Method

1. 1Sweat the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.
2. 2Add the diced beetroot, lentils, stock, thyme and seasoning.
3. 3Cover and bake at 190 °C for 25–30 mins, until the beetroot is tender.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
• A big bunch of chard, stems chopped and leaves torn
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 250 g ricotta
• 1 egg + 1 yolk for glazing
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 50 g grated hard cheese (parmesan or pecorino)
• Salt, black pepper, olive oil

Method

1. 1Sweat the chard stems in olive oil for 4 minutes, add the leaves and garlic and wilt.
2. 2Beat the ricotta with the egg, thyme, hard cheese, salt and pepper. Fold in the cooled chard.
3. 3Unroll the pastry on a lined tray, score a 2 cm border, spread the filling to the edge of the border.
4. 4Brush the border with the yolk and bake at 210 °C for 25 minutes until deep golden and puffed.

Ingredients

• 1 big sweet potato, coarsely grated
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp chopped chives or thyme
• Sea salt, black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil for frying

Method

1. 1Squeeze the grated sweet potato in a clean tea towel to get rid of as much water as you can.
2. 2Mix with the egg, cornflour, herbs and seasoning.
3. 3Heat the oil in a wide pan, drop in two big mounds and flatten to 2 cm thick.
4. 4Cook 5 mins each side on a medium heat until crisp and deep golden.
5. 5Great with a fried egg on top and some hot sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 beetroots, cut in wedges
• 3 carrots, cut in batons
• 2 parsnips, cut in batons
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp thyme or rosemary leaves
• Sea salt, black pepper

Method

1. 1Toss everything on a tray with the oil, herbs and salt.
2. 2Roast at 200 °C for 30–35 mins, turning once, until the edges caramelise.

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp mixed chopped herbs
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. 1Mix the flour, water, salt, oil and herbs into a soft dough.
2. 2Divide into 4, roll thin on a floured surface.
3. 3Cook 1–2 mins each side in a dry hot pan until blistered.

Ingredients

• 500 g cherry tomatoes
• 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• A few sprigs thyme or rosemary
• 200 ml olive oil (enough to almost cover)
• Sea salt

Method

1. 1Put tomatoes, garlic and herbs in a small ovenproof dish. Pour over the oil and salt generously.
2. 2Bake at 130 °C for 60 minutes — low and slow, so the tomatoes concentrate rather than burst.
3. 3Cool. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin back into the oil.
4. 4Keeps 10 days in the fridge in a covered jar — brilliant on toast, folded through pasta, spooned onto eggs.

Ingredients

• 225 g self-raising flour
• 50 g cold butter, cubed
• 2 tbsp mixed soft herbs, chopped
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150 ml milk
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. 1Rub the butter into the flour, baking powder and salt until it looks like breadcrumbs.
2. 2Stir in the herbs, then the milk, to a soft dough.
3. 3Pat out to 2 cm thick, stamp out 8 rounds and bake at 200 °C for 12–15 mins.

Ingredients

• 1 cup strawberries, hulled
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• A few thyme leaves or a tiny grind of black pepper

Method

1. 1Toss the strawberries with the sugar and thyme in a small ovenproof dish.
2. 2Roast at 180 °C for 10–15 minutes until the juices are syrupy.
3. 3Great warm on yoghurt, or cool as a jam-in-waiting.

Ingredients

• 3 big handfuls of soft herbs (basil, parsley, coriander, dill — pick one or mix)
• 150 ml olive oil (roughly)
• 2 ice cube trays

Method

1. 1Wash and pat the herbs completely dry (wet herbs = watery cubes).
2. 2Chop roughly, pack into the ice cube tray compartments — about ⅔ full.
3. 3Pour olive oil over each cube until submerged, top up any air pockets.
4. 4Freeze overnight, then pop out and store in a labelled bag in the freezer.
5. 5Drop a cube straight into a hot pan when you're cooking in January and summer comes back for a minute.

Ingredients

• 1 kg cherry or plum tomatoes, halved
• A big pinch of sea salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 300 ml olive oil (enough to cover in the jar)

Method

1. 1Lay the tomatoes cut-side up on a lined tray. Sprinkle with salt, sugar and thyme.
2. 2Dry them out at 110 °C for 2½ – 3 hours, until wrinkled and leathery but still a little juicy.
3. 3Layer into a sterilised jar with the garlic slices, cover completely with olive oil.
4. 4Keeps 3 months in the fridge — pull them out for pasta, focaccia and January salads.

Ingredients

• 200 g flaky sea salt
• 3 tbsp mixed hardy herbs, very finely chopped (rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano)
• Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Method

1. 1Chop the herbs very fine on a big board.
2. 2Mash into the salt (a mortar helps) with the lemon zest until the salt is evenly green.
3. 3Spread on a lined tray and dry at 60 °C for 30 minutes, or leave to air-dry for 24 hours.
4. 4Pot into a jar. Use on roast potatoes, eggs, focaccia, tomatoes on toast, popcorn.