The Mr Organic range of tinned tomatoes are free from added sugar and salt. The tins are BPA free which means they do not contain bisphenol A. BPA is a chemical often used in industrial food packaging.
Available from Waitrose, Ocado and Holland & Barrett the Mr. Organic range of pastas and sauces are perfect store cupboard items. Made in Italy with no added preservatives, we love them for their no added sugar or chemical ingredients.
Penne £2.12 / 500g Ocado
The Mr Organic range includes whole wheat pasta. It’s nutty flavour is superb and makes for a really healthy option.
£1.60 / 400g Ocado
Plum, cherry or chopped tomatoes are all packed within a few hours of being harvested. Mr Organic tomatoes 4 pack offer from Ocado > HERE
£2.25 / 350g Ocado
Made with sun ripened Italian tomatoes and mushrooms this is an authentic flavoursome sauce.
Chorizo, courgettes and chillies added to a basic carbonara make a delicious, quick and easy lunch or weeknight supper. Quartering and slicing your courgette and finely slicing the spring onions gives an attractive finish.
Get your ingredients ready while the spaghetti is cooking
Ingredients:
150g spaghetti
50g lardons
50g chorizo, chopped
1 medium size courgette, chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
1 small chilli, chopped (optional)
50ml single cream (optional)
1 pinch chilli flakes
1 lemon, zested and juiced
basil, a good handful
Step by step:
Step 1
Put your spaghetti on to cook as per the pack instructions, minus about one minute than stated cooking time.
Step 2
Prepare your ingredients and cook off the lardons, chorizo for a couple of minutes until they are nice and crispy. Add the courgette and chilli. After approximately 5 minutes, turn the heat down.
Step 3
Add your spaghetti to the pan, using tongs and stir in a little cream and cook for about a minute on the low heat. Add a splash or two of the pasta cooking water if needed. If you want more of a classic carbonara flavour, add a beaten egg with some grated parmesan to the sauce.
Step 4
We have used a thin spaghetti and made a light creamy sauce, Penne also works well. Chilli flakes are always a favourite store cupboard item.
Stir the spaghetti through the other ingredients in the pan and check the pasta is done. Serve with the basil scattered over and a bowl of grated parmesan to the side. A squeeze of lemon juice is always welcome.
Store cupboard essential
We use a generous handful of Basil
Using Penne, the pasta soaks up all the sauce and a good grating of parmesan on top to serve.
Shakshuka originates from North Africa and the Middle East and the name comes from the Arabic word meaning “mixed” or “shaken up”. Originally a vegetarian dish, it is often cooked with chorizo or merguez sausage.
You can vary the colour of shakshuka, simply by changing the ingredients. Make it green using green peppers and chillies and chopped spinach. Yellow peppers and chopped butternut squash will give you a nice orange colour.
Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
100g chorizo, sliced
2 roasted red peppers from a jar
1 garlic clove, minced or chopped
a good handful of coriander, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 birds eye chilli, chopped or chilli flakes or cayenne pepper (optional)
Tomato sauce
4 fresh tomatoes
4 large eggs
chopped parsley and mint to garnish
Chorizo comes in a variety of flavours
Step by step:
Make the shakshuka sauce...
Step 1.
In a large lidded pan, sautee the chopped onions and chorizo and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add the peppers and garlic with a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt, coriander, paprika, cumin and chopped chilli, or chilli flakes (if using) and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Chop or mince your garlic to vary the flavour
Step 2.
Add the tomatoes and a good glug of tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, cover and leave to simmer for about 15 mins. Uncover and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened.
When the sauce is ready, add the eggs...
Step 3.
We added poached eggs separately on this occasion. Normally, we just make wells in the sauce and crack in the eggs.
Serve the dish in the pan garnished with the parsley and mint. Some crusty baguette is great for mopping up the sauce.
Tips and variations:
Use fresh peppers if you prefer
Chopped spinach goes well, added after 10 mins of cooking
Mince your garlic for a milder flavour
Add a drizzle of tahini when serving for extra flavour.
Use a sweet paprika – Tesco have a great one for £1
Seasonal asparagus with a nutty brown butter pastry crust, punchy capers and gruyère – perfect for lunch or tea time snack.
Ingredients:
250g asparagus, trimmed
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
250ml double cream
1 lemon, zested and segmented
50g gruyère, finely grated
2 tbsp capers, drained
Brown butter pastry:
225g plain flour
150g butter
1 egg
Step by step:
First – make your pastry
Heat the butter in a small frying pan, swirling frequently, until foaming. Cook for 1-2 minutes until it starts to turn brown and smell nutty. Transfer to a bowl to cool. When it is cool, transfer to the fridge to chill and turn solid. Once cold, cut into cubes.
Whizz the flour and brown butter in a food processor until it looks like damp sand, then add the yolk and 1-2 tbsp of ice-cold water to bring it together. Wrap and chill for 30 mins.
Now make the filling
Steam the asparagus for 3 minutes, then rinse under cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Keep 6-8 of the best spears whole, and chop the remainder into 1cm pieces.
Heat your oven to 200C / 180C fan / Gas 6. Roll out the pastry to 2-3 millimetre thick and use it to line a 23cm tart tin. Prick the base all over with a fork. Fill with a piece of baking paper and baking beans. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and cook for another 5 minutes until the base looks dry.
Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, cream, lemon zest and cheese with some seasoning.
Trim the pastry case and place the chopped asparagus over the base. Scatter over the capers and pour over the egg mixture. Arrange the remaining asparagus spears on top and cook in the oven for 35-40 mins or until set but still with a slight wobble to the middle. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Tips
We roll the pastry to just 2-3 millimetre thickness which makes a nice texture and helps ensure you don’t get a soggy bottom
Steaming the asparagus retains more of the nutrients and flavour. M&S have an excellent quality steamer for £55.
Whole wheat pasta is better for our health because the whole grain is milled and therefore it contains more nutrients than white pasta equivalents. The outer membrane contains a lot of fibre, vitamins and minerals including vitamins E and B plus magnesium and iron.
The higher vitamin content in whole wheat pasta increases phytochemicals that help protect against some cancers.
Consuming whole grains is beneficial in many ways including:
Heart health…
Recent studies have shown that people who eat the right amount of whole grains every day reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 30%.
Reduce your risk stroke and obesity by aiding weight control, digestive health and reducing calories intake and cholesterol levels.
Diabetes…
Whole grains help maintain insulin levels which in turn helps improve our body’s glucose control. Adequate intake of whole grains lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by around 30%.
Whole wheat pasta is not the cheapest option, but it is useful if you are making health conscious decisions about food. Whole wheat pasta has a lower glycemic index than refined pasta which means means it is helpful in controlling blood sugar levels.
You can cook most pasta recipes successfully using whole grain pasta. Whole wheat pasta tends to be brown in colour and has a nuttier taste. If you are using flavoursome pasta sauces the taste difference will be negligible.
Generally, whole wheat pasta takes a little longer to cook and overcooking will result in a mushy texture.
Photo courtesy Craig Melville – Acekreations
Best Buys
We have tried several brands and the overall winner in taste test and value for money is Barilla.
Barilla have recently done away with the plastic window on their packaging which together with a great flavour and mid price makes them our first choice. Fusilli £1.50 / 500g
Mr. Organic with paper bag packaging and nice flavour but nearly twice the price of Barilla was second choice. Fusilli £2.70 / 500g
Sainsbury’s was the cheapest (currently price matched to Aldi) and a good flavour. However, the plastic packet which tears very easily on opening made that third place. Fusilli 75p / 500g
Bart Ingredients and Chilli Kitchens are running a competition where one lucky person will win a brand new kitchen. Runners up prizes include Barts herbs and spices, Mr Organic products, Tilda rice and utensils from Denby.
The closing date for entries is 31st December 2024 so there is plenty of time to get your entry in!
Our neighbour has a huge garden and every year she shares boxes of fruit which we make into salads and enjoy with a glass (or two) of chilled cava.
Ingredients:
3 Nectarines or peaches
3 Tomatoes
Salt & Black Pepper
Basil – a large handful
Chopped pistachios
Vinaigrette – preferably homemade
200g feta cheese
Balsamic glaze
For your vinaigrette:
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
fresh lemon juice
maple syrup
sea salt and black pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients, taste and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Use any ripe tomatoes
For your salad:
Cut your nectarines or peaches into thin slices.
Slice the tomatoes and finely chop the pistachios. Tear some of the basil leaves into smaller pieces, saving some whole leaves for garnish.
Make your vinaigrette (see above)
In a large bowl, combine the sliced nectarines or peaches, halved tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, pistachios and basil leaves.
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss everything together until well coated.
Serve the salad immediately or let it chill in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes before serving.
Sprinkle a little extra feta and some more fresh basil on top before serving. Add a few drops of Balsamic glaze for a lovely extra flavour boost.
Use ripe peaches which are still firm
Tips:
Your nectarines or peaches should be ripe but still firm enough to retain their shape. Too ripe and they will tend to mush when combining with the other ingredients.
Use any tomatoes that are fully ripe. If you use cherry tomatoes, they should be halved.
This basic recipe is easily adaptable. Use finely sliced red onion if you want a sharper flavour. Goats cheese, balsamic vinaigrette and kalamata olives all go well and if you want lettuce, try some little gem.
M&S Feta cheese £2.15 for 200g
£1.80 for 215ml
Balsamic glaze is made by reducing balsamic vinegar and adding sugar. Sweeter than balsamic vinegar, the glaze is also thicker / viscous texture which makes it ideal for dressing salads. Use it also on meats and fish where you want the flavour of balsamic but not the runny vinegar consistency.
This combination of flavours makes a delicious summertime salad. Nectarines, tomatoes and basil with feta and Greek yoghurt – what’s not to love?
Nectarines – high in vitamin C
Ingredients:
3 ripe nectarines
3 large ripe tomatoes
Salt & black pepper
Basil – a large handful
7 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
100g feta
200g full – fat greek yoghurt
50g chopped pistachios
1 tbsp zaatar
Use any ripe tomatoes
Step by step:
Cut your nectarines and tomatoes into bitesize wedges. Place them in a bowl and scatter over some sea salt and a good grind of black pepper. Tear in the basil, add 4 tbsp of olive oil and the vinegar, leave to steep for 30 minutes.
Blitz half the feta with the yoghurt and a tablespoon of oil in a food processor until you have a smooth and silky dressing. Spoon this into a bowl, cover and store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Chop your pistachios into small pieces and stir in the zaatar.
Assemble the nectarines, tomatoes and basil, spoon over the dressing. Finish by crumbling over the remaining feta and sprinkling over the pistachio and zaatar mixture.
Serve with a small dish of extra dressing
Tips and variations:
If your nectarines are under ripe, place them in a fruit bowl with some bananas for a day or so. If you want to use them straight away, pop the slices on a griddle pan and you will have nicely striped, soft, sweet fruit.
Add toasted breadcrumbs instead of nuts if you prefer, garnish with some anchovies or add some gherkins or capers.
Add some thinly sliced red onions and finely chopped garlic if you like a stronger flavour. If you want a really tangy flavour, substitute the feta for gorgonzola.
M&S Feta cheese £2.15 for 200g
£2.50 from Sainsbury’s 35g
What is Zaatar? A spice used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. A combination of herbs, sesame seeds, sumac and salt, it is one of the world’s unique and best seasonings.
Choose a zaatar like the one shown above which contains sumac, cumin seeds, oregano and marjoram. Cheaper alternatives substitute these ingredients for citric acid.
HEAL 