🥘 Carole’s courgette fritters…

These courgette fritters make a great starter, side dish, or main course. You will need a mixing bowl and large frying pan.

Ingredients:

2 large courgettes
2 eggs
4 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
15g oregano leaves finely chopped (1/2 small packet)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes plus extra to serve
Vegetable oil for frying
Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper

To serve:

100g vegetarian feta cheese crumbled
Clear honey

Step by step:

Coarsely grate the courgettes into a bowl. Place them on a clean tea towel, gather up the sides of the tea towel and squeeze out the liquid from the courgettes.
Put the courgettes, eggs, flour, baking powder, oregano, cumin seeds and chilli flakes in the mixing bowl. Season well with salt and pepper and beat together.
Set your frying pan over a medium-high heat and drizzle in some vegetable oil. Spoon several neat dollops of the courgette mixture into the frying pan. Press them down to make them about 3mm to 4mm thick. Don’t overcrowd the pan and cook the pancakes in batches for approximately 1 minute until the undersides are nicely browned. Flip them over and cook until the other sides have browned.

Serve the fritters immediately topped with crumbled feta, a little drizzle of honey, a sprinkling of chilli flakes and a few leaves of basil leaves or chopped parsley.

We have been experimenting with the flavoured Maldon sea salt varieties. They make chilli, garlic and smoked flavoured flakes. You can find them in supermarkets and delicatessens. Find them and a whole load of recipes at their website Maldon Salt

**Maldon smoked sea salt £1.95 Sainsbury’s**

🥘 Carole’s leek and spinach soup…

Easy to make and packed with vitamins A, C and K.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil
a knob butter
3 leeks, halved, washed and finely sliced
2 courgettes washed and chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1.5 litres vegetable or chicken stock
200g baby spinach
2 slices stale sourdough, torn or cut into small pieces
100ml single cream
50g feta cheese

Step by step:

Warm the olive oil and butter in your saucepan. Add the leeks and courgettes and cook for 10 minutes. When the vegetables are nicely softened add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in your stock and bring to a boil.
Add your bread and spinach to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Use a stick blender to whizz the soup to your desired consitency. Season to taste and serve in warmed bowls with a swirl of cream and crumbled feta.

Notes:

Add mushrooms and frozen peas, chopped potatoes or leftover veg if you want a thicker soup.

We use Kallo® organic vegetable stock cubes and a splash or two of Maggi® seasoning.

£1.50 for 8 cubes – Waitrose Special Offer

Did you know, you can buy Filippo Berio products on line. Check out their Special Offers HERE

🥘 Carole’s orange basque cheesecake…

**🥘 1 baking tin 🍽 Serves 8**
**🛒 11 ingredients £8**

I first had this cheesecake at Café Iruña in Pamplona and the combination of the ‘almost burnt’ cream with crunchy biscuit base and caramelised boozy oranges got me hooked. Ably washed down with a glass of cava it was the perfect end to a lovely lunch.

We have recreated the cheesecake to the best of our ability here.

Ingredients:

For the base

150g digestive biscuits
75g unsalted butter

For the filling

50g unsalted butter, softened
150g caster sugar
450g full-fat soft cream cheese
25g plain flour
finely grated zest of 2 oranges plus juice of 1
3 free range eggs, separated
150ml whipping cream

For the caramelised oranges

6 oranges
2 tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau
200g granulated sugar

You will need an electric hand whisk and a 23cm diameter loose bottomed cake tin.

Step by step:

1. Line the base and sides of your cake tin with greaseproof paper.

2. Preheat your oven to 170 C, 150 C fan, 325 F, gas 3. Put the biscuits in a polythene bag and crush to fine crumbs.

Mix the crushed biscuits with the butter and use to line the base of the tin, pressing down firmly with the back of a spoon. Chill the biscuit base while you make the filling.

3. Place the butter, sugar, cream cheese, flour, orange zest and juice, and egg yolks in a large bowl and beat well with an electric hand whisk until smooth.

Lightly whip the cream then fold it into the mixture.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture. Pour this filling over the biscuit base and level the surface.

5. Place in the oven for 1 to 1½ hours until just set and starting to colour, turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for another hour.

Run a palette knife around the outside edge to loosen the cheesecake and cool completely on a wire rack.

6. To make the caramelised oranges, remove all the peel and pith from the oranges and slice thinly, removing any pips. Lay them in a dish and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier, Cointreau or other orange-flavoured liqueur.

Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with 150ml of water, place over a medium heat and allow the sugar to dissolve, swirling the pan occasionally.

Increase the heat and allow the mixture to reach a rich caramel colour, remove from the heat and carefully add a little more water until you have a thick syrup.

Place the orange slices on top of the cheesecake, pour the syrup over the oranges and allow to cool. Decorate the finished cheesecake with caster sugar.

Use candied orange peel – available from supermarkets

For more information about the Café Iruña go direct to their history page HERE

Ernest Hemingway was a regular customer.
A bronze bust of the American writer remains at the bar today.

🥘 Carole’s fruit fool…

Ingredients:

400g mixed summer fruits
2 tbsp icing sugar
½ lemon (zest and juice)
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
250g Greek Yoghurt
250g crème fraîche
½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
flaked almonds

Step by step:

Place the fruit in a bowl, sprinkle over the icing sugar, lemon juice and elderflower cordial. Stir and leave to macerate for 1 hr.
Whisk the Greek yoghurt and crème fraîche together with the vanilla extract if using.
Mix the fruits and yoghurt mixture together and spoon into 6 serving dishes or glasses.
Serve topped with the almonds and some fresh fruit

Notes:

If you don’t have ripe fresh fruits, use frozen fruits from the supermarket.

Alternatively, try a passion fruit fool. Sieve the pulp of 2 passion fruits and whizz the juice with ½ a ripe mango. Mix with the yoghurt & crème fraîche mixture and spoon into the serving glasses and top with the passion fruit seeds.

***Yeo Valley 200g £1.40 from Sainsbury’s***

**Frozen fruits £2.50 / 500g Sainsbury’s**

🥘 Carole’s quick minestrone soup…

Minestrone soup is a joy to make and although there are recipes, the beauty and fun part is that you can make it up as you go along using whichever vegetables you have to hand. The most important thing is to use a good olive oil and we always use Filippo Berio for perfect results.

Ingredients:

6 rashers streaky bacon, cooked
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stick, finely chopped
2 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 large courgette, chopped
2 large mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp dried basil or herbs of your choice
1 400g tin cannellini beans
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
1.2 litre vegetable stock
Filippo Berio Olive oil
Fresh basil

Step by step:

Chop the bacon and fry until slightly crispy.
Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the fresh vegetables. For a thicker soup, stir through 2 tbsp of plain flour
Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer until vegetables are cooked to your liking.
Add some dried basil
Add the cannellini beans without their liquid and cook for another 5 minutes
Serve piping hot with a good drizzle of olive oil and chopped basil

Notes: We like the vegetables with crunch, hence the short cooking times. If you prefer the vegetables softer just cook a little bit longer.

We haven’t used garlic or extra greens in this soup, but kale and cavolo nero go well added towards the end of cooking.

We also drained the cannellini beans as their liquid can be salty

Did you know, you can buy Filippo Berio products on line. Check out their Special Offers HERE

🥘 Carole’s super soup…

Packed with vitamins, this is the ideal way to get your 5 a day in one delicious soup.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
2 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tin tomatoes
1 tin cannellini beans
1 vegetable stock cube
100g pasta
large mug of peas or petit pois
fresh basil or parsley
4 tbsp grated parmesan

Quick and easy – only one pan to wash up!

Step by step:

Put 1 tsp olive oil in your pan, add the vegetables and cook for about 10 minutes. Rinse the cannellini beans and add them to the pan with the flour. Stir through well while you add the tomatoes.
Rinse the tomato can twice adding the water to the soup. Crumble in the stock cube and add the pasta. Simmer until all the vegetables are softened, then add your peas for the final few minutes.
Serve with a swirl of extra virgin olive oil and a good helping of chopped basil or parsley.

Notes:

We use Kallo® organic vegetable stock cubes and a splash or two of Maggi® seasoning.

Did you know, you can buy Filippo Berio products on line. Check out their Special Offers HERE

🥘 Carole’s spinach, pea and pesto pasta…

Peas, pesto and pasta with spinach and basil make this a tasty, colourful vegetarian dish. We have added some chopped bacon to the meat eaters portions.

Ingredients:

200g tagliatelle, or pasta of your choice
4 rashers streaky bacon
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup of peas
50g pesto sauce
100ml single cream
1/2 bag baby spinach
handful fresh basil
2 tbsp parmesan

Step by step:

Step 1

Cook your pasta in a pan of well salted boiling water and grill or pan fry the streaky bacon.

Step 2

Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a sauté pan and fry off the onion until translucent. Add the peas and stir through the pesto sauce, add the cream, stir and cook until the peas are cooked. Now add and stir through the spinach.

Step 3

Drain off your pasta and add it to the sauce. Serve with the chopped bacon for meat eaters, plenty of chopped basil, and grated parmesan.

🥘 Carole’s avocado, feta and baby spinach salad…

***🥘 1 🍽 Serves 2 🛒 13 ingredients ⏱ 15 mins £5***

A quick, easy, and delicious salad with homemade vinaigrette.

**Maille Wholegrain Mustard £2.75 – Sainsbury’s**

Ingredients:

For your vinaigrette

125ml extra-virgin olive
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, 1 chopped or pressed
sea salt and black pepper

For your salad:

1 garlic clove, halved (optional)
1 bag mixed salad leaves
1 bag baby spinach
1 large ripe avocado, peeled and chopped
big handful of black grapes, halved
1/2 block feta (we used M&S Greek Feta)
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices streaky bacon, chopped

Step by step:

Step 1

Make your vinaigrette. Pour the extra-virgin olive oil into a glass jug or jar. Add the white wine vinegar and mustard.

Add the garlic and whisk it all together in the jug, or shake it in the jar.

Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

The vinaigrette will keep in the fridge for a week.

Step 2

Make the salad. Take a large salad bowl and wipe the sides with the halved garlic clove. Tip in the salad leaves and baby spinach and toss the leaves so they pick up a hint of the garlic.

Add the avocado, grapes and feta cheese.

Meanwhile cook your bacon so it’s nice and crispy. Set it aside on kitchen towel.

Top the salad with the chopped bacon and serve with a drizzle of oil and your own vinaigrette.

Notes:

Experiment with the dressing. Try red wine vinegar which will give a stronger flavour. Balsamic vinegar make a sweeter dressing and goes well with salads containing fruit.

The old classic of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and chopped garlic with crusty bread for mopping up is hard to beat.

Just add radish, cucumber and celery to the salad if you want extra crunch

Filippo Berio is our choice for oil and vinegar.

🥘 Carole’s Spanakopita pasta…

Inspired by the flavours of the famous Greek pie, this pasta is quick and easy to make. The spinach and feta are a great combination, simply double or quadruple the quantities of ingredients to feed more than 1 person.

Ingredients:

75g penne or tagliatelle
1 tsp olive oil
1 small clove garlic, crushed
2 salad onions, finely sliced
115g baby spinach
50g low fat soft cheese
1 handful chopped basil
1/2 unwaxed lemon, zested and 2 tsp juice
40g low fat Greek feta

Step by step:

Step 1

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions. After 5 minutes, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the garlic and salad onions over a low-medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring well. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, pop the lid on the pan.

Step 2

Stir in the soft cheese, basil and the lemon zest and juice. Gently heat through until piping hot and season well with black pepper.

Step 3

Add the pasta to the creamy spinach mixture. Spoon into a shallow bowl and crumble over the feta cheese to serve

***M&S Light Creamy Soft Cheese £1.50***

🥘 Carole’s mushroom and celery pasta…

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 small leek, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
6 large green olives, chopped
4 button or chestnut mushrooms, chopped
6 balls tagliatelle
1 x 250g jar Filippo Berio grilled vegetable pasta sauce
parmesan cheese
fresh parsley

Step by step:

Step 1

Add the olive oil to a pan and fry off the onions, celery, leeks and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Meanwhile put your pasta in a pan of boiling, salted water and cook according the pack instructions.

Add 2 tbsp water to the vegetables and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly so they don’t stick.

Step 2

Add the pasta sauce, stir thoroughly and cook for another 5 minutes. Add extra water if you want to thin the sauce.

Step 3

When the celery is softening, add the olives and parsley and cook for another minute or so.

To serve

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir through well. Serve in one big preheated bowl for everyone to dive into, or individual bowls.

**Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil £8.60 / 500ml**

Add a good drizzle of olive oil over the pasta and have a bowl of parmesan on the table with some crusty bread for mopping up the delicious sauce.

***Sainsbury’s Parmigiano Reggiano £3.40 / 200g***

Notes:

The quantities in the recipe here are ideal for 4 people. If there is only 2 of you, keep the leftover pasta, it makes a wonderful soup and you get two meals for £5.

Did you know?

Filippo Berio pasta sauce is gluten and lactose free. Made using only natural ingredients with no artificial flavourings or preservatives, the sauce has a traditional Italian flavour and tastes just like homemade.

Ingredients verdure grigliate sauce:

Tomato 78% (Tomato Pulp, Tomato Purée), Onion 4%, Grilled Aubergines 3%, Grilled Red Peppers 3%, Grilled Yellow Peppers 3%, Grilled Courgettes 3%, Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2%, Sugar, Garlic, Salt, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Oregano, Black Pepper.