Twice baked potatoes: kale & hazelnut pesto

Ingredients 200g kale, 100g hazelnuts, parmigiano, 1 lemon, 20g basil, basil oil, 1 small onion.

Preparation: 2 hours

Cooking the perfect baked potato is an art form, and filling it is an exercise in creativity that I never get tired of. Twice baked potatoes are glorious - a crispy shell filled with fluffy potato overlaid with gungey, creamy swirls of yumminess. Kale pesto alone is unbelievably satisfying, but adding onion really gives it an extra dimension.

1) To make the perfect baked potato.

2) Fold the kale leaves in half, slice away the stalk and discard. 

3) Add the hazelnuts into your food processor and pulse until they resemble fine crumbs. Add the parmigiano and onion (peeled and sliced into quarters), then add the kale and basil leaves bit by bit until everything is thoroughly pureed. Squeeze in a little lemon juice, salt and black pepper to taste.

4) Add the kale mixture to a pan along with the basil oil and stir on a low heat until the kale is soft and the onions are cooked. (Raw kale is wonderfully springy, by the time the onions are cooked, this quality should no longer be present)

5) Slice open the potato and scoop out as much of the potato as possible without compromising the integrity of the structure. (Oh yes, I went there!).

6) Stir the potato in with the kale pesto, then spoon back into the potato shells and bake for a further 10-15 minutes before serving.

Toasted goats cheese with fig pesto

Ingredients 2 dried/fresh figs, 1/2 orange, 75g hazelnuts, 150g basil leaves, olive oil, goats cheese, rocket

Serves: 2 Preparation: 15 minutes

In my previous post, I brought you paprika pesto - earthy and comforting it's the exact opposite of my fig pesto which sets the tongue tingling with flavour stimulation. My personal favourite pesto is Genovese style, with the addition of black kamalata olives to add a juicy richness, but I can honestly say that this fig pesto goes to another level and will blow your mind. Some rich cheese and soft bread and you've got yourself the perfect summer lunch. I have always used fresh figs when making this, but as they're out of season, I tried using sticky, sweet, meltingly soft dried figs and it gave this a delicious, autumnal twist.

1) Add a good handful of fresh basil leaves to a mortar bowl and grind to a fine pulp.

2) Add a pinch of coarse sea salt, the hazelnuts and grind thoroughly.

3) Add a squeeze of orange juice, the olive oil and finely diced figs and stir to combine.

4) Spoon onto the goats cheese and toast under the grill for 3-4 minutes, serve with rocket as a salad or spread onto fresh bread.

Lavender & hazelnut baklava

Ingredients Filo pastry, hazelnuts, lavender jam, butter

Preparation: 1 hour

I love the sticky, crispy combination of Baklava, but whilst honey and pistachio is an incredible combination... it's Autumn and my cupboards are full of hazelnuts, so I thought I'd experiment a little! Typically for me, lavender was first on my list in terms of a sweet, sticky syrup and I think this works really well.

1) Finely chop your hazelnuts or grind in a mortar and pestle until fine crumbs have formed.

2) Stir in a little melted butter to form a relatively dry nut paste.

3) Line a roasting dish with a sheet of filo pastry and top with a layer of the hazelnut paste, a sheet of filo, another layer of the hazelnut paste and repeat for at least 8 layers, pressing down firmly to ensure that they stick.

4) Trim the excess filo from the outside, and cut a cross-hatch through the filo to form diamond shaped portions. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for about 50 minutes, until the pastry is golden bubbly.

5) Pour the lavender jam over the hot pastry, allowing it to soak through the layers.