Caponata

Ingredients 50g sultanas, 50g olives, 1 aubergine, 10-15 cherry tomatoes, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp muscovado sugar, 1 onion or 1 stick celery, olive oil, 1 piece dark chocolate.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

Caponata is a hot Sicilian aubergine salad, one of those marvellous Italian dishes which is equally lovely alone as antipasti or tossed with rice or pasta to make a meal. I particularly like this with butter beans to form a sort of stew. This combination of sultanas, olives and balsamic vinegar is the perfect balance of sweet and savoury flavours, soaked up beautifully by the melt-in-the-mouth perfection of aubergine. The leftovers are marvellous spread onto bread for lunch the next day.

1) Slice the aubergine into cubes, toss with a tsp of salt and add to a colander to rest for at least half an hour to allow the bitter juices to drain away. I like to set the colander on top of a bowl so that I can check the progress - from one aubergine you will get at least 50ml of liquid!

2) Peel and finely slice the onions, or finely dice the celery and add to a pan with a glug of olive oil. Sizzle for at least 10 minutes to allow them to soften completely, then add the brown sugar, sultanas and balsamic vinegar. Turn off the heat and leave to rest so that the sultanas soak up the wonderful flavours and become plump and juicy.

3) In a separate pan, Fry off the aubergines in a little oil until they are completely soft and the skin has turned a dark and vibrant purple. Transfer to the pan of onions/celery and sultanas and turn on the heat.

4) Pit the olives and blitz in a blender (or if you can't get hold of good olives - for goodness sake don't bother buying unpitted ones, they're like hunks of rubber! - a good olive tapenade will suffice), quarter the tomatoes then add both to the pan. Stir gently so as not to break the tomatoes down too much, just bring everything together.

5) Whether serving hot, or cold, grate a little good quality dark chocolate to season (I used 85% here but if your tastes are not quite so pure, 70% will be bitter enough).

Apple, Fennel & Mozzarella salad

Ingredients 1 Apple, mozzarella, 1 fennel bulb, pork loin, bread, balsamic vinegar, cucumber

Serves: 2 preparation: 10 minutes

First things first - do not even attempt this recipe if you have chilled mozzarella. I know that I say this every time, but mozzarella needs to be at room temperature - chilled mozzarella is rubbery and flavour impaired - room temperature mozzarella is yielding, meltingly perfect and tastes wonderful. This salad works really well with layers of seared pork medallion but I went for layers of lightly toasted bread being a vegetarian and it worked beautifully. The sweetness of the apple, the fragrance of the fennel... gorgeous. This also works really well with a good sharp goats cheese.

1) Remove the core from the apple and slice finely with a mandoline. Mine allows me to slice straight into matchsticks, but if yours does not - slice the slices into matchsticks! Repeat for the fennel and the cucumber and toss together in a bowl.

2) Layer in a circle mould with the cheese and meat/bread - packing the salad down quite tightly.

3) Serve with a drizzle of balsamic glaze

Pancakes - Balsamic spinach, strawberry & goats cheese

Ingredients 120g plain flour, 2 eggs, 210ml milk, 90ml water, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, butter, strawberries, 400g spinach, 150g goats cheese.

Makes: 6 pancakes Preparation: 40 minutes


Words cannot express just how incredible a pancake filling this is. The combination of strawberries and balsamic vinegar is no stranger to this blog, but in combination with the sharp tang of goats cheese and the melting soft spinach this really is exquisite. 


1) Mix the flour with a pinch of salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs.


2) Measure 90ml water in a pyrex jug, then top it up to 300ml with milk.
Beat the eggs into the flour with a wooden spoon and gradually beat in the milk and water mixture until smooth.


3) Stir in the vegetable oil and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes but preferably an hour.


5) Melt a good knob of butter in a pan and stir in the spinach. As the leaves begin to wilt, add a good glug of olive oil and stir in the strawberries, sliced. Turn off the heat.


4) Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot, then add a small knob of butter. Pour in one ladle of batter, quickly turning the pan off the heat to coat the base evenly with the batter. Return to the hob and cook for about one minute, until the base is lightly browned. I like to use a spatula or palette knife to just loosen the edges of the pancake - once the air gets under it you will find it does not stick to the pan but slide about which helps it to flip!


5) Flip over the pancake (if you have a clumsy wrist, slide the pancake onto a plate, then tip the pan over the plate and turn it upside down. No one will ever know!


6) Once the pancake has cooked on both sides, serve filled with the strawberry, spinach and goats cheese.

Olive & goats cheese linguine

Ingredients Fine beans, goats cheese, kamalata olives, honey, linguine

Serves: 2 Preparation: 20 minutes


I know that my cooking seems to be absurdly diverse, but you may notice that there is a distinct pattern to my posts. Almost every flavour combination that I discover winds up being tossed with pasta when I have leftovers - I should change the name of this blog to Everything Goes With Pasta! When I made the  goats cheese and olive bruschetta earlier this week, I knew exactly how the remaining tapenade-like mixture would meet its fate and truly, combined with the freshness of fine beans this really was a superb dish.


1) Put the linguine on to boil. A smooth linguine will take 8 - 10 minutes in salted water, if the linguine is dusted with polenta it will more likely take 11-12 minutes to become soft and pliable.


2) Trim the ends from the fine beans and put them on to boil for 6 minutes, then strain and plunge them into ice water.


3) Once the pasta has been cooked (either taste a strand, or chuck it at the wall - if it sticks, it's done!), strain and toss in a pan with the beans and a few spoons of the remaining olive and goats cheese sauce. Warm through in the pan, stirring continually until the pasta has become coated.


I like to serve this with a little extra goats cheese crumbled on top but this is purely gluttony, the dish doesn't require any extra cheese - it's gorgeous with a little balsamic glaze drizzled over it too.

Lamb, strawberry & basil burgers

Ingredients    500g lamb mince, 60g basil, 300g    strawberries, 1 tsp basil oil, 1/2 small white onion, 1 garlic clove, balsamic vinegar

Makes: 8 burgers Preparation: 20 minutes

Tomato and strawberry are virtually interchangeable as far as flavours go and I often substitute strawberry for tomato in salads or sandwiches. Both go perfectly with basil, balsamic vinegar, cream cheese or mozzarella and the strawberry provides a wonderful platform for the rich lamb of this burger.

1) Slice the tops from the strawberries and puree in a blender until smooth. Pass the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds and rough flesh and set aside.


2) Peel and slice the onion and add half of it, along with the clove of garlic and a handful of chopped basil to your blender. Puree until finely chopped, then add the lamb mince and 2-3 tablespoons of the strawberry puree. Season well with salt and pepper, then blend until the mixture combines to form a ball.


3) Divide the meat into separate patties and sizzle in a pan with a drizzle of basil oil, turning regularly until cooked.


4) I like to further enhance the flavour of this burger by smothering it in my basil, strawberry and balsamic dressing. To make the dressing pulverise the remainder of the 60g of basil in a mortar and pestle, then stir through two tablespoons of strawberry puree and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.

Beetroot & goats cheese salad

Ingredients  Beetroot, goats cheese, balsamic glaze, pine nuts, Spinach leaves, salad leaves, basil oil.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 5


I love salad. After the indulgence of Christmas this is just what I need to feel a little bit virtuous.


1) Wash the beetroot and slice off the stalks and leaves. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Carefully peel the beetroot with the nick of a knife, then once it's cool slice into matchsticks.


2) Toss the salad leaves in basil oil and add the beetroot.


3) Crumble the goats cheese into the salad and add the pine nuts. It's entirely up to you whether you prefer them toasted or not. Personally in this salad I prefer them not to be toasted.

Baked potato: roast pepper & goats cheese

Ingredients 1 bell pepper, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, goats cheese, potato.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 45 minutes - 1 hour

Once you have made your perfect baked potato, you need to fill it! Sometimes only goats cheese will do and this tangy, creamy filling is the most indulgent thing I can think of to put on a baked potato (except for caviar and truffles, obviously!)

1) Slice the top from the pepper and remove the seeds. Slice into small pieces and lay skin side down on a baking sheet. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil and grill on a high heat for 10 minutes.

2) Turn the peppers over and continue to grill until they begin to blacken. Remove from the grill and stir into the goats cheese and spoon the glorious, gungy mixture onto the potato.

Mediterranean balsamic roasted vegetables

Ingredients 3 Baby aubergines, 1 pointed pepper, 5 baby plum tomatoes, mozarella, basil oil, salt, basil, oregano, balsamic vinegar.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

Served hot as a side dish, or served cold as a salad, this delicious combination of flavours is one I come back to again and again.

1) Slice the tops from the baby aubergines and slice in half, lengthways. Set skin side down around the edges of an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with salt.

2) Slice the tops from the pointed peppers, remove the core and seeds and arrange in the centre of the roasting dish. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar, taking care to avoid the aubergine for now.

3) Prick the baby plum tomatoes to allow the juices to escape rather than split the skin and rest on the peppers. Drizzle the entire roasting dish with basil oil and sprinkle with a good pinch of finely chopped basil and oregano.

4) Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 to allow the basil oil, tomato juices and balsamic vinegar to glaze all of the vegetables.

5) Stir in the mozarella (I used little pearls of mozarella) and serve.

Tomato & Cucumber salad

Ingredients Baby plum tomatoes, 1/2 cucumber, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mint, salt

Serves: 4 Preparation: 5 minutes


Sometimes the simplest ingredients are the most delicious and this salad is a true tribute to that. So fresh and light and perfect on the side of something rich like the buffalo steaks that I bought at Cornucopia last weekend where I had a stall flogging my lavender jam.


1) Wash the cucumber thoroughly if it's not organic - they are often waxed to help them keep their shape - and cut thick slices (about 1.5cm) into half of the cucumber. Quarter each slice.


2) I used baby plum tomatoes because I think they have a sharp, sweet taste - the smaller the tomato the more concentrated the flavour in my opinion. Cut about 15 tomatoes in half


3) Finely dice a handful of mint leaves and stir in a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to make the dressing.


4) Toss the tomatoes and cucumbers in the dressing and serve, sprinkled with a pinch of salt.

Avocado & pink grapefruit salad

Ingredients 1 avocado, 1 pink grapefruit, rocket, tsp balsamic vinegar, tsp avocado oil, feta

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes


I adore grapefruit. It's so refreshing and vibrantly coloured and better yet it's an acquired taste that I grew up wanting to like because my mother did so there's always that tiny sense of achievement that I trained myself to love it. It's the perfect partner to creamy avocado and this salad is a definite favourite of mine.


1) Slice the avocado in half and use a tablespoon to scoop it from the shell. If the avocado is ripe enough the stone will pop out with a spoon but another good method is to prick it with a knife and pull it out. Slice the avocado into segments.


2) Peeling a grapefruit is best done with a chef's knife - peel through the thick skin and white pith until the pink of the fruit is revealed. Remove the segments by cutting into the natural sections of the fruit and popping them out with your knife.


3) Toss your rocket in a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and avocado oil, then arrange the grapefruit and avocado over the top - this salad is perfect just as it is but I like to also add a little goats cheese to bring out the tang of the grapefruit.

Fig, feta & olive pesto stuffed marrow

Ingredients 1 Marrow, feta, 1 fig, balsamic glaze, Basil oil, 30g basil, 30g kamalata   olives,1/2 clove garlic, 30g parmigiano, salt.

If you let a courgette keep growing you end up with a marrow - a juicy, fresh and delicious marrow that is perfect for stuffing with something rich and flavoursome.


1) Wash the marrow thoroughly and cut off the ends. Slice the marrow in half lengthways and then depending on the length of the marrow cut in half sideways. The average marrow will give you four pieces suitable for stuffing.


2) Using a spoon or a flexible filleting knife, remove the core where you may see seeds developing like a melon. For future reference, these seeds are edible, but the flesh you remove from the marrow centre can be discarded for this recipe.


3) Put the marrow pieces on a baking tray and roast them at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.



4) Genovese style pesto is incredibly fine and involves pulverising the basil literally one leaf at a time in your mortar and pestle - if you don't have the patience then you could use a blender but nothing will release the basil juice and create that silky Genovese texture like the traditional method. 


5) Once the basil is crushed to a fine pulp, add finely diced kamalata olives, minced garlic and parmeggian. Add a glug of basil oil until it has reached the desired consistency.


6) Rub a teaspoon of pesto onto each piece of marrow and crumble with feta and quarters of fig. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and serve, drizzled with balsamic glaze.

Pistachio pesto & roast tomato bruschetta

Ingredients    Ciabatta (I used La Brea walnut    bread) plum tomatoes, basil, basil   oil, pistachios, parmigiano, balsamic glaze.

1) Slice the ciabatta and brush one side with a little basil oil - grill lightly and set aside.


2) Slice the baby plum tomatoes in half and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.


3) Grind a handful of pistachios in a mortar and pestle, then grind a handful of basil into the nuts. Stir through some basil oil and spread the pesto onto the untoasted side of the bread.


4) Layer the tomatoes over the pesto, then sprinkle freshly grated parmeggian over the top and grill for 2 minutes. Serve with balsamic glaze.

Hazelnut & goats cheese salad

Ingredients Salad leaves, goats cheese, hazelnuts, balsamic glaze, basil oil, pomegranate jewels

1) Roll the goats cheese into pearls and crush a small handful of hazelnuts.


2) Wash the salad leaves and toss them in a little basil oil.


3) Add the goats cheese, hazelnuts and and pomegranate jewels and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Chicken stuffed with spinach, fig & goats cheese

Ingredients Spinach, goats cheese, nutmeg,  chicken, parma ham, dischi volante, bell peppers, balsamic vinegar, pine nuts, passata, basil, basil oil, onion.

Spinach and figs are in season right now, so make the most of it!


1) Combine the spinach leaves, freshly grated nutmeg and goats cheese in a blender, slice a pocked into the side of your chicken and pack with the spinach mix, pine nuts and sliced figs. Rub a little of the spinach stuffing over the skin of the chicken, wrap the chicken in parma ham and bake.


2) To make the pasta sauce; roast slices of bell pepper in the oven until the skin blackens and blitz in the blender along with a handful of fresh basil. Set aside.


3) Sautee half a finely chopped white onion in basil oil and allow to completely soften. Stir through half a glass of red wine, then add passata tomatoes.


4) Stir in the roasted peppers, season with a pinch of salt and finish with a splash of balsamic vinegar before stirring the drained pasta into the sauce.

Rosemary fougasse

Ingredients Cream, lemon, garlic, bell pepper, passata, basil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, yeast, strong white flour, salt, olive oil.

1) To make the fougasse, mix 1 teaspoon of yeast in 300ml tepid water.


2) Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt with 500g strong white bread flour and make a well in the centre of the flour. Pour in the water along with 3 tablespoons of olive oil bit by bit as your mix the dough together. 


3) Transfer to a well floured surface and knead firmly for 10 minutes. Once the dough is no longer sticky, and is elastic transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rise somewhere warm for an hour to an hour and a half or until it has doubled in size.


4) Knock it back and kneed for 2 minutes, then form a flattened triangle with the dough and slice through the middle like the spine of a leaf. Cut 3 slashes in both edges and transfer to a pizza stone. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and rock salt and bake for 20 - 25 minutes with a bowl of water in the edge to form a nice crust. Tear off pieces of bread and dunk into the dips.


To make the dips


1) Roast a bulb of garlic in the oven for 30 minutes, squeeze the garlic from the skin and crushing it in a garlic press. Stir into soured cream and chill.


2) Roast 2 bell peppers for 30 minutes and blend along with a tablespoon of passata tomatoes, a splash of balsamic vinegar and a handful of chopped basil.

Fig and goats cheese linguine

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Ingredients Linguine, basil oil, 200g spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes, figs, goats cheese, balsamic glaze

1) Put the linguine into hot, salted water for 10-12 minutes to cook

2) In a seperate pan stir the spinach leaves and a handful of halved cherry tomatoes into a tablespoon of basil on a low heat until the leaves are coated with oil. As the tomatoes cook, crush them with the flat of the spoon to release the juice.

3) Strain the linguine and add it to the spinach and tomatoes. Slice some fig into the pan and stir through until the pasta has fully integrated.

4) Serve with crumbled goats cheese and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Roast pepper & goats cheese dip

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Ingredients Goats cheese, bell pepper, balsamic vinegar, honey.

This is actually the easiest dip in the history of the world given that it works with 2 ingredients and can be made in less time than it takes to arrange the biscuits you're serving it with!

1) Core and de-seed a red bell pepper, slice it into quarters and brush it with just a touch of honey and balsamic vinegar. Put under the grill until the skin has just begun to bubble and blacken in patches.

2) Pulse in the blender with some goat's cheese

3) Serve warm or cold. I highly recommend Fudge's jalepeno wafers because the flavour doesn't shy away from the richness of this dip.

Mulled pepper & goats cheese tart

Ingredients 4oz plain flour, 2oz butter, bell pepper, spinach, goats cheese, eggs, marscapone, dill, balsamic vinegar, red wine, red onion, honey, olive oil, cinnamon, star anise.

1) To make the shortcrust pastry measure 4oz of plain flour and 2oz of cold butter. Cut the butter into small cubes and drop along with the flour into a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Drip in 2-3 tablespoons of cold water until the mixture quickly forms a ball. Wrap this in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 15 minutes.

2) Whilst the pastry is chilling finely dice a red onion and slice slivers of red bell pepper. Add into a pan with a tablepoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of honey and sizzle for 2 minutes. Add in a slosh of red wine, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a star anise and simmer until the onions are soft. Strain the onions and pepper from the liquor (discarding the star anise) and set aside.

3) Whisk together 3 eggs and 2 tablespoons of marscapone. Add a little chopped dill and stir through.

4) Take the pastry from the fridge and roll out to a half centimetre thickness.
Either line a large flan dish or make individual tarts by cutting circles of pastry. Press them firmly into a yorkshire pudding tin and blind bake for 5 minutes with another yorkshire pudding tin sat in the top to prevent the pastry from rising beyond the "cup" shape required.

5) Add fresh spinach leaves to the pastry cups, chunks of goat's cheese and the onions and peppers. Pour some of the egg and marscapone mixture into the cases and bake for 10-12 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Artichoke and mozarella pizza

Ingredients 1lb of strong white flour, 1 tablespoon of active dried yeast, 2 teaspoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of truffle oil, 250ml warm water, passata tomatoes, white onion,

basil, basil oil, red wine, mozarella, artichoke, vine ripened tomatoes, rocket, lemon, balsamic glaze

1) Pizza dough
Dissolve the yeast in 150ml of warm water and set aside to rest. After 10 minutes add the honey and truffle oil. Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture a little at a time and mix thoroughly with your hands until it becomes dough like in consistency.
It is possible to make this if you have a dough attachment for your blender.
Transfer your dough ball to a lightly floured surface and flour your hands. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes and then sit to rest in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover this with a warm, damp cloth. The bowl must be big enough to allow the dough to double in size over the next hour.

Divide the dough into small dough balls and kneed these again before rolling out on a floured surface to make your pizza crust. This dough recipe is best suited to thin, crispy pizza bases. I recommend baking the base first for 3 minutes in the oven to avoid the centre becoming soggy.

2) Pizza sauce
Finely dice half a white onion and sautee in a tablespoon of basil oil. As the onions begin to soften, add a glass of red wine and cook it off until only half the liquid remains. Add the passata tomatoes and simmer the sauce on a low heat, adding a haldful of freshly chopped basil and a good pinch of salt and black pepper.

3) Pizza toppingTo prepare the artichoke vinaigrette: Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready! Slice the artichoke leaves and mix into equal parts of basil oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped basil.

Top the part baked pizza crust with half a ladle of the pizza sauce, layer with slices of mozarella and artichoke, a few vine ripened tomatoes and bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with rocket and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Savoury strawberries

Ingredients Strawberries, cream cheese, balsamic vinegar

If your strawberries have been kept in the fridge then make sure you let them sit out until they're at room temperature. Eating them chilled would be like keeping chocolate in the fridge - the flavour and texture is completely compromised. It's also worth investing in a good quality balsamic vinegar - always originating from Modena this will be a little thicker like a light syrup.

1) Slice the top from your strawberry and stand it on this new flat surface.
Cut the strawberry into three, lengthways.

2) Spread cream cheese on the inside of the two outer edges of each strawberry and reassemble them like a sandwich

3) Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve