Sweet potato, black bean and kale chilli‏

Ingredients 1 large sweet potato, 1 can black beans, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/2 glass red wine, 100ml passata, 100g kale, 1 red onion, 1 stalk celery, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, olive oil, 2 cloves garlic.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

In the past, I have shared recipes on this blog using Quorn as a meat substitute but since I made the lifestyle choice to no longer eat any kind of processed/pre-prepared foods I have been replacing this occasional protein source with more beans and pulses and grains. Much healthier, a nicer texture, simple to prepare and utterly delicious. This chilli is the most magnificent comfort food and is wonderful served with rice, tortilla chips or in a flour or lettuce leaf burrito.

1) Peel and dice the sweet potato and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

2) Finely dice the onion and add it to a pan along with the olive oil. Sizzle until soft, then add the garlic (minced). Add the herbs, spices and wine and cook off the liquid.

3) Add the passata, beans and sweet potato and stir through. Remove the hard stalk of the kale, discard, then blitz the leaves in your food processor. Add to the pan and cook until softened.

4) I like my food spicy, so I like to add a couple of teaspoon of chipotle chilli paste, but there should be enough kick from the paprika for those who value the skin on their tongue...

Beetroot, olive & broccoli bolognaise‏

Ingredients 1 small onion, half a stick of celery, a handful of fresh or oil marinated olives - never the rubbery brined ones! 1/2 a head of broccoli, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1 small beetroot, spaghetti, red wine, 100ml passata, 1 clove garlic.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 20 minutes

I have always been rather excited by raw foodism. Partly due to OCD (the idea that I am not getting EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE nutrient from my food ALL THE TIME can be somewhat crippling during my wiggier moments) and partly because HEY SO DELICIOUS. Baby Led Weaning meant that my son had a good grounding in the individual flavours of different ingredients before he experienced more complex meals and I learned to appreciate how gorgeous simple food could be. This isn't actually a raw recipe, but it's inspired by no-fuss, simple flavours working so very well together.

1) Blitz the celery, onion and garlic in your food processor and tip into a pan. Add a little olive oil and sizzle until soft) 

2) Add the broccoli and olives to the food processor and blitz until reduced to the size of breadcrumbs. Grate the beetroot (I just pull out the blade spindle and add the grater blade to my food processor so it's all contained in one bowl.) and then add to the pan of softened onions and celery.

3) I like to add a little red wine along with the passata tomatoes and herbs, but this is entirely according to taste. Cook for just as long as it takes for your spaghetti to boil (8-12 minutes depending on the type of spaghetti) and drain.

4) Add the pasta to the pan and stir through. Serve hot (with a sprinkle of parmesan if you aren't vegetarian)

Mediterranean tart

Ingredients Pastry: 4oz plain flour, 2oz butter Filling: 4 eggs, 75g marscapone, 75g sun dried tomatoes, 75g artichokes, 3 bell peppers, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour (plus pastry chilling)

I adore tarts. Crammed with vegetables and set in a creamy egg filling with melt in the mouth pastry, they are a meal in themselves or great with salad. This tastes of pure sunshine and is super quick to prepare.

1) To make the shortcrust pastry, 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. Once chilled, roll out and press firmly into a buttered pastry case. Bake blind for 10 minutes and set aside to cool.

2) Whisk the eggs and marscapone together, then stir in the oregano and basil.

3) This tart can be made quickly by using sun dried tomatoes and artichokes from a jar, drained well to remove the oil, but I would recommend roasting the peppers yourself as the longer they are marinated, the less sunshine sweetness they tend to have. Slicing around the core to remove the seeds, I roast these for 15-20 minutes and then peel off the blackened skin. 

4) Layer the vegetables in the tart case and pour over the egg and marscapone mix, then bake in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 5 for 30-40 minutes. The tart should be solid, rather than wobbly in the centre with a golden surface just beginning to form.

5) Serve hot or cold.

Artichoke baked beans

Ingredients 1 artichoke, 1 tsp dried/chopped avocado oil, 1 can cannellini beans, 1 bulb garlic.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

When artichokes are out of season, or if I don't have the time or inclination - these are one of the few ingredients that I am happy to cheat with and buy in a jar. Marinated artichokes keep for a long time in the fridge and add rich, slithery flavour to all manner of dishes. But making your own is of course always more satisfying and delicious. These beans are utterly lovely and great on toast or with proper baked potatoes.

1) 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!

2) Roast the entire bulb of garlic in the oven for 20 minutes, then carefully peel and squeeze the cloves through a garlic press and into the oil. Add the basil and oregano and set aside until the artichoke is ready.

3) Slice the petals from the artichoke heart and leave to marinate in the flavoured oil. (I tend to scoff the hearts immediately but these can of course also be marinated!)

4) All of the previous instructions can be done in advance, or omitted if using a jar of marinated artichokes. Parboil the beans for 5 minutes in hot salted water, then drain and add the artichokes and a little (about a tablespoon) of the oil marinade to the pan. Allow to simmer until the beans are soft (usually another 5 minutes) then serve hot or cold.

Greek stuffed tomatoes

Ingredients 200g Lamb mince, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp thyme, 2 cloves garlic, 50g breadcrumbs, 10 beef tomatoes.

Serves: 10 Preparation: 1 hour

These tomatoes are filled with the rich, warm flavour of moussaka and make a wonderful low-maintenance appetiser.

1) Either mix by hand, or add to a food processor the lamb, herbs, spices, mince and crushed garlic. Season with salt and black pepper and combine.

2) Slice the tops from the tomatoes and carefully cut the solid core with a knife. Insert a fork into the core and twist to remove, scoop out the seeds and discard.

3) Pack the mince tightly into the tomatoes, pressing down firmly, then replace the lids.

4) Bake in the oven at gas mark 5 for 45 minutes and serve hot.

Greek roast potatoes with halloumi

Ingredients 2 King Edward potatoes, 100g Halloumi, 1 lemon, olive oil, parsley, oregano, mint

Serves: 2 Preparation: 1 hour

The combination of lemon, parsley, mint and oregano is so utterly Greek that I can never resist it. Whether cooking fish or making a salad, it never fails to excite my senses so as a marinade for roast potatoes and halloumi, it's sheer perfection, and a definite favourite of my husband's.

1) Dice the potatoes (I don't peel mine because there's so much flavour in the skin but this is entirely your choice) and parboil for 5 minutes in hot, salted water. Drain in a colander and set aside to cool and dry.

2) Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a bowl along with a good glug of olive oil and some freshly chopped parsley, oregano and mint. Add the potatoes to the bowl and shake to coat the potatoes in the dressing.

3) Transfer to an ovenproof dish and roast at 220 degrees for 30 minutes.

4) Turn the oven down to 200, dice the halloumi and stir into the potatoes, before transferring to the oven for a further 10 minutes. At this stage I like to season with a little salt and black pepper before roasting. Additional oil shouldn't be necessary but if you would prefer this to be tangy, an extra squeeze of lemon is lovely and helps to brown the halloumi.

Pork & roast pepper risotto

Ingredients 400g sausage meat, bell peppers, ham stock, cayenne pepper, butter, 1 cup risotto rice, paprika, lime, oregano, 1 glass white wine, 1 white onion.

Serves: 2 Preparation: X

All risottos (no matter what the ingredients) can be made in 3 simple stages. The first is called tostatura - coating the rice in fat, the second involves cooking off some alcohol and the third involves releasing the starch from the rice one ladle of stock at a time. For this dish, I took my inspiration from Cajun flavours to create the perfect comfort food.

1) To make the meatballs, put a tsp paprika, a tsp oregano, a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt and cayenne pepper in a blender along with the pork mince, and pulse until combined. Form small meatballs by rolling in your hands and seal them in a hot pan with a little butter. Set aside.

2) Remove the core and seeds from your bell peppers and slice between the membranes. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees and set aside.

3) Dice the white onion and sautee in a little butter until soft. Add the risotto rice and stir until the rice becomes transparent, revealing a white dot in the centre and pour in the white wine.

4) Once the wine cooks off, add the first ladle of stock and stir through.

5) Continue adding the stock to the risotto, one ladle at a time, adding the meatballs and roast pepper with the second to last ladle of stock.

6) Serve, seasoned with paprika.

Cauliflower cheese pizza

Ingredient 1 Cauliflower, 1 white onion, 1 glass red wine, pinch basil, pinch parsley, pinch oregano, 100g passata, cheddar cheese, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons parmigiano,

Makes: 2 pizzas preparation: 1 hour

I've been working on quite a lot of recipes recently for those who are gluten-free - substituting spelt or polenta for rice or flour, and when I heard about the concept of cauliflower pizza base I just had to try it. I had a suitable guinea-pig in mind: The Husband's best friend who HATES cauliflower and loves pizza.
It worked perfectly - he and The Husband scarfed down the first pizza and asked me to make them a second one. It didn't smell, taste or feel like cauliflower and was utterly moreish! This works best with a thin, crispy base, but if you want a thicker base - eat with a knife and fork as it will be fairly soft!

1) Remove the leaves and slice the stem of the cauliflower right down to the base, leaving a star shaped core.
Cut the florets from the cauliflower, leaving as little stalk as possible, and blitz them all a blender until they resemble fine crumbs.

2) Transfer the cauliflower crumbs to a microwaveable dish and microwave for 3 1/2 minutes. Stir through and then microwave for a further 3 1/2 minutes.

3) Allow the cauliflower to cool enough for you to be able to handle it, then squeeze over a sieve, compressing the cauliflower until as much liquid as possible has been removed. You really do need to get this dry - I achieved this by also squeezing with kitchen roll to soak out more of the liquid.

4) Once the cauliflower crumbs are dry, season with salt, black pepper and stir in the parmigiano and whisked eggs. press onto a baking tray / pizza stone into the desired pizza stone and bake for 15 minutes on high until it begins to turn golden brown. Using a fish slice or pallate knife turn over the pizza dough (it should maintain its integrity, but you can always flip it upside down onto another baking tray) and then bake for a further 5 minutes.

5) Top with pizza sauce (as per previous recipes: sauteed onion, cooked off in red wine, passata and herbs) and a layer of grated cheddar, then return to the oven to bake for a further 5-10 minutes.

Beer can chicken & macaroni soup

Ingredients      Leftover beer can chicken and   potato, macaroni, beer, oregano, white onion.

Serves: 2 preparation: 2 hours

When I finished making beer can chicken, I saved all of the components to make stock with, and then emerged this fabulously rich soup.

1) Peel and slice a white onion, and add to a stock pot along with the chicken carcass, slice of leftover potato, the remaining beer from the can the chicken was sitting on and 1/2 pint of water. Simmer for 30 minutes and strain the liquid into a separate pan.

2) Set the liquid to cool in the fridge for an hour, then skim the fat from the surface. 

3) Add one ladle of stock jelly to a pan along with 1/2 a cup of macaroni, chopped oregano and leftover chicken. Top up with a little hot water and simmer for 15 minutes until the pasta has cooked, then serve.

Olive mash

Ingredients   2 Maris Piper potatoes, butter, oregano, black pepper, kamalata olives

Preparation: 30 minutes Serves: 4

Mashed potato is without a doubt my favourite food. It is the ultimate in comfort and is wonderfully versatile. Much like everything goes with toast, in my humble opinion you can add pretty much anything to mashed potato from citrus to cheese to spices to vegetables and it will still be absolutely divine. This, my latest adventure in rich, indulgent - knock you off your socks with flavour - food is simply fabulous.

1) Peel and dice the potatoes, then boil in hot salted water for 20 minutes.

2) Peel and crush a clove of garlic and saute in a little butter with freshly chopped oregano.

3) Mash the potato, adding the garlic and oregano butter until silky-smooth in consistency, then pit and halve the kamalata olives and stir through.

Red rice with roast aubergine

Ingredients     150g red Camargue rice, 1   aubergine, passata tomatoes, oregano, coriander, salt, olive oil, 1 pint vegetable stock.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 40 minutes


Camargue red rice is the most recently discovered variety of rice and is very similar to those used in risotto like arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano because it's unmilled which gives it the sticky starch releasing quality. It's grown in in the wetlands of the Camargue in the South of France (hence the name). It has a dark reddy-brown colour with a really intense nutty taste so I complemented this with roast aubergine - the perfect combination.


1) Slice the top from the aubergine, slice it in half lengthways and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200.


2) Unlike making risotto, you don't need to make it in three stages, adding a ladle at a time. It can be fully submerged and will still become sticky and create a creamy sauce. Stir the rice as it cooks, then add passata tomatoes and finely chopped oregano once the stock has cooked off.


3) Dice the cooked aubergine and stir it into the rice, then serve.

Lasagne

Ingredients    Quorn mince (or beef mince), passata tomatoes, 1 white onion, basil oil, butter, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, red wine, double cream, white flour, salt, 8oz pasta flour, 1 tsp olive  oil, 6 eggs, mozarella, cheddar.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 1 hour (+5 for preparation)


Lasagne is amazing, you don't need Garfield to tell you that! Layers of delicious bolognaise and creamy bechamel, all topped with golden bubbling cheese... this is comfort food at its best.



1) Pour 8 ounces of grade 00 flour (pasta flour), 1 teaspoon of olive oil, a good pinch of salt, 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk into a bowl and kneed with your hands until you have a firm dough. Wrap this in cling film and chill in the fridge for 2-5 hours.


2) Put half a bulb (yes that's bulb, not clove!) of garlic into a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

3) Finely dice one white onion and sautee in a tablespoon of basil oil and a teaspoon of butter until they have completely softened. Add a glass of red wine, some finely chopped basil, oregano and parsley and stir through.

4) If you are making this with meat - brown the mince and strain off all of the meat juices before adding it to the pan. If you are making this with Quorn - add the Quorn mince from frozen and stir through.


5) Stir the passata tomatoes through the Quorn mince and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.


6) Stir through on a low heat for a further 2-3 minutes and then remove the roast garlic from the oven. Once roasted, it can be squeezed from the skin like a puree and stirred through the sauce.


7) Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and stir a tablespoon of plain flour into it to form a roux. Whisk 2 eggs into the roux and finish with a generous dash of cream or milk. Whisk through for about 5 minutes and set aside.


8) Roll out the pasta on a floured surface and level out with a rolling pin. Either feed it through a pasta machine or with the rolling pin until you are left with a thin sheet. Cut sheets to the size of your lasagne dish.


9) Spoon a layer of bolognaise into an ovenproof dish and top with a sheet of pasta. Continue to layer the bolognaise and bechamel sauce until the dish is filled. Top with grated mozarella and cheddar.


10) Bake covered for 10 minutes and uncovered for 5 to allow the top to crisp and then serve.

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.

Baby leek pizza

Ingredients 200g very strong white bread flour     (grade 00), 1/4 tbs salt, 1/2 a sachet    of yeast, 1/4 tsp honey, 1 tbs olive   oil, 130ml warm water, 4 baby leeks, 100g mozarella, 100g cheddar, oregano.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 30 minutes


I managed to get hold of some baby leeks today and fell in love with the sweet, delicate flavour of these tender young strips of yumminess. Smothering them with a mixture of gooey mozzarella and sharp cheddar made this a perfect lunchtime snack.


1) For a quick pizza dough: sift the flour and salt together and pour onto a clean work surface. Make a well in the centre and after dissolving the yeast, oil and honey in warm water, pour into the centre and mix with a fork until it is gradually combined. Dust your hands with flour and kneed until a smooth, elastic dough has formed. Set aside.


2) Slice the ends from the leeks and quarter the stalks.


4) Sautee in a teaspoon of butter for about 3 minutes until soft.


5) Roll out the pizza dough on a flour dusted surface until thin and even.


6) Arrange the leeks directly onto the top of the dough, brushing any excess butter onto the dough surface and top with a mixture of grated mozarella and cheddar.


7) Bake for 8-10 minutes and serve with a sprinkling of oregano.

Bolognaise stuffed marrow

Ingredients Quorn mince (or beef or lamb mince), passata tomatoes, 1 white onion, basil oil, butter, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, red wine, marrow, parmigiano.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 35 minutes
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 heady like my bolognaise.

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 along with a whole bulb of garlic and roast them both for 30 minutes.

4) To make the bolognaise: Finely dice one white onion and sautee in a tablespoon of basil oil and a teaspoon of butter until it has completely softened. Add a glass of red wine, some finely chopped basil, oregano and parsley and stir through.

5) If you are making this with meat - brown the mince and strain off all of the meat juices before adding it to the pan. If you are making this with Quorn - add the Quorn mince from frozen and stir through.

6) Add the passata tomatoes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Leave to simmer on a low heat until the garlic has been roasted - once roasted, it can be squeezed from the skin like a puree - mince the garlic in a press to ensure it can be evenly stirred through.

7) Spoon the bolognaise onto the baked marrow pieces and sprinkle freshly grated parmeggian over the top. Bake for a further 5 minutes in the oven and serve sprinkled with freshly topped parsley.

Mexican scramble

Ingredients   Eggs, sweetcorn, baby plum   tomatoes, parsley, oregano, Mexican cheese, butter.

1) Whisk 3 eggs and season with a pinch of salt, pepper and oregano.


2) Slice the plum tomatoes and cube the spicy cheese and set aside.


3) Pour the eggs into a frying pan with a knob of butter and stir rapidly. As the eggs begin to form, add the cheese, tomatoes and sweetcorn. Continue to stir until the eggs are fully scrambled.


Serve with polenta fries and freshly chopped parsley.

Riccioli al forno with bacon

Ingredients Riccioli pasta, bacon, passata tomatoes, basil, basil oil, parsley, oregano, white onion, cheddar.

Al forno means baked in the oven - like lasagne or cannelloni. Sometimes you just need a little melting, bubbling comfort food!

1) Put on the riccioli to boil in hot salted water for about 8 minutes - leave it al dente so that it softens in the oven.

2) Peel and finely dice a white onion and saute with a splash of basil oil until soft. Add a tablespoon of basil, oregano and parsley and stir through.

3) Add the passata tomatoes and stir through, adding thin strips of bacon.

4) Strain the pasta and add to the sauce. Stir through and transfer to a casserole dish. Top with a generous layer of grated cheese, cover and bake in the oven for 6-7 minutes before serving.

Spaghetti Bolognaise

Ingredients Spaghetti, Quorn mince (or beef or lamb mince), passata tomatoes, 1 white onion, basil oil, butter,    basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, red wine, peccorino cheese

I must admit, I change my recipe for spaghetti bolognaise every year - sometimes adding a little spice, sometimes adding sun dried tomatoes or olives. I have continued to fine-tune it but I think that after 16 years of cooking it I have finally rested upon the perfect combination of flavours.


1) Put half a bulb (yes that's bulb, not clove!) of garlic into a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.


2) Finely dice one white onion and sautee in a tablespoon of basil oil and a teaspoon of butter until they have completely softened. Add a glass of red wine, some finely chopped basil, oregano and parsley and stir through.


3) If you are making this with meat - brown the mince and strain off all of the meat juices before adding it to the pan. If you are making this with Quorn - add the Quorn mince from frozen and stir through.


4) Put your spaghetti on to boil in hot, salted water.


5) Stir the passata tomatoes through the Quorn mince and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Leave on a low heat until the spaghetti is cooked, then strain the spaghetti and add to the pan.


6) Stir through on a low heat for a further 2-3 minutes and then remove the roast garlic from the oven. Once roasted, it can be squeezed from the skin like a puree - mince the garlic in a press and stir through the spaghetti.


7) Serve with shaved pecorino and a sprinkling of parsley.

Spinach & goats cheese ravioli

Ingredients Pasta flour, 4 eggs, salt, olive oil, spinach, goats cheese, nutmeg, basil, oregano, red wine, passata tomatoes, garlic, basil oil, cherry tomatoes, parmigiano.

1) Pour 8 ounces of grade 00 flour (pasta flour), 1 teaspoon of olive oil, a good pinch of salt, 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk into a bowl and kneed with your hands until you have a firm dough. Wrap this in cling film and chill in the fridge for 2-5 hours.

2) Combine spinach leaves and goats cheese with freshly grated nutmeg in a blender and set aside.

3) Crush 3 garlic cloves into a pan and pour in 2 tablespoons of basil oil. As the garlic sizzles add in a generous slosh of red wine, some dried basil and the tomato passata. Add some whole cherry tomatoes to poach in the sauce and simmer on a low heat.

4) Dust a worktop with pasta flour and roll out the dough into a sheet 1/3 of a centimetre thick. Cut out circles of pasta with a biscuit cutter (a champagne flute should do in a pinch!) and roll these through a pasta machine (or using a rolling pin if you don't have one) until you have a thin elipsis of pasta.
Add a teaspoon of the spinach mixture to the centre of the elipsis and fold in half, pinching the ends together firmly like a cornish pasty.
In the picture below you'll see the circles of pasta to the left and to the right, a finished piece of stuffed pasta.

5) When all the pasta shapes are stuffed, drop them into a large pan of hot, salted water. The pasta will sink to the bottom initially but when it is ready (2-3 minutes maximum unless your pasta is too thick) it will float to the top.

6) Remove the ravioli from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Spoon over some of the pasta sauce and sprinkle with dried basil and shaved parmeggian.

Spinach and goats cheese cannelloni

Ingredients Cannelloni tubes, spinach leaves, goats cheese, nutmeg, cheddar, passata tomatoes, oregano, basil, parsley, basil oil, garlic

1) Put the spinach leaves and goats cheese into a blender along with half a freshly grated nutmeg (don't buy powdered nutmeg, it tastes of dust. Grate it yourself - it's worth it!) and blitz.

2) Stuff the spinach mixture into the cannelloni tubes and rest in an ovenproof dish

3) Sautee some crushed garlic in basil oil, add a splash of red wine and then stir in the passata. Simmer, adding salt and black pepper to taste.

4) At the last minute stir in the parsley, basil and oregano and pour the sauce over the cannelloni tubes.

5) Top with grated cheddar and cover the dish with foil.

6) Bake covered for 15 minutes and then a further 10 with the foil removed so that the cheese bubbles

7) I served this with a rocket, watercress and pine nut salad.

*special tip* for a non-vegetarian twist, wrap a slice of bacon around each tube for a mouthwateringly different dish.