This recipe is taken from the July 2015 issue of Olive Magazine.

Ingredients

200g shortcrust pastry (I made my own – see this recipe for quantities and method)

150g fat-free quark

1 egg, beaten

1 lemon, zested

A small bunch of dill, finely chopped

3 courgettes, sliced into long thin strips

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Roll out the pastry to fit a 21cm x 4cm deep tart tin. Cover with baking parchment and pour in some baking beans, before blind baking for 15 minutes or until the pastry is set and the base no longer looks damp. Remove the beans and cook for another 5 minutes.

2. Mix the quark, egg, lemon zest, dill and season well. Spread into the cooked pastry case.

3. Stack a handful of the courgette ribbons on top of each other, then start to roll into a pinwheel, continually adding lengths. Position this i the centre of the pastry case, on top of the quark mix, and keep adding new outer layers to the wheel to create the circle (holding on to what you have already put in as you do so). Keep adding the slices until the courgette slices start to lean on the edge of the case and hold themselves in.

4. Cook for 40-50 minutes, or until the courgette has softened and is turning golden, and the liquid given off by the courgette has evaporated. Rest the tart for 10 minutes before cutting into slices. Serve with salad and a few new potatoes – yum!

Hope you’ve all had a super weekend!

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Ingredients (for a 12″ tin, or 2-3 smaller tins)

(For the pastry)
225g/8oz plain flour
125g/40z margarine or butter
A pinch of salt
About 2-3 splashes cold water

(For the filling)
2 medium sized courgettes, grated
2 tins tuna in brine or spring water (but not oil!)
3 eggs
Semi skimmed milk
Black pepper

Method

1. To make the pastry, put the margarine, salt and flour into a food processor and blitz (or rub together if using hand method). Slowly add the cold water and mix – just add as much or as little, making sure the mixture is not too wet. Knead a little and then wrap in cling film before chilling in the fridge for at least half an hour.

2. When chilled, roll out the pastry. Grease the tin and then line with the pastry, before blind baking (this works best with baking beans) for around 20 minutes at 200/400/Gas mark 6.

3. Whilst the pastry is cooking, prepare the filling. Grate the courgettes and then squeeze out as much of the water as you can – this is really messy, but much better than a soggy quiche!

4. Drain the tuna and add to the courgettes, stirring well. Season with black pepper.

5. Beat the eggs and add milk, making it up to around 450ml. Season with black pepper and then add some of it to the tuna and courgette mix, stirring well.

6. When the pastry case is cooked, add the filling and spread the mixture evenly. Then slowly pour the egg over until it almost reaches the top of the case (you might need to squash the mixture with a fork to make sure the egg will bind everything together).

7. Place in the oven and bake for around 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. You will need to keep squashing the mixture with a fork during cooking time to make sure that the liquid comes to the top – this will help it to cook quicker and ensure that it is cooked right through.

8. You can eat this hot or cold – if serving hot, it is better to leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving. It goes well with summery salads or winter veg, so enjoy!

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I was quite surprised when I looked through my blog posts earlier and discovered that I haven’t posted this recipe before – it is one of those ‘tried and tested’ ones that I’ve been making for years! In fact, my Mum used to make it when I was younger and it was one of the few things that I could actually cook when I left home to go to uni. You can use any pasta you like for this – macaroni works really well – but I used penne today. It was either that or our Simpsons pasta that Helen bought us – but you wouldn’t have recognised the Simpsons for the courgettes so we’re saving that for another day!

Ingredients

120g pasta
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tsp mixed herbs
Black pepper
1 tin tuna in brine (or spring water – but not in oil)
150g low fat cottage cheese
1-2 medium size courgettes
1-2 cloves of garlic
4 mushrooms
A handful of spinach
Grated cheese of your choice

Method

1. Put the pasta on to boil and preheat the oven to 200/400/Gas mark 6. Tip the tomatoes into another pan and add the herbs and some black pepper. Leave to simmer.

2. Slice the courgettes and chop the garlic. Put some olive oil in a pan and add the courgette and garlic, cooking until softened.

3. Drain the tuna and put into a bowl. Add the cottage cheese, season with black pepper and mix well.

4. When the pasta is cooked, drain and mix in the tomatoes, before adding the tuna and cottage cheese mix. Add the vegetables and stir well, before pouring into an oven proof dish.

5. Grate some cheese over the top before cooking in the oven for around 20 minutes. Serve with some salad and enjoy!

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