As you know, I like trying out new recipes whenever I can! I found this when I was looking for Easter recipes (not that this really has any special Easter connection) but it said that it’s quick to make so I thought I’d try it on a weeknight. The recipe serves 6 – I made up the whole batch and have frozen the rest for another day (I put a later of greaseproof paper between each batch of 2 so that they don’t stick).

This recipe is by Nigel Slater – you can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients
– 400g/14oz beef mince
– 200g/7oz ricotta cheese
– 4 spring onions, finely chopped
– 1 tbsp capers
– 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves picked
– salt and freshly ground black pepper
– 2 tbsp olive oil, for frying

For the relish
– 100g/3½oz sun-dried tomatoes
– 1 tbsp sherry vinegar

To serve
– 6 ciabatta rolls

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl mix together the beef mince, ricotta, spring onions, capers and picked rosemary. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. Using your hands make ball shapes of the mixture to approximately the size of your palm.

3. Pan fry in olive oil for 6-8 minutes per side.

4. For the relish, chop the sun-dried tomatoes and mix with a little of the oil from the jar. Add the sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

5. When the patties are cooked, assemble the burgers with a generous spreading of sun-dried tomato relish. Serve in the rolls.

Now we just need some sunshine for a BBQ!

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Butternut squash isn’t something that I’ve cooked with a lot before, but recently I’ve realised how delicious it is and I seem to keep choosing it! Here’s a delicious recipe by Nigel Slater, which I saw on TV last week on his programme Nigel Slater’s Dish of the Day. It was first broadcast on 23rd November 2012, but you can watch it on the BBC website. The recipe isn’t written out but I’ve transcribed it – on the clip it shows you how to make some crisps out of the butternut squash peelings, but I’ve not included them here. I also had a sweet potato in the fridge and decided to throw that in for good measure, but that isn’t part of the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash
1 brown onion
Olive oil
Hot smoked paprika
1 vegetable stock cube, made to packet instructions
1 sweet potato (optional!)

Method

1. Peel and chop the squash (and sweet potato) and the onion, and brown in a pan with some olive oil.

2. Add the paprika and stir well. Pour over the stock, season and cover the pan with a lid. Leave to simmer until the squash is tender.

3. When cooked, blend thoroughly and add boiling water to adjust the consistency to your liking. Enjoy with some crusty bread – which tastes even better if you’ve made your own (click here for my bread recipe).

This soup freezes really well – you’ll need to add a bit more water to adjust the consistency. We also added some bacon when cooking a frozen batch and that tastes fantastic too!

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