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

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

A pinch of salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp Espelette pepper (we don’t have this, so used sweet smoked paprika instead – you could use cayenne pepper)

2 medium aubergines (eggplants)

A handful of chopped parsley to garnish (we used chives instead)

For the couscous

160g/1 cup of couscous

Zest of 1 lemon

A pinch of salt

180ml/ 3/4 cup boiling water

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

For the yoghurt sauce

6 tbsp plain natural yoghurt

1 tbsp lemon juice

A pinch of salt (we left this out and it was still yummy!)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Pound the garlic and salt in a pestle and mortar until it forms a smooth paste. Blend in the oil, tomato paste and Espelette pepper (or alternative).

3. Cut the aubergines lengthways into 2cm-thick slices. Cut out the spongy core and then place the batons on the tray. Brush with the spicy marinade and then place in the middle of the oven to cook for 30 minutes (or until tender).

4. When you have just over 5 minutes to go, boil the kettle for the couscous. Place the couscous in a large bowl with the lemon zest and salt, and then pour over the boiling water. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.

5. Make the yoghurt sauce by mixing the yoghurt with the lemon juice and salt. Drizzle the oil over the couscous and fluff it up with a fork.

6. Serve the aubergine chips on a bed of couscous, drizzle over some yoghurt sauce and sprinkle with some chopped parsley or chives. Enjoy!

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You can roast the squash and carrots ahead of time, and then put the rest together when you need it – it would be a great recipe to try if you’ve got people coming over. As usual, we froze what was left in batches to enjoy another day!

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

1 medium squash, peeled and cut into small cubes

8 carrots, cut into long pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

A handful of sage leaves

4 garlic cloves, peeled

A good dash of balsamic vinegar

1 onion, sliced

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp dried mixed herbs

600ml vegetable stock

A dash of red wine vinegar

Seasoning as required

Method

1. Heat the oven to around 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Place the squash and carrots in a roasting tray along with the olive oil, and then swish the tray about so that the oil coats the veg. Add the sage, garlic cloves (left whole), balsamic vinegar and season with a little salt and a lot of pepper. Roast in the oven until browned and the veg is soft.

2. Heat a little more olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion with the cumin seeds for about 5 minutes or so until the onion starts to soften.

3. Add the tomato puree and cook for a few minutes more before adding the red wine vinegar. Stir well and then add the squash and carrots, along with the garlic and any oil left over from roasting, as well as the mixed herbs.

4. Pour over the stock, making sure that the veg is covered (you can add a little boiling water here if not). Leave to simmer for a while (we think it was about 15-20 minutes!). Use a hand blender to whizz it up to your preferred consistency – we did this once it had cooled a little, but you could do it when it’s hot, but take care!

5. Serve with some crusty bread or focaccia – enjoy!

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Ingredients (serves 4)

 
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small-ish butternut squash, chopped into small pieces
2 leeks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Small handful fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
350g risotto rice
200ml white wine
800ml vegetable stock, hot
25g butter
50g vegetarian Parmesan, grated
100g goat’s cheese, crumbled

Method

 
1. Place the butternut squash in a roasting tin with 2 tbsp of the oil. Roast in the oven until browned at the edges – you can do this in advance of needing it if you wish.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the leek and fry until slightly soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, before adding the rice and stirring for another 1-2 minutes.

3. Turn up the heat, add the wine and bubble for a few minutes to cook off the alcohol. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, waiting until each one is absorbed before adding the next.

4. Take the risotto off the heat and stir in the butter, the Parmesan and the goat’s cheese.

Enjoy! If you’d prefer the version with bacon in it, click here!

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I tried out this recipe this evening and it’s really easy, really tasty and low fat – brilliant! I halved the quantities here for the two of us, except for the 400g tin of chopped tomatoes. I think next time I’d put a whole chilli in for 2 people, but that’s just personal preference! I used linguine here, which was slightly on the done side because we were trying to rescue a butterfly…

This recipe comes from the July 2014 edition of BBC Good Food magazine.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large aubergine, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
400g/14oz fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped (or a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
400g/14oz dried tagliolini pasta (we used linguine)
Small bunch of basil, roughly chopped
50g/2oz pecorino, grated (or veggie alternative)

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the aubergine for 5 minutes until starting to brown and soften.

2. Add the onion, garlic, chilli and oregano and cook for just a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and about 200ml water, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 20 minutes until the tomatoes are reduced and the sauce is thickened.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the tagliolini following the pack instructions. Drain the pasta and return to the pan. Add the sauce and toss well into the pasta with the basil. Serve with the grated pecorino.

Enjoy!

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We had some leftover ricotta cheese after making our Butternut and sweet potato lasagne with sage, toasted pine nuts and nutmeg and so I decided to use the recipe finder on the BBC Food website to see if I could find a recipe to use it up. This is what I found – a recipe by Simon Rimmer that is easy to make but really delicious.

Ingredients

For the filling
400g/14oz aubergines, sliced into thin rounds
50ml/2oz vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
50g/2oz tomato purée
400g/14oz canned chopped tomatoes, drained
1 cinnamon stick
100g/3½oz red lentils, cooked according to packet instructions
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

For the topping
125g/4½oz ricotta
125g/4½oz Greek-style yoghurt
3 free-range eggs
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g/2oz freshly grated pecorino

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. For the filling, toss the aubergine slices in the vegetable oil, then drain and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, add the aubergine slices in batches and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown on both sides. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.

4. Add the onion, pepper and garlic to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.

5. Add the tomato purée, stir to coat the vegetables in it, then continue to fry for a further 4-5 minutes.

6. Add the canned chopped tomatoes and cinnamon stick and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

7. Add the lentils and return the fried aubergines to the mixture. Simmer for a further 2-3 minutes, or until warmed through.

8. Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish and sprinkle over the chopped parsley.

9. For the topping, in a bowl, beat together the ricotta, Greek-style yoghurt, eggs and grated nutmeg until well combined. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

10. Pour the topping mixture into the ovenproof dish on top of the filling. Sprinkle over the grated pecorino. Transfer the veggie moussaka to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden-brown and has set and the filling is bubbling. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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