Courgette and potato gratin

Okay, so the husband is off watching the Ashes in Regents Park, and I'm settling in to some Saturday afternoon cooking - one of my favourite things to do.

First things first - roasted some green and orange peppers for cream cheese and pepper sandwiches next week.

Now, down to the real stuff - making use of the wonderfully cheap courgettes on offer at the moment. I'm going to cook up a gratin with them - half of it will go with some pork chopss we'll have tonight (husband's request). I'm not quite sure how keen I am about pork chops - but the thought of having the gratin on the side has convinced me. It makes both a great side dish to go with grilled meats as well as a lovely light main course, with a bit of salad on the side.

courgette and potato gratin

(serves 4)

500 g potatoes

500 g courgettes

1 pint skimmed milk

100 g onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic

1 tsp nutmeg

10 g oil

dab of butter or spread

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).  Boil the potatoes, then peel and allow to cool. Meanwhile, slice the courgettes thinly on a bias, then chop the onion and the garlic.

When the potato is cool enough to slice, start slicing thin layers off. Go back and forth layering courgettes and potato in a casserole dish. Be sure to season each layer. After each set of layers, sprinkle a few onions across, making sure to reserve some for the sauce. Start on a layer of courgette and end on potatoes.

There are many ways to make a sauce, so don't feel you have to follow my version - I've just gone with what I have to hand and what I know won't be too rich. Add 10 ml of oil to a saucepan and lightly saute the garlic and onion - but don't brown them. In a little ramekin, combine the cornflour and about 50 ml of skimmed milk and whisk with a fork into a smooth consistency (this will ensure you don't get lumps in your sauce). Pour the remainder of the skimmed milk in little by little as well as some salt, pepper and nutmeg and bring to a simmer. Then slowly whisk in your cornflour mix. You'll see it thicken within seconds. Remove from the heat and whisk to ensure it's nice and smooth.

Pour the sauce over the layered vegetables, ensuring it seeps down the sides and through the cracks of between the courgettes and potatoes. Top with little dabs of butter or spread (I've used an olive oil spread)and a last crack of black pepper. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes turning on the grill/broiler for the last five minutes or so to brown the top.

You can serve right away - or allow to cool to reheat later or freeze for another time.

Calories: 240 per serving. 

It's cooking away right now and the smell of potato, courgette, garlic and nutmeg is divine. I can't wait for dinner!

Five ways with celery

An underappreciated vegetable, celery is great for many reasons – it is grown all year long in the UK (though it’s best in December) and it is extremely versatile. Cold and crunchy, celery works well in snacks, sandwiches, salads and soups. (Not to mention that rumour that the act of eating celery burns off any calories incurred through eating it.)


Update a classic

Waldorf salad was originally created over 100 years ago and includes celery, apples, walnuts and mayonnaise. Apples traditionally dominated the salad. Update the salad with more celery to increase the fruit and vegetable count.

(serves 2)

2 apples of your choice
1 pack of celery hearts
a handful of walnuts, chopped
4 tablespoons light mayonnaise
lemon juice
4 pieces of cos lettuce

Core the apples and chop into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from browning.

Chop the ends and the leaves off of the celery and slice into 1-cm sized pieces. Mix the apples, celery, walnuts and mayonnaise and serve on a leaf of cos lettuce. Sprinkle with a little sugar if desired.



All aboard

Use celery as “boats” and stuff with fun fillings. These snacks work well for kids, who will enjoy the activity.

(serves 4 children)

1 pack of celery hearts
4 tbsp hummus
4 tbsp peanut butter
4 tbsp cream cheese

Chop each of the celery hearts into two separate sticks.
Use a butter knife to fill up the celery with the individual fillings.
If you don’t like one of the fillings, simply use more of one of the others.

Make it light: use reduced-fat versions for a lower-calorie treat.


Cheeseboard sandwich

A cheeseboard doesn’t just have to be eaten after a posh meal. It makes an excellent sandwich as well.

(serves 1)

2 slices of seeded bread
2 stalks of celery, shaved or sliced thin
a bunch of grapes, sliced in half
20 g of farmhouse cheddar
20 g of stilton or blue vinney
butter, margarine or mayo
How to do it:

Smear a bit of your spread on the bread.
Stack the celery, then the cheese and finally the grapes (with the cut side against the cheese).


Modern tuna salad

An old sandwich filler gets a clean update with fresh tuna and butter beans.

(serves 2)

2 pieces of fresh tuna
1 tin of butter beans, drained
6 celery hearts, chopped or shaved
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Heat ½ of the oil in a saucepan until very hot, then add the tuna, searing for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat. Chop the tuna into thin slices.
Add the tuna, celery, butter beans and the rest of the oil. Sprinkle with black pepper and a pinch of salt. Serve in individual shallow bowls.


One-pot risotto

Almost any vegetable tastes great in a risotto – so why not celery? Add it to this vegetarian one-pot dinner.

(serves 2)

4 stalks of celery, trimmed and sliced thinly
1 onions, peeled and sliced thinly
1 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoons of olive oil
½ litre of hot chicken or vegetable stock
100 g Arborio rice
50 g parmesan shavings

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently sauté the onion, celery and garlic over a medium heat until soft. Add the rice into the pan and allow the oil to coat, sautéing for a further few minutes.
Add the stock from a measuring jug bit by bit, allowing only enough to just cover the rice. Stir often, and keep adding the stock until the rice is soft and creamy, about 25 minutes.
Stir the parmesan into the risotto and serve in bowls.

If the stock runs out and the rice is not yet done, just make up some more stock.

Five ways with celery

An underappreciated vegetable, celery is great for many reasons – it is grown all year long in the UK (though it’s best in December) and it is extremely versatile. Cold and crunchy, celery works well in snacks, sandwiches, salads and soups. (Not to mention that rumour that the act of eating celery burns off any calories incurred through eating it.)


Update a classic

Waldorf salad was originally created over 100 years ago and includes celery, apples, walnuts and mayonnaise. Apples traditionally dominated the salad. Update the salad with more celery to increase the fruit and vegetable count.

(serves 2)

2 apples of your choice
1 pack of celery hearts
a handful of walnuts, chopped
4 tablespoons light mayonnaise
lemon juice
4 pieces of cos lettuce

Core the apples and chop into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from browning.

Chop the ends and the leaves off of the celery and slice into 1-cm sized pieces. Mix the apples, celery, walnuts and mayonnaise and serve on a leaf of cos lettuce. Sprinkle with a little sugar if desired.



All aboard

Use celery as “boats” and stuff with fun fillings. These snacks work well for kids, who will enjoy the activity.

(serves 4 children)

1 pack of celery hearts
4 tbsp hummus
4 tbsp peanut butter
4 tbsp cream cheese

Chop each of the celery hearts into two separate sticks.
Use a butter knife to fill up the celery with the individual fillings.
If you don’t like one of the fillings, simply use more of one of the others.

Make it light: use reduced-fat versions for a lower-calorie treat.


Cheeseboard sandwich

A cheeseboard doesn’t just have to be eaten after a posh meal. It makes an excellent sandwich as well.

(serves 1)

2 slices of seeded bread
2 stalks of celery, shaved or sliced thin
a bunch of grapes, sliced in half
20 g of farmhouse cheddar
20 g of stilton or blue vinney
butter, margarine or mayo
How to do it:

Smear a bit of your spread on the bread.
Stack the celery, then the cheese and finally the grapes (with the cut side against the cheese).


Modern tuna salad

An old sandwich filler gets a clean update with fresh tuna and butter beans.

(serves 2)

2 pieces of fresh tuna
1 tin of butter beans, drained
6 celery hearts, chopped or shaved
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Heat ½ of the oil in a saucepan until very hot, then add the tuna, searing for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat. Chop the tuna into thin slices.
Add the tuna, celery, butter beans and the rest of the oil. Sprinkle with black pepper and a pinch of salt. Serve in individual shallow bowls.


One-pot risotto

Almost any vegetable tastes great in a risotto – so why not celery? Add it to this vegetarian one-pot dinner.

(serves 2)

4 stalks of celery, trimmed and sliced thinly
1 onions, peeled and sliced thinly
1 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoons of olive oil
½ litre of hot chicken or vegetable stock
100 g Arborio rice
50 g parmesan shavings

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently sauté the onion, celery and garlic over a medium heat until soft. Add the rice into the pan and allow the oil to coat, sautéing for a further few minutes.
Add the stock from a measuring jug bit by bit, allowing only enough to just cover the rice. Stir often, and keep adding the stock until the rice is soft and creamy, about 25 minutes.
Stir the parmesan into the risotto and serve in bowls.

If the stock runs out and the rice is not yet done, just make up some more stock.