My first two meals at the new digs (recipes included)

I'm still too embarrassed to show you pics of my new kitchen, cluttered as it is. You'll have to wait for those. But I will divulge my first two Clapton creations in the meantime, and perhaps you can look forward to a kitchen pic at the end of the weekend. Perhaps.

Things didn't quite go as I'd planned them for dinner, but close. As I said in my last post, I was planning a herby pea soup for dinner one night and salmon w/ Ottolenghi's asparagus and salsa (sans crumbly cheese) for the other.

That might have gone to plan, but a mixture of forgetfulness and Tesco let me down. First, I left frozen peas off my shopping list - KINDA important for pea soup. Second, no English asparagus to be had in the horrors of Hackney Central's Tesco, despite its bang-on seasonality at the moment.

It's okay, don't worry, I regrouped. For Monday, I went with green bean soup with parsley, mint, dill and basil, using green beans out of the freezer, with some rather yummy freshly-baked (but not by me) cheese rolls.

Here's that recipe:

Green bean soup with herbs
(serves 2)

400 g frozen green beans
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large handful of parsley, chopped
1 small handful of mint, chopped
1 small handful of dill, chopped
5-10 basil leaves, chopped OR a spoonful of pesto
1 tbsp bouillon powder + 1.5 litres of freshly boiled water
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in the pot, and add the green beans and garlic. Saute for about 6-8 minutes. Add the bouillon/water, bring to the boil, then allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add half the chopped herbs before blitzing with a hand blender. Then stir through the other half of the herbs before serving. I put a dollop of low-fat Greek yogurt on top and served with those cheese rolls.

It was really yummy and no doubt less than 250 cals (minus the cheese rolls). Very filling too.

Moving on. Lack of asparagus threw a spanner in the works for my idea of baked salmon with Ottolenghi's asparagus and salsa recipe. I still had all the ingredients for the salsa, though, so decided instead to have baked salmon with tomato-mint-dill-cucumber-onion relish (salsa, though technically correct, is misleading here) and yogurt, served with boiled baby new potatoes and a baby gem salad. It was damn tasty too.

Here's that recipe:

Salmon with tomato-dill-onion-cucumber-mint relish and yogurt, served with potatoes and salad
(serves 2)

2 fillets of skinless salmon (140 g each)
1 tsp olive oil to coat

4 medium tomatoes, chopped well
75 g cucumber, chopped fine (about an 1 inch portion)
1/2 medium red onion, chopped fine
2 tsp red wine vinegar
small handful of parsley, chopped fine
3 sprigs of dill, chopped fine
3 sprigs of mint, chopped fine
salt and pepper

2 tbsp low-fat Greek yogurt (optional)

400 g baby new potatoes
1/2 head of baby gem lettuce or round lettuce

Bake the salmon in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. While that's cooking, prep the relish - keep everything as finely chopped as possible. When the salmon's done, spoon a generous portion on one side, and drizzle the yogurt over. Serve with freshly boiled new potatoes and a handful of baby gem lettuce on the side (the generous amount of relish will go well with the lettuce).

This was again really easy to make (done in under 30 minutes) and very tasty. Don't know the cals on it, but you could easily cut them down by swapping the potatoes for asparagus, if you're lucky enough to have a bleeping grocery store that stocks seasonal produce. (Grrr.)

I'd recommend both to a friend, and will happily make it again (especially that salsa, which reminded me of my favourite dish in the world, tabbouleh). I was a little worried about how the dill would go down (especially two nights in a row, considering that Pete's often not crazy about my liberal use of the herb), but he was very happy with both - I think the other herbs tone it down, especially in the salmon recipe, where the red onion all but knocks it out.

Moving food

No, not food that gets you exercising... I'm talking about food that you eat when you're moving house. This past weekend we moved about a mile up the road from London Fields to Clapton. My diet consisted of pastries and (decaf) coffee from a local deli, packaged sarnies and fish and chips from the pub. And although I'm as yet unpacked and will be for at least the next few days, I vow to do a bit better than that.

First stop - sort out an online delivery. Ocado's been tempting me with 20% vouchers for the past few weeks, so I've taken them up on their offer and have a delivery arranged for Thursday. I stuck mostly to ordering meat, fish, dairy and frozen stuff and plan on packing the freezer VERY full and doing the fruit and vegetable shopping more locally.

Second stop - figuring out what to eat until Thursday night. I'm in the mood for light springtime food, even though in May it still feels a bit like March. Asparagus would be good, and I really like the sound of Ottolenghi's recent recipe for asparagus with salsa and cheese . The addition of mint and dill to that salsa sounds TO. DIE. FOR.

For tonight (Tuesday), I'm thinking a soup - perhaps a nice light pea soup with the mint and dill I was just drooling over. With ridiculously hearty portions, of course.

And tomorrow night (Wednesday), I need something full of asparagusto - perhaps I will try out that recipe. (I will have the mint and the dill already). Though I'm not quite in the mood for cheese, so will probably drop the cheese and serve with salmon - with perhaps a drizzle of yogurt to make up for the lost cheese.

And I'll eat it all in my garden.

The night-before-a-flight dinner party

So I just returned from the States yesterday after a whirlwind 9-day trip. It should have been closer to 14, but thanks to the Iceland volcano, it was cut short a bit at the beginning. So instead of flying out on Tuesday, we didn't get to fly out until Saturday.

All that aside, we had a great time celebrating my dad's 60th and our impending July arrival. We succumbed to gluttony a few times - hot chicken wings and queso dip spring to mind - but also scoffed many of my fresh favourites such as yellow squash and raspberries.

But flash back to the night before our flight out of London - we had some friends over for dinner before our trip and to show them our new place, which we'll be moving into next week. I needed something simple, fresh, and ideally easy to prepare ahead as we were doing lots of work at the new flat. I also needed something that wouldn't leave leftovers, and since the weather was so nice, I wanted something summer-inspired but in keeping with mid-spring availabilities.

Here's what I settled on:

• sticky lemon chicken (served cold)
• purple-sprouting broccoli and herb pasta salad (served cold)
• prawns in carrot sauce (served cold)
• mixed leaf salad
• fresh sun-dried tomato bread
• a round of camenbert (I abstained, pregnant as I am)
• white wine (spritzer for me)

I think it turned out well - we ate around 7:30, with it still light outside and the windows and doors open. It was a Friday, so everyone was in a good mood, and I wasn't in the least bit stressed thanks to the early preparation.

If you like any of these ideas, I've put general recipes for the ones in bold below. Check 'em out and let me know if you want more info, and I can surely provide it.

---

Sticky lemon chicken
I only had an idea in mind, not a recipe, so after a bit of browsing I came across this recipe from Notecook and this one from Good Food, which I picked the best bits from.

To make:

1. Cut slices into the fat of drumsticks and thighs (maybe 10 pieces total?) and season. 
2. In a casserole dish, add the juice and zest of 2 large lemons, 1 tbsp of honey, 1 clove of garlic (chopped), 1 tbsp of oil, a pinch each of paprika/salt/pepper and whisk with a fork. 
3. Add the chicken and rub the juices into the chicken. Roast for 45 minutes or until done at 200 C / 400 F. 
4. Allow to cool, then refrigerate until you're ready to serve. Some chopped herbs on the top would look pretty here.

If I'm honest, it didn't end up quite as 'sticky' as I would have liked - I think I would have needed to add more honey or a little sugar to make it stickier. But the citrus aromas were lovely - I'd probably amp that up a little more too.


Purple-sprouting broccoli and herb pasta salad
This one was also an idea in my head - I was initially thinking asparagus, but couldn't get any British asparagus at the store. Purple-sprouting broccoli from Herefordshire looked good, so in the basket it went.

To make:

1. Blanch 400 g (14 oz) purple sprouting broccoli (regular is fine, just not as pretty) and then plunge into cold water to cool. Set to the side.
2. Boil 300 g (10.5 oz) fusilli pasta, rinse with cold water, then set to the side.
3. To make the dressing, use the juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon olive oil, a handful of chopped fresh parsley, a handful of chopped fresh dill, and 3 tablespoons of basil pesto. (If you don't have basil pesto, use a handful of basil and 2 more tablespoons of oil).
4. Combine the broccoli, pasta and herb mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more lemon juice or herbs if you like, and topping with lemon zest is a pretty touch.

Makes enough for 4 people with leftovers (so probably 6, if you're serving the chicken too).

Prawns in carrot sauce
Okay, so this one was a total cheat - my mother-in-law brought me back some carrot sauce from the Canaries, which I've been meaning to try out. It was actually quite nice - had the essence of cumin, onion and red peppers in it in my mind, though one site lists the ingredients as "oil, garlic, paprika, salt, vinegar, pureed carrot, thyme or other herbs". Anyway, it was good (though I did set the smoke alarm off in the middle of the night when I stir fried these bad boys up).

Sun-dried tomato bread
Okay, so kinda another cheat. I'm not perfect! This was a pre-mix that I used in the breadmaker - my breadmaker's not well equipped to take additions to the mix after the start, so if I want anything "fancy" I have to go pre-mix. The smell is fab. I'm sure with a little planning I could try doing something on my own, but my mind was on flights and ash clouds. Deal...

Don't knock it til you've tried it... Tomato-ginger soup

I know this isn't going to be my most popular post - the two comments I had on Facebook to this soup were 'yuck' and 'ew, pregnancy does give you weird cravings'.

But let me state officially for the record. I liked this LONG BEFORE I became pregnant. And it's yummy. If you like any sort of Indian food, you'll like this. And even if you don't like Indian food, I think you'll like it, as in my mind it has more of a European feel to it than anything else.

I first tried this back in 2005, when I found a recipe for tomato-ginger soup paired with grilled cheese and fennel sandwiches with curry mayo. I was very intrigued by the combination, and found I loved it - with or without the always wonderful grilled cheeses.

The second time I had it was in Provence in the summer - after picking lovely ripe wonderful tomatoes from the garden, we wondered what we could do to give a tomato soup a bit of oomph - and my mind raced back to the warmth that the ginger brought to the soup.

Years later, in the late months of winter, I think this soup has its merits - it's so easy to make, it's healthy and it's really tasty. And you can use those tins of basic chopped tomatoes from the supermarket that cost only 31p a go to make a fantastic soup. I made a huge batch and freezed some in individual portions.

Tomato-ginger soup

serves 2

2 tins chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium red onion, finely sliced

fresh ginger - about 1 inch, peeled and chopped

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of paprika

pinch of curry powder or garam masala

salt and pepper

cracked dried red chillies

optional: reduced-fat sour cream

Okay, this is almost too easy: heat the oil in the pot. Saute the onions over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and spices and saute for a few more minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about half an hour, checking the seasoning along the way and adding more salt/pepper/water to the mixture if needed.

After half an hour, use a handblender to puree the soup. Serve immediately or allow to cool and serve later. 

Lovely with a dollop of sour cream on top if you want a cool aftertaste to all that lovely warm ginger.

Calories: I don't have the exact figure, but each serving is easily less than 250 calories, including the sour cream. Would be good with a slice of bread to (or those grilled cheese sandwiches...)


So tell me your thoughts - would you try it? Do you think it sounds disgusting? Or would you only eat it with the divine grilled curry and cheese sandwiches?!

Defrosting, courtesy of a favourite recipe

It hasn't snowed in a couple of days, and the thin white blanket covering London Fields is turning to a rather unbecoming gray. Boo. But what isn't going away is my need for comfort food.

It's kinda the only thing to talk about at the moment in food (unless you want to do some horrid "Best of 2009!" or "Things to watch in 2010!" post, neither of which I'm in the mood for). Word of Mouth mentioned those comfort buzzwords cheese and carbs; Nigel Slater uttered my personal favourite, dumplings.

I have to admit - I haven't been particularly experimental. But my favourite for this time of year has to be root vegetable stew with cheesy dumplings. I mentioned it in passing back in November 2007:

"My friend Sarah makes an excellent root vegetable stew with dumplings. In go parsnips, carrots, potatoes, swede and celeriac, simmered with a touch of cider, and, if it’s a special occasion, dumplings made of flour, cheese, spring onion, and a bit of butter. Perfect for a dark chilly evening."

Well, over two years later I'm still loving it, and since I've tweaked it enough to make it my own, I'll give you the recipe. The bulk of the work is in the chopping at the beginning. It's actually quite easy.

Root vegetable stew with cheesy dumplings

(Serves 4; so if you're just making for 2, freeze half, or eat two nights in a row)

350 g parsnip, peeled and cut into sticks

100 g carrots, peeled and cut into discs

300 g swede, peeled and cubed

250 g celeriac

50 g flour

2 large onions, quartered (or 3 large leeks, chopped)

3 stalks of celery, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp bouillon powder or a stock cube, mixed in 1 l boiling water

fresh herbs - sage, rosemary, bay leaf whatever you fancy.

1/2 pint of Newcastle Brown Ale

1 tbsp gravy granules

salt and pepper

for the dumplings:

2 tbsp of a butter-based spread like Lurpak or Anchor Lighter

100 g reduced-fat cheese, grated

100 g flour

3 spring onions, finely chopped

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and celery and saute over medium heat until translucent. Season with salt and pepper, then add the 50 g flour and saute for a few minutes more until the mixture is very dry. Turn up the heat to medium-high, then add the ale (like you would wine in a risotto), and stir vigorously to distribute the flour throughout.

Add the freshly-prepared stock, the herbs, and the root vegetables, and bring to a boil, before reducing to simmer for 45 min-1 hour.

While it's simmering, prepare the dumplings by combining the remaining flour, grated cheese, spring onions, and butter in a bowl and running through with your fingers to produce a crumbly mixture. You should be able to form small balls, but if it's too dry, an extra dash of Newcastle (or even water) will help. You should be able to get about 15 out of this mixture (I prefer to make them small so that there's more of them - though if you like bigger dumplings, they'll just need to cook longer). Refrigerate until you're ready to cook them.

After 45 minutes of the stew simmering. drop the dumplings in. Be sure they're submerged, but you don't want them to get squished. They need at least 15 minutes to simmer in the mixture.

Before serving, add the gravy granules if the consistency needs a bit more "gloop". It's always nice to serve with a little bit of green veg if you have it - cabbage or broccoli both work well.

Calories: 455 per serving.  Very very reasonable for a filling winter warmer I'd say.

And while my husband always grumbles (at first) on the absence of lamb or beef, the dumplings are more than enough to make him happy in the end.

Sweetcorn chowder with spice

The mornings are getting chillier. I'm pulling my cardigan a bit tighter on my journeys into and home from work. It's nearly time to dig out the coats and scarves.

In the meantime, when I walk in the front door, I'm ready for something really warming and spicy. Earlier this week it was a cheap but tasty three-bean chili (good enough for two nights in a row). And tonight a bit of corn chowder was on the cards - but with a twist.

That twist comes courtesy of Ottolenghi - one of my favourite chefs these days. His New Vegetarian column is a weekly staple for the Guardian. I really enjoy his East Mediterranean take on recipes, and this one is no exception. To the classic American chowder, he's added a spiced butter, which consists of toasted cumin seeds, paprika and pepper. That, in addition to some freshly chopped coriander, gives chowder a whole new face - one that's super comforting.

Of course, I'm never *quite* content to cook Ottolenghi as is - I think his portions are a little small (especially for a vegetarian dish). In my opinion, less butter is needed, but more potato if this is going to make a main meal that doesn't have its eaters rummaging around the kitchen ten minutes later. I've also tried to go with cheaper ingredient alternatives that you're more likely to have to hand. Feel free to play with it how it suits you.

My version of Ottolenghi's corn chowder with spiced butter

(serves 3)
 

350 g potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 cm cubes

1 tsp thyme

1 large red pepper, chopped into one 1 cm pieces

1 large onion, chopped into 1 cm pieces

2 bay leaves

1 large tin of sweetcorn, drained

2 tsp oil

1 tbsp bouillon powder

700 ml freshly boiled water

300 ml skimmed milk

for the spiced oil

30 g spread or 2 tbsp oil

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp asafoetida

1 tsp white pepper

salt

small handful of coriander leaves

Heat 2 ml of oil in a pot and saute the onion over medium heat until translucent with the bay leaves and thyme. When that's done, tip in the red pepper, potato and stock - and stir. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Dump in the corn and remove the bay leaves. Halve the mixture - use a hand blender to puree one half, and then return both halves to the pan. Stir in the skimmed milk. Bring back to a simmer and cook for a few more minutes.

In the meantime, make the spiced oil - grind and toast the seeds, then add the oil/spread, asafoetida, white pepper, paprika and salt. Mix together and cook - then allow to cool.

When you're ready to serve, top the bowls of chowder with oil and chopped coriander leaves.

Calories per serving: about 330. It may be that someone hungrier wants two portions - if so, great. If not (like tonight), then you have a lovely extra serving perfect for freezing or for a Saturday lunch with a piece of bread.

This recipe is a winner, thanks to that spiced butter/oil. It's brilliant. The depth of flavour that you get for three minutes work is just not to be ignored. I'm thinking the spiced oil would be brilliant with some fresh flaky haddock and wilted spinach as well.

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!

Another work lunch, with a summery twist

First I overegged myself. Now I’m bordering on having over-potatoed myself too. I need a change, so it’s ironic, then, that this week I return to the staple that I first started my work lunches with maybe three years ago: chickpeas.

Chickpeas are good little things: they’re filling, low-GI, very transportable, etc. Too much chickpea is a bad thing – but what isn’t?

I've tarted the chickpea up with a Greek-inspired ingredients (though no red onion, a lunchtime no-no). Cucumbers, black olives, feta, and sun-dried tomatoes, all topped with a lemon-oregano vinaigrette. Very tasty and light, but packed with flavour. And very good for outdoor eating.

Greek-style chickpea salad
(makes 5 servings)

2 tins chickpeas, rinsed and drained
½ tin black olives in brine, halved
100 g of dried sun-dried tomatoes (not the ones in oil), soaked in warm water and rinsed
100 g feta, crumbled or cubed in small pieces
300 g cucumber, deseeded and chopped
1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced thinly

for the vinaigrette:
1 tbsp oregano
juice of two lemons
1 tbsp olive oil

Combine the first six ingredients in a large Tupperware. Make the vinaigrette and drizzle over the salad. Close the container and shake to ensure the dressing covers the entire salad.

Scoop out 1/5 of the salad each day for lunch

Calories: 265 per serving.

Wow, it's been awhile... what I've been eating in June

The second half of spring has not been a prolific one for me on this blog, as you may well have noticed. Maybe it’s the improving weather keeping me far from my laptop. I have been trying to enjoy every last drop of outdoor sunshine, and getting into running more and more has meant when I do get home that the computer isn’t my first port of call. The bathtub beckons far louder, I’m afraid.

But that hasn’t meant I haven’t been eating! Far from it, of course. Here are some highlights of the past month:

Split pea and ham soup - I can’t claim this recipe for my own, I’m afraid, as it was borrowed from my husband’s boss. But it is ever so hearty and very tasty – you just need 750g smoked gammon, 500 g dried split peas, a leek, a chilli and a clove of garlic. It makes 10 first-course servings and freezes beautifully. I’m going to have another round out of the freezer later this week.

Asparagus and herb risotto – a la Rose Gray of River Café. Featured on Guardian’s Food for a Fiver week. Upped the mint and parsley quantities by three, dropped the butter, and used feta instead of parmesan for a lighter, more sprightly springy kick.

Leek and herb stuffed jackets – found this little one in the BBC Good Food magazine in May. Effortlessly simple – potatoes, cream cheese, leeks, parsley. Lovely.

Prawn linguine with yellow pepper sauce – now this I love. Faced with a glut of yellow peppers, I roasted these, peeled them and pureed the flesh and juice, which formed a sweet, smoky sauce with an utterly fabulous consistency. Raw prawns + linguine + flat leaf parsley + roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic = amazing! Will be making this again.

Grilled sausages with mustard and courgette cakes – love this combination. I didn’t even work very hard on the cakes, I’ll admit (I’d had a glass of wine…) Grated courgettes, sweated with salt, mixed with chopped spring onions, a tablespoon of flour, sautéed with some olive oil. My husband had three sausages, one courgette cake; I had one sausage, three courgette cakes. And we were both blissfully happy with that arrangement.

Steak and portobello mushroom sandwiches – well, steak for him, portobello mushroom for me. Mushrooms are supposed to be meat for vegetarians, aren’t they? (Not that I’m a vegetarian by any means, but still – goes to show how filling they can be). Grilled these in tandem, topped them with Leerdammer Light swiss cheese and a bun.

Smoked haddock with wilted spinach and pea puree – savoury, simple and strong. I was craving that earthy taste of wilted spinach and this hit the spot, mixed with sweet peas and smoky haddock. Very low calorie, but delicious. Added a poached egg for the husband, though I didn’t fancy it (I overegged myself earlier this year…)

Grilled lamb steaks with cumin-spiced broad bean puree and pitta – a healthy kebab really. The lamb was marinated in lemon juice, oregano and garlic and grilled for less than 10 minutes, while the broad beans took only minutes to steam and process. Warming the pitta bread for the last few minutes that the lamb is on makes for a lovely treat.

Tagliatelle with roasted red and yellow peppers, capers, garlic and anchovies – this may well be my combination of the summer. These peppers go so soft, and mixed with the other ingredients and a tablespoon of olive oil (and the leftover pasta water), they make any pasta absolutely to die for.

What do you think? Good/bad/ugly? Yummy/fun? What did you eat this month? I looooove a good bit of inspiration!

More asparagus and poached egg goodness…

…this time with chips. It’s so gorgeously simple I don’t know what else to say. Except: Chablis (a gratefully-received suggestion from my coworker.)

Creamy haricot bean soup with tarragon

I was first inspired to use white beans and tarragon by the wonderful Nigel Slater a few years back in his Kitchen Diaries. His recipe, naturally, uses butter – which is divine, but not often in my house these days.

Tarragon is one of the lesser-used herbs, but its aniseed perfume can be undeniably addictive when used right. It pairs well with chicken, creamy sauces and white wine (none of which are in my recipe, as it turns out.)

Well, that’s not strictly true: I’m aiming to make my soup creamy without the used of any dairy, and luckily, white beans are there to the rescue. Be they cannellini, haricot, flageolet, when cooked until they’re just falling apart and then pureed, they are absolutely spot on. Adding lots of filler vegetables bulks it up well.

Creamy haricot bean soup with tarragon
(serves 2)

1 tin of haricot beans, drained and rinsed
3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
150 g carrot, finely chopped
1 medium leek, finely chopped
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 litre of hot chicken/vegetable stock, preferably homemade, but bouillon will do
2 tbsp light olive spread
20g tarragon leaves
salt and pepper
bay leaf
(optional) low fat crème fraiche

Heat the olive oil spread in the pot over medium heat and add the celery, carrot, leek, red onions and garlic. Allow the veggies to saute until they go transparent – cover if necessary to keep them moist.

After about 8 minutes, add the beans and stir through. Saute for another 2-3 minutes before adding the stock, the tarragon and the bay leaf. Season. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove 3-4 ladelfuls of the veggie/bean mixture (including the bay leaf, but minus the stock) and set to the side. Use a hand blender to puree the rest of the soup left in the pot, before returning the mixture to the pot and stirring well. Do again if necessary to ensure a smooth consistency. Bring back up to a slight bubble and simmer for up to 5 more minutes before seasoning one last time.

Serve with a dollop of low fat crème fraiche, the remaining tarragon leaves (about 20 g per bowl). For the hungrier folks, an additional two pieces of toasted bread cut into ‘soldiers’ for dipping should do the trick.

Calories: for 1 serving with a dollop of crème fraiche but no bread: 365

Image: Zsuzsanna Kilián

a lighter lasagne recipe

I don’t often cook lasagnes – to be honest, they’re an awful lot of work. I also am not crazy about meaty lasagnes (similar to the way I don’t like spaghetti Bolognese). They can also be pretty awful for you when loaded with béchamel sauce and cheese.

But they serve up so beautifully with a lovely side salad – and can be frozen ahead of time. They also generally taste better the day after, making fantastic leftovers.

So this past weekend I decided to make a spring/summer lasagne with courgettes/zucchini in mind. Some recipes like this encourage you to replace the pasta with the courgettes – but I still wanted the pasta, so that was a no go.

As for the tomato sauce, I used a mixture of chopped tomatoes, fresh tomatoes and a store-bought sauce (gasp!) that was on sale at the supermarket.

For the creamy, cheesy component, I used a mixture of ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and skimmed milk.

Courgette lasagne
(serves 4)

4 large courgettes, sliced thinly lengthwise (about 600 g)
olive oil spray
-
10 sheets lasagne
-
250 g ricotta cheese
100 ml milk
handful of basil
-
350 g mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly
-
350 g of tomato and basil pasta sauce
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2-3 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped

Preheat the grill. Spray the long thin slices of courgette with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for about 10 minutes, turning halfway through. You may have to do this in two batches. Set the courgettes to the side to cool.

While the courgettes are cooking, prepare the two sauces. Bring the three tomato ingredients to a simmer. In another pot, mix the ricotta, milk, basil and stir before heating over medium. Season both mixtures.

When the courgettes are done you can start the layering. First, preheat the oven to 190 C/375 F. Start with a layer of tomato sauce (about 1/5), a bit of mozzarella (about 1/5), some courgettes (1/4) and a thin layer of the ricotta mixture (about ¼). Top with the lasagne sheets before repeating four times. (Make sure you reserve enough of each mixture for each layer!) Top the final lasagne sheets with the remaining tomato sauce and mozzarella before putting in the oven to cook for 40 minutes.

Calories per serving: 591.

Serve with a fresh, crunchy side salad (romaine, cucumber, tomato, basil vinaigrette) and some steamed vegetables (broccoli perhaps?)

We had this for dinner one night and lunch the next day. So much for freezing leftovers…

a dublin holiday and some lovely asparagus

I've been missing in action since my best friend Laura came to visit for nine days. We had a fabulous time cavorting around London, Dublin and Cambridge - generally stuffing ourselves with wonderful food and drink.

Dublin was the most fun - fresh crab claws, Irish smoked salmon, mussels, oysters - you name it, and 'it' came from the sea, then we had it. Oh, and the requisite Guinness and Jameson's.

But it's late April now - and therefore asparagus time in the Staves household. Thus far I've picked up some from Warwickshire (which I gobbled up tonight) and some lovely organic stuff sourced in Cambridge - for a little later this week.

So it's a lovely light dinner for tonight - and it's just me, as Mr Staves is hard at work.

Poached egg and asparagus on toast
(serves 1)

2 medium eggs
1 bunch asparagus
1 slice of bread
salt and pepper
spray olive oil

Preheat the grill/boiler to a medium heat, and bring a shallow pot to boil.

Spray the asparagus with a bit of olive oil before putting under the broiler/grill. They'll take about 6 minutes.

Poach the eggs for about four minutes. Right before they are finished, toast the bread.

Top the toast with the grilled asparagus and the two poached eggs. Season with salt and pepper.

Calories: about 300. And it's remarkably filling. Bulk it up with another piece of bread if you like.

Broccoli pasta with cheese sauce

Broccoli-cheese combinations feel very retro to me for some reason. I can imagine, after my shrimp/prawn cocktail starter, eating broccoli-cheese soup out of an avocado-coloured bowl (which, incidentally, would match my refrigerator). I'd then turn on my lava lamp and listen to some later Bob Dylan (the horrid stuff that's full of synthesizers). Yes, that's what I'd do...

But in the "real" world (ie. March 2009 in east London), I'd whip up a broccoli pasta with wholemeal fusilli pasta and add a slightly cheese sauce. I'd be pleased because it's oh-so-easy to do in my lovely built-in kitchen with fake-birch cupboard doors. We'd eat the pasta in our crisp-white-because-it-matches-everything bowls, while watching the latest drivel on our widescreen tv. I would do my best to subvert the carb-guilt hammered at us by Atkins and South Beach by reminding myself that this will fuel me on my Friday afternoon run. Yes, that's what I'd do.

Broccoli pasta with cheese sauce
(serves 2 - 1 normal, 1 large portion)

300 g wholemeal fusilli pasta
250 g raw broccoli, chopped
1.5 tbsp of olive oil or olive spread
1 medium red onion, sliced thinly
45 g plain flour
150 ml skimmed milk
120 g cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp of dried red chilli flakes
A few sprays of olive oil
Salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the fusilli. It will take about 8-10 minutes to boil. Put the broccoli in with the pasta with about 3 minutes left to boil.

Start the sauce by sautéing the onion over medium heat in the olive oil/spread. Once they have gone translucent, add in the flour slowly and stir until you get a lovely roux. Mix for a further minute or two, and then slowly whisk in the milk, little by little. You don’t want it to burn, but you want the sauce to begin thickening slowly. Then whisk in the cheddar slowly, ensuring the sauce doesn’t go clumpy.

Drain the pasta/broccoli and return to the pot, which should now be over a low heat. Add a spray or two of olive oil. When the sauce is ready, add it to the broccoli and pasta and remove from heat. Season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes and serve (in any colour bowl of your choice of course).

For the 'normal' serving, dish out 1/3 of the overall pasta. The remaining pasta will make for a 'hungry' portion...

Calories per 'normal' serving: 682. Perfect for fueling my exercise session tomorrow.

Aubergines and mint

This is quite possibly the best flavour combination out there.

I was reminded of it while perusing an old copy of Jamie's Italy. In it he offers a handful of ideas for bruschetta. Aubergine and mint jumped off the page.

But the duo isn't just for bruschetta, it's for life. And it is best in its simplest form. I made this on Monday and I'll make it again tonight.

Roasted aubergines with minted yogurt
(serves 2)

2 medium aubergines, halved lengthwise
Olive oil spray
Pinch of sea salt
2 tsp harissa
75g fat-free yogurt (like Total 0)
Big handful of mint, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C. Sprinkle the aubergines with salt and a couple sprays of olive oil. Roast, flesh side up, for 45 minutes on a foil-lined baking tray.

While they're cooking, prepare the yogurt by mixing the yogurt with the mint. Use your fork to release as nmuch of the aroma from the herb as possible.

Remove the aubergines from the oven. Smear a bit of harissa atop the aubergines and serve with the yogurt.

Calories: less than 200 per serving. Perfect for a really light meal. But if you need something more substantial, this would go really well with grilled chicken - the yogurt would help keep the chicken from drying out the meal.

a recipe for celery soup

I hope that title didn't put you off reading the post.

If you're still reading, you're in for a treat, because this soup is beautiful, delicate and very warming. Snatched from Jocasta Innes' The Pauper's Cookbook and modified slightly, my recipe for celery soup would make a perfect starter course - or a lovely main course if you bulked it up with lots of bread and maybe a salad with walnuts, pears and spinach.

I myself just ate it for lunch.

Celery soup
(serves 4 as a starter, or 2 as a main course)

500 g celery, chopped small
300 g potatoes, peeled and chopped small
250 ml skimmed milk, heated
30 g olive oil or olive oil spread
1 litre hot vegetable stock (I use Marigold's bouillon powder)
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
salt and black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg (optional, but yummy)

Heat the olive oil/spread in a large pot. Add the celery and the potatoes and stir until they are well coated. Cook for about 5-6 minutes over medium heat.

Add the litre of stock. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes.

Use a hand blender to puree the mixture; strain the mixture through a sieve to remove any particles from the soup.

Return the mixture to the pan, and mix in the warmed milk, either with a whisk or the hand blender. Heat through. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg (if using); add the spinach and serve through. Serve immediately, or allow to cool before freezing in batches.

Calories: 150 per first-course serving, or 300 per main-course serving (not including any bread or butter).

FAIL?

My veggie stirfry just wasn't enough tonight. I thought it sounded quite nice, actually - veggies, noodles, and a healthy dollop of sriracha on top. But no - the husband wasn't convinced, and headed out the door to get himself a lamb doner kebab.

Nonetheless, my dinner was lovely - and in a way I was quite pleased that I got a larger helping of peppers, courgettes and onions! Besides, we don't have to eat the same thing every night, after all...

So to all those people that think vegetable stirfries with noodles are A-OK, this one's for you:

Vegetable stirfry with noodles and sriracha
(serves 1)

1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
1/2 courgette, sliced
handful of spinach leaves
5 sprays of olive oil
1 tbsp sriracha chilli sauce
1 block of dry egg noodles

Heat the oil in a small pan; once hot, add the pepper, onion and courgette and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the noodles - they'll only need about 4 minutes.

Drain the noodles and add the spinach to the pan (remove it from the heat).

Add the noodles to a bowl, top with the veggies and stir well. Add a dollop of chilli sauce to the side and enjoy.

Calories: a very respectable 315.

Try lots of veggie combos: yellow and red peppers, broccoli, carrot, spring onion. They'll all work well - well, for you anyway. :-)

mmmm.... mushrooms

It's atrocious, my absence. All I can do is offer this amazingly earthy, rich (and healthy) mushroom soup and beg forgiveness:

Super mushroomy soup
(serves 2)

500 g large mushrooms, stems removed, sliced, and stems chopped finely
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp Marigold bouillon powder added to 1/2 litre freshly boiled water
25 g chives, chopped
25 g dried mushrooms, soaked in 1 pint water
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp truffle oil (if you don't have it, just use olive oil)
100 ml skim milk

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the fresh mushrooms, onions and thyme and saute over med-high heat for a few minutes, adding splashes of water as needed.

After five minutes, add the dried mushrooms, the mushroom water, and the bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to pull out about 1/3 of the mushrooms and put to the side. Use a hand blender to blend the rest of the soup. Replace the mushroom/onion mixture and bring back to a simmer.

In a small saucepan, heat the skimmed milk, but don't bring to a boil. Then stir through the soup, along with half of the chives and the truffle oil.

Serve the soup topped with the remainder of the chives, some cracked black pepper and some creme fraiche (optional - I didn't have it, but my husband did).

Calories: 200 calories per serving (without creme fraiche). (To bulk it up for others, add some bread and butter.)

"I'm definitely making this again," I said to Pete halfway through. To which he responded: "I'm definitely eating this again."

courgette cakes

I'm back. As for my extended absence, I can only throw up my hands and say "I'm sorry, I've been really busy!" And, of course, offer you a lovely recipe for courgette cakes that I made last night. I made a similar recipe awhile back inspired by Nigel Slater. I can only recall that these were equally yummy.

As my lovely husband is away, I'm cooking for one at the moment - so this only serves me, though it is easily multiplied.

Courgette cakes with dill
(serves 1)

2 courgettes, grated (sprinkle with salt and allow the water to drain out...alternatively squeeze the water out)
handful of dill (or more to taste), chopped
1 large spring onion, chopped finely
2 tbsp flour
1 beaten egg
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Mix the courgettes, dill, spring onion, salt, pepper, 1 tbsp of the flour and the egg together in a bowl. Then form into four balls/patties, allowing any excess juice to squeeze out from your hands. Roll the patties in the other 1tbsp of flour (just a very light dusting).

Heat the in a small frying pan. (If you have too many cakes for one batch, then use half of the oil now and half for the second batch). When the oil is hot, put the cakes in the pan - allow to fry for about 5 minutes, and then flip over (carefully) and allow to fry for another five minutes. Use the spatula to press the cakes down as necessary.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt (or creme fraiche or sour cream). Yum.

Calories: about 400, including yogurt. Perfect for a warm summery evening when a heavy dinner just wouldn't seem right.

my first asparagus...

in nearly 11 months.

I can recall the last time I ate asparagus before today. I can nail it to the date, actually. It was the night before my friend Sarah's wedding, after a day at Sanctuary Spa. Nothing seemed more lovely than some steamed asparagus on toasted bread with soft French goats' cheese.

The English asparagus season only really lasts from late April to early June, and technically it doesn't even start until May. The window of opportunity won't long be open, so my goal is to get in early.

Seeing as it has been so long, I think it's only appropriate that tonight, I go in as I went out. There's just nothing better. It's a light meal, but with asparagus, it's quality not quantity.

Steamed asparagus and soft goats cheese on toast
(serves 2)

1 bunch of English asparagus, ends trimmed
4 pieces of wholegrain bread
120 g mild French goats cheese
salt and pepper

Steam the asparagus over a medium boil for about 6 minutes. With two minutes left to go, toast the bread and spread the goats cheese over. Season with salt and pepper. Top with asparagus and eat with a fork and knife.

Admittedly, it may not be enough to fill everyone. If that's the case, use just one piece of bread per person and make it a great starter.

As is, each serving is about 350 calories.

I hope you like asparagus. The recipes are going to keep on coming over the next month or so. When I found the English asparagus today, I picked up three bunches. The possibilities are endless...