Poached Chicken with White Beans and Salsa Verde

This is a beautiful summer recipe which can be served warm or cold. I'm a relatively new convert to salsa verde, but the intense flavours are incredible. I found the original recipe at Times Online.

Poached Chicken with White Beans and Salsa Verde

2 organic chicken breasts

1 onion

2 bay leaves

6 peppercorns

1 lemon

1 spring rosemary and/or thyme

white beans - soaked overnight and cooked for one hour

baby spinach

1 big handful parsley

1 handful fresh basil

1 handful fresh mint

6 anchovies

1 tbsp capers

olive oil

garlic cloves

If you are using dried beans, set them simmering whilst you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Place a deep frying pan on the hob and fill with enough water to cover the chicken fillets. Add half an onion, the peppercorns, half a lemon (sliced), the bay leaves, the thyme and rosemary to the water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the chicken breasts and simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the fillets from the water (the original recipe advises to leave them in but I find this makes them tough) and slice on a diagonal into hearty chunks.

Make the salsa verde by blending the parsley, basil, mint, 2 garlic cloves, 6 anchovies, the capers and a good glug of olive oil. I used my trusty hand blender to whizz up the sauce.

Mix the cooked white beans in a bowl along with shredded spinach leaves (I also used a handful of rockett), a glug of olive oil and the juice of the other half of the lemon. Season with salt and pepper and toss until well combined.

Pile the beans and spinach into the centre of a plate, top with the chicken chunks and spoon dollops of the lovely fresh salsa verde on top.

Swiss Chard with Chickpeas and Feta

This is not a particularly photogenic dish (especially not when it's been papped at my desk during a muggy midweek lunchtime) but it is absolutely one of those recipes where the simplicity and brevity of the list of ingredients belie the complexity and richness of the flavours. I'm always interested in finding great ways to use the more unusual leafy greens (chard, kale, cavolo nero etc) and in my mind, this sits well on its own as a main dish, but can also be served on the side for those who prefer a more substantial main course. I got the original recipe from Abel & Cole (whose boxes I was a huge fan of until I moved to Portobello Road where I could buy my veggies literally outside my front door) but I can't find it on their site now.

Swiss Chard with Chickpeas and Feta
1 bunch Swiss Chard
1 cup chickpeas (soaked overnight and boiled for an hour)
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
3 spring onions
chopped fresh dill
feta cheese

Rinse the chard, chop it roughly and transfer it still wet to a frying pan. Add a splash more water and sautee it in a mix of olive oil and water, along with the garlic cloves, until the leaves soften and reduce. I don't like to overcook mine so usually only take 5 mins or so. Thinly slice the spring onions and add them to the frying pan, along with the chickpeas and chopped dill. Combine the ingredients well and transfer to an oven proof dish. Season with salt and pepper before baking for 20 minutes. Add a scattering of chopped feta cheese to the dish and grill for a final 5 to 10 minutes or until the feta begins to brown.

On a Blog Roll

Part of the reason I started my own blog is because I spend a fair amount of time on other people's blogs, using them as inspiration for my own cooking at home. I hoped that one day other people might find my recipes as useful as I do theirs. This week, I seem to have done a big round up of recipes from some of my favourite blogs and it has really made me realise what a fantastic resource the blogosphere is for cooking. It's now become my number one option when I have an ingredient I don't know what to do with, or an idea which needs fulfilling.

101 Cookbooks - Warm, Nutty, Cinnamon Quinoa Porridge

Starting with breakfast, this is a wonderful recipe from 101 Cookbooks, absolutely one of my top favourite sites ever. Cook rich red quinoa with almond milk and water, flavour it with agave and cinnamon before enriching it with berries and walnuts. I made two batches and had the second batch cold at work.

Corn Pancakes with Tomato Sauce

This simple but effect recipe is from one of my new favourites, Diet Dessert and Dogs. I will admit that I am a bit of a puritan when it comes to the type of ingredients I will cook with and it was fantastic to discover someone with the same beliefs (flax instead of eggs, spelt instead of wheat, agave instead of sugar). Believe you me, there are now plenty of Ricki's recipes on my To Do List. Not only that, but I actually used a half a cup of cornmeal (a newly discovered ingredient) which gave the pancakes a really nice texture. I served them with slices of avocado covered in piri piri spice and freshly cooked corn on the cob, which is just coming into season here.

Mango Peanut Curry

The boy outright sneered at this when he walked through the door tonight. "Oh" he said. "Tofu. You know I don't really like it". "It's homemade!" I said, "it's completely different". He took a bite and grudgingly conceded that homemade tofu was indeed a world away from the slimy wobbly shop bought stuff. He took a second bite, slathered in peanut butter, paused only to say "Oh my god this is good" before actually licking the empty plate a mere nanosecond later. This recipe was from Unique Little Bits, another great inspiration for dinners and light bites. It's basically an easy massaman style curry - peanut butter, coconut milk and Thai curry paste but it's creamy flavours are unbelievably good. I never would have thought of using mango in a curry but this was actually Lisa Rene's entry for the Cinco de Mango and I can definitely testify to its success.

I made my own tofu for this dish following Fuss Free Flavours recipe and am starting to think I really need a tofu press now. Maybe I am just becoming more and more like Chocolate and Zucchini as I'm starting to think I'll soon need to seek professional help for my addiction to kitchen gadgets!

Kidney Bean and Red Cabbage Burgers

The idea for these veggie burgers was shamelessly stolen from the excellent Mildred's, one of London's best vegetarian restaurants and a favourite of ours. The trouble with cooking for a 50% vegetarian, 50% meat loving couple is that you can't serve up anything that's too full on veggie. The boy hates tofu for example and is really not that keen on going for too long without some kind of meat. I'm lucky however as he loves Mildred's and is happy to try anything homecooked and made with love. I totally made this recipe up, it's nowhere near as good as the original so I would advise heading down to this small Soho gem and hoping they are on the menu that day! A la Mildred's I served his with sweet potatoes fries, lettuce from our window boxes, tomato slices, a big dollop of mayo and some coleslaw on the side. This recipe made 4 large burgers.

Kidney Bean and Red Cabbage Burgers

1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 red onion

2 cloves garlic

1/4 of a small head of red cabbage

half an apple

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

splash of agave nectar

2 tablespoons medium oatmeal

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 2 tablespoons water (egg substitute)

splash tabasco

chili powder

1 tablespoon tomato puree

wholemeal spelt flour for dusting

First, braise the cabbage. Begin by frying the onions and garlic in some olive oil. Once done, add the finely sliced cabbage and diced apple. Add a big glug of red wine vinegar and the agave nectar to sweeten. Braise on a low heat until the cabbage is soft, around 20 minutes.

In a food processor, add the kidney beans and a handful of the braised cabbage. Add the flax mixture, tabasco, chili powder, oatmeal and tomato puree and process until well combined. Turn into a bowl and form into patties with your hands. Dust with spelt flour and fry lightly - around 3-4 minutes - on each side.

I was also inspired to create these burgers by the Endless Simmer 'Who Cooked It Better' Veggie Burger Battle Royal. I love the look of the 101 Cookbooks burgers (and am not a fan of using too much seitan, tempeh, TCP etc - too processed) but would have to work on this recipe before I could consider it a contender here....

Aubergine Cannelloni

This dish always looks good and works well as finger food at a party, cold with some salad for lunch or warm with some pasta for dinner. It's a little fiddly but quite satisfying to do.

Aubergine Cannelloni

2 aubergines

olive oil

1 bunch spinach

1 round of goat's cheese

tomato sauce (I roast cherry tomatoes with garlic cloves and olive oil and puree it)

Slice the aubergine on a mandoline, lay the slices on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Roast until soft, around 30 minutes. Meanwhile, wilt the spinach in a pan with a splash of water. Add the chopped goat's cheese and mix the two together thoroughly. Once the aubergine is cooked, place a small dollop of the spinach/cheese mixture at the bottom end of each slice and roll. Lay the slices in a baking dish and top with a dollop of tomato sauce. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Spanish Rice

The boy's mum brought us back some beautiful chorizo from Spain. Now I try my hardest to avoid red meat but in the face of chorizo, even I crumble occasionally! The beauty of this tasty lunch recipe was that I could add chorizo into Mark's dish but leave mine as a healthy vegan option. Don't be tempted to skimp on the smoked paprika, it is this wonderful spice that really adds the authenticity here.

Spanish Rice

1 cup of rice
saffron
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 red onion
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
cherry tomatoes
1 tin of white beans
sun dried tomatoes
handful of pitted black olives
chorizo
chopped flat leaf parsley

Put the rice on to boil in a large saucepan. Add the saffron strands and turmeric directly to the water. Halve the cherry tomatoes and place them cut side up in a pre-heated oven with a splash of olive oil for around 10 minutes or until they start to soften.

Chop the red onion and fry it in the olive oil along with the crushed garlic cloves. Drain and rinse the white beans and add to the pan. Add the chopped pitted black olives, the chopped sun dried tomatoes and chorizo (if using) before adding the smoked paprika. Fry for a little longer until heated through.

Once the rice is cooked, mix it with the other ingredients including the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with freshly chopped flat leaf parsley and season with salt and pepper.

I am pretty sure that there are a whole heap more authentic ways to do Spanish rice but this was my own made up attempt!

Mackerel and Horseradish Fishcakes

I took this recipe straight from Hippolyra at Fuss Free Flavours. I love the idea of fishcakes which don't include the usual potatoes, egg, breadcrumbs etc. There is a certain simplicity in a recipe which has only 5 ingredients which is very appealing. However the lack of a complex ingredients list in no way undermines the bursts of flavour these fishcakes deliver.

Mackerel and Horseradish Fishcakes

1 tin chickpeas

1 packet of smoked mackerel

1 tablespoon capers

juice and rind of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons horseradish

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and place in the blender or foodprocessor. I used my hand blender and added about 3/4 of the juice of one lemon. You definitely do not want to add too much liquid as it will make it too moist for keeping the fishcakes together when frying. Once the chickpeas are mashed, add the capers, flaked smoked mackerel, lemon rind and horseradish.

Form into patties and fry for around 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. I served mine on a bed of baby spinach and watercress salad. Some chunky herbed sweet potato wedges would also accompany it well.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche with a Sweet Potato Crust

This is actually an amalgam of two recipes from Wholefoods. Not only do I absolutely adore the shop but I also happen to think that their recipe database is particularly thorough and full of healthy ideas.

I'd been toying with the idea of making a vegan quiche but didn't want to use the pastry of this recipe. I also liked the idea of making a pie using potato as the crust such as this recipe but didn't want to use normal potatoes or goat's cheese mixed with potato. So I stuck 'em both together and made a vegan, gluten-free version.

I was so pleased with how this turned out (even the boy liked it and he hates tofu) that I have decided to enter it in Abby's annual Vegetables, Beautiful Vegetables round-up organised via her excellent Eat The Right Stuff Blog.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche with a Sweet Potato Crust
1 sweet potato
1 packet tofu
handful of mushrooms
handful of baby spinach leaves
onion
2 tablespoons of tahini
olive oil
tamari
cayenne pepper
curry powder
garlic
rice milk
1/2 a red pepper

Remove the tofu from the packet, wrap some kitchen roll around it and place a sideplate on top to press out most of the liquid. Peel the sweet potato and slice it using a mandolin slicer. Par-boil the slices for around 3-4 minutes or until soft enough to bend but not break. Layer the slices overlapping over the bottom and sides of a springform cake tin.

Fry the onion and sliced mushrooms in olive oil for around 8 minutes. Fry the garlic for an extra couple of minutes. Add a big handful of baby spinach leaves and a splash of water, continue to fry until wilted. Drain any excess water.

Put the pressed tofu block into a blender/food processor with the tahini and a generous splash of tamari. Add a small splash of rice milk but not too much - you don't want the mixture too soggy. Add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and curry powder and blend. I used my hand blender. Mix the creamy mixture with the spinach, mushroom and onions and pour into the potato crust in the cake tin mould.

Chop the red pepper into thin strips and arrange them onto the top of the pie. Bake in the oven at around 180 degrees for an hour or until the top of the pie begins to brown.

Courgette, Asparagus and Wild Rice Salad with a Basil Dressing

A fresh, summery recipe great for lunches on the go. As usual, this recipe was inspired by the big spread on Ottolenghi in last week's Guardian Weekend supplement. The original recipe calls for manouri which is similar to haloumi but I decided to make it more substantial and add my favourite thee rice combo instead. Since I prefer not to mix carbohydrates with animal proteins, I left the cheese out for now. My copy of the Ottolenghi cookbook has been dispatched and is on its way. I am more excited than you rationally ought to be about a cookbook! We got some absolutely beautiful cherry tomatoes on the vine from the market last weekend and gently baked, they add a wonderfully creamy note to this dish.

Courgette, Asparagus and Wild Rice Salad with a Basil Dressing

1 courgette
1 bunch of asparagus
handful of cherry tomatoes
handful of pine nuts
fresh flatleaf parsley
handful of baby spinach leaves
handful of fresh basil leaves
garlic cloves
olive oil
rice (I use a mix of long grain brown rice, wild rice and camargue red rice)

Whilst the rice is cooking, steam the asparagus in bamboo steamers on top of the pan for around 5 minutes. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a baking dish, cut side up. Spray with olive oil and bake for around 15 minutes or until just starting to get soft. Slice the courgette into long, thin strips using either a mandoline slicer or a vegetable peeler (I found the latter made them thinner and actually tasted nicer than when using the former). Heat a griddle pan and spray with olive oil. Griddle fry the aubergine slices for around 3-4 minutes each side or until the blackened lines appear.

Using the cooked rice as a base, arrange the courgette slices, asparagus and cherry tomatoes on top. Finely chop the flat leaf parsley and the baby spinach leaves and mix in well, along with a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of pine nuts. Add a twist of black pepper.

Place the basil leaves, 1 peeled garlic clove, two tablespoons of olive oil and a splash of water (to make the consistency more pourable) into the hand blender and blitz until it becomes a bright green smooth and creamy dressing. Drizzle on top of the rice and vegetables to bring a fantastic colour and flavour to the dish.

Steamed Haddock on a bed of samphire and sweet potato mash

Having spotted some samphire at the wonderful Golborne Fisheries shop, I'd been keen on cooking with it. It is so unusual yet so flavourful that you really don't need a fancy dish to accompany it. Instead, I kept the fish simple and steamed it in lemon and black pepper, letting the flavours of this sea vegetable do all the talking.

Steamed haddock on a bed of samphire and sweet potato mash

2 haddock fillets

1-2 sweet potatoes

lemon juice

black pepper

olive oil

handful of samphire

Peel and chop the sweet potato and boil it in water for around 15 minutes or until soft. Whilst the potatoes are cooking, place the bamboo steamers over the pan of boiling water. Wrap the haddock in baking parchment with a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a twist of black pepper. Steam for around 10 minutes. Rinse the samphire and steam for around 5-8 minutes. You don't want them too soft. When the potatoes are cooked, mash with a little olive oil for flavour, then place on a plate, pile the samphire on top, add a little more lemon juice and black pepper to the samphire for extra flavour and sit the steamed fish fillet on top.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Well it was only a matter of time before the Portobello mushroom made an appearance on the Portobello Kitchen blog. Couldn't resist picking up four beauties and stuffing them with my usual Mediterranean style filling.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

4 Portobello Mushrooms

Handful of cherry tomatoes

Sundried tomatoes

Olives

Handful of spinach leaves

Pine nuts

Goat's cheese

Fresh thyme and basil

Olive oil

Garlic cloves

Rinse the mushrooms and cut off the stalks. Brush with olive oil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Whilst the mushrooms are cooking, chop the cherry tomatoes into quarters, mix with the chopped sundried tomatoes, olives, pine nuts and cubed goat's cheese. Mix with finely chopped spinach leaves and herbs. Finely chop the stalk of the mushrooms and add to the mix. Spoon over the mushrooms and bake for a further ten minutes or until the cheese is melted and the nuts are starting to brown. Place a handful of fresh basil leaves, a garlic clove, a splash of olive oil and some water in the hand blender and blitz until it has a nice dressing consistency. Dribble over the mushrooms, place on a nest of rocket leaves, mixed with alfalfa sprouts and serve.

South Indian Okra and Sweet Potato Curry

This was a Jamie Oliver recipe that I found on a Sainsbury's recipe card. I'm not usually a massive Jamie fan but I do appreciate his commitment to causes such as eating free range poultry and of course, the famous school dinners. This recipe was great, thanks to the authentic use of curry leaves and the rich coconut cream.



South Indian Okra and Sweet Potato Curry

1 teapsoon mustard seeds

olive oil

1 onion chopped

2 green chilis deseeded and finely chopped

curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, ground coriander, garam masala

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, chili powder

1 sweet potato

handful of okra, topped and tailed

handful of sliced tomatoes

handful of frozen peas

1 tin coconut milk


Fry the mustard seeds in the oil until they start to pop and crackle. Add the onion, chilis, curry leaves and spices and fry until the onion is soft. Add the sweet potatoes and brown for a couple of minutes. Add the coconut milk and a little water if necessary and simmer until the sweet potato is cooked. About ten minutes after adding the sweet potato, add the tomato, peas and okra. Continue to simmer and season before serving. I don't think you need to eat rice with this as it is heavy enough as it is.

Sesame Crusted Tuna in a Tamari-Wasabi Marinade

On our usual tour of the market this weekend, we walked up to Golborne Fisheries on Golborne Road. This is a true gem of a fish shop with a fanatastic selection. Apparently they stock some of the big department store foodhalls as well, so the quality is excellent. We bought two beautiful thick slices of tuna and paired it with steamed fresh vegetables which were of course also bought from the market that day. Mark had his with King Soba 100% buckwheat noodles to complete the Japanese feel. Tuna is not a fish we eat regularly (for environmental as well as health eg mercury level reasons) but decided to treat ourselves and it was truly a delicious meal.

Sesame Crusted Tuna in a Tamari-Wasabi Marinade

Two tuna steaks
One tablespoon of sesame oil
One teaspoon of powdered wasabi
Two tablespoons of tamari
Handful of mixed black and unhulled cream sesame seeds

Mix the sesame oil, powdered wasabi and tamari together in a glass and pour over the tuna in a shallow dish, making sure that the tuna steaks are well covered in the marinade on both sides. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. Heat a griddle pan on the hob with a spray of olive oil until hot, then sear the tuna for 2 minutes each side, leaving the middle pinkish.

Eggs in Purgatory with Chipotle Orange Black Beans

This is our new favourite light mid-week supper. I got the recipe directly from Whole Foods video blog but as always, altered it slightly from the original. I understand that this is originally an Italian dish but the way it is served here with avocado, the use of chipotle and the added black beans strike me as quite Mexican in style and I definitely love these type of flavours in my food. I have added chipotle into the main tomato sauce since it is difficult to get fire roasted tomatoes here and because I love the smoky chili flavour of chipotles.

Eggs in Purgatory

4 eggs
1 tin tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion
1 soaked and dried chipotle
1 red chili
red chili powder
fresh coriander
balsamic vinegar
juice of 1 lime
splash of tabasco (optional)

Fry the chopped onions, garlic and chilis (including chipotle) for around 5 minutes in a deep frying pan. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, a half teaspoon of red chili powder and some chopped fresh coriander. Simmer for around ten minutes. Stir in the lime juice and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and puree the sauce straight in the frying pan using a hand blender. Add a little water if you need to thin it (I just add the liquid from the tin of tomatoes and that's usually enough) and a splash of tabasco if using. Once the sauce is simmering, crack four eggs (leaving a good gap between them) onto the sauce. Cover the frying pan with a lid and let the eggs poach for around 5 minutes or until done. Serve on top of sliced avocados and some salad leaves.

I also like to serve this as a side dish:

Chipotle Orange Black Beans
1 tin black beans
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 orange (juice and rind)
fresh coriander

Fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add the tin of drained and rinsed black beans and heat through. Add the rind and juice of the orange and simmer a little until reduced. Stir through some chopped fresh coriander and serve.

Stuffed Ramiro Peppers

Couldn't resist these beauties in the market last weekend. Such a gorgeous colour and I love to stuff them with fresh, locally made goats cheese that I buy in the monthly farmer's market in Gerrards Cross. I usually buy the Rowan Tree Goats cheese but they weren't at the market on Wednesday so I tried another farm, Homefields, which was very creamy. The beetroots were also a purchase from the farmer's market, will juice the rest of them on the weekend.

Stuffed Ramiro Peppers

Two whole ramiro peppers

Six or so chopped mushrooms

One grated beetroot

Chopped spring onions

Goats cheese

Handful of chopped olives

Handful of pinenuts

Handful of chopped sundried tomatoes

Fresh thyme

Fresh basil

Heat some olive oil in a pan, fry the chopped onions and spring onions for 5 mins or so. Add the grated beetroot and fry for another couple of minutes. Add the olives, sundried tomatoes, herbs and pinenuts and fry everything for another couple of minutes, stirring regularly to heat everything through. Slice some of the goats cheese and mix into the rest of the filling but be careful not to overheat if you have a creamy cheese. Cut the peppers in half, stuff with the filling and then add a few more cubes of sliced goats cheese on top of the peppers. Bake them for around 30 mins until the peppers look done.

Tamarind Coconut Prawns with Steamed Cabbage and Shiitake Mushrooms

After having spent so many years living and working in Asia, I do have a strong tendency to cook Asian inspired food. The prawn recipe was one the lovely and heavily pregnant Kim cooked for us when we went back to Vietnam in January and it remained one of Mark's best meals in a trip full of amazing meals. She didn't give me the recipe but I kind of made it up and it tasted fine.

Tamarind Coconut Prawns

1 packet cooked peeled tiger prawns

tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 red chili

teaspoon of tamarind paste

half block of coconut cream in a cup of water

coconut oil

I like to cook with coconut oil as it is one of the most stable oils you can cook with, as well as being a more nutritious option. It is quite high in fat however so I only use a dessert spoon's worth.

Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan, fry the ginger, garlic and chopped fresh chili. Add the coconut cream or coconut milk. Stir in the tamarind paste. Bring the liquid to the boil and lower the heat, so that the liquid simmers and reduces in consistency. Simmer for 15 mins or so or until the liquid is creamy and full of flavour. Add the prawns in at the last minute just to heat through and serve.

I served this with another Asian style cabbage dish which I was inspired to create after reading this post which I found via the absolutely wonderful and inspirational Tastespotting.

Steamed Cabbage with Shiitake Mushrooms

Half white cabbage

Handful of dried shiitake mushrooms

Sliced red chili

Thinly sliced spring onion

Fried garlic flakes

I simply sliced a half white cabbage in my bamboo steamers and steamed it for about 3-5 mins. I soaked some dried shiitake mushrooms in a cup of hot water for 5 mins, thinly sliced them then combined them with the cabbage in a saucepan along with some more fresh chopped chili, spring onion and a sprinkle of Thai style fried garlic flakes (my new favourite authentic Asian ingredient - although clearly covered in bad oils!). I stirred it all through and served alongside the prawns for a tasty accompaniment.

The Great Vegan Spelt Pizza Base Experiment

I have been inspired to write my own blog after having read some of the many excellent food blogs out there (What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway?, Fuss Free Flavours and 101 Cookbooks are three of my favourites which spring immediately to mind). The internet is a fantastic resource for those with even the smallest amount of interest in cooking and there are a wealth of recipes, blogs and databases online to suit all tastes. I am often to be found searching for healthy recipes which suit the way I want to cook and eat. In the course of my research, I kept stumbling across pizza base recipes - I wouldn't usually do much baking since you have to include yeast and flour (too processed for my liking and I don't always take well to yeast) but I kept having pizza base fantasies and wanted to try some cooking with spelt flour, as I'd read that this ancient grain was often more easily tolerated than wheat.

Even more exciting than using my Doves Farm Organic Wholegrain Spelt Flour was using the dough hook on my food processor for the first time! Ah it's the little things. I made two batches of dough, large enough to fit a pizza tray, baked the first and kept the second in the fridge for a week. The recipe was roughly as follows:

Spelt Vegan Pizza Base

3 1/2 cups of spelt flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp yeast

1 1/2 to 2 cups water

extra virgin organic olive oil

And I took my inspiration from this recipe and also from here - I'm not a great one for following recipes to the letter, so I'd recommend just giving it a go and seeing how it feels. I definitely think one week in the fridge was a bit too long as the second dough was a lot stickier than the first. I didn't use a pizza stone but did use a pizza baking tray (with holes). I made half of each pizza vegan (as I don't believe in mixing carbohydrates eg flour with animal protein). Mark doesn't believe in this however and just loves cheese, so I whacked a load of mozzarella on his half. I was a bit scared to put too many toppings on the first pizza as I'd read not to overload it, but found that the spelt is pretty sturdy and is actually quite bready, so I really went for it on the second one (top picture).

Fillings that worked the best were sundried tomatoes, grilled yellow peppers, griddled courgette strips, mushrooms, artichokes, olives and fresh basil. I made my tomato sauce simply by roasting some cherry plum tomatoes in the oven with some olive oil and garlic cloves, then pureeing it with my hand blender (absolute favourite piece of kitchen equipment) with some dried Italian herbs and fresh basil.

On balance, the pizzas were great but it needs some more practice before it gets perfect. I think I used a little too much yeast and actually put some sugar in mine which I wouldn't use again. I would also try to make only one batch at a time, as keeping it in the fridge seemed to make it really sticky.

Either way, the pizzas were great to take to work for lunch - filling, wholesome and incredibly tasty. Definitely a success.