Spanakopita - Greek Cheese & Spinach Pie

This is probably one of the most comfortingly familiar dishes for on the go that immediately transports me to Corfu and two long, hot summers spent a few years back now. You’ll be hard pushed to find a bakery, patisserie or even supermarket on the Greek islands that doesn’t sell a version of the ‘cheese pie’.

I’ve played around with this dish a LOT over the years, and whilst you can add things like sautéed onions and garlic into the cheesy mix, as well as herbs like dill, mint or parsley, this simplified version below is the one that I prefer and that goes down well with adults and kids alike. It is also quicker to prepare, win, win.

You can serve this as an epic vegetarian main course, but I like to serve it alongside a host of other Greek dishes. It is also good cold, and makes for a really, great picnic dish – I take it along whole, and cut it into about 8 pieces when we find our picnic spot. 

Spanakopita - Greek Cheese & Spinach Pie

Spanakopita - Greek Cheese & Spinach Pie

Here’s how:

• 1/2 pack filo pastry
• Olive oil spray (you can also use a pastry brush and some poured olive oil)
• 200g Feta cheese (do not use ‘Greek salad cheese’ it is not good!)
• 150g Ricotta
• 25g Cheddar (or other hard cheese)
• 250g spinach leaves
• 2 eggs
• Fresh nutmeg
• Black pepper

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and use a generous amount of olive oil in a small-medium pie dish and brush all over to prevent any sticking.

Fill and boil the kettle and place the spinach leaves in a colander. Pour over enough freshly boiled water over the spinach leaves to just gently wilt and leave to drip in the sink.

Now to prepare the cheese mixture. Place the Feta into a mixing bowl and use a fork to roughly mash up a little bit. Now add the Ricotta and grate in the Cheddar. Season generously with black pepper – I omit from adding salt here as Feta tends to be quite salty, but add a pinch if you wish. Mix together roughly.

Now crack in the two eggs, which will enrich this mixture – and which is a very much Greek method of thickening things. Mix well and then grate over a really generous amount of the nutmeg – you want to be able to taste this in the final dish, so don’t be shy.

For the spinach, use a clean tea towel or some kitchen paper to really squeeze the excess liquid out of the wet leaves – try to get them as dry as possible to prevent any soggy bottom situations or from the pie being too wet. Once satisfied add to the cheese and egg mixture and stir it all until it is combined well and set aside.

Now it’s time to layer up the pie. Firstly add one whole sheet of filo over the pie dish long ways, and use your hands to gently press down into the base of the dish, so the excess filo pastry is hanging over the side of the dish. Be as gentle as possible here, as filo is incredibly delicate.

Now use the olive oil spray and spray all over the pastry (or use a pastry brush to gently coat) and then place another sheet over the pastry the width ways this time, repeating the process with pressing down, and then spraying with the oil.

Do one more layer long ways, and then you can spoon in the cheese and spinach mixture. Try to distribute it as evenly as you can. Once satisfied, take the excess pastry and layer it over the top of the pie, spraying any dry bits with the olive oil spray. (I appreciate this sounds like a lot of oil – but if you don’t follow this, the final pie can be really dry, and less appetising).

Take one final sheet of filo pastry, fold it half and place over the top of the pie, gently pressing it down to cover the entire pie. Give a final spray of oil and the pie is ready to bake in the oven. Pop it in for approximately 45 minutes – or until crisp and golden brown. If you have a speedy oven, check after 35 minutes to avoid burning.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit in the dish for five minutes, before using a palette knife to gently go around the outside of the pie, inside the dish, to prevent it sticking, then very carefully use a fish slice or spatula to help you remove the pie from the dish and place onto a wooden board or large plate to serve. Enjoy!

Some other Greek recipes you may enjoy:

• Souzoukakia
• Souvlaki
• Moussaka
• Briam - Summer Vegetable Stew
• Prawn Saganaki
• Pastitsio
• Greek Stuffed Tomatoes
• Greek Chicken Traybake
• Greek Salad

Sag Paneer

This is a lovely vegetarian Indian dish that works as a stand-alone main course or to go alongside a curry dish such as Chicken Dhansak or Beef and Lentil Curry perhaps.

Paneer is a lovely cheese that really absorbs flavour like a sponge and this is a delicious dish - although it took me a few goes to find the right spicing and I pinched from BBC Good Food, Jamie Oliver and The Guardian to make this plus some of my own experimentation.

Sag Paneer

Here’s how:

• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Thumb sized piece of ginger
• 1 large green chilli
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 500g spinach
• 400g paneer
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp ghee (butter will do just as well if you don’t have ghee)

Firstly melt the ghee or butter in a bowl and mix in the turmeric and chilli powder.

In the meantime cut the paneer into cubes and then toss into the melted butter and spice mixture. Ensure they are coated all over.

Place the spinach into a colander and pour over freshly boiled water. Allow to drain off and then place the spinach into a clean tea towel or muslin and squeeze off the excess water. Chop roughly.

Chop the tomatoes and set aside for the minute.

Make a paste by roughly chopping the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and adding to a blender or Nutribullet and blitzing.

Now add the paneer to a hot frying pan and allow to cook on all sides, getting colouration on each side. Cook for 7-8 minutes and then remove from the pan but leave the pan on the heat.

Add the cumin seeds to the pan and allow to cook for a minute before ading the onion mixture and them allow this to cook for ten minutes until the onions are beginning to caramelise.

Now add the chopped tomato and garam masala and cook for a further three minutes or so to allow the spice to cook out.

Now add the spinach to the pan seasoning generously with salt and white pepper at this stage. This will cook in a minute or so and now it will be time to add about 3 tablespoons of water to unleash all the delicious flavours from the bottom of the pan.

Add the paneer at this stage, and squeeze over the lemon juice and cook for a further 3-4 minutes; remove from the pan and serve immediately. Enjoy

Super Green Pasta Sauce

My kids love anything with pasta, and particularly homemade pesto. They do love their greens, but Bridget, my three year old, can be lazy with chewing and even with using her knife and fork at times.

We regularly make a batch of my Walnut and Basil Pesto, as it always satisfies, but this special green pasta makes use of all the greens hanging around the fridge. This super green sauce can be made in minutes, the below makes a batch big enough for 4-5 portions, it freezes well, is packed with nutrients and goodness and most importantly is very child-friendly. It's a perfect quick fix for those days when real 'cooking' is a little out of reach.

You could use pretty much any green vegetables, but I tend to use broccoli, spinach, kale or cavolo nero and frozen peas, as they all blend well and avoid the bittiness from some vegetables.

Once again, this is a super simple recipe but is one where the little ones can help to assemble. I've used Giant Fusilli in the picture as it's easy for Beatrice to pick up as finger food, but any pasta would work.

Super Green Pasta Sauce

Here's how:

• 2 heaped tablespoons Walnut and Basil Pesto (or any jarred green pesto if you're in a real rush)
• 1 head of broccoli
• Handful of green leaves (I use spinach and/or cavolo nero)
• 3 tbsp frozen peas

Firstly get a large pan of water on to boil, or fill with water from the kettle, and place on a low heat.

Chop the broccoli into florets, and add to the water, This will need about 5 minutes.

After two minutes, add the frozen peas and in the final minute the green leaves.

Then roughly drain off in a colander, and add to a blender or a Nutribullet. Add the Pesto, then the lid and blitz to a smooth consistency.

Super Green Pasta Sauce

Portion up into little tubs or food bags.

If you're using right away, simply cook the pasta to your taste, remove 1 tbsp of the cooking water before draining, then return to the pan after a good shake. Stir through the one portion of the Super Green Pasta Sauce on the heat for 1 minute and then serve with a little grating of Parmesan. Enjoy!

Paprika Grilled Sea Bass with Creamy Saffron Peppers and Spinach

As you'll know, earlier this year I had my second child, another lovely little girl (Beatrice). I gained around 3 stone during pregnancy and managed to shift two stone of that pretty sharpish, the last stone, is being a little more stubborn. I lose a few pounds, and then being the foodie that I am, will indulge with a few nice meals, a meal out, a bottle of my favourite Malbec, and I'm back at that 1 stone over where I want to be. This has been going on for a couple of months now, so I've decided to try to overhaul my (and Glen's) lifestyle somewhat, and for the past 8 days have been adhering to The Body Coach or Joe Wick's philosophy. This is largely making smarter and healthier choices with food, cutting out the alcohol as much as possible, and most importantly introducing exercise, 4-5 sessions a week. I managed it last week, and am on track this week - I'm also a couple of pounds lighter, so will be attempting to stick to this and see where we land after 30 days, before I make a decision as to whether to continue. 

Joe's mantra is that you have to 'work for your carbs', so aside from if you've just carried out an intensive HIIT workout, the idea is to have 'reduced carb' meals. We've tried a selection of Joe's fantastic recipes, and certainly have our favourites, but me being the cook I am, I can't follow recipes continually, I like to get creative myself, and this dish was born off the back of that. We've had several Lean in 15 sea bass dishes, and I came up with this dish as I had a glut of peppers in the fridge.

It's a lovely light dish, takes no time to prepare and the sauce is rich and creamy, but low calorie. The below is for two adults, and a single portion comes in at around 500 calories.

Paprika Grilled Sea Bass with Creamy Saffron Peppers and Spinach

Here's how:

• x4 sea bass fillets
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Drizzle olive oil
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red chilli
• 1 spring onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp reduced fat creme fraiche
• Few strands of saffron steeped in hot water
• 2 handfuls spinach

First drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil into a frying pan and pop onto a low heat to warm up, while you prepare your vegetables. 

Slice the spring onion, garlic and chilli and place into the pan to flavour the oil and the pan. Whilst they are sauteeing, slice the peppers and throw into the pan also. 

Rip off a sheet of tin foil and cover the grill tray, so no fish sticks to the grates. Now in a small bowl, add the paprika, garlic salt and black pepper and mix. Take each sea bass fillet flesh side up, and drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil, then scatter over some of the spiced salt mix. Now place each fillet flesh side down onto the foil-covered-grill, and scatter the remaining spice mix over the top. Place the grill onto a medium heat and cook for seven minutes. (You may need to adjust this if you have particularly small fillets to avoid over-cooking). 

While the fish is cooking, the peppers should have softened a bit. Throw in the steeped saffron strands, including the water you steeped them in and allow to cook off for 30 seconds. Now add the creme fraiche and allow to cook down. 

Finally as the fish is almost cooked, add the spinach and just allow it to wilt in the peppers and sauce. Use a wooden spoon to move around, as it shouldn't take too much for the leaves to wilt. 

You'll know the fish is ready once the skin is crispy (the salt will help to make a beautiful crispy skin), and the flesh is a pure white colour, rather than opaque. Serve the fish fillets on top of the peppers. Enjoy!

Restorative Green Soup

This soup is so cleansing and restorative, I rely on it as the start of any detox or diet, especially if I've had a period of over-indulgence. The multiple green vegetables combined with the healing ginger and garlic and the Indian spices really do aid with digestion and give my stomach a good kick-start. 

I always use broccoli and spinach, but you could use greens, cabbage, kale or whatever you have to hand. 

The below makes a large batch, of which you can freeze some and defrost as and when required. 

Restorative Green Soup

Here's how:

• 1 head broccoli
• Pack of spinach, washed
• Cup of peas
• 2 large spring onions
• 2 sticks celery
• Fresh ginger root - about 40g or 3-4cm long
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Pinch sea salt
• 1 tsp back pepper
• 1/2 lime
• Handful fresh coriander and parsley
• 800ml water
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Firstly add the olive oil to a large, heavy bottomed pan and place on a low heat.

Slice the spring onions, celery and garlic cloves and add to the pan.

Peel and slice the ginger and add to the pan - allow all to soften slightly,

Now add the cumin, salt, pepper and garam masala and squeeze over the half of lime juice. Allow to cook for a few minutes, the soup base should take on a brown hue.

In the meantime, chop the broccoli into florets, and wash the spinach, if it isn't already prepared. 

Add the broccoli and peas into the pan and allow to fry for a moment or two, then pour over the water and allow to cook for ten to fifteen minutes, or until the broccoli is tender to touch with a fork. 

Now add the spinach and the coriander and parsley - no need to chop, and stir through, allowing to cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a while. 

Restorative Green Soup

Blitz in a blender or Nutribullet until smooth, and then return to the pan to reheat, and ladle into soup bowls to serve. Enjoy!

Here are some other soup recipe ideas you might like:
Chunky Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi
Vegetable Soup
Asparagus Soup with Crispy Bacon
Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
Leek Potato and Cauliflower Soup
Restorative Chicken Broth

Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

Another delicious soup recipe which formed part of my 'Seven Days of Soup' souping/liquid diet adventure pre-holiday and really helped boost my postnatal weight loss.

The parsnips make for a hearty, almost creamy soup but without the heavy calories of a cream-based soup and the sweetness is offset by the curry and spices - a traditional flavour pairing, but one that works time and time again. You can up-spice if you're a chilli fiend or make slightly milder if you have some diners that are less tolerant of heat.

Guarantee you'll make this more than once after the first time - so easy, so delicious and moreish. You can stir through a tablespoon of crème fraiche or sour cream at the end if you want a slightly richer finished article - but be warned it ups the calories and fat content significantly.

Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

 

Here's how:

• 1 white onion
• 1 large clove garlic
• 400g parsnips
• 1.5 pints vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 heaped tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 bag spinach
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Firstly peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to a heavy-bottomed pan with the coconut oil and place on a low heat to soften.

Peel the parsnips and cube then add to the pan with the curry powder, salt, pepper and all the spices. Stir so all parsnips are slightly covered in the spices.

Make up the stock and cover the parsnips. Place the lid on and simmer for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool before blitzing with a blender or Nutribullet and then return to the pan to re-heat. Add the washed spinach one minute before dishing up as it will cook incredibly quickly. If adding crème fraiche stir through the entire pot before dishing up. Enjoy!

The other soups I enjoyed during my 'Seven Days of Soup' included:

Asparagus and Crispy Bacon Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Vegetable Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Chunky Lentil Bacon and Kale Soup

Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne

Having a bit of a haul from our Pumpkin Picking on Sunday, I created this vegetarian Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne on Monday – another Meat Free Monday option added to the repertoire.

I must admit, usually I would make my own béchamel or white sauce for lasagne, but as I had a sick boyfriend at home and our toddler to run around after and was batch cooking for the week, I took a cheat here and used the Dolmio Lasagne Sauce – which actually is pretty decent and I wouldn’t hesitate to use again as a shortcut. I’m not one for processed sauces, but sometimes the need for speed overtakes and the pressures of family and working life intervene.

This was a family dinner favourite – anything involving pasta always is with my daughter and Glen; Glen’s slightly harder to please with our meat-free options, but this went down well and we all agreed we’d have it again.

I thought I’d share this in honour of Pumpkin Day this Saturday in the lead up to Halloween.

Here’s how:

1 small roasted pumpkin (can use butternut squash)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion
1 clove garlic
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp paprika
1 pack washed spinach
Lasagne sheets
1 jar Dolmio Lasagne White Sauce
50g grated Cheddar cheese
1 whole nutmeg
Salt & Pepper

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Roast the pumpkin until slightly softened. Allow the pumpkin to cool, then peel, and chop the flesh into long slice, discarding the pith and seeds inside (unless you’re using the pumpkin seeds for roasting and snacking on). Set aside.

To make the tomato sauce, add the olive oil to a pan on a low heat. Peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to sauté slowly in the olive oil on a gentle heat.

Once slightly softened, add the tomatoes (could use passata), tomato puree, oregano, paprika and a pinch each of sea salt and black pepper to season. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and allow to cook for at least 30 minutes, or longer if you have it.

Once you’re happy with the sauce, remove from the heat and you’re ready to assemble the lasagne.

Firstly lay a layer of pumpkin at the bottom of an oven proof dish. Then spoon over a generous amount of the tomato sauce (you’ll need two layers so use about half). 

Next place the lasagne sheets over the top – don’t layer these on top of each other or they become a bit yucky in cooking.

Now pour over the Dolmio White Sauce to cover the sheets sufficiently. Now grate the nutmeg over really generously – this gives a really lovely warming flavour and really complements the dish, so be super generous.

Scatter over a really generous amount of spinach leaves – only one layer is spinach and it wilts quickly so add more, rather than less. 

Now repeat the process of adding the pumpkin, topped with tomato sauce then the lasagne sheets and white sauce.

Once again, grate over a really generous amount of nutmeg over the top with salt and black pepper and finish with the Cheddar before placing into the oven.

Cook for 35-40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and bubbling away. Serve with a handful of green salad leaves, such as watercress or rocket. Enjoy! 

Middle Eastern Roast Pork with Roasted Roots and Yoghurt Dip

At the weekend, following a few weekends of eating a traditional Sunday roast dinner I fancied cooking something different - a twist on the classic and came up with this Middle Eastern-inspired pork shoulder joint that I marinated for five hours and it went down a treat, we'll definitely be having it again.

I served with some roasted 'roots' or carrots and parsnips drizzled with olive oil and scattered with cumin seeds and some garlic-roasted sweet potato plus a little wilted spinach and a quick yoghurt dip - delicious.

The below was enough for Glen, Bridget (age 2) and myself with a little sliced meat leftover for sandwiches the next day.

Middle Eastern Roast Pork and Roasted Roots

Here's how:

• 1 small pork shoulder (approx 1.5kg)
• The pork marinade:
• 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
• 1.5 tsp dried ginger
• 1 tsp ras el hanout
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp sea salt

The roots:

• 1 pack baby parsnips
• 2 large carrots
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 4 cloves garlic
• Pinch sea salt
• Pinch black pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Everything else:

• Half pack spinach
• 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
• Handful parsley
• Handful coriander

Firstly combine the cumin, ginger, ras el hanout, pepper, salt, thyme, rosemary, cinnamon and paprika in a small bowl and mix to combine the spice mix. Get your pork joint into a large bowl and rub all over with the spice mix, into the creases of the meat to ensure it is fully coated.

Now wash your hands, and then cover the pork with either cling film or tin foil and place into the fridge to marinade for several hours. If you haven't got five hours, a couple will do.

Once the pork is sufficiently marinated, remove from the fridge for twenty minutes and pre-heat the oven to 180. Then place the pork into a roasting tin, fat side up, drizzle with a little olive oil and place onto the middle shelf. This will need 30 minutes per 500g plus an additional 20 minutes - or cook according to the packaging.

Whilst the pork is cooking, peel the sweet potatoes and chop into flat rounds and place into a small oven proof dish that you can mash into after roasting, place in four unpeeled garlic cloves and set aside.

If using the baby parsnips you can just cut the ends off but I like to peel too as Bridget won't eat them with the peel on. Place them into another roasting dish. Peel the carrots and cut into long wedges, similarly sized to the baby parsnips and add to the roasting tin. Drizzle with a generous glug of olive oil (1.5 tbsp) and then scatter over the cumin seeds and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper then toss to coat fully. Cover and set aside.

Cumin Roots

When you have about half an hour of pork cooking time left, place all of the roots into the oven to begin cooking - they will take about 45 minutes, which allows the meat some resting time.

For the yoghurt dip simply chop the parsley and coriander and add to a bowl with the yoghurt. Then once the sweet potato is out of the oven, take out one of the roasted garlic cloves and add to the dip and stir well. Leave in the fridge until serving.

When the meat is out of the oven, leave to stand and rest for 15-20 minutes before carving into thick slices.

Middle Eastern Pork

Place a drizzle of olive oil into a pan and wilt the spinach with a little salt for 1 minute whilst getting everything else out of the oven.

The sweet potatoes need to be gently crushed or mashed in their cooking vessel, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a teaspoon of cinnamon and stir through.

Roasted garlic sweet potatoes, pre mashing

Cumin roasted roots

Now use a platter or a wooden board and dish everything up accordingly, so the family can dig in and get as much or as little of what they want. Once the meat is on, drizzle over some of the yoghurt dip which complements the flavours really well. Enjoy!

Energy Fix Nutriblast

This is my go-to smoothie or Nutriblast when I need an injection of get-up-and-go - such as this morning!

The slow release energy from the banana and oats helps keep my stomach to feel fuller for longer and the caffeine and raw cacoa give a much needed caffeine boost for that energiser effect. The spinach is packed full of goodness, such as iron which is so important to keep your energy levels up and is also a great source of Vitamin A, B, C and K, manganese and magnesium and vitamin B13 and folic acid (especially important during pregnancy). The pear acts as a great -high-fibre but low calorie fruit to bulk the juice up and add a lovely sweetness whilst providing a great source of vitamin C too.

Here's how:

• 1 small banana (Fun size or children's ones)
• 1 small pear (Fun size)
• 60g spinach
• 25g porridge oats
• 1 tsp raw cacao
• 1 tsp instant coffee (I use Nescafe Azeera)
• 10g sunflower seeds
• 120ml water

Peel the banana and core the pear then add all the ingredients to your blender or Nutribullet. Blast for 20 seconds, check if everything is blitzed, if not blast again for another 20 seconds. Enjoy!

A London Lunch: Bourekas at Balkan Bites

Today's lunch was a good one - a warming, satisfying plate that reminds me of sunnier climes.

I had a Spinach and Feta Boureka from Balkan Bites's outpost at Borough Market. Whilst I'm more familiar with the Greek version (Spanakopita), this is an equally delicious pie filled with unctuous feta and good-for-you spinach. What's more for only a fiver, this was served on a pillow of mouth-watering and freshly made hummus, with some cooked chickpeas and topped with salt and fresh chilli sauce.

Balkan Bites has a shop in Crouch End but can be found at Borough Market Monday-Wednesday's 10am-5pm, Friday's 10am-6pm and Saturday's 8am-5pm.

For £5.00 my boureka was a real treat - slightly naughty, but very, very nice.

Feta and Spinach Open Filo Tart

This is a lovely open tart based on the classic Greek ‘spanakopita’ comprising feta cheese and spinach. It’s very easy to prepare, looks great and is a crowd pleaser.

200g spinach

1 clove garlic

20g salted butter

200g feta

2 eggs

4-5 sheets of filo pastry

Bunch of spring onions

Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp nutmeg

Salt & pepper

1 tsp oregano (dried is best)

Pre-heat the oven to about 180⁰.

Firstly use a pastry brush and completely oil up your tart dish. You can use a tart or flan dish, mine broke recently so I instead used a 20cm deep baking sandwich tin (what you’d use for a Victoria Sandwich cake), which is perfectly sufficient.

Next place one layer of filo over the tin, pressing down so it moulds to the tin and scrunching over the sides so you get the lovely crunchy exterior. Brush with oil and repeat until there are 4-5 layers. And brush each layer with a little oil too.

Crush your garlic and chop the spring onions and add to a frying pan with the butter on a low heat and allow to soften.

Wash the spinach then dry off with a tea towel or kitchen roll and try and remove as much moisture as possible to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom. Once dry add to the pan and wilt down in the garlicy butter.

Pop the spinach into a bowl or jug and add the two eggs (beaten first), dice the feta and add to the mix. Add the grating of nutmeg and a good pinch of salt and black pepper plus teaspoon of dried oregano and mix well.

Pour into the tart base and allow to stand for ten minutes.

Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cheese has begun to melt.

Allow to cool a little and serve – preferably with a simple salad. 

Feta and Roasted Vegetable Tarts

Following on from my last post ~Jerk Chicken the other addition to the Brighton picnic, with friends Stephanie and Jade and my brother Daniel, were some quick and easy Feta and Roasted Vegetable Tarts.

I have made pastry many times but this time I used shop bought - as I was stuck for time - and the result was excellent. I think little cheats like this are OK in today's fast-paced culture. Lifestyle means that whilst people are keen to cook and try out new recipes, time and money can often be the biggest hurdles to overcome, so if buying a packet of pastry helps then so be it - and if it's good enough for Delia it's certainly good enough for me.

Also I used tomatoes which were the fruits of my efforts which you can read about in Green Fingered Pursuits - and have to say there really is nothing as satisfying as using produce which you've grown yourself.

1 packet of Feta Cheese
1 packet of Shortcrust Pastry
10 Small Tomatoes
1 Red Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
100g Spinach Leaves
200g Ricotta Cheese
Knob of Butter
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Honey
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 180D. Grease 6 tart cases.

Chop tomatoes in half and slice peppers. Place on an ovenproof tray and drizzle with a little Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and Honey. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 25-30 minutes until the vegetables start to discolour and appear charred.

In the meantime roll out the pastry and cut out rounds and use fingers to place into tart cases, to fit cerrated edge.

Once vegetables are out of the oven place the tarts in for 10-12 minutes.

Chop the Feta into small cubes and place in a large mixing bowl with the Ricotta cheese. Stir in and add the vegetables.

Heat a pan and add the Spinach till it shrinks. Then add this to the Feta mixture and stir in well.

Season with salt and pepper.

Remove tart cases and spoon in a generous amount of the cheese mixture into each, flattening down with a knife.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until starting to brown.

Remove from the cases and either serve immediately with a fresh salad or allow to cool and include in a picnic as I did.

Frugal yet Fabulous: Vapiano

On a wonderful weekend in Stockholm with 6 friends last summer we discovered an eaterie that I thought was just brilliant; Vapiano. Something that is almost unheard of - a high-quality and fast food Italian joint that doesn't break the bank. We visited Vapiano on our last day when all of us were feeling slightly delicate after a heavy weekend of drinking and were all suitably impressed.

On our return I googled the restaurant and found that this is a chain which began in Germany and they have worldwide locations - including two here in London.

I was determined to visit one of the London locations which are in Great Portland Street and Southwark and just a couple of weeks ago I finally made it and was again in awe of what is an almost unique and brilliant concept.

Vapiano works in a canteen-style fashion. On entering each person is given a card, and once a table is chosen you go to the various stations, order what you require and swipe the card. You then wait while the dish is cooked fresh before your eyes and in my case nosily converse with the various chefs.

I visited the Great Portland Street site and found there is a designated area for pizzas, around 10 stations for pasta and a whole area for salads.

Both in Sweden and London I opted for pasta and thought it was great you can choose from eight types according to your preference. There are a range of different sauces you can choose to go with your pasta.

The menu segregates certain dishes into groups a, b, c etc and each increases in price - however all offer excellent value for money. The pizza menu works exactly the same way. The lower price bracket is a tiny £6.10 and the highest is £9.10 - personally I think you'd struggle to get a decent bowl of pasta in central London for this amount.

On this occasion I had pappardelle with the 'scampi e spinaci' sauce which included king prawns, spinach and basil pesto in a creamy sauce. Very happily for me, engaging in conversation with the chef while he cooked my dinner, I mentioned that I enjoy spice a lot - so he added a chopped green chilli to my dish and I have to say it was excellent. I also had a tomato and mozzarella salad which was lovely, fresh and flavourful.

I dined with four friends but won't go into detail about their food - only to say that it was all eaten, and all enjoyed. The only minor complaint was that a couple of the dishes were excessively garlicy (something that has been happening to me a lot lately - see post on Les Deux Salons).

There's a very informal atmosphere in Vapiano and when we went on a Wednesday, early evening, it was absolutely jam-packed. The tables are mainly high with stools and each table is equipped with freshly growing basil, and an array of different oils.

For the value it provides the quality of food is excellent and I think the card system is great too. Each person pays their own individual bill on the way out - there's no awkwardness at the end of the meal with people scrutinising who might have had what, and no paying for any sneaky diners who never quite pay their way either. If particularly skint you could choose one of the Group A (£6.10) pastas or pizza and just have the frequently replenished water, if only to still be able to dine out with friends or family.

My meal included the most expensive bracket of pasta and the mozzarella salad - which is actually large enough to share between three as a side dish, as well as a large glass of white wine and I had change from £20. It's the type of restaurant you could eat in at the end of the month when funds are running extremely thin.

I can't understand why there aren't more Vapiano's about - judging from my experiences in both venues, they are far superior, and offer better value than the chains such as Bella Italia and the like that litter almost every high street.

If you haven't already, get yourself down to one of the Vapianos and try it for yourself. Judging from the crowds it 's here to stay and I for one hope it becomes the Italian-style equivalent to Nandos - a cheap yet powerful place to eat good, honest food and enjoy the company of friends. Sure, this isn't fine-dining by any stretch of the imagination but who is to suggest that frugal can't be fabulous.

http://www.vapiano.de/frame.php?section=home&lang=uk

Green Fingered Pursuits

I recently read a survey that claimed us Brits are getting into gardening by the age of 31, a whole 10 years earlier than generations before. I'm a good four years away from this age yet I must admit, of late I've developed a new found fondness for growing things.

With a nod to my greedy self, everything I've planted is edible.

I'm a complete novice in this area so would welcome tips from any green-fingered readers who have successfully grown fruit or vegetables before.

I'm not going to turn this into a gardening blog, so won't be constantly updating on the progress, however I'm sure you'll find a recipe or two using the produce from the garden here, if and when it happens.

I've planted carrots, courgettes and marrows in one bed and have another with spring onions, Mohawk sweet peppers and Scotch Bonnet chillies.

Separately I have a patch for spinach and lettuce, a tomato plant, a rhubarb plant and a flourishing blueberry and redcurrant plant.

I've been lovingly tending to some parsnip seeds I've planted too and am keeping my fingers crossed these are going to see it through to December and make an appearance on our Christmas lunch.

Finally I have an array of different herbs which are already making regular appearances in dishes and particularly salads - my first success.


So far the most exciting occurrence has been the Mohawk plant which has sprouted a little green pepper this week, with several buds which I'm hoping will follow suit shortly. The blueberry bush is already full of fruit too, it's just not quite ripe enough yet.

As I mentioned words of wisdom on growing fruit and vegetable are more than welcome - otherwise wish me luck!