Marinated Mushrooms (v)

I fancied tapas so tapas was what we had. The following recipes are a selection of what we forged on, the remainder of the groaning table comprised of various marinated olives, and some manchego and giant beans in chilli and tomato sauce.

For 4-6 people you need:
1 onion, very finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
1/2 cup sherry
1/4 cup water
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper
225g mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Olive oil

Begin by sautéing the onion in 2 tbsp olive oil for about 10 mins till soft. Add everything else, aside from the mushrooms, and bring to the boll. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 mins. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 mins before transferring to a serving dish and leaving to cool. Eat at room temperature with list of bread.

Quick Cheats Pavlovas with Summer Berries

Quick assuming you remember to defrost the fruit in advance (or you could use frozen berries) and cheats cos it uses ready made meringue nests. You could make your own meringue, but that would defeat the object of the cheating wouldn't it..!

For two portions you need:
1/2 cup double cream
1 tbsp sieved icing sugar
1/2 cup mixed summer berried, defrosted if frozen, and chopped into roughly the same size pieces if fresh
2 ready made meringue nests

Whip the cream and icing sugar till floppy. Add 3/4 of the fruit and fold in gently to create a marbled effect. Pile into the nests and top with the remaining fruit and juice. Eat.

Tomato and Onion Bruschetta with Mozzerella and Chilli

This is a tasty and simple quick lunch dish. It takes no more than 10 minutes to make, but tastes like it should have taken a lot longer.

For two portions you need:

4 slices rustic style bread
4 tbsp red pesto
1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped
1 medium red onion, diced
Fresh basil leave
1 small mozzarella ball, chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Chilli flakes
2 tbsp capers

Begin by toasting the bread on both sides. Once done, spread each slice with 1 tbsp pesto. Mix the tomato and onion with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pile the tomatoes and onions on each slice bread and top with the mozzarella and basil. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, some more pepper, some capers and the shredded basil leaves. Eat in the sunshine :)

Tipsy Pineapple with Caramel Sauce

This is a bad dessert. Very bad. In terms of calories anyway... It tastes nice ;)

For 2 portions you need:

1/2 fresh pineapple cut into chunks
1/4 cup soft light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup double cream
1/8 cup rum

Heat the butter and sugar in a frying pan. Once it's bubbling and melting add the pineapple. Sautee for a few minutes and then flambé with the rum. Add the cream and cook out. Serve in bowls and immediately run a marathon to work off the decedent calories...

Bircher Museli (v)

Or soaked oats. A great breakfast dish which makes museli somewhat more digestible for those horrid early starts ;-)

For one portion you need:
1/3 cup museli
2/3 cup soya milk
fresh fruit e.g. chopped strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc
sunflower seeds

Place the museli and milk into a tub/bowl. Add whatever fruit and seeds you fancy. Cover and leave to soak overnight. Eat the following morning and float to work on a cloud of well being :)

Courgette 'Lasagne' (v)

This doesn't use pasta for the layers, but thin slices of courgette. Omit the cheese for a vegan version.

For 4-6 portions you need:
3 large courgettes, topped and tailed and sliced into thin strips length ways (sometimes it's easier to cut the courgettes in half if they're very long)
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
herbs e.g. oregano
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
1 tsp stock powder
1 mozzerella ball
grated parmesan
breadcrumbs
olive oil

Begin by making the tomato sauce. Saute the onion in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5-10 mins. Add the garlic, tomatoes, herbs, vinegar, stock powder and sugar and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 mins till slightly reduced. Season to taste.

Place some courgettes in the bottom of an oven proof dish, add 1/3 of the sauce and repeat until everything is used up. If using cheese add a few cubes of mozz and some grated parmesan in each layer. Finish with a layer of courgettes and top with breadcrumbs and some more cheese. Bake in a hot oven for 30-45 mins till bubbling and the courgettes are soft :) Yummy with a green salad and lots of crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Summer Fruit & Flapjack Bake (v)

This is based on Nigella's Blackberry Crisp in her Nigella Express book (p52)

For a generous 4-6 portions you need:
125g butter or vegan marge
60g oats
40g flaked almonds
30g sunflower seeds
70g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
75g soft light brown sugar
650g mixed summer fruits (I used frozen cherries and summer fruit mix)
1/4 cup vanilla sugar

Begin by laying the fruit in the bottom of an oven proof dish. Scatter over the vanilla sugar. Melt the butter/marge and then mix with the remaining ingredients. Press lightly into the fruit (you won't have enough to cover everything). Bake at 160 degrees for about 30-40 mins. Enjoy warm or cold, au natural or with swedish glace/ice cream. It's also suprisingly good for breakfast too ;-)