Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne

 

Ingredients

14 lasagne sheets
4 packed cups chopped spinach (about 300g)*
2 tbsp. oil
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 white bell pepper, chopped
60g parmesan cheese
100g mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
400g ricotta cheese
2 cups tomato pasta sauce
1/3 tsp salt
pinch ground pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a pan and add onions and bell pepper. Sauté them until they have softened and turned lightly golden. Add garlic and sauté a little more. Turn off the heat and let cool a bit.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the ricotta, spinach, half of the parmesan and half of the mozzarella cheese. Add salt and pepper. When the onion/bell pepper mixture has cooled, add it to the spinach mixture. Mix everything until combined.

Preheat the oven to 180C and prepare a 23x23 square baking dish.

Pour 1 cup of the pasta sauce onto the bottom of your baking dish and coat it evenly. Place lasagne sheets on top. Spread some spinach mixture on top of them. Repeat these steps 3 times (except for the pasta sauce). Finally, spread the remaining pasta sauce onto the lasagne sheets and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for additional 15-20 minutes. Let the dish sit for about 15 minutes before serving.

Watercress Soup with a lemon yoghurt

Ingredients

1kg watercress; leaves removed

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large leek, roughly chopped and washed
60ml vegetable oil
400g floury potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
5ltrs vegetable stock

Method

Gently cook the watercress stalks, onions and leeks in the vegetable oil until soft. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock, bring to the boil, season and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the watercress leaves and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

Blend in a liquidiser until smooth and strain through a fine meshed sieve into a container that is in a ice bath. Correct the seasoning if necessary.

For the lemon yoghurt, take Greek style yoghurt and add a squeeze of lemon juice and the zest of half a lemon. Quenelle the yoghurt into the centre of the bowl and gently pour the soup into the bowl around the yoghurt.

Bon Appétit  

Crispy Potato Galette

Ingredients

3 large potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
1 table spoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Fresh thyme leaves

Method

MeMMmethPat the potatoes dry if they are starchy and moist. In a large frying pan, sauté half the potatoes with a tablespoon of olive oil over the potatoes, and sprinkle half the nutmeg and black pepper over the potatoes to taste. Starting in the centre of the pan, start arranging the potatoes into layers, over lapping them into a spiral.  When the potato slices are finished repeat the process with the remaining potato slice.

Cover the pan and place it on a medium heat and cook the potatoes until they are golden brown and cooked on the underside, about 15 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan gently to avoid the potatoes sticking. Wipe the inside of the lid to keep it dry as and when needed.

After the potatoes have cooked and turned golden brown. Press the potatoes down with a flat spatula and remove the pan from the heat. Place a plate over the pan, and flip the pan so that the galette is now on the plate. Then slide the raw side of the galette back into the pan and cook for a further 15 minutes. Once the galette is cooked through, transfer it back onto a serving plate, and garnish with the chopped parsley, crushed garlic and seasoning.

 

Bon Appétit

Roasted Butternut Squash and Feta Cheese Salad Recipe

 

Ingredients

1 Medium Butternut squash
100g Greek style feta cheese
80g toasted pine nuts
80g washed watercress
Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Seasoning
Edible flowers or fresh herbs for garnishes

Method

Heat the oven to 160 degrees. Line a baking tray with foil and set aside. Skin and seed the butternut and cut it into medium sized/bite sized cubes. Place the cubes onto the baking tray. Finely chop the garlic and put it onto the butternut. Drizzle olive oil over the butternut, enough to coat it all lightly, and season. Place the tray into the pre heated oven and roast the butternut for 15 minutes.

Cut the feta cheese into small cubes and set aside. Wash the watercress and place it on the bottom of the dish you will be serving the salad in. Once the butternut is cooked, remove it from the oven, check the seasoning. Let the butternut cool slightly before putting it onto the watercress. Once it’s cooled, place the butternut, feta and roasted pine nuts onto the watercress, arranging it so that there is an even mix of all the ingredients everywhere on the plate

Garnish the plate with edible flowers or fresh herbs.

Bon Appétit

Courgette cake recipe

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini, grated

1 large egg
1 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp mixed spices
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Method

Remove excess liquid from freshly grated zucchini by placing them between paper towels and squeezing. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Heat a large pan on medium, and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Shape spoonfuls of the zucchini batter into 2-in. (diameter) patties, and drop onto the sizzling pan. Cook each side for about a minute and a half, or until the outside is golden brown. Finish the cakes off in the oven. Stick them on a baking pan and broil them for 1-2
minutes. Serve hot, alone or with yoghurt and mint dressing.

Each scrumptious morsel is totally satisfying and packed with vitamin-rich zucchini, yet strikingly low in calories, carbohydrates and fat.

Makes about 12 cakes.

Bon Appétit