We love mushrooms on toast and we love cheese on toast so we though why not combine the two! This recipe is simple to follow and produces great results that make a great breakfast dish or a simple starter or snack.

Spicy Welsh Rarebit Ingredients

2 slices of thick crusty bread
2 large flat mushrooms
1 finely chopped clove of garlic
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 egg
1 handful of grated cheddar cheese
1 small handful of fresh thyme
1/2 red chilli pepper

Method

Place the mushrooms on a baking tray and sprinkle the oil, garlic and thyme inside. Cook on a medium heat (180 degrees) for 15 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile mix the grated cheese, chilli, egg and seasoning in a bowl. Spoon the mixture onto each of the mushrooms and place under the grill until the cheese bubbles and starts to brown. Serve on toasted bread with a dash of Tabasco sauce!

If you grow your own courgettes you’ll no doubt suffer from a glut of courgettes in winter time. This easy to make salad is a great way to use your crop.

Spicy Courgette Ingredients

3 small courgettes
1/2 fresh chilli
1 large handful of wild rocket
Large glug of olive oil
1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese
Juice from 1/4 of a lemon
Salt & pepper

Method

Using a mandolin or potato peeler slice the courgettes into thin strips. Ideally you need to use young courgettes, not the often large mature ones you see in the supermarket. Therefore it is best if you can use home grown courgettes so you can pick them at just the right size.

If using very young courgettes I do not cook them however if using more mature courgettes cook the slices on a griddle pan (no oil needed) until they are lightly charred on each side.

In a mixing bowl add all of the ingredients, finely chopping the chilli and mix gently before serving.

Turkey chilli is a great alternative to beef chilli. Not only is turkey a lot cheaper than both chicken and beef if cooked correctly it contains just as much flavour. This chilli recipe uses both diced and minced turkey to make the textures more interesting.

Turkey Chilli Ingredients

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

2 cloves of garlic

3 teaspoons of cumin powder

3 chopped jalapeno chillies

250 grams of minced turkey

4 diced turkey breasts

1 large handful of fresh thyme

1 tin of canallini beans

1 tin of chick peas

750 ml of vegetable stock

Method

In a large pan heat some vegetable oil then add the garlic and onions and fry slowly until the onions have softened and are starting to brown then add the cumin.

After stirring add the turkey and cook, continuously stirring until the turkey is no longer pink. Next add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until the stock has reduced down to a thick consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This turkey chilli is best served with a pile of white rice, a dollop of sour cream and some tortillas.

During a trip to India a few years ago I ate this chutney in a little restaurant round the corner from where we were staying. It was blistering hot but incredibly good.

Red Chilli Chutney Ingredients

15 fresh red chillies

9 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

1/2 cup of natural yogurt

Method

Roughly chop the chillies and soak in a small amount of water for a couple of hours. Them remove them from the water and grind them up in a pestle and mortar, adding the rest of the ingredients. If necessary add a little of the water the chillies were soaking in until you end up with a smooth paste.

Next add the yogurt and stir thoroughly. Serve at room temperature with Indian mains or with some poppadoms and pickles.

No indian meal is complete without pickle. This classic recipe for lime pickle is a must to try and can be served with just about any Indian dish.

Lime Pickle Ingredients

10 limes

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

2 teaspoons of mustard seeds

1 teaspoon of turmeric

5 green chillies

5 cloves of garlic

10 teaspooons of salt

15 teaspoons of red chilli powder

2 litres of water

Method

Bring the water to the boil and add the limes and turmeric. Leave for 2-3 minutes then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled cut the limes into wedges and add them to a large jar along with the sale and leave for 24 hours to infuse.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds until they start to pop then add the chillies (sliced),garlic, limes and chilli powder. Fry off on a high heat for 2 minutes then allow to cool. Add the limes mixture to a sterilised jar and pour the remaining oil over the limes before sealing tightly.

Once opened store the pickle in a jar n the fridge.

Melanzane Parmigiana (Aubergine & Parmesan) is a truly classic Italian dish. As with most Italian food this is all about simple ingredients cooked well in the right combination. The result is a dish that is incredible light yet full of flavor. Ideally this is served as a starter or a side dish.

Melanzane Parmigiana Ingredients

2 aubergines (egg plants to our US friends)
3 cloves of garlic
2 tins of plum tomatoes
1 onion
Small handful of fresh thyme
Small bowl of grated Parmesan cheese
Small handful of fresh basil
Salt & Pepper
1 fresh red chilli

Method

Slice the aubergines about 7mm thick and grill them in a dry (no oil) griddle pan (a frying pan will do if you don’t have one) until they are lightly charred.

To make the tomato sauce chop the garlic and add to   a pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Finely chop the onion and add to the pan then cook until the onions are soft. Next add the tomatoes and break them up in the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer the sauce on a medium heat so it reduces down and intensifies in flavour and season to taste. Though not entirely traditional I like to add a finely chopped chilli to give the sauce a little bit of a kick.

Once the sauce is ready spread a layer of the sauce into an ovenproof dish, followed by a layer of the aubergine slices and a sprinkled layer of grated Parmesan and a few fresh basil leaves. Continue adding layers in the same order until the dish is full, ending with a thicker layer of Parmesan on top.

Alternatively rather than cooking this in a large dish you can make up individual towers (using the same layers) an cook them on a baking tray if you want more of a fine dining rather than presentation.

Cook the dish at 200 degrees for about 25 minutes when the top should be golden brown. Serve while still hot with a sprig of fresh basil on top.

Fresh, simple and extremely healthy is probably the best way to describe this spicy couscous salad.

Spicy Couscous Salad Ingredients

250 grams of couscous

400 ml of water

20 cherry tomatoes

1 red chilli

half a cucumber

1 handful of fresh thyme (and flowers if available)

1 handful of spinach leaves

juice from one lemon

2 grated carrots

4 table spoons of oliver oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Add the couscous to a glass bowl and pour over the water, stir briefly then cover with a plate and set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile finely/roughly cut the remaining ingredients and add to a large serving bowl. Squeeze over the lemon juice and olive oil and mix thoroughly. After the 10 minutes are up stir in the couscous to the salad and season to taste.

I am a thyme addict so if possible i like to use flowering thyme in this recipe because it not only tastes great, it also looks fantastic.

This ‘posh’ mushroom on toast is a great summer lunch, hearty breakfast or simple healthy snack. It is essential for this recipe to use good bread. If you haven’t checked it out before our no knead bread recipe is perfect for this.

Mushroom Bruchetta Ingredients

20 Mushrooms

1 clove of garlics

Handful of fresh thyme

1 red chilli

pinch of salt

handful of cherry tomatos

Method

Finely cut the garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes in a little olive oil. Next add the mushroom (sliced) and fry gently for 5 minutes. Add the chopped chilli and fresh thyme to the pan and saute for a further 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile roughly cut the cherry tomatoes and toast a couple of slices of bread.

Serve the mushrooms on top of the toast and then add the tomatoes on top., You can finish the dish by adding a drizzle of olive oil.

This recipe is a cross between an Indian dhal and soup, in fact it is and can be both! It can be served on its own as a starter but also makes a great side dish when served with rice and other Indian food.

Red Lentil Soup Ingredients

1 tablespoon of Vegetable oil
1 finely chopped onion
2 crushed cloves of garlic
1 teas spoon of mustard seeds
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of ground coriander seeds
1/2 cup of small red lentils
1 pint of vegetable or chicken stock
3 chopped tomatoes
1 handful of chopped fresh coriander
3 dried red chillies

Method

Heat the oil in a large pan to a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and when they start to po add the finely chopped onion. Cook on a slow heat until the onion takes on a nice golden brown colour (almost to the point of burning). Next add the garlic, chillies, cumin, turmeric, coriander seeds and tomato and fry off for 2-3 minutes.

Next add the stock and red lentils (rinse them before hand in cold water to remove any unwanted starch) to the pan and simmer for 30-40 minutes. You can serve as it is (rustic) or if required remove from the heat, blend in a food processor and sieve before serving.

Serve with a few sprigs of fresh coriander sprinkled on top.

This great soup is easy to make and great either served as a light summer meal or a hearty winter warmer. The recipe is very adaptable too as you can easily change the ingredients according to your taste or what you have in the fridge.

Chilli Soup Ingredients

2 Potatoes
1 pint of vegetable stock
1 leek
1 onion
2 carrots
2 red chillies (cayenne or similar)
1 courgette
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 thick slices of stale bread
1 handful of fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Method

In a saucepan boil the potatoes for 10 minutes or until nearly cooked and after 5 minutes add in the chopped carrots. While they boil, in a deep pan sweat down the leek and onion until soft.

Drain the potatoes and carrots and add back to the pan. Add the vegetable stock, finely chopped red chilli, courgette (cut into thin strips), thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on a low heat.

Toast the stale bread slowly under the grill. When fully done, remove from the heat and cut into small cubes before serving sprinkled on top of the soup with a drizzle of olive oil.