Plum filo pockets

Ingredients:

• 100g/4oz skimmed milk
• soft cheese
• 1 tablespoon muscovado sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 8 large plums, halved and stoned
• 8 sheets filo pastry
• sunflower oil for brushing
• icing sugar, to dust

 • Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7.

• In a small bowl, mix together thecheese, sugar and cloves.

• Sandwich the plum halves backtogether using a spoonful of thecheese mixture.

• Spread out the pastry, and cut into16 pieces, each about 23cm/9insquare. Brush one lightly with oil,and place a second diagonally ontop. Repeat the process with theremaining squares.

• Put a plum on each pastry square,and pinch the corners together.Place on a baking tray. Bake for15–18 minutes until golden, thendust with icing sugar. Serve hot.

Aubergine cake

Ingredients:

• 1 large aubergine
• 300g/11oz tricolour pasta shapes
• 100g/4oz low-fat soft cheese with
• garlic and herbs
• 350ml/12fl oz passata
• 4 tablespoons freshly grated
• Parmesan cheese
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried white
• breadcrumbs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5. Grease and linea 20cm/8in round springform cake tin.

• Trim the aubergine and slice lengthways into slices about 5mm/1⁄4inthick. Put in a bowl, sprinkle liberally with salt, and set aside for30 minutes to remove any bitter juices. Rinse well under cold runningwater, and drain.

• Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, and blanch the aubergine for1 minute. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.

• Cook the pasta shapes in lightly salted boiling water until al dente. Drainwell, and return to the saucepan. Add the soft cheese and allow it tomelt over the pasta. Stir in the passata, Parmesan and oregano, and
season with salt and pepper.

• Arrange the aubergine over the bottom and sides of the cake tin,overlapping the slices and making sure that there are no gaps.

• Pile the pasta mixture into the tin, packing down well, and sprinkle withthe breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove the tinfrom the oven and leave to stand for 15 minutes.

• Loosen the cake around the edge with a palette knife or spatula, andrelease from the tin. Turn out the pasta cake, aubergine side uppermost,and serve hot.

Chilled noodles & peppers

Ingredients:

• 250g/9oz ribbon noodles
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 6 spring onions, cut into
• matchstick strips

For the dressing

• 5 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 4 drops of hot pepper sauce salt

• Preheat the grill to medium. Cook the noodles in a large pan of saltedboiling water until they are almost tender. Drain in a colander, run coldwater through them and drain again thoroughly. Tip the noodles into abowl, stir in the sesame oil, cover and chill.

• Cook the peppers under the grill, turning them frequently, until they areblackened on all sides. Plunge into cold water, then peel off the skin. Cutin half, remove the core and seeds, and cut the flesh into thick strips. Set
aside in a covered container.

• To make the dressing, mix together the sesame oil, soy sauce, tahini andpepper sauce until well combined.

• Pour the dressing on the noodles, reserving 1 tablespoon, and toss well.Add the reserved peppers, gently toss through the noodles and spoon onthe reserved dressing. Scatter the spring onion over the top, and serve

Mixed mushroom ragout

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons tomato purée
• 2 teaspoons soft brown sugar
• 150ml/5fl oz vegetable stock
• 100g/4oz baby button mushrooms
• 100g/4oz chestnut mushrooms,
• quartered
• 100g/4oz oyster mushrooms, sliced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Put the onion, garlic, coriander seeds, vinegar, soy sauce, sherry, tomato purée, sugar and stock in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce theheat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes

• Remove the lid from the pan, and simmer for 5 more minutes or until theliquid has reduced by half.

• Add the button and chestnut mushrooms, and simmer for 3 minutes. Stirin the oyster mushrooms, and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove themushrooms from the pan with a slotted spoon, transfer to a serving dish
and keep warm.

• Boil the juices in the pan for about 5 minutes until reduced to about75ml/3fl oz. Season with salt and pepper.

• Allow to cool for 2–3 minutes, then pour over the mushrooms. Serve hotor well chilled.

Okra with mango & lentils

Ingredients:

• 100g/4oz green lentils such as Puy,
• picked and rinsed
• 50ml/2fl oz corn oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon onion seeds
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh root ginger pulp
• 1 teaspoon garlic pulp
• 11⁄2 teaspoons chilli powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 green or unripe mango, peeled
• and stoned
• 450g/1lb okra, chopped
• 2 fresh red chillies, seeded
• and sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced

• Put the lentils a saucepan with just enough water to cover. Bring to theboil, and boil for a couple of minutes, then reduce the heat. Simmer forabout 20 minutes until soft, topping up with water if necessary. Drain.

• Heat the oil in a wok or large heavy frying pan. Add the onion seedsand fry until they begin to pop. Add the onions and sauté until they aregolden. Reduce the heat and add the ginger, garlic, chilli powder,turmeric and coriander. Stir for a minute or so.

• Slice the mango, then add with the okra. Stir well, then add thechillies. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes until the okra is well cooked. Stirin the cooked lentils and tomato, then cook for a further 3 minutes.Serve immediately.

Baked potatoes with salsa

Ingredients:

• 4 baking potatoes, about
• 225g/8oz each
• 1 large avocado
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed
• lemon juice
• 175g/6oz smoked tofu, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• 100g/4oz mixed salad leaves

For the salsa

• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
• coriander leaves
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1 fresh green chilli, seeded
• and diced
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed
• lemon juice
• salt and freshly ground
• black pepper

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.

• Scrub the potatoes and prick the skins with a fork. Rub a little salt intothe skins, and put the potatoes on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for1 hour or until cooked through and the skins are crisp.

• Meanwhile, make the salsa just before the end of the potatoes’ cookingtime. Put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix through and season with saltand pepper. Set aside.

• Cut the potatoes in half lengthways, and scoop the flesh into a bowl,leaving a thin layer of potato inside the shells.

• Halve and stone the avocado. Using a spoon, scoop out the avocadoflesh and add to the bowl containing the potato. Stir in the lemon juiceand mash the mixture together with a fork. Mix in the tofu, garlic, onionand tomato. Spoon the mixture into one half of the potato shells
.
• Arrange the mixed salad leaves on top of the guacamole mixture, andplace the other half of the potato shell on top. Serve immediately withthe salsa as an accompaniment.

Blue cheese hotpot

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 turnip, diced
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 8 small leeks, quartered
• 25g/1oz low-fat spread
• 25g/1oz plain flour
• 450ml/3⁄4pt vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon yeast extract
• 425g/15oz canned cooked haricot
• beans, drained
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh
• flat-leaf parsley
• 450g/1lb potatoes, thinly sliced
• 50g/2oz blue cheese, crumbled
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

• Sauté the carrots, turnip, celery and leeks in the low-fat spread in aflameproof casserole dish for 3 minutes, stirring. Stir in the flour.

• Remove from the heat and gradually blend in the stock and yeastextract. Return to the heat, bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes,stirring. Stir in the beans and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.Arrange the potatoes in a layer over the top, overlapping them slightly.

• Cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the lid,sprinkle with the cheese and continue cooking, uncovered, for a further30 minutes. Serve straight from the pot.