Heritage Beetroot & Goats Cheese Bruschetta (GF)

Beetroot. What springs to mind when you hear that word? I’d wager it’s a round rooty vegetable with a deep purple colour – be it raw, sliced, diced or picked, the colour purple is often what we imagine. Now think bright gold, striped blushing pink and pearly whites. Think Sainsbury’s Heritage Beetroot.

I love beetroot. I never ate it growing up. I was never forced to eat the sharp pickled variety which seems to have put a lot of people off beetroot for life. I came to beetroot later, raw or roasted in salads and instantly loved its earthy flavour and finger staining purple colour. I’ve seen other colours and varieties of beetroot used on tv, but never actually seen any to buy or taste myself, so I was delighted to be offered the chance to sample some of Sainsbury’s new Heritage Beetroot bunch – complete with three stunning varieties of differently coloured beets.

They looked attractive even before I cut into them, but once sliced open they positively glowed with rich vibrant colours. I dithered over how to taste them and eventually decided to simply roast them and serve them on some toast (gluten free) with some goat’s cheese – bruschetta style.

As they roasted, the outer surface became slightly duller in colour, but once bitten into the full force of their colours were once again apparent. If anything I found this to be more exciting, as it was so attractive to take a bite and be rewarded by such a beautiful vibrant colour. If you want to keep the beetroots full colour for presentation too, then I would suggest roasting them whole before cutting into wedges.

I toasted some Genius fresh brown gluten free bread (I’m so impressed by this brand compared to others I’ve tried – it really is quite Genius!) and rubbed the toast with a cut clove of garlic before piling on the roasted beets and crumbling over some young soft goats cheese. The combination of the soft creamy cheese with the sweet earthy beetroots and nutty bread was delicious and made for a very tasty lunch.

The beetroots themselves had subtle differences in flavour. The golden variety was the sweetest and closest to the traditional purple kind, while I thought the white variety the most subtle. All of them had a great flavour and weren’t as earthy as traditional beetroot, so might appeal to normal beetroot haters. I was delighted to get the chance to taste them and I am so happy at the prospect of being able to have regular access to them. At only £2 a mixed bunch they are worth it to add a little sunshine to your meal.

Heritage Beetroot & Goats Cheese Bruschetta (GF)

Ingredients
1 bunch Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Heritage Beetroot (4 beetroot)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
60g young soft goats cheese
1 clove garlic
4 slices gluten free bread (or normal)
Salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 190C. Top and tail the beetroot, wash them well in warm water and remove any wispy roots but leave the skin on (its so paper thin you can eat it after roasting)
Cut the beetroot in half and then slice each half into quarters. Arrange the beetroot on a foil lined tray, drizzle with the olive oil and scatter over the thyme.
Roast in the oven for 30 minutes until softened.
Once roasted, toast your bread of choice before rubbing gently with a cut clove of garlic. Crumble over the soft goats cheese and arrange a mixed assortment of roasted beetroot slices on top. Season with a little salt and pepper and enjoy.
Serves 2 as a light lunch or 4 as a starter.

Roasted Vegetable Quiche with Gluten Free Pastry

Looking at this quiche I expect you’re thinking – ‘mmm looks tasty but I think she overcooked the pastry, it looks a little dark.’ Well hold your horses – it’s not over baked, it started out that colour! You see this isn’t any ordinary pastry it’s a gluten free pastry, made from brown rice flour and brown teff flour – result – brown pastry!

I have generally been getting on quite well with gluten free baking – the sweet stuff anyway. It seems if you add enough raising agents, eggs, butter and sugar than pretty much everything tastes good. It’s the savoury side, namely bread and pastry that has been my downfall. I attempted a gluten free loaf a few weeks ago, I even used a pre mixed gluten free bread mix to ensure I got a decent loaf. Unfortunately things didn’t turn out that way. In its defence the crust was good, thick and crusty, but it was flat, misshapen and the inside was like gumming wallpaper paste. It stuck to the knife in horrible globs as I tried to slice it. The following day it had solidified into a dense dry lump, and you know what? I was so determined that it wasn’t going to be a failure that I still ate it – toasted and covered in jam or peanut butter. However, the experience made me nervous and I haven’t attempted one since.

Yesterday I woke up after having dreamed a really odd dream that I was having a picnic on the moon, but had forgotten to bring any food. However, it turned out the moon was made of quiche (who knew?) so I sat there with a fork eating it. I woke up craving quiche and newly determined that savoury baking wasn’t going to get the better of me.

I browsed a few sites to get some ideas and it seemed that a combination of different flours and starches was the way to go. I decided to try out a new flour that I have recently discovered but until then had not used – brown teff flour. I had to order it as I couldn’t find any shops that sold it. It arrived looking suitably space age in a shiny silver pouch, the sort of thing astronauts probably eat their meals out of. I combined this with some brown rice flour for bulk and tapioca starch as a sort of binder, as this one goes more gummy when wet.

I was surprised on opening the pouch that the brown teff flour had such a dark cocoa brown appearance. You may think being labelled as ‘brown’ this might have been pretty obvious, but brown rice flour is surprisingly light in colour. This is the reason behind my dark brown pastry – it’s not over baked, it’s whole grain!

I also added an egg and some xanthan gum which is a special powder that helps replace some of the action from gluten, making things a little more elastic so they don’t crumble so easily. Kneading the dough I was actually really impressed how much it resembled ‘real’ pastry. It was smooth and pliable and didn’t crack on rolling out. An additional bonus is that you can knead or reroll it as often as you like as there is no gluten in the dough to overwork, plus it doesn’t shrink on baking.

I filled the quiche with some roasted veggies and after a short bake in the oven I was able to tuck into a slice for lunch. Oh it was delicious. The pastry was light and crisp but didn’t crumble; nor was it tough or chewy. It had a slightly gritty texture from the rice flour, but I liked this, similar to a shortbread biscuit. The roasted veggies added a wonderful flavour and sweetness. So all in all a great success – yay!

Teff is a teeny tiny grain that is approximately 150 times smaller than a grain of wheat. It is actually the smallest grain in the world! However, for such a tiny grain is also highly nutritious, especially when left wholesome brown (white teff flour is also available). Teff contains 40% more calcium than milk, has twice as much iron as wheat and contains all 8 essential amino acids making it a complete protein. It’s also high in fiber, potassium and zinc. That’s one super grain. (click here for more info) To me, it has a wholesome toasted flavour similar to rye flour, although stronger. I can see it becoming one of my new favourite flours.

Pastry done, bread to go – oh err, wish me luck!

Roasted Vegetable Quiche with Gluten Free Pastry

Gluten Free Pastry
100g brown rice flour
60g brown teff flour
40g tapioca starch
1½ tsp xanthan gum
1 egg
80g cold butter
2-3 tbsp cold water

Roasted Veg Filling
2 eggs
400ml milk
1 tsp dried thyme
1 small red onion
1 small brown onion
½ red pepper
½ yellow pepper
½ large courgette
3 springs fresh rosemary
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method – Pastry
Weigh the flours, tapioca starch and xanthan gum into a bowl. Cut the cold butter into little cubes and rub it through the flour using the tips of your fingers, lifting them above the rim of the bowl and letting the flour fall back into it as you rub. Continue until all the butter has broken down and the mix contains some small clumps.
Lightly beat the egg, add to the flour mix and work in using a round bladed bread knife. Add two tablespoons of cold water and mix gently.
Tip the mix out onto a clean work surface (t may still look too dry at this stage) and switch to your hands and try to bring the mix together into a dough. If it still seems too dry add a little more water, a teaspoon at a time, until you are able to form a dough.
Knead the dough gently until smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge to chill for 30 – 60 minutes.

Roasted Veg Filling

Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the onions and peppers into small-ish chunks, about 1inch/2.5cm. Slice the courgette into 1-2cm slices.
Place the veg onto a baking tray and drizzle over the oil. Tuck the springs of rosemary in-between the veg and place in the oven to roast for 50minutes (after 30minutes, give the veg a mix and return to the oven for the remaining 20minutes).
Once roasted, remove the from the oven and leave to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C and place a large baking tray in the oven to heat up.

Assembly
Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and roll it out between two big sheets of clingfilm until 3-4mm thick (this does away with the need for flouring a work surface). Use to line a 6-7inch round tin or a long rectangular tart tin.
Arrange the roasted veg inside the tart.
In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, dried thyme and some seasoning until well combined. Pour over the roasted veg and carefully transfer the quiche onto the preheated baking tray.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until the egg mixture it set and the pastry crisp.
Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing from the tin and serving.
Serves 4

Spicy Mole 3 Bean Chilli

On Saturday it was my turn to host the friend’s dinner evening get together that my friends and I take it in turns to host every month. One of my friends informed me that at the moment she is avoiding eating potatoes, rice, raw dairy and anything citrus, this along with the meal having to be vegetarian and gluten free meant it was rather a challenge trying to figure out a meal we could all eat. There were only going to be three of us at the dinner, so I didn’t really want to start making multiple dishes.

After running through a few ideas I suddenly remembered a bean chilli I had made a few months back and amazingly it suited all our dietary requirements – hurrah! I decided to serve it corn tortilla chips which we used to scoop up and eat the chilli. This did away with the need for cutlery which made for a fun and informal dinner. The chilli also tastes good topped with a little sour cream, avocado and coriander, but I find it’s best to serve these separately and let the guests help themselves as not everyone likes these.

The chilli contained lots of veggies and three different varieties of beans simmered together in a spicy smoky chili and tomato sauce. It also contained a secret ingredient – a little cocoa powder! This may sound odd at first but the cocoa powder adds a wonderful depth and richness to the dish as well as a deep earthy brown colour, without adding any chocolate flavour. This is actually quite traditional in Spanish and Mexican cuisine and these types of dishes can often be referred to as Moles.

Moles (pronounced Mo-Lay) come in a variety of flavours depending on the ingredients used. It is rumoured that they were originally created by nuns as a way of using up leftovers and often consisted of chili’s, spices, stale bread, nuts and chocolate. Mole poblano is one of the most famous and is a dark red brown sauce containing chilis and chocolate which is often served over meat – although in my case lots of beans!

I’ve never had an authentic Mole, but my concoction was delicious and just what was called for on a dark cold winter evening. Rich, thick and spicy with the salty crunch for the corn tortilla chips it was very hearty and comforting. The chili and spices warming us up from the inside out. You can make it as spicy as you like but personally I enjoy it with a bit of a kick. As an added bonus the dish actually tastes better if allowed to sit for a few hours or even overnight to allow all the spices and flavours to mingle and develop. This means you can prepare it in advance and are free to enjoy the time with your guests without any manic last minute cooking required, which is always a bonus.

Spicy Mole 3 Bean Chilli

Ingredients
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
400g can kidney beans
400g can black eyed beans
400g can Auzaki beans
1 red chili
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
1 large carrot
2 large mushrooms
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 red pepper
½ small can (100g) sweetcorn
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground chillies
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp olive oil
Ground pepper

To serve
Dollop of sour cream
Avocado, diced
Corn tortilla chips (check your brand as some also contain wheat flour)
Fresh coriander

Method
Slice the onion, carrot, mushrooms and red pepper into a small dice. Finely chop the garlic and red chili (seeds and all if you like it hot).
In a large saucepan heat the oil and sweat the onion, garlic and carrot until beginning to soften but it still with some bite.
Add the red pepper, chilli, cumin, paprika, ground chilli and cayenne.
Drain the tins of beans and add to pan along with the sweetcorn. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato puree. Season a little pepper.
Bring the mix to a boil then reduce to a simmer and allow to bubble and reduce for 20-30 minutes.
Mix the cocoa powder with a little hot water to form a thin paste. Stir into the chilli.
Cook for 5 minutes more before serving.
To Serve
Top with the sour cream, avocado and coriander if desired. Serve with corn tortilla chips and use them to scoop up and eat the chilli.
Serves 6

Carrot, Courgette & Ricotta Lasagne

This is the time of year when courgettes are in abundance. Courgettes on their own can be quite bland and yet every day blogs are posting new tasty ways of incorporating these vegetables into a variety of muffins, cakes, cookies and other baked goods. However I feel that this humble vegetable should not be completely overlooked in the more conventional savoury dishes too.

This carrot and courgette lasagne allows the courgettes soft texture and subtle sweetness to be the star of the show. All it needs is a little help from some herbs and spices to help bring them alive. It’s also an incredible easy and simple dish to put together and requires very little prep time making it the perfect mid week meal.

The courgettes are grated and paired with carrots which help enhance the courgettes savoury sweetness before being mixed with garlic, thyme and ricotta to produce a flavoursome creamy veg layer for your lasagne without the need for sauce making. This is then layered up with a simple tomato mix that has been spiked with a hint of chilli to give it some warmth and fresh lasagne sheets (shop bought unless your super organised) for a delicious speedy dinner.

I loved how the grated courgette kept its colour, showing flecks of bright green throughout the layers. It made it look very Italian amongst the white pasta and the red sauce. I’ll be making this one again before the courgettes seasons over.

Carrot, Courgette & Ricotta Lasagne
(Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food)

Ingredients
2 courgettes
2 carrots
2 tsp fresh thyme
½ tsp chilli flakes or ground chilli
1 clove garlic
150g ricotta cheese
400g tin chopped tomatoes
150ml passata
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper and herbs of choice
6 sheets fresh lasagne

Method
Place the chopped tomatoes, passata, chilli and some herbs of your choice into a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to bubble for 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until required.
Coarsely grate the carrots and courgettes (there is no need to peel). Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the grated veg. Cook for 1 minute before crushing the garlic and adding to the pan along with the fresh thyme.
Cook until softened and most of the liquid released from the vegetables has evaporated. Remove from the heat and mix through the ricotta cheese.
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Spread a third of the veg ricotta mixture into the base of a 30cmx20cm ovenproof dish. Spread over a quarter of the tomato and lay 2 sheets of the lasagne on top.
Top with another third of veg, another quarter of tomato and 2 more sheets of lasagne. Repeat for the final layer and then use the leftover tomato sauce to spread on top of the last lasagne sheets. Grate over a little cheese of your choice and bake for 25-30 minutes until the lasagne is bubbling and crisp around the edges.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving with salad.
Serves 3-4

Moroccan Style Chickpea Salad

Chickpeas are not just for houmous, they can also be the building block for some great salads. Their soft and subtle flavour works well with other foods while easily absorbing any flavours or dressings you throw at it. In this instance it was intense sun dried tomatoes, smoky paprika and fiery harissa with just a hint of cumin. All these flavours work together well and remind me of my holiday to Morocco a few years ago, when the air was hot, and filled with the scent of smoke and spices.

I kept with the Moroccan theme by roasting aubergine, pepper and red onion to accompany the chickpeas. I also added in some sweetcorn, which I admit is not very traditional, but it added a little crunch and brightness to the dish.

Adding fruit, usually dried fruits, to savoury dishes is also very common in this culture, typically apricots, dates and prunes. I wanted to add some apricots to my salad and decided to use fresh, rather than dried ones. However, when I was shopping for ingredients I wasn’t able to find any, but I did come across some very nice smelling peaches, so I decided to use those instead. This turned out to be a very good substitution as they added a fruity sweetness to the dish without it being obviously fruit, particularly once it had absorbed some of the red dressing.

This was probably my family’s favourite of the five salads I made. It was sweet, spicy, smoky, fruity with a wonderful mix of colours and textures from the vegetables. After the first few hours everything ended up being glazed with an orange-red hue thanks to the smoky spicy dressing. This is the kind of salad that would bring sunshine to your day even if it’s raining outside.

Moroccan Style Chickpea Salad

Ingredients
1 aubergine
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
1 red pepper
1 red onion
4 tbsp sweetcorn
2 ripe peaches (or apricots)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp sundried tomato paste (not the same as tomato puree)
2 tsp harissa paste
Salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Dice the aubergine, red onion and pepper into 2cm cubes and place on a baking tray.
Mix the cumin and paprika with 1 tablespoon of the oil and drizzle over the prepared vegetables. Toss gently to ensure an even coating.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until softened and roasted. Stir after the first 20 minutes to ensure an even baking. Once baked, set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Drain the chickpeas and place into a large bowl along with the sweetcorn. Peel the furry skin off the peaches and cut into small cubes, add to the bowl with the chickpeas. Mix in the roasted veg and any of the juices collected on the tray.
Mix the remaining tablespoon of oil with the sun dried tomato paste, harissa and a little salt and pepper to season if desired.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Cover and leave the flavours to mingle and marinate for at least two hours before serving.
Serves 6

Green Vegetable Salad with Roasted Beetroot & Goats Cheese

With the sunshine and warmer weather finally making an appearance it initiates the start of a new range of dishes – summery salads! Salads can be dull and boring, but a salad constructed with a little care and attention can easily be the star of the meal. The weekend before last when we had such lovely weather I decided to make some salads for the family to enjoy with dinner. I had so many ideas fighting for attention in my head that I went a little salad crazy and ended up making 5 different ones! Opps. Not that it mattered as it meant we then had leftovers for lunches for the next few days – and some salads seem to get better after a day or two when all the flavours have had time to mingle and marinate together. Now the sunshine is back again, for the next few posts I’m intending to share the summery salads with you. Allow me to introduce the first one - Green Vegetable Salad with Roasted Beetroot & Goats Cheese.

This is a wonderfully fresh and vibrant summer salad. Some of the veg is steamed to maintain its freshness while others are roasted to give a more intense depth of flavour. The hot veg is then added to fresh baby spinach leaves which allow them to wilt ever so slightly without going all soft and mushy. Some very fresh herb rolled goats cheese is then scattered on top, in striking contrast to the vibrant green, red and orange of the vegetables as well as being wonderfully creamy against their fresh crispness. The juices from the roasted veg are mixed with a simple balsamic dressing and a scattering of lemon zest to really bring the salad alive.

I love how the following day the goats cheese took on a mottled effect from the beetroots juices and the dressing. Simple, summery and oh so tasty.

Green Vegetable Salad with Roasted Beetroot & Goats Cheese

Ingredients
125g very young soft goats cheese (the one rolled in herbs is best)
4 cooked beetroot (not pickled)
1 carrot
2 courgettes
½ head broccoli
200g fresh young spinach
6 spears of asparagus
1 lemon – zest
3 sprigs lemon thyme
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Peel the carrot and cut into 1cm slices and the courgette into 1-2cm slices. Cut the beetroot into quarters or eights if they are very big. Arrange on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and the sprigs of lemon thyme.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until softened and golden brown. Stir and mix about half way through to ensure even cooking.
Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into florets and slice the asparagus into 3 on the diagonal to make long spear shaped pieces. Steam the broccoli and the asparagus for 3-4 minutes until softened and just tender, you want a bit of bite to remain.
Arrange the spinach leaves in the base of a large serving bowl. Scatter over the steamed broccoli and asparagus and the hot roasted veg. (This will make the spinach leaves wilt slightly and catch any juices given off from the veg.)
Grate over the zest of the lemon and toss gently.
Tear the goats cheese into small pieces and scatter over the top of the salad.
Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and the balsamic vinegar together and drizzle over the top of the salad.
Serve with other salads or BBQ/picnic food and crusty bread.
Serves 6

Rhubarb & Rosewater Breakfast Sundae

I made this for breakfast this morning and just had to share it with you. It was a spur of the moment thing, well sort of. I had made the roasted rhubarb the night before and left it in a bowl in the fridge. I find roasted rhubarb much better than stewing it as it retains its shape and texture. I love all the different colours too. Pearly pinks, pastel greens and dark ruby reds. I didn’t have any real intentions for it apart from using on top of porridge, spooned over some leftover cake or with a bit of ice cream for dessert.

When I woke up this morning, it was still very early but I got up anyway and opened my curtains and was greeted by a stunning morning sunrise. The sky was mottled pink and yellow and the sun was just peeping over the trees and glowing a deep golden orange. I couldn’t help but smile.

In the kitchen I remembered the roasted rhubarb I had made the night before and opened the fridge in search of breakfast inspiration. Porridge just wasn’t going to cut it on such a bright and sunny morning. My eyes settled on some fromage frais and I decided that rhubarb, fromage frais on some cereal sounded nice, but as I gathered together the ingredients my mind got to work and I detoured away from the bowl cupboard and towards the glasses – the idea for a breakfast sundae was forming and in my head it looked delicious.

I started off with a generous spoonful of the rhubarb. I adore its pretty pink colour, just stunning. I had roasted it in the oven with just a scattering of sugar and then stirred through some rosewater to give it a lovely summery floral note. Rosewater may sound an odd ingredient to add, but to me the rhubarbs shiny pink juices and its sweet tangy flavour just seemed the perfect combination to the rosewaters musky fragrance. It certainly smelt heavenly, the colour and aroma of summer.

Next I added a layer of fromage frais and a generous scattering of muesli before repeating the steps until I had my layered rhubarb and rosewater scented breakfast sundae!

As the rhubarb was already prepared putting it all together was the work of moments. It was one of the tastiest breakfasts I’ve had in ages. I like my rhubarb quite tangy so I hadn’t added too much sugar during cooking meaning it was soft and tangy, the rose sweeping in with a subtle floral perfume before the cool milky fromage frais soothed the taste buds ready for the next spoonful. The muesli added a lovely texture, some mouthfuls crispy, others complemented with a chewy raisin or a toasted hazelnut. A most delicious and tranquil way to start the day.

Rhubarb & Rosewater Breakfast Sundae

Ingredients
4 tbsp roasted rhubarb & rosewater (see below)
4 tbsp fromage frais or Greek yoghurt
3 tbsp muesli

For the Rhubarb
8 sticks of rhubarb
6 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp rosewater

Method – Roasted Rhubarb
Heat the oven to 170C.
Discard the leaves from the rhubarb before chopping it into 2cm long chunks. Place into a deep baking tray and scatter over the sugar. Mix gently to allow the sugar to coat the rhubarb.
Bake for 15 minutes until soft, tender and some sweet sticky juices have been released. Gently stir through the rosewater and allow to cool in the pan before using. Store in a bowl in the fridge until required.
Will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Note: this will yield more rhubarb than you need for the sundae, but leftovers are great on cereal, porridge, desserts, cake, with custard or ice cream etc.

Breakfast Sundae

Have ready 4 tablespoons of your rose scented rhubarb and some of the juices into a small bowl.
Place a third of the rhubarb into the base of a tall glass and drizzle with a little of the juices. Cover with a third of the fromage frais or yoghurt and half the amount (a generous scattering) of your favourite muesli or granola. Top with another third of rhubarb, more yoghurt and the remaining half of the muesli.
Finish with the final spoonful of yoghurt and the last few chunks of rhubarb and its pink juices.
Eat with a tall spoon and enjoy a fresh, fragrant and tasty start to your day.

Spinach & Curried Pumpkin Tart

I was sorting through the freezer at the weekend and unearthed a bag of diced pumpkin I had completely forgotten was there. I had stored it away back in the autumn after buying such a colossal pumpkin that it was too big to eat all at once. I was pleased I had as it had been a few months since tasting a good pumpkin and now I had some at my fingertips.

After a short recipe hunt I settled on a recipe for roasted curried pumpkin that sounded very tasty. However I wanted to turn it into something a bit more substantial and decided to combine it with spinach and turn it into a tart. I also added an egg quiche style filling to help ‘stick’ it all together. The result was delicious.

The pastry was thin and crisp while the filling was soft and warming. The earthiness of the spinach worked so well with the tender sweetness of the pumpkin. The curry and cumin spices were lingering in the background without being too obvious or overpowering and just added to the whole warming, comforting flavour that seemed to capture the essence of golden autumn days. I loved the striking colour contrast of the dark green spinach against the golden pumpkin too.

Some of the pumpkin poked up above the eggy filling meaning it got a second gentle roasting when baked, giving even more flavour and a fun rustic appearance. I served the tart warm with a spoonful of Indian spiced carrot chutney to enhance the curry notes and which I would highly recommend. If you don’t have any pumpkin I’m sure it would work equally well with butternut squash or sweet potato.

Spinach & Curried Pumpkin Tart
(Recipe adapted from The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook)

Pastry
160g plain flour
75g cold butter
1-2 tbsp cold water

Filling
500g pumpkin or squash
100g frozen spinach (or 200g fresh)
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
3 eggs
100ml double cream
150ml milk
Salt & pepper

Method - Pastry

Start by making the pastry. Cut the cold butter into 2cm squares. Place the flour into a bowl, add the butter and rub the butter into the flour using the very tips of your fingers. Do this by picking the little squares of butter and some of the flour up with your fingertips, lift this just above the rim of the bowl and then rub the two gently together, letting it fall back into the bowl. Be gentle with it as overworked pastry goes tough.
When most of the butter lumps have gone you should be left with a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add a spoonful of cold water and work this into the pastry using a round bladed butter knife. Add a little more water if it still seems too dry to form a dough.
Once the crumbs are starting to cling together, use your hands to squash the mixture together to form a dough. No not knead it like bread dough.
Wrap it in clingfilm and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Roast the Pumpkin

While your pastry is chilling in the fridge prepare the filling. Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the pumpkin into a fairly large dice and place into a bowl. Mix the curry powder and cumin seeds into 1 tablespoon of oil and drizzle over the top of the pumpkin. Toss together so the pumpkin gets an even coating of the spiced oil.
Transfer the pumpkin to a baking tray and roast in the oven for 25 minutes until soft and lightly brown around the edges.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside.

Blind bake the Pastry
Next, remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it will line a deep 8inch/20cm tart tin.
Lay a sheet of clingfilm over the top of the pastry and cover with baking beans or dried rice to prevent the pastry from puffing up when baking.
Place the pastry into the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the edges are starting to turn golden.
Remove the clingfilm and baking beans from the tart shell and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes to crisp up the base.
Then reduce the oven to 180C.

Assemble the Tart

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Fry until softened in the remaining tablespoon of oil, then set aside. Thaw the frozen spinach or blanch the fresh spinach until softened. Place into a clean tea towel and wring it out tightly to get rid of all the excess water or else your tart will be soggy.
Cut the skin off the pumpkin and crush the pieces gently in your fingers.
Arrange the onion and garlic over the base of the tart. Scatter the spinach and roasted crushed pumpkin over the top, packing it in well.
Lightly beat the eggs, milk, cream and a little salt and pepper together until combined, before pouring into the tart. (Some of the pumpkin and spinach will poke out above the egg mixture, but this is desired as it gives the veg a roasted top and flavour).
Bake for 35-45 minutes until the egg mixture is set and the pumpkin tops are golden and roasted.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and serving with salad and a spiced Indian style pickle or chutney (I used an Indian carrot chutney).
Serves 6 as a main course or 8-10 as a starter.

Makes 1 deep 8inch/20cm tart