New Classics: Inspiring and delicious recipes to transform your home cooking

When the sage leaves have been fried, add the flaked almonds to the pan, season with sea salt and toast until golden. Remove from the heat.

To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Thinly slice the remaining raw kale and mix it together in the bowl with the cooked kale, shallots, almonds and fried sage leaves. Season with more sea salt and loads of black pepper and drizzle with the dressing.

TOMATO, GOATS’ CHEESE AND BLACK OLIVE SALAD (#ulink_ca0a2013-032e-5a35-a4e3-f24ae71a4170)

Nothing beats a plate of tomatoes dressed in olive oil as a late-summer starter. Here I add goats’ cheese and my favourite black olives, Kalamata, for a real depth of flavour with the sweetness of tomatoes and shallots. Tomatoes taste much sweeter when they are at room temperature, rather than fridge-cold. They will also ripen quicker stored outside the fridge.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 20 minutes marinating

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp good-quality balsamic vinegar

1 tsp capers in brine, strained and finely chopped

2 shallots, finely sliced

4 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced

8 ripe baby plum tomatoes, halved

120g soft goats’ cheese

50g pitted Kalamata olives, chopped

¼ bunch of basil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the oil and balsamic vinegar together in a bowl. Add the capers and shallots and set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

Generously season the tomatoes with salt and pepper and arrange them on a serving plate. Dress them with the dressing then crumble the goats’ cheese on top. Finish with the olives and lightly tear the basil leaves to scatter on top. Serve immediately.

ROASTED JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES WITH CONFIT LEMON AND A GARLIC AND PICKLED WALNUT DRESSING (#ulink_7b14c01c-c635-507e-b3cd-421761c8bf05)

I love the earthiness of Jerusalem artichokes. They are also a great staple during the winter months and right at the beginning of spring when everything is still a little sparse. Give them a good scrub to remove any grit or dirt, instead of peeling them before cooking, as the skin is very flavoursome.

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

2kg Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed clean

3 tbsp vegetable oil

25g butter

¼ bunch of thyme

2 garlic bulbs

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE CONFIT LEMON

1 lemon

2 tbsp caster sugar

¼ bunch of thyme

FOR THE WALNUT DRESSING

3 tbsp chopped pickled walnuts

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp pickled walnut pickling liquor

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7.

Place the washed artichokes, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, butter and thyme in a roasting tray, toss to coat the artichokes in the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cut the tops off the garlic bulbs, place them in foil, drizzle them with the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and season with sea salt. Fold the foil over to enclose the garlic bulbs and place them in the roasting tray with the Jerusalem artichokes. Bake for 30–40 minutes, depending on the size of the artichokes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the artichokes are dark golden, the centres are soft and the garlic is soft and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then cut the artichokes in half and place them back in the roasting tray to keep warm, adding a little more salt and pepper.

Allow the garlic to cool slightly then squeeze the flesh out of the bulbs and set aside.

While the artichokes are baking, make the confit lemon. Cut the lemon in half lengthways, removing the seeds, then slice it finely. Place in a saucepan with the sugar and thyme and cover with 100ml water. Place over low heat, bring to a simmer and cook for 20–30 minutes until the lemons are soft. You may need to add a little more water if it evaporates too quickly. Remove the thyme stalks and set aside.

Mix the roasted garlic flesh in a bowl with the chopped pickled walnuts, olive oil and pickling liquor and season to taste.

Arrange the artichokes on a large serving platter, using all of the roasting juices too. Top with the confit lemon and the walnut dressing.

SUPER-GREEN SOUP WITH RICOTTA DUMPLINGS (#ulink_94d9bfaa-9e5c-524f-b892-53c7a8d50c02)

This is my spin on a classic vegetable soup. If you are feeling a little under the weather, or in need of a bit of goodness, then this is the ticket. You can add any other vegetables you have in your fridge, too – the more the merrier. The dumplings are very easy to make and can also be used to serve with pasta and homemade tomato sauce.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling

Cooking time: around 40 minutes

2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing