From Season to Season: A Year in Recipes

Salt and pepper

To make the sauce, put the milk in a saucepan with the carrot, onion, parsley and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the milk into a Pyrex jug. Wash the saucepan out and dry, then melt the butter. Slowly add the arrowroot, stirring continuously. Very slowly add the milk, again stirring all the while. When this is incorporated and smooth, add the cheese and stir until it melts. Season to taste and if too thick, add a few more drops of milk.

Bring all of the vegetables EXCEPT the spinach and leek to the boil in a pan of salted water, cooking until soft. This should take about 15 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and mash the vegetables roughly with a knob of butter and some salt and pepper.

In a separate pan, heat a knob of butter and soften the leek and spinach for a few minutes. Mix the spinach and leek into the coarsely mashed vegetables and form into small cakes. Pop in the fridge for an hour or so.

In a big frying pan, heat the olive oil. Put the cakes in and cook for a few minutes on each side, until they are lacy and golden. Serve with a big spoon of sauce.

Tofu lasagne (#ulink_0fd4952d-24db-5ad7-a3b8-da580896c3b8)

Something I used to make a lot when I lived in New York on a brisk night, that once again, even fussy children seem to like. If your carnivores are horrified by tofu, just substitute 400g/14oz of coarsely minced beef, and brown in a very hot pan with the olive oil. Instead of leaving to one side, carry on cooking with the sauce, and assemble as you would the original.

SERVES 4

300g/1 block of firm tofu, drained, sliced across to make 1cm/½ inch thick rectangles (and patted dry with kitchen towel)

4 tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons of olive oil

4 portobello mushrooms, thickly sliced

200g/7oz of cherry tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

A handful of fresh basil leaves

2–3 fresh lasagne sheets per person

Coat the tofu in cheese, season generously and fry slices in 2 tablespoons of the oil until brown. Set aside. Fry the mushrooms in the remaining oil until browned, add the tomatoes and garlic and fry until the tomatoes are bursting. Add the balsamic and bubble down to caramelize. Throw in a splash of water along with the basil leaves to make a dressing. Stir and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions. Drain in a colander and toss in a drizzle of olive oil to prevent the sheets sticking to each other. When just cool enough to handle, layer the pasta, tofu and mushroom mixture up on each plate, finishing with a couple of spoonfuls of the dressing in the pan and fresh basil leaves.

Chickpea/garbanzo bean mushroom burgers with tahini sauce (#ulink_5fa5811c-f7d9-5491-bb07-52a9c4680c1b)

Hearty, and not at all worthy feeling, these are an easy thing to pull together if you have little time. They would also be good for a barbecue, woodsy and delicious.

SERVES 4

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

500g/1lb 2oz of cooked and drained chickpeas/garbanzo beans

A handful of wild mushrooms, roughly torn

2 teaspoons of ground cumin

2 teaspoons of ground coriander

A small handful of fresh chopped parsley

3 tablespoons of spelt or plain/all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper

For the tahini sauce

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of tahini

Juice of ½ a lemon

Heat a frying pan and pour in a little olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and sweat for a few minutes. Keep to one side. Put all of the other ingredients in a blender and add the softened onion garlic mixture. Pulse until you have the consistency of breadcrumbs. Take the mixture out and fashion into burgers.