Easy leek & pancetta filo tarts

Serves 2

70g pancetta

2 leeks , trimmed and sliced, including green bits

butter

2 eggs

4 sheets filo pastry

1.Heat a non-stick frying pan then cook the pancetta until crisp (you shouldn't need any oil). Add the leeks and keep cooking until softened, about 5-10 minutes. Cool then mix with the eggs and season.

2.Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Cut 10cm squares from the filo (you'll need 16 in all). Butter, then layer up 4 directly on top of each other and gently push each into a 4-hole Yorkshire pudding tin.

3.Spoon in the filling then bake for 15-20 minutes until just set. Serve with salad.

Nutrition per serving:

179 kcalories, protein 8.5g, carbohydrate 14.2g, fat 9.5 g, saturated fat 3.5g, fibre 2g, salt 0.8 g

(Olive magazine, November 2012)

Smoked trout, pea and tarragon tart

Serves 6

Filo pastry 4 sheets
Spray oil
Eggs 3, beaten
Half fat creme fraiche 100g
Taragon ½ a small bunch, chopped
Smoked Trout 125g pack
Frozen Peas 100g, defrosted

1. heat the oven to gas mark 5. Spray the filo lightly with the oil and use it to line a 22cm shallow tart tin. Beat together the eggs and the creme fraiche and season well. Mix in the tarragon, trout and peas then tip into the lined case. Bake for 20-25 mins until the egg is just set and the pastry browned.

Nutrition per serving:
150kcals, protein 10g, carbs 10.2g, fat 7.5g, sat fat 2.9g, fibre 1.6g, salt 0.5g

(Olive Magazine - April 2013)

Lime meringue pie

Serves 8

Gingernuts 300g
Butter 100g, melted
Condensed milk 397g tin
Eggs 3 yolks
Limes 4, juice and zested
Egg whites 3
Golden caster sugar 165g

1. Heat the oven to gas mark 3. Whizz the biscuits to crumbs in a food processor.

2. Mix the biscuits with the melted butter and press into the base and up the sides of a 22cm shallow tart tin. Bake in the oven for 10mins then cool.

3. Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk for a minute with electric beaters. Add the condensed milk and whisk for 3 mins then add the zest and juice and whisk again for another 3 mins. Pour the filling into the cooled base then put back in the oven for 15 mins. Cool then chill.

4. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl to firm peaks, then whick in the sugar, a little at a time, until the meringue is thick and glossy. Pile into the middle of the pie then lightly brown the meringue with a blow torch to give a pale golden highlight on the peaks.

Nutrition per serving:
530kcals, protein 8.3g, carbs 74g, fat 22.2g, sat fat 12.5g, fibre 0.5g, salt 0.7g

(Olive Magazine - March 2013)

Smoked haddock and spinach pots

Serves 2

Spinach 200g
Half fat creme fraiche 6 tbsp
Skinless smoked haddock 300g, cut into chunks
Grated Parmesan 3tbsp
Eggs 2
Buttered toast to serve

1. Heat the oven to gas mark 4. Put the spinach in a colander and pour over a kettle of water to wilt it. Drain well, sqeeze out as much excess liquid as you can, then chop roughly. Mix in 4tbsp of the creme fraiche, the haddock and 1tbsp of the Parmesan. Season with black pepper and a little salt. Divide between to small ovenproof dishes and crack an eggs on each.

2. Spoon over the rest of the creme fraiche and Parmesan. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the egg white is set and the yolk cooked to how you like it.

Nutrition per serviing:
388kcals, protein 47g, carbs 3.5g, fat 20.7g, sat fat 10.7g, fibre 2.8g, salt 3.9g

(Olive Magazine - April 2013)

One-pan duck with Savoy cabbage

Serves 2

2 duck breasts
½ tsp black peppercorns, crushed
300g cooked new potatoes, thickly sliced
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped
½ Savoy cabbage, trimmed, quartered, cored and finely sliced
½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil

1.Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts, then generously season with the peppercorns and a sprinkling of salt. Lay the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a non-stick sauté pan, then place over a low heat. Leave the duck for 15 mins to brown and release its fat, then flip over onto the flesh side for 5 mins.

2.Remove the duck from the pan, then turn up the heat. Add the potatoes to the pan, fry until brown and crisp, then scatter over the parsley and garlic. Scoop out with a slotted spoon onto a plate, then season with salt.

3.Keep the pan on the heat. Fry the bacon until crisp, then add the cabbage. Cook for 1 min, add a splash of water, then fry for 2 mins, just until the cabbage is wilted. While the cabbage is cooking, whisk any juices from the duck with the vinegar and olive oil. To serve, carve the duck breast into slices. Fan out on large dinner plates, spoon a neat bundle of cabbage on one side, then pile a serving of potatoes on the other. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.

Nutrition per serving:
504 kcalories, protein 25g, carbohydrate 33g, fat 31 g, saturated fat 8g, fibre 6g, sugar 7g, salt 1.16 g

(Good Food magazine, July 2008)

Classic Pancakes

Makes 8

100g plain flour
1 large egg
300ml milk
oil or melted butter, for frying

1.Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre with the back of a spoon then break in the egg and pour in half the milk. Whisk together, gradually incorporating the flour to make a smooth thick batter. Beat thoroughly to remove any lumps, then stir in the rest of the milk.

2.Heat a little oil or butter in a medium frying pan, then tip off the excess into a bowl. Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan, tilting the pan as you pour, until the batter thinly coats the base. Cook over a moderate heat for 30 seconds to one minute until golden brown on the underside.

3.Flip over the pancake with a palette knife, and cook the other side until it is golden brown. Slide the pancake out of the pan on to a plate, heat a little more oil or butter and cook the remaining pancakes one at a time in the same way.

4.If preparing in advance, cook and stack the pancakes. Reheat in the microwave on Medium (750W) for about 2 minutes. Alternatively, heat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C. Wrap the pancakes in foil and warm them through in the oven for 10 minutes.

Nutrition per serving: 117 kcalories, protein 3g, carbohydrate 12g, fat 7 g, saturated fat 4g, fibre 0g, salt 0.2 g

(Good Food magazine, March 2003)

Mussels, white wine & parsley

Serves 2

1kg mussels , in shells
small glass white wine
1 shallot , finely chopped
chopped parsley , to serve

1.Tip the mussels into the sink or a large bowl of cold water. Swish them around with your hands to wash them thoroughly. Use a small sharp knife to scrape off any barnacles attached to the shells. Discard any mussels with broken shells.

2.Pull off the beards using the knife to help you - they just need a good tug. The beard is the brown wispy bit hanging out of the join in the shells. Not all mussels will have beards.

3.If any mussels are open, tap them sharply against the side of the sink, worktop or with a knife. If they don't close, discard them - they are dead and not edible.

4.Rinse the mussels again in fresh cold water to remove any bits of shell or barnacle, and drain in a colander. Tip the mussels into a large pan, then add the wine and chopped shallot. The pan should not be more than half full - the mussels need plenty of space to move around so that they cook thoroughly.

5.Set the pan over a high heat and cover tightly with a lid. When the pan starts to steam, cook the mussels for 3-4 mins, shaking the pan from time to time to ensure they cook evenly. They are cooked when the shells have opened. Mussels that have not opened are fine to eat if they can be easily opened.

6.Remove the pan from the heat to stop the mussels cooking any further. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, then spoon them into warmed bowls and pour over the pan juices.

(Good Food magazine, September 2011)