Broad Bean, Pea, Feta and Mint Filo Pie

6 sheets filo pastry

5 eggs

400g feta cheese

A cup of broad beans (podded)

A cup of peas

Zest of one lemon

10 leaves of mint, chopped

1 tbsp fresh Parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste

– Heat the oven to 200°C

– Place a sheet of baking paper large enough to line a cast iron skillet on your work surface. Lightly Oil the sheet then scrunch it into a ball, then flatten it out again.

– Place 5 sheets of filo pastry on the sheet, rotating each one slightly so you get a sort of disc.

– Brush lightly with oil.

– Carefully lift the sheet into your cast iron skillet and gently press it into shape to fit the pan.

– In a large bowl place the eggs and feta. Roughly beat with a fork to combine.

– Add the beans, peas, lemon zest, herbs and salt and pepper. Mix.

– Transfer the mixture into the filo pie. Smooth out.

– Gently fold the filo over the top of the filling, pressing down gently. Scrunch up the last sheet of filo and use to cover the centre area where the sheets don’t reach.

– Brush the top lightly with oil.

– Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

– Remove and leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving (or in my case an hour, it was still nice and warm!)

Childhood Risotto

Thus named because this is the risotto that we had throughout my childhood in the week following a roast chicken dinner as a good way to use up leftovers… it still is!

Serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g arborio rice
150ml white wine

700ml hot chicken stock (make it from the roast chicken carcass if possible)

Leftover cooked chicken (I use the two thighs)

~8 mushrooms, quartered

1 cup frozen peas

100g cold water prawns

1tbsp lemon juice
small knob of butter

– Heat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C.
– Melt the butter, with the olive oil, in a large, deep casserole dish with a lid until just bubbling and foaming.
– Add the garlic and cook on a medium heat for 1 minute.
– Add the rice and cook for about 1 minute, stiring well.
– Add the wine and cook, stiring until the liquid is absorbed.
– Add the hot chicken stock and stir.

– Add the clocked chicken, frozen peas, mushrooms and prawns and give a good stir.

– Add the lemon juice and stir.
– Put the lid on and put the casserole dish and out it in the oven for 35 minutes.

– Remove from the oven give it a good stir and check the rice is to your taste, if it is too al dente (hard) then put it back in for another 5 minutes.

– Add the knob of butter and leave to sit for 5 minutes to melt before storing through and serving.

When I was little I would add soy sauce to it but as I grew older I would add Parmesan and creme fraiche, follow your own taste buds

Garlicy Smoked Salmon, Prawn and Pea Pasta

Much though I try to like smoked salmon on its own, I just can’t get over the texture.  I love the taste though!  My solution is to work it into cooked dishes as much as possible so I can enjoy the flavour without the gag inducing texture!  This quick weeknight salmon and prawn dish works a treat and it’s so simple to throw together while the pasta is cooking.

It’s a looker too, the peas give it a nice bit of pizzaz and the spirals of the prawns and spaghetti please me!  For a dish that takes about 10 minutes to cook you can’t go wrong!

Serves 2

200g spaghetti (or linguine, tagliatelle etc, go nuts!)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (or use the pureed stuff in a tube!)
200g smoked salmon
1/2 cup frozen peas
150g king prawns (cooked)
150ml creme fraiche
1/2 tsp chopped parsley (dried or fresh)

– Get the water boiling, salted and the pasta in.  Most pastas take 10 minutes but check your packet for instructions.
– Heat a splash of olive oil in a small saucepan.
– Add the garlic and smoked salmon and cook until the salmon is all flaked and has turned pale and opaque.
– Add the frozen peas and cook for a few minutes until defrosted and bright green.
– Add the prawns.
– Add the creme fraiche and parsley and cook until heated through and just bubbling.
– Add salt and pepper to taste, I find the salmon doesn’t usually need any additional salt but a dash of freshly ground black pepper does wonders!
– Your pasta should be done by now so drain it off and divide between your bowls.
– Top with sauce et voila, Dinner!

Linguine with Pea Pesto, Grilled Asparagus and Chicken

I accidentally managed to make this delightfully green meal on St Patrick’s Day, which just shows what your subconscious can do when you let it!  The actual purpose of the meal was so that I could serve something vegetarian but that could easily have meat added to it with neither party losing out of flavour as my sister was coming for a surprise Mother’s Day visit.  This fit the bill nicely.

I originally got the idea for pea pesto into my head and went searching for inspiration.  Smitten Kitchen’s one popped up and I trust all her recipes implicitly… doesn’t mean I can resist tweaking things though!  We tend to favour more sauce in my family… or, my Dad does and so we go with it!  I also thought the addition of asparagus and grilled chicken rounds it out nicely to make it a proper meal.  I am on a budget so salted cashews work nicely as you don’t add salt later.  And I’m sorry for mixing my units in the recipe but it’s the easiest way to measure each one I find!

Serves 4

2 cups frozen peas
5tbsp salted cashew nuts
90g parmesan or hard cheese, finely grated (Sainsbury’s is veggie)
1 large clove garlic, very roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large bundle asparagus
4 chicken breasts
500g linguine, cooked as per the packet

– Boil a small pan of water and add about 1/4 tsp salt.
– Add your peas and cook for 4-5 minutes until they’re floating.
– Drain and immediately rinse with cold water.  Set aside in a pan of cold water.
– In a food processor blitz your cashews until they’re very finely chopped.
– Add the peas (reserving about 4 tbsp), parmesan and garlic.
– Blitz for about 2-3 minutes until totally smooth, adding the olive oil down the funnel at the end.
– To prepare your asparagus, grasp the base of the stalk with both hands and run one hand up the stalk, bending slightly until it snaps off the bottom 1 1/2″ or so.  This removes the tough lower stalk leaving you with tender bits.
– Spray/drizzle the asparagus and chicken with olive oil
– Grill your asparagus and chicken.  I think about 7 minutes per side for the chicken and about 10 mintes all told for the asparagus.  I use a health grill for the asparagus and a regular grill for the chicken.  If you only have one, cook the asparagus first then set aside in a warm oven while you do the chicken.
– Drain your linguine and reserve about 1/2 cup cooking water.
– Toss the linguine and pesto, adding enough water to loosen it a bit.
– Scatter the top with the reserved peas and asparagus, cut into thirds.  You could also slice the chicken and serve in with the pasta if you aren’t worrying about keeping things veggie.