IMMUNITY BUILDING RECIPES

INGREDIENTS

•​​ 2 x Sweet Potato
•​​ 1 Large Bunch Basil
•​​ 1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
•​​ 50g Parmesan, grated
•​​ 2 x Lemons, zest and juice
•​​ 50g Toasted Pine Nuts
•​​ 3 tbsp Olive oil
•​​ Handful of Kale or Mixed Salad Leaves

Heat your oven to 160C fan/180C.

Cut each sweet potato in half lengthways and then slice down ¾ of the way at about 1cm intervals. Place on a baking tray and rub all over with olive oil and sea salt.

Cook for 35-40 minutes, or until they are cooked through but holding shape.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the zero waste pesto.

In a small blender, combine the toasted pine nuts, basil, parmesan and 1 lemon zest and juice. Drizzle in the olive oil as you blitz. Make sure you use all the basil stalk.

Very thinly slice the kale and dress in a bowl with zest and juice of the other lemon, a drizzle of oil and a little sea salt.

When the potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving with the pesto and kale salad.

(Tip for zero waste pesto – you can use other soft herbs alongside some basil, leftover rocket adds a peppery punch, pinenuts can be replaced for nuts you already have in your cupboard, parmesan can be replaced by pecorino or Italian hard cheese)

Serves 6.
Suggested to enjoy as a starter.

INGREDIENTS

•​​ 400g Brussel Sprouts, prepped and cut in half
•​​ 2 tsp Chipotle Chilli Paste
•​​ 3 tbsp Soured Cream
•​​ ½ Red Onion
•​​ 100ml White Wine Vinegar
•​​ 50ml Water
•​​ 25g Sugar
•​​ 1 Lime, cut into wedges
•​​ 1 tsp Honey  
•​​ 1-2 Green Chilli, thinly sliced
•​​ 1 bunch Coriander, chopped
•​​ 25g roasted Peanuts, roughly chopped
•​​ 6 Small Tortilla Wraps
•​​ Light Olive Oil
•​​ Sea Salt

To make the pickling liquor, combine the vinegar, water and sugar in a small pan. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar before turning the heat up. When the pickling liquor comes to a simmer, remove from the heat.

Slice the red onion thinly from root to tip, place in a heatproof bowl and pour over the still warm liquor. Allow to cool at room temp.

To make the chipotle soured cream, mix 1 tsp of the chipotle paste into the soured cream and set aside.

In a non-stick frying pan, heat 2 tbsp oil on a medium-high heat and fry the brussels sprouts until golden, after 3-5 minutes add in a splash of water, 1 tsp Chipotle Paste and the honey. Mix well on the heat for another minute, then season well with sea salt.

Warm the tacos in a dry pan and drain the pickled red onion.

Build the tacos by layering up chipotle soured cream, sprouts, green chilli, red onion, coriander and finish with a squeeze of lime and chopped peanuts.

Enjoy!

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

•​​ 1 small Celeriac, peeled and finely sliced
•​​ 50g Butter or Light Olive Oil
•​​ 100ml Milk
•​​ 100ml Double Cream
•​​ 1 Cauliflower, cut in half through the core, reserve the leaves
•​​ 1tsp Rose Harissa
•​​ 100g Butter, softened
•​​ 1 bunch Dill, leaves pickled
•​​ 1 small bunch of Kale, large stalks removed
•​​ Hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
•​​ Olive Oil
•​​ Sea Salt

Firstly, make the celeriac puree, heat the butter or oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Add in the sliced celeriac and mix to coat, then turn the heat down and cook gently, mixing regularly to prevent it from sticking for 10-15 minutes or until the celeriac has softened. The cooking time will depend on how small you have cut the celeriac.

Pour both the milk and cream into the celeriac and bring to a simmer, simmer until the celeriac is very soft.

Tip the celeriac into a blender with some of the liquid and blend until smooth, you can always add more of the liquid to loosen once you have blended. Season with sea salt.

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan.

Rub the cauliflower halves with olive oil and sea salt and place on a baking tray. Cook in the oven for 35-40 minutes, cover with foil if the cauliflower colours to finish cooking the inside.

In a large bowl mix the kale leaves, cauliflower leaves, drizzle of olive oil and sea salt and mix with clean hands so that the leaves are well coated. Spread out on a baking tray in a single layer and bake in the oven at the same temperature as the cauliflower until crisp but not burnt for 5-8 minutes.

Mix together the softened butter with the rose harissa and half a tsp sea salt. It should be runny but not fully melted. This is best to do very gently in a microwave or in a warm place in your kitchen.

Serve the hot celeriac puree on the bottom of the serving dish, cauliflower halves on top, garnish with crispy kale and cauliflower leaves, pickled dill, roasted hazelnuts and finish with the rose harissa butter.

Serves 4.

TO MAKE THE PASTA

•​​ 200g 00 flour
•​​ 2 medium free-range eggs
•​​ Semolina Flour for rolling out

INGREDIENTS

•​​ ½ Savoy Cabbage, stalks removed, sliced into 1cm strips
•​​ Pancetta or Smoked Bacon, cut into ½ cm pieces
•​​ 1 x Mozzarella ball
•​​ 2 x Free-range Egg Yolks 
•​​ ½ Cup of Pasta Water, reserved after cooking
•​​ 25g Pecorino, finely grated 
•​​ 1 Bunch Parsley, leaves finely chopped 
•​​ 50g Breadcrumbs 
•​​ 1 lemon
•​​ Sea Salt
•​​ Freshly Ground Black Pepper

If you don’t want to make your own pasta the recipe will be just as good with fresh, shop bought Pappardelle Pasta

If making your own pasta:
Place the flour in a food processor, add both the eggs and pulse until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. The mixture should come together but not feel sticky.

Tip the dough onto a clean work surface and knead for a minute to bring it together into a flattened ball and wrap in clingfilm or beeswax wrap. Allow to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.

Cut the dough in half and flatten out a little before passing through a pasta machine to the penultimate setting. Use semolina flour to stop the pasta from sticking as you roll it out.

Sprinkle the pasta sheet with semolina flour and roll up so that you can easily cut 1cm even strips of pasta. Unravel and allow to air dry while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

For the lemon breadcrumbs, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat add in the breadcrumbs and fry until evenly golden, keep them moving at all times. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool fully before, mixing in the zest of 1 lemon and season with sea salt flakes.

Fry off the bacon in a dry pan on a medium heat, the fat will melt and so no extra oil is needed. Fry until golden and crispy.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.

Meanwhile, In a large bowl mix together the egg yolks, pecorino and parsley.

Once the water has come to the boil drop the pasta and cook for 1 minute before adding the cabbage to the same pan and cook for 1 minute more, or until the pasta has cooked through. (If you are using dried pasta, cook as per packet instructions but add cabbage 1 minute before the end).

Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water before draining the water and tipping the pasta and cabbage into the large bowl. Toss quickly to coat the pasta with the egg yolk, pecorino and parsley along with a little of the pasta water at a time. Add the bacon lardons and torn mozzarella.

Taste to check seasoning, sprinkle with sea salt and fresh black pepper.

Pile into a big bowl and top with the crunchy lemon breadcrumbs!

Enjoy!

Serves 6-8

You will need one 1 large loaf tin or square baking tray

INGREDIENTS

•​​ 3 x Blood Oranges
•​​ 275g Unsalted Butter
•​​ 130g Light Brown Sugar
•​​ 2 tsp Lemon Juice  
•​​ 122g Semolina Flour
•​​ 65g All Purpose Flour
•​​ 8g Baking Powder  
•​​ 2g Fine Sea Salt  
•​​ 200g Caster Sugar
•​​ 4 eggs, room temperature
•​​ 1/3 cup soured cream
•​​ 2 tsp Vanilla Extract or 1 Vanilla Pod
•​​ 100g Mascarpone

Zest the blood oranges then cut off the top and bottom so that they sit flat. With a knife, trim away all the skin and pith from the outside, there should be no white but just the flesh of the orange. Slice the oranges at finger sized intervals.

Heat the oven to 160C fan. Grease and line the loaf tin with baking paper and set aside.

In a small pan, slowly melt 25g butter with the brown sugar and lemon juice. Stir on the heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Pour this into the bottom of the loaf tin and arrange the blood orange slices on top. Keep them as close together as possible as they will shrink during baking.

In a bowl mix together the flours, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl and an electric whisk or standing mixer cream together the caster sugar and remaining 250g of softened butter until light and fluffy. Add in the blood orange zest and then 1 egg at a time, making sure you whisk in fully before adding another.

Mix in the soured cream and vanilla with the whisk before removing it and folding the dry ingredients in by hand, be careful not to knock out too much air.

Spoon the cake batter into the loaf tin over the oranges, spread into the corners.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Check the cake is cooked by sticking a skewer into the centre, if it comes out clean the cake is done.

Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before turning out onto a board or baking tray.

Serve with a big dollop of mascarpone and good old cuppa!