Ribollita-strone

The sun keeps poking its head around the clouds and peering into my office space (which is actually a corner of my bedroom but for daylight hours it’s my office). It’s spring, me thinks, until I go outside in my new very lightweight navy drape coat and realise it is, in fact, still bloody cold. This cusp of the seasons confusion has been long lamented by fashionistas who can’t decide whether they should be wearing woolly jumpers or a flimsy shrug, oh the wardrobe dilemmas. Well, they bother me far less than seasonal food confusion. I’m not craving those thick beef stews anymore (although that could be a subconscious horse paranoia) and I’m not onto salads and lighter bites – although vegetables rather than massive piles of mashed potato are quite appealing. In short, what can I eat that’s packed with healthy veg for a new leaner spring-like meal that’s also going to take the edge off my chilly extremities? Two mighty Italian soups come to the rescue, ribollita is a superhero of a soup – a soupahero if you will. It’s packed with gorgeous vegetables in a light broth and punchy aniseed flavours, but I also like the whole meal in a bowl vibe I get from the pasta in minestrone so here’s my conglomeration of both.

Serves 3

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely diced

¼ of a head of celeriac or 2 sticks of celery, finely diced

½ courgette

400g tin cannelini beans

1.5 pint chicken stock

2 handfuls dried wholewheat conchiglia (shell pasta)

4 small tomatoes, roughly chopped

400g cavalo nero, shredded

1 tsp fennel seeds

1. In a large pan heat a good glug of olive oil. Fry the onion for 2 minutes and then add the garlic carrot, celeriac or celery and courgette and cover with a lid, sweat gently for 10 more minutes until all the veg is soft.
2. Add the beans to the pot with the stock, pasta, tomatoes and cavalo nere, add some freshly ground black pepper and the fennel seeds and give it a good stir. Bring the soup to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes until the pasta is cooked. Serve ladled into bowls.

Ratatouille with a poached egg and cavalo nero

Snow is a hungry-making substance. I spend hours staring out the window at its endless cold blankness wanting nothing more than to fill my stomach with warm things. I’m sure it’s primal, a leftover animal instinct from hibernation, eat lots of warm soporific foods and lull yourself into that deep winter sleep. Well, I’m craving meat-on-my-bones type meals, which is at odds with a January healthy eating approach. Leaving me in one of those kitchen dichotomies where belly’s reaching for a hearty beef stew or a good roast pork and my head wants me to get my five-a-day in one sitting. This is a happy medium, it’s warm and packed with flavour from all the veg and it includes a soft-poached egg and I love a good oeuf any time of day. It’s great for scooping up with hunks of bread. I can’t claim complete credit for the inspiration as I ate something similar a few years ago at Bishopsgate Kitchen in Shoreditch and this is my version of it.

Serves 2

1 red pepper

1 orange pepper

1 red onion

1 courgette

½ aubergine

2 cloves garlic

4 plum tomatoes

2 sprigs of rosemary

5-6 leaves cavalo nero, cut into wide strips (use spring greens if you can’t find it)

2 eggs

a few fresh oregano or basil leaves

a grating of pecorino

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/ fan 140C. Roughly chop the peppers, onion, courgette and aubergine and fry each one a little in a frying pan, just enough to colour the edges a bit. Then add them to a casserole dish. 
2. Chop the garlic and tomatoes and add to the casserole dish along with the rosemary, picking the leaves from the sprigs and tearing slightly. Season with salt and pepper and give it a good stir. Put the lid on the casserole dish and place in the oven for  about 45 minutes, stir and check the ratatouille halfway through.
3. About 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, bring two pans of water to the boil. In one place a little vinegar and carefully poach the eggs one at a time. In the second a little salt and cavalo nero strips. Remove the eggs after a few minutes when the yolk will still be runny and the cavolo nero once wilted but not yet mushy.
4. Remove the ratatouille from the oven and heap into bowls topped with cavalo nero and then the egg. Finish with grated pecorino and a scattering of oregano leaves.

Artichoke and goat's cheese risotto with chilli gremolata

I came up with this recipe last week when my vegetarian friend Amy came for dinner. I love risotto, it's so simple and flavoursome. I find restaurants often overload the rice dish with cream and butter, which ruins it for me and for my waistline. This risotto takes the strong flavour from the goat's cheese to add richness, so you don't need to add too much. The gremolata is an Italian seasoning usually made of parsley, lemon and garlic it can be added to meat dishes or pasta and I've added chilli to this one for a contrast with that creamy goat's cheese.

Serves 2 greedy girls

4-5 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g risotto rice
250ml white wine
1.5 pint vegetable stock
1 jar marinated artichokes
100g strong goat's cheese
25g parmesan, grated

For the gremolata
handful of parsley, finely chopped
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 a red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped


1 In a large saucepan, fry the shallots in a little olive oil until soft and starting to brown, then add the garlic and fry for a minute or two longer. Add the rice and give it a good stir to coat the rice in oil.
2. After a couple of minutes add the wine and stir and season well. Then spoon in a ladle of stock wait until nearly all of the liquid has been absorbed before adding another ladle of stock. Repeat until all of the stock has been used or the rice is cooked yet still has a bite to it. If it is too dry add more stock.
3. Meanwhile combine the gremolata ingredients in a small bowl and give it a good stir.
4. When the risotto is nearly cooked add the artichoke hearts. Tear the goat's cheese into strips, reserving two slices. Add the goat's cheese and a big pinch of parmesan and stir until melted. Taste and season if necessary.
5. Spoon the risotto into bowls it should not be too firm and should have a slight creamy sauce consistency. Add a slice of goat's cheese to each bowl and sprinkle with the gremolata and parmesan and serve.

Try this with fennel as well simply add chopped fennel to the frying onions and garlic.

Coconut, paneer and pea curry

Heat things up this autumn with some warming curries, but before you reach for the takeaway menu why not try making a delicious and healthy version yourself? This recipe only uses a little oil and paneer (Indian cheese) can be found in most large supermarkets or Asian food shops.


1/2 an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 birds eye chilli, sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 pack of paneer, cubed
Frozen peas
100g creamed coconut block
2 limes
1 handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Fry onion, garlic and ginger in a pan with a little vegetable oil for a couple of minutes until browning. Add the tomatoes chilli and spices and stir. Fry until tomatoes have formed a sauce.

Meanwhile, fry the paneer in a separate pan in a little vegetable oil until the edges are browned. Remove from the pan and add to the sauce along with a cup full of frozen peas.

Add a cup of water to the sauce and grate in the creamed coconut block. stir until the coconut combines with the water. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer for five minutes.

Squeeze in the limes and sprinkle with coriander. Serve immediately with brown rice or naan.