Mushroom Hash with Brussels Sprouts and Apples

Makes 4 servings

• 4 soft pears, preferably Anjou or another slightly acidic variety
• Peel and juice from ½ orange (preferably organic)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 10 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup corn syrup
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• ¾ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 pinches of salt
• ¾ cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel, core, and slice the pears very thinly. Put them in a large bowl with the orange peel, orange juice, and lemon juice. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a cast iron or other ovenproof pan, about 9 inches in diameter, with high sides. Add the cream and corn syrup and stir. Add the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine. Gently press the pear slices into the mixture in the pan. Set the pan on the middle rack in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the top has turned golden brown and the sides are nicely caramelized.

Cod, Shrimp and Fennel Casserole

Makes 4 servings

• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 ¾ pounds boiled and peeled potatoes
• 1 small bulb of fennel
• 14 ounces cod fillet
• 4 ounces peeled shrimp
• ½ cup finely chopped dill, packed
• Zest of 1 lemon (preferably organic)
• 4 eggs
• 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
• ¼ cup unoaked, dry white wine
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Peel and slice the onion. Add the butter to a skillet and sauté the onion until it’s soft. Cut the potatoes into thick slices. Clean and thinly slice the fennel. Cut the cod into 2 ¾- inch pieces. Layer the potatoes, onions, fennel, fish, shrimp, dill and lemon zest in a greased casserole.

In a bowl, stir together the eggs, cream, and wine. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and pour it into the casserole. Give the casserole a gentle shake to help distribute the liquid evenly. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 40 minutes or until it turns golden brown.

Crispy Pear Cobbler

Makes 4 servings

• 4 soft pears, preferably Anjou or another slightly acidic variety
• Peel and juice from ½ orange (preferably organic)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 10 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup corn syrup
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• ¾ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 pinches of salt
• ¾ cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel, core, and slice the pears very thinly. Put them in a large bowl with the orange peel, orange juice, and lemon juice. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a cast iron or other ovenproof pan, about 9 inches in diameter, with high sides. Add the cream and corn syrup and stir. Add the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine. Gently press the pear slices into the mixture in the pan. Set the pan on the middle rack in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the top has turned golden brown and the sides are nicely caramelized.

Grilled Lamb Skewers

Makes about 3 dozen skewers

For the topping:

• 3 pounds lamb
• ½ cup olive oil
• Pinch fresh black pepper
• Fresh rosemary
• Salt and fresh black pepper
• Wooden skewers

Soak the wooden skewers in a bath of cold water for 1 hour. Trim all the fat and cut the meat into very small pieces or ½-inch cubes. Thread the meat onto the skewers, up to 1-inch from the top. There should be 5 inches of meat on each skewer.

Line the skewers on a cookie sheet with the handle parts of the skewers hanging off the cookie sheet, and pour the olive oil over the meat. Garnish with some salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary and allow to marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Remove the skewers from the refrigerator and place on a brazier and cook on the grill for 10 minutes, 5 minutes on each side. Brush the skewers with fresh rosemary stalk dipped in olive oil while cooking and salt to taste. Remove from the grill and serve.

Margarita Pizza / Pizza Alla Margherita

Makes 4 pizzas

• For the dough:
  • 1 envelope active dry yeast, or 1 teaspoon
  • 1¼ cups warm water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour

For the topping:

• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pinch fresh black pepper
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

In a medium glass mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water; stir in the oil and salt. Mix in the flour and blend thoroughly. Turn over the dough on a lightly-floured wooden or marble-like surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. Brush the mixing bowl with oil and return the dough to the bowl and brush the dough with oil. Cover and place in a warm area to rise for 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the dough from the bowl, knead lightly and divide into 4 equal parts. Roll each piece into a 9-inch diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto greased pizza pans or cookie sheets. Dent here and there and turn up edges. Brush the dough again with some oil. Mix the marinara sauce with the salt, pepper, and oregano. Spread the sauce over the dough. Add the mozzarella cheese and place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the dough is golden and crisp. Remove from the pan and serve. You can add more toppings if you like.

Meatballs Polpette

Makes 12 meatballs

• 2 eggs
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped, include the stalks
• 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the eggs in a glass mixing bowl. Add the beef, pars¬ley, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, and cheese and mix all together with your hands. Gradually add in the water and continue to mix.

Roll each meatball into the size of a golf ball. Place in a baking pan 1-inch apart and bake for 30–40 minutes. Remove meatballs and place on wire rack and allow to cool for at least 15–20 minutes. Add to sauce when ready.

Roasted Tomato and Spinach Tart

Makes 4 servings

For the crust
• 2 ¼ cups ground almonds
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 4 tablespoons sunflower oil/li>
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
• A pinch of Himalayan pink salt
• 1 tablespoon water
• Generous cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
• For the topping:
• 1 lb 2 oz tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 tablespoon picked thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs
• ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
• ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 14 oz. spinach leaves
• 2/3 cup hard goat’s cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a 7½-inch tart or cake pan with parchment paper. You’ll also need a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pulse the ground almonds, rosemary, sunflower oil, caraway seeds, salt, water, and half the pumpkin seeds until smooth and set aside.

Then pulse the rest of the pumpkin seeds and the sunflower seeds, but only for a few seconds to ensure you are keeping some texture for the crust. Mix the seeds into the ground almond mixture. Combine thoroughly until the mixture starts to come together. Press it into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes until golden.

Meanwhile, quarter the tomatoes and finely chop the garlic. In a large bowl, make a marinade from 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, the thyme, salt, pepper, and vinegar and add in the garlic. Toss the tomatoes in the marinade then tip out onto a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, wilt the spinach by pouring boiling hot water over it in a colander and then cool it down by running cold water over it over the sink. Once cooled, squeeze out all the excess water and finely chop or blitz the spinach with a teaspoon of olive oil. Remove the crust from the oven and scatter the spinach over the base of the tart, top with the roasted tomatoes, and then sprinkle over the grated goat’s cheese.

Garnish with a few sprigs of thyme and then bake for another 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Serve straightaway and enjoy.

Roasted Eggplant and Mango Salsa with Black Rice Noodles

Makes 4 servings

• 2 eggplant, roughly cut into ¾ inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• A pinch of Himalayan pink salt
• 9 oz. black rice noodles
• 4 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 large mango, cut into ½-in cubes
• 1 ¼ cups cilantro, chopped
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon/li>
• 1 teaspoon black onion seeds
• Raw sesame seeds, to garnish
• ½-in chili, sliced at an angle, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with the sunflower oil, red onion, ground ginger, ground coriander, and salt. Place onto the prepared baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pan of boiling water, cook the black rice noodles and keep stirring them to ensure they don’t stick to each other. When cooked, refresh immediately (drain and plunge into cold water) and pour the sesame oil over them to keep them from sticking to each other. Gluten-free noodles can be tricky!

Once the eggplant is roasted, remove from the oven and let cool.

In another bowl, mix the mango cubes with the chopped cilantro, lemon zest, and black onion seeds. Mix this “mango salsa” with the roasted eggplant. Split the mixture, and gently mix half of it into the noodles.

Portion the noodles into four bowls and top with the rest of the salsa mixture along with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and fresh chili for color. It’s also great with some Tahini Dressing swirled on top.

Asparagus Frittata

Makes 4 servings

• 1 cup mixed olives (with pits)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• ½ tablespoon thinly sliced lemon zest (1 lemon)
• ½ tablespoon thinly sliced orange zest, plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice (1 orange)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

In a small bowl, stir together the olives, olive oil, sherry vinegar, lemon zest, orange zest and juice, thyme, rosemary leaves, and red pepper flakes; let sit at room temperature for 1 hour so the flavors can mingle.

Do Ahead: The olives can be made in advance and kept, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days; stir before serving.