Turkish fried eggs
This is a really good weekend breakfast. I use Turkish chilli pepper flakes; if you can't get them, use a chopped fresh red chilli or a tiny pinch of dried, crushed chilli flakes.
Serves 2
Greek yoghurt 4 tbsp
sea salt a good pinch
butter a good knob
eggs 4, organic or free-range
wholemeal pittas or flatbreads 2
Turkish chilli flakes 1 tsp
sumac a good pinch
fresh mint, parsley and dill a few sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
Mix the yoghurt and salt in a bowl and leave to one side.
Heat the butter in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Allow it to begin to brown, then crack in the eggs and turn the heat down, spooning the butter over the eggs until they are cooked exactly how you like them.
I like my fried eggs to be just set, with a super-runny middle and just starting to crisp up around the edges. Ifyou are having problems getting your eggs perfect, a lid over the pan can help keep in the heat so that the top and the bottom cook evenly.
Once your eggs are ready, quickly toast your pittas or flatbreads. Top with a good spoonful of yoghurt and the fried eggs, then sprinkle over the chilli, sumac and herbs and season with a little salt if needed.
Any night of the week pizza
This is not a run-of-the-mill pizza – the base is made from cauliflower, oats and ground almonds, and makes a crispy, hearty and delicious vehicle for the mozzarella, tomato and fennel that sit on top of it.
I'm not trying to pretend it's a normal pizza and that you won't ever want a delicious margherita again – you will. But this base is so very easy you could eat it any night of the week with glee. Sounds weird, tastes genius. Give it a try.
Makes 1 pizza, to serve 2-3
For the pizza base
medium cauliflower 1, cut into big chunks
ground almonds 100g
oats 100g
dried oregano a good pinch
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
organic eggs 2, beaten
For the topping
chopped tomatoes ½ x 400g tin
fresh basil a big bunch
olive oil
organic mozzarella cheese 1 × 125g ball
leafy greens (I use spinach or rocket) 2 big handfuls
fennel ½ a bulb, shaved into thin slices with a vegetable peeler
pecorino cheese for grating
Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark7 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Blitz the cauliflower in a food processor until it has a fine, rice-like texture. Put it into a mixing bowl, add the ground almonds, oats, oregano, salt and pepper, and mix with your hands. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs. Mix it all together, then use your hands to form the lot into a ball. It won't look like a traditional pizza dough, it will be a little wetter and lessfirm.
Rub the baking paper with some olive oil, then put the dough in the middle of the baking tray and use your hands to flatten it out until it is about 0.5cm thick, slightly thicker around the edges. Bake for 20 minutes, until just golden. Meanwhile, whiz up the tomatoes in the food processor with half the basil, a good pinch of salt and pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil.
Once the base is golden, remove it from the oven and turn the oven up to 240C/gas mark 9. Spread over the tomato sauce, top with the mozzarella, greens and shaved fennel, drizzle witha little more oil, then put back into the oven for another 8 minutes tocook the toppings.
Once cooked, finish the pizza with the remaining basil, some more oil and a little grating of pecorino.
Honey-roasted radishes
Roasting radishes turns them into something new – it mellows their punch, and they turn the most beautiful cerise colour. I roast mine with honey and some lemon juice.
Don't waste the tops, as they can be tossed through the roasted radishes to pep them up and provide beautiful contrast to the neon pink.
Serves 4
radishes 2 bunches, with their tops
sea salt a good pinch
olive oil
honey or agave syrup 1 tbsp
lemon juice of 1
Preheat your oven to 220C/gas mark 7.
Trim the leaves from the radishes and give both leaves and radishes a good wash. Put the leaves to one side for later. Halve the radishes and tumble on to a baking tray with a good pinch of salt and some olive oil, then drizzle over the honey or syrup and squeeze over the lemon juice. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, until just softened and starting to brown.
Take the radishes out of the oven and toss with radish tops and a little more good olive oil, then taste and add a little more salt and pepper if needed. Perfect alongside a summer tart.
Seeded pistachio and squashgalette
This is what I make on a Sunday for a crowd. A galette is somewhere between a tart and a pizza, but this galette base is much kinder in terms oftime and far less fiddly than pastry or a dough. You will need a food processor, though.
Using this crust, I vary the toppings throughout the year. In spring I use wild garlic instead of spinach, char some asparagus on the griddle and top the galette with those instead of the butternut squash. In summer I add a bright bunch of basil in place of quarter of the spinach, and add some roasted tomatoes in place of thesquash.
Serves 6
For the galette base
shelled pistachio nuts 100g
sunflower or pumpkin seeds 100g
vac-packed chestnuts 100g
olive oil 2 tbsp
maple syrup 1 tbsp
unwaxed lemon 1, grated zest
fresh thyme a small bunch, leaves picked
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the spinach topping
cashew nuts 75g, soaked overnight if youremember
ripe avocado 1, halved and destoned
spinach 2 big handfuls
lemon juice of ½
To finish
small butternut squash ½, deseeded and cut into 0.5cm slices
olive oil
red onion 1, peeled and finely sliced
red chilli 1, sliced
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6.
Pop the squash on a baking tray withsome salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, until golden.
While the squash is roasting you can get on with everything else. First the galette crust: put the pistachios and sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds onabaking tray and roast in the hot oven alongside the squash for 5minutes.
Remove the tray of nuts and seeds (leaving the squash to carry on roasting) and tip them into a food processor with the chestnuts, olive oil, maple syrup, lemon zest, thyme and apinch of salt and pepper. Blitz until you have a fine crumbly paste that comes together when you squeeze it.Ifit is too crumbly, add a touch moreoil until it comes together into asolid piece when you scrunch it in your hands.
Lay a sheet of baking paper on your work surface, then tip out the paste and shape it into a circle with your hands. Place another sheet of baking paper on top and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a pizza-sized circle about 0.5cm thick. Put it on a baking tray and take off the top sheet of paper, then prick the dough with a fork and pop it into the oven alongside the squash for 15-20 minutes, until golden around the edges. Take it out and let it cool a little. If the squash is ready before the crust, take it out and set it aside.
Meanwhile, fry the red onion in a little oil with a pinch of salt until deep violet, sweet and just starting to colour (this will take about 10 minutes).
Now put all the topping ingredients – soaked cashews, avocado flesh, spinach and lemon juice – into a blender with a good amount of salt and pepper, and blitz until you have asmooth whipped grass-green paste.
Once the galette base has cooled a little, spread it with the spinach topping and scatter the red onion over it, squash and red chilli. I sometimes sprinkle over a bit of feta too.
In summer I serve this with a bowl of crisp salad and some roasted new potatoes, and in winter with roasted roots and flash-fried lemony kale.
Figs with sticky date dressing
This is a killer dressing for any robust salad. If figs aren't in season, peaches, thinly sliced apples or clementines are all good too. I use date syrup here. If you can't get it, a couple of dates blitzed with a little oil will work, as will some good thick balsamic.
Serves 4
shallot 1, peeled and very finely chopped
Dijon mustard ½ tsp
date syrup 2 tbsp or 2 dates blitzed with a little oil
lemon juice of 1
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
fresh mint a small bunch
mixed salad leaves 8 big handfuls (Iuse rocket, radicchio, baby chard andmustardgreens)
fresh figs 6, quartered
fresh basil a small bunch
soft goat's cheese or goat's curd 100g
Put the chopped shallot, mustard, date syrup and the juice of the lemon into a jug, season with salt and pepper and drizzle in the oil, whisking as you go. Chop the mint, add to the jug and setaside.
Put the salad leaves into a bowl and scatter the figs over. Give the dressing a good mix, then drizzle it over the salad. Pick the basil leaves off the stems and scatter over the salad, then toss everything together. Dot the goat'scheese over the top and it's ready to serve.
The really hungry burger
Does a veggie burger have a place in modern vegetarian food? Please be assured that this is not the breaded sweetcorn-and-mushroom mush excuse that usually shows up between two white buns. This is a hearty health-packed wonder.
I've played around with a lot of recipes before settling on this one, some full of bright herb freshness and grated veg, some packed with protein-rich tofu, and all were good, but what I look for in a burger is a deep moreish flavour, savoury and complex, so this is the one.
I use brown rice, but any cooked grain will do – quinoa, pearl barley and farro all work well.
I like to make a quick pickled cucumber to top these with. Thinly slice a quarter of a cucumber and pop it into a bowl with a pinch of salt, a squeeze of honey and a good tablespoon of white wine vinegar, thenscrunch together and leave to sit while you make your burgers. Ahomemade quick pickle that beats agherkin any day.
Makes 8 burgers
olive oil a splash
big portobello mushrooms 8, roughly chopped into little bits
fresh thyme a few sprigs, with the leavespicked
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
white beans, haricot or cannellini 1 × 400g tin, well drained
fat medjool dates 4, pitted
garlic 2 cloves, peeled and finely chopped
fresh parsley a small bunch, finely chopped
tahini 2 tbsp
soy sauce or tamari 2 tbsp
brown rice 200g, cooked and cooled
breadcrumbs or oats 100g
unwaxed lemon 1, grated zest
To serve
avocados 1–2, peeled and sliced
tomato relish or ketchup
pickled cucumber
spinach leaves a few handfuls
seeded burger buns (I use wholemeal ones), 8
Get a large pan on a medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Once the pan is good and hot, add the mushrooms and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Fry on a good heat until the mushrooms have dried out and are slightly browned, then set to one side and leave to cool.
Next, drain the white beans and putthem into a food processor with the dates, garlic, parsley, tahini and soysauce.
Pulse until you have a smoothish mixture, then transfer to a bowl and add the rice, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and the cooled mushrooms. Mix well, then put in the fridge for 10 minutes or so to firm up.
Once cooled, divide the mixture into 8 portions and shape into 8 patties. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and pop into the fridge until needed. (This can be done the day before – and the burgers freeze well at this point.)
Preheat your oven to 230C/gas mark 8 and bake the burgers for 15 minutes, until nicely brown. If you like cheese on your burger, pop a slice on top a couple of minutes before they come out of the oven.
While your burgers are cooking, get your toppings ready. I go with avocado, tomato relish and pickled cucumber, plus a few spinach leaves. Hummus, grated carrot and sprouts is another favourite, but feel free to improvise. Once the burgers are golden, toast your buns and layer up your burgers.
Double chocolate cloud cake
This is everything you want in a chocolate cake. Rich, bouncy and well rounded, with a chewy brownie outside, cloud light chocolate icing and a dreamy chocolate glaze to top everything off. No butter, refined sugar or white flour, but still delicious.
I use light spelt flour here, as I prefer its more flavourful character and it is much easier on your body than white flour – however, if you can't get your hands on it plain flour would work. Likewise, if you can't get coconut oil, you can use melted butter. Half fat coconut milk doesn't work here, though.
Makes one big double-layered cake
For the cake
coconut oil 125g
maple syrup 150ml
vanilla extract 2 tsp
white spelt flour 100g
good unsweetened cocoa powder 50g
ground almonds 150g
good unsweetened cocoa powder 100g
baking powder 2 tsp
salt a good pinch
milk (I use almond milk or ready-to-drink coconut milk) 200ml
ripe banana 1
For the icing
full-fat coconut milk 1 × 400ml tin
set honey 3 tbsp
cocoa powder 3 tbsp
vanilla essence 1 tbsp
For the chocolate glaze
milk (almond or ready-to-drink coconut) 60ml
good-quality dark chocolate 100g, chopped into small pieces
To decorate
berries a couple of handfuls (I use blueberries and blackberries, but raspberries, strawberries and red or white currants look good too)
Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm springform cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Put your tin of coconut milk into the fridge to chill.
Put the coconut oil into a small pan and let it melt over a low heat. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix well.
Put the flour, ground almonds, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a bowl and mix well. Mash the banana and add it to the milk. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and slowly pour in the melted coconut oil mixture and the banana and milk. Mix well.
Pour the mixture into the lined tin and level the top using the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes, until it feels firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean. Don't worry if the cake has cracked on the top, as this will all get covered by the chocolate glaze.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in its tin for 10 minutes.
Then carefully transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
Once it has had an hour in the fridge, open the tin of coconut milk and scoop the thick, creamy white top layer into a bowl, leaving behind the watery stuff (you can keep this to use in smoothies). Add the honey, cocoa powder and vanilla essence, then use an electric hand whisk or a normal whisk and a bit of elbow grease to quickly whisk together, breaking down the coconut cream and whisking it into a smooth fluff. Put it straight into the fridge and leave to chill.
For the chocolate glaze, pour the milk into a small pan, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Put the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl and pour over the hot milk, stirring until melted and glossy.
Once the cake has cooled, use a bread knife to slice it horizontally into two layers. Remove the top layer and place to one side. Spread the chocolate coconut icing over the bottom layer and put the top on. Now put the cake back on the cooling rack and place a plate underneath.
Pour the glaze all over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides (the plate underneath should catch all the drips). Pile the fruit on top and pop into the fridge to chill for 10 minutes, allowing the chocolate on top to set.
Extracted from A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones published on 19 June
This article was amended on 19 June. The publisher requested that the double chocolate cloud cake recipe be updated to reflect additions to the ingredients and directions.
