onion tart and two potatoe salads

We have been getting a veggie box delivered each week and it has meant we are a) eating with the season and b)responding to what has arrived and thinking up recipes to use up the food rather than planning what we want to eat then shopping for the veg. This has been quite good because it forces you to look out new recipes.

This week we had a glut of potatoes and onions [white and spring]. It is still too warm to go into proper winter food yet so I searched my cookery books and my brain for a solution. The result - two types of potatoe salad and Nigella's onion tart [page 392, How to Eat].


Now, I cheated a bit. I left out the nutmeg because I really don't like it, and swapped the marsala to red wine. And, the tart calls for a pastry case and I have been really busy so I bought one.

Ingredients
30g butter
Drop of oil
500g white onions, sliced very thinly
1-2 teaspoons of sugar
4 tbsp red wine
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
300ml creme fraiche

Melt the butter with the oil in your frying pan and then add the onions.
Stir and cook on a medium to low heat for about 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.


Stir in the sugar and reduce to the lowest heat and cover [with a lid, foil or, as I did, a large dinner plate].
Leave to cook for about 20 minutes. The onions should be all tender and almost going to mush.
Add in the wine, turn up the heat and cook for about 8 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn't catch.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool a bit.
[you could also do this bit in the morning or the night before]

If you are using a homemade pastry case, make it while all the onion prep is going on.

Make a custard by beating the eggs, egg yolk, creme fraiche and half a teaspoon of salt together.
Add a good grinding of pepper - I like a lot so it is more like several grindings.
Take your onions and line the pastry case with them.
Then carefully pour over your egg mix - Nigella gives a good tip at this point - don't fill your case right up with the liquid - leave some aside and top up once you have it on the rack in the oven to avoid the wobbly, shaky, drippy trip from surface to oven.
Nigella doesn't say this but if you have a pastry case that isn't in a tin/foil [because like me you bought it!] place it on a baking sheet with a strip of greaseproof paper underneath it. This means that when you come to remove it you can lift it and slide it onto a plate without breaking the pastry.


Grind some more pepper on the top.
Bake it at Gas 6/180 degrees for about 35 minutes or until it is golden on top. It should be set but not rubbery and overly firm. It will cook a bit still as it cools down.
Remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 10-15 minutes before slicing up and serving.


For the potatoes
As many potatoes as your local veggie box man has delivered![about 750kg in my case...]
A jar of good quality mayonnaise
A tbsp of mustard
A glug of oil
A large handful of chopped spring onions
Salt and pepper

Potatoe salad needs cold potatoes so either boil them while doing the onions or do them the night/morning before.


The first thing to do though was to scrub the soily potatoes - which Andy really enjoys...


When cold, divide them between 2 bowls.
In one bowl add two tbsp of good mayonnaise and the spring onions - mix well.




Some like lots of creamy mayonnaise so once you have done the first two tbsp judge yourself what you would like. Grind over some pepper and give it a final mix.
In the other, add the mustard and the oil and mix well.


I also served some cherry toms mixed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with some salad leaves which I thought cut through the dairy centred nature of the rest of the dish.

in my larder - broad beans

Interesting thing about broad beans - they are rich in L-dopa, a substance used medically in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

L-dopa is also the drug used by Dr Oliver Sacks to 'awaken' patients who developed encephalitis lethargica which followed on from the global flu pandemic that killed millions after the first world war. The use of the drug had unintended consequences - the patients were 'awakened' but in the process developed tics and spasms and strange activity patterns to the extent that many asked to be taken off the drug even if that meant reverting to the catatonic state they had been in before.

This story is also the basis of a new dance piece by Rambert Dance which I read about in the Herald this week - which prompted me to think about how much I love broad beans and in eating them associate them with feeling healthy and strong - which given I have M.E. and Lupus is an important part of the link between what I eat and how it affects my health.

There is also apparently a link between L-dopa and the human libido - some use fava beans as an alternative to Viagra - but I couldn't possibly comment further.

Broad beans can be bought fresh in their pods, dried or canned. I am quite impatient and also not very good at remembering to soak things overnight so I tend to use canned beans - preferably in water - as you can just crack open the tin and use them.

My favourite broad bean recipes include -

Chorizo and broad beans

Egyptian beans [ful medames]


Take some cooked beans and add oil, garlic, lemon, salt and cumin and mix together - then eat with good bread

Pasta and broad beans
pasta of your choice
broad beans, drained
garlic
olive oil
parmesan - grated
mushrooms - chopped
red pepper - chopped

Cook your pasta as per the instructions

In a pan fry the garlic and oil for 2-3 minutes

Add in the choppped peppers and cook for 5 minutes

Add in the chopped mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes

Add in the broad beans and cook for 3-4 minutes

Add the contents of the frying pan to the pasta and stir together

Other options

At this point if you wish you could also add a cooked tomatoe based pasta sauce - but I like it plain with a good seasoning of pepper and grated parmesan

You could also add fried pancetta as a topping - the broad beans will compliment the salty meat.

ottolenghi - marinated romano peppers with mozzarella or feta cheese

I love soft, marinated peppers with good bread to dip in the marinade and scoop up the peppers with. I found this recipe in my new cookbook which is proving a very good purchase. This recipe uses romano peppers which visually look good on the table as well as tasting a wee bit more subtle than bell peppers.

6 romano peppers
120ml olive oil
2.5 tbsp finely chopped coriander
2.5 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tbsp cider vinegar
100g rocket
200g of your chosen cheese - mozzarella or feta
sea salt and black pepper
Bake or buy your favourite bread

Spread the peppers out on a roasting tin, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Mix well and roast for 15 minutes at 200/G 6
While the peppers roast, mix the parsley, coriander, garlic and vinegar and 80 ml of the olive oil - season to taste
Put the warm peppers in a bowl and mix in the marinade - leave at room temprature for at least 2 hours


To serve, warm your bread, spread the rocket out on a plate and lay over the peppers
Spoon the marinade over the peppers and break your cheese into chunks over the peppers
Serve with the warm bread and be ready to be licking your fingers clean!

For this version I used organic feta which worked well. I haven't tried the mozzarella yet - I also think a good sharp parmesan would be good.

ottolenghi - marinated chicken and char grilled broccoli

I have recently bought the Ottolenghi cookbook - I haven't been to their restaurant in London yet although the recipes and description of their food philosophy in the book means a visit is most definitely on the cards. I bought the book partly because the reviews were good and partly because of the look of the book. Superficial maybe, but if a cookbook looks simple and well designed then often the food is too.

I wanted to try something new but easy and with a health kick to it - and some punchy but clean flavours - so went for the marinated turkey breast with cumin, coriander and white wine served with chargrilled broccoli with chilli and garlic. I love broccoli - it is one of my favourite vegetables - but there aren't a lot of recipes about for it that arean't focused on cheesy or creamy sauces.

For the turkey
A turkey breast or turkey fillets
4 tbsp mint leaves
4 tbsp parsley leaves
4 tbsp coriander leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled
60ml lemon juice
60ml olive oil
125ml white wine
half a tsp ground cumin
half a tsp salt
half a tsp black pepper

This makes enough for 4-6 but I halved the quantities for this occasion. Usually I would make the 4-6 in order to have enough for the next night.

Put everything apart from the turkey into a food processor and whizz it all up to make the marinade
Put the meat into a non-metallic container and pour over the marinade, massaging it into the meat


Cover and leave in the fridge over night
Take the turkey out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature
Place turkey in a roasting tin - reserving the marinade - and roast at 220/G 7 for 15 minutes and then 180/G 4 for 30-45 minutes if using turkey breast. If using fillets roast at 200/G6 for 20-30 mins
Put the marinade in a small pot and heat up, reduce by about half, season to taste
When the turkey is ready let it rest for ten minutes then slice it thinly and serve with the sauce

For the broccoli
1 head of broccoli
55ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 mild red chilli thinly sliced
sea salt and black pepper
toasted flaked almonds [if you have them, I had forgotten about them!]
thin slices of lemon to garnish

Separate broccoli into florets and blanhc the broccoli in boiling hot water for 2 minutes
Plunge into a bowl of ice cold water then drain until completely dry - this stops it cooking and keeps the broccoli nice and crunchy
Toss the broccoli in a bowl with 20ml of the olive oil
Place a ridged griddle - or as I did a frying pan if you don't have a griddle - over a high heat and grill the florets
You might need to do the broccoli in batches - once done put in a heatproof bowl
While grilling the broccoli warm the oil in a small pan with the garlic and chillies


Pour the olive oil mixture over the broccoli and toss well - give it a taste and adjust the seasoning
Garnish with the lemon and almonds if you wish then serve

I also had some bread with this to sook up the lovely juices and sauce.

summer sunday dinner

I love a roast and I love eating big for Sunday dinner but it has been quite warm and humid the past two weeks plus I am trying to eat light and healthy since being poorly, so for Sunday dinner last week I went for something a bit different. I wanted to have some fish and then to have some mezze type dishes to pick and choose from.

The menu is:

Tuna steak with -
tabbouleh
beetroot and yoghurt
aubergine and goat's cheese (warm salad)
Pitta bread

followed by the tangy lemon tart I made yesterday.

I made the tuna steak simply by frying the two steaks for about 10 minutes - they were quite thick and so this meant they came out medium.

Click on the links to get the recipes!

beetroot and yoghurt salad

I love beetroot - it is very colourful and the flavour compliments so many things. For years I didn't eat beetroot at all and coming back to it I realised what I had missed. I tend to go for fresh beetroot rather than in a jar - and because I am sometimes lazy - buy it from the veg section in the supermarket rather than cook it myself. This dish is easy to put together and light and fresh. It is great for injecting some colour and the creaminess of the yoghurt is a good partner with the beetroot.

200-250g beetroot
a squeeze of lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley
sea salt and black pepper
clove of garlic
2tbsp greek yoghurt
splash of milk

Slice the beetroot up how you like it and spread over a plate
chop up the parsley roughly and mix in a bowl with the lemon juice, oil and salt and paper
drizzle the parsley mix over the beetroot - this can be done an hour or so before serving if kept in the fridge

crush the garlic clove into a paste with some of the salt
put the garlic in a bowl and mix with the yoghurt
add a splash or two or milk to thin the yoghurt to a sauce-like consistency
drizzle over the beetroot just before serving

This dish tastes really zingy and fresh - the yoghurt gets pinky tinges to it too. Some warm pitta bread is great for scooping up those last bits of sauce and beetroot. I haven't tried it yet but I reckon it would go great with some lamb as lamb usually needs something that will cut through the richness of the meat. Or as a side salad at a bbq. Just make sure your top is black or you have a major bib on!

tabbouleh

This is a really good fresh and light salad. It's great as part of a main meal, or as part of a mezze spread. I got the recipe from the Moro cookbook which is a great cookbook for middle eastern and eastern med food, particularly mezze style dishes.

serves 2
salad
40g bulgar wheat
200g cherry tomatoes
couple of small bunches of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 small bunch of mint, roughly chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped

dressing
1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
two pinches cinnamon
2 pinches allspice
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
3 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and pepper

cut the tomatoes in half, deseed, then chop in half again
prepare the bulgar wheat - go with the instructions on the packet - I usually boil for 10-15 mins then rinse with cold water to serve in a salad
mix the tomatoes with the herbs and bulgar wheat
make the dressing by mixing all of the ingredients apart from the olive oil together - this is because they will mix better without the oil - then add the oil
toss the salad in the dressing just before serving

aubergine and goat's cheese

I just made this up because I had the cheese left over from a salad and the aubergine from a pasta sauce.



half an aubergine
2-3 slices of goat's cheese
olive oil

slice the aubergine up so you have thin round slices
heat a 1cm pool of oil in a frying pan
fry the aubergine slices up and drain on paper towels
you may have to fry the aubergine in batches so once the slices are drained keep them in a warm dish in a warm oven
when you are ready to serve, place the aubergines in your serving dish andthen crumble the goat's cheese over the top
season with some salt and pepper if you like

The cheese will warm a bit being on top of the aubergine and start to melt a wee bit. This is a good warm salad to have alongside cold dishes in the spring or autumn when there is still a nip in the air.

My special rosemary potatoes

These are my only fried attempt at potatoes and I picked up the recipe in part from my old flatmate Calum and through figuring out one day what to do with some left over rosemary. Now they are my 'posh' alternative to usual boiled potatoes.

New potatoes
Rosemary
Garlic 2-3 cloves
Olive Oil
Sea Salt and black pepper

Cut the potatoes into four - or small pieces - not bigger than 2-3 cms.
Par boil and then drain.
Put the rosemary,peeled garlic, salt, pepper and a slug of oil and crush it all together using a pestle and mortar. Do not food process! You want to bruise rather than mince it up.
Heat enough oil to cover a frying pan by 1 cm.
Add the drained potatoes and then spoon over the rosemary mixture, turning the potatoes so they get covered in oil and the mixture. Fry for about 20-30 mins turning 2-3 times.

I make the mixture as the potatoes are draining because I think that potatoes left to cool before hitting hot oil fry better and get a crispier coating.

If you make enough to have some left over, they are great cold, or reheated, and dipped in sour cream as a wee lunchtime snack or accompaniement to salad.

Roast Veggies

I have posted before about roast veggies where I have cut them up into 1-2 inch pieces. This time around I went for chunky!

Carrots
Parsnips
Baby onions or shallots
Peppers
Courgettes



Peel, top and tail carrots. Cut in half then cut in half lengthways. You should have four equal length pieces per carrot.
Do the same to the courgettes.
Parsnips are almost the same but if like me your parsnips are much thicker at one end than the other you should cut up into six rather than four.
Peppers - cut off the tops and slice the pepper using the white lines inside as a guide. You usually don't have to cut more but if you get a really big piece slice it in two.

Peel, top and tail onions and don't slice up.

Chuck all of the veggies in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Mix and then spread on a roasting tin. Roast, turning occasionally, for 30-40 minutes. You will get the nice roastie outside but with lots of soft and tasty flesh of veggies inside - and the onions will be almost sweet with roasting. Yum!

Tomatoe and basil salad

Ingredients

Tomatoes - mixed
Basil
Garlic
Olive Oil

I got a selection of tomatoes - red cherry, yellow cherry and red plum - to give a bit of variety.

Slice the tomatoes up thinly and spread out on a plate. Chop up the basil and add to a spoonful of olice oil. Some folks like to leave the dressing like that - I like to add a crushed clove of garlic. Pound in pestle and mortar for a minute or so. Drizzle over the tomatoes, cover, and let it stand for 30 mins before serving so that the flavours develop. Season with salt and pepper if you like. And soak up any lovely juices left over with bread.

A Day of Healthy Eating

I have been indulging a lot on the food front recently - what with work being so busy and visits to my sister food has been something of a 'reward' mechanism! So with a couple of days off I decided to get myself sorted with some balanced fuel and get back on the straight and narrow food-wise. So today I had a yoghurt for breakfast, crudites and dip and a pear for lunch, and a large baked potatoe with my special tuna recipe. I also had a banana after going to the gym! So I feel extra chuffed with myself. And, apart from that mid-afternoon wobble I always get, when chocolate seems to be crucial to my survival, I haven't felt hungry or craved. I reckon if I can manage to do this over the next few days I will be able to manage my cake and chocolate cravings better next week at work. I like to treat myself on weekends but lately that has crept into the working week - not good! And as it affects my health - and I don't want sore joints and muscles and wierded out skin for spring - I have a powerful incentive! I love my food and baking and cooking make me really happy - but balance is a good thing too.

tomatoe soup

Heinz tomatoe soup has always been a favourite of mine - served elegantly with white pan bread thickly buttered!



But homemade also holds quite a strong place in my list of favourite dishes. And when you are having a simple meal like soup it is special to know it has been homemade. I have two recipes for tomatoe soup - one is my 'easy peasy' version and one is my 'posh visitors coming to tea' version. The one below is 'easy peasy' which I had yesterday after my first bike ride since New Year and was starving but craving something light and healthy so as not to undo all the good work of the excercise!

2 cans chopped tomatoes
half an onion
red pepper finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
mixed herbs
olive oil
vegetable stock

in a large pan saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until just cooked
add the red pepper and cook for five minutes
add the tomatoes, mixed herbs and vegetable stock
bring to a simmer then let cool for five minutes
pop into the food processor and blitz to your desired consistency. I don't like mine completely smooth.
transfer back to the pot and either leave to eat later on or reheat slowly until it reaches a gentle simmer.
simmer for 15 minutes.

serve with fresh crusty bread and a swirl of cream or creme fraiche on top of the soup.

Spuds!

I love spuds!



The humble tattie

I think they are often seen as that bit of dinner that fills you up when really they should be the star turn on occasion. Here is a website I found that celebrates the spud

My favourite ways to have spuds include:

roasties (done in goose fat or olive oil)
mashed (Andy does them with creme fraiche that is well yummy)
baby new pots boiled and tossed in pesto
as a gratin with parmesan
baked (you can have a variety of fillings, of course, but I like mine just with a good knob of butter and some salt and pepper)
added to soups/stews a la recipes like turlu turlu
cut into wedges, tossed in olive oil and wholegrain mustard and baked
stuffed baked pots (scoop out the fluffy cooked flesh, mash with butter, spring onion and cheese, cram back into the skins and bake)

Also, a little late perhaps seeing as it is already 2009, checkout the Interntaional Year of the Potatoe (2008)

Turlu Turlu

One of my favourite recipe books is the Moro restaurant cook book. Sam and Sam Clark (yes, they are both Sam's!) restaurant in London produces the cuisine of Spain, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean following the saffron-cinnamon connection in our rather greyer and chillier climes. The robust style of Spanish cooking balances the lighter, more exotic dishes of the Muslim Mediterranean and creates a food experience that is exotic and charming to the palate.

Last weekend I was cooking for veggie friends, one of whom doesn't eat cheese or mushrooms or spinach - so out the window went my veggie mainstay of spinach and ricotta lasagne. Which was a good thing because veggie food is really interesting and just as flavoursome as the carnivorous variety - but for some reason it seems socially acceptable to be lazy about veggie food - and it inspired me to take a look through my Moro cookbook and dig out a new recipe to try.

I found an excellent dish called Turlu Turlu - great name - and the recipe is below with my variations from the original. I have substituted parsnips for turnip and extra peppers and potatoe for courgettes (I found the courgettes at this time of year to be just to insipid and Andy is not a fan of the turnip). The idea is that the veggies are large and chunky - not small wee bits - for both flavour and because you want them to retain their shape through the roasting and sauce process.

2 aubergines - halved then halved again, put in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Leave for 20 mins or while you are chopping rest of veggies then rinse under cold water (stops them getting to soggy)
3 parsnips - peeled, halved then halved again
3 carrots - as above
3 green peppers - de-seeded and cut into chunky slices
4 medium potatoes cut into 2cm cubes - I leave the skins on
Clove of garlic roughly chopped/crushed
1 medium white onion roughly chopped
A handful of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
A handful of roughly chopped coriander
A teaspoonful of coriander seeds
Can of chickpeas, cooked and drained
A bottle of passata
A teaspoon of allspice
Several glugs of olive oil
Rocket and cherry tomatoes

Take the aubergines, potatoes, parsnips, carrots and peppers and put in a large bowl. I sometimes need to use two bowls. Then sprinkle with the chopped garlic, onion and allspice. Glug in some olive oil, enough to coat the veggies. Mix it all up well.

Split between two or three roasting tins. You want an even one layer so they roast evenly and without steaming. Put in a hot oven and roast for 45 mins turning every 15 mins.

Cook the chickpeas then drain. Put chickpeas back in teh pan and add the passata. You want enough that it will coat the veggies but not to make it soupy. It is quite a dry stew you are going for.

When the veggies are done, add the chickpeas and passata and give it a good but gentle mix (don't want to mush up the veggies).

Serve with crusty bread and a light rocket and tomatoe salad.

Funky Carrots

Because of course you always have time to do crazy stuff like this. Mind you, might be good if you have picky kids who don't like eating veggies...check out how at thekitchn.com

Pasta sauce with spinach juice

Pasta sauce with spinach juice!

Spinach is good for you and pricey so I don't like to waste it. If you have reserved the juice the following sauce is tasty with pasta.

1 white onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed or finely chopped
1 pepper - red is good for a cheery colour
2-3 slices of parma ham or salami (leave out if making for veggies)
Dessert spoon of creme fraiche

Saute the onion and garlic until onion is transulcent.
Add the pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Chop up the meat and add in - stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add in the spinach juices, mix and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the creme fraiche, mix and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Cook your pasta as per the instructions until al dente. Remove from the heat, add in the sauce and stir. The sauce should be thin, not gloopy, and coat the pasta. I like to top it off with some parmesan and some cherry tomatoes.

spinach & ricotta lasagne

I love lasagne - all that golden cheesey crusty top with an oozy filling inside. I love beef lasagne but for something a bit lighter - well, in taste if not in calories - I also like a veggie version. The spinach makes you feel like you are eating something healthy. This version is great for freezing and the quantities given here will make enough for about 10-12 portions. I buy tin foil dishes to make it in and freeze.

Olive oil
One head of garlic crushed
3 white onions finely chopped
Roughly 2lbs of spinach (this seems to be about four bags of supermarket wrapped spinach. It may seem like a lot but spinach reduces hugely when cooked)
Cereal bowl of parmesan
Cereal bowl of mozzarella
2 lbs ricotta
Cereal bowl of parsley
4 eggs
Either homemade or bought lasagne sauce (white sauce)
1-2 packs of lasagne noodles

Wilt the spinach in a pan at medium heat with a glug of oil. I do this in batches - the spinach seems huge to begin with but does reduce down. I then leave it in a bowl to cool a bit and so the juices collect at the bottom. You want to drain the juices or else the lasagne will be too wet. However, if you want to be good, keep the juices and make a pasta sauce with them for the next night (see next post).

Saute the onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Then add in the spinach and half the parsley and mix up well.

Mix in a bowl the ricotta, eggs, left over parsley and two thirds of the parmesan.

In your dish (or dishes) layer as follows:

Sauce
Noodles
Spinach mix
Mozzarella
Sauce
Noddles
Ricotta
Spinach mix
Sauce
Noodles
Sauce
Parmesan

Bake ina hot oven for 45 minutes covered with tin foil then a further 10-15 uncovered. The top should be golden brown and bubbling.

If you are freezing, make sure you let the lasagne cool completely.

Guacamole

I love homemade guacamole - shop bought really isn't the same.

2 avacadoes
3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
lime juice

1. Cut the avacadoes in half and remove the stone and remove the skin. I don't know how the professionals do it but I slide my thumbs in and under the skin. Messy, but easiest way.
2. Peel and crush garlic. Put gralic and avacadoe into a sturdy bowl.
3. Add olive oil and lime juice. You want enough oil to make it more of dip and lime juice to taste - it cuts through the creaminess of the avacadoe nicely. It also delays the avacadoe browning.
4. Take a fork and break up and mash the ingredients together. If you like it smooth you can process but I like it rugged and chunky.
5. Add pepper and salt to taste and serve with the tortilla recipe orwith your favourite crisps to dip in front of the TV or a movie.

The Fife Diet

I have a longing to be one of those people who gets organic veggie boxes delivered to the house, visits farm shops at weekends to do the shopping and has a small allotment that produces wonderful salads, fruits and flowers. But I am not like that. I mainly shop at Tesco, making a detour to the local butcher when I have time and every so often popping into random shops that sell specific produce like the Valvona and Crolla deli in Edinburgh.

I do not live a lifestyle that lends itself to my little day dream. I live in Dundee, work in Edinburgh and stay three nights a week there courtesy of a fantastic friend-rental deal I have with my roomy Calum. So food shopping has to take into account living in two places, eating at random times, a nod to healthy eating in Edinburgh and in Dundee to the huge amounts of food my husband can consume without putting on any weight at all. This does not make food shopping easy. But, in hope that at some point I manage the daydream, my efforts will go into finding out about all of these things and hoping that those who get home from work at a normal time and don't have to co-ordinate the contents of two fridges in different cities can benefit from them.

The first I would like to highlight is the Fife Diet - now, this is maybe a phrase that conjours up visions of fried food and a glut of fatty meats and badly cooked root vegetables. But please do not be so narrow minded because in fact Fife produces amazing foodstuffs. The Fife Diet asks people to sign-up to eating food from Fife, for a year, monitor their progress and share their experience. This is a celebration of local goodness not an exercise in self-denial. Like most regions Fife has loads of fruit and vegetables, fantastic farm-reared lamb, beef, poultry, and amazing seafood. The project was inspired by Vancouver’s 100 Mile Diet and aims to bring people together who are into preparing for a low-carbon future. To be honest, although I care about the low carbon stuff and the environment etc I do think that the only argument you need is that when you have fantastic food right on your doorstep why not eat it? It has inspired me to re-prioritise. Yes, I have a busy lifestyle complicated by having two living places - but wouldn't it be better to spend Saturdays enjoying the beautiful Fife countryside and picking up something that is yummy and good in many different was - taste, environmental impact, fun to shop for - rather than the usual stuff from Tesco?

The second is a website dedicated to veggie boxes and what wonderful meals you can make out of them. I have to say the downside to veggie boxes may be that you don't know exactly what you are getting and it may be you end up with five turnips and an onion. So some inspiration on how to manage your veggie box contents I reckon would be an essential. It includes a function to find out the identity of vegetables you haven't seen before and one on 20 minute recipes - useful for days when time is precious.