seves 6-8

2 medium aubergines
400g pasta (penne, swirls etc)
1 quantity “this is not dolmio”
150g ricotta cheese
100g parmesan
handful fresh basil
salt
pepper
olive oil

Slice the aubergine lenghtways in 1cm slices.
Dry fry in a griddle pan then cross them over to get
the charred effect. leave to one side.

Cook the pasta to so its slightly undercooked somewhere
between almost edible and Mr Alan dente. Then refresh in
cold water.
Mix the pasta in the tomato sauce, crumbled ricotta cheese, seasoning and a
drizzle of olive oi.
Preheat the oven to 180c
Lay a small layer of the pasta mix into a baking dish then cover
with a layer of the grilled aubergine. Repeat the process again
so you finish with aubergine on top.
Cover with the grated parmesan cheese and pour about 100ml
of water over the top to stop it getting too dry.

Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until golden.

Seve with torn basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

Starter - Super easy herby lentil salad

600g dried puy lentils
2 garlic cloves chopped finely
handful of fresh mint to serve
handful of fresh coriander or parsley (and some to serve)
hanful of fresh chives snipped
4 hard boiled eggs quatered
12 anchovy fillets (optional)
small quantity of light olive oil for frying
cos lettuce to serve

dressing

1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp exta virgin olive oil
1tsp mustard powder
1 tsp brown sugar
sea salt
black pepper

Cook lentils in boiling water for 25 mins and drain
Cover the base of a saucepan with olive oil, add garlic
and cook on a gentle heat till golden. Add lentils give it a mix
and leave to cool.
Make the dressing by putting ingredients in a screw top jar
and shake well.
chop mint, coriander and add to the lentils with chives and
dressing, mix well.
arrange the lettuce leaves on a serving platter, spoon over
the lentils and garnish with the egg, herbs and anchovy fillets.
Serve warm

Braised Thumb Aubergines with an Arabian Flavour

600g of small thumb aubergines cut
lenghtways in half
2 onions diced finely
4 garlic cloves crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tsp harissa paste
3 tbsp pomegranate syrup
Juice of 1 lemon
300ml water
seeds of half a pomegranate
salt

Aubergine is considered a fruit but is actually a berry related to the tomato and is
helpful in lowering cholestrol, it is also one of my favourites.

Warm half the oil in a large frying pan, add aubergine
and fry for 3-4 mins on each side.
Set aside on kitchen paper to absorb exess oil.
Heat remaining oil in pan add onion and garlic cook
until golden, add the coriander, allspice, cumin, tomatoes and
harissa and cook for 2 mins.
Stir in the pomegranate syrup, lemon juice and water and bring
to the boil.
return aubergine to the pan, lower heat and simmer for about
20 mins or until the sauce is thick and the aubergine is tender,
season with salt to taste.
Scatter the pomegranate seed over the dish and serve with some
buttery cous cous, plain basmati rice or better still the orange grove rice!

Kritz x

Serves 6

400g fresh young broad bean, shelled
mixed lettuce and herb leaf (enough for 6)
3 oranges segmented
1tsp Fresh orange zest
4 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sultanas (optional)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
salt and pepper

Mix lettuce and herb leaf in a bowl
In a separate bowl mix the orange juice,
vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and sultanas then
let stand for 10 mins.
Gently toss the broad beans, leaves and dressing
together then garnish with the orange segments,
sultanas and pine nuts then serve.

Serves 4

1 can/jar cooked chick peas
2 cups cooked quinoa (follow packet instructions
cooks like rice between 10-12 mins)
1/2 cup chopped mixed herbs eg. basil, parsley
& coriander
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
3 spring onions chopped
2 tbsp good olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp salt

Yoghurt Sauce

1 cup thick greek yoghurt
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice

First cook the quiona and cool.
Then prepare the yoghurt sauce and leave to stand.
Combine, chick peas, quinoa, mixes herbs and onions
in a bowl.
Put lemon/orange juice, zest, olive oil and salt in a screw
top jar and shake well then pour over the salad and again
mix well. Serve With Chargrilled pittas and yoghurt sauce.

Another great, refreshing and really easy Eastern dessert from the Orange Grove

Serves 6/8

10 Oranges segmented (5 navel/ 5 blood)
8/10 Dates, halved, pitted and slivered
1 Tbsp Rosewater
1 Tsp Cinnamon powder
3 Tbsp Icing sugar
Cream, Ice cream or greek yoghurt to serve with a few mint leaves.

Arrange orange segments on individual plates or a large sharing platter in circles. Scatter with dates sprinkle with rosewater then cover with cling film.
Chill for a couple of hour to let the rose flavour penetrate the fruit.
Just before serving dust with cinnamon,  icing sugar and the mint leaves.
Serve with with cream, ice cream or yoghurt.
Enjoy

Kritz

Mama’s Tomato Sauce.

Serves 4 as a pasta sauce

Technically speaking I am not Italian, however this recipe was given to me by an Italian pizza chef, I have mad a couple of slight changes but kept the same principle. It goes well with pasta, as a pizza topping or whatever you see fit and it’s very very easy and quick to create. Some Italians will never cook onion and garlic together.

1 onion
2 sticks celery
2 carrots
1 green pepper
30g fresh parsley

2 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 clove (and no I don’t mean 2)
1 dried red chilli
3 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 can of plum tomatoes or 3 chopped fresh ones
300 ml water
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper

Place all the fresh veg into a food processor and blitz to a fine dice so it is a little bit course but not too mushy. Then transfer to a deep pan and lightly heat. Immediately add the rest of the ingredients then cook on a low heat for at least an hour stirring every so often.  In my opinion the longer you can cook it for the better and it certainly has a more superior taste the following day.  Joe

Pastry
50g Rice flour
50g Gram flour
50g Butter
2 Tbsp Water

Filling
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion
2 Garlic cloves
2 Large courgettes
175g Fresh Spinach chopped
75g Red Leicester or Cheddar Cheese grated
40g Parmesan cheese grated
4 Tbsp Natural yoghurt
4 Eggs
2 Tbsp Milk
2 Cups cooked white rice

This may look quite complicated however once you have made it once it only gets easier and you can experiment with many different fillings
provided that you keep the same quantity of egg, yoghurt and milk.

Pastry – You can play around with this using different types of flour such as
Buckwheat, white, brown or even polenta.

Rub the butter into both flour’s until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the water and mix together into a soft ball of dough then wrap in cling film and leave in a cool but not cold place for 30 mins.

Start to prepare the filling –
Slice the Courgette lengthways in 1/2 cm strips then chargrill both sides and leave to one side. In a pan heat the oil and gently fry the onion and garlic for about 5 mins, take off the heat and cool. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and then transfer to a greased 20cm
round baking tray or dish. If it falls apart don’t worry just mould it together with your fingers and follow it up the edges of the dish. Cut away any excess
(there shouldn’t be much) Prick with a fork and blind bake for 8 min’s until pale golden.

Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat them, add the chopped spinach, red Leicester, yoghurt, milk and the cooled onion mix, season with salt and pepper.

Take the pastry out of the oven and lay the cooked rice on the bottom, this makes the tart a bit more sturdy. Follow with the courgette then pour over the egg and cheese filling. Top with the parmesan cheese and bake for 30 mins.

Remove from oven, allow to cool for a bit then cut into portions and enjoy.

My Favourite Festive Rice

This is an easy but impressive rice dish that works as well for a dinner party as it does for an everyday supper.

450 ml Basmati rice
3 Carrots
1 Red onion chopped finely
2 Garlic cloves crushed
1Tbsp Olive Oil
Knob of Butter
1/2 Cinnamon stick
2 tsp Good quality vegetable bouillon powder (dissolved in a cup of water)
750ml Cold water
1 Tbsp chopped corriander
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 Cup toasted pine nuts

Salt/Pepper

Fill a measuring jug with the rice wash a couple of times and drain. Peel and grate the carrots.
Put the olive oil and a knob of butter in a heavy bottom pan and cook onion and garlic till golden, add rice and stir well, add the carrots, cinnamon stick,
and bouillon. Then cover with 750ml of cold water cook on a medium heat for 10 mins and reduce to low for 5 mins with the lid on, no forking, no peeking.

Take the pan off the heat and let stand for 5 mins, remove cinnamon stick and decorate with the corriander and parsley and serve.

Kritz x

Our wonderful range of dips are now available from the following outlets.

Infinity Foods Retail - 25 North Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1YA

Sunny Foods - 76 Beaconsfield Road, Brighton

Fiveways Fruits - 306 Ditchling Road, Brighton, BN1 6JG

Oliver’s Wholefoods - 5 Station Approach, Kew Gardens, Richmond,   Surrey TW9 3QB

Healthzone - 30 Wimbledon Hill Road, Wimbledon, SW19 7P

Bayley & Sage - 60 High Street, Wimbledon Village, SW19 5EE

National Trust Farm Shop - Polesdon Lacey,  Great Bookham, nr Dorking, Surrey RH5 6BD

Pomona fine foods - 179 Haverstock Hill, Belsize Park,  London NW34QS

SMBS Foods - 75 Lordship Lane London SE22 8EP

Bumblebee Natural Foods - 30-32 Brecknock Road, Islington London, N7 0DD

The Organic Grocer - 17 Clifton Road, Maida Vale, London W9 1SY

The Haelan Centre - 41 The Broadway, Crouch End London N8 8DT

Mother Earth - 5 Albion Parade, Stoke Newington N16 9LD

Mother Earth - 282-284 St. Pauls Road, Islington London, N12LH

Please check back for more info regarding free tastings, events and competitions.

Serves 2

1 Romano Pepper (long thin red pepper) or 1 normal one
1 Onion
4 Garlic cloves crushed
1 Carrot
2 Sticks celery
1 Can plum tomatoes
1 Can broad beans
1 Tbsp fresh chopped dill
100g Feta cheese
16 Green pitted olives
2 Tbsp of red wine
1 Tbsp worcestshire sauce
2 Bay leaves
2 Tbsp Olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Heat half the oil in a shallow pan and gently cook the onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes or until golden. Then add the garlic, tomatoes, broad beans, red wine, bay leaves and olives and cook for a further 10 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Halve the pepper lengthways leaving the stalk intact for garnish purposes, (its is a bit tricky) scoop out the seeds and white pith. Place the peppers on a baking tray, take the vegetable mix off the heat add half the feta, half the dill, salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce and mix well. Then gently spoon the mix into the peppers. Crumble the rest of the feta over the top and bake for 20 mins.
Remove from oven onto a couple of plates scatter the remaining dill over the top, drizzle the rest of the oil and serve with some fluffy rice and a fresh salad.

Mandraki !