Spring

Asparagus Frittata
A tasty supper dish for the brief British asparagus season in late Spring. Serves 2.

1 tablespoon oil
250g asparagus
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 rashers organic bacon, chopped
4 organic eggs
1 cup of grated cheese

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying-pan. Trim the woody stems from the asparagus and chop the stalks. Leave the tips around 5cm in length. Saute the asparagus, onion and bacon for five minutes until the bacon is cooked and the onion is golden brown. Place in a well-greased baking dish, 25cm diameter. Beat the eggs and pour over. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 200C for 20-25 minutes, until the eggs are cooked. (If your pan allows, you could pop under the grill for the last couple of minutes to toast the cheese.) Serve hot or cold in slices.

Chickpea and Bean Burgers
Uses mostly store-cupboard ingredients. Serves 4.

400g tin organic chickpeas
400g tin organic red kidney beans
1 large organic carrot, grated
1 organic onion, finely chopped
50g sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons tahini
(or 50g sesame seeds plus 1 tablespoon olive oil)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
1 vegetable stock cube

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Grease a baking tray. Briefly blend all of the ingredients together to make a coarse paste. Wet your hands under cold water and shape the mixture into small balls. Space out on the tray, and then flatten with the back of a cold metal spoon to make burgers. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until lightly coloured and cooked through.

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Summer

“Summertime and the living is easy.” Lots of lovely fresh veg and salads are available now through to early autumn from organic growers and, with a bit of effort, your own back gardens. Try our recipes to make the best use of them.

(It is inevitable that not all of the ingredients needed will be available to you from organic sources, especially in rural areas. Don’t feel guilty about this; remember every little helps!)

Mackerel with tomato salsa
Mackerel is at its best in the summer, cooked as soon after they are caught as possible, and they combine well with a glut of home-grown tomatoes for a main meal with a Mediterranean flavour. (Serves 6.)

6 medium mackerel
Seasoned flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large organic onion
1 clove garlic
400g organic tomatoes
25g organic butter
2 teaspoons wine vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley

Clean and fillet the mackerel. Wash and wipe dry on a clean cloth. Coat with seasoned flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Fry the fillets for about 10 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Meanwhile, peel ad finely chop the onion and garlic. Skin the tomatoes (this is easier to do after they’ve been quickly submerged in very hot water) and slice. Heat the remaining oil in a clean pan and fry the onions for a few minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook slowly for a further 5 minutes. Season and add the parsley and wine vinegar. Separately cook the tomatoes in the melted butter until soft and combine. Serve the mackerel topped with the salsa, together with boiled new potatoes.

Courgettes Gratiné
Courgettes are easy to grow but you can quickly find yourself with a glut and in need of new ways to cook them all! (Serves 4.)

6 organic courgettes
50g organc butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g organic mature hard cheese, such as Cheddar
4 tablespoons double cream (optional)

Wipe the courgettes with a clean damp cloth. Trim the stalk. Slice each in half lengthways. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Fry the courgettes (in batches if necessary) cut side down until lightly golden. Turn over and transfer to an ovenproof shallow dish. Season and sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover with a lid or foil. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven at 190ºC/375ºF/Gas Mark 5 for 20 minutes. Heat the cream gently and pour over the courgettes to serve. Ideal as a side dish with fish or chicken.

Summer Pudding
The origins of this classic dish are unknown but it has been around since at east the 18th century, when it was served as an alternative to rich pastry sweets. (Serves 4.)

6-8 slices stale, crust-less white organic bread
600g mixed organic soft fruits
115g caster sugar

Strawberries, raspberries, black cherries and red or black currants are all suitable, but avoid too many black currants as their sharp flavour will dominate the dish. Line the bottom and sides of a pudding basin with 4-6 slices of bread; cut to fit if necessary. Wash the fruit, remove any stones or hulls, and put in a heavy-based pan. Sprinkle with the sugar. Bring to the boil over a low heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the sugar melts and the juices start to run. Remove from the heat and set aside 1-2 tablespoons of juice. Spoon the rest of the fruit and juice into the dish. Cover the surface closely with the rest of the bread. Put a small plate that fits inside the dish on top of the pudding and weigh it down with a heavy jar to push the fruit down into the bread. Chill in the fridge for 8 hours. To serve, remove the small plate. Cover the top of the dish with a larger serving plate and turn upside down to release the pudding. Use the reserved fruit juice to pour over any parts of the bread that hasn’t soaked up and been coloured by the fruit. Serve with a dollop of cream.

Autumn

Moroccan Carrot Soup
Serves 4.

30g organic butter
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Half teaspoon cayenne pepper
750g organic carrots, scrubbed and chopped
1 large organic potato, peeled and chopped
1.5 litres vegetable stock
1 teaspoon organic honey
1 tablespoon orange juice
Small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped

Heat the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper and fry for two minutes. Add the carrots and potato and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are beginning to soften. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Loosely cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes until the potato is cooked. Leave to cool slightly. Stir in the honey and orange juice, and then blend in batches. Return to the pan to heat and serve hot with fresh coriander to garnish.

Duck, Chestnut and Apple Pie
Serves 4.

200g fresh wild chestnuts
500g shortcrust pastry
2 organic duck breasts (about 600g)
200g organic cooking apples, peeled and sliced
4 chopped sage leaves
salt and pepper to season
1 tablespoon cold water
1 medium egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas mark 6. Make a slit around the skins of each chestnut with a sharp knife. Boil in a pan of water for 5 minutes, then drain and peel off the skins (you could wear rubber gloves) while the chestnuts are still hot. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and roll out two-thirds of the pastry to line a 26cm pie dish. Trim the pastry and put in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill. Roughly chop the duck breasts and trim off any excess fat. Remove the pie base from the fridge and spread the duck over the base. Crumble the chestnuts and add over the duck. Season then top with a layer of apple slices. Roll out the rest of the pastry to make the lid. Beat the egg yolk with the water and use some to seal the edge of the pastry. Brush the top with the egg and make a small slash in the middle with a sharp knife. Roll a piece of kitchen foil and insert into this slash to make a ‘chimney’. Bake for 20 minutes at 200C/gas mark 6, then turn the oven down to 180C/gas mark 4. Bake for a further 40 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Winter

Spicy Sausage Casserole
Serves 4

8 organic pork sausages
1 large onion, diced
100g (4oz) mushrooms, washed and quartered
500g (1lb) organic potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
200g (8oz) organic carrots, scrubbed and cut into chunks
1 dessertspoon oil
2 teaspoons paprika
Half a teaspoon chilli powder
600ml (1 pint) stock
400g tin organic chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoon low fat organic yoghurt

Fry the mushrooms and onion in the oil in a large saucepan for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with the paprika and chilli powder. Add the potatoes, carrots, stock and tomatoes. Stir, cover with a lid and simmer for twenty minutes. Meanwhile, grill the sausages and cut into chunks. Add to the sauce. Cook for a further five minutes until the potatoes and carrots are soft. Stir in the parsley and serve hot with a swirl of yoghurt.

Baked Lemon Cheesecake
Non-organic lemons are treated with waxes and fungicides that cannot be completely removed through washing. So it is important to use organic citrus fruit for their zest. One cheesecake can be sliced to serve any number from 4 to 8, depending on greed!

For the crust:
200g ground almonds
3 tablespoons sugar
50g organic butter, melted
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Combine the crust ingredients and press evenly into the base of a 25cm/10in spring-form cake tin. Bake for ten minutes then leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the filling:
1kg cream cheese
350g granulated sugar
grated zest of one organic lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 organic eggs, beaten

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and juice until creamy. Beat in the eggs a little at a time. Spread over the crust. Put the tin on a baking tray and bake for about 45 minutes, until the centre wobbles slightly when the tin is tapped.

For the topping:
250ml sour cream
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine the ingredients and spread over the cheesecake. Bake for another five minutes. Cool in the tin on a wire rack, then cover and chill in the fridge for at least three hours. Run a knife around the sides of the cheesecake. Release the spring clip and remove the sides of the tin and base. Serve chilled.