Me Dine Come With

Prep: Less than 30 mins

Cook: 30 mins to 1 hour

Serves: Serves 4 is aubergine parmigiana is so easy to make and tastes wonderful. It’s simpler than a lasagne and lighter, too. e tomato sauce can be doubled and frozen for another easy dinner.

Ingredients

For the aubergine:

• 2 large aubergines, sliced into thin slices about 5mm/1/4 inch thick

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the tomato sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 red onion, nely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Preparing the tomato sauce:

Minestrone soup

Prep: Less than 30 mins

Cook: 30 mins to 1 hour

Serves: Serves 4 is budget minestrone is the classic Italian soup made with cannellini beans and broken up spaghetti. Feel free to stir in extra vegetables, depending on what you have in the fridge. is is designed to be a low-cost recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 3 large celery sticks, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, nely chopped

• 2 tbsp tomato purée

• 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• 1.2 litres/2 pints vegetable or chicken stock, made from stock cubes

• 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 100g/3½ dried spaghetti, broken into short lengths

• ¼ head green cabbage, nely shredded

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic, and cook until the onion becomes translucent.

• Add the tins of tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

• Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Let it cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preparing the aubergine:

• Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil on both sides to cook.

Heat a griddle pan and cook the aubergine for a couple of minutes on both sides until lightly browned. Transfer the fried slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.

Assembling the Eggplant Parmigiana:

• Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan

• Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dish.

• Arrange a layer of fried aubergine slices over the sauce.

• Sprinkle some shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese over the aubergine.

• Repeat the layers until all the ingredients are used, nishing with a layer of cheese on top.

• Bake the Aubergine Parmigiana in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

• Remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.

• Garnish with fresh basil leaves before serving.

• Serve the parmigiana hot with a green salad alongside. is dish reheats well if you have any leftovers.

Frozen elderflower posset

Prep: Over 2 hours

Cook: No cooking required

Serves: Serves 4 is frozen dessert is so fragrant and so easy to make: the ingredients are just whipped together and frozen and it doesn’t need churning. Serve with summer berries for the perfect summer dessert.

Ingredients

• 150ml/¼ pint pouring double cream

• 150ml/¼ pint elder ower cordial

• summer berries, to serve

• a dusting of icing sugar

Method

STEP 1

Place the cream in a mixing bowl and whip until it forms soft peaks, then gradually pour in the elder ower cordial, whisking until combined.

STEP 2

Freeze in a plastic tub until completely frozen. Scoop into a food processor and blend to remove any ice crystals

STEP 3

Transfer to pretty little dessert glasses or Martini glasses for at least three hours or overnight in the freezer.

STEP 4

Method

STEP 1

Heat the olive oil in a large lidded saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery, season with a little salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened.

STEP 2

Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for a further 3 minutes.

STEP 3

Tip in the tomatoes and stock. Cover with a lid and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

STEP 4

Add the beans and pasta and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked. Add the cabbage and cook for another 2 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add some hot water to reach your preferred consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

To serve, place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to soften slightly, then serve each glass with a few summer berries and decorate with a dusting of icing sugar.

TIP is could also be made with other fruit cordials. But don’t be tempted to use fruit juice, it is the sugar in the cordial that makes the posset freeze smoothly.