Spicy tomato, chickpea and spinach stew

A regular: Moro-inspired stew of tomatoes, chickpeas and spinach. Aromatics: garlic, mild Spanish smoked paprika, cumin, ground coriander seeds and a bit of harissa. Sometimes some fennel or caraway seeds as well. With homemade sourdough bread for soaking up the leftover sauce. Really good with some chorizo through the sauce or sharp cheese crumbled on top as well.

Buffalo mozzarella with very ripe tomatoes

Two tomato celebrations in eight days is a self-justifying set of events, I’d say. As long as it’s August, anyway. I learnt from the back of the carton keeping my mozzarella safe (and well-designed) that a great mozzarella is firm initially, and gets softer with age, and that the best experience is to be had if you manage to eat it while still firm. I’d always assumed it would be the other way around. But while I do love soft mozzarella, I have no problem trusting the Laverstoke farm mozzarella makers on this one. Judging by their cheese, they sure know what they’re talking about.

Nigel’s bolognese

The initial batch of Nigel’s bolognese was – dare I say it? – a wee bit disappointing. (And I had such high hopes.) I think the vegetables-to-sauce ratio was a bit off, and the cooking was slightly rushed. I cooked up the “leftovers” (still enough to feed a small family) a few days later with more passata, and that was rather good. It’s probably a sauce that ages well, anyway. Here’s what Anne had to say about it, plus a recipe.

Tabbouleh

Proper tabbouleh is more a salad than a starchy dish. I did not use any onion, but added some tender celery stalks – decidedly inauthentic, but it made for a nice crunch. The recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi I found in the Guardian did not mention soaking the grains, which was new to me. I actually wasn’t sure whether the omission was deliberate or an oversight, but I made my salad the night before, and the bulgur was just right without soaking. No guarantees that it will work for immediate serving as well, though. Serves 1, or 2 as a side.

a very big bunch of fresh parsley

a bunch of fresh mint

a small handful of bulgur

a large juicy tomato

either half an onion or some tender celery stalks, finely chopped

a squeeze of lemon juice

pinch of sumac (or allspice)

half a finely diced fresh chilli (optional)

Run the bulgur under a cold tap, till the water runs clear. Chop the parsley, including the stalks, very finely, and add to the bulgur. Repeat for the mint, leaves only. Add the tomato, cut in small pieces, and the onion or celery and chilli. Stir until well-combined, and season with olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, sea salt and pepper.

Buffalo mozzarella with very ripe tomatoes

Soft buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes bursting with flavour, some big leaves of fresh basil… what more is there to say?

King prawns in a Spanish spinach tomato sauce

King prawns again! Spanish this time, after a recipe in Moro (did I mention I love that book?). The Moro recipe uses finely chopped green pepper and caraway seed, but I used spinach, since that’s what my veg box gave me, and fennel seeds plus a tiny bit of cumin, as there was no caraway seed around the house. Tasted great though, especially with a slice of lightly toasted sourdough rye bread.

raw king prawns, peeled or unpeeled

a couple handfuls of fresh spinach

tin of good-quality chopped tomatoes, or homemade tomato sauce (for two persons, use two tins)

plenty of garlic, thinly sliced

fresh parsley

fennel or caraway seeds

dried chillies or chilli flakes

Heat a splash of olive oil and fry the garlic and some dried chillies. When the garlic starts to colour, add the caraway or fennel seeds. Stir in the tomatoes or tomato sauce, season with sea salt and black pepper and, if the sauce needs it, a pinch of sugar, and simmer for a while. (The Moro recipe says discard the juices of the tinned tomatoes before adding them, but I actually like this dish with a bit of thicker and a bit of more watery sauce.) Add the spinach and the prawns and cook for a few more minutes, until the prawns are pink. Serve with a generous amount of fresh parsley.

Pasta with Portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach and chick peas

Just a simple vegetable medley. I stirred some smoked aubergine pesto through the pasta, which rounded things off quite nicely. Celery and carrots in the new box, so the last two Portobello’s will be going into Nigel’s bolognese. Can’t wait!

King prawn linguine with cherry tomatoes and rocket

I eat king prawns very rarely, but when I do, this is one of my favourite recipes. This really does have bags of flavour, as the stale Masterchef saying goes, but in a completely cohesive way.

king prawns

linguine

a pack of cherry tomatoes

a good handful of rocket

garlic, chopped

chilli flakes

a splash of dry white wine or vermouth

Boil the linguine (this is one of the rare occasions where I would use “white”, not wholewheat). When the pasta is five minutes from done, gently fry the garlic in a good amount of olive oil without browning it. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the pan cut side down. Season with pepper, sea salt and some chilli flakes. After a few minutes, add the king prawns and a splash of white wine or vermouth and give everything a good swirl in the pan. The olive oil, wine and tomato juices should come together to form a thick saucy coating for the prawns. Drain the linguine and add to the pan, coating the strands with the sauce. Transfer to plate(s), top with the rocket, and serve with a cold white beer or a glass of white wine.