Recipe | Rainbow Minestrone Soup with Basil Mayo Topping

A soup to make when you think there is no food in the house. This simple bowl of veg and pasta is a vibrant creation that brings new life to everyday cupboard ingredients.

Serves 2

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ carrot, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tin of top-quality finely chopped tomatoes
75g soup pasta
75g frozen sweetcorn
75g frozen peas
2 tbsp top-quality mayonnaise
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tbsp basil, torn

1 Warm the oil in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, then add the carrot, onion and a pinch of salt, and fry gently for 10 mins until soft. Add the garlic for the final 2 mins.

2 Add the tinned tomatoes. Fill the empty tin half-full with hot water and add that to the pan. Turn the heat up and, once boiling, add the pasta and cook for 5 mins. Add the sweetcorn and peas for 1-2 mins, then check the seasoning. Remove from the heat.

3 Mix the mayonnaise, yogurt and basil together. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a dollop of the sauce and parsley, if you have it.

This recipe is from our feature ‘Souper Foods’ from our October issue, which includes recipes for lots of delicious soups, with tasty toppings. The recipes are by Kathy Slack and the photography by Kirstie Young.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More soups to warm your cockles…

More from our October issue…

How to | Stock a Storecupboard

While humans can’t hibernate (NASA are working on it), some store cupboard friends can see you through the winter

Stow somewhere cool & dry:
Squash: If kept airy with no bananas, should last to March.
Garlic: As above – not breaking up the bulbs helps longevity.
Potatoes: Pop into the dark for three months of spuds.
Tins (if not dented): ‘Low acid’ contents will last longer, for example, not tinned fruit.
Spices: Ground keep for up to 3 years and whole spices for 5.

Stow somewhere cool, dry – and in an airtight container:
Nuts: Varies by type, reckon on them keeping for 6–9 months.
Rice: The brown type will keep through to spring, while white can last for up to 30 years.
Beans: Tinned beans are fine; dry beans do a whole year.
Beverages: Loose tea keeps longer than bags, but coffee beans (not ground) last for up to 6 months, even when open.
Chocolate: Good news! Solid milk chocolate copes for up to a year, and dark for double that.

The big freeze:
Things last almost forever in the freezer, but suffer taste-wise. Think 3 months for curries, soups and stews, 6 for uncooked meat, 8 for baked goods. Low-water content veg (for example, not the likes of celery) is good for around a year.

The miracle workers:
Honey: The natural stuff is low water/high acidity, a sweet spot meaning it won’t go off. Can use in treating wounds.
Salt: If not ionised, lasts just about forever. Helpful for a saltwater gargle, too.
Spirits: The high alcohol keeps it from going off if unopened: it’ll keep into spring, if you dip in.

This feature is from our October Miscellany where you’ll find lots more seasonal ideas each month.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More storecupboard recipes…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Apple & Cinnamon Rose Cake

Pretty as the flower, this tastes and smells like autumn. An extra pat on the back for hand-picked apples.

Serves 8-12

For the apple topping:
50g unsalted butter
4 tbsp soft brown sugar
4 apples, washed, cored and finely sliced
Juice of 1 lemon

For the cake:
280g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g unsalted butter at room temp
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
100ml milk
1 apple, washed, cored and grated
1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus ¼ tsp to sprinkle on the top~
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbsp sieved icing sugar to decorate

1 Start by making the topping. In a large saucepan, heat the butter and brown sugar for a few minutes, stirring until melted. Add the apple slices and the lemon juice, and heat for a few minutes until the apple slices start to soften. Set aside.

2Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5 and grease a 25cm cake tin.

3 In a large bowl, stir together the flour, a pinch of salt and the baking powder.

4 In a stand mixer, whisk 100g butter and the caster sugar until blended. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and lemon zest, and continue mixing until the mixture is smooth. Add the milk and blend until combined.

5 Add the dry ingredients slowly to the mixer on a slow speed. Stir the grated apple into the mixture along with the cinnamon before adding to the greased cake tin. Tap the tin to

level the mixture.

6 Take your bowl of preprepared apple slices and lay them in an overlapping circle on top of the mixture, with the sliced edge facing down into the batter. Sieve a ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon on top.

7 Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes. Test it is baked by putting a metal skewer into the middle; it should come out clean. Grate the nutmeg over the cake and sieve the icing sugar on top too.

This recipe is taken from our feature ‘Life is Brewtiful’ from our October issue, a menu designed for an autumnal late afternoon tea. It also includes recipes for Ginger Fizz, Pear & Cheese Toasties, Smoked Fish & Kale Quiche, Parmesan & Chive Savoury Scones, Spiced Autumn Tea and Spiced Biscuits. The recipes are devised and styled by Kay Prestney and photographed by Rebecca Lewis.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More apple inspiration…

More from our blog…

Cake | Sweet Potato & Chocolate Loaf

Otherwise known as Torta Do Patata Dolce e Cioccolato, this simple Italian loaf cake with added veg is great for a teatime snack or for breakfast with a strong coffee

Serves 6-8

1 large sweet potato (approx. 300g)
3 eggs
150g caster sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
150g butter, melted
225g 00 flour, sifted
16g baking powder (we used a 16g sachet of Paneangeli baking powder)
60g dark chocolate, finely chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4 and line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper.

2 Start by cooking the sweet potato. Either bake it whole in its skin in the oven for about 50 mins, or bring a pot of water to the boil and cook it for about 40 mins until tender. Alternatively, for speed, you can peel it, chop it into small chunks and place in a bowl with about a tablespoon of water, then microwave it for about 8 mins until tender. Once cooked, mash the potato, then set aside.

3 Meanwhile, place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the mashed sweet potato, the lemon zest and melted butter until well incorporated, then fold in the flour, baking powder and chopped chocolate.

4 Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake in the oven for about 50 mins, or until well risen and golden on top. Leave to cool in the tin, then carefully remove, slice and serve.

This recipe featured in our September issue and was taken from Gennaro’s Verdure: Big And Bold Italian Recipes To Pack Your Plate With Veg by Gennaro Contaldo (Pavilion Books) Photography: David Loftus

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our September issue…

More cakes to bake…

Tipple | Hedgerow Fizz

Nothing signals the season like a pile of foraged hedgerow finds. Dilute with sparkling wine or fizzy water, delicious either way.

Makes around 500ml

200g sloes
200g blackberries
200g elderberries
200g damsons
250g granulated sugar
Sparkling wine or sparkling water

1 Leave any foraged berries outside for an hour to give bugs the chance to escape, then soak them in cold water for a couple of minutes. Drain, transfer to a pan and add enough water to just about cover them. Bring to the boil then simmer for 5 mins, or until soft.

2 Using a potato masher, crush the berries in the pan and then push the mixture through a sieve or leave to drip through a muslin into a bowl. Pour the resulting liquid into a clean pan and add the sugar.

3 Bring to an almost boil before reducing the heat and giving the occasional stir. The sugar needs to dissolve and thicken the juice, but you’re not making jam so it should only take 10 mins or so.

4 Pour the liquid into a clean, sterilised glass bottle. When ready, pour around 20ml into a glass then top up with sparkling wine or water and serve. Bartender’s note: This can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Or, you can freeze in an ice cube tray. This recipe is adaptable – if you can’t find elderberries or sloes, then increase the amounts of the other fruits or berries.

The recipe for Hedgerow Fizz, above, is just one of the ideas from our September issue’s ‘gathering’ feature, a menu for an early autumn supper that we’ve called ‘Merry Michaelmas’. You’ll also find recipes for Rosemary Roasted Nuts, Roast Carrot & Lentil Salad, Michaelmas Roast Duck Salad with Sticky Damson Sauce and Parsnip Chips and an Apple, Pear & Ginger Cobbler with Cardamom Custard. The recipes are all by Lucy Brazier with photography by Jonathan Cherry.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More things from the hedgerow…

More from our blog…

Recipes | Get a Cob On

Fresh corn cobs are one of late summer’s simple pleasures. And while they’re delicious in themselves, they’re also a great vehicle for flavour. Here are a few ideas for things to put on your corn cobs to make them taste amazing

Every Herb Green Sauce

Corn on the cob, in their husks 

Big bunch of green herbs (parsley, mint, basil, chervil, sorrel, tarragon), leaves picked 

50g tin anchovies in oil 

1 tbsp capers 

2 tsp apple cider vinegar 

2 fat garlic cloves 75ml(ish) extra virgin olive oil 

1 Once your barbecue is stable, place the cobs at the edge of the fire. (If you are cooking the venison as well, then the corn will do its thing at the side while you prepare the fire to cook the meat.) Leave to cook for 10-15 mins, allowing the husks to blacken and the kernels inside to steam safely. 

2 Meanwhile, make the green sauce by whizzing the rest of the ingredients in a food processor. Adjust the seasoning as needed – adding more salt, vinegar and/or oil to balance it all out and create a thick, just-pourable sauce that is both sweet, tart and salty in equal measure. 

3 Remove the corn from the heat and, very carefully, peel back the burnt husk to reveal the kernels within. Return the cobs to the fire and cook for a further 2–3 mins over a direct flame, turning regularly until gently charred. Transfer to a plate, spoon over the sauce and serve. 

Vietnamese Spring Onion Oil

Corn on the cob, husks removed

Bunch of spring onions

100ml vegetable oil

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp fish sauce

1 Thinly slice the spring onions.

2 Heat the oil in a small pan and add the onions once hot. Stir continuously for 30 seconds until they start to frizzle.

3 Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and fish sauce until dissolved.

4 Cook your corn cobs and once cooked, drizzle over the spring onion oil.

Basil Butter

Corn on the cob, husks removed

Bunch of basil or whatever herb you prefer

A pack of butter

Black pepper

1 Finely chop your herbs.

2 Chop your butter into cubes, sprinkle in the herbs and a good grinding of black pepper then mix and mash it into the butter until evenly distributed. Roll your butter back into a log, wrap in cling film and refrigerate. 

3 When your cobs are cooked, remove the herb butter, cut into discs and place a disc to melt on top of each cob.

Mediterranean Yogurt and Feta

Corn on the cob, husks removed

Greek yogurt

Feta cheese

Fresh oregano and basil

Olive oil to drizzle

1 Chop the fresh herbs.

2 Crumble the feta into the yogurt - use as much as you like to taste and depending on how many cobs you’re serving (if you have leftovers it makes a great dip).

3 Slather the yogurt and feta mix over the cooked cobs, sprinkle with herbs and then drizzle with olive oil.

Easy Elotes (Mexican street corn)

Corn on the cob, husks removed

Cumin

Chilli powder

Sour cream

Crumbled Feta

Grated parmesan

Coriander

Lime wedges

Fresh red chilli

1 Mix the sour cream with a little cumin and chilli powder (amounts will depend on how powerful you want the punch) and crumble in the feta.

2 Spoon the creamy mix over hot corn cobs.

3 Sprinkle over the grated parmesan and chopped coriander.

4 Serve each loaded cob with a lime wedge on the side and fresh chopped red chillis if liked.

The recipe for Every Herb Green Sauce, above, is by Kathy Slack and is one of the recipes from her Tales From the Veg Patch feature in our September issue. It also includes recipes for Venison with Blackberries and Raw Kale Salad, Smoky Tomato Harissa and Damson, Thyme and Cobnut Cake.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More summer recipes…

More from our blog…

The Rules | Tomato Sandwiches

Any job, even a simple one, is always worth doing properly. Particularly if it makes the end result even more pleasurable. There’s definitely a simple pleasure in a properly done tomato sandwich… a world away from soggy bread and seeds everywhere. Here are our rules for making the very best tomato sarnie.

1. Let’s begin with the bread. The scaffolding that will hold your tomatoes together. Put down the flimsy pre-sliced plastic bread. That will not do at all. What you need here is something with substance - sourdough is a good choice as it’s dense, so it holds things together well, but anything nice and crusty will do. Wholegrain or very seedy breads are good for texture, too. If you’re worried your bread is too soft in the middle, try toasting it lightly first.* Once you have made your bread selection, cut two nice, thick slices. 

2. What to spread on your bread? The juiciness of a tomato is both its best aspect and its achilles heel, because a sliced tomato will immediately make the bread soggier than a November afternoon on Skegness seafront. To counteract this, you need to create a ‘barrier’ between bread and tomato. The best way to do this is with a reasonably thick layer of salted French butter. Specific? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. Vegans should replace this with the best quality olive oil or plant-based spread they can muster. Hipsters may use a little mashed avocado as a barrier. If you feel like something a little richer, cream cheese also makes for a good bread/tomato barrier and adds a cool, creamy foil to the sharpness of the tomatoes. A smothering of Pesto will give it some Italian attitude. 

3. Onto the main event. Ideally, your tomatoes will be picked from the garden that morning, leaving the grassy scent of the vines all over your hands and clothes as you bring them in. If you aren’t a grow-your-own type, just look for the freshest tomatoes you can find, preferably on the vine. The variety is entirely up to you - pick your favourite! But we love a large, knobbly beefsteak type as it has lots of pink flesh in the middle for plenty of bite and fewer seeds. Whichever you choose, slice the fruits about half the width of your bread and then place them in two layers across one slice of the buttered bread.

4. What about condiments? Well, the most important question is: salt and pepper? Or… and bear with us here… sugar? If you’ve never given it a go, it’s worth trying at least once. Just sprinkle a little crunchy sugar over your sliced tomatoes. The acidic nature of the tomatoes will soften the sugar slightly and bring out the sweetness of them a little more. If salt is your preferred condiment, a rough, flaky salt with big crystals is best for added crunch. If you want to be very fancy, a smoked salt such as Viking Salt, available from specialist food stores, adds a depth of flavour to the sandwich. A generous grinding of black pepper is optional but always welcome. 

5. And herbs? Basil is classic, of course. Snipped chives also add oniony savouriness to tomatoes. Any fresh herbs will bring new flavour to your tomato sandwich. Dried herbs need not apply. 

6. Let’s close this lunch deal. Pop your top slice on the tomato layer, press down firmly and slice your sandwich in half. We think triangles taste better than rectangles but you do you. 

*A word about toasting your bread. If crunch is the way you choose to go, we highly recommend trying our three-ingredient recipe for Grated Tomato on Fried Bread, from our new series ‘Please Yourself’ in our August issue. It might just be the simplest and most delicious thing you’ll try this month.

Photography by Kirstie Young

Our Tomato Sandwich Rules were inspired by our colourful back cover image from our August issue. The issue is in shops now and can also be purchased from our online store. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More ways with tomatoes…

More from our August issue…

Recipe | Sunflower Heart Tarte Tatin

Sunflowers, when prepared properly, have a texture like aubergine and taste like a perfumed artichoke heart, making for a tasty seasonal tart.

Ingredients

Serves 4

10g butter
6 shallots, finely sliced
4 small or 2 large sunflower heads, with petals
1 glass of white wine
2 tsp oregano leaves
2 tsp thyme leaves
320g puff pastry
25g mature cheddar, grated

To make

1 Heat a splash of olive oil and the butter in a pan over a medium low heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and sweat for about 10 mins, or until golden. Set aside.

2 To prepare your sunflower hearts, remove any petals (set aside) and pull off the seeds (if they don’t push out easily, lever out with a spoon). Next, use a knife to scrape the paper cases from the spongy base, discard, and trim away the green parts of the flower head, including the leaves and where the stem joins underneath. You should be left with a round, white, slightly spongy base of the flower head.

3 Slice the spongy bases into long strips and place in a bowl along with the wine and half of the oregano and thyme. Submerge the strips under the wine, ensuring 128 that they’re covered, otherwise they’ll oxidise and will go brown.

4 Return the pan of shallots to the hob, adding the sunflower strips, the wine and the remaining oregano and thyme leaves. Heat until the wine evaporates and the sunflower strips start to soften.

5 Line a round 32cm dish with baking paper. Spoon the sunflower and shallot mixture into the middle of the dish and leave to cool.

6 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. When the filling is cool, roll out the puff pastry to the same size as the dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the filling and carefully place the pastry disc on top, ensuring all the ingredients are tucked inside. Press down the pastry and tuck in the edges. Prick a couple of holes in the centre to allow steam to escape. Bake for 35–40 mins, or until golden.

7 Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a serving platter. Discard the baking paper and scatter over the reserved sunflower petals to serve.

Taken from Buds & Blossoms by Liz Knight (Hardie Grant). Photography: Kim Lightbody

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More ideas for summer lunches…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Summer Crostini

Edible flowers add colour and fun to these crunchy beetroot, tomato and houmous crostini

Serves 6

Ingredients
One small baguette
250g houmous
1 raw beetroot, peeled and thinly sliced
250g mixed coloured cherry tomatoes, halved
Edible flowers (try nigella, marigold, nasturtium, pansies and violets)
Olive oil, to drizzle

To make
1 Cut the baguette into thin slices and lightly toast to make crostini.

2 Spread each crostini generously with the houmous.

3 Layer the beetroot and tomato on top of the houmous, then decorate each bite with an edible flower and season with salt and pepper.

4 Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve immediately on a nice platter.

This recipe is taken from our August ‘Gathering’ feature, which we’ve called ‘Circle of Friends’ and includes a menu for a lunch with mates: Grapefruit & Kombucha Refreshers, Coconut & Yogurt Herb Dip, Salmon, Saffron & Lime Kebabs, Cucumber, Lemon & Goat’s Cheese Salad and Honey Mascarpone Tart with Fig. The recipes are by Kay Prestney and photography by Rebecca Lewis.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More summer recipes…

More from our blog…

Tipple | Rose, Chia & Almond Sherbati

This celebratory rose-flavoured milkshake from Zanzibar is just the thing for balmy
summer days

Serves 5–6

Ingredients

1ltr almond milk
75g caster sugar
150ml rose syrup
Seeds scraped from ½ vanilla pod (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
Ice cubes
2 tsp chia seeds (or basil seeds)
75g pistachios, finely chopped

To make

1 Combine the almond milk, sugar, rose syrup and vanilla in a blender.

2 Add 4 or 5 ice cubes and blend until smooth. Pour in the chia seeds and leave to bloom for at least 5 mins, or until they’ve become jelly-like.

3 Pour over ice, then garnish with a sprinkling of pistachios in each glass.

Server’s note: Sherbati is made during Muharram – the first month of the Islamic new year, which this year begins on 7 July. Traditionally, a big batch is made, bottled up, and donated to children in Zanzibar. It’s a sweeter version as it’s made with condensed milk and basil seeds, which bloom and become gelatinous, like chia seeds. Best enjoyed ice cold.

Taken from Bahari: Recipes From An Omani Kitchen And Beyond by Dina Macki (DK Books). Photography by Patricia Niven

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More tipples to try…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Gooseberry, Thyme & Almond Galette

Photography by Kirstie Young

There’s something so free and easy about a galette. Effortless, generous and welcoming of almost any fruit. Once you’ve tried this version with gooseberries, try rhubarb, plums, apples, apricots, blackberries, cherries and so on. The quantities below are enough for two pastry bases, so freeze half the batch for your next fruit glut.

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the pastry:
325g plain flour
100g icing sugar
175g salted butter, cold and cubed
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp cold milk

For the Filling:
1 tbsp thyme leaves
3 tbsp caster sugar
300g gooseberries
1 egg, white and yolk separated
2 tbsp semolina
1 tbsp demerara sugar

To make

1 Start by making the pastry. Mix the flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor until sandy. Add the egg yolk and milk and whizz until just combined. Shape into two discs and wrap. Freeze one for next time and chill the other for at least 30 mins.

2 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6 and place a baking sheet in the oven to get hot (which will prevent the notorious soggy bottom).

3 Next, for the filling. Put the thyme leaves and caster sugar in a pestle and mortar and give it a good bash. Mix this sugar with the gooseberries so that each one is coated.

4 Take the chilled pastry disc and roll it out into a round, about 3mm thick. I do this between two sheets of baking paper to avoid sticking.

5 Place the rolled pastry on a sheet of baking paper (if it isn’t already on one), and brush the middle of the pastry with the egg yolk leaving a 3-4cm border of un-egged pastry at the edge. Sprinkle the semolina over the eggy middle. Now pile the sugared gooseberries on top and fold the border of un-egged pastry up around the sides. Don’t fret if it creases, cracks, or looks messy – it’s all part of the charm.

6 Brush the folded pastry with the egg white and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Transfer to the preheated baking sheet and bake for 40 mins. Leave to rest for 15 mins before serving so the pastry can firm up, then drown in custard or cream… or both!

This galette is from our ‘Tales From The Veg Patch’ feature in our July issue, which is bursting with ideas for cooking and eating seasonal fruit. The recipes are by Kathy Slack.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More things to do with summer fruits…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Cherry & Burrata Bruschetta

A very special lunch for when you need a treat. Simple to make, but unusual enough to make bread and cheese feel like an occasion.

Serves 1

150g cherries, stoned
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 slice sourdough bread
120g burrata
Small handful basil, leaves picked
Edible flowers, to serve

1 Tear the cherries in half. Mix the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small dish then add the cherries and muddle together. Set aside for 10 mins – although these can be left for up to 24 hours.

2 For the toast, set a griddle pan over a high heat. Drizzle the remaining oil over both sides of the bread and fry on each side until slightly charred.

3 To serve, top the toast with torn burrata and the drained cherries. Finish with basil, edible flowers, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Cook’s note: You could swap burrata for mozzarella, if you’d prefer.

This recipe is taken from our regular feature, Takes From the Veg Patch, by Kathy Slack with photography by Kirstie Young. This month’s recipes also include a Gooseberry, Thyme & Almond Galette, Rhubarb & Rosemary Fridge Jam.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More cheery cherry recipes…

More from our blog…

Cakes to Keep | Nussecken (nut corners)

In our June issue we asked you to share your recipes for cakes that are ‘keepers’ - the tried and tested ones, passed on by friends or family. Here’s one to whet your appetite.

‘Nussecken are common in Germany, but this recipe is a hand me-down that reached my family when I was a child. The grandmother of my best friend in nursery was a proper farmer granny: solid body, solid character, solid baking! I was always in awe (and a little bit scared) of her. Baking was her love language – there were always baked goods in her little kitchen, which smelled of coffee, butter biscuits and somehow, burnt onions. She gave my mum this nussecken recipe – or rather, a brief ingredients list, handwritten on a ripped-out notebook page – and when I moved to the UK in 2016, this bit of my German home came with me in the recipe folder that my mum made for me. It’s well loved and ever-growing, and now the nussecken are my boyfriend’s favourite treat, too.’ Mareike Wehner, Prenton, Merseyside

Makes around 30

300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
150g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium eggs
130g margarine
3-4 tbsp jam (such as apricot or plum)

For the topping:
220g margarine
200g sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
300-400g mixed chopped nuts (use your favourites, but definitely use almonds and hazelnuts!)

To finish:
200g dark chocolate 

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. Make the base by mixing all of the ingredients, except for the jam, together and spread out on a large, buttered baking tray. Spread the jam on top using the back of a spoon.

2 For the topping, melt the margarine and sugar slowly in a pan. Add the vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of water. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and add the nuts, then stir to mix gently.

3 Pour the nut mix onto the base and bake everything for 25 mins, or until set and starting to brown.

4 Leave to cool, then cut into triangles that fit nicely into your palm (the equivalent of 3-4 large bites). Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie and dip two corners of the triangles into the molten chocolate and leave to harden on baking paper.

Cook’s note: If bits break off, not to worry – but eat the evidence as quickly as possible! Also, if there’s any chocolate left, use a spoon and release your inner Jackson Pollock over the drying nussecken.

We shared four more recipes for your hand-me-down cakes in our June issue. It’s on sale now or available to order to your door from our online store.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More cake we’d like to share…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Nectarine & Apricot Pudding Pizza

Blending the sweetness of the fruits and dark chocolate with the savoury base to prove that pizzas don’t just have to be for mains.

Makes 1 pizza

1 ball of homemade pizza dough (see the May issue for the recipe or make to your own recipe or buy)
2 tbsp apricot jam
1 large fresh nectarine, stoned and cut into 1cm thick segments
1 tbsp dark chocolate chips
2 tsp icing sugar

1 One a lightly-floured surface to stop it from sticking, roll out your dough to create a thin base.

2 Spread the jam on top, leaving a 2cm gap around the edge. Place the nectarine on top of the jam, then sprinkle over the chocolate chips.

3 Use a floured pizza peel to carefully place the pizza in a pizza oven (the temp should be around 400C). Check it every minute and turn halfway through cooking. It should take around 2-3 mins and is ready once the chocolate starts to melt and the edges turn golden.

4 To serve, place on a board and dust with icing sugar.

Cook’s note: To cook in the oven, place on a lined baking tray in a preheated oven at 200C/Fan 180C/ Gas 6 for 8-10 mins, or until the edges begin to brown.

This pudding pizza is just one of the pizza ideas from our May issue feature, Pizza Piazza. Pick up a copy of the May issue for the other recipes, which include homemade pizza dough, homemade tomato sauce, chilli spiced aubergines, Spring Shoots Pizza, Chilli & Paprika Spicy Pizza Bread. The recipes are by Kay Prestney and the photography by Rebecca Lewis.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More ideas for a pizza night…

More from our May issue…

Make | Pickled Radish on Rye

Colourful spring veg bring sunshine to your May table. They’re delcious with a slathering of butter on thin slices of rye bread

Serves 6

250g radishes
5 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp fennel or mustard seeds
Loaf of rye bread
Unsalted butter

1 Trim the ends of the radishes before slicing them, no thicker than a pound coin, and put them in a sterilised jam jar with a vinegar-proof lid.

2 Put the vinegar, sugar and seeds in a pan and bring to a simmer. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and pour over the radishes. Stir and leave to cool before storing it in the fridge. Use within a week.

3 Serve on rye or sourdough, thinly sliced and thickly spread with butter.

Cook’s note: You can add flavour to the butter by softening it and stirring in chopped herbs, crushed garlic or anchovies. For easy canapés, cut the bread into bite-size pieces and top with a couple of slices of radish.

Find this and more ideas for a Whitsun gathering from page 6 in our May ‘Folk’ issue, in shops now. The recipes are by Lucy Brazier and the photographs by Jonathan Cherry.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More recipes for spring…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Spiced Honey Scotch Bonnet Ham with Pineapple Rice

Inspired by the spices used in Caribbean dishes, this rich and sticky celebration ham makes a tasty spring Sunday roast.

Serves 7-8

Ingredients

2.5kg unsmoked or smoked boned and rolled gammon joint
1 onion, halved
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 fresh bay leaf
1 scotch bonnet chilli, halved
½ bunch of thyme, tied together

For the glaze:
½ tsp allspice
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
100g clear runny honey
½ scotch bonnet chilli
50g pineapple, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp vegetable oil

For the rice:
80g unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic granules
1½ tsp allspice
2 tsp dried thyme
400g long-grain rice
300g pineapple, cubed
2×400g tins kidney beans, drained
4 spring onions, finely sliced

1 Place the ham in a deep pan and add the veg, chilli and herbs. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook gently for 1hr 40 mins. Turn off the heat and leave for 30 mins.

2 Line a roasting tin with foil, add the ham and leave to cool. Retain the cooking water – you’ll need 650ml, so top it up if needed.

3 Preheat the oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas 7. Using a knife, remove the ham skin, then score the fat.

4 For the glaze, blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Brush half over the ham and roast for 15 mins. Brush again with the remaining glaze and roast for a further 10–15 mins. Leave to rest, but keep the oven on.

5 For the rice, heat the butter in an ovenproof pan. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and fry gently for 15 mins. Add the garlic granules, allspice and dried thyme, and cook for 1 min more. Stir through the rice, pineapple and kidney beans, then pour over the reserved ham stock and bring to a simmer.

6 Once simmering, cover and transfer to the oven for 20 mins, then remove from the oven and leave the lid on for 10 mins. Fluff the rice, stir through the spring onions and season with salt.

7 Slice the ham and serve it alongside the pineapple rice.

Cook’s note: Bring the ham to room temp 2 hours before cooking to help it cook more evenly. It’ll keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Taken from The Modern Spice Rack by Esther Clark and Rachel Walker (Hardie Grant). Photography: Matt Russell

More from our May issue…

More spring recipe ideas…

Recipe | Maypole Cake

Whether you end up dancing or not, the Maypole encapsulates the month’s playful spirit – we think it’s the, er… icing on the cake

Makes 1 cake
350g rhubarb, cut into 1cm chunks
50g caster sugar
Zest and juice of 1 orange
300ml double cream, whipped
Icing sugar, for dusting

For the cake:
200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
Zest and juice of 1 orange
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. Put the rhubarb in a roasting tin, sprinkle over the sugar, orange zest and juice. Cover and cook for 15 mins, or until the rhubarb is soft, but not falling apart. Leave to cool.

2 To make the cake, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add one egg at a time with a spoonful of flour to stop the mixture curdling.

3 Add the orange zest and juice. Fold in the flour and baking powder and pour into two greased and lined 20cm sandwich tins. Bake for around 20 mins, checking they’re cooked by piercing the middle with a skewer until it comes out clean. Leave in the tins for 15 mins before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

4 To serve, fold the rhubarb into the whipped cream and generously cover the base of one sponge with the mix. Sandwich the second cake on top and dust lightly with some icing sugar. To make a tabletop Maypole Use a knitting needle and 6mm-wide ribbons. Tie the ribbons to the top of the needle and pierce the cake, leaving the ribbons to stream around or tuck them underneath the base of the sponge.

This Maypole Cake recipe is just one of the recipes from our May ‘gathering’ feature which we’ve called ‘Come What May’. It’s a menu for a Whitsun Get-Together, hopefully in the sunshine (British weather allowing) and also incudes recipes for Quick Elderflower & Rosemary Cordial, Pickled Radish on Rye, Whitsun Warldorf Salad, Asparagus & Pea Quiche and Herby Broadbean Couscous. The recipes are by Lucy Brazier and the photographs by Jonathan Cherry.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

Recipe | Spicy Roast Chickpeas

Chickpeas are no modern invention. In fact, Apicius, ancient Rome’s famous culinary writer, wrote a recipe for roasted chickpeas baked in olive oil and served with white wine, anchovy paste and pepper. Do feel free to try his version as well, but here’s our crunchy version. They’re great snacks to have with drinks, or add a few to your lunchbox.

Makes 1 jar

2 x 400g cans of chickpeas
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp za’atar
1 tsp sumac

1 Drain the chickpeas and make sure they’re absolutely dry (a clean tea towel works well for this and it’s essential if you want the chickpeas to be really crispy). If you have time, leave them in a sieve for 30 mins to release any excess moisture.

2 Preheat the oven to 200C/ Fan 180C/Gas 6. Toss the dried chickpeas in the olive oil and sea salt and tip onto a baking tray in a single layer. Place in the centre of the oven for 20-30 mins, shaking every 10 mins, until they’re brown and crispy.

3 Once roasted, sprinkle with the spices to fully coat, turn the oven off, then put the tray of chickpeas back in the oven to cool. This dehydrates them and results in a super crispy chickpea. When they’re completely cold, store in a sealed jar and eat within 3 days.

Cook’s Note: You can play around with other spice combinations. For a sweet and spicy version, combine ¼ tsp each of garlic salt, chilli powder, cumin, salt and black pepper, plus 1 tbsp brown sugar.

The recipe and photography above are from our feature Magic Beans by Kirstie Young, which is all about the not-so-humble chickpea. You can find the rest of the recipes in our April issue. They include Farinata with Fennel, Chicory & Walnuts, Falafel Burgers with Quick Pickles, Chana Masala with Nigella & Herby Rice, and Aquafaba Meringues with Hibiscus Pears.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More snacks to make…

More from our April issue…

Wild Recipe | Nettle Rarebit

Much foraged greenery comes under the bracket of ‘edible, in that it won’t kill you, but not really worth the bother.’ So many are just a bit bland, but not nettles, which have irony, peppery brightness to their flavour making them unique and great fun to cook with. Not fun to pick though. Wear gloves, avoid patches at dog-wee height, and wash them thoroughly, using only the young leaves at the growing tips.

Makes 4 slices

400ml whole milk
2 bay leaves
6 black peppercorns
30g butter
30g plain flour
200g cheddar cheese, grated, plus extra for topping
100g nettle leaves, washed
4 thick slices of crusty farmhouse bread or sourdough

1 Warm the milk in a large pan with the bay and peppercorns. Pour into a jug and set aside to infuse.

2 Melt the butter in the empty milk pan over a low heat, then add the flour and cook for 2 mins, stirring all the while. Pour in the infused milk (having removed the bay and peppercorns), a little at a time, whisking it into the flour mixture before adding the next glug. Keep whisking so it doesn’t go lumpy. When the sauce is the consistency of thick double cream, stop adding the milk and leave to bubble for 2 mins, stirring regularly so it thickens further. You can now remove the thick, smooth sauce from the heat. Fold in the cheddar and season generously with salt and pepper.

3 In another saucepan set over a low heat, wilt the nettle leaves in a tablespoon of boiling water for 2-3 mins. Tip them into a colander and squeeze out the excess water, then roughly chop and stir into the cheese sauce.

4 Set your grill to medium. Arrange the slices of bread on a baking tray and toast on one side. Turn the slices over and spread the cheesy nettle sauce on the untoasted side. Top with a little more cheddar, then return to the grill for 5-8 mins, or until bubbling. Serve immediately.

This recipe is taken from our April issue’s Veg Patch Pantry pages by Kathy Slack, with photography by Kirstie Young. The pages also contain recipes for Shichimi Togarashi Radish Spring Rolls, Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Anchovies, Almonds and Chilli and Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More wild recipes…

More from our April issue…

Tipple | Cornish Wrecker Cocktail

Gather some gorse while out on a walk to create a zesty cocktail that tastes of the coast

These royally good cocktails were served to the Queen on a visit to the Eden Project in 2021 – this is Cornwall in a glass. Makes 1 glass

For the syrup:
200g caster sugar
2 handfuls of gorse flowers
2 drops of natural coconut flavouring

For the cocktail:
50ml Wrecking Coast Clotted Cream gin (or your favourite gin)
12.5ml coconut rum
1½ tbsp lemon juice
1½ tbsp gorse flower syrup
Ice cubes
Soda water
1 lemon twist (or slice)
Edible flowers (we used borage), to garnish

1 First, make the gorse flower syrup. In a saucepan, heat the sugar, gorse flowers, coconut flavouring and 100ml of water over a very low heat for about 30 mins, or until the sugar’s dissolved, the flowers have wilted and the syrup has turned a gentle yellow colour.

2 Remove from the heat and leave to infuse and cool for at least 6 hrs, or ideally overnight. Strain then decant into a sterilised jar.

3 To make the cocktail, shake all the ingredients, except for the soda water and garnish, together in an ice-filled cocktail shaker until super cold.

4 Strain over ice and top up with soda water. Garnish with a lemon twist and a borage flower to serve.

Bartender’s note: When picking gorse flowers, always wear gloves and check thoroughly for bugs. Only pick open buds.

Taken from Time & Tide by Emily Scott (Hardie Grant). Photography: Kristin Perers

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our April issue…

More tipples to try…