Jerk sweet potatoes

Jerk sweet potatoes

2 sweet potatoes
1 red onion
1 red chilli, deseeded
a handful of cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp sugar
generous pinch of allspice
1 lemon
a large knob of butter (40g)
1 lime
1 star anise
a small knob of ginger, grated
a small handful of parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Prick the potatoes all over and place directly on the oven shelf and bake for 45 minutes. Peel and dice the red onion and chop the chilli.
Chuck the onion, chilli, tomatoes, sugar, allspice and oil into a pan. Fry for a few minutes. Zest and juice the lemon into the pan.
Boil the tomato mixture then turn down to a medium heat and bubble until the tomatoes have almost broken down to a mush. Add the butter to another pan along with the zest of the lime, star anise and grated ginger.Melt the butter over a low heat, then remove the star anise.
Remove the potatoes once cooked, slice down the length but not right to the ends and push in the sides so that the opening becomes wider.
Fluff up the potato a little with a fork then pour over a little butter. Mash some more before adding the piquant tomatoes. Scatter over some parsley and serve with extra butter.

Winter Veggie Bake

Winter Veggie Bake


1 mug of long grain rice
1 butternut squash
glug of olive oil
sprig of fresh rosemary
sprig of fresh thyme
1 large courgette
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 eggs
chunk of hard Italian cheese, grated
handful of pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 200°C and bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Tip the rice into the water and cook for 10 minutes until plump and cooked, as per packet instructions.
Strip the leaves from the rosemary and thyme and finely chop. Peel, deseed and dice the squash into thumb-nail sized pieces and bung into a roasting tray with a splash of olive oil, salt, pepper and the chopped herbs. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
Slice the courgette into rounds as thick as your finger and toss in a little salt, pepper and oil in a bowl. :ay them on a baking tray so there is no overlapping and roast for 15 minutes, or char-grill them on a hot, cast iron griddle for a minute or so on either side. Peel and finely slice the onion and garlic and gently sweat off in a frying pan for 10 minutes so that they are soft and sweet. Drain the cooked rice and tip into the bowl you used to toss the courgettes in oil. Stir in the grated cheese and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Crack the eggs into the rice and mix together with the cooked onions and garlic.
Press the rice into the bottom of a baking dish, then cover in a layer of courgette slices and scatter the top with the roasted squash. Finish with a handful of pinenuts and return to the oven for 10 minutes before serving.