Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red onions, halved and sliced
• 6 pork sausages
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• Small bunch of thyme, leaves picked
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 400g can plum tomatoes
• 200g cavolo nero or other winter greens
• 75g butter
• 75g plain flour
• 850ml milk
• Nutmeg, for grating
• 50g parmesan, grated
• 12 lasagne sheets
• Green salad, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat and cook the onions for 8-10 mins until softened and starting to caramelise. Meanwhile, squeeze the sausagemeat from the skins.
2. Push the onions to one side of the casserole, then add the sausagemeat to the other. Squash it into smaller pieces using a wooden spoon, stirring occasionally for 10-12 mins until cooked and starting to brown in places. Mix the onions back in, then add the garlic, thyme, chilli flakes and tomato purée. Cook for another 1-2 mins. Tip in the plum tomatoes, crushing them with the back of the spoon. Season and bubble for 15-20 mins until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has reduced to a thick ragu.
3. Put the kettle on to boil. If using cavolo nero, remove and discard the tough stalks and roughly chop the leaves. For softer veg like spinach or chard, you can leave the stalks on. Put in a colander set over the sink and pour over a kettle of just-boiled water, then rinse the leaves under cold running water until cool enough to handle. Squeeze out as much water as you can, transfer to a board and finely chop. Stir the greens into the sausage ragu, cook for 1-2 mins until any excess liquid has evaporated (the mixture should be quite dry), remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.
4. Melt the butter in a separate saucepan over a medium heat. When sizzling, stir in the flour to make a sandy paste. Whisk in the milk, a splash at a time, until completely incorporated. When the sauce is smooth and the consistency of custard, season well, grate in a good amount of nutmeg and stir in half the parmesan. Remove from the heat and set aside.
5. Drop the lasagne sheets into a large pan of boiling salted water one at a time to prevent them sticking together, then cook for 5-6 mins, stirring until soft enough to roll up but not fully cooked through. Drain and plunge into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
6. If the béchamel sauce has thickened as it’s cooled down, stir in a splash more milk. Spoon a third of the sauce over the base of a baking dish roughly 25 x 35cm. Lift a sheet of lasagne out of the bowl of cold water and lay on a board with one of the short ends facing you. Spoon a generous tbsp of the sausage ragu over one end, then roll it up to enclose the filling, making a short cannelloni – there will be a little overlapping pasta. Place it in the baking dish, then continue with the remaining ragu and lasagne sheets, arranging them in the baking dish in two rows of six cannelloni. Spoon any remaining ragu over the top, then pour over the béchamel sauce to cover all the cannelloni rolls. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Will keep covered and chilled for up to two days or frozen for up to two months. Leave to cool completely first. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight before cooking. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, then bake the cannelloni for 40 mins until bubbling at the edges and golden brown on top. Grind over some black pepper, if you like, and serve with a crisp green salad.

Ingredients

• 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• ½ chorizo ring (about 100g/4oz), roughly chopped
• 25g butter
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 500ml milk
• 140g gruyère, grated
• 500g cod loin, chopped into large chunks
• 50g breadcrumbs
• ½ small pack parsley, finely chopped

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and blanch the cauliflower for 3-4 mins until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat a non-stick frying pan and cook the chorizo for a couple of mins to brown, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil behind. Melt the butter in the pan, then add the flour to make a roux. Pour in the milk gradually, whisking constantly, until smooth. Add the Gruyère, stir until melted, then season.
3. Put the cauliflower in a baking dish (or divide between individual dishes) with the chorizo and cod. Spoon over the cheese sauce and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and parsley. Bake for 30-40 mins until the top is golden.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1kg stewing beef, cut into large chunks
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 10 carrots, cut into large chunks
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 500ml of canned stout
• 1 beef stock cube
• Pinch of sugar
• 3 bay leaves
• Big thyme sprig

Method

1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat the oil in large lidded casserole dish, brown the meat really well in batches, then set aside. Add the onion and carrots to the dish, give them a good browning, then scatter over the flour and stir. Tip the meat and any juices back into the dish and give it all a good stir. Pour over the stout and crumble in the stock cube. Season the stew with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Tuck in the herbs and bring everything to a simmer.
2. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for about 2½ hrs until the meat is really tender. The stew can now be chilled and frozen for up to 3 months – defrost completely before reheating until piping hot. Leave the stew to settle a little, then serve with creamy parsnip mash for a true celebration of winter vegetables.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 large red onion, finely sliced
• 250g bag diced butternut squash and sweet potato
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 2 x 400g cans chilli black beans or chilli kidney beans
• 3 tbsp chipotle chilli paste
• 125g self-raising flour
• 60g unsalted butter, cubed
• 70g mature cheddar, grated
• 1 large green jalapeño, finely sliced

Method

1. Heat a glug of vegetable oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 7 mins until softened. Tip in the squash and sweet potato and fry for a few minutes before adding the tomatoes, beans and 250ml water. Stir through the chipotle paste and season to taste. Pop a lid on the dish and gently simmer over a low to medium heat for 25 mins or until reduced and the sweet potato is soft.
2. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mix the flour with ½ tsp salt. Add the butter and rub together with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the grated cheddar then quickly mix in 4 tbsp cold water. Roll the mixture into eight balls. Put the dumplings on top of the stew and place, uncovered, in the oven for 15-20 mins, or until puffed up and light golden brown. Serve the stew with the sliced jalapeño scattered on top, if you like.

Ingredients

• 200g dried chickpeas, soaked for 6-8 hours
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp baharat
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped, to serve
• 3 medium aubergines, sliced into 2cm rounds
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 50g pine nuts, toasted, to serve
• Pitta breads or flatbreads, to serve

Method

1. Drain the chickpeas and bring to the boil in a pan of salted water. Cook for 10 mins, then drain.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onions for 10 mins, or until beginning to soften. Stir in the garlic, baharat and cinnamon and cook for 1 min. Tip the onion mixture into a slow cooker and add the chickpeas, parsley stalks, aubergines, tomatoes and a can of water. Season. Cover and cook on high for 2 hrs, then turn the heat to low and cook for 6-8 hrs more until the mixture has reduced slightly and the chickpeas and aubergines are really tender.
3. Stir in the lemon juice, then scatter over the pine nuts and parsley leaves. Drizzle over some extra olive oil and serve with pitta breads or flatbreads, if you like.