Late Summer Splendour Recipe Round-up!

1. Heat the oven to 250F. Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up in a roasting tin, drizzle with some olive oil and season. Roast for about an hour. We did this alongside a massive roasting batch of halved cherry tomatoes for freezer storage. Those kept roasting for a bit longer, but these came out just as they were getting soft and the skins were looking nice and wrinkly. Set aside in a covered bowl to cool.
2. Cook the onions in a medium ovenproof frying pan or cast iron with the 2 tsp olive oil over a medium heat until they start to caramelise, about 8 mins.
3. Once the onions have softened, add the peppers and season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and cayenne. Peel the skins from the roasted tomatoes, then add these to the pan of onions and peppers along with all the resting juices.

4. Crush the tomatoes roughly with a wooden spoon and cook for 5 mins over a medium-high heat. Add the wild garlic or spinach and wilt for a minute, then remove from the heat. Tuck the bread pieces in amongst the mixture, then create three gaps for the eggs using the spoon. Crack the eggs into the gaps, crumble over the feta and grate over the halloumi. Drizzle with some extra olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes. I threw some fresh cherry tomatoes in there too for an extra pop of tomatoey goodness.

5. Turn the oven up to 375 and bake the shakshuka for 12-15 mins. The eggs should be cooked but runny in the middle, and the feta, halloumi and bread should be crisp and golden. I definitely overbaked the shakshouka pictured and it ended up a bit dry, but it was still DELICIOUS.

6. I added some fresh basil on top, and could probably have added cilantro and/or green onion as well! It's a very flexible flavour palette.

1. Use non-stick vegetable oil spray or butter to lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons (25g) of the olive oil atop the spray; the spray keeps the bread from sticking, while the olive oil gives the bottom crust great flavour and a bit of crunch.
2. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons (35g) of the olive oil with the rest of the dough ingredients, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.
3. Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes — it should be quite puffy, but not fragile-looking.
4. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine vegetables with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the za’atar, and toss to combine. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until soft. This can also be done on the bbq. Remove form the oven and allow to cool.
5. Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger.
6. Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and top with the roasted vegetables. Add the feta and olives, and add some extra za’atar if desired.
7. Bake the bread until it’s golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
8. Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Top with ribbons of fresh basil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

1. dice about half of your zucchinis, half your eggplant (if available), and one whole red pepper, and toss in a large pan to sauté with some oil and a bit of salt

   (if you like yourself some onions and garlic, sauté them first and then throw the other veg in on top)

2. medallion the rest of your zucchinis and eggplant, salt heavily, shake about, and leave in a strainer to drain for the rest of this process

3. slice some toms too, while you're at it, but leave them aside

4. once the veg are shining bright and starting to soften, throw a can of diced tomatoes in with them, stir, and let bubble for a bit (season as you like – parsley is nice, red pepper flakes, maybe some cayenne, follow your heart there)

5. in a medium bowl, dump the two tubs of ricotta and two eggs in and stir. i added some parmesan here, but other recipes have added mozzarella, cheddar… follow your heart here too.

6. dice up your fresh basil and mix it in with the ricotta. add some salt and pepper too.

7. at about this point, set your oven to preheat to 400 degrees

8. boil some water and cook your lasagna noodles, slightly al dente (not too soft)

9. get out a 9 x 13 tray and an 8 x 8 tray, or equivalent

10. lightly rinse the salted medallions of veggies and shake out a bit so they aren't too soggy or salty

11. layer in sauce, then noodles, then ricotta, then sauce, etc, until you are basically out of room. finish with a final layer of noodles and then alternate medallions of veggies for a fancy four colour rainbow effect!

12. grate some additional parmesan over top and toss in the oven, or, if you like, the freezer for later

13. should take between 40-50 minutes to cook up nice and crispy, if you have both pans in the oven, but check at the 30 minute mark – our oven runs cool so who knows.

14. congratulations! you've allocated a bunch of delicious veggies into an easily freezable lunch/dinner solution!

1. Use the large holes of a box grater to grate zucchini. Toss with the salt in a mixing bowl, and let stand for 20 – 30 minutes, or until softened and juices are released. Squeeze out excess liquid from zucchini in a colander over the sink. Don't be afraid to really squish your hands together!

2. Mix zucchini with grated cheese and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
3. Spread/brush olive oil or butter on the sides of the bread that will touch the pan. Spread zucchini/cheese mixture on to the bread (4 slices, not coated in butter/oil).

4. Preheat skillet or griddle over medium heat. Place sandwiches in the pan, and allow to brown fully on one side. Flip and cook on the other side until browned and the cheese inside is melted and gooey. Serve with salad or pickled veggie sandwich slaw.

Pie Filling

1. pick out a few handfuls of tomatoes, chop up the zucchini and eggplant and green onions into whatever size and shape you like – the smittenkitchen recipe suggests cubes and i did disks. so long as they aren't too thick, it should be fine. i salted the zucchini and eggplant at this point so it had some time to sink in.

2. bloop the olive oil into a large skillet

3. toss the handfuls of tomatoes into the oil

4. crank it to high heat and cover the skillet. shuffle the toms around a bit now and again so they don't burn.

5. wait until you hear the tomatoes popping and sizzling, then turn the heat down a bit

6. throw the zucchini and eggplant in and stir

7. cook for about 2-3 minutes until the zuke and eggies are soft but not mushy

8. throw the green onions in, stir a bit, and turn off the heat

9. spread out the veggies on a plate so they cool faster. i scooped the veggies out of the pan and tried to leave the bulk of the juices behind because pies are touchy about liquid! (but i saved it because it smelled delicious and could make a good additive to a pizza/pasta sauce or a carrot soup or something – you could freeze it in an ice cube tray to store it if you like)

10. cook the cob of corn by putting it in a pot of water, bringing it to a boil, and waiting until the colour of the corn seems really bright. then pull it out and cut the corn off the cob and add it to the plate of veggies.

Make The Pie Crust and Leave To Chill In The Fridge For A Bit

1. everyone has a different way to make a pie crust, and my own favourite recipe is a friend's family secret, but here are some general tips that always help me have success – i'll bet you or your elders or your youngers or your neighbours have some great ideas as well!

2. throw whatever fat you are using (shortening, butter, lard) into the freezer well before you start the process – the colder the fat you use, the better!

3. dice the butter/shortening/lard with a cold sharp knife before you toss it in the flour to give yourself a head start on breaking it up.

4. work quickly and confidently and don't worry about getting a perfectly crumbly texture. some chunks are ok!

5. that chill time in the fridge after the dough is made does some important work. i don't know why, but it does always seem to help.

Pie Assembly

1. once the filling is lukewarm or cooler, it's time to roll out the dough

2. sprinkle some flour on a clean dry surface and smash the dough out into a chubby circle

3. start rolling it out, flipping it and spinning it and adding flour when necessary, to try and get a somewhat even circle. it needs to be fairly thin.

4. transfer it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

5. dollop the filling into the centre of the pie crust – leave at least two inches all the way around

6. add more salt if you like, and grate some parmesan on top

7. fold over the excess pie crust in little sections so that it makes a circular shape

8. get that egg yolk out and use either the back of a spoon or a little brush to spread it on the top of the pie crust

9. then add more parmesan and pepper on top

10. bake at 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown!