Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 desertspoon sugar (2 teaspoons)

• A few twists of Salt and Pepper

• If you have Dill - use it!

Slice the cucumber and leave to sit in the mixture. Tossing it regularly to ensure it all has time to infuse.

Method

Slice the cucumber and leave to sit in the mixture. Tossing it regularly to ensure it all has time to infuse.

Slicing the Cucumber.

Each to there own on this one - my fave is to peel the cucumber and drag a fork down the sides so that when I slice it there is a frilly edge to the slice. I also don’t worry about cutting the slice very thin - to me that’s the wet handshake of the cucumber world!

NOTE

A teaspoon in your drawer may not be a measured teaspoon. They are often smaller. Please use proper measures - your recipes will taste so much better! You can pick up measuring cups, spoons and glasses in any kitchen shop but Dealz and Tiger usually have them too!

Simple and adaptable.

• 200g Red Cabbage (this is less than 1/2 a head)

• 50 mls Lemon Juice

• Black Pepper

Thats it!! The rest is optional and interchangeable - add as you like.

• 1 or 2 scallions

• 1 or 2 celery sticks

• Red or Green Chilli

Method

Finely slice your cabbage and don’t bother using the thick outer layers - make sure you are left with around 200g.

Squeeze a lemon to get around 50mls - you won’t need more than 1 lemon for this and just in case set the lemon aside if you decide to use more celery or scallion and feel you need more juice - you probably won’t!

Pour the juice over the cabbage in a bowl and add plenty of Black Pepper.

Now here’s the flexible bit - you will have enough juice for around 2 scallions chopped finely and 2 celery sticks chopped finely.

Stir this well and then stir regularly over an hour or two to let the lemon do its thing. The longer you leave it the better it is.

All these ingredients combined will have a natural “kick” to them but a bit of red chilli sliced into it about 10 mins before serving is lovely too and of course … if you have coriander and you like it … fire away!

Simple and adaptable.

Ingredients

• 100 g Fusilli/Penne

• 2 Tablespoons Ajvar/Aivar - eg Pelagonia

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil - to thin the aivar

• Sun-dried tomatoes sliced finely

• Parmesan Shavings

• Black Pepper

• Rocket or spinach - basil optional

Spicy Options

Aivar is available in a hot variety if you want a bit of a kick to your salad. However if you just have regular but wouldn’t mind a bit of spice you can use chilli oil to thin the aivar and sometimes I marinate my sun-dried tomatoes in chilli oil - see here.

See Below for Notes and Serving Suggestions

Method

This is Easy - so easy - but delicious. Aivar is a welcome change from pesto and I find myself using it all the time these days!

I’ve given you the amount for 100g of pasta and its easy to double up from there.

Cook the pasta and put it into a nice serving bowl which you can easily stir it in.

Mix your aivar with olive oil and stir it through the pasta with plenty of black pepper and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

You can set it aside now if making in advance.

Add some rocket or torn spinach leaves - and of course some basil if you fancy it.

Add some parmesan shavings

And stir it all through.