Pan Fried Broad Bean Salad with Tomato and Thyme

I admit it. I have had an aversion to broad beans since childhood. We seem to have grown them by the bushel as I was growing up, and we ate them with every meal, often in their pods, boiled and boiled and boiled. Over the ensuing years I have tried to fall in love with them. I have even grown them myself. But that taste, and the childhood associations would not go away.

This year, with a wonderful Italian green grocery near me, I resolved to try again. Putting a lot of effort into treating them properly, I double peeled them while watching TV in the evenings, ready to work with them in the morning.

The efforts have been rewarded. I am now loving these wonderful, short-seasoned beans. I will be quite sad when their season is over (but I have discovered that frozen broad beans are available, and they are particularly good).

Are you looking for similar Broad Bean recipes? Try Pan Fried Broad Beans with Lime, Chilli and Salt, and Tawa Broad Beans.

Try these beauties too: Glorious Five Bean Salad, and Broad Bean and Butter Bean Spread.

Browse all of our Broad Bean dishes, and our Tomato Salads. All of our Salad recipes are here. Or take some time to explore our Mid Spring dishes.

Aubergines Fourrées | Baked Eggplant Stuffed with Cheese and Tomatoes

You will really enjoy this recipe. Softened eggplants are slit and fanned, and its slices interwoven with cheese, tomatoes and peppers. They are then baked on a bed of the sweetest caramelised onions, and the cheese melts. If, like me, you use mozzarella, it oozes everywhere! Cheesey Eggplants – who can resist?

If you use a cheese that holds its shape during baking it won’t form a bed of oozy cheese but rather stay in the eggplant, but we love this oozing aspect of the dish. It is perfect for Late Autumn.

It’s a French recipe, so I suggest some French wine and a green salad, for a light lunch eaten outside on a gorgeous Autumn day sitting under a gorgeously coloured tree raining leaves. Do enjoy!

Would you like more Eggplant recipes? Try Cheese and Eggplant Torte, Roasted Eggplant with a Garlic Sauce, and Persian Style Eggplant.

Browse all of our Aubergine recipes and all of our French dishes. Our Baked recipes are here. Or enjoy our Late Autumn dishes.

Feel free to browse vegetarian recipes from our first blog which was in existence from 1995 – 2006, in our Retro Recipes series.

Roasted Sweetcorn and Avocado Salad

We are in the middle of a run of very simple salads, easy to throw together, many of them traditional combinations, simple ingredients, but none the less flavoursome. It is really nice to go back to basics and have, say, a cucumber salad that is dressed with a little oil and the vinegar from the jar of jicama pickles. It is really very lovely.

This relatively simple salad is perhaps a slightly Mexican combination. It mixes roasted sweet corn, avocado and tomatoes. Simple. Fresh. Tangy with lime juice. I have tarted it up this time, with some pomegranate, feta and greens. Some pickles too, for variety, jicama and cumquat. Each time we make it, its a little different. That is the good thing about salads. Some Pickled Lemon Rind would be good too.

Are you after more Salads? We have so many. Try these Avocado Salads: Cucumbers and Avocado Salad.  and Pomelo Salad with Avocado.

Or these Tomato Salads: My Mother’s Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Du Puy Lentils with Feta and Tomatoes, and Tomato and Peach Salad.

You can browse all of our Salads here. All of our Sweetcorn recipes are here, all of our Avocado recipes here, and all of our Tomato recipes here. Or simply explore our Late Autumn dishes.

Cucumber and Tomato Sunday Salad

Brunch, that late breakfast or early lunch, really a replacement for both, so that its identity is that it has elements of both. Whether you are doing more lunchy elements for your brunch, or more breakfasty elements, a salad always goes down a treat. Think Avo on Toast with a Brunch Salad. Perfect.

Are you looking for Salads? Try Quick Tomato Salad with Mustardy Mayo, Tofu and Chilli Salad, and Fennel Salad with Fresh Prunes.

Are you after just Tomato Salads? Try Salad of Marinated Zucchini and Tomatoes, Tomato and Pomegranate Salad, and Bok Choy with Capers and Tomatoes.

Or try some Cucumber Salads – Spicy Cucumber Salad with Herbs and Poppy Seeds, Cucumber Salad with Sesame Seeds, and Smashed Garlic and Cucumber Salad.

You can browse all of our Tomato Salads and all of our Cucumber Salads. All Salads are here. Or simply explore our Late Summer dishes.

Fennel, Potato and Tomato Salad with Garlicky Mayo

After years of not using mayonnaise in my salads (I don’t eat eggs so don’t make my own and don’t love it enough to buy it), I whipped up my Mother’s very retro eggless mayo that she always made with a can on condensed milk, white vinegar and mustard (or other flavouring).

Now we have a couple of salads that use mayo – A Quick Tomato Salad with Mustardy Mayo, and today’s salad which is sort of a wild variation on Salade Niçoise.

Are you after other Tomato Salads? Try Artichoke Hearts and Feta Salad with Tomatoes, Tomato Salad with Balsamic and Majoram, and Tomato Salad with Parsley Oil.

Or perhaps Fennel Salads? Try Fennel Salad with Orange Vinaigrette, Fennel Salad with Fresh Prunes, and Nashi Pear, Celery and Fennel Salad with Panch Phoron Crunch.

Or are you after just Salads? Try Onion Salad with Sesame Oil, Green Salad with Chickpeas, Preserved Lemon and Feta, and Vermicelli and Green Mango Salad.

Why not browse all of our Tomato Salads, indeed explore all of our Salads. Or simple spend some time with out Mid Autumn Recipes.

Quick Tomato Salad with Mustardy Mayo

Sometimes the mornings are rushed, but I still insist on my salad each day, at least until the winter arrives in full force. So I take what I can from the fridge, and some mayo that I made the night before (good thinking!) and a simple salad is born.

Eating a salad a day makes a difference to your life. Trust me.

Are you after other Tomato Salads? Try Marinated Zucchini and Tomato Salad, Tomato and Strawberry Salad, and Kachumber.

Or try some of our other Salads – Spicy Celery Salad, Green Salad with Chickpeas and Preserved Lemon, and Jicama, Red Radish and Green Mango Salad.

Why not browse all of our Tomato Salads, indeed explore all of our Salads. Or simple spend some time with out Mid Autumn Recipes.

Warm Salad of Charred Okra with Tomato, Garlic and Preserved Lemon

I love this recipe – it is so versatile, and the sort of recipe you can pre-prepare the ingredients, charring the okra and tossing it with the other ingredients at the last moment. The preserved lemon and fresh lemon juice contrast so wonderfully with the charred but still crunchy okra. This dish is GOOD.

The okra can also be charred on the BBQ (grill), tossing them on the hot plate as you sip wine and talk to friends. Then throw them into a pan and toss them with the other ingredients and place on the table for your guests to munch on (try with some flat bread) while you get on with BBQing the rest of the meal. I use a kadhai (Indian wok, flatter than a Chinese one) to make this dish, it is perfect for it.

It is an Ottolenghi recipe, of course, born of the Israeli and Palestinian roots of Sammy and Yotham. Okra features well in these cuisines, from the sun dried okra hanging from strings, to being served in dishes heavy with tamarind syrup. What a divine thought!

For this dish, use short, young, fresh, crisp okra only.

Are you looking for other Okra dishes? Read more about Okra here. And try Crispy Okra (Kurkuri Bhindi), Stir Fried Okra with Sesame Seed, Goan Fried Okra, and Lemak-Style Vegetables.

Perhaps you are looking for Salads? Try Tomato Salad with Green Olives, Chickpea and Carrot Salad with Curry Dressing, and Cucumber and Avocado Salad.

Perhaps try some other Middle Eastern dishes: Babaganoush, Falafel, Parsley and Barley Salad with Spiced Marinated Feta and Chickpea “Tabbouleh”.

We have a wealth of Ottolenghi recipes that we have tried. Or have a look at all of our Okra recipes and all of our Salad recipes. Our Middle Eastern Dishes are here. Or spend some time browsing our Mid Autumn dishes.

Champignons Montagnard | Mushroom Savoy | Mushrooms and Tomatoes from Haute-Savoie in France

Perhaps not a pretty dish, there I said it. This is a rustic mountain dish from Haute Savoie, a region of France. It uses vinegar and lemon to add real tang to the mushrooms which are eaten cold – they go well with some excellent bread. In modern times it is great as part of an appetiser plate or part of a mezze/tapas style meal. The vinegar gives it the characteristics of a quick pickle or chutney, and it will pair well with other small dishes.

Are you after Mushroom dishes? Try Mushroom, Spinach and Blue Cheese Salad, Caramelised King Oyster Mushrooms, and Mushroom Curry.

Perhaps you are looking for French recipes. Try French Cream of Pumpkin Soup, French Tomato Salad, and Fennel a la Grecque.

Please browse our Mushroom recipes here and here, and our French recipes here and here. Our Autumn recipes are here and here.

Tomato Bharta | Roast Tomato Side Dish or Chutney

Bharta are North Indian (Punjabi) dishes where the main ingredient is roasted and then pureed with spices. The flavours are intensified by the roasting and the resulting dish is spicy and tangy. A commonly known bharta is Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Bharta).

This recipe uses tomatoes and it is amazing. It is great as a dip, served over rice, used as a sauce, or as an accompaniment to any curry. It can be served with dal-rice, kitchari or stuffed parathas. It also goes well with Chapatti, Roti. It has the best taste!

Looking for Bharta recipes? Try Baingan ka Bharta. 

Perhaps you are looking for other Punjabi dishes. Try Kohlrabi Subzi, Potato and Eggplant Curry, and Urad Dal with Tomatoes.

It is Tomato recipes that you are after. Try Potatoes Baked with Cumin and Tomatoes, Greek-Indian Tomato Pakoras, and Baked Tomato Pasta Sauce.

See all of our Bharta recipes here. Read all about Indian Chutneys here, and feel free to browse other Indian Chutneys recipes. See Tomato recipes here. Or simply explore all of our Punjabi dishes, our Indian dishes and our Early Autumn recipes.

This recipe can be frozen without the tadka – browse other Autumnal ways of preserving for Winter here.

Bamies Laderes | Rustic Greek Okra in Tomatoes and Olive Oil

All through the Mediterranean, okra is cooked in a thick tomato sauce, and in Greece they are also liberal with the olive oil. Its a delicious dish that can be eaten as part of a table laden with Mediterranean vegetable dishes, or serve with fresh crusty break and feta. It also goes so well with rice, burghul, polenta, quinoa or any grain pilaf.

Vinegar helps to reduce the sliminess of the okra, and there are various ways of using it. Some sprinkle it on the okra and leave to rest for an hour (or don’t rest it), others soak in acidulated water from 1 – 12 hours. Take you pick – I soaked these for some hours as I was pottering around the kitchen doing other things. When I was ready, they were drained, rinsed and used in the dish.

Are you looking for other Okra dishes? Try Ladyfingers Masala, Malaysian Lemak-Style Vegetables, Armenian Pickled Okra,  Moar Kuzhambu, and Sambar.

What about other Greek Recipes? Try Roasted Eggplant Salad, Braised Parsley and Slow Cooked Cauliflower.

Or, for more information, browse all of our Okra dishes, and all of our Greek dishes. Or simply take some time to explore our Mid Autumn collection.

Salad of Marinated Zucchini and Tomatoes

Zucchini takes extremely well to marination, particularly with Mediterranean flavours such as garlic, olive oil, oregano. Mix them up and leave for 30 mins – 1 hour, then serve. You can mix them with Bocconcini, for example, or, like this recipe, with some beautiful tomatoes. Fresh, young zucchini has the most glorious texture.

I have used small cherry tomatoes here, but use any tomatoes you have – halving or slicing them depending on the size. I like to mix green, semi ripe and ripe tomatoes as it gives variation in flavours, but this is probably only possible if you or your best friend grow your own tomatoes. Green tomatoes are difficult to find these days, yet I love them.

Throw in a small zucchini flower or two if you have them.

Are you looking for other Tomato Salads? Try Artichoke Hearts with Tomatoes Salad, My Mother’s Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Creamy Dressing, and the very red Tomato and Pomegranate Salad.

Or are Zucchini dishes your preference? Try Zucchini Preserved in Oil with Mint, Chilli and Garlic, Zucchini Rice, Zucchini Fry, and Poached with Other Vegetables in Wine.

All of our Salads are here for you to browse. Or just our Tomato Salads. All Tomato Recipes can be seen here. Browse our Zucchini Recipes or trawl through our Late Summer collection of dishes.

Tomato Salad with Green Olives

The Autumn glut of tomatoes sees me finding ways to use them, as well as popping as many as I can into the freezer. Although the weather is cooler in the mornings and evenings, salads are still on our home menu each day. Sometimes they are snacks, perhaps with some flatbread, sometimes they accompany a meal, sometimes they are the meal.

A quick salad this morning with sweet vine-ripened tomatoes fresh from the garden, tossed together with some green olives. Divine, the tang of the olives against the sweet tomatoes.

Are you after other Tomato Salads? Try Red Pepper and Tomato Salad with Crispy Flatbread, Chilli and Lime, Bok Choy with Tomatoes and Capers, and Warm Tomato Salad.

Why not browse all of our Tomato Salads, indeed, all of our MANY Salads. I am sure you will find inspiration. Or have a look at our general Tomato recipes and our Olive recipes. Or take some time to explore our Early Autumn dishes.

Potatoes Baked with Cumin and Tomatoes

Potatoes and Cumin are a great match. This retro baked dish is a great dish for any time of the year, and extremely wonderful in cooler Autumn months and Winter. It layers the potato with black pepper and cumin seed, and tops it with juicy tomatoes, breadcrumbs and parsley. It is a comforting dish, home cooking at its best. Who would not want to come home to a dish like this?

Are you looking for more Potato dishes? Try Gratin of Potatoes and Zucchini with Thyme, Potato and Cheddar Gratin, Potato Subzi, and a Surprise Potato Tartin.

Would you like to try even more Gratin recipes? Try Gratineed Sweet Potato, Potato Gratin with Cream and Pomodori Gratinati – Tomatoes Gratineed with Cheese.

Feel free to browse recipes from our Retro Recipes series – recipes from our previous blog that ran from 1995 – 2005. You might also like our Potato recipes here and our Gratin Recipes. Or you might like to browse Tomato recipes. Check out our easy Mid Autumn recipes.

Peter’s Wet Polenta and Tomato Layers

Once I had a lovely older Italian man as a hairdresser. He was amazing. As we molded my hair into some shape and varied colour upon colour, we discussed cooking, fashion and food. Sometimes with a glass of champagne. He was very special and he gave me this great family polenta recipe.

Are you looking for Polenta recipes? Read about Polenta, then have a look at How to Cook Polenta and then try Onion and Chilli Polenta and Grilled Polenta.

Or are you looking for Italian recipes? Try White Bean Soup, Farinata with Onions and Tomatoes, and Roast Pumpkin Risotto.

Please browse all of our Polenta recipes here and here. Our Italian recipes can be explored here. Or simply visit our Early Spring recipes.

Green Tomato Salsa with Green Coriander and Chilli

Since the garden has includes some tomato bushes I have been playing around with green tomatoes, and adore them a lot. In the simplest form, they go amazingly well in salads, and mixed in with ripe tomatoes to top your pasta dinner. This recipe is a Salsa and it plays to the green tomato’s flavour and texture. I hope you enjoy it.

We have some other Green Tomato recipes – check here to see if they have been published yet (they are scheduled for later).

If you are after other Salsa recipes, try Tomato Salsa, Peach Salsa and Pawpaw Salsa.

You can browse all of our Salsa Recipes here, all of our Green Tomato Recipes here, and all of our Tomato Recipes here. Or take some time and browse our Late Summer recipes.