Recipe here.

I used only ground almonds.  Although I used raspberries here I’ve also made this cake with peaches and plums.  Use whatever soft fruits are in season.

4th September

Summer

18th June

Brixham

March

We’ve recently moved to Devon and I’m sitting here in our rented house with the sun shining in, it’s impossibly quiet.  At night we leave our bedroom window open and hear nothing until the birds wake us up with their dawn chorus.  Gone are the sirens and occasional cars backfiring or motorbikes revving that accompanied our nightly slumber in the city.  I sleep deeply here and yet feel so tired.  I’ve never understood that.

I’ve wanted to get back to this blog for a long time and can’t believe it’s been over a year now since I visited this site but I haven’t felt much like writing about food lately, it’s felt too trivial to talk about gluten free this and that when there is so much happening that is raw and painful in so much of the world.  One of the most important things I did when we moved was make sure we updated our details so we could vote.  That Labour did so well in the elections is the one thing that has lit a spark of hope in me that change might be possible.  That so many young people turned out to vote feels like a positive shift for this country.  In the wake of the Grenfell tower disaster and recent terrorist attacks building a vehicle for change seems more important than ever.

Maybe it’s moving across the country (which hasn’t been without its challenges) or just a new found appreciation for the good in life but for better or worse I hope to return here more often.  I’ve saved you many political rants over the last few months.  I don’t quite know what this blog is at the moment but for now…

In March we gathered with family on the Isle of Wight to celebrate my Dad’s 90^th birthday.  There were cakes and candles and walks along the beach.  I think my Dad had a wonderful time, but then he always does, he is one of the most positive people I know.  A man who truly knows how to live in the moment, always enthusiastic about what is happening now, never regretting the past or fearing the future.  He continues to be an inspiration.  A few photos of the beautiful place where I was privileged enough to grow up and where my Dad continues to live his life in his wonderfully eccentric way.

Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata

I’m not exactly reinventing the wheel here but lately I’ve been stuck in something of a cooking rut partly determined by a drive to make sure we don’t waste food thus reducing our grocery bill and partly due to the boy becoming more and more about routine and vocalising his disgust very loudly when I try and put something new in front of him.  After repeated attempts frittata has now firmly met with his approval and it is a great vehicle for using up vegetables.  An added bonus is that it’s cheap to make, hearty and filling.  Also he currently likes broccoli but only the tender stem variety.  As a parent this makes me a) very smug and b) very poor as it costs double the amount of regular broccoli and I really shouldn’t be indulging his inclination towards fancy vegetables.

For me the key ingredient for a successful frittata is good hard goat cheese that has plenty of flavour. Choose your own combination of vegetables if kale and sweet potato aren’t your thing.  Personally I like the earthy and sweet mix.  I imagine asparagus would be pretty great at the moment and of course you could try tender stem broccoli.

Any attempt to style food photos these days goes out the window, especially when I have a small boy standing at the kitchen gate jumping up and down for his lunch.  I’m all about realism although I did make an attempt to avoid the bits of dried food stuck to our hob.

Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata

Serves 2 very generously but will stretch to 3.

I used an 8 inch skillet.

1 small sweet potato peeled and cut in to dice

2 large cavolo nero or kale leaves

1 shallot finely chopped

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

4 large eggs beaten

50g (2oz) hard goat’s cheese, grated

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

Preheat oven Gas Mark 7, 220°C, 425°F.  *I have a truely rubbish oven so you may want to keep an eye on your frittata to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Toss the diced sweet potato in the olive oil, thyme and paprika.  Place the diced sweet potato on a baking tray lined with parchment and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the potato is tender and starting to turn golden.  Meanwhile add a splash of olive oil to your skillet and gently cook the shallot for about 5 minutes.  Add the cooked sweet potato and kale and continue to cook until the kale has started to wilt, about 2 minutes.  Add the egg mixture and cook on the hob until the egg is almost set but the top is still a bit runny, about 5-10 minutes.  Sprinkle liberally with goat’s cheese and place skillet in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the frittata is golden brown and cooked through.