Ingredients

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (and a little more when ready to serve)
1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 small carrot, cleaned and finely chopped
1 celery stalk, cleaned and finely chopped
13-15 Piccadilly tomatoes (or other baby tomatoes), cleaned and diced
half a large yellow pepper, cleaned and diced
1 teaspoon powdered vegetable stock
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
350 g plain seitan, finely chopped (you can use a food processor)
100 ml filtered water
400 g tomato purée (with no other added ingredients)
1 teaspoon rice malt syrup
2 handfuls olives (I used Taggiasche), seeded and halved
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano
half a teaspoon ground celery seeds
chili powder, to taste
freshly ground green pepper, to taste

Makes at least 6 servings (you can refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze it and save it for later).

Directions

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, tomatoes, pepper, vegetable stock and salt and sweat until the vegetables are slightly soft. Add the seitan and sauté for a few minutes. Pour the water and tomato purée, add the rice malt syrup, olives, herbs and spice and stir well. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. Remove from the heat, add 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir again. Serve with your favorite pasta. Alternatively, it’s excellent on polenta but also to make risotto.

Ingredients

2 large potatoes, peeled, cut into slices then into quarters
a handful of kalamata olives, stones removed
a handful of sango radish sprouts, cleaned
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
a little lemon juice
a little rice or apple vinegar
a few pinches of nori flakes
freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Steam the potatoes until cooked but still al dente. Transfer them onto a plate and let cool. When the potatoes are completely cold, divide them into induvidual serving plates. Coarsely chop the olives (or slice them into two halves), and add them to the potatoes. Add some sango sprouts, season with salt, drizzle with some olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar then sprinkle with the nori flakes and pepper and serve.

Ingredients

200 g black chickpeas, soaked in cold filtered water for at least 9 hours, or overnight, then washed and drained
150 g quinoa, washed under cold running water
half a red pepper, cleaned and cut into cubes
half a yellow pepper, cleaned and cuto into cubes
8-10 cherry tomatoes, cleaned and cut into quarters
1 carrot, cleaned and cut into cubes
2 hanfuld black pitted olives, chopped
a handful of fresh parsley, cleaned and finely chopped
a handful of fresh basil, cleaned and finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
whole sea salt, just enought to taste

Makes 4 servings.

Directions

Cook the chickpeas in unsalted water (add the salt to the pot when the chickpeas are almost completely cooked as salt hardens the outer layer). Cook the quinoa al dente in lightly salted water in a separate pot. Drain well and let cool. When the chickpeas are cooked, rinse them under cold, running water, drain well and let cool. Once the quinoa and chickpeas are cold, transfer them into a sald bowl the stir in the red and yellow pepper, tomatoes, carrot, olives, parsley, basil and toss. Season with the olive oil and salt, mix well and serve.

Ingredients

150 g semi-whole durum wheat orecchiette
1 small bunch of asparagus, cleaned and cut into pieces
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
10-12 baby date tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), cut into quarters
a handful of olives (I used Taggiasca), pitted and roughly chopped
1 small bunch of fresh chives, cleaned and chopped
1 small handful of fresh mint, cleaned and chopped

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Bring a pan of plenty water to a boil, add some salt and cook the orecchiette and the asparagus until al dente (cooking times vary, but make sure you add the asparagus just 5-7 minutes before the pasta is done). Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain again and transfer into a salad bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and let cool. Add the tomatoes, olives, chives and mint (and a little more olive oil if needed), toss and serve cool.

Ingredients

half a cup quinoa, rinsed under running water
filtered water and a pinch of whole sea salt (to cook the quinoa)
1 medium zucchini, trimmed, peeled and sliced
half a head of Romanesco broccoli, washed, broken into bite-sized florets and cooked in salted boiling water for 3-5 minutes (they should stay crunchy)
a large handful of green olives, stones removed and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 small fresh red chilli, seeds removed and chopped
2 handfuls of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
a handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
zest of 1 lemon, grated

Makes 2-4 servings.

Directions

Place the quinoa in a heavy bottomed saucepan and pour water over it (2 parts water,1 part quinoa). Bring to a boil, add a pinch of salt, cover then turn down the heat to a low simmer. Let the quinoa cook for 15-20 minutes, until amost transparent and a bit fluffy. Remove from the heat then transfer into a large salad bowl or a serving tray.
Let cool a bit then add the zucchini, the broccoli, the olives, the garlic, the chilli, the parsley and the basil. Season with the olive oil and salt, mix thouroughly then garnish with the poppy seeds end the lemon zest. You can serve it either warm or cool.