HOLD THE CHEESE...

When meat and fish are no-gos, it’s all too easy to reach for the cheese to add protein and an umami hit to vegetarian meals. But along with that flavour comes a lot of richness and calories – and predictability too. These creative recipes are defiantly cheese-free, yet there are flavours in abundance to savour and share

RECIPES ELLA TARN PHOTOGRAPHS TOBY SCOTT FOOD STYLING LIZZIE KAMENETZKY STYLING OLIVIA WARDLE

Spiced spinach and potato cakes with poached eggs and stir-fried kale

SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 35 MIN

MAKE AHEAD

Make the cakes up to the point of frying in step 4, then keep covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking.

FOOD TEAM’S TIPS

You can use leftover mashed potato. When poaching eggs use very fresh ones as they’ll hold together better than older eggs.

• 600g desiree potatoes, chopped into large chunks (see tips)

• 4-5 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds, toasted in a dry pan

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 200g spinach

• 4 very fresh, large free-range eggs (see tips)

• Small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped

FOR THE STIR-FRIED KALE

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 200gkale

• 2 garlic cloves, very finely sliced

Spiced spinach and potato cakes with poached eggs and stir-fried kale, p102

1 Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with boiling water from a kettle, then simmer for 20-25 minutes until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.

2 Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a medium frying pan and fry the onion until soft and translucent. Add the mustard seeds, cumin and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes more, then set aside.