I was very kindly gifted some of my favourite cheese of all time – Comté – and asked to try out a few recipes that British chef Laura Pope had developed, these can be found below. Both the frittata and the filo parcels are perfect for summer dinners and very easy to make. Personally I think ham and Comté is the ultimate combo so I used this in both my dishes but you can tailor the recipe!

For those of you unfamiliar with what Comté tastes like, it’s a fairly unique French cheese that is handcrafted 365 days a year in France, each wheel with its own unique flavour. It’s not too strong and overpowering yet still has a delicious distinct salty flavour that tastes great on its own or melted into hot dishes. You can find out more on their website: www.comtecheese.co.uk.

Comté Frittata with Summer Vegetables

• 1 tablespoon light olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced thinly
• 8 large free-range eggs
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 115ml single cream
• 200g medium Comté (12 to 18-month) – 150g grated and 50g cut into long matchsticks
• 25g soft herbs, e.g. parsley, basil, dill, chives or mint, leaves roughly chopped
• Knob of butter
• Seasonal vegetables, cooked, e.g. a few spears of griddled asparagus or charred slices of courgette
• Optional: roasted red pepper, sliced into strips; fried lardons or chorizo; sliced ham

Method

1. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the onion and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes until it is soft and lightly golden, but do not let it burn.
2. Heat oven to 190℃ (170℃ fan).
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, flour and cream by hand and season with ¾ teaspoon of fine salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Mix in the herbs and the grated Comté.
4. Add the onion to the egg mixture and stir it in.
5. Return the frying pan to the hob on a medium-high heat, add a knob of butter and, once it is foaming, pour in the egg mixture. Lay over the green vegetables and, if you are using them, the peppers, lardons, chorizo or ham. Cover with the lid and cook for 5 minutes until a ring about 1 to 2cm thick around the edge of the pan is set, but still runny in the middle.
6. Scatter the sticks of Comté over the top of the frittata and put it in the centre of the oven, uncovered, for about 6 minutes until it is just set – you can turn on the grill for the last 1 to 2 minutes to brown the top if necessary, but watch it carefully so it does not burn.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. Carefully slide the frittata out of the pan (do not flip it over) onto a large plate or serving board and slice it into wedges. Serve warm, or it is wonderful for a picnic once it has been refrigerated.

Filo Parcels of Comté, Courgettes, Spinach & Leeks

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons light olive oil
• 2 leeks, trimmed and washed thoroughly, then finely sliced
• 2 courgettes, coarsely grated and placed in a sieve to drain excess liquid
• 80g baby leaf spinach, washed and roughly chopped
• 200g medium Comté (12 to 18-month), cut into 1cm cubes
• 7 sheets filo pastry, measuring about 25x45cm
• 75g unsalted butter, melted
• Optional: 1 or 2 slices of ham, finely chopped

Method

1. Place a large frying pan over a high heat, add the olive oil, then the leeks. Season with a little fine salt and a few grinds of black pepper, then stir to coat the leeks in the oil and seasoning. Cover the pan, turn the heat down a little to medium-low and sweat the leeks for 10 to 15 minutes until they are soft and a little golden – stir and check regularly so they do not burn and turn the heat down if necessary.
2. Remove the lid, raise the heat to high, add the courgettes and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly, then add the spinach and cook, still stirring, for about 2 minutes so that it wilts and some of the liquid cooks off. Check the seasoning and add more if needed, but not too much as the Comté will add plenty of flavour. Transfer the vegetables into a bowl and leave to cool before stirring through the cubes of Comté (and the ham, if using).
3. Heat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan).
4. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and lay out a sheet of filo pastry on a clean, cool worktop. Brush some butter over the filo and cut it lengthways into 2 strips. Put about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at the bottom of each strip and fold each one over diagonally to make a triangle, then continue to fold over up the length of the pastry. Repeat with the remaining filling and filo pastry.
5. Arrange the parcels on a lined baking sheet and brush the tops with more butter. Bake in the centre of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and cooked through. Serve immediately, but beware the piping hot filling!

Turkish eggs are such a great brunch dish, the garlicky yoghurt topped with a herby butter sauce and gooey poached eggs is such a winning combo. It’s also ridiculously easy to prepare (as long as your egg poaching skills are on point!). They taste fantastic with a side of warm sourdough bread, make sure you use it to scoop up your egg yolk and sauce.

Ingredients:
Serves 2

• 200g greek yoghurt
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• sea salt flakes
• 2 eggs
• handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 25g butter
• 1 teaspoon aleppo pepper (or chilli powder/paprika)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sumac

Method:

1. Stir your garlic into your yoghurt and place in a bowl. Sprinkle some sea salt on top.
2. On a low heat, add your butter a small saucepan. Once it has melted stir in your aleppo pepper and olive oil and then pour your butter sauce over the yoghurt.
3. Poach your eggs. The way I do this is by bringing a saucepan of water to boil, cracking the egg into a mug and then adding to the saucepan with the water on simmer, it usually takes about 1 minute. There are loads of tips and tricks for poaching eggs flying about on the internet, I have found this usually works fine!
4. place your eggs on top of your yoghurt mixture then sprinkle your sumac and dill on top.

Quiche is something I’ve always bought from a supermarket, and often taken on a picnic! They’ve tasted fine, nothing mind blowing, but an easy lunch or dinner. However, it turns out that making a quiche from scratch is surprisingly easy, and it tastes a hundred times better than the store bought kind! It can be eaten hot or cold, so leftovers are also great for a packed lunch.

I filled mine with salmon, goats cheese and spinach, which tasted lovely and fresh. But you can put pretty much anything in your quiche! Other ideas include a quiche lorraine, feta and sundried tomato, or any roasted veg.

I didn’t make my pastry by hand, I find the ready rolled stuff from the supermarket tastes the same and it saves a lot of time! In some stores you can even buy pastry quiche trays, which normally also taste good, which will save you even more time! You’ll need a 26cm flan or tart dish and baking beads.

Ingredients:
Serves 4

• 300g shortcrust pastry, ready rolled
• 250ml crème fraîche
• 150ml double cream
• handful of spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• handful of dill, roughly chopped
• 100g goats cheese, crumbled
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 salmon fillet, chopped into chunks
• 3 eggs
• pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• salt and pepper

Method:

1. Line your flan/tart dish with the pastry, easing it into the base. Trim any edges with scissors so it sits slightly above the tin and lightly prick the base with a fork and then lay your baking beads on top (make sure they reach the edges). Bake in the oven at 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 for 15 minutes.
2. Remove the beads and bake again for 5 mins until the pastry is a light gold colour.
3. Prepare your quiche filling. In a large bowl, beat your creme Fraîche to slacken it and then beat in your double cream. Beat your eggs separately and then add to your mixture.
4. Add your salmon, spinach, dill, salt and pepper, nutmeg and goats cheese and stir until evenly spread through the mixture. Pour into your pastry case and then sprinkle the cheddar on top.
5. Bake in the oven for another 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven and leave to set for 5-10 minutes before eating (otherwise it will be a bit watery!)

Katsu curry is a classic fave of mine at Wagamamas. I’ve never really known what goes into the sauce, it just always tasted great. Now I’ve made it at home I’m shocked at how simple it is to make! And honestly, I think the homemade version tastes even better than the Wagas original. It’s delicious and warming and full of flavour.

The best thing about the sauce is that it freezes really well, so you can make a big batch and freeze for when you’re feeling lazy.

Ingredients:
Serves 2

For the Katsu Curry Sauce:

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 small-medium sized carrot, diced
• 1/2 a red pepper, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 450ml chicken stock (or veg stock)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 tablespoon plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon mango chutney (or you can use sugar)

For the panko breaded chicken:

• 2 80g boneless and skinless chicken thighs
• 100ml buttermilk (you can also substitute for yoghurt)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 100g panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

1. First, marinade your chicken thighs in the buttermilk. Add the turmeric and garam masala and stir. Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least an hour, ideally overnight.
2. Next, make your curry sauce. Place your oil in a saucepan on a medium high heat and then add your onion, carrot and red pepper and a pinch of salt all in one go. Continually stir until soft, this should take about 10 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to low, if the mixture is looking dry or is catching the pan at this stage, add a dash more olive oil and add your garlic and ginger. After 1 minute add your turmeric, garam masala, curry powder and flour. Cook for about 5 minutes, continuously stirring.
4. Pour in half your chicken stock and stir. Then add your soy sauce and mango chutney and leave to simmer for 1 hour. During this hour, stir occasionally and keep adding the remaining chicken stock a little at a time.
5. For the breaded chicken, heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium high heat. You ideally want the temperature to remain at about 170/180c (if you have a thermometer). Lay your panko breadcrumbs on a tray or chopping board and place your chicken thighs in them, turn over a few times to they are covered and then add to the pan. Cook each side for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

These pasta shells are stuffed with a herby spinach and ricotta mix and laid on a bed of homemade, slow cooked tomato sauce. It’s honestly so full of flavour and delicious. The pasta shells were a little hard to source, but I found them on Ocado here. You can also try Italian delis.

If you are short of time, or feeling lazy, you can substitute the homemade tomato sauce for a jarred alternative from the supermarket. I personally prefer the homemade sauce as the flavours in my recipe are amazing, you get a really lovely rich tomato sauce. You can also batch cook it (double/triple the quantities) and freeze portions to use later, the sauce freezes really well.

Ingredients:
Serves 2

For the homemade tomato sauce:
(Note: if you are short of time, you can use 400g of jarred tomato pasta sauce instead)

• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• handful of fresh basil (at least 10-15 leaves but the more the better!), roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon white or red wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 50ml red wine (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree

For the pasta shells:

• 15-20 pasta shells
• 250g ricotta
• 200g spinach leaves
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 125g mozzarella
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

1. First, make your slow cooked tomato sauce (if making, if you are going to use a jarred tomato sauce, skip step one). Place your olive oil in a saucepan with a lid on a low heat, then add all your ingredients and stir. Leave to simmer on a low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Pre heat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Boil your pasta shells so they are cooked al dente, you’ll want to boil them for roughly 6-7 minutes.
3. Prepare your ricotta spinach mixture which you will use to stuff the pasta shells. In a frying pan, heat your olive oil on a low heat and add your garlic. Cook for roughly 30 seconds-1 minute (you don’t want it to burn) and immediately add your spinach, salt and pepper. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the spinach begins to wilt then turn off the heat. Stir in your ricotta and lemon zest.
4. Lay your tomato sauce on the base of a deep baking tray. Fill your pasta shells with the ricotta/spinach mixture and lay on top of the sauce. add your mozzarella in chunks to the tops of each pasta shell.
5. Cook for 20-25 minutes in the oven until the cheese is golden brown.

I am mildly obsessed with truffle! Until now it was something I mostly ate in restaurants in pasta dishes (usually with a hefty price tag!), however my friend gifted me some truffle oil over Christmas, so I’ve been getting that lovely truffley flavour in my home cooked dishes. My favourite so far is this mushroom and truffle risotto, it also makes your kitchen smell amazing. If you don’t have access to any truffle oil, you can just make this a mushroom risotto and it still tastes great!

Ingredients:
Serves 2
Overall time required: 30 minutes

• 25g butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 200g arborio rice
• 125ml white wine
• 450ml chicken stock (you can use vegetable stock if vegetarian)
• salt and pepper
• 100g mushrooms, finely chopped
• 3-4 portobello mushrooms, to dress
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons truffle oil
• 25g cheese – I like to use cheddar, comte or gruyere

Method:

1. Boil your rice according to the instructions on the packet, or boil in 200ml water in a saucepan for 10 minutes.
2. In a frying pan, fry your onion in the olive oil on a medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the diced mushrooms and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add your garlic then turn the heat down to a medium-low.
3. Pour in your white wine and then add your cooked rice. Whilst continually stirring, add your chicken stock in small increments. You basically want to add more stock when the risotto starts looking dry and then continue to stir.
4. Meanwhile, in another frying pan (you can use a dry pan if non-stick, otherwise add a dash of olive oil), add your portobello mushrooms and fry on a medium low heat. Season with salt and pepper and flip over after 4-5 minutes and cook the other side. Once cooked, set aside to dress your risotto at the end.
5. Add your cheese to the risotto mix and stir until melted through. Then add the truffle oil and parsley. Serve with your portobello mushrooms on top.