These mushroom and walnut samosas are vegetarian and there is not a deep fat fryer in sight. Instead the unusual, gently spiced, mushroom and walnut filling is wrapped in a double layer of buttered filo pastry and baked in a hot oven. This makes them lighter and less oily than traditional samosas.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe in Meera Sodha’s book Fresh India. I kept faith with the ingredients but halved the quantity and altered the method slightly. These samosas are absolutely delicious!

This is my version of Meera Sodha’s tomato, pistachio and saffron tart which appeared in the Guardian last June. It was made for us over Christmas and we all loved it. The flavours and textures are delicious – there’s a crisp pastry base smothered with a paste of ground nuts and coconut milk flavoured with cumin, coriander and saffron. On top of that  sits a layer of tamarind flavoured caramelised onions studded with semi dried tomatoes. My version is vegetarian and not vegan, as Meera’s was. it is scrumptious!

I have just discovered these little bon bon squashes (shown in the photo) make excellent soup. The roasted flesh and skin becomes tender with cooking it liquidises to a texture I can only describe as liquid velvet. Squash teams up so well with sage, chestnuts and toasted pumpkin seeds.