TASTEFool yourself into thinking that you are in the south of France with the help of these hassle free, tasty dishes

IT’S GREAT TO be back typing again and I would love to say I’ve had an amazing few weeks, lying in the south of France with a glass of rosé in one hand, cheese, salad and good bread in the other. But no. Unfortunately, just before we were supposed to go on holidays last month, my appendix decided to rupture and I ended up lying in hospital for 10 days. Hospitals are not fun places to be but I can’t complain about the brilliant care that I received and I have to say the grub was not that bad.

Now, I did subsidise my dinners with delicious carrot, coriander and turmeric soup that my Florence Nightingale sister would bring to me in a flask every day. However, there is some good stuff on offer on the hospital menus, namely packs of McCambridge’s brown bread and tubs of Old MacDonnell’s live yoghurt, which are excellent products. When you are on elephant-sized doses of antibiotics, live yoghurt is a must to help your stomach’s good bacteria return to normal.

Anyway, being out of action for a while means everyone around you has to jump in and do your work. It’s at times like this, when all hell starts to break loose, that you see the true value of your family, friends and good health, which are all too easy to take for granted when all is dandy.

When you’ve been lying down for a couple of weeks, it’s amazing how weak and wobbly you are. So my first few attempts to get back cooking were all rather pathetic.

All I wanted was small, light but tasty dishes that were hassle-free and also fooled me into thinking that I had been swanning around the south of France.

So with that in mind, I dived straight into this slight diversion of the Ottolenghi tart, which is a really lovely recipe. It definitely wouldn’t be one of my mid-week family suppers, but it’s a must for when you want to eat something vegetarian and delicious and you have an hour or two to enjoy making and cooking it.

The courgette fritters, on the other hand, are fairly handy to whip up and although I think they would be the most fantastic summer treat to have with a cold beer or crisp glass of wine before a barbecue, they also make a lovely dinner with a big salad and a blob of the tzatziki.

Caramelised garlic tart

You can use any type of goat’s cheese but mixing some hard and some soft gives a great balance of textures.

500 g pack of puff pastry, defrosted

3 heads garlic, peeled

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

220 ml water

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 tbsp chopped herbs: rosemary and thyme

120 g soft goat’s cheese

120 g hard goat’s cheese

3 eggs

200 g crème fraiche

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Roll out the puff pastry so that it lines the base and sides of a 28cm tart tin. If you have the time, stick it in the fridge for 20 minutes or so to rest. Then, prick the base with a fork and line the pastry with greaseproof paper and dried beans or rice. Blind bake (ie bake the base partly before filling) for 25 minutes, then carefully remove the paper and beans and put back in the oven for another five minutes so that the base dries out. Set them aside to cool.

Sweat the whole garlic cloves in the olive oil over a very gentle heat for 10 minutes. Don’t allow them to colour. Turn up the heat and add the balsamic vinegar, the water and sugar. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, then add the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Most of the liquid needs to evaporate and the cloves should be well coated in a dark, caramel-type thick glaze.

Scatter the cheeses on to the base of the pastry. Then scatter the garlic cloves and any balsamic juices on top. Arrange the cloves so that they are evenly distributed. Whisk the eggs and crème fraiche and pour the mix on top. Bake the tart on a baking tray (so that it’s easier to transport) at 160 C for about 35 minutes or until the mixture looks as though it has just set. There’s not that much liquid in this recipe so it does cook quickly. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving with a big salad.

Courgette fritters

Makes enough for nibbles for four to six people.

2 courgettes (about 500g)

Good few pinches of salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 pack feta (approx 200g)

2 spring onions, very finely sliced

2 tbsp chopped dill

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

Black pepper

50 g flour

Olive oil

Lemon wedges

Grate the courgettes on your grater – the side with the largest holes. This should only take about one minute per courgette. Put them in a colander and sprinkle a good few pinches of salt on to them, then mix them around with your hands so the salt gets distributed evenly. Let them sit and drain for 10 minutes, then press down to extract more of the juices. When you’ve done this, transfer them to a clean tea towel, wrap up the courgettes and squeeze it tight so that loads more water comes out.

When you are happy that they are quite dry, plonk them into a bowl and add the beaten egg. Using a fork, loosen the mixture up with the egg. Then crumble the feta on top and add in the herbs, garlic and lots of black pepper. Add in the flour and mix very well so that the feta is evenly distributed. You can chill it down at this stage and fry later or you can heat up the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and, taking large forkfuls, fry blobs of the courgettes in the oil (about six at a time) until golden brown on both sides (about two minutes per side). You may have to adjust the heat or take them off the heat if they are browning too fast. When they have colour on one side, it’s easier to flip them over, but do it carefully.

When they are cooked, drain them on kitchen paper, season them lightly and fry off the next batch. Serve with lemon wedges. If you need to keep them warm, put them in an oven at about 150 C for 10 minutes.

Tzatziki

2 cucumbers

1 tub Greek yoghurt

Splash olive oil

Bunch fresh mint and dill

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt pepper

Peel the cucumbers, cut them in half (lengthwise) and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Then grate with your grater – use the side with the largest holes – and mix with the rest of the ingredients.

dkemp@irishtimes.comSee also itsa.ie

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DOMINI RECOMMENDS keeping Old MacDonnell’s live yoghurt to hand. It’s unsweetened, tastes authentic and is good for your gut