Ingredients
1 ciabatta loaf, cut in thin slices
1 clove garlic, peeled and rubbed in a little salt
about 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the topping:
6 red, ripe plum tomatoes
a few torn basil leaves
a few drops extra virgin olive oil
rock salt and freshly milled black pepper

Prepare the tomatoes before toasting the bread. All you do is place them in a bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave for exactly 1 minute before draining them and slipping off the skins (protect your hands with a cloth if they are too hot). Then chop them finely.

Pre-heat the ridged griddle over a high heat for about 10 minutes. When it’s really hot, place the slices of bread – on the diagonal – and grill them for about 1 minute on each side, until they’re golden and crisp and have charred strips across each side. (Alternatively, toast them under a conventional grill.) Then, as they are ready, take a sharp knife and quickly make about 3 little slashes across each one, rub the garlic in and drizzle about half a tablespoon of olive oil over each one.

When the bruschetta are made, top with the tomatoes and basil leaves, season with salt and freshly milled black pepper and sprinkle a few more drops of olive oil over before serving. It’s hard to believe that something so simple can be so wonderful.

Ingredients:
1 aubergine
1 green pepper
2 beef tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
115g mushrooms
1 carrot, grated
225g cooked rice (brown rice is healthiest)
90g crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper
Note that almost everything in this recipe can be swapped for something you would prefer, like adding different cheese, herbs or vegetables. You could even replace the rice with couscous.

Method:
Firstly preheat the oven to 190 degrees (Gas 5), lightly grease and ovenproof dish. Cut the aubergine and pepper in half through the stalks. Remove the core and seeds from the pepper and scoop out the middle of the aubergine taking care not to pierce the skin. Dice the aubergine flesh.
Cut the tops off the tomatoes and hollow out the centres with a spoon. Chop up the middle and add to the diced aubergine. Place the tomatoes upside down to drain.
Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the aubergine halves for 3 minutes. Add the peppers and blanch for 3 minutes more. Leave the vegetables to drain then place hollow side up in the baking dish.
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a pan and cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes. Stir in the diced aubergine, tomato and mushrooms. Cook for a further 5 minutes until softened. Then mix in the rice and feta cheese, grated carrot (and anything else you want to add), season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the mixture between the vegetable shells, sprinkle with the remaining olive oil and bake for 20 minutes, until the topping has browned.
These are great as they can be served hot or cold! This recipe makes four portions.

Price:
ASDA
1 aubergine – £0.98
1 green pepper – £0.68
2 beef tomatoes – £1.16
1 onion – £0.26
1 whole garlic – £0.34
Mushrooms 250g – £0.90
1 carrot – roughly £0.20
Brown rice 1kg – £1.19 (225g = £0.30)
Feta Cheese 200g – £1.47 (90g = £0.67)
Total: Per portion = £1.37.

This pricing is calculating by using the cost a whole garlic which is something you always want in your cupboard anyway. The rice is also something you are more than likely already going to have. This is a recipe that you can make, eat there and then and then save the rest to eat another time. You can also save money on the vegetables by buying them from the market in town!