HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

INGREDIENTS 3/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted 1/4 grated parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic Salt and freshly ground black pepper METHOD: To make the pesto put the basil, pine nuts, garlic, oil and grated parmesan cheese in a food processor. ( I actually used a hand blender. ) Mix until a smooth sauce forms.  Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside. Serve with pasta or as a spread.

INGREDIENTS 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tsp white balsamic vinegar 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper METHOD: Put all ingredients in a jar and shake until combined. Pour on top of green salads, rocket or spinach. Here with Goat's Cheese & Rocket Salad .

INGREDIENTS 2 cloves garlic, crushed 4 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp freshly ground pepper 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil METHOD: Mix all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake to combine.  Here with a Couscous Tabouleh .

This is the first time I have made this cake. It is not your 'traditional' cake but I really liked it. It is not too sweet and goes really well with the mascarpone. Nice for morning or afternoon tea. Put splash of maple syrup or date syrup on the mascarpone and you'll bring it to a higher level 😁 .  I used brown sugar instead of caster sugar, and it gave the cake this darker colour when cooked. INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour 3/4 cup (120g) wholemeal or spelt flour 3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 3 eggs 1 1/4 cups (310ml) fruity extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 small pears, peeled, cored, cut into 1cm pieces (to give 2 cups) 2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped 1/4 cup (35g) currants Mascarpone, to serve Maple syrup, to serve (optional) METHOD Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 26cm, 3cm deep loose bottom tart pan.  ( I didn't have a tart pan so I used a normal loose-bottom cake p...