Filo Parcels

These are so light and equally good hot or cold - making them a perfect take to work snack or lunch if you throw in some salad and vegetables of choice. I can happily eat them straight out of the oven with nothing else but a big smile. There is something about crispy filo pastry which is just so hard to beat. It is another low effort one, but you just need to be sure you don't man handle the pastry and it is very delicate.

1 packet of filo pastry

50g butter

Plain flour for dusting

200g spinach

250g ricotta cheese

50g pine nuts

2 tbsp finely chopped basil

1 tbsp finely chopped mint

small handful of finely grated parmesan

sea salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C and add the pine nuts whilst it's heating up to toast lightly. Meanwhile steam the spinach for two minutes of so or until wilted. Remove from steamer and squeeze out water. In a large enough mixing bowl, add the spinach, ricotta, chopped herbs, parmesan, toasted pine nuts. Mix throughly to break up the spinach and evenly distribute everything. Taste before you season as the parmesan will provide a natural saltiness.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and turn off the heat. Lay your filo pastry sheets out on a floured surface and one by one (taking each sheet at a time) cut the sheet in half to provide the longest length possible. Brush the sheet with some melted butter and lay the other half on top of it. Take a large spoonful of the filling and put it in the top of the left hand side. Brush the rest of the pastry with some melted butter and fold over in right angles forming a triangle as you go along. Brush with a small amount of butter, a sprinkling of sea salt and place on a baking tray.

Repeat enough times as the filling will allow. Depending on how much you fill each parcel you should have 10 or so. Bake for 25 minutes and eat when you feel like it. Straight away is pretty rewarding though.

Quick Polenta Supper

Now I'm not saying this is gourmet, but holy smokes it's delicious. Since going to Tuscany last summer I'm in love with maize. It's quick but will require making part of it the day before.

Here's what you need for two:

1/4 cup of polenta

1 cup of vegetable or chicken stock

1/4 cup of grated parmesan

4 rashers of streaky bacon (I prefer mine smoked)

A bag of washed spinach

Handful of pumpkin seeds

Block of crumbly goats cheese.

Bring the stock to the boil and steadily pour in the polenta, stir like mad to stop any lumps forming, I actually use a whisk to start off with. Once you've been stirring for about 5 minutes you can let it cook, giving it the odd stir. It will need to cook for about 10 minutes. When it's done take it off the heat, stir in the parmesan and stir in any seasoning you feel it needs. Spread it out into a non-stick rectangular tin until it is about an inch thick. Leave it in the fridge over night to set.

When you're ready to eat, chop up the bacon and fry until crispy, remove from the pan but leave the oil in. Cut up the polenta into cubes and add to the frying pan. Be gentle with them and turn them to brown. They will only need a couple of minutes on each side.

Whilst the polenta is frying steam or boil your spinach, whichever you prefer, but it only needs a couple of minutes too.

When your polenta looks done remove from pan and add the pumpkin seeds. Begin to assemble in a jumble the polenta, spinach and bacon and crumble some of the goat's cheese in. Once the pumpkin seeds are popping and getting nicely toasted take straight out of the pan and sprinkle on top.

This is just about one for the most comforting things you can have. So much texture and the flavours make you feel like it's ok that it's January.