The Intolerant Gourmet: Free-from Recipes for Everyone. Pippa Kendrick

could chop the spinach by hand until very finely pulped.

      Heat the groundnut or rapeseed oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and add the onion, garlic, chilli, cumin seeds, ground coriander, chickpeas and a good pinch of salt. Sauté over a medium heat for 10 minutes or until the onion has softened but not browned. Add the cauliflower florets, tomatoes and coconut milk to the pan, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender to the point of a knife.

      Stir in the puréed spinach and the garam masala, heat through for a couple of minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

      Spiced Spinach and Aubergine Stew

      This is a wonderfully fragrant dish, full of warming spices and complex flavours. I like to serve it with brown basmati rice and a good dollop of houmous. I have used baby-leaf spinach for this recipe as it is more delicately textured and flavoured; you can use the larger-leaf variety, but I would recommend that you remove any tough stalks and chop it roughly before adding to the aubergine and tomato.

      Serves 4

       —

      1 large onion

      3 aubergines

      3 tbsp olive oil

      2 tsp cumin seeds

      2 tsp coriander seeds

      1 tsp smoked paprika

      1 tsp ground cinnamon

      100g/3½oz soft dried apricots

      1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

      100g/3½oz baby-leaf spinach

      Sea salt and freshly

      ground black pepper

      Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

      Finely chop the onion and dice the aubergines into 1cm/½in chunks. Place the diced aubergine in a roasting tin, cover with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until soft and golden.

      While the aubergine is cooking, place the cumin and coriander seeds in a heavy-based frying pan and dry-fry over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan regularly to ensure they don’t burn, until lightly smoking and fragrant. Remove from the heat and grind to a coarse powder using a pestle and mortar. Alternatively, place in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.

      Heat the remaining oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and fry the onion over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes or until soft but not browned. Add the freshly ground cumin and coriander, along with the paprika and cinnamon, and mix into the onion. Cut the apricots into quarters and add these and the roasted aubergine to the pan, then pour over the chopped tomatoes and stir to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

      Remove the lid from the pan, add the spinach and stir it in. Cook for a few more minutes until the spinach has completely wilted, then season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

      Rhubarb Streusel Tart

      Glorious rhubarb, I am a fan of it in all its guises, whether in crumbles, pies or fools, but this streusel tart may just be my favourite. The biscuit base gives way to the tang of sweet-sharp rhubarb, while the streusel topping provides a buttery, oat crunch with a hint of warming ginger – a spice that just adores rhubarb. Serve warm with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

      Serves 8

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      6 sticks of rhubarb

      25g/1oz soft light brown sugar

      1 quantity of sweet Shortcrust Pastry

      For the streusel topping

      75g/3oz gluten-free plain flour (ideally Doves Farm)

      ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

      1½ tsp ground ginger

      A small pinch of sea salt

      75g/3oz soft light brown sugar

      50g/1¾oz jumbo porridge oats

      75g/3oz Pure Sunflower Spread (dairy-free margarine)

      You will need a 23cm/9in tart tin with a removable base for this recipe

      Trim the rhubarb and cut into 1cm/½in rounds. Place in a large saucepan with the sugar, cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb has softened and become gently stewed. Set aside to cool a little while you prepare the streusel topping.

      Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger and salt into a large bowl and stir in the sugar and oats. Add the margarine and, using your fingers, rub it in until the mixture forms soft, crumble-like clumps.

      Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.

      Roll out the pastry and fill the tart tin following the instructions given in the Shortcrust Pastry recipe.

      Using a slotted spoon so that any excess juice can drain away, spoon in the stewed rhubarb, spreading it evenly over the base of the tart and discarding the remaining liquid.

      Crumble the streusel topping evenly over the tart, pressing down gently with your fingertips to fill any large gaps, then bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes or until the streusel is a deep gold and the pastry is cooked. Leave the tart in its tin on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving.