Elly Pear's Let's Eat: Simple, delicious food for everyone, every day

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Which variety? We like to make this one with regular aubergines or stripy purple aubergines which will give you long thin slices. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and a pinch of sea salt and cook for 5 minutes until slightly softened, stirring occasionally.

You haven’t lived until you’ve mixed miso and tahini to make one rich, nutty, creamy dressing…Ooh it’s so good! Following the opening of The Pear Cafe in Elly’s beloved Bristol in 2006, both her, and her daily Frittata, have become staples of the local community.Which variety? Globe aubergines will give you the best envelopes for your aubergine parcels in this recipe. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Pour the olive oil into a large ovenproof dish or roasting tin and heat in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Carefully add the aubergine cubes to the hot oil. Season well with salt and pepper, add the diluted rose harissa and toss everything together. A super-practical section on weekday meal solutions, with sub-sections for freezer food, one-pan meals and easy recipes that can be on the table in 20 minutes.

Which variety? Try the classic globe aubergine here, or the white variety if you’re feeling extra snazzy. Add the wine, turn up the heat to high and bring to the boil. Use a spatula to scrape up all the flavour from the bottom of the pan and stir well. Add the bay leaves, tinned tomatoes, passata, lentils, oregano and pul biber. Clients for recipe development work include Tio Pepe, Sarsons, Bonne Maman, MacSween, Strong Roots and Peter’s Yard.Elly says: “If you’re already a veggie or vegan, I’m going to show you lots of things you may not have tried – new ingredients, different ways of doing things or fresh approaches to cooking. If you’re currently a meat-eater, my aim is to prove a meal with no meat can still be satisfying, exciting and delicious”. What I thought: Like everyone else I know, I struggle to keep coming up with simple but tasty midweek meal ideas, so I was instantly drawn to the Weekday section of Elly Pear’s book. I love the concept of her Freezer Food recipes. You make one base dish in a quantity big enough to allow you to freeze some of it. Then there are various ways to use that base dish to whip up enticing but incredibly easy meals when you get home from work and don’t have the time or energy to cook something complicated. I love this approach as it fits perfectly with our busy family schedule. Perfect for: Cooks who want to eat well every day of the week, and anyone trying to get more veg and plant-based foods in their diet. Festival appearances have included Abergavenny, River Cottage and BBC Countryfile and this year she is also appearing at Yeo Valley’s Valley Fest and Ludlow Food Festival. She is also a regular tutor at Divertimenti Cookery School in Knightsbridge.

It’s one of the most popular dips in a mezze for a reason! Aubergine loves a bit of char, and cooking aubergines directly over a flame imparts a smokiness which takes the vegetable to new levels. After 12.5years, I’ve decided to close The Pear Cafe. It’s all good, not closing for any bad reason (in fact trade is particularly brisk!), it’s just the right thing for me at this point in my life. New chapters and all that jazz. More exciting news soon but that’s it for now. Tuesday 25th will be our last day of trading. Thank you all for the ride. I’ve enjoyed unbelievable support for 150 months of trading and I’m forever grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you Elly xxx” Preheat the grill. Wipe the frying pan with kitchen paper, then heat ½ tablespoon oil over a low-medium heat. When hot, pour in the egg mixture and swirl around to evenly distribute it. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, draw the edges in from the side of the pan, tip the pan and let the liquid egg flow into the gaps. This helps the whole thing set, rather than just the bottom of the frittata. Do this for 5 minutes, until almost set.

What I thought: As someone who loves cooking, but routinely finds herself cooking variations on the same few dishes, it is always thrilling to find something I know has instantly become a new staple favourite. This grilled aubergine with buttermilk dressing can be prepared in just 30 minutes. We love this recipe for its brightness, speediness and simplicity. The dill and mint pair beautifully with the creamy vegetable.

Next, cut out decorations from the pastry scraps. (I like holly leaves and berries, but be creative!) Brush the parcels all over with the remaining egg wash and add the pastry decorations. Brush again with more egg wash. Bake in the hot oven for 30–40 minutes or until the pastry is shiny and golden. It’s really very easy to spend your time and money with small, independent businesses in this part of the world, and I love it for that, and so many more reasons. The quintessential baked aubergine dish would have to be a melanzane parmigiana – and who can resist the moreish combination of silky fried aubergines layered up with a killer tomato sauce and parmesan? This recipe uses a béchamel on top, but if you prefer a less heavy version, try our lighter parmigiana which uses mozzarella for ooziness. Or go even bigger and opt for our aubergine parmigiana sandwich. pearl barley (for convenience you can swap for pre-cooked mixed grain pouches, but this will cost more)If you’re new to cooking with aubergine, this is one of the easiest recipes to start-out on. Criss-crossing, then roasting aubergines provides an incredible vehicle for flavour, and the aromatic paste spread on top gently melts into the silky flesh as it cooks. Served with a simple combo of lentils and shallots, this is a dish this is a healthy and easy weeknight meal. Pat and gently squeeze the cube of tofu, using several pieces of kitchen paper until it is as dry as possible. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a lidded box and mix well until the sugar has dissolved. Cut the tofu into 24 even cubes. Place into the box and marinade for at least 30 minutes, turning regularly so all the pieces get covered. Or cover and leave in the fridge overnight if time allows. Return the dish or tin to the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes. When the time is up, stir the contents to make sure all sides of the aubergine cubes are roasting. Set the timer again for another 15 minutes and return to the oven. Elly Pear turns a handful of store cupboard ingredients into a spicy, gooey vegetarian traybake. Make sure to toast plenty of pitta breads, too, for dunking into this fabulous roasted mish-mash. This recipe was developed by Vivek Singh as part of his 20th anniversary celebration meal – and it’s a marvel. The sweet peanuts compliment the bitter savouriness of the aubergines perfectly and the tamarind paste adds delightful sourness. It’s a wonderful side dish or a vegan main and it’s something you may not have tried before.