Summer omelette with a scarlet salad

This omelette is based on one from BBC Good Food, where it's called From-the-fridge omelette. In addition to the ingredients you can see there, I used a small clove of garlic to, you know, garlic it up a bit, and a mix of strong cheddar and Parmesan cheese.

I like a scarlet salad. This one has my favourite super-sweety-sour-umami Datterini tomatoes, with red pepper and radishes. And a squeeze of lemon, which you can't see here. 

That's some homemade elderflower cordial too, using a River Cottage recipe.

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Effort to taste ratio (both out of 10):
2:6

Verdict:
Needs the garlic for my taste. Good smug feelings about the amount of veg.

Pasta with purple sprouting broccoli

You'll need:

Four handfuls of penne pasta
A good handful of purple sprouting broccoli, remove any woodier stalks
Garlic (I used fresh garlic leaves from my garden. Well washed. We have a cat with a peeing problem)
Chilli flakes, a few, to your taste
Olive oil, glug of
Parmesan cheese, to grate over

Method:

Chuck the penne into a big pan of already boiling water. Add salt if you want. After about 8 mins, lob in the broccoli. Cook for a further 3-4 mins. Drain. Throw the garlic leaves, chilli and olive oil into the hot pan. Give it a good swish round, then return the pasta and broccoli to the pan. Turf out into a bowl, grate over the Parmesan and a scrunch of black pepper if you like.

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Effort to taste ratio (both out of 10):
3:5

Verdict:
Needed more oomph, should've used more chilli.

 

Red & green sardines

You'll need:

1 tin of sardines. I used Waitrose in olive oil
Green leaves, bowlful
Large handful of small plum tomatoes, halved. I used Datterini
Quarter of a red pepper, cut into small chunks
Slice of lemon

Method:

Put the washed leaves into a bowl. Tip on the tomatoes and red peppers. Drain and discard some of the oil from the sardines. Place the sardines on the salad, then pour over any remaining olive oil. A grind of black pepper plus a slice of lemon, and you're done.
 

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Effort to taste ratio (both out of 10):
1:8

Verdict:
I'd forgotten about sardines, 'til I saw a tin in the supermarket. Fishy loveliness. Those omega 3s definitely made me write better.

They’re great with rhubarb too.