I tweaked this recipe from Olive Magazine.

I used gram (chickpea) flour instead of wheat flour, oatmilk instead of whole milk, thyme instead of nutmeg, and chili instead of Dijon mustard (this last part more because I had some fresh chili that needed to be used than in order to make this recipe completely gluten free – that is just an added bonus for those who are severely gluten intolerant).

Different combinations of vegetables can of course be used, in which case you might want to use other herbs or spices instead of nutmeg or thyme.

• 300 g new potatoes
• 400 g (after trimming) green asparagus, trimmed and cut into approx 2 cm pieces (I removed the heads first and kept them separate)
• 1 tblsp ghee
• 50 ml olive oil, plus extra for the tin
• 100 g gram (chickpea) flour
• 800 ml whole milk (I used oatmilk)
• 75 g frozen spinach
• Four to five sprigs of thyme
• 1 heaped tsp dijon mustard or chili to taste
• 100 g parmesan, grated (I blitzed it in the mini processor together with the thyme so as not to have to separate the thyme leaves from the stems)
• 75 g frozen peas
• 1 heaped tsp turmeric
• 6 eggs

A 22 cm springform cake tin, bottom lined with baking paper and sides brushed with oil.

Boil the asparagus (without the heads) in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for a couple of minutes, scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain, then add the potatoes and boil for eight to ten minutes till tender to the point of a knife. Cut into 1 cm slices.

Cook the flour in the oil and ghee, stirring, for two to three minutes until smelling toasty. Add the milk, a little at a time, while whisking, adding more once fully incorporated. Simmer for five minutes until thickened, then stir in all the other ingredients except the eggs, and combine well. Season with a little bit of salt (if needed: the parmesan is also salty), and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Let cool while you whisk the eggs together lightly.

Stir in the slightly cooled mixture, combining thoroughly.

Bake at 180 C fan for 45-50 minutes.

Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold as leftovers.

This is great on its own or with a salad, and is also a good accompaniment to fish, especially smoked or “gravad” and even to a roast leg of lamb.

I saw this : https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/02/cauliflower-cake-recipe-yotam-ottolenghi but I find cauliflower the most flavourless and textureless of all vegetables, and wheat flour, especially of the self-raising variety, is also not my thing, so I decided to experiment and make it a bit more flavourful and healthy.

Instead of wheat flour I used gram flour, and insted of cauliflower I used leeks. I added garlic and chili (of course) and used thyme instead of basil.

Glutenfree and vegetarian (but not vegan).

• 3 large leeks, 600 g after trimming, sliced
• Fresh garlic, to taste, chopped
• Chili flakes or finely chopped chili, to taste
• 1 large sprig rosemary, finely chopped
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 150 g parmesan, coarsely grated
• 130 g gram (chickpea) flour
• 1 tblsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 8 eggs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tblsp sesame seeds
• 3 tblsp nigella seeds

In a couple of tblsp olive oil, sauté the leeks with rosemary, thyme, chili and garlic till they start to collapse. Season with a little bit of salt and lots of black pepper.

Take off the heat, and while it cools off a bit, mix in the turmeric and the parmesan.

Whisk the eggs.

Mix flour and baking powder and baking soda well.

Add to the eggs and which to eliminate lumps. Season with a little bit of salt and lots of black pepper.

Line the bottom of a 22 cm round cake tin with a loose base with baking paper. Brush the sides of the tin with olive oil and coat with some of the sesame seed/nigella seed mix.

Pour in the leek mix, level, and sprinkle the rest of the seed mix on top.

Bake at 180 C until golden and set. Let cool a little before serving and eat the leftovers cold the next days (better the day after, actually).