Tuna mornay gets a crinkly twist, plus more new veg-packed recipes from Alice Zaslavsky

Cooking dinner every night for different ages and appetites is one thing. Trying to load it with fresh, healthy veg can be a whole other challenge. For cookbook author and broadcaster Alice Zaslavsky, the answer lies in colour – literally. Rather than trying to focus on individual nutrients, she takes a simpler approach by using whatever is in season and making the meal as vibrant as possible.

“If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by nutritional advice, here is an easy message to digest: make the focus loading up your diet with colour and variety,” Zaslavsky writes in her new cookbook Weeknights with Alice.

“We continue to discover more about the phyto-nutrients and bioactives contained within each unique hue. And it’s an easy remit for me to deliver on because more veg always means more colour!”

The new collection includes 80 low-stress midweek dinners, each one starting with vegetables so you can follow the seasons or use up whatever’s in your crisper. Because vegetables form the bulk of the meals, with protein playing a lesser role, the recipes are more cost-effective too. Many are also served “family-style”, where each person can pick and choose what they want to eat, which encourages younger eaters to try new foods, and lets the cook sit down faster.

So whether home cooks are managing time pressures, fussy palates or budget constraints, the recipes are designed to ease the “persistent pinch-point” of weeknight cooking.

Here, Zaslavsky shares three recipes that hero vegetables in fresh ways, from a zesty spin on tuna mornay to a midweek version of spinach and cheese pan pies, and “meaty” fritters made from your favourite chargrilled brassica.

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Sing it with me: When you stir creamy sauce with some tuna, of course, that’s a mornay! If you grew up in Australia, you’ll probably be surprised to learn that tuna mornay is actually pretty exotic for anyone who didn’t, and one advantage of coming to it later in life is playing fast and loose with this canonical classic of Cucina Australiana. I’ve taken the best bits of a mornay (creamy, comforting, casserole), eliminated the margin for gluggy error by replacing the bechamel with a creme fraiche-based green sauce that’s full of zip and zest. If using tuna in spring water, drain and add ⅓ cup (80ml) olive oil to the green sauce instead. And it’s all topped off with a Friday night fish 𝄒n𝄒 chips vibe from the salt and vinegar crisps – bonus points if they’re crinkle-cut!

Double duty → You could enjoy this cold as a pasta salad the next day. The chippies will go a little soggy, so this is your permission slip to eat all the chips first!

These pan pies are a loose play on khachapuri imeruli, a type of Georgian cheese bread that’s a cousin to the iconic cheese and egg boats known as khachapuri adjaruli. Though traditionally an imeruli uses a yeasted dough to encase cheeses such as suluguni, I’ve adapted the dough into a speedy yoghurt flatbread and the cheeses to suit a midweek cook anywhere – you could even use a mix of pizza cheese and feta. And for a speedier shortcut, you could use shop-bought pizza dough … my favourite hack is buying some straight from my local pizza place! Spinach breaks down to almost nothing as it cooks, so unless you have lots growing in the garden, use frozen spinach for recipes requiring a large amount. If you have time, thaw the frozen spinach overnight in the fridge on kitchen towel, to absorb the liquid around the spinach as it melts and help it to better retain its colour and texture. If you’re in a hurry, run a tap over the frozen spinach clumps. Once thawed, drain and squeeze out the excess moisture before using. If serving in a heat-avoidant household, hold the hot honey and sprinkle the pies with salt flakes and a little drizzle of honey instead.

Double duty → Leftover pies are great for lunch the following day, either cold or reheated, and will last for up to 5 days in the fridge

I’ve always felt the best part of a double cheeseburger isn’t the burger but the cheese! Brassicas such as broccoli, when burnished, offer plenty of chargrilled flavour in these surprisingly “meaty” fritters. You’ll be happy to know a food processor or box grater does most of the work, and happier still to see how kids love scoffing these for dinner.

Double duty → These make great burgers in a bun too! Just sandwich the warm smash burgers in the buns with the slaw and dipper inside.

This is an edited extract from Weeknights with Alice by Alice Zaslavsky, photography by Rochelle Eagle. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00.

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