We’re loving Clove, the free recipe app that features easy-to-follow recipes from best-selling authors and creators, and offers smart tools to help busy cooks save, plan and shop recipes with ease. We caught up with Anna Guerrero, CEO and co-founder of Clove, and Alex Elliott-Howery, Head of Food at Clove, Cornersmith’s co-founder and cookbook author, to find out how they deal with midweek meal dilemmas, what recipes they have on high rotation, what you’ll find in their pantries and which kitchen tools they can’t live without.
Where do you get ideas for recipes?
Alex: “I’m a very ingredient-based cook – so my inspiration generally comes from trying to figure out what to do with a huge cabbage, or a bag of lentils, or all the blood oranges that turned up in my vegie box. When I was writing my cookbooks, I did a lot of research and got inspired by resourceful cooks around the world, and through history, who make the most of the ingredients they have.”
“I love making stock on the weekend. It’s the unlock to make other simple dishes like soups, a risotto or a pie go from average to life changing.”
Anna Guerrero
What’s your favourite quick weekday meal?
Anna: “I love to turn miscellaneous ingredients into a simple weeknight pasta. I like to keep it very simple with ingredients like olive oil, garlic or onion and cherry tomatoes as a base. Slowly stew them, add a hero ingredient (sometimes from the garden!) like eggplant, lentils or even baked fish and fresh herbs and you have a delicious dinner that’s faster than ordering Uber Eats.”
Which vegetable is your unsung hero?
Alex: At the moment I’m obsessed with leeks. I was taught to cut the green top off and throw it in the bin – but there’s so much flavour and nutrients in the top. I’ve been making soups, pastas and frittatas and pies using the whole thing. Cooking with whole vegetables is a very delicious and very economic way to cook!
What recipe is on high repeat in your house?
Anna: “I love making stock on the weekend. It’s the unlock to make other simple dishes like soups, a risotto or a pie go from average to life changing.”
What’s your favourite cooking implement and why?
Anna: “The microplane! As well as being essential for quick weeknight pastas, it’s also an incredible tool to grate garlic for simple things like sauces, salad dressing and roast vegies. It’s a tip I picked up from one of Alex’s salad classes and it’s changed my life.”
What items do you always have in your pantry?
Alex: “My kids were always telling me there’s nothing in the house to eat, and my answer is, ‘We have everything! There’s nuts and seeds, lentils, rice, canned fish, pickles and eggs.’ They weren’t happy about it.”
What’s your ultimate special occasion dish?
Anna: “Lasagna, with everything made from scratch. A traditional version of lasagna from Bologna uses spinach in the pasta dough, making the sheets green. If it’s a birthday I’ll make this version, along with a bolognese and beschamel from scratch – and find quality cheese, added to each layer with love.”
“Preserving is very simple and people are afraid to give it a go. Give it go, everyone! ”
Alex Elliott-Howery
What’s one recipe people are afraid to cook but is surprisingly simple?
Alex: “I’ve just learnt how to make crumpets and I can’t believe how easy it is! Preserving is also very simple and people are afraid to give it a go. Give it go, everyone! So delicious and a great way to use up fruit and veg.”
Download the Clove app at the App Store or Google Play.
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