While the tart is cooling, place a griddle pan on a high heat. Cut the pears into quarters and griddle on all sides until nicely charred. Drizzle with honey, and serve a couple of pear wedges with each slice of tart.
Broccoli, Kale and Gorgonzola Tart with Griddled Pears
CREAMED GREENS ON TOAST WITH POACHED EGG AND DUKKAH
For me this is pure comfort. I have to stop myself just eating the greens straight up, and actually serve them with something. You can use whatever leaf is available – spinach, kale, chard, cavolo nero, whatever takes your fancy, they’re all delicious. I’d avoid baby leaf spinach, though, as it tends to wilt away to nothing.
SERVES 1
125g mixed greens (spinach, kale, chard, cavolo nero)
a few sprigs of dill
1 shallot
2 garlic cloves
a knob of butter
75ml single cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
25g soft cheese (I love goat’s or blue cheese)
1 large egg
1 large slice of sourdough bread
extra virgin olive oil
½ a lemon
1 teaspoon homemade dukkah (see here)
Wash the greens, discard any woody stalks, and chop the leaves – keeping some slightly larger pieces and shredding a few leaves finely. Pick the dill leaves and chop finely. Peel and finely chop the shallot and 1½ garlic cloves.
Put the butter into a medium non-stick frying pan and pop on to a medium-low heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes, until soft and sticky, but not coloured. Add the chopped greens, stir, then cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and cook the greens for 10 minutes, until they are tender.
While the greens are cooking, fill a small saucepan with salted water and place on a high heat.
When the greens have softened, stir in the cream and dill and season well. Finely grate in a little nutmeg. Crumble in your chosen cheese and remove from the heat. Poach the egg in the boiling water – I like mine cooked for 3 minutes, so the yolk is still a little runny inside. Toast the slice of sourdough.
When everything is ready, place the sourdough on your plate, rub with the cut side of the remaining half garlic clove and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Top with the creamy garlic greens and squeeze over a little lemon juice. Top with the poached egg and sprinkle over the dukkah. Tuck in.
Creamed Greens on Toast with Poached Egg and Dukkah
KIMCHI AND PRAWN OKONOMIYAKI
I first tried okonomiyaki at a food market near our home many moons ago, and would drag myself out of bed on Sundays to get my fix. It’s essentially a large veg-packed Japanese pancake, which I have simplified to make at home. Kimchi is optional, so don’t feel obliged to use it, and try adding different veg (always keeping the cabbage, though). You could even change the protein if you like – shredded pork or beef are great – or leave it out altogether if you’re vegetarian (it’s seriously good with grated Cheddar). And from start to finish it takes no more than 20 minutes – what a dream.
SERVES 2
2 large eggs
150g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
250g Chinese cabbage
60g kimchi
100g small cooked prawns
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
groundnut or rapeseed oil
3 spring onions
1 heaped teaspoon pickled ginger
3 tablespoons okonomiyaki sauce (or, 1 tablespoon runny honey, 2 teaspoons ketchup, ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons low-salt soy sauce)
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (ideally from a squeezy bottle)
2 tablespoons seaweed flakes
a few pinches of bonito flakes
In a large jug or mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, flour, baking powder, a good pinch of salt and pepper and 150ml of water until you have a smooth batter. Trim and finely shred the cabbage and finely slice the kimchi. Mix them into the pancake batter with the prawns.
Place a medium-size non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and add the sesame seeds. Toast them for a couple of minutes until golden, then transfer to a small plate. Place the pan back on the hob and pour in a good glug of oil. Ladle in half the batter and leave it to fry for 6–7 minutes, until golden underneath and just set. Quickly and confidently flip the pancake over and cook for a further 4–5 minutes.
While your pancake is cooking, prepare the garnishes. Finely slice the spring onions and pickled ginger. If you are making your own okonomiyaki sauce, mix the runny honey, ketchup, Worcestershire and soy sauces together. Brush the top of the pancake with half of the okonomiyaki sauce just before serving.
Transfer the glazed pancake to a plate, drizzle with half of the mayonnaise, then sprinkle over the seaweed, ginger, toasted sesame seeds and spring onions, and finish with a pinch of the bonito flakes. Serve immediately, then repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Kimchi and Prawn Okonomiyaki
MISO TUNA SARNIE
Sometimes sandwiches are the quickest and easiest form of lunch, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring and/or lardy. Good tuna is a beautiful thing, but drenching it in substandard fatty mayonnaise seems criminal. Try this insanely easy miso-dressed tuna, for a creamy and more flavoursome alternative.
SERVES 1
70g good tinned tuna, ideally in olive oil
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
1 heaped teaspoon sweet white miso
1 teaspoon low-salt soy sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ a ripe avocado
2 slices of your favourite bread
½ a lime
a little salad cress
Drain the tuna of its oil, then spoon it into a small mixing bowl and break it up lightly with a fork. Stir in the yoghurt, miso and soy sauce and mix together well, breaking the tuna even more as you go, until you have a creamy mixture. Season with a little salt and a generous pinch of pepper.
Scoop the avocado straight on to one of your bread slices and lightly mash it into the bread, spreading it as you go. Squeeze over the lime juice and top with the dressed tuna. Garnish with the salad cress, then cover with the second bread slice. Cut in half, and dig in.
Miso Tuna Sarnie
MY FAVOURITE QUICK NOODLE BOWL
This is probably the meal I make most often when I’m home on my own. It takes less than 10 minutes, and for something with so few ingredients it is well tasty. It does rely on you having the chilli oil here in the cupboard, but I can’t big it up enough. It’s worth having, to pimp up most dishes.
SERVES 1
75g broccoli
75g medium egg noodles
1 spring onion
a few sprigs of soft herbs (coriander, chives, mint and basil work well)
30g baby leaf spinach
60g leftover cooked meat or tofu (I particular love shredded ham hock, though any protein will work)
2 tablespoons addictive roasted chilli oil (see here)
½ tablespoon low-salt soy sauce
1 lime
½ a ripe avocado
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put a medium-size pan of salted water on to boil on a medium heat. As it comes to the boil, trim the broccoli and cut into even-size florets. Add the broccoli and noodles to the pan and cook for 4 minutes.
While they are cooking, trim and finely slice the spring onion. Pick the herb leaves and finely chop. Roughly chop the spinach, if you like, and shred or cut your chosen protein into bite-size pieces.
As soon as the broccoli and noodles are ready, reserve a splash of the cooking water, then drain in a sieve or colander and return them to the dry pan. Stir in the spinach, chilli oil, soy sauce and sliced spring onion. Squeeze in the lime juice, and use a teaspoon to scoop in nuggets of the avocado. Add the chopped herbs and protein, and stir everything together for
a minute, adding a little of the reserved cooking water to loosen – you want the avocado to break down, resulting in a spicy, creamy dressing. Season to taste and tuck in straight away.
My Favourite Quick Noodle Bowl
HERBY PUY LENTILS, GREENS AND SMOKED MACKEREL
This recipe started life as an attempt to make myself more intelligent (omega-3s) and boost my iron intake. It turned out to be a wonderfully delicious salad, and so has remained a regular in our week-night repertoire – two birds, one stone.
SERVES 2 (multiply as needed)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g Puy lentils
1 lemon
1 teaspoon English mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a few sprigs each of mixed soft herbs (I like a mixture of tarragon, basil, parsley and mint)
2 spring onions
1 small bulb of fennel
1 ripe avocado
70g baby spinach
150g smoked mackerel (or if you don’t like mackerel or are a vegetarian it’s equally delicious with feta)
1 teaspoon sumac
½ teaspoon black sesame seeds (you can use regular ones if you can’t get black, just toast them first)
Bring a small pan of salted water to the boil and cook the Puy lentils according to the packet instructions, so they still hold their shape. When they are ready, drain, then leave to steam dry for a few minutes.
While the lentils are cooking you can make the dressing. Squeeze the lemon juice into a large serving bowl, and spoon in the mustard and olive oil. Pick the herbs, discard the stalks and finely chop the leaves. Stir into the dressing along with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Trim and finely slice the spring onions and add to the bowl also.
Trim the fennel and shave as finely as possible, using either a potato peeler or a mandolin. Transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water to crisp up. Halve the avocado, remove the stone and chop into 1cm pieces.
When the Puy lentils are ready and have cooled a little, toss them into the herby dressing, along with the avocado and spinach. Drain the fennel, spin it dry, and add to the bowl also. Break over the mackerel, sprinkle with the sumac and sesame seeds, and serve straight away.
Herby Puy Lentils, Greens and Smoked Mackerel
LEMON SOLE WITH PRESERVED LEMON, CORIANDER AND CAPERS
I adore this recipe. It’s quick to prepare and quick to cook. If you are rushing you could have this done from start to finish in 15 minutes flat, which for something so flavoursome and nutritious is no mean feat. A perfect lunch or light supper.
SERVES 2
125g couscous
250g lemon sole fillets (you could use plaice too – any fresh flat fish)
1 preserved lemon
1 tablespoon capers
a bunch of coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
a good pinch of dried chilli flakes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
olive oil
150g asparagus
1 small courgette
a handful of baby spinach leaves
1 lemon, plus ½ a lemon to serve
Start by placing a griddle pan on a high heat, so it gets scorching hot. Boil a kettle of water. Pour the couscous into a medium-size bowl, pour over boiling water to come 1cm above the couscous, cover with clingfilm and leave to one side.
Slice the sole into thick goujons (strips). Halve the preserved lemon and remove the seeds, then pop into a mini food processor. Add half the capers, two-thirds of the coriander (stalks and all), the cumin, ground coriander, chilli flakes and some salt and pepper. Peel the onion and garlic, then roughly chop and add to the processor. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and blitz until you have a green paste. Rub half the paste all over the sole goujons and save the other half for another day (in a sealed container in the fridge it should keep for 3–4 days).
Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and drizzle in a little oil. When it’s hot add the sole goujons, skin side down, along with the rest of the capers. Fry for 4–5 minutes, until the skin is golden and crisp, then flip over and cook for a couple more minutes, until cooked through.
While the fish is cooking, prepare the veg. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and pop the spears on to the hot griddle, charring them for just a minute or so on each side so they still have a bite. Slice the courgette into thin ribbons with a potato peeler and chop the spinach and remaining coriander. Fluff the couscous up with a fork and squeeze in the lemon juice, then pour in a good glug of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Chop the asparagus spears when they are ready and stir through the couscous with the rest of the veg. Serve straight away with the pan-fried sole, crispy capers and a wedge of lemon.
NB Use the remaining paste to marinate other types of fish; even rubbed on chicken it works a treat.
Lemon Sole with Preserved Lemon, Coriander and Capers
POMEGRANATE CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH WALNUT AND PARSLEY PESTO
I’ve grown up eating kebabs, and despite the ‘dirty late night’ connotations, made properly they’re a thing of beauty and not dirty at all. Marinated and grilled meat, lemon-dressed shredded veg, pickles, yoghurt and griddled flatbreads – there’s a lot of good stuff going on. This recipe celebrates that, while also embracing the delicious kebab elements. It is a cracking crowd-pleaser of a meal.
SERVES 4
6 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
50g walnuts
1 small garlic clove
a large bunch of flat-leaf parsley
½ a lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g kefalotyri or pecorino
1 red onion
250g red cabbage
½ a bunch of mint
1 red chilli
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ a pomegranate (optional)
4 flatbreads
Slice the chicken into strips, around 1cm thick and 2–3cm long, and place in a bowl. Toss with a good drizzle of olive oil, the pomegranate molasses, cumin and cinnamon and mix together well. If you have time, leave the chicken to marinate overnight or for a few hours; if not, don’t worry, it’ll still be delicious. Leave it to one side for 15 minutes. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 10 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, place the walnuts in a frying pan on a medium-low heat. Toast them lightly, until a little golden, then leave to cool. Peel and chop the garlic. Pop the nuts and garlic into a food processor with half the parsley, the lemon juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Finely grate in the kefalotyri or pecorino, add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and blitz everything together until you have a thick creamy pesto. If it is a little too thick, add another tablespoon of olive oil.
Peel the onion and finely slice it. Finely slice the red cabbage, either with a mandolin or using a coarse grater. Pick the mint leaves and the rest of the parsley leaves and roughly chop them. Halve, deseed and finely slice the chilli, then place everything in a large mixing bowl and add the red wine vinegar. Season and toss together well, massaging the vinegar into the veg, and leave to one side. If using the pomegranate, remove the seeds and clean them of any pith.
When you are ready, preheat a griddle and heat your oven to 150°C/gas 2. Wrap the flatbreads together in foil and pop into the oven to warm. Divide the chicken between your skewers (either 4 large ones or 8 small), making sure the meat isn’t too tightly packed so it has a chance to cook properly. Keep any marinade left in the bowl and use it to coat the chicken as it cooks. Place the threaded skewers on the hot griddle and cook for around 2–3 minutes on each side, until gnarly and cooked through but still j
uicy. Baste the meat with any leftover marinade, and season while cooking.
Serve the hot flatbreads spread with the walnut pesto and topped with the chicken skewers. Serve with the cabbage and onion salad, scatter over the pomegranate seeds if you like, and tuck in.
Pomegranate Chicken Skewers with Walnut and Parsley Pesto
ROASTED STICKY PLUM CHICKEN WITH PICKLED CUCUMBER
This is exactly the kind of meal I want to curl up on the sofa with after a long day. It’s warming, sticky and spiced but still light. With this recipe you get that intense sweet plum flavour without having to rely on a jarred sauce.
SERVES 2
3 plums
½–1 red chilli
2 garlic cloves
2 chicken legs
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon five-spice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
groundnut or vegetable oil
a 4cm piece of cucumber
2 spring onions
1 lime
2 tablespoons reduced-salt soy sauce
1–2 tablespoons runny honey
150g jasmine rice
1 large or 2 small pak choy
Preheat the oven to 200°/gas 6. Halve, destone and quarter the plums. Halve, deseed and finely slice the chilli. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Place all this in a roasting tray which will snugly hold the chicken, along with the plums, star anise and cinnamon stick. Pop the chicken on top, skin side up. Sprinkle over the five-spice, a good pinch of salt and pepper and a little drizzle of oil, and rub these into the chicken. Spoon a few tablespoons of water into the bottom on the tray to stop the plums burning. Place in the oven for 30 minutes.
Stirring Slowly Page 7
