by Amber Rose
Juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon ground sumac, to serve
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/gas mark 3.
Start by roasting the garlic: put the whole bulbs in a small dish with the rosemary and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the ghee. Wrap the dish in foil. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the garlic is very tender.
Remove the garlic from the oven. Cool a little and then squeeze the soft garlic paste from the cloves into a food processor, discarding the skins. Remove the roasted rosemary leaves from their stalks and pop the leaves into the food processor too, discarding the stalks, and drizzle in any garlic oil from the roasting dish.
Next add the beans, olive oil and lemon juice to the food processor. Blend to a coarse purée. Add a little more oil or warm water to thin the mix if it is too stiff. Taste, season with salt and black pepper and add more lemon juice as necessary. Scoop into a beautiful dish and sprinkle with the sumac and an extra drizzle of olive oil and ghee to serve.
Burnt aubergine with pomegranate molasses.
MAKES 6–8
This is my take on the Lebanese classic baba ganoush: it’s smoky and decadent and insanely good with that unctuous quality that a good aubergine dip should have. It is the perfect accompaniment to roast meats or hearty autumnal veg.
1 large or 2 smaller aubergine(s)
140g greek yogurt, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sumac
½ teaspoon cumin
A pinch of cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, finely minced or crushed
Seeds of ½ pomegranate
2 tablespoons finely chopped curly-leaf parsley, to garnish
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Start by placing the aubergine directly over a moderate flame. This works amazingly well and takes a fraction of the time grilling would – although it does require some thorough cleaning of the hob afterwards. Once the aubergine is on the flame, burn it for 12–14 minutes, turning every now and then using metal tongs so that it cooks on all sides. (To grill it instead, put the aubergine under a hot grill for 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size. Turn occasionally and keep an eye on it – you don’t want the skin to burn to a crisp before the inside is cooked, which takes a surprisingly long time under the grill.) It is done when the skin dries and cracks and smoky aromas are released. As it cooks, you will see the aubergine collapsing within its skin. When the aubergine is done remove it from the heat and set aside to cool a little.
Make a long cut down the length of the aubergine and open it up. Use a spoon to scoop out the cooked flesh. Try to avoid most of the burnt skin, although a little is nice for that smoky flavour. Put the flesh in a sieve or colander for 10 minutes and allow some of the liquid to drain, then transfer to a board and chop roughly. Don’t skip the draining process – it’s important to let it dry out a bit or the dip will be soggy. Aubergines contain a surprising amount of moisture.
Transfer the chopped aubergine to a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients, but reserve half the pomegranate seeds. Give everything a good stir to thoroughly combine and then taste and season. Scoop into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the parsley and the reserved pomegranate seeds.
Black olive tapenade.
MAKES 1 SMALL BOWL
Tapenade is a wonderful little dish – dark and sophisticated, deeply delicious and perfect served with some crudités and a stiff drink at sunset on a warm summery evening. You can make tapenade with green olives and other things like sun-dried tomatoes, but I prefer the more traditional way of just using black olives. Try to buy the olives that still have their pits in; you won’t regret it because they are far superior in taste and only take a moment to pit.
350g whole black kalamata olives, pitted
4 anchovies, well rinsed if packed in salt, roughly chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
3½ tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped curly-leaf parsley
2½ tablespoons fresh thyme, leaves only, chopped
Juice of ½ lemon, plus a little extra if needed
7–8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Put the olives in a food processor with the anchovies, garlic, capers, parsley and thyme. Whizz to a rough purée, being careful not to let the mixture get too fine – some texture is a good thing here. Add the lemon juice and, with the motor still running, slowly trickle in the oil – enough to get the desired consistency. Stop the motor, remove the lid, give a few really good twists of black pepper and taste, adding more lemon juice or pepper as needed.
Scrape into a bowl and enjoy straight away or refrigerate until ready to use. This delicious dip will last a good few days if kept cool.
Serve as part of an antipasti platter, or with crackers and/or crudités for dipping. This makes a relatively small amount but a little goes a long way.
My roasted red pepper and rosemary spread.
SERVES 4 AS A SIDE, MORE AS A DIP
I first came across the idea for this spread in David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl’s Green Kitchen cookbook. It is so delicious I wanted to make my own version, and I now keep a jar of this in my fridge at all times. It’s perfect on rye toast with avocado and salad, or as a dip with seasonal crudités. I also serve it with roast veg or a grilled piece of fish. The seeds add lots of good oils, and pumpkin seeds in particular contain lots of zinc – great for balancing the hormones and clearing the skin.
3 red peppers, halved and deseeded
Olive oil
50g sunflower seeds
50g pumpkin seeds
A pinch of smoked paprika
Juice of ½ lemon
2 rosemary sprigs, leaves only
A hearty pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6.
Put the red peppers on a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 40 minutes, or until slightly charred at the edges and the skin is easy to peel off. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Next, lightly toast the seeds in a dry frying pan, until they release their delicious nutty aroma and are starting to pop. Transfer them to a bowl.
When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins.
Put the peppers in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Scrape the mixture into a glass jar and keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, if it lasts that long! Mine never does.
A creamy, zesty guacamole.
SERVES 10
This is my favourite guacamole recipe. It’s a great way of using up a bunch of avocados for a light lunch. Serve it with a tomato salad or on sourdough rye toast drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with a clove of garlic – totally yummy!! This recipe makes quite a large amount, so just halve or quarter if you have fewer people to feed.
6 ripe avocados, halved and stoned
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lime and juice of 2 limes
1 red onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 green medium chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
8 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil (extra virgin is wonderful) plus extra to serve
A small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped, plus extra sprigs to garnish
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Scoop the flesh of the avocados into a medium bowl, mash with a fork, then squeeze over the lemon and lime juice. Mix, then add all the remaining ingredients. Check the seasoning, adding a little salt and pepper to taste. Scrape into a lovely serving bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with a few sprigs of coriander.
Smashed peas and
broad beans with mint and parsley.
SERVES 4
This little dish of spring delight is fresh and delicate, yet it packs a serious flavour punch. Great as a dip but also amazing on sourdough toast with a poached egg and a sprinkle of rocket leaves or pea shoots. Make it during the short season when fresh broad beans are available – they’re full of vitamin C.
A small handful of mint leaves
A few parsley sprigs, leaves only
4–5 basil leaves
A large handful of fresh or frozen peas (lightly thawed if using frozen)
A handful of fresh or frozen broad beans (lightly thawed if using frozen), double podded
1 fat garlic clove, peeled
A large handful of finely grated Pecorino (or Parmesan)
Extra virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
A tangle of fresh pea shoots, to serve
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Use a pestle and mortar or a food processor to smash the mint, parsley and basil with the peas, beans and garlic until it all looks lovely and mushy.
Add the Pecorino, then loosen the whole mix with a few good glugs of quality olive oil and balance out the flavours with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper before serving.
Chicken liver pâté.
MAKES 2 BOWLS/SERVES 15
Liver is one of nature’s most potent superfoods. It’s so nutrient-dense that it contains a larger amount of micronutrients than almost all fruit and veg, and even red meat. When cooking and eating livers it is very important to use livers that come from pasture-raised animals.
The reason for this is that you want good, clean healthy livers that haven’t become a dumping ground for all the chemicals and GM feed and hormones that you get with factory-farmed chickens. Free-range and organic livers are best: dark in colour and fresh as you can find them. This meltingly soft pâté goes beautifully with my spiced almond crackers.
320g unsalted butter
Ghee or an extra knob of butter
3 shallots or ½ red onion, finely chopped
3 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
450g high-welfare chicken livers, trimmed (free-range and not corn-fed)
A few sprigs of fresh sage, leaves picked
½ teaspoon thyme leaves, finely chopped
125ml marsala
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place half the butter in a small saucepan over a medium–low heat. After about 10 minutes it should have separated, with milk solids at the top and bottom and clarified butter in the middle. Strain off the solids and pour the clarified butter into a clean bowl.
Heat a little ghee or a knob of butter in a large frying pan. Gently fry the shallots and garlic for 10 minutes until soft and tender. Remove from the pan and transfer to a plate. Wipe the pan clean, increase the heat, then add the livers and most of the sage and the thyme leaves in a single layer. Cook the livers for 2 minutes on each side, until lightly coloured but still pink in the middle. If they are fully cooked they can make the pâté grainy. Carefully scoop the livers and herbs from the pan and set aside.
Keep the pan on the heat and carefully pour in the marsala. Simmer for about 1 minute to reduce, then take off the heat and pour it into a food processor along with the shallots, garlic, ginger and livers. Blitz to a smooth purée. Add the remaining butter and continue to blitz, pulsing if necessary, then season to taste.
Transfer the mixture into two serving bowls. Lay the remaining sage leaves over the pâté, then carefully pour over the clarified butter. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours – it tastes even better if the flavours are left to develop for a couple of days. If left undisturbed, the pâté will keep for a good 10 days.
Deeply delicious walnut and lentil pâté.
SERVES 6–8
Perfect for topping little crostini or my crackers for easy party canapés. Walnuts are full of essential fatty acids and healthy fats, and they make a delicious pâté.
2 tablespoons ghee
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 celery stick (use a middle one), finely chopped
2 bay leaves
100g walnuts, soaked for a minimum of 4 hours, then drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme and oregano leaves, mixed, finely chopped
180g Puy lentils, cooked
2 tablespoons tamari or shoyu (traditionally fermented soy sauce)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1–2 teaspoons traditionally brewed white miso paste (optional)
½ teaspoon smoked paprika, plus extra for sprinkling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/gas mark 3.
Put a medium frying pan over a moderate heat and warm the ghee. Add the onion, celery and bay leaves, turn the heat down to low and cook for 12–15 minutes until the veg are softened and caramelised. Stir every few minutes so the onions don’t catch and burn.
Meanwhile, toast the walnuts. Scatter the nuts on a baking tray and pop them into the oven for 10–15 minutes, or until crispy and turning golden. Keep an eye on them as they can burn very easily and, depending on your oven, may take less time. Stir halfway through the roasting so that they toast evenly on all sides. When they are done remove them from the oven and set aside to cool.
Remove the bay leaves and season the onion mixture with salt and pepper (if you are using miso you won’t need much salt). Tip into a high-powered blender, along with the lentils, walnuts, tamari, lemon juice, olive oil and miso, if using. Blitz to a smooth, creamy consistency. Add the paprika to taste and mix again. Scrape into a serving bowl, sprinkle with a little extra paprika, and finish with a final drizzle of olive oil and a few good twists of the pepper mill.
Smoked mackerel pâté.
SERVES 6–8
Mackerel pâté is truly delicious: creamy yet tangy and delightfully moreish. It’s great on toasted rye pumpernickel bread or even cucumber rounds, or scooped into little gem lettuce cups. Mackerel is an oily fish which is full of vitamin D, some B vitamins, selenium and it also contains omega-3 essential fatty acids, all of which means eating this humble fish is great for brain health. I am sure other smoked fish would work just as well in this recipe, too. For instance, last summer I was staying with friends in New Zealand and the kids caught an eel, which we first smoked and then used to make this pâté in place of the mackerel fillets.
3 medium or 4 smaller hot-smoked mackerel fillets
250g crème fraîche (you can use soured cream but you may need extra lemon juice)
3 teaspoons freshly grated horseradish (if you can’t find any, omit and add ½– 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard)
Juice of 1 lemon
A small handful of dill, stalks removed, finely chopped
A small handful of parsley, leaves picked and very finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Turn the mackerel fillets skin-side up, carefully peel off the skin and do a quick check for bones, carefully removing any – the bones can be quite small so do a very thorough check!
Flake most of the fish into a food processor, reserving about one-third or a bit less. Add the crème fraîche and horseradish or mustard and blitz until smooth. You can also just mash these three ingredients in a bowl using a fork (less cleaning up!).
Add salt, a good grinding of black pepper and the lemon juice, then fold through the dill, parsley and the remaining fish, leaving some of the fish in lovely big flakes to give a pleasing texture.
Keep the pâté refrigerated until you’re ready to serve. It will last well in the fridge for a few days if covered.
Tip: If you have any chive flowers to hand they look beautiful sprinkled on top. They are a lovely light purple colour and lend beauty and a fiery flavour to this dish.
Spice Mixes.
Gremolat
a – 2 ways.
MAKES ENOUGH TO SPRINKLE OVER 2 DISHES
Gremolata with parsley.
I love this stuff – it elevates something from plain to totally amazing, with one small sprinkle. Genius.
I add it to soups, salads, open sandwiches and roasted veg, particularly carrots, parsnips, pumpkins and sweet potatoes. It’s great on meat before or after roasting, fish, chicken… pretty much everything. I love it every which way. Making gremolata is also a great way of using up parsley that would otherwise get left in the veg drawer of your fridge and inevitably go yellow and be thrown away. This way you get something totally delicious and nothing gets wasted.
A bunch of flat-leaf parsley, washed, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 big fat garlic clove or
2 small ones, peeled, finely chopped
Zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
Make sure you thoroughly dry the parsley after washing because if the leaves are wet, the gremolata will have a soggy ending.
Simply toss all the ingredients in a bowl. That’s it, so simple. Gremolata keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days but ensure it’s covered with clingfilm or in an airtight jar.
Gremolata with mustard greens.
My mum grows the most delicious mustard greens. I used to wander through her garden and pick all the baby salad leaves, and mustard greens were one of my favourites, so mustardy and peppery. Delicious. Use them in place of the parsley in this recipe for a different flavour note.
Pistachio and kale ash dukkah.
MAKES 1–2 225G JARS
Dukkah is a delicious spice blend, amazing sprinkled onto an omelette or scrambled eggs, or avocado on toast. It’s also great served in a small bowl alongside another bowl of really good quality-olive oil and a pile of fresh hot pitta breads. You dip a piece of pitta first into the oil, then into the dukkah. Make sure your seeds and spices are really fresh for the full flavour hit.
