by Jamie Oliver
olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons black mustard seeds
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 whole nutmeg, for grating
2 tablespoons English mustard
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups white wine vinegar
2 eating apples
2 ripe mangos
1 ripe pineapple
4 fresh bay leaves
6 tablespoons superfine sugar
Cut the cauliflower into ¾-inch florets, finely dice the stalk (discarding the tough end bit), and place it all in a large bowl with 2 handfuls of sea salt. Pour in just enough water to cover it all, and leave in a cool place for 1 hour.
Peel and finely chop the garlic and ginger, and finely slice the chiles. Put a large pan or stockpot on a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Fry the mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin, and the finely grated nutmeg for 1 minute. Reduce to a low heat and add the garlic, ginger, and chiles, along with the mustard, flour, and a splash of vinegar. Stir well to make a thick paste, then gradually stir in the rest of the vinegar and ¾ cup + 5 teaspoons of water, stirring until smooth. Core the apples, peel and pit the mangos, then peel and core the pineapple. Chop it all into ½-inch chunks, chucking it into the pan as you go. Add the bay and sugar, and stir for 2 minutes.
Drain the cauliflower well and stir into the pan. If it looks a little thick, add a splash of water to loosen. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until just softened and starting to release some juice. Taste, season to perfection, divide between sterilized jars (see here), label up, and get gifting. It will keep for up to 6 weeks in a cool, dark place. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within a couple of weeks.
PEAR PICKLE
MRS OLIVER’S FAVORITE SPICY RECIPE
My mum’s delicious spiced pear and apple pickle is wonderful and can be used in so many different ways, from cheese platters to sandwiches, to spice up a gravy, or with hot or cold meats. It’s the perfect gift, for a loved one or for yourself!
MAKES APPROX. 4½ LBS
2 HOURS 20 MINUTES
PLUS COOLING
4 fresh red chiles
2 large red onions
½ a bulb of garlic
4-inch piece of fresh gingerroot
4 cardamom pods
1 heaping tablespoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
3 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
4½ lbs pears
2 lbs Bramley, Granny Smith, or other tart cooking apples
14 oz dark muscovado or dark brown sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
Seed and finely slice the chiles, then peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, and ginger. Crack the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar and pick just the inner seeds into the mortar, discarding the husks. Grind the seeds with the peppercorns and fenugreek seeds until fine. Put a very large pan on a medium heat to get nice and hot. Put the oil and mustard seeds into the pan, then, as soon as the seeds start to pop, add the crushed cardamom mixture, the cumin, turmeric, and 1 tablespoon of sea salt. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, then add the chiles, onions, garlic, ginger, and a splash of water. Cook gently for 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally, while you peel, core, and chop the pears and apples, adding them to the pan as you go. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, and 6 tablespoons of water. Bring to a simmer, then cook on a low heat for around 2 hours, or until you have a sticky, jammy pickle, stirring occasionally.
While the pickle is cooking, sterilize your jars (see below). Once cooked, divide between sterilized jars, label up, and get gifting. It will keep for up to 6 weeks in a cool, dark place. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within a couple of weeks.
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HOW TO STERILIZE JARS
To sterilize jars, lids, and a spoon for dividing up your wares, either submerge them in a very large pan of boiling water for 10 minutes, then leave to dry, or put them through the hottest cycle of your dishwasher.
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Super-fantastic
SALADS
SPINACH & BACON SALAD
PINE NUTS, PICKLED ONIONS, & CRISPY CROUTONS
Classic, comforting, and simple, this is all about getting the details spot-on—fresh salad and spinach leaves, crisp smoky bacon, a delicious, bright, smooth dressing, and, of course, those crunchy bacon-fat croutons. This is hard to beat.
SERVES 4
20 MINUTES
6 thick rashers of smoked bacon
olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons pine nuts
12 × ½-inch-thick slices of French baguette
6 medium pickled onions, and 2 tablespoons liquor from the jar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
quality extra virgin olive oil
4 large handfuls of baby spinach
1 handful of seasonal salad leaves
Slice the bacon into thin lardons and put into a large frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Fry until golden, adding the pine nuts for the last minute, then scoop out with a slotted spoon onto a plate, leaving the tasty bacon fat behind. Toast the bread slices in the fat until beautifully golden on both sides.
Meanwhile, finely slice the pickled onions. In a large bowl, mix the pickled onion liquor with the mustard, ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of black pepper. Pick through, wash, and spin-dry the spinach and salad leaves, then gently pile them on top. Add the crispy bacon, pine nuts, and pickled onions, then lightly toss everything together with your fingertips, picking the salad up and sprinkling it back down from a height a few times—doing it this way means it’s perfectly dressed but you avoid bruising the leaves. Add the croutons and tuck in.
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MIX IT UP
A couple of ideas to tweak this salad: a tiny amount of crumbled blue cheese or feta would be very nice, but you don’t need to add much to make a difference. Similarly, some matchsticks of seasonal orchard fruit such as apple or pear would be a joy.
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CRISPY CAMEMBERT PARCELS
WINTER SALAD & CRANBERRY DIP
This is one of my speedy favorites—if you’re working quickly you can have it on the table in just 15 minutes, though of course feel free to take your time. Crispy pastry filled with oozy cheese and a tangy cranberry dip, what’s not to love?
SERVES 4
15 MINUTES
PARCELS
7 oz Camembert cheese
3½ oz shelled walnut halves
1 bunch of fresh chives (1 oz)
1 lemon
4 sheets of phyllo pastry
olive oil
DIP
2½ oz unsweetened dried cranberries
1 pinch of ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup port
SALAD
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
1 red endive
1 green endive
1 eating apple
2½ oz watercress
1 pomegranate
Put the Camembert into a food processor with the walnuts and half the chives. Finely grate in the lemon zest and blitz until combined. On a clean surface, fold each sheet of phyllo in half widthways. Add a quarter of the mixture across the bottom of one folded sheet in a sausage shape, then loosely roll it up like a long cigar. Repeat until you have four parcels. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat. Brush each parcel with a little olive oil and put into the hot frying pan, turning till golden and crispy all over.
Meanwhile, put the cranberry dip ingredients into a small pan on a medium heat and leave to bubble away while you finely slice the remaining chives and scatter them over a large platter. Drizzle the platter with balsamic and extra virgin olive oil, squeeze over half the lemon juice, and add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Trim, then finel
y slice the endive bases and click the delicate leaves apart. Coarsely grate the apple, then add to the platter with the endive and watercress.
Blitz the cranberry dip mixture in a blender until smooth (adding a splash of water to loosen, if needed), then pour onto a small platter and serve with the parcels for dipping. Toss the salad with the dressing at the table, then cut the pomegranate in half, hold it cut-side down in your fingers over the salad, and bash the back with a spoon so the seeds tumble on top. Delicious.
WINTER SLAW
CARROT, APPLE, CABBAGE, RADISHES, DRIED FRUIT, & ALMONDS
When made with love and care, this simple slaw is a total celebration of the season, embracing lots of lovely veg. It’s super-healthy, and is wonderful with both hot and cold dishes, so it’s great to have up your sleeve over the festive period.
SERVES 12 AS A SIDE
25 MINUTES
1 red onion
2 large carrots
2 eating apples
½ a red cabbage (1 lb)
½ a white cabbage (1 lb)
1 heaping tablespoon whole-grain mustard
¼ cup white wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch of radishes
½ a lemon
3½ oz flaked almonds
3½ oz dried fruit, such as sour/tart cherries, cranberries, blueberries
1 bunch of fresh Italian parsley (1 oz)
The combo of veg and fruit here will give you a delicious-tasting slaw, but it’s the pride you take in the slicing and shredding that will really give this slaw the edge when it comes to amazing texture. Peel the onion and carrots, core the apples, and click off any tatty outer leaves from the cabbages. Using the finest blade on your food processor or a mandolin (use the guard!), finely slice the onion, then place in a large bowl and toss with the mustard, vinegar, ¼ cup of oil, and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper—this will just take the raw edge off the onion.
Finely slice the cabbages and pile into the bowl on top of the onion and dressing. Switch to a julienne or fine grating cutter and shred the carrots and radishes, scattering them into the bowl as you go. Shred the apples, tossing them with the lemon juice to prevent them discoloring, then pile into the bowl.
Lightly toast the almonds, chop up the dried fruit, and scatter those into the bowl. Roughly chop the top leafy half of the parsley and sprinkle that in, too. At this point, you can transfer it to the fridge, unmixed, ready to toss together later, if you want to get ahead. When you’re ready to serve, use your clean hands to toss and scrunch the slaw together well, then taste and season to perfection.
Delicious served with Jerk ham (see here), Bubble & squeak (see here), my Toad in the hole (see here), or grilled meats, fish, and other salads.
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MIX IT UP
I’ve given you a suggestion for what veg and fruit to use here, but feel free to swap in whatever you’ve got—anything fresh and crunchy will work a treat, from pears to celery to fennel and even Brussels sprouts!
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ROASTED CARROT & AVO SALAD
ORANGE DRESSING, WINTER LEAVES, SEEDS, & TOASTED CIABATTA
This fantastic Moroccan-style salad gives roasted carrots and avocado some serious attitude. With crunchy ciabatta croutons to add contrast, plus spice, seeds, sour cream, and a tasty citrus dressing, you’ve got a winner on your hands.
SERVES 4
50 MINUTES
1 lb small mixed-color carrots, heirloom if you can get them
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small dried red chile
1 clove of garlic
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 orange
2 large ripe avocados
4 × ½-inch-thick slices of ciabatta
¼ cup mixed seeds
2 handfuls of mixed winter salad leaves, such as Treviso, radicchio, arugula, baby kale
1 cup of sprouting cress
¼ cup sour cream
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash the carrots, then parboil in a pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes, or until almost cooked through. Meanwhile, smash up the cumin seeds, chile, and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper in a pestle and mortar until fine. Peel and add the garlic, strip in the thyme leaves, pound into a paste, then muddle in 2 tablespoons of oil and the vinegar.
Drain the carrots well, tip them into a bowl, and, while they’re still steaming hot, pour over the dressing, tossing until well coated. Tip the carrots into a roasting pan, halve and add the orange (its sticky juice will add great flavor to the dressing later), and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until nicely golden.
Just moments before the carrots are ready, halve, pit, and peel the avocados, then cut them into wedges lengthways and place in a big bowl. Remove the carrots from the oven and add them to the avocados. Using tongs, carefully squeeze the hot, sticky orange juice over the carrots, then add around three times as much oil and a good pinch of seasoning and delicately toss together. Toast or grill your ciabatta slices, and toast the mixed seeds in a frying pan on a medium heat until smelling fantastic. Get a big platter out, or individual plates if you prefer, and get your gang round the table.
Tear the toast into bite-sized pieces and toss with the carrots and avo. Pick through, wash, spin-dry, and tear in the salad leaves, snip over the cress, then lightly toss and transfer to your platter or divide between your plates. Spoon over the sour cream, sprinkle over the toasted seeds, and tuck in.
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EMBRACE YOUR LEFTOVERS
This is a great vehicle for using up leftover Glazed carrots (see here)—warm them through in the oven so you still have that lovely hot element.
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RETRO LAYERED SALAD
MARIE ROSE SHRIMP, PASTA, DRESSED CRUNCHY VEG, & CHEESE
Dare I say it, this is a slightly tacky dish, inspired by those molded salads you can pick up in Marks & Spencer’s. This little beauty is fun to make and brings back lots of happy childhood memories for me—I hope you love it as much as I do.
SERVES 6–8
1 HOUR
PLUS CHILLING
½ an English cucumber
1 heaping teaspoon dried dill
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
8 oz dried mini pasta shells
15 ripe cherry tomatoes
olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 × 11-oz can of sweetcorn
2 scallions
extra virgin olive oil
cayenne pepper
½ an iceberg lettuce
3 cups sprouting cress
14 oz cooked peeled shrimp
2 large carrots
½ a bunch of fresh basil (½ oz)
3½ oz Red Leicester cheese
MARIE ROSE SAUCE
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
4 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
Worcestershire sauce
brandy
Tabasco sauce
½ a lemon
Cut the cucumber into ½-inch dice, toss in a bowl with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, the dill, and white wine vinegar, then leave to pickle. Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the package instructions, then drain and refresh under cold running water. Meanwhile, cook the tomatoes in a non-stick frying pan over a low heat with a splash of olive oil and a pinch of seasoning for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden and soft, then squash and push through a coarse sieve into a bowl. Add the drained pasta and balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. Drain the sweetcorn and place in a separate bowl, trim, finely slice, and add the scallions, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, add a pinch each of black and cayenne pepper, then mix. To make the Marie Rose sauce, mix the ketchup and mayo with a splash each of Worcestershire sauce and brandy, a few drips of Tabasco, and the lemon juice, then taste and season to perfection.
Line a 9½-inch-wide mixing bowl with a double la
yer of plastic wrap, letting it hang well over the edges. Spoon the sweetcorn into the base and pat down into an even layer. Finely slice the lettuce and scatter half into the bowl. Snip 2 cups of cress on top, taking the time to arrange it with the leaves facing out. Scatter over the shrimp, then spoon over the Marie Rose sauce and spread out in an even layer. Peel and coarsely grate over the carrots, then layer the dressed pasta on top. Pick over most of the basil leaves, then evenly grate over the Red Leicester and scatter over the remaining lettuce. Press everything down with your hands, then spoon over the cucumber and its dressing. Fold in the plastic wrap to seal the salad, then get yourself a plate that just fits inside the dish, place on top, and add something heavy like a pestle and mortar to weigh it down. Pop it into the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight, if you want it for the next day.
When you’re ready to serve, turn out the layered salad—think sandcastle—and carefully peel away the plastic wrap. Snip over the remaining cup of cress, scatter with the remaining basil leaves, and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Serve as is, or as part of a bigger buffet spread.
WALDORF SALAD
ROASTED GRAPES, CRUSHED WALNUTS, ROQUEFORT, & CREAMY DRESSING
I love this evolution of the classic Waldorf salad with sweet roasted grapes and a yogurty dressing, making it more interesting, healthier and even more delicious to share with friends and family as a main, or as part of a bigger feast.
SERVES 4–6
50 MINUTES
1 lb seedless grapes
olive oil
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
3½ oz shelled walnut halves
1 French baguette
1 lemon
1 teaspoon English mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 heaping tablespoons plain yogurt
1 bunch of fresh chives (1 oz)
2 Romaine lettuces
2 red endive
2 stalks of celery
