Halve the cucumber, scoop out the middle and slice into matchsticks. Trim the spring onions and shred into similar sized slivers. Pop into a small bowl and squeeze over the juice of the lime. Toss together and leave to one side.
Put a medium pan of salted water on to boil. When the chicken has had 30 minutes, remove the tray from the oven and stir the soy sauce into the plum base along with a couple of tablespoons of water to loosen. Drizzle everything with honey and pop back into the oven for 15–20 minutes, until golden and crispy.
Meanwhile, cook the rice in the boiling water. Halve the pak choy if they are small, or quarter a large one. I add mine to the rice pan for the last 4 minutes, or, if you’d rather, you can steam them in a sieve over the top.
When the chicken is ready, remove from the oven and shred the meat off the leg straight into the plum sauce. Taste and tweak the seasoning, adding a little more honey if it needs sweetness or a little more soy for salt.
Drain the rice and divide between two bowls along with the pak choy. Spoon the sticky chicken and plum sauce over the top and finish with the lime-dressed cucumber and spring onions.
Roasted Sticky Plum Chicken with Pickled Cucumber
ONE-PAN CREAMY SQUASH PASTA
I grew up eating pasta cooked this way and adore how comforting it is – one pan, no fuss, just rich, creamy and silky. It’s not the traditional way, but you have to see it in a different light; it’s almost like a risotto, where the pasta creates its own silky sauce from the stock and starch. And as well as being utterly delicious, it isn’t too calorific, and you can’t beat a bit of one-pan cooking.
SERVES 4
½ a butternut squash (around 600g)
4 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 rashers of pancetta (optional)
olive oil
1 litre vegetable stock
200g cavolo nero or chard
½ a bunch of basil
320g pasta (I love shells, or even a mixture of shapes)
½ a lemon
60g Parmesan
Carefully peel the butternut squash and cut into 1½ cm pieces. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Grind the coriander seeds and chilli flakes to a fine powder in a mortar and pestle. Finely slice the pancetta.
Place a large saucepan on a medium-low heat and add a good glug of olive oil. Fry the pancetta for a few minutes, until golden, then add the sliced garlic for a minute before adding the chopped butternut squash and ground spices. Fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden all over. Pour in the stock, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. As soon as the stock starts to bubble, turn the heat down to low and cover with the lid. Cook for 10 minutes.
While the squash is cooking, wash the cavolo nero or chard, discarding the woody stalks. Shred the leaves (if using chard, finely shred the stalk too). Pick the basil leaves and roughly chop them.
Once the squash is ready, stir in the pasta. The stock should just cover the pasta, but if not, add a little more boiling water – you want all the pasta to be submerged. Scatter over the shredded greens and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and cook for a couple of minutes less than the full cooking time according to the packet instructions, stirring occasionally.
When the pasta is ready, remove the lid, turn up the heat and continue to cook for a couple of minutes to reduce the stock. Remove the pan from the heat when there is still around 3cm of stock left in the bottom of the pan. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon half and finely grate in the Parmesan. Add the chopped basil and stir everything for a minute till silky and smooth. You’ll notice the longer it is off the hob and the more you stir, the creamier and thicker it will get. Season to taste and serve straight away.
One-Pan Creamy Squash Pasta
SAUSAGE AND WILD GARLIC LINGUINE
For speed and versatility you can’t go wrong with pasta – everyone loves pasta and you can pair it with pretty much anything in the fridge. But this particular recipe is one of my all time favourites: fresh yet hearty and moreish, and it takes less than 15 minutes. Winner.
SERVES 2
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
3 good-quality sausages (Italian or something with a bit of a kick works well)
160g linguine or spaghetti (I like whole wheat, but you can use whatever you like)
1 small garlic clove
a few sprigs of basil
60g wild garlic (if you can’t get wild garlic, use baby spinach and a larger clove of garlic; or try sorrel if you can get it, it works wonderfully)
40g pine nuts
30g salted ricotta or pecorino, plus extra to serve
½ a lemon
Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Pop a medium-size non-stick frying pan on a medium-low heat and pour in a glug of olive oil. Squeeze the sausage meat out of the skins and roll into small meatballs, about 2cm in size. Pop the meatballs into the frying pan and cook for around 10 minutes, until golden on the outside and cooked through.
Meanwhile cook the pasta according to packet instructions, so it is a little al dente.
While the meatballs and spaghetti are cooking, make the pesto. Peel the garlic and pick the basil leaves. Wash and trim the wild garlic (or spinach) and place in a blender with pine nuts, garlic and basil leaves and 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Blitz until you have a smooth pesto, adding a little more olive oil if need be to loosen. Finely grate in the ricotta or pecorino and stir.
When everything is ready, drag the spaghetti from the pot into the frying pan with a pair of tongs, letting any pasta water that’s still clinging to it get in there too. Remove the frying pan from the heat, add 2 tablespoons of the pesto and toss everything together well. Add a splash of pasta water as you go, so it becomes super silky smooth. Finely grate over a little lemon zest, and a bit more ricotta or pecorino, and season to taste. Serve immediately.
NB Store any leftover pesto in a bowl or jar, with a layer of extra virgin olive oil on top, in the fridge for up to 5–6 days.
Sausage and Wild Garlic Linguine
ROASTED CHICKPEA, CAULIFLOWER AND SESAME LAMB
I adore the mixture of textures and flavours in this dish: the crispy lamb, the crunchy celery, the sweet and cool dressing. Perfect with griddled flatbreads and lemon-dressed rocket.
SERVES 2 as a main, 4 as part of a meze
1 head of cauliflower, around 750g
1 × 400g tin of chickpeas
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
a good pinch of dried red chilli flakes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
200g lean lamb mince
1 heaped teaspoon sesame seeds
2 medjool dates
1 small garlic clove
2 lemons
1 tablespoon tahini
1 small red onion
2 sticks of celery
a bunch of flat-leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6.
Trim the base of the cauliflower and cut it into even-size florets, cutting the stalks into slices. Put them into a large roasting tray. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the tray also. Mix the oregano, cumin, cinnamon and chilli together with a good pinch of salt and pepper, and evenly sprinkle over the tray. Drizzle everything with a good glug of olive oil and toss together until well dressed. Place the tray in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, until both the cauliflower and the chickpeas are golden and crispy.
While the tray is in the oven, fry the lamb. Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and drizzle in just a little olive oil. Crumble in the lamb mince and fry for around 12–15 minutes, stirring and breaking it up often, until fine and crispy. Add the sesame seeds for the last 5 minutes.
Remove the stones from the dates. Peel the garlic and finely grate into a blender, then squeeze in the juice of 1 of the lemons. Add the tahini, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a good splash of water and the dates. Blitz until smooth, adding more water if too thick, and season to taste.
Peel the red onion and finely slice along with the celery. Pick and chop the parsley leaves and spoon everything into a bowl. Squeeze over the juice of the remaining lemon and toss everything together.
When everything is ready, spoon the dressing over a large platter. Top with the crispy cauliflower, chickpeas and lamb. Sprinkle over the parsley, celery and onion mix, drizzling over the lemon juice left in the bowl, and serve.
Roasted Chickpea, Cauliflower and Sesame Lamb
STICKY SPICED MEATBALLS, NOODLES AND PICKLED WATERMELON
This has become a massive hit in our house, and despite the long-ish ingredients list it isn’t difficult to prepare. Do go the whole hog and make the pickled watermelon – it cuts through the punchy meatballs perfectly and is such a brilliantly simple side.
SERVES 4
50g peanuts
800g watermelon
3 limes
3 spring onions
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
4cm piece of ginger
1 bunch of coriander
½ a bunch of mint
2 shallots
2 garlic cloves
1 stick of lemongrass
1 red chilli
400g lean beef mince (you could use pork if you prefer)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
1 heaped tablespoon cornflour
groundnut oil
2 tablespoons honey
250g fine or medium egg noodles
2 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Scatter the peanuts into a small roasting tray and pop into the oven for 5–6 minutes, until lightly golden. Once cool, roughly chop and leave to one side.
Remove the watermelon rind, cut the flesh into 2cm pieces, removing any obvious black seeds as you go, and place in a bowl with the juice of 2 of the limes. Trim and finely slice the spring onions and toss into the watermelon with the rice vinegar. Peel the ginger and finely grate half over the watermelon, then toss together and pop into the fridge to chill (you can do this in advance if you like – tastes even better after a few hours). Pick the coriander and mint leaves and leave to one side.
Peel and finely chop the shallots, garlic, the remaining ginger, the lemongrass (discarding the outer layer), the chilli and most of the coriander leaves, either by hand or by blitzing in a food processor. Mix or pulse in the beef mince, fish sauce and a good pinch of pepper until you have a smooth, even mince. Add the egg and cornflour and mix it all together well. Use a dessertspoon to scoop up the mince and roll it into balls, around 3–4cm in diameter. You should end up with around 32.
Place a large saucepan of salted water on a high heat. Pour a couple of glugs of groundnut oil into a large non-stick frying pan and place it on a medium-low heat. Fry the meatballs for around 12–15 minutes, until golden all over and cooked through, then drizzle with honey and cook for a minute or two longer, until the meatballs are sticky on the outside.
When the meatballs are almost ready, cook the noodles in the boiling water, according to the packet instructions. When they’re ready, drain and toss them with the meatballs in the frying pan, along with the soy sauce. Serve scattered with the remaining picked herbs. Stir the chopped peanuts into the pickled watermelon and serve on the side.
Sticky Spiced Meatballs, Noodles and Pickled Watermelon
BRESAOLA WITH SHAVED CELERIAC AND HAZELNUTS
The creamy, punchy dressing used here tastes too good to be considered anything other than indulgent, but I assure you it’s not. Using yoghurt as the base makes the dressing a little lighter, without scrimping on flavour. Such a delicious light meal.
SERVES 4
40g hazelnuts
½ a bunch of parsley
1 medium celeriac, around 700g
1 bunch of radishes
2 garlic cloves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 anchovies
40g Parmesan
1 lemon
3 tablespoons natural yoghurt
extra virgin olive oil
a loaf of ciabatta
16 slices of bresaola, around 90g
Preheat your oven to 180°C/gas 4. Scatter the hazelnuts into a small roasting tray and pop into the oven for just 8 minutes, until golden all over. Leave to one side to cool completely, then roughly chop them. Pick the parsley leaves and finely chop them, then leave them to one side also.
Peel the celeriac and slice as finely as possible, using either a mandolin or the slicing attachment on a food processor. Put them into a bowl of ice-cold water. Trim the radishes and roughly chop them, then pop them into a mortar and pestle and bash them slightly to break them down a little. Scoop them on to a large platter.
Peel one of the garlic cloves, put it into the mortar with a pinch of salt and crush until creamy. Add the anchovies and muddle them in, until you have a paste. Finely grate in the Parmesan, squeeze in the juice of the lemon, add the yoghurt and a glug of extra virgin olive oil and mix it all together with the pestle. Season to taste.
Place a griddle pan on a high heat. Cut the ciabatta into 1½ cm slices and griddle on both sides until charred. Cut the remaining garlic clove in half and rub the cut side over the charred bread, then drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
When you are ready to dress the salad, drain the celeriac and spin until dry, then add to the platter of radishes. Spoon over the yoghurt dressing, add the chopped parsley and toss everything together with your hands – you want to really work the dressing into the veg. Lay the bresaola around the edge of the platter and sprinkle everything with the chopped nuts. Serve with a stack of the freshly grilled ciabatta.
Bresaola with Shaved Celeriac and Hazelnuts
4
LOW, SLOW + HEARTY
This chapter is for the days when you are curled up at home, don’t want to go out, and have time to really dedicate to your kitchen. Or just for when you want to indulge in something that is the edible equivalent of a hug from the inside. A chapter of hearty meals and meals that take a little longer; labours of love that require attention and patience and will repay you with incredible flavour.
RECIPE LIST
BLACK DAL
SPINACH AND BASIL GNUDI
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE AND THYME BARLEY RISOTTO
PORK AND PRAWN GYOZAS
HEARTY FISH STEW WITH ALMOND SKORDALIA
SLOW-COOKED CHICKEN RENDANG WITH GENTLY SPICED RICE
ROAST HARISSA BUTTER CHICKEN AND CRACKED WHEAT
HAM HOCKS, FENNEL AND BEANS
STICKY PORK BELLY SALAD WITH FENNEL AND CHILLI
PECAN AND SAUSAGE STUFFING MAC ’N’ CHEESE
LANCASHIRE PIE BARM
ADOBO BRISKET WITH GRIDDLED PINEAPPLE SALSA
SPICED LAMB WITH DATES AND HERB-DRESSED FARRO
CINNAMON-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS
VENISON, WILD MUSHROOM AND CELERIAC TOPPED PIE
ROASTED GUINEA FOWL AND PUMPKIN PASTILLA
BLACK DAL
A hugely popular choice with Indian food fans everywhere, this is my favourite way to cook black dal. Slow and low, this is all the better for the hours you give it. An incredibly rich and creamy dish. You can easily halve this recipe, but for the time and effort it is worth making a large batch and freezing any extra for a rainy day.
SERVES 8–10
500g urad dal (black lentils)
2 large onions
12 garlic cloves
a 6cm piece of ginger
50g butter
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 heaped teaspoon mild chilli powder
1 heaped tablespoon tomato purée
1 × 400g tin of good
-quality plum tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500ml full fat milk
double cream or Greek yoghurt, to serve (optional)
Thoroughly rinse the dal and then soak it in plenty of water the night before you want to cook it. The next day, drain off the soaking water and place the soaked dal in a large saucepan. Cover with plenty of fresh water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 40 minutes (scooping off any scum that comes to the surface) until the dal is soft.
Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic and ginger. Melt the butter in a large non-stick saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the chopped veg and soften for 10–15 minutes, so they are soft but not coloured. Add the cumin and chilli powder to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomato purée. Cook for a few more minutes, then add the tinned tomatoes, gently crushing them to break them down, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3–4 minutes, then season generously.
When the dal is cooked, drain and add to the pan of veg. Pour in the milk and top with enough water to just cover the dal. Bring the mixture to the boil, giving everything a good stir, then reduce the heat to low, so it is gently simmering away. This is where you need time. You could cook this for 3–4 hours and it would be OK. But don’t settle for that – you want crazy delicious dal and for that you need to cook it for at least 6 hours. Seven if you can. Eight would be amazing. Or keep going – it just gets better…
Leave the dal ticking away uncovered, giving it a stir every now and then. If it looks like it’s getting too dry, top it up with a bit more milk, or a bit more water, alternating the two. After a few hours you’ll notice it starting to darken, which is great – let it get darker and thicker (try not to drown it in too much liquid) and keep stirring.
Check the seasoning – it is a vast amount of dal, so don’t be surprised if it needs more salt and pepper. Serve with a swirl of cream or Greek yoghurt, and steaming basmati rice and chapati on the side.
Black Dal
Stirring Slowly Page 8