HOT PANZANELLA
You know that great Italian salad made with fresh tomatoes and stale bread? This is what you do. You make double the quantity, and the next day you take the leftovers and bake them. The result is a beautiful rich savoury pudding. If you have a rustic cazuela that looks good on the table but can handle the oven, use it.
½ red onion, thinly sliced
8 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
200 g 4-day-old sourdough bread, torn into walnut-sized pieces
4 tablespoons good wine vinegar
1 tablespoon capers
1 small clove of garlic, crushed
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
small bunch of fresh basil, roughly torn
Serves 4
Put all the ingredients in an ovenproof dish. Mix well with clean hands. Cover with aluminium foil and refrigerate for 4–12 hours. Bring the dish out of the fridge and allow to warm at room temperature, so as not to crack the dish. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C. After 20 minutes, place the dish in the oven, covered, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for a further 20 minutes or until a golden crust has formed. Serve hot.
CAULIFLOWER CHEESE
This is a dish that says, ‘It’s winter. It’s cold outside. It is only 5 p.m. but it’s dull and there’s no point going anywhere other than the kitchen and the dining room table. Open a bottle of pinot noir and stay inside.’
1 cauliflower, trimmed of leaves and excess stem
600 ml milk
3 bay leaves
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
30 g butter
2 tablespoons plain flour
100 g grated cheese, cheddar or similar
breadcrumbs and extra grated cheese
Serves 4
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. When boiling, slowly submerge the entire cauliflower and cook for 15–20 minutes or until soft. Drain and strain. Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce by simmering the bay leaves and nutmeg in the milk for 15 minutes. Allow to cool a little. Make a roux in another saucepan: melt the butter and add the flour and cook for 5 minutes. Pour the milk over the roux and whisk thoroughly. Gently cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sauce thickens. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the cauliflower in an ovenproof dish slightly larger than itself. Pour over the cheese sauce, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese, and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve hot.
POTATOES IN WHITE WINE AND LEMON
This is a very simple way of making a very easy potato dish that is really good with brassicas of any sort: cabbage, brussels sprouts, etc. The top of the potatoes should be golden and underneath a lovely soft amalgam of creamy, soft, seasoned potato, onions and large chunks of firmer spud.
6 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large wedges
300 ml vegetable stock
100 ml white wine
juice of a lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon each of chopped fresh parsley and oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine all ingredients in an ovenproof dish, cover with aluminium foil, and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove cover and cook for a further 20 minutes until the crust is golden.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Anita Simon and Mary Ellis for the use of their homes when writing this book. The team at MUP, especially Sally Heath for her ability to will a manuscript from another’s being. He would also like to thank his long-suffering family, namely Tiffany, Ginger and Sunday.
My Year Without Meat Page 22