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1 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted (see tip on page 50)
1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Add the oil to a large saucepan on a high heat and sauté the bacon pieces quickly for about 1 minute or until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
2 Reduce the heat a little and add the butter to the oil in the pan. When it has melted, add the onion, leek and potatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook gently for 8–10 minutes without browning. Pour the stock over and simmer gently for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked through.
3 Meanwhile, make the parsley pesto. Discard the stalks from the parsley and place in a bowl with the garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan and olive oil. Using a hand-held blender, purée to a fairly smooth paste, adding a little more oil if necessary so that it is a thick but drizzling consistency. Alternatively, crush the parsley, garlic and pine nuts using a pestle and mortar and stir in the Parmesan and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
4 Purée the soup until smooth in a blender or using a hand-held blender. Return to the pan and stir in all but 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon pieces. Check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary, and heat for a minute more before serving.
5 Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Drizzle over the parsley pesto and scatter the remaining bacon pieces on top.
Rachel’s tip
Use the leek trimmings and parsley stalks for making a delicious stock (see stock recipes on page 326).
Salad with goats cheese toast and walnuts
SERVES 2 · VEGETARIAN
This is the kind of simple salad that so many little brasseries in Paris have on their menus. In France the goat’s cheese served for this dish is usually the type with a rind, but you can also use a soft goat’s cheese for this salad. Make sure the walnuts are good and fresh; if stored for too long they can become bitter and rancid.
2 slices of white bread or 4–6 baguette slices
1 × 150g mini goat’s cheese log, cut into twelve 1cm (½in) slices
4 shelled walnuts, roughly chopped
2 handfuls (about 50g/2oz) of salad leaves
For the dressing
2 tbsp walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp runny honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Preheat the grill to high and lightly toast the bread on both sides. Arrange the goat’s cheese slices on top to cover evenly. Return to the grill for a few minutes until just molten.
2 Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a dry pan for a few minutes until just turning brown, then remove. Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. (This will keep in the fridge for a week or two.) Dress the salad leaves with enough dressing to just lightly coat.
3 Place the dressed salad in the centre of two plates and arrange the goat’s cheese toast on top or to the side. Sprinkle over the toasted walnuts and serve.
Variation
Cranberry sauce: For a change, mix together equal quantities of cranberry sauce and boiling water (l teaspoon of each per person) and drizzle over the goat’s cheese toast before serving.
Fragrant sugar snap and beansprout noodle laksa
SERVES 6 – 8 · VEGETARIAN (IF MADE WITH SOY SAUCE)
Laksa is an Southeast Asian dish consisting of noodles either in a coconut-based curry soup (as here) or in a ‘sour’ fish-based soup. The vegetables add a bit of crunch, so it’s important that they remain as fresh-tasting as possible and are not overcooked. For a completely vegetarian dish, substitute the fish sauce with soy sauce.
150g (5oz) fine rice noodles
2 red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2.5cm (lin) piece of root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 stick of lemongrass, outer leaves removed, roughly chopped
50g (2oz) coriander, leaves and stalks torn
Juice of 1–2 limes
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 × 400ml tins of coconut milk
700ml (1¼ pints) vegetable stock (see page 326)
1–2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla) or soy sauce
250g (9oz) sugar snap peas, halved lengthways
150g (5oz) beansprouts
8 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced at an angle
1 Place the noodles in a large bowl, pour over boiling water to cover, so that it comes up to about 2.5cm (1in) above the noodles, and leave to soak for 3–4 minutes or until soft. Drain well.
2 Meanwhile, place the chillies, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, coriander (reserving a few leaves for scattering over the dish) and juice of one of the limes in a food processor (or use a pestle and mortar) and blend to a paste. Heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat and fry the chilli paste for 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk, stock and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce or soy sauce. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3 Add the sugar snap peas and beansprouts and simmer for a further 2–3 minutes or until almost cooked but still a bit crunchy. Check the taste and add more lime juice or fish/soy sauce if necessary.
4 Divide the noodles between warm bowls, ladle the hot soup over and scatter the sliced spring onions and reserved coriander leaves on top.
Variation
Chicken noodle laksa: Use chicken stock rather than vegetable stock and substitute the sugar snap peas and beansprouts with 550g (1lb 3oz) thinly sliced raw chicken breast, legs or thighs, cooking for 5 rather than 3 minutes.
Broccoli, olive and Parmesan salad
SERVES 2 · VEGETARIAN
This is a really easy dish to prepare, highly nutritious and perfect for a quick lunch. It’s unusual to have broccoli in a salad of this style, but it combines beautifully with the olives and Parmesan. Serve the salad as a side dish with barbecued food or with toasted or grilled bread drizzled with olive oil, bruschetta style.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
225g (8oz) broccoli or purple sprouting broccoli, cut into florets
1–2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ lemon, for squeezing
8–10 black olives, stoned and chopped
2 tbsp grated Parmesan or Parmesan shavings
1 Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the broccoli and blanch for 3–4 minutes, so that it stays crunchy. Drain well.
2 While still warm, arrange on plates, drizzle over the olive oil and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Scatter over the olives and Parmesan, add a good twist of pepper and serve.
Summer garden salad
SERVES 4 · VEGETARIAN
A fabulously simple salad. The dressing is based on an old-fashioned recipe and is wonderful served with fresh ingredients plucked straight from the garden.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 eggs
4 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tsp soft light brown sugar
2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
1 small cucumber, finely sliced
8 small plum tomatoes, halved
Small bunch of spring onions, trimmed and sliced
15g (½oz) bunch of mint, leaves only
75g (3oz) watercress leaves, any thick stalks removed
1 Bring a saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil and carefully add the eggs, cooking them for 6–7 minutes or until semi-hard boiled. Drain and immediately cool under cold running water to stop them cooking. Peel off the shells and cut the eggs in half.
2 In the meantime, start making the dressing. Pour the olive oil into a small frying pan on a medium heat, add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds until golden brown. Remove from the heat and leave the oil to cool completely.
3 Place the sugar and lime or lemon juice in a large bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Scoop out two halves of egg yolk from the whites and add to the mixture, mashing them down with the back of a spoon. Roughly chop the whites and reserve for serving. Add the cooled oil and garlic, season with salt and pepper and vigorously whisk everything together to form a smooth, thick dressing. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
4 Put the cucumber, tomatoes and spring onions into a large bowl and pour over the dressing. Add the mint and watercress and toss all the ingredients together.
5 Pile the salad onto plates, arrange two egg halves on top of each, scatter over the reserved chopped egg whites and serve.
Middle Eastern spiced lamb koftas with dips and spicy pittas
SERVES 4
Koftas are a type of meatball from the Middle East, but you can find variations (all with very similar names) in South Asia and the Balkans. They are lovely hot or cold, served as part of a meal or eaten as a snack or as canapés. Here I’ve served them meze-style with pitta bread and a variety of cooling dips. You could, of course, use minced pork or beef instead of lamb to make the koftas.
500g (1lb 2oz) minced lamb
½ onion, peeled and very finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
Pinch of ground cinnamon ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped mint
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 To make the koftas, mix the lamb in a large bowl with the onion, garlic, spices and coriander and season well with salt and pepper. (For checking the seasoning at this stage, see tip below.) Using wet hands, shape the rest of the mixture into 12 cigar shapes. These can be left in the fridge for up to 24 hours or frozen (so long as the mince hasn’t been frozen beforehand) until ready to cook.
2 In the meantime, make your choice of accompaniments (see the recipes overleaf). If making them all, then start with the baba ghanouj (see page 72) as this takes the longest to prepare.
3 When you are ready to cook the koftas, add the olive oil to a large frying pan on a medium heat. Fry the koftas for 10–15 minutes or until they are brown on both sides and cooked through. Alternatively, sear the koftas quickly in a really hot ovenproof pan and transfer to the oven, preheated to 220°C (425°F), Gas mark 7 for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for a few minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, push a skewer through the length of each kofta to resemble an ice lolly on a stick.
