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The particular blends of flours and the other substitutes (whether milk, egg or butter) that I use have been specifically chosen, from personal trial and error, to create the best possible results. For that reason I would always recommend that you use the ingredients suggested as I cannot guarantee the same success if you use your own substitutions. That being said, experimentation certainly helped me, and so if you want to adapt the recipes using your own choice of ingredients, then go right ahead. Just be aware that you may have to adapt other parts of the recipe too.
Cooking notes
Fan oven temperature: if you have a fan oven, please reduce the temperature given in the recipe by 20°C/70°F.
Stocks: if not using homemade, please refer to Products and Stockists (#litres_trial_promo) for details of intolerance-friendly varieties of fresh stock, stock powder and stock cubes.
Teaspoon/tablespoon measures: 1 teaspoon = 5ml/½fl oz; 1 tablespoon = 15ml/½fl oz.
Spring
Spring imbues us with renewed energy and enthusiasm, and spring cooking should reflect this: we can say goodbye to the rich stews, hearty pies and warming soups of winter and reintroduce colour and crunch to our dishes. The Chicken, Watercress and Quinoa Salad, for instance, offers a lemony zing and seasonal, peppery bite, while the Herbed Lamb on a Bed of Leeks and Cannellini Beans combines tender spring lamb with the mellow flavour of softened leeks to ring in the season. The fresh, tangy theme carries through to the puddings: in the Rhubarb Streusel Tart the intense, sharp flavour of rhubarb is softened by the rich pastry and buttery, ginger crunch of the streusel topping. All the recipes in this section make the most of what’s in season to embody this revitalising time of year.
Carrot and Coriander Soup
Soup is one of life’s nurturers; it both sustains and comforts, warming one in body and soul, whatever the weather. For me, the best soups are the simplest: take some good-quality ingredients and cook them together slowly and you can’t go wrong. This wonderfully vibrant soup is just the thing for a spring lunch; fruity and fragrant, and served with a slice of my Quinoa Bread, it will brighten up any day.
Serves 4–6
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1½ tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
1 potato (unpeeled)
700g/1½lb carrots
1.2 litres/2 pints vegetable stock
A bunch of coriander
Juice of ½ orange
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan and place over a medium heat. Roughly chop the onion and add to the oil, cover with a lid and allow it to sweat for 4–5 minutes or until softened and beginning to turn translucent.
Chop the potato into 1cm/½in cubes and add to the onion. Cover again with the lid and cook for around 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the potato has taken on a light sheen and is slightly softened.
Halve the carrots lengthways and chop into half-moon segments, then add to the potato and onion, season with salt and pepper and leave to cook for about 15 minutes, covered but stirring frequently, until the carrots and potato are tender.
Add the stock to the vegetables and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool down slightly. Finely chop the coriander and add it, along with the orange juice, to the soup. Using a hand-held blender or food processor, blitz the soup until smooth and velvety. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then heat through to serve.
Garden Soup
This soup is a variation on one of my mum’s creations. So called because she always uses whatever is freshest and in greatest abundance in the garden, it manages to taste both rich and wonderfully fresh. My mum makes it with chicken stock (homemade, of course) for a satisfying, savoury depth of flavour, but you could use vegetable stock instead. And feel free to play around with whatever is in season: extra leeks, asparagus or spinach are all wonderful additions, although I would avoid adding any of the brassica variety (cabbage, sprouts, broccoli, etc.) as they tend to overpower. Serve hot with my Crusty White Loaf, warmed through, for ultimate satisfaction.
Serves 4
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2 cloves of garlic
2 sticks of celery
1 leek
1 large red onion
2 carrots
1 potato
1 small sweet potato
1½ tbsp olive oil
1 courgette
100g/3½oz frozen peas
1.2 litres/2 pints chicken or vegetable stock
A small bunch of curly-leaf parsley or watercress
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely chop the garlic, celery, leek and onion. Peel the carrots, potato and sweet potato and dice into small chunks. Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan set over a medium heat, cover with a lid and sweat the onion, garlic, leek and celery for 4–5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Season well with salt and pepper, then add the carrots, potato and sweet potato and continue to sweat, with the lid on the pan, for a further 10 minutes or until they begin to soften.
Dice the courgette and add to the vegetables with the peas, then pour over the stock, cover again with the lid and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.
Finely chop the parsley or watercress and stir into the soup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then, using a hand-held blender or food processor, blitz half of the soup, leaving the rest unpuréed for a chunky-textured finish. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then heat through to serve.
Warm Greek Salad sans Feta
This is one of my favourite salads – a lovely combination of bright colours and intense flavours. Here, the aubergine takes the place of the feta, its tender flesh melding with the sweetness of the peppers, the aroma of the mint and salty tang of the olives. I love to make this when friends come to visit – it’s so simple to prepare but tastes quite complex and is really versatile. Served with a few green leaves and a slice of bread, it makes a refreshing light lunch, but it works equally well as an accompaniment to a larger meal. For a delicious supper menu, it would go wonderfully with my Spring Chicken with Lemon and Herbs and Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
Serves 4
Contains nuts
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25g/1oz pine nuts
1 red onion
1 red pepper
1 yellow or orange pepper
1 large aubergine
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp soft light brown sugar
½ cucumber
20 cherry tomatoes
15 pitted black olives
A bunch of mint
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Scatter the pine nuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven, turning occasionally to make sure they don’t burn, for 5–6 minutes or until golden brown, then remove and set aside to cool.
Halve the onion, slicing it into thin half-moons, then deseed the peppers and cut lengthways into strips about 5mm/¼in thick. Trim the ends from the aubergine and cut into chunks approximately 2cm/¾in in size. Crush the garlic and place in a large roasting tin with the onion, peppers and aubergine. Drizzle over half the olive oil, tossing to combine, then sprinkle over the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes or until all the vegetables are softened and browned around the edges.
Meanwhile, peel the cucumber and cut into 1cm/½in cubes, then halve the cherry tomatoes and black olives. Place in a large serving bowl with the roasted vegetables and mix together. Finely chop the mint and scatter over the salad, along with the toasted pine nuts. Pour over the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste and toss together so that the salad is thoroughly mixed and coated in the dressing. Serve while warm.
Prawn Noodle Rolls with Thai Dipping Sauce
These little rolls are a beautifully packaged treat, perfect for a starter or served as part of a larger spread. They look and taste as though you have gone to a lot of effort but are in fact really simple to make. They have a light and clean flavour, while the combination of the rice noodles, sweet prawns, crunchy cashew nuts and cucumber provides a satisfying bite. The dipping sauce is a necessity and, if you wish, you can add a little to the filling of each roll before closing it. You can find spring roll wrappers in Asian stores or health food shops.
Makes 12 noodle rolls
Contains nuts
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110g/4oz cucumber
A small bunch of coriander
50g/1¾oz roasted and salted cashew nuts
100g/3½oz fine rice noodles
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
250g/9oz cooked and peeled prawns
12 spring roll wrappers (16cm/6½in in diameter)
For the dipping sauce
1cm/½in piece of root ginger
1 red chilli
A small bunch of coriander
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
Juice of 2 limes
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
A pinch of sea salt
First prepare the dipping sauce. Peel and finely grate the root ginger, deseed the chilli and finely chop it and the coriander, then mix in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and 3 tablespoons of water. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to use. (Left covered in the fridge, it will keep for 48 hours.)
Next peel the cucumber and cut into cubes about 5mm/¼in in size, finely chop the coriander and roughly chop the cashew nuts.
Cover the rice noodles in boiling water and leave for as long as instructed on the packet (usually around 10 minutes). Once soft and pliable, drain and place in a large bowl. Pour over the toasted sesame oil, then add the prawns, cucumber, coriander and cashew nuts and mix together until combined.
Prepare the spring roll wrappers by immersing each in cold water for a few seconds and then placing on a clean tea towel for 1 minute to allow it to soften.
Transfer each softened wrapper to a chopping board and spoon about 2 tablespoons of the rice noodles and prawns along the centre of the wrapper. Fold in two opposing sides of the wrapper and then fold over one of the remaining sides to cover the filling by about a third. Continue to roll the wrapper so that the filling is completely enclosed. Set aside on a plate and continue this process with each sheet of rice paper until you have made all of the noodle rolls.
You can then either serve the rolls immediately with the dipping sauce or cover and refrigerate for a few hours until ready to serve.
Falafel with Parsley and Tomato Salad
I simply adore falafel – dense, fragrant and completely moreish. A perfect treat when served as a starter, they are equally wonderful as part of a larger feast – my Honey-baked Leg of Lamb and Persian Jewelled Quinoa spring to mind. I like to serve them with a tomato and parsley salad – a variation on the Middle Eastern tradition of serving a bowlful of mixed fresh herbs with a meal. I think it lends the perfect bite and contrast to the softly spiced falafel. A dab of houmous wouldn’t go amiss either.
Serves 4
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1 white onion
1 clove of garlic
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
