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1 Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the broad beans and garlic and cook for 3–5 minutes, until tender. Add the herbs at the last minute just to blanch them until wilted. Drain, reserving the cooking water. Peel the broad beans and discard the skins.
2 Place the beans, garlic, cooked herbs and all the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until smooth, adding a little of the cooking water to loosen, if needed. Taste for seasoning and acid and adjust accordingly. Transfer to a bowl and leave to infuse in the fridge for a couple of hours to allow for the flavours to develop (if you have time), then serve in a bowl, drizzled with more extra-virgin olive oil and garnished with the reserved herbs and pink peppercorns.
TIP: This also makes for a lovely breakfast topped with a crispy fried egg and some rose harissa.
Chermoula cannellini bean
with crispy fried artichokes
Serves 4–6
Chermoula is traditionally a North African marinade for fish, but the zippy combination of coriander, cumin, cayenne and paprika is a fantastic way to flavour this creamy cannellini bean dip. I make a big bowl of this and top it with crispy fried artichoke hearts, which are coated in semolina and fried until crunchy and golden. Try and use the good-quality jarred artichokes that come packed in oil as they have a really fantastic piquancy to them, which works nicely against the richness of the dip. It also happens to be vegan and gluten free.
flatbreads or crispbreads, to serve
For the dip
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp coriander seeds
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 × 400g tin cannellini beans, drained (reserving 1 tbsp water from the tin)
½ tsp smoked sweet paprika
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 slices of preserved lemon (shop-bought or (see here (#litres_trial_promo))), chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus extra, finely chopped, to garnish
For the crispy artichokes
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp semolina flour
½ tsp cumin seeds, ground in a pestle and mortar
pinch of sea salt, plus extra to serve
200g olive oil-packed cooked artichoke hearts
1 Heat the olive oil for the dip in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes until aromatic, then tip in the cannellini beans and toss everything together over the heat for a minute. Remove from the heat and transfer to the bowl of a food processor with all of the remaining dip ingredients. Blitz to a smooth paste, adding a splash of water to thin until creamy. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly with more salt or acid, until it really sings. Leave to infuse in the fridge for a couple of hours to allow for the flavours to develop (if you have time).
2 To make the crispy artichokes, heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Put the semolina flour, ground cumin seeds and salt in a bowl and toss to combine. Drain the artichokes from their oil and one by one coat them in the semolina. Once fully coated, slide them into the oil and fry for a couple of minutes until golden and crisp, turning them to make sure they cook evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with kitchen paper and scatter with a pinch of sea salt.
3 Serve the dip topped with the crispy artichokes, with flatbreads or crispbreads for scooping.
Beetroot, coconut and curry leaf
Serves 4–6
Beetroot and coconut is a flavour combination I discovered in Sri Lanka, where beetroot curry is a staple. This vegan and gluten-free dip takes its lead from this curry (see here) and is a winner served with crisp seeded crackers (see here) or crisps.
500g raw beetroots, scrubbed
olive oil, for drizzling
1 tbsp coconut cream
juice of ½ lime
½ tsp red chilli powder
100g drained tinned chickpeas
1 tbsp extra-virgin coconut oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
handful of fresh curry leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
crushed pink peppercorns, to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
2 Toss the beetroots in a roasting tray with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover the tray with foil and roast in the oven for 1¼ hours, or until a skewer inserted into a beetroot comes out with no resistance. Remove and leave to cool, then peel the beetroots and roughly chop.
3 Place the beetroot in a blender or food processor with the coconut cream, lime juice, chilli powder, chickpeas and big pinch of salt, and blitz until you have a smooth purée.
4 Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and when they start to pop, add the curry leaves and fry until crispy but not browned.
5 Season the dip with salt and pepper to taste, scoop it into bowls and top with the mustard seed and curry leaf mix. Stir and serve warm or cold, garnished with pink peppercorns.
Ras el hanout roasted chickpea
Serves 4–6
A spoonful of ras el hanout transports you straight to the spice souk. A heady, fragrant North African spice blend composed of more than 30 ingredients, it translates from the Arabic to mean ‘top of the shop’.
Serve it with warm pitta bread or yoghurt flatbreads (see here), or as part of a meze plate with Labneh (see here), roasted veg and freekeh.
2 × 400g tins chickpeas, rinsed
1½ tbsp rapeseed oil
2 garlic cloves (skin on)
3 tsp ras el hanout
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 tbsp tahini
140ml cold water
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp orange juice
1 slice of Preserved Orange (see here (#litres_trial_promo)), chopped, or grated zest of ½ orange
2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped, plus a few whole leaves, to garnish
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
2 Dry the chickpeas with a clean tea towel and put them in a large roasting tray. Add the rapeseed oil, garlic cloves, ras el hanout and a pinch of salt and toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
3 Leave to cool for a few minutes after roasting, then transfer to a food processor (squeezing the garlic out of the skins first), reserving a handful of chickpeas for garnishing. Add all the other ingredients and pulse until creamy, but still slightly chunky. Transfer to a bowl, top with the remaining chickpeas and drizzle over more olive oil for good measure. Scatter over the coriander leaves and serve.
Memorable Mains (#ulink_b7f3b874-bc24-5388-82ac-8542cf186a3d)
This is the place for golden-crusted pork chops rubbed with fennel, thyme and cayenne (see here), and squishy fried aubergine with crispy roasted chickpeas and labneh (see here); things you can rustle up without too much trouble. Giving care and attention to those important details, however – like frying those aubergines to a silken splendour – elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary, making these meals, well, you guessed it: memorable.
As well as making the most of seasonal veg in the Burrata and Roast Root Rave Salad (see here) and Allotment Greens Orecchiette (see here), this chapter is alive with some of my favourite international influences, and will bring some revelations, like how off-the-charts salmon tastes when cooked gently in a marinade of tahini and preserved lemon; what fresh curry leaves can bring to your kedgeree; and how an anchovy-laced béchamel can transform our old pal broccoli. You’ll put your sourdough starter to good use again to make the Sourdough Pizzas (see here) – perfect for a pizza night with pals – and your vegan mates will love you for the delicious Sri Lankan-inspired vegan curry feast you cook up for them (see here).
Pork chops rubbed with fennel, thyme and cayenne
Serves 2–4
You can’t beat a succulent pork chop for a simple, satisfying meal thrown together in a matter of minutes. This effortless fennel, thyme and cayenne rub flavours the meat beautifully, and is also good as a seasoning for homemade pork burgers, or a rub for chicken. Find chunky, best-end pork loin chops with a nice layer of fat for crisping up. Serve with a bright, sharp shaved salad such as the Shaved Fennel, Radish and Pickled Peach Salad (see here and pictured here).
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp sea salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp caster sugar
grated zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme
4 skinless pork best-end loin chops (about 250g each)
1 Toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat for a minute or two, until fragrant and golden. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor, or a pestle and mortar, add the salt, cayenne pepper, sugar, lemon zest and thyme and blitz or pound in the mortar until finely ground.
2 Season the flesh of the pork chops with the salt mixture, rubbing it into the meat but avoiding the fat (you’ll only need about half of the salt mixture – store the rest in an airtight container and use it for other meats, or chicken). Leave the pork chops to sit in the rub at room temperature for 1 hour (if you’re leaving them for any longer than that, keep them in the fridge), then gently rinse them and pat dry with kitchen paper.
3 Heat a griddle or skillet over a medium-high heat, or prepare a barbecue.
4 Grill the pork for 5 minutes on each side (or a little longer if the chops are really thick), pressing the fat against the pan or barbecue grate to render some of it out and crisp it up. If you’re cooking the pork in a pan, baste it in its own fat. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes, then serve with a salad.
Chilli, broccoli and anchovy gratin
with pan-fried red mullet
Serves 4
Red mullet is one of my absolute favourite fish. Aside from being crazy beautiful, its iridescent rose-red skin has a wonderful nuttiness, and its flesh a special sweetness that requires very little from the home cook, other than a quick pan-fry. This leaves you free to lavish the broccoli with a bit of attention, and really, it’s never felt sexier than it does here, cloaked in this creamy, yet deeply umami béchamel made with anchovies, garlic and chilli. Rosemary adds an aromatic edge, while sourdough breadcrumbs and pumpkin seeds provide an irresistible crunch and tang. Once you’ve made and tasted this gratin, I’m convinced you’ll want to use it as a side dish for all manner of things, as it’s also superb with meat such as rare roast beef, or salt marsh lamb, and you could even make it into a meal in itself served with a little pasta or warmed white beans.
2 small-medium red mullet, cleaned, scaled and gutted
2 tbsp olive oil
thumb-sized strip of lemon zest, pith removed
leaves from 1 sprig of thyme
For the gratin
1 large head of broccoli, broken into florets, leaves set to one side, stalk trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
grated zest and juice of ½ unwaxed lemon
1 red jalapeño chilli, deseeded and half sliced, half diced
5 good-quality anchovy fillets in oil, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
