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Put the quinoa into a pan with 175ml of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for six minutes before turning off the heat and leaving, covered, for twenty minutes.
Pod the peas and cook them in deep, lightly salted boiling water for four minutes or until they are almost tender. (They are good when slightly undercooked.) Drain and plunge them into iced water.
Mix the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and olive oil together in a large mixing bowl and season lightly. Run a fork through the quinoa to separate the grains, then tip into the dressing.
Wash the sprouted seeds in a sieve in cold running water and shake dry. Mix the peas, seeds, cress, micro leaves and petals with the quinoa and its dressing and serve.
• Once made, this is a good base in which to use other leftovers, torn into juicy pieces, or simply to put on the table with other dishes. I should add that it makes a sound addition to lunchboxes, and will be fine in the fridge for a couple of days.
RICE, BROAD BEANS, ASPARAGUS (#ulink_4c6f121e-0e15-5e45-b6b5-edae4b1e956e)
Homely buttered rice. The luxury of new season’s vegetables.
Serves 2–3
broad beans, podded a couple of handfuls
asparagus 18 spears
For the pilaf:
white basmati rice 120g
butter 50g
bay leaves 3
green cardamom pods 6
black peppercorns 6
a cinnamon stick
cloves 2 or 3
cumin seeds a pinch
thyme a couple of sprigs
For the herb butter:
mint leaves 8 large
parsley a small handful
spring onions 2
butter, soft 200g
Cook the beans in deep, lightly salted boiling water for three or four minutes. Drain and pop the largest of the beans from their skins. Any very small beans can be left as they are. Trim the asparagus, removing any tough ends, then cut the spears into short lengths. Boil or steam for five or six minutes until just tender.
Wash the rice three times in a bowl of warm water. This will prevent it sticking together. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat, add the bay leaves, the cardamom pods, lightly crushed, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds and sprigs of thyme. Stir the spices and herbs around in the butter for a minute or two, then, as soon as they are warm and fragrant, drain the rice and add it to the pan. Stir the rice to coat it with the butter, then pour in enough water to cover and leave 2cm of water above the rice.
Season with salt, turn down the heat so the water simmers and cover tightly with a lid. After seven minutes, lift the lid, and fold in the drained asparagus and the broad beans. Replace the lid and continue cooking for a further five minutes. Remove from the heat, leave the lid in place and set aside for three minutes.
Make the butter: put the mint leaves on top of one another, roll them up tightly, then shred them finely. Remove the parsley leaves from their stalks and finely chop. Discard the roots and the darkest green shoots of the spring onions. Finely chop the white and pale green part.
Cream the butter until it is soft and fluffy. Season with a little coarsely ground black pepper and sea salt. Fold in the mint, parsley and spring onions.
Lift the lid from the rice, stir with a fork to separate the grains, then fold in the herb butter. Alternatively, divide the rice between plates, place a spoonful of the herb butter on the hot rice and fold in so the grains are coated.
• If you make the butter in advance, remove it from the fridge a good half hour before using. It should be soft and fluffy.
RUNNER BEANS, CASHEWS, TOMATOES (#ulink_39e2e18e-672e-580d-9a6c-8f3c86730750)
Crisp, crunchy, refreshing.
Serves 2
runner beans 350g
garlic 2 large cloves
guindilla chillies 3
olive oil 4 tablespoons
cashews 100g
cherry tomatoes 300g
spring onions 3
Put a deep pan of water on to boil. Remove any strings from the edges of the runner beans, then cut the beans into short, thick slices. When the water is boiling, salt it lightly and tip in the beans. Let them cook for two minutes, then drain and plunge them into deep, iced water.
Peel and thinly slice the garlic, chop the chillies, then sauté both briefly in the olive oil. Remove and set aside, then return the pan to the heat, add the cashews and let them turn a light golden brown. Remove from the oil and salt generously.
Quarter the tomatoes and chop the spring onions, then toss them with the drained runner beans, garlic, chillies, cashews and a grinding of black pepper.
• A nutty salad for serving alongside other dishes.
SHIITAKE, COCONUT, SOBA NOODLES (#ulink_026b90c1-eeee-5278-b3b3-f1aadc784eab)
Deeply aromatic. Vibrant. Heart-warming.
Serves 2
For the spice paste:
red chillies, small, hot 3
garlic 3 cloves
ginger a 30g lump
lemon grass 3 stalks
coriander seeds 1 teaspoon
coriander leaves a handful
ground turmeric 1 teaspoon
vegetable oil a little
shallots, medium 6
shiitake mushrooms 150g
vegetable stock 500ml
spinach 150g
soba noodles 200g
coconut milk 400ml
coriander leaves, to finish a handful
Blend the chillies, garlic, peeled ginger, lemon grass, coriander seeds and leaves, turmeric and a little vegetable oil to a paste in a food processor.
Peel and halve the shallots and halve the shiitake. Warm the spice paste in a wok or frying pan over a moderate heat, then add the shallots and mushrooms. Let everything sizzle for a minute or two, then pour in the stock, bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for fifteen minutes.
Wash the spinach and whilst the leaves are wet, cook lightly in a pan with a lid. When they have relaxed, remove to a bowl of iced water to stop them cooking any further. Squeeze almost dry and roughly chop.
Put the noodles into a heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water from the kettle and push the noodles down into the water. Leave for five minutes, then drain. Add the coconut milk to the mushrooms, simmer for five minutes, then add the spinach and noodles. Finish with a little fresh coriander.
RICE, COURGETTES, PICKLED VEGETABLES (#ulink_caa95c3a-a266-507e-9da6-fe5f32d7092c)
Quietly pleasing. Frugal.
Serves 2
sushi rice 180g
small courgettes 150g
sesame oil 1 tablespoon
Japanese pickled radish, pumpkin, etc. 75g
pickled ginger 20g
basil leaves a handful
coriander leaves a handful
dried seaweed flakes 2 tablespoons
rice vinegar 1 tablespoon
Wash the sushi rice in a bowl of warm water, pour off the water and repeat. Tip the rice into a medium-sized saucepan, pour in 300ml of water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat so the water is simmering, add half a teaspoon of salt, then cover with a lid and leave to cook for fifteen minutes.
Trim the courgettes, then, using a vegetable peeler, remove slices in long, thin shavings. Toss the slices in the sesame oil and season lightly with salt. Roughly chop the Japanese pickled vegetables. Shred the pickled ginger. Roughly chop the basil and coriander leaves.
When the rice is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and leave to rest for five minutes, still covered by its lid. Remove the lid and fold the raw courgettes, chopped pickles and ginger, basil and coriander into the rice with a fork. Stir in the dried seaweed flakes and rice vinegar and season to taste.
• If some rice has stuck to the bottom of the pan during cooking, empty out the rest of the rice, then pour a little water into the pan, bring to the boil and leave it for a minute or two. The rice will be easy to remove.
• The shavings of courgettes soften in the residual heat of the cooked rice. You could stir in a few other good ingredients instead. Chopped tomatoes that you have marinated briefly in olive oil and basil. French beans, lightly cooked and cut into short lengths or, better still, thin batons of cucumber tossed with a little rice wine vinegar and a few nigella seeds.
RICE, PICKLES, NORI (#ulink_df713611-fc76-59d9-814e-deec272148cc)
A bowl of steaming rice. The snap of crisp pickles.
Serves 2
carrots 2, large
a banana shallot, medium-sized
mirin 2 tablespoons
rice vinegar 6 tablespoons
tamari soy sauce 1 tablespoon
sushi rice 190g
dried nori flakes 2 teaspoons
tsukemono (pickled vegetables) 6 teaspoons
Scrub the carrots and slice them into rounds no thicker than a pound coin. Put them into a sealable freezer bag. Peel the shallot, slice thinly, then add to the carrots. Pour the mirin, rice vinegar and soy into the bag and seal it tightly, then refrigerate for at least thirty minutes, though it will keep in good condition for several days.
Wash the rice in warm water, drain, then put it in a small, deep pan, cover with 300ml of cold water and soak for thirty minutes. Bring to the boil, lightly salt, then cover the pot tightly with a lid and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for another ten minutes, then lift the lid and run a fork through the grains. It will be fluffy and sticky.
Divide the rice between two deep bowls, then sprinkle with the nori flakes and spoon over some of the crisp pickles, the tsukemono and their juice.
