Recipes

Sam’s roasted pumpkin salad

Sam’s roasted pumpkin salad

Sam, Addy’s sister-in-law, brought this salad along for our lunch and it was a stand-out. It’s everything a ‘bring a plate’ salad should be – happy to sit around at room temperature, substantial enough to be a side dish or main on its own, and absolutely delicious. I loved how Sam solved her ‘no platter big enough’ problem by lining a basket with brown paper and layering her salad inside.
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Ingredients

  • 1 kg 2 lb 4 oz butternut pumpkin (squash)
  • ¼ cup 60 ml olive oil
  • Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 bunch kale stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
  • ½ cup 75 g hazelnuts

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
  • Slice the unpeeled pumpkin into 1 cm (½ inch) thick slices, removing any seeds.
  • Place the pumpkin slices in a bowl and drizzle with most of the olive oil and the orange juice.
  • Add the spices and season with salt, then gently toss to combine.
  • Spread the pumpkin over a couple of baking trays and roast for about 45 minutes or until soft and beginning to caramelise around the edges.
  • About 10 minutes before the pumpkin has finished cooking, add the kale to the trays and drizzle with the remaining olive oil, then return the trays to the oven and cook until the kale is crispy.
  • Spread the hazelnuts on another baking tray and pop them into the oven for about 10 minutes or until aromatic.
  • Tip the nuts into a clean tea towel and rub to remove the skins.
  • Roughly chop the nuts.
  • Transfer the pumpkin and kale to a large platter (or get a lovely big basket, line it with a few layers of brown paper and then a layer of baking paper, and arrange the pumpkin and kale on top).
  • Sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts and grated orange zest over the salad and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes & Wine Advice

You could also sprinkle some feta or goat’s cheese over the salad.
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Course; Salad

Sammie’s chilli oil

Sammie’s chilli oil

Every time I see my friend Sam, I make a bottle of this for her. We are both obsessed with the stuff – we put it on our breakfast, lunch and dinner! I was heavily influenced here by Ixta Belfrange’s Numbing Oil (from Flavour) and Hetty McKinnon’s Everything Oil from To Asia, With Love. This is my ode to their recipes and to all the other chilli oils I’ve loved before.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over medium–high heat until golden brown and aromatic.
  • Place the seeds in a heatproof glass bowl with the remaining ingredients (except the oil).
  • Pour the oil into a saucepan over medium heat and cook until just at the point that it’s starting to bubble.
  • Pour the oil into the bowl of aromatics (be careful as it might spit).
  • Stir well, then transfer the mixture to a jar.
  • Shake well and store at room temperature for 6–8 weeks (if it lasts that long!).

Notes & Wine Advice

I especially love the chilli oil tossed with halved tomatoes and served on a bed of hummus with sourdough focaccia (here).
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Course; Dressing

Sunshine dressing

Sunshine dressing

I love this dressing on pretty much any salad situation, but it’s extra good in a ‘grain bowl’. Place about 2/3 cup (125 g) cooked grains in a bowl (pearl barley, brown rice or quinoa), top with roasted vegetables (see here) and some nuts and drizzle with the dressing. It’s also good over steamed broccoli or with a simple poached chicken or tuna salad.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blitz for about 30 seconds or until well combined.
  • Add some water if the dressing is a little too thick.
  • Check and adjust the flavour so that it’s the perfect mix of salty, tangy and a tiny bit sweet.
  • Store the dressing in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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Course; Dressing

A big tray of roasted vegetables

A big tray of roasted vegetables

I like to roast up a few trays of vegetables to have in the fridge and use throughout the week. You can warm them up and serve them with pasta or brown rice, some wilted greens and a good drizzle of chilli oil (here), or blend them into a soup with stock. They’re also good layered into a vegetarian lasagne.
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Ingredients

  • About 1 kg 2 lb 4 oz zucchini (courgettes), eggplant (aubergine), pumpkin (squash), baby squash, onions and sweet potato
  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • A few thyme sprigs or other herbs optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
  • Slice up all of the vegetables and divide them among a couple of baking trays.
  • Keep vegetables of similar sizes and textures on the same tray (e.g.
  • put the zucchini, eggplant, baby squash and onion on one tray, and pumpkin and sweet potato on another) so everything cooks evenly.
  • Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Add the herbs, if using.
  • Roast for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the vegetables are cooked through and they’re beginning to caramelise around the edges.
  • Once cooled, divide the vegetables among several airtight containers and store them in the fridge.
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Course; Side Dish / Vegetables

Dark chicken stock

Dark chicken stock

There’s something about making stock that makes me feel very grown-up and competent. This intensely flavoured, delicious dark chicken stock takes that feeling to the next level, and the recipe also rewards you with cooked chicken that you can use for sandwiches, spring rolls, salads, soups and so on. I learned this method of making stock from two great cooks and food writers: my friend Anya Fernald and David Tanis (via his wonderful book, A Platter of Figs). I’m grateful to them for showing me how roasting the stock ingredients first creates the most wonderful flavour base for all kinds of soups, sauces and braises.
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Ingredients

  • 1 large free-range chicken
  • 2 brown onions quartered
  • 3 carrots cut into chunks
  • 2 celery stalks cut into chunks
  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • 1 handful rosemary and thyme sprigs a mix is nice, but use whatever you have in the garden or fridge
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ cup 60 ml boiling water
  • ¼ cup 60 g tomato paste (concentrated purée)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
  • Cut the chicken in half right down the middle and lay it flat in a roasting tin.
  • Surround the chicken with the onion, carrot and celery.
  • Drizzle everything with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then pop it into the oven for 20 minutes or until the chicken and aromatics have browned nicely.
  • Transfer everything from the tin into a large stockpot or saucepan and pour in 14 cups (3.
  • 5 litres) water.
  • Add the herbs and bay leaf and bring to the boil, skimming any foam or scum that rises to the surface.
  • Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 1 ½ hours.
  • Meanwhile, deglaze the roasting tin by placing it on the stove over medium heat (or scrape everything you can from the base of the tin into a saucepan) and adding the boiling water, scraping and stirring so you get all the colour and flavour from the bottom of the tin.
  • Stir in the tomato paste, then pour the mixture into the stock.
  • Strain the stock and refrigerate or freeze it.
  • Discard the vegetables.
  • Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
  • (Purists might argue that the chicken will be a touch overcooked, but actually I find it super tasty.)

Notes & Wine Advice

To make a reduction jus, pour 2 cups (500 ml) of this rich, unctuous stock into a saucepan and cook it over medium heat until it reduces by half. This is beautiful as a gravy for roast chicken or even to use when making a gravy for roast lamb.
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Course; Chicken / Stock

Chocolate salami

Chocolate salami

This chocolate, hazelnut and nougat roll ticks every box for me when it comes to dessert – it’s done well in advance and it’s a hand-around situation, which means so much less fuss and washing up. I like to serve it with some fresh fruit and jellies.
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Ingredients

  • 11/3 cups 200 g roughly chopped dark chocolate
  • ½ cup 125 g butter, softened
  • ¼ cup 50 g caster (superfine) sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 100 g 3½ oz amaretti biscuits, roughly chopped
  • 150 g 5½ oz hard nougat, roughly chopped
  • 150 g 5½ oz hazelnuts, toasted, skins removed

Instructions

  • Melt the chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
  • Meanwhile, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the egg and whisk on low speed until well combined.
  • Pour in the melted chocolate, whisking slowly as you go, until fully incorporated into the mixture.
  • Fold in the biscuits, nougat and hazelnuts.
  • Divide the mixture in half and place each half on a sheet of baking paper.
  • Using damp hands, form the mixture into two sausage shapes and wrap tightly in the paper, twisting the ends to seal.
  • Place in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving with coffee.
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Course; Chocolate

Baked semolina gnocchi

Baked semolina gnocchi

Very forgiving, very delicious and very soothing, this semolina gnocchi is a total winner and I’d happily have it for dinner on a cold, windy night, just on its own. It’s also a fantastic side dish for all kinds of mains. Everything is done in advance and you can have it sitting in the fridge, ready to pop into the oven 40 minutes or so before it’s time to eat. We are jumping around a bit geographically with this dish – it’s a Roman classic, while the chicken and the chocolate salami are Piedmontese staples, but as with most of my cooking, it’s an amalgamation of flavours and memories. As long as the end result is tasty and proper credit is given to the recipe’s origins, that’s okay with me.
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Ingredients

  • 2 eggs lightly whisked
  • 1 cup 180 g semolina
  • 2 cups 500 ml full-cream milk
  • 1 cup 100 g grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • ¼ cup 60 g butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
  • 1/3 cup 80 ml single (pure) cream

Instructions

  • Combine the eggs and semolina in a saucepan and whisk well.
  • Whisk in the milk, half the parmesan and the nutmeg.
  • Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens to a porridge consistency and comes away from the side of the pan.
  • Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
  • Turn the semolina mixture out onto a work surface and divide it in half.
  • Using damp hands, roll each half into a long sausage shape.
  • Wrap each log in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
  • Butter a shallow ovenproof dish.
  • Unwrap the semolina logs and slice them into 1 cm (½ inch) thick rounds.
  • Arrange the rounds in the buttered dish, overlapping them.
  • Dot the butter over the gnocchi, drizzle with the cream and sprinkle with the remaining grated parmesan.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until the gnocchi has puffed up a little and the cheese on top is golden and bubbling.
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Course; Pasta

Angela’s chicken

Angela’s chicken on rustic wooden table

Angela’s chicken

Unctuous, rich and aromatic, this simple chicken dish is one of my favourite things to have for Sunday lunch, especially when served with deliciously golden and cheesy semolina gnocchi.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Toss the chicken pieces with the flour and season well.
  • Heat the oil and butter in a large flameproof casserole dish over high heat until bubbling.
  • Brown the chicken in batches, cooking for a few minutes on each side or until golden all over.
  • Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
  • Return the pan to medium–low heat.
  • Add a little more oil, if needed, then add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and rosemary, and season with a little salt and pepper.
  • Cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until the vegetables have reduced right down and have an almost jammy consistency.
  • Pour in the wine and tomatoes and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half.
  • Stir in the tomato paste.
  • Return the chicken pieces to the pan and pour in the stock.
  • Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 45 minutes.
  • Check the liquid halfway through cooking and add a splash of water if needed.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and let the chicken rest for a few minutes before sprinkling it with the parsley.
  • Serve the chicken with a green salad, semolina gnocchi (here) and some dinner rolls.

Notes & Wine Advice

Green salad

Gather a mix of greens, such as rocket (arugula), mizuna, oak leaf lettuce, radicchio, sorrel and soft herbs, and separate the leaves from their stems. Wash the leaves, then give them a good shake in a sieve or colander. Gently roll up the leaves in a couple of clean tea towels, then pop them in the fridge until lunch or dinnertime.

Tip

the leaves into a serving bowl. Lightly sprinkle with salt, then dress with a classic vinaigrette, made by mixing one part vinegar with three parts extra virgin olive oil. Finish with some toasted flaked almonds and thinly sliced crisp pear. Toss and serve.
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Course; Chicken

Mushrooms with garlic and thyme on toast

Mushrooms with garlic and thyme on toast

Once I’m home from a forest adventure and am wearing my soft clothes after a hot shower, I’m ready for an easy supper. A bowl of these mushrooms on my lap, a movie on the television and the promise of an early night is my idea of Sunday night heaven.
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Ingredients

  • 400 –500 g about 1 lb saffron milk cap or pine mushrooms (see Note)
  • 2½ Tbsp 50 g butter, plus extra to serve
  • 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp thyme leaves
  • ¼ cup 60 ml single (pure) cream
  • Sourdough bread to serve

Instructions

  • Clean, trim and slice the mushrooms.
  • Heat the butter in a large heavy-based frying pan over high heat until bubbling.
  • Add the mushrooms, garlic and thyme.
  • Cook, stirring, for a few minutes until the mushrooms collapse and soften.
  • Add the cream and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then remove the pan from the heat.
  • Slice, toast and butter some lovely crusty sourdough bread.
  • Plonk a plate of buttered toast and the pan of mushrooms on the table and dig in.

Notes & Wine Advice

Use Swiss brown mushrooms or another favourite mushroom if you don’t have access to saffron milk caps.
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Course; Side Dish / Vegetables

Cannellini bean and pancetta soup

Cannellini bean and pancetta soup

A recipe like this is about slowly building layers: the onion in butter, then the garlic, pancetta, tomato paste, rosemary, stock and, finally, the lemon juice and parmesan. It’s a simple dish, but very versatile and packed with big, bright flavour. It’s substantial enough to have as a meal on its own, with some bread and greens, perhaps, and the plum cake from here to follow. You can make it as a soup as I’ve done here, or hold back a little on the stock and serve it as a braised bean dish. It makes a beautiful side dish for roasted or barbecued meat, or a bruschetta or focaccia topping.
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups 390 g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight or for 4–6 hours in cold water
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1½ Tbsp 30 g butter
  • 1 brown onion finely chopped
  • 3 fat garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 200 g 7 oz pancetta, cut into 5 mm (¼ inch) cubes
  • ¼ cup 60 g tomato paste (concentrated purée)
  • 4 cups 1 litre chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
  • 2 rosemary stalks
  • 1 lemon
  • ½ cup 50 g grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Drain the cannellini beans and add them to a large saucepan of water.
  • Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes or until the beans are tender.
  • Drain and set aside.
  • Heat the olive oil and butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and add the onion.
  • Cook, stirring often, for 5–7 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
  • Add the garlic and pancetta and cook for 10 minutes or until aromatic and the pancetta is beginning to crisp.
  • Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.
  • Pour in the stock or water, add the drained beans and rosemary stalks and bring to a simmer.
  • At this point, you can put the whole lot in a slow cooker for the day, but I like how leaving it on the stove on low for an hour or so reduces everything down a little and really intensifies the flavours.
  • You might need to top up the liquid if the beans get thirsty and soak up more than expected.
  • Serve the soup with a squeeze of lemon, a little grated parmesan and some crusty bread on the side.

Notes & Wine Advice

You can use 2 x 400 g (14 oz) tins of cannellini beans instead of the dried beans. They won’t need soaking or pre-cooking – simply drain and rinse them, then add them to the soup when you add the stock.
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Course; Soup