Spana in the works from The Joy of Better Cooking
Think of this as a spanakopita cop-out (kop-out?). Instead of wrapping with filo pastry, we’re simply gluing with egg into a loose-leaf binder situation and serving it on crunchy sourdough toast boats. I love using this recipe to chew up the bitter greens in our veg box (kale, chard, chicory), because the wide surface area […]
Salt & vinegar kale chips from In Praise of Veg
This is easily my favourite way to eat kale –either as a kitchen snack, as a garnish for something creamier, or popped in a bowl alongside other shareable starters. One complaint from aficionados is that at-home kale chips can often lose their crispiness and turn to sog within a day or so. Fear not, fellow […]
Silverbeet pakora
If you’re thinking “these look like bhaji”, you would be quite correct – because the name is regional (Bhaji in the West of India, Pakora in the North), and the appeal is universal. I savoured a scrumptious rendition of just such a pakora, using spinach, at Asma Khan’s Darjeeling Express in London recently, and it […]
Ambrosia™ + cheese!
I like to think of myself as a ‘smarter, not harder’ kind of cook. This means that when it comes to combining flavours or devising dishes, I’m very happy to let the experts do the heavy lifting – whether that’s producers, artisans, mongers, makers and, of course, growers. What strikes me most about an apple […]
Ambrosia™ apple & honey salsa with grilled haloumi
Ahh, Ambrosia™; so filled with floral nectar on the nose and honey-sweetness on the palate, that it could well have found itself at home in the hands of the Greek gods for whom it’s named. I’ve chosen to keep the Greek theme going, with a heavenly Hellenic pairing of halloumi and honey, combined with the […]
Golden granola clusters from The Joy of Better Cooking
This granola is the BEST. A useful and delicious snack straight from the jar, it also doubles as a topping for sweet poached fruits for breakfast, or warm roasted pears and custard (page 258) for a supreme dessert.
MYO oat milk from The Joy of Better Cooking
Oat milk is froth-able, so whether it’s for smoothies or coffee, this one’s a keeper!
Overnight bircher muesli from The Joy of Better Cooking
Wonderful warmer weather fare, particularly if you want to pre-prep in jars and yoink from the fridge. Bircher was one of the OG muesli recipes, created by Mr Bircher-Benner in Switzerland and prescribed to patients. Thankfully it doesn’t taste ‘medicinal’ in the slightest.
Tolma
These are Georgia’s answer to dolmades – tangy grapevine leaves, wrapped around rice and herbs and spices. I’ve chucked some extremely inauthentic porcini into the mix, since they’re vego, to give you a little bit of extra umami. You could leave this out, or use shiitake if you’ve already got some in the pantry. I […]
Corn & prawn fritter buns
Presenting: a corny, prawny, choose your own adventure! You can serve these as a bougie breakfast item, as plain ol’ fritters, with gooey poached eggs over the top, as smaller canapé-sized bites for a platter, or as an assemble at will buffet station with the full shebang at your next shindig. You can, of course, […]
