The Food Diaries

Broad bean bruschetta

Pod some fresh broad beans to make 2 cups. Drop in a bit of boiling water and cook for around 5 minutes till just done. Rinse under cold water and peel. Place in a bowl and mash lightly, adding a spoonful of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, some sea salt and pepper, and some finely chopped mint. 

Pile onto toasted country bread slices lightly rubbed with garlic. Drizzle a little more olive oil overtop and garnish with small mint leaves.

Mix and match tomato bruschetta

Grill a couple slices of bread from a country loaf. Rub with a cut clove of garlic. Dice a handful of mixed-colour tomatoes (orange, tiger, canary, red, green) and divide between the two slices. Drizzle good-quality olive oil overtop. Season with sea salt and pepper. Garnish with small-leaf basil.

Grilled asparagus sandwich with roasted red pepper, hummus and a yuzu dressing

Grill a couple of slices of pain de compagne. Stir fry 8-12 asparagus tips in a little olive oil till nicely charred. 

In a little bowl, mix together 1tbs mayonnaise, 1tbs Greek yogurt, a squirt of sriracha (or other hot sauce), and a few drops of yuzu juice (or lime juice) till well combined.

To assemble, on each of the slices spread on good-quality hummus, top with alfalfa sprouts, lay over some sliced roasted red pepper (from a jar will do), line up the asparagus tips, add a dollop of the sauce, and finely, add a sprinkling of sea salt and  shichimi togarachi. 

Serves 1.

Cauliflower couscous with grilled asparagus and roasted hazelnuts

Coarsely chop a small cauliflower, place in a food processor and pulse till the cauliflower resembles couscous. Place in a bowl.

Meanwhile, chop 12 asparagus spears into bite-sized pieces and fry in a grill pan with a little olive oil till nicely golden.

Toast a handful of skinned hazelnuts in the oven till golden and chop. 

Season the cauliflower with the juice of 1 lemon, a good drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. Add some finely chopped mint and chives, the asparagus and hazelnut and toss.

Optional: Serve with shavings of parmesan.

Italian braised artichokes

Rinse off two Globe artichokes or 4 of the smaller Italian artichokes. One by one, place on a cutting board and chop off the stem. Slice 1/3 off the top of the leaves. Peel quite a few of the outer leaves at the base till you get to the tender ones. Yes, you will be discarding quite a bit of the artichoke. Finally, slice thinly lengthwise. Immediately place in a bowl of water with 1 lemon cut in half (squeeze the juice over the slices as you put them in the water) to stop them from browning.

In a large, shallow pan on medium heat pour a good glugg of olive oil, 2 large garlic cloves finely chopped, and a handful of finely chopped parsley. Scatter the artichoke slices overtop. Add the juice of 1 lemon, and top off with a 1/4 cup water (to keep the artichokes from drying out). Season with sea salt and pepper. Cover the pan and continue cooking a few minutes more till the artichokes are just tender.

Uncover the pan, ensure most of the liquid has evaporated before transferring to two plates.  Drizzle with additional olive oil, add a sprinkling of chopped parsley and scatter shavings of parmesan (optional).

Serves 2 as an appetiser.

Chinese-style broccoli stem salad

Cut a small bunch of tenderstem broccoli stems into bite-sized rounds (around 2 cups). Bring a pot to a boil, drop in the broccoli with a 1/2 tsp baking soda (to keep the stems a vivid green). Drain after 1 minute and rinse under cold water. Drain well and place in a serving dish.

Mix together 4 tsp soy sauce, 3 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp brown sugar. Stir till well combined and add to the broccoli.

Serve at room temperature.

Sicilian pasta with aubergines & tomatoes

This is a nice autumnal vegetarian pasta option - using up the very last of the season’s tomatoes (if you are lucky enough to find some).

Cut up 400g aubergines into a fine dice and place on a non-stick baking pan. Place in a hot oven (200c) till they turn a light golden colour (around 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, fry a finely chopped onion in a little olive oil, till lightly golden. Add 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, followed by 400g ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped. Stir around, and add 1tbs tomato paste, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of sea salt, and some ground pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft. You may need to moisten with a little water.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook 400g spaghetti according to packet instructions (around 10-12 minutes).

Once the aubergines are cooked, add to the tomato sauce, along with a few torn basil leaves, and 60g fresh ricotta cheese (optional). Stir, and add a couple ladles of the pasta water to loosen the sauce. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Stir till well combined and serve in pasta bowls, passing around some grated parmesan cheese.

Serves 4.

Chargrilled broccoli with chilli & garlic

A great way to perk up broccoli, courtesy of the king of vegetables himself, Ottolenghi.

Break up a head of broccoli into florets and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and run under cool water. Set aside to dry out.

Meanwhile, slice a red mild chilli pepper into thin rounds. Thinly slice 2 large garlic cloves. Transfer both to a small pan along with 2 tbs olive oil  and fry gently till the garlic just about starts to brown. Remove from heat.

Transfer the broccoli to a roasting pan and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place in a hot oven (200C) till the broccoli starts to char around the edges. Place in a serving bowl, along with the chilli/garlic mixture and toss. Season with sea salt.

Serve either warm or at room temperature.

Spicy Moroccan carrots

Peel (or just scrub) 1lb smallish carrots (if you can find the yellow variety, even better) and slice into small rounds (not too thick). Simmer in water for about 10 minutes (they should still retain a bit of a bite). Drain.

Meanwhile, heat 2tbs olive oil in a pan and slowly fry a small onion, finely chopped till soft and very lightly golden (around 10 minutes).

Add the carrots to the onion, along with, 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 1 medium green chilli, finely chopped, and 1 spring onion, finely chopped. Also added your spices: 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. If you can find a Moroccan spice mix then by all means, replace with that.

Stir in 1tsp honey or pomegranate syrup, and 1 tbs white vinegar. Stir around and season with sea salt and pepper.

Serve either warm or at room temperature will a dollop of Greek yogurt on top (optional), and some chopped fresh coriander (if you like the stuff).

Carrot & beet fritters

A lovely but straightforward alternative to falafel.

In a bowl mix together 1 cup grated raw carrots, 1 cup grated raw beets (peeled, and if you can find the golden/yellow variety of beet, all the better), 1 egg, 2 heaping tbs flour, and a pinch of salt. (optional: add 1/2 cup chopped onion though I prefer to do without). 

Form into small patties and place in a hot frying pan in which you have warmed 1 tbs rapeseed oil. Fry till golden on both sides and cooked through.

This is great served alongside some pita bread and houmous.

Panzanella salad

(AKA what to do with a stale loaf of bread)

Tear up some leftover, stale ciabatta bread (1/2 loaf) into bite-sized pieces and place in a large, shallow salad bowl. Add 4 medium-sized tomatoes cut into wedges, 1/2 cucumber peeled and cut into chunks, and 1 small red onion, sliced thinly. Mix all together with your hands.

Whisk together 3tb olive oil with 1tb red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the salad, cover and refrigerate (at least 1 hour but even overnight will work).

Stir again before serving. Drizzle a little more olive oil over top and sprinkle with 12 basil leaves, torn into pieces.

Pan con Tomate

This Spanish tapas recipe is a great way to use up super-ripe tomatoes. 

Cut four slices of crusty sourdough baguette and lightly toast. Rub each (one side only) with a cut clove of garlic. Slice two ripe small tomatoes in half and rub the cut sides into the bread, leaving behind as much of the pulp as possible. Discard the skin.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and add a sprinkling of sea salt. Garnish with basil leaves if you have some to hand.

Serves 4.

Variations: Add a slice of serrano ham or manchego cheese for a more substantial snack.

Aubergine (aka eggplant) & red pepper tart

This is a really light, savoury summer tart - which can easily be made dairy-free/vegan.

First up, make your pastry base [skip to the next paragraph if you have some store-bought shortcrust pastry to hand]. In a food processor (with a pastry hook attached), place 250g butter (or substitute with “good for your heart” cooking margarine) cold and cubed. Add 500g flour and a pinch of salt and pulse till you get a coarse meal. With the motor running slowly add 125ml (1/2 cup) cold water till the mixture forms into a rough dough (do not overbeat). Place on a floured surface and fold over the dough three short times till you get a smooth consistency (do not over knead). Refrigerate 30 minutes before using. Cut the dough in half and set aside one half for another time (it freezes well). 

Roll out your dough thinly and place in an 21cm/8-inch round tart pan, trimming the edges. Brush the edges with beaten egg yolk, prick the bottom with the tins of a fork and bake in the oven (180c) for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 2-3 minutes before using.

Meanwhile, slice 1 large aubergine into rounds (not too thick), brush both sides with a little olive oil, place on a non-stick baking tray in one layer and and bake in the oven at 200c till golden on both sides (turn the aubergine over halfway through) .

While the aubergine is baking, make the sauce. Fry 1 small red onion, finely chopped in a little olive oil on medium heat, till translucent. Add a jar (250g or 1 1/2 cups) of grilled pimiento (mild) peppers along with 1 tbs balsamic vinegar, some chopped fresh thyme, seasoning with sea salt and pepper. Heat through. Puree till smooth.

To assemble: brush the bottom of the semi-cooked tart with either 1tbs creamy Dijon mustard or 1tbs pesto. Spread a couple tablespoons of the red pepper sauce and then place a layer of aubergine overtop to cover. Repeat. Finish with a final layer of sauce and sprinkle on a thin layer of breadcrumbs (around 2tbs).

Put the tart back in the oven for around 15 minutes - or until the breadcrumbs are nicely golden. Garnish with a handful of little basil leaves. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 4.